2015-01-18 ~ Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas Wins Award for Outstanding Customer Service

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Congratulations are once again in order. 2015 continues to become a lucky year for Wazzup Pilipinas just like 2014's successful list of achievements for the site and its founder, Ross Del Rosario. Remember that we were fortunate enough to be invited early January to guest on ABS-CBN's Rated K TV show hosted by Korina Sanchez-Roxas. It seems only yesterday that we were invited to share some of our expertise for the show.

WazzupPilipinas.com is the country's multi-awarded Filipino community blog site that proudly declares itself as the Philippines' National Blog as its way of helping out the tourism efforts in the country. The site prioritizes on promoting Visit the Philippines 2015 campaign which primarily aims to boost the country's tourist visits.

Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas is thrilled for this coming February 21, 2015 as we again receive another award for our valiant efforts in sharing news and information about spectacular events, breath-taking destinations, sumptuous culinary treats, and a lot more through our online site.

We will soon be receiving another award to recognize us for our Outstanding Customer Service for an online site. Being conferred with such honorable recognition once again raises our spirit and determination to continue our passionate advocacy with the ultimate purpose of bringing back the real meaning of blogging - what it was meant to be.

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Home to the bulk of the tallest towers on the planet, Asia is without a doubt the world’s skyscraper capital. From Dubai to Shanghai, the region dominates the list of the world’s supertall buildings.

Of the top 10 tallest towers around the world, just two - the recently completed One World Trade Centre in New York City and the Willis Tower in Chicago - are located outside Asia and the Middle East.

Stacked one on top of the other, the 10 tallest towers in Asia would measure more than five km into the sky. These top 10 tallest towers are shown on a new infographic, released by global property portal Lamudi.

With its towering commercial centres and tendency towards high-density living, China leads the world in skyscraper construction. Of the record-breaking 97 buildings measuring 200 meters high or taller that were completed around the world in 2014, 58 of these were located in China. This represents roughly 60 percent of the global total, according to figures recently released by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

The city of Dubai currently holds the title for the world’s tallest skyscraper. Reaching 829.8m high, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest artificial structure on earth. For those without a serious fear of heights, the super tower is also home to the world’s highest observation deck, located on the 148th floor.

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There is truth in the saying that "The best things in life are free" and almost everyone would not let a freebie pass by so easily. Grab that rare opportunity whenever you can since there's only a few things in this world that's without any monetary equivalent.

Tripda, a new carpooling website that recently introduced itself late last year, is giving their carpoolers P1000 worth of free Tripda Fuel Card for every 5 passengers who booked through the Tripda carpooling service from January 26 to 31.

To avail of this promo, car owners with spare seats in their cars, should offer their route in the Tripda platform and get 5 of their friends, colleagues, families or those within the Tripda community to book a ride with them.

Every 5 times a seat is booked guarantees the carpooler a whopping P1000 worth of Tripda Fuel Card. It's that easy! The more people joining your ride through the Tripda platform gives you lots of fuel earnings. Now, that's quite a great treat for all their Tripda carpoolers.

Get to know more about this promo. Register for an account at Tripda now.

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Comic book fanatics, musical theater lovers, and political activists are bound to be moved by Ballet Philippines’ newest venture, “MANHID: The Pinoy Superhero Musical”. Inspired from comic book super heroes of the 60 - 90’s – MANHID introduces a new generation of Filipino super heroes redefined for today’s times. Set in an alternate present day Philippines where the EDSA revolution failed, this musical features heroes and villains with superpowers, and a people sick with Kamanhiran (Apathy). “MANHID” is the final production in BP’s 45th anniversary season.

Super-powers, entertaining scenes with well fleshed out characters and an exceptional score spells the rare formula for MANHID. MANHID has already achieved cult status because the Eraserheads – the band who helped compose the music and performed it in the original production in 1992 performed at the University of the Philippines – have gone on to become one of the country’s leading pop groups. They released “Kailan”, one of the songs from MANHID, which became a top selling hit.

The main author of the work is Kanakan-Balintagos (a.k.a. Aureaus Solito) multi-awarded film director of Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros and Busong. Noted film, TV and stage composer Vincent de Jesus also co-composed the musical. Ballet Philippines artistic director, Paul Alexander Morales directs the musical and shares the choreography with Alden Lugnasin, BP’s resident choreographer.

MANHID is a musical take on comic books. It is divided into three “books” that are patterned on classics of the comic book genre; 1. the origin issue 2. the “dark/crisis” issue and 3. the all-out / good versus evil battle episode of the “annual”.

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An absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone named Godot. It premiered on January 5, 1953 in the Théâtre de Babylone, Paris. Since then it has been subject to many, philosophical, religious, existential, and even political interpretations. The production was perhaps the most successful ever. Beckett's second masterpiece. Endgame, premiered on April 3, 1957 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. All of Beckett's major works were written in French. He believed that French forced him to be more disciplined and to use the language more wisely. However, Waiting for Godot was eventually translated into the English by Beckett himself.

