Cutty

Hahaha.  I know this is such a self-serving post.  Sorry.  Not really. As I shop for everyone else's gifts, I am reminded of the things I would really appreciate getting. Because you know, at this age, we rarely get the gifts we really want to receive. We deserve to get something we like, every once in a while. I really do not mind receiving a really nice cookbook. I also wouldn't mind a shopping credit in my favorite stores.  I always appreciate piece of clothing or a pair of shoes or some YL essential oils. Lastly, I would really appreciate it if I got any of these. How about you?  What's on your list?  I hope you get to tick off one item from your list.  

I've started buying Christmas gifts for friends.  I have randomly picked out items for people in my list.  I also made mental notes on what to get for the special persons on my list when my budget comes in.  In the process, I made my own list to give to myself. I've been thinking about getting new pair of sunglasses or enrolling in a short course on Pastry Arts or Bread Making. ... Or a pair of neutral travel flats ... or, maybe, a rotating waffle maker  Yup, nothing too lavish.  No bags this time around.   I know I am too old to be making wish lists.  But, it's done.

... and hide.  That's what I want to do, right now. I committed a major booboo.  I accidentally handed my husband's travel bag as a gift to my Tita.   It was packaged the same way.  So when I grabbed it from under the tree, I thought it was the right gift bag.  No wonder, I still have the gift I intended to give my Tita.  I kept on wondering what I gave her since she thanked me for such a nice gift.  When I figured it out, I called up my cousin about it.  Today, I will replace it with another bag.  I would have let it go, if the bag weren't so special.  Mapapamahal pa ko, because of my boo-boo. On hindisight, di ba siya nagtaka na may price pa and it was just in the store's paper bag? Still, it was my fault, my booboo. If you were in my place, what would you do? 

A few days ago, Vic asked me what I want for Christmas. Though it was nice to be asked, I do not have a ready answer for him. He didn't ask me last year, so I wasn't expecting the question. Besides, I grew up not being asked what I want for Christmas. When I was little, I do not recall getting Christmas presents from my parents. My siblings and I usually got a new set of clothes for Christmas parties. Those were our gifts already, according to my mother. After that, I never expected to get any Christmas gifts from my parents. I always had gifts from aunts, uncles and godparents. A couple of days later, here I am, still thinking of what I want to receive for Christmas. It would have been easier if I wanted another pair of shoes or another bag. But I don't. I really don't know what I want to get. ------------------ I was watching TV when I heard this. "Today is a gift. That's why it's called present." Tama nga naman. Whoever equated "to...

Why do I feel like I betrayed woman-kind after purchasing this? I actually got two. Just like Dr. Belo, I couldn't resist. They are very affordable and are packaged beautifully. Most importantly, they smelled good. It doesn't have the staying power of most Eau de Toilets, but it is good enough. Wag ko na daw payamanin, sabi ni Vic.

This farewell season of Oprah, she is sparing no cent in sharing her blessings. How I wish I could be there to receive any of these... ... stuff for the kitchen ... a watch to replace the one that got lost when I gave birth to Johann ... to motivate me go to the gym more often ... a copy of this ... and maybe, go on a Caribbean / Mediterranean cruise like we planned for our Honeymoon What would you like to receive from Oprah this year? * images from Oprah.com

For weeks now, Johann has been pestering everyone (me, his dad, his ninangs, his grandparents) to get him a sidecar. He meant a bike with the sidecar attachment. He's been very creative in integrating the word "sidecar" in every conversation. We'd tell him that he has to wait till his birthday. We talk about this everyday. You can just imagine how much he really wants his sidecar. Last weekend, his Lolo Boy found out about this and pledged to get him one. He said he wanted a yellow sidecar. The following day, the lolo called him from the bike shop to see if wants it in another color. The little boy wants it in just one color. Last night, my parents dropped off their gift. The boy waited patiently till 9PM. It came in yellow. I found out that my father's painter labored the whole day to change the sidecar into my son's desired color. Iba talaga pag apo. Johann biked in our lanai till it was time for my parents to leave. Here is Johann with Javi and ...

