Countdown and Christmas

The few days before Christmas were some of the busiest I've ever had. We had our final long tests and reports at school, and then, the most glorious day of the month - the last day before Christmas break. There is just this uber happiness that fills you when you are finally dismissed from university for a short vacation. I was so ecstatic at the prospect of a few lazy days that I was almost crazy with joy when I got home.
I put the next two days to good use.
On the 22nd, I was up at 9 and dressed by 10, awaiting my friends' cars to arrive at my house. Unsurprisingly, they were more than an hour late, so I had to watch WWE with my enthusiastic brother. So we got to Megamall, ate lunch, then went shopping. By the end of the day, I had finished buying most of my family's gifts, and, of course, caught up on the latest news on my friends.
When I got home, it was to take a really quick shower and change, then head over to a blockmate's house for our block party. BTW, Greg's house belongs to a home design magazine. The whole place was decorated for Christmas; it was gorgeous. We watched a little TV, ate dinner, then proceeded to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which I couldn't take. I went home after thirty minutes. The night was fun while it lasted, though.
Next day, I got up at the ungodly hour of seven because my HS class was to meet up at Jon's house by eight. Of course, that was a really stupid move on my part, because I know that my HS friends are NEVER on time. As was expected, our cars left the house at nearly ten. I was with Jarwin, Paul, and Jensen in Jarwin's Vios, so the car ride was certainly fun. We were half playing The Amazing Race, because there was a map in the car and we thought we could get to the mall before the others. Sadly, none of us even knew how to read a map, so we gave up.
We got to Shangri-La, waiting a few minutes for some of the others to arrive. When they did, we proceeded to a new Japanese restaurant owned by a local actor. I think it was their opening. The guy was there, and there were photographers. Good food, but I've eaten one too many Japanese foods to really appreciate the taste. There was a spicy sushi thing that the owner gave us to try that was really delicious, though. And their iced teas, for the holiday (or maybe not), were red and green.
We split up in groups afterwards to do more shopping, but I didn't find anything I particularly liked or thought would make a good present for anyone. At two, some of us went to watch The Family Stone while the others watched King Kong. Our movie had a few hilarious scenes, but overall, I wouldn't say I was impressed.
With the movies concluded, we strolled around a little more, meeting near National Bookstore and then splitting up again to go to Gloria Maris in Greenhills. We had an enjoyable dinner, where we also gave each other Christmas presents. When everyone was done, we posed for group pictures and then proceeded to go home. I hastily (but lovingly, haha) wrapped my family's gifts and put them where all our other gifts were, then after a few hours of TV and internet, turned in.
The 24th came in no time. My sister and mom couldn't wait, so we started unwrapping gifts at midday. I got a bottle of wine, a nice top, a lot of jewelry, a wallet, bath gels, a pillow that says sexy on it (with an arrow you can point to yourself *wink*), a watch, a ceramic candle holder plus three lime-scented candles, a cute box, keychain, chocolates, and a dark blue and red bag, among others. The rest of my family got some interesting stuff as well.
Then, Christmas! We heard fireworks going off all day; everyone was contented and happy. We went over to our grandparent's house to celebrate with them. My aunt and uncles were there, too. It was an ok night, overall.
To sum everything up, I had a fantastic weekend, and I hope you did too. Merry Christmas!

Dear online diary

As everyone undoubtedly knows, I am an extremely lazy person. This does not justify my failure to update my blog for roughly a month, but it explains it =)

Second semester has so far been seriously frustrating. I can't seem to get grades as good as I got during my first semester. Of course, it's not over yet, so I can still make up for my less than satisfactory grades. We had three long tests this week, and I slept a total of about ten hours, for the three days. Thankfully, today is the first day of our Christmas break, so I'm getting some rest. I've already played a round of Scrabble with my brother and sister, rewatched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and read two books in the span of seven hours. Now I'm listening to some song on the iTunes radio and trying to remember what other stuff to type in here. Ah, relaxation. My dad came back from one of his business trips just awhile ago, and he bought me a really gorgeous pink Swarovski necklace. We've been spending quite a lot these days, actually. The Christmas gifts and wrappers alone cost a fortune. Then there was the new fridge and Samsung digital camcorder, not to mention some new books and DVDs, jewelry, clothes, and entertainment stuff.

I've also watched a lot of TV and some movies. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was excellent, and King Kong was quite commendable. Peter, Rosedell, and I went to watch Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros a couple of days ago, and for someone who hasn't seen a local movie since Jose Rizal, I certainly enjoyed myself. In television, The Amazing Race: Family Edition recently concluded, and for the first time ever, the team I liked won. Go Linzes! There was also that Contender rematch, between Mora and Manfredo, Brinkley and Bonsante, and Gomez and someone I don't know. Mora, Brinkley, and Gomez, who have been my absolute favorite boxers since The Contender, all won. I was ecstatic, naturally. There's nothing like the thrill of boxing. Especially if your guy is winning.

Just last Saturday, we watched a Tanghalang Ateneo play called Nasan si Kaliwete? No offense, but it was deathly boring. I was falling asleep five minutes into it! I didn't forget to attend my old high school's annual chorale contest a few weeks ago. It was certainly a much better performance than that Filipino play, and the results were typical, with the Star Sections bagging the top places.

And how can I possibly forget to mention Jaq's debut? It was held in the Manila Peninsula last month, with an Egyptian theme. I wore a strapless maroon evening gown and bought a shawl to go with it. I was one of the eighteen candles, which was a new experience (I've never attended a debut before). The whole night was really awesome, and so was the exquisite food. I got to hang out with Jill and Matthew too, both of whom I miss a lot.

Of course, my month wasn't just all fun. My dad's aunt died recently, and that was a sad affair, although I never personally knew her. In school, I had to complete two hours of mandatory work for I.D. wearing violation. I spent a few mornings and breaks shredding papers and cutting out Christmas cards. Exciting. But I would have gladly spent ten more hours doing work than having to go through the ITM 11 test or the Math 19 long test once again. Those exams were murderous. At least I love my PE this semester. It's taekwondo. That's one class I actually enjoy. Our instructor is so nice.

Speaking of instructors, I had the pleasure of interviewing my Lit 14 professor today, on his Palanca Award first placer "The Shakespeare Guy." I'm doing a critical paper on it. And I'm glad to, because it's a really nice short story. Our professor's other works have won awards as well. He's a really good writer. And he reads poems so well.

Anyway. I'm going to go play Need For Speed: Most Wanted now. I recommend that game, it's challenging. =) That's my current favorite, obviously. Check it out: http://www.ea.com/nfs/mostwanted/us/index.jsp

Adieu.