Tag Archives: Christmas

Happy Holidays from Mac!

One of the reasons I became a Mac convert was because of their Get A Mac ads which my teammate made me watch one day at work. I have to admit these commercials were very funny (and very smug), and I think the actor who plays the Mac is cute. :> Well he is! I guess it’s part of their advertising campaign, to make the Mac look good (which they really do) and make the PC look entirely boring by making them do only computations (which is not entirely true). Their commercials also make fun of Windows Vista a lot (heh), and continue to stress the point that Macs can run both Mac OS X and XP and Vista better than PCs do. I can’t answer that because I haven’t put XP in Aslan yet, but it seems as if they run just fine. I do feel sorry for PC in their ads (especially because I work for a PC company), but still, their commercials never fail to bring a smile or a laugh.

This year’s Christmas commercial is just as funny. If we’re friends in Yahoo! Messenger or gTalk, you might have seen my status: He sees you when you’re in sleep mode. This is where I got that line:

[youtube cakzu9eWpsU]

Hee hee! =)) It’s pretty desperate, but I just find it funny. :) But I still like using a PC (but I love using a Mac), especially since Guilo, my office PC is doing a superb job (so far). :D

Happy Holidays from Aslan!

Maligayang Pasko

I’ve been meaning to post more the past week in preparation for Christmas, but work has been killing my time. And to think it’s almost time for the long weekend. Nope, all of our clients are rushing to get their websites ready for 2008, and we just have to comply because…that’s what we get paid for. I hardly have time to write anything at all.

But as much as work can be a lot tiring, one thing’s got me all energized and all that: Christmas! Even if I am not yet done with my Christmas shopping (I keep on forgetting to check this place out for a gift for the parents, and the items I ordered are still not here), even if traffic is horrible, and even if the it’s so cold outside that it’s not funny anymore, Christmas never fails to cheer me up. :) There’s just something about this season that makes me giddy inside — perhaps it’s because it’s His birthday? Yeah, most probably!

And if there’s anyone who knows how to celebrate Christmas, it’s us, Filipinos. I remember spending Christmas with my family in Guam. It was fun because I was with my family, but it was sad because nothing is going on. Imagine — my brother and I were lying down on our beds at 9:00pm Christmas Eve! Ack. I knew then that nothing beats a Filipino Christmas. :)

Aileen started this list of why she thinks Christmas is best spent in the country, and here’s my own list of why a Filipino Christmas is the best Christmas:

Instructions: Just share a warm, fuzzy Pinoy Christmas story or anecdote or photo or whatever it is you love about Christmas (as a Filipino). Link to this blog post so I can share your story in my compilation. Copy and paste the instructions (this paragraph) and then leave a comment so I can check out your post.

