Christmas Thank YOU's...

{Note: Apologies if some of the "thank you's" are late (from receipt of gifts). You were not forgotten nor deliberately unacknowledged, as most of you know, that being in the Philippines entail more than the 24 hours allocated by nature, and without any internet connection in my own house,and my iphone does not work with my globe sim/kay libre ra baya ni sa akong UK phone provider, so its obviously locked up with them/, i am left with no devices of commmunicating my thanks...

My globe phone too has NOT been able to send text until yesterday (26th of dec), thanks to karla, she deposited my phone to the powers that be at GLobe, and had it sorted out, so as of yesterday late afternoon, i could finally text.they said it was due to the roaming services not turned off yet..}



****


I received so many gifts from Santa Claus this year=)

I am so blessed that although with the love, care and friendship i get from these people, i am also spoilt with material gifts..

Thank you to:

First off. the supergirls:

-Therese, Ayen,Fil, and Lynette for the beautiful christmas cakes..I was in Plantation Bay when i received it. I gt to see the cake on christmas eve, and had 1 sinful cup. Kusina Habana makes delicious and pretty cakes, and they deliver too..Plus these ladies, theyre so far away yet they never let us feel forgotten. SO generous and beautiful souls...So inspirational.

-Kaith- for a beautiful handbag. It looked like the Ana Sui bag i wanted to covet in Hongkong airport, and that cute silk eyepatches. How beautiful and pretty just like the giver. Whenever i see the bag hung up in my closet, i smile coz it reminds me so much of you, you who dance with alot of fun and sways to Spice girl music to such gusto,LOL. Thank you Kaith.

-Patricia- for such a creative and beautiful bookmark. I so love it. The colours and the damask (regency opulance) design is so me. You know how i treasure creative presents such as that=)To be pregnant and still have the energy to delve in creative endeavours such as those, i really am impressed Patricia. as I have said before, and i will say it again, "youre so cool!!!".


-Mimi- for such a happy and colorful necklace. It was such a wonderful surprise from you..I did not expect anything because i know you are still hurting from your dad's passing. Its a testament t your generosity that even at a time that youre supposed to be thinking of yourself, you never fail to think of your friends. Thank you Mims.

-Aileen- for giving me such well thought of surprises. A book (that everyone is in line to borrow from me and begging me to finish it so they could start reading), and that luggage tag(so timely as mine went kaput in HK airport), and my SLR necklace. gosh, i am scared to wear it lest someone scratches it or it get caught on surfaces (which happiness to me alot).I already lined up numerous outfits that will max out the impact of that necklace as that deserves a conversation of its own.


-Mai-mai- for my beautiful scarf/shawl. Not alot know that my colour is green. It suits my skin colour and tones down my personality (LOL). Plus OT's wear green, all the time,haha. Thank you for the wonderful evening at your party. I apologize for being late. It was a case of meeting (new) relatives from Butuan and Surigao (as a surprise to me and Adrian), never thinking that I have commitments prior to that.


Have i forgotten anyone? If i had, my apologies. I am slightly worse for wear, what with parties every single night, and different meet-ups with people everyday (i am not complaining though). December is a beautiful time to visit the Philippines for family celebrations an all, but not a very good time for 'rest'.



Secondly: my family:

-Karla- for the beautiful earrings and trinkets. You are my accessories fairy godmother. And oh, that diamond peel you have promised me..LOL.

-Joan- a box of couture cakes..yum!!! where could i order that?

-Auntie Libeth- for the freshly picked papaya from your backyard..can we have more please?LOL.Adrian and i love it. Nothing beats fresh papayas like that.

-Mama and Ana- for the massage treat that we have yet to claim..you are the best


-Rey and Arvy- for that gorgeous box of Cupcake Theory chocolate cake. It literally is melt-in-the-mouth goodness. When Rey came in bearing that pink box, my heart leapt, as i knew that was meant for the diabetic-cake-monster me! LOL..Thanks bro and sis! =)



***

I i wish it were christmas everyday...

