Christmas Is Strewn Across the Foyer

The foyer looks more lived in than I’ve ever seen it. Decorations are still up on the art and door frames, the little gold tree has just been switched off, the table is covered in mostly empty glasses, bottles, pastries, Uno cards, a green poker mat, and the remains of Christmas crackers and presents. The chairs have all been left askew and the sulphuric scent of blown-out candles hangs in the air. Amazingly, the kitchen’s nearly spotless once again (thanks to Agneta, who cleaned while the rest of us watched/sang along to Sweeney Todd in Ryan's room). It’s just after 6 in the morning now, and the full force of Christmas seems to have reached its climax and leveled out.

I didn’t go crazy with my camera today, but my memory card has got images from last night’s prolonged present-wrapping (done in Oscar & Chloe’s old room; I used most of my time typing back while Kim, Jason, Kaitlyn, and everyone else at home talked to me on a webcam) the award-giving ceremony for the London Swimming Club’s annual Serpentine swim (though none from the event, unfortunately), and a few snapshots from the many phases of the Christmas dinner, from last-minute prep to aftermath. It’s not a complete picture, but the results include plenty of happy faces.

I’m sleepy in a very nice way… exhausted from activity and still at a point when I can easily close my eyes and expect them to stay closed for a good while. So I think I’ll finish here for now. What a novelty to call the now post-midnight day “Boxing Day”. Sounds like a good day to rest.


I must mention, however, that it was something of a Christmas miracle that I was able to find a whole chicken today. Yesterday I went grocery shopping with Ryan, hoping to finish up on ingredients for the dinner. We went from Queensway to Shepherd’s Bush to Marble Arch and back, and not once did we find a chicken (among other things). Not that we came home empty-handed (far from it). But even though Agneta’s a vegetarian, and we weren’t 100% sure that Kate would be able to make it, the missing item meant something – to me, anyway.

[This morning I woke from about two-three hours of sleep (twice… there were two alarms, an hour apart), but like on other Christmas mornings, I woke with enough optimism to shake off the sleepy feeling. As also on other Christmas mornings, the familiar view outside looked somehow novel; the air felt a little fresher, too. Agneta was already awake, and just as I was rising from bed, was heading out for a run through the park (for the second time ever, I think). I remembered the Serpentine swim race Ryan had mentioned the night before, and when Agneta came back, I made some coffee to-go and convinced Agneta to go with me to see crazy people racing in a muddy, freezing lake. We missed the race by ten minutes or so, but, as mentioned before, I got a couple pics of the aftermath.

For the rest of the morning, I had a mission.] I prayed to some higher power that the dinner would go off without a hitch, and that something of that cheesy “Christmas spirit” movies are always going on about could be restored. For God’s sake, it’s friggin’ Christmas, and for the most part it felt like I was the only one willing organize anything. Last night, I had to literally beg Agneta to leave the empty bedroom behind and join Ryan and I in watching A Christmas Story (with homemade cocoa and caramel chocolates!). At one point, she even left the room. I don’t know if it comes from having different values or what, but sometimes… jeeze, Agneta! I really felt insulted. Anyway, the point is… today, after searching through numerous Asian stores and the local Spar (the only places open on Queensway), it felt like Santa himself had delivered a chicken to me when I found a Halal market with a butchery open today. I went home with my own made-up Christmas carols of joy bouncing around in my head, just barely able to keep a stupid grin off my face.

Agneta slept till 7, and Ryan slept during a lot of the day, too, though he also helped me cook (and in his defense, he’s been ill). I spent hours in the kitchen pulling together a feast worthy of home, watching downloaded Christmas classics all the while (e.g., the"Grinch", "The Year Without A Santa Claus", & Home Alone). The phase “If you build it, they will come” echoed though my mind once, and every time I got a text I prayed it wasn’t bad news from Kate. But sure enough, even though all public transport was shut down and a cab fare was rather pricey, she came.

In the last steps of cooking, everyone lent a hand, and I swear that when I tasted everything on my plate, I was transported back home to every Christmas I’ve ever enjoyed. I’m proud to say that everyone enjoyed the meal, and quite a few extra helpings were had afterwards. The leftovers are being looked forward to as well.

