Polar bears & Germany

Germany has yet again another cute polar bear cub to offer the world. This time he's called Wilbaer and was born in Stuttgart. The polar bear mania first started with Knut. Then the focus shifted to Flocke in Nuremberg after Knut outgrew his cuteness. Now it's Wilbaer's turn in the spotlight. I remember the Knut craziness went so far that bakeries were making cookies with his face on it. Everyone was capitalizing on this little white bear. Personally, I think Knut has the best name of the three.

In reminiscing about Germany, one thing I actually do not miss is the cafeteria food at the client site. The pasta was generally overcooked and there were often supersized portions of meat.

Here in San Francisco, we don't have the luxury of a cafeteria, but we do have a huge variety of foods available. You can have a simple sandwich or Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern all within a 5 minute walk. Also in the supermarkets, the variety of fruits and veggies available is amazing. On the food front, I am definitely glad to be back in good old San Francisco. Note to the audience: Never ever call the city Frisco! It's like a swear word.

Okay, gotta go study for an Italian quiz.

P.S. - The photo above is of an office building lobby. I snapped this while waiting for my Jamba Juice with fiber boost. Just because it's Friday, I'll be extra generous and post a second picture I snapped on my way home. I like the contrast of the ultra exclusive little brown bag from Bloomingdales next to the public trash can.

Stickers

Here's a picture of my laptop. I started with the London sticker on the left and then just started adding more and more.

While reading my personal emails at the end of the day, I came across one from Photojojo. They introduced a website called Postcrossing. I haven't tried it out yet, but in theory it sounds like fun. In sum, I think it has something to do with sending physical postcards to other people half way around the globe. Sounds like a fun idea. I haven't received fun mail in a long time. It can really be a nice surprise to receive a postcard from abroad.

Continuing with my comparisons of the office environments in Germany and America, there are two aspects I'd like to examine. Firstly there was the inclusiveness of going to lunch together with your coworkers. Secondly, employees in Germany generally sit together in rooms, rather than cubes.

Sitting in a room together is conducive to building good working relationships and getting to know your colleagues. In that regard, I like the German model better because it fostered an inclusive work environment in my opinion. Only drawback of a room is that it can sometimes get distracting.

Sitting in a cube in an American office can be an isolating experience. I've noticed that some people at work sit in their own cubes at lunch and eat there. There seems to be less inclusiveness when compared to Germany. On the other hand, sometimes you can focus more because you don't have to see your neighbor or the person across from you all the time.

Middle of the night

This was one dish that we had for dinner tonight - skinny green beans with chicken and sauce.

A very random thought passed through my mind yesterday night or rather very early this morning. For some reason the legal phrase "piercing the corporate veil" popped into my head. Don't ask me why, but it just did. According to Wikipedia, which knows everything, this phrase means that corporate executives can be held liable for the debts or liabilities of the corporation.

Twilight zone

Did you know that toilet seat covers are not commonly used in Germany?
That's really one of the first things I miss whenever I go to Germany.
Toilet seat covers are a really simple, but ingenious invention.

Something German that I miss in the United States are the gummi bears. There's a great shop in Frankfurt called Baerentreff at the Hauptwache that sells gummi bears made from fruit juice. As such they taste much better than the artificial things they sell here in the States.

In addition, I just love, love, love the pillows filled with real feathers that they use in Germany. I liked it so much that I brought one back home.

Tonight as I arrived home after work, I just couldn't tear my eyes away from this dramatic scene. Check out this sunset pictured here.

Monday, Monday

I just never tire of the Ferry Building as a motif. Below you see a weird fountain that no one really likes.

Nothing exciting happened at work today. I was so diligent that my inbox is now very clean. Emails that could be grouped have found a home in their unique folders.

I visited some former colleagues of mine today as well. They reside on a higher floor than where my new group is. I must say, the view does improve as you go up. They have views of Coit Tower from the 22nd floor. The only question is, do they have time to admire the views?

Mug series

The trees will all be nodding their heads today in agreement with the storm. Gusts of wind rumble through the chimney and pipes as we speak.

I finally used my Stuttgart mug this past week. Its bright orange color is much appreciated in this weather. The only drawback is that I can't bring it to work because it may spill. Accidents can happen in the office. For example, if I am rounding a corner, someone in a hurry could run into me and the entire cup of hot water would spill on me. I'm in the market for a nice travel mug with a closeable top.