When we moved out of my in-law's house, we left some of the stuff in the rooms we stayed in. Last weekend, I decided to go through the pile. Most of which are Javi's birthday and Christmas gifts. To our surprise, several packages were empty. Looks like somebody decided to "shop" thinking that we wouldn't notice. There goes another HAY NAKU moment for me.

Karl Edward bazaars used to be my prime source of Christmas presents. It'll be Christmas in a couple of weeks and I haven't visited the NBC tent in nearly two months. My weekends have been very busy this season. So far, three consecutive Saturdays were spent attending weddings of friends. Sundays are for performances and rehearsals. Weekdays are for caroling invitations, house construction visits, errands and Christmas shopping. Time in between is spent with my family. I hope Karl Edward opens up on a Friday. I am looking forward to the one in Nuvo City.

I was in GB4 yesterday to get FIL his Christmas present when I saw this I first heard about it from The Baghag's blog. She said that it was to take the spot occupied by Max Brenner. After several months of seeing the Chocolate Bar still in its place, I figured it was just a rumor. Then, last Wednesday, I read about it one magazine. On Thursday, it was there in front of me. Hay, as if naman may mabibili ako diyan. Window shopping lang ang kaya ng powers ko.

I failed to mention in my previous post that we're staying at the National Olympic Youth Center in Shibuya . It was initially built in the 1960s to house the athletes in the Olympic games. Now, it functions as a youth hostel. It has facilities to cater to everyone who would need it for seminars or cultural activities. The nearest train station is Sangubashi , which is only two stops away from the famous Shinjuku station (Times Square). ------------------------------ Despite sleeping late last night and despite my lack of sleep two nights ago, I woke up as soon as my alarm sounded. I anticipated that several people will be lining up to use the toilet and bath when I decided to I get up at 6am. It seemed that I was one of the few awake people that morning. After tending to some personal stuff, I proceeded to the lounge to catch up on some emails, hence the Facebook status. Breakfast this morning was salmon, Tamago and bread. Miso is served 3x a day. By now, we've fig...

By this time, I haven't gotten myself anything of value. All I've gotten on the first day were pasalubong items for the people back home. This day was solely for shopping. I hoped to squeeze in some time for outlet shopping in Citygate. That morning, after breakfast, Vic, Vic's dad, Johann and I went to Mongkok to get Vic his new toy. He has this sudden interest in photography so our current point-and-shoot camera would not suffice. He's been scouting for one with a good price back in Manila so he knows if HK offers a better price. He indeed got a better one from Broadway, complete with a memory stick, tripod and bag. With his craving for an SLR satisfied already, we are off to my hunt for great bargains. Since it was only my second time in HK, I did not know where to go. Besides, the place where we can go to is limited to stroller-friendly areas. The shops in Mongkok were filled with items for winter so I didn't end up with a lot of pieces. I got several ...

Last weekend, I was in Panic Mode. Now, I am more relaxed. Things in my to-do list are slowly being eliminated. I got Vic a gift last Sunday. I am glad that TriNoMa was open till midnight. He passed by the store while I was paying for his gift. Luckily, he didn't enter the shop. I was rushing the cashier to give me the merchandise before he sees me. As he was walking to the other side of the store, I quickly made my exit through the other door. That was a close call =P My FIL's gift is ready for pick up. I got him a print from Gallery 7. I hope he likes it. Well, he likes everything with his face on it. I was afraid that it wouldn't make it since I approved the design just last night. Every year, I have a hard time looking for Christmas present for him. What do you give to someone who has everything already? There are still two people to buy gifts for. There are still lots of gifts to wrap. My cakes are cooling and waiting to be frosted. I need to finish this...