Samuel Beckett also became one of the first absurdist playwrites to win international fame. His works have been translated into over twenty languages. In 1969 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature,

"GODOT5: Five Ruminations on Samuel Beckett's 'En Attendant Godot'" will go onstage at the Black Box Theater of the Ateneo de Manila University this coming February 3-7, 10-14 and 17-21, 2015. Weekday shows will be the usual two hour play at 7pm. Saturday shows, on the other hand, will feature a loop of four consecutive performances featuring different interpretations of the play at 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm.

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We are so thrilled when we heard that the AMD FirePro M4150 and M4170 mobile professional graphics are now available on the new HP ZBook Mobile Workstations delivering outstanding quality, performance and innovation for professional users.

AMD recently announced that second-generation HP ZBook 14 G2 and 15u G2 Mobile Workstations feature AMD FirePro M4150 and AMD FirePro M4170 mobile professional graphics models, providing users with speed, quality and creativity on the go. AMD FirePro professional graphics are compliant with the latest industry standards enabling users to take full advantage of applications from companies including Adobe, Autodesk, Avid, Dassault Systèmes, ESRI, Siemens, and many others.

AMD FirePro mobile professional graphics are powered by the award-winning AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN) Architecture1 and are especially designed to enable outstanding performance for professional applications in a wide variety of work environments for many computer-aided design (CAD) and digital media applications.

“AMD and HP have combined efforts to enable mobile workstation users with leading-edge technologies with results that matter for designing, engineering, and creating,” said David Cummings, senior director and general manager, Professional Graphics at AMD. “HP mobile workstation users can benefit from quality driver support and certified ISV applications for a stable and reliable platform that redefine mobile workstation performance while enabling users to do more.”

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The Junior Confederation of Finance Associations - Philippines (JCFAP) is the umbrella organization of over 90 college-based finance organizations in the country and is currently compose of more than 7,000 members.

It envisions itself as a foremost association for student involvement and education by giving Financial Management students the necessary exposure and instruction to help them become competent and responsible professionals of the future. They do this by conducting membership assemblies, seminars, competitions, workshops, and educational tours year-round.

As part of their mission to foster educational advancement among its members, they will be having the National Finance Summit 2015 on January 24, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay. This annual event, which was started in 2008, is intended to promote student awareness to market issues and to strengthen their financial foundation. Last year, the organization was able to gather around 3,000 participants coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Invited speakers at the event are Felipe Medalla, Monetary Board Member of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Michaelangelo Oyson, CEO and Managing Director of BPI Securities Corporation and BPITrade.com; Mark Frederick So, Founder of Forex Club Asia; and Hans Sicat, President and CEO of Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc.

City Planning Tilt Invites Students To Register

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Here is a news release about an international city planning competition for high school and college students.We're sending it as a last call for student representatives to register before the end January 2015. The organizers, led by Mrs. Sylvia Tay-Van Remoortele, are open for interviews and can be contacted through e-mail.

The “4th Planning a Clean and Green Township Competition” has a theme of “City Beautiful Manila” for this year. You have to beat the deadline for registration up to the end of January to qualify.

Organized by the Singapore-based Activistar Advocacy (AA) and spearheaded by AA’s co-chair Mrs. Sylvia Tay-Van Remoortele, Manila was chosen for this year's “Planning Clean & Green Townships: The Young Mayor Leader Competition.” Tay-Van Remoortele is an environmental engineer and wife of the Belgian Ambassador to the Philippines.

During the competition launch, Tay-Van Remoortele extended this invitation to the other regions and encouraged not only the youth of Manila, but also the youth from the other 16 regions of the country as they might have fresh bright ideas to share."

As a pioneer in advocating environmental awareness and sustainable development education in Southeast Asia (SEA), Tay-Van Remoortele explained that the competition aims to nurture youth leaders for a sustainable future as the student-participants are tasked to “recreate Manila” when they come up with a master plan suggesting solutions for a township that is sustainable and environmental friendly.

New Technical Drawing Printers from Epson

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Epson, the worldwide digital imaging leader, recently launched the next generation of T-Series Technical Drawing printers designed to deliver high speed, high performance, and high precision printing for the engineering, architecture, and Geographic Information System (GIS) markets.

Gladys Gutierrez, Product Manager of Epson Philippines Corporation’s Commercial & Industrial printers said “We’re very excited to announce the arrival of our new T-Series Technical Drawing printers. It is the best in its class and will definitely make a positive mark in the evolving tools needed by architects and engineers.”

Known for its exceptional reliability and low running costs, Epson’s T-Series Technical Drawing printers, is now powered by the company’s new PrecisionCore Thin Film Piezo (TFP) print head technology, which delivers dramatic speed and industry-leading output quality.