No power walking today. I've got some things that I want to wrap up this weekend. Oh and the final episode of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice" will be shown on PBS tonight.

Muffin top and other misc thoughts

Muffin top: (noun)
Literally, this refers to the top of a muffin. In the context of popular culture, "muffin top" figuratively refers to the flesh that pours over the top when women wear extremely tight jeans. Personally, I don't understand the appeal, but to each his own. Anything goes in San Francisco.

Keeping in line with random thoughts... this morning as I was sitting in the classroom one hour before Italian class was to start, I was wondering why some languages like Italian and German among others give inanimate objects genders, while English just uses the word neutral word "the". This is fascinating. I'm sure a linguist would be able to answer this.

The picture above was taken in the new Westfield shopping center on Market Street.

One Market

We went to lunch today at the One Market food court. This is a colleague of mine from Basel, Switzerland. He was a good sport and let me take a picture to fulfill my picture a day quota. :-)

Apparently it is supposed to storm tomorrow at exactly 5 PM according to a source of mine. We'll see. I've been skeptical of weather forecasts lately.

Scrambling

Now that I've started working, I found myself scrambling to take a picture a day. Today for example, I had to look around for a picture opportunity as I was going home and had limited time. Here you see two pictures. One is of a lamp on Market Street during twilight and the other is of a fern in the middle of spiraling stairs at the Embarcadero Center.

Today my coworkers asked me about differences between Germany and the States. One major difference is that when I was in Frankfurt, it was a rare occasion to smell urine on the major streets downtown. Suddenly as I mentioned this, we smelled it. Yes, it was pungent and bowled all of us over with its intensity!

Green tea

I'm going to try something different today. Instead of blogging entirely at night after work, I will try to change it up and write some text in the morning. Picture will follow.

Today is Wednesday, so I've survived half of the week already. While at work, I got to sit in the forensics lab today with all the techies. How cool is that? Work was much less glamorous, but don't we all have those war stories? I've heard first hand stories of page checkers - people who were brought in to match photocopied pages with the original documents.

About the pictures: At left you have a view of the Ferry Building as taken from the Embarcadero Center. Below, right you have a shaky (sorry) picture of people exercising furiously at 24 hour Fitness. It's funny how everyone looks like a hamster on a wheel.

In terms of US politics, Obama looks like he's on a roll. Clinton should be concerned. According to my sister, Clinton looks really desperate when she continually attacks Obama with minor issues. Instead she should run a more positive campaign focused on her strengths. Perhaps people are turned off by the negativity and the attacks.

Exciting times

This picture at left of the San Francisco skyline was taken on my way to work on the freeway this morning.

Today has been exciting on many fronts. First of all, I had my first taste of the work that I'll be involved in. Plus, it's chargeable, I think! In addition, I received an interesting comment on this blog from a Mr./Ms. Anon. Apparently my excerpt about travel mugs in the office struck a cord and resonated with some of my readers.

A funny incident happened at work today. I was on the phone to order a firm cellphone and plan. It was taking a while to get everything set up because there were hiccups related to the number and she was not used to opening new corporate accounts. The salesperson was none too happy to be stuck on the phone with me because I overheard her say to her coworker that she was "aggravated" and still had a lot to do. She wanted to go home like the others because she had already stayed until 7 PM the night before. Now, as a customer on the line who has been going through this ordering ordeal along with her, how would you feel? All of a sudden the line goes quiet and I hear nothing more of her complaints. Guess what happened? Yes, she hung up on me! Whether it was by accident or on purpose I will never know, but had our call been recorded for quality control purposes, this representative would surely have gotten a talking to. Why on earth would you talk so loud that your customer hears you? That is so unprofessional! If she were a good customer service representative, she would have called me back immediately and apologized.

Since it rained today, streets were chaotic once again. Here is an picture taken from underneath an umbrella.

Flower pavilion

This flower pavilion is located in front of 101 California. It's an island of whimsy in the sea of corporate skyscrapers.

