Hanging out in LA

As much as I love spending time with my sister Julie in northern California, waking up to freezing temperatures in winter is really not my cup of tea.  And so we planned a trip to visit friends in the sunnier climate of southern California.  Los Angeles was our first stop.

 

(L-R) Kathleen, Joanna, Julie and Swee Kit

 

Kathleen's place is always my first port-of-call in sunny Los Angeles.  We first met in Calvary Church KL back in 1996 before she married and moved to LA.  Her beaming smiles and warm hospitality makes it much easier to bear the horrible traffic on LA freeways.   This time she arranged for us to have dinner at a classic American diner - Norm's in Whittier - before whisking us to a play about a nun in Las Vegas!

 

We also caught up with Swee Kit, one of Julie's school friends who recently moved to LA to start postgraduate studies at Biola University. 

 

The next day, we spent a whole day hanging out with Kathleen and her family.  Of course, the girls decided to first treat themselves to morning dim sum, foot massage and coffee & cakes before heading home to see Kathleen's boys.

 

Kathleen's darlings:  Samuel (dark blue t-shirt) and Joseph (sky blue t-shirt)

 

These two little boys have a very special place in my heart. It was so good to see how much they've grown and developed.  They showed off their acrobatic agility and prowess by doing a balanced stand on their dad's legs while Joe played dodge ball with a very uncoordinated Aunty Jo Jo. 

 

We took some photos with the boys in the backyard.  Here's me posing with Sam - whom I think has the dashing good looks of a Korean drama star.  Don't you agree?

 

The highlight of my day came after dinner when Joe started cuddling up to me when I sang him lullabies.  So sweet!  Is there any wonder that my heart melts every time I visit these little ones?

 





Sunny San Diego

I love it when a new city springs a surprise and charms me into falling in love with it.  This only ever happens when I'm not expecting anything major and open to possibilities.  San Diego is such a place. It's not as big and loud as LA, or as bohemian and exclusive as San Francisco.  It's just warm, welcoming and quietly confident.

View of San Diego from Coronado Island Ferry

Julie chose a hotel on Coronado Island as our getaway home for a few days and I'm so glad she did! Sunset walks along white sandy beaches really does marvellous things for the soul.

In front of Hotel Gran Del Mar, a gorgeous Victorian-style wooden structure where Marilyn Monroe filmed "Some Like It Hot"

Canterbury Tales

There is nothing I love more than making new friends and visiting new places.  Thanks to Natasha Pritchard, I got to do both!  Natasha has only recently moved to Kent and kindly offered to drive me to Canterbury on her day off where we had a great time.  Thanks so much, Tash!

Canterbury Cathedral from afar - because I refused to pay the entrance fee of ten pounds!

Canterbury is one of the oldest towns in England with a rich history dating back to Roman times.  The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury.  A pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket is the backdrop for Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales - which was the bane of my existence during A Levels. It's charming medieval character still attracts millions of tourists annually.

Natasha & I with our Kentish cream teas

There were two major highlights from my visit to Canterbury.  The first was tea and scones at Tiny Tim's Tearoom.  It's located in one of the oldest buildings in Canterbury with a setting that is quintessentially English. Miss Marple would have approved. The scones were some of the largest I'd ever seen, complete with butter, jam and clotted cream.  Absolutely delicious - especially the apple & raspberry ones.  There's also a ghost room at the top of the stairs open to visitors for free, an offer which Natasha and I politely (and firmly) declined.

The second major highlight was my introduction to Primark - the home of cheap and cheerful clothing. I walked away with a large bagful of clothes for only twenty pounds. Sorry, there aren't any pictures because no self-respecting female shopper is going to bother fiddling with a camera when there are 2-pound shirts and 3-pound tights on sale!

A Sunday afternoon in Whitstable

I grew up on a diet of Peter and Jane books, and those children were always off to Brighton or some seaside town on August bank holiday.  I hadn't a clue what a bank holiday was but I definitely wanted to experience a day out by the English seaside.  And dear 'ol Tariq obliged by driving us to Whitstable on the Kent coast one Sunday afternoon.

Postcard perfect Whitstable

(L-R) Joanna, Martin & Tariq 

(L-R) Martin, Natasha & Tariq

Highlight of the day - Sunday lunch!

It was a picture perfect day in Whitstable and we enjoyed a brisk walk along the pebbled beach watching sailboats and swimmers.  As it was late in the day, we scrambled to find a place for lunch.  We were turned away at two pubs before stumbling on lucky no. 3 -  Shepherd Neame The Duke of Cumberland.  What a gem it turned out to be!  The kitchen was five minutes away from closing but stayed open to cook us an amazing meal.  Never has a "roast and three veg" looked and tasted so good.  For only 15 quid each, we had a seafood paella, roast lamb, roast pork & crackling for mains.  The vegetable dishes - Mediterranean salad, roasted pumpkin, courgettes & fennel - tasted divine.  It was a superb meal in a garden setting with great beer, a good band and a friendly dog.  How's that for a perfect pub!

London Walks

This trip to London felt like a homecoming and I spent many hours walking the streets, soaking up familiar sights and discovering new ones.

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament - my all time favourite 

The London Eye was new to me as it was built after my last visit to the UK

Piccadilly Circus - another iconic London sight

Sunny day at Buckingham Palace

St Paul's Cathedral

Fortnum & Mason's, the royal grocers at Piccadilly, was another first for me. The shop assistants and cashiers wore coat tails and gloves! And all this while I thought Marks & Spencer's was posh. Brought home some tea, biscuits and shortbread so that I can pretend to be royal too over an afternoon tea...hehe...