Home for the Holidays

This winter holiday season, I was blessed with a trip back to Houston. Originally I wasn't planning on going home just because of how much money it would cost me, but fortunately, my parents were generous enough to buy me a plane ticket so I could be there for the holidays. How thankful was I! Many of my friends here in Japan say not to stay during Christmas, especially if you are from the West. Christmas in Japan is not nearly as festive or family oriented as in the West and to me, Christmas isn't Christmas without family. So thank God for this winter vacation!

December 25, 2014

I left Japan on Christmas morning and boarded my long flight heading to Houston to be there for Christmas afternoon. Let me tell you, it was the longest Christmas I've ever had! Thankfully the flight and everything went smooth and I was greeted by half my family at the airport. It was SO great to be able to see my family and hug everyone. Especially my mom. She's such a ball of happiness it was really nice just to feel her again. When we got settled back at my house, we were joined by the other half of my siblings and best friend, Bao. Shortly after, we headed to Katy to see my mom's side of the family at our annual Christmas party. It was amazing to see all my aunts, uncles, grandparents and little cousins. The hugs were endless! My family is really large and being surrounded by all the love and joy was a really perfect way to start the winter holiday. As it goes every year, we eat, chat play, laugh, and open tons of gifts. I was blessed with gifts of cash, cards, and random gifts. The gifts were truly just a bonus, it was so great just to see my family! When we finished up at my aunt's house, my family headed home to open our own gifts within the household. We do this every year and with a family of seven, it's always interesting to see who got who what. This year, I got awesome gifts from my siblings and parents. I received practical things I need like scarves, house slippers, and hair spray; but also got a funny gift of a board game from my older brother. It's funny because it's  board game for multiple players but I live alone!! Still, laughs and hugs were exchanged and the vibe of Christmas was perfect. After gift opening, we all gathered around the TV to watch a movie. Things like this are simple and normal but for me, just being around my siblings to enjoy a movie was perfect. This Christmas day was the longest I've ever experienced but I wouldn't change it. Did I also mention my little sister got engaged!! Yup! Her boyfriend (now fiance), of three years or so, proposed at our family Christmas party. It was a really awesome moment and I'm super happy for their future together.

December 26, 2014

The next day, my siblings along with some of our friends, went to St. Arnold's Brewery in Houston for an afternoon of beer and games. I've been to the brewery once before with my older brother Andrews. I know he likes this place because he likes beer and loves games. We brought the game Telestrations with us and even though there was no table space and we had to sit on the floor, the afternoon was really fun. Honestly, I felt like no matter what we were doing, just being around my siblings was really great. I feel like it's so rare that the five of us are together, so moments like this I really enjoy. After the brewery flicked the lights that they were about to close, we headed back to my house to prepare for a Christmas party for my dad's side of the family. My family is rather large so every big holiday we usually have two parties, one for my mom's side and one for my dad's. On the evening of the 26th, we would be hosting it at our house so me and my siblings helped my mom prepare the house for the party. As expected, the night went well with full bellies and smiling faces. I really enjoyed seeing my extended family, especially my grandmother. She is getting old and going in and out of health, but to see her surrounded by family, she seemed truly happy.

December 27, 2014

One of the things I also really wanted to do while at home was shop! So being that my mom still had off as well as my sisters, we all headed to the Galleria together. I forgot how terrible mall parking garages could be, but man the Galleria was packed! Nonetheless, the four of us hit up all the stores we wanted and left with many new things. I was super excited about new cosmetics, sweater, and shoes! After our legs were too tired to shop, we went to House of Pies for dinner. An unlikely choice but House of Pies is actually one of my favorite places to eat and hang out, plus their pies are so yummy! Being that it was Saturday night and that another thing I wanted to do while in Houston was to go out, I was determined to hit the town this evening. It was a little difficult though. I didn't have a phone all day so wasn't able to check in with anyone until I got home and had wifi, plus my parents had sold the car I was driving so I also didn't have my own ride! But with determination and my mom's van keys, I headed out to Fox Hollow that evening to meet out my friend, Julie Julez. It was so nice to be out in Houston again! Even though living there, the scene got kind of old, but being a visitor now and being at an event where I knew nearly no one, it was a great time. Which also made this evening amazing, aside from hanging with Julie, was unexpectedly running into my friend Kyle. I had plans with him later in the week but the surprise run in and his genuine reaction was priceless. The night was super fun and relaxed despite the soccer-mom-car-situation and wet weather.

