- January 15, 2012, Sunday.
- My friend Michelle will be leaving for the States in a week, and so invited some of us friends over to her house in a not-too-short notice. She wanted to have a small gathering before she leaves on the 22nd, and she also wanted us to join in the merrymaking of the Tondo Fiesta.
- My friend Margarette (Michelle's best friend) and I met this afternoon, before going to Michelle's house. We arrived at around 1pm, and were the only guests to have arrived so far. Michelle quickly led us to the dining table, where both Filipino and Mexican dishes were laid as a mini-banquet.
- What interested me most was the do-it-yourself tostadas. Fried round, flat, and taco-shell-like sheets served as the base, and each is to be adorned/decorated by a spoonful of mayo, salsa chicken shreds, bean paste, lettuce shreds, carrot shreds, grated cheese, chicken broth, and a blob of sour cream. Topping the mound with jalapenos and spicy salsa is optional, but definitely a good "cherry" on the mound. (It was so good that I had three of those the whole afternoon.)
- We spent the cozy early afternoon by listening to Mexican music, courtesy of Michelle's dad, and with Michelle showing my some of her Latina moves. Music has always been in the blood of the Latinos, as well as dancing.
- Some of Michelle's college friends came later on, and celebrated with us. Some of them had a game of mahjong and cards, while Marga and I had a corner to ourselves, and looking at some photo albums. Soon, Michelle brought out the DVD from her debut, which brought out a lot of laughs from all of us.
- We ate more after viewing the video, and talked a lot. It was fun getting to know some of Michelle's friends, and dowing more tostadas while I was at it.
- We all left at around 6pm, just as the city lights created more chaos in the streets, and the karaoke singers crowding the skies more. We all walked back to Tutuban until we all parted ways.
- The afternoon felt more like a fiesta than a despedida, and saved everyone from the usual dramas of despedidas. Instead, Michelle and her family filled out hearts (and tummies) with her love and culture. We may not see her a lot after she leaves, but we will always take with us all her love and our fond memories with her. :) :) :) :)
** The shirt I wore today was the shirt Michelle gave to me after she trip to Indonesia two years ago. :) :) :) :)
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