On New Year’s eve we decided just to have a family barbecue “party” with videoke, so my mother and sister set up a tv and speaker in our rooftop. We didn’t prepare a lot of food, our mother doesn’t even approve us cooking “pancit” but I insisted and of course a cake will never be out of the table (mother’s favourite if you asked me). We had red wine and non-alcoholic drink May; I am not drinker as well since we are not allowed to do so (or else my parents will let me sleep with our dog outside), but my husband thought me to drink a glass of beer or wine after eating a nice meal so I learned slowly, unlike before I am drowsy by just smelling a liquor. Lol

Well, red wine was not a hard drink anyway so I had 3 glass of it, 2 of non-alcoholic drink May and a single tiny shot of Emperador which is a hard drink of course, actually my father doesn’t allowed me to drink it but what else he can do when I took a shot instantly without him knowing until I put down the shot glass (lol). I felt dizzy afterwards and my throat felt dry then suddenly my shame was gone, because before that tiny shot, I have been only sitting listening to them singing while munching barbecue in stick but after that I took the microphone and sang without a tune, which I never do when I am on my right mind since my voice is like a voice of a frog on rainy days. Haha

New Year celebration was not that bad just don’t mention it rains a lot and we look like a family in a camp site after a big flood; we celebrated it with our pastor’s family and an aunt in our roof top we just put cover tent to avoid getting wet from the rain.

It was my first time to celebrate Christmas again in the Philippines after five years celebrating it in the air or in the airport. I was excited remembering how Christmas is celebrated before I left home, but I think I expected too much. I was disappointed, it is not the Christmas I remember not the atmosphere I am expecting.

Like, I am expecting carollers at night when ber months started but it was almost Christmas can’t hear any single of them; it turns out carolling now a day required a permit to do so, to avoid scamming money from every households. It was a good intention but the season of giving is slowly fading, the love of Christmas is disappearing. Sometimes I wonder if Christmas was really like this in the heart of an adult, I mean did I overgrown Christmas? Because it seems children are the only one excited when Christmas comes, while parents are in deep thoughts where to get new clothes for them.

I always go to church night before Christmas, was surprised when it was moved on 23^rd rather than 24^th it says to give quality time for the family to celebrate Christmas dinner. It was a rainy night, was not able to attend the service because of personal reasons, but went over when the second part started. It was a downer because even at the church there’s not so much preparation, they only hosted Christmas singing contest, unlike the old days there’s a Christmas concert, or re-enactment how Jesus was born and then when the contest was finished it was an exchange gift that I should say a disappointment too.

We prepared food for Christmas but maybe since it was raining nobody came around not until the morning.

It was been almost two months since I came back to my home town after living and traveling abroad. Most of the time I just stayed home and seldom go to town unless I felt bored sitting and tweaking in front of my laptop, never visited friends not until when I am month long. Well I only visited one friend, and two other visited me at home to my surprised. Hiding from friends doesn’t mean I am different person now or what other says I don’t look back. We can’t deny that it is already a norm of many Filipinos to have a welcome party when coming home from abroad, to treat some friends and relatives and sad to say I have no means to treat them or to splash some cash, I am living abroad but I have no job I am on dependent visa where I am not allowed to work legally and I also don’t rely on my husband’s money, I do blog and earn a bit from it enough to support my parents.

Anyway today, we went to town to watch the parade for “Palarong Pambayan” it was a sport competition for town schools. We are not able to start the parade as we arrived late so we are only able to see a bit of it, I brought my camera as normal bloggers do. I took some photos and videos to keep.

When it ends we went directly to new market to buy food for lunch. As expected, fish is expensive but if I am going to compare it to the price abroad it is nothing.