This Christmas season, my days have been monotonous alternates of binge eating, sleeping, and movie marathons.

The marathons, more specifically, are the highlight of my vacation, since for a span of so-so days, I get to just lounge around, stuff my stomach with practically all types of food, and just watch my favorite movies.

One of the first few things that I did when Christmas was still approaching was to look for movie themes for each day — and one of the best days that I had was when I devoted nearly half of it watching police car chases.

These hot pursuits were particular favorites back when I was still in college, and this is because there is always something exciting each time an adrenaline-pumping police car chase is up. You can never tell if the fugitive will get caught or not, and along the way, there will always be surprising twists that can change the outcome of the entire thing.

I have always been fascinated by how efficient these police forces are. For one, their effective use of a whistler radar detector is something that our own local police can use. It’s because these bad boys work very well in detecting certain elements that do not follow certain rules. Hence, the chase.

My next movie marathon theme would be: everything sappy. Suggestions, anyone?

I have already attended four out of the nine morning masses.

In the Philippines, it has become customary for Catholics to complete the nine morning masses that start on the 16th of December, and commence on the 24th of December. This has been a traditional practice where churchgoers would flock to their parishes at around 4 to 5 in the morning, and hear daily masses during that particular span of days.

A huge reason for its popularity is because most Filipinos believe that if one gets to complete the nine morning masses, then that person can make a wish, and that wish may come true. And even when this belief verges on superstition, a large number of people still believe in the enigmatic power of aguinaldo masses.

I, for one, have a wish in mind.

But my friends have warned me from sharing what it is — because, they say, the power of the wish wanes when one chooses to divulge his/her wish to others. So just to be on the safe side, I choose to keep my wish to myself, but suffice it to say, this year, my wish is not for me, but for people who are closest to me.

I really hope I can complete all nine mornings this year, just like I’ve always done in the past five years or so — because even when I am fully aware that I am ultimately responsible for how things in my life will turn out to be, a little motivation from the divine and the supernatural is not so bad, at the end of the day.

I just arrived from Bacolod City.

I was there, with the rest of my family, to celebrate the Christmas party of our gas station staff in Bacolod. Overall, it was a fun-filled experience, and it was great to see all of my dad’s employees having fun and bonding with one another.

It was particularly great to see that they enjoyed the party games and the door prizes that Sylfa, the station manager, prepared for everyone during that night.

However, as we retired for the day in our house there, my mom was upset that our house’s backyard area looked bland and dull (as always). For years on end, ever since we purchased that house in 2007-ish (I think), it has always been a challenge for her to beautify the yard area of our home.

In desperation, she asked all of us what would help enhance the outside area’s general look. I instantly pitched in my idea that it would be helpful to at least introduce colorful decorations outside. I particularly told her that it would be great to see colorful plants and trees adorning the yard area.

Flowering trees, specifically, would be great additions that can greatly improve the yard area’s present bland appeal into a sight reminiscent of vintage class and elegance ala European monarchical times.

I hope she takes my suggestion to heart, because I know that having those outside decorations are surefire guarantees to greatly enhancing our home’s yard area.

And now, off to resting for the day, because tomorrow would another be adventure. Good night, my friends!

Just like everyone else, I was pretty surprised with the Supreme Court decision that acquitted Hubert Webb, the son of a prominent politician, and his co-accused, in the gruesome killings of the Vizconde family back in 1991.

The grueling details of their death still send shivers down my spine, just like they’ve always had, and each time I read about the number of stab wounds that each family member sustained (including 7-year old Jennifer Vizconde), I cannot even start to describe the hurt and anguish that Mr. Lauro Vizconde must have felt.

For truly, we know that man is capable of goodness — but when we are faced with the disconcerting truth that at times, he is also capable of the exact opposite, we feel petrified by the prospect of unbridled evil.

And, during these times, we ask ourselves: what can we do against such reckless and obsessive evil?

The main reason why I got so disconcerted with this new development is that I feel that this particular outcome has basically betrayed the apparent perception of people that justice is tilted towards the moneyed few in this country.

And that if you are economically-disparaged and you only have the truth to prop you up, then you can very well expect to languish in the hopelessness of the law’s promises, and in the futility of the state’s law enforcement capabilities.

The truth, after all, can only afford you so few opportunities — so much so that sometimes, it would be more expedient for you to just go with the general tide, and abandon your claim to the genuinity of your established truths.

For in the proverbial battle between the the moneyed elite and the helpless layman, the recent SC ruling very clearly emboldened its stance that it sides with those who have the means to alter the landscape of the country.

This is most disconcerting — and I can only hope to cause a dent in the law profession when I will be formally starting my law education this June.

I just hope my idealism will not wane, nor will the system swallow me alive.

