I'll drink my tea in silence

At lunch I visited Alexander Hamilton. Yes I know he's dead, but he lives right by the office. So I decided I'd pay him a visit. I didn't really know who he was; all I know is he's an important person because a) his grave is prominently displayed, b) he has his own little corner and c) his grave has pretty flowers around it. Anyway, I found out he died in a duel; rather, because of a duel. Cool. He's the first person whose grave I've visited who's been in a duel.

{Design and Debris, Sorry about Dresden}

Happy birthday me

I had my birthday dinner early this year as my sister is going on a vacation. Went to a Filipino restaurant (the new Krystal near Elvie's and Manila Garden) near 14th. Had pinakbet (a vegetable dish with squash, eggplants, and anchovy sauce), chicken adobo, liempo (grilled pork belly), daing na bangus (milkfish marinated in vinegar and soy sauce), lumpia (the Filipino version of the eggroll), and crispy pata (deep fried pig's knuckles). It's funny how Filipino food sounds so unappetizing when translated. It's actually not bad; an acquired taste. Most of our cuisine is derived from Spanish cooking, with a good measure of Filipino ingenuity thrown in. For dinner, we had brazo de mercedes so unabashedly sweet I felt like having a good cup of Batangas coffee (Batangas is a province in the Philippines known for its coffee beans), but I didn't know where to get one.

Another good dinner was last Thursday's, with Jenny and her Tita Luz who were in town for a couple of days, at 36 Bar and Barbecue , a Korean barbecue house. Earlier that day I had picked it out randomly from mapquest.com, and it turned out to be a good choice, considering I was working with a very tiny browser window as we aren't allowed to surf in the office. Pshew. The interior was clean and modern, the food was good, and there is a therapeutic appeal to grilling your own food. We had shrimp, fish, pork, and martinis. The crowd was mostly young professionals. Walking along 36th Street we almost missed the place but Tita Luz noticed their logo and how it smartly and subtly disguised 3 and 6. It was great to see Jenny, who is going back to the Philippines after a year-long stint in Japan. It is true that people who spend a considerable amount of time in Japan sooner or later begin to look Japanese.

All right then. I've got some turning 23 to do.

{Happy Birthday, Itchyworms}