2014 Ash Wednesday is on March 5

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.  —Genesis 3:19

Are you in  the  Eastwood/Bagumbayan  or Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City vicinity? Remind yourself of your mortality and do repentance before God. Go get those foreheads marked by ash after mass.

 

	Location	Mass Schedule
CHURCHES IN LIBIS/BAGUMBaYAN
Blessed John Paul II	Eastwood	12:14pm & 5:30pm
St Pio Shrine	C5 near the Honda, BMW showrooms	5:30pm
Christ the King	Green Meadows	6am/7am/6pm
CHURCHES IN SANTA MESA HEIGHTS
Lourdes Church	N S Amoranto St (Retiro) corner Kanlaon St Q.C.	5:30am/6:30am/7:30am & 6pm
Sta Teresita Church	43 Kanlaon St	6am & 7am
Sto Domingo Church	537 Quezon Blvd, QC (corner Biak-na-Bato St)	5:45am/6:30am/7:15am    8am/12:15pm/6pm

 

After nourishing your soul, nourish your body with Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu for a measly P299 a piece (P675 to P970 value) on Ash Wednesday and First Friday of March at the Coral Garden along C5 near Eastwood and Coral Garden along Banawe (between E Rodriguez and Quezon Avenue) with minimum purchase of P2000.

 

Chinese New Year in the Philippines

 “Kung hei fat choi!” That’s for January 31st, 2014.

Aha! As a Tiger, I will have 11 favorable months and 1 neutral month  this Year of the Green Wooden Horse after the past years of dismal predictions. Thank you Horse!

Clean house! Sweep away last year’s bad luck! Make room for the good luck of 4712. DO NOT sweep the floor on New Year’s Day! Don’t want good luck be swept away.

Aha! MUST HAVE “lucky food!”

“Angpao” Envelopes

 

Have red “angpao” envelopes ready for the kids, red lantern or red paper marked with messages of good fortune, health and long life. Red brings good luck. Legendary monster Nian who used to eat children and harvests on New Year’s Day is scared of the red color.

Chinese Red Lanters

 

Our restaurant, Coral Garden in Banawe,  will be frequented by dragon dancers. Aha! We tucked away our monetary donation in high places so that the dragon will help us reach new heights in business.

Families get together on New Year’s Eve. Initially, food is served on the altar with pictures of deceased family members. Permission from the dead is asked before starting dinner, using castanet-shaped wood to get the answer. All lights are on, windows and doors widely open until past midnight, to let in the good luck. Fireworks and firecrackers are lit, the shattering noise warding off the evil spirits.

On the 14th of February 2014, the celebration ends with music, dance and the Lantern Parade in Binondo.

 

June 16th is Father’s Day

Father’s Day was founded and celebrated for the first time in Spokane, Washington in June 19, 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd to honor his father, William J Smart, a Civil War Veteran and a father, who raised his six children all by himself.

Today, we take time to honor two exemplary fathers who frequent Coral Garden as examples of fathers who like William J Smart, raise their children almost quite singly. Aha! Filipinos dubbed these men, “Tay-Nays,” shortened names for dad and mom, compounded.

Dave Cruz, a cheerful 67 year old  businessman  with three off springs and two grandchildren says that, “Fatherhood is about love, commitment and responsibility.  My wife fell ill with a debilitating ailment while my children were still young. I believe I have shown virtues to my children best through example: by being a devoted husband, generously giving quality time and guidance to my children, able to provide for their needs, and just being happy and fulfilled to have the privilege to do all these to my family”.  Children says, “Dad is our wise adviser, avid supporter, enthusiastic cheerleader, generous provider, ingenious chef, and over-all wonderful life compass and pillar”.  Grandchildren counter, “Granddad makes us happy, gives us our favorite toys and food.” 

                                                   Dave Cruz’s Family

                       (Bottom) R-L: Wife Bess, Granddaughter Anouk, Grandson Nicos

              (Top) R-L: Son David the 3rd , Son-in-law Jayel, Daughter Michal, Dave Cruz

 

 

Ver Claro del Rosario, Carlo for short is a thirty eight year old father of two boys, Carlitos, eleven and Vino, three years old. Carlo is a general contractor, a gym addict and claims to be “desperately in love with Christ!” His wife, Ella Atienza del Rosario, whom he loved passionately, passed away August 23, 2011 due to complications brought by a malignant brain tumor.  Carlo proudly quipped, ”My children are undoubtedly my source of strength…they provide that sense of purpose for ultimately they do not belong to me but rather they belong to God, simply entrusted to me to raise to become the best they can possibly be.” Aha! What a profound love for Christ!

