Paolo’s New Year’s Day Bash ‘05.

Paolo’s New Year’s Day Bash ‘05.

Here’s a cardinal rule that I adhere to: no alcohol. My liver can’t take it, and it’s a very strange thing to get into when you’re out and about, especially clubbing. I can understand that it helps you relax, but too much of it is a bit ridiculous because I like to be fully aware and conscious when I club. And I don’t club all that often, because:-

a) I’m the antithesis to the Ah Beng archetype, and all Ah Bengs are clubbers (this is not a faint generalization...not all clubbers are Ah Beng, by the way), and;

b) I can’t spend that much money on one night without getting some sort of equivalent gratification (read between the lines).

But alcohol plays an important part of anyone’s life. It does help soothe and relax you. To an extent. It numbs pain, and makes you forget your sorrows, only to wake up the next morning with a banging head, or even worse (or better, depending on your point of view) next to a stranger. I remember the first (and only) time that I’ve gotten properly sloshed, in Brazil, with a real Caiprinha. The room around me was spinning, but I was aware of it. Though there wasn’t much that I could do. The Caiprinha served in KL isn’t as hard as the au naturel version. Which I’m quite thankful for.

Paolo’s New Year’s Day Bash '05 was what it’s always been about: good home-cooked food served to a lot of people, the meeting of old acquaintances, and…well, drinking. I’m not a big fan of drinking games, but I joined in this time because it was the New Year, and I normally don’t leave Paolo’s until after 3 in the morning, so I’d have plenty of time to find sobriety. Last year found me just enjoying a simple Gin Tonic and being happy. This year, I was at that stage where I wasn’t sloshed, but irritated by the fact that I was coherent but wobbly. I’m not a heavy drinker. I had a few cups of Vodka + Sprite, as well as JD and coke and then just JD. I don’t mean to sound pretentious…I know a lot of people who’d outdo me, anyway. But I guess that I was kinda satisfied with my performance…if you could call it that.

Not that I’m repeating anything like this during this year. Definitely.

Alcohol only makes you delirious. Some of Paolo’s churchmates were more than overacting to the alcohol. A bunch of class acts trying to be cool. Yes, it’s a scathing thing to say, but when you get a bunch of goody Christians (just like me, almost!) trying to be ultracool by doing what they’d imagine to be the hip thing, it’s almost hilarious. In a bad way. No praise to myself, but at least I try to keep my cool when I’m erratically mindfucked. I try. And I’d like to say that I was at my best behaviour.

Edwin (bless him) puked in the toilet. Loudly. Me, on the other hand, crashed onto Paolo’s sofa for about an hour and a half. I just wanted a quick nap. Anyway, the perfect answer to an aching head is tea. But if you want real sobriety, the only way to do is through gaming. So, after a mind numbing assault of Trivial Assault Unhinged (which, I might say, is the most boring game I have in my gaming library), we proceeded to The Guy Game. And we almost instantaneously sprang back to life. I lost my headache. And we felt a lot more awake.

I wouldn’t be telling you this at dawn on the second day of the new year if I wasn’t. Call it the potent mix of the drinks and the nap, but I feel momentarily revitalized right now. I wonder how long it’d last.

Yes, well. Anyway, the food served was…uh…maca and cheese, curry chicken, a Thai leaf salad mix tortilla (I can’t explain it, but the trick’s in the sauce), spaghetti, rice, and…other stuff which I didn’t really try. I’m quite hungry now. And contented. Here's to the next spectacular event in a long line of Gomes New Year's Day Bashes.

So. Here I am trying to be self-righteous by claiming that alcohol has no place in my life. Or yours. But I’m only lying to myself, aren’t I? But in all honesty folks, drink responsibly. And if you need to get drunk, at least crash at someone’s to sleep it off.

This has been a new year’s public service announcement.

Let’s enjoy this next year to screw up alive.