Wonderful Party With Wonderful Friends

I celebrated my 44th birthday last Saturday, March 11, 2006. That was the longest and the most unforgettable birthday party I ever had in my life. I said the longest because we already started celebrating on Friday and it officially ended on Sunday. Let me tell you the whole story…

Si Cheh na galing Munich ang pinakaunang dumating sa aking mga invited guests. She arrived on Thursday in Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof main train station, and I picked her up from there. Kasama niya ang kanyang poging binatang si Seb. This is the first time we ever met kaya 4:30 a.m na ng umaga ng kami ay natulog. We were both so excited and we had so many things to tell to each other kaya hindi namin namalayan na umaga na pala.

The next day Friday, umandar na ang aking nerbiyos dahil sa dami ng aking gagawin na preparation. Aside from that, all my guests from distant places are all coming in the afternoon. It started with Sha, she arrived around half past twelve in Düsseldorf Airport. Hubby called me from his clinic and offered to pick her up, he said he will be done with his last patient at 2:00 p.m kaya sabi ko ako nalang ang susundo dahil ayaw kong pag-antayin ng matagal si Sha. We arrived home from the airport at half past one, para kaming isang magpamilyang matagal ng hindi nagkita dahil sa sobrang excitement na makikita sa bawat mukha namin. Habang nagkuwentuhan si Sha at Cheh, sinamantala ko ang panahon na maghanda ng hapunan bago magsidatingan ang iba. I prepared Pinakbet and Bola-Bola for dinner and Cassava for our dessert. A little bit later, Sha came to the kitchen and asked if she can do something. I grabbed the opportunity

and gave her and Cheh the task to wrap Lumpiang Shanghai.

Princess Jing arrived with Prince Charles and step-daughter to be Martha . Pinaubaya ko muna sila sa aking asawa at kay Chet at Sha dahil si yours truly ay hindi pa tapos magluto. Shortly after, dumating naman ang aking tatlong kaibigan na si Ann, Genie at Melanie from Miltenberg area. Right after them came my Kumare Jojo with our friend Benita from Freiburg. I am really very lucky when it comes to friends, lahat kasi ay hindi maaarte at super matulungin pa. All were offering to help me in the kitchen kaya nawala ang nerbiyos ko, I was enlightened. We dined all together and it was like we were one big family. Even Kathleen was enjoying because she found a new friend Martha. Si Seb naman at si Gillian ay nagkaintindihan din. Si Kitty lang ang kawawa dahil lagi nila itong hinahabol, hihihi poor Kitty nagtago tuloy. Anyways, I was really worrying about the choice of food I cooked. Pinakbet is not everyone’s taste lalo na sa mga puti. Buti nalang kumakain pala ng Bagoong Alamang itong si Prince Charles ni Jing. Well well, all were satisfied and that’s what matters most to me. Mas naging kompleto ang satisfaction ng lahat as we started drinking red wine. Bumabaha ng wine sa gabing yon at mas lalong naging never ending ang kuwentuhan kaya umaga na naman ng kami ay natulog.

I woke up with a terrible headache the next day, Saturday. Darling Gerd got up earlier than me, he went to the bakery to buy Brötchen roll and Sha’s paboritong Pan de Leche. Bago kami nagsimulang mag-almusal, nag distribute muna ako ng pain reliever dahil hindi lang pala ako ang may headache. After breakfast, Sha and Cheh decided to have a walk with the little boys. Sobrang kulit kasi nitong aking binata kaya naisipan ni Sha na ipasyal ito para makapag concentrate ako sa kusina. Dios me, sa dami ng aking lulutuin hindi ko na tuloy alam kong ano ang aking uunahin. Some offered to help cook, but I refused dahil gusto kong ako mismo. Anyways, I started baking two cakes muna, una Chiffon cake then Custard Cake. Then I prepared Buko Pandan and Fruit Salad with Buko and chilled it in our outdoor refrigerator (balcony). I had very little time to entertain my guests, labas pasok ako sa kusina at paminsan-paminsan na ki join sa kanilang usapan. How I wish I had more time to stay with them. Lumipas ang buong maghapon sa pagluluto hanggang dumating si Thess. Hans and Charlie was with her pero umalis din ito afterawhile dahil ihinatid lang niya ang kayang mahal.

The party was supposed to start at 6:00 P.M, but other guests who live nearby came late. Blessing in disguise naman dahil hindi pa ako tapos sa ginagawa ko. Later, Benita came to me and asked again if she can give me a hand so I can make myself ready before others arrived. Since I was done cooking the last dish, I decided to let her prepare the Hors-d’oeuvre. Thanks to her…nakabihis na ako at hindi na amoy pagkain ng dumating ang mga nahuling bisita. Und somit…das Buffet ist eröffnet! And so I announced…the Buffet is open!

Now I’m not going to tell you the rest of the happenings in details dahil hahaba ng masyado ang post na ito. Besides, hindi ako

magaling magrelate kaya I request you to view our photos in my photo gallery to see the expression of our faces. Basta’t ang masabi ko, I enjoyed the party a whole lot and above all I enjoyed the company of my old friends and new found friends. This party is an unfogettable one. Guys, I cherished every moment with you and I thank you whole heartedly for being with me for a few days. I highly appreciate Cheh’s courage and determination to travel that far with a child and in her condition. I appreciate the presence, effort and time of everyone who travelled that far. This means a lot to me…