My Favorite Things

The Sound of Music was one of my favorite movies as a child. So it was a dream come true when my friend and I visited Salzburg in the spring of 2008 and toured the original film locations.

The lake where Fraulein Maria and the von Trapp children's rowboat capsized.

The romantic gazebo which made female viewers wish they were 16 going on 17 again...Now if a guy told me that I need someone older and wiser, telling me what to do, my response would be: "So long. Farewell. Auf Weidersehen. Good bye."

Maria and the Captain's wedding scene was filmed at St. Michael's Church in Mondsee, a picturesque lakeside town located 20 minutes away from Salzburg.

The beautiful Mirabell Gardens where Maria and the children frolicked and danced while learning the notes to sing. And yes, I had the "Do-Re-Mi" tune stuck in my head for days afterwards!

On our own time, my friend and I visited Nonnberg Abbey, where Maria resided as a young novice and puzzled the other nuns with her eccentric ways. The real-life Maria--who was the inspiration for The Sound of Music film--lived in Nonnberg Abbey and later married Baron von Trapp at the Abbey church.

As you all know, one of my favorite things is tea, a drink with jam and bread. Over the years, I have amassed quite a number of tea pretties that I enjoy for different reasons. To determine which ones I love the best, I asked myself: If I had to flee my homeland and can only bring a few of my precious teawares with me, what would I take? I shared my favorite teacup last week.

My favorite traditional teapot was a 35th birthday present from my parents. Royal Albert's Old Country Roses design is the blockbuster musicals of china patterns. I had been aspiring to acquire a Royal Albert teapot for years so I was thrilled (insert Liesl's ``Wheeeeeeeee!`` face) to finally own one of these beauties. The classic design of Old Country Roses makes it perfect for any occasion. I particularly cherish this teapot because it symbolizes the awesomeness of my parents who have guided me through so many good times and bad times.

My favorite modern teapot is the Le Creuset's "Soleil" (ray, a drop of golden sun!) teapot given to me a couple of Christmases ago by my brother. This stoneware teapot comes with a stainless steel infuser and is extremely durable (it survived an airplane flight in checked luggage). The cheery yellow colour uplifts any mood and every time I use this teapot, I think of my brother.