                      Carlo del Rosario and his two boys, Carlito and Vino

 

 

Coral Garden honor all fathers, grandfathers, uncles or men who have woven paternal bonds  when they celebrate at Coral Garden, with free mango pudding on June 16.

Happy father’s day!

Mother’s Day in the Philippines and Elsewhere

Vicente Manansala”s Mother and Child

Mother’s Day in the Philippines will be celebrated this year on the 12th of May, which is the second Sunday of May, was adopted from the Americans.  President Woodrow Wilson in 1914, declared it a national holiday originally meant to honor all mothers whose sons died in the war. This evolved from the efforts made by Anna Jarvis whose intention was to honor her deceased mother. 

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated to honor biological mothers, maternal bonds formed by aunts, grandmothers, stepmothers or adoptive mothers and mothers’ contributions to Philippine society, particularly childbearing and raising children. In the past, it was customary to wear red carnation if the mother is alive and a white one if deceased.

Times have changed since then. Nowadays, Ipads, Samsung S4, a Mediterranean cruise or a Gucci bag are the listed gifts for mothers. Whatever happened to the essence of this old poem written by Joy Allison in 1917?

WHICH LOVED BEST?

“I love you, Mother, said little John;
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on.
And he was off to the garden swing,
Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

“I love you, Mother, said rosy Nell,
“I love you better than tongue can tell.”
Then she teased and pouted full half the day.
Till her mother was glad when she went to play.

I love you, Mother,” said little Fan,
“Today I’ll help you all that I can;
How glad I am that school doesn’t keep!”
So she rocked the babe till he fell asleep.

Then stepping softly, she took the broom,
And swept the floor, and dusted the room.
Busy and happy all day was she;
Helpful and happy as a child could be.

“I love you, Mother,” again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?  

What happened to the gift of breakfast in bed for mom?  Or a beautiful card crafted and written from the heart? AHA! How about if we go back to the more meaningful ways of saying “I love you Mother?”

 

 

 

 

Grandparents’ Day

Many countries celebrate Grandparents’ Day on different days. In the Philippines, it is celebrated  on the second Sunday of September. This year, Grandparents’ Day is on September 9, 2012.

Being a grandparent means many things. Betty Ford aptly says,” Holding these babies in my arms makes me realize the miracle my husband and I began.”  Aha!  Magical!

Whereas Victor Hugo said, “If you would civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.”  Aha! Enlightening!

Jimmy Carter on the other hand quipped,” Because (grandparents) are usually free to love, guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.”

How true is Jimmy Carter’s statement? Grandparents while they are still young and able to perform the everyday demands of living may fit in to what he says about bridging the gap between generations. But what happens if grandparents become senile? Repetitive in saying things?  Trip when they walk?  With shaking hands fail to grasp their food and splatters it on the floor? Or when one is hard of hearing , talks in high volume?  Or forgets to put off the stove, burning both food and pot?

Remember when your grandparents had to hold tiny hands to guide to walk? When they used to be asked gazillion times for something, like a balloon or a toy?  When those tiny hands used to splatter food on their high chairs and on the floor? When they used to teach them how to talk? Help them with homework?  Or when the child left  the bike on the ground, accidentally falling and hurting oneself to be rushed to the hospital? Your grandparents took care of all these with great love, care and patience. Now it is the young, the able bodied turn to do the same.

One day, you too will be the grandparent. Aha! Profound.

To honor the grandparents, Coral Garden Restaurant has a special dinner offer. What is a P5000 value may be availed for the reduced price of P4000/table of ten pax, (Discounted price of P1000), good from September 7,8 & 9 on one condition: MUST have at least one grandparent in the party.

Dinner Special for Grandparent’s Day

P5000 Value, P4000 ONLY on Sept 7, 8 & 9

(table good for 10pax)

Coral Soup (Hot & Sour Soup)

Crispy Bean Curd

Coral Shrimp (tempura shrimp)

Coral Chicken

Coral Supreme (fried fresh milk with crabmeat sauce in snowy white noodles)

Chinese  Broccoli or Watercress  w/ Crispy Pork

Coral Fried Rice

One Round of Iced Tea

Black & White Gulaman Dessert

For reservations, call 636-3781 or 711-0255.

Christ The King For Baptism And Coral Garden

Juno baptism picture

My niece Jacqui gave birth to her first born, Juno. Said she wanted Coral Garden to take care of feeding her guests after the baptism.  Aha! She got the right resource for both the baptismal church and restaurant.

