Camp Master Mary says "We CAN and We WILL" (With Friso Four)

I just can't stop raving about the milk that even I am crazy four (for), yes you guessed that right, it's Friso Four! I will forever be thankful for being part of the 2015 Friso Fun Camp experience as its official campaign events host. And getting all those free cans of milk are a big help to me too! My son loves drinking it and so do I - with its delicious and refreshing taste, that even moms love! 

Believe it or not, whenever my son and I drink our Friso milk from our Friso CANS (which is another one of our many bonding activities), we know that we CAN do anything we put our hearts into! And for me, that includes hosting events, and I definitely loved hosting our recent FRISO FUN CAMP, this time at the Alabang Town Center! 

Here are some of my fun and quirky insights as host / camp master of Friso Four: 

1. Turn your "Can't s" into "Cans" and make sure that you have a Can of Friso Four too! Yes, we all can achieve our dreams. Like for me, hosting events has been one of my many big dreams, and I can very well remember how I prayed hard for this - the chance to enjoy what hosting gives me - good pay, pride and fun freebies and other fringe benefits! I remember all my efforts to be given the chance by people who at first didn't know what I was capable of neither did they believe in me. But getting one foot in is not even half of the job. It's staying here for as long as I can, and that is tempering my behaviour that means staying professional even when I feel tired, mad or hungry; and always being beyond my best (and always being pleasantly unpredictable at each event). Always reach out and ask for help you will never know who will be willing to help you and give you a chance. And lastly I always need milk energy each time I host for my non-stop excitement and "Mary-ment"(merriment). 

2. I can and I will! Yes I will never tire of saying how thankful I am to host so many events in a week! So many different facets of myself unravel. And while I struggle to balance my day job plus these awesome hosting jobs and of course my role as daughter, sister and mother I have now come to accommodate things that will help me remember, and take the necessary steps to achieve all my other dreams (you don't know the gazillion ideas burning and blazing through my mind each minute). My day job and workplace which are comprised of such awesome people - and of course my greater network of friends from my hosting jobs may be distractions from what I have always known to be my ultimate dream and role in this world - but practically speaking, I need these two as they enrich me (financially, emotionally, mentally) so it should just be a matter of really accommodating more time to work on the solid ideas in my mind into something I can grasp and share to the world. So hopeful for the future - for me and my son. It is as bright and clear as this crystal glass holding my son's Friso milk. Dreams and the struggle to achieve it will have to wait for it's time to tuck my son and kiss him good night. Plus, this un-glam but awesome photo below from one of our many playground adventures! Excuse our  crazy faces.

- Marylaine Louise Viernes (Click Me)

It's a Jungle (and an Adventure) out there!

So many takeaways indeed from my recent hosting gig from Friso Four, the highly-anticipated and well-attended, Friso Fun Raiders activity, held at the Podium Mall! Here are my brief learnings from this exciting Mommy & Kid adventure: 

1. The world is a magnificent, yet dangerous place. Thus, it is always important to stick close to the pack. And by this, I mean your family - the people who truly love and care for you - who will be by your side no matter what. It is important for kids to know that they are backed by a loving - though imperfect pack - who will be there to support them always. And for moms and dads, it's awesome to know too that we can also have our packs outside of our homes, like-minded moms and dads who can be the community that helps build our little kids. I love my family and small group of friends - this small pack that I belong to. The world is totally a scary place, but you will need your family's support to get you through. And I pray that my son will always find himself secure with us. 

2. To lead the pack, you gotta learn how to listen. I think this tenet applies not just to parents who need to learn to decipher their kids' needs, but also everywhere else - at the workplace, day-to-day living and most especially among our country's leaders. It can't just always be roaring about your might - you must also know what your pack (your family) needs, to arrive at the proper solution. Just like me as an event host, while I keep talking on stage with my energy up, I must also learn how to be sensitive to the needs of my audience, the client, the production team and of course, my new-found friends - the moms and dads who came there to enjoy and learn more. Oh, and let's not forget my little boy who likes to tag along to my events. I have to learn how to balance my work as a professional events host, while making sure that he is always safe, and happy. And that leads us back to having people in our pack, who we can rely on and momentarily entrust our little ones to. 

3. Just be happy, and give it your all. I am really so fortunate to be able to host events - to do what I love to do - while fulfilling my obligations as a manager in my day job, and of course being a mom as well. I have finally learned to live in the moment, to appreciate what I have now. I have grown out of my terrible habit of looking back or sometimes wishing to be somewhere else or leading another person's life - when I have my own imperfect yet still so blessed, wonderful life to take care of, and appreciate. 

- Marylaine Louise Viernes