High School High

One of the friendships that I admire is the friendship of my Dad and  his high school barkada.

Imagine, their high school days were about 7 decades ago, and they still hang out and get together now as if they were in Letran.

They usually have their Sunday get togethers at Pancake House in E. Rodriguez, and Ninong Tino would usually call up Dad and Mom to have their random lunches at Gateway.

And of course, they had to be there during Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary!

Dad's original Letran circle includes Ninong Tino, Danny and Bodjie, and their extended group includes Tito Boy and Bobby.

Now that's a high school friendship worth emulating.

Celebrating Sixty!

Wedding anniversaries are always worth celebrating.

Much more so if it's a 60th wedding anniversary!

And that's what Mom and Dad are celebrating today.

Of course, the fam was in full force to celebrate. Including Princess who's visiting from Canada.

Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary!

Dads the way!

In 3 months, there's going to be a new Daddy who'll be added to our roster of Dads.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Kuya Marv, Biboy, Ray, Bob, Jul, & Carl.

Happy Father-to-be's Day, Kevin!

Great at 58!

As the priest who officiated my parents’ Golden Wedding Anniversary so aptly said: “May Forever.”

Today, my parents celebrate their 58th year as a married couple.

This is such a blessing, so we made sure to start it by thanking Him for the blessing of love, health and longevity. It was my parents’ first time in Sagrada Familia in Gateway, and they were impressed.

Then, it was off to dinner at Tong Yang. 

Usually, they play a birthday song and give out a birthday cake for celebrators. When the receptionist asked what our occasion was and I told them it was a Wedding Anniversary, they changed things up.

They played “Forevermore” and gave Mom and Dad an anniversary cake.

Dinner was good, and the company was even better. While we missed the other members of the fam, we’re looking forward to celebrating with them again soon.

Truly, it was a great way to celebrate!

Double Happiness

Hands down, my favourite photo from last Friday's double celebration for Mom and Dad.

There's so much happiness on their faces. That alone means the party was a success. (And Biboy seems happy, too.)

This is definitely one of those pictures that paint a thousand words.

Double Delight

When we were planning Mom's 80th Birthday Celebration in Bicol, one of the things she asked was: "What about our friends in Manila?"

This is where the idea of having another celebration came from. And because Dad's birthday was also coming up, it was decided that the party would be a double celebration.

That's how this party came to be.

Mom and Dad's birthdays are just 9 days apart. That's why we've had double celebrations prior to this. The last joint celebration was in Gloria Maris, many moons back.

The family all got together to ensure that the party would be a success. Ate Bullet helped with the venue and food choices, I was in charge of the invites, souvenirs and other paraphernalia, and Raymond was in charge of the cake. Which was super nice, of course.

It was awesome to see Mom and Dad's friends from different timelines of their lives. Dad had his Letran HS classmates there. We also had Tita Sari and Martin who lived in Scout Gandia with Mom and Dad when they were in their 20s. There's  Tita Mira who's Mom's best friend since we were in Grade School. And the Park Avenue crew who became close friends during the pandemic.

They all made the evening doubly fun and special. Just like the special double celebrants last night.

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad! We're doubly blessed to have both of you!

Family First

Nope, this isn't about that networking company which was so aggressive in the early 2000s. Yup, the same company who's people we'd actively avoid at the malls. 

This is about how the family got together to celebrate my birthday after 3 years!

Actually, in 2019, we spent my birthday dinner at Novotel in Araneta Center. And yesterday, we spent it at the same hotel, with the same family members - Mom, Dad, Ate, Ray, & Mark.

With family. That's how birthdays should be spent.

Weave got it all!

Dad and Mom have a new fave shopping place in Bacacay.

There’s a general merchandise store called Divisoria Mart. True to it’s namesake, they have almost everything you need at very affordable prices. From food to cooking ingredients, clothes to shoes, wares for the kitchen to the bathroom to the living room - it’s all there.

When we went there, the folks binge-bought Christmas decors. They now adorn our house in Manila and our cottage in Bicol. During that shopping trip, there was this plastic outdoor dining set with a woven pattern that was so nice. And it would really look good in our cottage by the beach.

