Our son’s second pandemic birthday

Our son celebrated his 14^th birthday on April 4^th at home again. It was actually his second pandemic birthday – last year, it was around the same time that the Cambodian government first shut down schools and ordered everyone to stay at home, and this year, around the same time that the government has placed the capital city of Phnom Penh under lockdown in order to curb the spiking Covid-19 cases.

Despite these uncertainties, my husband and I are grateful to God for allowing us to witness our one and only child who means everything to us, grow older, wiser, and more grateful. So we did our best to make this day as special and memorable as it could be. First, it’s his day, and making it another year is a huge accomplishment. Second, the pandemic makes us realize how fragile and valuable life is. Third, a birthday celebration injects something positive, something joyful, a ray of sunshine into a difficult time.

Here’s how we celebrated our 14-year-old son’s birthday at home based on his likes and preferences.

We did something special at home.

We surprised him with our birthday gift five days before his birthday. We took him to an electronics store so he could select the item he desired. He was overjoyed when he decided on a JBL brand wireless headset.

• 

• 

When he awoke on his birthday, we surprised him with a versatile birthday breakfast board of eggs, pastries, a pot of natural yogurt, and fresh fruits. He finished everything and enjoyed what we had prepared for him.

Before lunch time, we surprised him with many balloons (including a guitar balloon in the center because he is very into playing his guitar) that we ordered from a balloon shop. It was our way of showing him how much we cared for him, as well as capturing a little bit of magic in our daily lives and the celebratory spirit. He had a great time.

Because Pete’s birthday was on Easter Sunday, my husband prepared and baked one of Pete’s favorite potato dishes – sumptuous Shepherd’s Pie – for lunch. We had a fantastic meal that we thoroughly enjoyed!

• 

• 

When it was time for afternoon tea, I set the table with the cake I had baked for him on the eve of his 14th birthday – raspberry velvet cake with chocolate ganache.  We then sang a happy birthday song to him, he made a silent wish, and he blew out the candle on his cake. It was so authentic and delicious that he ate four huge slices (half of the cake), proving that it was extremely satisfying for him.  

We made a fantastic steak dinner for him with onion gravy and served with pesto pasta and a side of fresh vegetable salad because he loves steak. It was a total indulgence, a complete decadence and a truly memorable dinner with my family.

To wind down, we entertained ourselves with a DIY trivia night after dinner. It was both entertaining and educational. Since then, we’ve been drawn to trivia and have become addicted to exchanging trivia every night after dinner.

We stayed connected with our community.

Despite the fact that our son knows that we must remain at home as much as possible in order to keep us safe and healthy as possible, we could sense his desire to return to school and see his friends. He also realized that the pandemic has altered the way we do almost anything, and we are so proud of him for being so adaptable.

In times like these, when communities are unable to physically come together, we believe it is especially important to remind him that he still has a network that cares for him, as we believe that social distancing does not imply social isolation.

As a result, on his birthday, we video-called our families in the Philippines and France. Throughout the day, he also spent time catching up with his friends via social media, calling and video-chatting with them. Although this gathering took place remotely, it made everyone feel as if we were all in it together – as if we were together even though we weren’t.

Overall it was a simple yet fun and very meaningful birthday celebration.

Indoor Picnic At-home

With the ongoing pandemic, my family and I are not really totally comfortable with venturing into public spaces. Plus right now, the government has placed us into lockdown to curb down the spiking positive Covid-19 cases.

My family and I grew up with an adventurous and active nomadic spirit. Usually we bask in the glory of wandering and exploring off-the-beaten path, keen on trying out new things, luxuriated in the comfort of good restaurants and hotels, etc. However, during this time when the outdoors start looking good and our mobility is limited, it is quite tricky to keep up what we do. So, I decided to bring outdoor activities indoor like having a picnic at home. I thought that this simple indoor picnic was a good way to have fun together at home.

So, I got good wine, good food, and I got two special people in my life around me, and we’re all having fun at home! I prepared a simple set-up, but I made sure it was elegant and inviting. I lighted a scented candle and the flicker of a candlelight created a cozy atmosphere and softness in the room making it feel warm and welcoming. I kept the food choices simple – I prepared Saucisson, ham, fresh vegetables and fruits, olives, cheese, freshly home-baked savory breads and banana muffins, rosé and white wine – so that we can focus more time on relaxation instead of hustling to get things done.

