Looking Back - 2008

This year has been a very productive year for me. I met new people that later became my friends, I went on trips abroad - Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, I went everywhere in the UK - Thorpe Park, Brighton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Oxford, Windsor etc, I went to countless Museums especially the free ones, (stingy blood runs in me,it will never change), I went to loads of parties, I live life the way I should be, I got a new handbag *wink*, I have a boyfriend who makes me happy, I have a job that pays well for a student and most of all, I learn to enjoy life. I am only 23 and I shouldn't stress myself out thinking so much about the future like I used to.

Me and my friend Amy somewhere in London.

Church Summer Party. Going to my church is fun!


Summer on the sandy beach of Bournemouth.

Oxford Trip. Photo by dear sister.

Malaysia Trip with my Family.

Year of the Bday Parties. I attended so much bday parties this year.

Thorpe Park with my friends.

One of my night outs with friends.

Somewhere in Bristol with my dear boyfriend. *cium*

Halloween Party with Friends.

Singapore Trip with my family.

My goal for 2009 is summarised into 5 things, stop procrastinating, change to "yes I can attitude", be womanly, cultured and strengthen relationship with people. Hope I do well! :)

Brighton Day Trip

This Christmas Break must have been the Best Christmas' Weather I had in the UK - dry, sunny but cold still. Yesterday, me, my mum and my sister decided to go to Brighton just to see the place. We left home at 9:30AM hoping that there is an early train. There is but we just missed it and it comes every hour. Credits to our no planning trip. Worse is, we have to take 2 trains on a 2 hour journey. :P We kill time by stuffing ourselves with food. Everyone that goes on a trip with me knows that I don't get tired, I do as much as walking as possible to see the place and I get very controlling when I don't get to visit places that I planned to. That's the rationale about no planning. Anyway, it was a fruitful 4 hour trip.

Picture at the Pier. This reminds of Greece although I've never been there.

On the congested streets of Brighton. 3 lanes for cars! That's huge for UK standards!

Taking photo of my Dear Sister. Gorge outfit! :)

Me and My Mum on the stoney beach of Brighton. This place got no sand!

My undying love for stupid photographs!

I was going thru the Christmas Cards that I've received this year and this is what I came across. The cards says:

Ailema,

Hello my Filipino Friend, hope you will have a great Christmas this year!! (arrow) Have a Merry Christmas

(drawing of a girl with a balloon shaped like a guy)

Don't forget to bring Kiki around! (and balloon and pump), (& extra Kiki balloons incase he pops) :)

Kent

I bet this doesn't make any sense to you. Actually, this is like an inside joke. :P I must be talking with him at IM(during office hours. Shame on me!), probably told him how much I miss Kiki. I must admit, a bit gay. He told me that I shouldn't be sad. Instead I should blow balloons, stick Kiki's photo on it and take it everywhere I go. This ridiculous idea still makes me smile. Don't count on me doing it though! It is crazy enough as it sounds! Hahaha!

Boxing Day SALE!!

I enjoy shopping, who doesn't right? I normally go for good quality than quantity and for bargains that's why I waited for Boxing Day Sale for prices to go down. I wasn't disappointed but everything that I like is not on my price range or non-sale! What a girl to do? I bought everything! Hahaha!

Me and Dear Sister have been talking about this event for ages. We plan to wake up early and leave our flat by 9AM. When we got to the Oracle, all the shops are still closed except for Debenhams. I am not particularly fond of this store. So I grew impatient. After 30 minutes, House of Fraser opened. I rushed hoping for a good bargain. I found a dress but still undecided. I am waiting for Zara and Topshop after all. Anyway, as soon as I left House of Fraser, I rushed to Zara were I got this pair of shoes. Okay, it is still pricey for me but It is the ONLY stock left on my size.

I've been patiently waiting for the price to go down. I got this shoes £30 for £39.99. See what I mean when I say pricey? I love it and I can imagine myself wearing this shoes a lot. :) Gosh, probably my nth pair of high heels. :P

I went to Topshop afterwards. I thought the jacket that I fell in love with will go on sale, at least 10%, but I was wrong. I had to pay the full price for this but didn't have any regrets!