Today was President's Day and most companies gave their employees the day off. I and my colleagues however, had to go to work. It turned out that we were allowed to dress casually today and lunch was also catered, but I knew nothing of this because I didn't receive the email. (*grumble, grumble*)

Looking on the positive side of things, I received a nice surprise in my email inbox this morning. Very nice indeed! It was from Frankfurt informing me that two of my pictures had been sold to a hotel and that I would have some profit sharing coming my way. Hurrah!!

Heart to heart

Heart to heart cereal by Kashi is all the rage in San Francisco. You know this because Costco has started selling it in bulk. Here you see a heart cereal in white milk in a green mug.

Party time

Welcome to the weekend! I definitely appreciate them more now that I have to work Monday to Friday. On the weekends I can devote my time to my kaleidoscope of interests which include photography, foreign languages, staying up to date with current events and exploring San Francisco like a tourist.

On the topic of photography, I was scrounging around for some subjects around the house when my eyes alighted upon this here at the right. Bottles of wine make great still life subjects especially if the light creates the right atmosphere and the glasses are sparkling clean. Here you see my attempt at photographing a bottle in my studio with natural sources of light coming from the right.

P.S. - I can't wait for the polarizing filter to arrive!

Tiny differences - travel mugs

After having reentered the American workforce, some subtle differences between the American office and Frankfurt have come to my mind. First of all, Americans tend to use travel mugs in the office environment, while Germans use real cups. (Caveat: The following is based solely on my personal experience and observations around offices and should not be construed as 100% accurate.)

Here in the San Francisco office for instance, there is a Commons area where people can relax, have their lunch and enjoy the great views. In addition, the refrigerator, water cooler, coffee maker and microwaves are located here. Most people carry their travel mugs to the Commons and fill up on water to bring back to their cubes. (See picture) The nifty thing about travel mugs is that they are safer than normal cups, which have an open top. Travel mugs on the other hand are covered, which reduce the likelihood of spills around electronics.

In Frankfurt, I recall that people would use glasses and personal mugs to get water from the kitchen area. The kitchen areas were less luxurious than in SF because people were not meant to eat in there. In Germany employees generally eat in cafeterias where meals are sold at reduced prices. I wonder if travel mugs will ever catch on in Germany? Overall, I concluded that Germany is very traditional and that's why they use regular cups instead of travel mugs. On the other hand, Germans also tend to be risk averse, which means they should try to use travel mugs in offices because using them would reduce the risk of spills and damage to electronics.

Off topic, but every Friday is bagel Friday at work. This means that bagels, pastries, sliced fruit and beverages greet the work week weary employees every Friday morning. Here's a picture of the muffin basket. Personally I'm partial to scones.

First day

Today I spent my first whole day in the S.F. office. Most of the work was administrative in nature, but it's time consuming nonetheless. There are so many emails to stay on top of, new systems to learn, trainings to go through, structures and people to familiarize yourself with.

That's why my photo taking had to be fleeting and discreet. Generally, I like to take multiple pictures and select the best one. In the photo you see the commons area on the 17th floor. Being up that high you have unparalleled views of the SF Bay. Other perks include free Flavia coffee, a flat screen TV, and an informal book sharing nook.

Happy Valentine's Day to those who observe the day!

Moo

The Atlanta airport feeds people to the security check points like cattle. All the passengers go through the same security points to reach the various gates. Ultimately this results in a funnel-like effect. The looks on everyone's faces were priceless. Basically the situation was pretty absurd and ripe for satire.

Induction

So, I'm being inducted into firm culture and values this week. Today we had an interesting team building exercise, which consisted of assembling 38 bikes in total. It definitely encouraged us to talk to one another and to work together. Ultimately we finished around 35 bicycles that will be provided to a charity.

Tomorrow we're off to an early start at 7:45 and will fly back out to our respective home offices to continue the orientation.

Here's a picture of the hotel room, the hotel exterior, signage and the ubiquitous snack area that must be present at all trainings.

BTW, I saw Elizabeth the Golden Age on the flight over and it was only an average film. Costumes were nice, but it was hard to follow the plot when it switched over to the Spanish side of the story. Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen starred.

On the road again

Apologies to my many fans ;-) out there for the delayed posting. Just for the record, it was due to technical challenges related to being on the road.

