Best Christmas gift ever: My vintage red typewriter!

Best of the Best Manila is a Facebook Group I am a part of where people can ask, well, best of anything. I like browsing through the group as questions can range from best place to get cakes in Manila to best Shopee/ Lazada finds, et cetera, and other members have been generous with answers and recommendations so far. I also try to contribute every once in a while. 

One question asked yesterday was Best material gift you received this Christmas and why you consider them the best. I answered this:

Yes, friends! I finally have my own typewriter after including it in my Christmas wish lists since I started this blog back in 2008!!!

It's a cherry red typewriter and it has its own case, and it is GORGEOUS. My boyfriend gave it to me for Christmas, and you best believe I promptly burst into tears the moment I saw what was inside the heavy bag he handed me. I have wanted my own typewriter again ever since I lost my old cursive one along with our house in a fire back in 2001, and now I FINALLY HAVE ONE!

I used it straightaway and my fingers and ears reveled at the clack-clack-clack of the typewriter keys no computer keyboard can ever emulate. My brain is teeming with crafting and writing ideas, and I already dug through my pile of stationery to look for beautiful paper to type on. 

I spent quite a bit of time tonight looking for the typewriter model, and I believe it's a vintage Brother Deluxe 220 made in 1980. It's even older than me! What stories can you tell me, dear typewriter?

I have also decided my typewriter's a she. I need a name for her. What do you think of Ruby? I think I am going with Ruby.

Together with Ruby, J also got me a new kimono for Frances Alcott, a Little Prince vinyl figure, a Sailor Mercury mini figure, and a Sailor Moon necklace, all sporadically given all Christmas week. It felt like Christmas every day!

So, yes, among all these, my red typewriter is the best material gift I received this Christmas.

If we're not counting the material things, I'd have to say J is the best gift. Not a lot of people know this, and I don't think I ever blogged about it, but we actually broke up almost six months into our relationship. That was December 2015. We got back together after about two weeks, but for a very long time after that I still felt sad that it had to happen. He gets annoyed when I bring it up, saying he didn't really break up with me, so I already stopped doing it. I can't resist it sometimes though especially when we talk about how far we have gone and grown together. It's nice to look back BUT thinking about what could have happened in case we didn't get back together used to make me sad. However, I am thankful now that it happened because I know now that that is one option we won't think of choosing next time. 

I am not sure if people still read blogs nowadays but I still see my reader count so in case you read until this point, I would like to thank you for reading my ramblings and I hope you are taking care of yourself and keeping safe. I wish a better 2021 for us! ♡