See, lots of things. However, I can't seem to move on to them without first addressing those things that happened before. Pretty much how I am in most things, I suppose. But I am digressing again. So, anyway, the last thing I talked about in the post before this was the UP Centennial Kick Off. A few days after that, my birthday came along, and that's where I start (not exactly, but you get my drift) in this post. I didn't make plans for my birthday this year, because I wanted it to be, well, quiet. Aside from that, with the amount of work I had to do, I didn't think I'd have time to celebrate anyway. I was also thinking maybe I should go somewhere outside of Manila to celebrate it. At the most, what I envisioned was a quiet night with good food, good conversation, and good company. Well, I did get all of those, but it wasn't really quiet. It turned out my brother planned a surprise birthday party, and, as I was told later, I gave him and the household such a hard time to pull the surprise. Hehe.
It was mainly because of my crazy schedule. On the night of the surprise, I was scheduled to conduct 3 interviews, one at 7pm, one at 9pm, and another at 11pm. The 11 pm was confirmed only that day, so my brother was not aware of it. Their plan was perfect actually: they would set up when I left for my 7pm, and by the time I got home after my 9pm, everybody would have been in the house to surprise me. Thing was my 7pm was cancelled, so I was still in the house around 6.30pm (by which time one guest was already there, the presence of whom didn't really trigger any alarm though, because, after all, the house always has people coming and going, like, on a daily basis), but, in a sense, it was a good thing it was cancelled, because if not, they wouldn't have known I had an 11pm, and I'd have gone out and missed the whole thing. As I was getting ready to leave for my 9pm, my brother entered the house (apparently, he had been out running errands for the party), gave me flowers and a box of cake, and said, "O happy birthday, may surprise ka!" He had to tell me at that point, because I was so ready to go out. He also added, in a rather annoyed manner, that in case I wanted to be there for it, I should cancel my 9pm and 11pm already. Hahaha.
But really, the surprise totally worked, because I didn't have any idea, I had no inkling, at all that they were planning something. The best part was when I found out they got me dayap cake from Chocolate Kiss, an absolute favorite, for my birthday cake. Kidding! Hehe. The best part was having some of the people I love best there and celebrating with me. Anyway, here are some pics of me and my birthday cake. Hee!
The weekend before my birthday, I celebrated with family. On my birthday itself, I had dinner with the household--Mel, Ivy, Jay, and Jerome--at Little Asia, also a favorite restaurant and where the Matimtiman household would usually go for birthday dinners. Must be because of the really good food and wide selection, plus being an Asian restaurant, it has different kinds of pancit, which is, well, a birthday requirement. Here's a pic:
After my birthday, it was kind of hazy. There were so many things that needed to be done before my flight back to Singapore. I suppose I managed to take care of all of those things, because, well, it's March now, and it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything. So I got back in Singapore, and little did I know a surprise was also waiting here for me. What surprise? Only that The Police was having a concert!!! I almost fell off my chair when I heard it on TV. The Police!!! OMG! I hurriedly went online and checked it out. I was thinking that only the expensive seats would be available, since the concert was already close and the promotion for it probably started way back in December, and was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford them. I was surprised to find out that, actually, all the expensive front-row seats had been taken, and the only ones left were rearview seats. (I realized then that I was in Singapore, where price was probably not an issue. Hehe.) The rearview seats weren't exactly cheap (I am, after all, only a student) and they were actually priced the same as the other front-view, albeit not front-row, seats. But I told myself, "WTF! This is once in a lifetime!"
So there I was (with Fama, who was also super excited to see The Police), in the Singapore Indoor Stadium, on 04 Feb to watch The Police Live in Concert. Hehe. I had given up the hope that I would ever see Sting in concert. When he did a show in the Philippines, I wasn't able to see it--for some important reason I honestly don't remember now. And when he did a show here in Singapore in 2005, I couldn't watch it, because, well, the show was on 10 January, and, if I remember correctly, I arrived 04 January--and well, I found out about the show after the fact. So this, this concert, was one of the best post-birthday gifts I have ever received. :) It was rearview seats, yes, but well, it would be great to have a glimpse of Sting's butt, and I knew there would be large projector screens. Haha. Here is Sting on one of those projectors:
And here's a pic of what was happening down there:
The concert was priceless. I was up on my feet the whole time, and when I heard the first few notes of 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,' it felt like all my little-girl-dreams were coming true. I'm not exactly sure what those dreams were, but that was how it felt like listening to that song. Must be because I'd heard this song played by one band or other in this and that gig when I was in college, and now, it was The Police actually singing it. I suppose there was a sense of, well, magic about that. At one point in the song, I thought I was going to cry. I think, maybe, I did. Just a little bit. Hehe. I knew, for sure, I went a little insane though. (I think Fama went a little insane, too. Hehe.) Sting must be one of the most beautiful people alive. Seriously!
There, I think I've got everything covered. I think, maybe, I can move on now--and maybe start letting go of the word 'shenanigans.' :)
