ON A BLOG BREAK

Taking a short well-earned respite from blogging 🙂

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just bcoz i wanted to post something other than a meme

So how about some random thoughts?

• When I bloghop, I never read the author’s profile. I’m not interested on what she/he says about herself/himself.  I immediately read the entries or gawk at the photographs.
• I watched ‘NEW IN TOWN”, a Renee Zellweger-starrer last night on DVD.  Predictable plot, uninspired dialogs, but I liked it.
• Haven’t gone on a “shooting” trip in a while, but still plenty of materials on archives.
• Rick Bayless, one of my fave chefs, won the Top Chef Masters crown. Of course he went up with two of my other faves too, chefs from the bay area Michael Chiarello and Hubert Keller.  I would love to eat at these three master chefs restaurants some day.

Happy weekend every one!

 

Oh alright, facebook wins!

I am in Blogspot, WordPress, Flickr, Webshots, WAYN (where are you now), Friendster, and Alumni dot com.  But is that enought?  Apparently not.  Because you’re not “in” if you don’t facebook as well. 

I don’t want to be in Facebook.  I have no strong desire to find out where old acquiantances are.  No need to spy old loves.  I don’t need facebook.

I was content with Friendster.  I post my “personal” photos there.  For my friends to see.  Friends I met in person.  People I went to school with, roomed with, shopped with, drank with.  In short people I know.  I don’t actively seek out “new” people to call friends. 

I don’t have a need for Facebook.  Until today.  My high school friends and I are on Friendster.  Apparently, they also can be found on Facebook.  One friend, actually a couple, who I put together – yes my first successful matchmaking attempt – are only on Facebook.  I don’t they think they have any interest in signing up with Friendster.  After all, who wants to go with a sinking ship, right?

Until today.  Until I ask them to email me photos.  And they said, go to facebook, we’re there. 

I have had invites for Facebook.  The same people I call friends on Friendster have pending invites for facebook.  I just ignore those emails. 

But I want to see my friends, especially  this couple.  We went to high school together.  Back then I was more close to the guy than the gal.  I still am I think considering the time and distance.  He is the one emailing, not her.

I used to write his love letter to her.  My first paying job.  I was paid in kind.  He would buy me snack at the bakery, bring me some stationery, etc.  He would walk me home and the whole way we would be talking about her. 

Nothing happened in high school between them, although it was clear to all of us that she liked him too.  In those days and in that part of the world, having a boy/girlfriend wasn’t really the “in” thing to do.  Yeah I know, we were weird, right?

Fate gave them another chance one day after college when they took the same bus home from Manila.  The three-hour ride gave them time to rediscover the friendship.  And upon reaching home at about 9 pm, I got a knock on my door.  It was him, all excited, telling me about the chance meeting with her.  Right there and then, he told me he’s going to give it another shot.  I said I thought that he’s already seen what else is out there (college gals he dated), it’s time to really be serious if he truly wanted her. 

From that time on, I would get weekly updates on the progress of their relationship. Until they decided to get wed.

His mother knocked on my door one night with his younger sis in tow.  She was afraid the lovebirds were rushing to get married.  I didn’t think she would be opposed to the union (she is after all not only a beautiful face, she has a DMD after her name too).  I thought by coming to me, she was not quite happy.  I told her that they were in love since high school and I think they had adequate time to think things out.   (I didn’t tell him or her that his mom came to me that night prior to the wedding.)

So now, I got an email that they have three boys and I can see the family photos on facebook.  What choice do I have?

I won over MY SPACE.  But it seems like there is no winning over facebook.

 

My First Bite of the Big Apple

This is my first trip out here in NY (attending a wedding).  Am currently blogging in my hotel room (thank heavens for moderately priced accommodations with free wi-fi) and I had a full day starting with an early flight from SFO.
Anyway, here’s my impressions for the first day.  I am staying here in Queens.

