I feel like such a grown-up!

So I noticed that this year all the Christmas cards I got were addressed to "Waiyee & Jon" rather than just to me and were mostly from other couples, ie. my friends and their significant others even if I don't really know the partner. I don't remember this being the case in previous years. When did I become middle-aged?

Just an observation.

PS - Sorry you didn't get a card from me (and Jon!) this year, I just never got around to it.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to one and all! I am actually feeling festive this year, which is a big change. It takes a lot to beat the bah humbug out of me but I think the new office was too tough for me - lots of home-made decoration making (with varying degrees of success and rocketing tackiness and amusement) and playing cheesy Christmas tunes wore me down. I've been dragging it out a bit too - an early Christmas lunch with one of the departments, another lunch with my boss and the Department Heads, a dinner with close friends and then the office Christmas party last week which was fun, the photos are here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78362&l=b1dff&id=692170356
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78438&l=1fe54&id=692170356
But this is my favourite picture from the night:









I got a generous and thoughtful gift from my boss, which was a very pleasant surprise, and was even sent flowers from his wife! I even went as far as to get a tree this year, and have a big feast planned for Christmas day. It'll be a fairly quiet one, just my dad, Jon and my cousin and myself, but we will eat with Christmas spirit. I'm excited.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season, with lots of love,
Poonie xx

More California adventures

Look at those happy sunkissed faces! Who are those people? They are the people we would be if we lived somewhere so warm we could be outside in t-shirts and feeling the warm sun on our skin in mid-November. I did have to question why Jon moved to cold and gloomy London when we went back for another visit last month. Crazy!

It was a shorter trip than usual so it was hectic, we packed a lot in. It was a good trip though, we had a lot of fun. We did the usual friends and family roadshow and managed to get around to seeing everyone...I think. We also managed to visit with a couple of my friends who are newly implanted in California.







Vanessa in San Diego

John S. in LA on his first day as an official California resident

And of course there were all the usual suspects -

Lauri and Andy and little Michael who is growing like a weed!

Jon's cronies

Chris and Doreen and their new addition, little Rachael

And of course we ate a lot of meals, some good, some just okay, but all huge! Here are just a couple of examples:

Dinosaur ribs from Lucille's

Chili cheese fries from The Hat

We spent Thanksgiving with Jon's folks at what is now their main home in Henderson, Nevada. We were there for a couple of days and it was pretty low key. Jon and I went to the Strip the night before Thanksgiving and it was the quietest we'd ever seen it, so we walked around a bit and then called it a night. Thanksgiving day was spent at the house of some friends of Jon's parents, where we ate heartily. Then after a visit to Lake Las Vegas the next day, Jon and I flew back to Cali to hang out at the Fullerton house for the rest of our stay.

We had a great time eating, shopping with our favourable exchange rate, and seeing everyone and just enjoying winter sunshine. I have to admit that this is the first trip where I've felt a little more attracted to California. I was probably seduced by the sunshine and the fact that you can get so much more property for your money than in London but I was seriously thinking more about our possible move back in a few years. And I never thought I'd say this but I actually really enjoyed being in LA when we went up to meet John S. for lunch and actually felt at home! I'm guessing it was more the familiarity of seeing John but still, it was strange!

If you fancy checking out the photos, here's where you'll find them: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77108&l=f7e58&id=692170356

Another year older and not much wiser

I celebrated another notch on my life post a month ago. It was the first year in a few I haven't been away for my birthday, but we were flying out to the States a couple of days later so decided to stay home and keep it low key. It was a nice day, even though it was the first time I have worked on my birthday for years. The folks at work found out and I got serenaded at my desk, which was nice. Then Jon turned up with flowers and we went out for some drinks with friends. Some people couldn't make it, as expected since it was a school night, but it wasn't a bad turnout and it was great to see everyone. I was far too deep into the pink bubbly most of the night to get many pictures but you get the idea.

Deepest Wales

Back in October we went on one of our rare weekend getaways this year to Conwy in north Wales. Jon's friend Jenn from California now lives here with her English hubby Pete and they were having their second wedding here in the UK following the main event which was in LA earlier in the year. (Transatlantic couples unite!!) It was a great excuse to go away for the weekend somewhere we wouldn't normally think to go, and fun to see some of the Fullerton crowd too. Here they are: (L-R) Rick - friend and ex-flatmate of the bride, Anne - sister of the bride, Jenn - the bride, Jon.

Conwy is a really cute little walled and castled town and we had fun exploring. The people were friendly and we got a really nice hotel so all in all it was a great trip. Long drive though!

The missing months

You may have noticed I've been shockingly absent for the last few months, so if you're reading this, thanks for still being here! It's been a really busy time since the last post, and I'll spare you too much detail since it's all quite fuzzy to me now anyway, and give you the highlights.

