changing seasons

This is my second New Year away from home. This is my second New Year that I celebrated by just reliving the many New Years I had with my family in my memory. And this is my second New Year that the familiar noise and happy celebration that I was used to was celebrated only in my mind.

New Year is always a happy occasion in the Philippines. It is celebrated on the 31st of December [which is New Year’s Eve] till passed midnight [which is already January 1st]. It is always celebrated with a big bang, literally and figuratively. New Year will never be complete without 3 important things… family… food… and fireworks. And New Year will always be a noisy, rowdy and dangerous to some extent due to accidents and mishaps associated with fireworks.

New Year in the Philippines is always bright. Houses are well-lit either from the Christmas lights decorations which are usually still intact till the first week of January or the bright lights created by the different fireworks that can be bought almost everywhere. The night sky is always a magnificent canvas for live… dancing… flickering… and brilliant showcase of pyrotechnics.

New Year is about making noises too. Kids of all ages are making noise from cellophane wrapped horns to earsplitting fireworks. This is the only time of the year that mommies are more lenient and tolerant of kids’ noises and messes. This is the only time of the year where kids are allowed to stay up pass their bedtime. And this is the time of the year where some superstitious beliefs [like the 12 fruits collection] are well-played and followed religiously hoping that the year ahead will be a prosperous one.

New Year in the Philippines is always one of the most awaited celebrations by family and loved ones because this is the time fo the year that family members try their best to be together and make it sure that they are complete. This is the time of the year where family greet the start of the year with new hope… new inspiration… new faith for the year ahead.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Additional Information:
New Year Customs in the Philippines

We have accumulated over 10 inches of snow already before it was officially declared winter season here in Maine. And before the first day of winter season, we had ice storm and a couple of snow storms that caused a lot of damage to people and properties.

Winter season officially started on the 21st of December, a Sunday… a week after that ice storm that caused massive statewide power outages that left more than half of a million Maine households in the dark and bitter cold weather.

Winter season used to be my favorite season of all because it is beautiful. Coming from a tropical country, I have dreamt of White Christmas since I was a kid. I had my first White Christmas in 2007 and it was awesome. Last Christmas was also white but it was not that awesome anymore. It was still beautiful and picture-perfect because of the snow. But since I had that car accident last December 17, the week before Christmas, I officially announce that I hate winter.

The black ice, sleet, and slush which are synonymous with winter season made it a non-favorable season. I am still in shocked up to now knowing that I almost missed Christmas due to the accident. But I am still so grateful that God gave me a second lease on life.

Winter season is just another season for me now. The changing seasons of Maine are still amazing as far as I could tell. The changing seasons of Maine will always be a part of my life because this is my home now. And the changing seasons in Maine will still be a process and a transition that I will still look forward to because after all, Maine is beautiful in all other aspect.

Additional Information:
Ice Storm

 It is not officially winter yet. That is according to the calendar. And according to the calendar, the first day of winter falls on the 21st of December. It is not officially winter yet and we already accumulated about a foot of snow in the mountains and half a foot in other places in the state.

When I came here in Maine, my idea about winter is just snow. My idea of living in the United States is having White Christmases. And my idea of snow is just everything white… nice landscapes… picture-perfect sceneries… reindeer… and hot cocoa with miniature marshmallows in front of a warm fireplace.

But now that I am here and experiencing all the changing seasons… I can tell that winter is not that cool at all. I mean figuratively. It is indeed cold. It is fierce. And it has “no-mercy”.

Now that I am here in Maine, there are two color codes that I hate… Black Friday… and Black Ice.

Black Ice is scary. And since I just started driving I know I have to be very careful on the road. It’s indeed not officially winter yet but a lot of vehicular accidents are reported on TV almost everyday due to snow, sleet, and black ice.

It is not officially winter yet and I just had my first “ice storm”. We had snow the whole day yesterday and freezing rain the whole night.

This morning when I woke up… the place is icy. The trees and the grounds are all covered with ice and icicles are hanging from the rims of the roof. We have no power and we don’t know until when. The entire place is crappy with broken tree branches and slippery grounds. I only went out to take some photos and I stayed home to keep warm.