Epson Philippines President/Country Manager Toshimitsu Tanaka said “This expanded range of T-Series Technical Drawing printers is another big step in providing even better capabilities with ultra-low running costs.”

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Learning, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something.” It often occurs in a formal learning institution we all know as school; although, learning is definitely not limited to occur only in school. Akin to how a student learns in his own distinct way, factors such as his formal learning environment – for instance, the classroom, including his teachers and classmates–influence his learning depending on it.

“Researchers and designers of learning environments often debate whether the learner should adapt to the learning environment or whether the learning environment should adapt to them. Arguably this is the wrong question. A better question is: how does the environment shape the learner and, in turn, how does the learner influence the learning environment? In other words: what is the transactional relationship of the learning environment? This involves understanding the motivations of the learner with respect to the time and place in which s/he acquires knowledge (Lave and Wenger, 1991). The learning environment in this context is composed of the learner, other students and teachers and the physical environment.”

G. Earthman states that “There is sufficient research to state without equivocation that the building in which students spends a good deal of their time learning does in fact influence how well they learn.” As I have learned in my psychology subject, an individual is also a product of his setting, and school is one of the most significant components in any student’s environment. Knowing this, here is a comparison of two possible environments in school – the diligent environment and the more diverse, when it comes to students, classroom.

Malasimbo 2015: Two Fabulous Weekends in Puerto Galera Filled With Music, Arts, Lights and Dance

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Not one, but two magical weekends (March 6 - 8 and March 13 - 15) for this year's biggest music and arts festival, plus a lights and dance spectacle on the 2nd weekend to target the younger generation they are calling the millennials. That's six magical days of jaw-dropping sound-tripping and nature-hugging in the mountains of Malasimbo located at Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.

The event is actually a feast for all the senses as there is no other event that allows you to be closer with nature while enjoying the magical sounds and beats of several bands and singers, and gawking in amazement to the many creative art installations displayed in the festival.

On the 5th year of the Malasimbo Festival, the organizers have decided to strongly entice the much younger audience, specifically the teens, by giving the second weekend a different vibe that's perfect for the young filled with passion and spontaneity.

At a press conference held on January 22, 2015 at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila, the organizers of the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival, are ever so excited to share with us what they have planned for the two weekends. This time, we'll have no excuse missing on these magical weekends - there I go again! I keep saying the word magical in every paragraph. Why not? The Malasimbo event is truly a magical experience that everyone should include it in their travel plans for March.

On the photo above is Department of Tourism - Tourism Promotions Board COO Domingo Ramon Enerio III and Puerto Galera Mayor Hubbert Christopher Dolor with Hubert d’Aboville and Miro Grgic, the organizers of the biggest music and arts festival known as the magical Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival, plus the Malasimbo Lights and Dance Festival. Everyone is in full support of the festival ensuring its continued success for many years to come.

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Online portal BPOCareerHub.com (BCH) is pleased to announce the re-launch of its website www.BPOCareerHub.com. The initiative to improve the site was meant to simplify the web user’s experience as well as help position BCH as a highly relevant online enabler for the Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry and more. There is still much to be done but BCH is very much on its way in helping more Pinoys find and get their dream jobs!

As one of its initial treat, BCH will be holding its 1st BCH Online Job Fair on February 16-28, 2015 (http://bpocareerhub.com/OnlineJobFair) - in cooperation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and with the Bureau of Labor and Employment – which will virtually connect and require “less prep time, less effort, and less resources” from jobseekers and recruiters alike. Go to http://bpocareerhub.com/faq to learn more about this new and exciting event.

To date, there are already 18 participating companies - and several more are expected to sign-up soon – that are looking for the top talents that will help boost their operations. Hundreds of jobseekers have already pre-registered and hundreds – if not thousands - more are anticipated to join the online job-hunting bandwagon soon.

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If you're not smiling after a hot shower in the New Year, then it's time to ditch the boring soap you've been using and switch to something that your skin would thank you for later.

The Cream Factory is an exciting and new US brand of bath and body creations. The Cream Factory, the first soft soap in the world that combines the goodness and skin benefits of Netherlands goat milk and 100% active botanical ingredients sourced from around the world, is so good on your skin you're going to want to take a bath again and again. Friendly warning: this stuff can get addicting, and the number of “addicts” is rising!

A look at the 12 variants of The Cream Factory bath creams and scrubs and you'd think you're reading the dessert menu from a restaurant. In a way, you are – “dessert for your skin” – because most of the active botanical ingredients are, in fact, edible. There are variants that feature Honey, Seaweed, Almond, Açaí Berry, Avocado, Cinnamon, and Yogurt. Yum!

“We want people to change the way they take a bath and think about baths. We want them to step out of the shower and feel good about themselves. When you feel good about yourself, chances are you're going to have a much better day overall,” said Ched Dayot, the “executioner” (which is a fancy way of saying “product manager and brand ambassador”) of Because, Inc., the company that imports The Cream Factory into the Philippines.

