My favorite World Cup 2014 commercials

Football is not a sport that lends itself easily to commercial breaks.  The clock never stops, not for time outs, not even for injuries, and certainly not to switch from offensive to defensive to special teams.  Sponsors have to content themselves with signage on the field, on player jerseys, and on-screen placements beside the match score.  Fortunately, the payoff is enormous; the 2010 World Cup final was seen by over 1 billion people, so it's worth spending the time and money to create a memorable World Cup ad. With YouTube, Facebook, and social media, companies don't even have to buy ad time to get their message across. If an ad resonates, it will go viral.

Companies have been scrambling to take advantage of World Cup fever, with dozens of soccer-themed commercials airing since the beginning of June.  Even those who are not official sponsors of the World Cup have joined the bandwagon -- their ads don't mention the World Cup or show the official, FIFA World Cup logo, but their intent is clear.  As a soccer fan, I'm loving all of it!  Here's a list of my 5 favorite World Cup ads (so far), as well as a longer list of World Cup ads that are worth watching:

10 things you must do at a Disney Park

No matter how many times you visit a Disney Park, there always seems to be something you haven't done -- a ride you haven't been on, a treat you haven't sampled, a show you haven't watched. I've put together a list of 10 fun experiences that should be on everyone's Disney Park bucket list.  Some are easy to do, others aren't.  We've already done the first five, and we're working on the last five!  Check out the list below and see how many you have done.....

Then and Now

Some of my favorite internet memes are the ones where grown men and women recreate recreate their baby and childhood photos.  Everything about then-and-now photos are hilarious. The clothes!  The hair!  The expressions!  The poses!

Naturally, I had to get on the bandwagon.  My siblings and I are scattered around the world, so we won't be able to do one until we meet again in Manila next year, but hey, my own kids aren't doing anything right now. 3Po and Jammy are 10, so I figure it's a good milestone.  They've certainly changed almost beyond recognition in those 10 years!  Stay tuned for the next installment of this photo series in 2024!



Here's a roundup of then-and-now family photos for your viewing pleasure:

• We all get older, but some people will never change
• Family photos: then and yikes!
• 25 Hilarious Then and Now Family Pictures

Travel Tuesday: Boomerang Bay waterpark at Great America

When I first visited Great America in 1994, I loved it so much I wanted to go back every year.  That lasted about 3 years -- I could only ride Top Gun (later renamed Flight Deck) and the Drop Tower so many times.  Even when I returned with The Pea in 2002, I wasn't eager to make it an annual ritual.

The arrival of Boomerang Bay changed all that.  Great America added Boomerang Bay in 2004 (it was the first theme park in California to have a water park), and we first visited Boomerang Bay in 2012.  Thanks to Boomerang Bay, I love visiting Great America once again -- we even splurged on season passes this summer so we can visit again and again!   Much as I love roller coasters, I could go four or five years without riding the ones at Great America (the kids will probably disagree with me!), but  Boomerang Bay is like a community pool with the added benefit of a few thrill water rides.

USA vs. Azerbaijan, pre-World Cup friendly

It's FIFA World Cup season!  The opening match (Brazil vs. Croatia) is schedule for June 12, and I'm so excited.  For the next 6-7 weeks we'll be glued to the TV -- we've even scheduled our road trips and long vacations to make sure we'll have access to a TV (or a pub) to watch each and every match!

5 Asian cities I simply must visit

I had so much fun writing last week's Travel Tuesday post (5 European cities I simply must visit) that I decided to write out my top 5 list for Asia.  I'm Filipina born and bred, but I'm ashamed to say that I've been to fewer Asian cities (not counting cities in the Philippines) than European cities.  So far, I've been to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul.  That's it.  Even Alfie has been to more Asian cities than me!  I definitely have to rectify this error, and here are the first 5 places I would visit:

Birthday bash at Buca di Beppo

We've lived less than a mile from Bucca di Beppo for almost 20 years, but Alfie and I were always too intimidated by the large crowd (and implied long wait times) to bother taking the kids there. We finally took the plunge and booked a table six months ago, and we had such a great time that I knew I wanted to go back to Buca di Beppo for my birthday dinner.  I've had such a crazy week that it ended up being my day-after-my-birthday dinner, but I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 42nd and start the Memorial Day Weekend.

5 European cities I simply must visit

Whenever we visit Alfie's parents, we stay for at least 3 weeks.  Alfie's family is small, and there's only so much visiting of relatives you can do for 3 weeks, so we like to use Marlborough as a jumping point for smaller trips. We've done day trips to London, Stonehenge, Birmingham, Maidstone, and many other places around the UK.  We've also gone on longer trips to Wales, Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

There's no shortage of wonderful places to visit, so it's always tough to decide where we want to go next! I could easily list 100 cities I'd love to travel to in Europe -- but as always, time and money are limiting factors, so I've narrowed my list down to five.  Here are 5 cities that I'd really love to visit on a family trip in the near future:

A day trip to Damme

If I had to pick a favorite day out of the seven we spent in Belgium, I would probably pick the day we visited Damme.  Damme is a tiny medieval (13th century) town near the medieval city of Bruges and a few miles from the Belgian coast.  If you're staying in Bruges, Damme is a great place for a day (or half-day) trip; it's also a great place to stay if you plan to visit Bruges but want somewhere a bit more quiet (and inexpensive) to come "home" to at the end of your day!

A Mother's Day poem

You are the best mom in the world,

So you are the queen.

If I did not have you as a mom,

I don't know what I could have been!

You are so awesome, you have two jobs,

One job you give us toys and the other makes little kids not sob!

Every day you walk me to school,

All of this is why your (sic) so cool!

Happy Mother's Day!

                                                  -- a poem by Jammy

It doesn't get any better than this.  Happy Mother's Day, everyone!