Okay, so 65 quid for a jacket. This will last me a long time and my quest to finding a perfect Winter jacket is now OVER. I can sleep soundly tonight. No more nightmares. Hahaha!

I went to several stores afterwards, Bank, Zavvi so I can pick up the Steelbook Edition Blu-ray of wanted for Dear boyfriend and River Island. River Island gave a whole new meaning to boxing day sale. Now that I think about it, it should be changed to boxing match! The store is packed with people, or should I say bargain hunters? The queue is epic, on a few steps from the door! I left my sister and told her that I am dropping by Waterstone to pick up the last installment of Twilight and when I called her on the way home, she said she is still in queue!

Oh thank God! I thought I am not gonna bag any bargains. This hard bound copy of breaking dawn only cost me £6.50.

I am still thinking of buying this dress. I think it have a lot of potential and I love the detail too. If it's in there in a week then it is for me. This is of course a long shot, everyone is a sucker for bargain.

Yay or Nay? This is on sale for 20! Still out of the price range considering how much damage I made today. Hahaha!

Oh, I want to share my Oh-so-comfy outfit today. I can't believe that my dear sister went with knee high boots with heels. :P

AKIMBO. Hahaha! I will not blame you if this pose is grossing you out.

Starting a New Christmas Tradition

Sorry for double posting,everytime. *wink*

Christmas in the UK is different from the Philippines. Aside from Hardcore Chrimbo Shopping, there ain't much Christmas decors not even on homes, no Christmas lights, No giant Christmas Trees (Hahaha!), no street carolling but they give out cards endlessly, parties are held everywhere and they have sale stuff at almost every store. Essential for a sale sucker like me.

For the first time in almost 3 years, I attended a Christmas Service in here. It was different. Very solemn. It started off with a 30 minute vigil which I mistaken for a rehearsal. I noticed that everyone is singing but it was announced last Sunday that the sermon won't start until 12 midnight. I know, I can be blonde from time to time. Mister BB can attest to that. Hahaha! After the mass, I stopped by to take photos of baby Jesus in the manger. Recently, I had the urge to take photos of mangers. I guess I miss the whole Christmas Tradition. :(

We were invited by a Filo Couple to celebrate Christmas with them. They have more than enough food for 5 people. They set the table nicely and the decorated their place. Suddenly it felt Christmas to everyone. This made my Christmas and I felt happy I was invited to celebrate their first Christmas.

It was 3AM then and we are all tired. Result, sleepy dear sister.

My dear mother and I with the Christmas Tree background. CLASSIC!

Did i tell you that it was my mum's 51st bday yesterday? She still looks good for her age doesn't she?

The dinner table

Baby Jesus in the Manger

Christmas Tradition Nostalgia

If there is one occasion that I like the best, that would be Christmas. I don't remember any bad Christmas Memory. In my family, we usually attend 9 nights of Simbang Gabi cause my grandmother (granny as we call her) is deeply religious and everyone else we know goes to church during this time, like a big Catholic Social Gathering. On the Christmas Eve, the whole Feliciano clan go to church. We all gather to prepare food, I normally wait til the food is ready and eat before everyone elses, I can't help the pig in me. Hehe! We all eat together and chat until it is dawn. Dad wake up the earliest on the Christmas day itself, he puts loud Christmas Music on, this wakes up everyone with a bit annoyance. Who wouldn't be if you slept late the previous day. He knocks on everyone's door announcing it is Christmas. He opens the front door and people start coming greeting everyone, we offer food and chat with them. We give money or gift to kids, as their Aguinaldo. Now that I think about it, Christmas is about Family in my country. We stay together, eat together and do activities together. I miss spending Christmas at my granny's.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Quest for the Perfect Jacket

