Christmas Despedida for Louie

It was a little early to hold a Christmas party for the group but since Louie Bretana is migratng to New Zealand it might as well be done at the soonest. He has a million minute details to attend to and an equal amount of despedidas in his honor to attend. So December 3rd was the appointed date for the party of the Mga Anak ni Mama June. Where else would the party be held but at June Recto's house?  Nearly everyone was present except of one or two who had previous engagements. Dennis Placiente was in Morocco, Lando Guzman was attending Ms Earth, Norman Francisco is in the US.

Gibby, Shawie, Jojo, Blue, Louie, Darwin, Fides, Mudra Sarita, Myself, Philip

The potluck was a blast! Fides brought Mexican dip with beans and jalapeno and chips to go with it. Sarita brought Lechon de leche. Philip brought Asian style spare ribs. I came with Asian Spring Rolls and made the dipping sauce at mother's house. Gibby brought Andok's Lechon Manok. Shawie brought Laing. Jojo supplied the drinks. Mama June made steamed fish. Louie came a little later with two styles of spaghetti - tuna and party spaghetti. Darwin brought ice cream. Blue was the last to arrive with an assortment of cake slices. Needless to say, even for someone like me who just tried to get little portions everything was so tempting. We were all sated.

Huhuhu... kinatay ako...huhuhu!

Dinner was rowdy and peppered with amusing conversation. How can one not feel full when there was good food to match the great company? Of course, since it coincided with the Azkals vs Galaxy soccer match, some of us arrived a little late and we had to hold on to our plates to try the food coming in with the arrivals. 

Statement ring for Sarita

Eventually I got egged on to show the presents I made for the girls. If you're going to wear a statement ring, I always believe in one tenet: go big! These photos of Sarita's and Fides' rings will show you what I mean. I showed it to dancer/choreographer friend Novy Bereber and he wants one for himself to bring to Austria when he does his scholarship grant. He'll have to wait in line though...

Statetment ring for Fides

There was never a dull moment from the time I stepped into the venue until the time the gifts were exchanged. Blue, Shawie and Louie had really funny stories. We covered a whole gamut of topics it was hard to keep track of it when you have to take a bathrooom break. We were laughing and chatting constantly we lost track of time. Eventually, we realized it was near midnight. Hopefully, Louie will remember to come home every Christmas. =)

Shawie, Gibby, Darwin and Philip