  1. Like Aileen, the first one in my list is Simbang Gabi. Althought we did have Simbang Gabi when I spent Christmas in Saipan, it’s filled mostly with Filipinos who live there, so it’s definitely a Filipino tradition. I’ve completed the novena about…four times, I think, and hopefully I complete this year’s. :) One of my favorite times of attending Simbang Gabi was during my junior and senior year in college, where DLSU hosts the first two masses inside the campus since it usually falls on the last days of finals. I remember waking up really early in the dorm, getting dressed (no need for shower yet because it was cold!) and then heading to the ampitheater for the mass. LSPO then serves breakfast for everyone — hot chocolate/coffee, pandesal, puto bumbong. Yum. :9
  2. Caroling. One of the things I wished I did when I was a kid was going Christmas caroling around the village. Since I was the youngest and a girl, plus all my friends are also girls, we couldn’t go far from our street. My brother, however, has lots of Christmas caroling adventures: being chased by dogs, setting some fireworks to some houses who do not give, and of course, earning cash. I remember we used to make the bottle cap (tansan) tambourines. This year, no one’s doing any Christmas caroling at our house; I have a feeling it’s because of Batman, the angry dog. :))
  3. Food! Nothing beats Pinoy Noche Buena. :D Although here at home, our Noche Buena is smaller than our Media Noche (did I spell this right?). Noche Buena at our house for the past five years or so usually consists of KFC Bucket Meal, pizza/pasta, Coke and ice cream. For the past year, though, I’ve insisted on having cake. Why? Well Christmas is His birthday, and it’s just right to have cake! :)
  4. Kris Kringle/Exchange Gifts. I’ve had my share of bad gifts received during exchange gifts, but I love this tradition. There’s the secrecy that is never really followed, plus the thrill of receiving gifts from your “mommy.” It would have been more fun if the people would really cooperate. I remember one time during high school, my “daddy” did not buy me a gift at all. My teacher demanded he give me something…so he gave me P150, since that was the worth of the gift. T__T But even so, I like doing this. I like buying presents for people be it something really hard to find or cheap, like wholesale flowers. :) That and the thrill of trying to get what your baby likes without him knowing you’re his mommy and knowing that he liked your gift after — just priceless.
  5. Christmas shopping. As much as I love receiving presents, buying presents is more than fun! I love getting stuff for the people I love and seeing their faces once they open the gift and it’s something they really like. :D
  6. The Christmas decorations. I love how Filipinos go overboard (in a nice way) with the Christmas decorations. Dark streets glow with life during Christmas because houses are all ablaze with lights. Glum corners become bright and lovely because of all the shiny decorations. I loved hanging out in DLSU’s ampitheater back in college during Christmas because it was just so pretty. :) There’s also the wacky decorations, like this dancing Santa that starts dancing whenever someone goes near it back in my old office, and most especially the Belen. :) There’s this really funky Belen at the office right now that I love seeing everytime I pass by that area. I’ll take a photo of that to show you guys how cute it is. :)
  7. Sending and receiving all the Christmas text messages. Haha, I remember reserving a specific folder for Christmas greetings in my phone and writing them all down after! Then there’s also the telltale network lag, where networks get congested because of all the text messages being sent. :D
  8. All those Christmas specials on TV. Couch potato alert. I love watching all those cheesy Christmas specials on TV every year, especially the Pinoy shows. They never fail to show the importance of family, of giving and most especially, the real Reason for the season. These shows give me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over. :)
    .

Eeeh, writing this post has made me even more excited! :) Too bad my dad won’t be here for Christmas (but he will be for New Year!), but it’s okay. This Christmas is bound to be memorable — after all, 2007 has grown to be quite a memorable year!

How about you? What’s the best thing you like about Christmas in the country? Or if you’re not Filipino, what’s your favorite thing about Christmas, wherever you are?

Christmas Parties

I was trying to look for old photos of myself on past Christmas parties just so I can share and okay, embarrass myself and have something to blog about. But the old family photo albums seem to be missing right now, so I’ll probably do it next time.

Last night was my second Christmas party in the month, our account’s Christmas party. It was held at the pantry and I was the games master together with my teammate Reggie. It was fun, even if the day seemed to just…flash by. Fun night with fun people = good times. I was supposed to go to another party after but the other party ended late, so I just went home. I’d post photos, but I did not take any pictures…I shall steal photos from my teammate instead, once I get them.

I remember last year, I was going to Christmas party after Christmas party at work. Being in the Marketing department, we were invited to a ton of Christmas parties other than our company party — content providers, vendors, etc. I hardly have enough sleep from all the parties last year. This year, even if I’m on a Marketing team, I hardly have any parties. Possibly it’s because I’m part of a bigger company now and there’s no central Marketing department, plus our customers are global, so we can’t exactly go out and party with all our customers. :D

But all’s good. I’m fine where I am. I’ve said that before, right? :P

I also want to have reunions with some friends for the next weeks. Let’s see if we can find common time for that.

