A Jollibee party for me?

I am turning 40 this year (ouch!) and I told myself a couple of months back that should I be in the Philippines during that time, I will throw a party for myself in Jollibee. Yep, Jollibee!

You see, Jollibee Philippines has this Hello Kitty Fun Carnival theme and I love it! Everyone knows that I am a big fan of Hello Kitty. But I tell you, I am also very much a Jollibee girl so ang perfect lang, di ba?

(Picture taken from the net. Credits to the owner)

Sakto that we are going to Pinas again this April and we'll be staying there till mid-August. My birthday is on August 27 so sabi ko ia-advance ko na lang. I only plan on inviting my immediate relatives and barkada, maximum of 70 pax lang siguro.  I already asked my hubby for a budget at syempre game naman siya. Ang mura pa rin naman kasi kung tutuusin. Around Php20,000-Php23,000 siguro (we want to have two mascots), so less than Ca$600 lang. Yung pinakamahal na food package na yun ha. Included na rin ang cake.

I was super excited talaga. In fact, na-announce ko na nga sa mga pamangkin ko sa pinsan last Christmas ang plan ko. Nainvite ko na sila.

Picture courtesy of Laling

Kaso naman parang I am changing my mind now. You see, the primary reason why I really want a Jollibee party is my son. We've gone home in the Philippines thrice na and yet walang nag-invite sa amin ng Jollibee party. Ewan ko nga ba. Noong wala pa akong anak, ang dami-daming nagpapa-Jollibee party na dinededma ko lang. Ngayon namang may Nathan na, wala na. Favorite pa naman niya si Jollibee.

Actually noong first birthday-baptismal ni Nathan, nag-order din ako ng Jollibee food for the kids at syempre two mascots (Jollibee and Twirlie). The party was held in a pavilion at catered ang food. Nagdagdag lang talaga kami ng Jollibee para sa mga bata. Kaso naman my little boy was too young pa to remember that. Kaya sabi ko, bago ma-outgrow ni Nathan si Jollibee eh kelangan maka-experience siya ng Jollibee party.

So everything was planned na in my head. Kaso ba naman, I learned about three weeks ago that my friend Laling is also throwing a Hello Kitty Jollibee party for her youngest daughter in July. Waaah, so wala ng justification ang pagpapa-Jollibee party ko kasi nga makaka-attend na rin kami ni TanTan.

Our other friends were cool about it. Sabi nila ok lang if the same theme, different experience pa rin naman daw yun. Laling even asked me if I want her to change the theme para hindi kami magkamukha, pero syempre sabi ko hindi noh. Hello Kitty is a nice theme and her daughter deserves it.

So na-convince na nga ako na ok lang. Nakabili na nga ako ng ilang hello kitty activity kits (na on sale) na ilalagay ko sa lootbags ng kids. I was also planning on buying Bath and Body Works and/or Victoria's Secret merchandise for  adults. Pero ewan ko ba, lately eh I am having a change of heart. Parang ayaw ko na.

Naisip ko rin yung $600. I could use that money to treat my significant others separately (per group) na lang. At least makakapag-bonding pa kami nang matagal-tagal. Two hours lang kasi ang Jollibee party, medyo bitin. Syempre mahahati pa ang attention ko sa mga bisita. Madodoble-doble rin ang gastos ko kasi kailangan ko pang i-treat nang hiwalay ang mga girls ko (my core group) kasi lagi kaming may girls-day-out kapag birthday namin.

May point naman noh? But on the other hand, there's also a part of me who wants to experience a Jollibee party haha! Parang bata lang. Deprived kasi lol. I know I am not alone. May nabasa nga ako na maraming call center agents and nagpapabook ng morning parties (as in 7-8am kasi nga iba ang work hours nila) sa Jollibee for themselves. I've also seen a lot of adult FB friends na nagpa-Jollibee party.

Hay ang gulo ko! Ano ba talaga? Ayaw na tuloy akong seryosohin ng asawa ko. Bahala raw ako sa buhay ko. Oh well, I have a few weeks to decide. I blogged about this para lang kapag hindi natuloy eh maalala ko itong I-want-a-Jollibee-party-for-myself thingy ko.

Baby Marco's First Birthday Party

Nathan only has three friends here in BC (and I got two) so imagine how excited we were because one of them celebrated his birthday with a party last Saturday, December 9.

