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It’s already January 1 2008! How time flies really fast. After we’ve waited and prepared long for the holidays, now the festivities are finished. Well, maybe not yet for some, coz here in the Philippines many family reunions and gatherings are usually done during the first day of New Year. Our big clans (both on my parents’ side of the family) used to have reunions before, but now I wonder why that traditions had stopped.

So here I am, just pondering over what 2008 will bring me. I feel a little feverish this morning, actually I’ve been battling headaches for the last 2 days now by drinking taking down paracetamol. After welcoming the new year with some fireworks, me and the kids slept at 2am. I just felt tired - imagine my adventure yesterday (which I hope won’t bore you down):

1. Went to Malolos town proper by afternoon to withdraw and make some last minute buying of goodies. So I rounded 4 banks that would accept my National Australia Bank ATM card to withdraw but all the ATMs didn’t dispense money! No, they are not OFFLINE, but they don’t have anymore money to bring out! Now I haven’t checked if my OZ account (I still maintain this coz that’s where hubby sends money for emergencies) was deducted (that’s Australian$4 per transaction x 4 = $16 or 576pesos!) %#@$!#& - WHY DON’T BANKS DON’T PUT THE PROPER SIGNS AND WHY DON’T THEY PUT ENOUGH MONEY ON ATMS?

2. What’s more interesting? I only got 60 pesos on my pocket! Just enough for my transpo fare I spent rounding all the 4 banks. I didn’t bring any money with me coz I was thinking I’d withdraw money so why would I bring extra? One lesson learned.

3. Frustrated, I still managed to drop by the Malolos Cathedral’s Adoration Chapel, just to thank for all the blessings of the past year. As I left the church, I was thinking of what would I do - whether to send SMS to my sister to get my money from my closet and bring to me there, or go home then get my money and go back to the market, or just go home!!!Hay…kaso wala bbq ang kids

4. To the rescue, my Tatay sent me an SMS and told me to go to my (future) Stepmom who has a store at the market. When I reached her store amidst the throng of people making the late rounds of buying for new year, she gave me a bagful of torotot (paper horns) and some luses (fireworks). Then before I go, she gave me 300pesos as her aguinaldo (money gift) for the 3 kids!

5. Hmmm, so with 300pesos in my pocket, I thought I just spend that first then just pay my kids back (hehe. di ko pa napalitan ngayon). So I went to my favorite meatshop Fresh Options (like Monterey shops) but they don’t have anymore bbq and ground pork. I don’t buy anymore meat from the palengke coz at Fresh Options the meats are cleaner and - of course, fresh! Anyways, I have no choice but to go to the wet market and bought a kilo of already marinated bbq. I chose the bbq already on stick to save me energy and time! So I spent 150pesos for that and I bought half kilo of hotdog for 70pesos (220pesos I already spent of the 300pesos I got!)

6. So, instead of buying 12 different fruits (my tradition every new year), I just bought 3 oranges worth 25pesos. Naawa naman ako sa sarili ko,hehe (I pitied my self). To think I even made a list of all the 12 fruits I would buy!!! Since we still have mandarin oranges and apples left at the fridge (fruits I bought for Christmas), I thought the oranges would be enough - of course! I don’t have any money with me!

7. Gosh, I was so surprised to see that onions are at 65pesos a kilo!!! So I just bought worth 15pesos and I paid another 15pesos for the lumpia wrapper, 8pesos for 2 singkamas, and 10pesos for 2 carrots. Hay, plus I got free dirt and lots of pawis as freebies.hehe. The palengke was a mayhem, super dami ng tao!!! So the remaining money I got, I used to pay for the tricycle going home - and quite thankful (not just because I scaped the palengke) but it was a blessing in disguise that I wasn’t able to withdraw money coz at least I didn’t overspend. Pwede naman pala magtipid.hehe.

8. Since i wasn’t able to go to the grocery store in town (for now obvious reasons), I just went to the mini-grocery at our barangay barrio right after I reached home. I bought things I would need - additional cream and condensed milk for the refrigerator cake, 2 bottles of Pepsi max (my staple drink-ooops, hopefull hubby Albert won’t read this.hehe), some chips for the kids (and me!), eggs and dishwashing liquid. Good thing when I did my grocery shopping for Christmas, I already bought some for the New Year. Jus ko, not long after I got home, I realized I wasn’t able to buy corn kernels for the lengua with cornsauce! Hay, so I went back to the store! Pinapagod ang sarili!

9. Past 6pm and I haven’t started anything. I did the refrigerator graham cake first. Then I prepared the lumpia filling. Good thing, my sister went early so she did the wrapping. Around 7:30pm, we had arrozcaldo for our dinner (hehe). I was so tired by this time, so I rested for about 30mins. I got up before 9pm to greet hubby (Australia is 3hours advanced at this time of the year). Then I re-heated the empanada (I just ordered coz I don’t know how to make them) and fried the shanghai rolls. I didn’t cook the lengua anymore and spaghetti. Di na kaya ng powers ko.

10. At 10pm, I started the bbq. I used the charcoal I brought home from Australia last year (Opo, kalokahan ko, naguwi ako non, kasi di na kailangan paypayan, LOLS). Hay, but it’s hard to start them on fire. I put half a bottle of alcohol to no avail, ayaw pa din magbaga! Then, I used some kerosene (gaas), ayaw pa din! Todo paypay na ko (hay, kala ko di na papaypayan?), ay wala pa din fire! To the rescue my neighbor, I asked for some oldstyle uling, which I mixed with the imported Aussie uling! Seriously, after 1hour, nagbaga na sya! Kala ko nga di na kami makakaluto ng bbq.

I was multi-tasking last night, Albert went online past 11pm. So while I was online with him, I was cooking the bbq, while taking photos of the kids, trying to watched some fireworks - I was all doing these while chatting some more with Albert. Hay…teka, did I mention I forgot to take a shower yesterday? I just thought of that when I chatted with Albert. I saw myself on the webcam, and I tell you di kagandahan ang nakita ko - I first thought it was just one of those bad-hair days. Nakalimutan ko pala maligo. Nyehehe!

That’s what I’ve been through yesterday, and the early hours of Day 1 for 2008 - no wonder I have this pounding headache. When I woke up this morning at 9am (the kids are already playing!), I still have a throbbing head. I don’t have the energy yet to do all the clean up from last night’s mess and I also got a bed of clean clothes to fold (Of all the tasks here in the house, I hate the folding the most! I don’t know why, but I think that’s the easiest task, isn’t it?). Just thinking of these tasks, nakakasakit talaga ng ulo!

Oooopss, before I forgot, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

               

Related posts:

The Morning After

Christmas is Just Around the Corner!

How was your MOMS’ DAY?

Christmas Photos

The Friendship Book and the Mystery of Francis Gay

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 3:25 pm and is filed under No nonsense . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.