2014-12-07 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Energizer Playground: World's First Battery-Operated Playground

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The most difficult toys to manage are those that are battery-operated since we ought to maintain its functionality by keeping it with power.We should always have batteries in storage so we are ready in times we would need them most especially when our kids suddenly demand to play with his or her battery-operated toys.

We have to accept the fact that not all batteries are made equal. There are only a few that we can say that puts real value on your money, a battery that you can say was worth every penny. If you want a brand that can really satisfy your need for dependable and lost-lasting batteries, you have to choose Energizer.

Energizer, from the makers of the World’s Longest Lasting AA and AAA batteries, recently brought holiday cheers to Filipino kids through the World’s First Energizer-Powered Playground. Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger ng Pilipinas was invited to witness an amazing array of playgrounds dominated by battery-powered toys.

From flying helicopters to high-speed race cars up to several cute toys that light up and move around in all directions, children enjoyed a showcase of colorful playmates.

The activity ran during mall hours from 11am to 10pm at the Trinoma Activity Center last Saturday, December 13, 2014. The event supported the Brand’s new campaign on Max Alkaline which is Power Seal Technology, Protects Your Devices from Damaging Leaks. Guaranteed.

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The theater never ceases to amaze me. There is nothing better than actually seeing the actors perform live and impromptu. It becomes more meaningful when you see the emotions, both gestures and facial expressions, matching fluently with the words spoken.

The best part is seeing some mistakes that are quickly resolved by quick thinking of the actors that are smart and witty. They are the most talented of the rest. No take twos, only unique presentations done in the spur of the moment powered by their memories of the script, learnings from experience, and their innate creativity.

DALANGHITA PRODUCTIONS proudly announces its first production "KAILAN AT BAKIT" - a trilogy of one-act plays set from Dec. 12 - 14, 2014 at the PETA Studio, 3/F Peta Theater Center.

I was thrilled to receive an invitation for a media preview last December 12. I get to again see and appreciate the power of the theater to naturally touch the emotions in a more intimate setting.

What can I say about the three plays? They were "freakish." It's the most perfect word to describe them. They were all freakishly good.

"KAILAN AT BAKIT" shall feature the following productions:

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We are thankful for the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) for inviting Wazzup Pilipinas to A Marvelous BPI Christmas Bash held last December 11, 2014 (Thursday), 11am at the Compass, InterContinental Hotel Manila.

The Media Appreciation Party was supposed to be scheduled last December 9, 2014 but they had to postpone due to the expected landfall of Typhoon Ruby in Metro Manila. They apologized for the inconvenience because they said our safety is of utmost importance and concern for them. For that we are forever grateful as well since not only are they extending us their thanks for a year of partnership, they valued our safety too.

The afternoon was filled with entertainment from a band who performed several song numbers, individual and group games, amazing raffle prizes, a buffet meal where they served "lechon" or roasted pig among the other dishes, and a "sugar rush" section where they offered several sweets aside from the dessert at the buffet table.

The event was a superhero-themed celebration intended to thank the media friends of BPI for a year of support. maybe for them we are their heroes so they are now letting us become superheroes even just for this day.

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Napapanahon na ating pag-usapan ang tungkol sa mga rumors, issues at scandals sa blogging community dahil sa mga kumakalat na blogs at trending na usapan sa social media na maaaring makasira sa pagkatao ng ilang individual. Ang timeline ko ay puno ng usapin tungkol sa mga nakataang mga pangyayari na involved ang ilang bloggers at ang karumal-dumal nilang karanasan.

Hindi yata umuubra ang pananahimik. Silence may be interpreted as acceptance of our fate. One the other hand, it may mean being guilty because we offer no words to reason out. Kapag naman nagbigay ka ng paliwanag ay binibigyan ng ibang kahulugan o nang-uungkat ng ibang issues na wala namang kinalaman sa pinag-uusapan.

Ang sabi nga nila, pag mahina ang defense, gamitan ng offense. Maglabas ng sangkatutak na issues na ikasisira nila, tutal mahina ang latest issue so gawa tayo ng listahan ng mga ginawa nila, halungkatin ang nakaraan, exaggerate it, maglagay ng kulang-kulang na impormasyon, haluan ng fiction, tambakan ng katatawanan, kalimutan ang katotohanan, at ipagkalat sa lahat ng taong easily gullible.

Kung isusulat nating lahat ng nalalaman nating baho about other people who say bad things about us ay ilang buwan siguro tayo nakatutok sa computer sa dami ng instances.

