Hi guys, just wanted to whip up a little post because I've been absent here. The past few weeks had been crazy hectic and I'm on the verge of just throwing everything away. I'm taking deep breaths now to relax but even that trick doesn't work for me anymore. 

Anyway, I'll stop talking about all the negativity I've been feeling. I want this post to be all joy and warm hugs, yet I'm afraid I've started it on the wrong note. Let's start over, shall we?

It's Christmas Eve and I have been looking forward to this day since the start of December. I've been stuck at home since September. That's right, I haven't stepped outside for three months, and even though I am the most homebody type of person you'll ever meet, being cooped up with no escape whatsoever made me feel tired. I love being at home and as someone who has a lot of hobbies, I'm never out of things to do. Yet, this pandemic situation has really made me realize that I also crave human interactions. I miss my friends, I miss going to cafes, I miss walking down the street, I miss the city. But no matter these feelings, it's really better to just stay put at home if you really don't have to go outside.

Speaking of being just at home, I'm thankful that we have the technology now because I couldn't even start imagining what life would've been if this pandemic happened ten years ago. And thanks to Shopee (LOL), I managed to finish all of my gift-shopping without having to step outside. 

What I am most excited about today is giving all the gifts I've bought! Last week, a surge of packages arrived every day and my dad was just looking at me incredulously as he saw me receiving package after another package. 😂 I bet he thought I had a shopping problem. 😂

I'm really proud of myself (LOL again) for choosing these gifts. I just think they're perfect for these people I'm giving them to, and I hope they will love it. I've put so much effort into picking each gift and then wrapping them one by one, I'd be disappointed if they wouldn't like what I got them. 😅

Hunting for gifts is one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. I enjoy scouring at shops to find the perfect gift for each of my loved ones and when I finally settle on to a certain thing, I get super excited to just give it to them right away! But of course, I restrain myself and gift-wrap everything with love and then wait out the days, slowly anticipating until Christmas Eve comes.

This year, I went on a shopping spree at Shopee to buy all the gifts for my family. The 12.12 sale was great because I got to save up a lot from the items I checked out. I've been an avid Shopee user since 2017 and it's great that this app has become even more useful today.

Anyway... It's the 24th of December. I woke up today to the sound of my mom cooking in the kitchen and to the smell of boiling pork. She was making her Christmas specialty - Hamonada. I don't remember celebrating Christmas with my family without Hamonada on our table. It's just a must in our family and waking up to that sumptuous smell gave me a feeling that today was going to be a great day. 

My mom wanted me to cook my tuna pasta but I don't know if I'm going to have time because I will be working for the most part of the day and won't be getting off until 10 PM (sometimes more), and I don't think 2 hours will be enough for me to prepare the dish. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make the pasta tomorrow.

It's already 8 PM and they just came home from their last simbang gabi. I'm saddened this year because I wasn't able to attend the simbang gabi because of work. 😞 I've completed the 9-mornings for 3 consecutive years. Sadly, this year, I wasn't able to. 

So uhm, I think this is enough of an update. Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you're celebrating it with your family and loved ones. 💖 Enjoy the holidays! xx

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