Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time - Laura Ingalls Wilder
My favourite season of the year brings with it a lot of wishful thinkings...Hoping for presents that may never materialise (but one will still hope anyway), and as with the majority of the 3. something million population in Singapore, I can never stop wishing for a white Christmas. I once witnessed a white pre-Christmas before in the year 2004, when I was in Korea for a holiday. It snowed on 17th dec, the last day of my trip. It was wonderous to be amongst the fluffy white snow that were just magically floating down upon our faces. Mavis & I ran across the road in a dramatic-like fashion, skiing across the slippery snow-covered roads in the process, whilst trying to get a picture of ourselves with snow all over us. I can never truly forget that moment, I even remembered I was wearing blue sneakers and a thick black jacket!
Christmas also brings me fond memories of the childhood days, when all my cousins and I were still young. Uncle Kev would put up a christmas tree complete with fake presents underneath, and on christmas day, my family would gather and the kids would receive presents given to us by our aunts & uncles. By 1pm, the house would be full, with christmas carols playing at the background and we would have christmas lunch and dinner. Since turkey was a trouble to cook, aunt Hazel modified and came out with a similar recipe which used chicken instead...and the chicken would be stuffed with raisins, fried rice, ham, nuts etc...mum would buy the usual leg of ham, and there would also be pizzas, curries, chocolates, candies, sodas, fruit punches, french loaves and all sorts of yummilicious food. Sad to say, as we grew up, gatherings of such magnitude and splendor died down and of late, I don't even recall the same enthusiasm for any gatherings during Christmas time. So it makes sense for me to want to celebrate Christmas elsewhere. I'm quite tired of spending $$ on movies and food in the jam-packed and claustrophobic town area, I'm also sick of organizing steamboat dinners... such were the common practice for my gang of friends & I for the past 5-6 years.
This year, mum gave me the best Christmas present by sponsoring my trip to Holland/Netherlands with my aunt Joanne (Thanks Mum!). Aunt Joanne happened to have a friend whose a Dutch-Singaporean residing in Holland, he kindly provided us with the accomodation for this trip, even took pains into planning a comprehensive itinerary (Why do I get a feeling that I really will like this friend of hers even before meeting him?). Was supposed to take a 3hr domestic flight to Spain and Madrid as well, but due to the trip being only 2 weeks (& her friend said you need at least 1 whole week in Spain), we changed plans and decided upon Germany/Belgium instead. It'll save me some money too, since we only need to take a train to Germany and not a flight. But last I heard Germany's weather is really bad now, somewhat like 0 degrees C? That's like freezing point of water...so Aunt doesn't seem too keen, didn't hear her mentioning any further plans except to say that Holland/Netherlands is already quite big to be covered in 12 days. So.
-_-"
I would still have a swinging good time anyways! Think X'mas will be really awesome there. Last I checked my stars in 8 days and it said something like I would meet someone in a foreign land with potential romance opportunity! Haha! Wishful thinking huh? But it's gonna be X'mas soon, so why care 2 hoots?! One can wish and hope and be happy! Oh oh oh...the thought of meeting a swoon-worthy dude in a foreign land excites me...perhaps a romantic kiss under the mistletoe would be splendid???!!! (I believe some might know the significance of kissing under the mistletoe on Christmas, if not: http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/mistletoe.asp)
For this trip, I specially bought brown leather boots, a black beanie (which otherwise I would not have the courage to wear in S'pore) and a larger sized memory card for my camera. I'm also gonna try looking as nice as possible in the photos. If I'm dressed horribly on a particular day, the pictures taken on that day would a scenery, alone. Without me inside. Ha Ha Ha! Can't wait for Monday to come :D but dread the 12hr flight! -_-" And Shopping! zzz...on a budget so only have 500 euros in total (inclusive of food budget, so really tight, considering shopping $ is my own pasar). That's already like nearly 1100 sing $ because of the hefty exchange rate for euros: $1 euros = $2.13 sing = zzzzzzzzz = a very broke me. But I'll still crash H&M stuff to get the best deals I can! *keeps fingers cross for sightings of nice yet cheap stuff* & the $ mum gave me for food...let's just say that 2 weeks of starving and eating less won't kill me. I need that kind of starvation anyway, I'm too fat. Haha!
Talking about the presents I want for Christmas, (which by the way will never materialise since my family stopped gifts exchange for a few years already), there sure are hell a lot of lusts and "musts" this year. The top 3 items I want this X'mas include (in no particular order):
1) The H2O marine cleansing gel (which costs a freaking $47... -_-" again...since my Johnson & Johnson one only cost $3.60 for the same size)
2) Estee Lauder Idealist pore minimizing skin refiner (Mav bought hers for $90 odd dollars...something I'm too miser to pay from my own pocket as with the other "lusts"...so sometimes I "accidentally" use hers)
3) Lancome Hypnose perfume (love the smell)
So, anyone reading this and have lots of spare cash to throw around, can throw to me. I'll find a very good use for them.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!
