Talent Knows No Adversity – Reverb: Echoing Awareness through the Arts

Wazzup Pilipinas!
The Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity, together with the UP Special Education Council, Ateneo Special Education Society, and the Leonard Cheshire Disability Foundation Inc., hosted “Reverb: Echoing Awareness through the Arts,” a concert for the differently abled, by the differently abled. 

With more than 300 people in attendance, the Pilar Hidalgo Lim Auditorium of the GSP National Headquarters in Manila witnessed these abled performers celebrate their extraordinary talents and overcome limitations on May 9, 2015.

Reverb is the culminating event in a series of projects entitled “ObraX: Extraordinary Art by Extraordinary People” all aimed at empowering the differently abled.

Most Exalted Brother Pacifico Armando M. Cruz MΣΦ 2015 formally opened the program. Local rock icon Mayonnaise held the evening’s opening act strongly with stellar performances from hit songs “Ipagpatawad Mo” and “Jopay”.

The event featured presentations from differently abled groups with Down’s syndrome, autism, hearing impairments, as well as amputees. Before each performance, an audiovisual presentation was shown, revealing inspiring stories from the performers. The videos told of struggles, as well as triumphs culled from their steadfast determination, a desire to succeed, and absolute support from various support systems.

Epson Brand Marks 40 Years

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On June 12, 2015, Seiko Epson Corporation (SEC) will mark the 40th anniversary of the Epson brand the company uses on many of its products and services.

To commemorate this anniversary, we at Epson aim to show our appreciation to the stakeholders who have supported our brand over the years. We will also take a retrospective look at the meaning of the brand and reaffirm our commitment to continuing to provide our customers with products that surprise and delight.

Epson (then Daiwa Kogyo) was founded in 1942. Originally a developer and manufacturer of watches, Epson later leveraged its core technologies -- which enable products that are compact, energy saving and high-precision -- to enter and gradually expand in other business areas. As a vertically integrated enterprise with capabilities ranging from product development and manufacture to sales and marketing, Epson began moving into the information equipment business in 1968 with the release of the EP-101, the world's first compact, lightweight digital printer, and followed this in the 1970s with a succession of computer peripheral products. As the company went on to develop new markets and provide customers around the world with satisfying products and services in a broad range of categories, we decided to develop a unique, original brand.

The Epson brand name comes from the EP-101, the product that kicked off the company's expansion into the information equipment business. The "EP" stands for "electronic printer" and the "SON" represents our desire to follow the original electronic printer with many worthwhile descendants (products and services). The "Exceed Your Vision" global tagline that accompanies the Epson brand concisely states our promise to customers that Epson will continue to exceed their expectations.

UP Circa Holds Successful Special Movie Screening of Pitch Perfect 2

Wazzup Pilipinas!UP Circle of Administrators (UP Circa) , a duly recognized socio-academic organization established in 1992 in the National College of Public Administration and Governance in UP Diliman, brings to you the most awaited and highly anticipated screening of Pitch Perfect 2 which was held on May 13 at the SM North The Block Cinema 2. The screening is a fund-raising event or an income generating project for the organization.

Early before 7pm people were already in line at the event, stoked for the movie. Perks of falling in line early, you get a free Krispy Kreme glazed donut, only to be given to the first 100 people. KK (Krispy Kreme) also handed these cute paper hats with the official KK logo. When you purchase a ticket, it is inclusive of snacks and drink from the sponsors handed in paper goodie bags.

The cinema was jam-packed, before the screening UP Circa held games and ice breakers with amazing prizes in store. The first game, you have to guess how many XO candies are in a plastic sealed bag. Then second game, is like ,who sang it way better to the song of “When Im Gone (Cup Song) by Anna Kendrick” with the use of the Krispy Kreme cup. The winner was decided who has the loudest applause. The third game, a group of 6 friends should participate and give movie titles to a corresponding letter of a given word. The hosts and other members of the organization were able to pull it off and handed out prizes coming from their major sponsors.

I don’t want to give out everything and be a spoiler about the movie, all I can say, If you loved the first movie, you might go LSS for the second, especially the last song. The movie’s gist focuses on the Bella’s Senior year at Barden University and then an unfortunate event happened during a production number at Kennedy Center. The only way for the Bellas to gain the respect of all again is to win the world championship. It is not gonna be an easy road for the Bellas, rivalry with another acapella group from Germany called the DAS SOUND MACHINE and journey for the Bellas to rediscover their sound again.

