Meleena accepted for Med Pathway

We learned today that Meleena has been accepted to the Med Pathway program wherein she will be taking special classes designed to begin educating her in the world of Medicine as part of her long term goal of becoming a Nurse.

Congratulations Meleena!

Two of the Best Things This Xmas

Best Ever Cup Cake and Xmas Watch
Originally uploaded by UlloaSullivan.

On the left, I give you the watch I bought for Michelle which elicited both a smile and a 'Please tell me you didn't spend much money on this'. Classic! Fortunately, this was only a joke gift so no offence taken.

On the right, the cup cakes that Meleena baked from scratch and brought over for us on Xmas Day. They were amazing and tasted just about as good as any cup cake I've ever had. From anywhere. Nicely done, Meleena.

Xmas Eve / Xmas Day

Where to begin?

Should I tell the tale of Meleena and I searching for some bread sauce mix at SaveMart and Meleena letting the staff struggle to understand what it was I was asking for?

Or perhaps the one about me going to get breakfast burritos from the local taco truck, to find that the usual guy wasn't behind the counter and having to figure out how to place the order in Spanish and requesting 'no zhivago' thinking that I was telling her no onions. I was, of course, talking complete jibberish.

Nevermind, though, as while I was out on those adventures the team was hard at work preparing the midnight feast of Tamales. The great debate, as it is every year, was whether the Pork or Chicken Mole was the best.

Then it was all about tidying up and getting ready for Steve and Sara to arrive - which they did at around 4:30pm. There was a confusing hug-or-handshake moment before a Corona was opened, a quick tour of the house, and then some catching up.

The Xmas Eve festivities themselves were the usual whirlwind with people turning up from around 9pm onwards and the house gradually filling up until around 11:30 when the White Elephant gift exchange took place. The gifts were good this year - a box of fishing bait, a luminescent unicorn picture, a mug depicting something unmentionable on a family-oriented blog, and a chest wig, to name just a few.

The usual midnight chaos of 'Merry Xmas' cheers and frantic gift opening then ensued before everyone settled down to examine their gifts, consume Tamales, a glass or two of Vodka and Orange/Beer/Soft Drinks/Etc. and a game a of Catchphrase before even the kids began to get tired and headed home at around 2:30am.

Xmas Day itself was low-key. After a lateish start I got cracking on preparing the Turkey and Stuffing at around noon and got things cooking at around 2pm. Steve and Sara went for a walk, Michelle went for a nap and, in between basting the turkey, I watched tv for a while before getting the rest of the dinner cooking at around 4pm.

6 o'clock rolled around before we knew it and we sat down to feast on a traditional UlloaSullivan roast dinner - Turkey, Stuffing, Ham, Roast Potatoes, Roast Parsnips, Carrots, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Gravy, Cranberry Jelly, Bread Rolls, Lizz's Green Salad (Thank you!) - with the Leons before retiring to the couches to watch Casino Royale (it's Xmas Day - you have to watch a Bond movie - it's the law where I come from!) - and eat Apple Pie and Ice Cream.

It was a good day. But no, there was no bread sauce or Zhivago to be found anywhere. Or in any language. :)

P.S. Big thank you to all for our gifts.

It's Xmas Eve - Time for Xmas Wishes

As I sit here writing this post, there is a hive of industry taking place in our kitchen. I can smell good Christmassy things cooking and I can hear nice Christmassy conversations about how best to cook those good Christmassy things. And it's probably best that I stay out of the way - at least for the time-being until the Chicken Mole and homemade Tortillas are ready for me to snack on for lunch. So, while I have a few minutes to spare before heading out to do some last minute food shopping for tomorrow's Christmas Turkey feast I thought I'd share some recent mail that we received from Reece and Ellie. We had previously asked them what they would like to receive for their Birthday and Xmas gifts and so they wrote letters to us letting us know.

Reece not only wrote about it but provided an artists impression of what it might look like for them to be in an airplane heading to California. While clearly a great drawing I am hoping that the airplane they eventually get to fly in looks a bit sturdier than that one.

Ellie's letter was just as creative, if a little more cryptic in its message.

Fortunately, once the grown ups helped decipher it Ellie's message was crystal clear - she knows we have a new house and wants to come and visit it too (hence the smiley face which is an obvious subliminal mind control technique).

Anyway, I think we'll be able to make those dreams come true in the not too distant future. But for now, Happy Christmas!

