Kids grow up so fast! Before you know it, they are off clubbing or heading to the corporate world. So creating wonderful memories with one’s children is truly precious.

Among the many kid-friendly activities in the city, one of the most enjoyable is the new DreamPlay, the world’s first DreamWorks-theme, indoor interactive play and creativity center at City of Dreams Manila.

At the official opening, DreamWorks’ animated characters provided excitement to the invited children and VIP parents.

The opening ceremony was attended by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Melco Crown Entertainment co-chair and CEO Lawrence Ho, the duo that conceived of putting DreamWorks as one of the landmark attractions at City of Dreams.

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez also attended the event.

It was amazing for me to see the stars of “Kung Fu Panda,” “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” and “How to Train Your Dragon” come to life and play with the crowd.

DreamPlay has 12 different attractions in the theme park. There is Kung Fu with Po, the Kung Fu Panda himself, and the big green ogre Shrek who invites the kids to explore his swamp.

My daughter Athena liked “Cooking with Gingy,” which has Shrek teaching food preparation and cooking skills.

Clarence Chung, president of Melco Crown Philippines, told me each DreamPlay experience was designed by the artistic combo of DreamWorks Animation and iP2 Entertainment. With DreamPlay, City of Dreams Manila now truly has something for everyone, a must-see leisure destination for families in the Asia Pacific region, which will further diversify the tourism potential of Manila.

Also at the launch was Paul Kurzawa, head of retail development and entertainment of DreamWorks Animation. He was part of the team that worked to build the attractions, whose aim is to bring to life the stories of DreamWorks and create a fun destination for the entire family. DreamPlay by DreamWorks is open daily, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Jewelry auction

After joining the fun at DreamWorks with our kids, my Assumption classmate Jojo Ongsiako and I went to the UNO de 50 affair at SM Makati. There was a special jewelry auction show and exhibit, put up by the Inquirer and Agapp (Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa) Foundation for the benefit of children’s education in the provinces.

UNO de 50 auctioned off eight beautifully handcrafted jewelry pieces. The artisanal pieces were all made in Spain. The crafting technique is one of the pillars of the UNO de 50 philosophies. The creation of each piece involves an artisan process that is unique in the world of jewelry-making today—from the initial sketch, the piece goes through carving, etching and manual refinement to the finished product, all done by experts in workshops in Madrid, Spain, the site of the brand’s main offices.

Big-hearted ladies from Manila’s stylish set participated in the auction of the eight limited-edition pieces—Virgie Ramos of Swatch, Vicki Belo of The Belo Group, Asian Dragon publisher Olivia Limpe-Aw, and publicists Toni Palenzuela and Annie Ringor.

On top of the auctioned items, UNO de 50 also sold 24 more pieces to the guests at its adjacent boutique. UNO de 50 has boutiques at SM Aura Premier, SM Megamall, SM Makati and SM Mall of Asia.

Fashion book launch

The event also included the launch of “Help! I’m A Shoe Addict,” a book by Carmencita Sioson and Stefanie Cabal of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The look book features 11 stylish shoe fanatics and a complete guide to everything about footwear.

The UNO de 50 auction benefited the Agapp Foundation founded by Pinky Aquino-Abellada, whose sister Ballsy Aquino-Cruz represented her at the event. The foundation was built to enrich the life of poor communities throughout the country by improving access to preschool education of the poorest Filipino children age three to six.

Straight from that affair, Jojo and I joined the rest of the Assumption girls to celebrate more milestones and help promote the Velada fundraising of Assumption HS ’90. To kick off their Velada, they are having a party at Blue Leaf Filipinas, Aseana City, Parañaque, on Aug. 14, the eve of the Solemnity of the Assumption. It’s a ’90s party and tickets are available for P500 at the gate.

Home store

I attended the launch of Casa Bella Home and Living, a new store opened by dynamic young entrepreneurs Joseph and Stephanie Coyiuto-Tay. What started out as a store carrying one brand, Casa Bella now houses eight different furniture lines including sofa sets, dining tables, outdoor furniture, accessories, beds and accent pieces.

Stephanie told me Casa Bella “wants to cater to every look and the showroom will showcase our top four main brands, Moroso, Kettal, Driade and Santa and Cole.”

The opening of the showroom is a culmination of a series of activities the busy couple has been engaged in over the past year, starting with a trip to Barcelona that provided the inspiration for the Kettal section. Check it out at the brand-new MDI Corporate Center Building in Bonifacio Global City.

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