THE THREE TYPES OF BIRTHDAY PARTIES For the past few decades, moms threw parties the only way they knew how: a host will officiate some games (one of which is guess what? the “bring me” game!), then a magician will come in and do his thing, after which comes the cake blowing, the handing out of souvenirs and giveaways, and then bam! The party is done and everyone is happy. I like to call this the “standard” format for a party. It’s definitely fun, colorful, loud...
About a month ago, we celebrated the death anniversary of my maternal grandmother. Whenever I think of my ama, my mind often flashes back to this specific scene: my ama, sturdily climbing up the grand staircase of Makati Shangri-la Hotel, off to see me get engaged to my now husband. By then, she was already at Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and had already undergone a number of surgeries (none were effective). For those unaware, pancreatic cancer is the Mike Tyson of all cancers: it’s hard to...
A PERFECT PARTY FOR A PERFECT GIRL If you had a daughter turning 7, what theme would you choose for her? I always joke with my clients that for their child’s first birthday, the parents should choose their own favorite theme, because by the time he or she turns 7 years old, the child will already be doing the choosing for them! So what type of girl is Ellie like? First thing that pops to mind is that she is a gymnast: Ellie in the process of doing a gymnast’s split-leap. Special...
I remember the night as clear as day. It was one of our first events, and my husband and I were doing a mock-up of how the dessert table would look like for that party (the theme was Cat in the Hat). After displaying all the dessert jars and containers, and having been satisfied with the output, I told my husband to pack things up. And then the unthinkable happened. The table was one of those foldable ones with the bendable legs. My husband, perhaps in his rush to set up the table, forgot to...
LAZ AND LILY: A TALE OF TWO MIRACLES A few years ago, I heard a story from a client that would stick to me up to this day: For some time, my client and her husband found it hard to conceive a child. So they went to the Holy Land itself, Israel, and lo and behold, a child was conceived! Thus was their firstborn, Laz, dubbed the “miracle baby”. A year later, Party Magic helped the couple, Raul and Laurice, celebrate the miracle of life during Laz’s first birthday. This was back...