The Importance of Planning Ahead…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Be back in two weeks!
Add comment December 24, 2009
2009 In Review: With Our Rings Combined…
My two best friends and I turned 30 this year. I went first, then Karen, then Dawn. We decided on getting each other this Tiffany ring with three hearts. And on each birthday, we made sure at least the receiving part was a surprise.
For me, they conspired with my friend Leah, who they hadn’t met, to give it to me at my birthday dinner in Chicago (which they couldn’t attend). For Karen, I hid it in her luggage at the end of a trip we took together so she’d find it when she got home. For Dawn, we had her husband stash it somewhere on the morning of her birthday.
Here’s me and Dawn wearing our rings.
The three of us live on three different continents but oddly enough, I think we’re closer than we’ve ever been, friendship-wise. We’ve known each other since we were in primary school (Dawn and I went to the same kindergarten) but really only got close when we were about 15.
We’ve grown together and apart and together again. And we’ve developed into very different people from when we were kids. I’m not sure you can find more diverse characters among three good friends. Somehow though, it works for us. Of course we get into arguments now and again when our personalities clash, but we always make-up quickly.
I think the best part of our friendship is the freedom from judgment when we do incredibly dumb things that we wouldn’t tell anybody else and, though it sounds ironic, the expectation that we will hear it like it is from each other when we’re on the wrong path or just being stupid.
[Ching and Renz, I'm SO thankful for you guys and I fully expect us to grow old together.]
Here’s my favourite picture of us taken this year just before Dawn got married:
Add comment December 23, 2009
Snow Crazy in DC
It snowed like crazy in D.C. over the weekend–a record 15 inches! So of course I had to get out in the middle of it and take as many pictures as I could. I wish I had Poody with me because all the dogs I saw out looked like they were having so much fun.
I put on all my snowboarding gear to test it out and they served me well. Frolicking about in knee-deep snow, I was kept nice and warm except for my cheeks but it was good enough. The whole experience was so surreal, with hardly any cars about and friendly strangers feeling like excited children all over again. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Add comment December 19, 2009
2009 In Review:Love & Castles
In May, one of my best friends, Dawn, got married to a wonderful guy in a castle in Ireland! And it was the most fun wedding I’ve ever been to! I was chief bridesmaid and our other best friend, Karen, was bridesmaid without portfolio (she didn’t have to wear a dress or walk down the aisle but had lots of other background duties that required lots of patience). The bridal gang and most of the guests stayed in the castle and played til morning in the one pub that was downstairs. It was like one big slumber party!
Also, I don’t know what possessed us, but the day before the wedding, me, Karen and some of the Irish boys (including the groom) decided it might be fun to run into the Atlantic Ocean in 50 degree Fahrenheit (10°C) weather with regular bathing suits. We raced up and down the pebbly beach once to warm ourselves up and then took the dive. I couldn’t feel my limbs for awhile after that and poor Karen caught a cold. But it was super fun!
2 comments December 18, 2009
2009 In Review: Volunteering
This year I also started volunteering regularly (another part of the turning 30 and doing more meaningful things with my life). I joined Greater DC Cares, which disseminates volunteers to places that need them. I started off trying out a few different types of volunteer work including sending books to prisoners, packing food for the terminally ill, yard work and feeding the homeless.
I finally settled on volunteering with a program called Loaves and Fishes, which operates out of a church in Northwest DC. Even though it’s a little out of the way for me (I have to switch trains), I like how it’s on a weekend and not super early in the morning and I guess I like that they know me there now and I get friendly hugs when I arrive. I know exactly what to do when I get there and there’s always lots to do once service begins, from plating to serving to clean-up. The kitchen and dining room get loud and exciting and I can’t explain why I find it all fun but I do!
All the food is made from scratch at the kitchen and served until every bit is gone. At the end of it all, a few hundred hungry people are sent off with full bellies and sometimes a bag of seconds. And I don’t think they’re the only ones getting immediate gratification from the service every weekend.
Add comment December 17, 2009
Who To Give To?
Not that I have a lot of money to spare but I just wanted to know how everybody else decides which charity they give to during the Christmas season. Let me know in a comment, won’t you?
