The apple of my eye, the light of my life, my granddaughter Heather Colleen Sanguyo turned ten years old on the 3rd of October. And every year on that date I go crazy trying to come up with a unique and memorable birthday present. For years I’ve had check with her parents Chrisanto and YoHanna May as to what was needed or desired by my precious one.
This year she’ll be ten and I decided that a new tradition should be established between her and me, so this is my plan. The day before her birthday she and I will depart for Harbor Point Mall on Subic Free Port for a long afternoon of a lunch and shopping and If I’m still alive maybe a movie. I can sleep through the movie.
The shopping will be in the stores that she wants and she will pick out the items she wants. Without the able assistance of a mother or grandmother to push her towards items they think she should buy. Shopping independence and indulgence and the company of a Lolo Daddy Paul to carry the purchases Yes I’m well trained in that phase of shopping.
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I picked the day before her birthday so as not to interfere with any plans her Mother and Father had made for that day. Damn, I’m a thoughtful kind of guy. I will pick her up at her school and whisk her off on a day that will belong to her, but that plan was revised and my daughter decided she wanted to be there also, then my wife of course wanted to be there, and I thought maybe I should hire a van. She will still get to pick where to eat, she will still set the pace, and I will follow like the dutiful puppy dog she has turned me into along with the rest of the tribe.
Our adventure begins. Of course it’s raining, but the mall I’m assured has a very good roof. What a way to start the day, the new old Honda wouldn’t start. The battery was very low. It’s 1430, and I supposed to meet my Daughter, Chris and Heather Colleen, at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall on SBMA. I quickly hook up my battery charger, a quality product made in Great Briton, and ten minutes later I had ignition. Something some good will always come out of a bad situation, I realized that for the first time in my daughter’s life I would be the one who is late instead of her.
Entering the mall and within a couple of minutes we meet up with my granddaughter. Kisses and hugs and off we go on our shopping adventure. I had planned on spending about $100.00 on her presents, but I’d be wrong. Off to the electronics section, bypassing We-Be-Toys, sporting goods stores, and the part that shocked me the most was no clothing stores were on her list. She wanted a Nintendo 3DS game machine. Without thinking I boldly entered this high tech expensive shopping emporium , where first I was assaulted with high volume Techno crap music, and all this time I only thought I hated RAP (I’m sorry but I can’t add the word music to go with RAP)
I smiled at the 3 sales clerks and shouted; “If you really want to make a sale, please turn down that noise.” I turned to Colleen and said; “What do they have here that you want for your 10th Birthday?” She smiled and pointed to the object of her desire, and the salesclerk jumped to get her the thing she wanted, while asking what color did she want? The purple one of course, the box was sealed in bulletproof cellophane, and no one was moving to open it. I found that they didn’t want to open it unless you were going to buy it. All well and good, whereas I was not going to purchase it until the box was open and we could see it. A catch 22 situation was brewing. But they blinked first and opened the box.
The young sales lady was demonstrating to my granddaughter the functions of the machine and how to operate it. She had no idea of the intricate workings of this Nintendo 3DS Game Boy do-hicky. But to no one’s surprise, newly minted ten year old Heather Colleen Sanguyo had a handle on the care and operation of her dream present. This little thingamabob can do wild stuff, of course you can play games, but in three D with no special glasses.
You can browse the World Wide Web, it has a camera that will take regular pictures or three D photo’s that can only be viewed on the Nintendo’s special screen. I’ll assume it can drive a car and dance Gangdam Style. But here is the shocker, it costs Php 8,500.00, and if that grabs you by the shorts, try this on for size; each game costs Php 1,500.00. My wife, daughter, and Son-in-law all knew that I was committed, and our little girl was going to have the object of her desire for her birthday, but I’m still a tricky Son-of-a-gun. So I smiled down at my bright eyed beaming love of my life and said. “Wow, you’re one lucky young lady, to have a mom and dad that will buy you a new game every month as their birthday present to you.” The shock on the parental unit faces was priceless, but then they smiled, as they knew they’d get the credit, and I’d buy the games. Next I paid for the Game Boy and departed.
We were now on the way to TGIF to eat supper, and we ran into a group of her classmates, and the Game Boy had to be shown and touched by them all. While the whole time their parents gave me dirty looks. Hey, ya’ll should’ve have stayed home today.
The other side of the coin is what I did for the Sanguyo side of the family; they now know what to buy our little darling for Christmas this year, as you can never have too many games. Happy Birthday little one, you will always be the key to my heart.
Way to go Paul. You did a great thing for the little one. I have to get mine a Wii next week for her birthday and I don’t even know what it is. Dam it’s great to be a grandpa.
Loren;
We don’t have to know what it is, we just have to know they want it. I agree with you, this grandpa gig is the best jobt I’ve ever had.
Priceless!
Ron;
That she is, thank you!
happy birthday Heather Colleen. It was an American style birthday even though living in the Philippines.
Donna;
She had a regular Philippine Birthday the following day, cake and Pancit with both sides of the family attending. We’re an equal nationality family. How much do you think I can get away with, I’m the only Kano! (LOL)
Good Job – Good Deed Paul !!!
Those do-hickies are about the same price as here in the U.S.
I had the first pong TV game (I think it was called). We had a ball with it.
And to think – she’s not even a teenager yet and the things they want then – oh you just wait !
If you are like me, you’ll always want to do better and out do the last, the next year – yep.
So now you have a year to come up with something that will “out do” the “do-hicky.”
