The Day Is Near

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.  Sending this greeting a little early since I may not be able to go online tomorrow nor on Christmas day

Just would love to thank all my online friends here on WordPress. Believe me, your comments,likes and visits always make my day worthwhile. Updating and visiting this site is such a joy because of all of you 🙂

May the spirit of  Christmas remain in you every day of your lives.  Let’s celebrate His birth.

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Looking Back

I can’t really say 2017 (which is about to end) is a busy year for me.   There were those days when I was able to meet  with friends but compared to the other years, it was kind of silent.  Mostly,  the days and months were spent with family, experimenting in the kitchen, catching up on reading a lot of books and gardening.  Listening to music was set aside for a while but it’s nice to listen now to the Christmas songs and carols. There was a time I would bring out my Christmas DVD collections as early as October every year but now I just listen to YouTube or at Josef’s Bose mini soundlink.  He has a  lovely playlist on his phone that he play every weekend when he is around.  I get to listen to new tunes and old ones as well.

The other day,  Josef asked me to give him a hint on what I want to have as Christmas gift.  I told him that whatever he thinks of giving is okay with me. They always say, it is not the amount of the gift but the thought that counts, right? I’ve always wanted to have a nice headset though that I can use when I am watching a movie or videos  on YouTube or listening to some music.  At the moment, I am using his Sony headset listening to Pentatonix.  Great music, wonderful voices.

I usually don’t post videos here but this is just too good.  I remember my favorite choir,  the  Gunther Kallmann choir. I have their DVD album and a cassette tape too but now I just listen  on  YouTube.

As for blogging, I gained new friends and followers but I reduced the number of bloggers that I follow. Some of them have been inactive for quite sometime and a few marked their blogs  private.

And it’s  4 days, 5 hours and 40 minutes to go before Christmas 🙂

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It’s The First Sunday of Advent

I think I need another eye refraction. I was eyeing the optical shop yesterday while I had the battery of my wrist watched changed. Sometimes I get eye strain while reading and typing in small fonts.

I have just customized my blog. I changed the background color, used the default  them font and changed to PT Serif in huge letters. Hence, this. I could see my blog posts clearly now. It’s kind of difficult to read other themes where the colors are so pale  and small.  PT  Serif is a little nicer though.  Maybe, I’ll have this in the next few months or a year.

Josef and Jovy joined this morning’s MacDonald’s Stripes Run at BGC  (Bonifacio Global City) where they work.  Registration fee was P500 for the 3k event distance and that includes Race Bib, Stripes Run Shirt, 1 pair of Striped Socks and McDonald’s Breakfast Meal.  Fun runs are a  good exercise as long as you are fit enough to run a mile or two.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  They lighted the first  Advent candle during the mass. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia.  The Advent season lasts for four Sundays leading to the celebration of Christmas.  Last night,  I noticed  the absence of the little kids who  walk from house to house to do their bit of caroling. Never mind that sometimes they are out of tune. They bring old tin cans as accompaniments to their songs.  There were those times when the door bell would ring constantly  and you would hear loud voices greeting you “Merry Christmas”. It’s barely 22 days to go.

Nissa and Nate’s latest pic before the morning mass today at Manila Cathedral, Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Happy  Sunday all.

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Beating The Holiday Rush

It’s a fact that ours is the longest Christmas celebration in the whole world. Nothing could compare with the Simbang Gabi or the dawn masses that end on the day before Christmas. Where in the world could you find the whole family, extended families and sometimes close friends and other relatives celebrating Christmas together under one roof, sharing Noche Buena food, going to mass together, having fun with the kids and the whole rigmarole of exchanging gifts and jumping with joy because you got what you wished for? Or maybe you have given enough hint to your son and daughter that you want this and that without putting a hole in their pockets.

I remember one Christmas long ago, when my son was still in his teens, he told us that he did not want to receive gifts that he needs but he would be happy with something that he wants – the needs being the usual handkerchiefs, underwear, socks  etc. and the wants listed as a new jacket, books, gadgets   or some  simple do-it-yourself  things that he loves.

So how do you lessen stress and enjoy the holidays?  You can really plan ahead on what to prepare  by listing all the things you need and buying them at least  a month, three or two weeks before Christmas. One of the best recipes that we usually cook  in advance is the  embutido. Embutido is a Filipino style meatloaf that can be served hot or cold depending on your  taste and they can be stored in the freezer for as long as a month. There are times when I do  my Christmas shopping as early as the month of September and by November, all gifts are wrapped and labeled.  Do your Christmas shopping all year round. Be on the look out for items that you think would be appreciated by your loved ones. And when December comes, you don’t have to join the Christmas rush because you have saved time by planning ahead.

