do more love more

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know Love the 80s, retro...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:06:58 -0800

Love the 80s, retro art-pop. I must say that this album is kind of all over the place, but this world that he portrays in this song is brilliant and just makes you want to drop everything you’re doing to dance. More, please.

Five Sites That Will Double Your Productivity

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:29:00 -0800

Being one of three full-time people at a startup is hard. It feels like if you’re not working all the time, then you’re falling behind, which can be really tough on your sanity and social life. There are also those necessary tasks like creating lists, doing online research, or even getting your cleaning done that you feel like you’re wasting your time on. Well, here’s a dirty little secret that will help you be more productive and sane: more minions!

No, not interns. Interns can help you get stuff done, but I always feel a sense of guilt making interns do work that is truly bitch-work. I mean, sometimes researching lifestyle blogs can be fun, but most of the time it’s really annoying for them too. It’s all about allocating the right things to the right people.

Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit has been inordinately helpful for me when I need to do tasks in the real world like pick things up, clean between Airbnb guests, work the door at events, and move boxes from one place to the other. I feel like Taskrabbit is the new yuppie version of going to the Uhaul store and finding some dude who will help you with some furniture.

Exec

Exec is Taskrabbit on steroids with a real time component. No one likes to plan when they need to do laundry or pick up some groceries, and we’d rather not worry about bidding or selecting someone as long as there’s a standard of quality. I just want it done now without having to worry about anything else. Exec is there when you need it. A friend of mine started it recently, so let me know if you want invites because I have them!

Fancyhands

At <$5 a task, this has been a life saver as far as virtual tasks go. They are masters of doing research and making lists. The only catch, though, is that you have to be really specific about what you’re asking for and optimally create a spreadsheet for them to fill everything in for you. This is one of the times I wish I had Excel, but usually I just export / import from Google Docs :). Don’t be afraid to push the limits on this one.

Coffee & Power

I’m giving them a shout-out because we worked out of their offices for about a month back when we were homeless, but I haven’t had a huge amount of luck using them. Someone answered one of my requests but didn’t actually finish the job and seemingly fell off the face of the Earth after a month. Maybe you’d have better luck if you pick something that people are already offering, though!

Odesk

Since most of these people are international, you have people charging about $3 an hour for certain administrative tasks. They are great for getting simple front end development done but not really good when it comes to interfacing people people and things that involve human interaction (even online) or creative thinking.

Bar Agricole 355 Eleventh St. San Francisco, CA 94103 This...

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:40:00 -0800

Bar Agricole

Sleepyhead - brandy, ginger, mint, lime

Bahri date, mandarin, persimmon, ricotta

Beignets w/ rum raisins and cream

Pork confit - leeks, sauerkraut, fontina

eggs, black truffles, radish, cabbage

Bar Agricole
355 Eleventh St. San Francisco, CA 94103

This morning we went to Bar Agricole, one of my favorite places in the South of Market (SOMA) district of San Francisco. Traditionally industrial and famous for the Folsom Street Fair, the SOMA district is a tough and somewhat seedy place devoid of the iconic Victorian homes that are so representative of San Francisco’s more residential districts.

This area is long due for a turnaround, though, with trendy places like Sightglass and Bar Agricole popping up. The interior is industrial chic with woods, metals, and even piping used as light fixture decoration, and I love it. The drinks are outstanding, food is imaginative, and there’s even a heated outdoors area that is kind of zen. The menu changes every day, and they specialize in bringing out bold, natural flavors in fruits and vegetables.

Path is the most elegant, fast, and beautiful iPhone app ever....

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:54:00 -0800

Path is the most elegant, fast, and beautiful iPhone app ever. As you may know, I’m kind of obsessed with documenting things. In just a short month, it has replaced Foursquare, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook on my phone. The application is designed to delight and optimized for mobile.

