22nd, you will be remembered

Our birthdays give us that ecstatic feeling when we get showered by gifts and attention that we almost always say "Best birthday ever!" I'm only 22 yet I can no longer count the number of times I said the same thing. There were some birthdays that also made me go meh. Apparently, yesterday was not one of those birthdays. It was one of those best birthdays ever. And by far, the real best birthday ever climbing up a notch on top of my 18th birthday.

For weeks my dad had been suspiciously making a big deal out of my birthday saying "Malapit na pala birthday mo 'no?" Albeit I felt extra special, I didn't suspect anything at the time. I did notice that my dad and Ced have been communicating more than usual and there was this one time Ced grabbed his phone from me when he saw a Facebook notification pop up. I'm not that dense and I trust Ced too much to think that it was about another girl so I immediately thought "Are these guys planning something?" But I didn't dwell on it because I figured 22 is too random a number to pay that much attention to. However, I did expect a birthday video as a surprise. :)) Little did I know that video I was thinking about was only a small part of the bigger picture.

The plan was we were going to have dinner at our usual go-to place when there's a family occasion -  Dad's.Kamayan.Saisaki at Glorietta as a small group - my family, Ced and my brother's girlfriend. My birthday was officially declared a holiday so we had a lot of time before dinner. We were already outside Dad's when Ced texted me that he's still in a meeting and he will be late. My brother and his girlfriend "coincidentally" also said they're running late. So my dad suggested we go around the mall for a bit to shop a little while waiting. All of a sudden, he said he had to get something from my ninong who was setting up an event nearby (it's my ninong's business). I really wondered why we had to ride the car again. Why couldn't he just go by himself while we go around the mall and wait? But I didn't object. We went to Makati Sports Club and he sent me down to "get our car's deed of sale and contract" from my ninong at Club Cafe and they'll just wait for me at the parking lot. My ninong greeted me outside Club Cafe and ushered me into a dark room. 

Then this happened.

Their head waiter photobombed my moment haha

I was welcomed with party poppers and my closest friends and relatives screaming "SURPRISEEE!" including those I was just chatting or texting shortly before the event who told me they were going out with friends or stuck at work. I couldn't stop laughing and I almost said "You scheming bitches" out loud.

And I did not expect to have a debut-themed party at all. I couldn't believe they even had the time to create a program. But more than being surprised by my family and friends, I'm glad they had as much fun as I did. Thanks Makati Sports Club! Everyone was complimenting your scrumptious buffet (and thanks to my dad for the booze).

Thank you, Ced! For my beautiful and absolutely yummy red velvet cake! You always know what I want.

Everyone close to me knows about this phase I'm going through so this celebration really helped a lot. I've never felt so blessed in my life. I couldn't thank God enough. I have a really great family, supportive friends, and an absolutely amazing boyfriend who's half responsible for this. Thank you to the masterminds a.k.a. my parents most of all. If you want me out of your house soon, you've got to stop spoiling me like this. Haha.

I love you all. Indeed, best birthday ever.