Cobra Ironman 70.3 and Alaska Ironkids: A star-studded event of pros and celebrities

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[PRESS RELEASE] One of the country's biggest and most anticipated sports event is finally here! The Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines and Alaska Ironkids Triathlon returns to Cebu for its fifth year on August 3-4, 2013. 

This year more big-name triathletes are expected to compete. For the professional division, there’s Pete Jacobs, a 3-time Ironman Philippines 1st placer and Chris McCormack a 2-time Ironman World Champion to watch out for. Both world champions will definitely deliver an exhilarating showdown during the race.

Amongst the ladies, there’s Caroline Steffen of Alaska Team TBB, the defending women’s champion and Belinda Granger, 12x Ironman Distance Triathlon Champion, a tough competitor for the title. The finisher’s medals and winner’s trophies to be awarded during the event are designed by world-renowned furniture designer and proud Cebuano, Kenneth Cobonpue. 

What makes this year’s event more thrilling are the big celebrities who will not just be gracing the event but also be participating in the competition such as Isabelle Daza, an Ironman 70.3 first timer who will be having her first big race. She will be doing a full triathlon, which consists of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike, and 21km run. Matteo Guidicelli who was first known for his racing career has gotten into triathlon with his dad as his biggest influence. There’s Erwan Heusaff, Drew Arellano and Kim Atienza who are all active triathletes. Piolo Pascual on the other hand will be joining the bike relay. Other celebrities who have signed up for the event are Solenn Heusaff, Pia Cayetano and Raffy Tima. 

On August 3, the Alaska Ironkids Triathlon will kick-start the event. Alaska Ironkids is an event open for kids aged 6 to 14 years old with the goal of promoting a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle to show them that being healthy can also be fun. 

For more information, check out the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines website, www.ironman703phil.com and www.ironkidsphil.com for Alaska IronKids.

3 C's of life

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The 3C's of life are choices, chances and changes. We often encounter these 3 words in our reading and even in our own lives. Although Life can be tough at times,  I believe that every person is capable of doing what they desire when they dare to take big risks.

There's always a chance, there is always a choice. Life is short. So be open to changes, waste no chances, and make wise choices.

Take a big leap of faith, Don’t be afraid to take chances, you never know what could happen.

God is the author of our life BUT remember, WE are the writers of our journey. Better yet, write it well...

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
- Barack Obama

CHANGE Starts with YOU :)

Hello Kitty Kiddie Party at Jollibee :)

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[ PRESS RELEASE ]
Nothing says happy birthday like a fun-filled party with friends, delicious food, exciting games and surprises. Now, mommies and daddies can make their little princesses’ special day even more memorable with a Hello Kitty-themed Jollibee Kids Party.

Hello Kitty-Themed Party

The birthday girl and her guests will surely be tickled pink by the special Hello Kitty birthday cake, as well as the party hats, loot bags, invitations and other awesome party favors featuring the beloved cartoon character.  Parents can make the celebration even more festive with colorful balloons, decorations and game prizes, plus a special appearance by the lovable Jollibee.

Hello Kitty Birthday Party at Jollibee

What’s more, Jollibee makes it very convenient for parents to plan their children’s dream birthday party. They can choose from a variety of party food packages or go with the flexible Create-Your-Own Package, so they can pick the Jollibee treats they want served. Whether it’s a party for 30 or 80, everyone can feast on yummy Jollibee Spaghetti, Chickenjoy, Jolly Hotdog and other langhap-sarapfavorites.

Jollitown Party Cast

Aside from Hello Kitty, Jollibee Kids Party also offers other fun themes that children will surely love. They can enjoy a My Best Friend Jollibee bash, have a magical party at Jollitown, or channel their inner superhero with Batman.

Give your kids the happiest birthday celebration to remember and treat her to a Hello Kitty Jollibee Kids Party! Visit your nearest Jollibee store or log on to www.jollibeeparty.com.ph for more details.

Celebrate with Hello Kitty and book a Jollibee Kids Party for your kid now.

