Winner of the Best Caption Goes to...!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for visiting and commenting on my JOHNSON's My Kid's Growing Up so Fast Contest post. And now, as promised, I am announcing the best photo caption among all your creative entries!

I asked a little help from my Little Lady and she chose this chic and catchy caption:

Congratulations MyMaria! Please respond to my email with your contact details. =)

Stress, Stress, Go Away!

The main reason why I seldom watch the news is, although it’s packed with updated and live information, it’s also a great source of stress. I already have enough pressure in my life that came abundantly with parenting and being an adult, so I try to find ways on how to unload some of my anxieties and not to invite more in my life.

Sometimes I just want to lock myself in my favorite room, lounge in my cozy bed, grab a good book I’ve been meaning to read but couldn’t finish, sip steaming herbal infusion, and have a relaxing worry-free day. But since I could barely manage to have that whole package because of my hectic schedule, the most feasible thing that I could think of is to plug those in ear noise cancelling headphones I wished for my birthday, and shut out the world and its noise for even just a few moments each day. Maybe during break time at work or while doing chores at home, I think a pure dose of relaxing music will help a lot in keeping my sanity intact amid the hustle and bustle of everyday living.

How about you? When you feel overwhelmed and jaded with real world issues and responsibilities, what do you do?

What's your Passion?

Sometimes, you don’t realize what you are truly passionate about until you discover what makes you happy.

When I was younger, I draw a lot. I was also amused with the idea of attaching my cutout facial photos and that of my cousins, to the bodies of Cindy Crawford and other famous celebrities. Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but I really did that in the past. So just imagine my happiness when I met Adobe Photoshop! Finally, I am able to execute my imagination digitally and manipulate it however I wish it to be.

At first, a friend taught me how to use the basic Photoshop tools, while I learned through observation and lots of practice. And because I am very interested in discovering how to achieve different effects, my impatience led me to develop my own ways on how to implement them without the aid of tutorials. True enough, if there’s a will, surely, there will be a way.

Soon after, designing became a regular part of my life because I’m always making projects personal and otherwise, for family and friends with utmost pleasure. I never thought that even calendar printing can be a breeze. I create the layouts and let the printing experts execute my designs to turn them into real and live works of art. 

It’s truly fulfilling to do what you love and share your passion to others who in turn, appreciate it. So have you found your true love yet? If not, then follow where your heart leads you.

JOHNSON's My Kid's Growing Up so Fast Contest

If I will be asked to cite one particular moment that changed my life, I’d beam and say it’s that beautiful thing called 'motherhood'. It turned my life around 720 degrees, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I’ll do it over and over again, because it has brought into my existence a wonderful, almost magical being that is worth all the treasure in the world. Okay, I might have sugar-coated it a tiny bit, but this ‘wonderful almost magical being’ can also be the annoying, demanding little rascal that is also adorable all at the same time (just like any real kid). And I love her to bits! 

Aside from the usual important baby stuff that parents arm themselves with after bringing a new baby into this world, one of the first things I invested in is a point-and-shoot camera. I find it indispensable and an absolute must-have in every baby’s life to capture every single moment - from the smallest to the biggest milestones, to eternalize each smile, temper or tantrum that make a child charmingly unique. 

My little 10 year old girl Chestene has gigabytes of photos I collected through the years. Some have survived the frequent crashing of my computer, while some I am lucky to recover from social networking sites I feverishly post her photos on regularly, to share with everyone. 

Yes, I became a stagemom at heart, right from the moment I saw her first ‘superstar’ toothless smile. =) 

Whenever I look back and browse over her photos all through those 10 memorable years, I think about this: My kid's growing up so fast I still can’t help but be amazed on how she has transformed into the beautiful person she is today, inside and out – loving, sweet, thoughtful, smart, generous, optimistic and all great things rolled into one. Truly, a gift from God.

Time flies extremely fast, so I cherish every moment of her childhood and innocence. And despite my hectic schedule, I try to bond with her whenever I can. Whether it's trying new restaurants, hanging out in our favorite bookstore, drawing and painting, or a trip to the salon for some pampering, I make sure she enjoys every minute of our time together.

At her tender age, she already has so many dreams she couldn’t wait to achieve. She wanted to become a model and she did, for real, starting from the age of 6: 

National Bookstore Calendar

Smart Parenting Magazine

NIDO Billboard

She wanted to be the cover of her favorite magazine and Mommy made it happen on her 6th birthday:

She wanted to be Hannah Montana and be a rockstar, and she did, during her 7th birthday party where she had her 1st concert:

She loves to write, so I helped her set up her very own blog, DeCaFFeiNaTeD, where she shares her online diary to the world. Her blog has gotten quite popular, earning a blog page rank of 2 and oftentimes landing on the 1st page of Google:

This year she wanted to be Sharpay Evans even for a day, and so she did on her 10th birthday:

She is changing before my eyes but her skin is still like a baby's. We still need the gentle care of JOHNSON's Baby Milk, with Vitamins A&E and 100% more milk proteins to nourish developing skin. 

So whether she wants to become a model, actress, singer, writer, scientist, Miss Universe or the future president of this country, as early as now, I like her to know that Mommy would be behind her every step of the way until she realizes every single dream she has set her mind and heart on, and becomes the best of what she could ever be.

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Comment on this post and win a Johnson’s Gift Pack! 

Joining is soooo easy: 

1. "Like" the Johnson's Baby World of Firsts Facebook Page to be eligible for this contest. 

2. Create one unique title/caption for my little girl’s photo above (as Sharpay).

Don't forget to leave your name and email so I can contact you in case you win. That’s it! Please share with your friends so they too, can give it a shot. =)

Commenting period starts on October 8 and ends on October 21. The winning caption will be announced on October 31, 2011. Thank you and goodluck!