Untraditional though this Christmas was, I had an unforgettable night. I hope tomorrow is full of rest, leftovers, and card games. I was even sad for a bit, but even now, with a new morning’s sun just waiting to rise above the horizon, the warmth of an evening well spent remains.

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(NOTE: Sorry for the messy, long-winded post... )

A Farewell Dinner

Christmas is almost upon us, and I can hardly believe it. It’s been present in the lights and window displays on the high streets, and I’ve done my small part to get a few decorations up here in the flat, but being a very untraditional year, the actual date has thus far seemed always just out of reach. Two days?? Seriously?! And now it’s a matter of hours before it’s truly just three of us left in this flat.

We all had dinner together at the Thai Terrace in Kensington (Agneta’s suggestion) tonight. It was a really nice place – it felt like it was in a house, and the waitresses were all dressed traditionally. The food was delicious and plentiful – we all ordered set dinners which came in a number of courses, with the entrées arriving all at once in a colorful assortment covering the table like a Christmas dinner. It felt a little like Christmas, in general, come to that. The mood was so warm and light. There was even a big lit-up tree next to the table. We had a nice walk home, too; we took the private road behind Kensington Palace.

I’ll be sad to see Oscar & Chloe leave. I’ll visit them in Paris sometime, and they’ll be visiting London for Valentine’s Day weekend, but it won’t be the same. Agneta was saying that she probably won’t want to like whoever moves in after them… and I’ll probably have the same tendency.

Regarding our plans for Christmas… Ryan and I have discussed cooking at home. He’s offered to cook the bird (either turkey or chicken), and I’ve offered to do desserts. We’ll probably both do side dishes. The three of us will be exchanging gifts (shopping tomorrow), and maybe we’ll get some others to join us for the evening, too.

Practically Perfect

Today has been (to borrow a phrase from Mary Poppins) “practically perfect in every way”. I’ve almost entirely shaken the cold of the past week (I needed a tissue just once), and today I rose early, showered, and paid my rent. I made myself a cup of tea to go (weird note: that precise bag of PG Tips was taken from a hotel room on The Strand last spring, made its way home to California and was mailed back to London along with other teas from home), and had a very good interview – which included a series of tests with good results – at an office temp agency in The City. I then bought myself a hot brie sandwich at Eat and walked round the corner to the Tower of London to eat it by the Thames.

Being only just after 2 PM, much of the day remained and I felt inclined to wander. I wandered across the Tower Bridge, bought a cup of cinnamon-coated nuts from a cart, explored the area in search of an elusive tea & coffee museum (the website now tells me it’s closed till early 2009 anyway), took a dozen or so pictures of the Thames and converted warehouses in the fading light, and spontaneously walked into a beautiful setting of lit skylines, passing yachts, cherry mulled wine, and carolers putting on a Cinderella-esque show (it was office-themed, featuring a temp up against three snobbish sisters whose last name didn’t sound unlike “ugly”) in an outdoor amphitheatre outside City Hall.

I met Agneta at Primark after that; she needed some work clothes, and I wanted Christmas decorations (and a nice pair of Victorian-style heels). She had to head home to switch shoes before going to a trial shift at a champagne bar in West Kensington, so we parted ways for a time. Two hours were spent in search of wrapping ribbon and the game Sequence, and as it happened, I only found one of these and gained a couple other treasures along the way. The day had already gone so well… productivity seems to add an extra spring to my step… and the search felt a lot more like a journey through the best place for Christmas shopping in the world, as it just may be. From Oxford Street to New Bond, to Old Bond, then Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, then Regent Street and then back to Oxford Street, I became a connoisseur of Christmas lights, abusing my poor cell phone’s battery in pictures and videos – not that the quality is top-notch; maybe I’m just in the mood for boasting… I want to share some of the wonders of Christmas in London with everyone at home. It’s just about impossible to imagine that Rodeo Drive could have ever impressed me. To compare, now, is just unthinkable.

By the way, I bought something at Selfridges for the first time ever – some colored sparklers to surprise my flatmates with later, and I explored Henley’s on Regent Street for the first time, seeking Sequence but leaving with Uno.

[Pardon me if my writing starts to sound a little fragmented now… It’s almost 5 AM, and I’m starting to drift.]

