Monday, November 27, 2006

we have a tree!

Finally, our “first” tree was set up last night.

After last year’s non-Christmas, I insisted we keep up with the tradition of Christmas decorating this year. I may not have buntings or an ostentatious Parol, or maybe some cardboard Santa face but I was thrilled with our little tree. But a tree topper is still missing, and I’m still on the mission of finding a nice, charming one. I still wanna hang a wreath on our door or add more trinkets to our tree, or maybe some poinsettias and berries here and there...


A most ubiquitous décor back home would be the Nativity Scene, however, I may not have luck in seeing one here. I did, however, experienced a true (Pinoy) Christmas sparkle- never ending carols played on the radio. We were expecting to hear carols not until after Thanksgiving, but one radio station started playing lovely classic carols at least 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. So we’re getting an overdose of Christmas songs and carols driving to and from work.

The long Thanksgiving weekend was a much anticipated break. But like any other holiday breaks, it’s much too short. Our break was mostly spent waking up late (except for Black Friday, when we joined the throng of early shoppers!) and watching movies on DVD. We also went to a Thanksgiving dinner at our friend’s parents house. Her turkey was extra-yummy this year. We are perennial dinner visitors at their house (birthdays, Thanksgiving, New Year, etc. etc.), we’re sort of the “extra non-family family” to them.

My almost-in limelight pineapple upside down cake, which made a recent appearance at the Thanksgiving dinner will soon roll in next at the office’s Secret Santa party. I’m excited about this Secret Santa thing. Such a juvenile delight, no? Although I got a terrible, terrible present from my Secret Santa last year, I’m not discouraged one bit. However, this poor gift choice point is just so upsetting, don’t you think? I mean, who would shriek with delight over a box of an all-purpose greeting cards as a present? I’m not being hypercritical but I find it hilarious.

My so-not-a-fan-of-gift-shopping-and-gift-giving hubby surprisingly insisted on picking out Christmas gifts for our close friends, which delighted me, of course. Making decisions on appropriate gifts for each person is as critical and fulfilling as making a life-changing decision, (hehe). Gift-giving with all its frills- from choosing the wrapping paper to matching the ribbons and bows and sticking in the gift tags- is mind-boggling to most husbands. But for me, it’s fun art.

So I hope it’s gonna be a happy Christmas. We’re two kiddos alone and away from friends and home. But with our pretty, teeny tree, it will be a joyous Christmas, after all.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

"it takes a long time to grow an old friend"


circa 1985


2006

Roselle and I had been classmate since 2nd grade and we’ve been good friends ever since. We were inseparable from elementary ‘til high school. And like true best friends, we were constant seatmates from freshman year up to senior year. And we managed to communicate without fail when we went off to different universities and later, to different continents.

One of the things we fancy is our shared interest and enthusiasm in reminiscing the erstwhile happy, carefree childhood years and of course, reunions. The last one that we had was in 2003, and we had a blast! And although through the years, it’s getting harder and harder to arrange a reunion, we know and we believe it furiously that we could……. one day, have that “grand” reunion.

Monday, November 20, 2006

no time to be crabby!

Ingredients for a laidback weekend:
sleep ‘til lunch
shisha
Chesapeake Bay blue crabs
a quick trip to the carwash
2 hilarious movies on Sunday night

I guess I am merriest when the weekend is started right. Meaning: a schedule-free Saturday morning. Because it means I could sleep until... whenever. Last Saturday, we woke up at 11:45. Ah, bliss. After an idle lunch and more do-nothingness in the afternoon, it was time to go to our friends’ house for an evening smoking shisha. Before that, we made a quick stop to the office and then got some fries and apple pies at McDonald’s. Shisha schmisha. It was great, but that’s all there is to it. Perhaps next time when they invite us to smoke shisha again, we might have to turn them down. I had a suspicion that they only wanted us to be at their house because they wanted a second opinion about their ongoing argument that night. Shisha was an excuse, hehe.

Anyway, it has gotten steadily cold over the weekend. After hearing Mass on Sunday at noon, we headed for a quick trip to the carwash. Sadly, the hubby’s Katie has been a little neglected lately. She needed a little polishing, but the matter of spending at least twenty minutes standing in the severe cold polishing Katie in the carwash parking lot was too unappealing, so we decided she’s already “clean enough”.

