Of Pajamas and Priceless Girlfriend Moments

Warning: Picture-heavy post.
 
Since we became part of the working class, my girlfriends and I make it a point to celebrate each of our birthdays -- complete with gifts, good food and a sinful cake with a candle on top. Well of course we also celebrate back when we're still in college but because we already have our own moolah, we can afford to up a notch in terms of how we do it now. The past birthdays we celebrated laughing our hearts out at a comedy bar, beating each other at bowling, acting like little kids at a theme park and getting up close and personal with our marine friends at the ocean park (and why haven't I blogged about all of those?!). But there's one thing we've wanted to do for the longest time but haven't gotten the chance to do so -- PAJAMA PARTY!!!

Thanks to Nhix's birthday-slash-promotion treat, we were finally able to fulfill that dream last weekend. Awesome way to start the month, eh? ;D

photo credit

After scouring the net for hotels and finding out that it's way out of our budget (plus they're strict with the number of guests per room), we thought of looking for condos for rent instead. The problem with the idea, though, is that most of the units has a 3-day minimum. We were actually losing hope until I chanced upon Jedidiah Rentals. I texted the property manager, Grace, and lucky for us they allow overnight stays! We were already decided to settle for it without even scrutinizing the place because it's cheap at Php1800 + electricity charge but seeing the photos made us want to drag the days to October 1 already. Here lemme show you some...

3 towers of residential condominium units developed by DMCI. Hello, Mommy Fleur! :)

Dansalan Gardens is located at Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City.

Weeeee! Huge pool for the school of fish! ^_^

Comfy couch + LCD TV + DVD player = movie marathon!

The inviting bed's a threat to our plan of staying up all night!

Photos from Jedidiah Rentals' site

Seriously, PhP1800 only? I don't want to sound like a home TV shopping voice over but... What an offer! :D

The day came. After shopping for gifts for Nhix and buying some groceries for our little party, we went straight to our home for the night. When we got there, we had to wait awhile for Ms. Grace's assistant to take us to the unit. Building security is impressive, by the way :) As soon as the door opened, we tried our darn hardest not to squeal in delight!

Actual photos from my cam

2 couches to fit all 5 of us

The entertainment set, with cable TV even.

The kitchen may be small but it has everything you'll ever need.

The 4-burner electric stove with exhaust and lighting system was a hit to Noreen.

The dining table which for us became the gadget table because...

Beside it is the phone and modem.
It kept us connected to the outside world :)

The bed is really comfortable and have you noticed the lamp at the corner?
Turning it on made the room even more cozy.

The huge wooden cabinet has enough hangers, a flat iron and a comforter, too. Have I already said that the unit has everything you'll ever need? :P

And the best thing about it is that the entire place is spotlessly clean, including the comfort room! The fixtures are of high-quality, as well.

But what really got us are the little details...

This wall clock is too cute I just had to take a picture.

They have dinnerware narin and pots and pans and knives and this classy glass collection.

And yes, the plates are Ikea pa!

This reaaaallly caught our fancy -- a fish ice tray! It's meant for us! :D

We continued to admire the place while taking some rest. It's great for a couple starting out but we had other plans -- what if we just live together?! Imagine coming home to your friends and beginning to tell the day's adventure as soon as you step in and having the entire night just for girl talk? That'll be crazy, but super fun!

We love it that the furniture are strategically located for self-timer shots!

After about two hours of daydreaming about us living under one roof, Jejo arrived. You know what that means... time for dinner! :D

Noreen cooked our favorite Pork Sinigang so it was one hearty meal.
But before that, there's picture taking of course!

Our tummies were full but we just can't say no to this. They loved it because it's not too
sweet but since I'm a sucrophile, I still prefer Red Ribbon or Conti's :P

Nhix brought cupcakes from Cake R' Us. Too pretty to eat, aren't they?

Happy birthday, labs! :D

Post-dinner, it's pajama party proper! Fine, they're not all pajamas but those would do, okay? ;-)

We laid our sleepwear on the bed with our gifts for Nhix. Wedding ang peg! Haha.

Then we had the obligatory continuous shots...

Then Nhix opened her gifts...

A wallet from Jaq, a bag that I want for myself from me and Noreen and an Ipanema sandals from Jejo.

And finally, it's time for some real and unadulterated girl bonding...

We hid under the sheets and talked about family, love, work and everything in between. It was a no-holds-barred conversation -- something that we haven't done in a while because we're busy juggling our career and personal lives. We made the most of the privacy by watching porn (kidding! :P) sharing a thing or two about our relationships (boyfriends, beware! hahaha) and pouring out our frustrations and secrets and future plans and dreams. Imagine you and your 4 closest friends in one cozy room talking about things that under normal circumstances only your diary would know. Isn't that great? I say priceless.

A movie and some episodes of Vampire Diaries followed. Before we know it, the sun is starting to show up and it's time for the most important meal of the day.

Our breakfast.

Thanks Noreen, for taking care of our tummies! :)

Once again, we had our fill. To religiously follow the sched that we created, we watched Hip Hop Abs, a workout video for those who wanna lose weight. You're supposed to follow the routine but as I've said we just, well, watched. Hahaha. Then we changed into our swimming attire because we're hitting the waters next!

First shot. We're trying so hard not to appear cold but in reality, we're freezing! The wind was extra strong that morning, thanks to Typhoon Quiel.

Let's play a game, shall we? Pagandahan ng underwater shot. Hahahaha.

Mine is boring, I know!

I love Jaq's pose. I tried to do that but it was hard. Hers is effortless.
Oh by the way, drop by her blog! :)

Nhix's is... kinda revealing. Haha.

Noreen is just so happy. Agree? :P

Where's Jejo, you ask? She's there... taking our pictures. She's not very comfortable submerging herself in the water, that's why. She's still a winner, I think, for being an awesome photographer. Hahaha.

Now let's offer a brief moment of silence for D10, Jaq's underwater camera. It succumbed after that swimming session and needless to say, my friend is devastated she even wrote D10 a letter. Include them in your prayers, please?

We went back to our unit and started packing up. Much as we wanted to stay longer, we had other activities after that. As always, it was one awesome weekend with my ladies and we could only wish for more of this. And to close this uber long post, let me share with you one quote I truly believe in because of our friendship:

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you."

Thanks destiny for being so generous to give me 5 (yes, Ep, that includes you) :D