Getting into the Spirit

This is it. Only a few days left before the BIG day. We have a tree this year. Yipee! Der Weihnachtsbaum, O Tannenbaum - the epitome of X'mas. No matter how small your apartment is, you ought to have one to get into the spirit of things. Hehe!

This is my 3 footer, plastic fir tree - if you really want to save the trees, this is a better option :) No need to go out into the woods in search of the perfect tree.

Presents from Down Under

This year's birthday and X'mas is extra sweet with the arrival of a special package from Perth, Australia. Trish, my BFF since our college days at ECU is always so thoughtful and kind. Her husband, Milko was on a business trip here earlier this week and he posted the package a few days ago.

Trish, United States Postal Service is surprisingly "super-efficient". Don't worry. I got your package this morning. Here's proof that it reached us safely :)


Thank you so, so much! I am really missing Cadbury Chocolates and I love Delta Goodrem. I heard her singing with Westlife and she has a GREAT voice. She's also a talented songwriter and one of the songs she co-wrote: "Eyes on Me" was recently recorded by Celine Dion.

I'm listening to her CD now :) What a treat!

You're an angel and thank you - Milko, for carrying the gifts all the way from Perth. I can't wait to see you all next year. Waiting for you here in NYC :)

~xxxoooxxx~
(you can see how grateful I am by the nos. of x's & o's...haha!)

Another year older...

Another year wiser, so they say. Today, my Grandpa & Grandma in spite of their hearing difficulties (they are 94 and 90 respectively), called from Malaysia to wish me "Many Happy Returns." I miss them a lot during this time of the year; with X'mas and New Year just around the corner.

Today is also Eid-al-Adha or Hari Raya Haji/Korban (Feast of Sacrifice) in Malaysia. It's a public holiday to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as God had instructed him. Of course, we all know that this was just a love test by the Great One and a sheep/ram later took the place of Abraham's son on the sacrificial table.

If Abraham found today testing some two thousand years ago, I too felt tested in some way. It is not because I'm a year older but because of the physical distance between my grandparents and I. I wish I could be there for them during their twilight years but we don't know what God's plans are for us, so we have to carry on with our lives as it is.


Though I won't be home with them for the holidays, I am looking forward to seeing them next year. 2008 is an important year for both of them. Grandpa & Grandma were married in June 1938. Next year is their 70th. Wedding Anniversary. If we look at the list of wedding anniversaries, there's no specific gem associated with this anniversary. That aside, my grandparents are definitely not looking for diamonds or platinum. What they are yearning for is never material and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what matters most to them. Family.

Advent

In this world of commercialism and capitalism (Macy's is having a 24-hour shop-a-thon starting December 21st.), people tend to forget the true meaning of X'mas. I am also one of those people who tend to look at the forthcoming holidays as a time to eat, drink & be merry. It is still the season of Advent and therefore, should be a time for reflection and preparation for the birth of J.C. The priest did a good job at drilling this message into my head. I am feeling very guilty, right now :(

Anyway, took this photo of Jesus' Nativity while out on an evening walk last Friday night. Yes, in between Thursday and the weekend's storm, we had a night of calm.

Nativity Scene taken using the Nikon Coolpix P5100 without a tripod

It is nice to see decorations depicting the reason why we celebrate December 25th. every year.

Did I say "eat, drink & be merry" earlier on?

See, this is not an example Santa should be setting for the kids. Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Writers Strike, Broadway Strike, etc.

In the world of entertainment, when the word "strike" comes up, one has to be prepared for re-runs on TV and a stop in movie production. Which means, this is the perfect time to catch up on movies I haven't seen this summer. So far, I've consumed: Spiderman-3, Shrek The Third, Ocean's Thirteen, The Bourne Ultimatum & Mr. Bean's Holiday. Next on my list are Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ratatouille.

Due to the strike, TV networks are trying to stretch the series as far as they can. Last night, we were treated to rare new episodes of my two favorite series on CW11; Smallville & Supernatural. I've friends back home who are big fans of these two shows so I am not about to disclose anything to spoil their viewing pleasure.

Meanwhile, I'm going out to grab more DVDs because any activities this coming weekend has to take a back seat to mother nature. *sigh*

New Toy

Adrian & I have been eye-ing this camera for a couple of months now. When he spotted a supercalifragilistic deal online 2 weeks ago, we immediately became proud owners of the Nikon P5100. This digital camera features a lens that takes wide and telephoto converters and a hotshoe with support for an external flash. Its predecessor the P5000 had some kinks in it but all has been rectified in the P5100. It has been getting rave reviews from prosumers.

We're thinking of road testing the camera at night, taking photos of X'mas decorations around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, we are getting a second round of N'Easter so we'll have to wait.

Ta-da!

Nikon Coolpix - P5100

I've been using the Coolpix range since 2001 and yes, I am biased. Nikon makes good cameras.