Christmas in the Philippines is a big thing. The moments the months have -ber in the end, malls would play endless Christmas carols. By the time the actual day comes, I'm already sick of "give love on Christmas day."
If I were home, I'd have been hardly home attending Christmas parties left and right. And I would have had a nice little orange envelope containing the Christmas bonus and a pay slip that contains my 13th month pay. Traffic would have been terrible already, with the usual one hour trip taking two hours. At some point, I might have gone, "bah-hum-bug Christmas." But at least it's bah-hum-bug Christmas at home.
I can't even feel that the day is only three days away. The last few days have been spent cooped in Dorus attempting to write an essay but sidetracked by How I Met Your Mother episodes on the net. The essay has not come to life yet, but at least I'm halfway through HIMYM season one. What an achievement. Hurrah. Bah.
I miss Christmas at home. The food, the people, the gifts. I miss making my nephews and nieces guess what they would receive for Christmas. And they always get it right! Books! And my line, "aaaah... but you don't know which book! that is the surprise!"
There is still three days to recapture the spirit. I can only be happy that I have a great family here who misses home as much as I do. I can only be glad that we can find home in each other. Most of us have never been away from our families for Christmas, and this will be a challenge to us all.
Now, I know for sure... Christmas is REALLY about the family. It is remembering that more than 2000 years ago was a family made holy by a definitive yes by the woman despite facing the consequences of conceiving without a husband. By a definitive yes by the man despite the fact of being ridiculed for taking a woman pregnant not of his child. It is all about believing and of sacrifice...
2008-12-22
2008-12-15
Christmas around the corner
Ah yes... capitalism's most favorite holiday!
The Pinoys have picked out the names of who their babies will be for the Kris Kringle for our Christmas celebration before we part ways for our respective Christmas celebrations. Maricar had a great idea of each of us preparing for a wish list to make sure we get exactly what we want.
So what do I want?
1. A black fedora hat. I really like how it looks on me. :)
2. A pair of girl and boy earrings. Am starting a collection.
3. A winter coat up to the knees that is really warm.
4. Leather gloves
5. Black leather boots
6. iPod with 8GB or up memory
7. 50-300mm Nikon camera lens
8. a waterproof camera bag
9. a waterproof 10kg backpack
10. a one way ticket to Netherlands and a one year residence permit for my husband ;p
11. two round trip tickets to Greece for me and jan
12. Christmas with my entire family (jan, my mom, siblings and pamangkins) with roasted pig and ice cold Coke
13. a RP topic that I will love doing and will mean something somehow
14. a photographic memory to remember everything that I read and I hear in class
15. World Peace. seriously.
16. the fuzzy, warm feeling of Christmas. the sincere, genuine feeling of gratitude that Christ was born to live a life worth looking up to.
I am also willing to accept sincere bear hugs and a genuine wish of Merry Christmas. ;p
The Pinoys have picked out the names of who their babies will be for the Kris Kringle for our Christmas celebration before we part ways for our respective Christmas celebrations. Maricar had a great idea of each of us preparing for a wish list to make sure we get exactly what we want.
So what do I want?
1. A black fedora hat. I really like how it looks on me. :)
2. A pair of girl and boy earrings. Am starting a collection.
3. A winter coat up to the knees that is really warm.
4. Leather gloves
5. Black leather boots
6. iPod with 8GB or up memory
7. 50-300mm Nikon camera lens
8. a waterproof camera bag
9. a waterproof 10kg backpack
10. a one way ticket to Netherlands and a one year residence permit for my husband ;p
11. two round trip tickets to Greece for me and jan
12. Christmas with my entire family (jan, my mom, siblings and pamangkins) with roasted pig and ice cold Coke
13. a RP topic that I will love doing and will mean something somehow
14. a photographic memory to remember everything that I read and I hear in class
15. World Peace. seriously.
16. the fuzzy, warm feeling of Christmas. the sincere, genuine feeling of gratitude that Christ was born to live a life worth looking up to.
I am also willing to accept sincere bear hugs and a genuine wish of Merry Christmas. ;p
2008-12-09
a hundred days in europe
I just realized that December 8 is my 100th day here in Netherlands.
Well... I know a hundred days isn't really a year, but it's almost as much of a milestone.
A hundred days! It feels so ironic that it is also the day when I finally felt the pangs of loneliness. Enough to make the tears come. i let it flow then shake it away, no use in denying emotions. yes, it has been a hundred days away from home, a hundred days away from jan, a hundred days of listless sleep, a hundred days of uncertainty... that is looking at it from the half-empty glass perspective.
