Merry Day After Christmas!

welps, time to get out some random thoughts before turning in for the night.

christmas eve...
was nice. just spending time with mom. the day began with us taking a walk. she asked about che. didn't have much to tell her. then she told me the story of how my mom and dad first got together. she said that my dad had already joined the navy and was actually seeing someone when he started seeing my mom. actually, he was supposed to marry this other person, but i guess it was something about my mom that he liked. interesting story. things between the other woman and my dad didn't work out and my uncle on my mom's side told my dad to scram if he didn't have any intentions with my mom, so my dad asked my mom to marry her. so, when he turned in the paperwork for them to get married at subic, the paperwork got to one of my dad's ex's and was put at the bottom of the file. after a couple of months without any word, my dad found out what had happened and got the file to another one of his friends and here we are. she told me that my dad felt sorry for my mom cuz she was really thin. sticky as i'd call it. anyways, my dad paid for some nutrients and a doctor visit to help my mom out... i guess that's where the segue from che to my mom's story. hmmm...

i wanted to go to Midnight Mass at a church, St. Patrick's on Mission in SF. it's really close to Metreon, and i love the interior. i heard that there were parols inside so i knew that they'd be a lot of filipinos in the house - and i was right! i called and the info line said that the Midnight Mass would begin at 8pm. (a little early) we actually got there at 6:15 because the recording also said that there would be a Christmas carols starting at 7pm. we were like the only ones in there and i was kinda worried, but the place filled up really quick. the carols were cute. first the kids, then the seniors, and then the youth (teens to young adults) choir sang. it was cool, they sang "Pasko Na Sinta". it was really nice. before the mass started, they were selling votive candles for $5 @ to be placed in front of jesus' crib during part of the mass. at 8pm the mass started. naks ganda! all the lights were turned off and a person acting as john the baptist with a long wooden cane walked down the aisle. with each step and thud of his walking stick he announced that the Messiah was upon thee. he had a little filipino accent. then as the father recited the story of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, the kids reinacted the nativity scene. so cute. there were 3 little boys who played the wise men, and little girls with wings played the angels. very cool. the homily was very good, funny, and inspiring. the main message was that even though so many things from the outside world can make you sad, mad, and crazy, remember to take the message of the crib, of jesus, of love, and take that in your heart. don't leave the crib, take it with out and out into the world. the mass was so good! parols were overhead and hymns in tagalog filled the 100 year old church. and of course, the mass ended with "ang pasko ay sumapit".


christmas day...
decided to drive to monterey with my mom. needed to see my dad. haven't visited in a while. miss him, and from the walk with my mom, i know that she misses him tremendously as well. after our visit and Christmas hellos, we went to del monte to see dreamgirls! again we got there almost 2 hours before the show started so we just sat there. but as it got closer to showtime, the place got packed! amazing movie! can't wait to see it again. when i bought the soundtrack, i was kinda afraid that it would ruin it, but hearing it and watching it were 2 totally different things, especially with "AIATY"! (learned the acronym usage from RENT) jen hudson OWNED that song... and the movie. but each person in the cast held their own. just amazing performances. incredible. this might sound wierd, but my FAVORITE scene wasn't "AIATY" but it was Eddie Murphy's acting right after they played "Patience" for Curtis, and Curtis says no. just that look and body expression from Eddie totally took my breath away and my respect for him elevated to extraordinary proportions. and i don't remember him saying that many, if any, words. his eyes just said a million things about his character and where his character was. :) can't wait to see it again is all i want to say!