The trip back may be horrible, but it was the best holiday yet :)

I apologize if my last post gave off a somewhat negative vibe.  I'm probably having post-vacation blues.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss waking up to the cool Tagaytay air -- ang init kasi dito parang hindi dumaan ang Pasko.  Yep, I'm definitely having post-vacation blues.

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December 16, 2010 at Suvarnabhumi airport on our way to Manila.

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On our way to NAIA2 the other day, Aly said that she's only excited when we're going to the Philippines; she's never excited about the trip back.  So true, babe.  So true.

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The trip back was terrible!  The airport was super packed!  There was a computer glitch of some sort so the lines were super long.  We actually had to spend a few minutes outside because they were not letting anyone in.  Good thing we arrived early.  Come to think of it, the computer glitch and the long lines were also good in a way because they didn't charge us for excess baggage.  Heehee!  My carry-on was 10 kilos -- 3 kilos overweight, but the attendant didn't mind at all.  I guess with the lines growing longer and tempers getting shorter, the last thing that they needed were the delays caused by issues with excess baggage.  

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I've never seen NAIA2 with that much people.  I thought since we were flying on a Wednesday, there won't be too many people at the airport. Wrong!

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So wrong, that I wish I did not wear my Michael Kors that day. Btw, thanks mom + dad for the shoes!  I super love them!  Because of the MK shoes, I had to give up some duty free shopping because I really had to sit and rest my feet.  

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It probably wouldn't happen if I wore wedges like I did on our way to Manila.

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Pero in fairness, my MK are the most comfortable shoes ever!  They may be super high, but they are really very comfy.  Swear!  But no matter how comfy, I guess your feet will start to hurt a litlle especially after 2 hours of standing and walking.  

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It seemed like the longest trip ever.  We were really tired by the time we boarded the plane.  What made the trip worse was we were seated behind this family of foreigners with annoying kids who kept arguing and talking loudly.  I wanted to pull the mom's hair (only because it was too long and curly and frizzy that it was spilling over to our side) so she can at least tell her kids not to recline their seats too much because we didn't have much leg room left.  Then again it would be useless because the mom lacked in good manners herself.  We were exhausted by the time we got home.

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Anyhoo, enough with the negativity -- sorry, I just had to let it all out!  Like I said, the trip back may be horrible, but it was the best holiday yet!  I think this was the most sulit trip ever because aside from the usual stuff that we do every year,  there were also some new happenings that hopefully, will become new traditions as well.  Here's our holiday in a nutshell.

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Dinner with my family at Racks Sta. Rosa.

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Annual Manalo Family Christmas party.

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Another tradition, Christmas dinner with the nyoras.

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We also never miss my cousin Kokoy's birthday.

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Lunch with my in-laws before leaving for Bangkok.

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Something new: our nephew Eli's baptism.

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My bestfriend Ria's wedding.

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My godsister Abby's wedding.

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Something special: bidding my good friend, Fides, farewell before she set off on her new life in the USA.

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Reunion with the friends/cousins that I grew up with in Bagumbayan.

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Dinner with my gorgeous DLSU friends.

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Dessert and coffee with my super kumare/Belgian beauty Dy and my inaanak Audrae who were also in Manila for the holidays.

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Aahhh...those were good times indeed!  These are just from my Lumix.  I have more from my Canon camera.  I promise to post more photos and kwentos about our super holiday.  Meanwhile, let me end this post with my happy thought:

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Dinner with my family at LZM (they have the best boneless bangus everr!).  Gosh, I miss them so! (my family, not the bangus.  Heehee!)

Gifts

Christmas party with Highlands friends in 2008: getting gigil with the big*ss Toblerone that I got in the exchange gift.

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I love presents! I love receiving them, but not as much as I love giving them.  I take gift-giving seriously and I savor the entire process: making the list, purchasing, wrapping and handing them over to the recipient.  I have to admit that the first three steps can be quite stressful at times, but seeing their reaction always, ALWAYS, makes everything worthwhile and I'm glad I caught some of them on cam.

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My SIL Lani's birthday in 2008.  We gave her a digicam.

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My sister Angel, Christmas 2008.  We gave her a Billabong backpack for everyday use.

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My brother Jof just woke up, but he had a big smile on when he saw the paper bag.

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My brother Mick always wanted a Mick Jagger shirt and I found the perfect one for him.  Glad that he liked it too!

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Still on Christmas 2008: mom's reaction when she opened her gift.  We gave her a peppermill which stands proudly in her kitchen.

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Dad tried on his shirt right away.  Woot woot!

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My MIL, mama Lilia, loving her new Lacoste shirt.

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A pleasant surprise for ate Gelyn, my mom's helper.

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Christmas 2009: Aly opening her gift from mommy -- Polly Pocket set.

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And her gift from daddy -- Barbie table set.  Happy girl!

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Christmas 2009: dad with his gift from mom -- a Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite Brooklyn MM.

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Aly opening her gift from lola Aple and lolo Bernie: a Barbie house.