Luce at the Broderick House

And so it was that I got back from Tokyo on Friday morning, headed into the office and did some busy-work until Michelle and Meleena picked me up en route to San Francisco to prepare for the Luce gig. Meleena was clearly excited but Nina and Nino needed a nap before we could go out and party and so after checking in at the Holiday Inn, Civic Center and getting ourselves situated in the room we did just that while Meleena read The Lovely Bones and tried to contain herself.

We surfaced at around 7:30 in time to take a quick shower (me - I was fresh off the plane and smelled like it!), put on our Luce T-Shirts (Michelle and Meleena), and head out. After dinner and an informative taxi journey across town ("Broderick was a rascal!", "There's a river that runs under that building and they wash their clothes in its water", "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rented a house here") we arrived at a quiet looking street and begun to wonder if we were at the right place. It didn't take long for me to muster up the courage to knock on the door and as soon as it opened and Meleena caught sight of Dylan and Tom hanging out just past the staircase it was clear that we were where we needed to be.

Michelle went right up to Tom and Dylan and introduced herself, saying "I'm the person that you guys did the video for last week" and I shook their hands and thanked them for helping out with the 'My Favourite Thing About Michelle' surprise - see below. I might have overdone it a bit - I have a feeling that I may have squeezed Tom's hand a little too hard - but I still couldn't quite believe that they came through for me.

Anyway, it was a big old San Francisco townhouse with a large living room area that the band had set up and placed a few rows of chairs in. We took the third row so as to not seem to geeky and to help prevent Meleena from reaching out and touching Tom's knee mid song. They played a great set that included some favorites from their back catalog and a couple of more recent tunes - I captured a couple of them on video for your viewing pleasure.



After the show there was a chance for some more meeting and greeting - the only member of the band that Meleena hasn't had her picture taken with is now Alex (the bass player) - we bought a couple of items and headed out to catch a cab back to the hotel and see how long it would take for Meleena to be able to get to sleep after all the excitement.

As for Michelle and I - we were excited about the prospect of having breakfast at The Pantry the next morning. And it didn't disappoint...

Decision of the Day

I am going to eat more spinach.

What if...

... I see one but not both?

Their First Picture with Santa

We went out for breakfast with Hanako and Tsugumi on Saturday at Country Waffles in Selma and were delighted to encounter the one and only Santa Claus there. He graciously agreed to take some time out from preparing for his big night next week to pose for this picture with them.

Since then I have been delighted to learn that this is actually the first ever photo that Hanako and Tsugumi have had taken with Santa.

So there. Let it be known far and wide that your dreams can come true when you visit Craig and Michelle.

As for me, I remember the magical childhood visits to see Santa (or, rather, Father Christmas as we used to say where I come from) at Debenhams in Oxford where he would setup shop in the run-up to Christmas. Debenhams is also the store where I bought a pair of super-tight Wrangler cords that I think only fit me for about five minutes before I grew out of them, but which helped me maintain my soprano singing voice for the Church choir for a few extra months.

Early Breakfast in Tokyo

Breakfast in Tokyo
Originally uploaded by UlloaSullivan.

What does a jet-lagged international business traveller do for breakfast at 4am in Tokyo?

Why, he goes to the local Seven-Eleven store and buys a 'Fresh & Delicious' egg and tuna sandwich, a bag of potato rings, a chocolate bar and cup of Barista Caffe coffee of course.

There really is nothing better.

At least not for around $7 at this ungodly hour.

Making The Cut

As the Director of a major motion picture, the buck stops with you. You're the one who has to decide what goes in and what has to be left on the Cutting Room floor. You have to make the choice between brevity and completeness while constantly keeping in mind the story you need to tell and mindset (and attention span) of your target audience. Such an immense weight falls on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone.

And so it was that I had to make some tough calls when putting together the 'My Favourite Thing About Michelle' movie that was premiered at M's birthday party on Saturday and which is now available online to audiences around the world (see below).

But so as not to waste those extra contributions, I am pleased to be able to provide you with the first batch of the choicest outtakes for your enjoyment.

So, er, enjoy!

MFTAM - Outtake #1

MFTAM - Outtake #2

MFTAM - Outtake #3

MFTAM - Outtake #4

MFTAM Outtake #5

MFTAM - Outtake #6

MFTAM - Outtake #7