Wishes, wishes, wishes.

Don’t you just love the feeling when December kicks in? I felt like this year flew by so quickly I didn’t even realize we’re nearing the end of 2011 in a few weeks. How’s your Christmas shopping going? I haven’t even started mine. I was too wrapped up in the weekend getaway I had with friends last week that I’ve even pushed back the setting-up of the tree at home. We promise to get it done soon otherwise Mom would definitely throw a fit when she finds the house bare of any decorations. 

Speaking of gifts, I finally came up with my wish list this year. I decided to throw in something frivolous just for kicks. But as Krissy mentioned in her post, more often than not, I will end up buying some of things on the list for myself. 

A new pair (or two) of flats. I am in desperate need of a wardrobe overhaul. My style can actually be compared to that of a college kid who’s still stuck in that “jeans and sneakers” phase. Blame it on the casual dress code I have at work. I love it… but sometimes you have this urge to actually dress your age and it sucks when you don’t have everything within arm’s reach. 

A Modalu bag. I am no fan of Pippa Middleton, but I instantly fell in love with the bag she was photographed with the day after her sister’s wedding. How I wish I can carry that style!

Sandwich-maker. Any brand would do. This is actually what I’m asking from my Secret Santa at work. My sister and I love to fix midnight snacks for ourselves and this would save us the hassle of using the toaster. Grilled cheese sandwiches, here we come!

iPad 2. Okay, okay… I’m a sell-out. I swore before that I would never join the Apple bandwagon. Guess what? The iPad’s lure is just too hard to resist. Bear in mind that this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. My sister and I carefully researched the pros and cons of the gadget compared to its competition. So yeah, we have our reasons. :)

FRIENDS DVD Boxed Set. It’s been almost seven years since the finale of the show and I still have to complete all seasons on DVD. With its timeless appeal, the show never gets old with viewers. We will always laugh and cry at the misadventures of these six individuals from Manhattan. Good thing a friend gave me the Harry Potter DVDs so I can strike that from my wish list this year.

And for my frivolous wishes this year…

Xabi Alonso jersey. Yup, this was on my list last year as well. So far no friends of mine have been planning to go to Spain yet. If they do, this will be all that I’ll ask from them as pasalubong. Heehee!

A new puppy! Gwen could definitely use a playmate, or a surrogate child around here. I’ve always wanted to own a beagle but dogs with breed cost a fortune. I’ll probably save up for it sometime in the future unless a kind individual would actually give me one out of the blue.

How about you? Anything special that you plan to purchase for yourself this Christmas? :)

Me <3 my Harry Potter DVD set.

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiered last July, my friends and I felt it was the end of an era for us. That was it. No more movie installments in the series to look forward to each year. To cure our 'senti' mode, a suggestion was brought up. How about we marathon all eight movies the next time we had a get-together? Perfect! And so began less than six months of planning through Facebook.

All of that would’ve been last weekend. We initially planned to do nothing but watch all the movies in the span of two days.

Sadly, we forgot to bring a portable DVD player to the hotel where we were staying. So we decided to go food-tripping instead and took lots and lots of photos. On the bright side, guess who got herself a DVD set of all eight movies?:) One of my friends who’s now based in Dubai bought 4 sets, one for each of us who were based here in Philippines. (We're a group of five. She's the only one based abroad)

BEST. GIFT. EVER. Thank you, Gen. You truly made this reunion even more special.

Psyched for the long weekend.

My best girlfriends are arriving tomorrow and I can’t wait to spend the long weekend with them! Yup, that’s Happy Thanksgiving for me. We’re just staying in the city to hole up in some hotel while we catch up and make chika about everything that has happened for the past six months. Believe me we can talk endlessly for hours and still have something new to discuss about. I wish I can be more like them though… travelling every once in a while to de-stress. I was always ‘the one who never uprooted herself’. So by next year, mark my words, I’m making it a personal goal to travel more outside of Cebu.

Between running some errands and meeting with my girl friends, I’m hoping to squeeze sometime into catching up with New Girl. Zooey Deschanel is hilarious! Her quirkiness works for me because I see my sense of humor as being somewhat like Jess. Maybe I’m just too easy to please? I dunno. Even Winston is okay with me when he’s being panned by netizens for being nothing like Coach (the roommate in the pilot). But the best character for me, hands down, has to be Cece. Don’t you just love her deadpan sense of humor?

My sister, on the other hand, is catching up with Once Upon A Time. I’m glad because finally she can relate whenever I babble every time a new episode is on. She loves Charming James and Snow. Josh Dallas and Ginny (I prefer calling her that over Ginnifer) Goodwin have effortless chemistry. I cannot wait for more backstories regarding this main couple. It was cute how they were actually friends with Cinderella and her prince in the fairy tale world. My main ship though, is Graham and Emma. I hope the sheriff doesn’t kick the bucket anytime soon. Rumors are rife that they are killing off a character before the show goes on winter hiatus. Oh noes. My ship has to survive!

One thing off my culinary bucket list.

My sister realized that the only way to shut me up regarding my obsession with rice rolls is to actually make one for ourselves. So began our quest to make kimbap. It wasn’t easy. The ingredients were hard to find in our usual grocery stores. Thankfully, a friend of mine suggested ASSI Mart. I should’ve listened to her in the first place. It would have saved us the time and effort of grocery-hopping just to complete everything that we needed. 

Only two rolls sliced so far...

For a budget of less than a thousand, including the basic condiments, we were able to make 10 rolls. How’s that for eating kimbap to your heart’s content? :) Definitely saves me more money than ordering it from a Korean restaurant where a roll would cost you anywhere between P130 – P160 pesos. I just had this for dinner. ONLY THIS. So yes, I’m shutting up now.

The ingredients alone allowed us to make 9 rolls. NINE ROLLS!!!

I'm bringing some as my baon ^___^

In fact, I’m saving some as my office baon for later. How does a rice roll diet sound? Hehe! This is one of the good things that came out of me reading So Delushious. You get so inspired to cook. Can’t wait for our next culinary experiment!

Oh to be young and in-love!

Source: fuckyeahemmagraham.tumblr.com via Rose on Pinterest

Just when I’ve given up hope on my TV ‘ships, these two come to save the day. Hotch/Prentiss is a no-go on Criminal Minds while Gossip Girl writers can’t seem to make-up their minds about Dan/Blair (yes Humphrey, it’s probably about the ‘hairstyle’). Thankfully, the Sheriff/Emma interactions on Once Upon A Time are pure gold and definitely something to look forward to. I love how their story is playing out. It’s cute how he has this crush on her but she’s just nonchalant about it. And we’re not even on yet to the secret behind her birthright (she’s Snow White’s daughter) and his possible fairytale counterpart (I still stay, The Huntsman).

OUAT is one of my guilty pleasures this season. I thought I would hate it, but I have come to love their modern spin on the classic fairytales we all loved as kids. It sort of reminds me of Shrek with all these storybook characters interconnected in some way. Oh, and after seeing some spoiler pictures from the seventh episode, my love for these two above grew exponentially. How can you not love the adorable Jamie Dornan and Jennifer Morrison?

Confused? I suggest you check out the show if you can. I'm sure you will all love it as much as I do. :)