Surprise, surprise, it turned out that Dad bought it went we went back to Manila.

We’ve got the same taste in things, Dad and I.

Stew You

One of the dishes that Dad enjoys cooking is this Spanish/Portuguese stew called "Tacho."

Tacho is made of shredded chicken, white beans, and chorizo. It's a very hearty stew that you can eat on its own, or with bread or rice. It has that very rich blend of flavours, but not too overwhelming. Despite the many ingredients, the dish is still very balanced.

Even as kids, this would be part of his repertoire, along with Pochero. These 2 dishes are similar in some ways, particularly with the use of legumes.

We're lucky that Dad still loves to cook these dishes until now. We enjoy a taste of our childhood even as adults.

A Steak in the Conversation

Both Mom and Dad are avid and excellent cooks. 

Even as kids, both my parents worked wonders in the kitchen and made every meal time a special one. From Dad's special beef pochero where he would make an actual "pochero bar" where we could assemble the pochero the way we wanted to, to Mom's chicken empanada which she'd make from scratch.

They love food so much that we usually talk about food even while eating. Such was the case during dinner last Thursday.

After hearing the news of Alfredo's Steak House closing, we reminisced all the steak places we had easy access to when we were living in Morato. The most obvious one was Mario's since it was just 2 houses away from us. There's Alfredo's which was just 1 block away. Then, there was Tamarind Grill across the street.

The entire dinner was a conversation about steaks, so it sorta didn't come as a surprise when we had this for lunch yesterday.

It's Tuna Belly Steak! Smothered in butter and generously topped with toasted garlic. 

Our conversation must've been so intense that they couldn't get steaks out of their mind. And what the mind can conceive, Mom and Dad will achieve.

Cheers, Dad!

Dad spent most of his professional career in San Miguel Corporation.

Growing up, we always had San Miguel products in our fridge. It was always teeming with Coke, Royal Tru Orange, Magnolia Ice Cream, Magnolia Chicken, among others.

Some weekends, Dad would bring us along with him to Polo Brewery where Biboy and I would camp out at the kitchen in the 1521 Center to drink all the Choco Vim we wanted.

Summertimes, I'd be tagging along with him when he travelled around the Philippines for "Balikbanda." This is where I got to meet Pinoy music icons like Sampaguita, Florante, and that's how Bert "Tawa" Marcelo became my honorary ninong.

When there's a birthday in the family, we'd drive to the Magnolia plant in Aurora and he'd order the iconic Magnolia Ice Cream cake with flowers and fruits as topping. One time, I rode the conveyor belt that delivers the products from the freezer to the customer. Of course, I got scolded for that.

Then, as an adult, he convinced me to try working in SMC. He told me to send my CV to his friend, Ric, and in a matter of weeks, I was part of the Corporate Affairs Office - the same office where he worked for decades.

Funnily, some of the staff under me where Dad's staff, too. And they'd joke how they feel like they've gone full circle because they have 2 generations of Morales men supervising them.

And because of those many San Miguel stories, let me raise this virtual San Miguel Beer to greet Dad a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, Dad! And to Kuya Marv, Biboy, Jul, Carl, Ray, and Bob, too!

Part of a Heritage

Riy Halston is a legend. His designs defined so many decades, including the70s and 80s.

During that time of excess, he went the opposite direction and went for designs that were streamlined, feminine and luxe.

Even though he’s gone, his legacy remains, thanks to the Halston Heritage brand. This Pret-a-Porter brand is true to the vision of its founder, coming out with dresses that are both classy and classic, but with a fashionable twist.

Just like this beautiful column gown with a literal twist on the bodice.

I’ve been eyeing this gown for a while now, and it’s about time that this heritage be part of my sister’s closet.

And speaking of heritage and 80s, today is Dad's 81st birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad! 

Twice as nice!

The great thing about Mom and Dad celebrating their birthdays just 9 days apart?

A double celebration! That’s twice the fun, in one!

Happy Birthday Party, Parentals! Nice (double) party!

