There is no better way to spend a weekend than to go out and enjoy the great moments in life. Weekends are for creating memories. Weekends are the ideal time to unwind and make enduring memories, whether it's through an unplanned visit, spending time with loved ones, or just taking a vacation from the daily grind. Every weekend has the potential to be filled with memorable experiences, whether it's traveling to new locations or engaging in your favorite pastimes. By stepping back, enjoying the little things, and living in the present, you can make this weekend one to remember!
Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of my blog. This time, I want to share with you my weekend stroll with my mother and sister last Sunday. I know you already read my sister's blog last Sunday, and I hope you’ll enjoy mine as well.
January 5, 2025 – Our first stroll of the year at SM City Cebu. My sister decided to visit SM because she had an appointment at CarlCare, an official service center for Tecno, Infinix and Itel. At first, I was hesitant to accompany her due to the hot weather, but I agreed because she rarely visits Cebu, and she promised it would be her treat too. If you really know my sister, she only treats us once in a blue moon.
As we strolled around the Cyberzone for more than 20 minutes, unable to locate the CarlCare store, we asked several sales representatives, but some of them didn't recognize the store. Eventually, we asked another staff member who helped us find it. Turns out, we couldn’t find it because it was located inside the Smart Store. When we finally reached the store, we were informed that the staff was still on break, so we decided to have lunch while we waited.
We decided to dine at McDonald's since it was closer to Cyberzone. Fortunately, it wasn’t as crowded as we expected, so we lined up and ordered right away. I was surprised to see that McDonald's had changed their cashier area and to have bigger space to accommodate more customers.
I would rate the McDonald's branch inside SM City a 5/10. My sister ordered double rice and 1 pc. Original Chickenjoy with a Coke Float, while I ordered Spicy Chickenjoy with spaghetti, fries, and an orange juice. As we started eating, I was disappointed with both the spaghetti and chicken. The spaghetti looked like leftovers, and when I tasted it, it was overcooked and mushy. The chicken was very small, much smaller than what you’d typically get from outside the mall and it was dry and not crispy, just like the one served to my sister. The fries were not freshly cooked and were somewhat soggy. We didn’t expect this kind of service, especially considering we waited almost 30 minutes, and the restaurant wasn’t crowded. It seemed like the staff, especially at the cashier area, wasn’t very attentive. We finished our food because it would have been a waste of money otherwise, especially since it was expensive.
After we finished eating and met our mother at McDonald's, we went back to CarlCare so my sister’s phone could be checked and repaired. The staff informed us that it would take about 2-3 weeks to get the phone back. My sister was hesitant because she needed a phone ASAP, as she had a lot of schoolwork and video making to do. Without any words, she decided to go ahead with the repair and wait 2-3 weeks. However, later on, she decided to buy a new phone since she really needed one.
She bought the phone using my mother’s home credit, as it offered a 0% down payment option. To reduce the monthly payments, my sister decided to give a PHP 3,000 down payment so that the monthly installments wouldn't be too high. It was an impulsive purchase, but she really needed a phone. She mentioned that if her Infinix gets fixed, she would give it to my brother, since his phone is already very old and lags a lot.
Actually, our initial plan was to stroll around SM City Cebu, bond, and satisfy some of our cravings. My sister was supposed to treat us. However, due to some unforeseen events, like her buying a new phone worth PHP 18,999 and spending around PHP 3,800 to repair her Infinix phone, she ended up spending over PHP 20,000 in one day. Because of this, we decided to postpone our bonding and perhaps do it some other time.
This is our first picture taken with her new phone. Even though she was impulsive in purchasing it, I’m proud of her because now she can buy whatever she wants. Unlike before, when we were dependent on our parents to buy us things, she now feels a sense of accomplishment. Although she initially felt guilty about spending such a large amount of money, she’s happy because she used her hard-earned money to buy something for herself.
To end our weekend, we all felt blessed and happy to have these moments of bonding, even if it's something we don’t always get to do. As we parted ways, I made sure they got on a jeep heading to Danao, so I could be sure they were on their way safely. After making sure they were set, I walked to my boarding house to get some rest, as I still had work the next day.
Maybe another time, we can have a full family bonding if we’re all together. My brother didn’t join us that weekend because he was feeling lazy, and the weather was just too hot. My mother joined us, though, as she had gone to Tajao earlier and brought along some leftover lechon and shrimp to share with me.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and connect with my thoughts today. I’m excited to continue sharing my journey with you, and I hope you found something here that resonated or sparked an idea. This blog is a space for growth, inspiration, and conversation, and I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or experiences in the comments. Feel free to share if something stood out to you. Here’s to many more stories, lessons, and moments of connection ahead! See you in the next post!