Happy New Year!

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Happy New year everyone! New years for us has come and gone (about 8 hours ago).

Yesterday was a pretty calm day. In the morning we just hung around the house for abit and relaxed. IN the afternoon Mom, Tita Mila, Uncle Mike and I went to see Millie and Adel's new condo. It's sooo nice. It's a private gated high rise cluster in a pretty nice, clean area (out side of most of the neighborhoods there are makeshift neighborhoods made by the poor, they call them squatters here). The just moved in and are still trying to unpack and organize. Both Rico and Isabella have thier own bedrooms (which are both bigger than my bedroom in my apartment) with thier own bathrooms! The master suite is huge (with a huge bath and walk-in closet) and it has wrap around winodows all over the apartment. They live on the 8th floor so they have a very nice view - you can see the mountains where they are. There is a built in bar (my favorite part) and thier tv is a theater screen that drops down with a touch of a button. There is also a fairly sizable service area for the maids with a bedroom, bathroom and a laundry room. Its decorated so nicely with all natural fibers and marble flooring. As we were leaving I was trying to calculate in my head what a condo like that would cost in the states. I would guess for a 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath, plus the maid quarters (so technically it would be a 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath) would probably go for no less that $1.5 million (and thats being conservative). They paid P12.5 million which translates to about $250,000. I couldn't believe it! If prices were that way in Chicago we would all be living like Opera.

After visiting the new house we all (we met up with Millai and Bong) had dim sum at Gloria Mars which is one of thier higher end chinese restaurants. They are famous for thier hot pots (like having shabu shabu). We didn't want to eat too much since we were having a big dinner. Mom, Millai and I went shopping at Green Hills which was across the street. I bought a bunch of new pearl necklaces, moslt fresh water pearls. I am going to go back because I want to get the south sea pearls (salt water pearls). After that we walked around for a bit and then went back home. Mom and I were tired and needed to take a nap before everyone came over for new years dinner.

New Years in the Philippines is like the 4th of July multiplied by 30 in Chicago. Tita Mila bought this insane amount of fireworks, Bong bought a box of the fireworks you see in firework shows at Navy Peir, and Adel made these cannons that you fill with some kind of alchohol and whan you pull the trigger it ignites it and it lets out a huge bang. It was like every other house was trying to compete for the best and loudest fireworkshow. The packets of fireworks that just make noise (the cracker ones that pop) come in strings up to 30 feet long. 30 feet! We only had a 15 foot one - it seemed to go on forever! I took picutures and movies just so you can see and hear houw crazy it was. In the hour leading up to midnight it was completely non-stop. Bong lit the ones he bought at midnight it was so nice, but scary at the same time since we were pretty much standing underneath the fireworks as they exploded in the air. The kids didn't enjoy it as much as the Adults did. Tita MIla was lighting the fireworks and running away and when they would finish she would just start laughing. Same thing with Bong, Adel and Uncle MIke (but Uncle mike was mostly taking pictures, as he always is).

So today I think we will do more shopping. I am not quite sure though. Dad will fly out here tomorrow (well your tomorrow) and He will arrive here at around 11:00p on the 2nd.

6 hours left for you Chicagoans. Have a safe and happy new year! I miss you all!

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Comments

[Simon]

Happy New Year back at 'ya
Hey Sis, Happy New Year!!! Sounds like a bang up time, and of course I'm gonna' as about the food - I'm sure that was great too! Dave and I had a quiet time at home, the pets got treats and we cooked surf and turf for a late dinner. We shook coins in our hands at midnight as is the Filipino tradition - so hopefully we get a prosperous year. Sounds like u have turned into a shopping mad woman - what fun it is to see what the prices are over there. Well, that's all for now, we miss you and give our regards to all over there. Love, Simon and David

[Stephen]

Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, guys! We stayed down here instead of going up to Chicago like we normally do since this will probably be our last NYE down here. I called dad that night and told him I'd give him a wake up call. I called him after we got home at 3 to make sure he didn't miss his ride to the airport! :)