they don't have chocolate chips in Switzerland

So what? You might ask.
That means no chocolate chip cookies either.

If you read one of the entries in early 2006, you would know that I finally admitted that I had become quite American, so life sans chocolate chip cookies is somewhat of a disaster. They do sell PepperRidge Farm chocolate chip cookies at the Coop in town, but they are SOOOO expensive, and there are only 8 in a pack.

So, as a part of my "get my life back" project, I broke out some of the stuff I brought from the states: my 6 quart KitchenAid, cookbooks, spatula and cookie rack and got to work.

First challenge, find baking soda. Three grocery stores and 3 Swiss francs later, I was in possession of a little thing of baking soda, or whatever is in the little container that read "bicarbonate of soda" on the label.

Next, vanilla extract. I called YiChun, she said that they have them in Vienna, so I should be able to find it in Lausanne. No. Lausanne is no Vienna, so I used "Vanillazucker" - Vanilla sugar as the substitute. I had no idea what the coresponding quantity was, so I threw in the entire little pouch.

Then, chocolate chips! How the hell do I make chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips? Well, three grocery stores late, I still couldn't find chocolate chip. So much for Switzerland's reputation as chocolate heaven. So, I bought some baking chocolate, and chopped away.

Emeril would have been proud of me. You can find the recipe here.

Life.... Getting it together again

bit by bit....................
Thursday morning, the buzz from my doorbell woke me up. Well, it didn't really, I was awake, just not out of bed. THE MOVERS ARE HERE!

They were there to deliver my stuff from the States. It was great. They put together my bed, my office desk, and brought me all my stuff! My stuff! I could finally piece my life together again.

I spent Saturday afternoon looking for a DVD player (only brought my pre-amp and amp), fiber optic cable, speaker cables, etc just to put my audio system together. It took me another two hours to strip the cables, unpack the 50 pound amp, and hooking all this stuff up. Bam! (as Emerald would say) The moment the sound system put out that little bitty of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons, I almost broke out in tears. So, I took a moment to analyze this Jack Wood style. Why would I miss the audio system? It is the sound, that soft, full range of sound that just would never come out of my Thinkpad or MacBook Pro? No, it's the symbol of it - that I miss my lifestyle back in the States, my kitchen, my house, my friends, my brother, all of it.

working for a startup

two things happened today.
1. I re-learned startups are like giant vortex, they just suck you in. I went into work today to run a conference call. I planned to be there for no more than two hours, and ended up spending the whole day there.

2. Leadership. I think sometimes I am too afraid to exercise my power, and take responsibility for decisions I take. I tried to run a decision process the IMD way by making it a group effort, then taking the decision democratically. It didn't work. No one was happy with then end result, and everyone ended up talking to me at 9pm, asking me to withdraw the group decision and take the decision I wanted in the first place. I need to start making decision and taking responsibility
for them.

Work...... I wonder what working again will be like, and pray that I will remember everything I learned at IMD even after 10 years working.

Search for the perfect Sauvignon Blac

Well, since really enjoying the Ave Maria 2000 and 2001 production of Sauvignon Blanc, I have been looking for something that is somewhat similar. I have been looking for a long time. And, what do you know, before new year's, I went to Globus to pick up some wine, and I am not sure what got into me, but I picked up the house Sauvignon Blanc. Good stuff. What do you know, sometimes house wine is just good. It does say it is made in Seresin Estate. I am not a wine snub, so I have no idea where that it is, but this stuff is good. If you want to know, I had with with basil flavored salmon, carrots, and fennel bulbs.

setting up the new place

In less than one week's time in early December, I found an apartment. I must admit that when I first saw it, I wasn't all that impressed. It's in this old building from the 1920s. The double pane windows are actually not double, it's just two windows one behind another. When you close the windows, you have to make sure that the left one and the right one line up so they close! That shows you how old they are.

Regardless, the place actually turned out to be quite nice. It's right across this park where the Swiss federal court is. It's a 10-minute walk from the center of the city, and less than 10 minute walk from work, and yet quiet since it's right across a park.

I spent the last few days in the apartment doing a little tidying up and unpacking. The place is coming together quite nicely. Now I am just waiting for my stuff from the U.S. to arrive. Finally, I will get to piece together my life again. Well, it's really not quite accurate, my life was never in pieces, I guess I meant my lifestyle. I am getting my hi-fi system, and most important of all, my kitchen toys: Kitchenaid, hand blender, plates, pots and pans, even my pizza stone!

Now that I will be staying in Switzerland for a while, I can actually buy some stuff. Taking advantage of the after Xmas sale, I went to Globus (a upscale local department store with an AMAZING gourmet market) and got me a bunch of kitchen gadgets! Uh, I also picked up a set of silverware from Vilory & Boch :)

Ahhhhhh! LIFE!