Insightful, Hopeful

Yesterday, December 30, 2005, we attended our reunion at Cavite with the clan on my father side. Most of my relatives live in Cavite and we're the only ones living in Manila so we don't get to see them often. We have been having reunions after Christmas since I was small. But even though our grandparents, an aunt and uncle have passed away, we still continued this tradition.
The hosts were my 2 cousins who are both extroverts. My other cousin told the love story of my grandparents as well as each of the siblings of my father, and the love story of my parents. It was wonderful to hear these stories, as most of us heard it for the first time. Some were funny, others romantic. It made me realize, that yes, my parents, aunts and uncles did go through teenage to young adult stage and had "kilig" moments too. It's just that when I was younger, I saw them as people who were just disciplinarians, old people, gift givers. Now I realize, everyone goes through the same stage of life, only the scenarios are different.
We also had some games, for juniors (0-10 years old), young adults (single people), young couples and elders. Some of the games were really funny, like the tomato catching, newspaper dance, and tomato cheek-to-cheek dance. There was also a lot of singing, as we rented a videoke. Our clan really enjoys music and most are good singers too.
I also had a chance to chat with my cousins. I guess this was the happiest reunion for me. Maybe because before, I didn't get to mingle much with my relatives since I didn't feel that close to them, seeing them only once or twice a year. It's also now that some cousins are showing their wacky side. Before, most of us were shy. Now, perhaps we are more confident with ourselves and more matured as individuals.
On our way home, our family realized that we won in all categories in the games. My brother was also listening to Magic 89.9, and I suddenly had the idea to request a song, and at the same time greet my family on the radio. I asked my bro for a song request, and texted it with the greeting. I was quite nervous (weird me) that my message won't be read on air.
I am not really a radio person, more of a TV one. The last time I remembered hearing a message of mine was when I was in 2nd year high school and I greeted my friends back then. I also had a love advice read on air back when pager was the "in" thing and text messages were unheard of. It was funny coz I guess I was too young then and didn't know much about love (not that I know about it very much, it's a very complicated thing).
Anyway, my greeting was read on air, and my brother's request was played so I was very happy.
We were also planning on watching the pyro olympics on Macapagal Avenue, but the tollgate was very much traffic-stricken so we had to content ourselves to a very far view at Coastal Road. We still enjoyed the fireworks though it appeared so small from where we were watching. We learned later that the one we watched was the firework display of the Philippines, the finale for the Pyro Olympics though it was not part of the competition.
It was a fun day for me, a fitting ending for 2005.

This Christmas, I requested cds from my sis as gifts. These are: "Eraserheads Anthology" and "Rivermaya the Greatest Hits". An added bonus was a gift from my friend Rai, who is a certified E-heads fan. His gift was the cd "UltraElectroMagneticJam: Music of the Eraserheads" which features rendition of Eraserhead songs by current popular bands and other artists.

Since I did not have to go to work this holiday after Christmas up to New Year, because we offset the working days on previous holidays, I listened to these cds. I really missed the music of the Eraserheads especially songs from their first album, "Pare Ko" and "Ligaya". I owned a casette tape of "UltraElectroMagneticPop", their first album, but unfortunately someone borrowed it and did not return it :( I also discovered other hits which I did not get to listen to before like "Hard to Believe" and "Huwag kang Matakot" which I really liked.
As for the album "UltraElectroMagneticJam", it was nice listening to different renditions of their songs. Even though it was sung by different artists, it did sound good meaning the songs really are good. But of course, Ely's rendition would always be unique since he wrote most of the songs. My favorites from this album are "With a Smile" by Southborder, and "Huwag Mo nang Itanong" by MYMP. I am quite biased since I like these bands, but it really did give a different flavor to the songs.
I also found out that the Eraserheads yahoogroup is very much active. I guess too many people are nostalgic of this great band of the 90s.

While listening to Rivermaya's greatest hits cd (not the 2006 edition), I suddenly missed Bamboo's voice. I also have the 2006 edition that I bought myself as a Christmas gift, but I have not listened to it. I might buy Bamboo's album if I do have extra money.

