CHRISTMAS 2014: Unwrapping my presents

It was Christmas Day and it's time to find out what presents did I got for this year's Christmas.

Gifts that I received for Christmas 2014:
 - a wireless speaker for my iPhone
- A talking Pikachu plush
- A Pokemon two-figure pack with Emolga and Litleo
- A Pokemon Mega Venusaur figure - iTunes gift card
- a black trenchcoat that my mom bought from Macy's

I just want to say thanks to my family for giving me good gifts this Christmas and to repay the favor, I gifted my sister Bea a Walking Dead wallet from Hot Topic, my little sis Ces a Pancham plush and a Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver, our baby boy some Hot Wheels toys and a Baymax plush, my mom a frying pan, my dad a headphone, and my big sis Elise a Blu-Ray Combo Pack of Disney's Frozen. Yes, I know. We watched it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

CHRISTMAS 2014: Enjoying the final day of the Simbang Gabi

As you may now, the Simbang Gabi for 2014 has come to an end and oh, have you guys completed the whole nine days of Simbang Gabi masses? For me, I've completed them all. I managed to survive through all nine days of Simbang Gabi masses flawlessly but some of you didn't cut the mustard to complete all nine days due to some reasons but there's always next year, right?

From where I am standing, at Seattle's St. Edward's Parish, just a mile away from our home in Graham Street, Seattle, the last day of the Simbang Gabi took place and every year, Seattle's Archbishop Peter Sartain visited this church just to offer some words of wisdom to those attendees, and then some attendees and sponsors are offering him "gifts" at the near-end of the mass. It's been an honor to meet up with one of Northwest's high-profile and religious persons again.

Anyway, enough said. I think this is enough to talk much about what I did on the last day but more importantly is, I've completed all nine days of Simbang Gabi this year. Despite finishing the nine days of Simbang Gabi, looks like I'll be visiting this church again for the annual Christmas Eve mass but we decided to go for the one that held at 2200 hours Pacific Time. That's 10:00PM for the commoners. That gives my mom plenty of time to prepare our noche buena and after we arrived home for the mass, it's time to eat and when the clock strikes twelve, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Woo-hoo! I'm so excited to open my presents!

See you next time and when I got my presents, I'll post my unwrapping article about what presents I got for this year's Christmas.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Anime and Christmas REALLY don't mix

In this special Heaven and Hell post for the Christmas 2014 specials in my blog, it's time for me to tackle why anime and Christmas REALLY don't mix and this is intended for those hostiles on my radar thinking that some anime had Christmas specials, which in reality, is almost never because anime is just SO focused on the storyline rather than doing specials stuff like Valentines, Halloween, Christmas, or any other holiday you know. Those holidays in the calendar REALLY don't mix in the anime world and that's the end of it.

In the past, Christmas is nothing more of a family tradition and a religious occasion but nowadays, modern men treated Christmas as a commercial festival rather than the usual stuff. Yes, there are some people do religious stuff in Christmas. That's why we have simbang gabi for the Filipino families who care about that big man in the sky rather than Santa Claus and then some other stuff to treat Christmas as a religious occasion but the holiday season for the modern family is about "shut up and take my money" when it comes to buy stuff just for the heck of gift-giving purposes and little kids want to believe if Father Christmas is real and risk everything to spot that bearded man in red. Well, you get the idea but Christmas in Japan...only works in the real world and not in anime purposes because people behind any anime you know just don't have the time to inject some holiday spirit to their anime shows.

Whoever those hostiles around me imagining of an "anime christmas" is the kind of person who doesn't believe in the showrunners' beliefs because showrunners behind the anime don't like to put that kind of festive stuff and focus on what's left on the anime's episode listings. Any episode that runs for 11 or 26 or whatever how many episodes are in it doesn't include anything Christmas-related and your chances of spotting an anime christmas special are just plain slim. I'm not saying that anime fans had no chances of spotting Christmas-episodes of their favorite anime shows but finding one is ranged from "few" to "almost never".

Yes. There are a few anime shows spawned Christmas episodes but I'm not going to list it because those hostiles are giving me the beeps as crazy as a missile alert from a fighter's radar. However, I will say that if you got to luck to find one Christmas-related anime episode, congratulations. You really proven me wrong that Anime and Christmas DID mix but only just. So go ahead, I'd challenge you to find one anime Christmas episode and if you found one, go watch it, and tell me what's that anime Christmas episode you'd just watch. I'm just challenging you how good you guys really are because...what kind of a hostile searcher who searches for something-something-something-index Christmas or something-something-something-maid-something Christmas or something-something-something-well you get the idea but you know what? I had just one thing. THEY DON'T REALLY EXIST! Want a bet? Those To Aru series don't have a Christmas special, Love Live doesn't have a Christmas special (sort of), Attack on Titan doesn't have a Christmas special, there's no such thing as a Naruto Christmas special, on and on and on and on and that's it. You get me now? Good.

