I Spent My Christmas in Cebu

Izobelle
Dec 28, 2018
5 min read

Updated: Apr 25, 2020

Hello! Hello!

It's been a while since I last posted anything here and I regret that. I know I should have exerted more effort in putting up new content at least every week but life has other plans and I got caught up in so many things these past few weeks that it was so hard to find the time to do anything else.

Anyhoo, I'm here back in Cebu right now to spend the holidays with my family and my dog and have all the time in the world to update this blog. Well, not really but you get my drift. LOL.

Work

So first off, work. Work has been really good. I know it sounds super cliche to say that everything happens for a reason and that something you didn't expect might actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise but that's how it was for me.

Don't get me wrong though - my job is still super challenging and I have a lot to learn. Hell, I honestly don't even know what I'm doing most of the time but I've got a great team and amazing mentors who guide me and don't treat people like disposable work force so it's awesome.

I mentioned everything being a blessing in disguise because who would have thought that resigning from my previous job due to things outside of my control would lead me to this? To be honest, it was a very low point in my life - what with my mom's retirement and my birthday coming up and being unemployed.

The funny part was that I applied to a million companies and went to countless job interviews (yep, even if my friends prolly thought I was just chilling the whole time) but I didn't apply to the one I have now. I never even heard of my current company before getting hired here. A recruiter simply found me on Linkedin and the rest, as they say, is history.

So folks, if anyone happens to be reading this, the takeaway here is to update your Linkedin. LOL. But seriously though, hang in there if you feel like everything's fucked up. Things will get better eventually. Also, it'll never hurt if you have an updated Linkedin profile. :)

Moalboal

I'll open this part with another cliche that often has a negative connotation when being used but since I rarely give a fuck about things like that, here goes - you can take a person out of the province but you can never take the province out of the man. That's not really the exact words but I don't feel like researching the correct terminologies right now so that'll do. Besides, it's more or less the same so yeah.. LOL.

That was a bad opening, I know, but my point is that even if I've been living in the city for more than half of my life now (god that makes me feel so old), part of me will always crave for the quiet, the calm, and the simplicity of living in the province and to be more specific, of living in a town bordered on most of its sides by the sea.

I guess it's no secret now that I'm from Moalboal - the beautiful small town south of Cebu that's known for its beaches and diving spots. Unfortunately, it's already December 28 and I still haven't been to the beach because it's raining. I'm crossing my fingers that I can go tomorrow or the day after and before I have to go back to the city where I'll be spending the new year.

So far, some private beach resorts in Moalboal are okay but looking at the public part of the beach in Basdaku makes me sad and mad at the same time. Like why the fuck can't people/tourists place their trash where they're supposed to go? It won't take a genius to be responsible and do that.

Also, I wish some of the business owners would take into account how building numerous cottages so near the beach and at the expense of the view is not good. I remember going to Basdaku as a kid and seeing the sea even before getting off the pedicab. It was beautiful.

Now? You can't even see the horizon because of the cottages that blocks the way and they're not even that good to look at in the first place - too crowded and lack any coherent design plans. I guess it's all about making money at this point.

I guess I'll make another post about that once I've gone to the beach but for now, that's how it is. With the beach scenario aside, Moalboal as a town is still as quaint as ever. I don't like the fact that our house is now surrounded by stores and other commercial establishments but it is what it is. I even joked to my mom that our house is the only residential building left in the are because all our neighbors now are either stores or service centers.

Christmas

Christmas was okay. I made chicken fettucine alfredo and puto cheese. I also planned on making gingerbread cookies but didn't have the time anymore so I'll probably just do that today. There's not much to say about it except that it went well.

Oh, there were lots of kids around and it was really nice to give them gifts because they're always grateful and appreciate everything but I hate it when some of my adult relatives ask me for money as gifts and act like I owe it to them to give them something. Uhm, wtf?

I know it's Christmas but it's crass and I don't care if people use custom as an excuse for that. Don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts and try to give back as much as I can but greeting me with, "Hey, where's my Christmas gift? You still haven't given me anything." is a surefire way to not getting anything.

Chumchum and Orpheus (and Arwen and Jaja and Milkee and Evander and O-brien and El Cid)

Yep, those are all of our furballs. Chumchum and Orpheus are our house dogs (Soya and Yoda passed away while I was in Manila and LG, the puppy in my previous post, died of parvo :(... ). Arwen and Jaja stay at our kitchen downstairs while Milkee, Evander, O-brien, and El Cid just stay outside.

LOL. Don't even get me started on their names. Chumchum and Jaja were the only ones that I named myself while my mom named the rest of them.

So a little more about Chumchum these days - he's definitely still clingy and sweet but he's into my mom more hahaha. I guess having a grandma who gives treats and bellyrubs every day can do that. Not complaining though. It's great that Chumchum still gets to be pampered even if I'm not around.

Life