The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of gatherings, parties, crammed work, and feasts. There's so much joy but so little time. I've been coming home late and sleeping later. But I still feel energized the next day, ready to take on the activities that have all piled up for the remaining days of the year. This is one of the reasons why I haven't been posting on Hive lately.
The first of the many gatherings for this month started with a dinner with my girlfriend and her close friends at a place called Pukot, which means fishing net in our local dialect (Cebuano). How appropriate that at the start of December, I was immediately captured by a mesh as if telling me that I won't be escaping the incoming series of socializing for the next weeks. The dinner at Pukot was followed by karaoke, where we sang until dawn. It had become unusual for me to go home so late, but in the next few days, it would become a common occurrence.
Having multiple circles of friends, colleagues, and involvements will mean being entangled in a schedule of parties and gatherings during December. My colleagues from work and I went to an expensive buffet for our Christmas gathering. It was a restaurant called Feria, and it was inside a hotel that had this enormous Christmas tree. Of course, I overstuffed myself. We had a fun exchanging gifts game, and I came home with a lovely painting of a plant.
Next was a Christmas dinner at one of my favorite coffee shops called Holly's Coffee. I'm an officer of a Toastmasters Club, and I'm grateful to have such positive and encouraging co-members. We exchanged gifts and played Jenga. It was fun to see other people play the game for the first time.
I'm a chemical engineer, and we have a local chapter of chemical engineers in Cebu. I've been quite active in our organization this year, and I decided to join their Christmas party. It was at this newly operated restaurant/hostel/co-working space called Good Juju. I really like the place, and I'm looking forward to returning to it. We had lots of games, and I even won the grand prize in the raffle, which was a phone. For the gifts, I was so happy to get a bottle of Whiskey.
Christmas day (or eve) is always reserved for family and loved ones, but the rest can be spent with friends. This month has been jam-packed with fun times with friends. The holiday season is a sure time to feel the warm embrace of the important people in our lives. One of my close friends went home to the Philippines after staying for years in New Zealand. We had a lovely dinner at their beautiful home together with our friends.
We all met again a week after and had dinner at this family Chinese restaurant called David's Tea House. We partied afterward at a bar named Rue. It was one of the wildest nights we've had. We weren't super drunk, but we had their famous Caramel beer, a bottle of Bacardi Gold, and another bottle of Absolut Kurant. We danced until the place closed at 2 AM.
December is not yet over. I still have a lot of plans and activities for the remaining days. Our family will celebrate Christmas together with my niece's Christening. I'll be spending the days after Christmas with my girlfriend and her family. And I still have a major project to deliver before the year ends. But I'm not complaining! There's so much joy and so little time. The holidays are a perfect time to be enmeshed, entangled, and embraced by your friends, family, and loved ones.
That's it for now. Merry Christmas! 😁