Well, I started my new job at Turner Broadcasting right after we got back from San Francisco in April. I got off to a good start and hit the ground running and haven't looked back since. 8 months on I'm still loving it there and feeling very glad I made the right decision. It was pretty surreal at first, but now that I've got used to sharing the office with various cartoon characters, attending staff meetings where we sit on the floor and watch cartoons, having a TV on my desk and a giant jelly bean machine by the door, and attending meetings in rooms called Shaggy, Dibble and My Fair Lady, it's just another day at the office. The job is busy but that's not a bad thing, we all know the devil likes to make work for my idle thumbs! It's not too stressful, but keeps me out of trouble and I'm feeling motivated, excited and I'm learning a lot. I also feel much more settled there now and have a good relationship with my boss and other colleagues, so all is good.

Travel wise it's been a slower year. We've been away a few times so I can't really complain, but the frequent mini-breaks have dried up somewhat, mostly due to work commitments. Jon, by the way, has changed jobs twice this year! He is now back at the first company he worked for in London, now in a permanent role and much happier. Who knew we would someday both be happy at work simultaneously!

Anyway, I digress, we were talking about travel. We were in Istanbul in June, with Jon's parents. They were on another European visit to Barcelona, London and a guided tour of Turkey so we met them in Istanbul for the long weekend. This was my second time there, the first being at least 10 or so years ago, and I liked it as much as I remembered. It's a very cool city, straddling the east and the west both geographically and culturally. We stayed in the Old City with a view of the Blue Mosque from the restaurant terrace. It's a shame we were only there a short time but we had fun exploring the city a little - the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkopi, the Grand Bazaar and a cruise of the Bosphorus.

Shortly after that we spent a few days in Tuscany, for Jon's birthday. We were in our favourite little walled city of Lucca, almost exactly 4 years after our last trip there together. It was gloriously sunny and we had a great relaxing break. We spent a lot of time with our lovely host Annie, who took us to the beach and out for some very good meals. We also took a day trip to Florence. It seemed very crowded compared to Lucca and we did a whirlwind walk-around checking out the must-see sights and then escaped back to the far more chilled out haven of Lucca. I have a feeling there will be future posts about other trips to Lucca and Italy.

We spent the rest of the summer at home in London, with Jon starting a new job and then another new job, and me settling into mine a bit more. For my overseas readers, we had a miserable summer in London. Barely a warm day and just the promise of sun. So we booked a trip to California for November so we would have something to look forward to!

More later, on North Wales and California (in that order).

I left my heart in San Francisco

Such a corny title! Sorry, it just had to be done!

Apparently Jon and I can't get enough of California, we went back again for another visit just three months after the last one. Although actually it was a bit like old times for me, that was about the frequency of my trips before he moved over here. Anyway, the main reason for another trip so soon was for me to get my green card entry stamp and take the last step in that process.

Everything went very smoothly, I'm happy to report. They didn't give me a hard time at all at immigration on landing and I got my entry stamp and official alien status without any trouble. The actual green card, social security number and whatever other paperwork they like to give out should be winging its way to me very soon.

And apart from all that official business we of course had a great vacation planned. It turned out to be wonderful timing for me as I was in between jobs too. We flew out the day after my last day at London Business School so I was free as a bird with a holiday and an exciting new job to look forward to. I was grinning quite madly! It was a great trip too, I had a much better time than the last visit, for various reasons.

We spent a week and a bit in OC staying with Jon's parents and hanging out with friends. The Jones' California house is newly on the market and it was a little strange living in what is essentially a show home with minimal furniture and bare walls, and having to keep everything looking immaculate, you can imagine what a job that was for messy ol' me! But the place looks amazing. I wish we could afford to buy it!! Anyway, we didn't really spend enough time there for me to make too much of a mess, thankfully. We saw a lot of Jon's friends again and also managed to get in a dinner with my friend Vanessa who has just moved to San Diego from London. Again showing our support for another transatlantic couple! (Although we only saw one half of the couple!)

After that, we left for San Francisco, heading up the Pacific Coast Highway with Jon's friend Sabrina for company. We went fairly leisurely, making one stop in San Luis Obispo for lunch and a smoothie. Then went on chasing the ocean and racing the sunset, which when it finally happened around the Big Sur coast was beautiful. We spent the night in Carmel by the Sea and then continued north the next morning. The first day was mostly ocean, the second day we enjoyed the awesome giant redwoods. California is diverse and beautiful, who could argue with that!

We made a stop in the South Bay area to visit with my friend Jenny, who I haven't seen since her wedding in Princeton four years ago. It was a flying visit but great to see her and meet her new daughter and even got to say hi to hubby Ben fleetingly. After that it was straight through the city of San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge into the wine country. We were over ambitious about trying to get a vineyard visit in on the same day. We didn't make it up there until after closing time, but we took a little drive around a few places in Napa and Sonoma and ended up having a wonderful dinner in the town of Sonoma. We went to a restaurant called The Girl and the Fig which I would recommend if you ever find yourself in the area, and sat outside in the courtyard and made sure we had plenty of local wine on the table. We arrived in San Francisco later that night, where we spent the rest of our trip.

