Yeoja Lifestyle

This month I turned one year older. But it's not with excitement. It's not even about getting one year older. I don't mind growing old. I'm always excited about that.

No. This year my lack of excitement is due to just being tired. Emotionally. Mentally. And to an extent, physically.



Last year was so draining to me. So many ways. As usual with life, some were unexpected such as dealing with the illness and death of my sister...and everything that came after that. Others were my own actions. Actions I honestly didn't think all the way through. Instead I just went ahead and did things anyway. And now I have to deal with what comes after with that also.

They say you get wiser as you get older. It's so true. But wisdom is sometimes a double edge sword. We clearly see the mistakes we made and the hardships we lead ourselves into. Thankfully we also learn how to deal with them and hopefully get onto a better path.

So as I welcome another year of life in this world, I'm planning (and hoping) to go into this new year towards better. Cause what is the purpose to keep living, if we're not doing better each year.

Happy Birthday to me, right?

When I learned that The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy offered Fishing Clinics as part of its 20th Anniversary of free, public programming, I knew it would be a great family activity for the day!


So we joined Scherrie (ThirtyMommy) and her family in Brooklyn Bridge Park for a day of water fun and summer chill.


Getting to the Fishing Clinics is super easy since it's right on Pier 5. Once there, you check in, learn which time group your in (each fishing group is about 15-30mins) and then get your location number.


Before heading over to your location, groups learn the basics of line fishing from marine biologist and expert anglers. They also demo how to tie fishing knots, bait a hook, cast a fishing rod, and even reel up a fish. While you could keep some of the fish, most fish are catch-and-released.

Since the clinics are produced in part by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and equipment is provided on-site, once you learn the basics, you can head over to your location and start fishing!



Since we're new to fishing, we received help from one of the "anglers" who walk up and down the pier in case anyone needs assistance. He took my son through the steps, explained a little about sea life under the pier and gave some tips to help us catch a fish.

Sadly during our time there, we didn't catch any fish, but my son still enjoyed the experience of "fishing". Meanwhile I enjoyed just have a moment with him learning something new.


After our fishing time was up, we checked out a few of the fish caught that day by others. There was a shark and another fish I don't remember the name of. Who knew those lived in the water under the pier!

So if your in the Brooklyn Bridge Park area, check out the new Fishing Clinics for kids and adults. The 7-part series will take place at Pier 5’s fishing station from May-September.

To learn more, visit - www.brooklynbridgepark.org

Facebook - www.facebook.com/brooklynbridgepark
Twitter - www.twitter.com/BBPNYC
Instagram - www.instagram.com/BrooklynBridgePark

As the weather gets warmer, a great family activity is kite flying. To kick off summer, we took some time to fly a kite during Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy "Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival" and had such an amazing time.


Note: I was invited as media for review purpose. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

To get started, we joined other families and individuals at The Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn in Brooklyn Bridge Park for a day filled with special activities exploring the science of flight.

We visited the different stations for fun projects including making our own lunch bag kite, help collecting air samples of different organisms, and making a rocket, just to name a few.


Nory made air kites to teach how circulating air can make objects move, along with DIY motorized contraptions that are relevant to flight/moving air, such as a robotic air propeller. Nory also showed children how to put together a simple circuit, and teach the functionality of each part of the circuit.



When we finished joining in all the fun activities, we returned to kite flying. The sky was clear, the wind nice and steady, which meant an afternoon of nothing but simple kite fun.

Want to take your family kite flying?


The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy has announced the first event of its 2019 programming season. "Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival", a FREE all-ages event, will take place on May 11, 2018 from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

It will be the first of over 500 arts, recreation, fitness and educational events taking place in the park through August offering visitors of all ages something to enjoy in the park this spring and summer season.

Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival” will include special activities exploring the science of flight. The event will emphasize S.T.E.A.M (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) concepts such as wind tunnels, robotic air propellers, and outdoor adventures. Kites will be available for purchase at the event, or participants can bring their own kites to fly on Pier 5.

Partners this year will include NORY, STEM Kids NYC, Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Genspace, SPARK!, Private Picassos, BK Public Library, Geeks Rule, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s Environmental Education Center, among others.

Live music, stilt walkers, and face-painters will round out the event this year. Pack a picnic and enjoy the first event of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s soon to be announced full event schedule.

“Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival” is the first of over 500 free and low-cost events that the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy presents every season to park-goers. The Conservancy offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy a variety of free cultural, educational, and recreational events, as well as opportunities to volunteer and support this world-class waterfront park.

To learn more, visit - www.brooklynbridgepark.org

Facebook - www.facebook.com/brooklynbridgepark
Twitter - www.twitter.com/BBPNYC
Instagram - www.instagram.com/BrooklynBridgePark

Just before the release of THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING film, we attended a knights-in-training session at Xavier High School to help my son learn more about "The Knights Code".


Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and knight-in-training event. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.


During the training my son would learn Swordsmanship, Magic Lessons and other skills important for a knight. You can imagine how excited my son was to start his lessons.




My son joined other tween boys and girls to learn how to hold and use a sword, then to take the "The Knights Code"

• Honor Those You Love – A knight shows gratitude and admiration for the people in their community.

• Refrain From Wanton Offense – A knight must only use his/her strength for good through acts of chivalry and kindness.

• Speak the Truth At All Times – A Knight never tells a lie and is a trustworthy and reliable member of the community.

• Persevere In Any Enterprise Until The End – A Knight never quits. Even when it’s tough, they follow through until the end.

