Preparing for Media Noche

December 31, 2014

I received several emails from caterers, restaurants, offering food for Media Noche but my plan was just to have a simple meal. I announced it to my family as early as two weeks before Christmas. That we are just going to have pandesal, ham, and hot chocolate drink for our Media Noche to welcome the new year. Nung maliit kasi ako, that’s what we allways had for NY’s eve. Maybe I’ll add pancit for long life.

When Oyen said she doesn’t eat ham, I switched gears. I would still stick to my plan of pandesal and hot choco but I would grill a few pieces of prawns for her. The prawns were left overs from Christmas.

Antonia and I went to Farmer’s Market in Cubao on the morning of December 31. I thought there would be lesser people today but I was wrong. Aside from those buying meat and seafoods, throngs were elbowing each other to complete their 12 fruits of New Year. At grabe naman sa mahal. Who buys one apple for P450? Certainly not me.

Ibibili ko sana si Edmund kasi he likes mangosteen, nay ko po, P500 a kilo? Tapos baka merong daya pa ang kilohan nila. Pass. Saka na lang ako bibili when the price goes back to P150 a kilo.

I went back to the lobster dealer to tell him I threw away one lobster because it had black meat. He acknowledged naman.
Omb—— “may utang ka sa akin isang lobster”.

Talking about truth in advertising.
Buhay ba itong alimasag eh kitang-kita naman na mga rest in peace na. Mga nakatihaya na nga waiting to be cremated.

I bought 3/4 kilo of fresh galapong for bilo-bilo in guinataan.

We couldn’t find fresh langka in the wet market that’s why we went to the grocery behind Araneta coliseum. I was wondering what this line was for. I asked the guard. “Sa J.Co. mam”.
I estimated the number of heads standing in line outside, about 250 people.
Siguro pasalubong nila sa pamilya.

We still don’t have ham. Meron one whole but I gave that to the maids. For their own media noche. I went to Unimart kasi I remembered there’s a Majestic ham counter there. I fell in line for about 10 minutes. The woman said it would be the last whole leg that she would open and slice. After that, they would only sell ham by the leg.

I bought a little over P900 worth of sliced ham. This would be sobra-sobra na for the three of us (minus Oyen). The girl said it could last for a year in the freezer. I also bought a small pack of pandesal, P34.

The woman next in line was a little peeved by the sales lady’s warning that they would only sell whole leg. She called up someone on the phone to tell him or her that Majestic Ham would stop selling sliced ham in a few minutes.
Woman customer —- “Miss, magkano ba yan?”
She pointed at the vacuum packed whole leg, the smallest in the display case.
Sales lady——— “four thousand eight hundred fifty six”.
Woman customer—– “Yung slice na lang, 400 grams”.

Kala ko pa naman bibilhin nya yung isang buo (laughs). Swallow your pride and drink water.

The number of Fireworks vendor selling inside our village keeps getting fewer every year. A few years ago, marami sila, last year and this year dalawa na lang.

I was impressed by the vendor’s memory. When he saw me, he said “mam Annie”.
Eh he only sees me once a year and for maybe 15 minutes. I wouldn’t be able to recognize him if I see him in the mall. Magaling ang memorya nya.
Cut-down ako ngayon. I spent a third of what I spent last year on firecrackers.
Oyen didn’t buy any this year compared with a P10,000 spent last year. Edmund, too, he told me he only spent less than half of last year.

I didn’t buy 12 kinds of fruits to usher 2015 kasi nga super taga naman ang mga presyo. I bought instead 3 packs of kiat-kiat (small ponkan) oranges @ P70 per pack = P210. I used them to decorate our table. I just randomly scattered them.

Nyke’s friend gave him some Tablea chocolates. Perfect for our Media Noche drink.

We will have noodles, for long life.

Bilo-bilo

Edmund got worried someone stole his coins. He likes to scatter coins around the house on New Years Eve up to January 2 kunwari pampaswerte. Kala nya, nawala na yung coins nya.

Me naman, I shake the tabo with coins to create noise.

Father and son team, Tyler and Stitch are ready for New Year.

I am ready too.

I found old birthday candles in the drawer but there was no number Zero. I improvised.

Welcome 2015.