• The first time I breathe the air here, I felt at “home”.  The feel of the air, the smell of traffic, the humidity, the lay of the street—all felt home. It felt like Manila, hell even felt like Singapore.  Hubs said must it be the humidity.  Tis only in the upper 70s and I am sweating like a pig.
• When I remarked how comfortable I was at walking the streets and smelling the traffic (I can’t really explain it), hubs asked if I wanted to move here.  I told him, if I wanted to recreate the feel of Manila, I would have just stayed in Manila.  He said that’s a good point.  He too didn’t want to move away from our adopted “home”. I never felt that way with San Franciso, even now many years later.  SF does not remind me of Manila at all.
• Subway trains and stations are filthy.
• People are less friendly.  Instead of telling me that the seat on the subway is dirty, a tattoed girl punch me on the arm and looked the other way.  So, is that how people tell other people the seat is filthy, no talking all body language (and I mean a punch, okay a tap with a closed fist)
• We were taken to a place called Jackson Heights, or little Bangladesh and India.  The streets are lined with Indian fabric and clothing store and jewelry store and eateries.  I saw one store that has a sign, BANGLADESHI AND INDIAN STYLE CHINESE FOOD.  You bet I wanna taste that Indian style Chinese food.
• While I mentioned that the subways are filthy, they are nonetheless very reliable and convenient.
• Experienced my first Bangladeshi wedding shower and was with all strangers but I never felt out of place.

It’s time to sleep.  Long day tomorrow.  I’ll try to sneak in a little sightseeing in the day and there’s wedding at night.

Oh yeah, photos will be in my photoblog later.

 

No Friday Foto today

Instead, this blog I think needs updating of some sorts. I have been really busy with fulfilling photo meme obligations that this blog, which was originally meant to contain my thoughts and dreams and hopes and frustrations has ceased to be that.   So let’s update shall we before Monday comes along again and I find myself doing some photo meme posts all over  again. 

• I’ve been extremely busy with tv watching lately, hehehe.  I know very productive undertaking, right?  Well, see American Idol is on and I have again taken sides.  Do you wanna guess who my faves are? No guesses? Okay you twisted my arm I’ll tell you.  It’s Adam and Anoop.  Hey both names start with A, I didn’t realize that.  Go Adam and Anoop.
• ER, the tv medical drama, is ending.  Last new show is on next week.  It’s sad to see it go.  I remember how I really was into that show but lost interest when the original cast has left one by one. I want a freaking good finale, I hope the show delivers.
• Been really exhausted lately.  Epstein Barr, hypothyroidism and low iron levels would cause this feeling, right.  I got the triple threat, no wonder I was feeling rundown for weeks.  I finally got the nerve to go to my doc and tell her how exhausted I was and there was no reason for it.  So she asked for some bloodwork to be done and voila, now I know the reason. 
• We found another “dream house” in our endless search for a first home.  Put in a bid in yesterday.  Keeping our fingers crossed.  This is the nth house we put in a bid in one year.  I hope we get this house. 
• Job cuts have hit me personally.  My brother told me he’s so close to the chopping block.  USPS is cutting 150,000 jobs (I believe the number of zeroes is correct) nationwide.  I hope my sis in law is safe, but I have yet to ask her. 
• At husband’s work, they just let some people go, including someone that I have met and liked.  I hope  no more lay offs. 
• My mother is having a birthday on Sunday and I wish her the best of health and a healthy dose of peace of mind. 
• I just learned from visiting my Friendster (yah, okay, so I have a page there :D) that my friend has gotten married.  Why wasn’t I notified?  I was a bit irked that I didn’t get an email.  Oh wait a minute, I did the same thing when I got married.  I emailed everyone months after I got married attaching photos from our honeymoon cruise :D.  Okay, I am no longer pissed.
• Have an enjoyable weekend everyone.

 

Because I’m feeling crappy….

I am going to dump something that has been bothering me.  Before I go unload, let me tell you why I feel crappy.  I have never got around to shaking off the cold virus I caught last month.  And I never got around to the doctor’s office either.  And now, the people I work with are showing signs of cough and colds too.  But they were the first ones to exhibit symptoms.  I caught it from them and they got better.  Now, they’re getting it again, and I haven’t even gotten any better yet.  I feel there’s another round of cough and colds.  Well, add some sinus congestion to my woes.

Anyway, let me tell you what gets my goat.  I am not a confrontational person so I don’t say anything. Most of the time I just unload it all to my spouse. Isn’t that part of their job anyway, to take in all your sh*t? 

Here’s one:  Littering fools.  Those adults who drive up to the parking lot of a mall, open their car door and let their fastfood trash (wrapper, cups, etc) slide off their car and they drive away.  For Pete’s sake, it wouldn’t take 25 cents worth of gas to drive a few yards to dump their trash in a bin.  Aaargh!

