With the advent of technology, postal mail service nowadays seem to be scarce, if not about to reach the state of extinction. For sure everyone has been enjoying the convenience of sending e-cards for the holidays over cyberspace; no fuss waiting for three to ten days as you can easily receive one within minutes.

So, imagine my dumbfounded-slash-surprised look when I found this one sitting just above the TV set this afternoon. A belated card for Christmas from my aunts living in Canada.

Mr. Postman, thank you for taking time to deliver this mail to our doorstep. Your efforts despite the holiday rush is very well appreciated. While cyberspace E-cards are more convenient, nothing still beats a personal note like this.

Yesterday, just before the official holiday break, I got to join my team mates for our after shift Christmas party. It was a typical one except we had it at the early hours of the day (who parties at 6:30 am, right?). After logging off from our Cisco phones, off we go to Rufo's Tapa first (though I came there last because I waited for my seatmate Tish to finish her after call work) and it was one hearty breakfast -- with yummy food and lots of laughs.

I was able to fulfill my "baby's" wish on what she wanted, but I also got my own share of unexpected astonishment as my office mate Chin A. surprised me with this:


At first, it never dawned on me what the gift was. But as she handed me the envelope, lo and behold in its yellow glory in front of me were not just one but three Starbucks gift certificates. My teammates actually got surprised because the said gift made me scream (all right, just a bit). Talk about being shallow, I actually included a Starbucks day in this post and shrugged the whole thing off after writing it. When the morning of the 21st came, Chin passed by my station with those strips of paper asking each of us at least three things that we want on our wish list. But because the list was needed by 5:30 am and I was busy with after call work, I just scribbled there a GC, a teddy bear and a DVD of Up!

While I wanted any of the tree things, days before the party I was silently wishing that I'd get the GC. So imagine the giddy excitement when I really got my wish.

Another teammate commented saying that my wish was actually easy to find. Actually, that's among the reasons why I wanted just this stuff -- I don't want to give my secret Santa further inconvenience in scouting for the gifts, given our schedules. The second, there is actually a special purpose and reason for this gift. But I'll have that reason for me to keep. All I know is that some wishes, do really come true -- and that's for real!

Last Friday, I attended the office Christmas party held at Metro Concert Bar in West Avenue. And actually, it's one event that to me has a lot of "firsts".


I know I still haven't evolved in the subject of "outfits", I still remain in the usual semi-formal if not smart casuals. But anyway like what I mentioned, an event of firsts, this is actually my first time to really attend a Christmas party as a full-time employee. I was a bit hesitant to attend days prior to the event. But with mom urging me to go, telling me that I need some "real" social life (read: meet people without using Facebook and go out), I decided to give in. And that's despite not getting sleep. This is me with my best friend Apple.



It was also my first time to go bar hopping and party till the wee hours ( I know Cinderella has a curfew of 12 midnight but for this purpose, the fairy godmother extended the curfew to 2 am and I think I knew the reason why :-p). And while bars and partying also spell overflowing mugs of beer, I'm proud to say that I was able to come home whole and without the hangover. That's because I still gave an adamant decision to not drink at all. And another thing I realized, the term "wallflower" is not exclusive to the ladies, because during the party, I found out that the term applies to guys too.

Over all, the party was fun. The entertainment was great as our bosses showed their talents and we staged our version of Pilipinas Got Talent too complete with generous prizes. And by generous, the company also raffled cool gadgets to the employees. And while I did not win any of those, the experience was all that it took for me to enjoy the whole night. Thank you Jam Castro Mamaril for the photos and for the great company with your team.

It's Christmas in less than a week. Parties are everywhere (I just attended one last night) and shoppers had started flocking the malls for gifts. As for me, I haven't made any trips to the mall for my presents except for the one I purchased for the office party.














Starbucks Java chip Frappuccino. The last time I had this was during a lunch date with my former editor-in-chief for Highlights. I'm not really a coffee house patron as I'm conscious with their prices (one tall size is already equivalent to the price of three litters of gasoline) but I guess one-time indulgence won't hurt.






Enough of being cheesy. Now, will you be my secret Santa?

I know that I am supposed to be in bed right this moment after eight hours of being at work. However, there are two things right now that has been keeping my mind far from being rested. It's a mind that's full of questions more than anything else.

