Christmas 2012

It's Christmas in Manila for me but just like last year, it's different. Amidst all the festivities that I have yet to weave through, I'm ambivalent of all the sights and sounds so far. Even the joyous and peaceful aura that Christmas brings elude me. Maybe I should start shopping? Nothing ushers in Christmas than generosity and gifts.

Here are a few pictures of my Christmas encounters in Manila since the situation has slowly settled. Mostly from Manila Hotel, then another from the Ayala Triangle light show, and another from Kuya's Restaurant at the Fort. 

My mother and I were out with guests from Germany and Italy yesterday and they were billeted at the Manila Hotel.The hotel lobby was just breathtaking without relying on a supposed grand staircase. High wooden ceilings, the arches, all decorated with wreathes, fairy lights, each column with a nutcracker by its side. I haven't been to other hotels in Manila since I arrived but Manila Hotel was just impressive. Very Filipino (ensaymada and tsokolate) yet very German (chocolate Santas and gingerbread houses).

Perhaps this nexus will be the rest of my life. We'll see. I started travelling when I was two years old and never really made a big deal of it. It was just part of my reality. But sometimes, it gets exhausting, to think, I don't travel as often as others. To quote my favorite writer Jeanette Winterson,

"What I discovered in all my plane trips is how quickly it becomes an avoidance of life. Of course I was doing my work and doing it well, but I was not in control in any direct way. I began to understand how globe trotting well paid execs become disconnected from the real world, while imagining that they are at the centre of it. " 

And I agree. What makes your life sparkle?

Winterson further writes...

"Back to Christmas. At its heart it is the story of a birth. My advice to anybody is GET BORN. Think about what you would like to see come into being over the next year. What would like to be present in your life that isn’t present now? We all need our own miracles. Making them happen starts with knowing what it is that you would like to happen. Not as a fantasy but as an active engagement with change in your own life." 

I have my answers to this rebirth question. The world ended they way the Mayans said so. Except it is a different kind of death. Mine was literal and figurative. Astrology was right. There is nothing I can do about it. I just hope I can really focus on quiet, meaningful, and long-lasting relationships. At least that's what I value. And of course, a daily grind that contributes to an empowered (development) and inspiring (travel, design, culture, food) life for me and those I could affect in my humble way. 

In closing, I quote Winterson again. 

"Remember you loved ones, alive and not alive. Take a walk by yourself and let your mind roam over the course of your life. Don’t let any thoughts in about arrangements or practical matters or worries. Just let the past move through your mind and see how you feel. Then go home and have something to eat."

Now where to take that walk and what to eat? I've definitely had enough lechon and crispy pata. 

Manila Hotel: http://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/home
Ayala Triangle Light Show: http://ayalatriangle.com/gardens/lights-sounds-show
Kuya's at the Fort: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kuyas-At-The-Fort-Jed-Julians/137222758723