12 Apr 2013
in Family, Other Events Tags: Ballerina Barbie, cartoons, Dora the Explorer, family, kids, Lia, SM Cartoon Fest, SM City Fairview, sponsored
The SM City Fairview Annex Atrium was jam packed with moms, dads, kids, kids-at-heart, babies in strollers, mascots, as well as all kinds of cartoon character goodies this Friday afternoon. We quickly circled the entire area to find entrances, and to get an idea of the event’s general lay out, so we knew what we needed to do in that sea of people. Stage and audience area on one end, the booths and play centers in the middle, and the gift shop on the other end, next to the registration booth and main entrance to the cartoon fest. Check!
We went around the booths as the characters were being introduced one by one onstage and the booths were still empty. We found a booth that Lia loved at first sight: the Barbie Ballerina booth, where there was a table for coloring pages and activity books, as well as a table where she could get her nails painted. My 4-year old daughter did not like the idea of having her nails painted, but took a seat without a moment’s hesitation on the activity table and started coloring Barbie pages.
She had to stop coloring when Spongebob went onstage and shrieked with delight upon the explosion of the confetti. Confetti that kids would love throwing onstage, up in the air, and at each other, afterwards.
At five o’clock, the characters went to their respective booths one by one so kids could come meet them, or have their photos taken with them. Lia, upon going through all the booths, also one by one, and overwhelmed with the mascots’ sizes, said they were all scary so we went around the shop instead. And here is where she found the most joy, amidst the Barbies.
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11 Apr 2013
in Other Events Tags: cartoons, family, kids, SM, SM Cartoon Fest
The SM Cartoon Fest is launching this coming Friday at SM Fairview from 4pm onwards. Go and bring the kids and the kids at heart!
Expecting a deluge of kids and kids-at-heart with their families at the SM Supermalls this summer, the country’s largest chain of malls is launching the biggest and only gathering of 38 cartoon characters in 44 malls nationwide on April 12. Dubbed “ SM Toonfest”, the summer-long festival that ends May 31 will feature a never-seen-before number of activities and cartoon-related toys and interesting finds for the whole family and the cartoon-lover to enjoy.
The SM Toonfest will showcase meet and greets with beloved characters such as Spongebob and Patrick, Dora and Boots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Big Bird, Bugs Bunny, Barbie, Green Lantern and many others. Fun activities include face painting, coloring contests, exciting raffle prizes, scrapbook making, cartoon film showings, arts and crafts shows and one-of-a-kind play centers and game areas. Special discounts will be available for toys and other character items on sale.SM’s Toonfest is supported by Bates/Nickelodeon, Richprime, Pacific Licensing, Honeybarn, Solar, Click Licensing and Astroplus/Magnavision, among others. With all the beloved cartoon characters in the malls this summer, SM can truly say, Everything’s Here.Watch out for more details on SM Toonfest events and promos atwww.facebook.com/smsupermalls.
04 Apr 2013
in Family, Music and Arts Tags: arts and crafts, Easter Sunday, family, Lia, painting, YAS, Young Artists' Studio
It was a really fun Easter activity for the kids last Sunday at the Greenhills branch of Young Artists’ Studio.
Lia had been really looking forward to this egg painting activity and she was delighted to see the venue. The Young Artists’ Studio is located inside Sound Learning Therapy Center on the 3rd floor of the Promenade Bldg. at the corner of Wilson St. and P. Guevarra St., Greenhills, San Juan.
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05 Feb 2013
in Uncategorized Tags: family, Jesse Robredo, letters, love, parenthood, personal
“According to his family, the late DILG secretary Jesse Robredo loved writing them letters. When he was in Germany for official business in 1992, he wrote this letter to his oldest daughter Aika, who was four years old at the time.
Photo from Aika Robredo/Robredo family via GMA NEWS”
I was in El Nido when news of Jesse Robredo’s plane crash reached me and I spent days, agonized, hoping, praying, wishing for the best but bracing myself for the worst, on standby for the latest news and updates by the minute, by the hour, like he was my own father. And I wondered how I could be so distressed about someone whom I have not really known.
Born in Naga City and raised in Pili, Camarines Sur, I only spent four years in Naga as a student at the Colegio de Sta. Isabel. I saw him around a lot, and his family, as I was schoolmates with one of his nieces; but being young and carefree, I never really knew him for the great man he was.
But I have been a witness to how this man transformed the city and everyone around him through his words and actions.
And I wept and wept with the rest of my fellow Bicolanos at his early and unexpected demise. And maybe, we were also weeping for the loss of the country. He was a great man.
And he was great, not only because of what he has done, but what he stood for.
Public servant, friend, uncle, husband, father.
I still wept when I saw this letter, as if I was his daughter, and understanding the pains of being separated from one’s child because you have a job that a lot of people need you to be a better person for. And perhaps, I still will when I reread it. Over and over. This sadness just does not stop; but we all have to move on, whatever it is we are going through at this moment, or this day, or even tomorrow, we just have to keep moving forward. Stand on your two feet, put a smile on your face, and most especially, do not spend your time crying.