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According to Wikipedia, language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to communicate. Language acquisition is one of the quintessential human traits because non-humans do not communicate by using language. The capacity to make use and comprehend language is also more complex than the researcher thought it would be, ever since being aware about technicalities such as syntax, phonetics, semantics and the like. Once the brain is capable, it automatically computes all these and either conveys or comprehends language without us giving it the measliest notice.

Needed for the success of the ongoing program we call K to 12 is the process we all went through called first language acquisition. Though we are currently focused on grades ten, eleven and twelve, first language acquisition should still be taken into account. This is because before we even start and enter the world of learning, each of us should be primarily equipped with one thing necessary for communication- language.

There are numerous languages in the world. In the Philippines, despite of Filipino being our national language, we also have quite a number of dialects like Pangasinense, Ilokano, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan and the like. Each of us was taught through different means, like flashcards, videos, even through things as simple as oral, and eventually, written imitation and repetition. Each of us also utilizes, refines and polishes our use of it in a different way. People learn language differently, and to prove this is the fact that the way we communicate with it is different from someone else’s. Things like the environment-a person’s home, his school, his peers, and so on-also influence this.

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This New Year, treat yourself with these new Torque DROIDZ series of Affordable Octa-Core Smartphones: The DROIDZ Octave and DROIDZ Marvel HD.

These Torque Android Smartphones cater high-end features like Octa-Core processors, slim design, High resolution cameras, High Definition Displays and Long battery life, at very affordable prices!

DROIDZ Marvel HD

The notable feature of this smartphone is its 5-inch HD IPS OGS Touch with 7mm body that is SUPER SLIM. Also, it sports a DragonTrail 3 Glass display, meaning it was designed to be ultra-tough (scratch resistant). In terms of Operating System, it runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat running at 1.7 GHz Octa-Core processor that makes its performance faster. DROIDZ Marvel HD has 8GB ROM and 1GB RAM of storage enough to play and run apps. It has 13MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front camera that is best in video chatting and other photo-op. It supports Dual SIM, Quad band GSM, 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Micro-SD. Marvel at it for only P6899!

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Digital Technology World 2015, on its 2nd year, is an exhibit that remains to be the premier digital show in the Philippines that caters to the convergence of the newest system standards and technology for the business from various industries (electronics, printing, pro-avl, signage and solutions).

Digital Technology World 2015 is held coinciding with Consumer Electronics World 2015 - an expo conceptualized to gather the leading suppliers and manufacturers of consumer electronics to showcase innovation in audio, video and lighting, automobile electronics, gadgets, intelligent home appliances, applications, devices, and more. The expo will happen on April 23-25, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center, MOA Complex, Philippines.

Watch out for more information soon here at WazzupPilipinas.com, and at Pinoy Tekkie, or from our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

Check out their official websites below to learn more about Digital Technology World 2015 and Consumer Electronics World 2015.

Digital Technology World - http://globallinkmp.com/digitaltechnologyworld/
Consumer Electronics World – http://globallinkmp.com/CEW/

Gerald Santos in All of Me: An Intimate Valentine Dinner Show

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Valentines Season is fast approaching. Not only is it a one-day event, but a month-long celebration for Filipinos to show our love and affection to the people who are dearest to our hearts. In line with this, Gerald Santos would like to be part of our Valentines Day celebration as he serenades us with his romantic hits.

On the 13th and 14th of February, Showbiz Mansion Entertainment, in cooperation with Discovery Suites, brings you two magical nights with the Prince of Ballad, Gerald Santos, in All of Me: An Intimate Valentine Dinner Show at the Serendipity Lounge, Discovery Suites Ortigas.

Gerald Santos is dubbed as the country’s Prince of Ballad. At a young age, he was declared Grand Champion of GMA 7’s singing competition, Pinoy Pop Superstar. He is best known not only for the diverse range of his voice, but also for his wholehearted performances that melt everyone’s hearts. Gerald released respected albums like “Pinakahihintay” and “Gerald Santos The Prince of Ballad” and staged the award-winning concert “The Prince of Ballad Soaring High”. He is also a theater actor and was part of two major musicals, “Sino Ka Ba Jose Rizal” and “San Pedro Calungsod The Musical”.

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Watch out for a sure hit this coming Valentine season as two popular celebrities combine forces to make you laugh out loud this coming Valentines season.

On the 12th of February, just two days away from Valentines Day, comes a pre-Valentine concert that will definitely bring lots of laughter to the already flourishing love in the air. The Comedy Concert Queen, Ai Ai De Las Alas, and the Daytime King, Richard Yap, presents Ai ♥ Papa, a Valentines’ Concert at The Theater at Solaire located at the fabulous Solaire Resort & Casino.

