Partey! Partey! Partey!

We rarely, and I do mean rarely, invite friends to our home, mostly because our home is always a mess, and being without a helper for months now, it was quite a leap of faith for us to decide to have a birthday celebration for TheHusband. We were supposed to have it on his actual birthdate, but because we were away for most of April, I didn't have much time to plan, and so we moved it to last weekend. It was difficult and oh so tiring, and during moments of weakness, I was tempted to just hold it in the Asian restaurant of Hotel Essencia (which apparently has closed na pala since March, last weekend ko lang din nalaman). Kaso konti lang naman budget namin, eh ang mahal ng beer dun.

Like I said, the party prep was a pain, but I had help. I hired someone to clean and fix the yard, as well as a cleaning lady to clean the house. I wasn't quite satisfied with her work and I had to redo some of her work (or nonwork). Sharkteeth and I fought so much: "Mymy, you're so bossy!" "Why are you yelling?" "I'm tired, I'm not doing anymore work!" Yadda! Yadda! Yadda! LOL!

I made some pompoms, and was supposed to make some more, until I spied some ready-made ones that you would just unfurl. I bought a ton of paper lanterns as well. (Isn't that yellow hot air balloon a cutie?!) You know, for a relatively measly sum, paper lanterns definitely "cutiefies" the place. We rented some chairs and tables, kaso wala palang tablecloth na kasama yun. Hay, I pumikit na lang ako at tinanggap sa sarili na walang tablecloth yung mga tables. I bought ~PHP600 worth of hydrangeas and two dozen roses, which were enough to fill a large teapot and six Mason jars and pitchers repurposed as vases. I love fresh flowers -- parang nakakasaya sya sa paligid. Hydrangeas are perfect 'cause they have huge flowerheads and are quite cheap. More bang for the buck! I just added a few roses per arrangement for some pop of color. I didn't even arrange them, actually. I just criss-crossed some strips of tape over the mouth of the containers and placed a stem of flower on each gap.

I bought the body of that bronze chandelier from a flea market here in Dumaguete. I bought some shades and covered them with floral paper as well as a pack of crystal-looking acrylic beads and strung them together, along with crystals from my parents' old chandelier. I debated whether to hang it inside or outside, and the latter won, simply because it goes better with the paper lanterns and it will add more light to the yard.

Our apartment is tiny, and yet we were able to accommodate 30 people, give or take. I ordered most of the main dishes -- a small lechon, chicken galantina, lumpiang shanghai, and beef steak. I cooked a few kilos of small prawns in butter and lemon juice. I don't have a picture of the entrée 'cause I was so busy in the kitchen, but I'll check with TheHusband if any of his friends has a picture of the main course. UPDATE: I have pictures na. I stole them from TheHusband's officemate's FB :) hehehehe. Also, ngayon ko lang naalala, I made a California maki-inspired salad. I just shredded cucumbers and fake crabsticks (Dodo), added slivers of mangoes, cut nori wrapper, and dollops of mayo.

Thank you for the pics, GHLT.
Lest someone make pintas, no, hindi ako ang nag-ayos ng foodSSS sa table. Ang gulo-gulo ng arrangement, ano? Kailangan kasing pagkasyahin lahat sa maliit naming table. :)

For dessert, Sharkteeth and I made peaches and cream and tiramisu. We placed them in small glasses, so merong individual serving for each guest.
 

Thank you for the pics, GHLT.
Thank you, my dear S, for helping me make tiramisu and peaches and cream. You've been so patient with my bossiness.

We don't have enough plates and cutlery for ~30 people, and we just settled on paperplates and disposable wooden forks and spoons. (Yay! Fewer things to wash!) Back in April, I got some cute paper cups and decorated paper straws from Waltermart. OA sa dami ang binili kong straws. :) I also got a cake, 'cause, seriously, every birthday party should have a cake.

Surprisingly, TheDog behaved. He just sat near the door and watched the guests mill around. Ordinarily, he would either bark at strangers or sidle up to them, hoping to be rewarded with a belly rub. He must have been overwhelmed by the number of the people and got confused on whom to hit on for a friendly belly rub. I rewarded him later with a huge chunk of bones and meat from the lechon -- he didn't know where to start. After eating the meat and gnawing on the bones, his tummy got sooo huge and I was afraid he might drop dead from a heart attack or something from all the eating.

Oh, may videoke session. Had I been drunk, I would have taken the mike. Makaganti man lang sa neighbors ko na napakahilig kumanta eh wala namang hilig ang kanta sa kanila. But, no, I wasn't and didn't.

Finally, after all the guests have had their fill of food and songs and left, I was able to take some more pictures of the yard decor, and the aftermath. Hehehe.  While I enjoyed the party, I breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. Being an introvert, entertaining takes so much of my strength and drains my reserves of sociability juice. I spent the next day recharging.

Pasensya na, mukhang pang-Prison Break ang gate and fence namin -- couldn't do anything about it. Apartment living :)

All guests gone