Not for the pressies i get, but for the love and laugher i get to share with all these people. That is worth more than gold buillons in my opinion.

Dear Supergirls

I will call you when i get home.

Promise.

I will be getting my new number as soon as i land.

But first things first.

When are you free? (dates please, and whether lunch or dinner)

Please text my old number, when (dates) mo free for a super(girl) christmas party..

I was thinking, dinner at a nice resto (suggestions please) then karaoke session so we can do a nice evening of giftgiving and whatever else we can think of..

Please say "yes"...


Love,

Super Rage (LOL).


and PS: i have 20th dinner, as free and 23rd dinner as free...whatchatink?

Stranded

I am writing from a hotel room in Hongkong.



Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I now belong to the statistics of people who have had the pleasure (mispleasure) of being bumped up to a different flight because the plane you were in did not make it in time for the connecting flight.



The plane from Heathrow, left at 2:45 pm instead of 11:3- due to snow and other issues with the runway.



We arrived in Hongkong this morning, at 9:30am, and obviously missed our 9:05 am flight to cebu.



Cathay Pacific already aranged accommodation for us at the Regal Hotel Airport (the name sounds tacky, but its not that bad...I could compare it to the Renaissance Hotel in Manila..Yummy Asian banquets,LOL) for an overnight stay until our flight tomorrow at 4:00pm.



Sleepless, stressed, hungry (i cant seem to build an appetite when im flying), Adrian and I battled wills to get over the sadness and depression of a flight delayed. The thought of family waiting for you at the airport, (plus the maaaany itineraries you have already arranged for the day), and food waiting to bedevoured (sutukil tradition every pick up-at-the-airport day), (plus the pleasure of meeting my niece Mika) were so near, yet impossibly far.





Adhering to a long term commitment to seeing things at the other spectrum, we decided to maximise our stay in HK.





So what to do?



-shower (to perk us up)



-sleep...



after a sumptious Asian buffet lunch (all meals provided for us by Cathay Pacific in the hotel), Adrian and i slumbered and woke up til 6PM.



-eat



another Asian/Japanese banquet at the hotel's restaurant for dinner



-shop,shop,shop



went to Mongkok (Ladies Night Market) for the night, and waaaahh, i tell you, i know who in my family would love a tour there (hear ye Karla, Ana and Mamsy)...pag save namo daan sa inyong HK dollars,LOL.



bought some gifts to bring to my love ones.





Not bad for being stranded,really. *convincing myself*







***





Adrian and i had the opportunity to fly business class via Cathay Pacific to Hongkong in AUgust 2008. It was because we fly Cathay Pacific everytime, we earned mileage points which accummulated to a roundtrip non refundable plane ticket.



The date of the ticket was August 4,2008, right after our 5th anniversary party, but we were sidetracked with how enjoyable cebu (verytime were there) and being with love ones is, we decided not to use our tickets.



Adrian and i laughed about it today, when we remember that. I asked him "did you regret not using those tickets".



"No regrets honey, no regrets".



Pa cute gyud ni's manoy oi.





***





Tomorrow, Adrian and i are planning to go to the city. Our flight isnt until 4 pm so we have the time to dawdle in the place. But we decided to leave Disneyland off the list. Its reserved for 2012 for a 'bangka' i promised to my family (God willing).



So really, all the stress, and almost teary-eyed me, was all for nothing.



I got to eat the seafood i was craving, i got to see HK, and i had the chance to sleep and relax.



The only thing i feel cheated about, is the fact that im spending less time with my family (1 day and a half less)and that i could not kiss Mika's face sooner.





Bantay lang gyud ugma bah! Pohon,pohon...





Please pray everything goes well tomorrow.


***


Photos from today...



the Japanese buffet from the international buffet..busog na naman!!!





it feels like Colon, all of a sudden...




starbucks...to wake me up..





there's a car on top of a taxi,LOL...cute photo at the airport tonight..

this Saturday, 19th of December

...there will be a giftgiving day at St.John's in Banawa,Cebu City..