Ai Ai is the Philippines Queen of Comedy and Comedy Concert Queen. She gained recognition when she played the role of Ina Montecillo, a mother of 12, in the blockbuster movie “Ang Tanging Ina”. She released an album under Star Records called ADA.

On the other hand, Richard Yap who is best known as “Papa Chen” for his role in “My Binondo Girl” and “Ser Chief” in “Be Careful with my Heart”. He recorded some songs for his Daytime TV Drama Series, and released an album under Star Records. Last September, he won at the PMPC Star Awards for Music as the “New Male Recording Artist of the Year”. He also receive different recognitions from different award giving bodies since he started his acting career.

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Together we enter the new frontier with technology serving as an added tool for our convenience and peace of mind. We've seen how the many amazing technological advancement has changed our lives, and it will continue to do so as we effortlessly embrace the future even in our own homes.

PLDT Home is proud to boast its latest product innovation to provide parents with an affordable means to ensure constant watch over their precious loved ones. Since CCTVs have become so popular in many businesses and government agencies, its about time we also implement the similar surveillance systems at our own homes.

The PLDT Home Telpad with Fam Cam has been advertised already in many print ads, radio and TV commercials, including online media, enticing a lot of homeowners, especially those with children, to find out more about this offer from PLDT Home.

At a recent event held last January 21, 2015 in Makati, we got to celebrate an official launch of the service attended by many key personalities of PLDT including the head honcho himself, Mr. Manny Pangilinan, as well as several popular celebrities providing entertainment to the crowd. Celebrities include Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, Regine Velasquez, LJ Moreno, Danica Sotto, Empoy, and a lot more. There were also a few performances from home-grown talents belonging to the employee force of PLDT providing musical entertainment for all.

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Join Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago (@senmiriam) for the “Stupid is Forever” meet and greet on January 22, 2015, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in National Book Store, Glorietta 1.

Stupid is Forever is a collection of jokes, one-liners, pick-up lines, comebacks and speeches delivered and/or curated by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. It has been released several weeks ago and many branches has reported it being out of stock already. Hopefully, there will be plenty more reprints coming soon to satisfy the demand of many fans and followers of the senator.

The senator has the admiration of a lot of people especially the youth for her uncanny courage against many corrupt politicians including her colleagues at the senate. She has displayed guts and aggressiveness, coupled with that witty sense of humor that has made her the champion and idol of many.

Registration at National Bookstore will start at 11 a.m. but needles to say, you have to be there as early as possible for I'm pretty sure the lines will be very, very, very long. It will not be surprising if some people have already camped out nearby to grab the opportunity to be among the first in line.

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir Offers Exceptional All-In Fares Starting at USD145

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To all frequent or new travelers out there, we are so excited to share to you a very good promotional offer starting today that may persuade you to start booking for flights right now as you plan your itinerary for your next travel opportunity for 2015.

Starting today until end of February, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir are offering exceptional, all-inclusive promotional fares to Singapore as well as a host of destinations around the world exclusive to BPI Credit Card holders, Globe Platinum and Globe Blue customers, Glorietta, Ayala Center Cebu, and Abreeza Mall Davao shoppers and KrisFlyer Members.

Travel in style at all-in Economy Class fares starting from USD145. Wow! Yes! You read it right! That's only USD145 and you're ready to start packing for your trip to Singapore within the dates of February 1 to December 31, 2015.

You could also go to Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam for only USD210, or to India for only USD690, Australia for USD700, and Europe for USD899. Passengers can also travel to other destinations like Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Dubai, Maldives, New Zealand, and South Africa.

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Get 2015 pocket calendars full of exciting discounts and freebies at all Gumbo outlets now!

These calendars with discount coupons are given away to all its loyal guests and clients until the end of January or until supplies last.

Gumbo offers 6 exciting treats you cannot resist! From January to June, avail of these fantastic discounts such as buy 1 get one on salads and appetizers, P500.00 off your P1,000.00 food purchase, free dish with P500.00 food purchase, etc – all with a purchase of any Coca-Cola products.

What’s more, you’ll get P500.00 Gumbo gift certificate which you can use on your next visit if you are able to avail all promos in six months.

Gumbo is located at SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Manila Midtown, The Block SM City North EDSA, Atrium Bldg SM Megamall, Gateway Mall Araneta Center, and Robinsons Magnolia.

For reservations and inquiries please call 5560238, 420106, 6353015 and 5671820.

The Healthy Personality

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The term personality is taken from the Latin term Persona meaning “masks” which was first used in Greek drama, and later adopted by Roman players. While it originally referred to masks used in comedy or tragedy to distinguish the roles of Roman players and therefore, to the external and superficial aspects of the individual, it has now come to refer more to the central and enduring aspects of the individual.

Hilligard defines personality as the arrangement and configuration of individual characteristics and ways of behaving that determine one’s unique adjustment to his environment. It is an all-exclusive term that covers appearances, abilities, motives, emotional reactivity and experiences that have shaped him to his present person.

