Happy new year (Part 1)

Happy new year. I spent most of Dec. 31 in my father's place- we went off buying goods from the market at 3rd street in Caloocan (that's where most of the good stuff is), watching tv, being a couch potato... movies, movies and some biographies of famous people on the tube... was bored most of the afternoon, eating grapes, strawberries and soup (makut), c/o my biological father, hehehe. I had expected to sleep then but my aunt brought me my baby niece, Abi, whom I was tasked to put to sleep. Didn't trust myself to do well, but...okay...

First I kept putting her to bed, attempting to keep her comfy with a blanket and pillow (and hugs from meee), but she kept fidgeting and moving about. Not successful. So ang ginawa ko...

I put on a comedy show for infants and made her giggle and giggle for about five minutes straight. Nevermind that I felt silly as a grownup making those faces and those weird weird sounds in front of this tiny creature (for a while I DID rethink of what I was doing)... but well, a few minutes later I wore her out to snooze quietly... Didn't even see how it happened, I turned away and there she was, sleeping... Success. :) Didn't know I could pull that off...unconventional, but effective. Oh yeah!^^

I didn't leave her side all afternoon as she slept contentedly. I watched a lot more tv than I was usually accustomed to until she woke up. I tried to put her back to sleep... she did, for a while... but later I had to lift her against me. She contentedly dropped her head against my chest and snuggled like it was the most normal thing to do. I felt surprised, but that was pretty... wow.^^ Funny, but the experience of babysitting Abi made me realize a bit more how and why mothers can't and shouldn't ever leave their babies alone, not even a sec. I was compelled to do the same that afternoon to the point that I didn't even go on a bladder break until the night fell and her mother came to take over. (Hirap din tong pamangkin ko at may grabeng ubo at sipon, hmhmm...) Iba talaga mag-alaga ng bata: Full-time. Mahirap. Messy. Hahaha.

When night fell, my 5 brothers, ahia's wife Vicky, and my 2 nieces came by and the fun started. My father was drunk enough to drop asleep around dinner time, so he missed out on all the fun. We ate, watched tv, and unexpectedly, nag-camwhoring ang mga kuya. There were camera dares among the siblings...I was trigger happy, clicking away dihia's new pro-camera with lens. Also, my nieces were just too willing to pose with their girlish charms and smiles. Oh, and while waiting for midnight, we watched tv and feasted on the heavy dinner- nagluto ksi din si papa kaya may pagkain (pancit bihon, chicken, liempo, adobong tenga at dila ng baboy- which I didn't like, fried rice, sansrival, palabok, leche flan, grapes, strawberries, coke, iced tea, cordon bleu, inihaw na tilapia, nilagang buto-buto, beef and ampalaya in oyster sauce- na inubos ko yung beef kasi yung ampalaya, in my opinion, hindi maganda yung pagkababad, so didn't eat it). The pancit bihon was really special, as it was made with real pork broth kaya lasang lasa...

And then there's the part when the guys got crazy...ahia and sahia brought in some alcohol... was slightly surprised that sahia would be open to that, as I see him often as the strict responsible sib. Was more surprised with our baby brother, the youngest (he's actually 19 now but we call him our baby still, hehehe), who joined in and played drinking dare with dihia, my free-spirited half brother who enticed him to take shots of whisky, with softdrinks to chase (tsktsk...atsi's watching you, my dear, and yet...ok fine, it's at home anyway, so...). Anyway I took some tasty swigs myself just around midnight, with grapes and pork strips...yummy...

When the fireworks started, that's when I went out of the house to join the gang (my brothers) in watching the lights show... the sky was streaked with bright colors, and against the black canvas of the night sky, the colors looked fantastic... made me look on in awe, no less like a kid...or a pyromaniac, whatever you choose, hahaha. We lit up a few rockets, sparkler fountains, lusis (that were substandard in my opinion, as they didn't even last long...3/4 pa lang ng stick wala na), and those large balls wrapped in brown paper that I didn't really like as they just exploded loudly with a bang- noise, sokes, but no lights. Booo... My father woke up just in time to see the last of the fireworks...

Not bad. I felt glad that God made it possible for us to have a blissful new year celebration with members of my father's side, minus touching controversial topics which erupt into arguments and walkouts. While walking in the market that morning, I prayed to God for a peaceful celebration...thank you. 

Next, we packed some leftovers, bid each other goodbye, and went off to home... The streets looked like alleys taken from Resident Evil. Hahaha. The smoke made the surrounding look all creepy... Cool.^^

But it wasn't quite the end of the fesitivites for us. Just as we stepped in the house, we hurriedly packed a few clothes and stuff and we went on a smoky road trip to Alabang to my grandma's (my ma's aunt's) house where we were scheduled to have our annual new year's reunion party. 

About 5 hours of sleep later, the fun continued, intensified about five times better and more hilarious than the previous night...and I danced. That's part 2. Hahaha.