Baby Marco's birthday is actually November 30 but his mom Tess was only able to get a slot at the Queensborough Community Centre (in New Westminster, BC) for December 9. They live in a townhouse so they opted for a bigger venue for the party.

Tess' invite said the party is at 1 to 5pm. We reached the place at around 2pm (we were so busy that morning plus she asked me to pick the cake up from Safeway) but they were still decorating the place. The food wasn't even there yet. It was perfectly understandable because they rented the place for 1-5pm and they could only start fixing the place by 1pm. Tess also lacked manpower who could help her full-time. That's the thing here in Canada, inasmuch as your friends would want to lend a helping hand, they are restricted by their own situations din. We either have work, other appointments, some familial/household obligations, etc. Like me, I couldn't come early because I had to take a language exam at 10am. Juris couldn't come early too because they have a scheduled heater cleaning at home. Tess only had herself, her husband, and mother-in-law to fully rely on that day so it was really challenging. I am glad though that some of her other friends arrived earlier than us and they helped her arrange the place.

As expected, Mommy Tess went overboard haha! Super dami ng handa and echos. In fact, Juris' Caucasian husband was so shocked, saying that it was so extravagant. In Canadian standard, talagang bongga na ito. Juris' reply to her husband was: "This is how we Filipinos do parties."  Haha!

The place itself was super expensive na for $400/4-hours, if I remember correctly.

The food was overwhelming. Canadians typically serve pica-pica lang for children's parties. Filipinos have it all -- from appetizers, to main dishes, to desserts, to kung anik-anik pa.

Such a long table for the food.

And what's a Pinoy party without a lechon? But yeah, ganito lang ang lechon dito sa Vancouver. Roasted pork na Chinese style/tasting. It costs around $240-280 siguro.

Most of the party decorations were from Pinas. Tess and her family went home last October so they were able to hoard a lot from Divisoria.

So many goodie bags, souvenir items, and prizes. The kids were so delighted!

I am a "cake person" though I generally don't eat cakes (except for plain chocolate ones). Baby Marco had two cakes that day.

This one is nice. It's hard to find a nice-looking fondant cake here in Canada. Very pricey pa. I forgot to ask Tess where she got this.

This is the cake that we picked up from Safeway (a grocery/supermarket). It's worth $30. Ganito lang talaga ang mga normal cakes dito, mas maganda pa ang cake sa Pinas na nabibili sa panaderya sa kanto (objectively). I guess Tess bought this for dessert. The main cake wasn't sliced eh.

At around 2:30, the party hasn't started yet and the kids were getting hungry. It's good that they had green grapes, may nakain ang picky-eater son ko.

Nathan loved his party hat haha!

Feel na feel niya. Bata na talaga siya.

I am now enoying kiddie parties because of this little guy.

It was almost 3pm when the party began with a prayer. Marco's dad wasn't there yet because he went home to take a shower. Sobrang nangarag siguro. But people were starving na so kelangan ng magpakain.

Here's two of my many many plates. It was a total cheat day for me. Aside from rice, I ate a lot of pancit, spaghetti, and puto. Carbs overload talaga. I was super hungry din kasi, my last meal was just a sausage and egg mc muffin from McDonald's.

I really loved the lumpiang shanghai. I must have eaten 20 pieces, seriously. Carbs din ang lumpia wrapper kaloka. But I didn't mind. It was the first time since I was diagnosed with diabetes that I splurged on carbs. I felt that  I deserved it din because the language test that I have just taken that morning stressed me out the past week (I'll blog about it later).

I was expecting a lot of guests, given the size of the venue, but not so many came. It's really hard for all people to be free at the same time, especially here in Canada. Everybody's busy. December na rin kasi so maraming ibang events and parties. Yung ibang friends ni Tess ay humabol na lang yata sa bahay that night.

Nevertheless, we had so much fun. This little tikes inflatable bouncer was a perfect entertainer to the kids. It was lent by Tess' friend.

 

Super enjoy si Nathan. First time niya, lol. If only we have space, I would consider getting one kasi for sure masusulit sa bagets.

While eating, Tess started the "bring me contest." Nathan didn't want to participate at first but when I took him in front with me to bring the Philippine peso that was asked, ayun natuwa sa prize. Nagready na sa mga susunod pero hindi na kami nanalo uli haha.