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Speaking of gifts, I am so glad that I'm finally done with my Christmas shopping!  I told the hubby last night that starting today, I refuse to do any more shopping because I want to be relaxed in the days to come (we'll be flying to Manila for the holidays soon!).  Yeah, right!  Less than 24 hours since I said that and I'm already making plans to buy new make up.  Haha!  

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The pile of stuff that we bought in the past couple of weeks.  Most of these stuff are bilin from family members back home.  Everytime I see this pile, I get kinda nervous because I don't know if I have enough room in our luggage for these + three-weeks worth of clothes.  Yikes!

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Gifts for Aly's classmates all wrapped and ready to go!  She can't wait to bring them to school.  Heehee!

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We're also done shopping for gifts for each other.

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Aly with her gifts from mom and dad.  Yes, they're all hers!  Richard and I always try to make Christmas extra special for our little girl.  She deserves it because she's been really good.  I also love how most of the stuff on her wish list are books so we got most of her gifts from Kinokuniya (the ones with the red wrapper beside her).

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Richard's gift: a Suunto Vector.  It looks so sexy on his wrist :)  I love!

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And for me...well, it's waiting for me in Manila (ordered it from my ninang Penny a couple of weeks back) and I'm going to place it here:

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...on my ears :)  I can't wait!  Thanks in advance, sweetie :)

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Happy holidays!

Christmas Shopping

One thing I love about living in Bangkok is the absence of the ker-razy Christmas shopping rush.  It doesn't hurt too that they have big sales by the end of November.  The only problem that I have to deal with is I have to finish shopping by the first week of December before we leave for Manila.

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We spent the weekend doing Christmas shopping for family and friends back home and I'm proud to say that we are 95% done :)  I am also happy that this year, we decided to do it as a family.  I did most of the shopping myself last year.  I can't say that I didn't enjoy it (y'all know how I love shopping), but it's really more fun and decision-making is a lot easier with the hubby and daughter around.

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Yesterday at Paragon, with Santa and the little elf.  Heehee!

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It's going to be a blue Christmas :)

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Gap is pretty new in the Bangkok shopping scene (they opened only last year, I think) and for some reason, I'm kinda loving it.  I find myself visiting their store almost every week, but I'm putting myself on a self-imposed shopping ban  for the rest of year because I've been a bit naughty.  Heehee!  Anyhoo, the kids section is nakakagigil with their yummy colors!  I always find myself buying something for Aly whenever I go there.  I also love how their stuff is cheaper than Zara Kids.  

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So we went there yesterday, completed our Christmas shopping and got myself a treat.

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A new bag!  Woot woot!

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The best part is, I got this bag for free!  Yipee!  They have a promo at the Gap where you'll get a free bag for a certain amount of purchase.  I got two and I'm giving the other one to my sister.

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We're down to the last two days of November and it will be Christmas soon!  I can't wait!  I love Christmas!

The Valdez Christmas Tree Over the Years

2007: Our first tree at our home in Sta. Rosa.  Aly was so bulinggit back then.

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2008: Our first tree at our home in Bangkok.

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A small magenta tree that doesn't go with anything in the house so it totally stands out.  But that's exactly how I wanted it.

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2009: I added two more.

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I love the vibrant colors!

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This year, I added yet another one.

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So we now have four: red, white, green and magenta :)

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This year, I wanted to go overboard with the trimmings for a more stariray look  so I added handmade decor to the store-bought ones.  I also wanted the decorations to pop so I used contrasting colors.  Here's a closer look:

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For the red tree, I used two shades of green: emerald and lime.  The tree is actually a deep shade of red.  I added crystals to the tree to make it sparkle.  I would have wanted to make more crystal strands, but it's a lot of work and my wrists began to hurt.

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I initially wanted purple (my favorite color!) for the white tree, but I didn't see a lot of purple decor so I went for two shades of blue (Richard's favorite): aqua and dark blue.

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Our white tree also has crystals (which I DIY'd), small disco balls (mirror balls) and clear balls.  I love this tree!

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Our neon green tree has magenta and a bit of purple and white.  I found an old faux pearl necklace, took it apart, strung the beads on thin wire and hung them on the tree.

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The magenta tree has silver and white trimmings.  The white garlands that you see are actually sold as a necklace but I thought they would look good on our tree.  And those disco balls...they totally rock!  I really love them.  I wish I bought more.  This tree has clear balls as well.

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Now this red thing is a leftover of what was supposed to be a Christmas decor in itself.  But, what I did was, I took them apart; cut the balls one by one and twisted them on the trees.  I got them in different colors depending of the motif of the tree.  It was a painstaking process that left my hands red and calloused -- in spite of using pliers.  But it was all worth it and for my hardwork, I rewarded myself with a mani-pedi.  Heehee! 

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TIPS: 

• Sometimes, you need not look at the household section for the perfect Christmas decor. I found some of them at the accessories section!  
• And if you've got the time, making the trimmings yourself is cheaper and more rewarding than getting ready-made ones.  There are tons of resources on the internet for inspiration.  
• Always, ALWAYS get the little ones involved with the Christmas preps.  Aly was in charge of putting the trimmings on our trees.  I just made a few minor adjustments.  It is, after all, for the children.

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Christmas is definitely in the house!