A few days ago, we celebrated my aunt’s 54th birthday. This is the third time this week that I’m sharing another family gathering that brought us together. Although her family is staying in Singapore, she still took the initiative to celebrate her birthday. Even if some of her immediate family members were not present, we still made her day special. If you consistently read my blogs, you might get confused about why many of my family members celebrate their milestones. For us, it’s just a tradition from my mother’s side that cannot be removed.

Preparation

For the food, my mom prepared puto, biko, and kutsinta. That was my aunt’s order. Basically, my mom handled cooking those foods so she could earn a little money from it. The pay isn’t that big, but it’s still very helpful for our other needs. Take note that these weren’t the only foods prepared because my other aunts from my late grandmother’s house also cooked dishes. Technically, it’s my aunt’s house (the celebrant) since she has the legal right to it. Yet it’s still known as my late grandmother’s house because she was the one who lived there.

Foods Prepared

Once my siblings arrived and my mom finished cooking, we went straight to the venue. Like what we usually do, we celebrated it at my late grandmother’s house. The foods prepared were rice, pancit, adobo, pinakbet, puto, biko, and kutsinta. The first four dishes were prepared by my aunts from my late grandmother’s house, while the others were made by my mom.

I always tell my mom that she should start a small business selling those foods. However, she said she would only do it once I already have a job. Yet, I don’t really want to get a job and would rather take other paths.

Memories

As usual, we took many photos. Capturing moments has always been part of our family gatherings. We even recorded a video greeting for the birthday celebrant, hosted by my other aunt who loves collecting memories. My aunt (the birthday celebrant) also gave 100 PHP to those who consistently liked her TikTok videos. Since I always like her videos, I received 100 PHP as well. I was glad because I had just spent 100 PHP on my haircut.

After eating, I edited a YouTube Short and enjoyed answering crossword puzzles.