It was Nathan's first time to join party games. Clueless talaga siya haha.

But he learned fast!

I am glad that he has overcome his anti-social behavior. Though still a bit shy and reserved, hindi na siya takot sa tao, especially to those who he sees often.

His favorite part of the party was the blowing of the cake's candle. He enthusiastically sang the happy birthday song for Marco.

Kuya Nathan and the birthday boy. Nathan sincerely cares for Marco and treats him like a little brother.

Mommy Juris, Mommy Tess, Mommy Ces. I am glad to have met and made friends with these two.

 After much eating, time for endless selfies!

My face looks so thin haha! Anggulo lang yan. I naturally have malapad face and even though I've lost a couple of pounds already, malaki pa rin talaga in person.

Juris took this photo. It is very rare that there's someone who can take our family picture. Medyo pangit lang ang lighting that day.

We stayed until the end. We helped in the clean-up. This is actually the most difficult part of throwing a party here, you'll be the one to clean the mess. Walang waiters or waitresses, walang helpers. Kaya mostly disposable ang gamit -- from utensils to table cloths, etc.

Buti na lang we didn't have to clean the floor and fold the tables. Yung centre na raw ang in-charge dun.

I felt sad when they started bursting the balloons. Nakakapanghinayang. Ang daming bata sa Pinas ang gustung-gusto ng lobo. Though I am now living in a land of plenty, where kids are very much privileged, I still can't help but think of my less-fortunate kababayans in the Philippines. Ewan ko ba.

We were able to bring home a lot of food, sobrang dami nga kasing natira kaya lahat kami sangkatutak ang uwi.

The boy was so happy with his loots. He particularly liked the McQueen plushie.

I loved the Goldfish crackers naman. Ang cute! Sakto, hindi nako bibili nito pambaon sa Pinas.

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Thank you for inviting us, Baby Marco! I am sure that this is just the first of your many birthday parties that we'll be attending! =)

#LatePost: Nathan's 2nd Birthday (2016)

Nathan is turning three in less than 2 months and I still haven't posted his first two birthday parties yet. Let me start with his second, kasi I couldn't find the USB (from the official photographer) where his first party pictures were saved. Nag-pack nga kasi kami ng gamit kaya nagkagulo-gulo na. Most of our stuff are in storage. But I am not worried naman kasi I have a copy in the Philippines. So I might be able to post it by next year pa. 

Anyway, Mamoosh and I gave a very small and simple party at home for Nathan last year. Unlike his first one, which I admit was sort of 'bongga,' I decided to just keep it low that time. My reason: "Pagod pa ako sa first party ni Tantan." It was actually true. Sobrang nangarag ako sa party na yun  (saka sobrang napagastos si Daddy Ford haha) which took several months to prepare. 

We deliberately went home to Pinas just a few days (November 8, 2016) before TanTan's birthday so we could throw nga a party from him. We just moved here in BC then so aside from wala kaming own house, wala rin kaming friends dito na pwedeng iinvite. Kaya sa Pinas na lang para mas masaya. Sunday ang birthday niya noon but we held the small salo-salo in our Marilao house on November 12, Saturday, para walang hassle sa mga cousins ko kahit mag-stay ng late.

Please read here na lang why I chose minions as party theme.

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I am glad because our every reliable secretary/assistant Joanne knows how to photoshop. Siya lang ang nag-design ng tarpaulin na ito tapos pina-print namin. Ang mura ng tarpaulin printing sa Pinas, yun ang mahal dito kaya hindi uso for parties.

Ang cute ng color scheme noh? It all started from the plastic table minion table cover that I bought in Dollarama. Teal color yata yan, saka syempre orange and yellow. Ang aliwalas tingnan. 

Bitbit ko yang mga balloons from Canada, binili ko sa Dollarama (orange balloons) and Party City (yellow and teal balloons). I would have bought everything from the dollar store kaso wala sila ng teal-colored balloons eh. The NATHAN balloons naman were bought at Divisoria by Joanne. Dito sobrang expensive ng mga ganyang letter balloons.

We just rented a couple of tables and chairs. Konti lang naman ang bisita namin. Ang konti lang kasi ng close relatives namin sa mother side. Sa father side naman, puro nasa States.

