2014-03-16 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Berta Rojas Live In Manila: Meet the World Famous Classical Guitarist and Paraguay's Ambassador of Tourism

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Independent Philippine Art Ventures, Inc. in cooperation with Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. presents BERTA ROJAS on MAY 15 - 8 P.M. at the MERALCO THEATER and on MAY 17 - 8 P.M. in CEBU.

Renowned for her impeccable technique and innate musical mastery, Berta Rojas is one of the most outstanding female classical guitarists today. She has been praised as “guitarist extraordinaire” by the Washington Post and by Classical Guitar Magazine as an “ambassador of the classical guitar.”

Her acknowledged warmth and musicality have accorded her a place of preference among the audiences that have applauded her at such major stages as the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall and the Frederick P. Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, London’s South Bank Centre, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the National Concert Hall in Dublin where she performed as a soloist of the Irish Radio and Television Orchestra, or Flagley Studio 4 in Brussels where she performed with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra for the Belgian National Television. She also had the honor of opening the Summit of the First Ladies of the Americas attended by then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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The Department of Advertising and Public Relations of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) holds its 24th Annual AD CLASH, an Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign competition among its senior students.

Witness the BAPR seniors' skills as they contest on who is the best in planning and executing an IMC campaign at the Tiendesitas Activity Center, Pasig City on the 22nd of March at 1 pm in an event dubbed as AD Clash: Swing 2 Win.

AD CLASH - is an integrated marketing communication campaign competition among BAPR senior students. This annual event marks the beginning of their professional careers in the field of Advertising and Public Relations. The competition also showcases the many ideas, skills, and knowledge of the senior students in planning and executing a complete communications plan with focus on TV, radio and print advertisements.

This year, BAPR senior students will show what they got in creating excellent IMC campaign proposals for the brand STABILO SwingCool highlighter.

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For the first time, three international BBoy events are collaborating to bring to the Philippines, the biggest and craziest event ever, to inspire the Pinoy Bboys and give them an opportunity to battle in countries abroad.
On March 29, 2014 at around 10am at the SM MAll of Asia Music Hall, there will be three big events on this date. Challenge Cup X Breakin' the Law Asia X R16 Philippines.

*Note: There is a second earlier date of March 28 to be held at the BP Rooftop between 4pm - 10pm.

R16 Philippines National Championships is the most prestigious and important B-Boy (break dance) tournament in the Philippines.

The winners, become crowned as the R16 Philippines National Champions, and move on (all expenses paid) to represent the entire country at the R16 South East Asia Regional Championship Finals in Singapore.

Should they win R16 South East Asia, they then move on to the R16 World Championship Finals in Seoul, Korea (July 4-6, 2014).

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As promised, we will be updating you with everything that is happening for *ADDlib’s upcoming workshop right? Last Monday, March 17, 2014, I went and observed them at the Blue Light Studio in Kamuning Road, Quezon City. I arrived a bit late but still right in time since most members of *ADDlib were still practising and also stretching for their rehearsal that night.

I felt really nervous because it was my very first time in a long while to be in a studio full of dancers. The sudden culture shock of them brings chills to my back because I didn’t really know what to expect, thankfully I was greeted by one of its members and helped me out.

I was introduced to Elgin Bez - one of the choreographers for this year’s The LAB 3. When I first met Elgin I was actually really shy since he is the first one I will be interviewing that day because I didn’t really know how to approach him. But with his easy going and mild demeanor, my nervousness quickly faded.

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Dancing is an art, a way to express ones self and also a medium to showcase our emotions. That is what I've felt through my own experience as a dancer when I was younger.

But dancing is different with *ADDlib. Founded in 2008 by Joe Abuda - Choreographer to the stars, *ADDlib is a powerhouse crew of multi-talented individuals that excels in different forms of dance and performance art.

Since 2008 the group has achieved a lot of highlights in their career in which one of them is being 10th place in the 2012 World Supremacy Battlegrounds held in Sydney, Australia and also being one of the Semi-Finalists at the 2013 World Hiphop Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. These were all done merely by *ADDlib with zero financial support. But in the end, they were able to make it for their sheer passion in dancing.