Gordon W. Allport mentions at least 50 different meanings that personality has in philosophy, theology, law, sociology, and psychology. In philosophy, it is synonymous with self-hood, with the ideal of perfection, and with the supreme value. In theology, there is mention of the three Divine persons in one God. In law, those enjoying legal status or an incorporated group of persons constitute personality or person. In clinical parlance however, it is the totality of the person himself, the actual core of his being.

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"Pope Francis' message of caring for the environment fell on deaf ears as mounds of garbage were left strewn all across Luneta following the record-breaking Mass." - Inquirer.net

We all know cleanliness is next to Godliness but why is it that after every gathering, especially during the recent papal Visit, we would always leave a mess behind. Whenever there is an assembly of great proportion at the Luneta, mountains of trash will always be seen afterwards.

Irony indeed! An oxymoron indeed to those who risked life and limbs especially to those who were at the Concluding Papal Mass at the Luneta to personally witness Pope Francis, an environment advocate himself. To litter the area with all the trash shouting on myriad decibels their love for Lolo Kiko and their feeling being so blessed yet was an utter dismay to Mother Nature, not to mention that the Pope is a Mama Mary devotee even requesting the mammoth crowd to pray the Hail Mary.

How I wish their fervent admiration and adulation of Pope Francis had matched or equaled their patriotism and love for the environment. It is perplexing why some people can profess so much love for their leader yet go against the very values and principles their leader espouses? Dumbfounding? - an understatement!

Were there enough trash bins in strategic places provided by the MMDA or local government unit of Manila? If yes, do we blame the people; if no, do we blame the poor planning of the MMDA and LGU?

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Synergy is where students from various courses related to the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, technology, and information meet to learn and share thoughts and ideas on how their fields of study can help the everyday lives of Filipinos. It hopes to inspire students into thinking and building technological and engineering innovations which can further the country's progress. Synergy is mainly envisioned to go beyond learning the concepts and exploring the theories acquired from the academe.

Now on its third year, Synergy presented a four-day gathering dubbed as Synergy: Electrical and Electronics Engineering Summit 2014 held last November 19 to 22, 2014. The event was an opportunity for the future engineers to showcase their potential skills and intellect in a whole new level.

With chosen speakers from trending companies in the technological industry, students also build their career vision and skill potential derived from their interest and key study. The event focused on the development of one’s professionalism, and in turn, as an avenue to be part of building the country.

This year's Synergy was composed of five major events namely Techno Talk, Ingenious Ideas, Revolutionary Robotics, Dynamic Discourse and Corporate Connection.

Young Actors Join Ballet Philippines In “MANHID: The Pinoy Superhero Musical”

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On February 2015, “MANHID: The Pinoy Superhero Musical” wraps up Ballet Philippines’ 45th anniversary season. Set in an alternate present day Philippines where the EDSA revolution failed, this musical features heroes and villains with superpowers, and a people sick with Kamanhiran (Apathy).

Leading the cast of superheroes as Bantugan “Tag-inip” Buenaventura is Sandino Martin, who recently won Best Actor at the Cinema One Originals Awards Night for his role in “Esprit de Corps”. Bantugan is a journalist with the power to communicate with the other superheroes through his dreams. Alternating the role is Ballet Philippines Apprentice, Mark Anthony Grantos.

Female lead Lam-Ang “Amihabagat” Panganiban, who controls the Amihan and Habagat winds, will be played by Regina de Vera and Teetin Villanueva. A resident actor of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company, de Vera won the Gawad Buhay award for Outstanding Female Lead Performance in a Play in 2013 for “Der Kaufmann”. Villanueva is a recent Theatre Arts graduate from UP Diliman. Her thesis role performance as Hermana Augusta Beata in Floy Quintos’ COLLECTION earned her nominations for the 26th Aliw Awards and BroadwayWorld Philippines’ Awards in 2013.

Gold Villar takes on the role of Alunsina “Mura-dugo” Albano, who has the power to draw blood through her curse words. Villar is a senior teaching artist for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and has been part of productions Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang, Batang Rizal, Si Juan Tamad, Ang Diablo at ang Limang Milyong Boto and most recently, Rak of Aegis.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

All Day is an up-and-coming Filipino-owned convenience store chain that already has around 100 stores nationwide. It aims to take the "convenience store" idea a level higher than the traditional convenience stores we know by offering more than the usual products and services, and mainly to provide an everyday neighborhood store for the residents in the nearby subdivisions of Vista Land, and to those who would like to go into franchising the brand.

Apparently, there's now a bigger and better All Day they are now calling 'All Day Mart' that further exceeds our expectations of its former predecessor. It's smaller than the grocery stores you will find in the large malls, but has an excitingly broad selection of grocery products from many popular brands, as well as special services for added convenience.

