Holidays in the Tropics

First of all, happy new year, folks! 2012 was tough for me, for the most part, what with my frail health, my bouts of self-doubt and with the ties I've had to sever completely and permanently. I survived it with the love and support of my family, mainly The Husband, and my true friends. I prayed so hard in 2012. I prayed that I will do what's right. I'm not being holier than thou because I'm not faultless. However, I knew I had to listen to what my heart and mind were telling me - to not compromise my values, to never take advantage of others, no matter what. I made hard decisions last year but they proved to be the right ones because I can sleep well at night with a peaceful conscience and the knowledge that my daughter will be proud of me for doing what I did. I am still and will always be grateful for the things I've experienced and gone through last year. Of course, I patiently waited for the holidays because I knew that they would be the perfect way to cap off such a fulfilling year.

My family's fun December holiday getaway was six kinds of wonderful. We spent part of it in my parents' hometown, Iloilo, and in beautiful, breathtaking Boracay. I'll let the photos do some of the talking.

the little girl at Plazuela de Iloilo, which is beside SM City Iloilo, 

where we bought her shades for use in Boracay and some pasalubong

hoarded goodies from an Iloilo food institution, Biscocho Haus

This is their SM City Iloilo kiosk.

Speaking of food, here's The Husband and I about to eat a dish that's synonymous to Iloilo.

And that's...

batchoy!!! 

This was at Deco's Lapaz Batchoy.

Yum.

Then, it was time to go to Boracay. The whole clan wasn't complete but the turnout was pretty good this year. This is our second time to hold our reunion in Boracay. Caticlan, in Aklan, the jump-off point for Boracay, is a six-hour drive from Iloilo. Our family hired a coaster and a van to get there.

That's me and The Husband with my brother, my sister-in-law, my sister and our cousin, 

in the coaster, before the rest of the family came on.

Typhoon Quinta sadly ravaged some parts of Panay Island days before we left so we had to take a less familiar course to Caticlan. It proved to be the more scenic route. I mean, look at that!

somewhere in Antique, where we stopped for lunch

Finally, we arrived in paradise. It was my second time there with The Husband and the little girl's third.

a sight for sore eyes

The sun was so bright, the water so clear and comfortably warm, and the breeze was cool. We were blessed with awesome weather the whole three days and two nights we were there.

some of our family - The Husband and I not included - in beautiful Boracay

Spot Kaelana in her pink bathing suit with Disney Princesses on it!

photo taken by my cousin, Erik

Beachcomber Boracay laid out a feast for our reunion dinner the first night we were there.

Of course, lechon was present. And these...

And this:

There were card games, catching up, dessert that I wasn't able to take photos of, and laughter and smiles that we WERE able to take pictures of.

me with my cousins and aunt

me with my sister and our cousins

Then The Husband whisked me away for a romantic stroll down the beach. I love our quiet, introspective conversations together. I married the most awesome man ever. 

The scenery ran the gamut from frenzied and cheery ...

fire dancers

Christmas carolers in tropical colors

to serene and quiet.

intimate dinners in soft lights

me walking barefoot on the sand

The Husband was mesmerized by the crafts made by local artists. We wanted some stuff for our home but couldn't decide which ones to get. We ended up not buying any. That way, there's reason for us to go back.

Meanwhile, I admired the accessories. 

The next day, we swam, 

we played in the sand with Kaelana, 

went on a jetski ride,

photo by my cousin, Erik

shopped for souvenirs, explored, had massages, and ate some more. The Husband, my cousins and I also went on a banana boat ride.

photos by my cousin, Erik

Then we had this crazy idea to go on a Flyfish ride...

Here's me, my sister, The Husband, and our cousin nervously giggling.

which does this...

This wasn't us. This was my brother and our cousins.

photo by my cousin, Erik

You get it, I hope. CRAZYYYYY, I tell you. In-effin'-sane in a I-will-never-do-that-again way.

It resulted to this:

My left wrist got injured. It's black and blue right now, but thankfully, not broken nor sprained. Uhm, I think. I haven't gone to a doctor yet, but I will tomorrow, I promise. Heh.

photo by my cousin, Erik

Anyhoo, we survived! It was a truly unforgettable and fun vacay. One that we truly needed.

