I ended the year doing the most courageous, irresponsible, and courageously irresponsible thing in my 22 years of living: I quit work. I didn’t even properly hand in my resignation when I decided not to come in Christmas Eve. Like hell I’d spend the first few hours of Christmas in the office; it’s bad enough that my folks don’t celebrate the day, leaving me with nothing to be cheerful about.

But I did have lots to be happy about (even if my noche buena consisted of a Jamaican patty bought from a gas station convenience store, a dimsum swiped from lover, and a bag of potato chips) because I spent Christmas with lover. And okay, so I had Christmas dinner with my family, too, but Christmas sex > quality time with people you’re related by blood to and will probably never disown you even when you resort to online prostitution because you’re currently unemployed and have bills to pay, kk?

Notable conversations with the family:

#1: Mom (looking at the dress I was wearing, which barely covered my ass): That’s what you’re wearing?
Helga: Yeah?
Mom: It’s too short!
Helga: Fine. I’ll put on a skirt. (Puts on a mini skirt that added a quarter of an inch of coverage)
Mom: That’s better.

#2: Brother: So what now?! I thought I’d drop you off where you’ll eat and then I’ll go pick up Elaine (the girlfriend).
*silence, trying to figure out the night’s logistics and such, because my dad was being a priss and faking a headache so he wouldn’t drive)
Dad: Just pick up Elaine…dude.

#3: Mom: Si Daddy, parang artista. Suplado sa personal. (Trans: dad’s like a celebrity, a snob in person)

#4: Dad, putting in a CD of house music: Listen to this, this is nice.
Helga, after a few songs: *changes the track, quickly*
*silence*
Brother: …what was that???
Helga: A HALE SONG.

And then two days after Christmas, I found myself in hell (which can be found on Region I of the Philippine map under the town of Mangaldan, Pangasinan) for my mom’s cousin’s wedding (which I was a bridesmaid for. Those Mangaldan people, always getting me for their weddings. I was once maid-of-honor for another mom’s cousin and I didn’t even know the bride’s first name). I tell you: I hated that place when I was a kid, and I thought it wouldn’t be so bad now that I’m all grown up and shit but NO WAY, it was still just as bad. Actually, it was worse because there were more kids (I reckon about twenty of them) running and screaming around the compound, the old wrinkly people talked to you more cos you’re, like, nearer their age now and not some sulky ten-year old nagging her mom for cable tv, and the drunks hyphyer. All I wanted was to hole up in some room with a computer with internet and I went through all four houses looking for one and found none. Crazy.

La Union proved to be the third best thing since I changed my employment status to, well, unemployed and on my way to being broke. Except that bit when 20 people from Mangaldan decided to spend the night, but nevermind that. There’s something very zen about waking up at 9am, making my coffee, grabbing my cigarettes and an old issue of Cosmo, and spending an hour on the kubo by the pool with the rice fields and farm animals laid out in front of you.

And because I’m not in a blogging mood and have to catch up on all the internetty stuff I missed, here’s a shitload of pictures, starting with my new kitty, Poochie:

INSIDE HER BAG, ATTACKED BY A CAMERA

LOVER FAILS AT LETTING A SPOON HANG FROM HIS NOSE

AT TOY KINGDOM’S CUDDLY CORNER

HELGA AND HER BROTHER

HELGA AND HER COUSIN

HELGA AND HER CUPCAKE

HELGA AND HER GRANNY

O YEY, THE WEBERS, MINUS THE DAD

HEAVEN CAN BE FOUND IN OUR LA UNION BACKYARD

MY GODDAUGHTER, MISHCKA

NEW YEAR’S PHOTOS:

SOMEONE’S A MOW-DEL

SOME BOOB GRABBING

WITH THE BEST FRIEND

WITH THE KLASSY

HOW HAPPY, 08!

MY LONG HAIR, CHECK IT OUT

SOMEONE RESCUE KLASSY FROM THE KOREAN GIRLS WHO DANCED US UP!!!

HE DIDN’T WANT TO WEAR THE GLOWSTICK ON HIS WRIST, AND HE ENDED UP WEARING A TRUMPET AS A HAT

SOMEONE GOT DRUNK AND THREW UP AND IT WASN’T ME

That’s all. Happy 2008, everyone! Spread teh luffles, or something corny like that.