Hay, naku! Masalimuot ang mundo ng isang blogger. Marami raw pakitang-tao, marami raw sipsip, at maraming gagawin ang lahat dahil sa matinding pangangailangan. Marami rin ang sadyang nananahimik at walang pakialam dahil ayaw madamay o mabigyan ng kulay. Marami ang nais pumagitna lamang pero ang issue ay papabayaan.

Wally+ for Android: Now Available for Download Via the Android App Stores

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This Christmas season, Pinoys don't have to worry about monitoring their income and expenses as they do their holiday shopping and preparations. With Wally+ for Android, managing finances got easier anytime, anywhere.

Wally, the world’s leading lifestyle app for insights into how your money behaves, recently announced the release of Wally+ for Android. Over 5000 people from the global community helped by beta testing Wally+ to obtain early access.

Wally has been lauded by users and critics alike for using machine learning to adapt to user behavior, giving them real-time insights into their spending patterns, and using a design driven approach.

The team behind Wally is launching the completely redesigned Wally+, exclusively for Android users. Built by millennials to address the issues facing their generation, Wally+ gives people around the world unprecedented perspective into their finances. It centralizes users’ financial lives, allowing them to manage multiple accounts, tag friends in expenses, and understand how they stand financially compared to similar people.

Wally+ is available on Android in 18 languages, just time to get in control of your holiday expenses.

Wally first launched in 2013 on the iPhone where it maintained a global average 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store, reached the #1 finance app in 22 countries, and reached the top 10 in 52 countries (with India, China and the US as the top 3 markets). Wally users have lauded the app for its “ease of use”, “beautiful and intuitive design”, and being “fun, simple and convenient” and real-time insights into their financial life.

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It's official! Everything is almost set. We can't wait to begin to level up to our next big step towards the world of tri-media.Your self-declared friendly neighborhood National blog of the Philippines, the Pambansang Blog ng Pilipinas, proudly announces another partnership towards greater heights.

From a mere online media or blog, to contributing to magazines like Smile and Breakfast, being featured in a newspaper like Philippine Star, being interviewed at radio stations like Radyo Agila DZEC 1062 AM, Ka-Tropa Radio DWDD 1134 AM, guesting on TV stations like Philippines Uncut of Buddy Cunanan at Global News Network (GNN) and PTV4 News, and a special arrangement with Vigattin Radio of Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM, we finally were given a break to try hosting for TV show segments incorporated into the regular shows of UNTV, your public service channel.

Aside from the many partnerships with many events, colleges and universities, brands, advocacy programs and other organizations, the awards we received because of Wazzup Pilipinas, starting from the very first recognition as Top Emerging Influential Blog of 2013, and then being conferred with a series of awards as the Most Outstanding Filipino Community Blog, Best Filipino Community Blog, Top Filipino Community Blog, even a personal award for our founder Ross Flores Del Rosario as Influential Social Media Evangelist of 2014, and now the latest of which is for 2014 Outstanding Customer Service for Online Community Blog Site, Wazzup Pilipinas has definitely reached an all time high with the announcement of TV show collaborations.

Yes! You heard it right! We're going to be on TV!

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The Marvel site describes Iron Man as ".... the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man."

Now that's actually the plot of the 2008 movie starring Robert Downey Jr. who plays billionaire industrialist, philanthropist and genius inventor Anthony "Tony" Stark, president of Stark Enterprises who's primary clients was the military. I'm not really sure if the comic books is similar since I've read somewhere that involves a villain named Mandarin and another captive friend named Wellington Yinsen. We all know Hollywood tends to do glorified changes to make the story more of a blockbuster.

The Captain America movie also gave us a glimpse of his father, Walter Stark, as the one who invented the invincible "Shield" that also acts like a boomerang since it would always swing back to Cap's hand. Thus, ingenuity, and creativity (for those cool designs), really runs in the family.

For Yexel Sebastian, who is obviously a fan of Iron man, the world of Iron Man is probably a fascinating one to be in. Thus he recreated the extremely cool Iron Man room in his Amazing Stories of Yexel's Museum situated at the 2nd floor of the Manila Ocean Park. But the suits were recreated using cheaper materials that he patiently carved out of styrofoam and treated with a tedious process that can also be learned at the museum.

All I Want for Christmas is the Freedom to Rant Without Fear

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Sometimes we just need to fight for what we believe is right no matter how insignificant or less important it is. We should be following a principle guided by moral values that we should strictly adhere to even if it means sacrificing our personal interests.

It is very rare in this world to see people concerned about the small and trivial things which could very well eventually lead to bigger problems if ignored or taken for granted.

Sa maliliit na mga bagay nagsisimula ang mga malalaking kalokohan kapag pinabayaan o ipinasa-Diyos na lamang. Tandaan, "Nasa tao ang gawa, nasa Diyos ang awa." Dapat rin po tayong kumilos because we owe it to ourselves, and to the other people who may have encountered the same situations, to seek the truth and demand for justice.