Take their photo rendering, for example. Even if the photo you choose is still uploading in the background, it immediately jumps to your screen as soon as you select it, creating a streamlined and elegant user experience while keeping the stuff you don’t need to know about off your screen. This philosophy of intimately personalizing the user experience, only showing the stuff that is relevant to you, is something that a lot of designers don’t do in favor of a sense of irrelevant transparency, which turns into complexity, confusion, and annoyance.

Of course there are some glitches, mainly with pushing to Facebook and video uploading, I’m sure the Path team will work them out. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the web application for viewing your history; hopefully it will have some awesome data visualization.

This weekend, the team and I went to lovely Santa Rosa to be...

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:59:00 -0800

This weekend, the team and I went to lovely Santa Rosa to be tucked away in the rolling hills, airy fields, and abundant forests of Sonoma County. We stayed at the cutest Airbnb called Deerhaven, where live turkeys and deer roamed free. The nearby Matanzas Creek Winery had lavender fields as well as the best pinot noir I’ve had in a while.

At Korbel we tasted the champagne that Obama served at his inauguration party and bought out the shop. Seriously, we bought nine bottles of champagne in rouge and sec; the thing about buying alcohol in bulk is that it’s an investment that will save you money in the future. Or at least that is what we tell ourselves. Someday I’m going to go back there to do the barrel tasting tours they do during the summer.

We had an incredibly rich and delicious brunch at Flavor Bistro and then happy hour at Stark’s Steakhouse. It was a weekend of winding rivers, cute animals, seasonal food, hillside views, and way too much wine. I approve of working here.

Food carts - Portland has so many of them due to enterprising...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:33:00 -0800

Chicken and rice at Nong's Khao Man Gai

Pork Belly in Red Chili Maple Sauce

Poutine at Potato Champion

Food carts - Portland has so many of them due to enterprising ambitions, a healthy sense of “fuck the man,” and lax laws about starting new businesses.

Street food has existed all over the country for decades in the form of hot-dog vendors, taco trucks, and the like. What makes Portland’s street food scene so distinctive and appealing—is the way vendors continually push the genre’s traditional boundaries, so that today, entire food cart villages have laid down roots and offer increasingly sophisticated and varied cuisine. After all, how many other places can you sample white truffle sea- salted fries, salmon fettuccini, perfectly seasoned Pad Thai, and the city’s best espresso—all from a street vendor selling out of a bicycle, a truck, or even a World War II military mobile kitchen?

Artisanal, quirky, independent, and an exceptionally good value, the food carts are in many ways the perfect symbol of what Portland is all about. They bring the local community together with the lure of good food, and the pod system has enabled vendors to create a strong cooperative ethic among themselves. It’s fair to say that the food carts both stem from Portland’s famed livability and contribute to it, forming a virtuous cycle of sorts. - Cartopia

Nong’s Kao Man Gai was the first food cart I ever went to in Portland. Believe it or not, during the last few times I was in Portland, I never tried any food carts. The pork belly arepa at Fuego de Lotus is also a favorite on the south east side as well as poutine from Potato Champion.

Stumptown at the Ace Hotel 1026 SW Stark. Portland, OR...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:05:00 -0800

Stumptown!

latte

mocha

Ace Hotel Lobby

Stumptown at the Ace Hotel
1026 SW Stark. Portland, OR 97205

Ah, Stumptown. A local tradition and institution. Every time I got to Portland, I always try to visit the Stumptown at the Ace Hotel and then sit in the lobby, dropping in on conversations. If Portland is where people in their twenties go to retire, the Ace Hotel is where they do it. As you sip on your coffee, you can see people just sitting for hours on the sofas playing with their phones or having “meaningful” conversations about the philosophical differences between a fixie vs. a single speed bicycle. It’s smelly and kind of damp, like those sofas have been around for a really long time.

The lifestyle of denizens in Portland is interesting, and it really is like that show Portlandia. Since unemployment benefits are pretty good, and the cost of living is pretty low, people in their twenties can move there after college, work about 20 hours a week at a coffee shop, and live in a house with a bunch of other people. They spend the rest of their time working on pet projects, making art, hanging out, reading, and going out. There is a certain air of laxity, an extension of youth where authenticity is more valuable than ambition.