Additional Information:
Ice Storm News in Maine
WGME 13
Portland Press Herald

Hubby is out early today. He has to go to his buddy to cut the deer up. Yes, he finally got a deer last weekend. It was the last day of the Hunting Season [for rifles]. But the “bow and arrow” or what they call the Expanded Archery is still up to December 13. [As if I care].

Anyway, as I have said hunting season is over and Hubby is always home early now. The only downside is that he is always early and complaining about his painful back, his sore knees and his hurting ankles. He tried not to complain about any pains during the hunting season because he knows that I will be bitching about it because most of those pains that he felt were due to walking miles and miles of trails into the woods… climbing tall trees… and sitting for hours on the branches waiting for the deer.

So he finally got a deer [a small one at least]. It was not as big as the one he had last year. It was not a 14-pointer or a 250-pounder like the one he had last year. I guess it was just a 4-pointer and a 150-pounder. I am just guessing. I am not really sure because Hubby didn’t discuss the details. He is not as proud as last year where his deer got him a badge and was included in the top 10 [he ranked 7th] in the entire state of Maine and was featured in Maine Sportsman Newspaper. And this time, he is not planning of having the deer’s head stuffed and preserved by the taxidermist. Last year’s deer cost him 500$ for that job [and so was the other deer head before that]. There’s no way I would let him spend that much again for that head.

Hubby’s 14-pointer/250-pounder/$500 Deer Head.

Anyway, as I have said he was early today so he could cut the deer meat up and have some steak for supper. We already had some last weekend and it was good. It was lean aand fresh and Brandon [our 7-year old son] loved it. Of course we did not tell him it was deer meat… not after he finished his plate. But when his Dad told him it was a deer meat, he just said… Oh cool! So I guess it didn’t matter if we told him so in the first place.

As for me, it was the second time I ate deer meat. We don’t have that in the Philippines or at least not in the local market. We have to go to a gourmet supermarket to buy it if we really want some or better yet, go to a first class restaurant to order a venison dish. And yes, it is very expensive. Only the rich people can afford to pay for a gourmet dish like that since we also import the meat from abroad. And honestly, I really don’t care much about it.

So venison season is almost over. The last deer meat we had last year is still in the freezer. The rest of the 250-pound was given to all his friends and neighbors and whoever wanted to have a share of the meat. As for this new one, I don’t really have any idea where he will put the rest of the meat because as of now, there is no more room in the freezer. Any taker?

Additional Information:
Hunting Season in Maine

We also have Black Friday kinda season in the Philippines. It has the same concept as Black Friday where all stores are slashing down prices on all their items to attract consumers to spend their hard-earned money for Christmas presents. It is also the kind of season that draws a lot of people to the mall so they can get their hands on all the items in their wish list. And it is indeed considered as a season because the malls and stores alike are decorated with all the colorful and grandest stuff that tickles the fancy of the crazy consumers. We call our Black Friday – Midnight Madness Sale.

Midnight Sale season starts early. Well, Christmas season is basically the longest holiday celebrated in the Philippines anyway. You can start hearing Christmas Carols as early as September so you can already see Christmas decorations in some stores as early as September too. Likewise, Christmas midnight sale starts almost at the same month. Although all-year round we have midnight sale every weekends of the second and the last weeks of the month or on the weekends close to the 15th and the 30th of the month because it is usually payday dates.

Midnight Sale is basically a day where the stores stay open for business till midnight to accommodate the working people to have time for shopping after working hours. This is the season too where traffic can really get crazy and where motorists can get equally crazy if not worse than that. This is the season where buses, jeepneys and other means of public transportations are packed with people and shopping bags.  This season could be a Midnight Shopping Nightmare too because this is indeed a season where holdup-ers and pickpocket-ers are prying around and hanging out at the malls. So you better be careful.

Midnight Madness Sale is already a tradition in the Philippines. And when it is already December, Midnight Sale is not just on weekends but every night until Christmas Eve. It is part of the Christmas celebration because Christmas will not be Christmas without gift-giving. It may sound too materialistic but that is a fact now. Some people may look forward to the season because of receiving gifts. But it is also a fact that there are also a lot of people who find joy in giving.

And with Midnight Madness Sale… everybody is happy! People are happy to receive their wish list. People are happy to buy new stuff at low prices. And people are happy to satisfy their “shopaholic side” within.

Happy Shopping to All! May we all have the money to spend [and some extra to pay our bills too].

Additional Information:
Shopping in the Philippines