Epson Holds Fusion Six at Huma Island Resort of Busuanga, Palawan

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Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) shared their wondrous achievement with the media during the 6th annual media thanksgiving event dubbed as Epson Fusion.

May 20 to 22 is three days of another welcomed break for the media as Epson holds Epson Fusion Six at the beautiful island of Huma located at Busuanga, Palawan. The past years of Epson Fusion were all breath-taking adventures meant to thank the media for all the support.

It may have taken us four hours of travel (due to delayed flight of the airline) by air, road and sea, the long hours was worth it upon seeing our destination. As great as it looks in the pictures found at their official website, Huma Island is a level higher than the previous Fusion event venues.

This is my third year, and something tells me this is going to be the best. Actually, every year keeps getting better and better. We would like to personally thank Epson for their generosity and may this be a lasting relationship for all. After all, Epson has been my favorite brand when it comes to printers and projectors.

Watch out for our stories about Huma Island as we show you the amazing sights that made this place a must destination for your bucket list. You really have to experience it personally for the photos do not give enough justice to how awesome this place really is.

Epson took the opportunity to announce another successful fiscal year with the achievement of market leadership in the categories of Projectors, Inkjet, Dot Matrix, and POS printers. The Epson team presented their updates regarding the specific products they are handling.

New products such as a CD/DVD maker for retail use was introduced, along with a new handy POS machine which will surely be useful in many industries.

Daylong Advocates #NoVacationFromSunProtection

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At a time when we face an abundance of choices in how, when, and why we use product so have sunscreen products slowly evolved from being solely used at the beach during summertime to a daily skin care staple. The message is clear: not only is it important to prevent sunburn, it is equally important to prevent rapid skin aging and deeper cellular damage.

Daylong, a dermatological suncare brand from the makers of Cetaphil, is the first to explicitly advocate daily sunscreen application. In its recent efforts to support its cause, Daylong conducted a UV-exposure study to investigate whether the outdoor sun at the beach shows the same level of strength in the city – even when indoors.

Together with five Filipina urbanites – Jaymie Pizarro, Jackie Go, Marj Sia, Janeena Chan, and Marie Lozano – Daylong used sun sensors to track daily UV exposures in Metro Manila for a week. From day to night, their daily activities were recorded, even when indoors. 

The study showed that in Metro Manila, the daily UV Index recorded reaches up to 10 from 12nn to 1pm, which places a ‘Very High’ risk from unprotected sun exposure. Comparing the city’s UV index to Caticlan (Boracay) and El Nido (Palawan), and data showed both summer destinations also reach UV Index 10 during the same hours.

Aquabest to Launch New Store Format in Franchise Asia

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Aquabest, the country’s leading water refilling franchise is poised to launch its new condominium store format at the upcoming 2015 Franchise Asia Philippines.

The company is a long-time member of the Philippine Franchise Association and is considered to be among the leading players in the water franchising industry. The company recently developed a new condominium centric store format in response to the changing trends in the market.

The company recently opened two condominium based stores in SMDC developments namely SM Sea Residences and SM Blue Residences. These stores have a combined water station and laundromat setup.

Compared to conventional Aquabest stores the condominium store format has a larger floor area and has an increased emphasis on the laundry business. Prospective franchisees also have reduced delivery expenses since there is a large captive market available in the respective developments that house the stores.

The company has launched the new store format in response to the changing market trends. The strong growth of the Philippine property market has fuelled the growth of high density high rise vertical developments which has transformed the market.

Plex Media Server Now Available On WD’s My Cloud NAS Series

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WD, a Western Digital company, and a world leader in storage solutions is expanding its apps offerings by introducing Plex, an entertainment app that can now be downloaded to and deployed on the My Cloud NAS series. 

Plex organizes video, music and photos from personal media libraries and streams them to smart TVs, streaming boxes and mobile devices such as your Mac, PC, smartphone, tablet, Xbox, PlayStation, Smart TV, Roku, Chromecast, and soon TiVo. 

