A Night for Mommy Tess: The Yoginis, the Chaos, and the Perfect Parking Spot
No, before you ask — Mommy Tess is not my mom. She’s like the mom of all yoginis at Daily Prana. You know, the one who knows everyone’s birthdays, asks if you’ve eaten, and somehow convinces you to attend an 8 AM class when you swore mornings were evil.
Since Ralph and I joined Daily Prana, Tita Tess has been the warmest, most welcoming soul. We became closer when the 10 AM class was scrapped and, against my natural circadian rhythm, I was forced into joining the early risers.
The Invitation
A week before her birthday, Tita Tess slid into my Messenger with a personal invite to her birthday dinner at Sugba Sugba — conveniently located right behind Daily Prana, so no chance of getting lost. Her actual birthday was on August 22, but the dinner was set for Thursday, August 21. Naturally, I thought, “Oh, just a quiet little dinner… probably candles, soft music, maybe a heartfelt toast.”
Spoiler alert: It was not quiet.
The Secret Yogini Plot
Two days before the event, the 8 AM yoginis created a secret group chat — excluding Tita Tess, obviously — so we could plan a few surprises. The hot topic: a slideshow of memories. Naturally, there was a lot of “Oh, that’s a great idea!” but zero volunteers.
So, like the classic overachiever-slash-martyr that I am, I said, “Fine, I’ll do it.”
Yes, I had work. Yes, I had deadlines. But somehow, I managed to squeeze in this creative side project. And honestly? I was proud of how it turned out. Of course, I made sure to include baby Yui in it because Tita Tess absolutely adores my granddaughter. Priorities.
The Perfect Parking Spot (A Rare Miracle)
We arrived early — and I mean early early — which meant we scored the holy grail of all holy grails: a parking spot right by the entrance. For Bacolod drivers, you know this is like winning the lottery.
After about 25 minutes of sitting in the car, scrolling aimlessly, and convincing ourselves we weren’t too early, we decided to go inside.
That’s when the chaos began.
The Great Sugba Sugba Debacle
We walked in and spotted Rica Kim Manzon already seated. She greeted us with a peck on the cheek, but her energy? Dark. Like, “don’t-mess-with-me-I’m-texting” dark. Her attention was split between her phone and a waiter standing awkwardly next to her.
I had no idea what was going on… until more yoginis arrived, including the birthday girl herself. Suddenly, the room buzzed with whispers, side-eyes, and the unmistakable scent of incoming drama.
Turns out, Sugba Sugba completely messed up the orders. The original set of dishes that was placed a week ago? Ignored. They only prepared the additional orders placed that morning.
Cue Tita Tess going full-on “mom mode” — talking to the uniformed staff with a face that said, “Fix this or else.” And then there was Gez Chua, equally fuming and backing her up like a loyal general.
The dinner that was supposed to start at 6 PM? Yeah, it officially kicked off past 7 PM.
But When It Finally Started…
Once the food finally arrived and everyone was settled, the night turned around. Laughter filled the room, the slideshow got a few sentimental “awwws” (and maybe one or two ugly cries), and Tita Tess glowed like the queen she is.
Ralph and I had to leave early since he had his usual Thursday night meeting, but even with the restaurant drama, it was a warm, beautiful celebration.
My Birthday Wish for Mommy Tess
To our beloved Tita Tess: may you always have good health, endless happiness, and parking spots as perfect as the one we found that night.
Because if anyone deserves them, it’s you. ❤️