Huwag hintaying lumala ang mga bagay-bagay bago tutukan ng pansin. Nasa huli ang pagsisisi. Huwag nating hahayaang ipagpatuloy ang tila karumal-dumal na mga gawain ng mga nilalang na halang ang kaluluwa.

Dapat ba na kumanta na lang tayo ng "Let It Go" at hayaan na lang na humupa ang ating galit?

Pero teka, di ba dapat rin nating tandaan na ang lahat ng bagay ay nareresolba kapag may tunay na hangaring maisaayos ang nasirang pagsasama o mapagkasundo ang magkabilang panig na nagtutunggali?

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"Like any good deed, gender equality should start at home" says Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya in his first statements of the closing remarks speech he gave at the Gender and Transportation Summit, a milestone in the history of the transportation sector, held at the Philippine International Convention Center last November 17 and 18, 2014.

Secretary Abaya was grateful for the representatives from the private sector who took time out to participate in the gender equality and transportation activity. This is the first time that the transportation sector would join hands and put into writing the various commitments to advance gender equality of each of the transport sub-sectors - the road, railways, civil aviation and maritime.

He also recognized the efforts of Director Quiogue and Assistant Secretary Lantin for their valuable contributions in the preparation, coordination and setting up of the activities involved in the Gender and Transportation Summit.

Below are statements grabbed from his speech done on the second day and con concluding hours of the summit before the signing of MOUs took place. Some of the statements were re-arranged in order to give a clearer presentation of facts. We also removed some of his other statements that we feel are no longer necessary.

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It's the time of the year again to recognize outstanding companies and individuals who have excelled in their respective businesses and careers. It is but proper to give recognition to a year of hard work and perseverance especially to those who went through some desperate times before they finally reached their success. An award is an acknowledgement for all the efforts exerted, a reminder to keep the perseverance, and an encouragement to always do our best.

Everyone reveled in happiness as each one of the awardees of the National Costumers' Choice Annual Awards for 2014 received their respective awards conferring to them the recognition for their most outstanding contribution or achievement. The awarding ceremonies was held last December 4, 2014 at the Hotel Richmonde Eastwood in Quezon City.

The awards celebration is a joint undertaking of the National Customers' Choice Awards Annual Council, Philippine Events Specialist and Marketing Services Co. Ltd., Consumer Eye Marketing and Research, and the ShopBest Magazine.

A huge gathering of Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurs (SME) were seen in attendance at this awarding ceremonies that's now definitely bigger and better. There were lots of familiar brands present that were all eager and anticipating the moment they would go up on stage and received their much-awaited award.

More Choices for Hungry Pandas: The foodpanda Mantra

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foodpanda, the leading global online food delivery marketplace is at it again, acquiring more and more partner establishments to cater the hungry Filipinos! Launched last June 2014 in the country, foodpanda has grown its restaurant database impressively, satisfying the craving of the Pinoy hungry pangs, whichever cuisine it may be.

“Ultimately, it all boils down to who offer variety, who provides choices. For a hungry customer, a craving for a specific cuisine will lead him to looking for what restaurant will be able to satisfy that. It’s not every day that a customer will have a Balkan dish craving, or a sudden urge to finish a plateful of ribs and fries. And on days like that, foodpanda comes into play—to solve that typical foodie problem”, Mauro Cocchieri, foodpanda CEO, said.

To those who’s up for a savory and saucy trip to Asia, you don’t need to pack your bags and fly miles away from home! All you need is your smart phone, internet connection, and the foodpanda app, or you can also opt to visit the website, foodpanda.ph! Want some pad thai? Then choose Som’s Noodle House.

Or if you want curry and biryani combo, Queens Taj Mahal perfectly fits the bill! Sushi, maki, and ramen’s your craving of the day? Kitaro Sushi, TAT Japanese Restaurant and Manila Maki are just some of the restaurants you can take your pick from.

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FoodPanda and WeChat are inviting you to join the Christmas Charity Challenge!

Just add FoodPanda's official account on WeChat, send them a hold-to-talk message saying "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS (INSERT YOUR FAVORITE FOOD HERE)"!

Once they receive 1,000 messages, they will feed 100 families supported by Habitat for Humanity! Now that's sharing made more social! :)

This challenge was announced during the night party held at Prive luxury clubin Bonifacio Global City (BGC) where everyone got to spend the night on sushi and cocktail drinks. Every blogger invited can bring along a +3 to party with them. Thus the club was jampacked with people.

We were allowed to get in at around past 10 pm, had some drinks and sushi, mingled with friends and new acquaintances, and waited for the program which started at around 11:30 pm.