Whether it’s your movie and TV collection, or your music library, Plex makes your media beautiful by automatically adding movie posters, plot summaries, cover art, and descriptions. Plex also allows you to share your home video, photo, music, and movie collections with your friends and family.

"WD is committed to a robust application ecosystem for our customers and Plex is a key example of our vision,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president & general manager, WD networked content solutions. “With today’s addition of the Plex app, the My Cloud NAS series will now be a one-stop shop to not only store and protect your most precious content, but to organize and stream that content to all your devices as well.”

For more information, visit https://plex.tv, or follow at @plexapp on Twitter or https://www.facebook.com/plexapp.

UP Economics Society and Without Limits Launches Whiplash: A Benefit Run

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This coming June 7, 2015, the UP Economics Society and Without Limits launches Whiplash: A Benefit Run, a fundraising event for the benefit of the Economics Society Scholarship Fund.

Whiplash is a wet and wild fun run happening around the UP Academic Oval and the Sunken Garden, complete with challenging obstacle courses designed to pump up the participants and a post-run Zumba workshop open to all participants and other walk-in guests.

Registration starts at 4:30 am
P400* - 4.4km gunstart at 5:40am

P500 *- 6.6km gunstart at 5:30am
P600* - 11km gunstart at 5:20am

*inclusive of race bib, singlet, and freebies

Nelfa Querubin's "A Passion for Clay" at the Galleria Duemila

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Galleria Duemila proudly presents A Passion for Clay a solo show by Nelfa Querubin, one of the foremost artists in Philippine contemporary ceramics. The exhibition takes its name from the artist’s recently published book authored by Patrick D. Flores and Imelda Cajipe Endaya. 

A Passion for Clay brings together Querubin’s most sought-after ceramic pieces spanning from the late 1980s to 2013. Centering on medium and technique, her practice is explicitly freehand and is much more organic than it may appear. The vitality of her works, which stylistically integrate impressions of astronomy, geology, and panoramic scenery, guarantees Querubin an exceptional place in the pantheon of Philippine contemporary ceramics. Ladened with the complexities of the natural world, her work bellies rich imagery of topography and organic matter. Even more intriguing are the distinct contrasts in her work, saturated and subsisting: sharp and pure, art and design, utility and frivolity, attractiveness and otherness.

In the early years of her artistic career, Nelfa Querubin delved into cartography, graphic design, and printmaking. She developed an affinity with ceramic pottery in the early 1970s and has since been devoted to the medium. Over the years she has authored three books. Querubin has had three retrospective exhibitions; Ayala Museum (2013), UPV Art Gallery (2008), and Vargas Museum (2005-2006). She is a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Arward in 1980, her prints has been exhibited in print Biennials and Triennials in Korea, Japan, and India. 

Epson PH Country Manager Heads Region, Two Other Sea Countries

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Starting June 2015, in addition to being Epson Philippines Corporation’s (EPC) President/Country Manager, Toshimitsu Tanaka will hold concurrent positions as Managing Director of Epson’s Regional office (Epson Singapore Pte. Ltd.), President Director of Epson Thailand, and Director of Epson Indonesia. The current Managing Director of Epson Singapore, Koichi Endo, will retire due to expiry of term.

As reason for the movement, Seiko Epson Corporation (SEC) shared its aim to establish a management structure that will enable it to fulfill its goals as it enters the final year of both its SE15 Corporate Vision and the second half of its SE15 Mid-Range Business Plan, and that the movement will help it expedite management decisions based on maximizing corporate value and ensuring good corporate governance.

Mr. Tanaka joined SEC’s System Devices Sales and Marketing Department in April 1981, after graduating in Waseda University with a degree in Bachelor in Economics.  

From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Tanaka was relocated to Epson’s South and Southeast Asia regional headquarters in Singapore to lead regional sales initiatives as the Sales Director for System Devices. Within that period, Mr. Tanaka achieved several milestones, which included securing a high value Ministry of Education tender project in Malaysia in 2002 which entailed 20,000 units of projectors for classrooms. 

PBA D-League Foundation Cup Team Standings

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We are already more than halfway of the month of May and the excitement continues for every PBA D-Leagues Foundation Cup game as our favorite teams tried their very best to outdo each other.