Anyway, that's enough for now, but mark my words. Anime and Christmas REALLY don't mix but there are a lucky few that got the cut for the holidays. Thank you and see you again.

メリークリスマス!

CHRISTMAS 2014 - Best movies to watch for Christmas

Nothing beats having a Christmas break by watching a Christmas movie regardless of any genre you're choosing. Whether if it's action, comedy, drama, kids, or whatever, those Christmas-themed movies are sure to warm the movie buffs at home during their Christmas vacation. If you've been given a choice, it's time for me to suggest the best Christmas movies to watch during your Christmas break.

1) How The Grinch Stole Christmas - I'd recommend the one which stars comedian Jim Carrey in it. In this hilarious adaptation from a Dr. Seuss classic, Jim Carrey plays the titular role of everyone's favorite grump who tries to ruin Christmas in Whoville.

2) Home Alone - There's been numerous installments of this film but the first one is always the best one. This all-time classic is about a kid named Kevin who is left home-alone by his family when suddenly, a duo of burglars are trying to steal something from Kevin's house. It's up to Kevin to defend his house from the bad guys before his family returns home. The trap parts in the movie are usually an all-time favorite for those who've seen that classic movie several times.

3) The Santa Clause - The Santa Clause trilogy of films feature Tim Allen (the guy who voiced Buzz from the Toy Story movies) as the titular character who saves Christmas.  The first film is about a divorced dad who steps into the role as Santa Claus while the second film sees Santa find his new love interest or else he'll never be a Santa Claus ever and the third film sees Santa Claus come face to face with his arch-enemy, Jack Frost.

4) elf - This hilarious Christmas movie stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, who was raised by elves when he crawled through Santa's bag of toys when he was a baby. Now, he seeks his true self when he lands to New York City.

5) A Christmas Carol - I'd recommend the Disney version which stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge. Every year, Ebeneezer Scrooge is getting meaner and meaner until his day of reckoning is nigh. He encounters three ghosts who will witness his past, present, and his grim future, and he has to change his ways before his grim future came true. This is a life-changing film for those who are feeling a bit bah humbug on the holidays.

6) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - The Christmas installment of the National Lampoon franchise sees the Griswold family taking on a Christmas holiday with disastrous and hilarious results.

7) Jingle All The Way - Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger shows his fun side in this hilarious action comedy where he, as the businessman, is fighting against a horde of Santas just to get his son a Turbo Man toy.

8) Fred Claus - Vince Vaughn stars as the unexpected brother of Santa Claus who is the total opposite of him in this hilarious and heart-warming comedy film that is surely sprinkle you some laughs for the holidays.

9) Tokyo Godfathers - Japanese animated film about three estranged people encountered an abandoned baby in the trash during Christmas Eve and set off on an adventure of a lifetime where they have to correct their past wrongdoings.

10) A Nightmare Before Christmas - This all-time animated classic made by the eccentric Tim Burton is about Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who is on a quest to save Christmas until he took an unexpected turn that caused the little kids suffering nightmares. Although the animation's a bit odd, the soundtrack and the musical sounds very good for an all-time Disney classic.

11) Miracle on 34th Street - This legendary holiday movie is all about believing in Santa, even if the main character is a mall santa under the name of Kris Kringle. I know this movie is all black-and-white because it came from 1940's but this legendary holiday movie still asks the age-old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

12) Die Hard 2: Die Harder - It's a little odd why we put this film on the list but this is sure fire enough to add some testosterone to your Christmas movie-viewing pleasure. It's the Christmas season when a ragtag group of terrorists attacked an international airport and it's up to John McClane (Bruce Willis) to stop this threat before putting innocent lives in jeopardy.

...there are so many Christmas-themed movies to list but the rest is all up to you so while you're still relaxing during the Christmas break, enjoy watching some Christmas-themed movies that suit your preference. Enjoy the holiday break!

CHRISTMAS 2014 - How to throw a Christmas Party

Christmas Parties. It's what every party animal in the world who has the holiday spirit to throw one before Christmas and in order to be prepared to make one by yourself, here are some of the best tips on how to throw a Christmas Party at your own home.