Your friendly neighborhood Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas was recently invited to celebrate the grand opening of All Day Mart Cerritos Heights located within the perimeter of Camella Cerritos Heights subdivision in Daang Hari Molino Bacoor, Cavite. Gracing the event were real estate mogul and former Senator Manny Villar and his lovely daughter Camille Villar who both led the ribbon cutting and blessing of the store last January 20, 2015.

The All Day Mart has many parking spaces but since its really a neighborhood store that opens early in the morning, there's no stopping the nearby residents from coming to the store on foot after a few minutes of jogging or running around the community. This is also the best place to hang-out to have some yummy snacks and refreshing drinks at any time of the day.

SM City Baguio Cuts Down 60 Pine Trees Like a Thief in the Night

Wazzup Pilipinas!

SM City Baguio is under fire for cutting down at least 60 pine trees like it's a heinous crime. The pine trees were gone overnight via a rushed job employing hundreds of men. Everyone was in a frenzy over the Pope being in the country that only a few people noticed. If our figures are right, there are now182 pine trees gone in this portion of SM City Baguio.

Is bringing down 60 more pine trees enough justification to give way to an environment-friendly sky park? Is a "green" building, 2,000 trees already planted at the Busol watershed and 30,000 more within the next 3 years, sounds fair over a total of 182 uprooted trees, and possibly more soon?

Is SM City Baguio continuing to become the murderer of helpless pine trees as it blatantly rushed the uprooting of pine trees infront of the mall so they could build an expansion? Nagtatanong lang po.

Did SM City Baguio take advantage of the fact that our attention was focused on the Pope, so they cut down the trees thinking nobody would notice? Is "Money is the root of all the uprooting of trees!"

Dear @Pontifex, after your mass at SM MOA, SM City Baguio cuts the pine trees stealthily like a thief in the night. They come to take away your local businesses, and your trees too. If the pope was informed by the fate of those trees at SM City Baguio, I'm sure he would've cancelled the MOA event. There were rumors saying that they cut the trees during the exact moment the Sy siblings were shaking Pope Francis' hands. Oh humans! Such questionable stewards of God's creation.

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Piling Obrang Vidyo (POV) is in their 11th year with their annual inter-collegiate video competition that will be held on January 24, 2015, Saturday at UP Cine Adarna Theatre.

POV encourages aspiring student filmmakers from universities and colleges around the nation debut their entries on the big screen. Participating schools this year include University of the Philippines, University of San Carlos, Meridian International College, Far Eastern University, Malayan Colleges Laguna, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, De La Salle Lipa, Ateneo de Manila University, Asia Pacific Film Institute, Southern Luzon State University, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba.

The finalists will be screened at 1 P.M., followed by the awards ceremony and an after party. The jury for this year’s Piling Obrang Vidyo includes Erik Matti, Nora Aunor, Ricky Lee, Dan Villegas, Benjamin Tolentino, Mikko Quizon, Richard Somes, and Teresa Barrozo for the Narrative Category. Rox Lee, Raya Martin, and Dodo Dayao for the Experimental Category. Keith Sicat, Raya Martin, Jewel Maranan, and Ditsi Carolino for the Documentary Category.

Several awards from various categories will be given, including: a Best Film from each category, a Viewer’s Choice Award, The Cinemaster’s Choice, and citations in the Narrative category for: Best Direction, Best Production Design, Best Performance, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Music.

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Nightime is never boring at Puerto Galera because it's practically when a different kind of fun begins due to the nightlife that can be found in town. There's so many bars and restaurants offering both great food and drink choices, lots of entertainment that ranges from stand-up comedy skits to singing impersonators, and of course, the booze that will keep you awake and eventually drunk the whole night, and with a hang-over on the morning of the following day.

You'll see the fire dancers, also called or poi dancers, wearing skimpy clothes while seemingly risking their bare skin from the fire they're playing with. Some of them do get a little burned all in the line of work but it comes with the job of making sure the island visitors visit your place instead of the many competitors nearby.

But we were dead tired from all the activities that day that going to town was no longer part of our itinerary. We simply needed a good night's dinner, watch a few minutes of cable TV to update us on the news, check on our e-mails and social media accounts, then immediately go to sleep in our comfy beds to regain the energy needed for tomorrow's next set of activities.

Infinity Resort serves many culinary delicacies as we have already relayed from our past stories about them from our breakfast and lunch dining experiences, and so it applies similarly to a sumptuous dinner for that night.

English Grammar Stuff That My Dad Habitually Overlooks

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The English language, in my opinion, is one of the easiest yet puzzling languages in the world. Many people believe that it is easy because of the fact that countless people all over the world know the language and learn it effortlessly. Because of this, it is often titled as the “universal language”, despite it only being second to Mandarin as the most spoken language in the world.