Enjoy,
ABB
ABB;
Thanks, she has been on the electronics for a few years now, and cell phone does it all, I sit and peck at the computer, and when I run into trouble I call my daughters, my niece or my granddaughter. I didn’t teach them anything but I made sure they had the newest equipment to set them up for this new world that has left me behind. Next time I’ll get her the newest whirly gig, I hope she likes it…
BTW, Next year? Christmas is around the corner! (LOL)
Such a good Grandpa you are Paul. Your article reminds me of visits to my grandparents house when I was a child. Grandma always took me to the Toy Store and let me pick something for myself. Then I was given the choice of going to a movie or to the record store to buy the latest hit songs on 45 RPM ( remember those ? ) . This was when Rock & Roll was in its infancy and when we got back to Grandmas house we sould play the new 45’s on my grandparents Philco combination console TV-Radio-Phono. In those days, a 10 watt amplifier pumping through a 6 X 9 inch oval speaker in a wooden console cabinet was ” Big Time ” . Decades later, I still have all of those 45’s ( for those of the CD and MP3, iPod era, 45’s were phonograph records pressed from vinyl plastic and played one song per side ) . That is one reason I don’t want to part with them. Too many fond memories of going to the record store with Grandma. I continued buying 45’s as long as I could get them and they were songs that I liked, including songs by Alan Jackson, Billy Ray Cyrus and many many others.
The things you do and the things you give to your grandaughter for her birthdays will live on long after obsolescence. The memories will last her lifetime. I still play the 45’s my Grandma bought me all those years ago.
Bob;
It’s funny how a simple object can return one to a time of happiness and fond memories, some day in the future my granddaughter will clutch her memory USB stick filled with my old country mp3 albums and reflect back on a happy time also. It’s not really the object; it’s the memory that is the thing of extreme value.
I look back and think about a kid’s wheelbarrow that my grandfather gave me so I could move dirt alongside his with him, I never knew why we were moving the dirt, but then he was from Ireland. It’s been 58 years but I think fondly of him still.
Paul it is nice to be able to spoil one grandchild for so long, and enjoy her company. It is not so easy for us, we have five Grandchildren arriving in as many years, so things are having to be shared out more. At the moment one Grandson and mystep Grandaughter are still in the Philippines and I am looking forward to the time when we are all together.
Being Grandparents is a privilege to enjoy to the full.
Marjorie;
One can only do what one can, I now have my Grandson Jayden (the Little Dude) living here with us and I help out when the Lola and Momma will allow me to. It’s only a few times a year that I go a little crazy with my granddaughter Colleen.
But I know what you are talking about.
Happy Birthday Colleen, sounds like you had a wonderful time Paul.
Mike;
Thank you; it was a nice day, albeit expensive. Now we all know why I still drive the New Old Honda.
As usual Grandpa Paul outdoes the competition, lol. Nice work! That grandparent gig must be kind of cool. No grandkids here yet. I have a 13 year old boy who wants $3000 guitars, XBOX 360 games and a fast internet connection plus an investigative two year old whose happy with the box his toys came in (although he’s showing a penchant for motorbikes lately). Now if I could only have their grandpas around on their birthdays! Keep on treating those kids good Paul! You’re a lucky man and they’re lucky to have you!
Mark;
One Christmas in 1952 my grandpa gave me a toy drum. Many years later my father gave my first son a drum on Sean’s 5th Christmas. My Dad smiled at me and said; “I’m even with the Universe at last.”
I have to wait 5 more Christmas seasons before it’s my turn.
Being a dad is a great job too, but grandfather’s can send them home when he’s done.
Paul,
I would be more than happy to have that kind of job over working a regular job lol. What better way to spend your money than on grandchildren. The smile alone on there face makes it all worthwhile. I recently became a lolo in august. I now have a granddaughter. So i can spoil her until 2014 and after that they are more than welcome to visit me in the Philippines anytime. Take care and see you in a couple of weeks.
Congrats on your being a lolo, Randy! If memory serves, you have a layover at IAD enroute to Manila via Narita on the 19th. Are you flying ANA? Dulles is only 10 minutes from my son’s house in Ashburn, and I’m supposed to be in Ashburn on the 17th. If I pop over to the airport on the 19th to say hello, how would I find you? I know you weigh 200 pounds, what’s your other recognizable feature? I hope RGIII recovers from his injury well enough to be able to play against the Vikings this weekend. LOL
Btw, Paul, Randy, speaking of granddaughters, here’s one reason why my wife and I are unable to retire full-time to the Philippines. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXMBUGYe9EQ
Ricardo;
I can understand your reasoning for not making the move. If I was to move my daughter would be looking for her daughter. (lol)
Ricardo,
I really like that video, she is such a cutie. I fully understand why you can move fulltime. Skype will come in pretty handy when i relocate there along with the magic jack. Thanks so much for the congrats on the granddaughter. It was kind of a surprise since it was my youngest son who is in the Army at Ft Stewart, Ga. I will be arriving at Dulles at 1125am on United Flight 1004, but have only a 1 hour layover to catch ANA Flight 1 to Narita at 1225pm. I would be more than happy to talk to you if i have time and you can locate me. Have never been to Dulles so i will have to locate my departure gate pretty quickly. I’m 6’2″ short brown hair, balding in front, mustache, polo shirt, blue jeans and will be carrying a Nike athletic bag. Thats the best description i can give you lol. That hurts losing RG3, but Kirk Cousins did ok against Atlanta considering first time playing. Take care and have a nice day.
PapaDuck;
Your granddaughter will own you when she turns two, and figures that same thing out. Have a great trip, looking forward to meeting you guys.
Good Job Grandpa!! 🙂
Chris;
Thank you sir!