It’s a strange world, completely different from any world I’ve known. But it seems like Portland is a great place for people to work on their passions, crafts, and expression.

Justa Pasta1326 NW 19th. Portland, OR Even though many of...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:25:00 -0800

caesar salad

bread - olive bread ++

butternut squash ravioli

spaghetti & meatballs, garlic chili oil

Justa Pasta
1326 NW 19th. Portland, OR

Even though many of us have resolved to eat fewer carbs for the new year, this place is worth putting your resolutions on hold for. I went here with my dear friend when I first went to Portland in 2009, and I came back again during this trip. There’s just something great about sitting in the exact same spot you sat in two years ago and reminiscing about the time that has passed.

It is the most delicious pasta I have ever had in my entire life, hands down. Nothing compares with the al dente style they have perfected over the years. If you go there, I highly recommend the spaghetti with garlic chili oil and the butternut squash ravioli with brown butter and sage, but I haven’t gone wrong with anything from this place.

Mee-Sen Thai Eatery3924 N Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:50:00 -0800

Look Chin Pla Tom Yum

Khao Soi Gai

Mee-Sen Thai Eatery
3924 N Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR 97227

Portland is a city that specializes in food, beer, and coffee, so most of our trip consisted of trying various places that were recommended to us by friends, guides, and the internet. We had our fair share of mediocre places, even places that came highly recommended, but I don’t think mediocre things are worth blogging about, so this series of food posts will only be about my favorites.

Post New Year’s Eve festivities, my body was hurting for some soupy sustenance and an injection of vitamins. We headed over to Mee Sen Thai Eatery in the North side of town to satisfy my craving for sour and spicy noodle soup. In the standard Portland way of doing things, many of their interior decorations were made by re-purposing and re-using things that people didn’t want anymore. We sat at a wooden table with a bicycle wheel on the edge, serving as a statement piece that gives the place character. The place was rustic, like a cabin in the woods, with these little quirky elements.

I love a good Thai noodle soup, something that more modern Thai places seem to overlook, so I was excited to hear that they specialize in noodle soups. I had the Look Chin Pla Tom Yum, a glass noodle soup with fish filet, fish balls, ground pork, chili, crusted peanuts, and vinegar in pork broth. Christopher had Khao Soi Gai was a curry noodle dish with roasted chicken and egg noodles served with pickled mustard, red onions, crispy egg noodles, and roasted chili paste. Both were perfect for such a rainy, cold day.

Tasty n Sons3808 N. Williams, Suite C, Portland, OR...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:47:00 -0800

latte from Ristretto Roasters

Polenta & Sausage Ragu

Shakshuka red pepper & tomato stew

Bacon Wrapped Date with almond

Tasty n Sons
3808 N. Williams, Suite C, Portland, OR 97212

Brunch. It’s my favorite meal of the week because it’s usually accompanied by mimosas, sunshine with an outdoor patio option, and fashionable people who may or may not be nursing a hangover in some shades. In the rainy, foodie paradise that is Portland, brunch is serious business, as it should be. There are several fantastic brunch places we wanted to try, but we ended up trying just Tasty n Sons, a new American joint with an innovative menu.

Since there was an hour-long wait, we went a few doors down to Risretto Roasters to get some coffee and work-time in. They roast seasonal, handcrafted coffee in small batches to both ensure perfection and appease the hipster masses. Both Risretto and Tasty n Sons share the same Pacific Northwest aesthetic that I love so much - tables and chairs made of beautiful natural wood with metal accents on the appliances, giving the space an industrial edge. Even though it’s a new American place, everything is in tapas form and designed for sharing, the way food should be consumed.

