My Rocking Cradle

Of course, I had been a good girl for the past year!

And my own Santa Claus just proved it:

Thanks, Santa!

The Hilton Hotel chains annually display the different looks of Santa Claus from various countries and the Hilton Hotel in Seoul is not an exception. They have this in their hotel lobby on display:

I immediately looked for a Filipino Santa Claus. How do you think it looks like?

Well, here’s the Filipino Santa Claus in his Barong Tagalog:

Merry Christmas everyone!

I purchased this Iope Super Vital Extra Moist Twin Pact and had been using this for more than 6 weeks already:

I am very satisfied with the smooth and even looking effect it gives after application. I then finalize the look with my SS Brightenig Coral Powder and I’m ready to go out:-).

If you notice, there are 2 puffs included in the set. The first one - the one with the blue strip - is used for a light and bright complexion. The second one - inside the sealed plastic - is for a more covered makeup look. I have honestly not used the second one as I am satisfied with the first puff. Besides, I really don’t like a covered makeup look… I just want it smooth and light. But then again, you may not take my word on this one as I didn’t try the second puff. Try it if you want to know the difference:-).

This is quite on the pricey side but I got a really good gift set for this:

I once blogged about my desire to have the Iope Super Vital Extra Moist Cream but I was intimidated by its price worth 160,000-won. I contented myself with the sachet sample packs. But with my purchase of the twin pact, I got the above gift set. I was just too happy to receive it, I hugged the store owner:-). This was the same store which gave me the VIP special kit under the Plant Stem Cell Skin Renewal line. Like the first VIP kit, this Super Vital Extra Moist line includes a softener, emulsion, serum, cream and eye cream.

I love this particular line (the Super Vital Extra Moist) of Iope and I love the creamy, extra moist effect on my skin especially during the dry and cold season in Seoul. Again, I have to be honest that this might not be a favorite here in hot and humid Philippines. The creamy feeling may turn out to give a sticky feeling after application. I felt that way so while I am here in the Philippines now, I make sure that whenever I apply this routine skin care, the air conditioner is on. I allow myself to get out of the room only after the whole stuff has settled in, otherwise my sweaty face is an unlikely sight:-).

We are all aware by now about the tragedy that befell on people of Cagayan de Oro brought about by Typhoon Sendong. Iloilo had been under Storm Signal No. 1 but we didn’t experience the typhoon’s wrath save for sporadic rain showers that appeared to be just your normal rain showers in a tropical country like the Philippines.

Anyway, in spite of the storm signal I brought my Little Ones for a day trip to the island of Guimaras as I have previously promised a sweet little girl to have an advance birthday party for her with my 2 little boys since we have never attended her birthday parties that always fall every 23rd of December.

Going to the island of Guimaras means we have to cross the Guimaras Strait through a ferry boat. If you are going to Buenavista, you have to board the ferry boats in Parola. If you are going to the other side of Guimaras in Jordan, you have to board the ferry boats in Ortiz. We were going to Buenavista and boarded a ferry boat that looks like this:

Regular fare on a regular day is P14.50 and children from 2 - 7 years old are charged P7.00.

However, when there is a storm signal as there was last Friday P20.00 is being charged per passenger. It was just a short ferry ride to the island of Guimaras, 10-15 minutes. This is what greets you when you arrive on the port of Buenavista:

It was a smooth sailing ride which the kiddos enjoyed…

Hubby surprised me with a Hilton Hotel dinner - with the two boys - during our 6th wedding anniversary.

At first, he said he only wanted the boys to see the huge rotating indoor Christmas tree of the Hilton Hotel:

This huge Christmas tree will greet you upon entering the hotel lobby.

When you look down from the sides of the Christmas tree, you will see the Christmas train display which hubby was sure to amaze the boys… and it did! They hurriedly went down to gaze with wonder at the trains…

There were many trains moving around but I was only able to take the picture above. Other pictures taken were these depicting idyllic Christmas time scenery:

The Hilton Christmas Train is an annual train display by Hilton hotel chains with boxes strategically located around the train display area for worthwhile causes. I remember the same, albeit smaller, train display at the Hilton Tokyo Bay in Tokyop Disneyland when we stayed there to celebrate Firstborn’s first birthday.

