Communion Dresses, Accessories, Pictorials and the woes of a not quite OFW mom

Sofia is going to have her first Holy Communion this year, and in preparation for it, they have pictorials at school this weekend, where they need to come with white stockings, white shoes (which may be ordered through the school), but the communion dresses will be provided, which I don't know if it's a good thing... or a not so good thing.

On the practical side, I am glad I don't have to worry about it. I wish the did the same for the stockings so my daughter could just show up, as I am travelling for work non-stop until next week and my daughter is panicking that she'll be the only kid with no stuff. I told her we'd shop on Sunday, but she answered me that "Mom!!! The pictorial is on Saturday!". Oops! Good thing the school let us reschedule to next weekend.

But then, on the flip side, you don't know if the dress is nice, or will be flattering for my daughter.

How I wish, we had the flexibility to choose the first communion dresses of our daughters, as it is so easy now to order online through mariacommunion.com an online store dedicated to white communion dresses and accessories. During my time, my mom had to have my dress custom-made.

Here are my favorite communion dresses for Sofia with sleeveless, long and a more casual option:

Simple Ball Gown Bateau Sleeveless Bow(S) Tea-Length Organza First Communion Dresses

Photo from MariaCommunion.com

Simple Short Sleeve Pleated Long Tulle First Communion Dress 

Photo from MariaCommunion.com

Sleeveless Bateau Neck Tea Length Lace First Communion Dress With Bow

Photo from MariaCommunion.com

You may contact them through garmentvogue@mariacommunion.com if you have any inquiries, they are nice and respond very quickly.

Please note that this is a sponsored post, that came in such a timely manner, with really nice product offerings that I couldn't help but blog about it immediately to share the love. just saying.

Taiwan Excellence Mothers Know Best

*This is a sponsored post.

I'm quite excited about my newest blog assignment to write a post on the Taiwan Excellence Mothers Know Best campaign because I can totally relate. If this is the first time you're hearing about Taiwan Excellence you can read my post on that here.

I can relate because aside from being a Mom (and a Single Working Mom at that, so can you just imagine how many little things and big tasks I need to juggle), I've always had a KIA personality or what we refer to in my mom's side of the family as Know-It-All.

This is me with my equally KIA daughter Sofia.
Picture taken at Yehliu Geopark in Taiwan,
(read post here) so it's within the theme of my post.

I really love how Taiwan Excellence makes it personally easy for me to fulfill the many responsibilities I have as a mom, by providing products with the "Taiwan Excellence Seal".  I know, that if buy anything with their stamp of approval, I am using products that have been tested to give us an "excellent lifestyle", thus helping me be a better multitasking know it all mom.

To date, the campaign carries 56 different brands for home and living, sports, transportation, and personal care. For the home, there are water ionizers, home appliances, cookware, bathroom and sanitary ware products from brand like HCG, Tatung, TECO and Cashido. For electronic needs, there are laptops, USBs, routers from Acer, ASUS, Transcend, MSI. To keep the family healthy, the campaign carries brands that offer foldable bikes, fitness gear and health care products such as Strida, Microlife, and Thermedic. 

They have a variety of brands which brings us moms several options for phones and tablets, a necessity I can no longer live without because it helps me organize everything I need to do - blogging included. hahaha.

In the Philippines, the Taiwan Excellence Campaign is endorsed by Iya Villania-Arellano, a local celebrity. The Taiwan Excellence campaign is organized by Bureau of Foreign Trade of Taiwan (BOFT), and implemented by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), a non-profit, semi-governmental trade promotion organization in Taiwan.

Don't think that only expensive techie gadgets have the Taiwan Excellence seal, because that's not true. They have different brands and items, across different categories that can help us make our lives easier, including the Acne Patch pictured above. Nobody says you can't look good while doing your best to be a good mom.  just saying.

You can visit www.taiwanexcellence.ph and https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanExcellence.ph for more information.

*everything in this font was quoted directly from the Press Kit

Taiwan Excellence Christmas Giveaway Contest

I was so excited two weeks back to get my first paid sponsored post assignment. Now, I feel even more excited because I was offered to do a (PAID) follow-up post on the same topic. I feel that I've made it (as a blogger)! Hahaha.  Exaggg much.

*This is a sponsored post.

In my first post about Taiwan Excellence, I shared my love for shopping in Taiwan and how glad I am that there's a Taiwan Excellence project in the Philippines which actually brings the fun of shopping in Taiwan to us here in the Philippines. You can read my post on that here.

One of the things that I really admired about Taiwan Excellence the first time I wrote about them was how it incorporates the Lifestyle angle because by giving products the "Taiwan Excellence Seal" they help improve the lives of the Filipinos by giving us products that have been tested to give us an "excellent lifestyle".

I am so excited about the second part of the Taiwan Excellence Campaign because it combines a lot of things I love. Christmas and gift-giving (I recently validated through the online test, that my Language of Love is giving gifts and I really like receiving gifts too), when you get a chance to give your love ones a gift for free if you win (thus my hashtag #suckerforafreebie) and the contest aspect really brings out the hopeful and competitiveness in me (in Singapore, I would join and win in quite a few of the magazine contests where you need to go to some god-forsaken place to pick up your prize. I've had my share of cabdrivers who've judged my SG$30+ cab bill to pick up a poster and goodie bag just because I won).

