Steve, the Turkey

While the Pilgrims never landed in my original hometown (although King Felipe and Queen Isabella sent their own versions of landgrabbers...), my family has always celebrated Thanksgiving day. In the past, in my rebellion against all things traditional, I opted for roasting 15 cornish game hens stuffed with rosemary and boursin cheese; slathered and basted with Bovril). Last year, prodded by the family's new, US born generation, the clamor for Turkey overrode my refusal to spend 6 hours in the kitchen watching Big Bird get a tan.

So last year, my kids named the bird Fred.
Last night, we bought Steve. He now sits in my kitchen, butt naked.
(PETA members and vegetarians, pls log off now)

Soon, Steve will be drowned for 24 hours until he is well lubricated and completely intoxicated.
Tomorrow, he will be subjected to more humilation and torture, slapped and slathered in some slimy liquid, then made to sit under a hot lamp for hours. He will be grilled and slathered some more until he is ready to deliver the truth. Once he's totally aclimated to the heat, he'll be yanked out of his comfort zone and made to sit once again on a cold slab with his legs all tied up, sticking up in the air and waiting for someone to untie him. Then, he's get sliced into pieces and served on a silver platter to a hungry mob waiting to devour him.

LOL. This sounds more like a Daniel Craig as James Bond movie, or the inquisition by Henry VIII during the reformation ...than a Thanksgiving meal.

Poor Steve. He never had a chance. But, Sonia did warn me- this is not a good week for turkeys.
He will, however, serve his purpose. He'll be part of a family gathering and a feast prepared with love. He'll remind us all that we have to thank God for our freedom, our comforts and our blessings.

Stay tuned for post-turkey results. With wine in hand as I start to cook all day today and tomorrow, I'm sure there will be equal amount of kitchen disasters and successes, which makes Thanksgiving a fodder for entertainment.

Oh, and thank you, Steve.

It's been a while....

Well hello there!! It's been approximately 18 months since my last posting, which was all about interviewing tips. I guess I used my own tips so well that I got a job 2 months after. Well, here I sit, eating my words: I am back in the chip industry. Someone once told me: once you get in..you never get out. You got that right! But in all the stress of work, I need a creative outlet. Or actually, I just need a RANT and RAVE outlet.

In the last 18 months, Facebook and Twitter have taken over as the voyeurism-driven, curiosity- feeding, gossip-spreading forum of banter and chitchat. But hey, what if I REALLY want to let my hair down, and give you my opinion, without someone taking offense? That's the problem with FB - SOMEONE always takes offense (and in my world, if you cant take the heat...get out of....Facebook!!!! :) ) In a blog, however, I have the ability to say what I think (me of many opinions). If you don't like it, then don't come here and read it--but if you still do out of some twisted, guilty pleasure, who am I to take that away from you?

On the other hand, I post strange and (I guess) entertaining comments about my trips and travails, trials and tribulations here at home and around the world in FB so why not here instead? What I see and hear (chatty cabby in London; nasty cabby in SFO), more importantly- what I eat (macarons in Paris, fresh fish swimming in a pool of hot chili soup in Beijing) and drink (let's not go there) and read (FT article about a Filipino blogger who lives in a small hole in a the wall but got a front row seat beside Anna Wintour of Vogue; an AMAZING book called "The Elegance of the Hedgehog) and other gas-inducing, mind-blowing, hair-raising experiences will be fodder for this blog. After all, between kids, work, a whacky family and even whackier friends, I have one just about every week. Possibly banal and boring to some but otherwise entertaining to others. My sis encouraged me to get back on it cos she wanted to live vicariously through me. Oh, why the heck not!

So, folks, I'm resurrecting my blog. Primarily for friends who GET it, strangers who WANT to get it, and those that WONT EVER get it but want something to criticize and talk about behind my back. Hahahahahha I might as well make it easy for you.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a snob and I have opinions. I am, after all, my mother's daughter. You may not agree with my opinions, but that's not the point. Arguments, opposition, comments and just plain silence -- all are welcome, but this is MY blog (you can start your own if you want). I also retain the right to repost some super funny stories I hear from friends (CB Bentley, you might want to start thinking of your next story).

