Monday, September 29, 2014

{Wishful Thinking} Oxfords

My eldest daughter has definitely found her fashion voice early on.  Her style is androgynous and sometimes nautical, but always comfortable. Such a relief for me that she doesn't like wearing skimpy clothes that are so common among girls her age because they restrict her movement.

The photo below shows our typical weekend garb.
I noticed that she currently has several pair of oxfords... which I've been meaning to borrow.  But I can't because we don't share the same shoe size.  Naiwan na nya ako!  I've tried everything.. cork, socks, double socks, thick athletic socks... sobrang trying hard na, ayaw talaga! hahaha!

I've had some free time last week, so I went to Pinterest.  I originally wanted to search for ideas on how to wear oxfords for women my age.  But, instead, I found a lot of images of Taylor Swift.  Now, my daughters are Swifties, so I know this post will just make me the best mom ever again in their eyes!:)

But other than Taylor Swift, I also found lots of photos of women with toned legs wearing short skirts with their oxfords.  While I certainly cannot get away with this anymore, I am sure my daughter will find the photos inspiring.
  
 

As for me, I persevered to search for a peg that is realistic for me... Success with these photos below!
 
 

I just love everything in this photo... the distressed boyfriend jeans, the blazer... everything!

I also adore this white denim and cognac colored oxfords shown below
all images except the first two via Pinterest

How about you?  Which one is your favorite look?

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Friday, September 26, 2014

Teacher's Appreciation Gift: Personalized Gift Tags

I do not send my kids to a tutor after school; rather, I have chosen to personally help my kids with their homework and help them review for their quizzes. I started this the moment they stepped into big school because I wanted to train them to study on their own eventually.

It's not easy to teach young kids since they cannot keep their focus for long periods of time.  When they were younger, our tutor session were a big source of frustration on my part, especially since I had several to tutor.  Over time, the kids needed less supervision as they were able to adapt and maintain the study habits. For now, I am just helping my youngest, and my other kids can manage on their own with very good results.

I make sure during Teacher's Appreciation Day my kids come to school bearing tokens for their teachers... because I know it's not easy to be a teacher.  I do not really like to give extravagant gifts, but instead I always let the kids bring something we did with our own hands... something thoughtful and handmade!
I am intentional in training the kids that the best gifts we can give is something that involves OUR creativity and time.  I usually give something that I made in the kitchen, and let the kids wrap them. The gift tags we used are also something that I personally did in Photoshop. Here are some of the gifts we've given their teachers through the years:

Home-baked Cookies and Starbucks VIA Ready Brew

Home-made Triple Chocolate Cookies and Lipton Milk Tea.

Home-made Banana Muffins and Lipton Milk Tea.

For this year, I thought I'd take some time off from the kitchen, and design personalized gift tags for all their teachers. I am always so busy in the kitchen that I haven't found time to tinker with Photoshop lately.  I figured this Teacher's Appreciation Day gifts would be a good excuse to indulge my design cravings.

Also, every year, the tags get as much attention as the gifts, or even more... teachers always tell my kids that the personalized tags are so cute. So I just thought why not let the gift tags be THE gift instead!:)

I did this in Photoshop, and sent it to the printers to have them printed out.

 I love them so much that I am thinking of doing some more for my own family.  We always run out of gift tags because of the number of friends my kids have to give gifts to.  It's never a bad idea to have some spare on stand-by.

One more photo because I can't stop looking at them.:) teehee!

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Monday, September 22, 2014

Ocean Park Hong Kong: A Spook-tastic Halloween Fest 2014

For most Filipinos, Hong Kong is the top-of-mind destination when making plans for a short vacation. I know this is true for my family; most especially when my kids were younger, Christmases were spent in Hong Kong.  I wrote several posts about our Hong Kong travel with the kids.  There are so many things to do in Hong Kong that the whole family is always able to enjoy spending a week there.
{via}
The rides alone in Ocean Park Hong Kong, winner na!

And then, Philippine Airlines has this promo tie-up with Ocean Park Hong Kong valid from August 25, 2014 upto December 31, 2014.  So tempting, di ba?

Just recently, the management team of Ocean Park Hong Kong was in town to share exciting details on the Park’s much-awaited annual Halloween celebration. Halloween is such a BIG event for them that the top executives flew in from Hong Kong and welcomed us in complete Halloween costumes. Just look at them!

We were treated to a luncheon at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-la, with a Spook-tacular Halooween set-up.

Present at the luncheon were: Mr. Tom Mehrmann, Chief Executive of Ocean Park (middle); Mr. Paul Pei, Executive Director of Hotel and Hospitality (on the right); Ms. Vivian Lee, Executive Director of Sales & Marketing (on the left).

We were given a first look into the Park’s exciting line-up of this year’s all-day-and-night Ocean Park Halloween Fest.

Fun and Scary Experiences All-day-and-Night for Entire Family
Guests visiting Ocean Park this Halloween season may look forward to experiencing the first ever reservation-only haunted attraction, H14, which is a customized haunting experience based on each guest’s questionnaire on their deepest fears, where guests would need to complete a series of tasks within a locked chamber, challenging the limits of the senses and their innermost fears

Catering to the needs of families and kids, Ocean Park is introducing the Doraemon Halloween Party, Asia’s first-ever Doraemon-themed Halloween attraction.

At 5pm on each event day, the music and lighting at the Park will change, marking the start of the frightful evening. Night-time ghouls will also appear throughout the Park to intensify the terrifying atmosphere. Two transforming attractions, which offer fun-tastic experiences for the entire family until 5pm on each event day, will be transformed into the most frightful haunted areas for the evening.

World-Class Animal Attractions
My kids are not really into spooky attractions, but they are very big nature and wildlife enthusiasts.  So I know they will look forward to Ocean Park Hong Kong’s animal  attractions, which include the newly-launched Shark Mystique, one of Southeast Asia’s largest shark exhibits, featuring over a hundred sharks and rays.

The Polar Adventure is Asia’s first themed area which integrates immersive presentations of Antarctic animals and a family coaster ride;

Thrill Mountain, home to Hong Kong’s first and only floorless roller coaster and other exciting rides;

The Rainforest, the first theme zone integrating water ride and walk-through rainforest exhibit in Southeast Asia;

and the Grand Aquarium, which boasts a collection of over 5,000 fish.  The last time I took the kids to Ocean Park, we spent several hours looking at all the schools of fish.

Ocean Park’s New Development Plans 
Ocean Park also revealed its upcoming attractions expected to be launched between 2014 and 2017 as the Park embarks on a new phase of development. Following the opening of Shark Mystique in June 2014, Adventures in Australia, which is set to open in March 2015, will showcase koalas and other iconic animals from South Australia.

In 2016, a dedicated subway line will open, making it more convenient for guests to travel to-and-from the city centre of Hong Kong.

In addition, the new Ocean Hotel is scheduled to open in 2017, as well as the exciting launch of Asia’s first and only year-round, indoor and outdoor, waterfront waterpark.

I am lucky to be seated right beside the Executive Director of Sales & Marketing, Vivian Lee, during the luncheon.  Not only did she tell me all the wonderful and exciting plans they have for Ocean Park, I also got a personal invitation to give her a call when my family visits Ocean Park Hong Kong, which I hope will be sooner than soon!

Just sharing all those exciting news with you makes me want to book a flight to Hong Kong with my family!

To know more about Ocean Park Hong Kong:
Ocean Park Hong Kong website: http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/home/
Facebook: Ocean Park Hong Kong
Instagram: @hkoceanpark

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