A number of advertisements (print, television, internet) have injected a great level of creativity to easily catch the attention of its audience. Some would touch on something personal while others make things light and funny in order to promote a sale. Call it ‘anything goes’. It is for this reason that we parents should be on our toes when it comes to ads our children get exposed to.

We celebrated the coming of the new year 2009 with some friends as we watched the fireworks display at the Sydney Harbour. The event is a real crowd drawer so we opted to go to a less crowded park with a decent view. Though the spot we went to did not give a full view of the Harbour Bridge, we still enjoyed the fireworks display.

So Happy New Year everyone! I hope this is not too late. I guess it isn’t. After all, it is still a new year!

Tagalog Translation:

Sinalubong namin ang pagdating ng bagong taon 2009 kasama ang ilang mga kaibigan habang pinapanood ang mga fireworks sa Sydney Harbour. Ang pagdiriwang na ito ay talagang dinadayo ng mga tao kaya nagpasya kami na pumunta sa isang lugar na di gaanong maraming tao ngunit kita pa rin ang ‘fireworks’. Hindi kita ang buong Harbour Bridge ngunit nasayahan pa rin kami sa pinanood naming ‘fireworks display’.

Kaya Manigong Bagong Taon sa lahat! Sana hindi pa ito huli. Palagay ko ay hindi pa nga. Kasi nga naman, bago pa rin naman ang taon!

Over the past few weeks, we had some extra calorie intake because of the holiday feasts. But with all the walking we have done on theme parks and beaches, we have probably burned up enough calories too to keep the weight gain in control. Though, at the end of all the walking, I feel that my feet has had enough. Things could be worse for someone with Plantar Fasciitis. So I guess have to give my pair some TLC to keep in in shape.

As the holiday season wraps up, several shops have put a wide range of merchandise on great bargain prices. Even with the economic challenges, it does seem to be a good time to do some shopping and perhaps save up a bit. For moms, the timing may also be right to give the home interior some new accents for the new year. Votive candle holders are interesting pieces that would surely lighten things up.

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Here’s a summary of our 10-day holiday to Queensland. We started off at Sydney and stopped at Coffs Harbour for an overnight stay. We did have a chance to look around the area just to get an idea for future trips! In the morning, we drove up all the way to Gold Coast, Queensland where we stayed most of the time. As we are already close to the capital city, Brisbane, we decided to do a day trip to it as well.

Just looking at the map alone makes me feel tired. But with all the fun that the entire family had, we can really say it is definitely worth the trip!

After more than week, I’m finally back on the blogger’s seat. We went for a holiday at Queensland (Gold Coast and Brisbane) hence my blog became very quiet. I actually planned to do some write ups while we were there but the wireless broadband coverage did not have a decent signal at the place we were staying. But if I think about it, even if I did have internet access, I probably wouldn’t have the strength to type in a few words after a full day of having fun out in the sun.

These days, one of the challenges of a mom like me is to get the best food and nutrition for everyone in the family. With a lot of grocery shelves loaded with artificial ingredients, finding someone reading labels while walking on the grocery aisles is not uncommon. It is also on the same note that a lot of products find the need to highlight the word ‘Natural’ or ‘Organic’ in order to attract buyers. So you’ll probably see natural fruit juice, bread or biscuits made from all natural ingredients, and even all natural food supplement or even weight loss pill. In order not to spend hours reading those labels while shopping, I guess it is best to do homework and find out what’s inside the box.

While doing my groceries in the past weeks, I can’t help but notice the plethora of magazines on the checkout stands which promote tips on preparing for summer.  On the top of the list of topics talks about body fitness for summer wear.  On paper, it all seems to be a walk in the park. But as many have tried, I think more are still in search for the best fat burner.  Well, I guess whatever the case (or weight) may be, the best thing to do is to simply enjoy summer with friends and family.

Holiday activities are definitely peaking up. The shops have been packed with people trying to complete their Christmas list. One of the sensible tips regarding Christmas shopping is to leave kids at home. That will surely make moving about quicker, especially if you have a stroller or pram to push around. Having the kids stay at home also creates the moment to buy that secret gift which the kids will only discover on Christmas day (well, if the wrapped present does survive not being opened or being shaken to pieces). Though sometimes, having the kids around makes the shopping experience great, too!

When my mother came over to Sydney for a visit, one of the things that immediately caught her attention was how houses are constructed here in comparison to Manila. At least for the few house constructions we have seen, it was really quite quick for the builders to clear up land (which may include demolition of existing structures), put up the house frame, and eventually do the finishing touches. It really is amazing to watch the whole structure develop day after day. Perhaps the success may be attributed to trusted companies like Schumacher Homes. Their experience certainly plays an important part in building these dream homes.

We watched Kung Fu Panda on DVD yesterday and had everyone laughing out loud. Aside from some usual slapstick comedy, there are really a number of instances when a scene and its dialogue exchange alone would trigger good laughter. As a family movie, it also presents nice things to learn (yes, both parents and kids). The DVD also has a few nice features (including some kung fu tutorial) which complements the whole entertainment experience.

