I remember that whenever summer came around, some of my friends would message or call me and say:
Friend: “Den, are you busy this weekend?”
Me: “Why?”
Friend: “Let’s go on a vacation! Everyone already said yes and they’re all joining!”
Me: “So I’m the last one you asked to join? Grrr!! Hahaha!”
Back when I was still single, my friends and I would often go on out-of-town trips to get away from city life. We did it not only to escape the hustle and bustle of the city but also to spend quality time together.
We timed our trips during long weekends, especially when a holiday would fall on a Friday or Monday—of course, to make our vacations longer.
We often went to places with beaches, or if not, we’d book private resorts with their own swimming pools.
We also had favorite places where we liked to stay—places where we could make noise at night.
That’s because at night, the drinking sessions would begin. And where there’s alcohol, you can expect some noise—especially with us Filipinos who love karaoke.
Still, we tried not to disturb other guests who were also there to relax and enjoy their break.
We usually traveled in about three vehicles since our group was quite big—more than 12 people when everyone came along.
We’d start preparing early in the morning because we knew that many others would also be heading out on long weekends, so traffic on the expressways going to the provinces was guaranteed.
Once we arrived at the place where we were staying, we’d unpack quickly and head out to explore—whether it be the beach, local spots with good food, or places where we could hang out and chill at night.
Most beach destinations had places like that—bars where you could drink, relax, or even party a little.
But we didn’t spend all our time there. When it got late, we’d head back.
Still, the night and the fun didn’t end there.
You see, my friends and I love games—drinking games, to be exact.
One of my friends always brought party games—not just one, but usually two.
These games were really fun, and luckily, no one in our group was a killjoy. Everyone was always willing to participate.
He brought beer pong cups and a ball so we could play beer pong.
He also brought a spin-the-bottle game—a toy version with built-in dares and penalties for whoever spun it.
But my favorite game of all was the Drunken Tower—it’s like Jenga, but each block has a penalty written on it like “Take one shot,” “Choose a player to drink one,” “Everyone drinks one,” and many more.
My favorite rule was “Make a Rule”—and that rule only ends when someone pulls out another “Make a Rule” block.
I loved this because we came up with hilarious rules. For example, one time someone made a rule that whoever laughed during the game had to take a shot.
Another time, someone made a rule that you had to dance or shake your butt before pulling out a block. Sometimes, someone would say that we weren’t allowed to speak in English—or that we could only speak in English. And of course, if you broke the rule, you had to drink.
I was always unlucky with the games—I often pulled the blocks that said “Take a shot.” Sometimes even if I didn’t pull it, someone would pick me. Or I just happened to be sitting next to the person who pulled “Friend to the left drinks one,” or something like that.
There was even one trip where it felt like I had to take a shot every time, no matter what block was pulled or who pulled it.
We usually used tequila for the penalty shots. Believe it or not, even after drinking so much, it felt like the alcohol never ran out.
That’s because one of our friends owns a bar, and his car is always loaded with booze—sometimes six bottles of tequila and a few bottles of whiskey.
That’s on top of the beer we brought for beer pong.
So the next morning? Most likely we were still drunk.
But even when we were hungover, everyone still got up for breakfast. We made the most of our time together because we knew moments like these didn’t come often.
But all of that was back then—during my single days. Two years ago, I had a daughter, and since then, I haven’t gone out to hang out with my friends. I’ve also stopped drinking alcohol.
The last time I joined them was last year—because that trip included our families.
Of course, I’m no longer single and my priorities have changed. My friends understood and never made me feel bad about my decision.
It feels good to remember the fun memories. I do miss them sometimes. Although I miss those kinds of activities, I have no regrets because I’m incredibly happy now.
I’m filled with joy watching my daughter grow and chatter away. And maybe the reason I have no regrets is because I found the right life partner—someone I know I’ll continue to laugh and bond with, even in old age.
𝙃𝙞, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙇𝙤𝙡𝙤 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙨—𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙖. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙥𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖, 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚, 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙞𝙠𝙏𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙏𝙪𝙗𝙚. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣, 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩. 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.
