Christmas 2014

It seems a bit silly to be rehashing Christmas when it's finally blue skies outside, but it was a pretty good Christmas so it seems a shame to skip it.

After graduation, I still had a few weeks left before I was LA bound for the holidays. I had a ton of last minute shopping and baking to do for all of our peeps here in London, and I got to work!

I baked, while Casper wrapped the gifts.

J also had a poker game at work, and I agreed to make a bunch of treats for him and his crew. It went down a storm so I was pretty pleased even if a bit disappointed that there weren't any leftovers.

Pretty soon, it was time to fly back home to LA and get to work on Christmas dinner. On my first morning back in LA, I headed straight to Whole Foods and picked up our goose!

I think it's so much better than a turkey or a ham, and I got to work on that along with all the fixings. I think it's safe to say I spent all of this year's holiday in the kitchen.

But it was totally worth it, since I was also cooking for my soon-to-be-born niece!

I always bitch and moan about the long flights and especially during the hectic Christmas season, but there's so few things as good as spending the holidays with your family. As always, we had a great time opening all the gifts, and I bought a bunch of patisserie books for myself.

We weren't there long before it was time to head back home! But I made sure to leave lots of treats behind for my future niece, who was due to be born in March.

And I didn't stop baking once I got back home either!

I was so happy to see my little rascals again, and I swear Casper gets bigger and bigger every time I go away! J thinks he's a stress eater.

Anyway, I started experimenting more with stuff I'm not familiar with - standard cake baking and decorating. We learn all the fancy techniques and styles of classic and modern patisserie, but we only have a class or two on cake decorating in school. I've been trying to teach myself as I go along with the help of some books, and I think I'm doing as well as can be expected.

I'm pretty lucky, since I actually ended up going back to Le Cordon Bleu for a few weeks to assist for chef Matthew for the cake decorating course, so I could ask him any lingering questions I had. And it was a treat seeing him and all the other chefs again! I missed them!

Christmas Leftovers

So there were a few things about Christmas I didn't mention what with all the pet health scares. They were good and/or funny moments that definitely bear remembering.

Like when my dad had a little too much Christmas cheer at dinner and decided to "help" my mom with cleaning up after we opened all of our presents. This resulted in my mom having to hunt for tree ornaments among the discarded wrapping paper and coming across a Christmas present or two in the process. This is exactly the reason why my dad shouldn't clean.

My older bro officially got engaged! He gave his now-fiancée a gorgeous ring hidden inside an origami heart, and we were all lucky enough to be there for the moment. It was sweet and hilarious at the same time. Let's just say neither my brother nor I were born with a romantic bone in our bodies, but we both enjoy a good laugh. He's a born engineer, and he undertook an extremely comprehensive and exacting process in picking out the diamond. Once he bought it, he spent hours sipping whiskey and examining the diamond with a loupe, which I find to be both typical and incredibly amusing. 

Soon after I arrived, I found myself busy in the kitchen baking a chocolate and raspberry cake for my family to taste test. It turns out I passed, which means I'll be baking my brother's wedding cake! Don't worry, I'll be taking the proper preparatory measures and practicing a lot! I've already done some research on the logistical hurdles on building and transporting the cake. It's a lot more complicated than one would think, but I rather like the idea of a challenge. Fingers crossed it all goes well!

I was also responsible for cooking Christmas dinner, and I decided to go with a goose and ham instead of turkey. It turned out to be a great decision! Goose beats turkey hands down, and I think we all decided that we'll have goose for holiday meals from now on. It costs quite a bit more, but the difference in flavour and texture is amazing. I can't figure out why people ever decided to switch to turkey, other than that you get more meat with a turkey. It's also nice to know that geese can't be battery-farmed like turkeys if you're concerned about animal welfare.

Casper also had a fun time trying to eat Christmas. Yep, he tried to eat an entire holiday. That's my boy!

Ornaments that were clearly not edible.

I ended up getting mugged for my candy cane.

And he made out like a bandit on Christmas gifts! A new, fancy carrier courtesy of his aunt D and uncle P.

And lots of kitty toys, which he's been hard at work on destroying to bits.

London's been pretty empty since we got back. I think most people stay on holiday until the last possible moment, and I think everyone will be back at work on the 6th. I don't blame them one bit as the weather has been pretty foul with lots of rain and wind every day. The weather forecast looks pretty much the same for the next month or so, but I'm really hoping it's wrong!

A Sad But Merry Christmas

I unabashedly adore Christmas, and I usually try to partake in all things related to the festive season, but this year was a fail. Although I finished all of my Christmas shopping well ahead of time and decorated our flat with lights and baubles, there was no ice skating, visiting the Christmas markets, or drinking hot chocolate and mulled wine.

J left for San Jose a day before I left for Los Angeles, and I made sure Casper was all ready for our absence. I really wish it was easier for animals to cross borders, as I would've loved to take him with us. In any case, it was just as well as the animals back home kept me busy while I was there.