The Little Ones have never experienced Christmas Eve and the actual Christmas day here in Iloilo with my own family. Someday…

Anyway, we have always maintained this holiday mornings tradition with Christmas stockings hanging on the Christmas tree for the Little Ones. It used to be only for Firstborn… but now Second born gets to have his own share of the joy every morning whenever they check their Christmas stocking hanging on the Christmas tree:

Gifts from Santa Claus vary everyday… chocolates, lollipops, pencil sets, Cars-designed water containers… simple stuffs that make their morning faces smile! and the two boys always anticipate this morning ritual… not just for the presents but also for the affirmation that they had been good boys the night before…

Oh, the joys of being a child!

It is the season for Christmas parties… and the Iloilo City Hall partied big…

The open space in Plazuela Iloilo was filled with people last Thursday as the Iloilo City Hall held its Christmas party there until night time.

It’s a big space but it was a bigger crowd!

It was a festive mood in there and the drizzle didn’t alter the mood.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I had never used a BB Cream before… and I had never used a Missha product. But thanks to dear friend Joel who gifted me with this BB cream:

I didn’t have to buy another bottle of the foundation that I had been used to. The next good thing is, I like it because my skin didn’t have any negative reaction to it. In fact, I like its moisturizing effect on my skin. While winter seems to be picture-friendly, the dryness it gives on my skin is far from picture-perfect so this BB Cream’s first use was just at the right time.

But now that I am here in the Philippines, I can feel the humidity and it gives a sticky feeling on the face. But since I am mostly in air-conditioned rooms whenever I wear make-up, it doesn’t really bother me much.

I am definitely going to enjoy it more when I get back to Seoul this January.

The past two weeks were very busy weeks. It was the time of the year to pack up our things for our annual vacation in the Philippines. This time, though, the vacation would have to be preceded by Firstborn’s very first business trip:-). Oh yeah, at 5 years old he had his first business trip with complementary round trip tickets from Incheon-Cebu and Manila-Incheon and the tickets included me and his younger brother.

If that was not enough, we had a pleasant surprise upon our arrival in Imperial Palace, Cebu. We were given a very spacious and comfortable suite room!

The picture above is the spacious living room of the suite. And here’s the huge bed where the boys were sleeping after a tired day:

Yeah, those two small human forms on the bed are my two little boys oblivious of the luxurious accommodation afforded them.

Cebu’s Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa has an impressive water park where you could spend your whole vacation frolicking in the pool and on the beach which sits on the Imperial Palace grounds. So, our 4 nights and 4 days stay were not entirely work days for my Firstborn. It was a pleasure trip as well which the Little Ones enjoyed to the hilt.

Here they are in their Lightning McQueen and Donald Duck swimwear, excitedly running towards the water park:

Here’s a good bit of news about the movie Wandeugi with the English title “Punch”. The movie will be shown in selected theaters in North America starting this Friday, December 2. As I have previously written about the movie’s VIP Premiere, Filipina Jasmine Lee is one of the main casts of the movie starring as Wandeuk’s mom.

Here’s the article copied from the the AllKpop website:

Yoo Ah In’s latest film “Punch“ will be making it’s way to select theaters across North America on Friday, December 2nd.

In “Punch”, Yoo Ah In stars as Wandeuk, a rebellious student who happens to live next door to his least favorite teacher Dojun, played by Kim Yoon Suk. “Punch” is based on the best-selling novel titled “Wandeuki” written by Kim Ryeo Ryung.

This box office hit will be opening in the following theaters with English subtitles:

Los Angeles (CGV Cinemas)
San Jose, CA (Century Great Mall)
Seattle (Century Federal Way)
New York (AMC Loews Ridgefield Park 12)
Chicago (AMC Showplace Niles)
Atlanta (AMC Colonial 18)
Philadelphia (AMC 309)
Toronto (Cineplex Odeon Sheppard (Toronto)
Vancouver (Cineplex Silvercity Coquitlam)
Honolulu (Consolidated Pearlridge)

So there! If you happen to be in any of the areas listed above, do check it out:-).