today is my cat hui-hui's 14th birthday ~ turning 14 on the 14th. it should be quite lucky, and she has been in a way ~ just a month ago, i was not so sure that she'd make it this long actually.

you see, for those of you who don't know, we discovered that hui-hui has a giant tumor in her abdomen, possibly cancer. her eating & bowel movements have varied from normal to not so much. she weighs at most four pounds now. her condition was improving in the last week or two, but it seems that she has become considerably weaker these past few days.

anyhow, today is my darling girl's birthday, and unfortunately, i can't be there with her. she is lucky enough, though, to have my parents there with her. carrying her, they took her for a walk around our lake this afternoon, and my mother baked her some kitty biscuits.

here is a photo of mom with hui-hui:


hui-hui's been a part of the family since she was a baby; the two of us have grown up together. happy birthday, my sweet girl~

hiya from london

it's been precisely two months since i left the us for london. i am loving it here--i could really imagine myself living here more permanently someday. except for the weak dollar and the driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road thing, living here has hardly required any adjustment. a lot has happened these past two months, including visits to lisbon, madrid, brussels & frankfurt. i think the remainder of my time will be grounded here in london (not that i mind), with some short trips to places just outside london and possibly paris or scotland or wales? there is so much to do here that i feel compelled every weekend to get out & see. hyde park has become one of my favorite places to go on weekends--running there in the morning is perfection. the museums here are also wonderful & plentiful. i like my internship very much, mainly because of the people. i love my team--everyone is quirky and interesting and unique and so welcoming--these characters meld together so well into our team. i live with four other girls from my university in a flat in central london--there are three of us who spend a lot of time together--it's odd and funny and surprising to me how well we can get along. i have so many photos to document all of this, too many to post at once i think but if i don't post all at once, many are sure to be lost in the shuffle. i'll try to filter through & pick just a few:

^my street^the view @ my office^my flatmates, in front of the bank of england ^out for a drink with flatmates ^lunch @ borough market with anna & her flatmate asako ^amazing hostel in lisbon - traveler's house - highly recommended ^delicious portuguese food
^castle in sintra, just outside lisbon ^the view from a castle in lisbon (color enhanced... but not that far from reality)

^with mary @ thieves' market in lisbon ^plaza mayor, madrid @ night - sax player^row boating in retiro park - madrid

^retiro park, madrid
^lunch in frankfurt ^belgian chocolates & other sweets
^in the heart of brussels
^dinner at la rose blanche in brussels ^sunju on the train from brussels to brugge - the picture within a picture within a picture was my idea ;)
^brugge
^sunday upmarket in east london
^hyde park
^china town @ the new year
^mmm... steamed hazelnut milk @ paul
^everyone is out with their dogs in hyde park ~ so cute
^our flat loves cupcakes from hummingbird in south kensington
^chelsea on a saturday afternoon
^fair trade fair on the south bank^falafel dinner @ anna's

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so, things are well here & i hope all is well with you too.