It’s been a challenge encouraging my daughter to exercise and be active. Gadgets like Ipads and switches make it extra difficult to drag them to get up and move. So I’ve been researching for indoor activities and i’ve been looking for a fitness program for kids, and I came across this BFIT Active Kids program by Bert Lozada Swim School, and it’s not about swimming.
Taking from BLSS’ over 20 years of experience managing Physical Education (PE) classes in different education institutions, BFit Active Kids offers online PE Programs aligned with the Dept. of Education’s curricula for students in grades K-12. Structured, mapped out for the school year and easily-replicable for home-based students, the BFIT Active Kids Program is designed for homeschoolers and schools who would want to outsource their online PE program.
I invited Angelo and Pepper Lozada to talk more about the program. Feel free to watch it here.
With the Covid-19 Pandemic, most of the schools are going online. There is an immediate need for a more personalized approach to PE that promotes lifelong fitness. Our quality curriculum coupled with an online environment creates an ideal setting to achieve that personalized approach.
The ultimate goal of BFit’s personalized online PE program is to empower students as they develop a lifelong commitment to health and physical fitness.
BFit Active Kids Session Includes:
One (1) Lead Teacher
One (1) Teacher Aide (depends on the number of students per class)
Monitoring Team to assure quality of the program
Syllabus, Lesson Plan and Rubrics for PE
The rates are affordable, as well. Just to give you an idea, a One-on-One Class is worth Php 600.00 / head. They offer package rates too.
10 session package 5,750.00
20 session package 11,000.00
If you are interested in enrolling, all you need to do is to go to:
For the classes, you will need to have the following:
Stable Internet Connection
Laptop or Tablet with Camera
Zoom Account (Free Account)
Min. 4ft x 4ft Open Space
External Speakers or Bluetooth Head set ( Optional but highly recommended )
With coronavirus forcing us to adapt to a new normal, we have had to revolutionize many different aspects of our lives. Travel is no different. Less than six months ago you could have hot-footed it to wherever you wanted on the planet without a care in the world. Fast forward to today and you need to check out quarantine legislation, R rates, and temperature checks.
Travel has become more daunting for the ardent backpacker and the holiday-maker. This doesn’t mean that travel is off the cards forever. For the foreseeable future, we may be planning our trips rather than embarking on them, but in the near future, you will be able to take a jaunt overseas again. However, you may not want to be among the tourist crowds and the busy hotspots. Instead, you might want to venture somewhere off the beaten track to stay safe and reduce your risk of catching Covid-19. Take a look at this essential guide to help you head off the beaten track.
When you plan a travel adventure overseas, the chances are you have an idea of where you want to go in the world. You might want to trek the Inca Trail in Peru, do some temple hopping in Kyoto, Japan or take a drive along Route 66 in the United States. To head off the beaten track successfully, you need to be close enough to activities and sites without being smack bang in the middle of them.
Our trip to Japan last 2017
If you are heading to Japan, Hiroshima is a must-see city. Where the atomic bomb dropped at the end of the Second World War, this city is full of history and optimism. It’s also busy. Instead of staying here, why not hotfoot it to the neighboring island of Miyajima. Beautiful, picturesque and idyllic, you are just thirty minutes away from the city, but you can stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan far away from the crowds. The floating shrines are stunning and there are some wild deer and monkeys to get to grips with. You might even want to scale Mount Misen to see the temple on the peak.
If you fancy Thailand, don’t head to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, and take a jaunt to Nonthaburi instead. The city is rarely visited by tourists, yet it’s not far from the stunning temple-laden Lat Phrao. You could even save money by finding a cheap house for rent in Nonthaburi rather than staying in an expensive hotel in the region. You can be somewhere less dense, stay for a longer period of time, and enjoy a quieter pace of life.
