Livin high and takin it easy

For the friend who always remembers my birthday. Like, always!

For the friend who understands how it is to be married. How it is to be a parent. How it is to be… just be. Hahaha!

I love you Abeth! Thanks for the many wonderful meaningful talks we get to have about shitty things like marriage and parenthood. Hahaha.

Despite warnings of Typhoon Santi arriving about ten to twelve in the evening, we pushed on with our plans for the night. Still car-less more than a month post-Typhoon Ondoy, we had to walk, take trikes, take cabs (in my pretty little green wedges!) to get around the city.

After having [anniversary] dinner at Cyma, a Greek restaurant, in Eastwood Mall, we went to 9 Mile Bar in Kalayaan Avenue amidst the pouring rain. We got there past ten and almost missed Hany outside in the street.

Janice with the microphone was calling on everyone for their “talent” hahahahaha! So that’s how Ryan and I’s night at the party started, with little bits of performances from our friends.

Dax with some "audition piece" for some musical

Abet does his own version of "Vengeance is not ours.. it's God's"

For the sake of fun, here is an excerpt of the famous declamation piece.

Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread.
Spare me your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so ragged.
Why are you staring at me? With my eyes I cannot see but I know that you are all staring at me.
Why are you whispering to one another? Why?
Do you know my mother? Do you know my father?
Did you know me five years ago?
Yes, five years of bitterness have passed.
I can still remember the vast happiness mother and I shared with each other.
We were very happy indeed.
Suddenly, five loud knocks were heard on the door and a deep silence ensued. Did the cruel Nippons discover our peaceful home?
Mother ran to Father’s side pleading. “Please, Luis, hide in the cellar, there in the cellar where they cannot find you,”
I pulled my father’s arm but he did not move.
It seemed as though his feet were glued to the floor.

The door went “bang” and before us five ugly beasts came barging in.
“Are you Captain Luis Santos?” roared the ugliest of them all.
“Yes,” said my father. “You are under arrest,” said one of the beasts.
They pulled father roughly away from us.
Father was not given a chance to bid us goodbye.

Loved Abet’s version. Simply hilarious. Hahahaha!

Birthday girl does some poetry reading

Birthday girl with her wonderfully cool parents

Beerday Boy

Of course, the party would not be complete without a performance from our favorite local band. Hahaha. Flush and the Toilets kung saan aspiring groupies kami. Hahaha!

Janice enjoying the music of Flush and the Toilets

Roma on bass and Amrei on vocals

Party people in the house! (Dance dance dance to my ten guitars?) Jk

Eshei and Dax havin fun much. All thumbs up!

The fifth band member

Jeff Mejia arrives and of course he has to give a little performance too. How sorely we have missed him. I still have “Manila, manila.. I keep coming back to Manila” ringing in my head even after all these years. Ahhh, the days of being Sounds Manager.

And of course a performance from Isko himself

Lady Gaga improv performance is not to be missed of course

Birthday girls. Seat mates. Ten Questions.

Hosts like in the old times.. or the all times

Nick's turn on the "Hot Seat" for his Twenty-something questions

The girls and boys of Batch 00-A with Jeff 99-B

Free jam with Sarah

And of course, I just have to have this photo here. Hehehe.

Angku with the powder blue fairy wings

What a wonderfully fun party that was. Thank you Nick, Jma and everyone for such a good time. Cheers everyone!

View all the photos in this slideshow.