Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year Celebrations

I know, I know... Here I am updating you on three major holidays all in one. Pathetic. What can I say, I suck at blogging and I have a life. Forgive me. I'll just post some pics and brief descriptions of what I did for each holiday starting with the most recent:

NEW YEARS EVE

Mmmm... all the sparkling cider one could ever ask for! =) I spent New Years with my parents and two younger brothers in St. George, UT. It was GLORIOUS!!! Clear, blue skies, sunshine, palm trees... It was so relaxing and so fun. I loved it. It was also great to see my parents' new house for the first time. They moved there just after I moved to London.

CHRISTMAS

I spent Christmas in Provo, UT at my sister Lani's new house. It was so much fun! All the fam crashed there and there was plenty of space for everyone. We basically did what the Wing family does best - eat a lot of delicious food, sit around doing nothing in particular, and go to the movies. It doesn't get much better than that.

The cutest nephews and neice in the world!

THANKSGIVING

My Thanksgiving was spent in London and though the holiday is not celebrated in England, we were sure to give our flatmates a real Thanksgiving experience.

We went to the International Student Thanksgiving lunch at Whitelands...

Had our own little multicultural potluck...

And went to ChinaWhite to dance the night away!

The holidays really have been so great this year. More pictures and details to come! x

"America! America! God shed His grace on thee..."

Well, it's true... I gave in and decided to forego the European/London Christmas experience to spend $800 I don't have to fly back to the US. What helped me make this decision? I realized that Christmas = Family, and if I were all alone without my fam on this most important holiday, I think I just might be depressed. NO THANKS!

Soooo... Let me just say that I had a heck of a time trying to get everything done in order to come home... where do I even begin...

Being the brilliant person that I am, I booked my flight when I was in somewhat of a "I'm homesick and lonely" state. I therefore decided to leave BEFORE the due date of my final paper thinking... "Oh, I'll just finish it early..." Right... Geez... what was I thinking?! Then again, I also didn't realize that my tutor was going to tear a part my paper and make me start from scratch on the 5,000 word essay. Aaaaahhh...

I'd like to just say that I spent Tuesday night (my last night in London) re-writing my paper until 6:00 AM!!! By that point I still hadn't packed or done ANYTHING, and I was scheduled to leave for Heathrow at 1:00 PM. Hideous. I was able to finish everything though, and got to the airport in good time. By this point I hadn't eaten anything but figured I could grab a bite at the airport... Ummm... NO. There was nothing.... NOTHING! Not even a McDonald's!!! Oh, but there were 3 different coffee shops (Cafe Nero, Starbucks and Costas). How do people live off coffee?! I just don't understand... Anyway, I got one of those pre-made egg salad sandwiches (a dangerous thing to do indeed cuz they tend to be diarrhea-inducing), some crisps, and a lemonade. It was enough to carry me over to the rubbish airplane food that I actually ate and enjoyed... (disturbing!).

So this brings me to my flight...

Two words: NEVER AGAIN. Did you know that Delta specifically caters towards the "little and short-limbed people" of this world, cuz I sure didn't get the memo! My flight was awful, awful, AWFUL!!! Those of you who have flown with me know that I like to bend in half and sleep with my head and chest resting on my legs (doesn't seem comfortable, but believe me, it is). Well, twasn't possible people, and I was not happy! I couldn't straighten my legs out at all cuz they're too long and I just didn't know what to do with myself. Frustrating!

Moving on to my 10-hour layover at JFK in New York...

I landed in NY at 8:50PM and wasn't leaving until 6:50 the next morning. Problem is, Delta wouldn't let me check in earlier than 6 hours before my flight, and they were closing until 4AM the next morning. Here I was, thinking I could spend the 10-hours in the airport without my huge suitcase and be in more of a comfortable, safe place, but NO. I took the AirTrain to terminal 4 because it at least had some shops and places to eat, but it was seriously awful. I gathered all my crap, claimed a spot by a plug for my computer, and took a lil nap cuz I was so tired. Well, it was hard to actually sleep because people would periodically walk by and give me these horrifying stares/looks of disgust because I was like some homeless person lying on the ground. It was seriously disturbing! Then this security guy came up to me and told me that I couldn't be there and that I needed to move to this other area where peeople were lined up like sardines sleeping. Ummm... NO THANKS. So then I went to sit on this curved bench thing, hooked one arm through my backpack, another arm through my Prada bag, held on to my luggage with one hand, and attempted to sleep... Need I say more?