Cebuana Lhuillier leads with 7 wins and only 1 loss followed by Café France with 7 wins and 2 losses, while Cagayan tied with Hapee follows third with 5 wins and 3 losses.

At last place is Liver Marin with only 1 win and 7 losses.

Below are last Monday's scores where Café France won versus Jumbo Plastics in the first game while Hapee won against Cebuana Lhuillier.

Scores:

First Game
CAFE FRANCE 83—Poligrates 16, Ahanmisi 14, Galanza 13, De Leon 13, Sedurifa 7, Ebondo 6, Batino 5, Jeruta 3, Andrada 3,  Cortez 3, Miranda 0, Abundo 0.
JUMBO PLASTIC 72—Paniamogan 21, Khobuntin 14, Sanga Paul 12, Tiongson 7, Eguillos 4, Perez 4, Villamor 4, Mandani 4, Arellano 2, Purdy 0, Almario 0, Avillanoza 0.
Quarters: 19-11, 41-27, 60-39, 83-72

Second Game
HAPEE 71—Amer 18, Rosario 15, Parks 12, Dela Cruz 8, Adeogun 6, Thompson 5, Elorde 2, Long 0, Villahermosa 0, Romero 0, Koga 0.
CEBUANA LHUILLIER 70—Mangahas 17, Tautuaa 15, Cabrera 9, Vosotros 9, Corpuz 7, Torres 5, Enciso 4, Zamar 4, Bautista 0, Sarangay 0, Van Opstal 0.
Quarters: 18-14, 42-30, 55-52, 71-70

The Pinoy Tekkie Traveler

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The behavior of today’s tech-based travel aficionado is really amusing but totally amazing. Gadgets would often be seen as part of the journey. Now we don’t just see cameras, but smaller devices like smartphones, tablets or phablets (even high-end tech toys like GoPros and specialized accessories like monopods (the selfie sticks), where an individual can be carrying more than one.

What makes technology more radically awesome is that it is also now more convenient for us to upload our photos and videos instantly due to fast and affordable data or Internet connections. We don't need to wait until we get home to share the photos, we can do it while on the road.

Before travelling, the most popular move would be checking out travel sites and blogs to gather information about highly attractive and reasonable destinations based on our interest and capacity to pay. 

Aside from checking online using the home or office desktop computer, the traveler would have also downloaded mobile apps specific to what will be useful for the upcoming vacation to check for flight, hotel and restaurant deals. For vacation vetting, they will read hotel and restaurant reviews, as well as activity and attraction reviews, to learn more about possible destinations to help in the initial planning stages of where to stay, dine and visit.

Many would look for reviews of other travelers because they find it more sincerely helpful and honest than getting information directly from the official websites of the business establishments. They also get social before the trip by “Liking” Facebook pages specific to the destinations already on their list, and they will most probably post a status update about their upcoming vacation to share their excite with their friends, relatives or colleagues.

Radio Co-Hosting at VIGATTIN Radio Show of Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It is always a delight to co-host at Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM for the VIGATTIN radio show which airs every Saturday from 10 to 11 am. The main radio anchors are Elison Barceló and Arne Barceló. I co-host when I'm not too busy with my work load as your Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas here at WazzupPilipinas.com, and soon on the new TV show on IBC 13, the Wazzup Pilipinas TV.

The radio station is located near Shopwise Pasong Tamo in Makati city so it's quite easier to go there but my co-hosting stint at Family Business of Kinse Trenta (formerly Radyo Uno) DZME 1530 AM every Sunday from 5 to 6:30 pm, with Tito Nel Talavera, Bart Abaya, Dona Raquiza and Coach Dave Aguila, is more convenient for me since it's just located along San Miguel Avenue of Ortigas Center.

Similar to my arrangement with the VIGATTIN team, I am able to show-up at the Family Business show only when I don't have a conflicting event, or is not too preoccupied with obligations. Both shows guest mostly businessmen and entrepreneurs who want to get some significant airtime promotions to reach out to the greater masses of which radio shows primarily target.

I recently linked the two main hosts of the radio shows thus forming another alliance and a partnership for another TV show on cable and national TV which they call Baratan on Activate. We are always welcome to all forms of collaborations to further increase our reach and connect with more audiences to benefit both us and our customers.