Christmas day...

Hope your Christmas has been warm & filled with love.. Ours was quiet & relaxing & the weather was cool. This time last year, Paris & its surroundings were deep in snow.

A noisy lovely Christmas day spent among friends & their horses & dogs is really quite a joy. It's the time to eat, drink, make merry, spoil & be spoilt rotten. (⋈･◡･)✰

And tomorrow we're gonna catch the much-awaited film on Freud & psychoanalysis with one of my favorite actresses... I can't wait... been seeing so many great French films in the cinema lately that Hollywood better not disappoint! xx

christmas came early

My first Christmas gift came early

Every woman needs a Twilly in her closet (✿´⌣`✿)♡

Plus my first set of cooking books.... will i use them? I hope so hehe.

No more classes till 2012! Whoopee... even though it means time to study for the exams..

in town..

Today I walked past the Printemps department store & could not help smiling at this animated Christmas setup, complete with a little marshaller waving his sticks!

I love how they invite famous designers to do their window decorations every year.

Now that's one airline i'd like to work for ;)

this christmas

A beautiful Christmas.

The garden in white.

A warm & toasty Christmas eve makes winter bearable.

Dinner & conversation & foie gras & wine & cheese & cake & eating. too. much.

Little Celeste contemplates her gift - the softest stuffed rabbit.

And I love mine.

Un carre d'Hermes is a lifesaver for bad hair days.. Merci mon coeur xxx

-2 degrees on Christmas morning.

Sunset in the heart of winter. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with love xxx

christmas in Milan

This christmas, i found myself back in Milan again.
But it certainly beat watching the Nutcracker alone in New York.



Hello Kitty meets Duomo.



Ignacio brought me to the Christmas market... where i went a little crazy.



Chocolates!



Oregano from Sicily... my god! Just tear and crush and sprinkle over pasta.



Marzipan confections... lovely to look at but to eat? Aargh.



I get another bottle of olive oil... it's a must each time i go to Italy. And some truffle sauce yums.



The market was held in the oldest part of Milan, amidst old buildings with many stories to tell.



And the most beautiful part of all? The traditional Italian presepi. Every church and household is bound to have these nativity scenes for christmas. It is the main focus of Christmas decorations in Italy. The baby Jesus is added on Christmas eve to complete the creche.



When the stores start to open once more, we make our way to Corso Como, the hippest street in Milan. And of course we have to visit 10 Corso Como.





There is a restaurant, art gallery, bookshop and gorgeous boutique, all housed within a secret garden not visible from the street.



I come across a 60th anniversary edition of the Little Prince in english, french and mandarin. Had to get it.



Just as i'm paying, Ignacio comes up and says with no hint of excitement, "Oh I saw Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in the boutique... u know them right?" What???
Ok this painfully hip place is now officially cooler than Colette in Paris.



We brave the -2 degrees cold for this... Italian hot chocolate! It's exactly what it is... just melted hot chocolate... so thick u can't drink it straight from the cup.



When it's freezing outside... I just want to soak in the heated pool and melt into the water and forget about winter. With some hot chocolate of course.

Murakami in Frankfurt

I went for the Takashi murakami exhibition in Frankfurt and was uber happy. The last time i was there, they opened a day after i left so i swore jet lag and fatigue would not stop me this time.



Just opposite the girl with the spraying nipples was her boyfriend with an erect penis and a sperm cloud around him. It was hilarious and oh-so-cute!



It was one of the happiest exhibitions i have ever seen... there was even a Vuitton room where all the walls were FILLED with his collaborations with them. Colorful monograms everywhere... it was just crazy. And my favorite..



Tan Tan Bo Puking!!!!



Plus I stumbled upon a most beautiful Christmas market right smack in the center of the city.



It was packed with families and couples.. it was all very heartwarming but a tad lonely.



So i stuffed my face with a delicious currywurst..



and a cup of hot wine to warm the body..



Have i mentioned how much i love carousels? I always stop to take a look at the smiling faces as they twirl round and round.. and the parents happily snapping away.



I wish you were there with me.



Stopping for a hot chocolate on the way back.. une patisserie toute charmante!