To celebrate the spirit of generosity that the Christmas season brings, Taiwan Excellence is helping Filipinos express their love and appreciation by letting Filipinos choose high-quality gifts, where ten winners will be receiving the chosen Taiwan Excellence product this Christmas, with one lucky winner will have the gift delivered no less than Taiwan Excellence Celebrity Endorser for the Philippines, Iya Villania-Arellano, to the person your selected recipient.

Imagine Christmas Shopping from items like these, and getting them for free.

Joining is so easy.

These are the easy steps you need to follow - and I know they're easy because I've already done it myself.
1. You just need to go to http://www.madetoenjoythelife.ph/.
2. Follow the Read, Register and Share instructions then press the Join Now button.
3. You just choose from 2 categories (Home Appliances or IT Stuff) - just like as if you were Christmas shopping online.
4. Then you fill out your details and the details of the person you want to give the gift too.
5. Then you just need to upload a photo of yourself and explain why you want to give that person a gift.
6. Then you get an email to confirm your entry.

So, what are you waiting for?
Join Now

The Made to Enjoy Christmas Contest runs from September 28, 2014 to November 23, 2014 so you have until tomorrow to join. 10 winners will be chosen, and 1 lucky winner will even get to meet Iya Villania-Arellano, the brand ambassador for Taiwan Excellence, to get his or her prize.

I hope I'm one of the lucky winners. Hahaha. just saying.

*everything in this font was quoted directly from the Press Kit

Taiwan Excellence and my love for Taiwan

*This is my first (PAID) sponsored post... HOORAY!!! hahaha.

I love Taiwan. Ever since we visited the country last year - through Cebu Pacific's piso fare promotions, it was a real eye opener for me, because not only was the food so great which I expected, shopping was good too. You can read my posts on Taiwan here so you can see why I love it so much.

One of my favorite shops in Taiwan is the stationery store.
They have really cool washi tape and decorated flags.

Even Sofia found a lot of knick knacks to buy in Taiwan. 

Another reason why we love Taiwan is it's proximity to the Philippines, and while a visa is required to enter, Filipinos are allowed to get a pass online as long as you hold a valid visa from other countries like Japan, US, UK and the Schengen countries, among others. You can read my post about it here.

However, if you can't find a piso fare, or you don't have any of the visas required to get an entry pass, you don't need to worry... because (yes... this is really the topic of the post) the Taiwan government is launching the Taiwan Excellence campaign in the Philippines. It is through this campaign that Taiwan can promote top quality Taiwanese brands and products among Filipinos.

This is the first time that the campaign will be launched in the Philippines which will give Filipinos the opportunity to discover a range of Taiwanese products with the seal of quality.

The campaign will bring in 56 top quality brands to the Philippine market. These brands will be bringing in 175 products which fall under different industries such as information and communications technologies (ICT), home and living, and sports & leisure. Examples of this brands include some we are already familiar with such as ACER and ASUS in the ICT front.

I think this is really important, because I can think of several instances when I've wanted to buy something, but because I am not familiar with them (such as the other 50+ brands Taiwan Excellence is bringing in), I am not sure if they stand for quality. This won't be a problem any longer because the Taiwan Excellence is a campaign that recognizes high-quality Taiwanese brands, guaranteeing their superior quality and value. To qualify for these awards, the products go through a rigorous screening process to ensure that they are of the highest standard and can proudly represent the unique and innovative culture of Taiwan.

The Taiwan Excellence campaign started as part of the Ministry of Economic Affair’s (MOEA) 5 year plan in the 1980’s to raise Taiwan’s international competitiveness by supporting its local brands. Under the Image Enhancement Plan, the Taiwan Excellence Award campaign was established in 1992.  The “Taiwan Excellence” was awarded to products based on R&D, design, quality, and marketing efforts. If selected, the brands and products were allowed to use the Taiwan Excellence Seal locally and internationally.  

All Taiwan based brands are eligible to be part of the campaign. Product categories include consumer and business IT, fashion, arts and culture, sports, education, transportation, and others.

Each product is scored based on its R&D, design, quality, and marketing by an international panel of judges. Each product must score evenly in all four categories. After careful evaluation, those selected are allowed to carry the Taiwan Excellence Seal.

In 2014, the campaign was introduced to the Philippines for the first time to benefit Filipino consumers who purchase products from Taiwan. The campaign carried the theme “Excellent Lifestyle” not just to showcase the 56 excellent brands under Taiwan Excellence, but to also let Filipinos recognize how these products enable them to enjoy an excellent lifestyle. Some of the brands under the campaign include Acer, Asus, HTC, Tatung, and BenQ.

For more information visit:

www.taiwanexcellence.ph

https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanExcellence.ph

The campaign is organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA),
Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT), R.O.C. Taiwan,
and implemented by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

This is something that would be really helpful to us, especially as we start shopping for our Christmas presents. I've visited their facebook page through the link above and I've already found a few things I want to buy. But then we all know I don't need more reasons to shop, but the Taiwan Excellence Seal sure sounds like a good excuse to me. just saying.

*everything in this font was quoted directly from the Press Kit