Yes, we are in this time of the year when everyone just wants to have a good break. Looking back at the things that happened for the year, it is quite typical for people to plan to unwind, also in preparation for the coming year. Ironically, there is usually a mad rush to book that much coveted break. With Westgate, the pressures are eased right from the planning stage of the holidays. And as planning holidays only come a few times in a rather long span of time, I do believe that getting things right the first time around will prove to go a long way.

I’m looking for a great family travel bag. While we do have some huge ones complete with wheels for easy transport, what we are looking for is one which we can take for shorter ‘road trips’. For these types of adventure, I thought we can get rid of the wheels (which, obviously add on to weight) and just go for simple duffle (or duffel) bags. There are really good ones which has negligible weight, yet remain pretty sturdy. Of course the wheeled ones will continue to be used some other time. But for now, I am keen on packing light.

Our family has not really had the chance to travel to a lot of places. Well, yes we have travelled to some but there is just a long list to go. While a lot of people have probably dreamed of visiting every country or state in the world, in most cases, there is only an opportunity to visit some. That would lead us to the need to ’shortlist’ places that we could possibly go to. In the US, probably one of the places that would be on my shortlist is Chicago. It does appear to be a busy city but but I am still keen on staying on Chicago Apartments to enjoy the windy city. I know of some people who have moved there probably because of the presence of several big business names in the area. With free services offered by

Chicago Moving Center, then I think people who intend to move to apartments in downtown Chicago will have a chance for a stress free hunting. We have personally experienced having to move to a totally new country and the last thing we needed was to be troubled by the challenges in finding a home. For families, it is important to find the right tools to make the shift a positive experience for everyone.

My daughter CN had their Christmas Sing-a-long presentation at school this week. We were really surprised how she managed to participate in the singing and dancing as she never rehearsed these songs at home. It was quite unusual for her to be able to keep such ’secret’ as she is typically prone to spill the beans quite easily. During their performance, unlike other kids who appeared to be intimidated by the larger than usual group of spectators, CN was simply singing and bouncing with gusto. I was reassured of how much she enjoys her time in school.

It is just less than two weeks to go before those lovely presents under the Christmas tree get opened. Well, that is on the assumption that there are already wrapped gifts waiting. In a lot of cases, a last minute Christmas shopping rush is what people fall into. It may be either due to the tight schedule giving some a tough time to squeeze in a trip to the shopping center. For some, it may simply be waiting for those last minute deals, if there are any. Or maybe, it is just a case of taking time to find the right gift for those special people. If it were for this last reason, then it would be hard to go wrong with proven names such as Seiko Watches. As the selection is narrowed greatly, then there is no doubt that the wrapped gifts will find their way under the Christmas tree on time.

Yes, summer is here. With school year ending this week, I’m sure my kids are excited to go right to what is typically the year’s longest break. Even though we’re still having a bit of showers every now and then (and not to mention the cool nights), I’m sure it won’t be long and we’ll be cooking up with the summer heat. I remember taking this photo a few weeks ago at a certain beach. with the natural beauty of the blue waters, I couldn’t blame her excitement to go and take the beach even as it appears that she wasn’t really geared up for it.

Tagalog Translation:

Oo, narito na ang tag-init. Matatapos na ang pasukan sa eskwela ngayong linggo, at sigurado ako an eksayted ang mga anak ko para sa pinakamahabang bakasyon sa taon. Kahit na meron paring pag-ulan/ambon maya’t maya, sigurado akong sandali na lamang at para na kaming maluluto sa init ng panahon. Naaalala ko pa nung kinuha ko itong larawan mga ilang linggo na ang nakalilipas sa isang dalampasigan. Dahil sa natural na kagandahan ng asul na tubig, hindi ko masisi ang babaeng ito sa kanyang pagiging-eksayted na magpunta sa beach, kahit na mukhang hindi talaga ito ang kanyang sadya nung panahon na yon.

Have you got your children’s Christmas wish list yet? In our family, we usually pop the question ‘what do you want for your gift?’ to our kids. Though really sometimes, parents already know what a child wants even without asking. Anyway, as the gift giving tradition applies to all ages, I thought of putting up my own list, too! Just kidding! But if I would be forced to name my list, it will probably have a lot of home goodies in it like kitchen stuff, cleaning tools such as steam cleaners, and maybe a bit of replacement furniture. Well… it’s a wish list.

I just read in yesterday’s papers how the Christmas shopping rush has started. It relates how things have become literally a ‘rush’ as people jostle for car parking spaces or even at cashier queues. A ‘trendy’ approach to avoid this rush is to do the hunt online. A lot of people have become smart sourcing goods from different shops and in turn save some good cash. Even companies may benefit from this trend as they can get used cisco machines if they just look well enough.