Yesterday I arrived in Atlanta, Georgia for a 2 day orientation. The flight was packed and I ended up with a middle seat. Generally I enjoy aisle seats for the freedoms of getting up and stretching my legs at any point during the flight. Didn't really sleep very well because of the very loud air conditioning unit that would rattle and switch on and off every 5 minutes. Here's a picture of airport seating at the San Francisco International Airport.

Blossoming

Vital stats

Weather: Spring-like
Photo: Magnolia tree taken at SF Botanical Gardens
What I liked about it: The colors pink against blue
Miscellaneous tidbit: I used my Canon Powershot G6 for this shot because I don't want to risk scratching my DSLR lens. I need to wait until my filter arrives before I feel comfortable using the DSLR outside.

San Francisco Musuem of Modern Art

Prior to Italian class I had the chance to wander into the Yerba Buena Gardens in search of my daily blog photo. The gardens are an oasis in the urban jungle known as San Francisco. There are rolling green lawns, plenty of bench seating, different paths to explore, water fountains, flowers, trees and butterfly sanctuaries.

In the picture (at left) you see the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which has an excellent museum store with one-of-a-kind artsy gifts, notecards, books and San Francisco related paraphernalia.

Taxing

The American tax season is coming upon us. For individual taxpayers, the official deadline without an extension is April 15, but it doesn't hurt to get a head start.

A note for all you avid investors out there - keep records of your cost basis if you want to avoid future headaches when it's tax time and you need to figure out your gain/(loss). Your tax professional will thank you!

Earthquake

The day started off with a rousing wake-up call from the earth. At 5:31 AM this morning a magnitude 3.1 earthquake woke me up. Earthquakes are the price San Franciscans pay to live here. Keeps life exciting you might say.
In elementary school, the teachers had us practice how to "duck, hold & cover" in case of earthquakes.

Today I had a busy day. On my itinerary was the Marina area, Crissy Field, the Palace of Fine Arts and the most famous icon of San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was fine, which enhanced the experience. The area around the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the nicest in the city with green lawns and picnic tables to enjoy the view. My "eureka" moment today was discovering a trail leading up to a hill with even better views of the bridge from above.

I fiddled with my camera settings today so that contrast, saturation and tone were cranked up. Without it, the photos seemed washed out and did not truly reflect what is visible to the eye.

Noses

Noses are fascinating things.
Someone even wrote a story about how a nose freed itself from a face and declared its independence. Aquiline, straight, regal, hooked, large and small are just some descriptions for noses.

Happy Chinese New Years Eve! A bonus picture just for the occasion.

Delicate balance

Embrace your cultural affinities,
maintain a delicate balance,
like a cat on a wooden fence.

Strategy

I've had this image in mind that I finally executed today - Chinese chess at left.

Status update on my photo-a-day project: The one month anniversary has been reached and the project is still persevering! Hurrah! However, one side effect of this project is that my laptop hard drive is filling up rapidly due to the high resolution files that I download from my camera.

Conservatory of Flowers

The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers has a special exhibit this winter called "Color - A Winter Carnivale." Admission is $5 for adults. I went there this morning and snapped away for around two hours after the condensation on my camera finally cleared up.

There was only one room dedicated to the carnival of colors, which was somewhat disappointing in my opinion. The flowers and plants were grouped together based on a color theme. For instance there were red, purple, blue, green and yellow flowers and plants featured. In addition, colored lanterns, cloth drapery, trees with dangling crystals and carved carousel animals were strategically interspersed amongst the plants to round out the exhibit.

In celebration of Lunar New Year, there were also special exhibits of a weird plant that looks like a hand and is given the name of Buddha's Hand and an Asian inspired pavilion flanked with fire crackers, daffodils and plum flowers.

Antics

On the bus: Sandwiched between two rowdy toddlers who keep fighting and a mother who pretends to discipline her children with verbal threats of physical violence. Curious passengers. Craned necks to get a good look at the circus. Continuous ruckus. How do you open these emergency windows again?

Rain on my parade: Was planning to capture some Chinese New Year street fair images, but the rain and risk of getting an eye poked out by the umbrella-wielding throngs proved to be a deterrent.

Hair cut

I got my hair cut today. It was okay. Let's just say I wasn't really blown away (excuse the pun) by the creativity or vision of the stylist.
This was a salon in Hayes Valley, which is right next door to the Civic Center, so it provided (naturally) the perfect excuse to go visit City Hall (above).