How I Spent Christmas
Dec 27, 2007 Daily Blurbs, Hype
We spent Christmas Eve in my aunt’s house (my mother’s side), as we usually do since we moved here. My aunt prepared the feast for our lunch and our dinner. As usual, there’s pasta, rotisserie chicken, a whole roasted pig, and lots of Filipino foods.
My cousin prepared lots of games for everyone to enjoy. We played “musical chairs”, “stop dance”, and other made up games. We usually get Php20 to Php40 each when we win. Which is about .50 cents to a dollar. But still, it was fun. Our aunts and uncles even joined in the fun. My grandmother sat on her wheelchair with a smile on her face, she told me that she wished she can stand up and join our games. She suffered a little accident about 7 years ago, she slipped on a marbled floor, and it fractured her hips, but if she didn’t, she would’ve played with us.
Everyone was there, minus my dad, who’s in the province to work. NAPOCOR employees never get to enjoy the holidays. My other relatives weren’t there, too. My aunt from California gave us a call, though. She said she bought lots of calling cards to call everyone; relatives in the Philippines, in Spain, in Japan and in Australia. It’s hard when all you can hear are their voices over the phone. Still, it’s a good thing to get calling cards that are so cheap, so she can talk to all of us. Imagine how huge the phone bill would be after calling us without it!
Our yearly tradition of exchanging gifts happened on Saturday night, the 22nd, because my dad had to leave for work. He comes back on Friday and will celebrate New Year’s eve with us. My secret santa is my sister, Juvy, who gave me a therapeutic pillow, which I told her I wanted for my birthday. I gave my dad a new leather wallet from Girbaud. I gave him a new wallet because his old one has worn out over the years. I also gave my mom and sisters really cute pouches, and I gave my brother a t-shirt. I was supposed to give my dog, Booboo, a play shirt, but it costs too much! But I plan to give her a dog bed, since she sleeps mostly on our couch.
On Christmas day, we stayed at home. My relatives who were affected by the fire came over our home in the afternoon. We gave them our Christmas presents, groceries, and the basic necessities that they need. It actually feels good to give, more than receive the same gifts every year. The gift check I received from my aunt was used to buy new dresses for my little nieces.
My father comes home on Friday. We’re going to our other relatives who were affected by the fire to bring their gifts and the other goods that were donated to us, for them. I want to thank Nix, for sharing her blessings with us. It is a great help! Thank you!
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
After The Fire
Dec 22, 2007 Daily Blurbs
I did not have any plans for my birthday. What I did is go to my relatives and bought ice cream for everyone, just to celebrate the day. I was able to take new photos of the place. You can view it on my Flickr account for more fire. My cousin, Roan, who suffered from burns, seems to be feeling better, or at least her spirits are up. A lot of people lend their hand to give us their utmost support and help.
I am deeply in awe how the people that I seldom interact with in real life went out of their way to help us. Pao and Michael were so generous to give us some financial help. Michael is just an online contact in my Multiply account. Pao also offered to give the little kids something after the Holidays. My heart cannot contain the joy of having these people give what they can and more, just to help other people.
A lot of my mother’s friends sent donations of food, clothes, shoes and household items. We were able to give our relatives something to help them start over. As of now, they don’t have a permanent place to stay. My grandmother and my cousin, Raymond, is with my aunt. My other aunt and her kids and families are staying with their relatives on their father side of the family. Of course, it’s just temporary. I believe my dad and his brothers and sisters are working something out. Like, what they would do with the property, if they would sell it or rebuild a new home. I do want them tor rebuild it, because my grandmother loves that place. My grandmother needs a new recliner because hers was lost in the fire. She would usually sit in the veranda during her afternoon naps in her recliner.
Here are some pictures:
- My mom giving away ice cream.
- My cousins, the one on the left was the one who got 2nd degree burns. She still manages to smile.
Tags: birthday, Daily Blurbs, fire, Thoughts
The Fire Started
Dec 19, 2007 Daily Blurbs
I have been thinking about how I should celebrate my birthday, but now, I know what to do. I will just hear mass and pray really hard for my family and relatives. Today, at around 3:30pm, the house that I grew up in, my grandmother’s house, my aunt and uncle’s houses were engulfed by fire. Everything was gone in a span of seconds. My relatives weren’t able to salvage anything from their personal belongings except the clothes on their back. They lost everything in their modular homes. I received the news while I was at my internship. My first thought was my grandmother, if she’s OK, because if anything happened to her, it will truly crush me. The news felt unreal, my hands became so cold and I couldn’t distinguish the emotion that I was feeling. I thought I was just having a bad dream, that maybe my sister’s text message was just a figment of my imagination because I was bored at work. My mom sent a follow up message, and that made it real. My heart felt so heavy inside my chest. I was trying to compose myself and not cry, but I couldn’t help it. I told one of the heads in the office that I have to go to my grandmother’s house.
My mom told me that she just arrived at my grandmother’s place and she’s at the hospital. She’s safe, but she’s been sick since yesterday and because of this ordeal, she just felt sicker and needed to be rushed to the hospital. My 7-year-old cousin, Roan, received second degree burns on her arms, and parts of her legs and feet. She was sleeping next to the room where the fire started.
Apparently, the fire started in the vacant bedroom next to my grandma’s. The house is old and was built from wood. The investigators think that the fire is due to faulty wiring, which is a possibility. It is really unfortunate that this happened 7 days before Christmas. I really feel sorry for the kids because my cousin said they just bought new clothes and shoes for Christmas, and now, they’re all gone. Even my cousin’s Yorkshire Terrier, Twinkle, died..
Tags: birthday, Daily Blurbs, fire, Thoughts
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