I just feel that this needs to be shared.
07 Jan 2013
in Family, MOMents, Photography Tags: Bicol, Camarines Sur, family, Lia, MOMents, photography, Stonehouse, Stonehouse Gardens Resort, travel
Lia was borrowed by her grandparents during the weekend and I was missing her so much that I went back to the photos taken at Stonehouse Gardens Resort while we were in Bicol last month. This is really, I could say, Part 2 of Lia and her Mama at Stonehouse Gardens.
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01 Jan 2013
in Camarines Sur, Family, MOMents, Photography Tags: Bicol, Camarines Sur, family, Lia, MOMents, photography, Stonehouse Gardens, Stonehouse Gardens Resort, travel
Having finally decided that Lia and I will never come back to live in Bicol, we embarked on a road trip to haul all of our stuff back to Manila. We used to travel together every two weeks when Lia and I were both based in Bicol in 2011 but this was Lia’s first return trip to Bicol after leaving nearly ten months before. We allotted two out of the three-day long weekend for just driving the 900+ kilometers back and forth, and only one day to stay and roam around the area. This mainly meant having coffee at Starbucks Magsaysay, dropping by Bigg’s Diner and Red Platter, having kinalas and puto bucayo. Of course we could have done more but with the limited time, we had to prioritize the ones I missed the most.
I have always wanted to go up and visit Stonehouse Gardens, and because we had no plans of ever coming back, it was imperative that we go this time.
Finally.
We arrived a few minutes before four in the afternoon on the first Saturday of December. The sun was nearly at the horizon and behind the clump of trees by the fence. After refreshing ourselves with glasses of juice served by the resort and take-out food from Bigg’s Diner, we went on a walk around the place and took photos. The setting sun gave just the right light for what would become some of my favorite photos for the year 2012.
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17 Nov 2012
in Family Tags: Cucina Victoria, family, Lia, Rockwell Powerplant Mall., Sundays
As much as Lia loves the beach, Lia also loves the malls. But only if there are reindeers. No, just kidding. Lia loves the beach more. She will never say no to the question, “Do you want to go to the beach?” regardless of her mood or her state of hunger or tiredness. On the other hand, she would say no to the question “Do you want to go to the mall?” eighty percent of the time. Sometimes I even have to force her.
Lia also didn’t want me to take photos of her. She wanted me to take photos of puppy wearing her new funky plastic glasses that we bought at a street stall while waiting for the car’s tank to get filled up at a gas station the day before.
I had planned on going to the Global Pinoy Bazaar at Rockwell Tent earlier but Lia had fallen asleep on the sofa. We let her sleep because we knew she needed the energy, and we needed her to be in a good mood for a time at the mall and the bazaar. We left before six in the evening and traffic from Junction at the Ortigas Ave. Ext. all the way to Ever Gotesco mall was a crawl. Slower than crawl actually. The traffic was light past the mall though and we arrived in Rockwell Makati an hour later – hungry and tired already.
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21 Sep 2012
in Life in El Nido, Palawan Tags: Bacuit Bay, Canon Ixus, El Nido, Entalula Island, family, friends, Lia, Nikon D90, Palawan, travel
It was a 4-day-long weekend and we planned on going to San Vicente, Palawan to check out the long beach BUT we were told we were going island hopping that Saturday, and we never say no to that.
It turned out to be a very beautiful sunny day!
The sea was calm and I took photos of Pinagbuyutan Island (also known as Ellis Island, above) and Miniloc Island (below) as we were passing by.
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21 Aug 2012
in Life in El Nido, MOMents, Palawan, Photography Tags: El Nido, family, Lia, MOMents, Palawan, photography, travel
We went to hang out at Pukka Bar on this day, and the weather was nice, the light was good, and I came home with 400 photos in my camera. I take RAW+basic jpeg shots so that translates to 200 photos. Half of them were taken in the first twenty minutes we were there, and half of them were taken after I was done with the camera and my daughter and I were just playing and hanging out.
These photos were taken by Likha. He has the habit of stealing up on us and taking our photos. I had no idea he was taking pictures of us until I got home and looked at my camera.
In most photos, you can see Lia with a backpack. Sometimes it has a water bottle, a face towel and a bottle of her milk. Most times though it only has her toys. We make it a point to bring her beach toys every time we go to town.
Lia said, “Mama, will you play with me in the sand please?”
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17 Aug 2012
in Family, Life in El Nido, Palawan, Photography Tags: beach, Caalan, El Nido, family, Lia, MOMents, Palawan, photography, travel
Getting supplies is primarily the reason why we go to town, but some days, especially when it’s sunny like this, we also make it a point to hang out by the beach.
It was July 22 and unlike the past days, the sun shone bright. It was a really hot day that made for good photographs of the beach. We usually go down to town in the afternoons when it is low tide. This time, we caught the high tide and suddenly, the beach looked different. It was quite beautiful. I am always amazed at how beautiful El Nido can be.
We walked by the beach, which the locals called “aplaya”. Before I went to live here, I always thought “aplaya” meant lake or fish pond. It was a beautiful day to be out and sunscreen was required.
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