Tomorrow’s the start of Simbang Gabi. I’ve been feeling the Christmas spirit for the past days and tomorrow will definitely seal the deal. This year’s Christmas at our household will be relatively quiet since my dad won’t be home until New Year, so it’s going to be a happier New Year with all of us complete at home. :)

And speaking of Christmas — must do my Christmas shopping! I wonder when my order of Moleskine planners will arrive?

I have some Christmas reflections to write, but first I’ll dig up my old emails to write them down. That, and the new year surveys that we all love to do during the year. :)

Dairy Queen's Yule Flip Peppermint Chip

One of the things I like about working in Eastwood (besides that I live nearby) is the fact that there is a Dairy Queen restaurant (should it even be called a restaurant?) near the office. I discovered it when I was frequenting this area during my application/interview times and my brother and I bought some Blizzards. When I was younger, there used to be a Dairy Queen stall in the mall near where we live, and we used to buy Blizzards there all the time — my favorite being M&M’s and Butterfinger. I remember these Blizzards being much larger than it is now…but that’s not my point.

It’s suffice to say that I love ice cream, ergo, I love Dairy Queen. During my second week at work, Grace and I managed to go to Dairy Queen about four times during that week. Brownie Temptation Blizzard = yum. Dairy Queen = happy food. :9

So earlier this week, I was really stressed with some of the work I had to do, so I deemed myself worthy of a Blizzard. When I got to Dairy Queen, I saw the big new sign of their Blizzard of the Month. I told myself I’d get one once the entire thing is over, and now it’s over, I finally got the chance to try…

Yule Flip Peppermint Chip

According to the website:

Peppermint candy pieces and chocolate chunks, blended with creamy vanilla soft serve. Try one “Yule” love it!

The Peppermint Chip Blizzard is their Christmas Blizzard, and from the looks of it…it does look Christmas-sy, being red and all. Just as what the description says, it contains their creamy vanilla soft serve ice cream, mixed with chocolate chunks and peppermint candy pieces. The candy gives the ice cream a good crunch that nuts and crispies could. The chocolate gives it extra texture from the rough candy. I think they also put some peppermint flavor on the ice cream, hence the red coloring.
It’s not too sweet, thankfully. But it does have a weird taste in the mouth. At first I thought it tasted like medicine, but I realized it was only the peppermint. Eh? It’s not unpleasant…in fact, you’d get used to the taste after a few spoonfuls. It’s just very…cold. Okay, that’s a silly description given that it’s ice cream. But seriously, the peppermint gives the dessert even more coolness — I half expected to get brain freeze after eating the 12oz cup.

All in all, the Yule Flip Peppermint Chip Blizzard is an okay treat. It’s not a favorite, but it’s nice to eat it once in a while. If you’re not fond of mint, then I don’t think you’d enjoy this. ^^;

This Blizzard is available at all Dairy Queens for the Christmas season I think, starting at P99 for a 12oz cup (it’s not available for 9oz, so no small treats. You could share, though :D).

Ahh. This is enough Dairy Queen for now. I’m going to need Miracle burn after all the dairy I consumed this week. Ergh. :-s

Brrr Months

I was out today to buy clothes for tomorrow’s party. I used Sylvia to get me a Php 2000 worth outfit — black and silver bubble-skirt looking halter top (haha that’s all I can use to describe it), black leggings, underwear (hee) and black sandals. It’s supposed to be a Christmas party, but it’s Hollywood themed, so I guess this should do. No celebrities to copy, I just want to dress up for once. Hah. I know I’m probably going to get teased tomorrow by my oh-so-loving teammates, but I like what I bought. More spending tomorrow as I get a pedicure and my hair done (hot oiled and blow-dried or should I go for curls? But my hair is wavy already, I don’t want it to be frizzy). Cash or card? Cash. Maybe. Yes, I prepare too much for the party tomorrow, but it’s not a crime to actually get dressed right? :P Now if only I could motivate myself to exercise more…hmmm.

