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| the author with Jollibee! |
I had waited three decades for this thing to happen. (Wait, am I revealing my age too much?) Oh, I was glad when it finally happened last August 6, 2011 at the Ronac Art Center in Ortigas Center. I had a confession to make: I had long wanted to have a photo opportunity with Jollibee (as in only Jollibee and I, without any other kid/person) ever since I was a kid. I thought it would never happen since everywhere Jollibee went, kids and adult would mob him just as typical fans do when they meet their idols! Kids love Jollibee and so does the adults who grew up loving him(this author included).
Admit it or not, most Filipino babies even learned to say Jollibee (or Jobee, however they try to pronounce it) after knowing how to say Mom or Dad or any other words. It seemed like a very normal thing for Filipino families. And it wasn't just some kind of a "trend" for nearly after more than three decades of existence, Jollibee is still popular among kids of all ages. I guess it all boils down to the fact that Jollibee was able to maintain its mass appeal, the very reason why it's well-loved.
I looked forward to Sundays as a child not only because it's a family day and church day, but more so because after hearing mass we would all go straight to Jollibee Coronet (yes, the one in Cubao, Quezon City--the first Jollibee branch in the country) and eat my fave Jollibee treats. However, we didn't had the chance to celebrate our birthday parties at Jollibee because my mom didn't had the budget for it. That's why as a child, I would relish moments I had each time I get invited to Jollibee kiddie parties by friends and classmates. It meant games, foods, prizes and fun time with Jollibee and friends. I had attempted before to take snap photos of Jollibee and me a couple of times in the past. But as it seemed, luck had never been on my side back then. It's either, there's a child behind us or worse children all around Jollibee.
Imagine my childhood dream turning into a reality some three decades later. Call me stupid, but I still believe in making my childhood dreams come true. It was quite fast, the minute I saw Jollibee, I immediately stood up and grabbed my camera. Had I become shy to not ask my mom to take shot of Jollibee and me, this wouldn't have been possible. You know what made it special? Voila! I had Jollibee all to myself! What a first time! And my mom also asked me to take a picture of her with the friendly guy mascot too. I'm not alone after all. Maybe my mom also had that desire to have her picture taken with Jollibee all to herself in the past years. Hmm...just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to make your dreams a reality no matter how too late.
A Jollibee Fan Forever,
I did not grow up with jolibbe because to where I came from haha we dont have that establishment until now. I start to like it when I was in college... But there is one thing that I miss about weekends or sundays, my family use to go to this old cabin my grandparents use to own and have out picnic. My father use to have a lot of chicken sometimes my mom would cook it (fried) and we joke like this is our version of jollibee..
ReplyDeleteHi! Where are you from? I wanna be the first one to put-up a Jollibee store there! He,he,he...Just kidding, I don't have that money to earn a franchise! Even if you had not experience growing up with Jollibee, having that "special Sunday family bonding" with your family was something worth remembering. It's one of those precious moments in life when you just want to go back and relish, if only you could.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my humble blog and I really appreciate your comments. God bless!