Summing up, I think OPM rocks. Though I wrote of bands of the past (Rivermaya's still alive though sans Bamboo), it's great OPM is alive once again with new bands and rising stars. Let's all support our artists. Tangkilikin ang sariling atin. :)

It is the month of December, and Christmas is just a few days ahead. Finally, I can feel that it is indeed near as shopping malls get crammed and the air gets misty. Outside, it is a few degrees lower than usual, but just right for the "tropic-skinned" Pinoys.

My sister and I are excited, because we have bought Christmas gifts. And as she said, it is the first time she has her gifts prepared early for Christmas.

My first days of December have been exciting, as everyday there is something eventful. Well not really, but being a homebody, it is quite special for me when I go out especially if it is for consecutive days. Most of it was spent watching movies. But to make it more detailed, here's what's been happening so far:

December 1:

Went with fellow SFC members to WOW Philippines site in Intramuros. It was the last day of the presentation from Region 8 - Western Samar region, home of the Warays. The same bazaar and presentation is present in the Clamshell (name of the structure housing the bazaar and stage). What surprised me is the presence of prominent tv personalities like Boy Abunda, who hosted the show; Kay Brosas - singer and commedianne; Nanette Inventor - singer, commedianne and stage actress; and Manilyn Reynes - a popular teen icon in the 1980s. A bonus was dance numbers from Powerdance, the dance group of Douglas Nierras. The dance moves were awesome, and breathtaking as well. The best part is I get to watch it all for free. :)

I also got to shop for native bags. Got some discounts since it was the last day of the bazaar. I thought it was also a great way to help fellow Filipinos, that is to buy Filipino products. It would help boost our economy too.

December 2:

I watched an award-winning movie with my sister-in-law. The movie is "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros", and penned by the same person who wrote "Magnifico" - Michiko Yamamoto. It is about a gay teen, or rather tween (coz he/she is only twelve). It is a light comedy with a bit of drama. Most of the scenes were shot in a slum area somewhere in Manila, near Nagtahan Bridge. The movie showed the bad and good sides of Filipinos. But of course, the story's main theme was how Maximo was awakened to the realities of life.

December 3 and 4:

Weekends were spent with family and I had some bonding moments with my nephews and nieces again. We watched "Chicken Little", which is really funny. It had spoofs of scenes from different movies. I learned a lesson too, to stick to what you believe if you know that it is true, and to have faith in one's capabilities. Very insightful indeed hehe

I took care of my 7-month old nephew again who can now utter simple words like "papa", and would imitate you when you say "aaahhhh". I played basketball on PS2 but I was not so good this time because the controls used in NBA Live are different from ESPN 2K5. I also got to sing videoke with my niece :)

We went to the 9 am mass at SM Centerpoint and saw some of our relatives too. We have not gone here for a long time to hear mass, and I kinda missed that because it was a good bonding moment for the family. I also got to paint! It was just a ceramic piece which you had to buy at a store named "Let's Paint", then they would provide the watercolor. The kids were trying it and I wanted to try it too, so I chose a more sophisticated piece, one with fishes but it turned out to be harder than I thought. This was my finished product, but the guy at the shop had it retouched and it looked better, but different from the draft.

December 5:

I had lunch with one of my closest friends from high school, Aura Lee. Her office is just a few blocks away from me so I have lunch with her once in a while especially when I don't bring home-cooked lunch. I always enjoy chatting with her even for just an hour or less. She is one of those people who I can say has been with me through the years :)

December 6:

Break. I stayed home and listen to instrumental CDs produced by Reader's Digest, which I lent to my officemate.

December 7:

At last, the unmatched assembly version problem in the office was finally solved. This caused me some anxiety for a while because it was a small but unsolvable problem. The solution turned out to be so simple. Thank God it's over! :D

I climb up to the 6th floor because only one elevator was working due to power outage. Surprisingly, I was not too tired. Perhaps my walking exercises are paying off, or the virgin coconut oil is doing wonders for me. After the excruciating climb, some officemates vowed to use the stairs everyday to lose weight.

My sister and I watched "Just Like Heaven" starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. It is a romantic comedy and a must-see for hopeless romantics. The theme is quite unique, in the sense, that the girl is not-quite-dead. I don't wanna give more details, just that Reese is a very effective comedianne, and Mark is good-looking.

Well that's all for now, folks.
Happy Holidays. I'm signing off. Gonna get some sleep. :)