I Welcomed Lotto with a Big Bang

We have this joke that when you reach the age of 32 you’re no longer in the calendar since it has only a maximum of 31 days. You are now part of the Lotto club since it has numbers up to 49. If you reach 50 then you’re a member of the Bingo club until you reach age 75. After that, well, either you’re dead or you’re too old to remember your age.

Last October 4 I said goodbye to the Calendar and said hello to Lotto. I celebrated my 32nd birthday with my high school buddies last October 5. It was a blast! It’s my best birthday party ever. My friends really prepared for it, complete with banners and decorations. Thank you guys! As I’ve said before, friends are families we choose and I’m glad I chose mine correctly.

I was planning to treat them at a seafood restaurant in Iloilo but due to insistent demand we had a party at our friend Cheryl’s house in San Miguel, Iloilo which we fondly call Hacienda Añes. Of course, she cooked everything. You can’t trust me in the kitchen that’s why I’d rather treat them elsewhere.

We had kinilaw na tangigue, adobong manok, manok with ubad, bihon guisado, lechon head and inihaw na panga. Mind you, the lechon was personally supervised by Honorable Joebert Añes. Amigo Rommel also showed off his cooking prowess. He prepared a very authentic Ilonggo dish, linagpang nga manok, for pulutan. Daw kinuyaban! Well, the food we ate are far better than Tatoy’s manokan because it was a labor of love. Naks!

Actually, they were not so eager about my birthday but for the opportunity to go to the firing range again. Ever since they went there, all they talked about was the fun they had since I wasn’t there the first time. And I’m sure it will not be the last.

Dear old friends and new friends, Frank, Cheryl & Joebert, Cheryl & Edwin, Arman & Eden, Rommel & bro Richard, Florencio & son, thank you so much for sharing the special day with me.

Our little family grows bigger over the years with the addition of husbands/wives and children who are also our hijados and hijadas. You see, we haven’t lost touch after all these years. When a friend from abroad comes home, it’s an instant reunion. The itinerary for the homecoming of Amigo Joseph this November is already being planned out by Amigo Frank, the official party organizer. Can’t wait for another chance to shoot a gun again. This time I hope I get to hit the target.

Here’s my 32nd Birthday Celebration at Hacienda Añes.

Tagged as: Iloilo, Personal, San Miguel