The last page of 2009

Two days ago, I was browsing through all my blog posts for the year 2009. I started this blog at the beginning of this year. It was kinda interesting looking back again, reading what I have blogged about all these twelve months, there were ups and downs but I realised that in my blog, I know I want to remember all those wonderful and beautiful moments. As for those worries and unhappiness, hmm, sometimes, they are just not worth mentioning or even to be kept in my life story. Today is the last day of 2009, an ending represents a new beginning...as the new year approaches, I have not forgotten the essence of my life...to love and be loved :)

To all my dear family and friends who have been avid readers of my blog and who have taken interest in this silly gal's language diarrhoea and life story, thank you because I believe you have in a way or another played a part in creating beautiful chapters in this silly gal's life story :) May you be blessed with excellent health, lotsa joys and love...Love you loads! Hugz!

There's something in a simple hug

That always warms the heart;

It welcomes us back home

And makes it easier to part.

A hug's a way to share the joy

And sad times we go through,

Or just a way for friends to say

They like you 'cause you're you.

Hugs are meant for anyone

For whom we really care,

From your grandma to your neighbour

Or a cuddly teddy bear.

A hug is an amazing thing

It's just the perfect way

To show the love we're feeling

But can't find the words to say.

It's funny how a little hug

Makes everyone feel good;

In every place and language,

It's always understood.

And hugs don't need equipment,

Special batteries or parts

Just open up your arms

And open up your hearts.

~ Jill Wolf

In the mood to cook

Just right after my long holiday trip, was idling alot at home and was in the mood to cook that day. Went to the supermarket and bought ingredients to cook dinner that day. All my favourite stuff...bean sprouts (can eat it everyday and not get tired of it!), broccoli with shitake mushroom, tofu with minced meat. I enjoyed the bean sprouts the most. The gravy with shitake mushroom for the broccoli was a little salty. My mummy was commenting that the portion for each dish was too huge :P Nevertheless, with the help of my parents, we managed to finish all the food that evening. Well, I must say I have enjoyed the process, hee! :)

Family reunion

Engaging in a serious conversation...cannot recall what Didi was sharing with us :P

XF trying to act sweet and cute? Hee!

Didi picked me up from the airport that day, happy to see him! :)

Oops, this is kinda like a backdated blog post :P...It was the day I just touched down, returned from a long holiday. In fact, that was the day all five of us in the family were able to come together for a meal as my sis was flying off to HK the next day and Didi would be returning to Shanghai on Christmas Eve. Didi made reservation for a family dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Orchard Parade Hotel, we ate there once and the food was good. Anyway, I was really too tired to enjoy the food. I did not sleep alot on board the flight so I was pretty sleepy during dinner time. Sometimes, I was not even sure what food I had stuffed into my mouth. But I was glad that we were able to have a family meal together, just glad even to listen to the conversations that were going on during the meal :)

The beauty of light

Place: Luzern train station Photograph by Mark

Place: London (a tree near London Tower) Photograph by Mark

Place: Eiffel Tower Photograph by silly gal, me :P

Place: Louvre Museum (Paris) Photograph by me :P

Meet Chicwick

"Chicwick" is the place in London where Cassy stays. Note: The word is pronounced without the "w" as mentioned by Cassy :P Mark suggested naming the teddy Chicwick, good suggestion, so here is Chicwick. I got him on the first day I was in London. Chicwick is the kinda bear I like, no frills, simple, chubby, huggable, soft, great eyes...It's kinda like a connection between us, I know I gotta bring this sweet little darling home with me :) It is now sitting on my bed near my pillow back home. Seeing the new furry possessions I have got myself for the trip, my mummy is threatening me with trips to Salvation Army with my soft toys again. No, Mummy! I am not gonna let another of my teddy suffer the same fate as Bobo again :P ...(Photograph above is taken by Mark in Cassy's room, also my bedroom during my stay in London)

London...

