Mama used to be the ultimate party organizer. She made every excuse to gather people together. Birthday, anniversary, graduation, basketball championship, novena, reunion – anything worth celebrating, she’s in. Our home wasn’t big enough to accommodate lots of people but somehow, they seem to fit. Ma and Daddy used to have bingo sessions with their workmates in the building, they would sit on sleeping mats while having a beer and appetizers.
Ma’s favorite dishes to prepare included basic staples: pancit bihon, lumpiang shanghai, fried chicken, chicken macaroni, menudo, ginataang bilo-bilo and pineapple juice on a cocktail bowl. She would let me chop the vegetables and be a taster, my favorite role. Ma loved fruits in season, there’s always banana, mandarin and mangoes.
Mama would prepare early in the morning, going to Paco market to buy ingredients. She mastered the art of haggling. First, she would haggle and if the seller won’t give in to her asking price, she would try to ever slowly walk away, just in time for the person to call her back and surrender. Triumphant in this quest, she would buy me salted peanuts at the end of our wet market errand.
I always remembered how Ma cooked a simple dish even when times were hard and bought a simple Goldilocks cake roll to put a candle on and make a wish. Our home was filled with laughter, music and lively chatter. She loved to serve and feed people. It was her love language, acts of service. It was such a shock to me that she knew how to play the piano when she performed in Tito Pon’s house a few months before she passed away. Ma also entertained people through her song and dance numbers. Whenever one of us in the family hear You Needed Me by Anne Murray, we can’t help but shed a few tears because it’s her theme song. It’s her way of saying she’s still with us, singing and dancing to Shalala Lala. Moon river is another favorite videoke song of hers.
A celebration didn’t need to be fancy or expensive for her. It just had to be shared with the warmth of the community and made you feel seen, valued and loved. Cheers Ma!
Ma’s journal entry for Teret’s birthday
Mama Norma (4th from left) with her Tupperware pitcher
Mama Norma in blue with family and relatives
Mama Norma in brown, goofing around