I'm grateful for the gift of fatherhood as well as the new opportunities that came along the way.
We celebrated our third Father’s Day during the time of the pandemic. It
was just a simple lunch celebration at home. We ordered food from one of our
party tray sellers – Hotdish. We were surprised because Hotdish was still
able to accommodate our last-minute order unlike during Mother’s Day when
they were already fully booked days before.
Grateful Dad #30: Celebrating Fatherhood + More
We ordered Pancit Sisig, Beef Caldereta, and Shrimp Tempura. I love Pancit
Sisig because it’s always packed with flavors. The pork sisig toppings
remained surprisingly crunchy until the evening.
We also love Hotdish’s Beef Caldereta. The meat is very tender while the sauce
had well-balanced flavors from the tomato sauce, coconut milk, and liver
spread. It was also mildly spicy which I found to be perfect.
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| Food from Hotdish (Pancit Sisig on the left, top right is Shrimp Tempura, and bottom right is the Beef Caldereta) |
Meanwhile, the shrimp tempura was just okay. It tasted good and can satisfy
one’s shrimp tempura cravings but I wouldn’t consider it to be spectacular.
Then again, maybe I’m just not really a huge shrimp tempura fan.
Aside from our lunch, there was nothing more eventful with our Father’s Day
celebration. We played with the kids a little while I take the opportunity to
finish some of my deliverables with my Father’s Day brand collabs. Again, in
any celebration, what’s important is the meaning behind it and the people who
you spend it with.
Speaking of brand collaborations, I’m still grateful for the brands that trust
me since losing my old Instagram account late last year. Admittedly though,
the brand collabs have been fewer for me this year but I totally understand
that. However, I do plan to take a little backseat when it comes to brand
partnerships.
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| Daddy and Rafa |
They may be fewer but I found them to be more tiring for me this year. I guess
it’s because of the sudden popularity of TikTok and IG Reels. Previously, I
would just have to shoot static photos. Now, I have to shoot both static
photos and short video clips for sharing on TikTok and IG Reels.
I confess that I’m not too adept when it comes to video conceptualization. In
fact, if you look at my TikTok and IG Reels, all my videos look almost the
same like the sequence of shots, lighting, materials used, and all.
Furthermore, I want to take it slow because the pressure is somehow catching
up on me. I’ve been losing my patience as well as my temper in a snap so
that’s not a good sign. I should be enjoying the things that I love to do and
not add more burden to my life.
In the end, I’m still thankful for work and the additional income but I think
it’s also fine to say no when work is becoming too much to handle.
On a different note, here are some of the things that I’m also grateful for
last week:
Miguel’s graduation from his summer playschool
Miguel’s one-month summer playschool ended last June 17, 2022. They had a
simple graduation ceremony at school which we attended, of course. The
children were asked to wear a costume and Miguel came in dressed as Mickey
Mouse.
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| Miguel graduates from his summer playschool |
Certificates and treats were handed to the kids and nursery rhymes were played
throughout. We are proud of our son for having finished his summer playschool
which he seems to have really enjoyed.
More than that, we are also happy about our son’s progress. His teacher told
us that he was already interacting with his classmates unlike during the start
of the program when he would just sit still and wait for the toys and class
activities to be handed to him.
Going on a Facebook Live with Why We Dine
Why We Dine, which started in 2020, is a group of digital creators born out of the
desire of the Hero Kitchen Detailers to help the restaurant industry during
the pandemic by sharing and collecting dining experiences.
Why We Dine asked people who loved dining out to share their favorite dining
stories before the pandemic hit the country. Those pre-pandemic dining stories
brought back happy memories and a sense of normalcy both for the people who
shared them and the restaurant industry as well.
I’m a very reserved person and I’m not particularly fond of being seen on
screen, much more talking during a live broadcast. However, I said yes to Why
We Dine because I like their advocacy of helping the local restaurant industry
get back on its feet.
I joined a Facebook live game/contest with a group of bloggers last year that
was organized by Blogapalooza and so I thought, “Why not?” since it (Why We
Dine) would most likely be the same. I learned later on that it would just be
an individual game so that added a little to my nervousness.
All the same, the Why We Dine team gave me a briefing a week before the event
plus we had technical rehearsals a few minutes before we went live and that
eased my apprehension a little.
Surprisingly, during the event itself, my nervousness disappeared and I was
enjoying the games. Everything went smoothly and I’m glad that some of my blog
supporters also joined me during the Facebook live. They were even helping me
with some of the answers to the questions.
Many thanks to Why We Dine for the experience as well as the prizes from
Yellow Cab Pizza, Manam, and Ramen Nagi!
You can watch the full episode in Why We Dine's Facebook page.
How about you, what are you grateful for? Feel free to share them in the
comment section below.
For the last three editions of Grateful Dad, you may read the following posts:
For all the past entries, please click
here.
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My husband always says an uneventful Father's Day is the best kind. There's nothing better than just connecting with the family.
ReplyDeleteThe meal looks delish! Looks like you had an amazing Father’s Day!
ReplyDeleteI'm not so good at IG reels or Tik Tok. Definitely a learning curve there, but we'll get the hang of it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's lovely how they have graduations for achievements such as leaving pre-school now! We never had that growing up but it makes kids feel so celebrated and confident! I hope you had a fantastic father's day!
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ReplyDeleteFather's Day was a perfect day to reflect and consider on this beautiful party, but above all on this figure!
Nnnniiiicccceeeee...I can see a lot has gone on, in the past few days! I am so interested in following "Why We Dine"! Thanks for sharing about it all.
ReplyDeleteHappy Father's Day! The food looks yum, and the FB live has a great advocacy, I like it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great day with your family. So many things to be grateful for!
ReplyDeleteThe food sounds delicious. We all love prawn tempura here, it's such a yummy dish.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Miguel! Great Job! and Belated happy fathers day to you Ivan. Wishing you great things throughout the year!
ReplyDeleteThe meal looks so delicious! We definitely take for granted having great fathers now a days. I'm sure you felt appreciated on Father's Day.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had an awesome Father's Day celebration! The foods looks very deliciously made. Great job for being their father! - Anosa Malanga
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