Tonight’s been the one of the best sober night-outs with a friend I’ve ever had. We were drunk on nothing but coffee, smokes, and laughs. In fact, I’m really glad we didn’t end up drinking at all. Lord knows I’ve had too many bottles of the very manly Tanduay Ice these past few days. We started early (6PM) and ended early (8PM), but somehow, it didn’t feel lacking at all.

Sadly, though, this shot wasn’t from tonight, but since I’m going to talk more about my friend than the night itself, I guess this photo will do just fine.

This here is Margarat Margaret Meg. She’s one of the few good friends I met in college. She used to just be someone I’d know at the smoket, a familiar face I could hang out with while smoking when no one was there with me. During second semester of senior year, though, we ended up being really good friends.

I was seated alone at the back of my first Political Science class of the semester (as no other friends of mine were lucky enough to get first dibs on the good professors), looking around and feeling really bad that I either didn’t know people or didn’t like them. And then, like a gift from God, this familiar-faced bloody-redhead walks into the room, and I knew then and there that Political Science that semester wasn’t going to be bad at all. It went on to suck big time, obviously, but at least I had Meg there literally by my side.

We started hanging out more, even outside of class: at the smoket, and at lunch or coffee outside university. Unlike a few of my other friendships, this one didn’t seem forced at all. It was easy. Stories came easy, the laughs came easy, we didn’t have to exert any effort to enjoy each other’s company. That’s all anyone can really ever ask for in a friendship.

Recently though, being able to meet up’s been pretty difficult, what with the whole both-of-us-are-already-working thing, which, I guess, makes seeing each other again after all this time all the more special. Plus, we have more stories to tell, too. Work, money matters, family matters, being out of college, politics. Grown up stuff, basically. (Look at us, Meg, being all mature and adult-y. Isn’t it amazing?)

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and Meg is definitely one of the few who’ll be sticking around. Thanks for the good time, homegurl! We should definitely have coffee again soon :)

365/211: July 30

Meg invited a few of her friends to a fancy sit-down dinner at her place in Alexandra, Melo and I included. It was REALLY great to see these two ladies again after so, so long! Meg’s now teaching English to Korean kids at a school in Ortigas Center, and Melo’s still in school, but she part-times as a… Melo, what do you part time as?

When I got to her place on the eighth floor, both of them were on the patio, smoking. It was such an awesome place to hang out in, with the cool rainy breeze blowing at us and the awesome view.

Meg started dinner off with a salad, making sure to tease us endlessly by stirring the cheese fondue on the table. Everyone just wanted to get their fondue forks into that huge bowl of cheese!

She made sure to pour everyone a glass of champagne. It was the best champagne I’ve had, maybe because it was one of those sweeter ones.

Of course, a birthday dinner wouldn’t be complete without… the birthday cake! 

They all went back out for another cigarette break, and when we headed out to the patio this second time, it was already raining. The evening breeze was even cooler, and I felt like I wouldn’t mind sitting there all night. I left soon after.

Advanced Happy Birthday, Meg ♥