What are you doing now?

Aahhh. So the dinner is ready, and a nice bottle of cabernet sauvignon is uncorked and is being allowed to breathe. Outside, the streets are getting a bit foggy because of the fireworks and in here at home, there is nothing to do but sit and wait for midnight to come.

Ours is not a loud and crazed celebration. Friends are off celebrating with their own families and it's really just Allan and I. It's been quite a year for us. It's been quite a year for me.

I look back and I realize that this year I got, lost and got a new job. I've handled several clients and actually like working for myself and surprisingly, I am thinking of doing it more in the future. But most importantly, I'm feeling a stability that I have not felt in the first year I was here. I feel like I'm generally getting some traction and I like it.

I gave trust and got tired of trusting some friends, but what the hell. Isn't that what life is all about? Lessons learned, life experiences gathered and I can proudly say that I am not just some girl who goes to work 8-5, Monday to Friday and be lazy and spend all my time on Skype and Facebook over the weekends. I feel like my world is becoming bigger, rather than smaller because I desire so badly to try new things so I can participate in life more, so I have lots of things to talk about and share, so I don't just wrap my world in some guy I may or may not end up marrying. Life experiences, that's what I want to have. In the end I don't want to be the most decorated employee, or the dowdiest housewife or the smartest apple on the tree. At the end of the day I don't want to be accomplished, I want to be experienced.

At lunches with new people I want to be able to make new friends and carry the conversation along and not just be pa-cute and talk to the people I ALREADY know. I want to make the most of myself. And although relationship is very special to me, I don't want to define myself as just "Allan's girlfriend" or someone's wife. I don't want to appendage -Evangelista to my name unless I really am in possession of a marriage license. Not because I don't want to be associated with him or marriage, but because I don't want to be clingy and dependent on marriage or the promise of forever for happiness. There's more to life and love than that.

This was 2009 for me. It was filled with annoying realizations that say "Ay, hindi nga pala talaga ganun ang buhay." Yet I feel happy and challenged for 2010. Two of the better people I know are coming (and two of the dumber people are ALSO coming) so I know the start of my year won't be anything less than interesting.

So I raise my glass to you for making it! And since this is a pseudo food blog, I will also share a couple of cocktails that you can make out of the leftover bubbly and red wine you might have at home. Salud!


picture from about.com

Pinoy Mimosa

1 part calamansi syrup
-one part sugar, one part calamansi juice
2 parts orange juice
2-3 parts champange, depending on how strong you want the liquor taste to be

First, begin with chilled or super cold ingredients. Take a shaker, or a jar (with all the nata de coco and kaong jars you inevitably have after the holidays, you'll find one stashed somewhere) and pour all in the ingredients in. Shake until well blended. Serve in champagne flutes, or if it's just you and some friends or family, you can serve it tall breakfast glasses.

Some variations include shaking the mixture with ice (for who really has the time to chill everything down?) or serving it with ice. It depends on your taste preferences. Mimosas are typically served with brunch, when it's already a bit acceptable to have something alcoholic (midmorning) but not really that cool to have something hard yet.



Firecrackin' Sangria

2 parts ginger syrup
-one part water, one part sugar, one part grated fresh ginger
2 parts lemonade/lemon juice
-lemonade if you want a sweeter drink with just a hint of citrus, lemon juice if you want a tarter drink. Lemonade powder may work in a super cinch but fresh is best!
4 parts dry red wine
Sliced fruits of your preference
-or you may just want to skip the fruits altogether

Chill the ingrdients. Mix in ginger syrup and lemonade/lemon juice and shake in a shaker or jar. Doing this will make sure that the thick syrup will incorporate nicely into the drink. Add the dry red wine into the mix and shake. Pour in a pitcher with sliced fruits. Serve in big fat glasses so the sliced fruit will fit.

Again shaking it with ice or serving it with ice in the pitcher are variations. You can also add 1 part of sparkling/soda water. Or if you really don't like the taste of fresh lemonade/lemon juice and you don't have lemonade powder handy, go grab a Sprite and use that instead of the lemonade. The main objective of wine cocktails is to water it down a bit to make it a bit more pleasant for those who aren't into wine.