noche buena, christmas day and boxing day in photos

i think this christmas is the most unprepared we were this year. everything was done to the last minute and rushed. we were harassed to the very last minute. days and nights before the noche buena,we were still meeting a lot of people for do's and little get togethers, buying the presents here-there-and-in-between, as well as preparing the house for some guests.

some pictures from the holidays:-)


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The noche buena:

the UK does not celebrate noche buena, but since i moved to the UK, i have influenced Adrian and his family to celebrate it.

this was the spread we had for the 24th.. cold cuts, salmon, gammon, sausage and bacon, breadstick, etc. i forgot to take a pic of the sotanghon i made for myself haha:-)

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the next day: christmas day

Adrian harvested carrots from the now-dead-from-the-winter garden

lotte and mark. my ready-made family:-)

the 9 kg. turkey

the christmas chef

just before we attacked the table

after dinner chaos..we were watching DVD by then

after we got our presents, we were engrossed on our pressies





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Boxing Day:

boxing day is a bank holiday in the UK, celebrated every 26th of December. my brother-in-law Alan said it started really to honour the servants and workers of the Kings and Queens where the 'thank you's are boxed, like sort of a tip for their hardwork. it then evolved into putting money or gifts for public worker (ie: the postman, the bin man,etc).

the whole country now stopped the boxing of money and presents for their servants and public workers, and Boxing Day is still a recognised holiday, and now has become a nationwide SALE day. but in Adrian's family ,its always an extended christmas celebration to see one another and celebrate a second christmas gathering to catch up, play games, congregate about food and current events as well as share travel plans.


some photos:

food!

their tree

Paul and Lotte

food after the games

lovely food from Anne's kitchen

mince pies and stollen.


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xxx

christmas "thank you's"

i have been so busy the last few days. (from rushing through christmas shopping and having guests in the house) i was overwhelmed.

this is a post i am itching to post..

some photos of the generous christmas pressies i got from my lovely friends...

thank you to my angels.

(delayed birthday) presents from Ayen....i love the heart tags




lipgloss from Ayen and Lynette and a personalised CD from Ayen (and loads of postcards from them two)...a bag from my bestfriend Kharla (i forgot to take a photo.will update later)




a book from Patricia:-)...a vibrant make up palette from Therese...





warm funky socks from my co-funky sock lover again from Lynette:-)





and a gorgeous Cath Kidston london iphone4 softcase from Aileen..


(not in photos: Kaith's gift for me as its still enroute)

[apologies for the varying photo quality..the presents were opened in different days and times,using different cameras:-)]

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i had lovely cards from Mimi and Normita as well as beautiful greetings over the internet from family/relatives, friends and long lost acquaintances:-)

i am so blessed and so pampered by my friends and love ones.

i am too damn lucky.

meeting science high schoolmates

Today, I met my high school mates Grace and Mario and their really smart daughter Clare (she's so smart, im gobsmacked at how adorable she is).

Grace messaged me in November that they were coming here in December to tour and they wanted to meet up. I always am looking forward to anyone visiting me, but at the same time nervous with this visit as it was a very long time since we last saw one another (we used to be Girl Scout leaders together and we travelled and camped a number of times together), and although Grace married a schoolmate of ours, I had a weird history with Mario. We almost had a punch-up in the first year about something really trivial in the science subject,haha. (I was always brawling in my first two years in highschool,lol).

Fastforward, this Friday (17th of Dec) evening, we spoke on the phone that they arrived, and we agreed when to meet (on Tuesday 21st due to their schedule and my parties). We first agreed to meet on Monday but because of their trip to Windsor, they wont be back til late on the MOnday in London.

So Tuesday,it is.

Today, Grace asked for Catholic churches and mass schedules around London area. As Adrian and I were hearing mass in London (and i was there to get some more christmas purchases) we invited them to come and meet us, and join us hear the 5:30PM mass in Westminster Cathedral.

So we did.


Adrian and i were walking along the cathedral street when i heard a male voice call my name. It was Mario with them two in tow, fully covered head to toe, and looked ever frozen. I sympathised as they were like me (from the Philippines), and they have lived in sunny Florida for the past 10 years.


We hugged one another, and i hugged the ever so adorable Clare (oh im in love with her). From then on, it was non stop talk and catch up. There were no dull pauses, and that I was proven once again, that that fear of seeing friends from way back in high school and feeling doubtful whether the meet up was going to be a hit, there's only one way to know: find it out.

this was me, keeping warm in Zara in the commercial square just across the Cathedral

after the mass, some photos of the Celocia's..:-) Mario,Grace and Clare..

After the mass, we took them for a mini tour in our car around the embankment area to see London Eye during the night and Trafalgar area (with the christmas tree lighted up).


We took them to Earl's court for some Italian grub. The three refused a big meal,and they just had dessert as they already had a meal at Greenwhich area before meeting us at 5:00PM but it didn't stop us to enjoy one another's company.

Adrian took a photo of us..

We took them back to their hotel after this and called it a night.


Im seeing them again on Tuesday, I'm taking them to see Hamleys (the worlds largest toy store), Harrods and the Natural History Museum, and Covent Garden. I just wish it wont be as cold.

