Christmas 2012 Blog Series includes :
- Our Christmas Day Masquerade Lunch Buffet at Shook!
- Putrajaya
- The Day Before Christmas 2012
- Our Accomodation in Hotel 1915 Kuala Lumpur
- Petrosains
- The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur Experience
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Celebrated Noche Buena or Christmas Eve dinner inside our room in JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur (and before eyebrows reach the penthouse and rooftops, we got the promo-rate for this deluxe room with free buffet breakfast months prior the Yuletide season).
Tina phoned the concierge and asked for goblets, cake cutter, some saucers and forks. Luck was indeed with us because everything was provided free of charge.
From Mercato grocery at the basement of Pavilion Mall, we bought an affordable chilled white wine from Australia and a chocolate-flavored milk for Gabby and one of the most decadent chocolate cakes we had was purchased from a bakeshop called, Lavander. Et voila! Our family’s Noche Buena! 
Back in our current home in Butterworth, Penang, Media Noche or New Year’s Eve dinner was simply savored. Although without conscious efforts, it was apparent that we did not deviate from the usual Filipino tradition to prepare round and circle things on the dining table to symbolize good fortune, joy and prosperity in welcoming the New Year. We trooped to the grocery on the late morning of December 31st and joined the shopping rush. We had some fruits (although it’s customary, we didn’t have the complete 13 round fruits to represent 12 prosperous months and an extra), and on the last minute, Tina decided to prepare sushi all from scratch.
A few round fresh fruits, the classic fruit salad, some round cheese pita and some round and homecooked sushi sans the use of a sushi mat (we didn’t find any in the grocery!) all washed down by Orange drink and our New Year’s Eve dinner was done. Odd combination, I know but it worked for the three of us! 
Believe it or not, we already spent a Holiday feast for only fifty pesos back in 2009 (blog post HERE!).
Fastforward to 2013 again, we welcomed the New Year with high hopes and spirits at the comfort of our 11th floor apartment in Penang. Although we spent a little more than 50 pesos this time, what matters most isn’t the cost of anything but the happiness of being together as a family. Moments were priceless!
From our tiny porch, we enjoyed few minutes of fireworks from George Town across the bay and the highway right in front of our apartment.
We’re grateful to the Lord for all the blessings- big & small that He has been showering us! We don’t have everything but there are a ton of reasons to be thankful for! We remain appreciative of the fact that Tina, Gabby and I are together in our work place here in Penang and we know it’s already a huge blessing that not all Overseas Filipino Worker could enjoy.
Happy New Year, everyone!
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