Gifts!

i especially love this time of the year aside from september because of my birthday (which is actually two days after my hubby's birthday and 6 days after our anniversary, galeng no?hehehe!)because it's filled with the christmas spirit of giving, sharing, forgiving, remembering and of course the spirit of shopping!! hahahaha! i also look forward to wrapping tons of gifts for those on my "had-been-nice" list and be santa to them.. i've bought my "special" gifts (read: not pricey but it's the thought that counts right? hehehe!)

yesterday and with that i purchased several pieces of giftwrappers. there are actually a lot to choose from nowadays and they're better from the past giftwrappers they offered. these are the glossy and thick ones as compared to the onion-skin like giftwrapper they sold last year which i totally disliked. that pushed me to buy my giftwrappers at the mall. i am not really particular on the amount of the wrapper though i still believe that a beautifully-wrapped gift catches attention and lessens the expectation of the receiver of how much the gift is.. (hahaha!)but the price of the wrapper doesn't have to be half of the amount of the gift, much better to use the money to buy a much better gift right? i was also able to purchase these wrappers which is like recycled paper(they're colored brown and it gave the effect of country wrapper) so i felt i was also doing something good for mother nature.. teehee!!

i did my wrapping on the dining table since i would be needing lots of space for the task and i really had a hard time shooing the kids to just play ps2 at the livingroom instead of watching me lest they see what i would be giving them. i asked help from my hubby who also enjoyed the bonding moment.. aaaw! sweet! hahaha! we did several styles instead of the usual box-like wrapping style.. am glad hubby helped coz i was able to finish wrapping just after a few hours. now comes the hardest part of hiding the gifts coz my kids would surely open them once they see they're names on it!! i can't avoid placing the gift card already coz i might forget what each package contains.. (just one of the ill-effects of epidural anesthesia used during caesarian section childbirth..) anyway, i am sure i'd love the sparkle in the eyes of the kids after getting these gifts.. their true innocence revealed beneath the wide smiles and large eyes and am hoping that same goes after they open my gifts.. hahaha!! am pretty sure they will.. me and hubby had a hard time scouring the aisles of tutuban for the right gift for each kid.. haay! wonder what i'll be getting from santa this christmas.. hehehe! i admit, am still a child at heart, and so is everybody.. let's just hope we'll all have a happy, joyous and memorable christmas to add to our memory banks.. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

Shopping Galore!

i have never been sooo tired shopping til today.. me and hubby went to tutuban to buy gifts for loved ones and godchildren and there was a lot of shoppers!! to think today is a monday! wheew! it's great finding things you would normally buy for a high price and be able to haggle and pay cheaper at tutuban.. who would believe that i was able to buy gifts for all of my godchildren including my hubby's and lots of nephews and nieces and total bill was only about 1,300 pesos!! i even had a few things for myself and the kids.. if i opted to shop at a nearby mall then that thousand bucks would surely fit only 4-5 kids.. these tiangges are surely heaven-sent.. you just have to learn how to haggle and search for the cheapest bargains.. not saying that the quality of some items in tutuban are not questionable, it's just a matter of choosing and lots of patience.. hehehe! i also learned that the stuff being sold in greenhills also came from divisoria or from the same suppliers of the stores in tutuban..
same goes for 168 though i wasn't able to go there awhile ago.. there wasn't enough time for that, maybe on the next visit i can go directly to 168 since it houses more stalls and it's more convenient sans the people traffic.. nevertheless, its airconditioned so you won't really have a hassle goin' around.. we were able to finish buying stuff around 9pm and people are still flocking there, maybe they're waiting for the night market.. i've also tried shopping at the night market and it's really fun as well.. all the cheap stuff you can buy and the air is cooler and there's no traffic going home. i was able to purchase before a tote bag made of curdoroy for only 120 pesos!! i am still using it until now and it's sooo durable even after stuffing it with almost everything i can til i nearly can't zip it anymore.. my hubby calls it my favorite everyday bag.. well, girls do pack a lot of things even if they're only doing their grocery, right? hehehe! am planning to go back and buy personal stuff coz my mind was set for gifts awhile ago so i wasn't really paying attention to goods i would normally buy for myself, my hubby, the kids or for the home though i was able to check the prices of some stuff.. i saw these jade figurine of a dragon and it usually sells inside malls for 1,500-2,500 pesos and they're selling it there for 800 pesos!! great find & bargain! too bad i don't usually bring extra cash except for my budget.. don't want to hurt my wallet for unplanned purchases! but am going to go back for that and the frosted glass figurine of a man holding a girl in a ballet pose for 380 pesos.. haay! these tiangges are getting to be soooo addictive!! got to get some sleep and plan for my next attack!! hehehe!