I would have edited the picture to make it look better. Hehehe! Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to do so. Heck, I barely made time to upload our pictures last Christmas to my laptop.

Anyway, we spent Christmas eve at home. My parents opted to visit us instead. Christmas really is for kids because the whole night was Mateo-centered. He could barely wait until it was time to open his gifts. We had to let him open them with a lot of time in between so he could enjoy and appreciate the opened gift first before moving on to the next one. When he had no more gifts to open, he insisted on opening the other gifts under the tree, saying that they’re for him as well. Hahaha!

It was fun Christmas eve, everything was relaxed and laid back. Thanks to my parents’ helper which they brought with them, everything in the kitchen was taken care of. I didn’t have to touch anything in the sinks and the tables which was a good break.

Since I need to rest as much as I can, we’ll be spending New Year’s eve here as well. Even though my parents won’t be able to join us, I hope we have just as much fun.

We’ve been bestfriends for fifteen years now and almost nothing has changed. We met up last December 28 to catch up on each other’s lives. Right now, the three of us are in different phases in our lives. I’m happily married and has a son, Jeng is tying the knot as well next month (and hoping for a baby soon too!), and Puj is enjoying single life and a very successful, thriving career. I guess we can have as many changes in our lives, whether change our status, change our careers, go into insurance marketing, live in another country, etc. and we’d still be bestfriends.

2009 is fast coming to an end and I still have several things I need to accomplish:

1. Do a general cleaning of our house. Ever since we’ve let go of our all-around helper, all I get to do is some quick cleaning every weekend. The house needs a real good cleaning. Let’s hope I can keep Mateo busy tomorrow so I can do this.

2. Rearrange clothes in our cabinets. Our cabinets (especially Mateo’s) are getting too cramped with too much clothes. I need to de-clutter by bringing out clothes we don’t wear anymore.

3. Distribute remaining gifts. There are still a few gifts left under our tree. I must find time to distribute them.

4. Prepare for my classes next week. I hope to do this before the year ends so that I get to relax on the last days of vacation.

5. Check out life insurance rates online. I’ve been putting off our insurance for the longest time. I think I need to look into this so we can hopefully set aside a budget for this for next year.

Among the many vacations that teachers get, the Christmas vacation is the most hectic of all. I actually don’t get to bum around during Christmas breaks with everything that we have to do. The last few days before Christmas had us rushing to buy food for the noche buena, gifts for people on our Christmas list, and errands that have piled up. It’s also the craziest time to rush in supermarkets and malls because everyone seems to be doing the same thing and the lines are really long. Sometimes, the machines like Symbol LS2208 barcode scanners, ATM machines, cash registers, etc. also malfunction with the additional transactions made. I’m just really glad I got through the holiday rush safe and sound. I can’t wait for the next vacation because I’m looking forward to bumming around! Summer, here I come!

2009 is almost coming to an end. It has been a trying year for us and I’m resolved not to look back and instead, look forward. I’m excited with what’s in store for us this 2010. If there’s anything I learned in 2009, it’s that God has plans for us and even though it’s not the plans we have for ourselves, he will always give us what’s best for us. So whether it’s a new baby, a house, a car, ecommerce fulfillment, more earning opportunities, more trials, or anything else that we will never expect, I’m ready for it. 2009 has taught me to put all my trust in the Lord so I know we can get through anything in 2010.

The free antivirus software I’ve been using has just recently stopped updates for free versions. Currently, I’m on the hunt for a good antivirus software. With the free antivirus software I was using, my netbook would often slowdown during scheduled scans. One of the software I’m looking at is VIPRE from Sunbelt Software. They offer a free 30-day trial and I can’t wait to try it.

One of the things it boasts of is that it does not slow down one’s computer, just exactly what I want. According to its features, it’s also ideal for netbooks. Another thing that got my interest is the antispyware and malware protection it offers. The main purpose of my netbook is to access the internet and the full protection against email-borne threats that VIPRE offers is appropriate for my needs.

On the expense side, although it’s not exactly more affordable than other antivirus software but it offers unlimited home site license! A home site license costs $49.95, which means all the PCs in a house can use a single site license. There are currently three units in our house so that saves us some money especially since a single user annual subscription costs $29.95.

I’m downloading the free trial now and if it performs as well as it says it does, it’s time to talk to Ramil about purchasing the home site license.

I’ve been racking my brains for gift ideas this Christmas. I always have difficulty thinking of what to give people on my Christmas list. I came across a review on Zenni Optical and it gave me the idea of giving eyeglasses instead. Many of the people on my list wear eyeglasses and it would be a good  idea to give them holiday eyeglasses that are inexpensive but of good quality. A good pair at Zenni starts at $8! Not only will I be able to stay within my budget, I know for sure that my gift will be useful for them. While I’m choosing the eyeglasses I’ll be getting for them, I might as well get a pair for Ramil and another one for me.

I’ve recently learned of someone’s friend whose father died of a heart attack. The eldest child in the family is already working but the three younger children are still studying. The eldest child is now burdened with tuition fees and their other living expenses because the father didn’t leave anything for them. He didn’t even have any term life insurance or even savings. It makes me realize how important it is to be ready for such events. Ramil and I can’t help but think that we wouldn’t want anything to happen to us and leave Mateo without anything.

Mateo and I joined our school’s immersion trip for first year and second year students last December 5 to 7 in Morong, Bataan. We joined the same trip last year which made him even more excited for this one, knowing already what he’ll be doing. It was a fun trip and my little boy nurtured his love for the sand.

He refused to get in the water but had so much fun in the sand. He also loved watching the turtles and willingly released several turtle hatchlings into the sea. He made animal watching his pastime during the trip and exclaimed whenever he’d see cows, goats, egrets, horses, and many more. He even asked if he could ride one of the horses we saw along the way. Good thing he didn’t insist otherwise I’d have to look for breeches. I’m hoping we could tag along again next year because Mateo is already looking forward to it.

Every year, Ramil and I find ourselves cramming our christmas shopping. A few years ago, we even found ourselves braving the mall on the 24th. This year, even though we hoped to finish early, it seems that we won’t be able to after all. However, our christmas gifts to each other came a month in advance. He ‘bought’ me a watch while I ‘bought’ him a bag. Nevertheless, I might still get him something to open on christmas eve.

He has always been lazy when it comes to shaving so it might be a good idea to get him a safety razor shaving kit or better yet, maybe an electric razor like the Braun PocketGo P-70 Men’s Shaver.

The shaver could easily be brought whenever we go on trips so that he’ll have no reason not to shave. It’s also very affordable so it wouldn’t be such a burden on our christmas shopping list.

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