Lambanog

Lambanog is an alcoholic beverage known for its potency (it is sold in 80 or 90 proof variations). It is primarily produced in the Quezon Province of the Philippines.

The process begins with the coconut tree -- "the tree of life."
As with most fruit-bearing trees, flowers turn into the fruit.
Lambanog making trees never produce fruit, because it is the sap from the coconut flower that is the crucial ingredient for this unique coconut wine.
Plantation workers called mangagarit climb the coconut trees every afternoon to prune the flowers so that their sap drips into bamboo receptacles called tukil.
(This process is analogous to rubber tree tapping.)
The next morning, the mangagarit returns to collect the sap from these receptacles.
The sap is then put through a cooking or fermentation process, which produces a popular coconut toddy called tuba.
The tuba is then taken and distilled to produce lambanog.
Until recently, lambanog was primarily an local drink, much like home-made apple cider or backwoods moonshine.
Lambanog is widely enjoyed by the locals of the Quezon province, and festive occasions are incomplete without the traditional "tagayan" or group-drinking.
While the "tagayan" can take on different forms, the most common kind involves taking turns drinking out of a single glass set in the middle of the group.

Because coconut trees abound throughout the Philippines, and because the process of distilling lambanog from tuba is a relatively inexpensive process, it is known as a poor man’s drink. Farmers often wind down by drinking lambanog after a long day’s work.

In Quezon, drinking lambanog is usually a communal thing – men and Karen sit around in a circle and take turns drinking shots from a cup placed in the middle of the group.
Usually, there is also someone singing and playing the guitar to add to the festivities;
he takes his turn at drinking too, so the music gets more interesting as the drinking goes on.

My sister Karen and I share a birthday. We have been known to be quite opposite of each other. Karen is a fearless driver and I am a fearful one.
She is a graceful swimmer and I am well.. I attempt to swim.
She can dance effortlessly and I dance with great effort.
Karen is outgoing and I am not.
She can drink the strong stuff and I pretty much stick to wine.
She can hold her own with more than one drink and I am asleep after one.

My sister Karen and I share a birthday. We do have similarities too.
We love the same people.
The same people love us.
We both teach.
We are teachable.
We are strong in the face of adversity.
When adversity stands in our way, we make it work for us.
We adjust.

I have heard stories from others who share a birthday with a sibling. They seem to feel that the day is less special because it is shared. I have always loved the fact that Karen was born the year I turned 9 years old. She is the gift I received for my birthday that year and every year after that.