time to remember

every december, my dear, dear friend ekt and her bau visit san francisco for their annual conference, aka the ultimate convention of the nerds. this year, ekt and i spent one evening at california academy of sciences adult event, nightlife and had a blast! it was the last nightlife event of the year, and the chocolate was the theme. we surely enjoyed sampling different kinds of local chocolates in between our tipsy nerd moments learning about the new discoveries of the planetary science in the planetarium, mingling with the butterflies and birds of the tropics in the tropical dome, and being taught about crazy mammalian bone called baculum (ahem) and the PRICC (primates without humans, rodents, insectivores, chiroptera, carnivores) acronym to remember who has this peculiar bone by a quirky host. at any rate, it is always nice to catch up with a friend from a long ago, from far away, and share some laughs and indulge in our common interest in the field of science.

ekt and i also share love for good food, simple, seasonal, tasty food, and she let me steal her personal recipe inspired by the bay area's own alice waters, which i thought would delight v's appetite. i had been looking for a unique winter-y recipe that is more on the fancier side of things without having it be too complicated or expensive, because my usual recipes are mostly "mom" cooking that utilizes whatever is in the fridge and would yield enough food for two of us for two meals, and could be made within an hour. so yeah, i wanted to make something special for my special girl. and the result? DELICIOUS. happy tummies all around! thanks ekt!

it is moments like this when i realize that it is that season when we should all take some time to remember how much we appreciate the love we receive from our friends...