Without a doubt, this holiday there will be a lot of naughtiness in the air and I am not spared from this. The dizziness of December makes me volatile since there are lots of deadlines to be met before the 15th, dinners from so many corporate Christmas parties, and not to mention the perks of receiving gifts at the end of the event.
And perks are admittedly the core of all my naughtiness, because these gift-perks make me lazy to do my Christmas shopping—so I end up recycling them. This practically kills the romance of the gift-buying spree of the season. To most of us, the process of personally picking gifts and wrapping them makes this season so special to us. And this season I will beg for your pardon if you get recycled gifts. However, it’s the thought that counts, right?
For the Christmas program at nursery school, I was cast as “mommy” in our production of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” It was a pretty meaty role, and I remember wearing a little floral duster as I rendezvoused with jolly ol’ St. Nick by the Christmas tree.
Two things about this incident stand out in my memory. The first was that Santa, played by a classmate whom we shall call Georgy Porgy, was supposed to give me a peck on the cheek. But he ended up kissing me on the lips! I really don’t know if I’m making this up, but I distinctly remember vigorously wiping my lips with the back of my hand right after he committed the crime of stealing my first kiss. (Years later, another classmate told me, “Ah si Georgy? Naghuhubad ‘yun tuwing absent ka eh!” I filed that revelation under “too much information.”)
(more…)
I must admit that I have never seen or read Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. (Did I just hear the men give a collective gasp?) I’ve been wanting to, but just haven’t had the chance. It’s only after reading The Sicilian that I felt that I really might be missing out on something here.
I must thank Miguel for introducing me to Puzo—I had run out of books to read, so I asked if he could lend me anything interesting. My specs: something entertaining, easy to read, nothing that has even a whisper of post-modernism (still reeling from that last book…). I just wanted something I could escape to whenever I needed a break. A few days later, Miguel handed me this book. I thought it was such a guy choice, but I’ve learned not to doubt his selection. He, after all, was responsible for bringing James Clavell into my life.
(more…)
Every night, I thank God for my happy, healthy children and my loving and supporting husband. My life has turned out so much better than I could have ever wished for. I am showered with tender kisses from my husband before bed, and wet kisses from my children in the morning. I feel so lucky that I really can’t think of what else I could ask for. So, since I feel I’m doing okay, I will just wish for things for my loved ones:
(more…)
Contrary to my past Christmases, this year, I’m feeling quite relaxed! Really. I quit my full-time job last year, and being in control of my time has finally culminated to a steady holiday season for me. I still haven’t shopped for Christmas presents, but I already know what to get for my loved ones. Christmas shopping starts next week for me. I actually like the buzz of the Holiday shopping rush. There is urgency, there is purpose. Feels like a heroic mission almost!
As part of my be-a-better-human-being drive, which I have finally pushed out of my brain and into the real world, I have chosen which causes I believe in (children and women’s welfare, breastfeeding) and have started to think of ways I can support them. I encourage everyone to find a cause they believe in, whether it be the environment, animals or bio-fuel. Having something to think about other than yourself, ironically, is the most liberating thing you can do for yourself. Realizing that your “I don’t have anything to wear” crisis in the morning pales in comparison to a child’s “I don’t have anything to wear or eat” crisis should be enough to shake you out of your warm shell and into cold reality. The crazy traffic, the frenzied shopping rush won’t be such a bother once you start to have a greater reason for being alive.
(more…)
Christmas is the perfect time to roll out my paper and list down all the wishes that crosses my mind—definitely one of the highlights of my year.
But now that I am being asked of my Christmas wish list, I find myself going blank in front of my computer. This feels good in a way, because I realized that my needs and wants are more defined, which makes my life less complicated. This realization enables me to focus and dedicatedly act on it. And now all I want for Christmas is more knowledge and the rush to act on it because I believe knowledge put into action is wisdom.
And speaking of action, Club Government together with Motorola had a Kylethon Night, which is a tribute to the disco icon Kyle Minogue. The club was electrified with beats and hip movement as homage to an icon.
(more…)
It doesn’t happen often, but I love it when a lot of my relatives are in town, and we’re just one big, wonderfully rowdy bunch. Some of my best Christmas memories involve my relatives on my mother’s side—all of my mom’s four siblings and their kids would be in the country, we’d hear mass, then have noche buena at my tito’s house.
It’s been years since my US-based cousins last came home, and I miss the days just jam-packed with activities and togetherness. One year, we all went to the beach which, to me, was pretty cold; my cousins, on the other hand, were glad to get away from snow, relishing the “warmer” weather. We took a few pictures (this, after all, was the age of film, so taking a 1G memory card’s worth of pictures was out of the question), a couple of which are stuck on the wall above the mirror in my room.
(more…)