reasons to smile this christmas

this is jodipenguin, my current favorite stuffed toy Ü bfh gave it to me as a christmas gift last monday when our choir had a dinner party at her place. actually, i was with her when she bought jodipenguin.. but i asked her to wrap her gift first (in the spirit of christmas gift-giving, of course!) so that i'd have to go through the motion of unwrapping the present and acting surprised ahahahahahaha :p




also at bfh's place last monday, we had our "revelation" for the kris kringle. hahahaha. boy, were they all surprised when they found out i was france's 'mommy' :p hehehe. they never thought i was the one who gave her the condom for 'something wet & sticky' >:) well, like i said, i had a lot of "never thoughts" this year.. turns out my 'mommy' was dyanne Ü this stuffed toy was her gift to me. i named her pinky the white bear :p hehe. thanx a bunch mommy dyanne! (see, i made a special mention of pinky here in my blog, in case you're reading this Ü)


another stuffed toy.. this time from friend oviler :) hmm. wonder what it is about me that makes people wanna give me stuffed toys? maybe i'm cute & cuddly, hahahaha :p anyway, this stuffed toy is quite different from the other ones i got, for obvious reasons haha >:) but i like it! i really like it - he guards my pc from unwanted intruders hahaha. named this guy spawnee. he has yet to be born in may 2006 Ü




being the starbucks addict that i am (thanks to my dad, who got me hooked on it, hehehe), i've been drooling over their 2006 planner for months. but you can only avail of their planner by obtaining the 21 stickers needed to complete the starbucks promotional card they give away this holiday season.

bfh urged me to try and complete a card (i only started last december 16.. promo is good only 'til january 15, i think). she said the way we threesome (bfh, bfl and i) go out and visit starbucks, i might just complete it before yearend hehe Ü

before i could complete my card, though, ninang vicky (sy) gave me hers. i think she was able to almost complete 3 of her 4 starbucks cards. wow Ü thanx soooo much for the planner. now, if i complete my card, i'd give mine to my dad (or to bfl, if he doesn't want it) Ü

i received several 'kikay' stuff from friends this christmas. mama liz and friend glenda gave me necklaces (hmm.. i still have to learn how to use those chunky beaded things, hehehe.. don't know if i could pull it off Ü), while i received bracelets from hilda and student marianne (with a matching pair of earrings too!) they say i've "changed image" late this year. hmm. i don't know if that's a good thing.. hehe.. but i suppose it's true. lots of changes this 2005. i hope they're all for the better.. Ü



but what makes christmas really special are not the gifts that can be wrapped in shiny paper or colorful bags. my most precious gifts are the ones found in these pictures on the right Ü

what would life be like if i didn't have such wonderful and loving parents?! they really are God's greatest gifts to me. not just this christmas, but always Ü through joys and sorrows, through good times and bad, my parents have always been that anchor of peace and stability so rarely found in this world. because of them, my life is PINK! very happily so.. Ü

and as an added bonus, the Lord gave me the privilege of serving Him through our ministry in rivers Ü i know i've always loved singing. but to sing for Him.. and to sing *with special friends* who are like the brothers and sisters that i never had.. well, what can i say?! God has truly been gracious to me Ü he extended my family from 3 to 43 (in the choir) to more than a hundred (in the ministries/community)

hmm. this probably isn't a pink christmas. it just might be a rainbow-colored one Ü there really are a lot of reasons to smile Ü