My parents agreed to come for me yesterday, but then our pickup truck chose that moment for its yearly breakdown. Last year, I remember the engine conking out on Skyway, while we were paying the toll. So, definitely luckier this year that we were still in the Inquirer parking lot when it happened. LOL. Ended up taking the 16-year-old (!!!) Lite Ace from somewhere along C-5, where my uncle and his family were spending Christmas. Ah, family.

Speaking of that, this was what I got them for Christmas (yes, all of them):



LOL. My family = adorbs, GOD. I left around noontime and by the time I was in the office, this was already up at Krista's tumblr. LOL FOREVER. Don't you just love family?

Anyway, spent most of last night hanging out with the sibs, playing uno stacko (27 LEVELS! WTF CRAZY!) and cards until about 4 a.m., while playing an assortment of Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry songs; Party in the USA was also on loop for some time. Heh. I was drinking Dad's red wine, for the lack of anything resembling alcohol in the house (Maybe New Year's, then.)

All in all, Christmas well-spent. :)

I am reading Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird", as generously loaned to us by Kat during last night's Amazing Book Swap with Eliza and at 6750 Starbucks. Whew. That was a fun time, gals. Should do it again. I love listening to girls gush about books - although I have to admit I'm a ridiculously slow reader and this really does fill me with much shame. I am still in the middle of A.M. Homes' "Music for Torching" because I've been finding it quite difficult to read about the couple at the center of things, and yet I am completely in love with her language. Just saying.

*

Incidentally, today is also my mother's 12th year death anniversary. Which is important to me because this marks a sort of border. I was twelve when she died. Next year, I will have spent more years without her than with her. All daughters must remember these sorts of things.

Anyway. Last night my sister texted to inform me that there's a small get-together in the house today with food and all. I won't be there for the nth time. Every year I sit down to do something like a memorial post of sorts for Mom on this day I always start by asking myself, Where the F was I last year?

So I'm doing myself a favor, though this won't be evident until this day next year: Today I am reading another book about writing. This morning I woke to the sound of the girl I'm totally in love with fixing her breakfast. I am looking forward to getting to the office and working with people I like. I just realized I play Plants vs Zombies because it makes me feel like a child -- unlike banks and billing statements and meetings, which make me feel old/my age (and which I do a lot of also).

And I really really like pandas.

Anyway, that being said, I hope everyone's having a swell Thursday. ♥

things that are bad for me:
+ plants vs zombies - can burn hours without you knowing it
+ facebook - contains photographs new and old

things that are good for me:
+ livejournal - i am in love with my new layout
+ tumblr - a happy place

today we went to my mother's grave. i overwrote my mother's name with golden pentel pen. totally the highlight of this vacation. that and my cousin mark's awesome adobo.

okay, now for some breaking news:

my brother has qualified for pisay! WOOHOO!

*breathes*



the pshs website says he was one of the 1,119 examinees who made it through the one-step screening last november, out of the total21,303 applicants.

thank you lord. hehehe. heto namang tatay ko talagang tinawagan pa ako para ako tumingin. eh pano kung di pumasa, pano ko naman sasabihin yun ano?

buti na lang nakalista eh! tapos nung kumalma na ako, saka ako tumawag. sagot ng tatay ko:

dad: oo nga eh, nakatanggap siya ng letter. just double-checking.

NAMAN EH! alam mo yung me moment before pressing [enter] sa search bar, yung moment of doubt na, "what if di pumasa yung kapatid ko? saan siya mag-aaral?" tangena. talk about a nanosecond of nanay-anxiety.

but no, he got in, and what a way to cope during these times of immense crisis. hehehe. congrats!

this merits celebration.

(meanwhile, this makes me the only non-pisay sibling. hmmm. buti na lang ako yung pinakamaganda, kundi magtatampo ako ke universe. hehe.)