Family affair

Today I woke up at around 7AM, then decided I needed more sleep so I went back to bed and got up finally at 10AM. I did all my morning ablutions while still in a daze, I think. Yesterday was the last of the 4 parties my friends and I organized and held for the holiday season. Last night, when the last of the guests left me alone in my house, I felt as if all the shopping, cooking, eating, drinking, and partying seem to  have caught up with me. After a hot shower, I nodded off to sleep right away.

Four parties. Yeah. Were we crazy to do so much in so short a time? Maybe. It just so happened that this year, most of my friends didn’t get out Cambodia for the holidays. Christmas is not really a holiday here; even the New Year celebrations pale in comparison to what we have in the Philippines. When my partner experienced the holiday season in Manila, he was pleasantly astonished, confessing he hadn’t had the same experience even in Bangkok.

To chronicle what we put ourselves through these past weeks, let me give you, dear reader, a run-down of what happened:

January 1, Tuesday: New Year’s day lunch. Venue: my house. Menu: Pata Tim, Baked Fish, Pancit Bihon, Beef Kaldereta, Kutchinta, Cherry Pie, Blitz Torte, Ice Cream, Soda & Vodka. In attendance: me, Ted & Hav, Gaye, Lou, Daden, Joy, Wowie, Jojo V, Yvonne, May & Glenn, and Ethan. Activities: ate lunch, played Uno in the afternoon, ate dinner then played mahjong until 10PM. And we completely forgot to take any photo!

December 28, Friday: Wowie’s impromptu birthday soiree. Venue: my house. Menu: Pancit Miki, Puto, Crispy Pata, Barbecue, Steamed Veggies & Kapi Dip, Cold Cuts, Soda & Vodka. In attendance: Wowie, me, Ted, Daden & Dyed, Yobs, Joy, Jojo V, Lala, Martin, Tita Brenda, and Jojo P. Activities: supposed to be an after dinner event but people ate dinner anyway (because there was lots of food), played Uno, watched Madonna’s The Girlie Show concert, and drank tumblers of Vodka Tonic to our hearts’ (and livers’) content.

December 25, Tuesday: Christmas day lunch. Venue: Ted’s house. Menu: Pork Menudo, Fried Chicken, Khmer Beef Stew, Siomai, Tuna Carbonara, Buko Salad, Lemon Bundt Cake, Chocolate Cake, Soda & Vodka. In attendance. Ted & Hav, me, Eng, Romyr, Gaye, Lou, Wowie, Jojo V, Daden, Yobz, Anna & Adrian, May & Ethan, Mother C, Luz & Rolly, RJ & Clark, Mike & Grace, and Matthew. Activities: ate lunch, delayed drinking because of the kids, played Uno & mahjong while drinking tumblers of Vodka Tonic. I should also mention that on Christmas eve, Jojo and I went to Mz Joy’s house for Noche Buena, where I tasted for the first time this flaming drink called B-52.

December 16, Sunday: Christmas Party. Venue: Square Magazine’s office. Menu: Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Beef Morcon, Pancit Palabok, Baked Macaroni, Lumpiang Shanghai, Pinatubo Cake, Chiffon Cake, Soda, Vodka and Beer. In attendance: Nill, me, Ted & Hav, Wowie, Jojo V, Gaye, Lou, Davy, Yvonne, May, Ethan, Mother C, Luz & Rolly, RJ & Clark, Mike & Grace, Matthew, Eng, Romyr, and Daden. Activities: ate dinner, exchanged gifts (I gave 3 glass candelabras; I got 4 pretty glass tumblers), played Uno then drank like fishes. That’s me pictured above, grinning like a demented birthday celebrant.

So there. It would seem that I, along with my friends, spent the last 3 weeks either stuffed to the gills with food or drunk with alcohol. There’s some truth in that, but in between eating and drinking we were also strengthening the ties of friendship that bind us, helping each other through bad patches (and bad friends and bad friendships), and being a family for those of us who are far from our biological families. Isn’t this what the holidays are all about?