With a fuse of Jazz, contemporary, hip hop and other dance styles *ADDlib became one of a powerhouse dance crew among the dance competition circuits and also underground performances around the metro immediately.

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Holi Festival is uniquely characterized by the throwing and applying of colored powder or gulal. Hundreds of people gather on the streets to throw colored powder, play instruments, dance, and participate in merrymaking activities. Because of its popularity, Holi is celebrated in more than 20 countries across five continents - Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America.

A spring festival, the bright colors of Holi mimic nature’s vibrant display. The color play is also a commemoration of the great love of Krishna and Radha, hence Holi is sometimes known as the Festival of Love. Young Krishna, with his dark complexion, applied color on fair-skinned Radha to make her look like him.

For the 2nd year in a row, Asia Society Philippines, together with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce, SingIndia Music of the Soul, and Indian Ladies Club brought the Holi experience to Manila last March 16, 2014 at SM Mall of Asia by the Bay.

The Holi Festival was an event full of dancing, happiness, and of course, color. Indians and Filipinos alike celebrated the Festival of Colors which promotes unity and harmony among people.

DOTC: No Winner Yet For Mactan-Cebu Airport PPP Project

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The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is correcting a report following yesterday’s Invest Transport PH market sounding activity, which claimed that its Special Prequalification, Bids, and Awards Committee (PBAC) appears ready to award the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Development Project concession to a particular bidder.

“The DOTC Special PBAC is still settling the issues raised in relation to the qualification and capacity of the involved bidders. There is no decision yet as to which group will win the contract. No recommendation has been made to the Secretary,” said DOTC Spokesperson

Michael Arthur Sagcal.

“The Special PBAC still intends to close out the issues by the end of this month, but it is being thorough in resolving the matter to ensure that its decision will be in accordance with what the law and the rules alone prescribe. In any case, the DOTC will make an official announcement once the award is made,” he added.

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CE.ORG, invites you for a one-of-a-kind thrilling, Body Fit and Family Oriented run entitled "X-Race Diliman" which will be held this coming June 8, 2014 at UP Diliman Academic Oval.

With the combined themes of Obstacle run (Sack Race, Tire Skip, Hurdles, Twister Run, Water Splash run, Color Crawl) that our family and set of friends will definitely enjoy! X-Race will truly be an XTRA SPECIAL RUN!!

Registration includes Race Bib, Singlet and Loot Bags coming from our sponsors!

Name: X-Race Diliman
Venue: UP Diliman Academic Oval
Date: June 8, 2014
Available at: MetroDeal and Ensogo for only Php599

For more inquiries, Please call 4826365 mobile: 09163243376/09064884566 look for Donnie/Prince or email us at donniemariano@yahoo.com/prince.ferrer07@yahoo.com

Become Clear-Skin Ready for Summer with the New Proactiv Solution 15-Day Maintenance Kit

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Summer is just around the corner as almost everyone says goodbye to another school year. The youth are simply excited for the opportunity to go on vacation to swim at a pool nearby or visit a beach outside of Metro Manila. Maybe taking your dream vacation or outing this summer along with "barkada", friends, colleagues or your family and relatives.

At every gathering there would always be photo ops or picture -taking whether its with a photographer using a top of the line DSLR, or using your smartphone for a "selfie" or "groupie". What hurts is if you find yourself full of those awful acne or pimples occupying a great portion of your face.

The humiliation seeing yourself in photos bombarded by these troubling, confidence-robbing facial dilemmas brings your summer down to a low. Memories will be far more worth remembering if we look good in photos.

This is where the new Proactiv Solution 15-Day Maintenance Kit comes in to save our summer.

This handy travel kit makes it easy to maintain your acne-treatment regimen at the gym or on the road. The kit includes the complete 3-Step System - Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner and Repairing Treatment - in three 1-oz. take-aboard bottles. It comes with a Free Refining Mask! The snap-close pouch is 3.75 x 4.25 x 1.25 inches and fits easily into a backpack, purse or gym bag.

