Still in last night's clothes

Spent the entire afternoon in bed; still trying to recover from what was the first three days of Christmas vacation.

My last class was Thursday night, after which I joined Dad for dinner with balikbayan Ate Jho in Makati. Home by midnight.

Woke up early the following day to run a few errands at school. In the afternoon, Drew and I tended to our co-editors role for the senior CW anthology: fighting Quezon City traffic in the glaring heat to canvas possible printing presses. I’d find relaxation that day buying toiletries at SM Makati before happily going home early for a Friday night in (though it would’ve been nice to join Jason, Julio, and the rest of the Heights lasengeros in Katipunan).

Saturday was quite a trip on many levels. Parañaque to Mall of Asia to Parañaque to Alabang. Then three hours to one side of Commonwealth, then to the other side, and finally home when my Tita Chi Chi was just leaving for simbang gabi, circa 4AM. The first part of the day was dedicated to gift-buying, the next for Ate Jho and family (I as alalay). The evening was spent at Zoe’s place for a Christmas dinner cum inuman. Other guests included April, Marie, Sasha, Pancho, Sam Q. and beau, Charz with his new haircut, his new significant other, and twin brother Chad. While the rest took their shots of tequila and gulps of rum coke, giggling along with Charz’s attempts at songs I should know considering my being part of his generation, the architist and I settled for beer and looking grumpy (like driver and houseboy, says April). Truly an enjoyable night.

Flashback. Wednesday: the only other Christmas get-together I attended. An intimate affair at Ma’am Marj’s with Sir Marne, La Verne, and a couple of Ma'am's good friends. Conversing in the small garden over wine and Sir Marne’s music, expressing our solstice reflections about 2007, among other things. A pleasant time was had by all.

Now I sit here hours after waking up, still in the clothes from last night. I smell (not of despair, Sasha). I need a bath. Then what? Maybe TV, maybe a lot of reading. Looks like a good night ahead: a prelude to hopefully another good week.

*Pictures from Zoe's Polaroid camera.

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Currently reading The Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer and Gaudeamus Caracoa 95. Waiting on the shelf: Dapitan Prose (stolen from the Heights room), Dreamweavers (from my favorite panelist), The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (from my favorite girl), The Kite of Stars (also from my favorite girl), and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (which I told Sasha to buy for herself—but thanks anyways. Haha.)