Ho Ho Ho'ing About

As every year, the day after my birthday means the countdown to Christmas is officially T minus six…since the family was visiting, we launched ourselves into the full Christmas warp. Due to the incessant snowfalls, we seized the opportunity of a clear day and headed to mini-Asia, Richmond, for a shopping excursion. Here I had a delicious lunch of tonkatsu curry raisu.


Oh yum!

The mall also featured some ladies singing carols in bonnets and this lovely, giant tree. Oh, and lots of Asians.




View from my Papa’s perch in the food court.

On December 21, Jean made me my birthday dinner and guess what? I had tonkatsu again! Delicious work Jean!


As you can tell, I do love tonkatsu.

Two days later (now December 22), Marty, the Sisses and I ventured into downtown Vancouver amid the large snow banks to battle the crowds in the stores and have lunch.


View in the AM from my bedroom window.


View along Hwy #1.





Shopping was actually a fairly terrible experience that day, mostly due to the ridiculous amounts of slushy snow and water on every street corner, making crossing the street a dreaded experience. Sis flooded her UGG boots while I only flooded my All-Stars twice (thanks to those delightful little air holes near the sole.) While waiting at one particular corner, a city bus decided to give us a wash when he ripped by and sent a tidal wave of brown water towards our mostly-dry selves. Perfect. I thank the good Lord to this day that I had already stuffed my Prada bag inside my sister’s giant Mat & Nat hockey bag. Thank you Sis! I think I would have cried.

Christmas Eve brought more of that white powdery substance that plagues everyone’s images of a beauteous Christmas…





















At least work was cancelled.

Since the parents were staying at my Aunt’s house, we headed over there for a Christmas Eve dinner. The snow continued to fall and over-populate the region…soon they will form a small army and overtake us.






Wow!! So here we have (top to bottom): Stir-fried vegetables, simmered chicken, noodles, and chicken broth. All the makings of a belly-warming meal.

After the meal, we opened a few presents with my Aunt as she had to go to work in the evening…the Christmas excitement was building.




B was psyched.



Since I’m such an incredibly thoughtful person, I went about making a present for my Aunt since I couldn’t figure out what to buy for the person who buys absolutely everything she ever wants for herself. My idea this year was a photo collage of family photos, mostly those including my Grammy, who died earlier in the year. Needless to say, it was a success.



She had to leave for work shortly thereafter and the festivities were to continue at our abode, where the birthday tree had been loaded up with goods for some time now, begging to be opened.



After we got the Christmas tunes a-playing, the paper bags (aka stockings) were first up.


What loot!


B’s loot.


Marty making work of my wrapping job.

My big gift of the night was precisely what I thought it would be...


Ba ba da baaaa! Yes! Fashion designer Erin is well on her way now. All I need is a snappy name for the brand. How about something French like “Les Filles et Coup!” What. It needs work.


Here is Papa-san checking out his newest gift from Sis…


…and realizing it’s the same shirt he’s already wearing! What a Christmas surprise! He looks very cute and cuddly here. Aw.


Christmas goods from B.


Sweet MAC brushes from Sis.


Now what does this look mean? Well, it says, “Wow Erin, you bought me something for Christmas that I was watching on my eBay list! How did you get into my eBay account?”


B, excited by her Juicy bracelet from moi (wearing her biscuit earmuffs from moi.)

Hey where is the picture of Sis opening her Tiffany’s bracelet? AH! Here it is!


I'm the best sister. C'mon world, bring round that champagne and recognize the extravagance.

After the excitement and mess of gift wrapping exploded in my living room, we sat and chatted and munched the night away. Christmas morning arrived soon enough and, alas, what a snowy scene was to be observed.





Another day meant another gathering at my Aunts, this time with different food. We made a gingerbread house (my second of the season!) and this one turned out quite swimmingly indeed.



There goes another Christmas holiday. Thanks for all the songs, Mariah, NSYNC, Clay Aiken, Boney M and others. Thanks for all the pounds, Brookside chocolate-covered almonds. Thanks for all the smiles, retailers far and wide. And thanks for the memories, family and friends!

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It's My Party, I Can Cry If I Want To!