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We are gearing up for The LAB Year 3! - A series of dance workshops, recitals and a huge dance concert this coming summer!!!

But before the summer dance workshops at Bluelight Dance Studio scheduled from March 27 to April 25, 2014 and the very big event at SM Skydome to be held on May 9, 2014, we will give you some backstage up close and personal interviews, photos, and videos of the Addlib Dance Crew (the country's PHiercest dance crew) as they make preparations towards their many activities in line this summer.

We'll join them during their rehearsals, we'll be their shadows at the dance studio, checking them out at the TV stations as they rehearse with celebrities, and tagging along with them at their promotional tours, guesting and gigs around the Metro. Heck, we'll do all of these just for you, and because you deserve to know more about this powerhouse of multi-talented individuals!!!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Individuality is important – especially to those would-be graduates who wish to easily distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. While most people are fine with the two top handset brands (we all know who those two are), there are those who know that it pays to explore alternatives and grab something that exceeds expectations.

Set aside the brand and price, we will soon realize that there are alternative handheld devices that you'll be surprised to find out having several features that would equal or sometimes exceed the capabilities of the most popular brands.

With the introduction of other players joining the popularity of handheld devices among Filipino consumers (everyone has a minimum of at least one mobile device), and promoting alternative brands for our newly graduates (who could only afford a minimum amount from their allowance or savings) this coming graduation season, fast-growing retail chain Techbox Philippines, a retail shop that offers original handsets, tablets, and accessories, shares the 15 Best Alternative Handhelds:

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Summer is the best time for bazaars!! Why? It's because it's the time when we love to shop for affordable yet fashionable items that we can wear at the beach or anywhere under the sun that will make us look "cool" and trendy.

Summer does not only invite us to wear our best outfit, it also inspires us to bring our best "rides" that we could you to go on road tripping to our chosen summer destination. Whether its the beaches of far away resorts, or at the summer capital of the Philippines, we all want to get there looking great!

SuperStyle MNL 2, is a revolutionary bazaar series to showcase topnotch quality and trendy brands from all over the Metro. The aim for this event is A collaboration between four big industries together: Fashion, Cars, Tech and Sneakers in order to cater to both the male and female market. Traditional bazaars usually attracts only the female market due to the items that are being sold inside which are a majority of fashion, beauty and other "kikay" stuff. This time, the organizers of SuperStyle MNL 2 wanted to make it different. They wanted to make it more interactive.

So mark your calendars and let's go! Unleash your passion and get ready for an adventure as we uncover the newest concept event happening this summer!

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There’s no need to travel far to witness the interesting diversity of Asian culture. On March 22, 2014, international youth-run organization AIESEC brings the Asia Pacific Global Village (AP GV) at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

The half-day celebration seeks to promote openness to cultural diversity through actual involvement and engagement in the interesting and unique colors, textures, smells, and tastes from all over the region.

AIESEC encourages cultural appreciation and globalization in each individual and believes AP GV is an avenue to instil such values to hundreds of Filipinos and other nationalities.

AP GV will have booths and embassies representing over 21 countries to promote its unique people, talent, and tradition to the participants of the cultural festival.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was funny seeing Tweety Bird being chased by Sylvester the Cat on the Loony Tunes cartoon, educationally endearing learning our ABCs and 123s with Big Bird on Sesame Street, had spent a great deal of grinning every time we heard the song "Please Don't Touch My Birdie" of Parokya Ni Edgar, enjoyed a hilariously fun time wrecking the pigs quarters with super-powered flying birds in the Angry Birds game, and had a quite exhilarating and hair-pulling experience playing Flappy Bird even until the app developer pulled it out of online distribution.

It seems many of us are fond of "birds" all throughout our lives. My childhood, until now that I'm a lot older, has always been around "birds" of every kind. In a more serious note, these flying creatures are really magnificent creations that will forever amaze us. This is probably why there are groups dedicated to the study of birds, as part of their work, as a hobby, or as a contribution to the preservation of their many species for the overall welfare of society.

