IKEA gives Filipinos a taste of Scandinavian Christmas

 When IKEA opened its doors in the country in December last year, I hoped it would bring in the holiday decorations I often see in its online catalog. Too bad that didn’t happen then.

This year, however, the retail giant went full blast on their Christmas/Holiday items, bringing the Vinterfint collection to our shores. I, and I am sure many fellow IKEA Filipino fans, just went and bought as much as we could. 

There was an assortment of shiny baubles, LED lights, trees, and decorations to mark the season. There were even festive table linens, plates, and napkins for the Christmas dinner.   

I particularly like this ceramic horse and reindeer set.

As well as this Christmas gnome.

While reading the small prints revealed that these were 2021 items, they still gave us Filipinos a chance to decorate our homes differently from the American-style Christmas decorations.

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

 

My 2021 Christmas Playlist to Make the Season Bright

Christmas is just days away, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than playing and listening to yuletide music.  Music is very much part of our celebrations in my country.  Pre-pandemic, radio stations and stores would start playing carols as early as September. 

However, the pandemic seemed to have put a damper on Christmas since last year. We didn't get to hear much music on the radio or in other places last year.  Even this year, we only started hearing the tunes in late November.  Anyway, it's not too late to clean our vinyl collection and start spinning and listening to our favorite records.

from pinclipart.com

While I already have several Christmas records in my collection, I also bought some new ones this year.  These records will comprise my playlist this holiday season.  By the way, this article isn't a review but a list of vinyl records on rotation on my turntable this year.  The list is also not in order of my preference.

ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS

Frank Sinatra

One of my newly bought albums, Ultimate Christmas, has become a favorite. This record is a compilation of 20-holiday classics from the Chairman of the Board.  This album is like listening through Sinatra's long career and life.  

From a debonaire crooner in the 50s to a father singing the 12 days of Christmas with his children, and on the last side of this double-LP set, Sinatra becomes the grandfather wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Mariah Carey

Since its release in the early 90s, this album has become a Christmas staple that Mariah crowned herself the "Queen of Christmas."  Thanks, of course, to the worldwide mega-hit "All I Want for Christmas is You."  This record gets a spot on my playlist because Mariah included her interpretation of several traditional tunes focusing on the real reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ, including Silent Night, O Holy Night, and the gospel-tinged Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child.

If you're spending Christmas heartbroken, skip "Miss You Most (At Christmas time) unless you want to wallow in tears while we celebrate.

WONDERLAND OF CHRISTMAS

Andre Kostelanetz

This album puts "merry" in Merry Christmas to the next level.  It's fun to listen to this all-instrumental album while wrapping Christmas gifts or just waiting for Christmas to come.  It has a great selection of traditional carols and contemporary music for the season, some presented in medleys.  

Since it puts the listener in a really festive mood, I should issue this warning.  Don't put this record on or stream it on your phone while shopping for gifts.  You might get caught up in the fun and spend more than you planned to.

CHRISTMAS WITH CONNIFF

Ray Conniff Singers

What's Christmas without the Ray Conniff singers singing holiday songs with enthusiasm in the background?  At any time of the day during the season, one could hear songs from the album (and from the "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" record) in shopping malls, the bus, a taxi, the MRT, and even in the elevator.  But I am not complaining because these singers have been bringing yuletide cheers during this festive time for generations.  Never mind if many tunes are about things we could never experience in the tropical Philippines (sleigh ride? let it snow and winter wonderland? white Christmas?)

I'm still playing this record just to get me into the festive mood.

CHRISTMAS SING-IN

Gunter Kallmann Choir

Sometime in the 1980s, we couldn't get hold of a copy of any Ray Conniff Christmas album.  Many record stores offered this album as an alternative, and it took over the job of bringing holiday cheers through music.  I love the selections on this album which include traditional, religious, and contemporary songs. Each track is a medley of two to three songs.  Some tracks begin with a slow song with the choir singing softly, followed by festive music with the chorus singing lively.

The enthusiastic singing of the choir is a plus. Even Scrooge would find it hard to not feel merry and bright.    