And then there’s this lady who goes to a Vietnamese eatery where there is a cafeteria style dining and lots and lots of prepacked food to go.  She goes over to the station where the prepacked food are located.  Picks up a sealed container.  Looks at it and asks nobody in particular what was in this container.  And before my husband could answer (we were standing next to her), she proceeded to open/unseal the container to take a sniff.  When my husband said its a fritata, she must have not heard of that word before so she goes further in unsealing it.  By this time, I was really pissed off. I told her in my friendliest tone (yeah!), it’s an omelette.  That she understood.  She tried to close the container and return the item to the table.  Now this is my beef.  If an item especially food is sealed, do not open it.  Contamination happens when you do; food poisoning ensues.  If you don’t know what’s int it, ask the people who sells it!  Aaargh!

Here’s another one who goes to Costco and takes a family-sized package of toilet paper; opens it and feels the softness of the paper and leaves the opened package behind.   Are you kidding me?  Who in this united states has not used Costco toilet paper and need to see for oneself its quality?  Aaargh!

Okay I feel a little better now.  So I should go and pop some more sudafed 🙂

 

What happens behind locked door.

What happens inside our bedroom? Okay I’ll let you take a peek.Here’s what transpired last night.

He was on the bed, newspapers scattered on one side, the laptop in front of him and next to the laptop were mails. The TV was on and tuned in to House. I was on the PC next to the TV. Both of us were multi-tasking. Every now and then, he would ask me to open another tab and search something. I was googling and blogging and watching House all at the same time. Oh and yah, checking out Tony Bourdain’s No Reservation during the commercial break; he was in Chicago last night.

Around 10 pm, I looked at him and he looked back. With a cheeky smile and a little wink I ask him:

Me: Do you want something?

Him: Of course I want something!

Me: No kidding, do you want something?

Him: We both want the same thing!!!!!

Me: (getting nervous) Wait a second what do you want? REally want tonight?

Him: (smiled devilishly enjoying my discomfort) Brownies. Didn’t you want brownies tonight? 🙂

Me: (sighs and goes over to give him a bear hug) Of course I want brownies!!!!

And we had brownies for midnight snack!

FIN.

 

Based on Actual Events–A MMK moment

Warning:  Non English post and very loooong.

I wrote this some 7-8 years ago as a journal entry in English.  Last year when I toyed with the idea of posting it here, I rewrote it in Tagalog.  No reason other than the fact that as far as I can remember I have never written something in straight Tagalog aside from the writing assignments in Pilipino classes. 

 Dear Charo,

Dapat sana nagulat ako, o di sana eh naghinala man lang sa pagbisita ni Brad Pitt dito sa bahay. Aba bakit nga ba hindi eh sa tatlong taon naming magkaklase nung high school ni minsan di napadpad sa bahay yang si Brad, samantalang ako at ang iba pa naming mga kaeskuwela ay halos magbabad sa kanilang bahay. At sa baryo pa ang bahay nila samantalang kami’y taga bayan, aba malayo layo din yung tambayan namin ah. Pero anhin ko mang isipin ni hindi sumaglit sa isipan ko na may mangyayari nung araw na iyon.

Nagbihis agad ako ng damit panglakad ng makita ko si Brad na kasama ng aking frends na si Phoebe. Alam kong gala na naman ang sadya nitong dalawang ito. Pero nang babain ko at harapin iba na ang naging ihip ng hangin. Seryoso ang mukha ni Brad. Pinaupo ako ni Phoebe at isinalaysay niya ang kanilang sadya. Ikakasal na daw si Brad!!!! Nahuli daw sila sa akto. At may baril na kasangkot, “shotgun wedding” kungbaga. At hindi sila naririto para ihatid ang magandang balita. Narito sila sapagkat nais ni Brad na maglabas ng sama ng loob. Laking gulat ko talaga. Ang nasabi ko sa sarili, aba parang sine ito ah! Nakinig ako ng maigi sa kanyang hinaing. Hinaplos haplos ko ang kanyang likod sa pakikiramay sa kanyang kalagayan. Wala kaming inabot na kasagutan sa kanyang suliranin, kayat minarapat naming pasyalan si Rachel, ang isa pa naming frends na isat kalahating kanto lang ang layo sa akin.