GPS
If you are planning on heading off the tourist trail, make sure that you have safety as your top priority. While you might love the idea of being free from the shackles of social media and off-grid, it is still prudent to have a smartphone and GPS device on you. If traveling solo is your thing, a GPS device is vital if your set of wheels breaks down or if you get lost. A quick lookup of your coordinates can help emergency services locate and rescue you.
Smartphones are also necessary for those just in case moments. You don’t have to be scrolling through Facebook every hour of your travels, but posting photos now and again and staying in touch with family is important to many travelers no matter where they are in the world.
If you are keen to see the authentic side of a destination, it’s not a good idea to go on tours set up for foreigners. You’ll see the bland and expensive face of a nation. Instead, follow the locals. If you want a great bowl of pasta in Rome, go where the Italians go. If you want some incredible dumplings in Beijing, forget following the Americans and venture where the Chinese go. They may not look the most salubrious of restaurants, but the best and most authentic eateries rarely are.
To help you stay off the beaten track, you need to converse with the locals. This means you need to commit to learning a little bit of language. Doing this will help you earn the respect of the locals. There’s nothing more embarrassing than shouting slowly in English, expecting a local to understand you. It’s arrogant. Don’t do it. Instead, be a responsible and caring traveler, learning some of the lingo, making friends with the locals, and finding some hidden gems.
Heading off the beaten track can be exciting. Follow this guide and you can stay safe while traveling in a post-pandemic age.
Summer vacation is almost here! Being a mom, I am starting to look for different activities that Zeeka can do this coming summer vacation. Aside from the occasional trips to Kidzoona, Kidzania and the Mind Museum, and aside from the dance classes with Teacher Mia Cabalfin that she has joined (HipHop Hooray), I’ve been looking for other cool things that she can do.
One of the activities that we stumbled upon was the VR+ Next Generation Virtual Reality place at S. Maison. It’s located on level 2.
#TheATeam at VR+ Next Generation Virtual Reality
What happens is that you are led to a small room, given weapons and the headset (with really clear graphics and audio). Their games are powered by OMAS Entertainment and ONIK Entertainment. Aside from that, their are moving floors and rumbling sounds that make it seem more realistic.
The game that’s most popular from VR+ Next Generation Virtual Reality are their zombie games. Since we had Zeeka with us though, we had to choose Box Man, a game that is more fit for kids like Zeeka.
#TheATeam Inside the Box Man Game
Each game is around Php 400 to Php 450 pesos per person for the Zombie games. Here are the updated prices (2020 rates) from their FB page:
Being the OC parent that I am, I asked if they clean the equipment. They said that they disinfect equipment every time after a game is played.
Check out our experience in this video!
Verdict: We really liked it. If it were a bit closer to where we live, we would probably be there more often. What we like about it is it is definitely more immersive than that ride in Glorietta with the VR glasses. This has better graphics, sounds and weapons.
I’ve been seeing lot of pretty pictures on Instagram of the Dessert Museum. I always thought that the Dessert Museum was made for teens and young professionals; never really thought that young kids or moms like me would appreciate it (EJ would probably appreciate it though because of the free dessert). I was so wrong.
Zeeka, EJ and I enjoyed and loved every single minute of the experience at the Dessert Museum. It wasn’t just for people who loved taking amazing pictures, but even for those who love doing and learning new things.
What is the Dessert Museum?
Image from the Dessert Museum
This museum is located in the Philippines. It’s specifically located at the Ground Floor of S Maison Mall, Conrad Hotel Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
It’s composed of around 8 different rooms that you can visit in the span of 2 hours.
The different rooms are:
Donut Room
Room of Ten Thousand Marshmallows!
Gum Ball Room
Macarons Tea Party
Banana Beach
Bewitched Bakery
Piñata Pit
Cake Pops Carnival
What I like about the place?
You can take really great photos at every corner of every room. There is not one part of the room that they did not think about. I love the fact that you can also learn something new.