Joanne's husband Louie helped us set up the place. Natuwa ako kasi nag-match sa color-scheme namin ang chairs pati table cloth (na pinatungan ko ng yellow plastic table cover from Dollarama rin).

Balloons make me happy! Gusto ko talaga ng nice balloons kapag birthday.

As I have said, super simple lang ng party na ito. Walang kahit anong eklat (like games, give-aways), just food and balloons and cake.

We just asked my cousin-in-law Ate Janet (the Francisco family's official cook) to prepare some dishes -- fried chicken, pancit, lumpiang gulay (without wrapper), menudo, and beef caldereta.

We just ordered one small-sized lechon. Nathan's Grandpa Jim and Lola Elsie (hubby's parents) gave us some moolah for it haha.

Dito nga rin pala sa Canada galing ang mga disposable plates, utensils, and plastic cups. My old-fashioned mother wanted pa to use "real" (as in babasagin) plato and baso but I told her mahirap magligpit noh. She said, may kasambahay naman kami who would help. Sabi ko wag na dahil ayan nga at may dala na ako. Sobrang na-impress pa nga ang mga guests namin sa quality ng mga disposable na ito, ang kakapal naman kasi. Ayun, I later found out na hinugasan pa rin pala nila yung plastic cups and utensils kasi sayang daw lol.

The cake's so cute, I loved it so much! I ordered it from Box of Sweets, same maker of Nathan's barnyard cake. Ang gaganda ng cakes nila as in! And since since province-based sila (sa may amin lang sa Marilao), affordable pa.

This cake only cost me Php1,150. I just sent them my design (ginaya ko lang sa cake na pinost ng isang FB friend ko) at ayan, maganda naman. We agreed on a 6-inch cake at mas malaki siya sa expectation ko. Probably kasi malapad and the hat made it taller.

Ok, let't admit it. Good-looking cakes seldom taste delicious. Kaya bumili pa rin kami ng additional cake na "edible" haha. Salamat, Goldilocks!

The candle is from Walmart. Buti nakapagdala ako kasi ang chaka ng mga candles sa Goldilocks at Red Ribbon eh.

Nathan was still very shy that time. Kagagaling lang sa bundok eh (i.e. Canada). And shaiks, I was so bloated! Grabe ang bloating ko that time (sign na ng disease ko) na wala akong maisuot na damit kaloka.

Tsk, tuwing birthday ni Nathan ay may insect bites sya sa face. Grrr.

We had few guests. My BFF Raxie wasn't able to come kasi her brother died, tapos yung isa ko pang BFF was heavily pregnant. Tinamad na rin yung iba.

Aside from an aunt, my cousins, and nephews and nieces, I also invited Ford's two aunts and one uncle who live just a town away.

One cousin from my father side also came with his girlfriend (I only have two cousins left in Pinas).

We also called some of our kapit-bahays. We invited all our employees kaso konti lang ang nagpunta. Nahihiya daw.

Medyo na-overwhelm si TanTan at the start of the party kasi nga maraming tao. As expected, ayaw humiwalay sa akin. But later on, medyo nagloosen up na rin. Tumambay na rin sa labas with his guests.

Having a small party is fun, you get to chika a lot. Para rin kaming nagka-mini reunion. Our guests stayed till around 11pm, I think.

They were just kids dati grabe! Ngayon ang lalaki na, may asawa na nga ang iba. They are my son's second cousins.

Nagpa-prepare nga pala ng isaw bbque ang  isang cousin ko and that extended our night. At alam nya kasing paborito ko yun. #preDDSdays

It was so funny, Nathan hid under the table cover when we sang happy birthday to him. He was smiling pero hiyang-hiya talaga siya haha!

Nung bandang gabi, binaba ko na lang ang cake niya para maka-face-to-face niya si "bab-ba."

Amazed na amazed din siya sa cake nya, katuwa.

He actually didn't know how to blow the candle yet.

Nathan's second birthday gifts (which he opened the following morning, his actual birthday).

The only sad part about Tan's second birthday was that his dad wasn't there. Oh well, he was with us in spirit naman.

I would have to thank my Mamoosh nga pala uli for Nathan's handa. Siya talaga ang nag-shoulder haha! We love you, 'Nay!

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Nathan will be celebrating his third birthday naman with his dad's side of the family in California. Yung first two bitrthdays niya were in Pinas na eh. Kelan kaya sa Canada?