Back to the grind...

The Christmas season officially ended last Sunday (with the celebration of Three Kings), and we just celebrated it by way of getting together, and, likewise celebrating Dict's birthday. His birthday was actually on the 3rd of January, but everyone was too caught up in their own New Year revelry activities to get together that time.

As for me, this Christmas vacation was one activity after another, I literally had to stop and decline a few Christmas and New Year reunions, or I'd find myself too fatigued with all the trips and too filled with all the rich food being offered in homes or bought in restaurants - due to our visiting overseas relatives' craving for food they have not had in a long time.

Had I my way, I would have wanted this last day to be one of pure rest, seeing as Monday would be a 'back to the grind' day.

Yup... we're all getting back to a semblance of routine - of waking up real early and going to work, braving the traffic, working our usual tasks and clocking off late in the afternoon (or early evening) to get back home in time for dinner with the kids where we could ask how each one's day was.

In a way, I'm rather glad to get back to this routine - I started to feel that I needed a break from our Christmas break. Its not our visiting relatives fault, its just all these activities were tiring - and it was not all concentrated to our visiting guests either. Adding complication to this set-up was the fact that traffic in the Metro had gotten so bad, it was better for us just to stay home than brave the malls in those few days before Christmas day.

But as we usher in 2008, what exactly did I find memorable?

For one, the fact that Barbie (my wife) had all her brothers and sisters here in the Philippines - a rare event these days, specially since half of them are now working in Dubai, and are thus U.A.E.-based, while another was recently posted in Germany. So you can imagine that this gathering was welcomed by all. Yes, it was hectic and tiring - but old acquaintances and all... it was good to see them. Whether such a grand reunion will ever happen again, who knows?... and who knows when? Not in 2008.

Included in this package was the new addition to the Suzon family - my new Godchild, Jon Gabriel (or Gabby for short), who we were all glad to finally meet. Somewhere in between, Dict got married - didn't I say things were hectic? Despite a few faux pas in said wedding and reception ; we enjoyed the experience.

What I would have wanted to have more of...

Family reunions from my family's side - granted that we're all here anyway, we rarely find time to see each other. My dad's got his own life, my mom lives outside of the Metro - about two hours drive to a province, and this Christmas rarely had us seeing each other. I'm sure I missed a few of the larger family reunions - but I guess it couldn't be helped.

I did get to ask for two jars filled with Grace's great Macapuno (sweetened coconut), which was spectacular as a dessert by itself (and possibly helped me gain a few pounds during the holidays), and enjoyed some of her cooking. This type of celebration however was cut short when her brother suddenly died right after Christmas - possibly enjoying too much of the holiday feasts. This really put a damper on my dad's family's celebration.

Barbie's family was just too large to help organize a trip to Cuenca and visit my mom, and the originally scheduled trip was postponed for one reason or another. I had to make a quick trip to mu mom on the 24th of December - to bring her Christmas ham and other items.

My side of the family finally had its reunion, of sorts, after the New Year - and it was not as complete a visitor's list as we had hoped. But at least. Things were just too hectic to do things as we wanted. I would have wanted a more complete, more organized trip - but under the circumstances, I took what I could.

I did not have time to meet friends... of which I had basically three sets - S.A.G.A., Jaycees and work colleagues. S.A.G.A. folks? Guess we were all too busy to even have the usual post-Christmas reunion dinner. So nada... zip. I hardly had time to meet Gerry, Ariel and Carlos - Deke's gone to Canada, Fred at least I got to see in his niece's birthday... but that's it.

As for the Jaycees' annual get together - I missed that too, since it had its conflicts with our entertaining Barbie's family. Office colleagues? Forget it. We were lucky to have our post-X-mas party Starbucks get together - that's it. Oh well, at least we finally saw each other - and got to update ourselves with everyone's> goings-on during the Christmas break - oh yeah, I forget... there was that bazaar we all agreed to go to.

After all that - it must be tiring to read this entry... imagine living all the details. Will next Christmas be as eventful? Hope not. I'd appreciate something less hectic, less intense, less tiring. I wouldn't mind the company - but I do mind the events happening all to close to each other.

I never bothered thinking of Christmas stress - yet here it was. Oh well... I did get an iPod nano (series 3), and Bryce did get a new memory card for his Sony P.S.P.... Bernice still believe in Santa... and Barbie got to have a get together that may - or may not be repeated in two years.

Christmas was grand, despite the stress - but you can understand why I was looking forward to working again. back to some semblance of normalcy... even if its work.

Imagine that... my preferring work to vacation. Maybe in a few months time, I'll get back to normal - and will once again prefer vacations to work. I just need to regain my breath - and try to get back to doing those things I wanted to do before the New Year came. Ah well. better late than never in that regard.

But right now... back to the grind? About time! One more week like this and I'd propbably crawl back begging to work.