Camera Used:
Canon 400D EOS @ 16mm f5.6
Our second
noche buena last December 29 (a late
noche buena dinner, since my sister and her family were not able to make it last 24th evening) was one for the books. Since we cannot fit in our dining room inside the house, we decided to eat
noche buena al fresco by setting up our dinner table outside the house.
The menu was great, too. My sister's mother-in-law prepared a traditional Portuguese dish called
Arroz de Marisco (seafood rice) while my mom contributed to the table her famous
Kare-Kare. I had to digest the whole scenario, since it has been quite a while since the family reached this near perfect attendance (my other sister and her family were terribly missed).
I wondered when will the complete attendance could be reached. Not that it made me sad, but it actually made me feel more blessed as to how the family had grown - with 3 migrations, 3 marriages and 5 (the 6th will come early next year) really cute
pamangkins after.
In true OFW fashion, I rushed packing my bags after the dinner & exchange gift session as my flight back to SG is a red eye flight a couple of hours after. No tears this time when I bid farewell (but I admit, I was holding it in), and instead I kept in mind a reality my dad told me the moment I arrived the house - to prioritise my savings, because, indeed, what's the point of working overseas if I couldn't save for the future the same way I couldn't back home before.
I felt that the series of events these passed few days ignited that dormant drive within. I hope me stepping back to reality would not dampen it again. So, the next leg is for the people whom I consider family, wherever 2011 may take me.
Happy New Year, everyone.