Happy New Year from us! It's back to work tomorrow but it's all good, because I'll be dreaming of this.

2013, I'm ready for you.

Christmas 2012 Shenanigans

I'm sorry, my dear readers - yes, all six of you (there were only four of you before but, yes, you are slowly but surely growing, so yay!) - that I haven't been updating that much lately. I've been catching up on sleep, on friends and on family, among other things, and not necessarily in that order.

I finished my Christmas shopping early, just to get that out of the way. I bought my godchildren their presents, and wrapped them myself. I get a real kick out of being all Martha Stewart this time of year. However, unlike Martha Stewart, I can't bake to save my life so I just ordered a dozen boxes of homemade chocolate chip cookies from my friend. This was part of my pledge to support, small local entrepreneurs. I then gave these out to colleagues - mostly The Husband's - and to friends, and neighbors. I didn't put bows on these. I just put leftover holiday postcards. My mother had more moolah to spare and wanted the stuff she gave out to be fancier, so she ordered ten boxes of cupcakes from The Cupcake Theory. The stuff there aren't exorbitantly priced but they are really special. Mom said the recipients were more than happy. (Of course, nothing but the best from my friend, Arvy, who owns and bakes for The Cupcake Theory)

There were no lavish purchases this year. We just bought stuff we needed to be replaced. We bought an LED 32-inch TV, yes, but only because our old one is well, old. We'll place that in the little girl's room as the new TV is in the living room. We'll have it mounted on the wall only after the holidays as things are still in a state of (happy) chaos.

The last working day of 2012 for me was on the 21st, and I had Christmas dinner with two of my favorite girls - Alveel and Raen. We just really click because we have so much stuff in common. For one, we're all moms and we all became moms in our twenties. I love these girls to bits and we can really just talk - in two languages - and giggle the time away. There is no dull moment. We had a buffet dinner at the new Quest Hotel's Puso Restaurant. I swear, we ate so much. Then we gave each other gifts. We capped the night off with tea at La Marea.

It's a 'me' sammich! Flanked by Raen on the left and a pregnant Alveel on the right in Puso Restaurant

photo grabbed from Raen's Facebook

Then it was my sister's 23rd birthday lunch. We went to Kotobukiya. I also had Christmas lunch with my good friends, Arvy and Graeco, at La Tegola Cucina Italia. The Husband tagged along. We had a blast catching up and exchanging presents. 

The Circle of Trust: Graeco, Arvy and me at La Tegola Cucina Italia

photo grabbed from Graeco's Facebook

I also took the little girl to see Santa Claus at Rustan's on the last day of school before her Christmas break. We waited for an hour or so because we were early, so I ended up shopping for her and her dad, even if I wasn't planning on buying anything. Oh well, it's okay. Kaelana was thrilled to be able to see Santa. I thought it was perfect because her present from 'Santa' had Rustan's gift wrapping. It would make sense for her to see the jolly bearded man there. Here she is in her school uniform. Santa looked at her and saw how skinny she was and asked, Have you been eatin'? My daughter just nodded and climbed onto his lap. Then Santa said, Oh, you're heavy. 

Ooops.

Without me really knowing it, Christmas Eve rolled around. For noche buena, we had three cheese spaghetti with mushroom, and Alveel's bakareta and mango icebox cake. My little family just relished being together. We watched movies, we laughed, we read in bed, we told stories. My little heart is happy and content. 

Christmas Day was simple and meaningful. I woke up early with Kaelana to open her present from Santa. I had to actually wake up earlier to eat some of the cookies and drink the milk she laid out for him the night before. I also ate some of the candies for the reindeer. Of course, she assumed that Santa and his hooved friends devoured the goodies, and not me.

The Husband is off to his last work shift of 2012, and we'll both be back to the office in 2013 yet. We're leaving for Iloilo tomorrow afternoon so tonight and tomorrow morning will be spent packing. My entire family is there right now at my maternal grandparents' ancestral home. The whole clan is going to Boracay for our annual reunion, and it's going to be loads of fun.

I'll try to blog, tweet and update you while I'm there... NOT. 

Let's spend the holidays focusing on our loved ones, shall we? The internetzzz can wait. Merry Christmas! Happy birthday, Jesus!

I am grateful. My cup runneth over.