What better way to end the year than bond with my beloved Nanay!
It was her birthday on the 30th but since it was a working day, thanks to the ever confusing Philippine holidays, I decided to treat her out on the the 31st.
First stop, shop for a few items of clothing I would choose for her. She loves color but sometimes there are just too many in one ensemble and I do not want her to look matronly so I made a deal with her that she gets to buy as many as my budget can accommodate as long as I would be the one to choose or at least approve her selection. She kept her part of the bargain, and we were both very happy with our buys.
Next was dinner. Of course I have the golden rule and this blog in mind so I had to take her somewhere we've not tried before. And since I planned to bring her to a spa in Timog, I decided to look for a restaurant there. On our way, I remembered this place I would always see whenever in the Timog area, it would easily catch anyone's attention because it is easily the most overly festive restaurant there is, Buddy's.
Buddy’s Pancit Lucban at Longganisang Lucban is located at 98 Timog Avenue, Sacred Heart, Quezon City. You can never miss it with that much lights and colors going on.
True to its theme of fiesta everyday, the interior is as festive. So imagine how Nanay liked the place.
There are kiping ornaments everywhere plus the Christmas decors that have not yet been removed. The walls are accented by carved sunflowers. I must also commend the well-appointed and very clean restroom that they have despite the busyness of the place that time.
We had sizzling gambas...
sizzling spicy crab meat omelet...
and (oddly) spaghetti with Hungarian sausage and olives.
I failed to keep the receipt for the prices but I think each of the three dishes did not exceed 150. Affordable and great tasting, except that the crab meat omelet is not spicy as the name says and we had to watch out for some bits of crab shells in it. It was a bit annoying but at least you know it is really crab meat and not some artificial stuff or extenders, or they were clever enough to put it there for us to think it was the real thing. Nanay loved it, that's good enough for me.
And for Buena Noche, we ordered a medium bilao of Pancit Canton and Sotanghon to go. I did not want her to worry about cooking when we get home. And that's when the long wait was. There were just too many customers that day that it took us nearly an hour (including the meal time) for the pancit.
We took off and headed to the spa. Unfortunately, they were already closing shop when we got there at 6pm, to let employees spend New Year's eve with their families. I immediately drove off to the alternative spa but it has closed down for good. With nowhere else to go, we decided to just go home, with a promise that I am going to take her for a massage some other time.
On our way towards GMA Network, we drove by Lydia's Lechon and decided to buy some for the family at home. Again, there were busy lines of customers, one for buyers of whole roast pigs, two for the tinge.
It was a great opportunity to have spent that time with Nanay which I so wanted to do for the longest time as we would always go out as a family. The entire time, despite my age, she still gave me a few pieces of advice and things to ponder on. I definitely encourage everyone who still have their mothers around to find time to do the same because we can never turn back the hands of time. We find time to stay in touch with our friends, to dine out with them, to go on trips with them, so why not with the one person who truly deserves our attention.
There's no amount of money that could ever pay for the pure joy I saw in her eyes the entire time. After all, since the day she decided to stop working when she gave birth to our eldest so that she could take care of the family, never did she stop doing so up to this very moment. Despite all the odds, from living in the slums to figuring out how to help out Tatay in sending all of us to school, she has kept her vibrance, her sick sense of humor, her zest for life. All her life, she has dedicated her time, love and energy to us, leaving so little for herself. What I did for her that day could never ever repay her, the best mother in the world, the only woman in my life!
It was her birthday on the 30th but since it was a working day, thanks to the ever confusing Philippine holidays, I decided to treat her out on the the 31st.
First stop, shop for a few items of clothing I would choose for her. She loves color but sometimes there are just too many in one ensemble and I do not want her to look matronly so I made a deal with her that she gets to buy as many as my budget can accommodate as long as I would be the one to choose or at least approve her selection. She kept her part of the bargain, and we were both very happy with our buys.
Next was dinner. Of course I have the golden rule and this blog in mind so I had to take her somewhere we've not tried before. And since I planned to bring her to a spa in Timog, I decided to look for a restaurant there. On our way, I remembered this place I would always see whenever in the Timog area, it would easily catch anyone's attention because it is easily the most overly festive restaurant there is, Buddy's.
Buddy’s Pancit Lucban at Longganisang Lucban is located at 98 Timog Avenue, Sacred Heart, Quezon City. You can never miss it with that much lights and colors going on.
True to its theme of fiesta everyday, the interior is as festive. So imagine how Nanay liked the place.
There are kiping ornaments everywhere plus the Christmas decors that have not yet been removed. The walls are accented by carved sunflowers. I must also commend the well-appointed and very clean restroom that they have despite the busyness of the place that time.
We had sizzling gambas...
sizzling spicy crab meat omelet...
and (oddly) spaghetti with Hungarian sausage and olives.
I failed to keep the receipt for the prices but I think each of the three dishes did not exceed 150. Affordable and great tasting, except that the crab meat omelet is not spicy as the name says and we had to watch out for some bits of crab shells in it. It was a bit annoying but at least you know it is really crab meat and not some artificial stuff or extenders, or they were clever enough to put it there for us to think it was the real thing. Nanay loved it, that's good enough for me.
And for Buena Noche, we ordered a medium bilao of Pancit Canton and Sotanghon to go. I did not want her to worry about cooking when we get home. And that's when the long wait was. There were just too many customers that day that it took us nearly an hour (including the meal time) for the pancit.
We took off and headed to the spa. Unfortunately, they were already closing shop when we got there at 6pm, to let employees spend New Year's eve with their families. I immediately drove off to the alternative spa but it has closed down for good. With nowhere else to go, we decided to just go home, with a promise that I am going to take her for a massage some other time.
On our way towards GMA Network, we drove by Lydia's Lechon and decided to buy some for the family at home. Again, there were busy lines of customers, one for buyers of whole roast pigs, two for the tinge.
It was a great opportunity to have spent that time with Nanay which I so wanted to do for the longest time as we would always go out as a family. The entire time, despite my age, she still gave me a few pieces of advice and things to ponder on. I definitely encourage everyone who still have their mothers around to find time to do the same because we can never turn back the hands of time. We find time to stay in touch with our friends, to dine out with them, to go on trips with them, so why not with the one person who truly deserves our attention.
There's no amount of money that could ever pay for the pure joy I saw in her eyes the entire time. After all, since the day she decided to stop working when she gave birth to our eldest so that she could take care of the family, never did she stop doing so up to this very moment. Despite all the odds, from living in the slums to figuring out how to help out Tatay in sending all of us to school, she has kept her vibrance, her sick sense of humor, her zest for life. All her life, she has dedicated her time, love and energy to us, leaving so little for herself. What I did for her that day could never ever repay her, the best mother in the world, the only woman in my life!
very nice blog.. wish i could do that one day for my mom.. and also a day for my dad.. thanks for the inspiration.. :)
ReplyDeletethank you very much ms. or mr. anonymous :-)
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