Sabrina flew back to LA the next day after a send off breakfast at Sears next door to our hotel on Union Square. Jon and I went off exploring after that. First stop was of course the Golden Gate Bridge for a photo opp, where we had a chance meeting with Palle, a friend from London, whilst strolling across the bridge. It was the most bizarre and unexpected thing, completely random!! We saw him again for dinner another night of course, what are the chances we will all be in SF at the same time ever again?!

We did all the other touristy stuff over the next few days. We have both been to SF before but not for a few years so it was fun to do it all again. We did Alcatraz, which was really cool, walked up to Coit Tower, and explored the city and its many hills. On our last full day my friend Mark who lives across the bay in Tiburon picked us up and gave us a great guided tour of the city. He drove us through all the various neighbourhoods, the Crookedest Street, Golden Gate Park, and Tiburon. We had a great time and we both found our love for SF rekindled, and I think Jon is keen to try living there at some point. As cities go, it's high on my list, and I love the whole Bay Area. I think we'll definitely be back.

I took about a squillion pictures but click here for some of the highlights of the trip.

Pastures new

I got a new job!!! After three years at London Business School I am moving on. I've had a good innings, as they say, but having seen so many of my colleagues come and go and with my boss leaving too, it seemed the right time. In some ways it is, in others not, and it's sad to leave a job when you're not unhappy, but this is the right choice for me. I took a job at Turner Broadcasting, as Personal Assistant to the Vice President of Turner Classic Movies Europe. He also looks after Adult Swim Europe (it'll be mostly you Yanks that will be familiar with [as]). It's a great opportunity for me, a move into the creative environment I've been looking for, and for a Time Warner Company. I got a great vibe when I went there for the interview and I liked my new boss. I'm very excited about it.

Wish me luck!

Is America ready for me?

It's official, I'm an alien, A LEGAL alien! I think most of you will have heard this already, but I won the green card lottery last year. I received a letter of notification and the application forms back in June of last year, which I of course thought was a joke. But no! It's one of those things I've heard about but didn't really take seriously. I have applied maybe 3 times over about 7 or 8 years. I basically do it when I remember it, as the application period is only one month long each year and I usually forget. And even then, it's something I did just because I could, I never actually thought anything would come of it. So receiving the letter was a shock. And so was the application process, I'm not a fan of filling in forms at the best of times. But I did it, and shelled out the application fees, attended the expensive medical exam, and did my time at the US Embassy for the interview. They approved me without too much fuss but as my interview was 3 days before I was flying to the US there wasn't enough time to turn the visa around so I had to wait until after I got back to courier it to the Embassy. I got it back today with a shiny new visa in it!

Jon and I have planned a trip back to California in March so I can get my entry stamp and become an official US permanent resident. The plan is not to move there immediately for the long term, it will be a tough time to leave my dad alone. But it gives me options for later on. We'll see how things go.

New Year on the Cote d'Azur

It's been a busy December! After two weeks in the States and a whirlwind of a jet lagged Christmas at home, we flew to Nice for a few days over New Year. Can anyone tell me how I've managed to overlook Nice as a fantastic close-by holiday destination for so long?! We had a wonderful time there, and had much better weather than southern California.

Nice is a beautiful little city, clean and nice with a laidback atmosphere. We spent our time wandering around and admiring the spectacular sea views, people watching and enjoying the winter sunshine. We spent New Years Eve day eating a very long lunch at a restaurant on the beach and then drinking wine while watching the sun set over the very blue sea. That evening we went out to a restaurant/club where we saw in the new year. It was a fun place with a mixed crowd. Those French know how to party, there were people literally dancing on the tables quite early in the evening! New Years Day we went on a tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo, checking out how the other half live!

So all in all, it's been a good start to the new year. And 2006 was an eventful one. This is my 2006 in bullet points:

• Lots of trips, including UK ones for a change - Dorset, the Cotswolds, Hastings and Sussex, Oxford, Portmeirion in north Wales, Cambridge, Berkshire.
• Trips further afield included New York, Torino, Berlin, Venice, Chicago, California, Nice.
• Winning the green card lottery and making a successful application for one.
  
• Jon celebrated his first anniversary of living in London.
• My beloved mother passed away after long and numerous battles with her health.
• Seeing friends from California in Berlin. I get a kick out of things being taken out of context in that way, it's very surreal but lots of fun.
• Jon leaving the flat he 'landed' into in London, and moving to my neck of the woods.
• Several of my esteemed friends/colleagues from my office moving on and my boss also resigning at the end of the year.
• A baby boom. A few of my friends have had visits from the stork this year. Congratulations to Lauri and Andy on Michael, Dallan and Bethany on Claire, Jenny and Ben on their upcoming adoption, and we await news from Nikki and Jeff and Nick and Anna on their imminent new arrivals.
  
• Being seduced in the Apple Store and buying a MacBook. My conversion to the dark side is complete!

Click here for a 2006 Highlights photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9198&id=692170356&l=e8a65ba14e then click on the first picture to view by slideshow so you get the descriptors.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!