But it is also a hundred days of many beautiful, wonderful things:
* of my first autumn -- the experience of the nature's dying, like the phoenix that explodes in mesmerizing fire before it turns to dust. yet knowing that there is a rebirth.
* of my first snow and hail -- snowball fights with bare hands. as the ice hits you or another, it is punctuated with child(-ish, -like) laughter. while autumn is the vibrance of color, the somberness of white is transfixing.
* of beautiful friendships forged -- my pinoy mafia keeps me sane. will definitely miss the old batch who have always been so accommodating of our barging in the headquarters. to my new friends from all continents who have taught me so much about the world much bigger than what i have known. my first american thanksgiving to happy halloweens, from standing up against poverty to transformations. i never in my life dreamed education can be this interesting!
and so much more in those hundred days! from cooking and finally finding out for myself that there is a vortex in the laundry machine that sucks out half of a pair of socks and gloves leaving my closet with three unpaired socks and gloves... nights of singing and dancing and watching other people get wasted... to pining and wishing for those comfortable warm hands... to just realizing every day of my life that i am alive and tingling with all sorts of emotions, be it sadness or happiness.
the first hundred days and triple more ahead here in europe. looking forward to the joys and pains of what is to come! well, not so much the pain, but i have to be realistic here. 2008 is almost gone and 2009 is coming. i may not be raring to go at the moment, but i'm ready. ;p
Well... I know a hundred days isn't really a year, but it's almost as much of a milestone.
A hundred days! It feels so ironic that it is also the day when I finally felt the pangs of loneliness. Enough to make the tears come. i let it flow then shake it away, no use in denying emotions. yes, it has been a hundred days away from home, a hundred days away from jan, a hundred days of listless sleep, a hundred days of uncertainty... that is looking at it from the half-empty glass perspective.
But it is also a hundred days of many beautiful, wonderful things:
* of my first autumn -- the experience of the nature's dying, like the phoenix that explodes in mesmerizing fire before it turns to dust. yet knowing that there is a rebirth.
* of my first snow and hail -- snowball fights with bare hands. as the ice hits you or another, it is punctuated with child(-ish, -like) laughter. while autumn is the vibrance of color, the somberness of white is transfixing.
* experiencing europe -- a dream come true! i thought that europe will just forever be a vision from books and movies and now i am here! and there is still so much more of it to see.
* of beautiful friendships forged -- my pinoy mafia keeps me sane. will definitely miss the old batch who have always been so accommodating of our barging in the headquarters. to my new friends from all continents who have taught me so much about the world much bigger than what i have known. my first american thanksgiving to happy halloweens, from standing up against poverty to transformations. i never in my life dreamed education can be this interesting!and so much more in those hundred days! from cooking and finally finding out for myself that there is a vortex in the laundry machine that sucks out half of a pair of socks and gloves leaving my closet with three unpaired socks and gloves... nights of singing and dancing and watching other people get wasted... to pining and wishing for those comfortable warm hands... to just realizing every day of my life that i am alive and tingling with all sorts of emotions, be it sadness or happiness.
the first hundred days and triple more ahead here in europe. looking forward to the joys and pains of what is to come! well, not so much the pain, but i have to be realistic here. 2008 is almost gone and 2009 is coming. i may not be raring to go at the moment, but i'm ready. ;p
2008-12-05
LP36: Eksayted! (excited)
Iilang buwan na rin akong delinkwente sa aking paglahok sa lingguhang litratong pinoy. kasalanan na rin siguro ng pansamantalang pag-alis sa bansa para mag-aral sa netherlands.
at di ko na kayang matiis pa ang tikisin ang lumahok sa litratong pinoy dahil sa temang eksayted. masaya nga talaga ang makita ang niyebe sa unang pagkakataon. sa sobrang tuwa ay di na nagsuot ng angkop na kasuotan para di lamig. kelangan makunan ng larawan ang pagbagsak ng yelo sa bubungan ng tirahan ng mga mag-aaral.
kaya ayan... namumulo na ang mga daliri sa paa dahil nakatsinelas lang. pero di bale... kakaiba talaga ang tuwa na naramdaman sa araw na iyon na nakakita ng niyebe sa unang pagkakataon. at sa bawat araw na may niyebe... patuloy pa rin ang pagkamangha. :P
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