Celebrating "Freedom" at Bonchon Chicken

I was fresh from college when I was hired by my current company. I can still recall how my hiring process only took more or less 5 hours -- took an exam at 2pm, went through an HR interview and a sorta technical one, and at around 7pm, I found myself seated across a resource management staff with a pen in my hand and sheet of paper called "job offer". Even I couldn't believe that I just landed my first job! The next day, Friday, we were oriented and the following Monday, I officially stepped into the stressful awesome world of IT :-P

Along with 16 other fresh grads, I underwent an intensive two-month COBOL Boot Camp. It was a primitive programming language, yes, but it's still very much in-demand in the field. Donned in the most decent office attire in my closet, I braved my first day at work. Turns out I wasn't that brave because came evening, I was crying to J over the phone telling him 3 words in between sobs: I. WANNA. QUIT.

I wish it were that easy but it's not. With the contract that I signed, I agreed to a bond of 2 years with the company. I endured the training and was thankfully deployed to a project that doesn't have anything to do with COBOL. Perhaps it was a waste but I know I'm better off where I landed: Software Quality Assurance. A tester's job gets boring (yeah, add repetitive too) but doing it, the 2 years flew by so quickly. I guess it's true what they say -- If you can't do the things that you love, love the things that you do. I did just that and the next thing I knew, the bond is over... We're free! :-)

Okay, that was a long intro, huh? Now off to the real story:

Note: It's my first time to set the photos to extra large and I love just how clear they are. They however extend to the sidebar but please bear with it for the mean time. I'll try to ask for help fixing it, or maybe you could refer me to someone? ^_^

We celebrated our freedom over dinner at Bonchon Chicken at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

The place is quite small so be sure to arrive earlier if you're dining during peak hours. We were there around 6pm so we were able to secure a good seat.

In case you want a preview of their offerings :-) Much like your usual fast food. The prices are relatively affordable, too.

This is what I got: Combo B at Php 145. The chicken is really tender but it didn't meet my expectations. The skin, as expected, is crispy but it ends there. The meat itself lacks flavor.

One of my co-bootcampers ordered the large chicken basket. A combo of 6 drumsticks and 12 wings for Php 720. It's perfect for a large group like us. By the way, they have 2 chicken variants: soy garlic and spicy. If you're like me who has low tolerance for spicy food, do not dare try Bonchon's. I bit into one by accident and almost finished my large Coke trying to wash away the taste. To no avail.

Me and half of the wing part. This tastes better than the drumstick so I'm happy :-) I think I finished 4 of this (or more). Haha.

Their famous chicken, up-close.

And the aftermath... Looks like Chicken-All-You-Can part 2, eh? :P

Now meet the culprits -- 6 of the COBOL peeps. We were the first to arrive to reserve seats for everyone. Oh, if I may add, I love the Bonchon crew for being patient with us asking them to take group pictures once in a while :)

The second batch.

Me and ecologyfairy! Drop by her nature-friendly blog! :-)

We reminisced our training days and talked about how far each of us has come in a span of 2 years. And speaking of far, we offered a brief moment of silence for Chard, our batchmate who's in Texas for a long-term assignment. We miss youuuuuuuuu! :P

And finally, a group shot including all who came to celebrate :-)

It was indeed a fun get-together. Some of us are already thinking of letting new opportunities in so we savored each other's company while it lasts. Happy 2nd Anniversary to us, guys! And wherever fate takes us in the next years, I'll always be proud to have become a part of our batch :-)