I had an exciting evening last night.

It was my work Christmas party, for the whole mall where I work. It was at the Novetel, which is a swanky hotel/ restaurant/ event location near my house. From my work, it was just my boss, my friend Stacey and I going. The theme was the beach so we went full out and glued shells to our faces and did a mermaid thing, it was cute. We matched and we spent 2 to 3 hours hanging out before hand getting ready which was great because we don't hang out outside of work much and it's been a goal of mine to become better friends with her because I already mention her all the time-- hazard of being together like 15+ hours a week working, I see her more consistently than anyone else I know.

So anyway, we did that, enjoyed the party. There was an open bar, which to those of you who haven't experienced the joys of this, it means, all wine and beer are free, but spirits still cost. And it's the cheap stuff obviously, since tickets were only $20 and our boss paid for us which was sweet. Since I have no experience drinking wine and the taste is bad, I employ the breathe-out-while-swallowing method, so I taste and smell as little as possible.

But it's a crap method and I wouldn't be able to stomach doing that all night, just for the funzies. But when we were at the bar, someone as asking about this different drink they'd seen people with, affectionately called a 'goon sunrise'. I'm pretty sure goon is Australian slang and it means cheap wine, so it's super classy obviously. It's mixed with OJ and red cordial so the colours separate and look really awesome, like a sunrise. Also it tastes very, very decent.

We had many, many glasses.

Plus Stacey didn't have any lunch and the dinner there was just finger food and we seemed to miss most of it.

I was incredibly surprised that I felt it a bit after just two or three. After 6 we were pretty affected and I think at that point, our Boss left and we upped out effects, glass in each hand :P

The party finished at 10 and while this isn't something that would have occurred to me on my own -- let's be fair though, I hadn't even thought about drinking before I got there -- we decided to go into town and continue the party there.

Both Stacey and I live within 200m of the Novetel, which was super convenient. We walked to hers first. She had to pee so she went  up ahead and left me to walk slower. I was in heels so I couldn't run with her. This is a good example of drunk me, she lives at number 30, I walked all the way to 48 before it occurred to me that I'd walked past. I'm super vague, and my mind is like a strobe light. I lose most of the middle processing. So I eventually got there, texted her to let me in, waited a few minutes, texted her again. Eventually she comes out in bra and undies, which was like, ok.

I mean, this chick is pretty fit and yeah, ok, I totally looked. We changed out of our sarongs and into clubbing clothes. She didn't have any flats I could borrow so we then walked to my house (After she dashed to her car on the street in her bra to get  a shirt). My mum came home while we were there, and after telling Stace to act sober, I introduced them.

Then we got a taxi from my house into town. We went to a club I'd never been to before, but it's one of the major ones, it's just got a bad rep for sexual assault and glassings and whatnot. We got in, we got some Vodka Redbulls, went to the dancefloor, I saw a friend of mine, hugged her, then we just danced for awhile, got more drinks etc.

After that, lots of weird interactions happened. We were kind of with these two guys (who we are 90% are gay, but later when he was dancing with me I really couldn't tell). Stacey got drunker, I was keeping an eye on her, but she got caught up with a guy she'd known briefly from TAFE, a fricking cocaine dealer and she hates drugs so she figured she'd try to talk him out of fucking up his life. We also ran into her ex, then some other dudes, then she was with them and I was talking to some guy who was tall and quite good looking, Aaron. When I told him I was 19 though, he got weird and left (he was 23). He kissed me on the forehead, then twice on the lips, but it was mostly just weird.

I was mostly just standing there because Stacey was behind him, not too far away and I was motitoring that situation. Also, I'd realised by this point I'd lost my phone, which as it is new and like $600 to replace, was heavily on my mind and one of those things that people don't empathise well. Like, when everyone is out having a good time, its hard to pay attention to someone else's problems of that nature because no one can do anything, it's just fretting.

Also, best to mention at this point, that we both had work the next day. I only was on for 5 hours, but she had an 11 hour day 10am-9pm. I mean, we both knew the next day would suck but being teenagers, that's half the fun.

She was such a funny drunk, very cute and like a puppy. Naive and excitable, but needing looking after because she is so pretty, there's a lot of boys kind of around her that she'd happily start dancing next to and while I hadn't witnessed her drunk before, we were there together and I take looking out for my friends pretty seriously. So I started saying we should leave, I was ready to go. But she'd found a guy who she knew in a friend of a friend way, and he started saying he'd look after her and get her home safe, and she was adement that she wanted to stay.

So, feeling anxious and guilty for leaving her, but not really having much choice, I used the guys phone to call a taxi and left. I tried to pull her out, like with an firm arm around her waist, but she just grabbed on to things so I couldn't. I mean, she's an adult and I wasn't really sure where the boundaries are for our friendship, or just friendships in general when it comes to these situations. Like, even if it was my bffl, I don't know if I'd have been able to act more authoritatively and taken her with me. It's not like she was slurring her words or anything, she was just drunk.

So 10 minutes later I was home, sans phone. I called the taxi company but the driver of the cab I'd taken earlier had finished his shift already so I couldn't do anything. Thankfully, today I was able to get it back because I had left it there (another example of my drunk vagueness). But that was much better than losing it in the club, I'd have never gotten it back there.

It was actually a really good night. And cheap relatively. Just two drinks at the club and taxi fare for the whole thing. Christmas party predrinks were the bomb.

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, I should have a few good nights out coming up. I feel like I did super well, I was tired at work but I had zero hangover and I woke up at 6am, cleaned my room and had a leisurely morning all things considered. Once I got my phone back, everything was great.

I could probably talk for awhile longer but it's late. Night!

My bffl Mia is going to New Caledonia for three weeks tomorrow. I'm gonna miss her cos she has hair that smells nice and our friend Kate who I am never going to see again after today cos she's going back to America now exams are over says we're like an old married couple because of how we argue and Mia thinks we're more like Ted and Barney cos it's her job to 'teach me how to live' and like I told her today, she's my person and asdfghjkl.

Still, it's only three weeks. With exams and study to do, we've been in close proximity for long periods for weeks now and as our relationship's bread and butter is insults and sarcasm, it will perhaps be nice to have space for a bit.

Besides, when she gets back we'll only have two weeks before I leave for 7 months so I can't really complain about a few weeks that she's away. I expect we will make the most of all the last days though before Christmas. I know that I'll miss Mia the most out of everyone, she really is my closest friend and I do adore her muchly.

In other news, exams are overrrrrr.

I AM FREE.

That is the best news ever, because I really could not have gone on any longer, I've been scraping the motivation and drive barrel for weeks now and my 'cannot be fucked' attitude is probably not going to reflect well on my marks, but it's done. Sadly, not until March like everyone else, but until January.

Until then, I will be shopping for all the crap I need for my trip and clothes, and booking accommodation and generally being excited and stressed for the trip, while preparing best I can.

Also playing an inordinate amount of solitaire.

When you find out that a childhood series that you loved, about female friendship that you related to like almost nothing else has a new book, set 10 years in the future, you don't expect to have your heart ripped out by a character committing suicide.

I did not expect this night to be me crying and gasping and trying to regain the breath that this book is knocking out of me.

Jesus fuck.

Books, man.

Now I have to put myself back together

and yes, fuck you it is past 5am