A day arrived. Yes, a day that I kind of had mixed (mostly bad) feelings about for the year and, well, I’m sure you can guess what day that was. I fear I am becoming like those ladies who don’t disclose their age because they want others to (pretend to) believe they are forever 25. Eh…since I’m still fairly close, I’ll play that game for this year, at least. I also lugged my camera around with me for the day so that I can finally remember what it is I do on my birthday every year.

It was a Friday and I had to go to work. Boourns. Marty wished me a Happy Birthday and was off before I had fully lugged myself out of bed but left me with a thoughtful surprise when I hopped into my car to go to work.



Another surprise awaited me when I arrived at my desk, from the best B friend I’ve ever known.


Heart you friend! I ate it for breakfast.

Since we had birthday cake the day before my day, the remnants looked less than appealing this morning…



There were also several other remnants from the night before that were equally, if not more, unappealing…



..boo hoo hoo. This snow business got really irritating.

The only reason I decided to deign my workplace with my presence on this day of all days, was the fact that afternoon was a free-for-all, as long as you showed up. Our Christmas party got into full-swing at lunchtime with delicious goods to be devoured.


The ladies, eyeing up the goods.


Deanna’s delicious creation…Sara’s hand.







Yimi-chan and I chatted about this and that and stuff.



We were done around three-ish and then I headed home. When I arrived there, I was greeted with popcorn thrown in the air (and onto my clean entrance floor…oh the horror!), the “Happy Birthday” song by NEWS cranked on Janelle’s iPhone, and a dance performed by my two wonderfully goofy sisters. Can’t you feel the love? I could when they did the “heart motion” part of the dance. They had been busily working away in my kitchen for the afternoon to cook up a dessert for dinner that night, but I wasn’t allowed to see it yet, so I troddled into the living room to open up some gifts. My first presents of the year (FINALLY)!



I even made myself a birthday wrist corsage from all the floofy decorations. See?





This is my birthday tree which happens to have some Christmas presents underneath it since, you know, people often forget about Christmas because my birthday is such a huge event.

For the big dinner, I put my Mother to work since its not every day I can eat her gourmet cooking.


Here we have (clockwise from L-R): mushroom chicken, bacon and potato chowder, taco salad, some rice stuff Mildred made, and sushi.

I was indeed surrounded by lovely people on my day. Here they are (sorry B, I didn’t get a picture of you but I love you and was glad you were there too!):


My huzb and Sis (who is working her sleeve with a Tide-to-Go pen).


The Mildred, Father, and Mother. Ehehehehe.

After we swallowed a bunch of food, the birthday cake surprise was revealed!


UWAAAA! Yabai! It’s a cake with a face! I initially thought the face was a picture of the Joker from the Batman movie, but I was wrong.


Ha ha ha ha! Apparently it is Ryo from my favourite Japanese boy band, NEWS. Remember him? You can see their grinning faces in this picture…how cute. Yeah…I don’t really see it, do you?


Yeah…nothing. But I love it nonetheless. I ate his face. Good carrot cake B (and Sis!)

After dinner followed more presents and cards and the like and everything was wonderful. Happy Birsuday to meeee! (Thank you Djds, Maya, Yimi-chan, Sisses!)




Father, fully-engrossed in the activities of the night.


I got my DS y’alls! WOOT.


Oooh, pretty. What’s inside?


My crazy pills and a new DS game! WOOT again.

The next event my crew of Sisses planned was karaoke (which I’m not sure was for more of my enjoyment or theirs), but it was fantastic fun! We got crazy (with no almonds even involved. Wacky, I know.)



Of course, since it was my birsuday, the NEWS “Happy Birthday” song needed to be sung…I had only heard the tune around 45 times that day already, so what’s another?! Yippee!



After that, everything got kind of hazy…




Oh yeah that! Good times.

With our voices all croaky, we decided replenishment in the form of calories was in order, so we headed to Boston Pizza and ordered…eh, more dessert. What. My birsuday only comes once!



Thank you to all that made my birsuday wonderful with either your cards, calls, or presence (and presents!). Watashi no Happy Birsuday…arigatou!

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