Here are some of my more notable gifts from 2011. Mostly gifts exchanged between me and C because I don’t really see other people to get (and receive) gifts much from except for C, haha. :P

Again, things aren’t listed in any particular order.

Also, I’d like to say that all the gifts I get from everyone, especially C, are great, but these are just my favorites.

Favorite gifts received

1. Mom, Dad, and Baby Twins from the Sheep Dale Family

This was one of the gifts from C that I got when he returned from Japan. I got only the parents and the baby twins so I’m still missing the brother, sister, grandparents, and other baby.

(I also have a baby panda on a train that C got for me on impulse. I wanted the red train and there was only a panda set, and C loved me so even when I had that moment of objection saying, “No! You don’t have to buy it for me; I don’t need it!” he did a good job of not listening to me and got me the toy anyway.)

I don’t really have that many toys (I’ve always been a book, notebook, pen, and practical type of person) but getting these sheep toys is making me want to start collecting them (I’ve seen one of the houses on sale for Php3k, and I’m actually seriously considering to buy it). Unfortunately, I think they sell the Calico Critters version of the Sylvanian Families (which really is originally from Japan) and I haven’t seen them sell any of the sheep toys here. Cry.

I AM ON THE LOOKOUT THOUGH, SO IF YOU EVER SEE THEM, PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN COMPLETE MY SHEEP FAMILY. (OR IF YOU FIND THIS POLICE BOX SET BECAUSE I’D LOVE TO HAVE A PRETEND-TARDIS TOY)

My mom fixed my room last week and over breakfast, she mentioned how cute my sheep toys are and I was surprised to find out that she encouraged my buying other sets (like the house, and everything). I said I don’t have space in my room but my brother just said, “Well, when you move out then you’ll have space. So buy them now because you have money!” Haha. Awesome advice.

2. Roses on my birthday (and day after my birthday)

I really really love flowers. Makes me smile non-stop, like crazy!

3. Esprit watch I got from my mom

She gave it to me for my birthday and it’s great that I have a simple, black watch again! My last one was from four years ago (Timex), and it has some white paint on the strap. (Bono used to have the same watch himself, except it never had batteries haha).

4. Pacman Moleskine Weekly Planner (the larger one)

I’m also a planner person (I love doodling and writing my schedule and to-do’s even though I know using my mobile phone would be more convenient). So I’ve bugged C for a long time about how much I wanted this planner, haha! Actually, he got me the blank yellow pacman notebook for Christmas last year (so cool, right?) so now I have two yellow moleskines! I love it. :D

5. A lovely nail polish set from The Face Shop

Yes, this makes the list. This was a birthday gift from C’s 15-year-old niece, Sophie. :) We don’t get to hang out that much but she’s a brilliant girl, and I’m really happy we get along, but I didn’t expect she’d pick out a perfect gift for me! It was so awesome that she got these colours for my birthday. I don’t paint my nails as much since I started working (mainly because I thought I’d give my nails a break and let them breathe and then three/four months passed by so quickly! :P).

I painted my nails gold for Christmas, and cyan on the Tagaytay trip with C. I confess, I pick out my clothes to match my nails, not the other way around, haha! So I decide on the colors I want to wear on my nails first then think if I have clothes in my closet to match them. :P

I know I received more gifts (considering I always get a ton of pasalubong whenever C goes out of the country), but I think those would be my favorites! I’ve been planning to get an iPhone 4S as a gift for myself and it would have made that list if SMART weren’t so unresponsive towards my postpaid plan application. :'(

Favorite gifts I gave C

Making this other list sounds silly, but I LOVE surprising C with gifts, so yeah! Just on that trip to Tagaytay, I got in the car and said, “Okay, so I have some things for you…”

And C went, “NOOOOO! STOP IT! No!”

“Why!? I haven’t even finished what I was gonna say!”

“But I feel bad when you give me gifts!”

I laughed and said, “THIS TIME THEY’RE NOT GIFTS! Well, one’s the gift you left at home (which he got from the Christmas party with my family). And –” then I proceeded to take out NIVEA sunblock bottles, one for the face and another for the rest of the body, “that’s for Boracay.” (Because he’s at Boracay right now until after New Year.) Which technically isn’t a gift because I told him to keep it in case of impromptu shoots, but return it to me for Summer (beach!!!).

Anyway, onto the list!

1. Starwars Moleskine!

Saw it, HAD to buy it. I forgot that we saw it together before at Powerbooks but C didn’t buy it that time. So when I saw it again I thought I’d surprise him, haha. Well, he was still surprised I got him the notebook. I called him while I was at National Bookstore and then randomly asked, “C! Big or small?” He’s glad he said ‘big’. :D

2. TARDIS Bag

I think C’s turned into a bigger Doctor Who fan than I am. I certainly got into it first, but what hooked me in was the dynamic relationship between Nine (and eventually Ten) and Rose, so now that Eleven’s the Doctor and Rose isn’t the companion, I’m not as invested in the Characters (sorry!). So I made him this bag and it took me months to finish. It’s made of fail though, because I made it a little too small so I’ve never really seen C use the bag. :( I could make another one with the correct measurements if only I had a sewing machine. But I don’t so this will probably be the last bag I’ll make in a long time (it hurts the thumb to sew synthetic leather, if you must know!).

3. TANTO headphones from Urbanears (indigo)

The site says “indigo” but for me it’s a TARDIS colour!

This is what I got him for Christmas. Until C told me how cool it was, I didn’t really know what the features were, or that it had a mic, and how handy it really is when I bought it. I just knew C wanted them. He had them on his neck for most of the day for the next two days so I know he really loved it that much! :) He uses it to talk to me on his mobile phone sometimes, so I think it’s really useful. I love how simple the design is (the colour too, obviously) so yes, it definitely makes my favorite-gifts-given list!

A new year, new gifts

I might have to lay low on the gift-giving for a while (at least for the first few months next year) because I’ve used up a whole month’s salary for Christmas (some new shoes for myself, gifts for my cousins’ kids, gifts for some friends, gifts for family, plus a bit of splurging on the side). I’m so frugal when it comes to buying stuff for myself (except for this month since it was my birthday and all) but I burn money like paper when getting gifts for some people so now I have to save again. :P

But seriously, gifts are addicting sometimes, if I do say so myself!