Welcome back and stay tuned. I'm sure I'll have some dastardly story soon about the 20 pound turkey that I have to start brining tomorrow. Like my friend Sonia Parotti from Italy today told me: "This is not a good week for turkeys".

Interviewing is a Full Time Job

Here's what I've really been up to. My paid vacation is coming to an end, so I have been spending the last few weeks on the interview train, going 100 miles an hour. I've made it a point to choose wisely the companies I want to spend my energy on. At this point in my career, cultural fit and a passion for the company's product is important. No more chips for me. I want to work for something that really "matters".

Now being on the opposite side of the table, I started out a little bit out of practice (Hey - I was the interviewer for the past 7 years..). It's a full time job - not just spending time at the actual interviews, but the mental preparation for each one is time consuming, but very valuable. In the past months, I've learned a few things.

1. Be yourself. Yes, prep and make sure you know your stuff, but don't sound too canned or too prepared. Relax. Watch your body language.

2. Research the people you're interviewing, not just the company. A good source, other than google, is linkedin. You'll catch a a quick glimpse of people's profiles. You'll also impress the interviewer when you talk about their past successes, or their interests. Also - ask the recruiter or other people you know for some background. Recently, a recruiter gave me an excellent tip: one of the people I was interviewing with was actually trying out for the same job. Knowing that allowed me to stay away from sensitive topics.

3. Be early. Wait in the parking lot if you have to. Yesterday, I arrived at one company 15 minutes early. As soon as I parked, they called to ask if I was in the area because they wanted to start earlier. I was there. They were impressed. And I got a full hour with a very important person. Otherwise, it would have been 45 minutes. Would have been my loss because he was a valuable person to meet and learn from.

4. Very few interviewers respond to the post-interview thank you notes. Those are the ones I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and who I will seek out my first day on the job. So, if you are ever the interviewer, please respond to the candidate. A simple "It was great to meet you, too. I wish you lots of luck" will suffice.

5. Do not go to an interview right after a heavy meal. Your energy will be low and you'll probably smell like food :) And God forbid you actually burp during an interview. Yikes!!!

5. Go to the bathroom before the interview. Check yourself out in the mirror and do what you have to do. I"m glad that's a habit of mine, because the other day, I looked in the mirror and my jacket wasn't buttoned right. Buttoned lopsided. I looked like a complete idiot, which I know I'm not. Little things like that make an impression.

So much for the interview tips. I'm now soliciting petitions from everyone so I get the new, exciting job I've been praying for. Sign your virtual petition for me and send it to the man above.

I'm back and I'm Pissed! (Blame it on Passwords and Cables)

Someone reminded me today that it's been 7 weeks since I last blogged. I have no excuse other than I've been busier than a bee....and to think I'm actually on a paid vacation. But this is a good venue to vent about two things that royally piss me off.

1. Passwords. I've just spent the last 2 hours trying to figure out how to get into this blog so I can post. Forgot my password. Sometime ago this site told me that the same password I use for most other things is "weak". So today, I have a password for my bank, my credit card bills, my healthcare, wsj.com and nytimes.com, my investment banker's site, my multiple email addresses, my car's online payment site, and this blog site, etc etc etc......and all of which are different. Not my fault. Some want 6 characters..some want 8, some want text and numbers, some want that with a symbol, blah..blah...blah. Jesus H. Christ, when will someone figure out that this is a problem for those of us with age-accelerated-attention-deficit disorder!!!!!???

2. Cables. If I removed all the cables in my bag, my left shoulder would be even with my right. In my bag, as I'm sure is in yours, are cables for my mobile phone, laptop, ipod, etc, etc. Then, I have to bring plug converters for Europe, the UK (not part of Europe, of course) and Asia. That's on top of the already-entangled wires for my iPod earphones, mobile phone headset, webcam and a slew of others. My laptop weighs a mere 3 pounds. But wouldn't you know it.....the list above weights 5. I will kiss the hands of the person who invents a one-plug/one-cable fits all.

Ok. Enough venting. It's a beautiful sunny day. I'm sorry it's snowing in Munich and raining in London. I love California in the spring.

