Lightheaded

"Take it off. Take it all off!" That's what I said to the hairdresser the other day when I went in for a drastic haircut.

For the second time, I have refrained from having my hair trimmed in the last couple of years so I could reach the 10-inches minimum length for Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that makes hairpieces for children who have long term medical conditions that cause hair loss. Hairpieces are very expensive and a lot of the parents of these children, who are already burdened with huge medical bills, cannot afford to buy expensive wigs for their child.

When the hairdresser found out that I was going to do with my hair, she whipped out her checkbook and wrote them a check for $40. She asked me to enclose it in the same envelope with the braid that I was sending. I was touched at how she jumped to contribute. I just wished she was touched enough to not charge me for my haircut. Hehe! Just kidding!

I now sport a bob and my head feels much lighter after over a year of wearing it long. My step is lighter too knowing that some child is going to have a wig that they so need, to not be teased by their peers for being bald.

I blog about this not to brag, but hopefully, to inspire some people to think about donating hair or money so a child' s already serious medical condition can be assuaged by not having to bear the stares of people for not having a head full of hair.

If you are so moved, their website has all the instructions on how to donate. Please take some time to drop by.

I hope you all had a great Christmas. Happy New Year to everyone!

Walking on Water

Today, we walked on water -- the frozen waters of the lake in the Boston Public Gardens, that is.

As is our routine on Sundays after church, we take a walk from the Boston Commons, through the Public Gardens on our way to Newbury Street. It was a cold day so we were not doing our usual slow and leisurely pace. I told Hubby that we could not linger in the Gardens for random photos, as we normally do. But then we saw the lake -- completely frozen over. To me, it looked magical. Like the few other people that were there, we "waded" in. We just couldn't resist.

The Lake at the Boston Public Garden

A rare pose from Hubby

Watching and 'Wading'

A Lab and His Master Playing

We watched some parents play with their kids on the ice, a couple of guys brought their iceskates, hockey sticks and puck and started a game, a golden retriever was running, slipping and sliding with his master and three teenagers just being silly and having a snowball fight. We could hardly tear ourselves away from the idyllic scene. But alas, we had some Christmas shopping to do. So before long, we had to make our way to Newbury Street. Of course, Hubby, being shutter-happy as he is, took some more pictures along the way.

It was a perfect winter day in Boston.

Hancock Tower and Trinity Church at Twilight

A Bird resting on a tree branch at Old South Church, Boylston cor. Darmouth Streets

Integrity

I don't think any word has figured as much in our conversations this year. Hubby and I continually discuss about how less and less people seem to have integrity these days. Gossip is a very lucrative business, tardiness is fashionable, running away from financial obligations is more commonplace, lying at the drop of a hat to achieve an end - I can go on and on. So when I read a newspiece in CNN that says the word Integrity is the most frequently looked up word in the Merriam-Webster website this year, I was surprised. It made me wonder if it's because people do not know what it means or if it's because they are just concerned about retaining its definition in their minds.

in·teg·ri·ty
n.
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; complete

Lying politicians, molesting ministers and teachers, easily bribed law enforcers, drugged out sportsmen, philandering movie/tv stars are the headliners of this year. We are inundated with this kind of news every single day.

It's no wonder people have to look up the meaning of this word. It doesn't seem like those who lead our society are great examples of it. Sad.

The Making of a Sports Fan?

I'm not much of a sports fan, but there were a few times I sat in front of the television to see a championship game – between Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets, World Series games between the Red Sox and the Cardinals, and the first Superbowl win of the New England Patriots. I've seen how much fun people seem to have during games, be it football, basketball or baseball. Heck, I have fun just watching them have fun on TV, so I have always wondered how it would be like to be part of the rowdy crowd.

Last Friday, I stopped wondering. We were given Premiere Club seats to the game between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. The view was perfect! You could see every single inch of the court, there was a bit more legroom and someone took orders for food so we didn't have to line up at the concession stands. It was a pretty cozy set-up!

It's amazing how Americans take fun and entertainment to the next level. Aside from the usual crowd-inciting billboard antics, music, light-play and commentator during the play, we got to see a man propose to his girlfriend, a local doctor/clown honored for his charity work, the most awesome little girls' dance troupe do a couple of streetdance numbers, cheerleaders and their death-defying stunts and an adorable dog race during half-time.

The party atmosphere that I had seen before only on television, enveloped me and I was cheering, screaming, stuffing my face like everyone else before long. The crowd reactions, whether to referee calls, missed or successful baskets, were so unified, it was palpable. So was the disappointment when the home team lost by four points to the Bulls. It was a great game though. The teams kept us guessing on who would win until the last 30 seconds.

Needless to say, I had a blast. And now I understand why people keep going back. I certainly would!

On Saturday, I received a call from my neighbor. She asked, "I have great seats to the Patriots Game tomorrow, would you like to go?!"

Methinks New England is trying to make a sports fan out of me.

--oOo--

Our holiday issue of PINOYexpats is now online. Do stop by and check out our fashion and retail offering!

Makin' My List...

...and checkin' it twice. Egad! We have 26 people so far, and that's just M's family! Counting my family and some friends, that is a long enough list for cards and gifts guaranteed to drive anyone crazy in an already hectic holiday season. We do have some of the gifts already but we are so very far from done. We usually do our Christmas shopping all throughout the year. By Thanksgiving, we have all the cards ready to be mailed out and the gifts ready for wrapping. We do this to keep our sanity intact—and our budget. Buying a couple of items each month does not make much of a dent as opposed to getting everything in December. Buying all the gifts then and having to show up wherever the party might be can prove to be an extremely costly affair. You see, M’s family likes to get together for the holidays. So if the party ends up being in a state other than Massachusetts, it’s another expense to factor in.

With that to consider, we have to find creative and frugal ways to get the perfect gifts. Perfect -- meaning it matches the giftee’s personality without breaking our bank. That’s why our hunt for those gifts start right after Christmas. When we see items that are reasonably priced and ideal for someone whom we know will be on our list, we snatch it up immediately. When we see storefronts that have the sign "SALE", we check out their stuff. We also hit online stores like Smartbargains, Overstock, Amazon, Victoria’s Secret and peruse their bargain bins. We’ve been pleasantly surprised at the things that they had on sale before, and they usually offer free shipping to boot!

It's always a great challenge to complete our long Christmas list. The hunt, braving the crowds, long lines at the cash register, the ever-shrinking balance in our bank account--just thinking of these things that make us pray for God's strength and provision as this retail-driven season approaches.

Okay, I gotta stop prattling. We have some shopping to do!!!