Has anyone noticed how cold it’s been lately? It started Tuesday this week, I think, when it was raining while I was on the way home. Now it’s not raining; it’s just cold. But I do like this cold weather since it would be easier to commute. Remember, it’s cold, not rain. I don’t like commuting when it’s raining…to think I used to love the rain. It’s not as cold as it is in the US, like in Las Vegas (does it even get cold there?), but it’s cold enough for a tropical country like the Philippines. Brrr.

The cold is a sure sign that Christmas is approaching…25 days to go! And yes, my Christmas spirit is here, especially after listening to all those Christmas songs they’re playing at the mall earlier. :) Yeah. I can’t wait for Simbang Gabi to start, and even to hear the carolers coming around (even if they sing the same song every single night). I can’t wait to start buying Christmas presents for people (and if you want to get me something too, here’s this year’s wishlist *wink wink nudge nudge*).

And then before we know it, this year’s ending and it’s 2008. And I’ll be turning 22. And I’ll be pressured more than ever to make that Sydney trip push through. Ah, I need to put all of these down on paper, yes?

I think I’ll go watch some Gossip Girl for a while. I will try to write a review of Enchanted ♥ by tomorrow if I have the time. :) This entry is so random, I like how it’s not laced with anything I worry about. :D

Have a nice Friday night everyone!

The One Bookshelf

Forgive me for the lack of posts. Being on night shift does not give me a lot of time, and until now I’m still lacking words for my NaNo novel, and it’s seriously draining me. I’ve never written anything this serious before and my characters are refusing to talk to each other like they should. Gah.

But this post is not about that. :) Earlier today yesterday, I watched the theater adaptation Dogeaters with Julie. I loved the play, and it made me want to buy the book to read how it is. I did not buy the book, not only because I do not want to charge it in my card, but because I do not have space to keep it at home.

Okay, so maybe I do, but it’s all a mess.

Anyway, one of the things I’ve been campaigning for since my brother moved the sofa bed to his own room was my own bookshelf. The state of my room is, my computer is on my desk, where my favorite books are, while the other books that I have (all 300+ of them) are spread all around the room. I really want to clear the one on my desk and on my chest of drawers because it’s so messy, but there’s nowhere to put it. No bookshelf. :(

I want a good and solid bookshelf. I don’t want a plastic one as it will collapse after some time. I want one made of wood, like the ones below which I found in Ikea (which also sells nice baby cribs and baby furniture), which could definitely hold my books:

Flarke Bookcase

Looks nice, diba?

If my room was big eough, I’d get something like this:

Billy Combi Beech Bookcase

Or maybe something bigger. Like a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. Hmmm. :-?

I swear, after NaNoWriMo, I’m gonna read, read, read. I am so disappointed at how bad my writing and vocabulary is for this year’s NaNo. Argh. :( From December until October next year, I will build my vocabulary and read!

I am such a geek for writing a post about bookcases. Haha. Can anyone tell me where I can buy really nice bookcases in Manila? If only we have Ikea here, I would get it there. Wait…I’m gonna make someone get it there. ;) Hello, Christmas list. :D

If at some point you found this post not making sense, it’s just me still awake at 3:00am so I would adjust to night shift tonight. Hay. Two more weeks!

Back to NaNo-ing. Good morning everyone!

The 2007 Christmas Wish List

I am supposed to be writing now, but my mind refuses not to be distracted (argh) so I decided to do some more posting. It’s currently 12:29AM, and I’m supposed to be sleeping but I thought I’d give night shift another chance so I’m conditioning my body to sleep a bit later so I’ll be awake tonight. Let’s see how this goes.