It was my first day back in LA when I took the dog to the vet for an ear infection. He's a big dog (67 lbs), and it's near impossible to get him to the vet. It turned out to be useless as he was so aggressive that the vet couldn't examine him even with a muzzle on.

It was my second day back in LA when I found blood on the floor and followed the trail to my cat who was bleeding from her stomach. I went into full-on panic mode, and herded her into her carrier and took her to the same vet. Another useless visit, as they said she was too old for their office to handle. 

I ended up driving her straight to the VCA Animal Hospital in West LA, which is a top notch facility, and I highly recommend anyone with a sick pet to go there straightaway. The first thing that struck me was just how sad everyone in the lobby was. The second thing I noticed was the sheer amount of tissue boxes. The vet's office on Christmas Eve is a very sad place - the only reason you could be there is probably a pretty bad one.

I guess you could lump me in with one of the pretty bad cases as it turned out Kitty has cancer. The good news was that it hadn't spread to her organs yet, and there was a good chance that the growths on her stomach and her chin were mast cell tumours. Surgery of mast cell tumours can be curative, and I took her home with surgery scheduled on Friday. A big thank you to my little bro and his wife, who were with me the entire time and kept me company while I was waiting while the tests were run. I would've fallen apart without them there to keep my mind on other things.

I returned to the vet on Friday to some bad news. The staff oncologist saw the slides of the growth on her stomach and thought that there was a good chance that the growth on her stomach wasn't a mast cell tumour, but carcinoma. The prognosis for carcinoma is quite poor - 6 months is the average life expectancy. We ended up going with a more aggressive surgery in case it is carcinoma, and Kitty had to stay two nights at the vet recovering from a radical mastectomy. J and I were scheduled to fly out during that time, and my older brother agreed to pick her up and administer her medications during her recovery. I'm so, so grateful for my family helping me during this difficult time.

Kitty's back home now and recovering. I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from the vet on the biopsies of the tumours, and I'm hoping that it isn't carcinoma. Kitty's been with me for 17 years, and I'm just not quite ready to let her go. But I'm moving forward with the goal of making the rest of her life as comfortable as possible and not trying to prolong it by any means necessary, which just wouldn't be fair to her. This visit was the first time I noticed how old she had gotten - her face looked a bit grizzled, the fat pads on her paws were small and hard, and she had lost a lot of her fur. It's so strange and hard to see her grow old and get sick when I can still clearly remember the day I brought her home.

Our dog also got to visit the VCA, and he had to be sedated before his ear could be examined. He's so agitated that the vet said that he fought the examination even under sedation. Luckily, he's healthy and fit other than the ear infection, which requires a cleaning and medication regimen for the next month. My older bro has his hands full taking care of the dog and Kitty, I really can't thank him enough.

J and I are both back in London now, and I've been sleeping more hours than I've been awake. I think I was pretty stressed while I was in LA, and my body is in recovery mode now. I lost a good chunk of weight while i was there, which tends to happen when I'm really stressed out, and I suppose I'm working on putting it back on.

There were some good parts to this Christmas. I cooked a goose and ham for Christmas Eve dinner, and we had a wonderful time opening gifts with our larger than ever family. My older brother officially got engaged, and he did a beautiful job with the ring. It was lovely having a full house for Christmas - it made it feel really festive, and I can tell that my parents love having six kids now. I got to see most of my cousins, even if only for a few hours, and it was nice to see everyone happy and healthy. And it looks like we've got lots of weddings in 2014! 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of my friends this time around, but I think they'll understand and forgive me with all the animals being sick. Hopefully, I'll get to return to LA soon and make a proper visit next time. Much love to you all, and I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Recap

It seems as though winter is never going to come to an end. I thought I'd be able to cope with freezing my butt off and pulling on my woolly coat every day after living in Michigan, but it seems as though my thin California blood is telling me this weather is definitely not okay.



I didn't get to enjoy much of what London has to offer during the Christmas season this year, and I was soon flying into a cold and rainy LA to celebrate the holidays with the family. Despite the disappointing weather, it was really nice seeing everyone and celebrating a momentous occasion - my little brother's engagement! I even got to help pick out the ring and plan the surprise proposal!

My mom decided that we should have a traditional Christmas dinner this year, so guess who got stuck with the cooking? Yup, I did. I can't remember the full menu, but there was turkey, cornbread, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce. For dessert, I made some pumpkin pie, cookies, and a Yule log. But first I had to explain what a Yule log was.

I don't think they really understood until they got to eat the finished product. Chocolate definitely makes everything easier to understand.

We also got a chance to see our extended family right before we left. I have so many cousins that I've never tried counting them. This is about half of just my dad's side!



It was wonderful seeing everyone, but I was ready to come back to my own flat in London. In spite of the crap weather.

Having Some Fun, Finally

J has been crazy busy at work lately, so we haven't really had much time to spend together and enjoy all the things that London offers during the holiday season.

We managed to squeeze in a ballet, Sleeping Beauty, with one of his work colleagues.

