a Holiday toast

Merry Christmas guys. Haha. It feels good to have a blog, well, to blog the euphoria you have during the holidays. I've been itching to write something beyond simple updates + pictures, you know, like the "human interest stories - slash - essays.. blah blah".

So, since we're drunk with jingle bells and Novellino, for the occasion, consider this my toast to the holidays..^_^

Every year, the place that i've called home since timely memorial has always been abuzz with yuletide activity. My Grandmother would prance around upholding how Chinese she is, wrapping Christmas gifts for her franchise dealers, piling up gifts (enough to make a makeshift fort). We would decorate the walls with trimmings et. al. Come Christmas day, people would flock to our house, eat, be merry, ask money, you know, that kind of stuff. A typical Christmas in a typical family.

When i was a little boy, i would position myself under the Christmas tree (i was tiny back in the day), and look for gifts addressed to me. I was obsessed with toys, toys and lots of toys. So i would bitch for more toys, and extort the love that my parents and my grandfather had for me. Haha. that kind of love meant the strength to get money from their wallets. my grandmother ressited my childish charm. The cycle went on every year, until two major things happened that "changed my life". We didn't put up a Christmas tree anymore. Then, my desire for X-Men and power rangers went away. Basically, I grew up. ^_^.

So, from that point on, I didn't believe in the Christmas tree anymore (I stopped believing in Santa earlier on). I didn't expect anything during the holidays, and whatever monetary gift they would give me, would go straight to my bank account. Then, there came the desire that i shared with most people my age: clothes and gadgets. ^_^

This started around the time when my parents bought me the first digicam (IXUS750), an ipod nano, and I went shopping on my own in Cebu, to buy what else? clothes. *refer to the previous post for some other things*. So, another typical Christmas filled with gifts. The kind of Christmas I liked. ^_^

But what made this yuletide season different? Simple. After 15 years, i finally gave them their first Christmas gift. Personalized plates and mugs. They were happy, and so was I. Giving feels good. It makes people happy. ^_^

So, the point of the post? Nothing much...maybe i share this sentiment with a lot of people out there when i say that I love my family, and they deserve to be happy this Christmas season. For once, that the happiness came from the reciever of the gifts, which, after a lot of years of taking and taking, finally did some giving.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Wishes

Ahem Ahem..permit me to explicitly show how vain i am, just this once. Why? Because I can, and I said so. So there.

So, 'tis the season to indulge in materialistic things again!!!!

I finally got a Canon Digital IXUS 900Ti ! My dad surprised me with this when he got back from Cebu. But, like always, my mom paid for it.

I finally have Havaianas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *does the happy dance*

I am loved!! I am loved!! (pardon the irrational thinking, pagbigyan nalang, Xmas man.)

Kristal gave me Bob Ong during our Christmas party, Exactly what I wished for!! incidentally, Yana and I have the same gift. ^_^

She gave me a goldfish with two tails due for Kris Kringle. ^_^

My beloved seatmate Rea gave me freshly baked macaroons with raisins. Yum yum!

What I got during the party. Kudos to Robin for giving everyone an Erbie Fabian "item". lol.

they also gave me a pair of new Sketchers sneakers! (i'll post the picture later), and the X3 DVD.But, don't get me wrong, these are simply superficialities of what Christmas is about. These are not the determinants of a happy Christmas and a happy home. Luckily, I live in a very very happy home with people who love me since I'm an only child. But, in tune with the yuletide season, my incessant need for clothes and shoes must be upheld. I'm vain, live with it. ^_^

btw, i'm not sure if this is their indirect way of saying "Stay here in Zambo for college and we'll give you what you want". Or they just really love me. Haha, maybe both. I'm not sure. But I really love them no matter what.

Sa may QC: the after party

Ok, so where were we?

Oh yeah, Irwin theatre, blah blah, Shiveena, 3rd best speaker....blahblah.

The real fun happened after the event! After that, all the people staying at the UP Hotel were ferried back via the stupid bus that i ranted about earlier, in one of my previous posts. So, we were boarding, when we saw that there were no more seats left. Goody for us. Shivs, Shai, Camille, Tara and I stayed behind, with Padz and Ma'am Maggie. Most of the night was ours, so we strolled along the campus. It was a sight to see! Then, we stayed for a while outside the Gesu, the places i've been dying to see.