The bacon wrapped date was incredibly rich, drizzled in maple syrup with an almond inside. The polenta and sausage ragu with mozzarella and a fried egg was really cheesy and rich but great in small doses. I love how they take traditionally Italian elements and manage to update it, evoking a playful sense of something that looks like creme brûlée and slapping an egg on it. Christopher’s favorite was the shakshuka red pepper and tomato stew with a baked egg on top, and he has big plans to make it when he gets back to San Francisco.

I love taking elements from different cooking traditions and bringing them together in a mishmash of different tastes. This place does it elegantly with an extensive menu that is sure to satisfy all.

<2012>

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:05:00 -0800

2011 ended a couple of days ago, and I think it’s been one of my favorite years yet! This year I went all over Spain from quaint towns to big cities, visited the countryside in Portugal, worked on a farm in Costa Rica, lived in New York City during the muggy month of August, snorkeled in Hawaii, and ended the year in rainy Portland. It was a year of risk-taking, perseverance, inspiration, and change… the best year of my life.

I quit my soulless job where I got itchy fingers every day, helped to start a company that will change the world for the better, and worked with the loves of my life. In the face of dark days and uncertainty, renting my place on Airbnb and the support of loved ones gave me the strength to do what I love. I am forever indebted. I developed a passion for good design, discovering new things, and documenting life.

Over the course of the year, though, I got too caught up in being busy and neglected my health. 2012 will be a more holistic year - the happiest, healthiest, and most productive yet. After all, those things all go hand in hand.

Steve Jobs Biography

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:04:00 -0800

I finished the Steve Jobs biography on my flight back from Hawaii but have been procrastinating about writing my thoughts down until now. I’m currently in a cute French patisserie in Portland sipping on a variety of dessert wines. The biography is a great feat, delving into the life of such a colossal figure in business and history, whose impact has shaped the present and future of how we live.

Defining the personal computing experience, designing innovative user interfaces, giving a lifeline to the music industry, modernizing animation, emphasizing damned good design, shaping the impact technology has in our everyday lives, and inspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. I really appreciated the humanized view of a seemingly perfect being; he was acerbic, insensitive, unwavering in his opinions, oftentimes impractical, and emotionally immature. But that also pushed Apple and technology to where it is today, creating a sustainable company culture and some of the best products of all time.

Companies that have lost focus should refer to his usability and design perspective as an anchor in everything they do. Simplicity, unwavering focus, and relentless perfectionism. He rescued Apple from the brink of destruction, plagued by agency problems that are so common when great companies fall into the hands of managers with the wrong motivations. His ego and sense of ownership made it the most valuable company in the world - one of the few companies to create truly innovative products.

He inspires you to be relentless, disregard the status quo, and strive to be insanely great. His legacy serves as a constant reminder in the products we all use in every day of our lives. Think different. Most importantly, he taught us the importance of having a vision in whatever you create. Founders who don’t aspire to change the world for the better start short-lived companies and are irresponsible, getting caught up in pleasing investors or sacrificing integrity of product for profit. Product and profit are seemingly similar motivations but end up being vastly different in informing the actions of a company.

We need better founders in this world. Thank you, Steve Jobs, for being one of the best. “He who is not busy being born in busy dying” - Bob Dylan.

Yesterday I flew from the sunny paradise (with the exception of...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:58:00 -0800

expose yourself to art

statue of Portlandia

smallest park ever

24 Hour Church of Elvis

Voodoo Donut - bacon maple bar

Powell's Books

Yesterday I flew from the sunny paradise (with the exception of Hilo) that is Hawai’i to the rainy hipster-filled Portland to join my boyfriend for New Year’s Eve. We took the Vayable Keep Portland Weird tour as part of my Christmas gift to him! We went on a grand adventure, where I exposed myself to a statue, heard a sermon, ate bacon with maple syrup, and could have gotten married if I really wanted to.

