Lola's 92nd

It was a wonderful Sunday family lunch at the Barrio Fiesta restaurant along Marcos Highway.  This is because we are celebrating in advance, Lola's 92nd birthday (Her birthday is August 15).  

After candle blowing, Lola shared a poem for us as her 'speech', which incidentally, was her speech as well on her 80th birthday.:

BIRTHDAY MESSAGE TO MY FAMILY
By Carolina F. San Juan

If you are going to love me, love me now while I still can sense the sweet and tender feelings from real affection flow.

Love me now while I'm still living!

Do not wait 'til I am gone...
to chisel in marble...
warm "love" words in ice cold stone.

If you have dear and sweet words about me...
whisper them to me now..
It would truly make me happy
and glad as I can be...

If you wait 'til I am sleeping,
never to wake up again...
There will be walls of earth and dust between us..
I will never hear them then!

I wont feel or need your kind caresses when the grass grow on my face..
I will no longer crave for love nor embraces...
in my final resting place...

So... then... if you love me any, even just a little bit..
Let me know... that you love me and care while I am living.
So I can own and treasure it.

Love you, Lola! and Happy 92nd birthday!

Lola at 89.

..and still looking fabulous!

The party was held at the Fresh Cafe along J.P. Rizal Street in Puerto. It was a party for around 25 people, mostly close friends and relatives. The food was spectacular! Two of my favorites are the tinolang manok with coconut meat (reminds me of the pumpkin soup at Crescent Moon Cafe--they also use coconut with the recipe), there is a slight taste of coconut in the soup, yummy! There's spicy seafood curry, forgot how it's named, where the curry sauce can stand alone on its own--sans the squid, shrimp, fish meat, eggplant, and sitaw.

A light moment was during the blowing of the birthday candles. We laughed when Lola took he numbers 8 and 9 and inverted it to look 98. "Royal bloods have long life!" my Lola Au, her sister said afterwards. Lolas' cousins lived to be almost hundred, and that's no joke. A few years back they attended the 94th birthday of one of her cousins. And what a sight! Seating beside the celebrant are his siblings, also in their 90's! Now that's life worth it!