Flashback Fridays: The Holidays

As promised, my second post for FF today! :D

------------ o --------------

The recent holidays had been awesome so I'm not letting go of this second chance to share it with you. I have to summarize though, and focus on the parts I loved best. Now, let's get this going.

If I have to describe Christmas 2010 in one word, it'd be FABULOUS. You know how much of a stage sister I am so just imagine how giddy I was while looking at them all dolled up! I don't know what got into their head that they decided to wear lovely dresses and kick-ass heels like real women. I heart!

2nd of 6: Minette Faye, 15. Hmmmm.. Could it be the shoes? She looks like a rock princess to me and I loved it.

3rd of 6: Meriel Louise, 13 years old. Her style: Pretty and Poised. It's sooo her! :)

4th of 6: Micah Miguela, 11. Pink and black combo never goes wrong. She looked so dainty, and the balloon skirt kept the carefree personality.

5th of 6: Mariah Junie, 9. Her statement: Young and beautiful. She carried such a simple dress so well!

How about Haley, you ask? Well she likes pants, so we got her a cute and colorful pants-and-blouse terno.

Our Bunso, Mikayla Haley, charming as ever in a Dora the Explorer ensemble.

As for me, I didn't put much effort dressing up. Christmas is for kids anyway. But I love the bold print of my shirt so it's still worth posting :D

I should always do this pose. I look kinda slimmer. Hahaha. Oh, the sandals is nice too. If you wanna them, they're here.

And since I've already showed you my siblings, why not include a family picture narin? :)

If I ever get to be asked about one thing in my life that I'm proud of, I can answer in a heartbeat. My family :)
Photo taken after the Christmas Mass at Malate Church.

Now, this post is entitled The Holidays (with an s) for a reason. New Year's Day is next! :)

I think I've mentioned in a post or two that we live with our extended family, Tita Antin and Nanay Letty. And ever since I can remember, we celebrate the New Year with them, with Tita providing everything in the table during Media Noche. But this year is different. They spent it with another aunt's family in Cavite so we had the house all to ourselves. That also means I stepped up with my cooking skills and prepared the banquet.

We had Carbonara, Graham Cake, ham, hotdogs, bacon, tuna sandwich, ube halaya, puto-kutsinta and hot chocolate. Not bad, right? :)

Twas also my first time to follow the superstition about 12 round fruits. They say it's for 12 months of good luck. Let's see :)

J brought me this from Marikina and it has become a personal favorite. If you are into kakanin, I swear you'll love this. Ooops, free advertisement right there! Haha.

And of course, the obligatory family shot.
Thanks to my ever reliable camera's self-timer :)

I enjoyed this year's celebration. It was just the 8 of us, the easy-to-cook meal, the firecrackers in the background and the hope that 2011 will be a blessed year for our family of 8 and our other loved-ones as well :D

Oooooh, speaking of loved-ones, let me end this with a picture of me and the person who completes my holidays! :)

Mind sharing with me how your holidays went? :D

12.11.10 is my Lucky Day!

I know I've been on blogging hiatus (again!) for 2 weeks and haven't even explained why I'm gone but I am just so happy that I felt the need to blog!

Even before publishing my Christmas wishlist, I was able to tick an item off the list!

Photo courtesy here

Yes friends, call me lucky because I won an iPod Touch 32gb in the office Christmas Party raffle! :)

A shot right after I got back from the stage to get my voucher.

Will be claiming the item on Monday at the office :-)

Since I was a kid, I have this luck in raffle draws but this by far is the best prize that I've gotten. I remember getting something as cheap as a glass set in Grade 1, a backpack in college, a 500php-worth Ayale eGC in my team's party last week, and now a gadget that I've been wanting to have!

Thank heavens for this blessing (and Mom and Haley and Jhay who I made kulit to pray that I win :P) and thanks to Headstrong too! Now I can say Merry Christmas! :)

Today It's Official

It's Christmas at home!!! ^_^

Oooops, sorry I got carried away. It's been years since we last put up a Christmas tree here at home that's why I was very much enthused as we assembled it again this morning. I was suddenly nostalgic while hanging the ornaments. I remembered how I posed by the tree every single Christmas morning. And I unearthed pictures to share with you:

I was amused looking at how I was all dolled up - complete with headband and stockings and a girly-girl bag. But what amused me all the more was that it was the same tree through the years! After two decades, it still stands mighty proud, look:

Tomorrow we'll be adding Christmas lights to complete it. With decorations all around the house, I can already feel the spirit of the season.