The Christmas fairies are sponsoring a family day/christmas party at St.John's Church in Banawa.

The monks from the congregation have organised 50 families from the mountain barangays and some children from around the area for a day of giftgiving and christmas carolling/party.


The Christmas Fairies(i.e..the Supergirls) will be giving in kind, to the families and children who are picked by the monks/priests who they help in their outreach programs in those areas.


***

What can you do?

-give any spare (food/clothes/toys) to the families on the day.
-go to St.Johns on the day and attend the days festivities
-no cash are accepted please as no one is able to give an accounting for the expenditures
-if you are unable to attend, ask any of your representatives to be there to hand the gifts themselves and see (and be with) the families for yourselves/themselves having a day of fun in the name of christmas


--due to the recession, alot of us are unable to have something extra, your presence is also very much appreciated..

time is very much valued by the congregation..


--all religions welcome=)




The day's activities :

09:30-10:30am-- a talk by one of the catechists to the families (not cmpulsory for the sponsors to attend)

10:30-12:00nn--- Mass

12:00-01:00pm-- Lunch (provided for)

01:00-02:00pm-- Daygon/Carolling/program prepared by the families

02:00pm-3:30pm-- Giftgiving



***

It would be nice to see you there..

For more information please contact:


Kharla - 0917 8887547

Ana- (032) 273 7512




Happy christmas everyone!!!

dear ana, mama, and roi...i miss you

"so soon?",you might ask...

the house feels empty (and gosh, it feels big without us making chaos everyday in it).

your rooms empty and deserted.

the kitchen is lifeless, even adrian is sombre, and has lost his sene of humor (i hope its only temporary).

we treated ourselves to some shopping (in pretense of getting clothes for our christmas there) just so we could cheer ourselves up.

shopping felt less fun today, and adrian quipped, Lakeside will not be the same again ( i agreed silently).

we both talked over coffee and cakes (our usual comfort companions in times of melancholy), and chatted over flimsy topics and mustered up wry excitement for our impending flight.


but it doesnt take away that the month you stayed with us (or two months in your case Mams), were beautiful each and every second...and i mean that.

i cant wait for 2012.


love,

C and A



***


i know this letter sounds stupid and silly when im going to see you again (pohon) this Thursday but its always like that...we are better together than apart..


and Mams, i could not find the energy to cook for myself and Adrian tonight, so Adrian and i decided to just order in from the local take-away.

incomparable to eating dinners made by you.


i cant wait to see you again in Cebu.

love,

chelski..xx



***





the "little" sis with me..






the ever wacky Roi






Mama, myself and Ana..in one of the parties held at the house..

punching a hacker

i hate hackers. i have been a victim of hacking long time ago, so i know how it feels.

this was the closest to me punching a hacker.

i opened an old email of mine (the one linked to my high school yahoo group), and found that my friend Therese's hacker left a message for me.

so i left a message back. i let him/her know, her game's up.

From BNWs

but really, if he/she was infront of me, he/she would be getting more than just a slap on the wrist.



***

on other news, i have been extremely busy. this is my most stressful week.

my family is leaving on sunday (13th) and this week is assignment handing-in week. to put those two together is crazy.

not to mention having guests who are here for only a period of time, meant having parties every week (at least). or being invited to parties in honor of them, apart from touring them around (during the days), and me slaving at the computer (at nights where were not partying or going out).


i also have been foolish to book myself for a photographic photoshop/printing course months ago, thinking that my family would have been here and gone for their planned July trip. but the July trip was never to become and became a November-December affair. i went to the course on Saturday (5th of december) for a whole day, when i/we didnt get home til 2 am from a party the night before that was done in honor for my Mama and sibs done by my close friends the Donns(Cheryl and Glenn).

upon arriving home,after the course, i went home to a full house, as we had Adrian's son Paul and his girlfriend with us for the night to celebrate a christmas meal for the next day (with Adrian's entire family). the next day Sunday (6th) was just as exhausting as we had to be up early and do a 10 kilo organic turkey for the christmas meal (and other christmassy traditional food that came with it: gammon, mince pies, pudding, etc)we were making.

that day was a christmas party for the family as Adrian and i were not celebrating christmas in England this year. So Adrian's sons and Adrian's siblings/my inlaws were around for that. My Mama, Ana and Roi, had their first English christmas lunch and how authentic can one have it but have it in England and sharing it with the new extended family.

