Christmas 2006

–Edited 12/27/06–

Also posted in my other site. I am ressurecting my beloved blogspot because because secret! I hated my posts here in wordpress it does not align itslef to justify and putting text-align:justify for every paragraph is tedious!!! So I will be cross posting here and in blogspot, it depends whatever mood I’m in.

Christmas is over, did we survive it? Barely. A few days before christmas, I was in denial but I realized what the heck there is no sense in brooding and somehow I felt the Christmas spirit. Eh maraming nagbigay ng gifts kaya ayun na feel ko na ang spirit!

Since we were poor money-wise and rich in love (naks!), we couldn’t reciprocate Yiek’s officemate’s generous gifts, so I decided to just bake them a cake. I was shock that our grocery bill amounted to $125!!! Damn it, I should have just bought a box of cake. tsk! It didn’t help that I baked two batches of cake and I failed at it miserbly because mama gave me the wrong recipe (nakalimutan nya lagyan yung flour ang recipe, follow lang kaya ako dun haller!!!). When I saw the recipe for cheesecake on this blog, I knew I will try baking it someday but the ingredients were very expensive in the Philippines. Since it is cheap here, why not chocnut? It was delish!, even better than some commercial cheesecake, its taste is reminiscent of the cheesecake I had at Old Spaghetti House. I will definitely bake it again but this time I will lessen the graham as I don’t want my crust to be too thick.

It takes a lot of getting used to cooking here because I can’t find the substitute for products I can usually find in the Philippines. For instance, my lasagna recipe called for quickmelt magnolia cheese and a kraft eden cheese, well, in this part of the world it can’t be found. There are lots of cheese at the local grocery, parmagiano, provolone, ricotta etc. but it was too sosy for me, I want those cheese back at home. It took me a while to find the cheese that I need and I ended up buying cheddar cheese (I mistakenly took the unsalted one paet!) as substitute for Kraft Eden cheese and mozarella and parmesan as substitute for quickmelt. IT should have tasted better because I used sosy cheeses but I was longing for the taste back home. I’ll surely spend it somewhere just not here.

Christmas was spent at my cousin in Pennsylvania, soo different back at home and I can’t help but be jealous of the pictures of their indeed “merry” christmas. Walang fireworks *sniff* walang matinong noche buena *sniff sniff*. Hay.. buhay. We just had a simple dinner on the 24th and when the clock struck 12, I think I was the only one aware that it was 12, I greeted them Merry Christmas, how exciting!!!!! We just ate the leftover food that we had for dinner and chatted with the folks back at home. In the morning, we ate again ate the leftovers last dinner , gave our gifts to my cousins and then went home. Since we didn’t have that much sleep, we slept the whole afternoon only having cheesecake for lunch and dinner well,I was tired to cook, tired to go out and almost all the restaurants were close anyway, so I just cooked guisadong talong for dinner. What a way to spend the Christmas, huh? Now, I’m dreaming of going home next year which is very far from happening *wah!!!!* since the plane fares are doubled and I probably don’t have enough vacation credits at that time.Oh well, I’ll get used to it somehow.

Almost all the stores here are having clearance sales and I can’t buy myself one of those stuffs as Yiek keeps on reminding me those are not needs but WANTS. He just got his social security and well he still has not gotten his full salary yet and all that mulah will go to the car anyway. So, I can’t buy me those niicccee bags, those nice trench coats, those nice shirts and blouses, those nice shooeeess. Ok I am being materialistic here but dammit they are on sale and its torture not to buy one *sigh*.

Now, New Year will be different, we will brave New York and watch the Yuletide Ball in Times Square and its forecasted to snow at that! Good Luck to us, what with the cold weather and the throng of people going there. At least I won’t spend it at home watching the clock tick to 12.

Christmas Week

In Denial

5 Days to go and its christmas, this would be the time that I would do some frenzy shopping, I am always a last-minute-shopper, I just am, I pick gifts faster, I really work best under pressure LOLZ. By friday night, I would be at the the domestic airport waiting for our flights, then by saturday I would again do some last minute  shopping and wrap the gifts up by Sunday. Sunday would be a busy busy day, with some last minute to dos, we then would take the cake that I bake to Yiek’s grandma’s house and hear mass by 10:00 pm. My cellphone would probably be busy with Merry Christmas wishes from friends and my thumbs would also be busy forwading the wishes to my other friends, of course I would forward the most funny ones to my friends and the cheesy messages to my relatives.

By 12:00 midnight, we would eat noche buena, wondering what the folks back home were doing and wishing I was by my own family’s side, watching Papa light up our bongacious fireworks (the one that shoots up in the sky and expel different colors) and consoling myself that I would see them lunch the next day and I will see those fireworks anyway by New Year. With Yiek’s relatives, we would eat our quick snack then have our exchanging gifts.

By 25 noon, we would then go to Chavez’s family and have our delicious lunch, lasagna, homemade ham, peach tart, coke and Novellino wine. We would exchange our gifts and have our pictures taken.