Life always in Flux

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The invisible wheels always turning, nothing stable; behavior and consequences, decisions and outcomes, on every level are unpredictable, maybe even unconnected. Even the significance of what we see plainly, what has already happened, is never clear.

Life is always in flux, for the fact that nothing stays the same. BUT, when some things are difficult to explain and understand, We can always have faith that all things work together for our own good.  #aja

Photo by: Rj Picayo | Taken at: Fort Santiago

A Day with the Kids at Southville Resettlement Tanay Rizal

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Words cannot explain how I felt after spending a day with the kids of Southville10 Resettlement area in Tanay, Rizal. It's a short, fun-filled event that we shared with the kids to impart to them the value of reading while doing it with pure enjoyment.

We arrived at Southville 10 resettlement area at around 11AM. Despite the rains and rough roads going to the area, tired hands carrying heavy goods, what made us feel energized is the smiles painted in each kid’s face as they patiently wait for our arrival.

On our way to Southville 10 Resettlement, Tanay Rizal.

After a few conversations with the acting chairman of the Southville 10 community, we headed to the place where the kids are. Since the area is an open place, we decided to start while there were only 40 children in number. Hence, when the rain stopped, the kids’ number started to increase from 40 to 80 then 100! That was when we got worried because the gifts/stuff that we brought for them is only good for 50 kids. While we haven’t decided how to distribute the gifts, we went back to our prepared program and activities which the kids willingly participated to. At the back of our mind, “tiwala lang”, and we’ll get through this.

Glad that we were able to come up with a good strategy. Instead of distributing those 50 loot bags to 50 kids, we decided to divide the originally 50 bags of school supplies so we can give to everyone. It’s a blessing also that the spare stuff we have for games were more than enough as prizes, we added them to have sufficient stuff to give away. To our surprise, it seems our gifts will be able to accommodate more than 50 kids!

While some fellow volunteer bloggers had the reading activity, the other bloggers arranged games, which the kids really enjoyed. Then came next is the distribution of school supplies, books and snacks to the kids of Southville 10 Resettlement Community. While distributing, my worries turns into amazement.  We came with only 50 bags in our hands but it was so amazing to witness how our supplies reciprocate and finally would fit for 111 children! Right there and then, I remember the same scenario in the bible  [on verse John 6:15]  when Jesus feeds 5000 people with only a few loaves of bread and two fish. I found myself uttering... Thank You Lord! Indeed, He is faithful; we only need to trust Him with all our hearts.

Sometimes they just need to know that they are loved and cared for.

Even if we’re not completely done yet, I can already see the genuine happiness of these kids. They were full of energy the whole time, very cooperative in participating in all the games and so engrossed with the story that we read to them. When we handed them the loot bags, their excitement and gratefulness are evident with the smiles they gave to us in return. To feel that they appreciate the little tokens we gave them is more than enough for us. I personally felt a sense of fulfillment I haven’t felt for ages now.

Based on their smiles, this is a day they will certainly not forget anytime soon.

I was so touched when they said thank you, I felt the words penetrate through my heart. We felt even more how blessed we are and appreciate what we have.

The kids offered to sing for us their thanksgiving song before saying goodbye. But all of them asked for us to come back, which I believe will not be a hard one to fulfill.

The experience was so worth it and I encourage my fellow bloggers or anyone interested to participate in this advocacy. You may visit the website of Bloggers For A Cause  BFAC and discover other bloggers who like us are willing to share some time and resources to our less fortunate kababayan. No matter how small, our presence and our vision to make a difference in other people lives will certainly go a long way.


>> Learn more about BFAC recent programs and how you can help. 
>> To view the rest of the photos, click HERE.
>> If you are interested in volunteering you can also email me directly at voncass@gmail.com

 Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you. :)

smile & kisses,

Nick Jr. Play Date with my nephew and niece

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of a Nick Jr. play date with my nephew and niece.

Got an invites from Stratworks to see an edutainment nickelodeon back-to-school event. It's a fun-filled event where kids play to learn and parents learn to play. :D

After our late lunch, we headed to Hall 2 of the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia where the Nick Jr. Play Date will be held.

