Christmas countdown...

It's exactly 16 days till Christmas. Wow. This is my 6th Christmas here in Australia and I spent the past five without my mum. My mum works nightshift at the Casino and she's been unlucky since her shift always included Christmas and New Year's day. I have spent those Christmases and New Years with Arnie and his family. I'm not really complaining. As much as I love Arnie and his family, I do miss spending the holidays with my mum. After all, we haven't spent Christmas together for about 3 years prior to my migration because she was already here.

Oh well, no need to get mushy about it now. I'm sure we will be celebrating Christmas and New Year's day together next year since it falls on her off days.

Christmas is such a different feeling for someone like me who has grown to love this particular holiday. Growing up in a city like Manila where Christmas is an excuse for everyone from different backgrounds and lifestyles to celebrate it with absolute vigor, I can't help but feel nostalgic about the whole way how Filipinos celebrate it. I miss being with my family back home and my crazy cousins. Even if we're already adults, we still act like children whenever we are together - frolicking around like mad, laughing about everything and anything, and playing silly stupid games. When I'm with my friends, we celebrate in a more "adult" way - drinking wine, having excellent conversations about books, music, and the like, and generally just catching up.

Hay... nakakamiss...

I might try and celebrate Christmas and New Year in Manila next year. I wish to visit my hometown one last time as a single woman. I'll just see how the wind blows around that time...