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My UP Centennial Celebration

Tomorrow, January 8 kicks off the year-long centennial celebration of the University of the Philippines. Spearheading the kick-off rites is the UP Alumni Association (UPAA). While everyone celebrates in their own unique way, I will celebrate my University of the Philippines (U.P.) Student days’ memories in this blog. Excuse me for my unabashed display of school pride.

mommy_in_UP.jpgThe opportunity to study in the U.P. Diliman campus would never have been possible without the motivation from my mother, the late Salustiana Veloso. She graduated Cum Laude, 1954 with two degrees, BA in Education, Major in English and Minor in Music (Voice). Mom envisioned her children studying in her alma mater, In college, you will study in U.P.. As far back as I could remember, mom always ingrained those words in our minds. (six out of seven siblings eventually did. One chose to study in Ateneo).

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New Year Goals for 2008

New Year 2008Happy New Year 2008! I greeted the New Year by taking a slice of this evil Dairy Queen Peppermint Ice Cream cake. Let’s all greet the new year on a positive note by setting goals for ourselves. It’s a good thing that my sister reminded me of my New Year goals last year. Yesterday, she read the Review of New Year Goals for 2007 and it reminded her to set her goals. Butch loved the idea of writing down my goals when I told him that I achieved 8 out of my 11 goals for the New Year.

I realize that goals need to be written down. It serves as an affirmation of myself, my life, and my ability to choose. Then I let it go. New Year goals are something we need to dig within and discover what we would like to happen in our life this year. It is an affirmation that we are interested in living life in the year to come.

So the questions evolved. What would I like to attain? Where would I like to go? What would I like to happen in my marriage and family life? I have to remember that I am not out to control others with my goals but rather giving direction to my life. So I continue on pondering. What problems would I like to be solved? What decisions would I like to make? What would I like to happen in my business?

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Review of 2007 Goals

planner for 2008
The Year 2007 has been good to me and I attribute it to the setting of goals. I am grateful that I laid down my New Year Goals in this blog and even listed them in my Starbucks Planner. I normally don’t use a Planner since my smart phone is adequate enough to store appointments and other plans. But 2007 brought about a multitude of plans that needed careful organization and planning. Not that I am superstitious or anything, the Starbucks Planner (actually any planner will do) brought me on track. I was able to renovate and move in our new home within two months from contract signing.

This was my New Year’s Goal for 2007 which I wrote on January 2, 2007. Let me show you how much of these goals were actually met.

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Christmas in Our Hearts

christmas_kitty1.jpgEven the kitties at our home feel the Christmas Spirit. It’s as if they know it’s Christmas and play “cutesy” poses to blend with our Christmas decors. Like the song goes in “Christmas in Our Hearts” by Jose Mari Chan, I believe Christmas lies in our hearts. Everyone at home feels the Christmas spirit in their hearts.

So let me share Christmas in Our Hearts (as sang by my two girls and the 1999 Manila Children’s Choir) so the message rings all throughout the year:

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Paskong Pinoy- Christmas Dinner Date Tradition

Warning: Not for the Grinch or those suffering the Holiday Blues. This is dedicated to Aileen’s Paskong Pinoy compilation.

my husband and meIf you have read our love story, you would know that this is our 30th Christmas together of which seven years were spent physically apart from each other. Those seven Christmases were spent with my dad and siblings in Cebu. You can imagine what it was like for a lovestruck couple like us who had no means of communication during the two week break. Sure, there was the expensive long distance calls which needed an operator to get a connection. Suffice it to say that all he could manage to blurt out was Merry Christmas…how are you?…sige, expensive na. Love you. bye. which reminds me of that Smart commercial over the radio. No lovers’ conversation. No time to swoon or babble sweet nothings. Nada.

Lucky for most couples these days, there is email, text messaging, cellphone calls, video chat and what not. I yearned to be with my boyfriend during Christmas day but I knew that my family of origin was my number one priority. The meaning of Christmas is about God’s love that He brought Jesus Christ to this world. Christmas is about love , the love and joy of family. I understood that well.

To make up for the physical separation, the 18 year old Butch started this brillant idea of having an annual Christmas dinner date tradition where we celebrated the Christmas message of love. Our love. On our first Christmas date together by the Manila Bay, the hopelessly romantic Butch held my hand and pointed our hands towards the moon as if we were holding the moon together. In the most seductive voice, he whispered to my ears:

don’t worry, my love. Even if we are not together on Christmas day, just stare at the moon. Hold it and know that I am holding it too. We are together in spirit. The moon sees us.

christmas dinnerDeeply touched and giddy all over, the equally hopelessly romantic me almost cried at his sappiness. He assured me that this separation was only temporary and that we would be spending Christmas for the rest of our lives. Every Christmas day in Cebu for the next 7 years, I strolled outside my home standing there by the garden, blanketed by the twinkling stars trying to hold the moon and knowing that Butch would do the same. (of course, I cannot vouch that he was doing the same.)

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On Lauren’s 11th Blog Anniversary

A few days ago, Lauren announced that her interview appeared in the December 2007 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine, Philippine Edition.

I cringed Ugh. Don’t tell me it’s about dating escapades? My voice raised a notch higher than usual. Most of Cosmo articles I read in the beauty salon revolve around dating and sex lives with a mishmash of fashion makeovers and token articles. Not that I am a prude, but uh please, sex escapades on cheating boyfriends/girlfriends or one-night stands are best kept private. Is that something to be proud of? Anyway, I digress.

“No mom, it’s about my blog”.

I heaved a sigh of relief. Not that I was doubting Lauren’s integrity but I didn’t have much faith in Cosmopolitan’s ability to churn out relevant self-help articles for young adult women.

The feature article, Why More Women Blog, is perfect timing for Lauren’s 11th year in blogging. I believe it is one of Cosmo’s token feature article to tone down the sex-life-themed magazine.

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Holiday Gift Giving Tradition

Why are there so many pillows on our bed? , my husband asks as he slips himself into our satin bedcovers.

I don’t understand. He shakes his head.

I started to count the pillows. one …two…three…THIRTEEN!

Oops, I didn’t realize there were so many pillows strewn on our beds , I thought. Um, I teased, so we never ran out of pillows when we have a fight?

Butch throws one small pillow at me. Okay, I think our bed designer over did the execution., as I told him about Timmy.

giftA few weeks ago, Timmy, our bed/window designer begged for work, “Ma’am, I really need money this coming Christmas”. With his talent, he should be earning more than the 6,000 pesos that his current employer pays him every month. I couldn’t believe he earns just slightly more than our household helper. He suggested a new set of custom-made quilted bedcovers. I thought it was a splendid idea to add another set in my room and the two girls’ room. At the same time, I am helping someone without giving dole outs. I normally don’t give cash gifts just like that. I’d rather they offer services and then give a bonus if the work turned out quite exceptional.

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11th Worldwide Candle Lighting Event

candlelight A candle signifies life and light and so the burning of a candle brings light and life to the memory and to the hearts of the bereaved. It is not that a candle has any magical or mystical powers as it is not the candle itself that heals. The lighting of a small candle in the darkness somehow helps you to draw aside from the blaring distractions. It brings an err of calm and helps you focus on what is important at that time. Something very special happens when a large group lights candles. A feeling of unity and oneness occurs.

While candles burn in one time zone, they will be lit in the next as thousands of families around the world participate in a vigil tomorrow, on December 9 to honor their children and siblings. The annual Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting starts at 7 p.m.

New Zealand goes first.

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