The hubby had a sudden craving for crabs, so we were headed next to the supermarket for some Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Tiny, tiny fellows. I haven’t tasted crabs ever since I was a small girl since I have an averse reaction to eating crabs. I let the hubby cook the crabs, because when I saw the first crab thrown into the steaming pot of water, suddenly, I felt like a killer, a crab murderer (!) But I tasted the blue crabs, anyway. I was almost convinced I’ve outgrown the allergic reaction to crabs and the itching afterwards was just a figment of my imagination. But I’m still itching now so I guess I still can’t eat crabs.

The hubby complained how tiny the crabs were and there wasn’t much to eat! That was the tale of his Sunday crab craving. Then it was time to watch some movies on DVD. We watched Nacho Libre and Little Man. In between movies, there was a one-hour pause to give way to our beloved The Amazing Race. The two comedies were good. Not brilliant. But it keeps you laughing the whole time, which for me, is a good measure how funny the film is. It wasn’t bad at all.

Two movies in one night. A DVD, a projector, speakers. It’s a good alternative to seeing a movie in the movie house. Inexpensive, plus you can curl up in the couch in your colorful socks. Who can get crabby with these conditions? Not us.

Friday, November 17, 2006

twiddly and twitchy

The past two weeks of November came and went without so much a fracas. And it went so fast I could barely remember what I did and what happened in the past seventeen days. Well, I remember snippets of ho hum work, chores, pineapple upside down cake, but- I remember most is how dreary the weather gradually has become. Cold, clammy, gusty, rainy. Perhaps, I am just kind of… mad at the weather.

Somehow, days feel like beat and totally slumberous. Am I in dullsville? Ever felt like you’re stuck with all the madness in the world and you can’t take another minute of it? Well, I am not exactly in that avenue but I just felt like I am taking it one hour at a time. If I’m anxious about a task or a buzz I abhor at 2:00pm, I always tell myself I’m unassailable for a few hours until then. At least. It’s silly, but it works somehow.

The comfort of worrying too much is the desire to look forward to something innocuous: a nice meal you’re gonna prepare, a relaxed time on the couch watching late-night TV, some funny stuffs online, a tub of ice cream, and quite ironically- another day. I’m always chirpy at the end of each day, because it means: I got through another day (be it rough, boring, happy or an emotional day) without a broken spirit. It’s enough to reconcile me with the reality.

I guess the whole antsy-feeling-over-a-seemingly-worthless-and-cutthroat-day-and-everyday is not so bad. Whatever it is that I’m feeling so antsy about, I can always blame it on the weather. It will always get better. Tomorrow.


Monday, November 13, 2006

an unlikely comparison


Happy Birthday, Mr. Big.


You're mean, Lucy Van Pelt.

It's Chris Noth's a.k.a. Mr. Big birthday today. He's 52. Big is one character any woman my frame of mind would love to hate. Love, in the sense that he is gorgeous, extremely attractive- and unattainable. And hate, because he is elusive and complicated. In essence, a snakepit of emotions once you get yourself enmeshed with. But then again, you can't help but love Big.

On the other hand, Lucy Van Pelt is a girl I love to hate. She's a popular Peanuts character, who came to my attention lately because of a book I'm reading. With all her crabbiness and overbearing attitude, I just want to squash her. But she's just a pest. And as bad egg as she is, I still can't push her aside. I just get amused by her antics. There's some tidbit of Lucy Van Pelt in all of us, I believe. She's a little girl with perpetual bad hair days :)

Big and Lucy. Just an (unlikely) comparison of two characters we looove to hate, but can't ignore.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

a memo to myself

little mental notes to myself:

DO get up right away when the alarm sets off, otherwise you’ll be snoozing for another hour
DO remind the hubby not to buy plantains for the meantime, because you two can never tell when it’s ripe enough
DO eat more fruits and less junk
DO clean up as you go
DO pay more attention to the sometimes ignored Chinese bamboo at home (because it’s your first attempt to grow a living thing in your home and you… MUST… not... let... it… die)
DO sleep early and wake up early
DO keep on convincing the hubby that fat-free milk or 1% reduced fat milk are not worthy milk at all
DO eat imitation crabmeat
DO plan a memorable Christmas decor at home this year (wreaths! poinsettias! candles! a tree!)