Once my son was Knighted, then it was time to learn magic! There was water tricks, card tricks and fire! While it was all cool to learn, I firmly insisted to the magician that the fire trick remain a secret till my son was older. The magician understood. HA!


Now that my son had some skills under his belt, it was time to see if he was worthy. So we made a special journey to FAO Schwarz, where there was a special THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING display.



Along with other kids (and adults), my son tried to see if he was worthy of pulling the sword from the stone. Watch the video to see him in action.


After training all day, my son was found worthy and I became mom to a young knight ready for action. By Merlin's beard!

We enjoyed both a day of knight training and the story-line of "The Kid Who Would Be King" so we can't wait for it to release on 4K Ultra-HD, Blu-ray and DVD on April 16.


SYNOPSIS

Old school magic meets the modern world in the epic family-friendly adventure, The Kid Who Would Be King. Alex thinks he’s just another nobody, getting bullied at school and told what to do by his teachers, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur.

Now, with the help of the legendary wizard Merlin, he must unite his friends and school yard enemies into an allied band of knights to defeat the wicked enchantress Morgana. With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be and save the world.

Stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Tom Taylor, with Rebecca Ferguson and Patrick Stewart. The film also stars Dean Chaumoo, Rhianna Dorris and Angus Imrie.

The Kid Who Would Be King | Look For It on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD | Fox Family Entertainment



Special Features

• Deleted Scenes
• Origins of a King
• Young Knights
• Hair, Makeup & Costume Tests
• Merlin’s Magic (x4)
• *Knight School
• *The Two Merlins
• *Meet Morgana
• *Movie Magic
• *“Be the King”, Lay Lay Music Video

*Available on Blu-ray and select digital accounts only

Written and directed by Joe Cornish, the film was produced by Nira Park, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, with James Biddle and Rachael Prior serving as executive producers.


To learn more, visit - www.TheKidWhoWouldBeKing.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KidWhoWouldBeKing
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KidWouldBeKing
Instagram: www.instagram.com/KidWhoWouldBeKing

Sometimes (okay all the time) I wonder what my son is thinking.




His little mind is always going and he amazes me with his never ending questions and life observations. Hope he never stops "thinking".

Seems all my son's friends have a smartphone.....


He's been asking for one also. But is it really time to give him one?

For families who like to game together, you'll LOVE The Paley Center newest, PaleyGX: Your Ultimate Gaming Experience, a free program for families and gamers with the newest video games including NBA 2K18, Fortnite, Minecraft, Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, LEGO Marvel SuperHeroes 2, Rocket League as well as virtual reality experiences including Beat Saber, Moss, Echo Arena, and Jurassic World: Blue.


Note: I was invited as media to this event. However, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

We were invited to the launch event, so we had a chance to see and play with the new games. Let me tell you it was awesome!



The first game we sat down with was Marvel’s Spider-Man in the PS4 area. My son was able to sit back in a plush comfy chair, put on headphones and become the web-slinger. The game is pretty cool to play. I'll have to get it at some point.


The next game we chose was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I decided to join in the fun, thinking I can keep up with my son in this game. Needless to say he won. But it's okay. We had fun playing together.


My son continued with Mario Tennis Aces. It was fun to watch him figure out how to play tennis. He learned quickly and served up some hits. But eventually the game got better and he lost his round.


We then decided it was time for some virtual gaming. We've played virtually before and really like it. The first game my son tried was Jurassic World: Blue.


It was all fun being with Blue until the volcano erupted and a T-Rex came over to fight. I think that was a bit to real for my son, who turned around looking for me to help him get away. I'm sorry but I laughed a bit.


We moved him to the less scary game, Beat Saber. Here my son combined his light saber moves to hit obstacles in time with music. He had a great time playing.

While I did also try some virtual gaming, I did terrible in Echo Arena, so no photos need of that. While it does look like an exciting, I need more time to get use to moving virtual with no gravity.


We ended our time with a little fun gaming trivia. Needless to say my son knew nothing about gaming history so it was nice to remember (me) and discover (him) gaming fun facts via the Paley Gaming Trivia Challenge.

While these are just a few games we played, there's LOTS more games for families to enjoy playing together. Or apart. You get to choose how to enjoy your gaming fun.


The PaleyGX: Your Ultimate Gaming Experience, is immersive and features the hottest video-games geared toward all age levels, for both casual players and avid gamers, across multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, high-performance PC gaming,and cutting-edge Oculus virtual reality.

Visitors to Paley GX can play today’s most popular games in four areas within the Paley Center including on the big screen in the 200-seat Bennack Theater (when available).

When you arrive, go to the front desk for your tickets. Then you will be greeted by a Paley Gaming Xpert to get you set up.

• Visitors can reserve up to (4) Gaming Zones per day, with a limit of only (1) 25-minute timeslot in each Zone.
• If there are empty timeslots, gamers may be permitted to play for longer at the PGXpert's discretion.
• You may only play on the console that you have reserved. Please speak to a PGXpert.

Future PaleyGX events will include a MINECON Earth Day Party on September 29, tournaments, previews events for new game releases, and discussions with the most influential names in gaming today.

Paley Members have the opportunity to reserve gaming time slots ahead of the public.

For more information on the many benefits of Paley Membership, the full PaleyGX schedule, and rules of play, visit www.paleycenter.org

Facebook - www.facebook.com/PaleyCenter
Twitter - www.twitter.com/paleycenter
Instagram - www.instagram.com/paleycenter