My 30th Birthday Celebration

Last week, Saturday, I celebrated my 30th year on earth. I decided to celebrate it with friends who have been a big part of who I am now. There were a couple of my friends who weren't able to come due to a prior engagement and some were already miles away, but I know they were celebrating with me and wishing me all bunch of sweet and good things to come. One of them even called me from the USA! (Thanks, Chikay! I'm seriously touched by that gesture! I miss you!)

I celebrated my birthday at Balsa sa Niugan, a well-known restaurant (a li'l al fresco) here in Malabon. I love, love, love, love their food, the feel of the whole place, and, of course, the prices! I'll blog about them on Certified Foodies so keep posted for that.

My family and I went to Balsa early so we can enjoy a meal together first. With us was my mother's childhood friend, Tita Zeny, who came all the way from Baguio to spend a week with us.

My close friend Lindon and his partner Joseph also came… all the way from Antipolo, Rizal! It was their first time to visit Balsa and I salute them for following directions very well! *LOL* I'm so touched that they came to celebrate with me on my birthday. I miss them, especially Lindon. He really reminds me of my brother, Kien. I guess that's why we got really close. Thank you for coming! *hugs*

Three of my closest friends since high school weren't able to join me. But, I'm glad my BFF Tina was there to celebrate with me. She came a li'l late (understatement of the year), but we still had plenty of time to talk, eat and laugh. Argh. I'll definitely miss her when she finally moves to Pangasinan. I guess I'll have a reason to go out-of-town, then, with our friends, right? *LOL*

Also, I invited Concie. We never met before, but she already knew me back when we were still living in Navotas. We started talking after she saw me at one of the forums we were both participating in. She knows my brother and she was also a chatter and knows me from Navotas. After our initial conversation, we'd usually talk about our business (she used to manage her own computer shop). And, in the past weeks, especially after what happened to my relationship last month, we gotten to talk more. It was a relief talking with someone who can relate to what I was going through. So, of course, she was invited! Finally, we met! *LOL*

Lastly, but definitely not the least, I invited a group of people who are close to my heart because of the numerous nights we spent drinking our hearts out back in our younger years. *LOL* Seriously, I consider them my friends for LIFE!

It was like a reunion for all of us who were there. We haven't seen each other for 8 years! I want to write more about these friends of mine, but I prefer to dedicate one whole blog post just for them next time. They're THAT special! And, yes, they're mostly men. Our circle of friends only included 2 women - me and my kumare, Badeth.

I love that all of them seem to be more mature, but still as fun as I remember them. I miss them sooooo much! We call our group Tomador, Inc., which was, at first, a silly spoof of my father's "organization" (can't reveal the details here *LOL*). But, we decided to take it seriously. Hahaha.

Can you believe that we used to drink like every other day?!?! One of them came up with this crazy drink mix for us - Gin Kape (gin with coffee). It was REALLY good, tasted like Bailey's. But, it won't let you freaking sleep for hours. So, that one day in between was spent to let our high from the gin with coffee mixture die down. I can't believe how much alcohol we had in our system back then. We were responsible drinkers, mind you. I make sure anyone who's drunk stay 'til the next morning. Well, usually, they all stay 'til the sun rises. *LOL* My mother was even telling us that we need colonetix or something like it 'cause of how frequently we were drinking. We just love each others' company, talking about crazy stuff, videoke the whole night, and we end it, usually, with a cup of coffee in the morning. *LOL* It was crazy, but it was a LOT OF FUN! Ahhhh… those were the days! *LOL*

We spent my 30th birthday eating, drinking and updating each other about what's new. Most of them are already with kid/s. I really enjoyed our conversations and the times we reminisced about our crazy adventures, especially at our old home in Navotas, which bare witness to all our fun foolishness we used to enjoy together. I really missed them so much!

I actually came up with an idea to bring back the Tomador, Inc.. Well, we won't be doing a lot of drinking anymore. I want them to join me on my food trips for our food blog. They're game, so I can't wait to write about our new adventures. Woot!

Overall, my 30th birthday was a BLAST! I love the food, the alcohol (ohh, how I miss it! *LOL*), and the company of my closest friends and family. I sure hope my next birthdays will be as fun as the 30th of October 2010.

Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings, for my family, and for these friendships that I want to keep forever.