Yearender 2011

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
- Work in a different country. Learn how to cook our favorite Pinoy dishes. Be away from friends and family for an entire year.


2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more?
- I don't have New Year's resolutions. I just like making year-end reports like this one! 


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  
- Yes! Achie gave birth to Biankita Doodlekins! 

4. Did anyone close to you die?  
- No, thank you, Lord.


5. What countries did you visit? 
- Singapore and Malaysia.  


6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? 
- A writing job that pays well.
- More money saved up for the rainy days.
- More travel.  
- More visits to the fam bam in the Philippines.
- More exercise because I'm getting bigger and bigger!
- And maybe even a baby. Teehee!


7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- Jan 29 - my birthday spent with my sweetie
- Aug 2011 - second honeymoon in KL
- Aug 6 - our first wedding anniversary
- Dec 25 - first Christmas spent physically together


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Finding a job in Singapore and being a full-time wife to Babykoy. Conquering my fear of the kitchen and learning how to cook! Making new friends in my workplace and having enough moolah to send to my family back home. 


9. What was your biggest failure?
- Dieting.


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- Fortunately, no. 


11. What was the best thing you bought?
- My iPhone. Makes communication with friends and family back home soooo much easier!


12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
- My husband, my brother-in-law, my family back home. 


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
- Could not recall one that particularly stands out. 


14. Where did most of your money go? 
- Bills, bills, bills. And food! I love doing the groceries and making sure the fridge and the pantry are well stocked. Also the hubby and I love to go and watch movies and dine out, so there.


15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
- Achie's new baby, friends flying over to Singapore for a quick visit, new recipes that I tried which tasted awesome, new books and new gadgets.


16. What song will always remind you of 2010? 
- We Found Love by Rihanna, Good Life by One Republic, Someone Like You/Rolling In The Deep by Adele


17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? 
- Happier! Happier! Happier!


18. What do you wish you'd done more of? 
- Exercise, travel, shop, blog, go out with friends, save money.


19. What do you wish you'd done less of? 
- Facebooking and eating. Teehee.


20. How did you spend Christmas? 
- Cooked Noche Buena and celebrated with my hubby, my brother-in-law, my housemates and our good friends. Exchanged gifts and wined and dined until morning. On Christmas day we went to mass and then had a quiet dinner in the city. 


22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
- Yes, and with the same guy. ♥


23. How many one-night stands? 
- No one-night stands because I'm a married woman now!


24. What were your favorite TV programs? 
- American Horror Story, Revenge, Grimm, The X Factor US, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, CSI


25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? 
- No.


26. What was/were the best book(s) you read?
- Definitely The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins


27. What was your greatest musical discovery? 
- Christina Perri and Metric


28. What did you want and got? 
- To be with Babykoy!


29. What was/were your favorite film/s of this year? 
- Bridesmaids, The King's Speech, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fast Five, X-Men: First Class, Crazy Stupid Love, Midnight In Paris, Thor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes 


30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- Quiet dinner spent with the hubby, 32 years old. Ü 


31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 
- A vacation in the Philippines. 


32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? 
- Feminine and comfy.


33. What/who kept you sane? 
- Babykoy! ♥


34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? 
- No one.


35. What political issue stirred you the most? 
- I don't really care much about politics, especially Philippine politics.


36. Who did you miss? 
- Family and friends back home, most especially Maximus!


37. Who was the best new person you met? 
- My office colleagues here in SG, both past and present.


38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011? 
- The best is always yet to come! ♥

Moving On To 2012

In a few days, we will be saying goodbye to 2011 and ushering in a new year. Fresh starts, new beginnings, one can even say rebirths of some sorts.


I am grateful for this year because a lot of great things transpired this year for me and my family. We have been so blessed, and we are so grateful.


Here's to saying the same for the coming year. May 2012 even be more fabulous and amazing for each and every one of us!

Singapore Christmas 2011

Hello, everybody! Merry Christmas to all of you! This greeting came in a day late because I had no time to go online as I was so busy wrapping gifts, making last minute trips to the mall or the grocery, and also cooking up a storm in my kitchen for our Noche Buena with friends and family. Now I can sit back, relax and write a quickie post while waiting for the laundry to finish in the wash (hehe!).

