Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Belgian and Filipino Dance Collaboration “Coke” Showing at the PETA Theater Center

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Belgian dance company Kobalt Works, in cooperation with the PETA Theater Center and the Goethe Institut Manila, present COKE, a contemporary dance performance at the PETA PHINMA Theater this June 13-14, 7:00PM.

Arco Renz, the artistic director and principal choreographer of Kobalt Works collaborated with an ensemble composed of PETA Senior Teacher Artists Ian Segarra, Mean Espinosa and Carlon Matobato, dancers Lyg Carillo, Rafflesia Bravo and award-winning pole dancer Eisa Jocson to create the said performance. Guest artists from the famed dance group Sexbomb Dancers were also invited to give input to the movement vocabulary depicted in COKE.

COKE is about entertainment as survival and survival as entertainment. As described on the Goerthe Intsitut website: “The name COKE refers to the relationship between entertainment, pleasure, consumption and danger.”

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To continue with our Market tour of Manila organized by Smokey Tours, your pambansang blog once again brings you more stories about our recent adventure along old downtown Manila. Last time we explored the many vendors selling different wares around Quiapo, the Muslim community, some of their prime products, and their majestic Golden Mosque, and also a glimpse of the Bahay Nakpil. Now, we bring you this time to more iconic places that are also very popular sights in Manila.

The commemorative monument located at Plaza Lacson was our next stop. The plaza, originally named Plaza de Goiti after Spanish conquistador Martin de Goiti who led the conquest of the kingdoms of pre-colonial Manila, is a tribute to the "self-styled Don Quixote" and arguably the greatest mayor of the City of Manila, Arsenio H. Lacson. The monument was made by renowned sculptor Eduardo Castrillo. Manila has erected other monuments of their former mayor in other parts of Manila like the Freedom Triangle plaza grounds near Manila city hall and along Roxas Boulevard. Both were sculpted by Julie Lluch, along with other heroes like Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto.

Lacson, who earned the moniker “Arsenic” for also being a hard-hitting radio commentator, was elected mayor of Manila in 1951 and was considered by many to be the finest mayor the city ever had. The man died of a heart attack while in office in 1962 at the age of 49.

Gerry's Grill Belly Warmers: Perfect for the Rainy Season

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It's already the month of June and with it comes the rainy season again. We're already beginning to witness several instances of rain every now and then, and it won't be long before the entire nation experiences a cold wet season.

To help warm us up, Gerry’s Grill introduces the perfect-belly warmers for the coming rainy season - soup comforts - that can even warm the soul. While a few of its variety contains a lot less calories than the main dish, they aren’t any less nutritious or filling. Enjoyed solo, this hearty Pinoy fare is the perfect prelude to Gerry’s other tasty offers. Served hot and fresh, this menu item is tempting thus impossible to dismiss.

Choose from among Gerry’s Grill Soup selections: Nido Soup, Nilagang Bulalo, Sinigang na Baboy, Molo, Sinigang na Bangus Belly, at Sinigang na Isda (Catch of the Day).

Foodies can never go wrong with this homegrown chain. Gerry’s Grill is a "must-to-go" restaurant that topped lonelyplanet.com’s “Restaurants in the Philippines” list in 2013, as well as the year prior to it.

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In line with their aggressive push to rid the streets of ‘colorum’ or unauthorized public utility vehicle (PUV) operations, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) are issuing Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01 or the revised schedule of fines and penalties for violation of laws, rules, and regulations governing land transportation tomorrow, 4 June 2014. It will take effect on June 19, or 15 days after tomorrow’s publication in 2 newspapers of general circulation.

“Safety is always our priority. Recent accidents have highlighted the need for harsher penalties to deter illegal PUV practices and to better protect the public. The most significant change we are imposing is the P 1 Million fine on colorum bus operators for the first offense, to show that we really mean business in putting an end to their inimical activities which put people’s lives at risk,” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The fine for other first-time colorum offenders are: (1) Trucks – P 200,000; (2) Jeepney – P 50,000; (3) Vans – P 200,000; (4) Sedans – P 120,000; (5) Motorcycles – P 6,000.

Apart from these fines, the colorum vehicles will also be impounded for a minimum period of three (3) months. The entire certificate of public convenience (CPC) to which the colorum vehicle belongs will be revoked, as well as their vehicle registrations. They will also be blacklisted from being used as PUVs in the future.

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Epson, one of our favorite technology brands that's committed to driving simple wireless printing anywhere and anytime, recently announced its support for Android Printing, the native printing platform introduced in Android KitKat (version 4.4). Android Printing allows mobile users to effortlessly print documents, photos, web pages, and emails - without the need for a dedicated printing app.

There's over 100 new and legacy Epson-Connect enabled printers and all-in-ones that now offer built-in printing support for the latest AndroidTM smartphones and tablets from manufacturers including Google, HTC, and Samsung.

Android Printing enables Android device users to print seamlessly without the need for a specific printing app. Users can discover available printers, change paper sizes, choose specific pages to print, and print almost any kind of document, image, or file.