Finding the Time to Do Nothing is Harder than You Think

I've spent the last few weeks doing errands I usually do on the weekends when I'm working. Now, all of a sudden I'm doing them (and more) during the week and can't seem to find time the time to sit down and do nothing. And still on weekends, I'm going-going-going. In between errands, I've been writing for a friend's website, and corresponding with colleagues and doing my usual reading and research. This morning, I woke up with a thought: I need a vacation from my vacation. I need time to sit and do nothing. Problem is, I'm not sure I know how to do that. Maybe it's because when my sisters and I were young and made the mistake of telling our mother that we were "bored", she made us sit for hours embroidering pillowcases with our initials. Boy, did we learn our lesson.

What about the next generation? Do they know how to do nothing? Kids today are overscheduled year round. I don't think we taught them how to sit and be comfortable doing nothing. And, since old habits die hard, when my kids tell me they are bored (because they have nothing to do), I threaten them with "don't tell me that or I'll make you embroider pillowcases".

Doing nothing is crucial to brain-cell regeneration. And stress relief. Maybe it's not too late for me to learn.

Radical Election Thought

Yay! We've finally gotten to a point where we have both a woman AND an African American candidate. Bravo! It's about time. But, I am left perplexed about the perspective of some African Americans, sparked by an episode of "The View" I watched a couple weeks ago. Discussion centered on Barak Obama and his choice of an African American wife. (Little discussion on her intelligence and qualities as a good woman). Question was, "If he had married a white woman, would this irk African American women?" Whoopi and the other African American host (don't know her name - don't watch often enough) said yes -the thought being "Why isn't an African American woman good enough for him?"

Now, isn't Mr. Obama half white? Did white women everywhere get offended that he didn't marry one of them? Did they think they weren't good enough? I doubt they even thought about it. If African Americans everywhere want equality, then what makes a half African American -half white person, more of one and less of the other?

I don't get it. Or maybe I do and I'm just blind to it all. I'm of mixed heritage Being part Spanish and part Filipina (which is a lot of Spanish, considering the Philippines was under Spain for 300 years) and I'm more confused about my race, and my children are, as well. One of them had to fill up a school form the other day and asked me, "Mom, what do I check - Hispanic/Latino or Pacific Islander?" I looked at her and said "Gee, I don't know! How about you check both and write 50 percent in each box?" She pushed on and kept at it "Yeah, but what am I!?" I left it at, "You're equal parts and that makes up a whole," I said. If she married a Spaniard, would all the Filipino women rise up in anger? Or vice versa? Is it the one with the persecution complex that gets the louder voice? I brought up my children to be proud Americans, bloodline notwithstanding.

Not daring to define a true "American" today, we in California are probably a little more color blind because we are a true melting pot. At least that's my perspective. But I'd like to believe that the next generation will think differently (or not at all) about racial issues than the prior generation- and hopefully gender issues as well.

This election is an inflection point. I think we should celebrate the progress we've made and work hard to move it forward.

Why the Nickname "Queenie"

Short story #1.
2001. Head to New York to brief some analysts. Two marketing guys and me. Board a plane. Seated together. Arrive at our row. I leave my roll-on suitcase on the ground and look at marketing guy #1 (also a good friend) and don't say anything. But my look says "Will you please pick my heavy bag up and put it in the overhead bin?" His response is "You expect me to pick up your heavy bag and put it in the overhead bin?" I don't reply. I just sit down.

Short story #2.
Arrive at destination. Rent a car. Marketing guy#1 goes to the driver side. Marketing guy #2 gets in the passenger front seat. I stand there, outside his window. Rolls window down and says "You actually expect me to open the door for you?" I just glare. He gets out and opens the door. I get in but I don't close the door. He says "Jesus H Christ! You even expect me to close the #$!@! door!!? Who do you think you are, the princessa?" Marketing guy #1 replies, "No, the Queen."

Short story #3
6 months later. Downtown San Francisco. With same group of guys plus more. Hole in the wall restaurant, apparently good, local, Asian food, only counter seating. Food is served in one plate: chicken, veggies, rice, salad, fruit, sauce-you name it, it's in there. I ask if I can have everything in small, separate plates. Explain I don't like my food touching each other. Chef/owner /tiny Asian grandma looks at me and says "You like dowager empress. No like food touching."

I think I earned the nickname.