Among them are the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) led by Gina Mapua as their present club president. According to their Facebook page, the WBCP was established in July 2003 to promote bird watching as a hobby and the responsible enjoyment of nature, and to build records of bird observations open for public access. They were brought together by one thing - the beauty of wild birds of the Philippines in their natural habitats.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger has just downloaded a brand new game app from Kuyi Mobile called Epic Paint Adventure that is both available in Android and iOS.

At first I thought it was more like a kiddie painting game for my kids but after I tried it out....whoah!.... It was a challenging mind game featuring famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Shen Zhou, our very own Juan Luna, and many more popular artists. The game, which requires you to match 4 similarly-colored paint swirls, was also challenging to level up. Makes it more than just a leisure game that will test your speed in thinking of the next moves.

I'm sure if I had more convenience of time, I could learn to master it just like any other game if we put persistence and patience together ... but needless to say, my kids will beat me on this game anytime even with their eyes closed. The kids of today are so very well-adapted to technology that every gadget and software like mobile apps seems very intuitive for them. Most of the time, I ask them for assistance when I can't get through a certain level of a game, and they whisked through it like it was just the EASY level.

Power Sale Bazaar Summer Fiesta Edition: After-Event Highlights

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"In the summer time when the weather is high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky! (and probably best at the Power Sale Bazaar we all drop by)"

The fiesta is part and bundle of Filipino culture. Through good times and bad times, the fiesta must always go on. Each city and barrio has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a fiesta going on somewhere in the country.

Here in Manila, before we officially hit summer time, FTMS Events came up with the Power Sale Bazaar Summer Fiesta Edition - a place where you can find the hottest and trendiest summer must-haves!

Gonna hit the beach this summer or just go on shopping-til-u-drop at the malls? Be sure to make a splash this season, or look cool and trendy even indoors! We should all Dress to Impress wherever we are going, even being just a couch potato bumming all day long at home. Where else to shop for the most impressive clothes, shoes, make-up and other kikay accessories but at the biggest sale of the summer season - the Power Sale Bazaar Summer Fiesta Edition!!!

We dropped by at the Power Sale Bazaar at the Metrotent Metrowalk in Ortigas, Pasig City for lots of big, big sales and freebies from almost all of the concessionaires. We checked out a lot of fabulous summeriffic necessities and loved many of the concessionaires one-of-a-kind, homemade and rare stuff many of which were personally created and designed by them! When we got hungry, we ate our merienda at the several food concessionaires available and shopped at our heart's content at many of our "now" favorite stores!

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If it was not for coffee, I guess we would all be too sleepy right now. It's what totally wakes us up every early morning and what keeps us awake late at night. It is the reason why people are always watching out for coffee break - their favorite time of the day aside from lunch break and the end of office hours.

But there is this coffee destination that is ambitious enough to redefine the Filipino's coffee experience and it just recently launched its very first branch along the stretch of West Avenue in Quezon City. The brainchild of Chef Ernest Joggler Martin and entrepreneur Anthony Lim, the Coffee Empire, banking on the third wave coffee concept, aspires to the highest form of culinary appreciation for coffee.

"The preparation of this well-loved beverage has become an art. Each step is specifically calculated, from the sourcing of the raw coffee beans, to the roasting, all the way to the final brew.With Coffee Empire opening its doors, Filipinos will be experiencing some of the finest coffee of the world alongside the best our country has to offer."

Sabrina Releases "I Love Acoustic 6" Album

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Everyone loves the "I Love Acoustic" album series that has earned multi-platinum recognition not only because of Asia's Acoustic Sweetheart giving her all out singing prowess as an acoustic diva but also because she has collaborated with many talented artists from all over Asia.

With the launch of "I Love Acoustic 6" having collaborations with Thai artists King Pitchet from The Voice of Thailand to come up with the song "Treasure". She also worked with Oil Kunjira from The Voice Kids Thailand to sing "We Can't Stop." These are all bonus tracks that can be found on her new album.

The album also highlights an original composition of Sabrina entitled "Paradise" - the second time an original song is included in an "I Love Acoustic" album.

