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Matty's over-reminded 33rd birthday :)

He calls my 2014 birthday "over-celebrated" because I had a week's worth of birthday parties coinciding with the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. His birthday this year, I am calling the "over-reminded" birthday because my mobile phone and laptop decided that I had to have not one, but many, alerts! 

I'm sure I've been pressing the Close and not the Snooze button so I was really getting puzzled as the day wore on.

Alert #1: Day before his birthday (did I get the age wrong???)
Alert #2: Closer to midnight, as I was reading social media coverage of an event I was involved in earlier in the day.
Alert #3: Seriously?!? But I've greeted him twice already!

The story of my November 11 this year could be summed up by a Monty Python-inspired birthday card:

My computer and phone were so excited about his birthday... more excited, even, than for my own 33rd birthday last July!!

He was so excited and happy about his birthday, that I can say so myself. And I am glad that I was able to contribute to this happiness by helping him organise the venue for the most insignificant of birthday numbers (he always jokes that the 33rd birthday is the most insignificant of the lot). We initially reserved 10 seats for dinner at the Black Pig, one of my favourite restaurants in Alabang; but by the time we left Los Baños, the group had grown to 15... and by the time the evening ended, I think the group further grew (Val brought a few friends along). Oh, and there's quite a selection of rosé wine too. These made for one very happy boy.

Once in the restaurant, the group got all excited with settling at the table and with looking at the menu that I had a very easy time to slip away and to talk with two of the restaurant's investors, Berna and Anton. They were very accommodating when I first ate at the Pig and I felt instantly at home. It also helps that the other investors, Tricia and Steve, and the head chef, Carlos, had visited the lab after I've eaten there, making me even more at ease with the place. Since then, I've been eating there whenever I had a chance. 

And since we're celebrating a birthday, they were up for sending a present to our table. Over lunch earlier in the day, Matty had thought that he's finished with the surprise gifts. Little did he know that the Pig had more. The dinner surprise came in the form of pumpkin risotto as a starter for everyone and a chocolate praline with a candle on top for him.




The dinner, as always, showed what a genius Carlos is in the kitchen. The food was just excellent! Everyone had a good time at the Black Pig, judging by the wide grins and full bellies. 

Alas, all good parties must come to an end and everyone had to go their separate ways. In this case, we left past 10pm. As I was entering my car, my phone beeped once more. Yes, it was yet another reminder that it's Matty's birthday, less than two hours before someone else started celebrating his/her birthday. Seriously.

An over-reminded birthday indeed.
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