I knew about Malasimbo from a guy I went out with last year. He swore it was the best festival ever. I had no idea about it so I looked it up. When I saw the ticket prices, I immediately thought "Nope. Won't spend this much on artists I don't know."

I've never really thought about it again until I saw my friend Alessi of When In Manila blogged about the then upcoming event. I saw that she was holding a contest for free Malasimbo Lights and Dance Festival tickets. Having a knack for winning contests lately, I tried my luck by entering, too.

No, I didn't win.

But as soon as I posted the required tweet entry for the contest, a good friend texted me to ask if I wanted his tickets because he will not be able to attend. Ack! Of course I wanted free tickets! He asked, "How many tickets do you want?" Calmly, I replied, "Uhm, three?" He gave me four.

I got really excited! It was an awesome birthday gift, that's for sure. I'd say the second best I've received this year. (Because THIS is #1 heee) And on top of it, I got to bring three close friends, too.

Since Alesso performed here last year, I've been a consistent attendee of EDM festivals. Even traveled to other provinces and countries to go to them. Never have I imagined I can experience Malasimbo this year. It's a different cup of tea, sure, but it's a REALLY good tea.

There's a Work In Progress post-trip video of what went on during the three-day event, so watch out for that!

Lastly, I would like to thank Z Hostel for inadvertently providing the venue to claim the tickets. I'm really sorry for the mix-up! Although, hey, if there's one good thing that came out of it, it's that now my friends and I have found a steady hang-out place at the Z Hostel roof deck.

What was your Malasimbo Magic moment?