Where in the World are the Weys?

December comes and goes so quickly - it's as if the entire year's social calendar is jam-packed into just a few weeks of holiday parties and meals. I love it! Eating in Asia was extra fun this year, thanks to Bean! While I tried not to over-do it, I definitely had more than three meals a day. Whoops! xP Belly bean has definitely grown, as you can see from this month's album.

Seeing family this year was extra special knowing what lies ahead for us this year. We know that we'll be relying on their experience and support this year, as we start a family of our own. I loved all of the little anecdotes I got from family and friends, including:

- Eat lots of cheese

- Drink lots of milk

- Eat one egg a day

- If you want to have a girl, eat sour things.

HAHA! Keep them coming!

Hope you had a wonderful, wonderful holiday season as well, and that this new year brings you many things to look forward to!

Brian and I had such an amazing October with all of you. From sharing first birthday's, to first trips, and celebrating all of the many milestones of life, we are so lucky to have all of you in our lives!

Here are photos from our October diary!

A few things linger after a fantastic vacation.

The laughs had and memories captured through photos. Time spent hugging your newly acquired pair of shoozies. Daily skype sessions from missing mummy again. And of course, the extra layers of blubber developed gently from a gelato-a-day and a week of carbs.

We've spent a lot of time in Europe this half of the year, but no city had the energy that Roma did. It's such an ancient city, and its old architecture inspires even the newer buildings to glamour and greatness. Our experiences in Roma were a perfect balance of food, culture, history, and shopping (!), and we got so lucky with the timing of the summer sales! wee! My daily guilty pleasure was a duo-scoop of gelato from Ciampini's, and my trip's guilty pleasure was 50% off shoes!  I loved walking around the streets with my family (those cobblestone ones are like natural reflexology when you're wearing flip flops!), sharing squeals of delight of another good purchase with mum, and my daily gelato with daddy.

On the coast, the pace was different, and everyone there treated us like family. When we left, we got gifted with parting gifts (most notable was the little Angeline doll my mum got wishing for a grandchild next year?) Super impressed with the drivers and their ability to navigate narrow cliff-side streets, and so envious of how they all live in their summer dresses and shorts all year around. You know you're on vacation when the biggest worry you have is what you're going to eat (fresh seafood galore), and when did I last reapply sunblock?! (Dru had "white face" syndrome most of the trip, haha) Amalfi had the most beautiful scenery I've ever experienced, and we can't wait to go back. It was seriously like waking up to a postcard every day - nothing more soothing than that! Thank you to my lovely fam-lie for 8 days of bliss!

I keep revisiting the photos and reminiscing, and then remember that with our great friends here in SF, life can be like a vacation here too.

B had a Zong ball and I had a Zong ball. Here are their adventures around the world!

Can you figure out where Zong ball is?

So the primary reason for the round the world trip was to celebrate my dear friend, Charmaine's, wedding in Hong Kong! It was a spectacular event, and served as another high school reunion for my home girls (we joke that now that practically everyone is married off, we will have withdrawal and will need to start planning worldly girls' trips separately!). We've been so lucky recently to have had our wedding celebration, Pooja's in India, and now Charmaine's in HK to get together! There really is no replacement for childhood friendships, me thinks.

The time in Hong Kong and Singapore seemed to drag on, but very meaningfully! (at this point, I was looking forward to Paris with hubby!) Not only did I get to reconnect with many old friends, but I got some quality time with the fam-lie too! It probably didn't help that I was working San Francisco hours while I was in Singapore, but it just meant that I was getting the most out of each day, and for that, I feel very fortunate. Spending this time on my own in HK and Singapore really helped me evaluate what life would be like living in Asia one of these days -- part of me struggles with weighing up the lifestyles and connections I have there with the lifestyle and friendships we have in San Francisco. At the end of the day, I guess I feel very lucky that it is a struggle because it means that I have built strong ties in both locales.

As always, there was no lack of food and laughter. Highlights in HK were the Cantonese wedding games we played, spending time with my brother, and seeing his new home (congrats!). Singapore was all about hanging with mommy and visiting friends and family that I missed during the last trip! A personal best - waking up at 3am Singapore time to lead a client conference call in SF! Go me! haha!

