Winnie the Pooh Theme 1st Birthday Party

Last March, mommy Tah (from Zamboanga) texted me to help her scout for a costume for her son's first bday.  After a series of shopping around to check the characters available, we ended up picking the classic Winnie the Pooh theme for the birthday party.  The pooh costume was not available in the malls here in the south area of the metro, but we did find one in Divisoria.  Since we were also working on a budget, all the other party favors had to be purchased from old reliable Divi.  Anyway, here's what we came out with.

Party hats from Divisoria Mall

Winnie the Pooh onesies from
168 mall Divisoria.
Its cotton and unpadded,
comfortable for a 1 year old,

The pooh coin purse for giveaways, lootbag and birthday banner we got
from Divisoria Mall

Not everything has to be bought for a party.  One great suggestion is to ask around from friends or relatives if they have party decors, cake topper/decors (like the one below) sitting around their shelves that they are willing to lend or perhaps give away.  You'll be surprised that they are more than willing to share their collected items especially if its for a baby's party.

The pooh cake topper here was sitting around the shelf of
Mommy Arlene.  I asked if she was willing to give it away, and she did!!!
Thanks Mommy Arlene!

The Happy Birthday candles were purchased from Japan Homecenter.

Here's how the cake and giveaway table looked like.

Finally, here's how the birthday celebrant looked like with his costume.
With him is cousin Nikko and Mommy Tah.

So that's it!  A Winnie the Pooh themed 1st birthday party!

We told Mommy Tah that shopping for baby Albreyn's birthday was such a pleasure 

and that we hoped they'd enjoy the party as much as we enjoyed shopping for her.

At the Phils vs. Canada 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition

Last Saturday, March 23, 2013, my family availed of the buy 3 take 1 GOLD ticket for the last day of the 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition.  We arrived at the Mall of Asia grounds around 3:00pm and had to park at the 6th level parking area because the rest of the levels were already full.  We made a few stops on the way to the gate of the venue, stopping for popcorn, siopao and drinks.  Upon reaching the gate on the right side of the music hall at the IMAX wing, there was already a line for the VIP, GOLD and SILVER forming. We decided to fall in line and just wait.  It did not take long before the area became crowded with people lining up.

The gates opened at 5:00pm.  Making our way to the GOLD seaside area was a bit confusing for our part because there were barricades everywhere.  However, there were event security personnel everywhere to direct you where you want to go, so it wasn't so bad.  We made our way to the seaside area which had a good view of the barge where the fireworks were to be launched.  The best spots were already taken by families faster than us, but we managed to find a good enough spot to locate ourselves.  From then on...it was a long wait.  To kill time, we ate most of our baon, and whiffed in the beauty of the sunset.

The show was suppose to start at 7pm, the crowd became a bit restless when there was no sign that the show was to start anytime soon.  I figured that since its the last day of the competition, the organizers adjusted the start of the show so they can encourage more of the SM shoppers to watch...heheh!  

Anyway, the show started around 8pm.  Here are my photos of the show:

CANADA 

music from "How to Train your Dragon", Cirque de Soleil and What a Wonderful World

Oasis and stars

Electrifying burst of blue and gold.

Subtle blue.  A peaceful looking fireworks display.

PHILIPPINES

Electric Red

Confetti

I call this "CELEBRATION."

Ito ang pinakafavorite photo ko..."THE OASIS."

The show ended around 9:30pm.

Traffic was terrible on the way home.

___________________________________________________________

The winners of the competition are as follows:

1st place - UK

2nd place - China and Canada

3rd place - Finland

____________________________________________________________

We look forward to watching the 5th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition in 2014!

Summer Taekwondo Class 2013

Wednesday last week, on our way to Divisoria to do some shopping for my nephew's 1st bday, the family decided to drop by the Philippine Taekwondo Association Gym at the Rizal Memorial Stadium Complex to inquire about their summer program for Taekwondo.  The Philippine Taekwondo Association is the national governing body of taekwondo in the Philippines, so where else to get really good taekwondo lessons if not here.  We were told that classes resume after the Holy Week and their class schedule is as follows:

M-W-F  - 7:30 - 9:00PM

T-Th - 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Saturdays - 1:00 - 2:30 PM

summer rate 

Php 6,000 for 2 months

One can also avail of their regular rate as follows:

Monthly - 2,500

Membership - 1,000

Uniform - 1,250

For details, you can call 5220518

The PTA Dojang at the Rizal Memorial Stadium complex

Note that the writer of this blog is not in any way connected to the Philippine Taekwondo Association.  

For inquiries and clarifications regarding rates and schedule, contact the above stated number.

Do Male Dogs Go "In Heat?"

One morning while the dogs in our neighborhood seem to be going crazy at the same time, I went out to see what was going on.  One of our neighbors was out trying to restrain her dog who was whining, barking and acting like crazy at a female dog.

The dog's owner said, "Hay naku, in heat na naman ang aso ko!" 

But the dog was a male (I wondered to myself).  

Paano siya magiging "in-heat?"

I suddenly doubted the stock knowledge I had from college and began searching in Google if male dogs do in fact go "in heat."

The answer?  

NO!  Male dogs do not go in heat.  

They do however respond to female dogs who are in heat.  

The presence of pheromones in the urine and perhaps the blood being discharged by the female make them like homing devices to male dogs. The female dog appears so attractive because of the scent that is why male dogs go crazy when a female dog goes in heat.  The doggy estrus cycle is divided into 4 parts:  proestrus, estrus, diestrus and the anestrus.

Sa proestrus, the female dog would usually have a swollen pinkish vulva and would have bloody discharge na parang menstruation.  Madalas din silang naiihi (frequent urination).  Dito kadalasan nagwawala ang mga male dogs because the female smells so good for them but she does not want to be mounted.  Feeling long hair baga pero pakipot muna.

Sa estrus naman or the actual "heat" is the period of ovulation.  Mas willing na yung female dog to welcome male dogs.  This is the time the females are most fertile.  

Sa diestrus, medyo swollen pa rin ang vulva pero madalas wala ng bleeding.  Di na rin masyadong interested ang female dog to welcome males.

Ang anestrus naman is the long period when heat stops tapos the dog prepares its body for the next heat cycle.

So again, MALE DOGS DO NOT GO INTO HEAT ha!

For added info:
Can a Male Dog Come in Heat?- http://www.improveyourcat.com/can-a-male-dog-come-in-heat/
Estrus or Heat - http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-estrus.aspx