This story could have happened somewhere fancy, exciting, in a faraway place, depicting an adventure of a lifetime, with the most thrilling circumstances. I would have wanted that. But real life situations present limited opportunities, in my case at least.
It's difficult to keep up with the current pressure of Christmas gift-giving season and still squeeze in a little luxury of going out once in a while with my beautiful and smart 8-year old, more so an out-of-town getaway during hard times like this. Lately, I have limited our bonding moments outside the home, much to the pain of my maternal heart whenever I see the sad look of disappointment in her eyes.
So what else does a mother do in times like this? I have always believed in making the most of what I have at the moment, to create the best possible situation. So one Saturday, after my usual litany of why we could not go to her favorite pizza restaurant for the nth time this month, I quickly said there is no need to fret, because we are going to have some fun! And just like a happy trooper, her eyes glowed with anticipation about the ‘plan’.
Since we both love to read and make stories on just about anything, I knew she would surely enjoy what I had in mind. During the typhoon season, I created a fictional story ‘The Adventures of Sourbie’, to make brownout nights at home more interesting and bearable for her, in the absence of television. She enjoyed it so much that she now looks forward to the next power outage, with the hope of hearing another Sourbie adventure. :)
I told her this time, it is going to be more fun because she is going to star in a children’s story, not only in words, but also in pictures! It has been my lifelong dream to publish my own books – novels and children’s books, but never really got to it just yet (along with the rest of my other goals yet to be fulfilled). Half-written manuscripts still continue to gather dust and cobwebs in my drawer, but this might just be the boost I need to inspire me to continue writing again.
With overflowing enthusiasm and glee, she declared: “Okay Mom, let’s do it!!!”
This is how our memorable collaboration went. Just click on the photos to read the story clearly. :-)
THE GOOD FISH
The mini photo shoot was a blast. We laughed our hearts out at each and every photo I took, as she tried to project the needed expression. I never thought it would turn out to be this MUCH fun; even more fun than our trips to the mall and playing at Timezone.
Chestene’s current favorite is Century Tuna in oil. I just recently introduced her to Century Bangus Fillet Spanish style that she also loved in a heartbeat. Most kids her age normally dislike food with a hint of spice, but just like I took after my Dad, who loves spicy food, now she appears to have taken it after me, as well.
She always hears my Dad, who is a Cancer survivor with Congestive Heart Failure say how important it is to eat fish because of its Omega 3 goodness and how it protects one from various diseases. I will not be surprised if she starts to raid my Mom's stock of Century Bangus Fillet in the pantry from now on.
Surprisingly, it did not cost much to create one of the best memorable moments with my little girl and I did not need to go elsewhere to savor the goodness of my Century Bangus Fillet. I enjoyed it with the love of my life, at my most favorite place in the world, exactly where my heart is – our home.
Truly, Century Bangus Fillet can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere!
