Joining Cebu's Human Pink Ribbon Formation & Zumba Dance with my 3-yr-old buddy

I first received the invitation from Zhean Dei.
World Vision also sent an invitation.
Last invite I got was from my company's clinic staff.

So this event must be definitely big!
Silly me! The need to gather more than 6000 in order to break a world record is of course huge!

Photo grabbed from People of Cebu

Photo grabbed from Metro Cebu News

But I (we) almost didn't make it. Almost!

I invited the husband with the thought that I would not survive a 30-minute non-stop zumba dance considering I don't regularly exercise. He said yes and he even agreed on bringing the kids with us. The more the merrier!
But because of hubby's other commitments, he and our eldest cannot make it. And while the nannies have their thing (coz its weekend), that leaves me and our 3-yr old son, Jiggy, to join the event with 6000 or more participants in it.
Then comes the weather that day, you know...everything is sunny in the morning then turns very dark and gloomy in the afternoon. Yep! the sky gave me an "its going to rain" look.

Thus, bringing a playful 3-yr old in a big crowd on a rainy afternoon sounds scary, because:
- Tantrums may strike and kids love it when people are watching the act
- Running around or running away from me is expected but too risky for me letting him dart into the crowd. 
I can't take a chance him getting lost.
- Zumba dance under the rain? with our baby? Hmmnn! not an option.

Yet, shortly after our quick afternoon nap, off I go bringing my son with me :D
We arrived at the venue at around 5PM and thankful that the queue towards the entrance was still long (yes, it has not started yet). As we entered, we were given a pink bandana which will be used during the ribbon formation.

 There, I witnessed the crowd! Cebuano's from all walks of life were gathered for a good cause.

To avoid the crowd, we stayed far back from the stage yet closer to the booths for our convenience in case my little buddy asks something like food, water, want to pee or want some breeze. He still runs and hop and jump but its okey, I can manage following him.

When the human pink ribbon formation started, we were asked to squeeze ourselves and stay inside the ribbon outline for 5 minutes to capture the aerial view of the ribbon. Though it fell short of the participants to break the record, the effort of the people to come together in support of breast cancer awareness campaign is beyond compare. 
My little buddy was so cooperative. No complains at all.

For the zumba class, I was able to dance along since the steps are super easy to follow. Everyone was cheerful and lively (makes me wanna do zumba regularly).This time, my little buddy is no longer in the mode as he keeps pushing me, telling me to stop. 
Good thing hubby and our eldest arrived to pick us up so we made our way to the exit. We didn't witness the actual announcement of the result but as I got home, I heard the good news --> Cebu did break the record for having 8,232 participants (excluding us since we did not complete the 30-min requirement).

Congrats Cebu!

Ate catching up the fun :D

Over all I had fun and I'm proud to be part of this awesome activity tagging my 3-yr old son with me. It would have been great if I get to see familiar faces but I chose not to squeeze much ourselves into the crowd.
 And Oh by the way, it did not rain :D

Choosing P.A.I.N.S on a messed-up Sunday afternoon

I had a not so good experience on the event I attended last Sunday.  I registered as a participant with the thought that its more fun than being an observer. Also, just the thought of a cooking challenge invitation already gave me a thrill.
 

I arrived at the venue around 11AM, went straight to the registration booth and give them my name telling them that I already registered thru email (Yes, I am confident that they would know me). However, I was told to register again since they told me that there's no such thing as preregistration thru email. The venue is a bit far from my place and I don't want be a drama queen so I did register again. Besides, I'm ready to cook.

By the time the show starts, I still don't have any idea on what to do as a participant of the cooking challenge so I made an inquiry to the registration staff. I was told not worry since the cook-off participants are already completed. Oh dear! a double blow for me!
How?
What?
Where?
When?
Yet, no matter how many times I ask the staff about it, the fact remains that the cooking participants were already pre-selected and who am I to make a scene about it.

Instead, I chose P.A.I.N.S.

Photo Credits

Yes, I chose to have a "Positive Attitude In Negative Situation" and with that...

• I got a chance to talk with Pam of Hey, Miss Adventures!
  --> good thing I have someone to share my frustrations, it made me less likely to explode (and cry for being rejected :D)
• I got a chance to learn new recipes
  --> good thing this is a cooking event, you learn and get to taste their cooked dish for free
• I got a chance to go home early and enjoy the rest of the day with my kids.
  --> good thing I'm just an onlooker, I can go home whenever I want.

How about you? How would you react? :D

Show off your moves as we attempt for Cebu's Largest Zumba Class

According to Ms. Lucille Latonio of World Vision, "Zumba Instructors Network of Cebu and Rotary Club of Cebu Fuente together with  World  Vision and ICANSERVE Foundation shall make Cebu proud by attempting to break two (2) Guinness World Records:
- "Largest Zumba Class" ever assembled and;
- "Largest Human Pink Ribbon Formation" in celebration for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This event will happen on October 18, 2014 at the North Parking Area of SM City Cebu.

Imagine 2 world record attempts in 1 day in 1 venue in 1 city? Why not? And yes I'm so excited!!! 
With your help, together we can make this event happen. We are inviting you to come in your favorite pink shirt and join this meaningful event.

There are registration fees but the proceeds of these world record attempts shall go to rebuilding the classrooms of schools in northern Cebu damaged by super typhoon Yolanda and the programs of ICANSERVE Foundation.

Zumba is a dance fitness program with a combinations of hip-hop, samba, salsa and mambo. When the music come together and the beat come to life, who wouldn't want to put on their dancing zumba shoes and groove.

So come on, show that moves! Let's help and have some fun!

Special "Thank You" to Zhean Dei gurl for the invitation :D

Teambuilding at Cebu Westown Lagoon

For the past week, this resort is always in my FB newsfeed as some, if not most people I've known have already visited this place...except me :-(
Well! not until last friday and I am thankful. Because of the department's team building activity, I had a chance to view and get acquainted with the newest local resort destination here in Cebu -> Cebu Westown Lagoon.

If you want to take a dip in pools and doesn't want long travel time just to reach that destination then this place suits you since it is located within the city's vicinity.
The resort has 3 swimming pools:
- A 2ft. deep pool for small kids. Like JPark Island Resort (formerly Imperial Palace WaterPark Resort and Spa), this pool have slides and water splashes which would surely be loved.

- And a 4ft. deep pool for adults. This too has slides, longer crooked slides that young adventurous pips would be delighted to try. It is best not to lie down to avoid being disoriented upon reaching the pool. There is also a pool bar where you can have a drink while enjoying the cool waters.

- And then there's this jacuzzi for someone who loves warm baths.

Big and small cottages are available but if you don't want to pay for these cottages, they have picnic area for free use of chairs and tables on a "first come first serve" basis.
Function rooms for team building or for parties are available (its where our team building activity was held). And if you want an overnight stay, there are also available rooms.

The function room we used was big enough for more or less 70 people. Air-conditioner and sound system functions well. Rest rooms are clean. The food is great and deli but the catering service needs improvement as they did not monitor if the served dish is still available. They rely on someone to inform them that a certain dish is already empty.
Once we're done with the activities, we were told that we can enjoy the rest of the day at the pool area. However, some misunderstanding between our facilitator and the resort's management prevented us from immediately entering the pool premise. We heard some discussion and good thing it ends well.
This resort is still more than a month old, so I guess there are still flaws with the service that needs to be patched-up. Other than that, its a good place to hangout with family and friends, the pool is inviting, kids would love it, even moms and dads too.

For rates and details, visit Cebu Westown Lagoon FB account.