Pushed to the Limit

What would you do when finally the dream that you have for so long in your heart come true? Would you not spend all of your resources and efforts in sharing your happiness with the people whom you shared your life with through laughter and tears?

People have different ways of expressing their happiness and gratitude. Some would splurge on the people they love. Thus is the case of my friend, colleague and boss (TF Events and Resources). For almost 20 years, she and her husband have been wanting to have a child. They spent much of their resources in trying to find ways of having a child, trying even artificially. But, the dream became as elusive as it was.

After a lifetime of waiting, they finally had a baby, although not through conception, but yes, they now have a child. The child became the bond that the couple needed. And so, after a year, the baby would celebrate her 1^st birthday and the couple went all out to make the birthday as memorable as it could.

Spending close to a million for a birthday party might be lavish to us “regular people” but for those who have more, money is not an issue when they want to share their happiness with the people who matters to them.

One of my passions is to organize events like birthdays, weddings and company events. I have organized company Christmas parties, high school reunions, with the help of a team of course, birthday parties and co-coordinated/organized fun runs. I just never thought that I would be able to be a part of a big event. What I mean when I say big event depends on the number of guests invited and the total amount spent.

God surprised me with something that pushed me to my limits. I was given the opportunity to co-coordinate a luxurious birthday celebration when the person in-charge could not due to an emergency. The responsibility that I expected I would have to take part initially, doubled. And it was a good thing that my confidence was at it’s highest level at that moment.

The event was the 1^st birthday celebration of TF Events and Resources Chairman and President’s daughter. The guest list was a grand 500 adult and 50 kids. The total amount spent was a jaw-dropping Php800,000 not including the petty things you would spend while getting supplies like snacks and gas.

What was more overwhelming was the amount of work I needed to do to fill what my colleague wasn’t able to do, 3 audio-visual presentations or montage needed to be completed in 2 days. And all the while I thought I would only be assisting in the distribution of souvenirs or in the guest registration. It has been more than that. What made it worse was that I didn’t know any of the suppliers or their people, so it was all about me asking people who and what their roles were, darting from one side to the other side, talking to people about involved in the whole production.

But, since I think that this was meant to be , I just gave it my all. And it was all worth it. The nice words and congratulations for a successful party coming from the guests was more than enough affirmation for me that I did a wonderful job and that I was pushed to my limits of giving the best that I could. Of course the success is not entirely mine but belonged to the whole team.

With Ruther Urquia, Master Puppeteer and Ventriloquist

As Ruther , The Puppeteer ( Philippines Got Talent) told me, “You are doing a great job filling in for a colleague. A pretty reliever”, when I told him to excuse me if I’d sometimes miss something. That alone inspired me to work even harder.

My reflection on this: God sees the deepest desires of our hearts. Things happen for a reason. It may sometimes be not in the best circumstances, but when you accept the challenge and the risk with all your heart, and trust 100% in Him, exert 101% effort, our dreams will come true.

Of course, this is not entirely my efforts. Our team is comprised of Ms. Lilibeth Nerias ( she is actually the coordinator, but missed out in the last days because of some health problems), Ms. Ghail Dacles , Mr. Erwin Locsin, Jr. and our very own company president and mother of the celebrant.

By the way, we had food kiosks outside the venue serving fish ball and french fries. A favorite children's party must-have: dirty ice cream, complete with the sorbetero cart. It wasn't branded but I can assure everyone it wasn't dirty, it was homemade.

Oh, did I say we had our own Starbucks kiosk rented out to give free hot or cold Starbucks coffee to guests? I can't explain how I felt to see adults behaving and acting like kids at that time. There was magic in the party indeed!

Here are some of the highlights of that event. Sorry I could not take much photos since I was on the ground busy helping out make it a success.

Venue: The Blue Leaf Filipinas, Sinulog Hall, Belle Avenue, Aseana, Paranaque City

Catering: Tjioe the Caterer

If you want to serve the best dishes for your guest, I would recommend Tjioe's (pronounced as T-chew). They serve oriental fusion, so this is perfect for those who love Chinese food. For a whopping P880.00 per head buffet, the menu includes salmon, chicken teriyaki, oriental fried rice, shrimp tempura and yes, we have roast beef and steak for everybody!