And so it went.

And that was the party.

Head count: 75.

Venue, food, and party setup: P20,000.00

Clown, with magic show, balloon twisting and game-hosting: P3,500.00

Loot bags and goodies from Divisoria for 50 kids: P1,500.00

Cake: P750.00

Do-it-yourself invites and printing: P600.00

Fun meter: 9.5 out of a possible 10.

LP's happiness: Priceless.

Thank God for MasterCard.

I'm baaaaaack.

Goodness, has it been that long?

Not that too many people have been clamoring for more posts from this blog, but I have been negligent. New job, see.

Yes, it's that demanding. But so much more exciting, at least until I realize I'm really in denial, and/or rationalizing that for all this work I'm doing, I must be a genius and a really, really prized employee soon to be rewarded with riches beyond my wildest dreams.

Updates:

1. LP started first grade this week. After an entire summer of clocking in ten-hour late-night slumbers, getting up at 5 am isn't a piece of cake. And staying in school until 3pm, then rushing to the Kumon center right after can leave a 7-year-old exhausted.

Argh. And she's still egging me for Saturday taekwondo lessons.

2. LP's turning seven this weekend, and I promised her a party. Working within a budget, I had to choose between:

• Venue A, exclusively ours for three hours, with an "inflatable" playground (a real hit with the kids) and a one-plate-and-0ne-drink-per-person menu (a real sore spot for the grownups).
• Venue B, a sectioned-off portion of a large restaurant, two hours, with a clown-host and a few magic tricks and some games (not as rip-roaring fun as an inflatable playground but still entertaining), and an eat-all-you-can merienda buffet and bottomless iced tea (a real hit for us grownups). Good for 100 pax.

Of course I chose Venue B. More bang for my buck, and the buck these kids' parents will be spending for LP's present.

What's getting me thinking now is:

• What if less than 100 pax come?
• What if more than 100 pax come?

I'm more inclined to think that I'm gonna have to deal with an overbooked party. One of LP's classmates' parents SMSd me yesterday, thanking me for the invite, and confirming the little girl's attendance, as well as her dad's, the mom's, the little sister's, and the nanny's.

Eat-all-you-can must have been a real giveaway.

Anyways, it should be fun. The more, the merrier. And there's always my trusty MasterCard that should bring me enough miles for at least one free ticket to Boracay.

3. I cancelled my gym membership. Huhuhuhuhu! I really couldn't find the time nor the energy to work out, not with this new job and LP's demanding schedule.

And so now I'm back to my flabby old self.