When the Calendar Strikes 12

February is one of my most favorite months for very obvious reasons (if you happen to be a stranger passing by this blog, no it’s not because of Valentine’s) but it comes only as a close second to December.  Yes, only a close second. I came to this conclusion when I was taking my undergraduate degree in UP.  There’s just something about December. It always makes the atmosphere cool and thick, amplifying the Christmas feel around the campus whose buildings throw on colorful lights and holiday furnishings.  I always find strolls along the academic oval a delight and a breather from a hard day’s worth of studying.  The cool breeze and the sound of the Carillon bells soothe and calm effortlessly.  But especially, I love the merry month because of the merry celebration it brings.  I love Christmas! I love it for the revelry, for the giving and receiving, for the food, the songs, the merry and the cheer. I love Christmas for the family gatherings and the memories made out of the occasion.  But most exceptionally, I love the season for its very reason.  I love it for Jesus.  It marks the humble birth of my Savior, of Him I owe every Christmas I’ve ever had.  It’s not just a feel-good month , ya know.  December marks the life of the most important person in my life - heck in all people's lives, as it should be!  It’s the time I am reminded that my God has been born into this world like everyone else. But it’s more than just a simple reminder. If I have one general wish this season for the rest of the world (because world peace is so passé), it’d be that Christmas be celebrated everyday – not with the gifts and sparkles, but with the heart that recognizes its real meaning.  We should celebrate it not just to remember.  We don’t usually celebrate birthdays without the celebrator, right? Just the same, Christmas is a birthday celebration.  So we should celebrate it like the birthday boy is here with us, because He really is! Without His presence, Christmas will cease to be. 

photo taken from sfgate.com

So this time, may Christmas be for the rest of the year and may it stay in our hearts for every month there is - and not just when the calendar tells us so. MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL! :)

My Kind of Outrageous

Because I feel like random today. And it's one of those moments you feel like you just want to jump into a crazy adventure. These are the things I think I want to try if money and time (and fear, maybe) weren’t so big a factor.

1)    Go on a Missions trip in South Africa or Burma.  - I’m not trying to do an Angelina.  I think I may just have the heart.  Besides this is no UN volunteerism, though I would also love to do just that.
2)    Ride a hot-air balloon on a date. – It’s really not that extreme but at least you’ll find me starry-eyed up there. If it's too fancy, a theme/amusement park would do just fine.
3)    Skydive and bungee jump – I would love to do both.For the thrill and the feel of freedom.
4)    Learn a foreign language, seriously this time.  – I took 6 units of French, 3 units of Russian and 3 units of Italian back in undergrad.  Sounds impressive, eh?  Ha! Spell S-A-B-O-G.
5)    Dance ballet - I know, I know, what's so outrageous about ballet? But understand me: it exceeds my kind of moderation. If I could turn back time, I’d probably have chosen to continue.  But then again, it’s only wishful thinking. Masaya na din ako watching ballet performances every now and then.
6)    Climb a snowy mountain. – Okay, well maybe not so snowy. I’m thinking the Himalayans.
7)    Go backpacking around the world. – Cambodia – the Andes– the Bahamas – Israel – Bogota - Russia – EUROPE (that’s a whole continent right there ‘coz there’s just too many too mention)  – and the list goes on. Don't fret, I am quite aware that I need to build up my stamina if I'm this ambitious. =)
8)    Don a pixie cut. – Or the UP Pep look.But first I need to muster the guts.
9)    Dye my hair platinum white. – Or buy a wig, if proposing the idea would freak my parents out.
10)  Scuba dive. – Because I'm aqua girl. Heck swimming is the only sport I feel I could be competitive in if I had serious training.  Plus I'm sure it's a wonderful world down there, I mean under the sea!
11) Dance in the rain on a summer dress. – Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Fearless. You should listen to the song. It totally gave me the idea.
12)   Play the drums or the violin. – I wonder why my parents never enrolled me in any musical instruments class.  They enrolled me in voice twice, in ballet for four years, in swimming for a summer, in an acting workshop but never found it in their soul to make me learn how to play even just one musical instrument.  I had to learn to play the guitar in class instead and it was only then that my dad decided to buy one.
13)    Speak in front of a large audience. – Large as in Big Dome large.
14)    Pass a law that is malum prohibitum. – Something less pathetic than punishing spitting on public spaces, which I actually proposed on a Criminal Law exam because nothing else came to mind. Pffft.
15)    Fly to outer space. – If not with Superman, at least in an uber cool space craft. If this sounds too outrageous, then maybe witnessing a meteor shower would do.
16)    Eat something weird. – Or not. Bleeech.
17)    Sleep outdoors (not camp, mind you)– Like in a beach or a football field or a cemetery (I may be kidding here but who knows)
18)    Fly a plane. And see the sunset from above.
19)    Telekinesis ala Matilda.  Aaaah, the power of the mind.
20)    Give birth sans anaesthesia. I'm no masochist, okay? But then again and hence, the title of this blog.