It was truly the best ballet I've ever seen. The choreographer, Matthew Bourne, is pretty well-reknowned and for good cause. It was a modern take on the traditional fairy tale, and I was more than a bit surprised when fairy-vampires and hoodlums in hoodies made an appearance, but it was a fabulous update. The dancers were amazing, and I definitely want to see the choreographer's other production, Swan Lake.

Things at work finally slowed down for J during the weekend, and he decided to humour me in getting up early on Sunday morning to head to Greenwich Park for a 10k Santa Run. It wasn't that cold, but the the wind was pretty strong. I was already dressed pretty warmly (3 pairs of gloves), but I thought that putting on the Santa outfit would be additional protection from the wind.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too big.

I met up with my cousin for a quick meet and greet before we were off.

I don't know what was up with the course since it was pretty disorganised, but it was either too short or I run much faster when I'm surrounded by twenty thousand Santas.

In any case, J was near frozen while waiting for me so we made a quick getaway so I could shower before we hit up Apollo Theatre to watch Twelfth Night, my all-time favourite Shakespeare play.

It was so well-done and hilarious! J and I both agreed that it was the best play we had ever seen, and we were near about rolling on the floor during the whole thing. I would label it a definite don't-miss. Mark Rylance, the guy who played Olivia, was amazing, and I'm a big, big fan. We're already planning on buying tickets to see Richard III to watch him again.

We had some time to kill before our dinner reservations so we wandered around Regent's Street and Carnaby to check out their Xmas decorations.

We ended the night with a veritable feast of Korean food at Asadal and rehashed the Santa run with  my cousin and her boyfriend. A perfect end to a perfect day!

P.S. Excuse the British spelling - it's spellcheck, not me.
P.P.S. And yes, I did cut my hair again. I'm easing J onto the whole short hair thing. ;)

Is It Christmas Yet?

No two ways about it, I Love Christmas. Love love love. And to get into the spirit of things, I've done loads of typical Christmas things such as:

Ice skating at Somerset House

Watching an excellent performance of The Nutcracker ballet at the Royal Opera House

Going to an eggnog party and watching Love Actually

Shopping in London with all the twinkling lights

Visiting Christmas markets in Switzerland

Decorating my flat with baubles, homemade gingerbread men, cranberry garlands and poinsettias

But for some reason, the Christmas spirit seems to be eluding me this year.

I think it's probably because I'm still far away from the things that really make Christmas so wonderful - family and old friends. I've also shipped all of my family's gifts to my parents' house in LA, so I haven't wrapped a single gift myself. Sad.

I think I'll finally get into the swing of things when I see how my parents decorated their house this year, add to the presents piled under the tree and feel the warmth of the fire crackling in the fireplace. It'll be Christmas when I get to see my friends and ask how they've fared in the last year and hear about the big news in their lives. I'll be ready to celebrate when I see my cat again and have her curled up by my feet.

I hope Christmas comes soon.

I Say Lucerne, the Swiss Say Luzern

J and I ended up spending Friday night holed up in our hotel room while he did some work while I read Bill Bryson's History of Everything. I could tell J felt bad that we were stuck at the hotel, but he made everything better by sharing some of the chocolate he received from his client. The chocolate was from Confiserie Sprungli, the place to get chocolate in Zurich, and it was amazing.

The next morning, J and I hopped on a train for an hour long ride to Lucerne as I had heard it was a very picturesque and charming town.

We started getting more and more excited as we got closer to town as we caught glimpses of the Alps, which were so beautiful that they almost looked fake.

The first thing we did when we got to Luzern train station was buy some gluhwein for J. He was pretty happy.

Once we left the train station, we wandered around and it wasn't long before we saw the charming part of Lucerne, mostly in part because the entire city was dressed for Christmas!

 

Of course, Lucerne had its share of sights to see.

Chapel Bridge, Europe's oldest wooden footbridge...

The dying lion of Lucerne carved into a cliffside in remembrance of the Swiss Guards that were killed in battle in the Tuileries...

The painted facades of the buildings...

The carved doors of St. Loedegar...

But most beautiful of all were the surrounding mountains and Lake Lucerne. The water was so incredibly clear that we could see the lake floor when we peered over the edge from the quayside. And the air was like none I've ever breathed - remarkably fresh with a hint of pine.

 

 

To be honest, I didn't think much of Lucerne as a city aside from its natural gifts. It was much too touristy, and it seemed like there was a H&M or cheap souvenir shop every time I turned around. I wish we had gotten to the city earlier so that we could've made the trip to Mount Pilatus, where you're able to get a phenomenal view of the Alps. We also wasted too much time walking around looking for the entrance to the Museggmauer, a wall that was part of the fortifications protecting Lucerne in the 13th century, which turned out to be underwhelming and closed for the winter!

I'd say better luck next time, but I doubt that we'll be returning unless I'm in dire need of a cowbell with "Luzern" inscribed on it. We were quite ready to leave by the time the sun started to set and happily got back on the train back to Zurich.