• Invite friends and family - First, you must send them invitations to your relatives and your friends just so you can tell them you're going to have a party. Either doing the old-school approach (say invitation card or telling to them on contact) or using social media should do the trick but just be sure you'll have to put the date, the time, and the location so they'll know that they'll be coming to you at the appointed time.
• Serve meals - Don't leave your guests hungry for long. You should be serving some delicious meals to enjoy. Either cooking it by yourself or call for deliveries should work and oh, better serve some drinks too and please, no alcohol. Don't ask why but we don't want everyone to leave home with a hangover on the next day.
• Fun and games - Entertain your guests with some fun and games. Be creative! Think of any games you'll want to play with them! Either parlor games, video games, or any game you know should turn the party to your favor.
• Gifts - Tell everyone to bring them gifts for the party. You might be pulling off the gift-giving part of the Christmas party where you or your guests will give gifts with someone's name on it.
• Chat - The party's over but when some of your guests are still in your home, do a little post-party chat with them. That will spice up the conversation. At that moment, you're free to do whatever you want with the remaining guests before it's time for them to go back home.

So, there you go. These are the tips on how to pull off a good Christmas party to your heart's content. Have fun throwing your own Christmas Party to your own liking!

CHRISTMAS 2014 - Best foods to serve on a noche buena

The noche buena, another Christmas tradition when the whole family celebrate Christmas with their meals served in their platter and then eat it when the clock strikes twelve o'clock midnight on Christmas. Originally done by Spanish-speaking nations for centuries, Filipinos done this Christmas tradition not only in the Philippines but at the rest of the world.

Of course, when we think of Noche Buena, we think about some delicious meals served in the dinner table but there are some meals work really well in the Noche Buena feast so let's list down the best meals to serve on the Noche Buena.

• Festive Hams - Most Noche Buenas for the Filipino families will never be complete without a Festive Ham. Yes. Festive Hams take a very long time to cook and usually takes about four hours to cook such a delicious meal but cooking times can vary depending on the festive ham of your choosing. With patience, you'll be able to serve this meal that a certain commercial calls it "the star of the noche buena".
• Sio-mai - A siomai (Chinese pork dumplings) is probably one of my favorites. My parents ordered a pack of those for occasional means and recommending this meal for noche buena is a good thing. If you need a simple siomai recipe, CLICK HERE.
• Pancit Malabon - This native food from the city of Malabon looks similar to the Palabok but what differs it is the addition of seafood toppings and its usage of very thick rice noodles. Most ingredients in this meal are shrimp, tinapa flakes, and squid, You can cook one by yourself or buy one at your nearest restaurant that makes one of these. Either way, this Pancit Malabon works great to your Noche Buena.
• Spaghetti - Little kids love spaghetti and this all-time favorite is a must-have to your Noche Buena list. Of course, you might be tempting to order one from a fast food, say McDo or Jollibee, but it would be best to cook one by yourself if you got the right ingredients to cook one.
• Fried Chicken - Oh yes. Fried chicken is what every Filipino family craves on and rather than just ordering one from their nearest fast-food joint, how about cooking them at home? As long as you bought that Ajinomoto Crispy Fry Ready Mix, anything is possible to cook some delicious fastfood-style fried chicken best served for the noche buena!
• Chinese Soup - The perfect appetizer for the noche buena but I'd recommend buying Knorr Real Chinese Soup from your nearest grocery. There's a commercial that goes "There's nothing like Knorr Real Chinese Soup" and trust me, I sorta know this jingle from years ago. Anyway, you get the idea but trust me. It's delicious and I'd recommend every household to serve some delicious Knorr Real Chinese Soup for the Noche Buena. Goodah!
• Ice Cream - Yes. I know. Why did I add Ice Cream to the list? It's the sweetest dessert after all those Noche Buena meals you've ate. There's a whole bunch of ice cream flavors to choose from and the flavor of your choosing is up to you.
• Cakes - Cake? Do we need cakes for noche buena? Why not? Famous bakeshops in the Philippines such as Goldilocks and Red Ribbon do serve cakes more than just for birthdays but I'd prefer Red Ribbon better because of their Mango Cake and Ube Cake. Well, the Ube Cake takes the cake, literally, because this is unlike any other ube cake I've ever eaten. This IS the best Ube Cake I've ever eaten and I'd recommend buying one from your nearest Red Ribbon bakeshop.
• Bananacue - Sweetened fried bananas on a stick are one of the most ideal meals to have on your Noche Buena. Of course, you'll going to find a street vendor that cooks one which, in today's climate, is very hard due to cops patrolling the streets against street vendors. If you're lucky, tell him or her to buy aplenty!

There are so many meals to serve on your upcoming Noche Buena but the rest is up to you. Be creative! Think about the best meals you can serve for your Noche Buena so you and your family can enjoy having some delicious meals served at the dinner table!

CHRISTMAS 2014 - What is a Simbang Gabi?

We begin our special CHRISTMAS 2014 post with a little question that foreigners travelled to the Philippines got their heads scratching for the answer. Just what is a Simbang Gabi?