Hop scotching around the world exceeded my expectations. Energized by being able to spend time with my friends, family, and of course, literally, with amazing eats, it is not fatigue that lingers with me, but elation.  Here is hoping your Spring is unraveling in a similar manner!

PS. Our blog title is actually quite fitting in these recent posts! ;)

Paris is the only city, where I feel comfortable sitting at a cafe all on my lonesome and people watching (it helps to know that hubby will be arriving that night). Sitting on the corner of Rue Royale and Rue Faubourg Saint Honore, everyone walking past is so chic! It's such a mix of people at this junction, tourists taking photos in the cross walk with Place de la Concorde behind them, and locals doing their fancy shopping toting YSL, Hermes, Valentino, Lanvin, Gucci...  I thoroughly enjoyed faites simple comme une Parisian. It was so liberating not having to track time, having nowhere in particular to be -- and just looking forward to hubby arriving!!

Flash forward four days, and what a magical anniversary numero un weekend we had. Filled with food, food walks, relaxation, hand-holding, and random walks around new neighborhoods, Brian has sure set the bar high for anniversary #2, as he says. :) We discovered two new restaurants that we looove, a charming 18th century patisserie with tasty macarons and millefeuille, and even had a Gerard Depardieu sighting! (he was picking up food at one of our new favorite restos!)

I heart Paris, for its ancient charm and being the home of my two loves, food and fashion. Now, it will always be the place where hubby and I celebrate ours.

... a bientot, Paris!

Courtesy of Dru @ http://andrewlie.posterous.com

Winter 09 from Andrew Lie on Vimeo.

Firstly, congratulations to Pooja and Rohan, and thank you to them and their families for hosting us for their wedding celebrations. They were seriously out of this world! (as you will see in a few photos)

Secondly, I'm jetlagged and have caught a nasty cold, which provides me the time to blog a bit, but may also mean I am a bit wonky in my descriptions. Ah, so it begins.

We just returned from Asia, mostly India and Taiwan, with quick detours to Singapore. Spending all this time in Asia with my childhood friends and family really makes me want to move back soon - I get this conflicted feeling inside where I love and am happy with our life in the Bay Area, but also know that I can feel the same way in Asia. Of course, I am only speaking for myself, and it is not with much certainty yet that I can say that B will feel the same way.  There is a lot to consider, pros and cons, to the family, career, and lifestyle aspects of moving back to Asia. I take solace in the fact that the world is small, and a move to Asia may not mean anything permanent. We can always come back! Anyhoo, more another time!

It was great to meet some of Brian's family in Taiwan and enjoy some of the local treats. We had some quality time with Brian's family at home, and I learned how to cook some traditional homey meals.  India was such an eye-opener, as always, but I have to say that our experience this time was a gajillion times better than my last trip (ie. no travel drama!). I guess Udaipur is truly tailored to tourism, which meant more English speaking folks and surroundings that were a little bit cleaner (though still dirty, by American standards). Visiting Udaipur is highly recommended - apparently, it was voted Travel + Leisure's #1 city this year!  Mostly, it was really great to vacation with old friends; it was something we didn't really get to do when we were younger, and with some of us married now, set in our preferences, it was cool to just hang out. :) Pooja's family showed us all an amazing time, and no doubt, Brian and I will never forget our experience there -- as I hope Pooja and Rohan will never forget it too! Resting in Singapore, all we ever do is eat, but it's a necessary break from the late night festivities and travel tires of India. Thanks mummy and daddy for letting us have our creature comforts at home :)

Well, pictures speak a thousand words, so take your time perusing the ~300 photos and videos.  Being in India, we were a bit disconnected from the start of the holiday season, so I gotta catch up and get my christmas game back on!

http://picasaweb.google.com/diana.lie/November2009WarmingUpToWinterWithGoodFoodFriendsAndFamily?authkey=Gv1sRgCNaHooeImaCldA&feat=directlink