:-)

my Nigella moment

I got an email from my bookclub that Waterstones (my favourite bookshop in Piccadilly) in cooperation with Grazia Magazine, is having Nigella Lawson to have a book signing in the very exclusive Simpson Room. And there were limited seats available (60 seats). Tickets needed to be purchased for the day. I reserved two tickets.

I grabbed the chance. It's not everyday i get to see an icon i like in person, and the last time i opted out begrudgingly was when they had a personal signing from Audrey Niffeneger (author of Time Traveller's wife) as i had essays to finish and it was a very busy week.

I asked Adrian to come with me (because as much as he doesn't admit it,he has a huge crush on Nigella) so that we could have a dinner date out in London town as well.

After work,we rushed to London to greet the rushing home traffic. peak time. But that doesn't bother you when you're travelling only for leisure, and in no rush.

We got to Waterstone's Piccadilly quarter to 6PM. it was a bit early for the 7Pm signing.

We went to the 5th floor city view restaurant to have cakes and drinks. Adrian had a British ale while i had cappucino and chocolate mousse cake.

We stayed there and chatted about future plans (thats our favourite conversation, future planning,haha).






We have the best surprise when we got upstairs because Grazia magazine was also doing "An Audience with Nigella"-an hours interview with Nigella (very informal and chatty) and in the end, a question and answer portion from the audience (us!). i was the second woman to ask a question. the first one was one of the staff of the magazine who asked :"what are you wearing, only because the magazine readers would ask what you would be wearing"..and i think because they're a fashion magazine, they had to ask it. I asked the question "in your programs, you always end with a scene where you are in your dressing gown, opening your fridge in what seems to be late night binges of the left over, does that happen in real life?" I asked that question because Adrian and i always comment about these scenes when we watch her show and we always have a theory that its just a titillation for the audience. and we were right. Nigella answered the question and said,she tries to avoid the fridge after dinner, and doesnt go near it, but sometimes, it cant be helped. And added, its quite rare as she normally has a substantial meal during the night.


The Simpson Room was very festive. There was a free champagne and mulled wine. There were free festive cupcakes from a sponsoring cake company. And in the side were books ready for purchase.

the event photographer was really into taking photos of Nigella's books

we thought Nigella would be sitting on the chair in the far left, so we chose where we sat...but then sat sat just at the other chair.



she was jokey and jovial...such a sexy woman too:-)






i was floating on air the whole night. i was so starstruck




we went to a have steak at Angus Steakhouse which was just next door to Waterstones.




i got books from that day. i got two (from my christmas wish list). i got another Kitchen one (her latest) because i know someone who would appreciate it as much as i have..





she asked who Patricia was, i said, its a christmas present to my friend Patricia in Singapore who is also a big fan of her. she smiled and said to "please thank her for me". oh pat, you hear that?





She asked how to pronounce/spell my name. I had her gaze and her attention for those minutes.

Fantastic evening. So happy for wonderful evenings like these:-)

you can never go wrong with kindness and some lippy and mascara

my car suddenly died on me today, in the middle of a snowy highstreet--one of the busiest in the county. i had to ring my work, and ring Adrian for help.

i was quite aware of the hooting cars in my back and i was panicking to put it mildly.

but before i could even finish my phone call, a man, tapped me in the window and asked "do you need help?" without any anger or irritablity in his face. only a sort of 'sorry' and gentlemanly manner. he was a godsend.

he pushed my car out of the way so the traffic could move. he was 4 cars behind me. there were 3 other cars behind me who were not too helpful, but more rude.

you know what's even more 'awww"-enducing from it? he has a baby in the car, (he probbably dropped off the mom to work) which he left inside the car.

i opened my car's bonnet, he insisted it was my battery. i insisted the battery was brand new (remember the nosebleed incident? got a new battery after that). he inspected the car, and found out the connection was loose. he taught me how to attach it temporarily. he said, the connection should be fixed as it would happen again.


i thanked him, and asked for his name, and his name was "Wade" a young man, who was such a gentleman. he was a hero in my eyes.

by the time their car passed mine, he waved 'bye' and his baby boy (maybe about a year old) waved 'bye' too. it was so adorable.


it made me believe there really are many helpful people out there. humanity is still alive and im one of its beneficiaries.



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i had such a bad morning, i was crying in the car, waiting for help, and i got an email from my sis.

she sent me photos of my multiplier and blogger and internet friend Rose B (and mom of my fave Meg) who asked for her make-up services.

i said please send me photos of Rose,and how she looks on the day, so she did.


thanks Kai, you cheered me up by putting sunshine in my snowy inbox this morning, in the shape of photos of my friends..

Rose is also the lady behind the man (her husband Mark) of Tweetitow; a text that is converted to tweet (i have to confirm this information with Rose,lol). she's a techy lady, her tweets are funny and alot of technical garble i can only read surfacely, and her blogs are so candid and so tongue-in-cheek thats why she's a good read.

Her website:

www.owrange,multiply.com

her twitter : owrange


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Ana trained in London for Professional Make-up Services in London School of Beauty and Make-up an NVQ Training Level 4 in qualifications.

And if everything pushes through,she's coming here hopefully in 2012 to finish another certificate specialising in airbrushing.




Her blog: www.heruncensored.blogspot.com

Her Website: www.anacandelaria.com