Surely these kiddos will have so much fun! My niece is a big Dora fan while Robin (my nephew) is a spongebob fanatic! Though I'm not really a fan, but I like Spongebob coz he's not afraid to cry ^^ and Dora! She's so young yet she travels everywhere! Oh, not to mention her cool spanish accent! Who wouldn't also get giddy anyway seeing those cute Nick Jr. friends like Diego, Max and Ruby, Mr. Grouper, Dora and Spongebob dancing on the stage?! I bet the young at heart will really enjoy it!



It is also heartwarming to see your 'lil angels really happy, I mean like, the glow on their eyes when they saw their favorite Nick Jr. characters as they come out of the stage and got a chance to play with them, it seems that it's their best day ever!!

Leggo fishing!

I remember this Daddy I saw, looks like the kids-at-heart in him just blown away! I was shocked when from my back, he rushed toward to the front, carrying her daughter, with a BIG smile, cause  the finale' dance of  Nick Jr. play mates where about to start! It's funny how this dad seems more excited than the kid! :D



My niece and nephew really had a blast! They enjoy the bubble show, they had fun with the exciting games and took home amazing prizes from Nickelodeon! Woo-hoo! There are also lots of cool freebies that kids truly enjoyed! Indeed, it's an all-out weekend adventure to remember. :D

Robin: Yehey! We won!!

Rainforest Park Pasig: Let's Go For a WALK

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At times, waiting can be emotionally challenging. So one Saturday, instead of waiting for my SO (significant other) to text me, I decided to pull my nieces out and go for a walk...

We headed into the park near us to have some picnic! Rainforest Park in Pasig is a 15-minutes trike ride from our house. We bring our bottled water, bought some chips and candies and our picnic mat! In time like this, I just love to go somewhere and focus on the beauty that surrounds me..  It's my means of escape when I feel sad..

Rainforest Park

Rainforest park has no entrance fee though fees are applied on rides and some attractions. Like the train ride, zipline, boating lagoon, butterfly house, maze garden, and zoo pavilion. We entered to the park at 3PM and took some pictures before we go to the Kiddie Land to look for  the best spot where we could lay our picnic mat.

It's always refreshing to see greenery amidst the urban setting.

Just sitting here in the lagoon makes me feel quite refreshed. The area has a very relaxing and peaceful aura.








And oh I just love seeing train tracks!  It reminds me of how fast life can be.
































Vibrant color of the playground gives me a happy feeling! It also makes me feel pretty nostalgic for a lot of reasons.

It's been ages since the last time I go for a swing!

Lastly, their smiles and laughter make lifted my spirits. I think just being around them, around trees,  plants and fresh air helped me lift my spirits and brought me joy.

I came back home feeling energized and happy. :)

If you’re feeling irritated, bored, frustrated, or any combination of the three, just grab your handbag and head outside. Go and see something different. It will remind you that life doesn’t suck… And then, when you get back, get stuck into tackling whatever your problems are.

Have a lovely weekend,

SOFSM bares Gawad Sinop 2013 Awardees

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The Philippine Institute for Supply Management (PISM)’s advocacy arm, the Foundation of the Society of Fellows in Supply Management (SOFSM), recently announced this year’s recipients of Gawad Sinop Awards; namely, St. Luke’s Medical Center for the Corporate Award for Excellence in Supply Management Practices and International Rice Research Institute Senior Manager and Head of Supply Chain Services Hiram Dino Gomez, MM, CPSM for Supply Management Professional of the Year.

Gawad Sinop Awards is SOFSM’s annual event to pay recognition and tribute to Supply Management professionals who have exhibited outstanding achievements in the performance of the profession; and to corporations who have instituted best practices and human resource development programs in Supply Management. Gawad Sinop Awards is usually held during the annual Supply Link Conference and Exhibit.

Photo shows (from left) International Rice Research Institute Senior Manager and Head of Supply Chain Services Hiram Dino Gomez, MM, CPSM and St. Luke’s Medical Center Central Sterile Supply Department Manager Paul Ryan B. Salazar.