Dressing up during Winter is extremely hard for me. It's the perfect balance between dressing well and keeping yourself warm. Today while browsing (I say browsing cause I am too stingy to buy anything these days), I found this Jacket on sale for £30 at Topshop and I couldn't resist the yummy colour. Too bad Teal doesn't reflect well on any light. Even when I checked the Topshop website, it still looks a bit off. I still have my eye on on the Magenta Jacket. I am all about colours during Winter. Better to invest on coats cause you'll get photographed wearing this Winter essential all the time. *wink*

RIP Uniqlo

It came as a surprise when my dear sister told me that Uniqlo in Reading is closing. For those who haven't heard of Uniqlo, Uniqlo is a Japanese apparel brand. This place is like a shopping haven for my dear boyfriend, clean lines, simple/basic designs and solid colours, very Mister BB. *wink*

Today I raid the shop and today I felt disappointed. They don't have any that fits me and most of their stocks have been taken out from the store. For guys, longs sleeves and cardigans are left, no summer shirts. It's winter, fair enough but I still want to find a good bargain for my dear boyfriend. No good stocks are left for girls. I tried few jackets that I liked but it doesn't have the ooomph factor that I was looking for. Very bad shopping day for me. :(

Uniqlo Goodbye! See you in London next time!

Simbang Gabi Bloopers

In my previous blog, I talked about my first Simbang Gabi here in the UK. But I forgot to tell you the bloopers. Yes, you are reading it right, BLOOPERS. It's been a while since I attended a Tagalog Mass and so is everyone else in the Church,it seems. It started with a bit of a glitch, wrong phasing with the opening song. It was then followed by Father Randolph wanting to do the Homily after the first Reading, only to be told off. During the Homily he said, sumaatin ang Panginoon and was answered with at sumainyo rin. They were not supposed to answer him! He is giving a sermon. Me and my sister were looking at each other trying to fight the laughter. I was dying. I am someone who can't contain emotions. Thank God I got thru it!

Simbang Gabi

For my Non-Filo blog followers, I will tell you a short background about Simbang Gabi. Simbang Gabi is also known as Roaster's Mass or Misa de Gallo. As practiced in my country, this lasts for 9 days. This entails a typical Midnight Mass from the 16th to the 24th of December. Tonight, I attended one. And tonight, I felt homesick, almost choking in between songs. This never happened before. I'm sad, I miss my country, my friends and the Simbang Gabi where we the whole family used to walk to the church together, go to mass together and walk home with friends and family. I wish to spend Christmas to the Philippines next year. :(

We call this Belen or Manger. This photo was taken from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sloane Square.

I am Inlove with a Vampire

I've always been attracted to unconventional guys. I like my man pale, mysterious and hmmm, bad boy looking. It didn't come as a surprise when I did my girly giggle while watching Twilight. Hahaha! People have been raving about this film and book series. Even my friends who don't normally read books recommended to read it and see the film. So I did. FYI, In the UK, it takes forever to show Films unlike in the PH that changes weekly. I must say, I loved the lead guy and the film of course. Even my sister commented on how happy I looked today. Crap! I think I am behaving irrationally. Anyway, after the film, I went straight to Waterstone's and got 3 out of 4 books in 3 for 2 bargain! Ooohh, I'm lucky!

Traffic Light Party of 3

Weeks ago while I was planning to Invite few friends at home for a gathering, I come up with a Themed Party - Yellow, Red and Green. My friend Amy asked me if this is gonna be a Traffic Light Party. I said Yes thinking of the colour but she explained what it meant later on. I only invited 5 of my closest friends in College. One said no straight away cause she is planning to go on Hols with her husband and needs to work extra hours. Fair enough. My other friend says that he can't go since he just came back from hols and can't take any more leave. Doris on the other hand cancelled on last minute. As soon as I got a text from her saying that she might not be able to make it cause she was suddenly given work(although on leave), I lost all hope. In the end, I had Darlene, Donna and myself and we had fun! Here are the photos to prove it:

Sorry for the photos being blurry. This was shot on shutter and we were moving very fast. All the emotions are real though.

BTW, if any of you are wondering what I got for the exchange gift, here is a photo.

