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Holiday Haul!

26 Dec 2009 | By Iris

I grew up in a Christian sect (which shall remain nameless) that staunchly discourages the celebration of Christmas. Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of the holiday - not only now that I've left said sect, but even back in the days when I was quite the active member.

Because of this upbringing, however, I don't see Christmas the way most people do. For one thing, the religious implications are completely lost on me, so I'm not going to go into that. I simply see Christmas as a time for family, friends, great food, and of course, presents.

This year's Christmas is definitely one of the best ones - EVER. I'm thinking it's probably because so many great things happened this year, and everyone in my family just has so many things to be thankful for. Not only that, because most of us work at home, we haven't been obliged to go to this or that party to socialize with people we may or may not like, so our holidays have been spent with the very people we wanted to celebrate with - each other. Most of all, the coming year is going to be a big 'un that'll bring about a spate of huge changes that I can't talk about right now, so I guess thinking about this time next year is making everyone want to make the most of this year's holidays. (Plus, this year saw the return of mum's famous "turbo chicken", a family favorite that we haven't had in at least 5 years!)

And then there are the presents. Everyone in the family gave the best, so we all received the best. No, I didn't get any of the gadgets on my wish list, but I did get a lot of stuff that I wanted and needed.

First, there's the fabulous new bed and mattress that The Husband and I decided to give ourselves as a Christmas present. The bed frame and headboard are made of a soft nubuck, which is really lovely to the touch. It's also Queen-sized, a bit of an upgrade from our old double bed. The thick, firm foam mattress is somewhat recessed with a good half-foot nubuck border/frame around it, so I'm not likely to fall off the bed anymore.

We were actually eyeing it for months at SM's Our Home where they had a camel-colored one on display, but when we finally decided to buy it, it was gone. I nearly burst into tears! Luckily, the salesman told us that there was a chocolate brown one still tucked away in storage, and when he showed it to us, we had it reserved right there and then. I've had zero insomnia since it was delivered a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I don't think I've slept so well in my entire life! It's well worth the $500 price tag!

The Husband and I decided to get the bed because we couldn't decide what to give each other for Christmas. The idea was not to give each other presents anymore, but somehow we ended up getting wrapped presents for each other, anyway. I got him a Casio Edifice chronograph; he got me a Moleskine Daily Planner because I didn't win the giveaway (sniffles). He couldn't find the Moleskine Color-a-Day sort, so he just got me the plain black one because I already had a red Starbucks planner this year. I'm so happy! Moleskines are L-O-V-E.

The rest of this year's haul was quite as impressive. Chin gave me my present earliest: a beautiful notebook made of all native and recycled materials, which is a great addition to my ever increasing notebook collection (yes, I have one!). The best thing about it is that Chin has its twin - isn't that sweet? I wasn't able to take a picture of it, though, because I didn't have Caesar on me that night.

My best friend, Aileen turned up the morning of Christmas Eve with a fabulous Guess? bag - in purple! Now, I'm extremely bag-challenged. I hardly ever buy bags because I usually just take whatever my mum isn't using (she has LOADS), and I would normally use whatever bag I'm currently using until it's worn out beyond recognition. It's nice to have a pretty new bag of my own, for a change.

My uber generous mother surpassed herself this year. The whole month has been a constant stream of surprises from her. I got a pair of jeweled wedges, several fancy Wacoal underwear, a fancy jewelry box, gorgeous white gold hoop earrings, and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. The rest of the family got a ton of really cool stuff from her, too. Our mum is definitely the most awesome one in the world!

From my sister, her darling Mike, and everyone's darling Xabier, I got an extremely cool portable laptop stand and cooler in hot pink. It's totally ergonomic, and I'm working more comfortably now. Octavian is also kept nice and cool at all times, which I'm hoping would prevent heating problems in the future. A week without Octavian is a week too many!

From Tita Pilar, my sister's mother-in-law, I got a beautiful pair of pearl stud earrings, which had me squealing with delight. I love, love, LOVE pearls, but I haven't worn any in years! I gave all my pearl jewelry to mum before I left for Thailand, and I'm just so happy to be wearing pearls again.

Yes, aren't Christmas presents lovely? Why, I love 'em so much that I'd be quite happy getting promotional tote bags!

What about you? What did you get for Christmas?

My Dairy Woes

25 Nov 2009 | By Iris

I have lost the will to live, really I have. All because I think Nestle might have discontinued my favorite milk. And yes, this is a very big deal for me, folks.

