Birthpedida

This is how they called the surprised party my family and friends threw for me on Tuesday night. It was superbly done, from the coordination down to the final surprise of the evening.

My dad lured me to Ortigas that night on the pretext that we were to meet a potential client who wanted an AVP made for their pre-school. It was very well delivered. He even met Karen (my business partner) and me at Breton at Podium and small-talked with us about the future of kids attending progressive schools, the pre-school's tax problems, etc. He even stressed me a little by saying he has to pass by my aun't house to pick up some papers. I told him, but traffic is terrible! Why don't we just pick up the papers after? I swear, my dad is such a good actor. He even said stuff like, I need to review it before we file taxes tomorrow, etc.

Dang! I was even starting to get irritated because I don't like being late for client meetings. But Papa was persistent. I called Jhun, the driver to pass by for us, and then he brought us to Tita Acay's. When we got there, Papa alighted and entered the condo, and I ranted to Karen and Jhun. Then I receive a call from Tita Acay, telling me to come up too. The guard asked me to sign in, and curioously enough, I saw Val and Donna's names, and I wondered, what coincidence could have brought them here? The guard told me to head to the roof deck. It was then that I heard a light commotion.

When I got to the final step leading up to the deck, I heard people scream, "Surprise!" and for a moment I was disoriented. I was expecting just my family, but there were faces of friends whom I hadn't seen for a while (albeit online). I was dumbfounded! Then suddenly the realization that this party was actually for me sank in. Haha! This was a despedida party for me!

I hugged everyone there. And everyone who was there made every moment special. The 5 and Up gang was there, representatives from DigSol and the UP geeks, TPTS and of course Nikko. Too bad Yas and Grace had to leave early due to other engagements.

Tita Acay then presented the second surprise of the evening: my passport and VISA! It had arrived earlier that day, and she purposely didn't call me so that it could be the icing on the cake. It was the greatest thing to receive. Almost instantly, a cloud lifted, and I felt that everything fell into place at that moment.

There was so much food, so much chatter and stories. Of course, my sisters just had to produce the requisite AVP. These things are always touching because it allows you to express thoughts and feelings you wouldn't be able to say otherwise. I teared a little, and was deeply touched. I love my siblings, no matter how crazy and hard-headed they are.

And then Thea made an announcement that there was a phone patch that evening, and that they would like everyone to hear it. But then there was a technical glitch so the person who was supposed to send the greeting decided to make an appearance instead. Suddenly someone was crouched behind Monique on the stairs, and they revealed: Denise! My other sister who had been working in Boracay for six months! I thought I wouldn't get to see her before I left, and suddenly she was there. Of course the first person to react was my mom! And Jay O said, this actually a surprise for Data's mom, LOL!

WILD my siblings are. The eating and the chatting continued. They even asked me to blow a candle on a chocolate cake, which represented my birthday cake. Exactly a month from Tuesday was my birthday, that's why they called the event my Birthpedida. The good times went on til about ten thirty and we had to break the party up. But it was all good. This surprise tops everything we've planned so far. I can't wait to see the photos and videos that people took! I hope they upload them already. It's a night I'd like to relive over and over again. :)

Post script:

My brother came home from his US trip this AM! And for the first time in 6 months, we're all together in the same house again. Oh, this is great. I'm so happy!