DO more toiling and less dawdling


DON’T take “little” naps after you get home and before dinner- you’ll be too grumpy and sluggish to fix dinner
DON’T lose important papers among sheaf of papers scattered on the coffee table
DON’T hog under a polyester blanket and comforter with the heater on high, or else you’ll end up with a nosebleed in the morning
DON’T buy anymore cornflakes because you never eat them for breakfast, anyway
DON’T be grouchy and throw a temper tantrum when being asked to rush to get ready
DON’T succumb to a bad-hair-day
DON’T bother to read chain emails
DON’T become a fatso
DON’T entertain the idea that you can smoke
DON’T drink beer

Friday, November 03, 2006

The Ultimate List

THE ULTIMATE BAG – chestnut Hudson by Marc Jacobs Collection
THE ULTIMATE BAND - The Corrs (staple music in late 90s while I was still in college)
THE ULTIMATE BLOG – mine!
THE ULTIMATE CHEF – Wolfgang Puck
THE ULTIMATE ROMANTIC OCCASION- wedding anniversaries!
THE ULTIMATE COFFEE JOINT – Starbucks for the hubby’s occasional iced coffee
THE ULTIMATE COLOR – red!
THE ULTIMATE COMEDY MOVIE – Shrek 2
THE ULTIMATE DESIGNER – Carolina Herrera
THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR – Steven Spielberg
THE ULTIMATE PIECE OF FURNITURE- Malta coffee table
THE ULTIMATE GAY ICON – Ricky Martin (hehee)
THE ULTIMATE HAIRDO- sleek-back ponytail
THE ULTIMATE HORROR MOVIE – The Ring
THE ULTIMATE IMAGE – well-educated, well-read, clever, polite, reserved and resolute
THE ULTIMATE JOB – world traveler
THE ULTIMATE JOURNALIST – Anderson Cooper
THE ULTIMATE HISTORICAL FIGURE- Alexander the Great
THE ULTIMATE ANCIENT TRIBE- the Incas
THE ULTIMATE HISTORICAL VILLAIN- Hitler

THE ULTIMATE KILLER HEELS – Jimmy Choo Elan silk satin sandal
THE ULTIMATE ACCESSORY- a tasteful bracelet and an elegant pair of earrings
THE ULTIMATE LOVE SONG- Someone by The Rembrandts
THE ULTIMATE MOVIE KISS- Spiderman’s upside-down kiss
THE ULTIMATE MUSEUM- the Prado
THE ULTIMATE NOSE- Nicole Kidman’s
THE ULTIMATE PAINTING- Starry, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh
THE ULTIMATE MUSICAL PLAY- Les Misérables
THE ULTIMATE PRE-DINNER DRINK- sangría
THE ULTIMATE MOVIE LINE- “…those are your emotions acting without the benefit of intellect” – Charles Rane, Passenger 57
THE ULTIMATE ROMANTIC COMEDY- My Best Friend’s Wedding
THE ULTIMATE SIGNATURE SCENT- light floral and fruity scent
THE ULTIMATE TV SHOW- The Simpsons
THE ULTIMATE STREET- King St. in Old Town, Alexandria
THE ULTIMATE EVIL CARTOON KID- Stewie Griffin
THE ULTIMATE BURGER- our ‘homemade’ burger, with cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, chopped onions and tons of relish
THE ULTIMATE CITY – Washington, DC for its history, cultural diversity and pulsating power
THE ULTIMATE COCKTAIL- margarita
THE ULTIMATE COMEDIAN – Homer Simpson
THE ULTIMATE CUISINE – Asian and Middle-Eastern
THE ULTIMATE FLOWER- deep red American Beauty
THE ULTIMATE GANGSTER FLICK – The Godfather
THE ULTIMATE HOBBY – writing and weekend out-of-town trips
THE ULTIMATE INVENTION – the internet
THE ULTIMATE JOKE- the “this song is dedicated to my one and only joke” (corny! But it works all the time...)
THE ULTIMATE JUICE- cranberry juice
THE ULTIMATE MOVIE VILLAIN- John Malcovich! and Bruce Payne (Passenger 57)
THE ULTIMATE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK- My Best Friend’s Wedding
THE ULTIMATE ROCK STAR- Robbie Williams
THE ULTIMATE SCI-FI MOVIE – Star Wars
THE ULTIMATE URBAN LEGEND- drinking cold water after a meal slows down the digestion and coats the intestine with “sludge”, which leads to cancer (!)
THE ULTIMATE WALLPAPER- Les Misérables icon, Cosette