Sabrina said she wrote the song for the two people in the world that she loved most, and now she is sharing it to the whole world especially the ones who are in the darkest place in their lives. She wants us to accept her song as her "big bear-hug."

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Myk Perez may have not won in the Voice of the Philippines but MCA Music, the number one music company in the Philippines, has chosen him to become one of the most promising ones to become one of their recording artists. An excellent songwriter as well as a fabulous acoustic singer, he is sure to make a name among the celebrities.

He now has an album called My Acoustic that was launched last March 13, 2014 at the Nation Bar and Grill in Quezon City.

Myk's talent is simply too hard to pass as he sings his beautiful brand of acoustic songs. I was surely taken aback as he sang three songs to the members of the media during the album launch. With a guitar as his instrument and DJ Buddah at his side, he struck his audience with soothing acoustic songs made enchanting by his remarkable voice.

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Auditions for lead roles and ensemble for the Repertory Philippines Theater for Young Audiences Production of “ PINOCCHIO ” will be held on March 30 and April 6 at 6:00 pm at the Onstage Theater Greenbelt One.

Roles:
Gepetto Pinocchio's father - baritone;
Antonio Narrator baritone or tenor ;
Blue Fairy - soprano;
Angelina Housekeeper - alto or soprano;
Candlewick - baritone or tenor.
Gino - baritone or tenor;
Fox - baritone or tenor;
Cat - baritone or tenor ;
Coachman - bass or baritone;
Townspeople SATB male and female

Applicants will be tested for voice, musicality, the ability to pick up notes quickly and skill at parts singing, acting, and movement.

The ability to speak good English is a requirement for all lead roles.

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The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are clarifying recent reports which claim that the new license plates will cost more than current rates.

“The new license plates will still cost the same: P450.00 for 4-wheeled vehicles and P 120.00 for motorcycles. These are the current prices already. So it’s not correct to say that they will cost more. New vehicle owners, meaning those who will register their vehicles for the first time beginning February 17 this year, will be charged the same rate as everyone else before,” clarified DOTC Secretary Joseph “Jun” Abaya.

“The additional cost will be for owners of the current license plates, who will have to pay those amounts to get the new designs. But this is a one-time payment only. In exchange, we get many security features which will improve the safety of our families and loved ones,” he added.

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His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III will be the special guest of honor to deliver the keynote speech at the forthcoming PINOY MUSIC SUMMIT 2014: “BASTA PINOY, PUSH MO YAN!” set on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at the Diosdado Macapagal Hall, Landbank Plaza Bldg. located at 1598 M.H. Del Pilar cor. Dr. J. Quintos Sts., Malate, Manila.

The PINOY MUSIC SUMMIT 2014: “BASTA PINOY, PUSH MO YAN!” is a conference which aims to unite various players in the music industry in making conscious commitments to the development and promotion of original Filipino music.

The convenors of the Pinoy Music summit are led by the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP), along with the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), Philippine Association of Recording Industry (PARI), Assosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino Foundation Inc. (AMP), Music Copyright Administrators of the Philippines (MCAP) and PHILPOP Foundation.

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Retail store Techbox Philippines recently launched its “Race to 10K Challenge”, inviting the public to “like” its Facebook page (facebook.com/techboxphilippines). Once the page reaches 10,000 likes, Techbox will raffle off 2 vouchers to two lucky followers who will get a chance to purchase a 10” Lenovo Yoga tablet for a jaw-dropping price of PhP10.

“This is part of our commitment to our customers for them to have an enjoyable buying experience every time they visit our stores,” said Angela Gutierrez, Business Unit Head for Techbox Philippines. “Since most Filipinos are tech-savvy and attuned to gadget trends, we want to provide an avenue where they can buy the latest phones and tablets for a more economical price compared to typical mall stores, but with the assurance that they’re buying original products. Unlike those from the gray market, our affordable products come with peace of mind for the customer,” added Angela.

The Lenovo Yoga tablet is famous for two interesting features: a unique form factor that enables the device to stand on its own due to its integrated kickstand base, and a whopping 18-hour battery life.