Two individuals started dancing to the tune of "We Chat Pa More" in front with the FoodPanda mascot signifying the start of the program. I already saw the panda mascot at the restroom when I took a pee and requested a photo ops before I went back to my seat.

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Aide Australasia (AA), an assistance immigration diversity employment organization that aims to help Filipino and other professionals within the Southeast Asian region achieve their dream to work and live in Australia, recently launched a new website at www.aideaustralasia.com.

Information on the organization’s services which include professional development and education, registration assistance, relocation services and migration assistance, among others can be found on the new website. AA is in partnership with Registered Training Organization (RTO) to help Filipino professionals meet the qualifications required by the industry or educational institution that they aim to be part of.

Filipino-Australian Ms. Joie Lacson, a registered nurse with 26 years of experience in the Australian workforce, leads Aide Australasia which is the first organization to offer a full-service delivery program and the support of knowledgeable and experienced experts in helping other professionals achieve their Australian dream. With core values that include integrity and accountability, the people behind Aide Australasia are committed to work with Filipino professionals every step of the way to ensure that their paperwork is completed accurately and efficiently.

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The best thing about T.G.I.Friday’s Philippines’ 20th anniversary is that it’s so big, everybody is invited. Starting as your favorite go-to restaurant for after-office hangout and reunions, it has now evolved as your family-friendly, craving-solver restaurant.

As a big thanks to all the love and support for the last 20 years, T.G.I.Friday’s is giving away your favorite Jack Daniel’s burger - Expertly seasoned and fire-grilled to order, our juicy burger is glazed with Jack Daniel’s sauce and stacked with two strips of crispy bacon and American cheese on a toasted bun. Served with a side of Jack Daniel’s sauce, the classic fixings and crispy seasoned fries.

In turn, they just ask you to tell them the 20 things you love about T.G.I.Friday’s and the first nine people gets to win!

In my case, the top 20 things I like about T.G.I.Friday’s are:

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Cybercriminals could be raking in profits 20 times greater than the cost of their attacks, according to figures compiled by Kaspersky Lab experts.

The research compared the cost of the most frequently used hacker tools with the money stolen in a successful malicious operation.

"Buying malware is currently not a problem, it’s easy to find them on various hacker forums, and they are relatively cheap, making them attractive. A cybercriminal following this illegal path doesn’t even need any skills – for a fixed price they can get an off-the-peg package to launch their attacks at will,” said Alexander Gostev, Chief Security Expert at Kaspersky Lab.

“As a result, users need to be especially careful to ensure they don’t lose their money or data. They should also protect their devices and all online operations performed on them, using a specialized solution such as Kaspersky Internet Security - multi-device,” Gostev added.

For example, creating a phishing page to mimic a popular social network and setting up a spam mass mailing linking to the fake site currently costs an average of $150 (P6,685.50).

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IT disruptions are a common and costly business experience. Even Cloud computing, big data and mobile devices are putting additional pressure on IT’s ability to protect data. Organizations need to develop a trusted data protection strategy that creates a bridge between today’s and tomorrow’s workloads.

EMC investigates the data protection strategies and capabilities of enterprises in 24 countries. The research surveyed 3,300 IT decision-makers from companies that employ over 250 employees.

Mr. Ronnie Latinazo, EMC Country Manager, revealed the results of their survey last December 4, 2014 at Society Lounge located at the Atrium in Makati during the EMC Data Protection Landscape Media Briefing. A Thanksgiving Party followed immediately afterwards to thank the members of the media for their year-long support.

The Global Data Protection Index: Key Results and Finding for the Philippines was shared to us that day. The survey says 62% of the respondents said that at least one of the mega trends (big data, hybrid Cloud, mobility) is difficult to protect and one important thing we need to know is that there is a trend happening in the market. Companies are moving from a physical into a more agile world swamped with high digital growth largely due to these trends.

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There's really no stopping the popularity of mobile phones as everyone seems to have more than one already. Add the other gadgets like tablets and phablets, the usual laptop has been overthrown as the most popular working gadget next to the desktop computer.

More and more of these mobile devices have become powerful processors of data or information that even wearable tech gadgets, that are both functional and fashionable, are starting to surface in the IT and lifestyle market.
In my case, I have two mobile phones, two tablets, one laptop and a desktop. All of these I use at my work and find them still not sufficient to provide me with enough resources when I test on new apps, or need to engage on social media, check on my emails, blog, and all sorts of other work-related stuff.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger of the Philippines, a gadget lover too, was invited to attend the Torque Royale press launch held last December 3, 2014 at the One Esplanade located at SM Central Business Park, Seaside Corner Bay Boulevard in Pasay City.