You see, I'm an insomniac. And it doesn't help that I normally get hunger pangs just when I'm about to go to bed. In fact, the slightest sign of hunger will keep me awake till kingdom come. On the other hand, eating before bedtime makes me feel so porky that I end up staying awake and obsessing about it all night. Honestly, I can't win either way.

So I drink milk. Lots and lots of milk. And my milk of choice is Nesvita Pro-Weight Management. In fact, I've refused to drink anything else since I discovered it 3 (or was it 4?) years ago - save for the year I spent in Thailand, that is, when I subsisted on that lovely Foremost chocolate milk . . .

But I digress. I love Nesvita Pro-Weight Management because it tastes so good without being sinful. A glass of which only has about half the calories of a glass of 'normal' milk, which means I could drink it anytime I want without feeling guilty.

I drink about 2 or 3 glasses a day, which means a big box usually lasts me about a week or less. That's not a lot, is it? I couldn't have possibly consumed every single box there was in Cebu, could I? Because I cannot find a single box anywhere now. And believe me, I've looked and looked and looked in every grocery, pharmacy, and convenience store I could find every single day for nearly 10 days now.

Out of desperation, I picked up a box of the Pro-Bone variety, hoping that it would allow me to enjoy the same milky goodness that I've come to know and love, but I took one sip and flushed the whole lot down the toilet. I've tried going back to Nido and Birch Tree (the milk brands of my youth), but I only succeeded in eating them the same way that I used to as a child. I've tried various brands and kinds of fresh milk, too - none of which do it for me because I'm a powdered milk kind of gal.

Maybe I should write to Nestle and beg them to bring back my milk. Surely they won't ignore me, right? After all, it's not like I'm demanding an all-expense-paid trip somewhere complete with Myrtle Beach vacation rentals or anything ridiculous like that. I just want my milk, sleep, and my sanity back.

A Plea for Help: If anyone has seen a wayward box of Nesvita Pro-Weight Management, do let me know. Better yet, buy it for me. I'll pay you back, of course, with interest. I haven't had a good night's sleep in 10 days!

Category: Me Likey!, Perspectives, Waterworks Tags: Birch Tree, Cebu, Myrtle Beach, Nestle, Nido Tree, Thailand 2 Comments

A Weight-y Matter Part Trois

30 May 2009 | By Iris

One of the things that I missed most when I moved to Thailand was Filipino food. I absolutely loathed the shit that they tried to pass off for food in that country, and after living there for nearly a year and a half, I've had enough. It was no wonder, then, that the moment I set foot in my own country, I attacked Filipino food like it was going out of fashion.

Months later, I was a good 15 pounds heavier and finding it next to impossible to cut down on food. It didn't help that I worked from home and maintained a largely sedentary lifestyle. With my wedding a month away, I decided to take matters into my own hands and started taking fat burners.

This is what I looked like on my birthday back in March (my arms = ick), a few days before I started 'em pills (and yes, that's Chinese food you're seeing - patatim, anyone?):

This is what I looked like - post pills - on my wedding:

This is what I looked like on vacation with the family a few weeks later - and what I still look like now (I slouch and it's bad, I know!):

Whoever said weight isn't everything has never lost any. It feels good!

Category: Blushing Bride, Perspectives, Thailand Tales Tags: food, on food, Thailand One Comment

Trouble in Thailand: Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

12 Apr 2009 | By Iris

Okay, I haven't really been reading up on Thailand much, so I can't say I'm updated with what's going on thereabouts. Come to think of it, I barely know what's happening in my own country, let alone elsewhere. But I digress.

It's hard not to be the slightest bit curious, though, when the place I called home for nearly a year and half made the headlines yet again. From what I can surmise, the people in red are unhappy that the people in yellow got their way barely 4 (or so) months back, and have decided that two can play that game. After all, if the yellows can do it, why not they?

And so they will demonstrate and riot and maybe take over airports until they get their way. And when they do, it'll be the yellows' turn again. Hmmm . . . does anyone see a pattern here?

Ahhh . . . the Thais never learn, don't they? But then, stupid is as stupid does - no surprise there. Yes, the rest of world can think that we (The Philippines) are pretty bad in the politics department, but, really, we've got nothing on Thailand. Enough said.

On a side note, I hope those tourists unfortunate enough to be there right now have travel insurance. Or, at least, cushy sleeping bags for those hostile airport takeovers that the Thais do best.

Category: Filipinoism, Thailand Tales Tags: Thailand, the Philippines, travel insurance Leave a Comment

The 6 Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy

05 Apr 2009 | By Iris

I've never done tags before. The only tags that I ever get are the ones in Facebook, and I happen to think it's the height of tacky - and a tad too self-centered - to flood my friends' Facebook homepages with the 25 things that make me special, or how I have the personality of a flip-flop. It annoys me to no end when people do this because, really, I (and I suspect the rest of these people's friends list) don't give a flying kahuna if your celebrity twin is Ashley Tisdale because I don't even know who that is!