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In today’s digital age, consumers are constantly looking out for simple-to-use yet high quality devices that they can use and rely on in their daily lives; whether at work or at play. Logitech, with their wide range of computer peripherals, gives consumers this assurance of using innovative and reliable products. Logitech’s wireless mouse, for example, allows consumers to stay connected and unified with up to six devices.

And to thank customers for their continued support, Logitech announced today “Be Wireless with Logitech”, a raffle promotion that is open to all Filipino residents, 18 years and above. For every purchase of participating Logitech products, customers are entitled to a raffle coupon to win these attractive prizes:

Grand Prize: Apple iPad Air 32 GB + Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio (worth PhP 35,000.00)
Second Prize: iPad Mini Retina Display 16GB + Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio (worth PhP 18,000.00)
Third Prize: 10 winners of Logitech Bluetooth Speaker Z600 + Wireless Mouse M185 (worth PhP 6,000.00)
Fourth Prize: 30 winners of Logitech Speaker System Z523 (worth PhP 4,000.00)

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Red is the strongest color I know that is so intense and powerful to the eye. That's probably why red is used to paint firetrucks that are always in a hurry. Ironically, it is used in the traffic signal color to mean STOP, and represents passionate hearts during Valentine's Day. It is the color of rubies and strawberries, but is also the color for fresh blood and wild fire. It is my favorite color that I use when I want to emphasize or highlight something in everything that I'm working on.

Now imagine what it would mean if we could reach a red state of mind. Our heartbeats will stop....as we go rushing to a passionate, bloody and really wild time?

La Salle's Business Management Society brought us to an arena of the red state of mind. This is where towns were painted red and where upbeat music lingered and created ecstatic spirits going wild and free!

REDux: The RED Trance gave us an experience we will never forget. Partygoers underwent a Radical Audio Visual Experience (R.A.V.E.) that brought each one of us to our RED STATE OF MIND.

The event was held last March 14, 2014 at the PICC FORUM 1 from 8PM onwards. The event had a fashion show at the start of the party, featuring ensembles from Penshoppe worn by members of the Business Management Society.

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Do you want to know the secret on how to keep your breath always fresh? Hang out with the likes of Jessy Mendiola and she will whisper to you the most effective way to keep having ice cool moments with the freshest breath ever.

Say goodbye to those mouth turn-offs brought out by having an awful bad breath caused by gingivitis, mouth sores, plaque build-ups, cavities, food stuck in between your teeth, etc., Enough of the constant struggle to ensure proper oral health and hygiene. Make sure you have the confidence oozing from out of you by having an outlook that is truly fresh and cool. This self-confidence will eventually lead to a greater possibility towards financial stability, physical desirability, respect from peers and superiors, and a healthy romantic lovelife - all in favor of enjoying a successful life.

At an event sponsored by Astring-O-Sol held at the Imperial Ice Bar in Bonifacio Global City, we learned about the products new brand ambassador - Jessy Mendiola, one of our favorite teen stars who's becoming a very voluptuous woman already and often gracing our TVs with her many portrayals of adorable and recently alluring characters in leading teleserye and noontime shows.

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There has been many efforts already to provide assistance to the many survivors of the devastating Typhoon Yolanda that struck the Philippines especially those areas directly affected by the flooding and destruction of their homes and the death of their loved ones.

We are very grateful that the International communities from all over the world are sending in their contributions to help rebuild and rehabilitate a country that has suffered from many calamities. We are forever proud of our fellow Filipinos who, in their own special way, has made initiatives to help ease the burden of the survivors who were left with grief and sorrow. The bad memories will remain so it is up to all of us to give them hope for a better tomorrow. We want to give them all the assurance that they truly need and it may take forever before we could really heal their pain.

Among the many who listened to the outcries of the many victims of the storm are the Elements Music Camp. They were originally envisioned to develop young Filipino songwriters with the hope of one day defining the unique Filipino sound.The highlight of the camp, that has been ongoing for 4 years already, has always been the production of original compositions created by the campers as guided by their mentors, but this time the segment took on a different twist because they couldn't ignore the call for help.

