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!

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!

Just Be-cous

Another perk of celebrating Mom's 80th birthday in Bicol?

Getting together with the Regalado cousins!

No exaggeration, it's been decades since some of us saw each other. When I last saw Mary Jane, we were just teeners!

What's amazing is the fact that the cousins in the photo is just a fraction of the Regalados. This is just 1/4th, or even less.

Looking forward to a bigger reunion with the cousins soon!

Our hero is 8-0!

Today is Mom's 80th birthday! Woot!

And because this is a milestone birthday, we decided to shake it up and make it different from her past milestone birthdays. 

We decided to have her 80th birthday party in Bicol!

Yup. It's been AGES since Mom celebrated with the Regalado family in Albay. And this was the perfect day to gather our relatives - both from Mom and Dad's side - and have a birthday reunion.

Everyone was on board with the idea, so we all flew to Bicol to celebrate. 

Dad was there, and he was the quintessential host. Welcoming everyone and making them feel at home.

Biboy flew in from GA a day before the birthday, which was a surprise for Mom. So, like Kevin's wedding, there were 4 of us there. We definitely missed Ate Lissa.

With the laughter, great food, warm hugs and excited stories, I'd say this 80th birthday party was a success.

Nothing less for our family's hero.

FMM: Because she Khan

Today is Mom's birthday!

Of course, the birthday crew of Dad, Ate Bullet, Ray, Mark and me were there to celebrate another year of this amazing woman.

And for this special occasion, a very apt and timely Friday Magic Madness song is in order. It's a classic song from Chaka Khan from 1978 that is an anthem for women power.

"I'm Every Woman," is a classic disco song that's not just very catchy and danceable, it's also very powerful. Each line of the song talks about the power that women hold, and the influence they yield - in families, in the workplace, in the world.

That's why on Mom's special day, which falls on a Friday, this song really can capture the essence of the moment.

Happy Birthday Mom!

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.

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.

The Force of the Family

I'm fortunate to be surrounded by strong women who head their families with both force and grace.

From my Mom, my 2 sisters, and my 2 sisters-in-law. From the earlier generations, my paternal and maternal grandmothers, plus my Lolo Iking's sister - Lola Talen. 

Then, there's the new generation of Moms - my 2 nieces-in-law, the Moms of my 3 adorable "apos."

To all of you, this padawan sends this greeting:

May the force continue to be with you today and beyond!

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!

Great at 78!

Yes, My Mom doesn’t look like she’s turning 78 today. But she is!

We had our usual garage dinner to celebrate it. Mark and I had food and cake delivered, and the fam enjoyed it!

And yes, I obviously still don’t know how to take a selfie.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom's the word - one more time!

It's another year that our family is thankful.

It's another year that we're grateful for the blessing that was given to us by Him.

It's another year that we celebrate our matriarch, our strength, and our inspiration.

Happy Birthday Mom!

(Looking forward to our small family get together later!)

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.

Mother's Yay!

Usually, we spend Mother's Day eating out with family - which means that we give Mom a break from cooking for us. So, we usually hie off to the nearby mall, look for a good restaurant, and enjoy a meal that has no effort needed from Mom.

Today will be different, though. With the Quarantine still in place, we can't go out and we have to stay at home and celebrate Mother's Day here. But of course, we still tried to free Mom cooking duties by just ordering food to go and fixing it here at home. It's a different approach, but hey, it works!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! It's an unusual celebration this year, but once this is over, let's celebrate again the proper, Mother's Day way!

Wonder Women

Today is International Women’s Day! And of course, Google is celebrating this big day.

I’m fortunate enough to be raised by and around strong, accomplished and compassionate women.

From our Grandmothers, Lola Dita who handled the hectic life of being a General’s wife with such grace, to Lola Pining who was both a Mayor and Vice-Mayor and handled her posts with a combination of authority and maternal instincts.

To my Mom who raised 5 children with her strength of character and abundance of love. She showered us with motherly care and imbibed in us strong core values. A combination that raised 5 level-headed and value-laden adults. To my 2 sisters who are both pillars of strength of their families. And of our family. Giving themselves whole-heartedly and unselfishly, and raising their boys with a great respect for women. To my sisters-in-law who are able to handle being executives and mothers with equal excellence.

To my college friends: women who are wonderful mothers, accomplished Lawyers, Corporate Executives, Educators, Business Women, among many others. To the women of St. Scholastica’s College where I am fortunate enough to teach - administrators, Sisters, fellow faculty members who have a strong sense of leadership, mentorship, and continue to blaze the trail for our students. The same students who are now women leaders in various fields.

To the women in advertising who I work and worked with, as colleagues, former bosses and creative collaborators. They helped me better understand women with their insights, stories and friendship, This enabled me to be a creative guy who’s able to handle women’s brands for more than 2 decades and counting.

To all these women, you have my utmost respect, my unfathomable admiration and my profound gratitude.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Mom’s the word, yet again!

This picture says it all.

Happy Birthday Mom! You truly are a blessing to us all.

Love is in the air. And on the bed.

This surprise greeted Mom and Dad when they went back to the hotel room today.

It was such a nice gesture. And the housekeeping boy even had a handwritten note to accompany the swans and heart made of towels.

Well played, Seda. Well played.

Boom!

And suddenly, my parents, aunts and uncle are all in Cebu for the weekend!

This is going to be fun.

They've got each other's back...

...for the past 53 years!

This has got to be one of the most adorable photos of my parents of late.

Happy 53rd wedding anniversary, Parentals! Here's to more years of love!