And It's 2018.

We ushered in the new year with friends who are pretty much family. I'm so grateful to be able to spend it with people I love, and who generously accept my quirks. These are the same people I see through the year. There isn't much to 'catch up with', so to speak. We only need to carry on where we left off. Time flew by especially when conversation and laughter came naturally.

At lunch, along with the no-presents rule, people simply brought gifts of food and little batches of cookies. Wonderful wine and champagne were drunk. We had to decline whisky! I was very taken by the Indonesian salad of karedok, and ate so much of it. I loved that peanut sauce! It's like gado-gado, except that vegetables are boiled in a gado-gado, and karedok uses raw vegetables. And this karedok at the friends' table was delicious.

We contributed our usual pumpkin and potato biryani. Unfortunately we used a new recipe, and we might have undercooked the rice a wee bit. We did it the old-fashioned way in a pot the night before. Upon inspection and tasting, I thought it could be easily salvaged. To our relief, the little hiccups in the preparation were indeed smoothed over when we heated up the portions for lunch. We also have very kind and loving friends. Oof.

Headed out to another lovely home for dinner, then easy drinks. All of us are quite done with dressing up and eating out at restaurants on New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve, or any other special occasion. It's just too painful. We're happier cooking our own food and chilling out amongst familiar faces. When midnight came around, we popped the champagne and toasted to one another's health. Friendships move along like the seasons of life. Each chapter can be different. We do weave in and out of one another's lives. However, with each passing year, it becomes clearer as to who are those we can depend on for strength and comfort. All of us have our own battles to fight. Some, we can do so together, but others, we can only stand beside each other, giving one another all our love, thoughts and prayers, and run errands for one another.

I'm not sure this year is going to be of any cheer. 2017 was mostly delightful, and fairly horrid with too many deaths, too many illnesses, too many freak injuries, and generally too much tragedy. I'm a little cowed by this new year. I'm not quite ready for it. 364 days to go. Let's see if I can make any sense of  2018.