Still alive, still here, just been busy with work. I thought I’d update this place with a short story – one that gives me the best Christmas yet.

I’m now a proud owner of a PlayStation 3. And the best part of it all is that it came to me for free.

Last November 29, me and my friends over at the Republic held a sort-of early Christmas party. The 2 weeks leading up to the date was pretty solid and all, I was pretty excited to go already (the bore of being jobless was getting to me – but I found one soon after so that’s that). On the day itself, my cousin announced that he was having his birthday party after all – at 6 PM. The Republic party was going to start at 2. My cousin lives in Parañaque, and the other gathering was in Makati. Dilemmas present themselves all the time, and this one was by no means monumental, but it was with a bit of disappointment that I bowed out of the Republic get-together.

I posted my plans on the forums, and soon after I was bombarded with replies saying I should go at all costs, even for just a little while. I knew then something was up, just not something that was PS3-big. So, conceding to peer pressure, I drove through two hours of Antipolo and C5 traffic just to get to Bel-Air. And like my friend told me, what was waiting for me there was totally worth the trip: a 40 GB PlayStation 3 console, complete with two excellent games: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Resistance: Fall of Man. I then proceeded to thank and verbally praise my very generous friends, mumbling words like a babbling idiot. I was literally floored, and don’t really remember much of the party except for two things: one, the food (Japanese curry!), and two, the warm, happy feeling of having a really expensive next-gen console be yours for free.

Going home was the best: there was very little traffic, and the black shiny passenger in the backseat was very snug and safe.

I slept for only a couple of hours in the next two days. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, Mix. Oh, and belated Happy Birthday too.

Incidentally, this will be my last post for 2008 – what a year it’s been. Graduated from college, had a couple of months of relaxation, obtained a job and left it soon after, and obtained another job where I’m quite happy; where I think I’ll be staying for a real long while. Here’s to 2009 – while the world may be reeling from the financial crisis, may it not stop you from being, for all intents and purposes, a good year.