transposable element

how many blog entries can you write in a day? i’ve lost count, but i think, since yesterday, i’ve written more than 2 dozens of blogs posts across my five pro blogs. at least.

increasing admin duties in one of the network i blog for + pregnancy + sick husband + a visiting FIL = blogcramming. i’m finding it harder and harder to keep up with my online gigs and have in fact given up some and asked for a lighter load on one. and then there’s real life too (though i sometimes get confused which is which… until i see mount laundry, that is).

oh well. too many things to do, too little of me. unfortunately, cloning is not yet an option.

here in singapore, shops have their holiday trimmings up, tempting people to start their buying sprees. of course, the earlier they start offering christmas wares, the better it would be for the sales. sure, we’ve gone with the flow ourselves, and started buying christmas decos as we’re starting from zilch. and though i’ve made our coffee table a bit more festive, most of what we’ve bought are still in storage. i don’t know. there’s just something not right with christmassing in november. especially in a place where the majority of the population aren’t even christians. i can’t shake the feeling that there’s something awkward - well, kinda fake to put it bluntly- about celebrating christmas here in singapore.

in the philippines, it used to be that christmastime is church-centric, dominated by the misa de gallo, a 9-day series of masses conducted at dawn. home decors would consist of mostly nativity scenes and lanterns (parol) crafted from bamboo sticks and japanese rice paper (papel de hapon) and crepe paper. children would go caroling from house to house, singing christmas songs, with a maracas-like instrument made from strung softdrink bottle caps as accompaniment. these are scenes i remember from my childhood though. nowadays, very few complete the 9-day simbang gabi, puto bumbong is available all year round, carolers are just annoying, and on christmas day, parishes hold misa de gallo by the hour even up to 9-10 am. gotta fill the coffers, i suppose. philippine chistmas traditions are rapidly fading away, much like how the pangangaluluwa is giving way to halloween trick-or-treating.

christmastime in germany, on the other hand, is one of the things i appreciate (and miss) the most. sure, there is just about as much shopping frenzy in december there as anywhere else, but at the same time, the christmas season is steeped in family- and child-oriented traditions. christmas markets, mulled wine, lebkuchen and stollen, advent calendar, songs and rhymes, wreathes and candles… these are just some of what everyone looks forward to, what people associate with christmas. not the trees, the parties or the gifts. family, that’s what it really is all about.

i miss my family in the philippines, but think i love spending christmas in germany more. unfortunately, we’re stuck here in singapore as i’ve put off booking tickets too late. arrgh.

as 2007 draws to a close, thanksgiving is blogkadahan’s theme in its latest round of posts. doesn’t have to do with harvest or whatever other original purpose thanksgiving is supposed to serve, but merely reflecting on the year that’s almost wrapping up, and being thankful for all the good (and even the bad) things that have come upon us this past year.

2007 is possibly the most eventful year in my life. like 1998, this year has been another major turning point. the pain, the sorrow, the adventure, the expectations, the joy. 2007 has stamped me, shaped me, transformed me into a yet another version of me. and for all these, i am thankful.

what’s the greatest that happened to you in 2007?

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my all-time-favorite breakfast combo: garlic fried rice and tuyo (fried salted fish).

and because i work flexi hours at home, i often have the luxury of having breakfast in bed, complete with tomatoes and patis, calamansi juice, and TFC. a truly pinoy breakfast.

since i’m alone for brekkie during the weekdays, it’s pinoy fare in the mornings here at home. tuyo, tinapa, daing, tocino (home-made!). always, always served with garlic fried rice and tomato-patis.

what’s your favorite breakfast fare?

See what other PMN Moms Fam Pics have on their plates:

1. Pinayhekmi: Scrambled eggs
2. Ruth: Filipino breakfast
3. Lynn: Tukneneng
4. Mommy Chi: Fried rice and beef stew
5. Ajay: Because pancit is my favorite dish
6. Julie: PinoyMomsNetwork Fam Pics 3: Plated (On a Plate)
7. Connie: Chopsticks on a plate
8. Cookie: PMN Fampics Series 3 : Plated
9. KK: Eclectic taste
10. Feng: Plated on a operating table
11. Raqgold: Schlachtplatte
12. Vicky: What’s for tea?-Lean Pork N Cabbage on Stripey Plate
13. Rach: My plated collage

we still have about a dozen boxes from our move to unpack. most of them contain books, books, and more books. well, time to unearth some of them. looks like i need to browse my “what to expect” series again.