Happy birthday, Jesus!

Yet another Christmas has passed, and I am grateful I spent my holidays with a smile on my face and a happy heart.

I'm already looking forward to December 2010 -- I can't wait to shop for gifts again and wrap them up nicely and see the recipients' reactions and to have long dinners and loud parties with both family and friends.

This time, I had two weddings to attend in a span of three days which filled my heart with even more warmth and cushiness. I love weddings almost as much as I love Christmas.

I love seeing love and feeling love and most of all, being in the presence of love.

Merry Christmas, all.

After the storm

The dining room is a mess. But it's the kind of mess which I don't mind leaving till the next morning to clean up.

The other messes in my life, well. That's a totally different story.

Just like before

I received my first ever Christmas gift today! Wow, it's the 17th and it was my first, how weird/sad is that?

I think it's incense sticks, from my vinyasa teacher Ms. Ann. Sweet, no?

Anyway, I spent the day at the mall after class. Spent a good 4 hours there, I cannot believe it still. Brother1 was looking for dress shoes that's not too expensive and I was working on my project for the parentals and errand-shopped for the BF's party tonight.

I am not sure but I think I still haven't found what I'm looking for. :(

December musings

It's December, Christmas season. My favorite one. It gives everyone a perfect excuse to meet up with long lost friends and have indulgent dinners with constant buddies.

Two years ago, I got very very sick (I lost so much weight and I felt like my bones were the brittlest things...could not sleep at all for days!) because my weeks were swamped with year-end work, shopping for and wrapping up presents (mine and the BF's), dinners, parties, and masses.

At one point last year, I had 6 hours of sleep total in a span of one week! Then again, I was a student last year so exams, projects, more parties, and a trip halfway around the world made it even busier.

This year as I end my 2009 as a "free" person, I find gaps in my social calendar and it feels a bit weird. Like everyone's on to something I'm not. Of course I'm forgetting the real meaning of Christmas and the good news is, this relatively lighter Christmas season for me leaves me enough time and energy to continue my daily yoga classes and attempt to complete the Misa de Gallo.

I will always love Christmas -- it truly is the season to be with loved ones.

And I hope my free energy this Christmas brings me closer to the birthday boy.

Dear Santa

Although I wasn't always good this year, I really did try and that counts for something too right?

So here is my list so far and I hope you find it in your heart to grant me a couple of these as I think I do deserve a break from all this delayed gratification thing that comes with my current...freedom.

More exercise clothes from Nike

A new pair of Adi-zeros from Adidas

A nice bright cornflower blue yoga mat (the ones from Malaysia are cheaper than those from the States)

A fuschia yoga towel (non slip!)

A new pair of aviators (or I can use Dad's classic pair)

And the following titles:

- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

- The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

- Intimate Diaries of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour

- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

- My Life in France by Julia Child

- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

- American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

- Train Man by Hitori Nakano

Gift certificates for monthly upkeep at Suriya Spa (or OK, an alternative will do)

A sports watch which can do split times, lap times, and pace monitor if possible. But the first two will do

Annual enrollment at my yoga studio

Speaking of yoga, I had a great Ashtanga class today with Ms. Tesa. She let us do the asanas on our own pace because she couldn't talk very loud (recovering from sickness). Which meant I was forced to pay even more attention and not be lazy and simply follow the teacher's every word.

What made it extra great is that Ms. Tesa guided me into the following asanas :

Bhuja Pidasana

First this:

Then I moved on to this:

And then this, Kurmasana

Then finally this, Supta Kurmasana

Strangely enough, I cannot do a proper Twisted Triangle. Deceptively simple but I find it so so hard.

Photos courtesy of:

farm4.flickr.com

yogaxtc.com

about.com

Off to bed now. Bikram tomorrow morning.