I like London the most. Hmm, it's not as quiet and calm as cities I have visited in Switzerland but also not as sophisticated as Paris. It's has kinda a rich and strong European flavour in it, or should I say a rich and strong English flavour in it. This can also be seen in the architecture of the houses and buildings. Ha, drinking English breakfast tea seemed more meaningful in London, well, it's really true! :P Oh yes, it felt kinda good to hear good and proper English being spoken everyday by the English and people around you, beautiful! Every word clearly pronounced and every sentence correctly phrased. People that we have met were generally friendly, pretty easy to strike conversations too. Derrick's aunt, Cassy, is a good example. She has been staying in London almost all her life and she shared with us with much pride that she loves London, could see the sparkle in her eyes. Good for her! We really appreciate her great hospitality and warmth during our stay at her place. She has prepared us fantastic meals and has taken so good care of all of us! Oh yes, have got a lovely white teddy bear from her at the end of our stay in London, sweet and lovely lady :) One wouldn't feel too homesick coz of food over in London too, we had delicious dim sum, roasted duck, lobster noodles and the supermarket has got a great variety of stuff, shopping is great here too, I guess alot more to discover over in London. Give this silly gal a month or more and I think I would take my own sweet time to discover London, stopping for tea and nice pastries occasionally, ha!... I remember Mark asking me at Heathrow airport if I was tired and if I do miss home...Yup, I do miss home and also felt that I needed some rest from this long trip but I think I also kinda gonna miss London. Hmm, I think and I hope I will be back there again...

Paris...Bonjour!

Fashion is an art in Paris, so is shopping. It was really a shopping paradise for Derrick and Billy! I have never seen them shop like that, ha :P Of course, before a shopping spree everyday, there's sightseeing for all. Hmm, if there is one word I would use to describe Paris, it would be "sophisticated" :P

Paris...Bon Appetit

Macarons at Laduree...Warning: Addiction to it is predicted

Best onion soup I have ever tried...lotsa onions, tasty, rich and bread has the right crisp. Every spoonful of it is luxurious!

Great mussels at Leon de Bruxelles! Finger-licking good!

Chestnut cake...not too sweet, taste of chestnut blended very well with the soft sponge cake

Lemon tart...great lemony taste but not too sour

One of the great things about travelling is probably the food. Cakes and pasteries have a way of tempting and enticing me, you just wanna savour every bit of it slowly, letting it tinkle and satisfy your taste buds. Like how my bro put it, Paris is an expressoland, indeed it is. There is a great variety of coffee and drinking coffee is kinda like drinking plain water, one would probably need to drink at least 6 to 8 cups of coffee daily, ha :P For a non-coffee drinker like me, I think I was kinda tempted to drink coffee when I was in Paris.

Acknowledgement: Photographs for Paris and London are taken and provided by Mark. Trust him to take great pictures, thank u! :)

Wandering in Zurich

Interesting piece of art at the train station

As we visited the last city in Switzerland, we seemed to be able to predict what we would probably be seeing. Yup, lotsa shops again but more as compared to Luzern and Bern. Ha, thot we were like the wanderers, walking and walking, sometimes a little aimlessly :P It is so easy to be in that relax and lazy mode in that kinda weather. Haha, silly gal made a boo boo here, bought online supersaver train tixs back to Basel but guess what, I saw the time wrongly on the e-tix and we missed the train back to Basel! Thank goodness, we managed to get tixs for the next train but at the regular price :P

Wish Bern was brighter

A cup of lovely hot chocolate managed to bring a smile on my face on a gloomy day when we sat down at a cafe for lunch :)

Not sure if it was the weather that day or the buidings in Bern, everything seemed dull, gloomy and gray. Managed to catch a glimpse of a bear, ha, the rest must be hibernating during winter. Made me feel like hibernating too :P This city didn't really fascinate me much that day, wish it's brighter...

The charm of Luzern

I stopped a few times to marvel at the fallen leaves on the ground.

Mark Twain described the Lion Monument as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world. As I looked at it for a couple more minutes, yup, indeed it is.

A man was feeding swans with pieces of bread, it was so relaxing to watch them, they looked so beautiful, so full of elegance and poise in the river

Luzern...charming, beautiful, peaceful and calm. It was a lovely day. I thought we walked alot but I didn't feel tired at all.

Facades of life in Basel

Silly gal's fascination over a piece of carrot cake :P

Basel...a quiet, simple and organised city. Ha, you don't really hear people shouting or screaming. As for traffic, hmm, do I actually see cars?