hallelujah...an update! (happy new year, too)

before i procrastinate any further, let me take advantage of this brief spurt of writer's inspiration (before it flutters away again) to finally update my long-neglected blog. i've decided to put an end to this blogging lethargy once and for all, it being a new year, and to let my few readers (i fear i may have lost them) know i'm still very much alive and well.

the holiday elves have finally released me since my abduction after halloween. well, before them was the encounter with the turkey fairy. with her cranberry-colored gown and rosemary sprig of a wand, she had magically endowed me with turkey-roasting powers which enabled me to undertake the noble and arduous task of (drumroll, please)....roasting the thanksgiving turkey for the first time in my life.



i've also been to boston twice before christmas. had my fill of clam chowda, went downtown-sightseeing on a guided trolley tour (which wasn't a very pleasant experience), visited the new england aquarium, faneuil hall marketplace, had lunch at the legal seafoods restaurant and went subway-hopping. i had brought back a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of boston and finished it in a record time of three days.

looking back at 2005, i would say the best thing that ever happened to me was highlighted by my mom's 50th birthday party, because on that day i had the best gift for her. the timing couldn't have been more perfect. it also gave us a reason to go back to the philippines and celebrate by vacationing in our home province and in that must-see tourist destination: boracay. it was summer then, but going back to new jersey meant that i would get to spend an american summer for the first time.

christmas was spent with our aunt from toronto who visited us for her first ever christmas in the states. she had endured a 12-hour bus ride plus three hours at customs at the border. christmas was also my sister's birthday so we had a little party at home for which i had set up a nifty chocolate fondue fountain to delight the guests. i've always wanted to try fondue. it was a hit with the youngsters (god, i make myself sound OLD). they had marshmallows, raspberries, strawberries and pretzels to choose from to dip into the chocolatey fountain. a bit of "charlie and the chocolate factory" in a small electric appliance. that reminds me, i haven't seen this movie yet!



for christmas, i bought myself a small backpack from eddie bauer (wait, their website tells me they sell DIAPER BACKPACKS...was mine one too?? haha) and a couple DVDs: "labyrinth", "constantine" and "the others." i was ecstatic to have found the "labyrinth" DVD at walmart...first of all, it's a jim henson treasure of a movie, and it was a childhood favorite. and who wouldn't get a kick out of seeing david bowie in that very 80's rockstar big hair?

right after christmas, i got terribly sick with the flu for two days. i don't know how i got it, but i suspect it may be due to my not having worn enough protection against the blistering cold when we went to the statue of liberty in new york. it was cold AND windy. imagine how defenseless i was with my cord jacket. i know, i should have known better.

oh, and i got myself a new job last december too. i work at the hospital for the time being as a secretary booking cases for the operating room. i also get to wear scrubs like the doctors and nurses do. the bouffant cap is convenient for hiding my under-blowdried hair in the morning. yes, i know this job has got nothing to do with my chosen profession, but like i said, it's merely a "job", not a career. i intend for this to be a temporary source of income as i prepare for the big life-changing exam in july. i hope i'll be ready by then. may heaven help me.