Don’t feel obliged to reciprocate each single item that you received from someone you didn’t get anything for, a simple “thank you” would be enough.

And there are only 35 days,  11 hours and 50 minutes to go before Christmas.   Enjoy shopping.

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It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (2)

Had to attend the early morning mass so we could decorate later.

We went out for a while to buy  Christmas LED lights,  all of 24 feet with 300 steady lights.  Just enough for our 7-foot tree.  I had to make sure the box has an ICC   (Import Commodity Clearance) mark meaning it was previously checked by the  Dept. of Trade as to its use and safety. I got so excited seeing all the decor displayed  so we decided to change the color motif.  This time, it is silver and gold.  I was able to use my gold angels but have to buy some more in the process. My goodness Christmas decorations have definitely gone up. It is not so surprising that even a small decor of Santa is worth almost a thousand pesos.

I took a close-up shot when we tried lighting it a while ago. It’s been a couple of years since we put up a tree. Most of my decor are table top and wall hangings. This time thought it would just be my porcelain Nativity set,  a “Merry Christmas” door hanging,   two table top decor, the tree and an arrangement which I did to complement the tree.

Tomorrow maybe, I will have to rearrange a bit. Decorating for Christmas is surely exciting, don’t you think?

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Amihan Is Here

Mornings are definitely getting colder.

I was pleasantly surprised.  It was kind of foggy when we woke up.  Officially, “amihan” is finally here.  PAGASA  has declared the start of the northeast winds a few days ago. We call it “hanging amihan”.  It signals the end of the rainy season and the start of  cold weather until February of next year.

I love this season. One would not need to worry about flash flooding or heavy downpours although based on experience, this is where we sometimes have late strong typhoons.  The weather is good though, sunny and bright.

We  are thinking of putting up the Christmas tree but we still have to buy new sets  of lights to decorate it.  So lazy to go out 🙂  They have changed the mall hours, it’s now from 11am to 11pm until January 15  of next year. So if you don’t want to be caught in the  Christmas rush, you can do your  Christmas shopping now. I did mine two weeks ago but I still need a few more for close friends.   Some of us are planning a get-together one of these days of November.  Fr. Lovell and I agreed to meet after Christmas. He is busy with work and we won’t be able to see each other if we don’t make time for it.  I love meeting friends. I love the camaraderie it brings. I love getting in touch with each other. My close friends usually visit me here and I normally cook for them. Nothing that special, just good food to tide us over.

October has been a quiet one except for the days we went out for Nissa’s birthday and mine.  It was just the family. Looking forward to Nate’s birthday but then he’ll probably celebrate  it in school again  just like last year where Nissa ordered food for his classmates and they had it for snack.  Maybe we could go out again after his birthday or  after Nissa’s and my son-in-law’s  annual vacation  (mandatory leaves) scheduled this month.

Of course, I am excited for Christmas, who would not be? xmasclock.com says it’s 51 days, 8 hours and 34 minutes to go before the day.

 

 

 

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Just Another Weekend

It’s been a busy week so far. Weekends are  here again. Time to relax a little and enjoy what is in store.

I gardened for three straight hours yesterday then today I went to the mall to buy Christmas gifts for the family.  Two loads off my shoulder. It’s a good thing their  customer service is still not that busy. I was able to have them gift-wrapped. I won’t have to buy  Christmas gift-wrapping papers. I need a few more but I already have an idea what to buy.  A month ago. I also bought my birthday gift for Nate who’ll be having his 5th birthday next month.

I  window-shopped for Christmas decor but most of them are so costly. We have lots here but some of them are already old.  Hoping for something new for a change.  I want to put up a  Christmas tree. We use the plastic ones here since they are more practical to use.  Our Christmas tree though is seven feet high. It is so time-consuming to fill  it with  Christmas lights and decorations. I want a smaller one  with dancing lights.  Every year, they innovate  the Christmas lights. We used to have the Christmas parol  which is truly unique in the Philippines  The word parol is derived from the  Spanish  word farol, meaning “lantern”.  They are quite expensive now and they have gone a long way in terms of designs and lighting. I remember my brother who at one time hand-carried one when they came over for vacation a long time ago. He said their house in Tulsa is the only one with  parol come  Christmas time.

Despite the busy days, I was able to read more books. I am now in the middle of reading Philippa Gregory’s The Constant Princess. If you love the story of the Tudors, you would  admire the story of Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII. I love the story of The Other Boleyn Girl  more than this one though. I love historical novels.  Speaking of reading, I am on my 175th read for this year, twenty  five more books than I have set myself to finish until December.

Have a nice and blessed weekend.

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