I got a pill box. I am gonna use it as a jewellery box though.

my five quid challenge

Image is everything. I need a moment to laugh. Growing up, we harrassed (and I mean harrassed) this line to describe my dear cousin Ruzelle. *Don't kill me love* Today I struggled finding the perfect gift for £5! Yes, you read it right. £5 isn't a lot here. To give you an idea, £5 can buy you a Venti Starbucks or a Body Shop Lip Balm. I always believed that whatever you give reflects on your personality that's why it took me a long time to find the perfect gift. Sure I can buy a gift more expensive than that. After all, Christmas is the time of giving. BUT I just can't! CREDIT CRUNCH is making me more stingy than usual. This is what I got for a fiver.

2 pashminas for £4.99 (the Gucci Bag is not included of course)

I absolutely hate receiving anything that is perishable, mugs, frames and perfumes (unless it's expensive!). It feels like they didn't put much thought unto it. Sad bitter childhood exchange gift memories coming in now. Ahahaha!

BTW, Amy, I love the chocolates that you gave me before you left. They are amazing and the packaging is good too! Thanks! :)

the Christmas Cards keep on Pouring in...

...and it is making me happy. I can't help but feel special. :) Here is the photo of my newly received Christmas Cards.

cards... cards... cards...

I've been living in the UK for two and a half years now. Three things that I love during Christmas time: PARTYING - which I've been doing loads lately, BOXING DAY SALE - oh yeah, they take Christmas Shopping seriously here despite the credit crunch and EXCHANGING CARDS. Below are the cards that I got so far...

The best card that I got is the one given to me by my Friend Amy.

I always believed that a Card should reflect the personality of the one who gave it.

starssssss

I found this while browsing Facebook yesterday. This is for Krishna who doesn't have a Facebook or Multiply account. Ate Baldo got tattooed!

BV broke my heart

I left my home with high hopes that I will be able to take home a new baby. I spotted a Mulberry Bayswater Bag in Plum about a month ago and didn't buy it straightaway, a. cause I don't want to buy on an impulse. b. I have a rule that my bank balance shouldn't go under ££££. c. CREDIT CRUNCH - this has a big impact on my spending. Guess what happened? It was out of stock. I was gutted. It cost me at least £15 to go there(not including food) and 3 hours travelling and waiting time both ways. As they always say, charge to experience.

Is ONE the Saddest Number?

I love bargain shopping. I got this dress from Warehouse, 50% off.

Shoes was £19 from Zara which I bought ages ago.

Christmas Tree Pictorial! *wink*

With Ate Macy, Tito Ed's Wife. Doesn't she look Fabulous?

I loooooove dressing up, going to parties and as a Filo, taking photos, very essential. *wink*

Last night I went to my Project Party with two Filo Couples. I was okay with going without a partner. Mister BB, my dear boyfriend, is somewhere in the desert, working, pumping oil. Hahaha! We took the office coach, ate a three course meal (sounds Posh!), dance the night away and the Finale, took photos. I had fun and proved that ONE isn't the saddest number. You choose to be sad and I chose to have fun last night.

I will see you in four months Honey! :)

vodka tricked me!

Who gets hang over over 3 Vodka Lemonades? I AM! I woke up this morning with 9 hours of sleep feeling so horrible! How can my trusted friend Vodka trick me like this when it knows that I have a party to attend to tonight?! Crazy mind working again.

I discovered things about me last night.

1. I can't converse with people that I don't hang out with on a regular basis. I can only listen to them talk, comment for a bit or laugh at their jokes but I can't seem to fit in. What's wrong with me? I haven't figured that out. I spoke with few friends about this and they can emphatise with my sentiments.

2. I am more comfortable hanging out with the Filos.

3. I want to get all and experience all. I'm a serial double-booker.

4. I love Partying and Going Out with people that I know.


Someone needs to enrol herself in socialising class, don't you think so?

to sing or not to sing, that is the question

The answer is obvious, I didn't sing. Here are few photos from the FW Christmas Service 2008. Dear Mum looking pretty and myself on a Nancy Drew outfit. I like dressing up for work okay! *wink*