Following a download of the free Epson Print Enabler, users can easily print emails, photos, web content or important business documents to any compatible Epson printer model, as well as access and support a current range of print-enabled Google Play apps, including Chrome, Drive, Gallery, Gmail, Photos and Quickoffice

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WD, a Western Digital company, and world leader in storage solutions, will be demonstrating the first PCI Express hard drives at Computex Taipei, June 3-7, 2014. Enabled with key technology partners, WD’s prototype introduces the new SATA Express interface, a form of PCI Express technology, which is offered on recently launched Intel series-9 chipset motherboard platforms. The SATA Express interface provides a roadmap for faster speeds, lower power consumption and increased flexibility for future OEM designs.

The road to the world’s first demonstration of SATA Express has been in development for almost 3 years. In 2011, SATA-IO, the group responsible for charting the future of SATA, announced that it was developing a new specification that would fundamentally change the core technology behind SATA by melding it with the more advanced PCI Express computer interface. In 2013, the SATA Express specification was announced; and just one year later, WD and selected partners have realized a prototype of what is expected to be the next generation of storage technology.

By moving to PCI Express, the industry marries the world’s most popular storage bus with the world’s most popular computer bus. This union provides a solid growth path to innovate new capability, while preserving the ability to plug legacy SATA drives into new SATA Express based computers. In another innovation, SATA Express allows cable connections with lower costs, by removing the PCI Express Sync line via SRIS (Separate RefClock with Independent SSC), which lowers the overall cable cost.

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A fellow travel and foodie blogger once told me that whenever you visit a certain place, may it be a city or a province, especially outside the country, you have to take a peek at its local market place and see what they are mostly selling. It will give you a good overview of what the people are like in many factors based on what they trade or sell.

That may be quite accurate as we would somehow know what's in popular demand in that particular place. We would get a good idea of what they patronize and would likely use, eat, drink, wear, etc. It's usually the center of most transactions "where forces of demand and supply operate, and where buyers and sellers interact (directly or through intermediaries) to trade goods, services, or contracts or instruments, for money or barter."

You would know how superstitious, religious, health-conscious, budget-conscious, and even how conservative or liberal most of the residents are just by touring their local market place. Somehow, the market place allows you to get a glimpse of its people, and for some, opens a window to what they will soon be like in the near future, unless struck by another mania or fad, a surprising unpredictable turn-of-events, or a disaster so threatening, it alters the normal progression of things.

Wazzup Pilipinas!Our parents would often tell us to study hard so we can get a good job after college, but are we really working our butts off just to work for somebody else? Is that how far our college degrees will take us? It might be worst if we land on a job that does not have any relation to our courses.

Working for a company is fine as a stepping stone, but nowadays, it's more rewarding to also be your own boss by setting up your own business and become something better than just an employee: an entrepreneur.

But setting up a business is not really something you can easily read from a book and learn instantly. You need to be extremely patient, persistent, optimistic, and have many other important attributes and qualities to become an entrepreneur. You also kinda have to feel it out and do it for yourself to experience how it really is. But why wait until you graduate from the academic world when it's more ideal to start as young as possible. If it's too late for us, then let's offer the opportunity to our kids who have the most benefit to gain if they learn about entrepreneurship as early as today.

The advocacy of the Kiddo-preneur Summer Bazaar, now on its 5th year, is centered on the idea of teaching kids the value of money. Kids see us spending all the time to buy food, clothes and other basic necessities and luxuries but we don't involve them in the process of making money. This is why a lot of Filipinos even at an older age still depend on their parents for financial stability.

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Going back to school doesn’t have to be a stressful tale or a sad story of summer’s ending. It doesn’t have to be boring either.

Make going back to school an exciting one! Dress up and express yourself with BUM Univarsitee.

BUM’s back-to-school campaign “BUM Univarsitee” encourages students and the young bloods to rise above the norm and express themselves with school-proper yet colorful and stylish fashion. School time doesn’t have to be dull and dreary so when it’s time to meet up with school friends, gear up by wearing items from the BUM Univarsitee collection.

The BUM Univarsitee collection takes inspiration from the concept of school chic fashion—a style influence that is preppy with a twist. It’s all about being school-compliant without alienating one’s individuality—a delectable combination of grunge, rebel chic, and punk. BUM incorporates the fashion trend it’s known for—color in a garment.

The campaign is about being comfortable in school, and even after-school, wearing what you like and being non-conformist in a surrounding that somehow encourages uniformity.

ToyCon PH 2014: The Epic Launch at Resorts World Manila

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The biggest pop sulture and toy event in the Philippines will soon be held at the Megatrade Halls of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. But before that epic event, there was an equally epic pre-event activity to proudly introduce the main event this June 20 to 22, 2014.

The 13th Philippine Toycon 2014 Epic Launch and press con was held this Saturday, May 31, 2014 at the Newport Mall of Resorts World Manila. This was the time when most toys and cosplay fans, collectors and enthusiasts gather again at the famed Resorts World to witness an introuction to an event filled with toys, cosplays and other thrills.

The most recognizable and crowd-drawing images and cosplay characters in the gathering were the Batman family of characters led by Batman himself, along with Nightwing, Robin, and the Batgirls. These cast of characters is what makes the Batman phenomenal as we all know that these are ordinary human beings with no special powers except for fighting skills and a plethora of cool gadgets and awesome vehicles.