Gaya ng inaasahan, naulit ang pagsasalaysay sa balkonahe nila Rachel. Ito naman ang humaplos haplos kay Brad para kalmahin (at hindi kalamayin ah) ang kalooban nito. Sa lahat ng taon na aking kakilala si Brad ito ay masyadong personal na tao. Wala nga akong nababalitaan na nililigawan nito noong high school. Ito ay nakatutok sa pagaaral. Sabagay kahit ba iisang grupo namin di kami masyadong close nito kaya laking gulat ko na lang sa mga pangyayaring ito.

Kahit tatlo na kaming nagiisip wala kaming solusyon sa problema ni Brad kayat minarapat naming dalhin kay Monica ang problema ni Brad kahit ba siya ay paalis na patungong Estados Unidos para doon maghanap buhay. Mabuti na lamang at siyay andito pa para kami ay gabayan. Si Monica ang aming “brains” ng grupo. Maliban sa matalino ito, hindi pa siya nahihiyang magbigay ng payo. At ang pinakamaganda nito, hindi siya nagpapairal ng emosyon pag dating sa ganitong mga bagay. Hinaharap niya ang anumang bagay na klaro ang pagiisip. Siya’y matyur para sa kanyang edad, samantalang kamiy parang teen-ager pa din.
At dahil naghahanda na sa pagalis patungong EU si Monica, buo ang pamilya niya sa bahay nila. Andoon ang kanyang ama na bumalik na galing ng Middle East. Pero binigyan nila kami ng pagkakataong makapagsarili sa sala. Naupo kaming apat sa sofa. Isinalaysay namin ang mga pangyayari at sa bandang huli ay nahingi kami ng payo. Heto na po. Pabalik balik na naglalakad sa aming harapan si Monica habang kanyang ibinabahagi sa amin ang kanyang pamosong, DONT DO THE CRIME IF YOU CANT DO THE TIME na sermon. Wala siyang ipinakitang pakikiramay sa aming kaibigan. Pero tama lang naman iyon sa aking pakiwari sapagkat tatlo na kaming kasangga ni Brad. Kailangan namin ang kanyang neutral na palagay sa kahihinatnan ni Brad.

Sa aming pagalis sa bahay ni Monica, nakabuo kami ng plano. Ang sabi ni Phoebe kailangan naming tulungan si Brad. Dito masusubok and aming prendsyip. Syempre pa, sang-ayon kami ni Rachel sa ganitong plano. Anuman iyon.

Nang mahimasmasan si Brad, nagpaalam na ito. Samantalang kaming tatlo’y abala sa pagbuo ng aming “master plan” para maiiwas si Brad sa pagpapakasal sa babaeng ito na hindi namin kakilala. Siyanga pala, nakalimutan kong sabihin na buntis ang babae, yan ang sabi ni Brad. Pero, yan ay di namin isinaalang alang sa aming pagbuo ng plano.

Ganito ang aming napagkasunduan, malasine ito. Magpapanggap si Phoebe na buntis, may kasama pang props na kunway siya’y buntis. At kapag dumating na sa puntong itatanong ng pari kung may tututol ba sa kanilang pagiisang dibdib, tatayo itong si Phoebe at syang tututol at ilalahad sa lahat ng nasa simbahan na siya ay nagdadalang tao at si Brad nga ang ama. Alam ni Brad na ganito ang plano namin.

Ngayon kung binabalikan ko ang nakaraan, naaalala ko pa ang kasabikan ko sa plano namin. Ako at ang dalawa ko pang kaibigan ay pawang mga mababait na tao, may takot sa Diyos, pero bakit wala ni isa man sa aming tatlo and nakaisip na mali itong planong ito? Si Monica na aming kinunsulta ay siyang humadlang sa pagusad ng aming plano. Kami raw ay nasisiraan na ng bait. Pero matigas and ulo namin, sige pa ring pag perpekto ng aming nasabing plano ang aming pinagkaabalahan.

Sa pagdating ng araw ng kasal, kami’y nagdalawang sakay patungo sa kabilang bayan sa aming probinsya. Nung araw ding iyon namin napagalaman na hindi pala sa katoliko ang kasal kundi sa Aglipay. May kalakihan and simbahan at pinasya naming tatlo na umupo sa likuran. Lahat ng pumapasok ay nakatingin sa amin dahil nga naman wala kami sa gawi ng “groom side” or “bride side”. Isa pa, mukhang sabit lang kami duon. Kung baga, talagang mukha kaming mga “outsiders”.