To Mr. Huber Webb et. al, I hope justice will be served in your afterlives.

And my heart goes to you, Mr. Lauro Vizconde.

Every year, it has become a family tradition to hold an annual Christmas party for all the children in our neighborhood.

Because my father is quite active in Church, and my mom has made it a point to do outreach programs to some of the depressed areas in our community every year, it has since become part of the usual routine that we do during Christmas time.

As a matter of fact, I can say that this is something that we naturally expect to hold every year, and each time, we are designated with specific roles — and every time (in the past), I was tasked with being the emcee of these particular programs.

Of course, I get excited each time I need to host these parties, because it has always been heartwarming to see these little kids smile (even for just the Christmas season) as they play games or eat the food that we’ve prepared for them.

My brothers usually take care of the parlor games, while my mother ensures that they will have something unforgettable for their party dinner and/or lunch.

My dad, on the other hand, is responsible for the prizes and awards (since obviously, he has the most money, lol).

For this year though, I intend to purchase name tags since I can very well expect that the number of attendees will significantly increase.

This is because every year, we have observed that the number of children who attend the party progressively increases to two- or even three-fold.

These name labels, thus, can be of great help so I can determine the names of the children who would be taking part in the entire merrymaking and what-not.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Just last night, my family decided to do Secret Santa during Christmas Eve.

This has been a practice in our family for the longest time, and each year, this is one of the highlights that I look forward to. Because apart from the fact that we get to bond and be complete for this happy occasion, another reason why I like it so much is because we get to list down our gift wishlist.

This wishlist of sorts has proven to be very helpful in the past, and I had often gotten the items that I listed in my list (especially if my mom or dad would pick my name).

Last night however, I discovered that my dad would be my Secret Santa, and I was surprised to see that his secret wishlist included expensively-priced items.

Surprising because for the past years, he always wanted something nice but cheap — but for this year, he included in his wishlist a camcorder, and there was even a simple explanation why he wanted one for Christmas.

It was because our construction business is picking up, and a camcorder can be a very helpful tool for recording important images of wall cracks, concrete problems, and other similar problems.

But personally, I feel like the reason why he wanted to have one this Christmas is because he thinks some of his children have now grown, and they are now capable of giving him gifts that are not merely shirts nor pants. lol

Sigh.

Because I knew this was important to him, I quickly browsed online for camcorder reviews to check on the best deals out there.

If ever I will be getting him a camcorder for this Christmas, I guess I only have one wish for myself: NOT TO BE BROKE.

Hello my dears.

It’s been awhile since I last made a post here, and this was for a reason: I had my own version of Eat, Pray, Love, as I traveled across three different cities in a span of two weeks, and tried to look for that something that has been so elusive to me lately.

Peace of mind.

I meticulously planned my trip one month prior to the actual dates, and needless to say, it was an exhilarating experience. I visited old friends, made new ones, and basked in the comfort of solitude.

Because I was alone in my trip, I had several moments when I would just stare into the darkness of my room in the middle of the night, marvel at my musings during three-hour bus trips, or be comforted by the sudden surges of past life episodes that simply made me smile.

Although I hate to go back to my past routine, I think it is inevitable — because that was simply a momentary departure.

I feel a little depressed as I write this — and this depression was borne even before I boarded that ferry boat to Cebu, my first vacation destination.

Because I knew then that my two week trip would be bombarded with so much love, but that at the end of the day, this emotion is also melded in inextricable duality with sadness.

Sadness, after all, comes right after happiness.

Sigh.

Corollary to the earlier post that I made, I also make sure that the diet plan that I choose corresponds to my particular lifestyle — because let’s face it, different people have different needs.

Subsumed under this train of thought is the reality that different diet plans work for different people — and if you want to be successful with your chosen diet plan, you ought to make sure that it’s custom-fitted for your personality, general preferences, and other pertinent details.

Because of this, I checked on testoripped reviews because according to the reviews, Testoripped is especially designed for men who want to have that added physical advantage compared to other men who work their asses off in trying to have that awesome physical physique.

Testoripped is the best diet pill for men who want to to add lean muscle, drop some pounds, and get ripped.

How about you, have you discovered the best diet pill for you?

And my campaign towards losing weight is not losing steam anytime soon.

I know that weight issues are prevalent right now, not just with my brothers, but in society in general.

People generally want to lose weight, because apart from the practical benefits of wanting to look good (because vanity is inevitable), it can also give you enormous benefits.

But in looking for a viable diet plan, you also need to make sure that the method you choose is safe and organic — because enduring the eventual side effects can be a cumbersome process later on.

One of the best ways to do this is by using thermogenic fat burners. These burners are generally effective because they contain caffeine, ephedrine, and other stimulants that increase metabolic rate.

Woohoo!