snapshots from 2012

Dressed up as a kitty cat for Halloween. A sassy one too, if you can't tell from my face. 

Helping my friend move the cats between houses as the professional movers take care of the heavy stuff.  Poor Bobo stayed in his carrier the whole day, even after the movers left. He didn't even come out for sashimi. Finally came out in the middle of the night to jump in and out of the leftover, empty cardboard boxes, Maru-style.

Kinski was completely fearless; the minute her carrier door was open, she was exploring the house and looking for new hiding places. 

Owls everywhere!

Oops.

A stuffed rattle for my friend's daughter's first birthday. 

Wrestling with this pork shoulder to make pulled pork. 

This lady was carrying her pet goose around in a make-shift buggy and letting people take pictures for a dollar. 

Snarf Snarf sleeping under my friend's Christmas tree. The next morning, half of the ornaments were on the floor.  

My first Christmas tree!

And since it was my first Christmas in my new place, I also got a Grinch tree from Divine Vines in Yaletown. 

My friend woke up Sputnik from his nap to take this picture. He was not amused. 

This is what my sister got me for Christmas! I want the Batman figurine now...

Bobo looking dashing. 

merry christmas and happy holidays!

I hope everyone out there in the e-world has a wonderful Christmas and Santa was good to you this year. Looking forward to the New Year already. I have a few resolutions brewing in my noggin, but they don't mean anything until I've written them down or told someone so I'll keep them to myself for now. Before I head back to my Christmas movie marathon, I'll leave you with this little gem:

keep calm and carry on with life

Oh, will you look at that... the world didn't end after all.

run, run, as fast as you can...

But, can you spot the little gingerbread men? The Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Vancouver was having their annual gingerbread house contest and I couldn't help but oogle at the submissions because some of these pieces are AMAZING! The amount of time and effort it took to brainstorm ideas, bake and decorate these creations is just mind-boggling to me.

Candyland in gingerbread form. The candy cane trees are genius and so is the train. 

The Gingerbread Bakery was my absolute favourite submission in the whole contest. I mean, it's all in the DETAILS; the kitchen table covered in pastries, bakeware and trays on mini gingerbread men, the pastries cooling on the shelves in the background, the brickwork around the fireplace... and this is all made out of GINGERBREAD.  

I think this is like a treehouse growing out of the chimney or something, but whatever it is, it's just so cool!

The snow people going for a sleigh ride! And little Timmy has fallen and can't get up!

That is one fully stocked pantry in the background. Also, it looks like the gingerbread men are getting some help with the baking from the potato heads.

The Gingerbread Bakery even has a mailbox!

Santa's workshop! Obviously the elves are inside, hard at work: wrapping presents, packing up Santa's sled and keeping tabs on the reindeers, 'cuz you know, they'll just be playing reindeer games all day long if left unsupervised. 

Someone did a model of a section in Gastown! And there were actual lights inside too!

It's the house from the Disney/Pixar movie, UP!

A traditional version of the gingerbread house. Classy!