With a few days before Christmas, everyone is out and about. Traffic is so terrible. People spend so much time on the road instead of looking for gifts in the mall. I'm relieved that I have only a few parties to go to. However, there are still so many things to do.... I need to get gifts for the last few IMPORTANT people in my list. I am not worried about the less important ones. My first gift idea for Vic didn't work out. I am scouting for another one. I need to start packing for the HK trip. Johann still needs bottoms fit for winter travel. I need carrots and cream cheese. I need to prepare my documents for the ACS Tokyo trip...that is, kung makakasama ako. I need to get Johann and Javi their Christmas outfit. I need to make a list of chores for the househelp who'll be left behind when we leave for HK. I need to figure out what to wear for Bonnie's Filipiniana wedding.

Vic and I were able to squeeze in some Christmas shopping before doing our weekly grocery shopping. I scratched off 5 people from my gift list. I have 8 more people to buy gifts for. That number excludes Vic and the boys. Hay. I need ideas.

You read it right. Ynzal is having another sale before the year ends. If you are a Mac user, you're sure to find something there. Check ynzal.com for the list of items they are offering at reduced prices. I saw some digital cameras in the list, if you are interested. If you've run out of gift ideas for your techie friends, Ynzal is a good place to start.

The past weekend was so busy. I barely had the time to sit in front of the computer and blog. Don't be surprised that I am blogging at this hour. ----------- Last Saturday, Javi was baptized. It was an intimate ceremony, attended by the people who play a significant role in our lives. It was held inside the adoration chapel of Our Lady of Pentecost. We were glad that the officiating priest decided to hold it there. The baptistry was too hot and chaotic because of the First Communion attendees. Javi's godparents consist of Vic's sisters, my siblings, a couple of my relatives and some of our friends. A couple of godparents couldn't make it. We had to pull in some observers to stand-in for them. The ceremony didn't take long. There was just a short briefing on what will happen. Unlike most parishes, there were no talks on the responsibility of godparents prior to the ceremony. We were off to the reception in 30 minutes. We've chosen Dencio's in Capi...

... of S&R yesterday. The main objective of my visit was to get candy canes for Javi's baptismal centerpieces. Somebody from the Newlywed group suggested that I can find green canes at S&R. Instead of going all the way to The Fort, I went to the Congressional branch instead. Upon arriving, I inquired about the membership. I am torn between getting the Day Pass or the Gold Membership. The Day Pass holder would be charged an additional 5%. Becoming a member for P700 will entitle the holder free membership to all S&R branches. The CSR suggested that I check out the place first to see if I'm interested in purchasing a lot. That would, at least, help me decide if I wanted to become a member. So, I went around. I saw a lot of great stuff. Some expensive, some really reasonably-priced. I was convinced. Besides, I wanted a reason to frequent the place. I miss shopping at Costco. S&R is a good alternative. After going through each aisle , I've seen ni...

As I have detailed in my previous post , we are a growing family with increasing needs. This morning, we made our first step in polishing up the place. We finally met up with Vic's cousin/architect who's going to help us figure out how we can expand our living area. She made some great suggestions. She knew exactly what we needed, like a bigger kitchen for Cathy's Kitchen and a play area for the kids. It slipped my mind that she will be going around our house to inspect the area. She saw our house is perfect disarray. Juskoduday, nakakahiya. At least, now she knows that we terribly need storage space for our mess and space allotment for our service area. Knowing that she'll be a great help to us, I am thinking of giving her something really special for Christmas. Any Dive Watch suggestions?

Yesterday, I made an unscheduled visit. My family went out of the way, all the way to The Fort, just to get to the NBC tent. The main purpose was to get some sleep-shirts that could double as nursing gowns. Of course, I had several more items when I came out of the tent. My mission was accomplished. ------------------------ When the Holiday season nears, I frequent this specific bazaar at The Fort. Before I had Johann, I always stop by the NBC tent after hearing mass. I love this place because it has a very wide selection of clothes, accessories and food. This bazaar is also the perfect place to search for unique gift items. Most importantly, I can haggle (not as much as I can in Divi but still....) One drawback, however, is the entrance fee. It's not much. But, if you are used to going to the mall that doesn't charge upon entry, you would be dismayed. Now that we are approaching Christmas, more options are available to the ever-generous gift-giver. I plan to make...