Inang's (Grandmother's) birthday was the main reason of the trip in Philippines.
She was turning 90 years old and no matter what, we just had to visit and celebrate with her. As I've mentioned several times, she took care of Jhon during his childhood so they both have a soft spot for each other.
I've met her before and she is definitely one of the most loveliest grandma I've ever met. She exudes charm, tolerance (she's a devout Catholic and she accept me with no judgement), friendliness and love! There was so much love and sincerity from her that I felt welcomed immediately!
Our trip from Pasig to Bataan is 3 hours but since we left earlier than planned, the trip was cut shorter. We rented a van and the entire family, except Paul (1 person had to take care of the house) and Pa's sister and her son. The van was packed but cosy.
View to Bataan was beautiful as always with the beautiful landscape of mountains and fields. You will see more of it when Ieventually edit the vlog.
We had a quick visit to the nearby market to buy some seafood for the party, pharmacy to buy Ma's medications and we crept into the house through the back to surprise Inang.
[Loi and Ma baked the cake and cupcakes. We didn't get to taste it because it disappeared in a blink of an eye]
Surprised she was.
I had all her reactions caught on my videos. She was so happy, shocked and had to sit down. It was only the first of many surprises for her because as the day passed, more and more people attended and for the first time, 98% of the family attended.
The party was actually entertaining with no dull moment especially for a newly added member like me. There was a karaoke machine which I obviously avoided like the plaque, plentiful of food (everyone kept us updated which food has pork etc), party decor, abundance of cakes and basically everyone was welcoming. Everyone would engage in conversation with me, share stories and such which honestly, I hardly get when I'm in Singapore. lol
Inang would do her rounds making sure everything was okay and of course chit-chatting. She would smile, grin and sat with me, telling me how truly happy she was and about her family.
This was the moment when majority of her grandchildren sang and cheered Happy Birthday to her. She was so overwhelmed that she fainted! I panicked but everyone got it under control. She is 90 after all. Her poor heart got a sensory overload. She recovered well and fast though.
I absolutely love the family vibe. Cousins had everything planned which includes a mini-dedication, speeches and party games. It was simple and well thought of with everyone crying overwhelmed with appreciation of Inang's love.
Present opening time was a hoot too!
I had the entire party recorded and towards the end, I was totally tired and so was everyone else. Eventually, we all went home which took longer because of the peak period. One thing about Philippines is that once you are caught in the traffic, yeah, that's it. Time to camp. It was not THAT bad though because I ended up falling in and out of sleep on the ride home.
I am so grateful that I got to be part of the celebration and officially introduced to majority of Jhon's relatives on his paternal side. I wish Inang nothing but good health, happiness, long life and love.
She was turning 90 years old and no matter what, we just had to visit and celebrate with her. As I've mentioned several times, she took care of Jhon during his childhood so they both have a soft spot for each other.
I've met her before and she is definitely one of the most loveliest grandma I've ever met. She exudes charm, tolerance (she's a devout Catholic and she accept me with no judgement), friendliness and love! There was so much love and sincerity from her that I felt welcomed immediately!
Our trip from Pasig to Bataan is 3 hours but since we left earlier than planned, the trip was cut shorter. We rented a van and the entire family, except Paul (1 person had to take care of the house) and Pa's sister and her son. The van was packed but cosy.
View to Bataan was beautiful as always with the beautiful landscape of mountains and fields. You will see more of it when I
We had a quick visit to the nearby market to buy some seafood for the party, pharmacy to buy Ma's medications and we crept into the house through the back to surprise Inang.
Surprised she was.
I had all her reactions caught on my videos. She was so happy, shocked and had to sit down. It was only the first of many surprises for her because as the day passed, more and more people attended and for the first time, 98% of the family attended.
The party was actually entertaining with no dull moment especially for a newly added member like me. There was a karaoke machine which I obviously avoided like the plaque, plentiful of food (everyone kept us updated which food has pork etc), party decor, abundance of cakes and basically everyone was welcoming. Everyone would engage in conversation with me, share stories and such which honestly, I hardly get when I'm in Singapore. lol
Inang would do her rounds making sure everything was okay and of course chit-chatting. She would smile, grin and sat with me, telling me how truly happy she was and about her family.
This was the moment when majority of her grandchildren sang and cheered Happy Birthday to her. She was so overwhelmed that she fainted! I panicked but everyone got it under control. She is 90 after all. Her poor heart got a sensory overload. She recovered well and fast though.
I absolutely love the family vibe. Cousins had everything planned which includes a mini-dedication, speeches and party games. It was simple and well thought of with everyone crying overwhelmed with appreciation of Inang's love.
Present opening time was a hoot too!
I had the entire party recorded and towards the end, I was totally tired and so was everyone else. Eventually, we all went home which took longer because of the peak period. One thing about Philippines is that once you are caught in the traffic, yeah, that's it. Time to camp. It was not THAT bad though because I ended up falling in and out of sleep on the ride home.
I am so grateful that I got to be part of the celebration and officially introduced to majority of Jhon's relatives on his paternal side. I wish Inang nothing but good health, happiness, long life and love.
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