Events Blogapalooza 2014 - My First Blogapalooza Experience 12:53 PM Blogapalooza 2014 is my first Blogapalooza experience ever. To sum it up in one word, it was legendary! I was hesitant to register at first because I thought my blog is not that "big" yet. I'm glad I tried. Your blog doesn't have to be trending worldwide for you to enter Blogapalooza. Blogapalooza---rescheduled last October 11 due to the typhoon last month---was held in SMX Convention Center SM Aura in Taguig. It was also my first time in SM Aura. I arrived early and was like a kid on first day of school. Excited, a little apprehensive but generally happy to be there. (Click individual image to view in full size) Booths of sponsors showcased their products and services with their own gimmicks and offerings. Food and drinks were not a problem as there were free taste from sponsors. My friend Misai and I played Pop-A-Zit at the Flawless booth and got ourselves cool prizes; Flawless Stem Cell day and night cream and a pink beach towel. (Below) Misai having her feet assessed at Dr. Kong's booth. I had mine done earlier before she arrived at the venue. They offer this service to their customers at their store branches. This is accurately done so that you'll know which type of feet you have so you can buy the shoes with the right design and fit for you. Cool! My favorite booth was that of Sample Room. It's so girly! Sample room was created to allow bloggers to sample a product first before buying it at full price. You only pay the shipping fee which is 100Php and they will deliver the product for you to try and make a review of. Aren't they thoughtful and considerate? Check their site here. Other giveaways and displays we found exploring the venue: bowlers and shades from Easy Taxi pillows from Globe board games from Game Time wellness products from YSA cool shoes from Crocs Habitat For Humanity new look of Jergens Caronia nail products. They gave us samples after we posted our photo at their booth on IG. Natural stress buster Lactium. They gave us free samples. I think Misai found a new sideline Spotted: YouTube sensation Bogart the Explorer One of the fun activities I enjoyed was designing my own doughnut at the Krispy Kreme booth. 1. Wear your gloves. 2. Grab a doughnut. 3. Dip into the melted chocolate (heavenly!). 4. Sprinkle and design. I thought my design was a mess, but a stranger commented that she liked it. So, I guess there's still beauty in the mess that I made. :) (Read What Design-Your-Own-Doughnut Taught Me About Life) We stayed to listen to sponsors and endorsers who introduced their services and products. Bloggers and other celebrities also talked about the influence and importance of social media to consumers and public in general. The highlight of the event (for me) was the free food sampling and tour at the new Niu by Vikings. Oh, gosh it was a delight to both the palate and the eyes. The food were sumptuous, the ambiance so cozy, the service was superb and the variety of food and drinks to choose from seems endless. We were also given a voucher which entitles us to get a 10% discount on our next visit! Here are some of our pics. We were so satisfied we had to take a selfie. ^_^ It was an unforgettable and lovely Saturday. I was so full---of food, knowledge and enjoyment. Our muscles were sore carrying around the freebies, and we were so sleepy after filling our tummies at Niu. I went home exhausted, but I slept happy. I can't wait for Blogapalooza 2015!!! Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
Life Lessons What Design-Your-Own-Doughnut Has Taught Me About Life 1:52 AM Designing a doughnut is so much like designing your own life. Here's how we designed doughnuts at the Krispy Kreme booth and what I've learned through it about life: Design-Your-Own-Doughnut Life Lessons Step 1 First, wear your gloves. The staff told me to make sure that I wear the gloves securely to avoid getting chocolates in my arms or sleeves. Life Lesson: The gloves represents the Word or your principle in life. If you put on God's word or stand by your belief, you can be sure that nothing can shake you or lead you astray. In life, we have to be cautious. Always on the look out and be sure to protect ourselves from dangers that lurk around. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:10–12) Step 2 Choose a doughnut. Don't hold it too tightly. We all know that Krispy Kreme is really soft it almost melts in your touch. Life Lesson: Life is a choice. Treat your life with utmost care. Hold it delicately in your hands because it is a precious gift. Don't be too hard on yourself. Step 3 Dip the doughnut into the melted chocolate. Ah, the smell of the chocolate is so inviting. So tempting. But, too much chocolate is bad for you. Life Lesson: Sometimes, the world can be so tempting, pulling you into its sublunary pit. You indulge into worldliness and get overwhelmed, lost and covered by it's shallowness that you forget who you really are. You can no longer recognize yourself. Step 4 Put the doughnut on the table and decorate with sprinkles and icing. Life Lesson: After falling into the mud of life, you've got two choices. Either you let yourself sink deeper and be lost completely, or you get up, and sprinkle your life with joy and goodness. You may not be the same person as you were before the trial but you can turn the ugly into something beautiful and colorful. You can still color your life. It's never too late to start over, turn things around and be the better version of yourself. Step 5 Take a picture of your creation and post it. After designing the doughnut, I thought I just made a mess. I thought it wasn't good enough. I was never an artistic person. But a stranger saw it and told me it was beautiful. Sometimes, we judge ourselves. We set a standard too high to reach...even for us. But, someone out there would give anything just to have what we have. Someone appreciates us as we are. We are too blessed, but are too blinded by criticisms that we don't see it. After learning your lesson, document it. Write it on a journal so you would always remember. And don't forget to share it to the world. Be a living testimony that good things can still result from a bad experience.Be a living proof that your past does not define your future.Turn your mess into a beautiful message. Show your battle scars and proclaim how beautiful it has made you. You don't know how many souls you can heal, inspire and motivate by just sharing your imperfect story to the world. Your life may be a little messy right now, but you can still make it beautiful. How are you going to design your life? Last weekend, I attended the Blogapalooza 2014. The activity I enjoyed the most was Design Your Own Doughnut at the Krispy Kreme booth, which inspired me to write this article. Hey, did you find this post helpful or entertaining? Please go ahead and share. Share buttons on the left and at the bottom of the article. Big thanks! Subscribe to About Life And Love by Email
