Category: Home and Living

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My Wait for Christmas Bonus Starts Now

Catching a glimpse of my wallet this morning, thoughts of receiving Christmas bonuses from various sources flooded my mind. At work, we normally get our 13th month pay in November and the extra bonus in December, a few days before Christmas. I’m happy to know that this year, I’m not the only one receiving a bonus in our family. My brother D, who works as a teacher in a private Chinese school, is getting his share, too!

Have you started shopping for Christmas presents? Me, not yet. But I think I might join my brother in going to Divisoria soon to shop at the popular night market there. I miss shopping with him. Unlike other guys that dread shopping places, my brother enjoys shopping as much as I do. Shopping is actually a great bonding activity for us.

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Back to Normal

Back to normal, I’d like to think that’s the state of things today. Yesterday was chaotic. Typhoon Pedring (international name: Nesat) battered Manila and several provinces with gusty winds and rainfall. It was actually more wind than rain. I swear, I could hear the whistles and howls of the winds from our windows. It was scary. It didn’t help that we had no power the entire day. It was a good thing work and classes were suspended.

I was at home with my two siblings all day. My mom, dad and sister N braved the typhoon and joined a few relatives in going to the wake of my aunt in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. They planned to attend the last night of her wake and the burial service scheduled this morning. They arrived in the town last night, but not before getting stranded at a zig-zaggy road leading to my aunt’s house. The water from the river went above the bridge they were about to cross. They had to wait for a few hours for the flood waters to subside. I kept calling my mom to check on their well-being and I was extremely relieved when I got a text from her informing that they finally reached their destination.

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A Mini-Reunion

It’s sad that in our little clan, we only get to see everybody during two occasions: weddings and funerals. My aunt (on my father’s side) died of heart attack yesterday morning. Along with the fiancee, my parents and my brother D, I visited her wake in Loyola Commonwealth last night. Her remains are gonna stay there for two days before being transported to Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija for the burial.

At the wake, I saw a lot of my relatives whom I had not seen for so long. We chatted the night away sharing family stories and reminiscing old times. I felt good and relaxed. I wish we could meet up more often. I understand that we’re all leading busy lives. But still, we should make time for small gatherings and reunions. Life is too short and unsure that making the most of these events are a must.

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Weekend Stories: It’s All Good

Last weekend was quite hectic but super fun. On Saturday, I did a special assignment in the office in the morning before attending the much-anticipated Blogapalooza event at Fully Booked Boni High in the afternoon. The former made me a bit tired but good thing the later brought back my energy with its festive atmosphere and cool surprises. Plus, I got to see a lot of my old and new blogger friends again.

When dinnertime came, I met up with the fiancee and we enjoyed Filipino food. Saturday was also the eve of our monthsary and so we stayed at this awesome hotel that lay in the heart of Manila. We wanted to jog the next morning (Sunday) but we weren’t able to do so because we woke up late. To make up for this, we decided to walk our way to our respective houses after checking out of the hotel.

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A Quick Binondo Visit

Yesterday morning, the fiancee and I took a quick trip to Binondo (Manila’s Chinatown) to buy some pin lights for his Cavite house. Instead of bringing the car, we rode in his motorcycle to avoid road traffic and for better movement within the Chinatown complex. We found ourselves on Tomas Mapua St. which was lined with stores selling light fixtures of all kinds, shapes and sizes. We ended up buying a dozen pin lights from this store with a triumphant-sounding name, Success Lightings.

After our pin light shopping, I asked the fiancee to grab a bite at Dong Bei Dumpling. They’re famous among tourists and locals alike for their yummy steamed dumplings. It was our first time and we were impressed because our dumplings were made right on the spot. We also ordered fried rice and a noodle soup to go with our dumplings. Everything was good. And quite affordable, too.

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Bus Tickets

When I was in college, buses were my favorite mode of transportation. I liked that they were cheap and accessible. Heavy traffic aside, they could bring me to my destination fast, safe and sound. The only thing I didn’t like about buses was when they would run out of seats and I’d have no choice but to ride on it standing on my two feet and competing for space (and fresh air!) with other desperate passengers. The situation was akin to canned sardines, except we were still alive and the fish weren’t.

It’s funny but I used to collect bus tickets in one of the pockets of my bag. I’d only remember to dispose them when they’d get too crowded inside. Whenever I was not in the mood to keep the bus tickets in my bag, I’d insert it into the gaps of the seats in front of me, a habit that has been acquired by Pinoy bus passengers over the years. A not-so-good practice, yes. But when a lot of people do it, it becomes somewhat acceptable. Haha. But still, I had never been proud of it and as much as possible, I’d try to keep my tickets in my bag.

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