December 28, 2014

Sunday was the usual of going to church with the family and food after. Usually me and my siblings go for Raising Canes or something, but this Sunday we hit up Ocean Palace for dim sum instead. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with the family at home, which wasn't a bad thing after the food coma that the dim sum put us in!

December 29, 2014

This evening I was excited for because I had planned a get together for all of my Houston friends. I wanted to see as many people as I could and being that ten days in not enough for one-on-ones with everyone, I figured one bit event would suffice. So just like my going away event, I picked Genji's Karaoke Bar as the place to meet and hang out. It was awesome to see all my friends and was so happy with the turn out! Yall make me feel so loved! I really appreciate all who showed up, stayed, ate, and drank with me. You guys are the best!

December 30, 2014

Most of my time in Houston was spent with my family but on the 30th I had two dates I was really looking forward to. One of my good friends, Bboy had made plans to take me out for chicken and waffles a few weeks prior. So on the 30th, he kindly picked me up and the both of us headed to Breakfast Klub for their special of chicken and waffles. I've only had this place once but know there is always a line out the door. Even though our wait was long, the food and company was worth it. After lunch, we had a coffee break at one of my favorite cafes in Montrose, Brasil. It was great to be in a neighborhood I use to frequent and to hang out with Bboy in person.

For the evening, I had a special dinner date with my friend Kyle. It seemed like a nice dinner date was long over due, but where and how things turned out was totally worth the wait. We went to dinner at this really nice sushi place called Uchi. Sure I might be tired of Japanese food but this place always had amazing reviews by friends so we had to try it. Again, the wait was so long but thankfully the drinks were nice and the company even better. The food and service turned out to be really great and my date was kind enough to take care of the bill! What a sweetheart!! With the genuine time and shared conversations I had all day, this evening was a perfect day shared with some of my closest friends.

December 31, 2014

On the last day of the year, I wake up to have a first meal of the day be Whataburger. Their chicken strips with gravy and toast was on my To-Eat list so was super happy this happened! Afterwards, my siblings and I went to First Colony to do some shopping. A few days prior, I was pondering what to do for New Years Eve. Usually everyone goes to some big party to ring in the new year, but this year I had no real plans nor did any of my siblings. I only wanted us to be together so I had asked my mom earlier in the week if a party at our house for the family would be ok. My mom jumped at the idea offering to arrange food for everyone. So we had called up all of our cousins and thankfully everyone was free! So while at the mall shopping, we also stopped by a party supply store to get decorations for the party. My sister had the idea of making a photo booth, which would be perfect to New Years! So after grabbing a bunch of party items, the four of us split the total and headed home to set up for our guests that evening.

The party ended up being super perfect! We had lots of yummy food thanks to my mom and plenty to drink thanks to our cousins and brother. The photo booth we also set up was so fun! We ate, drank, played many board games as teams as well as drinking games. My poor parents probably didn't get a wink of sleep but I was really thankful they gave us this oppurtunity to be loud and have fun with out cousins. Many of my cousins who came to this party I hadn't seen in a very long time. This reunion and being around family was the perfect way to bring in the new year. We even had fire works and a champagne toast!!!

This past year has been a really exciting one for me. I've spent most of it in Japan making new friends and learning a new culture. But with the distance, I am so thankful that I always had and will have my family to support me. So cheers to an awesome year gone by and here's to a brand new 2015 with new adventures and new stories to tell!

January 1, 2015

After the NYE party, we had a few of our cousins spend the night. In the morning, my cousin Teo and sister, Christina were generous enough to cook us a large breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs. Yes more food!! Another thing on my To-Do list while in Houston is to eat! Of course I eat in Japan but not like in Houston. I've missed home cooked food so much so this vacation I've been eating way more than I usually do and everything has been so yummy! This big breakfast was no exception. I had three pancakes, bacon and eggs. SO delish! The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing around the house with the family. The weather was pretty grey so it was difficult to go out and do anything. In the evening I got to spend some time with my friend Julie. We often have dessert or food dates to girl talk and exchange stories so it was really nice to catch up. The first day of the year was quiet but pretty perfect for me! As for new year resolutions, I never do them because I think they are meant to be broken. I just hope for another safe year with new good friends, to get better at Japanese, and just being open to love and giving love as we should be.