That day ended really late, and most late esp for me because i was buying time to do my assignments too.


Needless to say, I am so looking forward to my (well deserved) vacation in Cebu with a big grin and no worries on my mind (please God).

You know what they say, whatever doesnt kill you, makes you stronger. If i survive essays and research with christmas parties all around, and family visiting, and still enjoy it, im sure, id be enjoying my vacation even more, sans assignment deadlines, and it will be me who's being given the tour.

*looking for my sunnies*

let me tell you

...about Adrian.

about how thankful i am to him.

about how special he makes me feel, and my family too...

and even if he says "dont go talking mush about me on your blogs" i know he says that with a smile and a blush..

i need to write it here..because there are days he can be a pain in the bum too (lol), and i will just read this and remember that he is after all, a big soft bear...



-he wrote (and pestered) our MP-

to sort out Ana's and Roi's visa because of the sham that happened in the application (they, the people in the embassy in manila, wrongly thought that Ana and Roi were husband and wife..even with all the documents both provided to apply, birth certificate and all).

Adrian wrote quite an impressionable letter to our Member of parliament ( our version of Congressman/ who represents the people under the region they represent) and pointed out how unjust, that they turn down genuine tourists (by not reading the application properly).



-he arranged for my family to go to certain parts of the country/and at least 3x weekly London trips to maximise their stay.

he finds it amusing that my mother almost always refuses the trips we offer to London as she hates walking. (tsk,tsk,tsk..all that commuting in cabs and jeepneys Mams, does not help here..London is a 'walking' destination).

he came home one day,to find Roi, Ana,mom and i, huddled watching tv in the front room, and wondered why we didnt go to London as he planned. i told him the reason: they found it too cold that day. he laughed and could not believe we prefer 'staying in' than 'going out'. (well, between 'ice cold chill' and 'warm cozy home', we prefer the latter).



- the day my laptop died (after buying the 'plug-in' internet, after days of no internet), has made me so depressed. i shed a few tears, (it was panic about some albums of photos i left there, which i have not moved to my external harddrive yet *stupid me!*, and assignments looming without a laptop),too saddend about the death of my precious laptop.

at the dinner table with Mama, he mentioned casually, that i should not be too depressed about my laptop and said that "who knows, its time to get a Macbook"..

my mama laughed when she saw my worried look, because i didnt want Adrian to give up on my laptop. it was barely 3 years old. everything was tiptop shape, and i had retrievables on it. photos which i needed (badly). my laptop was in perfect condition (if i have not overcharged it 24 hours 7 days a week,and without turning off) it might have survived. the symptoms of overheating was there. i was just plain stubborn and careless.



-every morning,he doesnt want to wake me up for him to go to work. (for those who dont know, im on leave from work; so i could concentrate on touring guests and university work). i always wake up to prepare his stuff, but he tells me to go to bed. i occasionally take his advise but normally around 4 out of 5 times, i'd jump out from bed and take the opportunity to have a morning 'chat' over his breakfast and my coffee..




-he keeps telling my family how wonderful his life has been eversince we have been together..every single day.



-last night, everyone was watching this dancing program on tv where a woman wore a sexy dance outfit, and i blurted out ,"gosh, i want to be able to wear that...well, i am allowed to, but im sure, it wouldnt have that same effect".

everyone laughed but he hugged me and kissed my forehead "i wouldn't want to change a single thing about you".


and that my dears, made me feel, like i am the cat that got the cream...and the cherry on top.



..and that the excuse to diet tomorrow, is officially postponed indefinitely,lol.