It was my busiest and craziest and most disorganized birthday celebration to date. At 11:30 am when Uncle Afin and Auntie Bridget arrived, I was still in jogging pants and tees, haven't showered, was yet to make the sauce for the fish and toss the spaghetti!

So after making quick delegations to Mike to make the sauce I hurriedly showered and dressed, came down the stairs with my hair still damp, welcomed Claire and her bro Cuth, went straight to my messed up kitchen, tossed the spaghetti and laid it on the table.

I was about to lay down the lunchware on the sidetable when I had another surprise: the maid had not prepared the disposable plates and cutlery (she was busy with the barbecue) and said we didn't have any plastic cups. (I was sure I had a lot left over from our Christmas party at the office, but I didn't have the nerve to make halungkat in front of the guests!) Settling that detail sidetracked me for a few minutes or so.

A little while later another dear friend Malou and her brood came in. By 12:30 pm we said grace and attacked the lunch fare produced from my tiny, busy kitchen: Lengua Con Salsa Blanca (Ox Tongue with White Sauce), Callos ala Madrilena, Red Snapper* in Sweet-Sour Sauce, Spaghetti Bolognese, Fried Chicken*, Shanghai Spring Rolls* and Pork Barbecue. (Recipes to be posted in Kitchen Conjugations as soon as I am able to type them up.) For dessert we had the super-moist Ms. Polly's Chocolate Cake that Claire brought in. Over lunch, aside from the Red Iced Tea I made we also had a bottle of white (Bin 444) and a red (which was unremarkable, so I forgot the name).

It was super hectic and busy that I didn't have time nor the chance to take pictures of the food, the table, nor of us. (Huhuhu. All that effort and no picture? Sometimes you wish you had octopus hands.) I meant to exchange gifts with Malou and Claire but failed because I have not yet wrapped my gifts!

Anne, Is That You?

The craziness has been due to the fact that... well, I am human and normal and can only do so much. :)

It used to be that I have my presents ready by end of November, but I've been tied up in the last two weeks. I was a one-woman production crew in staging a Christmas party for 80 people at our office (December 16) and assembling a plethora of Christmas gifts and baskets of goodies.
(Back in Amkor there were 70 of us who got busy over these things. This time I was solely responsible for the stage, the prizes, the games and entertainment, the food, the 13th month pay, the guests, even the speeches! (I even sang Through the Fire impromptu, no warm up nor vocalization, kulang pa sa tulog, ha!)

In the interim I emceed and facilitated games at my son's Christmas party (be glad to know I didn't volunteer, just didn't have the heart to refuse the request), woke up early to make Baked Macaroni for my other son's party, attended other Christmas parties and send-offs, tutored and reviewed my son for his exams, while running the usual operations at the office.

That went on while I sort of recuperated from a D&C procedure I had on the 7th.

And yesterday I woke up with a stiff neck and a frozen shoulder, and my reflexologist, a Seventh -Day Adventist wouldn't do a treatment on a Saturday! Waah!

Mike had suggested we celebrate my birthday somewhere in Alabang but it was I who insisted we stay home and cook. I was anticipating the heavy traffic and the hassle of finding parking spots not just for us but for our guests. I also wanted the luxury of staying for as long as we want. Besides, I wanted to serve the work of my hands. However, while I had that, I had to contend with 1) being shorthanded (one of my two maids left early this month) 2) the space limitations of my kitchen / little house; 3) walking like a stiff robot, saying aray every now and then when i turn or move the wrong way and 4) greeting my guests smelling of Salonpas!

Nonetheless...

That was by far my busiest, craziest, most disorganized birthday celebration in the last 33 years. That's not to say I didn't have fun though. Thanks to a loving and very supportive husband (who was my kitchen assistant and masseuse, two wonderful sons, friends who drove in all the way from Cavite and Manila, and those who took time out from their busy schedules just to give me the gift of time and attention (yes, I appreciate that), I had a memorable birthday despite the hustle and bustle.


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*Mike took care of the frying, because I am a putok ng mantika magnet, remember, and I've been banned from frying for the rest of my life?