Anyway, it’s how many days till Christmas, and in the spirit of the past years…I shall post another Christmas wish list. :) If you’re feeling quite generous, here’s some material things that you could get me that would make my Christmas brighter. :D

  • Black or pink MacBook 13.3″ iSkin. You can get one here with a really cheap price and have it delivered to me. ;) Thanks, Wacky :D
  • New earphones. Triskal’s earphones are peeling and apparently, any physical damage is not covered by Apple’s warranty (Argh). I want anything white, with good sound. I hear Creative is good?Thanks, Mike :D
  • New shoes for work — preferably low-heeled or flats, size 6.
  • The Longman Writer Bible (P700+ in Powerbooks :D)
  • Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa and Brian Kolodiejchuk
  • Wallet that has a lot of card pockets.
  • Bags. Any design as long as it’s big enough to bring to work. NEW!
  • A small and sturdy umbrella. As long as it does not get destroyed after one use. Black would be nice. :) Or purple.Thanks Ate Liza :) 
  • At least 160GB external laptop HDD, Mac ready, of course. At least 160GB, because Aslan’s hard drive is 160GB, and I want to see how Time Machine works when I upgrade to Leopard, so I need an HDD bigger than Aslan’s current HDD. :D
  • A new water tumbler for work. My Pizza Hut Leaning Tower of Pisa tumbler is cracking. :-s Starbucks tumbler would be nice.Thanks, Happy :D
  • 2007 Switchfoot Holiday Pack :D
  • Dreamhost webhosting registration for two years. :P And a free domain registration too, if you want to make it a whole package. :)
  • A bookshelf. Maybe around 4 feet high, and 4 feet wide or something. I’ll get back on a photo of this.
  • A day out with the Godchicks — all complete!
  • Pocket weekly Moleskine hardcover 2008 planner (I’m gonna get this myself in a week, so tell me if you’re getting me this :P).
  • Coolpad for Aslan.
  • AppleCare for iPod video (Triskal)
  • AppleCare for Aslan (never hurts to get one early :P)
  • New slacks and tops for work
  • Free hair straightening session at Going Straight
  • Free foot spa and pedicure
  • Blank unlined notebooks
  • Anything with stars
  • A sunflower (good luck with this :p)
  • Two (2) 0.4 Pilot gTec refills, black
  • A purple gTec 0.4 pen :D

Interestingly, there’s only one book. :) Haha. This will be updated when needed. :D I’m a pretty easy to please person; you don’t need to get me anything too expensive (like a 2000 Mustang, for example) to make me happy. Seriously. :P

Okay I will try to write again. Let me reach at least 16k words before I go to sleep.

Tenth and Third Month, New Writing and Rains

Hello, it’s October! I’m still sort of swamped at work, but I thank my teammates for taking some of the load (Hi Mike!) off me. This is one of the moments I know that I am not a designer but a programmer. :D So thank you. Tomorrow I have a training and then a commercial shoot for our upcoming Townhall. Busy, busy, busy days, really, but it’s fun. I did get kind of stressed earlier, but it’s all good. :)

I told myself I’ll start playing Christmas songs come October, but I haven’t been playing them because I couldn’t find my CDs. Hmph. I know I kept them somewhere in my room, but I really can’t remember. Too bad. I’ll find them, I know, but maybe next week. Those Christmas songs can wait. :P

And speaking of months…it just occured to me that I’ve been in my company for three months as of today! Wohoo, happy third month! Interesting how I feel like I’ve been here too long already. Hmm. But it’s fun and it’s starting to get stressful, but I like it. :) How many times have I said that? :P

I managed to squeeze out some creative juices earlier and finally updated Bitesized Fiction after how many months of it being dead. It’s something that hit me as I was walking to meet my brother at the mall. I feel like my grammar was all over the place and it is overflowing with cheesiness, so forgive me if you can’t stand all the cheese. :P And speaking of writing, I need ideas for my next NaNoWriMo novel!

It’s been raining since yesterday and I am listening to some songs that shouldn’t be listened to during rainy days. What kind of songs? Well, if you read my latest post here, it lies along the lines of those. :P Haha I don’t know if I’m torturing myself with this, but a part of me is enjoying all the mushiness of the songs. *sings* Yeah, that’s what you do when you love someone. Awww. ♥

Good night everyone!