Most of the rooms have cool information presented, like this wall that I took a picture of. Do you remember the brand “chiclets”? Guess where it came from? 😎
I also love the desserts that were given. They were all so yummy! There were also different activities that the entire family will enjoy.
The money that we spent for two hours was worth it! There are the rates for going inside the Dessert Museum.
We got in for Php 550 pesos each person, because we each have Maxicare cards. I also saw this deal from Klook: Klook Dessert Museum. You can get a ticket for Php 529. Those who are 0-3 years old can come in free of charge.
Check out our video here, and please show me you watched it (really watched it! haha 😄) by commenting on my YouTube video!
Have you visited the Dessert Museum? What did you think? Did you like it or did you not like it? Leave your comments on the comment section below. 🙂
The last time we had our family adventure out of the country was May last year. We went to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea! We obviously had a great time, so this year, we scheduled a trip to go to Hong Kong. The last time I went to Hong Kong was decades ago. I think I was ten! I don’t even think that Disneyland existed in Hong Kong.
Well, we had a wonderful time in Hong Kong. But this article is really for the parents who want to bring their kids to Hong Kong Disneyland. And my point of view and the experience that I will share in this post is really for mothers with kids from 4-6 years old. I’ll probably write one again when Zeeka’s a little bit older and taller (measuring her height here at home has become a “thing” after going to different theme parks).
Okay, so let’s get started. I hope you’re ready for one long article, packed with tips and tricks! haha!
Plane and Accommodations
I actually went ahead because I had to attend a conference for a few days. The conference was at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which was at near Wan Chai (where I stayed for a couple of nights). The plan was to meet EJ and Zeeka at our Hotel in Hong Kong Disneyland. So to get to Disneyland, you have to take the MTR to Sunny Bay from Central (orange line), then transfer to the Disney Resort line. I left the hotel at around 8:45 am and arrived at the hotel probably around 9:45 am. Taking the MTR in Hong Kong is actually quite easy. You can purchase tickets via the machines or via the customer service booth.
Disney’s Hollywood Hotel
Okay, so when you get to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, you need to go straight and turn right to go to the Bus Station (buses that take you to the three hotels in the resort). Their are buses that come and go every 10-15 minutes. These buses are free. Do not try to walk with luggages and toddlers by your side! haha! Although it’s walkable, your kids may get tired. Ride the bus! Also, when we were there (month of July), it was hot! So be sure to use sunscreen.
So for our our accommodations, we booked directly from this link: https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/offers-discounts/ We stayed there for 3 days and two nights. We got the package with no meals but with park tickets. We figured out that we would eat in the park anyway, because Zeeka would be so excited to leave (which actually happened). EJ and Zeeka arrived at the hotel around 10 am plus. Zeeka wanted to leave to go to the park as soon as she got to the hotel room so we were all rushing to get to park that EJ forgot his phone in the hotel room the first day! haha!
So we got on the bus to go to the park as EJ shared stories of his stressful morning that involved Zeeka asking him that she wanted to pee the minute they arrived at the airport, waiting in long lines then realizing they forgot to pay TIEZA or the travel tax so they had to go back, waiting in long lines again then realizing again that Zeeka left her small backpack at the TIEZA counter, running while carrying a 5 year old girl so that they won’t miss the flight, and finally boarding last just in time before the gates closed. Haha! You could see that energy was zapped out from him, so him forgetting his phone was just “normal” (at least for that morning).
Anyway, when we got to the park, we realized that the tickets were in Ej’s phone, but it was a good thing that he saved it on Google Drive and had sent me the link to the tickets the night before. I used the FREE wifi at the park, which was convenient by the way, and I saved it on my phone. Whew!
So just a few tips…
When you’re inside the park, if you come around this time of the year, bring an umbrella, or better yet, buy a cute umbrella (like what we did!) I bought a foldable one with Mickey Mouse on it.
For your kids, just buy them a cap. We ended up bringing Zeeka’s umbrella. Oh, but buy water for your kids!