Coral Garden is approximately 1.75 kilometers away from Christ the King at Green Meadows, best known for officiating baptism.

Christ The King Church

Nestled along Green Meadows with abounding mango trees, is Christ the King Church, which offers mass baptism and individual baptism.

Christ The King Baptismal Chapel

Christ the King Chapel is where individual baptism is held. Individual baptism is available ALL days.

Christ the King Schedule for Baptism

Type of Baptism                                                  Days                                          Time

Mass Baptism                                          Saturday & Sundays                             10:00AM

Individual Baptism                                 ALL DAYS                                                 9:30 AM

*                                                                                                                                   10:30 AM

*                                                                                                                                   11:30 AM

*                                                                                                                                     2:00 PM

*                                                                                                                                     3:00 PM

*                                                                                                                                     4:00 PM

Documents Required by Christ the King:

1. Birth Certificate
2. Marriage Certificate (unmarried couple, just the Birth Certificate will suffice.)

Christ the King’s Phone: 633-0280 or 638-4838

Coral Garden is located at 184-B E Rodriguez JR. or C5, Libis, Quezon City (beside Union Bank and East West Bank, near the BMW Showroom) Phone: 636-3781 or Coral Garden 96 Banawe St Quezon City (across Metrobank and Fe del Mundo’s Children Memorial Hospital) Phone 711-0255 or 712-1078

More Coral Garden Menu Items

There are many Chinese restaurants found in almost every corner of the world with menu that is blah! Blah because one finds the same food items in the menu cloned in ages. What makes Coral Garden stand out from the crowd of restaurants is its unique menu and consistent delivery of tasty food on the table. AHA!

seafood hot pot

Coral Garden’s Seafood Hot Pot is a medley of scallop, shrimp, fish fillet, squid, shitake mushroom, tofu and mung bean thread in a delicious mouth-watering gravy. Aha! To the seafood lover!

special cha miswa

Special Cha Miswa, the noodle that is A MUST TRY, where miswa is stir fried with shrimp, squid, pork, chicken, mushroom, garnished with scrambled egg, Spanish peanuts and fried crispy shallots. Aha! To all Chinese who traditionally eat cha miswa on occasions like birthday, engagement, wedding, baptism etc. Aha! Now you know where to order your Special Cha Miswa.

event table setting

For all parties, like baptism, birthday, anniversaries or any get together, Coral Garden will package a buffet, decorate according to the occasion, entertain guests with fun and games galore. The party becomes memorable in contrast to the stale, uneventful plainly “eating” parties that one typically attends with photographer and videographer on hand to make that one special occasion indelibly marked in the celebrant’s life.  AHA!

event setting

Coral Garden Restaurant

Looking for mouth-watering Chinese food with a twist?

Then Coral Garden is exactly what you’re looking for!

It’s conveniently located along C5, beside Starbucks and East West Bank, near the BMW showroom in Libis, Quezon City.

Coral Garden Restaurant

Coral Garden Restaurant has been around since 1978. This is a branch of the thirty–four-year-old, Coral Garden in Banawe, Quezon City dubbed as Asia’s kitchen goddess. It serves some of the finest and tastiest Chinese food that you can experience in your lifetime. Aha!

Menu Items

My favorite dishes from their legendary Chinese menu are the following:

Crispy Bean Curd with its sweetish, tangy special sauce, a favorite for the past thirty-four years. Aha! To all vegans!

Coral Garden Bean Curd

Coral Chicken is topped with good to the last drop house special sauce.

Coral Garden Chicken

Coral Supreme is fried fresh milk with crabmeat sauce on snowy white crunchy rice noodles.

Coral Garden Supreme

Don’t just take my word for it, head over to the restaurant and try it yourself!

Aha Moment: Introduction

Why write blogs? Why write or read about ones trivial life?

I was inspired by this website http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/ to create this blog.

Aha Moment! Blogs entertain. It sparks curiosity and enlightenment. Some are delightful and mostly are truthful because typically are first hand information or personal experience of the author.

Aha Moment

In the process, we discover something new, something useful, something splendid and something that elicits discernment. I call this, Aha Moment! Synonymous to saying, “ Eureka! I found it!” My blog will be about the pronoun “it,” from travel, food, cooking, entertainment, movie, books, relationships; anything that I perceive has value.  I aim to share with you my thoughts as I experience life.

Equally, please share yours too. Welcome to the world of discovery, my and your Aha moment.