THIRTY SIX! I couldn't say it more loud and proud as I have a feeling that despite the crazy stuff that has been happening in our world lately that this year is going to be the best one yet! However, before I share my birthday party event highlights, I want to backtrack a couple of months and share a little insight. When Covid-19 hit back in March, we were all in sort of a "limbo" as to what was going to happen in the next couple of dreadful months. Dealing with lockdown, isolation and adapting to the "new normal" our society had to adhere to was no joke! I was one of those individuals who was stressed out mentally. As I witnessed people having to celebrate their graduations, birthdays, weddings and other special events via Zoom or online was just absolutely absurd on my end. I knew that people had to be creative in ways they never thought they would but I would never fathom doing that on my birthday (I mean I take my birthdays every year seriously and meticulously). So a Zoom birthday party for me was just unimaginable!
Luckily, as the next couple of months came and the gathering restrictions due to Covid-19 eased up, I knew that maybe there was some hope for me to have a normal birthday celebration. Thankfully, my birthday is during the summer time, so definitely I had more option of being creative and was able to celebrate it outdoors (which is the only option as of now, especially with numerous or handful amount of guests). On my actual birthday, August 11th, I had an intimate yet relaxing birthday celebration with my family in New York. We drove down to Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey and spent the Tuesday afternoon with some good food and great company.
Finally, on this blog's feature is my 4th Annual Black and White Birthday Party, which was executed greatly, thanks to my production team and videographer, Dan Mac. This yearly birthday theme has been a tradition since it first started in 2016 and I have to say that it has been better than ever every single time. I decided to get a hotel room on August 14th that has a private terrace and patio that will allow people to gather and also observe and practice social distancing. I invited very few, selected close friends to join the gathering, all dressed in black and white as the birthday party's theme-- which is an ode to my spirit animal, The Giant Panda. A lot of preparations have been made to make sure that this birthday celebration is fun and unique. My singing duo, Scott Martin, and I also serenaded the guests to an intimate and live acoustic performance.
I have to say that I am truly blessed and lucky to have all these people in my life who celebrated with me and it feels so good and yet humbling to know that I am loved. So without further ado, I present to you, MC's Pandastic Birthday Party and I hope that you will like it as much as we enjoyed recording the evening to create lasting memories to cherish and remember. Until the next birthday shenanigans!