When i got home, i was still at daze because i was surprised twice for my eighteenth birthday. I saw my mom and I told her that it was very clever of her that she was able to keep all those surprises from me. I was actually anticipating the dinner with my family because after all the excitement, i just wanted to spend a quiet and intimate family dinner as celebration of my day with those whom i can be totally myself with. We went to Mario's for dinner because the ambience their was nice. I did not really eat much because i was already too full, but i definitely enjoyed the company of my mom, my brother and my kinakapatid, Kuya John.

I know i did not know how to express much of my appreciation for my mom, but i really wanted to let her know how much i wanted to thank her for absolutely everything and just tell her how much i love her. That night was nice, because i had a chance to say thank you. As in a literal "Thank you, mommy.", even  if it sounded short, it meant a lot coming from my heart.

When we got home, i was ready to rest because it has been a long day, but i decided to stay up a bit more to print some school stuff. Around 11:30pm, someone rang our doorbell. I was wondering who would come at such an hour. Then sprang from the door were my good friends! Nicole, Joana, and Helaine came into our house hugging and greeting me a happy birthday! In a few seconds, a singing from behind me called my attention, my mom was singing happy birhtday as she brought out a huge nice Goldilocks cake! It was two layers, frosting and all, also with a ceramic figurine. It was so pretty and i just wanted to keep it as a keepsake. Wow, was the only word i could think of, i guess this day would never end! But i thought of that in a good way. My mom prepared so much for me too, but even if she did not, i would not have really noticed because i think everything she has done for me was already more than more than what was enough!

So Nicole suddenly throws in a plan of "photoshoot" for a project with me, Helaine and Joana as her models, that night! I would not go into detail. The shoot was not so great, it was late and i was tired and i was starting to get cranky because i felt that my day was kind of "used". But i kept my cool and went along with the whole thing. Nevertheless, i was really grateful that they would take the effort to actually come to my place that late at  night just to surprise me.

That day, my debut, was a culmination. Of what, i can never answer. I know i am still me, i know i've gone through another year and learned a lot. I know i will learn more in the future. But in that day, i felt so much love that i was, in the littlest sense, changed in terms of how i viewed the "world" surrounding me. Thank you to all those people who love me. Thank you to all those that cared and thought of and for me. Thank you Lord for giving me so much blessings, not only material but also blessings of relationships with the best and worst people of whom i learn from each day of my life.

February 18, 2012, I was getting ready for an interview by a certain org for a contest the Blazing Trails was entering. I was prepared for my answers to random questions and I disregarded the fact that that day was my birthday so that i will be able to focus.

As i was preparing to leave home for the interview, I started having a suspicion as to whether the interview was a bogus. I asked my mom who stayed that day at home to prepare some foods for my birthday if she thinks the same way. But then again i did not want to assume, so i did not. Besides, I was preparing for this interview for weeks, i guess Bob would not lie about a thing like that.

So i put on my face and left for the interview. It was going to be held in QCCA. When i got there, there were relatively many people because the juniors were rehearsing for a school play. Then Venesis saw me and told me to wait for awhile in the waiting area. So i waited. In about a few minutes, Bob came and invited me to come with him, so we went together all the way to room401. It was funny how sincere i was when i asked him where everyone was, I still had no idea what was happening. Then the door of 401 opened and bubbles came out and Bob dragged me into the room. It was beautiful, it wasn't Paris or anything, but it was beautiful. Venesis, Ralph, and a girl (i forgot her name) was inside. Each of them in their positions. Venesis held the bubble maker, the girl held the camera and continuously snapped shots all through out the whole thing, Ralph was standing beside the flowers. They, or Bob, set up the room in a way that it looked so elegant and romantic. There were flowers hanging from the ceiling, a background imitation of the eiffel tower on one side of the room, there was music playing, and the room was dimly lighted by colored lighting on the floor. I was shocked and i absolutely didn't know what to say!

Then they danced with me, Bob and Ralph, each took turns to finish the 18 paper roses Bob prepared for me. All i wanted to say was "thank you! And you don't know how much feelings i have in my heart right now". At that moment, i really wanted to hug everyone in that room, i was again overwhelmed! Later on, they started hanging a bunch of battery operated candles in a make-shift chandelier. It looked so nice and warm, and looking around the whole room, imagining all the effort put in all the preparations and gifts, i just felt loved. And that was really nice.

Then Bob showed me a video compilation of the greetings from my former teachers and some friends. I was really touched i even cried! I wanted to thank Bob so much because of all the effort he put in to make my day actually at least a bit more special. In fact, he made it really really special. 

Afterwards, we went to Eat fresh banawe, a Hongkong streetfood restaurant i think. It was funny cause we were in kind of  semi-formal attires and we went eating in a small streetfood restaurant. I was amused at how homogeneous we seemed. Afterwards, we went to Zentea and finally they brought me back home. I didn't say much words of appreciation because i did not want to sound like a broken record saying thank you again and again (it was all i thought was appropriate to say since they were both guys), but in truth, i was really happy and thankful for their thoughtfulness. It was one of a kind. Especially that of Bob's. Like i said, overwhelming!

The only word that kept repeating in my mind was, "overwhelming". It was Feb17, 2012,  a day before my eighteenth birthday. I was not expecting any elaborate thing for my special day. Maybe just a quiet dinner outside with my family, a few gifts here and there.

That night, I was suppose to go to a meeting for a stall we were applying to set up in school. The meeting was in Isabelle's house because we were meeting her aunt. She went ahead because her class ended way before ours did. Hannah on the other hand told me she was going a doctor's appointment and left early too. I was with Airish at school waiting to be fetched by Kuya Dan, Isabelle's driver. It took a long time before Kuya Dan finally came to fetch us.

 When we got to her house, it was very dark. I was starting to suspect a surprise, although i didn't want  to assume anything big. I walked further in to their dining area, and then i stopped and looked down, it was Issa fixing something in the floor. When she saw me, she called to Hannah to immediately play the music.

I was so touched by the mere fact that they would plan a surprise for me! It was a beautiful night, they wore masks of Logan Henderson, Mike Shimamoto, and well, the wrong ex-boyfriend, nevertheless it was still very sweet. They danced with me and gave me roses. It was so touching, really. And they gave me a notebook filled with the dedications of some of our blockmates and even of my mom and my brother. It was the real thing as opposed to the bogus card they gave me earlier along with the "marshmallow pillow".

We had dinner and dessert, then my mom and brother also came to bring some food. It was also part of the surprise and was i surprised!
Afterwards, we caught a movie, "The Vow". It was the movie we three have been waiting for so long and they gave it to me as a gift too. Everything they did for me that night was so meaningful and touching. I was overwhelmed at that thought alone.