So how are you after all the holiday feasting that transpired over the weekend? I certainly missed my dad's tiim (chicken sauced in beer with herbs) and leche flan and crispy fried chicken. But I borrowed my Mom's delicious spaghetti recipe and cooked it here to serve to our guests, and it tasted just like my Mom's, so that seriously lessened the holiday homesickness. And everybody loved everything I prepared, so I am really, really tickled pink! Here's to more cooking and party hosting in 2012! 

Me, I think I'm okay. Did not gorge too much on carbs and sweets, but I swear sometimes I still taste the roasted turkey every time I burp! 

This year we decided to have some traditional roast turkey and some honey glazed ham, then I made some Pinoy style spaghetti, Chicken Stroganoff, and mashed potatoes with homemade gravy sauce. Our friends also brought leche flan and wine. And of course, the Christmas log cake! Yummy yummy!

It's not fancy but it sure did the job of making our Christmas away from home a lot more happy and enjoyable, not to mention delish! 

With our friends and family to celebrate Noche Buena together.

More food, more booze, more gift giving!

Around midnight, we started exchanging gifts in between mouthfuls of cake and leche flan. Teehee. I was absolutely surprised when I opened my Christmas present from my hubby. I thought he was going to give me the Kate Spade bag I wanted, but what he gave me was much, much better! Let's just say that reading all my e-books will be a more enjoyable experience from now on! Thanks so much, sweetie! I love you!

It's the first Christmas I spent away from the Philippines, but this certainly was not the worst. In fact, it's one of the best and most special Christmases I've had in a long time because this Christmas was our first Christmas spent together as a married couple. Love love love!

My sister sent me this photo of my parents on Christmas eve, sending their love and holiday cheer across the miles: 

Ang kulit lang! Haha!

Merry, merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! Eat and be merry. Worry about the weight gain later on. Haha! 

Hello, Holidays!

I can't believe it's December again. 

This year went by so fast. I can't believe I've been away from home for almost a year now, living in wedded bliss with my hubby in a land far, far away. (Haha!) 

I miss my family more than ever now that the holidays are here. This will be a very different Christmas, indeed. Different because it will be the first that I will celebrate away from my family and my baby dog Maximus. It's also the first Christmas I will physically celebrate with Babykoy and my second family here in Singapore.

Pressure is on to find the perfect Christmas gift for the hubby. He changes his mind as often as traffic lights change colors. As of this writing, he says he wants a pair of boots. I am hoping that he will stick to this choice until Christmas day. Teehee.  

I'm excited to prepare our Noche Buena here. Well, more of excited in a terrified kind of way. Haha. Oh God, I hope it will not turn out to be an epic failure. I have never hosted a dinner party before and have never cooked for a whole bunch of people. I'm scared and excited at the same time. I'm just praying that it will all be a gastronomic success. 

Work has been fun so far and I'm settling in quite nicely with the team and the workload. There was one incident with one of the team managers, but that's water under the bridge now. Let's just say that now he's wishing he never posted that status update in the first place.

It has been a great year. A kind year. A rewarding and magical year, and we're all looking forward to a great holiday season.

It doesn't matter where I am, who I'm with or what I'm going through. I see Christmas decorations and hear holiday carols being played everywhere, and I am instantly in a happy holiday mood. No room for Grinches here because it simply is the most wonderful time of the year!

My Favorite Song At This Time Last Year

Gives me goosebumps everytime I listen to this. And it's not because Jared Leto is painfully good-looking. I just think this song is... intense.  

A Song From My Childhood

I swear, this song's like a time machine that transports me back to those carefree days of summer spent with my sister and best friends. It feels like ages ago. I miss being a kid. I would give anything to be a kid again! 

A Song That Makes Me Feel Guilty

This song makes me feel guilty because I have said many times in the past that his songs are not that amazing and all just media hype. But I have to admit this song is pretty awesome. So there I am eating my words.