Tiningnan kami ni Brad isa isa mula sa may kalayuan. Hindi namin malapitan ito sa loob ng simbahan kahit ba kilala kami ng kanyang mga partido. Ewan ko ba kung bakit. Pero hayun naka barong tagalog siya at naghihintay sa kanyang kaisang dibdib. Nakatayo at ang mga mata’y humihingi ng tulong. Kaming tatlo’y paralisado sa mga oras na iyon. Wala kaming magawang tulong sa aming kaibigan kundi kawayan siya, aming bersyon ng “asa likod mo kami, gayem”.

Nagumpisa na ang misa/kasal. Aray!!! Ilocano ang misa. At hindi lang Ilocano, Ilocanong hindi namin maintindihan. Kami’y mga Ilocano, pero andaming mga salita na kaiba sa aming Ilocano! Patay! Wala kaming maintindihan. Pero kahit na ganoon, malakas pa din ang “fighting spirit” namin. Aba sa dinami dami ng kasal na aming nakita maging sa personal o sine, kabisado na namin ang buong kasal, di ba? Hah, yan ang akala ninyo. Sapagkat nag reredi pa lang kami sa may punto na kung saan itanong ng pari kung may tututol ba, aruy, sa harap ng altar ay “kiss the bride” na ang eksena. Laking gulat naming tatlo. Nagkatinginan kami at nagtanungan kung kami bay hindi nakikinig ng maige? Bakit napalampas namin and parte na aming pinakahihintay?

Ganoon ang kinahantungan ng aking kwento. Pero mabuti na yon dahil sa palagay ko ay hindi namin kayang isakatuparan ang aming plano. Parang laro lang siya. Maigi na ring ganoon ang resulta dahil nasa simbahan kami at kami’y nagpaplano ng kalokohan.

Hindi naging palagay sa amin si Misis Pitt. Lagi nitong sinusundo si Mister kapag gumigimik kami. Mayroon kaming isang kubo na tambayan namin, pagaari ng ate ng isa sa aming kaibigan at open ito sa amin kahit anong oras. Bibili kami ng beer, coke (yung iniimon ah), at tsibog, at alam ni Misis kung saan susunduin si Brad. Ang laki ng galit o inis niya sa amin. Wala kaming paki. Si Brad naman laging naka’ “hayaan niyo na siya”, siguro naman mahal din niya ito kaya nagpapikot na.

Alam niyo na siguro na di buntis si Misis ano? Makalipas ang maraming taon,  nabalitaan ko nagkaanak din sila.

Gumagalang,

Janice

15 Yemen Road, Yemen

 

A recap of my 2008, part two.

February, March, and April went by quietly–and quickly– without a fuss. I was in the doctor’s office a lot, like every other day for some “treatment” that went on until I said enough in October.  Needless to say, I was thankful for having a good medical plan and enough sick days to cover these doctor’s visits without getting my pay docked.

In April, I went to dinner with some people I have not seen in ages, my high school bff and my high school English teacher.  That was something else.  Up to now, there is no sequel to that eyeball event. Soon I hope.

This month too my niece had a second baby and we welcomed a new addition to the family, Audrey Elizabeth, a real cutie.

More medic appointments in the month of May.  I did have a bit of fun when my other niece tied the knot this month.  She did the city hall wedding, but threw the family a “little party”, which was really very very nice.  I have met a little niece Gabby for the first time too.  Don’t ask me why that is so.

By the time Memorial Day came, I was only too ready to head out the door and take to the road.  Roadtrip that is.  We went on a Highway 395 road trip.  From the bay area, we took I-80 to Reno where we stayed our first night.  On our first day, we hit Carson City, the state capital, and Virginia City, both are close to Reno.  We opted to stay in Reno for the following reasons: 1) there was a deal for hotel room that I could not resist, 2) those free cocktails at the casino, 3) yah, them buffets 🙂