I finally got on my next plane, and flew in to Salt Lake City, UT. I seriously gasped at how beautiful the mountains looked from above. WOW. Utah is such a beautiful place, and I've really missed it.

Well, that's enough for now, but I still have to update you all on the rest of London from Thanksgiving up to leaving for the holidays! I will gradually update you over the next few posts...

Health Question...

Is it bad to eat spaghetti for dinner one day, and then both lunch and dinner the next day??? What about caramel-infused chocolate brownies at midnight? And then for breakfast?

London Temple

Last night was our ward temple night and let me tell you... it was AMAZING!!! It was my first time visiting the London Temple and it is truly beautiful. I felt so happy and at peace to finally get to go after 2 months of being here. Hooray! I must say, it was quite the trek to get to it though. It required taking Bus Route 72 to Hammersmith Underground Station, taking the tube to Victoria, taking the Victoria National Rail to Lingfield (and we missed our train so took to East Croyden, got off, and back on to Three Crosses), then a taxi to get to the actual temple! Quite the process compared to the 5-minute drive to the Bountiful/Provo temples. I ended up leaving my house just before 5PM and returning home well after 12AM. All well worth it of course! Love and miss you all... especially my family!!! xox

FIESTA FIESTA!!!

On Thursday night my flatmates and I threw the best party in the history of flat parties at the Willow House! We had a fiesta theme and served the most amazing snacks and sangria! We went ALL OUT people... I'm talking chips, salsa, home-made guacamole, little home-made cinnamon sugar donut holes, I made 2 large platters of layered taco dip, as well as 30 quesadillas cut up into little cute appetizer-sized triangles... I also created a non-alcoholic sangria with fruit juices mixed with British "lemonade" (essentially sprite) and cut up fresh lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and pears. It was DELICIOUS!!! We all worked hard cutting, cooking, mixing, organizing, cleaning, and decorating!

That was just the food... We also made home-made invitations to post to all of the doors in our building, as well as home-made flowers out of colored tissue paper to decorate our flat and put in our hair (see below). Kat was our main party planner and she did an incredible job! Everyone really seemed to enjoy the drinks, snacks, dancing, and social interaction. The party was quite the success!

Voilà! My amazing flatmates! We have quite the flat representing many cultures and countires! Let me introduce you to them (from left to right): Denise (from China), Kat (Puerto Rican from Philadelphia), Florence (from Belgium), Çağdaş (from Turkey), Meghan (Italian from New Jersey), Randa (from Libya), and me (Filipina, Dutch, Chinese, Canadian from Utah)! Quite the multicultural group, eh?

Let's just say that with our combined efforts, we threw an amazing party! Might I also add that we're the only single flat in all of Willow House! Wooo-wooo!!! Willow House Flat 3: Representing single, intelligent, and beautiful people from all over the world! =)

First Football Match!!!

Okay everyone, are you ready for this...

I went to my first European football match and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! Here is the proof - it's my actual ticket which I scanned (oh yes, a true blogger now) for all you people to see:

I must stress that this was truly a CULTURAL experience. Never have I encountered the species of "British Football Fans" and let me tell you, they are OUT OF CONTROL! The closest thing in comparison would be Canadians at a hockey game, but even still... they do not measure up to just how INTENSE these football fans were. Whoa... a bold statement I know, but I'm Canadian so I'm allowed to make it!