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The Christmas season becomes even better as lots of companies will be offering holiday season promos and discounts for many of their products and services including travel and leisure activities related tourism. We are definite that many have already planned in advance which destination they would want to go this December - the right time discover so many celebrations worldwide may it be locally within the country or outside at some foreign lands.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) of the Philippines is aiming to achieve 10 Million tourists every year until the end of 2016. This target is aided by the major improvements in International Airports in Manila and secondary airports in Cebu, Clark, Iloilo to mention a few.

The rise of budget fares led to significant growth in foreign tourists and domestic travels. This increased led to major hotel players investing in the country. Fairmont, Raffles and Tune Hotels are some of the brands that increased their presence in the country.

In the coming year, the Department of Tourism launched the “Visit the Philippines” Campaign. Already some of the notable international events that will take place in the country for the year 2015 are the Papal Visit, APEC Summit, Madrid Fusion, Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition, 40th Kiwanis Asia Pacific Convention to name a few.

Amidst these positive developments in the tourism industry, the 2nd International Travel Festival (ITF) slated this December 18-20, 2014 at SMX Convention Center aims to support the momentum the tourism industry is experiencing.

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The ASEAN integration augurs well to prepared Filipino Companies. As collaboration between ASEAN companies become a commonplace, Filipino small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is poised to benefit from this set-up.

However, the belief that “build and they will come” set-up that many Philippine SME companies hold may not jive with the opportunities that the ASEAN Integration offers.

Marketing and Promotion of these companies at the same time working hard to find the right partners are the keys to realize the benefit of this economic set-up.

The 11^th Megabalikbayan OFW Expo (MBOX) set this December 18-20, 2014 at SMX Convention Center is a longest running business expo targeting the OFWs and Balikbayans and encouraging them to go into business.

SME companies that want to find their portfolio attractive to ASEAN SME neighbors must tap this big market.

At a press launch held last December 2, 2014 at The Blackboard by Chef Michel located at The Podium in Ortigas Center in Pasig, many of the sponsors, exhibitors, stakeholders, including the awardees all gathered together to provide some background about the event and to answer the inquiries of the guests and members of the media.

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Own a piece of Tagaytay. Crown Asia has a new leisure residential condominium development in Tagay tay called Crown Asia Pine Suites. "Discreetly located away from the main road along Bonifacio Drive, close to the vibrant restaurant area in the city. Here the duality of nature and activity emanates just steps away from your door."

Next to Baguio, Tagaytay is a favorite tourist attraction primarily because of the famous view of the Taal Volcano, and a vacation sanctuary especially for those who wants to escape the hot and humid weather in Metro Manila.

Soon there will be three modern Danish architecture-inspired mid-rise, five-storey buildings amidst a lush resort-like community built in more than one-hectare of land within a serene mountain setting where nature dominantly sets the mood. You'll feel being more out of the country in a mountain side resort where the natural flow of air and the sound of nature permeates inside the atrium of the condominiums bringing in the cool, pine-scented Tagaytay air all throughout the day.

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Christmas is happening in just a few days. Everyone has the holiday season spirit running in their veins and are all ready for the upcoming long Christmas vacation.

But before the season ends, you may want to take your friends or family out to visit the Magical Winter Tale Christmas-themed display at Crown Asia Valenza located in Sta. Rosa Laguna.

There's a magnificent structure that resembles the ice castle that can be seen on the Disney movie Frozen. Though the management of Crown Asia would not like to advertise it specifically as the actual ice castle, seeing images of familiar characters, such as Olaf the comic-relief snowman that can also be seen in the movie, are there to remind us where they got the inspiration to setup this multi-colored light display.

The Frozen movie, with its famous characters like Elsa and Anna, has been a worldwide sensation that it seems all with access to the Internet, radio or television has one way or another is either singing or humming the two soundtracks from the movie - "Let It Go" and "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman."

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We are sharing with you a blog entry by Sasa Marinkovic, Head of Software Marketing for AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

The blog entry discusses about the recently launched AMD Catalyst Omega driver which was engineered to take full advantage of the advanced technologies built into AMD’s products that feature GCN Architecture, and help make them more powerful and capable.

The entry is posted at AMD Blogs. Here's the link for your reference.

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Two weeks ago, WeChat launched its official account with Buzzfeed! You can now get hilarious, viral and interesting articles that you can read on WeChat. There are several “share-worthy” content on WeChat as its first international messaging app partner.

BuzzFeed, the it-place for “share-worthy” content, has just announced its partnership with WeChat to bring news and entertainment to WeChatters around the world. The partnership is the media company’s first major collaboration with an international messaging app – a big step in broadening the perception of messaging apps as content platforms.

