Gosh, this year has definitely passed by so fast. One moment it was February and I was in Malaysia; next it was April and I was in Venice, then I remember it being September and I was eating delicious Japanese food in Amsterdam. Then it was November and I was in San Francisco eating Peruvian food with an old friend and his extremely nice girlfriend.
Sigh, the memories just keep flashing by. It’s scary when I think that I left home in 2005 and next year marks my 6th year away from home. The best part about next year is that I finally get to spend my birthday with my parents. Yep – I’m going to Malaysia in April. Haven’t booked my ticket yet…but I’ll get that done soon. It’s been ages since I celebrated my birthday with my family so it will be fun.
I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas. I come from Malaysia where we celebrate everybody’s festival 🙂 You get invited to different people’s homes for different festivals and you celebrate it with them. My aunt is Christian and we celebrate Christmas with her. Nowadays I celebrate Christmas with the bf – usually he goes to Germany and if possible I go along (I’ve been once in 2008). This year he didn’t feel like traveling (ahh the life of a globe-trotting software engineer) so he decided to stay in Oslo. It was quite strange to be in Oslo during Christmas and I later realised that this was his first Christmas away from home. Being a nomad (an emotional one, much to my surprise) I totally understand what that must feel like.
I tried to make something German for him for Christmas eve Dinner (Europeans start celebrating in the evening of 24th) – the closest I got to was roast pork with mashed potatoes and mushrooms fried with garlic and black pepper as a side dish. We had stollen (Christstollen) for dessert. I didn’t make the stollen – we just bought it 🙂
Christmas Eve Dinner
Christmas Eve Dinner - A Closer Look
I’m not good at roasting meat because I cannot eat that much meat so I never bothered to learn how to roast it. Don’t laugh but I used Char Siu sauce to marinade the meat overnight and then roasted it for about an hour.
A few weeks ago we did a trial run to see if it will work out. Here’s a photo of the trial run roast pork:
Trial Run Roast Pork
So I’ve not been up to much otherwise. The bf and I have dinner reservations for New Year’s Eve at a French restaurant nearby as our regular NYE party thrower is not having his party this year 🙂 I’ve never really eaten French food before so it will be fun.
How’s your Christmas been and what are your plans for New Year’s Eve?
Across the Oceans 
I’m so excited you’ll be with family for your birthday! Can’t imagine what it must feel like not to be with them regularly. Your Christmas dinner looks delicious, glad you got to enjoy it together 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 I’m looking forward to going home. Living away from your family is kind of like choosing to give up meat and be a vegetarian – both require a change of lifestyle. You have to rely on yourself more – of course having the bf is really helpful – but generally you have to take better care of yourself and make your own meals, etc. My mother is an excellent cook so I always took her homecooked meals for granted 🙂 Now that I have to cook myself, it’s a different story.
My parents are still a phone call away when I feel like talking to them. I call them about once a week or so – but mostly my Dad + sisters are always on Facebook chat or MSN messenger so we communicate almost everyday. They have access to my Flickr photographs, etc so they know what I’m up to 🙂 If I’m traveling, I tell them a few months before hand.
It’s..just different. I won’t say it’s easy or hard – just a different lifestyle.
Homesickness is tough – but the bf helps by letting me make strange dishes and he actually is willing to try them out 🙂 I cook some of my mother’s dishes when I’m homesick – really does help.
Hey you!!..its been awhle…for me at least. I love your new blog.
Hows everything?? Its abit too late for xmas…but happy new year!!! i hope u have a good one 🙂
keep in touch
xoxo
YummyMummy! It’s never too late for good wishes anyway 🙂 Very happy to see you’re back to the blogging world. Hope all is well at your end. Thanks for the compliment – sudah letak gambar sekarang.
Have a good year ahead 🙂
You’re such a sweet gf for doing all that for your bf. Do enjoy your romantic dinner on new year’s eve and here’s wishing you and your bf a blessed 2011. Hope to see you when you’re back in April 🙂
Awww you’re too nice Cas.
Yes, I’ll be back end of March till sometime mid April. Starting to gauge ticket prices now. I think Whimsicaljottings would have gone back to Italy by then though, but I’d love to meet you and Sairah! I’ll admit I’m lousy at carrying kids – terrified of carrying them actually so you can carry her and I’ll make funny faces OK? 🙂
Will message you on Facebook when I’m down, promise. We can go shopping or something 🙂 I have no self control when I shop in KL
Ok you know what, I’m going to start saving and sliming down at the same time so we can go on a major shopping haul when you’re down. No funny faces alone, you must carry her too – practice woman practice! Who knows Whmsical might just extend her stay here! Your job to convince her, hehe.
Oh darnit. I will be back in Italy by then 😦 No chances of extending my stay, coz its gonna cost me a couple hundred more EUR I reckon. Plus, I gotta get back to “work”. So near yet so far! GRRR
@Cas : I failed miserably 😦 You meet up with her though and you two can eat all the nice food on my behalf 😉
@Whimsical : I understand. I just have to come to Modena then at some point 🙂