Season's Greetings

It has been a busy year for us. The year started a bit bumpy with Sherene heading in for surgery to remove some cysts located on her left ovary. It was a smooth surgery and while recovery time is prompt with most people, Sherene took a longer time. This was her first time under anesthesia so safe to say, we took it slow.

A couple days into recovering, we received news from Mom & Dad Cheah back in Penang that Sherene’s grandmother slipped and suffered a small stroke which caused paralysis to her left side of her body. This was devastating news especially since Sherene was in no condition to travel at that point. We were all very worried about grandmother but somewhat relieved to hear that she was very conscious of her condition and that her condition stabilized. Grandmother was later moved to a nursing ward.

In March, we hosted a wedding dinner reception at our house for our dear friends. We had around 25 people at the reception and the party went on all evening long with lots of drinks, music and more drinks.A couple of weeks later, Sherene traveled to China for work, stopping in Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. At the end of her work trip, she flew back to Penang to see her grandmother before heading back to Buffalo. Sherene’s grandmother was very happy to see her.

When spring time came, we both spent a lot of time outside, working on our house. We trimmed back some of the shrubs and trees and planted our vegetable and flower garden. Peter did most of the heavy lifting but Sherene did help out a lot with mowing the lawn. She is a pro now. Our neighbors have remarked how good she is doing her chores. Peter is very thankful and lucky to have such an amazing and helpful wife :P

The big news to share this year was that Sherene was sworn in as a US citizen. Mom & Dad Milizia were able to share this special occasion with us. After which, we spent a long weekend in NYC this past summer meeting up with our dear friends. We managed to catch a Broadway show. Sherene was elated since she got to see Daniel Radcliff – Mr. Potter himself in the flesh as he played J. Pierrepont Finch in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. It was also restaurant week and what a treat it was dining on some amazing food.

Come August, we were super excited to host our friends from Penang and Singapore as they went about their Northeast US visit. What a reunion this was for us and to show them around Buffalo and Niagara Falls. During their visit, Sherene’s sister Sharon had also just arrived from Penang. She also had a chance to visit grandmother and family. Unfortunately, a couple of days after Sharon’s arrival, we received news from back home that grandmother had passed away. All three of us managed to get on the next flight home, in time for grandmother’s funeral. It was a whirlwind trip with us travelling from Buffalo to Los Angeles, including an emergency landing in Denver, to catch the only flight home to Penang via Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. We are both very grateful to all our friends, neighbors and colleagues for their help and support in our difficult time.

In October, Mom & Dad Cheah met us in Los Angeles as we visited Peter’s brother, Mathew and spent time in and around Southern California. We then flew into San Francisco and headed to Palo Alto to attend one of our dearest family friend’s wedding. It was a reunion for my parents to meet up with their friends who used to work and live in Penang some time ago. After the wedding, the four of us stopped by Napa Valley, where Peter drank to his heart’s content. We all then returned to Buffalo – it would be the first time ever that Sherene’s parent visited us in our (not so new anymore) home. They love the house! Yay!!

In November, Sherene had a last minute work trip to India. She visited New Delhi, Agra ‐ where she got to see the Taj Mahal, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. As for Peter, he was jealous he did not get to go on this trip and missing out on all the authentic Indian cookery. Of course, he spent most the time focusing on his Movember moustache (only lasted till Dec 1st). Both of us finally hit 30. Dirty Thirty or Nerdy Thirty ‐ depending on who of Peter’s friend you talk to.

Nothing is different, just another year. We want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and hope to see each and every one of you very soon. Take care and Happy New Year!

Love,
Sherene & Peter