Novemberfest

Article 042.

Oktoberfest, an annual festival that originated in Munich, Germany held over two-weeks usually ending on the last Sunday of October. Adapted by cultures around the world and although celebrated in different concepts, the name has been synonymous to drinking booze and merrymaking. During the pre-colonial ING era (meaning the period when I worked for Aetna), merrymaking had been a constant. But October was not the month that was highly celebrated in the office, oh no. It is the month where the newborns were a by-product of Cupid's arrow nine months later -- November.

Offspring #1 always reppin' the G!

Four of the notorious Account Management Team members have the same birth month, plus a slew of other celebrants from different departments within the 30-day period made it the most celebrated (and anticipated) time of the year. Instead of having multiple consecutive birthday sprees for each celebrant, it was more conducive (and economical) to have a set date in the month to converge all the individual celebrations. Only make sense. This essentially and inevitably led to the coining of that one jubilee as Novemberfest. The celebration was grandeur and it's almost like a company event sans the sponsorship with the number of employees gracing the festivity. It was... fun. Boosted morale for sure and served as a precursor to the more nation-wide December frolics. Of course it all came to a halt when employees left and the company was eventually sold. The memories remain and those who've been a part of it will always have a fond recollection of those nights in back-then was called Streetlife in Glorietta and other watering holes like Travessia and Cable Car in Pasay Road. This period almost gave the Aetna faithful a post-puberty life outside of their personal accord as well as their being grown-up paid employees. That's why there was no doubt that the Novemberfest celebration was one for the ages.

Decades passed and November still is the most greeted month in the group chat. It was physically challenging to gather and continue the tradition as the core is all spread out with half of the team already settled in the United States. But the month is never just about the old Aetna Account Management gang. In fact, I share the same natal day with my former boss at my next employer Jardine Caldbeck/Bacardi. My Mom's on the second week and my Dad is kinda Novemberish since his is on the first of December. But the new addition to my life, Anna, is also a November baby. And of course Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday of the month, although some are more excited for the following day's Black Friday holiday, allegedly. From my previous article, I did mention that Mom spent her birthday here to jump start the month, right? Then I had my birthday celebration on the third week. Nothing fancy. Just my boys, Anna and me doing dinner at the usual AYCE spot K-BBQ Night in Hawaiian Gardens. What can I say, Beef Belly + Cass Beer + Soju = Fire!!! Haven't seen my better half devour food like that until that night and also going mano y mano with me and my boys on the Soju shots. The solemnity is what makes it always special for me. Small intimate crowd, good food, great conversations. Gosh, I'm really getting old.

KBBQ never fails!!! HBD to me :)

Thanksgiving is always a treat and this year my boys decided to join me with the Arcadio gang at the eldest Arcadio residence in Artesia. And for the first time in a really long time, I can say, we were finally complete for this holiday. The dishes served were, as always, artery-clogging. I recall trying to bring a basketful of fruits for a previous gathering and got criticized for bringing something "grease-less". So I ended up sharing a full platter of my sought out pasta (not bragging.. ahem.. ahem). My boys brought a bottle of tequila for them and the other adult kids to enjoy while me and the older adults went with our usual Henny VSOP shots. With the Packers winning Thanskgiving night against the Dolphins, the five families complete and a full belly to boot, there's so much to be really thankful for. We gobbled the night away alright!

Finally... all of us!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Capping off the month was Anna's birthday celebration. Since this was our first time celebrating her birthday together, I planned a modest celebration inviting her friends and family and a few of my closest friends. It was a surprise gathering and was a month in the making. Tried dearly to be as covert as I could without acting suspicious but the week leading into the event, she found out about it, to my disappointment. But what can I do? It's her event and the show must go on. It was a modest gathering at a beach-side restaurant with the darkness already covering the skies, which was typical for this time of the year. The wind outside where we're seated was not as strong as anticipated which tempered the coldness plus the heaters above surely made it cozy. I'll be honest though, I was disappointed with the food. I wouldn't have mind the pricey menu but the quality was not befitting of it's cost. Although the service was good, I still feel cheated with the included gratuity on the bill. Nevertheless, Anna was delighted. That's all that mattered. Plus the night didn't end there. The after-party was at my go-to-spot Sojuya for some yakitori, Soju shots and some fried intestines. Yep, you heard that right. There was a cemetery just right across and we kidded around that the reason why the intestines were so tasty was because it was a fresh delivery from right across haha! The Soju + Cass Beer combo gave us a good buzz and the group had a more relaxing and fun night cap for the birthday girl. She had fun she said. Love her to pieces.

And of course... HBD to the love of my life!

It was a hectic but very meaningful Novemberfest and this "grown-up" version is just appropriate. You notice that as you age your circle of friends gets smaller. And that's how the way it's supposed to be. So now that the prelude to December is over and the Christmas holidays just around the immediate corner (and another series of festivities in line), there seems to be no time to slow down. If only my wallet is as happy as me right now, everything would be perfect-- and I don't see it being any happy either in 2025 haha!