10th Christmas Together and a Welcome Back Celebration

It's a very special Christmas for us this year. It's our 10th year of being a barkada! High school friends are indeed forever, and I am just so happy that we have survived 10 years and I'm sure there will be more 10 years of togetherness. And to those who know our group, you know how CRAZY we are when we're all together! :D

Earlier this year we've gone to the beautiful Bohol (an island in the Southern Philippines) to celebrate the season of the sun. So for this year, we made another special arrangement to have a Christmas celebration. If you've read my blog entries, we are such big spenders when it comes to food. All we do when we have a get together is eat, and EAT A LOT!

So far, our barkada has done American, Thai, and Meditteranean foods and shabu-shabu. And they're not exactly cheap (hahaha!).

We all decided to meet at the new, hip, and happening place Burgos Circle at The Fort in Taguig City. urgos Circle is tucked behind rows of condominiums so the area is quiet and cozy. Nice place for people to meet up and chow down!


Our dinner was supposed to be at Cafe Juanita at 7.30PM. But seems like unfortunate events happened - we were all late, one got lost, another missed her exit, and the restaurant was packed - so we moved to next-door Original Mile Hi Diner. It's just so small, from the main door you can see everything with one sweep.


Same as upstairs, you can get one good look as you go up the flight of stairs. There was one big group who already claimed the 2nd floor, and you could hear their laughter even from outside!


Since Gladys, boyfriend Luke, and I arrived first we got first dibs on the menu and decided to order appetizers:


The nachos were really good, chips were cripsy and the salsa with a little twang. But it lacked ingredients that were written on the menu such as jalapeños and sour cream. This did not make Gladys happy!

When we were finally complete, we all exchanged gifts! Here you see Trency giving in and completely failing her emotional quotient test. She already opened Amanda's gift - a cute clutch bag which screams Trency's name! :D


When the orders started arriving, we didn't even know how to place them on the table. This is a lot, as usual, so just be ready (ha!).

Amanda ordered Clam Chowder and Caesar Salad. The clam chowder was bland, watery even, and it was not hot.


Trency and Luke ordered Porkchops. Trency had it with rice, while Luke had his with mashed potatoes. I tried a small piece and it was really good. The meat was tender and tasty. They must have marinated it for quite some time so the meat was able to mop up the flavors.

Mike ordered Chicken Platter which had Chicken Lollipop, Buffalo Wings, and Chicken Tenders. It also had French fries and quesadillas for side dishes. The quesadillas was SO GOOD! Cheesy and soft! It was a sure fire hit with Gladys.

Gladys had the healthier version of Mike's platter. She had the seafood platter with calamares and fish fingers. Quesadillas and French fries accompanied the platter too!

I had the misfortune of ordering Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was too salty for my taste, and it just looked so blah. Good thing the salad and the mashed potatoes tasted really good or else it would've been a complete disaster!

We had a couple of rounds of beer, and a lot of chit chat about our high school life, and how 2011 would treat us. It was funny because even if did not really talk about DRESSING UP for this occasion, we all ended up looking glam! FABULOUS! :D

We had a swell time reminiscing our high school days, it was the time when we really didn't care about anyone. Admittedly we were the weird ones, we talked about politics and religion when the other girls talked about boys and going out. We had our own fun during those days. It's just that after 10 years, that when we started coming out of own shells and stepping out into the big world.

Afterwards we moved to Rue Bourbon, a small bar and restaurant just a block away from the Mile Hi Diner, to have cocktails. It's a cool place to hang out in, the music wasn't too loud, and their chairs were soft and cozy.

Here's us toasting to more years of friendship (through thick and thin) and to the NEW YEAR!

To my girls: I love you all so much! You are all the sisters I never had! Always know that I am here for each one of you. I LOVE YOU!! BALI FOR OUR TRIP NEXT YEAR!! :D

We ate at:
Original Mile Hi Diner
Forbes Town Center
29th St. (P. Burgos Circle), Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No. 556-2530

Cocktails and a little partying over at:
Rue Bourbon Bar and Restaurant
Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
Mobile No. 0932-7649478