My first day at this year's SIMBANG GABI

Simbang Gabi (mass at night) is a novena of Masses in honor of the Mother of God to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. This celebration dates back in the 1500's and it's part of the Spanish friars' plan to catechize the Filipinos on the birth of Our Lord and on Mary's role in the Incarnation. For the year 2014, it started since the 16th of December 2014 and it runs until the 24rd of December, 2014 and like all Simbang Gabis in the past, the masses started at early dawn (think 5:00 AM in the Philippine Standard Time or so).

Well, since I don't want to turn this into a history lesson, let me tell you about my first simbang gabi experience since last year. You see, when me and my grandparents went to the church on the first day of Simbang Gabi, I was skeptical at first but when others starting to think that if whoever completes all nine days of Simbang Gabi gets to grant a wish, it was like I'm accepting this challenge and I'm on it.

Nine days of Simbang Gabi is like nine episodes of Brainiac Science Abuse Season 4 for me because like that discontinued show I mentioned, masses take about an hour or so to finish and surviving the night (or day because they all starts at early morning) is an easy task but behaving in the church during the duration of the mass is a challenge. I was trying to act normal but all the urges are trying to distract my behavior so I try to fight it until this mass is over. No one says it's that easy.

Having managed to survive nine days of simbang gabi, I try to grant my wish and what's that wish I'm granting is everyone's guess but it involves "freeing the world from possible threats" or something because our world's facing a massive resistance from a massive stretch of land and someone's watching from up high, too. That's why I'm wishing to free this world from both of these threats and we're going to witness it.

Anyway, that's my simbang gabi experience and for this year, things are going to be very different because I already done my first day and tomorrow, I'll be going for my day two of the nine-day Simbang Gabi at our nearby church. Until then, happy Simbang Gabi, everyone!

17th Annual Christmas in Seattle Gift & Gourmet Food Show

On the weekend, me and some of my family went to the Washington State Convention Center where we take part at the 17th Annual Christmas in Seattle Gift & Gourmet Food Show. This is the first time I've ever attend to this annual Christmas bazaar.




More pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leopauldelr/sets/72157649318019011/

My video highlights:

A Very Happy Christmas to All!!!

Kanon Nakagawa and Elsie

Well, this is that time of the year again...

It's Christmas!

This is the time of giving and the time of opening gifts. Look at the little kids now, waking up from their beds and rushing through the Christmas Tree, found out that there are stockpile of gifts waiting for them to open and those came from Santa Claus! It's sure to see kids happy opening their gifts. But for the kid in them, those gifts are belong to the hard-worked parents. Not sure about it but hey, you should say thank you to them for the presents you've obtained!

For some, most families are roaming around the neighborhood, claiming their presents to their loved ones, mostly cash and everything else. It seems common for a Muntinlupa boy like me to experience it. Every year, I roam around the neighborhood for some presents with a little help from someone name "Ate Glo" and no, I'm not referring to the former Philippine president kind of thing. Seems that it turned into an adventure while it lasted. Ah, the memories...

This year, this would be different. Here in the Philippines, things has changed. Remember the nightmare happened in places like Cagayan De Oro and Iligan? Yes, the flooding nightmare caused by Tropical Depression Washi. Most people here will never spend Christmas because of the recent nightmare but there is hope. We can still cheer them up with more donations. For the list of where to donate to our friends at Mindanao go to http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/how-to-help-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-mindanao and help them!

Here in Japan, Christmas will be different, very different. Since the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami, the Fukushima Dai-ichi crisis, and the Strong Yen, Christmas is going to be very difficult for the average Japanese family today, as most of the survivors still living at their temporary housings while struggling to keep their lives normal despite being suffered from the nightmare 9 years ago. However, energy saving measures are on effect because this is the winter season. Expect most lights at Tokyo not to shine to conserve energy. Better plan when to use the heater guys and make sure to wear warm clothing!

In a country like Thailand, this is different too because most Thais are trying to recover from the recent Thai flood since October and we're hoping that the Japanese firms in Thailand will recover fast. As we know, most of the Japanese cars sold from the Philippines are from Thailand and we wish them a speedy recovery.

We wish them a very happy Christmas, a peaceful New Year, and I'm very sorry on your own. Yes, very sorry on your own.

After Christmas, I'm planning to do the list of the top 40 cars of 2011. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Photo: Shogakukan

Presents I received this Christmas

Hey guys!

Well, as you may know, I received some presents for this Christmas season. Wanna see what I got?

My Presents Received for Christmas 2010:

- A brand new, fourth-generation, iPod Touch!

- My new vest to mix it with my polo

- Maid Sama! Volumes 5 and 6

- PS3 version of Castlevania Lords of Shadow

- New binoculars

- Sega Prize "To Aru Kagaku no Railgun" Judgment Extra Figure Mii Konori (my sister Cecille got Kazari Uiharu)