The stadium was fully packed with 42,000 people in it. It was at the Chelsea football stadium so I was cheering for Chelsea (as to not get myself killed). There were some Burnley fans, but you should've seen what it was like when they came in! There was a huge crowd of them - all marching in drunk and singing some Burnley fight song with hundreds of police surrounding them, marching around the group to keep them contained and protected. There were police on horseback in front, and 5 police vans behind the crowd on top of that. IT WAS INSANE!!! There was a separate entrance entitled "Away Supporters" at the stadium, and once inside they were completely blocked off by the police all lined up in a row standing there like body guards. I was sitting on the opposite end but could see the police having to break up several fights! The rage of the fans was truly unbelievable! Never have I heard so many profanities in my life! Seriously... I'm "profaned out" for the year... haha! How would I describe the men sitting behind me... Do the words "gnashing of teeth" mean anything to you?! Umm... yes. I could literally feel the air (and envision the spit) on the top of my hair as they were SHOUTING words you wouldn't imagine hearing in the states. My oh my...

I also didn't realize that one has to be able to sing in order to be a football fan! The ENTIRE CROWD would sing, chant, and clap to all of these different cheers and it was just so entertaining (and hilarious to eventually figure out what it was they were singing). I'm still not entirely sure, but let's just say that the many F-bombs weren't difficult to decipher.

One of my favorite moments was when I heard the elderly man sitting in front of me shout at the Chelsea players "Come on girls!" in your classic British accent. Haha! I was slightly concerned for the young man who was with him though because it literally looked like a blood vessel was about to pop in his eyeball! I could see the veins pulsing in his forehead... He seriously needed to simmer down! Everyone was rightly upset though because unfortunately, Chelsea didn't play very well. We lost the game... Our second loss at home since 2004! SAD.

Well, that's a little more detail for you on the experience, but you'll have to just witness a football match for yourself. Needless to say, my ears were ringing and my voice was raspy by the end of it all, but it was well worth it!

I know, I know... it's been forever...

Hello world!!! Just in case you were beginning to worry... I am still alive and doing well!

My dear, beloved blog followers, you will have to find it in your hearts to forgive me. I'm a horrible blogger and will repent and try to do better! Let me give you a brief update with some pics and I will go back to the more frequent and much shorter posts... I'll start with the most recent news.

HALLOWEEN!

Well, Halloween is not as big of a holiday over here in the UK as it is in the states, but my flatmates and I did decide to venture out and experience our first uni BOP. Two words: never again!!! As my flatmate Kat said, it was like a "junior high dance gone techno." Bad, bad, bad... Sad really, cuz we sure looked cute as two can-can girls and a gypsy!

Getting ready for the BOP...

Pretending to have fun at the BOP... haha

BLAST FROM THE PAST

I got to meet up with one of my old friends from Bountiful, UT the other day - Bryan Larsen. He and his wife moved to Germany, and his work brings him to London often. It was great seeing a familiar face, catching up, and eating yummy Italian food in Covent Garden.

We had a lot of fun walking all over central London. Here we are by the Eros fountain.

RICHMOND

Met up with girls I met at church, Jade and Kendall to have the Richmond tour and experience. It was a cold day, but was worth going out for the shopping, chocolate shop, seeing the apartment where "Finding Neverland" was filmed, walking through book shops, free hot chocolate, and visiting the oldest bridge on the Thames, Richmond Bridge. Truly a picturesque place!

Richmond Bridge!

Me freeeezing walking along the Thames!

ROXY

One of the funnest nights in central with the flatmates at Roxy Bar. Meghan knew the owner from when she lived in London before. We were treated like VIPs with free unlimited drinks and a personal tour of London on the way back to Roehampton.

STILL WAITING

Yes, everyone it's true. Not much has changed. The majority of my life still consists of waiting for the bus. However, I have learned to make the process a little more exciting. Rather than just sit there hot and bothered (actually very cold and bothered) like this:

I have found something to do that helps pass the time:

What can I say... even if it's a ridiculous hour in the morning, it's freezing cold, and people are watching probably thinking I'm crazy... I love to dance!