I had a very quiet Christmas this year, very different from what I am used to. There were no kids, no pets, no screams of panic in the kitchen. Liz came home for Christmas and we had a very generous xmas dinner which consisted of turkey with all the trimmings, lots of veg and of course, Christmas pudding (which I did not have any of because even back home I have not been so keen on it). There was champagne and wine but I don't drink. I can't stand the taste. The only champagne I ever liked was the one they served at my wedding reception in Holiday Inn. Shame I did not even know what brand of bubbly I had at my own wedding!

To be honest, it was just like any ordinary day. Nothing like me and my family in the Philippines have, it does not even come close! For some reason, I randomly realised that for 2-3 consecutive years, we always had sinigang on Christmas Day, even with lots of food sitting in the fridge left over from our Noche Buena the previous night. And I actually craved that on Boxing Day. But it's no fun cooking just for myself. In fact, I miss being cooked for. I love to cook but it's nice to have someone ask you what you want for lunch or dinner. Sometimes I miss Elena (our housekeeper back home) because out of everyone who worked for us, her cooking is what came close to my mother's cooking. This has to be the greyest and most boring Christmas I ever had. It's not just because I am far from my family, but we welcome Christmas with so much more fun and passion - and lots and lots of food! I guess I have to expect an equally (if not more) quiet New Year's Eve. I spent New Year's Eve on my own in 2004 in Bangkok, Thailand, and it was quiet but man was it so much fun having so much food (room service ftw!) in the hotel and lots of movies on the telly (pay-per-view). I couldn't say it was boring because I was filled with so much excitement then being in Thailand for the first time. I remember trying to get to the hotel bar for the New Year countdown but I realised people were in big groups and I was the only one on my own and everyone was talking to me in Thai and they did not seem to understand when I said "I am not bloody Thai, English please", they continued to babble on in Thai. So I just headed back to my hotel room and stuffed myself! I expect my New Year's Eve to be as quiet as quiet can be. When I have kids, I will teach and show them the Filipino ways. Whether or not their dad agrees. I will speak to them in Tagalog so James does not understand what the hell we are on about. Ha ha. Of course they will probably show some resistance if not lots. But heck, nothing beats Paskong Pinoy!

Christmas Photos

I am killing time here. Every one is out and I am on my own on Christmas Eve! How sad is that? But looking on the bright side, at 11:30, James and I will be going to attend the Midnight Mass in Annunciation in Spencer Street. But right now, man I am enjoying listening to Ace of Base music. Can you feckin believe this? Yeah, I know some might think "how gay" but I have not heard their songs for ages and I used to love them. I used to dance to their music and actually won a dance contest in 5th grade dancing to The Sign and Don't Turn Around. Oh my God, I am so nostalgic right now. Ok, I gotta do some more dancing so here is ME splitting -->>>>>>


2AM Update:
We've just been to church and it was amazing to see it packed! I thought there would only be a few people but man there were hundreds! There were also 3 priests which I thought was cool. It was very similar to mass back home, some minor differences I found weird, like when you offer each other the sign of peace, people shake hands... so i can't offer the sign of peace to people on the other side of the room... Every single person in the church seemed to be coughing too. They took turns in coughing and blowing their noses. It was so apparent because it echoes around the room. But it was great especially Maddie and James were with me, even though neither were Catholic and neither had ever spent a cold Xmas Eve listening to the Gospel they did not believe in. But they both sang gleefully to the xmas carols and gospel songs and that was awfully sweet I thought.

Here's one of James and I at 1:30AM (getting home from Christmas Midnight mass)

WOW: WotLK

Foxy and Vivien have been level 80 for quite some time now after the release of WOW: WoTLK. After being loyal to MM spec for 2.5 years, I decided to try BM spec if only for the exotic pet because I really think the core hounds look cool and they remind me of MC days! But of course, I chose The Kurzen because I don't like red and even worse, green. And now, as per usual Blizzard decides they changed their mind and they nerf hunters, particularly BM hunters. To be honest, I don't think that hunters are OP in pve. They have always been amongst the top 5 (even coming first in many situations I've been in) of any raid damage meters even in TBC. (I can't speak pre-TBC because I raided as a warrior then) Simply put, hunters can deal good damage even when in blues and green gear. But the damage does not change dramatically when the epics start flowing. If one observes carefully now, ret paladins and balance druids alike are catching up on hunters DpS in raids because they have had the time and chance to gear up. In my humble opinion, hunters are not OP. It is just the initial shock of how much damage a hunter can deal in average gear what got people QQng . Put an equally skilled ret paladin and balance druid in the raid with equivalent epic gear as the hunter and I promise you they may even beat the hunter's DpS, on a single-target basis. Stuff the AoE bit, nobody cried when the mages did so much on the stairs to Moroes in Kara, did they? And yes, OK so we spam Steady Shot, but hang on a minute, don't mages spam frostbolt and shamans lightning bolt ?(the occassional pause for a shock is similar to hunters pausing for a sting) To be honest, I enjoy playing a MM hunter because it's more challenging. There is more choices of shot and shot rotation as well. And damn that chimera shot was brill. I will be MM again most probably when I have time to waste re-speccing :P I want to level up my priest now. I just need the time and the urge (but mining and prospecting is so much fun!) to actually do it. So far I have not done well as she is only level 73. Yes, it's a she character now. I changed the gender to female and the name from Jamesav to Sapphire to match her new looks! I have always been holy in raids because I just love to heal, (if I want to do dps I'll log on my hunter and if I want to be support class, I will log on my shaman) but guess what? Blizz nerfing CoH! Sometimes I wonder why I still play this game. I don't understand what PTRs are for, they change their minds about everything anyway. I enjoy reading WOW books than actually playing WOW. At least Chris Metzen did not change his mind all the time.

Lost: Happy in Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and I am not home. It feels terribly wrong. I don't know what upsets me more: the fact that I do not have a home anymore because my mother has just moved into a new house which means I will never be in the place I considered home for 18 years of my life, or that I am in a house which has kept me warm and made me feel welcome for the past 8 months that is so awfully quiet on Christmas Eve which is traditionally a happy evening. My husband is working late tonight and every thing is just like any other ordinary day. In fact, it has indeed been an ordinary week. No manic christmas shopping, no full shopping trolley. I have been so used to making a list of what to get the kids and every one else for christmas, and it usually takes me days to wrap everything up to make sure that I fill the feet of our 9-ft Christmas tree with many many presents for the kids. No, they were never expensive ones. I always bought cheap presents, that way I can give more to everyone. And the one thing I love about kids is that it does not matter what you give them. You can always guarantee a grateful hug and kiss and a content smile on their faces. And on the 23rd, we always made sure the fridge is stacked with every kind of food we love to eat for Noche Buena. Every year, the sound of my nephews and nieces had filled the house with giggles of excitement and played guessing games with each other of what is in their chrissy box. I had missed that today. I missed the loud music echoing from the lounge to the kitchen whilst I help cook and prepare the food for our salo-salo. I miss home so bad this Christmas Eve. I remember my mum saying to me last year that that could possibly be my last Christmas with them for a very long time. How I wish she could have been wrong. But this is my fate. I'm sure that God has a reason that I am here. I always wish that The Allen Family had some sort of pet as I find comfort in the company of animals. It would have been nice to spend Christmas Eve with a huge dog and share our very own Noche Buena together. Even the thought alone is already comforting me.