Throwback Tuesday

This photo from 30 years ago just reinforces a well-known factoid.

I'm my Dad's carbon copy.

Check him out in the upper right hand of this shot.

At first glance, it felt like looking at myself!

Well, at least I know what I'll look like in a few years.

Biker boy

The past few months, I'd often walk from our unit to the main gate of our compound to pick-up deliveries or orders. There are times when that walk would happen 4 or 5 times a day, depending on what I've ordered and the frequency to which they'd arrive.

My Dad noticed this frequent back and forth. And he also noticed that each time I'd walk back, it would be with a box or a package.

So, this Christmas, he decided to get me this:

Yup, a Japanese bike with a basket! When I showed this to Mark, we suddenly had a Nakano-flashback and relived our long walks to the Eki while seeing a lot of bikes like this.

Now that I'm a biker boy, it's going to make package pick-ups at the gate a lot more fun!

FMM: Celebr-eighty!

Today isn't an ordinary Friday, it's the Friday that my Dad turns 80 years old!

And just like an awesome 80s ditty, my Dad is groovy, a classic, and fun to be around. While we would have wanted to celebrate this day in a bigger way, with family from the US and Spain flying in, we'll have to - in Biboy's words - "take a raincheck on that." We'll keep today's celebration simple and meaningful, with family and friends.

The way we might celebrate it is different, but the celebration will continue! And that's the core of today's Friday Magic Madness song from Kool and the Gang!

Happy 80th birthday, Dad! 

Let's Celebrate!

(Celebrate good times, come on! It's a celebration!)

This post is rated PG

Parental Gourmet!

People who are close to me and our family know this fact. My parents are awesome cooks! Since they hail from Bicol, a province known for great food and even greater cooks, whipping up culinary masterpieces are part of their DNA.

My friends know this story: my Mom was a "Martha Stewart" when we were growing up. She would bake our birthday cakes, she would make empanada and "croquettas" from scratch, and she would make awesome Lumpiang Sariwa, and she would make the wrapper herself.

Then, there's Dad who looks at cooking as an art form. He would only start cooking when all the ingredients are already laid-out in the kitchen. He never scrimps on ingredients. He would make kare-kare from scratch (roasted and ground peanuts and not peanut butter), he would make great Paella, and my high school classmate from the US - Eric Hopkins - was amazed when my Dad prepared a DIY Pochero Spread for his visit to our house in Morato.

So you can imagine how wonderful meals would be at home when both Mom and Dad cook.

And the great thing about both of them is that they continue to hone their culinary craft. Even now, they still go to youtube, search recipes and try them at home. It's fun when you see their eyes twinkle as they watch a video on cooking, then next thing you know, they're at home trying the dish themselves.

Today was one of those days.

Dad was talking about this recipe for "Fried Ginataang Tilapia." I've seen him study the video for a few days already, and for lunch today, we had this:

Yes, it tastes as great as it looks.

I'm excited to see what other culinary experiments they do next.

Dad’s the way I look

This is a photo of my Dad when he was just a few years older from my current age.

Further proof that I am definitely what my relatives say. I'm a carbon-copy of my Dad.

Happy Father's Day!

Ring in the new

The last day of 2019 was spent celebrating old traditions, like lunch with Mark at North Park, and Media Noche with the family at home.

At the stroke of midnight, we watched fireworks light up the sky, jumped, and was greeted by our family on the other side of the world. Dad was particularly gregarious with his greeting.

It was a rollercoaster year for me in 2019, and i’m looking forward to the ride that is 2020!

Twin Treats!

Look who’s back in the market?

It’s my favorite childhood ice cream treat - Twin Popsies!

We used to have this a lot as kids, mainly because Dad worked for San Miguel. We’d get these by the box, and enjoy it by pairs. We’d split the treat into two, and a sibling and I would get one each. Sometimes, if you split it the wrong way, one person would get a “P” shaped, one and a half part, while the other person would just get half of half.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen often.

Now that Twin Popsies is back, we can relive those moments again! And yes, it also comes in orange flavor - my personal favorite.

This is going to give “twinning” a totally new meaning.