Our second day was a long drive from Reno to Mammoth Lakes where we would stay the night.  We planned a brief detour to Bodie because I had been dying to go to that famous ghost town.  We got there, entered the park, but could not really go downhill to the town itself as snow started to come down and the drive downhill was tricky, road was not paved and we did not have a 4WD.  We decided to let that dream go and left Bodie and returned to 395.  Of course this was a rainy road trip from the time we left Reno rain did not let up at all.  We passed by Bishop and spotted Erick Schatt’s Bakery and made a mental note to stop by on the way back from visiting Methuselah.  We managed to enter the park and drive up to the again tricky uphill climb.  The clouds have turned dark and we did not know the exact location of this oldest tree.  But we continued to climb up and up and we saw another winter wonderland scene up there with all the bristlecones in all white and what do you know we werent there a minute when the white stuff started to come down again.  I got panicky as I knew we did not have enough gas to linger here and further investigate as to the location of the said tree.  In addition, the whole place is deserted, if we ever get stranded there, we wont be found soon as we did not pass anyone on the drive up and saw not one car driving down.  Plus, I knew up there, cell phones wont work.  And to add to that fact, we were starving having only eaten a scone (hubs and I split one) and a venti Americano with a banana for breakfast.  And lunch on the move was OJ and coffee.  I really hated to give up the search for the tree, but I had to. (I later found out that the exact location of the tree is being kept secret by the US Forest Service). 

So off we went to Bishop on the way to Mammoth Lakes and stop by Erick’s for a taste of the original sheepherder bread.  This place is a famous stop on this stretch of highway.  They have a good selection of baked goods and breads.  We took home a pull-away bread and a sheepherder bread and went straight to our accomodations for the night.

I made the reservations for our accomodations for this trip.  Being a frugal traveler, hubs and I always go for the cheapest choice that gets the good reviews from fellow travellers.  And for this second and last night of our three-day road trip, I chose Austria Hof Lodge, which happened to be next to the ski resort.  Now if I were a skier, this would really be the place to stay.  It was not snowing after we came down from Bristlecone Pines, but once we entered Mammoth village it started to snow again.  Our car has a coat of snow in a matter of minutes, from the time we left our car to the time we climbed the stairs to the lodge, we looked down at the car and lo, our blue car was turning white 🙂

Now I liked this lodge, it was clean and was designed for skiers.  The house restaurant was close, due to the off season and the fact that this was now the day after Memorial Day.  The room was comfy and warm and from the window we watch the snow fall for a bit until it got a bit heavy.  We went to inspect those magazines for ads on where to eat.  We were starving.  We ended up doing the pub grub at a local Irish pub in the village.  It was empty sans for two other people. 

The following day was the last leg of the road trip.  We first went to Mono Lake where we snapped some pics of the lake and spent time enjoying the view.  It is scenic here.  In here too I found the cheapest souvenirs in all of CA so far.  Funny how when I showed my ID card for the credit card purchase the guy in the counter did not knew my town existed.  This is why I always say we live close to Berkeley, people know Berkeley.

Our trip continued as we took the very scenic Tioga Pass to Yosemite NP.  I dont need to tell you that I had a ball with a few hours of driving around Yosemite in snowy landscape.  I totally loved it.  If getting around is not a problem, I would be here when the park is knee deep in snow.

 

to be continued…..

 

Regifting

(Here’s a reposting of an entry I wrote for my now defunct Friendster blog, orinally posted 12/29/05)

Christmas day (could be Christmas Eve after the Noche Buena) you are in the middle of the living room littered with torn wrapping paper and you have just opened the last of your presents. You are now in the stage of finalizing your choices for regifting. You know that while opening your presents you were at the same time taking mental notes — categorizing presents in three groups: 1) for keeps, 2) those with gift receipt, will return for xchange or store credit, and 3) for regifting. Yes, you are a regifter — and you are not alone. There are many of you out there. You regift not because you are very difficult to please, but other factors contribute to this — like how many chips and dip platter do you really need? So, you give the other one away. Regift, not because you don’t like it, you simply have too many so you share your blessings. Friends, bless their heart, mean so well but the sweater they got you was two sizes too small/big, but a perfect fit for your cousin’s wife — she’s getting that. So on and so forth, you get my drift.

There are protocols to follow in regifting, though. Always eliminate all the telltale signs that this is a regift, make sure the original card is not there, and if repacking is required, do not upgrade the value of your gift by using a higher-class dep’t. store’s box if you recognize that the brand is from K-Mart/Walmart. Moreover, erase the paper trail — gifts from family should not end up within the family. It could get very embarrassing. More importantly, regift not just to regift, but make sure that the present is a perfect match to the recipient; hence, lending the personal touch. So there, happy regifting to all and remember this: I KNOW WHAT I GAVE YOU LAST CHRISTMAS.