January 2, 2015

On Friday I had to take care of some business first. My laptop had been acting up so I made an appointment at the Apple store to get it looked at. Andrews was kind enough to take me. I was hoping it would be an easy fix but it turned out I needed a new battery. I was ready to pay the fee for a new battery but something amazing happened! The guy who looked at my computer gave me and installed the battery for free!! God bless this man! I was so surprised with his kindness. It's weird, being back in the States I notice how rude everyone is much more. I guess I have become use to the polite and kind Japanese sales people or people in general I forget how rude Americans be. But this man at the Apple store totally restored my hope in Americans! Hah! Sounds silly but it is true. Afterwards, Andrews and I went to the Galleria to meet up my sisters, mom, Aunt Kim and her daughter Noel. The mall was still pretty packed on this day too. But shortly after picking up a few more things at the Galleria, Andrews was kind enough to take me and my sisters to go get something we had been planning for a while, sister tattoos! As you may know, I already have a few but this would be my sisters' firsts. So after calling around a few places, we went to a shop in Montrose to get inked. The whole concept behind our tattoo was that these are the three shapes found in nature, and the three primary colors... the colors per shape were going to be based on our own personal ideas of what shape should be what color. The interesting thing was that all of us happened to choose the same color per shape! It was kind of an experiment I came up with after doing some research but I thought the outcome was pretty cool and a fun story to tell. My sisters did pretty well for their firsts and being able to share this moment with them was pretty great too.

Afterwards, we  met back up with my mom and aunt at Fudrucker's for dinner. I had a really great time their because Noel was super sweet that evening! She was hanging on me like a little monkey! We ended up playing the crane game in which she won two toys!! I am so use to being around alot of kids and hugging and carrying them, that sort of physical affection I am missing in Japan so being with Noel this evening was really fun and needed.

Later that evening, for my last full night in Houston, I got the pleasure of hanging out with some of my closest friends, Bao, Julie and Jing. We kept it local and went to Chinatown to hit up a new place called Stage Bar. Once arriving, I see I actually know someone who works there!! The evening was really chill and fun with drinks, photos, and lively conversation. Sure my last night wasn't full of crazy partying but honestly, a relaxed evening with little make up, staying close to home, and with my closest friends was pretty spot on.

January 3, 2015

My flight was at midnight at the fourth but you know that is technically the evening of the third. So what did I spend my last day in Houston doing? Attending my cousin's Khoa's wedding! I didn't even know that I would be able to attend but was so glad I got to. Family weddings are the best especially if it's a cousin you grew up with. The church ceremony was done at St. Laurence Church in Sugarland. The church is actually one of my favorites (looks wise) that I've been to in Houston so it was pretty awesome they had their wedding there. During the ceremony, my cousin Khoa had to speak Vietnamese which was pretty funny to hear him be so proper. I could hear people laughing on the groom's side of the pews. Khoa is just a goofy person so to see and hear him be so proper was really hilarious. Afterwards, we went home to rest but I had to pack and get my things together since I would be going straight to the airport from the reception.

The reception was held at Ocean Palace. It is amazing how you can transform a place with some white sheets and chair covers! As most Asian weddings are, it started later than the said time. I had to leave at 9 pm so was trying to take and talk to as many people as I could. It was great to see my aunts and uncles and cousins again though. Also it was nice because everyone looked so beautiful and handsome!! Even though my time at the reception was short, I fully enjoyed being there. It was really sad having to say bye to my siblings though. They are so much a part of me and I really enjoyed the last ten days home, it made it really hard to leave. My parents were kind enough to see me off to the airport. Luckily, everything with my bags were fine and timing was good too. My parents stayed all the way till the couldn't see me anymore. I love them to bits.

My vacation time in Houston was amazingly perfect. I was very happy I got to spend so much time with my family and got to see all my friends and even more of my extended family. Ten days is a short amount of time but I was thankful for each day. I will miss Houston and its people so much this coming year, but like I always say, thank you thank you thank you, to everyone who was a part of my holiday. I seriously would not be and could not do what I do without my strong support system back home. All of you guys are the best!

So until next time Houston, I love yall!!