"As we start to see an increase of readers share content via private messaging, coupled with the rapid growth of mobile, we're looking for new ways to distribute news and entertainment to our thriving international audience,” said Scott Lamb, VP of International at BuzzFeed. “WeChat’s innovative technology and strong international user base is a natural fit for our first major partnership with an international messaging platform.”

BuzzFeed currently has a readership of 175M globally with 50M readers each month outside the US and 50% of traffic from mobile. WeChat, the fastest growing mobile social communications app, has also seen significant growth this past year with a user base of over 468M monthly active users and young demographic who already enjoy BuzzFeed content.

Aquabest Joins 4th QCIM Night Run

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Aquabest recently joined thousands of runners and Quezon City residents in celebrating the city's 75th anniversary by supporting the 4th Quezon City International Marathon (QCIM).

The company set up hydration stations along Quezon Avenue where it offered free water to the marathon participants. It also gave away awesome prizes to the 21k runners at the Quezon Memorial Circle. The QCIM is being held to honor and celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of Quezon City.

The event gathered 9,000 professional and amateur runners and marked the first time the global marathon event was held at night.

The TechBox Mega Sale is On at the Mega Gadgets Sale

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Techbox Philippines, the fastest growing gadget retail chain in the country, is giving a treat to its customers with its Mega Gadgets Sale from December 12-15 at 2299 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati.

Techbox is a retail chain that offers original handsets, tablets, and accessories. Techbox offers superior handset brands such as Apple, Lenovo, Nokia, and LG, as well as cellphone accessories in over 25 stores in NCR and Luzon. It is a subsidiary of Tao Corporation, a company which focuses on supply-chain services. Founded in 1995, Tao Corporation is among the Philippines’ Top 500 Corporation with annual revenue of PhP30 Billion.

With over 4,440 employees, Tao aims to provide innovative ways of making the latest in mobile phone technology readily available through Techbox.

The Techbox Mega Gadgets Sale will feature staggering discounts of up to 80% from sought-after brands such as Apple, Lenovo, LG, Nokia, Sony, and others.

Techbox Philippines is known for selling original gadgets at a lower price. The last Techbox Mega Brands Warehouse Sale happened last June 13-15 and grossed over P10million on the first day alone.

Nurture Wellness Village: Going Back to the Basics to Promote Health and Wellness Tourism (Part 1)

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Life in the city can be so stressful and time-consuming that we often sacrifice our health and wellness just to get through the tedious and challenging tasks of the corporate world. We often forget to take care of our bodies and personal well-being in exchange of a better career or to become financially stable enough to provide well for ourselves or our family.

It is high time we remember to always allot a special time to break from all of those hectic, tedious and never-ending work loads, obligations and responsibilities. Life becomes so dull if we sacrifice our personal pleasures too much, and we may not be aware of it, but we often turn into sad, weak and less productive individuals if we continue this routine towards an eventual destruction of our bodies, mind and soul.

Let's take a breather, refresh and go into a journey of health and wellness, even just for the weekend. Living life to its fullest does not mean being able to accomplish a lot of task and endeavors. It should mean being able to enjoy life while we reap the rewards of our success.For me, it's all about being able to reach our full potential, and we could only do that if we are completely healthy and well.

A visit at the Nurture Wellness Village helped us with our search for the real nurturing experience. When we want a satisfying journey into a place where nature surrounds and creativity abounds, there's no other place to go but in Tagaytay where you can start your journey into health and wellness.

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Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 25 countries with 82 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation. Around 30 properties are planned or under construction, including Chiang Mai (Thailand), Istanbul Golden Horn (Turkey) and Kochi (India).

Focusing on expansion in its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts specialises in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities. Of Swiss heritage and headquartered in Zurich, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service and culinary enjoyment – all with a personal touch. Committed to sustainable environments, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has become the most Green Globe certified hotel company in the world. The hotel company is owned by the Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%).

The company’s third beach resort in Thailand has opened at Koh Samui island’s most idyllic sunset location.

Relaxing on Koh Samui’s best sunset beach is just one of the highlights at Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ latest Thai property. Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui, which opened on 6 December, is a stunning boutique beach resort with 50 rooms, pool villas, beachfront villas and two-bedroom villas.

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Bookassist, the world's leading booking engine technology provider partners with hotels to build their brand online, drive direct business to their branded website, capture bookings with world class booking technology, help them optimize their online distribution and ensure they grow their margin per booking.

It has been recently crowned World’s Leading Booking Engine Technology Provider for a record third successive year at the World Travel Awards, widely viewed as the Oscars of the travel industry. Recognised across the globe as the ultimate accolade, it rewards those brands that are pushing the boundaries of industry excellence.