At the start of the week, I chanced up with my former editor-in-chief who, after exchanging a few hi's and hellos with me over YM, broke a news that has kept my heart a bit blue -- this quarter's magazine issue might be the last release. While she got to answer a few of the why's that I had, I cannot disclose everything. All I knew was there was this wandering thought inside and a little of that sadness knowing that the place where I got "the break that I wanted" in my writing career would eventually bid bye-bye soon.

And just when I thought that's all, yesterday evening, I woke to the news that again, flooded my mind both with questions and frustrations. Hearing the acquittal of Vizconde massacre suspects and seeing a devastated father and widower, I can't help but shed a tear of disgust and disappointment too. Why not, for one, I practically and literally grew up hearing all about a crime that jolted a nation. I was just seven then, almost the same as the youngest victim when it made the front page of newspapers. And yet, whenever years pass without a trace, I was among those who are also thinking how it would eventually end. As the verdict was released and reported yesterday, I can't help myself from having this huge feeling of disappointment and disgust. Until now, I can't help but think that for 19 years, there was someone who was trying to live his life day-to-day alone by himself when he should be spending his old age happily with his family. That there was a man who, for almost two decades, decided not to celebrate Christmas as he kept searching for justice. With the hope that in due time, it will be righteously served -- only to reach this point, that after years and decades, things would just end to a futile endeavor.

And as I read the newspaper today, I find it hard to believe that one would dare to remark, "now, he (Mr. Vizconde) is free to find the real killers of his family." The nerve of that person to say that to someone who is already in his old age.

While I feel so disheartened, part of me is saying that, something is undoubtedly wrong in our (judiciary) system. Not just wrong but undoubtedly and terribly wrong.

It's another Sunday and likewise, today's another work-free (or should I say training-free) day for me. Back home, my PC still isn't working, thus I am tinkering this from another location. I am hoping that it will be functional once I get home later, after my brother, J decided to have it repaired by someone else (I can't find an IT expert do it anyway).

So, what is new? Save aside the internet-less life at home,( but thanks to the computer kiosk we have at the office, I am still able to check out my updates on Facebook during lunch breaks at 2:30 am), I am doing fine with it. Just before the week ended, I was able to catch Richard Poon perform at the venue just ten minutes from the office. I am now on my fourth training week at work (if I am not mistaken) and my body was able to adapt with the 10pm-7am schedule which has been running for that duration. Some people though find it weird that we call our recess at 2:30 am as lunch break. I've been so used to it, I was able to beat Mercury Drug with their slogan Gising 24 Oras -- because yesterday I was up for like 26 straight hours.

I made it that way because lately, I have been sleeping in excess especially during weekends, like up to 13 hours like I've been on a sleeping marathon. I used the whole Saturday for errands including a consultation with the doctor to have my grandmother's tests interpreted since she can't make it, her being 90 years old.

The afternoon was spent with me checking out Sta. Lucia East mall to scout for the ideal unisex gift for the company's Christmas Party on Friday. I luckily found one and just before lunch today, I already had it wrapped complete with a bow.

I am also catching up with the other things, from browsing the newspapers to watching TV. My grandmother and I share the same sentiment when she remarked that it's been a long time since she had seen newspapers, broadsheets in particular, at home (thank you Jollibee for that complimentary copy of Philippine Star this morning).

Tonight, I am off to catch the episode A Very Glee Christmas of the TV show Glee. I'm quite in an LSS mode with one of the songs they performed, and I'm actually playing it right now.

If there's one more thing people look forward to when it speaks of the holidays, it's the gifts for the never-ending Christmas parties. I'm sure people will agree that on occasions like this, some money is allocated to something wrapped with a bow on top.

I am one of those people. As of this writing, I am on the lookout Googling for unisex Christmas gifts that are not limited to Starbucks or bookstore gift certificates. Just over the weekend at the end of my shift from work, my best friend Apple and I dropped by this store named Clipper in Ever Gotesco Ortigas. The finds are actually fun and unique. I was able to locate a branch of the said store in Sta. Lucia East yesterday and I might purchase one of the items in the said store. Although, I am still hoping to try other alternatives like scouting the tiangge and Christmas bazaars for other items. I even thought of making a gift by myself.

If you do have suggestions for unisex Christmas gifts, please drop me a comment, because right now, I still haven't thought of what to get yet.


photo courtesy of Google.