Magical.

That's my signature answer whenever someone asks me how it feels like to be 25.  It may not be true but I like the sound of it.  Honestly, nothing much has changed.  I still feel the same as I did before - still a little crazy.  And apparently, so are my friends!  Good to know I'm not alone.  Hah!

Balloons everywhere!  And I mean everywhere.

Last week, my favorite girls surprised me for my birthday - not only once but thrice!  And this time, it was different from all the other surprises they've pulled off.  They really stepped it up a notch.  Define unexpected!  I felt like I was in an episode of Ellen where the surprises just seem to never end!  Nakakatuwa na nakakatawa na nakakakaba.

Even on my poor panda's nose! :(

Surprise #1: I arrived a little past 10AM in the office and I was surprised to see that my cluttered cube became even more cluttered!  Like that's even possible!  HAHA  It was filled with blue, orange & yellow paper balloons with birthday greetings written on them.  The summer colors instantly brightened up my day.  I don't care if the rain's pouring outside, I have my own dose of sunshine right here.  They even made some of my cutesie stuff look like they were holding balloons.  Oh, and I even got messages from One Direction! HAHAHA  Winnur!  After taking pictures, I took the big balloons down but decided to keep the little ones for a little longer.  They're too cute to let go.  :)

This is what you get when you have crazy friends with mean Photoshop skills!

Surprise #2: I went back to my cube after our usual lunch time chismisan and was shocked to see pictures of some of my celebrity crushes posted all over my cube.  At first I thought they were dressed up as baby reindeers or something.  Only when I saw Kenny did I realize that they were dressed up as Igorots!  I was laughing so hard, I started crying tears of joy!  It's just too cute and too funny!  I was still taking in the whole Begnas-themed surprise when Ate Light hesitantly pointed at something and asked, "Is that your dad?"  And when I turned to look, I was so shocked, an OHMYGOD was in order.  HAHA  Daddy and Karly were even present at the mini Begnas they made for me.  You see, I have a bit of an obsession in wanting to experience Begnas ever since I learned of it last May from our Sagada adventure.  It only happens three (3) times a year and June is one of the months when this is celebrated.  Since I can't be there, my friends brought the Begnas celebration to me.  How sweet!

The Participants Part 1.  Clockwise from top left: Riley, Karly (my lil bro), Jordan, Daddy

The Participants Part 2.  Clockwise from top left: Harry, Bilvy, Jordan & I, Kennedy

Surprise #3: I swear, I didn't see this one coming!  I was complaining how sleepy I was that afternoon and asked Erin to go get some coffee with me.  She agreed but asked me to wait since she still had to finish something.  Little did I know, they were up to something.  Again!  When she was finally "done" with her task, we went to the big pantry even though it was still early for merienda.  When I opened the door, Mabel & Vanie were waiting there already with a Red Ribbon box in front of them.  Even without opening the box, I knew that it was a Leche Flan roll (our favorite) and I was already touched by this.  I wasn't prepared for what's waiting inside the box though.  When I opened the box, I saw the cake topper and it scared the hell outta me.

NAKAKALURQUI!

I freaked out upon seeing a red woven cloth!  I was so shocked, an OMG wasn't enough.  An OHSHIT was more appropriate and I literally ran away from the box, my face buried in my hands.  NAKAKALOKA!!!!  THERE'S AN IGOROT ON MY CAKE!! :((  I didn't even bother to look at whoever that was, all I know was that I had to get away from it stat!  When I finally calmed down, I took a second look at it and realized it was Kuya Kirky in costume! HAHAHA  He's my favorite tour guide from Sagada and it shouldn't have shocked me that much since I've seen him up close in short shorts before.  I only got scared because I thought it was a random (real) person in an Igorot costume sitting atop my cake.  Still, nakakalurqui!  It's Kuya Kirky!!! :))

This time, I got really scared and begged them to stop the surprises.  No to Part 4! HAHAHA  That day was really fun, crazy and exhausting.  Ang dami ko lang tawa, iyak at gulat!  But still, I'm thankful for friends like them.  They make life a little more interesting.  If you're wondering if there's really a part 4, I don't know but for my sanity's sake, I hope Part 3 is the end of it all.