This third win confirms Bookassist as the only booking engine provider in the world, specialised in hotels, to win three successive titles.

The Dublin-headquartered company with worldwide operations won the prestigious World Travel Award title in 2012 and 2013. They picked up their third successive win on Sunday December 7th at the Grand Finale ceremony in Anguilla as a result of strong voting from the global hotel industry.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was invited to witness the U19s Junior Volcanoes Jersey Presentation hosted by FILA Philippines. The event was held last December 8, 2014 at the 2nds Restaurant located at Bonifacio Global City.

The U19s in their name stands for Under19s which means these juniors are below 19 years of age. They are being groomed as the next generation of Philippine volcanoes. This youth national program is a stepping stone in the right direction for young Filipino heritage rugby players to represent their country on the world stage.

The U19s Junior Volcanoes have had a long standing history of being one of the most dominant Division 2 teams since it s inception back in 2006. The Junior Volcanoes were crowned Champions 2006, 2009 and 2010. With a three year absence, it’s great opportunity to re-ignite the next generation of future Philippine rugby players to one day become Philippine Volcanoes.

Much like the mean's team, the U19s Junior Volcanoes is a mix of homegrown talent and overseas-based players with Filipino lineage. The squad of 30 players that have been selected to participate in the training camp will be reduced to 23 players as the tournament draws near.

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With more than ten years of successfully bringing food, cozy ambience and efficient service, not to mention its reasonable prices and huge servings, Burgoo remains to be a family favorite primarily because they give their customers a feeling of belonging.

A treat at this restaurant gives you so many reasons to thank the person who invited you. You'll have an amazing dining experience once you've tasted their namesake - Burgoo - which is a kind of stew that could soon become your favorite as well.

Our gathering at their Podium branch in Ortigas gave us the opportunity to try out their amazing Burgoo. It was quite an amazing tasty dish that's already heavy as a starter. You'll surely enjoy every bite and sip of this stew.

Carrying the banner "At Burgoo it's always a family treat," I could very well make this a family dining destination immediately after a visit at the mall or a cinema house. My kids will definitely love the sumptuous dishes served here at Burgoo. I could imagine it now as they dig in to the many tempting and delectable meals.

12 Days of Exceptional Fares This Christmas from Singapore Airlines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In celebration of the upcoming holidays, Singapore Airlines is offering exceptional all-inclusive Economy Class fares to Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh, and Bali for sale from now until December 15, 2014. Fares are applicable for departures up until February 28, 2015.

All-inclusive Economy Class one-way fares start from USD 180. For round-trip Economy Class itineraries, travelers can avail of all-inclusive roundtrip fares to Bangkok at USD 270, USD 280 to Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Saigon as well as USD 330 to Denpasar.

Passengers traveling beyond Singapore can redeem a complimentary SGD20 Changi Dollar Voucher at the iShopChangi Collection Centre in Singapore Changi Airport Terminals 2 or 3. Also, passengers with at least five hours of transit in Singapore can avail of complimentary city tours that showcase the city’s prominent tourist landmarks.

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"Dear Ross. Thank you so much for coming! I truly believe that the Philippines will rise through the GK spirit." - Thomas Graham
That was the dedication written by the author when he signed the book he gave me during the book launch. It is a great motivation when people other than you believe that your country can still rise amidst the dilemma it has seemingly forever sunk into. It is a much stronger inspiration when foreigners are the ones who try to give you hope.

The Genius of the Poor book written by Thomas Graham was recently launched last November 29, 2014 at the Fully Booked book store branch in High Street, Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

The book is a heartfelt and often numerous account of Thomas Graham's life-changing journey in the Philippines. Whether in prisons, conflict areas, or dangerous slums, Thomas became inspired by countless heroes that share one common dream - to build a nation in which no Filipino is ever again left behind. This tells the story of how Gawad Kalinga is rousing a remarkable nation to overcome the poverty in its midst.

With a fervent desire to find the answer to the question why poverty remained so high in the Philippines, Thomas entered the world of the poor to find solutions together with the people of Gawad Kalinga.

Following a serendipitous encounter with Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto, a confused British journalist going through an early mid-life crisis ditched the shirt and tie and instead discovered for himself the genius of the poor. He quit his job, moved out of his high-rise Maniola apartment, and set out on a journey that took him across great lengths and breadths of the islands.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Just how well do you know the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) neighborhood?

That's the challenge all must face as they try to solve diverse sets of mind-gripping puzzles coupled with the need for endurance and stamina as everyone proceeded to their next grueling tasks.

Wazzup Pilipinas thought we were there just to cover the run but was surprised to be invited to participate in the actual fun run itself. So your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger had to sweat it all out and run wearing his trusted jeans all over BGC. It was a good thing I was wearing rubber shoes that day.