While nibbling some food and sipping good wine, my son played his guitar and amazed us by his guitar skills. We also challenged ourselves by playing scrabble, and we exchanged good jokes.

What we like about picnic is that it’s just simple but it’s significant. It’s more than good food and good wine, it’s a gratifying state of mind. Indeed, there’s nothing better than enjoying indoor picnic at home with my family especially during these uncertain times.

Valentine’s Weekend Rewind

While my husband and I are all for romance and enjoy the hype of Valentine’s Day, this is not our favorite holiday. We believe that every day is an opportunity to express love to your spouse or loved ones or yourself.

Over the years, I have realized that Valentine’s Day is also about loving yourself. When you love yourself you are able to attract love and you are able to send positive vibes and energy that will naturally have people treat you in the positive way that you want.

On Friday evening of February 12, my husband surprised me with a huge bouquet of flowers when I came home from work. I love flowers! Flowers bring me happiness and bring me instant smiles the moment I see them. It has been a tradition (at least 4 years in a row now) that he offered me flowers a day or two before the Valentine’s Day because he knew that I wouldn’t be happy when he spent a lot on flowers on Feb 14 (since the prices of flowers on Valentine’s day have skyrocketed as occasions like this have become highly commercialized).

Then we decided to book a table for three at Celeste Revolving Restaurant for Saturday (February 13) afternoon to get some fresh air. Plus, we missed the beauty of the outside world and it was our son’s first experience at the 360 degrees revolving restaurant. We went there at 5PM (just a few minutes after it had opened) to evade the crowd. It was tranquil, and we enjoyed watching the stunning sun receding below the horizon while nibbling crème brulee. And we were fascinated by the spectacular beauty of Phnom Penh’s skyline on fire.

We left the place in the twilight of dusk, and looked forward to a leisurely sumptuous dinner in a quiet and colonial setting at Anise Restaurant.

On Sunday February 14^th, we had a more relaxed celebration at home (which we always did even before the pandemic) to shun away the hustle and bustle of the occasion. It was sweeter, less expensive and less stressful, instead there were more smiles, more compliments and more kind words that would linger in our hearts forever.

I prepared Bilao Family Love for Valentine’s dinner. What is a bilao? It is a round winnowing tray made from woven wood originally used for sifting rice free from chaff, dirt, etc. Nowadays, it is used as a food container, where it is lined with banana leaves on top and arranged with a lot of food. Personally, I named it Bilao Family Love – I arranged fresh shrimp and vegetables spring rolls, bola-bola (meat balls), bbq, asparagus wrapped with bacon on top of the bilao. I also prepared cheesy bacon spinach dip in a bread bowl. It was so good!

After I cooked the food, I set the table – dressed it up in white and I dressed the plates with rattan placemats. I kept the centerpieces to the minimum. It totally elevated the experience and made everyone feel special.  

Certainly one of the loveliest weekends that we’ve ever had as it provided us an excellent opportunity to cherish quality time with one another.

25 Interesting Facts about My Son, Pete

A few days before my son turned 14, I opted to write interesting facts I find irresistible and charming about Pete.  I thought it is a great idea and a good way to remember all these little things that make life so perfectly crazy and lovely-full. While it’s fun scribbling down 25 awesome facts, I also recognize that Pete has given my life new meanings in ways that have completely surprised me.

1. Pete was born on April 4, 2007. On the same day in 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, which became the world’s largest personal-computer software company. In 1809, an American mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Pierce contributed to studies in celestial mechanics, algebra, number theory and philosophy of mathematics.

Pete at 5 days old.

2. Pete takes pleasure in books and reading. He has a couple of book collections – Asterix, TinTin, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings, Percy Jackson, Geronimo Stilton, and many more. He likes to read under covers past his bedtime using the tiny orange flashlight that was given to him by his Papalo (his Grandpa), a day before we left for Cambodia.