We started out in Pioneer Square, Portland’s “living room,” that was made of bricks purchased by Portland residents with their names etched on to fund the project. There is an eco-chamber there that is sure to delight anyone who happens to run into it or knows that it’s there. We went to tons of historical landmarks that highlight Portland’s quirks like the Expose Yourself to Art campaign, where Mayor Bud Clark flashed a statue to raise money to fight venereal disease.

Did you know that Portland was named in a coin toss and that the other option was… Boston? Imagine how confusing that would be; differentiating between Portland, Maine is hard enough. 1% of funding that goes to public projects is required to be allocated towards public art, which explains why so much of it is scattered throughout the city close to official buildings. We visited the world’s smallest park, which is adorned with little decorations that reflect the zeitgeist - Occupy tents, Christmas ornaments, and so forth.

After meandering through several of Portland’s food cart pods, we found the perfect place and had a delicious meal of chicken and rice at Nong Khao Man Kai, one of our guide’s favorites. We ended up at the 24 Hour Church of Elvis, where we heard a sermon from the spirit of Elvis himself manifested through an old school TV monitor. Some people even get married there and also at Voodoo Donut, a local and not-so-local Portland favorite.

Heather was a wealth of knowledge, passionate about all things Portland and travel, and we even ended up with two pages worth of recommendations for places to go during the rest of our trip!

Every once in a while, you happen upon a place that you’re...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:53:00 -0800

Every once in a while, you happen upon a place that you’re convinced is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Waipi’o Valley in the Hamakua District of Hawai’i is that kind of place. As soon as you get to the lookout, your breath is swept away by the expansive shape with lush greenery and black sand beaches battered by crashing waves.

Beneath the steepest road in the United States, San Francisco hills pale in comparison, are hidden delights - wild horses, taro farms, beautiful vegetation, and waterfalls that are 2000 feet high. It is a sacred valley that once housed thousands of Hawaiians and was the childhood home of King Kamehameha I, who unified the islands of Hawai’i.

Today, without the modern day luxuries like electricity, running water, and cell phone service, a mere 100 people live there. With strict rules on what travelers can and cannot do, the land is preserved and unspoiled by outside interference.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is home to some of the...

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:48:00 -0800

it is full of craters like these

and these

Sea arch of lava by erosive wave action

an active volcano!

Kīlauea's active vent Halemaʻumaʻu

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is home to some of the world’s most active and massive volcanoes. There are a lot of dormant craters from eruptions past, and the terrain is otherworldly, full of dried up lava flow, like something out of Starcraft. Kilauea is an active volcano, and at night the vent Halemaʻumaʻu emits gases with an orangey glow. Seeing the pattern of creation and destruction is really interesting and inspiring!

This is at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, one of the most...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:40:00 -0800

turtles!

This is at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, one of the most famous black sand beaches in the world. If you want to see sea turtles but haven’t had luck while snorkeling or diving, this is the place to see them because they are abundantly basking in the sun here. The black sand is created when lava flows into the ocean and explodes into tiny little pieces, which is why the sand has the same iridescent quality that lava rocks have.

This post is dedicated to food in Hawaii, so here are some...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:58:00 -0800

sweet potato and haupia dessert

laulau

malasadas

poke

a breakfast of mahi mahi, eggs, and rice

liliko'i gelato

This post is dedicated to food in Hawaii, so here are some iconic foods I had (and liked) that are typically Hawaiian! Traveling with your family plus two other families puts a bit of a damper on eating adventures because everyone has their own weird way of being picky. Nonetheless, I was able to insist and try some places that serve authentic regional food.

Okinawan Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie. I had this at Yama’s Fish Market in Honolulu, and it is now one of my favorite desserts! It is a three-layer pie with a crust on the bottom, a layer of Okinawan sweet potato in the middle, and haupia (made from coconut milk) on top. Full of natural flavor, it is not that sweet, and the purple color of the sweet potato gives it a fun twist.