Shit, my camera went empty and i left my other battery at the hotel, so, we just sat and talked. Mitch, Shiv's former teammate, who's studying in AdMU met up with us. After the Gesu, we proceeded to the Jesuit Residence, were we had a little "party" c/o the Jesuit's kitchen staples (kutsinta and Iced tea). But before that, Padz gave us a guided tour around the area. It turns out they were commemorating the 10th death anniversary of Bro. Ritchie Fernando, a Jesuit-something (forgot what you call them at that stage)

>>>continued na!!!!!<<<<<

...yeah, and we saw the little statue of the image of the Lady in Cambodia. Think, those Thai statues with four arms and those inverted-cone shaped crowns, holding a child. :).

THE TITANIC!!!!

Yeah, the Jesuit residence's rooftop (as in the super roof) is called the Titanic. There, we had the BEST, PICTURESQUE view of the Loyola Heights area. The was filled with lights of different colors (haha, ignorante?!), and it illuminated the entirety of the place. It was breathtaking. the only downside to it all was my digicam was empty. Tars, you know my sorrow. It just shows that beauty can't be caught in a camera alone, it has to be savored. There, we munched on kutsinta (kinda reminded me of the Kimlyn's variety they sold near our place in Sta. Maria) and iced tea.

We talked and talked about every random thing. And it lasted for about two hours. Shai needed to go down barefoot since the heels were killing her! Padz's friend agreed to take us back to UP, but now without a sad goodbye from the group. "We'll see each other again", I heard him say. So, after tight hugs from Ma'am Maggie and Padz, we went back to UP.

The. Best. Experience. of. My. Life. I wouldn't trade this for the pair of havaianas from All Flip Flops, which, sadly, i didn't get to buy.

But still, the whole experience, from the "chance passenger thing" to the struggle to pull Shai's ATM card out of the ATM machine to the 2 AM taxi ride to bring Shivs to the airport (She thought we were going with her, but there was a last minute change of plans) to our own bogus,money-making taxi ride experience (c/o the taxi driver) which made us pass by Taguig just to go to NAIA to our own "fun" experience making heads or tails as to where we should check in was...to condense every little thing...

MIND-BOGGLING.

Juan

Happy Feastday to St. John Berchmans, S.J., our class's patron saint.

"John offered the type of the saint who performs ordinary actions with extraordinary perfection. In his purity, obedience, and admirable charity he resembled many religious, but he surpassed them all by his intense love for the rules of his order. "

"If I do not become a saint when I am young", he used to say "I shall never become one".

>>>>i have to get ready, our class will hear the mass at the Sacred Heart Chapel at 11 am. update on that later. (^_^)

Sa may QC: debate recap

After like a month of solitary confinement...i'm finally back. again. So, i'll skip the blah blah and i'll go straight to the point.


AdMu was great!!!!! the IISDC went well. Shivs and I (AdZU A) were the highest breaking provincial team, we broke at 3rd. For those of you who don't know what that means..after debating for seven rounds, at the break night (the night where they announce the teams that will move on to the octofinals), after Miriam and Xavier, we were the third team to break, out of 80+ British Parliamentary teams. This has been the highest rank that AdZU and possibly, Zamboanga, has ever reached. Weeeee!!!
Then, to the octos,and suprisingly, quarterfinals!!!!!! I was ecstatic!!!
Not bad for someone who just started debating last year. haha. Shivs was 3rd best speaker, beating more than a hundred debaters(woah). I was the 27th!!!! on my first national competition!!!


But, we didn't make it to semifinals, but at least we managed to have a day for shopping!!!!




Too bad i'm so beyond pokemon toys (that's treeko and sceptile). a gift shop @ glorietta

(L-R: Camille, Me, Padz (with his killer smile),Tara, Shai, Shivs (my teammate))
Background: Irwin Theatre, the night of the finals.



Ma'am Maggie and I. A petite woman with the heart of a saint (she's studying to be one btw)


early morning boredome. Shot at the UP Hotel lobby

more to come>>>>> "Sa may QC: the after party", "feast day-palooza" and "ipod moments: the countdown begins".