TINSEL AND LIGHTS

Tracey Thorn

I consider this the Christmas album for adults.  Tracey Thorn, the other half of one of my favorite 1980s acts, Everything But The Girl, covered tracks from artists and came up with a very sober holiday album.  There's also a self-penned track (Tinsel and Lights) and "25th  December," originally sung by her husband and partner, Ben Watt, on Amplified Heart.  

I think it's best to listen to this album while resting from all the season's frenzy or after the guests have left and you're sitting at the table having a cuppa.  

ELLA WISHES YOU A SWINGING CHRISTMAS

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald gives holiday songs a swinging treatment, and the result is simply fabulous.  Although the album does not contain a single traditional or religious carol, Ella's unique rendition of familiar ditties gave them a new level. It made them a joy to listen to. 

I first heard this record at a party hosted by a fellow record collector. It played in the background while the guests were busy chatting and eating.  I thought then that was not the way to treat Ella Fitzgerald.  I now usually put this on my turntable, sit down and listen to it from start to finish.  Given that Ella has one of the sweetest voices ever recorded, I could even listen to it even when it's not Christmas time.

JACKSON 5 CHRISTMAS ALBUM 

The Jacksons

Here's another Christmas album playing during this season like forever. Not a single track on this record refers to the Nativity, but a not-yet-teenager Michael tells us to "Give Love On Christmas Day."  Like Ella before them, the Jackson 5 gave some old familiar tunes their unique style and the Motown sound.  The result remains funky almost 50 years later.

This album will always be on my playlist because it brings back memories of elementary school Christmas parties and presentations. Each of which usually started with the singing of a medley of traditional carols and capped by, you guessed it, "Give Love On Christmas Day."

CHRISTMAS IN OUR HEARTS

Jose Mari Chan

This album must be the ultimate Christmas collection and a must-have on every Filipino's playlist.  Chan, a talented songwriter, and singer came up with what could be THE national Christmas anthem and a required sing-a-long during celebrations.  This song, "Christmas in Our Hearts," is so famous that it has become a meme.  I'm beginning to suspect that parents are passing the tradition of singing it to their children before they could even speak.  Some songs are not as festive as those on the other albums, but they still bring the Christmas Spirit to the listener.  

I usually put this at the end after listening to the more lively and festive albums on this playlist.

This is my Christmas playlist for this year.  If you couldn't find your favorite album here, it means I don't have it yet and couldn't find a copy.  I still have to find some albums we listen to during the Yuletide season in my childhood so expect an update as this list gets longer in the future.

For now, these albums will surely help to make this season bright.  Now time to start spinning them on my turntable.

Note: Album cover photos are from various sites on the Internet.

Christmas at Starbucks: A New Drink, A Mini Card and the 2015 Planner

image from starbucks.ph

It's that time of the year again...

When November comes, Starbucks aficionados like me look forward to having more than their share of coffee to get the store's organizer.  It seems that this year, Starbucks made it easier for us to get their planner: you only need to drink 9 Christmas themed beverages and another 9 regular hand crafted drinks, or a total of 18 drinks.  I remember when we used to need 23 drinks to grab just one planner.

Ever the eager beaver, I went to my favorite store yesterday and got my first sticker.  I hope I can get more than one of the four designs this year. By the way, the 2015 Planners have very simple designs. They come in green, black, red and brown with drawings.

So what are this year's Christmas themed beverages.  Aside from the usual toffee nut and peppermint mocha, Starbucks offers the Christmas Cookie Latte this year.  I think this is the most popular variant this year because when I was in the store yesterday, 4 out of the 5 persons before me ordered this item.  So I jumped on the bandwagon and asked for the same beverage but I preferred it cold/over ice.

My first impression was it's a very sweet beverage.  There were cookie bits and shortbread sauce in the mix.  I think it will be best to drink it when you're feeling down since all that sweetness (read: sugar) will give you a boost.  

In fact, I was in a bad mood yesterday because I specifically asked not to put cream on my latte.  The barista, maybe she wast tired after making all those Christmas Cookie lattes, automatically put the cream.  When she realized her mistake, she scooped it out and drizzled my drink with more shortbread sauce to cover any trace of the cream. All my sense of reason flew out of the window and I told her I saw what she just did so she offered to make me a new drink. This also explains why I wasn't able to take a photo of my drink.