Laulau. Also from Yama’s, this is pork wrapped in taro leaves and then wrapped with ti leaves. It’s steamed for three to four hours, which allows the aroma of the taro leaves to seep nicely into the meat and tenderize it. When eating, you unwrap the ti leaves, but I’m pretty sure you can eat the taro leaves with the pork because it’s adequately mushy.

Malasadas. I had them at Leonard’s Bakery in Honolulu, where they are super famous. They are donut-like things that are in the shape of balls made of yeast dough and coated with sugar. Some of them have fillings like chocolate, custard, and coconut, but I enjoyed the plain ones more. They are not my favorite thing in the world, but it’s not like I’m going to be saying no to them any time soon.

Poke. Poke tasting was my favorite food activity during this trip next to shave ice tasting, and the absolute best place I tried was an unassuming fish market called Suisan in Hilo on the west side of the Big Island. They are a fish distributor that ships fish all over Hawaii, and we got it straight from the source right next to their warehouse. For $5 - $7 a bowl, depending on how many types you get, it’s a steal for slick, pillowy, fresh pieces of heaven. Da Poke Shack in Kona also has damned good poke.

Breakfast - mahi mahi, eggs, and fried rice. On our second day in O’ahu, we had breakfast at Diamond Head Market & Grill, which I highly recommend. They also have a delicious lemon crunch cake and kombucha!

Liliko’i gelato. Liliko’i is a type of Hawaiian passion fruit that is tart and sour. When made into a gelato, it gives you that tingly feeling around the corners of your jaw as you put in your mouth the first couple of times. I got it at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill in Kona.

We flew to the Big Island on Christmas and went kayaking and...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:31:00 -0800

We flew to the Big Island on Christmas and went kayaking and snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay the next day. In the Kona part of the island, Steve Jobs’ favorite vacation spot, it’s always sunny and warm outside. The water was pristinely crystal clear, and schools of fish swam about feeding on the beautiful coral.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a strange place that is part...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:42:00 -0800

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a strange place that is part theme park, part living museum. While I appreciate the idea of preserving local culture, they do it in an inauthentic way that feels exploitative and overly manufactured. I have mixed feelings about it, though, because the center also provides opportunity to those who might otherwise not be able to get an education or travel to the United States to work.

The center is owned by Brigham Young University - Hawaii, which is owned by the Mormon Church. 70% of the center’s 1,300 employees go to BYU Hawaii, and 97% of the 2,800 students at the school are Mormon. The Polynesian Cultural Center is Hawaii’s number one paid tourist attraction, and since tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry, this operation is a real cash cow for the Mormon Church. Of course part of the proceeds go towards paying for tuition, which is actually really smart, and towards the school.

The mission of Brigham Young University–Hawaii is to integrate both spiritual and secular learning, and to prepare students with character and integrity who can provide leadership in their families, their communities, their chosen fields, and in building the kingdom of God, particularly in the Pacific and Asia.

With 1,093 international students (or 43% of total enrollment), BYU Hawaii “has a higher percentage of international students than any other baccalaureate institution in the United States.” Something tells me that the students are largely people the Mormons have converted on mission trips to Asian countries. It is really really strange, but it’s a damned good international expansion strategy if you ask me. To give the promise of opportunity to those who are vulnerable and churn out accountants.

Tripping around O’ahu. This afternoon, before our flight...

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:22:00 -0800

Hanauma Bay (yes those are corals)

Molokai Lookout

Makapu'u Lighthouse Lookout

Makapu'u Lighthouse Lookout

Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach

Tripping around O’ahu. This afternoon, before our flight to the Big Island, we went tripping around the south and west parts of O’ahu! There were gorgeous views of the ocean all around, and it’s interesting how the scenery changes as you driver farther west.

My overall favorite beach on the island was Lanikai Beach. It’s hard to find because it’s not really on any maps, and it’s more of a neighborhood beach accessible by little beach paths between houses. The white sand there is the finest I’ve ever felt, and it even gets swept up with the water, so the water towards shore looks somewhat like butter. It’s really poetic and like a little slice of paradise :).