Add comment December 16, 2009
2009 In Review: Obama-rama
I braved the biting cold late January with my good friends Kyle and Gigi to witness Obama’s inauguration.
Coming from politically apathetic Singapore and never having had the opportunity to vote because it’s always a walk-over in my constituency (kinda like if you’re the lone democrat in a red state or vice versa), I’ve never paid much attention to politics. That is, until I moved to D.C. Not being in touch with politics here is like not knowing about celebrities or music and movies when you live in L.A.
Even though I didn’t get to vote here either, for some reason, I didn’t feel like an outsider at the historic event. I was as excited as the throngs of people gathered on the National Mall to welcome America’s new president, and as nervous when he and Michelle got out of the car during the parade. I only hope I can be as engaged in my country’s politics some day.
P.S: I also got to see U2 and James Taylor perform live for free at the pre-inauguration concert!
Add comment December 16, 2009
2009 In Review: Ballet Shoes
I don’t actually know how to summarize this year in a paragraph. So in the days leading up to the holidays, I’m going to highlight all the significant moments I’ve had the fortune of experiencing in 2009.
First up: adult ballet classes. I’ve always wanted to be a ballet dancer and was enrolled in a class with my sister when I was very young. But being painfully shy, I couldn’t bring myself to actually join the class and would rather sit with my mother, watching my sister and the other girls flit about.
I don’t know how far into the lessons we were but my mom made me promise one day that I’d join the class the following week. Then the week came and I just couldn’t. I was too scared. My mom got so mad at me that she pulled both my sis and I out of the class and I think we’ve collectively regretted her impatience since.
Anyway, I decided this year, turning 30 and all, I’d pursue the things I’ve always wanted to and so I searched for adult ballet classes in the DC area. I finally settled on St. Mark’s Dance Studio because they were the most inexpensive and the least intimidating. Also, the lady in charge, Rosie Brookes, was super nice when she answered the phone, unlike the people at the other places I rang.
So far, I LOVE ballet class! I like to pretend I’m light and graceful even though I’m sure I’m still a giant awkward mess. My sweet teacher, Jessica Sloane is super encouraging and everyone in class (from their late 20s to their 70s maybe?) is really nice too.
I had my first recital in June and my good friends Kyle and Gigi came to watch like proud parents!
-Photo courtesy of stock.xchng
2 comments December 15, 2009
All I Wanted This Weekend…
was a glass or two (or three) of mulled wine. There’s nothing like it on a chilly winter’s day when your hands are numb and your insides are craving something soothing and yummy.
My first taste of the hot spiced wine was at the Christkindle Market in Chicago two years ago and ever since, I’ve craved it whenever it gets too cold outside. It’s a traditional winter drink in many European countries and came about hundreds of years ago, some say to prolong the drinkability of wine, while others say to make wine taste better. In Germany they call it Glühwein, in France they call it vin chaud, and in Italy they call it vin brulè.
I had a lot of mulled wine while I was in London (at outdoor markets, in cafes, in pubs) but in DC, you can’t just walk into a bar and order a glass. So I looked up the recipe and thought about making it myself but decided it wasn’t economically feasible, what with all the ingredients I didn’t readily have and being cash-strapped this season. Instead, I got some regular red wine on discount and enjoyed it while I embarked on my first attempt at homemade stock with the leftover chicken carcass that was sitting in my fridge. Seven hours later, I had a fantastic-tasting, super rich soup base, which I later used for chicken porridge. Not so sure if I’ll do it again though, at least not on the stove. It felt like an awful waste of gas.
Anyway, here’s the food network’s recipe for mulled wine…
You’ll need:
* 2 bottles dry red wine
* 4 ounces port or brandy
* 12 whole cloves
* 4 cinnamon sticks
* 1 large orange, zested
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Do not allow mixture to boil. Heat for 20 minutes and serve in a large, heat resistant punch bowl.
* Serving suggestion: Garnish with cinnamon sticks or freshly ground nutmeg
Enjoy!
2 comments December 14, 2009
Everywhere But Here: London Skies
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always gloomy in London…
Ok, the early part of my first morning there wasn’t too sunny. The skies couldn’t decide if they wanted to keep raining or not.
And then they decided not…and it was pretty…
One day they were even kind enough to throw in a rainbow!
Add comment December 11, 2009
