My Christmas Gift to All (Part 2)

A Merry Christmas to All! Here's another one of my favorites for Christmas - The Work of Christmas.  The Work of Christmas is actually a poem which was so wonderfully made into a song by the people of Bukas Palad.  As much as I love Christmas for all the giving received by all your loved ones, I love it mostly because of the gift that I received over 2000 years ago.  With the birth of Christ, the work of Christmas begins.  And as the homily of Fr. De La Costa says:

We must remind the world that if Christmas comes in the depth of winter,it is that there may be an Easter in the spring.

My Christmas Gift to All (Part 1)

Here's my early Christmas gift to all.  For 3 years of my life, I listened to this homily as it was presented in Come to the Manger, Dulaang Sibol's Christmas presentation, of which I was a part of.  It is amazing how the message still applies to now -

Now more than ever, living in times so troubled, facing a future so uncertain, we need such faith. We need it for ourselves, and we need it to give to others.

Read the rest of it here.  Merry Christmas to all!

Muppets Rule!

I'm quite happy with all the advancements in kid shows, gadgets and toys nowadays.  Back then, we had that Speak and Spell to teach us how to spell.  And if some of you remember, we had to listen to a robotic voice say the word.  In those days, that was pretty cool for a toy.  In the realm of toys and cartoons, I was happy to have gone through the classics of Daimos, Mazinger Z and Voltes V.  Eventually, it would evolve to He-Man, Transformers and GI Joe (some of which I was able to keep).  In the area of game consoles, we had the classic game of Pong, which turned into Atari, then Intellivision, then Family Computer, then a Sega, and finally a PlayStation.

I'm still quite a fan of those mentioned above and I'm really amazed on how far each has gone.  Toys no longer talk in robotic voices and come in pretty shapes and sizes.  Robots have changed insofar as mobility - knees and elbows can now bend.  As for game consoles, it is simply unbelievable how far these have advanced with the likes of Xbox360, PS3 and the Wii.

But if it's one thing I still love from the past, they are the shows I grew up with - Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Electric Company and the like.  If I could get a hold of all the episodes of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, I would.  I have nothing against the Barneys (well maybe Barney), Nick Jr. Shows like Yo Gabba Gabba (which I think is a super cool kids show). I just love the Muppets and how they were able to keep me seated in front of the TV and learn what near and far is, what sharing is, what cooperation is all about or simply get entertained with the lousy jokes of Fozzie Bear, the silly drama of Pigs in Space or watch the guest celebrities interact with muppets!  It's one of those "you had to be there to appreciate it" moments.  A lot of things have changed in years but these muppets certainly won't for me.  Here's a little something from Muppets Studios.

What Time is It?

IT'S DECEMBER! It's almost Christmas, it's almost the end of the year and it's exactly 16 days until I start using up all my leaves (which means I'm on leave Dec 17 and I get back to work on Jan 4!).  Yes, it means shopping and having to brave this season's terrible traffic jams.  However, this also means simbang gabi, family and friends get-togethers/Christmas dinners, bibingka, Majestic Ham, ensaymada (a great excuse to get fat!) - and the list could go on and on.  December FTW!

Random Thoughts: Weird Stuff

Replayed Dreams

For some reason, I've always had recurring dreams.  Of course, we all have those (well maybe most of us) dreams where we fly or we're with friends or the occasional nightmare.  For me though, I've had two recurring dreams. 

The first dream is about me forgetting to attend a Math Class in school.  For this dream, I'm in Ateneo talking to a bunch of friends.  I suddenly remember that I have a Math class to attend.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember which building to go to and I can't seem to understand the schedule I made on the index card.  This is where the dream ends.  Maybe next time I should just take a free cut...and I'll see what happens in my dream.

The second dream (which has been the theme lately) is about me being in a stage play.  I'm performing in front of a live audience and I've forgotten my lines.  As I try to remember, nothing comes to my mind and I'm left with nothing.  And this is where this dream ends.  For this dream, maybe I should just try and say something funny - hopefully the stage play I'm in is a comedy...

These dreams do make me wonder...any dream interpreters out there? Or am I just becoming forgetful? Hahaha

Lost Shoes

Whenever I drive or walk around, I usually notice a sole shoe or slipper on the road.  It makes me wonder - why is it alone?  Most likely, someone was bringing it along and dropped it along the way.  It would not make sense that someone was riding a motorcycle or was walking by and the shoe/slipper fell off the foot.  In this case, wouldn't you be getting it back?  Either way, I find it weird to see it on the street and yet no one bothers to pick it up or put it to the side (oh wait - I'm not expecting people to do that...just hoping).  I've always wanted to take a phone pic...but people might find that weird and start throwing their shoes and slippers at me! Hmmm, maybe that's why there are sole shoes/slippers on the road! Haha.

Watch a Movie! Across The Universe (But Not on HBO!)

One of the things I like the most is listening to the Beatles.  Of course, I like it also whenever a movie has any Beatles song in its soundtrack - like "I am Sam".  And I liked it a lot when they made a musical film based on the songs of the Beatles - Across the Universe.  A total of 30 Beatles songs were used for the film - and a lot of other Beatles references were used (their names, the lines used by characters, etc.)  Among all the songs played, I liked these songs the most: Something, Dear Prudence and If I Fell.  Watch it! Sometimes, I watch this film just to listen to the music!  If you get a chance to watch this movie, please do.  And don't watch it on HBO (well at least here in Manila) - some scenes had to be cut due to nudity and I felt like I was watching a skipping DVD - hahahaha!