I was late to meet up with everyone (Oscar, Chloe, Agneta, Giulia, Ryan, and Ryan’s friend) at the Italian restaurant in Notting Hill… and my tardiness was increased by 10 minutes as I put up some of the decorations as a little surprise. When I finally did get to the restaurant (which took a while to walk to… and thank goodness for my A-Z book), what followed was well worth the £30 bill eventually accrued by my credit card. The whole dinner was perfect. How could I put it without sounding too corny or too plain? I was very glad for the company; we really did have a lovely, intimate gathering. And the food and drinks were appropriately both lavish and like comfort food, and so authentic. I’d like to see the Olive Garden just try to cook this way. And somehow having an Italian friend be the one to introduce me the restaurant added to its value. She even worked there for a while; and for a very short time, so did Agneta.

We walked home in clusters, some leading, some meandering behind; Giulia, Oscar and Chloe formed the caboose. For a time, the three of them were singing something in Italian for a while; Agneta and Ryan were talking about some club, and Diana & I chatted about books and personal libraries. Back at the flat, I had the pleasure of watching their reactions to the decorations I set up in their absence. It turns out that Agneta spent about 3-4 hours cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen earlier, and my decorations were like the icing on the cake.

Oscar and Chloe went to bed first. Giulia stayed for one game of Uno before getting some rest for hers and Claudio’s morning flight to Italy. (I’m envious now just thinking about it.) The rest of us played for a couple hours, with Christmas music and tea (I had cinnamon and anise seeds; the others had mint). None of us had played the game for a long while, and we referred to the rules a couple times, but it felt like childhood renewed and reinterpreted among the four of us. It wasn’t like other late nights in the flat… there were no drinking games (the "Tesco vodka" has become an ongoing joke), no pervy jokes. It was all coziness and fun… the sort of innocent, wicked fun that that comes from attacking other players with “draw 4” wild cards (“the evil card”).

It was a day and a night I shan’t soon forget.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Despite Appearances)

Things have changed a bit since I last wrote here. I lost my job at Pho (the manager said it was because I was 5 minutes late, but I suspect it was because of a certain inconvenient friendship), Janice is back in Brazil (till Jan. 12), Oscar & Chloe will be back in Paris soon (permanently!), while Claudio & Giulia will be back in Italy for Christmas, and against all odds, it's actually "beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

Along with the general malaise that comes with feeling a bit under the weather, I've been noticing the differences between London and home a lot more than usual and it's made me feel a bit homesick. The details get to me. Things like familiar foods, TV specials, Christmas lights, and music. They reinforce the distance. I got a box mailed to me from home early this week, and it made me happier than I've been for a long while. (Not that I've been depressed or anything. It beat out a lot of good moments!) Along with a good dose of love, it contained primarily goodies from good ol' Trader Joe's: trail mixes, chocolates, vitamins, crunchy snacks, and the best lip balm in the world (the "music to your lips" one). I may still have had my feet planted firmly on British soil, but for that one moment I felt more at home than ever. By just looking at the lables, it was as though I was standing in the kitchen in Reseda, perusing the pantry for a snack. And the tastes were more heavenly than any treat at Marks & Spencer.

Before that box arrived, I'd found my one bit of home at Whole Foods. It's ridiculously expensive compared to any other grocery store (even it's US counterpart), but for the small bits of comfort it was worth it. It's the only place in London I've yet to find eggnog (though it doesn't taste much like the kind I drink at home... it's much too much like nutmeg-flavored whipping cream, and not at all thick). Bisquick doesn't seem to exist in the UK, so I got some pricey buttermilk pancake mix. Other goodies included Reed's ginger beer (I've tasted the British equivalent and came away pretty dissatisfied... it's waaay too sweet), pumpkin pie (just one lousy slice!) Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap (£4 for one bar!), and aloe vera body lotion (not nearly as nice as TJ's Midsummer Night's Cream).

