Surprise Birthday Treat for Mark

Back to my Boracay adventure... ^_^

Even before our Boracay trip, I have already bought a gift for Mark. But since we will have to celebrate his birthday in Boracay, I really wanted it to be more memorable for him.

The moment we arrived at the hotel and unpacked our things, I remember him being quite frustrated saying that he should have brought with him more shirts. Perfect! I then told him not to worry and handed him my gifts--3 Adidas sleeveless shirts. Here are the photos of him wearing the shirts (unfortunately I didn't get to take a photo of him wearing the blue one).

I wanted him to believe that I already gave him his birthday gift, so I just acted out normally the next day. I greeted him on his birthday and we then went on with our activities for the day--breakfast at the hotel, beach cam whoring and lunch, and the ATV adventure and Mt. Luho trek--leaving Mark with no idea that I have been planning for a sweet surprise for him.

I was at first skeptical on whether I could carry out the plan. It was Mark's first time to spend vacation with my friends, so he was with me most of the time, and I thought that I should get him off my side and thought that I needed some backup. And so I relayed my plans to my girlfriends and they were very much willing to help me out. ^_^

And then the drama begins. While waiting by the beach for Kuya Rod to accompany us for our ATV adventure, Arriane and Cathlyne will be going to D'Mall to buy pasalubong, and I will be joining them while Mark will be left with Jonathan and Emman. And knowing how long it takes for girls to shop around, I was 100% sure that Mark would really want to be left with the boys. :P

We went around D'Mall to look for a bakeshop. On our way to D'Mall I thought of another surprise, a sand carving with greetings for Mark's birthday. We haven't found a great deal yet so we just proceeded to the bakeshop. We landed at Quency's Cakes and Pastries where I ordered a chocolate cake. We were supposed to have it delivered to the venue of our dinner but unfortunately they do not offer the said service. So I decided to pay for the cake and just get it before dinner.

Next of is the venue for dinner. After our ATV adventure, which was just a few hours before dinner time, Chrissi and I went back to Quency's to claim the chocolate cake. Since we still haven't found someone to do the sand carving, I decided to just drop it off the list. *sigh*

On our way to the bakeshop, we were at the same time looking for a venue for our dinner. A candle light dinner by the beach was what I was planning to have and Red Coconut was the perfect place for it! I reserved a table for 7, gave the wait staff the cake and requested them to hand it to Mark for dessert while singing a birthday song. I was very glad to see how game they were with my plans. I also was in the best of luck when the wait staff suggested that they carve a birthday greeting for Mark in their sand castle carvings by the beach, just a few steps away from our reserved table! Wooohooo! Just the way I wanted it! :D And there, everything was all set!

Then came dinner time. All my friends knew about the plan and it was funny how great pretenders we all were! We were as if deciding on where to eat while walking on the shores until we all agreed to try it out at Red Coconut haha!

I was really feeling nervous that time and I kept on praying for everything to go well when suddenly one of the wait staffs, whom I talked to about the plans, came to us and asked me what name to write on the sand carving! Nooooooo!!!!! I got really shocked and couldn't say a single word! I also felt blood rushing up to my face! Talk about being doomed! Good thing Cathlyne was quick enough to divert the topic. Whew! But I knew that Mark was already sensing that I was up to something..

So we went on with the dinner. We had some picture taking while waiting for our orders.

Mark was the one who ordered for the two of us. He's still thinking about World Chicken even when we're in Boracay so he opted for the Grilled Chicken Fillet with Mixed Vegetables. This is a must try! I love how tender the chicken was. The sauce was not overpowering and the vegetables were cooked just right.

We also had the Red Coconut Mixed Delight. It's a sizzling seafood platter-- which includes fish fillet, squid, mussels, and prawns--stir fried in onions, carrots, and bell pepper.

We both wanted to have mashed potato. Good thing both of the above dishes come with mashed potato so we didn't have to get an extra order. I was thinking of just a scoop full of mashed potato but I was surprised at how generous the serving was. Mashed potatoes usually taste buttery, but Red Coconut's was different. It was topped with milk and pepper bits which made it distinct and more delectable.

Another must try is the Beef Ravioli. I just love how al dente the ravioli was. The cream cheese and mozzarella cheese also balanced the sweet and sour taste of the sauce.

The staff has been walking around our table, waiting for my go signal. It's as if they're more excited for the surprise haha! We were all done with our food and were having some chit chat when the lights turned off, the sound of voices singing a birthday song suddenly filled the air, and the birthday cake came. :D

Mark was staring at me non-stop, shocked, and blushing!

We were in a hurry when we claimed the cake and didn't get the chance to check it. I actually bought a round chocolate cake for Php500 and had this message written on it: "Happy Birthday Mark! Love, Kriska". But I was surprised to see a rectangular chocolate cake (which costs Php1000) with this dedication:

Just when he thought that the surprise was over, my friends suggested that we have our photos taken at Red Coconut's sand castle. Just when we were nearing the sand castle, I felt Mark pinching on my arm. Here's another surprise for you my love! ^_^