i hope everyone had a merry christmas & i wish you and your families all the best in 2010! i love the holidays…the decorations, cold weather & the smell of wood-burning fireplaces, snugly sweaters & cute boots, food & family gatherings. and this holiday, i especially love THAT feeling of…it’s been so long, i can vaguely remember what it’s called…you know, RELAXATION. aaahhhhh *deep exhale*

i’ve been traveling, working and just going non-stop for what feels like months now…this week was the first time i’ve been able revisit that fleeting state of relaxation…and it was unbelievable! just 6 days ago, i was in vancouver shooting another awesome episode of ‘destination tennis’.

not only did the shoot go really well but i fell head over heels in love with vancouver…the water-front cityscape of high-rise buildings meeting snow-capped mountain peaks was absolutely breath-taking.

if i had created vancouver in sim city (old school video game), it couldn’t have been more perfectly-suited for me– prominent chinese & french culture, wide array of food, and the energy of a metropolitan city mixed with eco-friendly living, as well as super NICE people. it doesn’t get much better than that; however, the only minor teeny weeny downside to vancouver…the winter weather. errrrgh.

yes, it was COLD, hovering around freezing the entire time…or raining, but that didn’t stop me from having the time of my life. neither did pulling my quad!! ouch. (i may have over-exerted myself a bit, between the skiing and tennis, without properly stretching ugh). with the help of some ice, bandages, and an amazingly supportive crew, i was back on the town in no time. this episode is going to be chock full of adventure, excitement and maybe an EWWHH moment or two (i was challenged to extreme cuisine tasting in chinatown…and i never turn down a food challenge muahahah). i will fill you in on more deets about the vancouver show in a later post, as well as some must-see places for those visting my new favorite city.

but before i get too ahead of myself, i must mention that the DAY before i flew out to vancouver, i had the pleasure of red carpet hosting at spike tv’s ‘video game awards 2009′ for radaronline.com

i’ve played video games here and there for years…my faves would have to be: super mario, mario cart, golden eye, sim city, the sims & quake. the VGAs were so much fun and believe it or not, gamers know how to throw a party! on top of that, there were some super hot gamer chicks present, including alyssa milano and nancy o’dell. nancy looks AH-MAY-ZING. that woman just had a baby and has the most rockin’ body! her secret? ea fitness for the nintendo wii!! so you can guess what i asked santa for xmas :)

here are videos of my red carpet covering from the event: spike tv’s ‘video game awards 2009′:

**Click Here: Video Game Awards 2009, Video 1**

**Click Here: Video Game Awards 2009, Video 2**

enjoy! also, thanks to everyone for watching ‘destination tennis’ on tennis channel and for all of your great emails & tweets. i really appreciate the feedback, thank you so much! while i’m here, i’d like to answer a fan question…from chris, who asked whether i played tennis in college. the answer is ‘no’ *frown*. looking back, i should have and probably could have…but like many others who grew up training and competing in the sport, i burned-out after high school. up until then, my life was tennis, all week and year-round. so after hs, tennis and i parted ways…however, i’m soooo thrilled that i’m playing again. i love the sport more than ever before because i’m playing on my own accord. i’ve still got the competitive spirit and that drives me to want to constantly improve and get back to my skill level years ago. thx for the question!

okay, my dog is practically sleeping on my arm, making it a bit difficult and uncomfortable to type…so this is where i say adieu…merry christmas to all and to all a good night!!