Here’s my first 2016 story 🙂

Welcome 2016!
We wanted sana to be a little adventurous and initially planned to spend New Year’s eve watching Burj Khalifa’s fireworks up close. However, nung naisip namin yung dami ng crowd and hirap sa pag-uwi, we decided against it nalang and just stayed home instead.

While others welcomed 2016 on the streets, here we are at home comfortably watching it all live on TV. hehehe
Good thing we did because by 10 pm, we were shocked to see that The Address Hotel was on fire! Buti nalang walang nangyaring stampede and tuloy parin yung fireworks display. Otherwise sayang yung effort ng organizers. I heard it took 6 months for them to prepare and for sure they spent quite a fortune to make it all happen.
Anyway, in case you missed it, here’s a 7-minute clip of Dubai’s most talked about New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza.
Amazing to see the fireworks trail running from Burj Khalifa to Burj Al Arab then to JBR. Ang galing!
Our Media Noche Table
To keep up with tradition, we made sure we had fruits, malagkit, coins, salt, and bigas on the table. For our Media Noche, we cooked sweet & sour fish, lechon kawali, pansit palabok, cheese dynamite & grilled chicken. I also baked an Oreo chocolate cake for dessert.

Media Noche

fruit arrangement c/o Rence

My oreo chocolate cake

Our first meal of the year

And first selfie of the year 😉
Happy New Year!
Few minutes before 12, we opened all doors and windows, turned all the lights on and pumped up the speakers’ volume (para daw pumasok ang swerte). We then gathered by the TV and waited for the countdown to begin….
5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
And just like that, we kissed 2015 goodbye 🙂 🙂 🙂

Rocking this year’s lucky color
After Media Noche, we played Pinoy Henyo using the phone app Party Flippo’.
Pinoy Henyo Word #1: Pencil
Gino: Tao?
Boys: Hindi
Gino: Bagay?
Boys: Oo!
Gino: Ginagamit sa bahay?
Boys: Hindi!
Gino: Ginagamit sa katawan?
Boys: Hindi!
Gino: Sa labas ng bahay?
Boys: Oo!
Gino: Transportasyon?
Boys: Hindi
Gino: Ginagamit araw-araw?
Boys: Pwede
Final 10 seconds…
Gino (hopeless na): ……..Ano kaya to?!!
Chenko did not answer, tinatype na pala yung sagot sa phone nya. He then showed it to Gino discreetly.
Last 5 seconds nalang…
Gino (biglang nabuhayan): Sa school ba to ginagamit?
Boys: Oo! Oo! Bilisan mo!
Gino: Lapis?
Boys: Yes! Galing mo pre!
Girls: Oy mali kayo! Pencil ang sagot! English!
Chenko: Ay bwiset, lapis pala ang naisulat ko!
Gino: Mandadaya nalang tayo mali pa!
Hahahahaha
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Pinoy Henyo Word #2: Espanyol
Ian: Tao ba ‘to?
Boys: Oo
Ian: Sikat?
Boys: Pwede
Ian: Celebrity?
Boys: Hindi
Ian: Politician?
Boys: Hindi
Ian: Pinoy ba?
Boys: Hindi!
Ian: Sa ibang bansa?
Boys: Oo
When they reached the final 10 seconds, Chenko couldn’t help it anymore so nag-ala Yaya Dub sya and mouthed the word “Es-pan-yol” discreetly…
Ian (Kunwari nag-isip talaga): Ah alam ko na… ESPASOL!!!
Chenko (Nagalit): Sabi ko “ES-PAN-YOL” hindi “ES-PA-SOL”! May tao bang espasol!
Hahaha
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Isa lang ang masasabi ko…
ANG GALING TALAGA NG BOYS….
ANG GALING MANDAYA!!!
Hahaha
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My New Year Reflection
2015 was kind of bitter-sweet for me. It was when I got engaged, got married, travelled to places, etc. However, it was also the same year when I lost someone so dear 😦 Akala ko hindi nako makakabangon from that painful loss. Pero with God’s grace, I survived naman. Sabi nga nila, life has to go on — no matter who/what we lose along the way.
On a happy note, I am excited to see what this year would bring us (a baby perhaps?). For sure marami pa ring challenges. Pero I know naman na as long as we keep our faith, we’ll be able to overcome everything in stride 🙂
SO BRING IT ON 2016!