Night of 25 is usually spent with Yiek’s scihi barkada since coincidentally it is also Joan’s birthday.

But of course I am just reminiscing these things because I am not home and for a long time I’ve been in denial that its Christmas and it would probably be a very different one for us here. We don’t have definite plans yet and our Anniversary is coming up and the truth is I am not very excited at the prospect of spending Christmas here. Oh well, I’ll just have to make do with the christmas songs, I hear everywhere and the over-the-top decorations of our neighbors.

Anyways, Merry Christmas. May you have a bountiful Christmas and enjoy your vacations.

Ang Batang Yagit

Missing Person Report:

Name: Claire, Clara
Age: Sweet 16 or she thinks she’s 16. Young and fresh. Virgin.

Picture below for reference, if you know the whereabouts of this girl please call 1-800-CLAIRE. You might see her, looking like a zoombie, twirling her hair and singing tralala.

Snowflakes etc.

We just moved to our new unit. No internet. No tv. Mag bigti na lang ko.

good thing, I’m beside the library, but it’s open only from 12-8, that means that I can’t chat with mama, georgia, ria, maila, etc. because they are all asleep. I can’t borrow a book for now because they are having a system upgrade and they can’t process new members application. I am finally cooking! No internet though to surf recipes, I’ll just have to rely on my cookbooks and mama’s recipes.Ri, gai ko sa imong talent be.

Yesterday, while rummaging the trash outside (looking for a certain carton that we dumped), I saw snow flurries. KAla ko styrofoam residues dahil nga naghuhukay ako ng garbage, pero snow flakes pala. I tried catching the flakes to see its design, can’t see it clearly though. Kala ko mas malaki siya hahaha! What do I expect a BIG snow flake? Kung ganon dami cguro magkakasugat.

Last Nov 26, my Mama celebrated her 50th birthday. Look at the picture below, does that look 50 to you? I wish I could look like that when I’m 50 and that thin too!!! Heck, even my sister looks older tha her. LOLZ! Why did I get my father’s genes, why? why?

Must get used to seeing pictures of family get togethers without me, must get used, must get used. Must not feel envy when friends are having a get together. Ready yourself this christmas season. Homesick, sigh!

1 month here

3 days more and I will have my monthsary here. What did I do on my first month?

1. Stuff myself with soo much food that I gained 6-8 pounds. (pisti oi!) Goodbye 106 pounds hello 112!  Wah makahilak ko ug colored!!!
2. Went to NY alone, makakita unta ko ni david blaine sa iyang latest stunt, usa na lang ka street akong kulang wa nako gi adto kay kalimot ko nga naa diay siya stunt!!
3. Saw Keannu Reeves along Central Park, oh didn’t I tell you, yeah saw him sitting in one of the bench. Didn’t have the guts to tell him nga pa-picture ta beh. Ako tani ni isulti sa First NY nako nga experience gi tapol naman ko ug blog.
4. Malibang ug isa ka portable stall sa NY kay wa na nako naantos grabe na dyud ko ka kalibangon, makakuyap na. Kevs  nako! Weird kay ang stall naa pantalon ug heels. Hmmm… Unya kato nga stall duul ra sa gilingkoran ni keannu bwahahaha may gani wala na siya.
5. Experienced tummy joy while eating lucky me pancit canton and noodles. Ito na ata pinakamasarap na natikaman ko dito! LOLZ!
6. Learned to adjust to the cold weather, kaya ko na lumabas na hindi naka sweater pag 12-15 degrees ang temperature.
7. Do my own laundry! Aw kapila ra butang sa washing machine or dryer. Maglagot lang ko inig plantsa!
8. Makatilaw ug tomato grapes, mura siya ug grapes nyehehe.
9. Magtuun ug techie stuff.. NOT! Wa dyud ko katuun mga 3 hours ra total.
10. NAhimo kung basurera, mangita sa kilid kilid ug gipanglabay para akong puniton. Oi! kita mi duha ka bar stool super nindot pa gilabay lang sa kilid.
11. NA concern na daw kunohay ko sa weather, cge ko tan-aw mag snow ba or dili. so far wala pay snow! Wa pud ko nagdali kay di ko ganahan sa katugnaw.
12. Nalingaw ko kay updated na ko sa dr. house, desperate housewives ug unsa pa na dinha. Kapoy lang kay daghan commercial.
13. Na addict ko ug maging sino ka man. Salamat “You Tube”! Dugaya sa next episode oi excited nako sa “I never said that I love you” na scene

Dec na tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas everyone. May pa mo, makatilaw mo ug lechon, pwede mag pa boto ug kwitis or ipagukod sa iro ang kwitis, naa exchanging gep, naa puto bumbong ug tsokolate, naa manaygon nga ang gigamit kay tansan. Waaahh!! Kami kay mag tungak ug mag ihap sa snowflakes inig christmas. Linngggaaaww kay na siya grabe