But I digress. I got my first ever blog tag from Chin a couple of days ago, and this I'm compelled to do because (a) I've been constantly writing about myself here because, well, it is my blog; (b) I'm not forcing this down anyone's throat (or, at least, Facebook homepage) because I figured if you're reading this (and everything else in this blog), you probably wanted to (I imagine); and (c) I have absolutely nothing to write about that's even remotely interesting.

So here's what Chin is making me do this time:

Mention the person who nominated you.
List 6 unimportant things that make you happy.
Tag 6 blogs, state the rules, and notify them with a teeny comment on their blog.

Ladies and gentlemen, without much further ado, here are the six unimportant â€“ and often ridiculous - things that make me deliriously happy:

1. Tattered underwear. You know, the ones with the broken elastics and frayed edges and holes aplenty. I love wearing them at home with little else. I love how I don't feel constricted or uncomfortable, especially now that it's summer. I would even wear them every chance I get when I go out if my outfit will just allow it. Yes, nothing makes me feel light and buoyant all day more than tattered underwear. Save the sexy ones for sexy clothes and sexy moments. They may be more attractive, but only tattered underwear can set you free!

2. Chuckie. Chuckie is not a psycho doll, nor is it a Rugrat. Oh no, Chuckie is anything but that trivial. Chuckie is nectar from the gods, the very liquid from the Fountain of Youth - and all that jazz. Yes, it's none other than the chocolate milk drink of champions.

I've been drinking Chuckie all my life since the days when it was called Chocolait. We always keep a carton or two in the fridge because I just can't be without my Chuckie. Why, I'd go without food, just as long as I have Chuckie. Oh, and I can even sing the Chuckie jingle upon request.

3. The Fiance's Armpits. Okay, I know this is gag-worthy to some - if not all - of my readership, but this is my tag, and I'm inclined to tell the truth. I don't have an armpit fetish or anything - gosh, no! If anything, I've always found armpits best ignored. Somewhere along the way, however, I developed a rather strange, umm, attachment to the man's pits. I will always find reasons to touch 'em and kiss 'em and get under 'em. I better stop right here before I start going into way too much unwelcome detail.

4. Julius Caesar. And yes, I do mean the man, and all the stories of the ancient Roman Republic before it became the Roman Empire and the lesser emperors ran it to the ground. I don't claim to know all about it, but every time I come across a book, or a movie, or even just an article about it, that's it - I will have little attention to spare for anything else. Right now my favorite reads on the subject are the books in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. I'll talk about this in another blog post later, or else I'll never stop.

On a side note, I do believe I have some Julian blood in me. I don't know how that could be possible, but I like to think so anyway. Why else would I always be dreaming of conquering Gaul of the Long-hairs on horseback in gladiator sandals? I've considered that I might be Caesar himself in my past life, which would explain why I like wearing mini skirts. I have also considered that this may just be because I have a thing for European men and have a subconscious need to conquer, rape, and pillage. I like the past life theory better.

5. iStore Fliers. Every couple of weeks or so, I would pay a visit to the iStore in Ayala and ask the guy at the door for the latest Macbook price lists. The prices haven't changed much (if at all), but I'm hoping they'll knock off a zero so I can get me a pretty Macbook Aluminum,. Or perhaps take pity on me and actually hand me one on the condition that I stop wasting their paper. Yes, I do get strange ideas in my head.

6. The Toilet Hose. Growing up in the Philippines, I was quite used to the whole bucket-and-dipper routine when it came to washing up after certain, umm, businesses. When I moved to Thailand, however, I was completely hooked on the toilet hose - you know, the ones that are bolted to conveniently beside the toilet, so one can just reach over and use the nozzle control thingy to wash up to one's heart's content.

After living there for a year and a half, the toilet hose completely spoiled me so that when we moved back to Cebu, I actually suffered a bit of culture shock when I found out that our apartment didn't have one. Furthermore, I no longer had the dexterity required to make the bucket-and-dipper routine work. So after much searching and loads of whining, The Fiance eventually installed a toilet hose for me - and we all lived happily ever after.

Now the hard part - tagging six other people. Truth be told, I'm mostly a lurker in other people's blogs because I'm shy (believe it or not), so I don't really have a lot of blogger friends. I'm just going to play it safe and tag people I know, or at least, exchanged comments with.

Kaye, Jen, Lara, Kessa, Mikes, and Lio - tag, you're it!