Tonight, I've become a lot more optimistic about spending Christmas here. It's amazing what a little atmosphere can do. I lit a few candles, dimmed the lights, switched on the little gold Christmas tree I bought at Woolsworth's (I didn't know those still existed anywhere till coming here, but it won't be around for much longer), and played some holiday music on iTunes. I also made some chai lattes from scratch for both Agneta and I, and munched some almond bark (Trader Joe's!) and chocolate-covered Turkish Delight (Marks & Spencer). Agneta and I made a big paper star together and chatted about Christmas memories and other things. Ryan came in occasionally, and we watched some silly videos on YouTube, too. Something "clicked" and made this place feel a lot more homey; Christmas was in the air (please forgive my cheesiness). A couple weeks ago, I was hoping that either 1) by some Christmas miracle Kim would be able to visit for the holidays or 2) I could rent a cottage in the English countryside with a few other people, preferably where there's snow. The first option seemed possible for a while, but was eventually vetoed by my mom. The second left the picture when Agneta became aware of her dwindling finances and Janice left. Now, I just need to buy some garlands to hang over everything, and maybe get a little tree. Maybe we'll go see a traditional pantomime. Nothing is for certain, but at least the three of us remaining in this flat are optimistic.

Nah, needs garlic!

This probably sounds like a really silly thing to miss, but last night I dreamt I had DVR again and thought it was the most awesome thing to be able to rewind TV. I also dreamt about a whodunnit mystery in a monastery, but that's beside the point.

Also, here's a list of food-related things I wish I had in London:

• eggnog
• pumpkin pie
• sourdough bread (I always have to settle for "farmer's bread")
• clam chowder in a bread bowl
• avocado (they're here, but not quite the same; you definitely won't find it being sold off the backs of trucks!)
• buttermilk
• Trader Joe's misc.
  

Restaurants:

• PF Chang's
• Brent's Deli
• food court at The Getty
• Marie Calender's
  

I have found a few things that remind me of home. I found a number of foods that I'm used to getting at the Asian supermarkets in California - e.g., gummy fruit (no lychee, but they had my second-favorite: melon), Pocky (!!!), and the same brands of Tofu and soy paste. My "tea cabinet" has been filling up, too. The top shelf has acquired a reasonable variety since I moved in. I'd still love some "Paradise" iced tea, however. Also, I've tried to make some oven fries like my mom's, but they weren't quite there. I didn't even have garlic salt - I couldn't find it in stores anywhere, so I had to make do with garlic powder and salt (which, as Wikipedia will tell you, is not the same).

I Never Knew Before London That They Still Made Radiators and Hot Water Bottles...

I'm in an extremely cozy spot at the moment... face-first on my bed, using my teddy bear as a pillow and enjoying the new-found bliss of having a furry hot water bottle. (I didn't know they still made those till I got here!) When I woke up, it was already too late to meet my appointment… I was due for an interview for getting my National Insurance number at 9:30. I woke at 10. Anyway, among the list of things I’m meant to bring, the letter mentioned a letter from my employer… and I haven’t got that taken care of.

Speaking of which, I haven’t really said anything about my job, have I? It’s nothing special. Not what I would choose immediately, anyway. I’m employed at a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho in the Westfield London mall. It’s close, the people working there are quite nice, and it pays relatively well. That being said, if I could find something more career-appropriate, I would still quit at the drop of a hat. At least my dad’s not talking about deadlines and the possibility of coming home anymore.

Other things…

Yesterday I took a train to St. Albans once again. I helped out at Poppy’s and Dasha’s 5th birthday party. There were 42 kids on the invite list, and it was a “princesses and pirates” theme (though mostly princesses were in attendance). It was loud and crazy most of the time (and sugar levels were high), and it made me want to be 5 all over again. Gill asked me to be a sort of “paparazzi” and take lots of pictures, and I did, but I didn’t realize that there would be a celebrity in the room. In fact, I didn’t realize it until after the party. Back at the house, Gill mentioned that Nicola, one of the parents who stayed to help clean up, played one of the Doctors’ companions on Doctor Who in the 80s. (I don’t think she’s in any of my photos, btw… I’ve looked, and it’s mostly kids and the people I already knew. But I checked Wikipedia and yup, it’s her.) Anyway, it was nice to be back in Wheathampstead for the evening. It felt so cozy and normal, more akin to being actually home. I stayed while Poppy was opening her presents (including mine – I gave her The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales; it’s still one of my favorites) and enjoyed some tea and conversation. When Kevin took Abby’s friend home, he dropped me off at the train station.

…

Well, I think I ought to roll out of bed now. I’d like to find a spice shop and maybe pay a visit to that big Japanese grocery store I heard about. It’ll be noon in a little over 20 minutes, and by then I will probably be annoyed with myself and feel less inclined to go anywhere.

(Wow, is it REALLY December 1?!?)