Typhoon Yolanda seems to be the strongest storm ever recorded in Philippine history, and this devastation needs to be addressed equally by hopefully several efforts from many groups including our very own Elements Music Camp.

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Liquified Petroleum Gas or LPG is a vital source of energy for millions of people worldwide. It is a clean and portable fuel that provides heat, light and power in both densely populated urban areas, as well as remote areas for all their everyday usage like cooking and heating.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger of the Philippines was a part of the Asian LP Gas Summit 2014 that happened last March 10-12, 2014 at the Manila Hotel.

It was an opportunity to learn about the LPG technology and the several technical facts and theories, both realistic and somewhat fictional issues, that surrounds its usage. A great number of experts both in the private and government sector were invited to share their expertise, studies, research and thoughts in order to educate the attendees and also to debunk the myths that somehow has given the LPG industry a tainted name - the reason why it has not really expanded its usage in the Philippines.

The first Asian LP Gas Summit event was conducted in the Philippines in 2011 to encourage the growth of the LPG industry there. It seeks to promote discussion and industry networking for the sustainable growth of the LPG industry with a focus on technology adoption, safety and consumer education. From household consumption to autogas, it promotes the adoption of LPG as the fuel of choice by providing a quorum for industry stakeholders to meet with policy makers, international technology providers and operators to exchange ideas, share best practices, and shape the growth of the industry.

It is very rare to be exposed to a large gathering of LPG industry experts, and an opportunity to network with possible new business partners in order to enhance the efforts in promoting the technology. It is best to understand the many different aspects in order to come up with better solutions that we can offer to the market.

Grilla Bar and Grill: Witness The Amazing Transformation into a Family Restaurant

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Gone is the menacing gorilla that once adorned its exteriors, tarps and posters. When once it used to frighten children because of the seemingly threatening gorilla mascot, it's now kid-friendly and highlights instead a map on the cover of it's menu. The restaurant has transformed into a dining experience for everyone (barkada, friends, colleagues, classmates, etc.,) to enjoy especially the whole family of kapamilya, kapuso, kapatid and whatsoever. So the next time you want to satisfy your family's hunger, visit the Grilla Bar and Grill (Hey, wait!... I believe they are now calling the restaurant as Grilla Filipino Cuisine), and be amazed with the incredible transformation.

The Grilla Filipino Cuisine restaurant has fresh new interiors pleasing to all ages. When I got invited to try out their new dishes plus their choices of homemade backyard liquors, I immediately noticed how the restaurant located in Kalayaan, Makati has changed. From the very moment I saw the restaurant signage that now says only Grilla and below in smaller print are the words Filipino Cuisine.

I was actually looking for the iconic gorilla...but it was totally gone. I visited the Kalayaan branch before and the renovation was really noticeable. I was informed that the changes has happened throughout all the other branches including their very first branch in Antipolo. So expect to see a lot of more new things on your next visit as the transformations are still in their process.

Congratulations to Grilla's new image! I'm sure many will be curious to see for themselves the big changes you have done with both your restaurant and your menu.

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The Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival this year was such an almost week-long celebration filled with people, be it foreigners coming from other countries or local residents from both nearby or far provinces of the country, who simply want to relax and release their accumulated pressures in life, and for some to explore more possibilities of inspiring and heartwarming realizations here at Malasimbo mountain located Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro - one of the Philippines famous getaways where the beaches are great, the entertainment is awesome and the people truly warm, friendly and affectionate.

From day one, the adventure starts early morning as we went around the area seeing fabulous artistry scattered around Malasimbo that these creative people have installed and setup to amaze and bewilder the imagination. They are so unique that no one could possibly ever think of something better (probably only until next year's event). There were a lot of original ideas showcased and explored to the delight of the guests.

The nights were more spectacular as they were always very colorful, fun and engaging. You'll see people dancing, partying, drinking beer, and chatting with each other and gaining new friends, as they got surrounded by beautiful music beats amidst several fancy and artistic kinds displays that completes the experience.