The Ultimate Birthday

Your birthday is the most popular in the whole world because everyone celebrates it. And I mean everyone. Even the ones in the remotest areas know that this day is special, I bet. Your birthday is also the inspiration of a lot of novels, movies and TV specials; in fact, everyone feels special on Your birthday, as if it was theirs too. Everyone gives everyone else gifts, and every family prepares a HUGE dinner at the Eve of Your birthday — it’s like one big birthday party all over the world.

It’s sad to think, though, that most people forget that it is Your birthday on Your birthday, that they forget to greet You. Everyone’s happy, but more often than not, people forget about You, the celebrant. People forget the reason why they celebrate with all these gifts and food; people forget the night where Your mom and earthly dad wandered around your hometown and end up in a stable where You were born, when You deserve to be born in a palace.

So this year, I pray that everyone remembers You this time. That in the midst of the gift-giving, Christmas wreaths, the eating and the festivities, people would pause even for just a minute and remember that it’s Your birthday and if it weren’t for Your coming into the world, we wouldn’t be where and who we are right now. :) I know You know this already, but just so You know (again), we’re having cake tonight for You. :)

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR JESUS. ♥ ♥ ♥ I can’t wait to see You smile this big when we are all together and celebrate Your birthday up there with You. :) I love You! ♥ ♥ ♥

About that time, Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounte for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were shepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

“Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They had told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

– Luke 2:1-20 (The Message)

Merry Christmas, everyone! May we all remember the reason for the season. :) God bless!

Happy Holidays

Okay, that’s it. No new layout for the season; I’ll have one in the New Year. So forgive me for having a black layout for Christmas…I still have the Christmas spirit, really. :D

Ooookay, so maybe I’ll make a new one before the year ends…but it won’t be Christmas themed anymore. Still. :P

Everyone’s relaxed here in the office, even if there’s still work. And it’s fun because it feels like being in school during vacation. I kinda wish I wore jeans because everyone else seemed to be wearing it. Oh well. We have a party later at Parañaque and it’s early time off too. Thank God for one of our managers agreeing to let me ride with them on the way home later. :D

Of course, I should make the most out of this, because come January, it’ll be work, work, work again. :P

My dad arrived last night, and we went straight to Duty Free. What’s really cool is that since we’re not studying anymore, we have more room for the things we couldn’t buy back when our parents still had to pay our tuition fee. Well, that’s how we understood it, that is. :P My Duty Free stash last night was a yellow collared top (perfect for work), The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain (an improved version of the Lip and Cheek Tint), The Body Shop Lip Shine and Revlon ColorStay pressed powder. Oh so kikay! I don’t think that’s going to be the end of the kikay mode for me. Let’s see. :P

Anyway, when we got home, I got the most awaited things! My books from Amazon.com! :) Yahoo! That’s 6 books all in all, thanks to my dad who ordered them for me. :) I was so excited last night that I couldn’t help but put nametags on it already, even if I should’ve slept because we still have to go to Simbang Gabi. The Amazon.com book stash includes:

Six good good good books! :D Composed of Women’s Fiction, five chicklit, one romance. Gotta love love love this! :) Haha. I’ve also got three more books from the bi-annual OMF sale:

Whee. :) I have one more book I want to get, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice, which isn’t available at OMF but at other bookstores. :D I swear, 2006 is my book year. I think this is the year where I got to buy the most books — and most of them out of my own money! :D Such a generous year, eh?

Anyway, it’s 12:00 already, which means it’s lunch time, but I still feel full after the two Krispy Kreme doughnuts I had which Ms. Rox brought during our meeting earlier. This is such a fun day, really. And it’s only Thursday! :)

A more serious and insightful entry sometime this weekend, promise. :D On forgiveness, self-pity and other things I could think of during the weekend. :D Have a great day everyone!