Each challenge of the BGC Run Urban Adventure was never easy as it requires team work and a lot of patience and perseverance plus the fact that the weather was not a big help when it drizzled a bit offering a tougher challenge for all fun run participants.

But this was no ordinary fun run because it required the power of the brain aside from just sweating it all out from all that running from one point to another. Armed with smartphones and cameras, we took photos of our completed tasks as proof we actually performed all of them. We even found ourselves going back and forth trying to figure out where the elusive man wearing the Andres Bonifacio costume was.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was inevitable that there will soon be high-tech fashionable yet functional gadgets that you can wear loud and proud. We used to just see them in sci-fi movies and TV series but now they are a reality. Like they said, anything we can imagine, we can eventually make a possibility. Soon it will become commonplace and an ordinary sight seeing people proudly wearing their multi-functional and elegant gadgets that matches their unique personalities.

Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to witness pioneering fashionable wearable technologies sold at Power Mac Center branches. Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger is so pleased to see these technologies finally coming out in full force, of which I'm sure other brands are soon to follow the trend...or fad... But regardless of how popular it will soon become, we are grateful they bare now available in the country for everyone to appreciate. The possibilities are endless.

Similar to the same gadgets we saw during Power Mac Center's Fusion: Wearable Tech Fashion Show featuring stylish wearable gadgets from brands like Garmin, Cookoo, Cogito, Misfit and Jawbone. It's time to fuse as says their hashtag for the nigh #TimeToFuse while we saw several models walking the runway while wearing the wearable tech gadgets from the said brands.

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Do we really need to learn about the sensitivities of the LGBT community to easily come up with effective media strategies?

Some would agree without any hesitation while some would vehemently raise their brows. We all know everybody wants to be treated equally and nobody wants to see certain groups given special care. Though everyone appreciates a VIP treatment, we sometimes get into much trouble if we treat each other unfairly and with discrimination. The real problem comes when some people think they deserve some form of entitlement. Don't we just hate it when we see some people think they are more privileged to earn more respect thinking they have earned the right to break all forms of courtesy?

Like every other group or faction out there, the LGBT community is composed of various individuals with unique personalities. Just like the rest of us, not everyone of them has the same point of view and way of doing things. We are all born uniquely different from each other, and that is what really makes us very special.

I believe the #RainbowConnection: Demystifying the LGBT Market held last November 28, 2014 at the Best Western Plus Antel Hotel seeks to identify better methods to communicate and reach out to the LGBT community. It is with great admiration to the organizers to become part of a worldwide concern in the further understanding of the LGBT market and the many potentials it offers to everyone.

Christmas Decorations Around the World

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Are you curious about Christmas preparations happening around the world? Are they the same for most countries, or are they unique in every aspect? We are aware that there are many celebrations where we were influenced in one way or another by other countries especially from the dominating Western side, or the neighboring ones. Wouldn't it be interesting to learn about these things. So join us and let's take a world tour of how different countries prepare for Christmas.

Trees covered in tinsel and baubles. Stockings hanging from the fireplace. Elaborate outdoor light displays popping up all over the neighborhood.

Think of decorating your home for Christmas and at least one of these traditions will likely spring to mind. Yet all over the world, countries celebrating Christmas have their own set of customs for decorating their homes for the holidays.

In Mexico, nativity-themed Christmas decorations are carved from radishes. In chilly Antarctica, fish heads hang in doorways to replace mistletoe. And in Ghana, palm trees decorated with candles replace traditional Christmas trees to suit the tropical climate.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Healthway Medical, the trusted and most preferred network of mall-based clinic in the Philippines, offers a unique one-stop-shop setting where minor surgical operations, special medical examinations and preventive healthcare and specialized medical consultations are performed under the administration of reputable and experienced doctors in the country.

It recently opened its newest branch in Manila located at the ground floor of 8 Adriatico Tower Padre Faura corner George Bocobo streets in Ermita, just a few steps away from its previous location at Robinson's Place Manila. The new clinic may be smaller but it still houses the same facilities and continue to provide the same Alagang Healthway Brand of Service Excellence.

The ribbon cutting and unveiling of the clinic was led by their special guests Rep. Amado Bagatsing of the 5th District of Manila alongside Ms. Carmie De Leon, Vice President for Sales & Marketing, Ms. Reynalyn Tomada, Clinic Manager, and other officials of Healthway.

Since this branch is the smallest among the other branches, they just have around 40 individuals composed of nurses, medical technologists, radio technologists and other staff ready to serve you. This does not include the doctors which reaches at almost 70. This means there's more than a hundred individuals that you can meet during your visit at this Healthway Clinic.