TOPAZ HORIZON

Well, if you didn't know it yet, Time magazine has named U.S. President-elect Barack Obama the Person of the Year. No surprise there. Everyone's so elated that a black man is now in the White House. I don't really get that, why people foucs on that. From where I stand, it's the man's platform that matters, not his skin color. Then again, this is something I don't think I'll ever understand because there's no racism in the Philippines. Just a lot of thieves.

Anyway, I always liked Obama. I don't really know his political whatever since I'm not American, but I like him. Since I first saw his smile in the pages of O magazine a few years ago. There's just a real warmth there. I like people whose smiles make their eyes go crinkly. Still, have you ever noticed how black people have such dazzlingly white smiles? From the looks of the photo here, Obama needs to go have his presidential teeth whitened before he gets sworn in on January 20, 2009. Time to go see a Washington DC dentist, Mr. President!

Five days to go before Christmas! I've already got all that I need so for this year, I just asked people to give me pretty notebooks, pens and picture frames. But if money were no object and excess were something to be fond of, these would be nice:

• The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, illustrated edition
• Nina Garcia's The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own
• Jamie at Home cookbook
• any cookbook by Ina Garten
• an entire two days in the National Gallery in London. The museum is free, but accommodation in this expensive city is not!
• a week touring the Louvre, another week just people watching in Paris, another week in the French countryside, then the last week at Cote d'Azur
• go to all the Disneylands! Yes, it is now a silly life goal.

• good tickets to Lion King in West End. Argh, I've always wanted to see this musical!
• see the Scottish highlands. I'm not a beach person; I like lonely mountains and since I was very little, photos of the mysterious mountains and lochs of Scotland have always called to my soul.
• go to Milan, Florence and Venice--the birthplaces of the Renaissance. I studied Renaissance art in college. When I went to the National Gallery and saw the paintings, I really cried. I was so overwhelmed!

• any of the amazing Bea Valdes bags, especially the very dark Edward bag. These bags are the most incredibly detailed wonders I've ever seen. Small wonder they cost a small fortune each.
• Chloe wide-strap boots. I talked about this this summer. I still want them!
• a Chanel suit. Just because. And I want to be buried in one!

• Alice Blue candles
• a reading chair in soft buttery leather, perhaps in Tiffany blue or baby pink
• personalized stationery in dove gray or pale pink
• leather-bound journals
• fountain pens
• Nars blush in Orgasm
• red velvet cake from Karen's Kitchen
• a lifelong subscription to InStyle and Entertainment Weekly magazines!

Yes, I know some of the stuff listed aren't that expensive. But they're unnecessary. Oh, how I hate that word when it comes to describing things I want. Still, it's good to dream and perhaps some kind soul would send me a lovely thing or two and make my Christmas all the merrier!

A friend of mine in the U.S. is really having a hard time keeping a job and I've been praying really hard for her. It's not her fault really since the economy there is so bad. The economy here isn't so fantastic either but I think we're a bit better off than the U.S. For one thing, Starbucks here is still making a killing, and the city is still alive with everyone out shopping and partying every single night. I hear that in New York, the restaurants are closed. Not good at all.

So speaking of money, I'm paying for the HSBC bill next week. Ya, the bill that has about $2000 charged to it by a fat thief. Ya, it's a very merry Christmas. Actually, Vince and I do feel okay. We've bought everyone their gifts, we even bought each other gifts (I got him a really fly pair of Levi's corduroy pants and a pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers! He got me a fantabulous leather and brass-trimmed desk!!!) and we have enough left over to have a happy New Year.

We're even still shopping around for more insurance plans, like I said, just waiting for all the insurance quotes to come in so we can finally decide. Better to be safe than sorry, especially with the world-wide financial crisis. It's such a comfort to know though that God is so faithful and He has really blessed us so much that I didn't feel bad when I set aside the cash for the HSBC bill. Well, I did feel bad but not as bad as I thought I would!

So now I'm done with that credit card fiasco but I'm still hoping that HSBC and SM will agree that--in the face of evidence that I've presented--I really wasn't the one who went on a shopping spree last month and just give me my money back. Please pray for me!