I must admit, I am so not a morning person.
I think it’s been only twice or thrice this year that my eyes have seen the sun rise, as I really have a problem waking up early in the morning.
But then, with my little sister Suzzane’s graduation with a call time as early as 7 am ( yes, in full makeup already! ), who am I to say no, wherein she has never said no to me for all the things I’ve asked from her?
For years, she’s been doing the graphics for my numerous business and blog projects, taken really nice product shots for my beauty product reviews in my blog, and even sacrificed her free days from school to help me sell in my booth during bazaars. With such a kind, helpful, and sweet sister, I woke up crazy early, risked my cranky morning mood to do my full makeup, eat breakfast ( I don’t really eat breakfast! haha! ) , and of course, do her makeup for her big day. After all, it’s such a huge milestone for her that she’s finally done with college! Woot!
My sister Suzzane is now armed with a degree in Multimedia Arts from the College of Saint Benilde, as all her hard work in studying photography, and sleepless nights finishing 3d animations all were worth it, that day. I can see how proud my dad is of her, that she’s made it, and now, we’re three girls who have finished college already.
I, on the other hand, could not help but be happy and proud of my beaming dad, and my mom, who supportively stayed at home to manage the household, for I have really seen them work so hard for the longest time – enduring hardships and challenges, and countless overtimes just to send us all to school. I believe that the greatest gift of parents to their kids is education, that is far more precious than any material thing in this world, as it is to arm children with the know-how and how to survive, as they make their own way in the world, one day. I am very thankful that my parents are so hardworking, and care for us that much that they have guided us from when we were still kids, until now, that we’re facing the real world, as well as Suzzane, a newbie to the real world. I bet she’d do well.
With my dad beaming, and looking through the crowds of students to look for my sister, I was just so happy for him, and happy for our family. We already have an in-house Graphic Designer in our Printing business! Haha!
Anyways, let me share what we ate for our quick lunch before going back to the office. Suzzane wanted something delicious, but not too expensive as the family would be celebrating the following day, so we stopped over at Emerald Garden in Roxas Blvd. for a honest to goodness Chinese lunch.
Emerald Garden is one of those really popular Chinese restaurants, that we frequent because it is the usual venue for receptions of birthdays, baptismals, weddings, or even wedding anniversaries. They serve really delicious Chinese food! My mouth was salivating while reading their menu, but being mindful that we were only three, we also kept our ordering to three dishes :
Steamed Shrimps, or Sua-he. Oh god. When really fresh, this is really, really good! The shrimps are indeed fresh as they are caught fresh from their aquarium, and I was surprised larger than normal shrimps as I was used to small-sized ones. They tasted fresh, sweet, and succulent. I love dipping this in soy sauce!
Tausi Fish Fillet. Deep fried fish fillet, then sauteed with tausi sauce. I really love how they prepared this dish – the fish fillet was very tender, and as you sink your teeth in it, you’ll just luxuriate in its distinct flavor – nothing too salty, I thought it was a little bit sweet! It had a unique flavor that I don’t get to taste in other resto’s. I love this!
Hot and Sour Soup. This hefty serving that gave us two helpings of this is really good. It is a bit spicy, but it is not too sour. You can always add black vinegar if you want to make it more sour. Very delicious.
Yes, that’s all we had for our quick lunch! With that, I am really excited in coming back to Emerald Garden with my entire family for a bigger feast. Oh, Chinese food is just my all-time favorite cuisine, and I will definitely never tire of it. It runs in my blood!