Now, for some people, English is a tricky language to be familiar with. There are things such as the Oxford comma, homonyms (words that sound alike but have different meanings), contractions, even the lesson that I’m sure we all took in class called subject-verb agreement and the like. Although it is generally easy to communicate in English, some of us, if not all, have their own little flaws, especially when speaking. I’ve heard that in places such as the United States of America, English grammar is usually not a big deal as long as your point is understood.

Putting that aside, as an entitled grammar Nazi (not to say that I don’t make mistakes, mind you,) and loving daughter to my dearest father, I’ve gathered up these habitually overlooked English mistakes I’ve noticed in him so far:

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Millions of Filipinos flock to hear Pope Francis' offers of hope and consolation to the poor at the concluding mass. People have stood since midnight and through the rain to see @Pontifex in Manila. A strong sign of faith and belief in a higher power. People can be seen holding up images of Sto. Nino chanting "Pit Señor" and "Papa Francisco." Present also is President Benigno Simeon Aquino II or otherwise known as PNoy or Noynoy has arrived wearing a baseball cap to attend the Mass. The Presidentiable family, including Kris Aquino wearing a yellow raincoat, is also here. PNoy and his coterie are surprisingly in blue (or was it black) jackets while the mass choir sings in various Filipino languages.

The Pope arrives and incenses the altar to begin the Mass in where we most commonly refer to as Luneta or Rizal Park where the monument of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal is erected. He also blesses a statue of Sto. Niño.PH celebrates the Feast of Sto. Niño to honor the Infant Jesus. Pope Francis speaks in Latin to deliver his message and as he consecrates the bread and wine, and blesses the Eucharist.

Before the mass, @Pontifex met with the Catholic volunteer Kristel Padasas' father and cousin sharing grief and condolences over her tragic death at Tacloban. It is unfortunate that the Pope is unlike Jesus Christ who is able to bring the dead back to life but I have an uncanny feeling that there is now an angel guarding the family of the deceased.

Providing musical accompaniment for "Gloria" (Glory to God) following after "Kyrie" (Lord have mercy) is a 1,000-strong choir and 200-piece orchestra performing for the concluding mass of Pope Francis at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila attended by an estimated 6 Million people all wanting to see and hear the Pope and his message to the Filipinos. The EDSA Shrine Rector Fr. Nilo Mangussads lead the orchestra.

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At an encounter with the youth, Pope Francis had expressed so many wonderful words of wisdom for the youth present at the grounds of the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in Espana, Manila. The Pope prayed for the 27-year old lady Kristel who died in Tacloban before proceeding with the program planned for the day.

There are so many beautiful words in Spanish that cannot be fully translated to English. How beautiful the Spanish language really is. I bet it sounds better in Spanish and understand the situation of the translator that not all Spanish words have an exact equivalent in English. What a waste that most Filipinos cannot speak it when our language is so close to Spanish. Que lastima!

The Pontifex said to allow ourselves to be surprised by God ... it will help us move forward. Indeed, all the so called surprises, including those that shocked us, is a way to lead us to a better and stronger future. "Don't be frightened by surprises. They shake the ground and make us unsure. But they move us forward."

"Why does God allow children to suffer?" Probably to teach us how to cry, to weep. There are certain realities in life we only see through eyes that are cleansed with our tears. "Don't be frightened of crying..learn how to weep!" In reference to the girl who wasn’t able to express her full statements in words, and could only only continue in tears, there are things we only understand with eyes that have been cleared by tears.

Pope Francis said "Be wise young people. To be wise: think well, feel well, and do well. Be surprised by the love of God." He then followed it up with "The danger is becoming a museum of information, of having everything, but not knowing what to do with it. No young museums." He captured it perfectly with "Youth Museum." Think of endless curation, self-motivated goals, putting achievements first.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It's not yet summer in the Philippines but there's a good reason to indulge and reward ourselves with some sweet cold treats as early as today.

Rita's Italian Ice is now in the Philippines! Yup! You heard me right! The largest Italian Ice concept in the world, offering a variety of cool treats including the famous Italian Ice, made fresh daily with real fruit, available in over sixty-five flavors including Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, Sundaes, Light Custard, Frozen Custard Cakes, Custard Cookie Sandwiches made with Oreo, layered Gelati as well as their signature Misto and Blendini creations are finally here in the country to satisfy our desire for sweet deletable cool creations.

We went to their grand opening last January 16, 2015 to try out their cool product lines and experience the very first branch at VMall in Greenhills here in the Philippines - the very first branch in Southeast Asia. With over 600 stores in the U.S., Rita's Italian Ice Rita’s has been dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with their freshly made, delicious, custom treats, in a fun-filled atmosphere, spreading “Ice, Custard, Happiness!”

With some perks to give its first customers like a year's supply of Rita's Italian Ice for 1 year for the first 20 customers and and free Mango Italian Ice for the first 100 customers, some have literally camped out at their store area as early as 2:30 am to get the chance to win Rita's cool treats.