This is the first time (I think) that we ever really celebrated Mother’s Day. Usually, I would dread this day because I was just that type of person who hated family days. Talk about severe angst and hang-ups, huh? But like I said in my previous posts, I am feeling so much better about my life right now and something inside of me wanted to be more open and forgiving. And so, without hesitation, a week before last, I texted my mom and asked her "Gusto mo pumunta Manila Ocean Park for Mother’s Day?" To which she replied, "Shempre gusto ko." Oo nga naman… it’s been ages since we last saw each other. I can’t even remember when that was. And so, there we were last Sunday, enjoying the little creatures of the ocean (some were not so little) and having a blast!
L-R: My brother Mac, his preggy girlfriend Smeerf, Mommy, Me & Peter
That’s the back of Quirino Grand Stand (I think) where Manila Ocean Park is located
Entrance Fee: Php400.00 each
DON"T BE AFRAID OF THE LONG LINE, FOLKS!
Since it was Mother’s Day last Sunday (May 11, 2008), we expected Manila Ocean Park to be full. True enough, it was. And it’s smart of their management to have hundreds of chained chairs ready for its customers as they wait for their numbers to come up in the machine (just like the way they do it in banks). The chairs were chained because they predicted that families would want to sit together and might just pull any chair to be closer to their group (which was what I wanted to do so we’d all be sitting together). But of course, that would mean a lot of chair arranging for their staff at the end of the day. So instead, they lined up all the monobloc chairs, chained them together and voila — instant organization among its waiting patrons! Less headache for everyone involved. Smart!
That’s my mom, me, Smeerf and Mac patiently waiting for our number (842). We waited for only 10 mins since their cashier works fast and they call the numbers by tens. I didn’t even notice the waiting time since I was too busy looking around and chatting with my family.
Upon entering the Oceanarium, this was the first thing we saw. At the opposite side of this tank is where the giant Arapawma (arwana) was. But because it was positioned facing the sun, it’s so hard to get a clear picture of it. Tsk, tsk.
And so we went down to see more sea creatures…
Shark Moments
Into the Fish Cave!
Falling In Love with Manta Rays
The Live Sea…
Bye-Bye Time…
It only took two hours or so for us to tour the whole thing. This is because the rest of the park (mall and a few more dining places) is still under construction. We would’ve loved to have buffet lunch in their very posh resto (with a view of the Manila Bay) that serves multinational dishes for only P600 per person. However, all of us were not yet that hungry. And because my mom hasn’t been to Mall of Asia yet, we then decided to bring them there. It was a very hot day. It’s a good thing that Peter and I had a little picnic basket stored at the back of the car. Peter went to the car first to turn on the airconditioning and by the time we reached parking, Peter was already serving us glasses of fruit juice with ice! Awesome! Thanks, Baby! You’re the sweetest!
When we got to MOA, we searched the entire mall for a decent place to eat. Everything was full!!! Thank God for our picnic snack break a little while back, we had the energy to look around and scout for a good dinng place. My mom was craving for Pinoy food and so we checked out Gerry’s, Azul, Gumbo (not so Pinoy food here), etc. Finally, Via Mare accepted us and had us wait, assuring us that the next table would be vacant soon. So we ordered tons of dishes and after waiting for forever (almost an hour), a group of three arrived and we were bumped off the table since they had that table reserved since 11am. And it was already 2pm. Are they nuts?!!! Out of frustration, we left Via Mare in a rush. Bahala na sila sa food na inorder namin! That ought to teach them a lesson. The supervisor rushed to us and told us to wait because our food is already being cooked. Well, good luck to that! I can really be mean sometimes. Besides, my mom, brother and his gf weren’t feeling so good about the whole situation to the point that we all just wanted to go to Jollibee and order our usual spahetti and burgers. Good thing that we passed by Pupung’s and the pinoy dishes advertised outside seemed delicious. And the price is soooo low! So, we stayed there instread, ordered our food and in just minutes, we were already having what we initially craved for — Pakbet, Laing, Bangus belly, Fried Lumpia, Lechon Kawali, Pusit, Chiken Inasal, Mango-Pork-Bagoong Salad, Coke, Iced Tea and Buko Juice. All for only less than 700 pesos. Awesome!!!
All in all, it was truly a Happy Mother’s Day for my mom. After having late lunch, we again watched Iron Man (like I promised myself I would … Tony Stark, you are so HOT!!!!) and we all brought them home to San Mateo Rizal. We had Yellow Cab Pizza for dinner while chit chatting about mundane little things that families talk about. The money I saved from eating at Manila Ocean Park’s resto, I gave it to Mac and Smeerf as our gift for the unborn child (who they promised to name Bryan… para BRYAN ADAMS… o ha?!!!) I was neutral the whole time and that’s a good thing. Actually, my new definition of happiness these days is neutrality. Before, I used to feel only two things: overly enthusiastic and overly depressed. It was sooo tiring! Feeling neutral and at peace with myself is a very welcoming feeling. And I saw it in my mom’s disposition too. I guess I got my old bipolar disorder from her. And I’m glad we’re both more relaxed these days. For me, that’s what happiness is. For now, at least. 
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