Monday, December 31, 2007

I hug you!

I saw this video on YouTube today.



It's about the Free Hugs Campaign by Juan Mann. He turned something so simple - hugging - into a most marvelous magical thing.

I read somewhere before that hugging is good for the heart. Literally. Hugs slow down the heart rate and decrease blood pressure. So it's the best free heart and blood pressure medicine there is! Plus, it's such a joy to give and receive.

Go hug somebody today. It's my New Year's resolution, to hug at least one person every single day. Oh, and one fat rabbit, too!

Happy New Year everybody! I wish you love, joy, peace and all of God's wonderful blessings! Hugs to you!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

What was under the Christmas tree

This holiday was a good holiday for selfish little me. Under the tree, I found...

... yummy delights:
Nigella Lawson's special fruit cake, food for the gods, chocolates from the Manila Peninsula's chocolate shop, a fruit cake made by my ninang sa kasal's favorite nun, a box of Pepsi Deluxe drinks, homemade cheese pimiento (and yes, Sis D, it truly is the best pimiento spread I've ever had!), brownies, food baskets, a gigantic box of oranges

... kikay stuff:
a silver bag filled with L'Oreal goodies, Body Shop's Rich Plum bath and lotion set, a cute makeup bag stuffed with Maybelline makeup, a Lancome Miracle Forever perfume gift set, Revlon Professional hair products, my favorite Kerastase products, Belo whitening range (which smells like Eternity perfume), Revlon nail polish in Christmas red, Burt's Bees lip gloss set, an Urban Spa massage gift certificate

... things for the house:
fragrant Fruits & Passion hand soaps, fluffy Bayo towels (which my bunny Alice all claimed for herself with even one small towel going with her to her grave *sniff*), room and linen sprays, a fluffy bathrobe, DVDs and CDs, DVD of first season of HBO's Rome, a huge striped coffee mug, a beautiful lacquered Japanese box from Tokyo, a mini stone fountain, huge wine goblets

... odds and ends:
hardbound journal, 2008 date books, a Rolodex, a super duper nice hardbound travel journal, a leather bill holder, desk stationery, various USB sticks, umbrellas, tickets to Barney the Purple Dinosaur show, a pink bunny stuffed toy

... closet fillers:
a funky Bayo bag, a Proudly Pinay shirt, cute red Crocs in style Alice *sniff*, a Guess pique shirt, a lovely silk scarf, Guess shades, a black Zara top, a pretty peasant blouse, an extremely well-designed many-pocketed bag organizer, a pa-cute pair of black-and-white ballet flats, and...

THE FINO LEATHER SATCHEL
I'VE BEEN DYING TO HAVE FOR MONTHS!

This last - and my most favorite gift this year - is from Vince, of course. I didn't expect it at all. I knew he was going to get me a new wallet (my current one is tattered at the seams) but he told me that the yellow Samsonite wallet I wanted was sold out so he got me the Fino bag instead. Hahaha, I was never so happy to find out something I wanted was gone forever because I got something way better instead!

My Christmas gift to myself was my black Nine West pumps. They look frikkin' good. They're also just as painful. Argh. If I must suffer for vanity, I don't need to pay for the suffering, right? Next time I'll buy something just as painful but at a lesser price.

Oh, and baby bunny Alice was also my Christmas gift to me, Vince and Galady. Alas, she died before Christmas. Sad. So we've been extra loving to Galady, our dear old bunny. She's almost six years old, and that's quite old in bunny years. We'll get her a companion bunny again in a few weeks.

This was truly a good Christmas. Because people were so generous, Vince and I were in a giving mood, too. Well, in the beginning it was just Vince who was feeling generous. I was feeling very Scrooge (because Alice had died and I didn't feel the Christmas spirit) but as the presents came in and the people around us were so loving and sweet, I finally got into the whole spirit of the season and had to panic-shop! Good thing I'm a very good panic-shopper - everybody LOVED our gifts!

To all my generous family and friends, THANK YOU for the lovely gifts! More than your darling presents, I am grateful I have you in my life. Merry Christmas everyone!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

So long, sweet Alice

Last Monday, I got a new rabbit. In the bunch, she was the one most full of life. Then I touched her and she curled herself around my hand and licked my finger. I fell in love.

Meet Alice.



Vince isn't very fond of animals but when Alice came home, he also fell for her. First, she had the most startling blue-gray eyes. When she looked at you, she looked like she could understand you. She was charming and bold and happy and smart. In a second, she figured out how to escape her huge cage by jumping up on her gold play box and sprinting out truimphantly.

Galadriel, an old rabbit, is used to being alone now. Usually, too, rabbits don't get along very well if they didn't grow up together. But when the new stranger scampered about her, neither Galady could resist Alice's infectious joy.

So for four glorious days, laughter and delight filled our home. Affectionate, gentle, perky, friendly, and very clever - that's Alice and more. She warmed our hearts with just a look from her bright blue eyes, a cuddle with her soft white furry body, and a little binky of joy.

Today, at 5 AM, Alice left our world. She had stopped eating on Thursday. Yesterday, she hardly drank. We worried about her but she skipped and jumped and played with us. She seemed okay. At 2:30 AM, as I was writing an article, Alice kept me company, delightful as always. She seemed not to want us to worry. But finally, at 4 AM, her little heart gave all she could give and she lay still, hardly breathing. We rushed her to a vet but in less than 5 minutes of IV injections and even after massaging her beautiful little heart, Alice passed on.

We wrapped her up in her soft baby towel and nudged her gently into her favorite gold box. Later, we will bury her in my mother's lovely garden where she will rest, surrounded by bright flowers and green grass.

Hey, sweet Alice, did you ever see the sun or play under the stars? Ah, no matter, you blazed and sparkled more brightly than they ever could.

Good bye, sweet Alice. We miss you so.