Anyway, I think I will order 8 more of this beverage to fill my card with stickers. I will try the same drink hot next time.

image from starbucks.ph

The other new thing with Starbucks is the Starbucks Holiday Mini Card.  It's so small, about half the size of the regular card, and can be used as a dongle or key holder.  It is also eligible for the promo where you load it with PhP1,500 and you get PhP300 extra load.  However,  the cashier told me that the promo is only up to Wednesday, November 5.  If you don't want to spend PhP1,500, you may still get it at PhP500.  The other two designs looked they came from the designers of  Hallmark Cards.

So it has begun... 

Apple Adds Two Items to My Christmas Wish List: iPad Air 2 and Mac Mini

I just finished watching the Apple Event this morning (it's 2 AM here in Manila) and I am stoked with two things that the guys in Cupertino unveiled today.  The company just released the latest models of their flagship iPhone last month and now, they released what could be the last of their gadgets for this year in time for the holidays.

Apple introduced this morning the iPad Air 2, which they say is the thinnest and most powerful iPad ever. In introducing the new iPad, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing can't help gushing about the latest model of their gadget.  He described it as the thinnest tablet in the world and that two of the new gadget stacked on top of each other would still be thinner than the first generation iPad.  

fortune,com

iPad Air 2 has a new Retina display with anti-reflective coating, second generation 64-bit A8X chip, all-new iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, faster Wi-Fi and LTE wireless.  It also includes my favorite Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor.  

It's open for pre-order on the U.S. Apple Online Store starting later today. The Wi-Fi models are priced at $499, $599 and $699 for the 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities, respectively.  It will be available in gold, silver, and space gray.

Initial impressions of the new iPad Air 2 are very favorable.  Most are raving about how thin it is and the better screen resolution.  The Verge noted  the big improvement on the camera:

 "One thing that is definitively better is the new camera, which is now 8 megapixels; it's a lot faster and shots seemed a lot clearer, at least in Apple's hectic demo room. "

I am not yet sure how much iPad Air 2 will cost in the Philippines and when it will be available here but I hope just before the Christmas Season.  Apple also unveiled the iPad Mini 3 but I prefer the 9.7 inch iPad Air.  I am eyeing the 64GB wifi model owing to the experience of the on-air update of iOS a few months ago when I need to delete some files to get some space on my 16GB gadget.

Another good news at the event was that Apple has finally updated the Mac mini.   Nothing much change in the design of the  Mac mini, but many changes happened inside.  It now features fourth-generation Intel Core processors, faster integrated graphics, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Thunderbolt 2.  The new machine will be shipping with the latest iteration of OSX, Yosemite which was also released this morning and now available for download for free.  It also has a new lower starting price at $499, making Apple’s most affordable Mac an even better value.  Below is a screenshot from the Official Philippine Apple Store of the pricing for the new Mac mini.

I checked our online forum during the event and the most common complaint about the new Mac mini model is that it doesn't come with a quad core CPU. Nevertheless, I am glad there's a new Mac mini and that means I can change my hardworking Mac soon.

In fact, the new Mac mini is now available on the official Philippine Apple Store.  Shipping time is 2 to 3 weeks at the moment.

So these are too items on my Christmas wish list. I'm still thinking which of them I will finally get. I might get lucky though and ultimately get both of them. Happy Holidays, indeed!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example.  To yourself, respect.
~Oren Arnold

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks for following my blog.

Christmas at SM City Baliwag on November 6!

SM City Baliwag joins the simultaneous launch of "Joyful Christmas 2010" at all SM Malls on Novermber 6, 2010.

SM City Baliwag will be Santa's Toy Room.  Everyone is invited to take a peek inside Santa’s Toy Factory where toys and gifts for good boys and girls are kept before they are given away.  You can lounge in Santa’s favorite chair and take your pick among the gifts you want to receive!

So come and join the launch from 4 in the afternoon onwards.  

To get everyone in the right mood, here's the teaser jingle from SM.