Pete was reading secretly at 11.45 PM.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

3. Pete loves animals. Here in Phnom Penh, he has spiders and cats as pets. In the Philippines, he used to have a bird as a pet when he was a little boy, and he adores all of the animals that my parents keep in the backyard, including chickens (hens and chicks), roosters, ducks, pigs and so on. When we went to France in the summer, he kept a spider as a pet, then released it outside the day before we left.

• 

  That’s Pete’s pet spider when we had summer in France in 2019.

• 

  Pet holding his pet Breton spider.

Pete is trying to teach Alonzo how to paint.

• 

  Playing with the bird at the zoo.

• 

  6 years ago, Pete’s looking after his pet bird.

4. Pete likes to play with words. He enjoys making PUNS and jokes.

5. Pete has a knack for drawing. He started to draw when he was one and half years old. He participated in different art competitions both at the national and international level.

Pete got 5th Runner Up at the 17th International Art Competition held at Singapore organized by Global Art.

• 

• 

• 

• 

6. Pete is hooked on playing a guitar. He learned it by himself first. When we found out that he really liked playing a guitar, we got an acoustic guitar for him and hired a teacher to enhance his skills and learn more techniques.

7. Pete’s favourite band is Guns N’ Roses.

8. At the age 10, he wrote and illustrated his own book for younger kids.

9. Pete is not fond of food that are too sugary. He savors savory stuff such as apple pie, Leek tart, Quiche Lorraine, etc. He loves homemade dishes. And he loves meat.

10. Pete dislikes the idea of throwing away food leftover. He tried his best to finish whatever it’s there even when he is already full.

11. Pete used to be a picky-eater when he was a little boy. Anything without rice was not a meal for him. When he moved with us in Cambodia (he was 9 then), he started to appreciate different cuisine. Now, he doesn’t like to eat rice everyday anymore, and he adores eating variety of vegetables.

12. Pete is our question master. Even when he was a little boy, he asked non-stop questions. Sometimes we run out of time and energy to answer and tell him to keep the question for tomorrow. Even as a teen, he still asks questions that most of the time leads to a wonderful discussion over mealtime.

13. Pete is not delighted when someone makes a schedule for him. Even though I don’t like the fact that he doesn’t follow my schedule, another part of me would like to allow him to assert himself because I want him to feel powerful in this world and to trust and love himself enough to follow his own path.

14. Pete is such a ball of energy. He gets a bang out of being active. At school, he trains for swimming squad. After-school, he plays football, badminton, work-out routine, athletic, ride his bicycle, etc.

15. Pete is very peculiar with time keeping. For example, when he says, “I’m going to have my shower at 6.53am.” or “I’m going to have a nap at 1.58pm.” or “Oh, the last time we had this dish was in 2018.” Hahaha…

16. Pete is still confused with exchange rates between Riels and dollars.

17. Pete gets a charge out of adventures and exploring new places and things.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Behind Pete is Cairn de Barnenez, the oldest building in the world.

18. Pete loves nature and being with nature. He enjoys playing with the ocean waves. He is fascinated when watching the sunrise and sunset. He likes to laze on the beach and to climb up mountains.

19. Pete enjoys poetry, History and Science. He is not quite good at Geography and does not really like Math, though but he is trying his best.

20. Pete is hooked on crafting. Among the crafts he made were Optimus Prime’s sword and Thor’s hammer, constructed out of recycled papers and masking tape, which he built when he was 11 years old.

21. Pete has many nicknames – me and our Filipino families call him Beboy (short for baby boy), his dad calls him Pete, our French families call him Peter, some of his friends call him George while others call him Peter.

22. Pete is learning four languages – English, Tagalog, French and Mandarin.

23. Since Pete was a toddler and until now he never complains about being bored. He always keeps himself busy by doing the things he enjoy doing – read a book, draw, play a guitar, listens to music, watch TV or Netflix, DIY and create some crafts, play with his iPhone game, ride a bicycle, exercise, chat with his friends, etc.

24. Pete has never been demanding. He never asked us to buy him this and that.

25. Pete has definitely makes parenting for us smooth and easy because even when he is grumpy he is being nice about it.