Wear sunscreen!
Inside the park
I highly recommend that you download the Hong Kong Disneyland Mobile Application. You can download it from this link: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1077550649 Also, once you get inside, head for one of the following rides to get a Fast Pass. Note that you can get a Fast Pass again only after the time indicated in the Fast Pass that you got. These are the rides that I remember that have Fast Pass machines: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, Mystic Manor, Hyperspace Mountain, Iron Man Experience, etc. (I forgot the rest! Please let me know if I missed anything).
Once you have your Fast Pass, you can start checking out the show schedules, too, in the app. For preschoolers like Zeeka, they will love Mickey and the Wondrous Book (I super loved this, too!), Moana: A Homecoming Celebration, and Mickey’s Philharmagic! They also have parades that you can watch (sad though that we didn’t get to catch the Pixar Water Play Street Party! because we were busy going through the rides and we didn’t get to see the Disney Paint the Night Parade because it rained and they cancelled it.. huhu!). But then again, we had fun riding all the rides.
Zeeka’s top three favorite rides were:
1) It’s a Small World in Fantasyland, which we rode three times
2) Slinky Dog Spin in Toy Story land and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasy land, which we both rode twice (tied in second place!)
3) Iron Man Experience in Tomorrowland, which we rode twice, too.
Daddy and Mommy’s favorite rides were:
1) Hyperspace Mountain in Tomorrowland, which I rode thrice (BTW, Zeeka rode this, too!)
2) Mystic Manor, which was cool
3)The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasy land and Iron Man Experience in Tomorrowland (Tied in 3rd Place)
*We didn’t get to ride Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars since we couldn’t leave Zeeka with anyone, but I know we would have loved this. We rode a “sort of similar” ride in Tokyo Disneyland and we loved that, so I think this would have been great, too. Zeeka didn’t make the height requirement.
Meet and Greets
Zeeka loved the meet and greets with the different characters. She lined up for Jessie, Duffy and Cookie. We also saw Mickey and Minnie, Moana, Tinkerbell, and other characters. You do have to check out the schedules though because they only come out at certain times of the day, so you have to fall in line. They close the line after a while.
What I love about Hong Kong Disneyland is that everything is done in an orderly manner. In some rides, they give you numbers, just to be sure that you have seats. The rides’ instructions are in both in English and Chinese. You wont have a hard time communicating with the staff if you have questions.
Dining
For breakfast, we would by at Hollywood & Dine, one of the restaurants in our hotel. Have a budget of around 100 to 200 HKD. They also serve coffee here from Starbucks (just the basic Starbucks variants though). Then for lunch, we would eat in the restaurants inside the park. We ate at the Starliner Diner, which Zeeka loved. We also tried the Main Street Corner Cafe Hosted by Coca Cola. Food there was a little bit pricier but the servings were huge! We should have just split the burger with fries. Food was yummy, too!
We had a lot of snacks from popcorn (which we loved and bought to take to the hotel, too! — that’s how good it was!), to ice cream, etc. And for dinner, we would order one whole pizza from Studio Lounge at our hotel to take to our room while watching Disney cartoons on our TV.
Other tips…
Make sure that you bring chewy candy for your toddler on board a plane. It relieves pressure in her ears.
Don’t forget ballpens while inside the plane so you can write on the Immigration departure and arrival cards.
Slow is fast when it comes to kids. Just relax!
Zeeka’s tip is to “breathe in and breathe out” when you’re stressed! haha!
Don’t give your toddlers anything that they need to hold or remember, because they won’t 🙂
In the airport, the internet is fast. Download shows that you can watch during the flight. Since we went with a budget airline, we knew that we needed to entertain her another way.
And last, but not the least, Zeeka says, “DON’T LEAVE YOUR KIDS!” hahaha!
PS: Watch our videos here!
Hope you have a great time at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort!
