K

Tonight, the whole Upper Eastside celebrates the dawn of a new era. As friends and frenemies reunite, we all know everyone's got only one thing in sight.

To see whether people really become wiser, as they grow older. Or, is it 30 and life is still a party.

Manila Philippines - Gates were officially opened exactly a minute past twelve midnight. Well placed sources tell that everyone from the Upper Eastside came donning their masks on. The much anticipated ball, which created some not-so-minor ripples in the blog world, was a celebration of life. It was a pageantry of beauty and a reunion of kindred souls. At the heart of it was the birthday boy K.

Coming from another drinking spree with the Encantos, I traveled all the way from Timog Avenue to Harrison Plaza to be with the birthday boy. It was an event I cannot miss - the invitation was given long before the ball itself was publicly announced. Arriving at the suite, I was greeted by masked guests unfamiliar to me. Save for G who was also there, the first few minutes felt like stepping into another world.

K's circle of friends is quite different from mine. I have always thought of them belonging to high society and thus, felt a little insecure in their presence before. But as I have learned through constant re-acquaintances in different parties, (including the moments of wild abandon in Malate) there was actually nothing to worry about. Aside from being the most open-minded bunch, (despite the juicy articles previously written about the Eastsiders) I feel no need to be someone else during the times I was in their company.

As for the birthday boy, our friendship maybe new but our ties have grown leaps and bounds in a matter of months. We were first introduced through E at a birthday party hosted by some of the more prolific bloggers last year. The key that unlocked the fateful conversation was a house remix played on iPod. Reinforced through a series of unplanned meetings at O-Bar, (including that great night-out in Quatro) he rose to prominence to become one of my very few confidants. Being a carefree guy, I knew I could trust K with my darkest perversions without being judged.




The night wore on and as the party reached its orgasmic high, exes and frenemies had no choice but to acknowledge one another. Some kissed and made out, (only to back-stab one another after the spirit of alcohol had left) while others made subtle passes to strangers only to forget the whole deed at the break of dawn. I made friends with several people - chief of them the rising blogger who I stuck with until my head can't take the colored liquor anymore. I also got reacquainted with a female friend from my straight days who was a fag hag of the celebrant.

I met a couple who claimed to be going steady for the last nine years, only to hear the other guy tell everyone after the boyfriend left that he has a girlfriend and that he is straight. This guy was being flirted by another guy right in front of his very out partner. As my head spun in many directions, the details of the night became blurry. It felt more like waking up from an acid dream bound to be forgotten as the sensibilities reclaim the consciousness.

I cannot recall whether I crossed lines or held back my player attitude. Knowing myself, I get bolder under the influence of spirits. What I vaguely remember was provoking a fight between a couple and a third wheel. They didn't make a scene, unfortunately, but for the rest of the night, I tried to spite the third wheel by ignoring him completely.

I also remember being invited home by a guy only to make a pass by telling him I was watching over a blogger friend. He brushed off my refusal by walking out on me. I remember meeting another blogger - a reader who always reaffirms my thoughts. Our surprise meeting was unexpected, thus it left me feeling elated. I remember receiving a kiss on the cheek from someone I secretly adore. If he wasn't closely associated with the host, I would have responded in kind in ways that would make me the talk of the Eastsiders.

I remember engaging someone to a debate on the balcony about the existence of a God. What is strange, aside from delving into the metaphysical realm when everyone else talked about cute boys is that he could not refute my arguments and still claim there is no God. Eventually we settled the issue by going home together with the other blogger.

Finally, I remember

that guy,

in his state of sheer ecstasy, was on the verge of tears while recalling how K touched his life. Details of his story have escaped me now, but his revelation made me realize that all those who came - the friends, fans, exes, frenemies and fag hags - who made it there at half past midnight forms the core of the birthday boy's life. They were there in his formative years as a gay person, and been there for him since embarking on a journey of discovery over a decade ago. Such loyalty; such claim to fame will remain unrivaled in a life where people who had been text mates for a month simply disappear after a disappointing eyeball.

As the birthday boy slept in his room after making everyone feel welcome at his ball, his dedicated companions took over the reigns of hosting. Even though exhausted from too much drinking and too much chatting with friends and strangers, they went on entertaining the guests long after the bulk of revelers have left.

Playing Chicane's No Ordinary Morning as sunlight slowly floods the English garden below, another epiphany had struck me. I was right when I told K, in one of our O-Bar sessions many months back, a gift he can't deny.

"You're the life of the party."

It could have been his good relations with people. It could also be the crafty invitation and mind setting he did before the ball. It might be the free-flowing drinks which made everyone drunk and euphoric at the same time, but in all the years I graced events like this, it was the first time I stayed in a party until daybreak. Considering that all I did was talk, drink and suspend my flirting functions at a time when I could openly flaunt my habit,

Such feat will remain unchallenged for a time to come.