Next target: Shop for gifts to wrap and put underneath the tree! :D

A Quick Trip to Divisoria

Haley will be turning two in a week and being the stage sister that I am, I woke up early yesterday to go to Divisoria to buy stuff for her loot bag. Sure Jollibee (that's where she wants her birthday celebrated... choosy little girl! haha) can provide those but their standard loot costs 25 pesos with not-so-good items while that amount will already go a long way in DV. I made it a point to get there before 9AM because the place gets too hot and crowded when it's late especially since the holidays are around the corner. By the way, I tagged Tita Antin along and she obliged because she wanted to scout for new Christmas decors pala.

With loot bag goodies and decors on top of our list, we went to Divisoria Mall first. DV Mall is a shopping arcade where you can buy almost everything - from clothes to accessories, school supplies to party favors, gift items to electronics - albeit (a lot) cheaper if wholesale. We roamed around for a while to look for the store with the lowest price. Here are what we got:

Cute transparent drawstring pouches at 6php/pc.

This will serve as Haley's loot bag.

 Dora and Toy Story towelettes. 80php per pack of 12.

Wall decor that's worth 100php in other stores but we got it for 70php.

Assorted Christmas tree ornaments for 10php per pack if wholesale.

We got two packs per design to meet the minimum wholesale requirement of 6.

Retail price is Php15. Big difference, no?

Afterwards, we went to the wet market at the mall's basement. There you can find candies and other treats (although I'm not really sure if they're clean and safe), cheap toys and our prospect: bubbles! Haley loves them!

Bubble solutions in a toy cellphone container at 8php/pc.

They come in different sizes and colors.

Next, we walked along Tabora Street. Here is where you can find affordable made-to-order souvenirs for your events, more Christmas decors and other specialty shops (costumes, masks, etc). I was in pursuit of lei to complete my Christmas Party look, and I was successful :)

 Lei at 50php.

Tita also bought a couple more decors there:

 Sparkly Banners - originally at 50php each but we got it at 40php

 Christmas balls at 35php per pack of 6.

Then we passed by M. De Santos Street where we were able to buy garlands for 25php (they're sold at 35php along Tabora Street). This is also where I found towelettes same as those that I bought in Divi Mall, with a variety of designs to chose from, for only 5php each. That makes 2 dozens 40 pesos cheaper! :(

It's your usual Christmas garland, I just formed it into a heart for the picture. Hahaha.

Lastly, we wandered in Ylaya - a street full of clothes, clothes and more clothes - in search of skirts for sissies. Sadly though, we didn't find one that suits our taste so I ended up buying Ang Pao instead.

 Red envelopes to put my aguinaldo for godchildren in :)

Finally, after about 3 hours of bargain shopping, we decided to go home. We were able to buy what we need but we promised to be back to tick more items off our Christmas list.

For those who want to spread the love this Yuletide but are on a budget, Divisoria surely is the place to be!

Some tips when going to Divi Land:

1. Christmas is super peak season for Divisoria so if your schedule permits, go on a weekday. Going there when most of the shopping public are busy in the office will save you a lot of headache.
2. Dress down and always keep a towel or hanky handy. Also, if possible, wear no jewelry at all. Crooks shop too, so be vigilant.
3. Bring a big plastic bag, or better yet, a reusable (and again, big) shopping bag because it's more convenient than wandering with a lot of small ones.
4. Do not settle for the one you see first. Chances are, the next one you see is cheaper and better *ouch!*
5. Scrutinize the items you buy. Watch out for defective parts or missing pieces.
6. Haggle. Most vendors will say it's already their wholesale price but it's worth a try. The few pesos you save in one purchase can be good for another one. You're in DV, remember? ;-)

Happy Shopping, everyone! :)