Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, August 2, 2013

The Anatomy of a Perfect Thin Crust Pizza, Only from Greenwich

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Whenever I am out, first thing in my mind is food. Perfect for this rainy season is hot, thin and crispy pizza from Greenwich. It's the Social Media Launch of the official website for the 2nd laguna Blogging Summit and perfect for this launch is a place at Philfirst Building along Ayala avenue at Makati. The organizers came with the support of the Philippine Red Cross and Zoomanity Group under Robert Laurel Yupangco, the event went well especially with the yummy and delicious smell of food from Greenwich Pizza.

Personnel from Greenwich Pizza were very accommodating, they asked us first our choice for drinks while they were preparing the conference room. For days actually, I am craving for their thin crust pizza, their PR sent the pictures through email and yes, I am tapped right away.

Today’s pizza lovers have become more discriminating in their choices. Their preferences have leveled up to include not just the right topping but the crust as well. While some prefer to munch on thick crust, others opt for the crispier thin crust for a more flavorful feast.

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About 700 youth leaders from 45 countries will be in Manila from 1-7 August 2013 for the University Scholars Leadership Symposium, a leadership program geared towards social change. The event is organized by the Humanitarian Affairs United Kingdom, a London-based social enterprise that initiates and supports humanitarian relief efforts and development programs in poor and disaster-prone countries.

The opening ceremony will be held on 2 August 2013 at the Philippine International Convention Center, to be graced by Senator Bam Aquino, a social entrepreneur himself and a 2010 Ten Outstanding Men of the Philippines (TOYM) awardee.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have partnered to bring the international symposium to the country. “We are honored to be co-hosting this important gathering of young leaders whose common aspiration is to bring about change and make the world a better place. We laud the efforts of the organizers, which all educational institutions worldwide must emulate in influencing the future stewards and leaders of our nations,” DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. said.

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"Jonathan Yabut, you are hired. Congratulations," were the words of business mogul Tony Fernandes at the last episode of the Apprentice Asia.

Congratulations to Jonathan Allen Yabut for winning The Apprentice Asia!

Jonathan, a 27 year old senior product manager of a pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, is the first winner of the first season of business reality show, The Apprentice Asia.

He was chosen by AirAsia's Tony Fernandes as his apprentice over Singaporean lawyer Andrea Loh Ern-Yu, as seen in the the final episode of "The Apprentice Asia" aired on AXN last Wednesday night.

Food and beverage consultant Celina Le Neindre was the other Filipino finalist who wasn't as lucky as Jonathan but I'm pretty sure she has also made a lot of influential people in and out of the business world take notice of her.

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Wow...there's a video going viral around the Internet and social media via YouTube about this elevator attendant from SM Olongapo giving more reasons why "It's more fun in the Philippines." In other places, you only hear "pre-recorded" informations relayed to the general public, right, but here in the Philippines it's more humane interaction.

Congratulations to this innovative lady that's a great stress reliever during your slight pause inside the elevator after an afternoon of malling around. What she's doing is an extra effort on her part. We should be grateful for these people who went an extra step to do their job.

I like the girl...interesting voice and its not easy to be an elevator girl but she looks like she loves her work very much. There are some slips with her vowel enunciation but she has a big potential in the call center industry. I'm your fan already! I can see that she loves her job. What's extra-ordinary about her is that she manages to make eye contact with the people in the lift. Go girl! You make me want to Sing "Here at SM We got it All for You". Keep up the good work!

Get The Smartphone Of Your Choice For Free

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Responding to the growing demand for affordable smartphones in the country, Globe Telecom unveiled its most extensive array of device offerings all available for free at Plan 499.

For as low as P499 monthly, subscribers can avail of a free device of their choice under the telco’s suite of fully-customizable postpaid plans, ranging from Android devices Samsung Galaxy S Duos or CloudFone 501D, Windows phones Nokia Lumia 520 or Huawei Ascend W1, a BlackBerry 9320, or a CloudPad and CloudFone 352g bundle.

Android enthusiasts can take advantage of the extensive Android app community with the Samsung Galaxy S Duos which has a large 4-inch screen display that can comfortably accommodate web pages, long e-mails, detailed photos, and videos, or the CloudFone 501D which has a 5” WVGA Touchscreen and a 5MP camera powered by a 1GHz dual core processor.

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The Best of Anime convention is back! Now on its fourth year, this highly anticipated otaku convention continues to bring the culture, art, and entertainment of Japan to Filipinos across the metro. Slated on September 14 to 15 at Function Rooms 3 & 4 of the SMX Convention Center, BOA promises to be an exciting event for anime, manga, and cosplay fans across the metro. BOA 2013 is filled with fun activities that otakus and con-goers will love.

International guests spice up this year’s BOA festivities. Japanese-American rock musician Joe Inoue, who rose to fame with the song “Closer,” used as the fourth opening theme for “Naruto: Shippuden,” is set to open the show, along with J-Pop idol gothic Lolita group Starmarie.. All-time anime favourite Doraemon and Nobita are also named guests of honor to the show, ready to welcome con-goers to the exiting event.

Internationally-renowned cosplayers Karael, Jiaki Darkness, and Yuki Godbless are also set to exhibit world-class cosplay alongside local cosplay celebrities, Myrtle Sarrosa, Alodia & Ashley Gosengfiao and Jinri Park.

The Mikado Comic Opera

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The Mikado is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The Mikado remains the most frequently performed Savoy Opera. The work has been translated into numerous languages and is one of the most frequently played musical theatre pieces in history.

Catch Philippine Opera Company's YAS Season 2 opener, "MIKADO" on August 14, 6:30pm at the Opera Haus.

Starring Al Gatmaitan, Cris Go, Karla Gutierrez, Jun Ofrasio, Clarissa Ocampo, Jon Meer Vera Perez, Nomer Son and Paulina Yeung with special participation of Roden Araneta. Directed by Floy Quintos.

For details call POC at 822-9609 or 0917-5272880.

UNTV's Bread N' Butter Wins Again! : Acquires Second Award for 2013

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With very little surprise, one of my favorite shows on TV won another award for the second time this year proving that this show is truly exceptional. I will no longer be surprise if they win a third, or even fourth, award before the year ends.

UNTV's business-oriented television program Bread N' Butter received the Outstanding Family-Inspired Television Program Award at the 33rd Dangal ng Bayan Awards 2013 last July 30, 2013 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.

Rodel Flordeliz, one of Bread N' Butter's tri-kada hosts, received the award in behalf of Arlene Razon and Kitt Meily. The award was conferred to Bread N' Butter for inspiring and encouraging viewers to become creative and productive individuals as well as for supporting events that promote nation-building causes.

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A select number of Philippine media and motorists will be among the participants in Malaysia’s world renowned Formula 1 Circuit in Sepang that will come alive with the roar and excitement of elite motorsports. The Filipinos are among over 500 Michelin customers, journalists and social media commentators from 15 countries who will enjoy the rare and unique opportunity of Michelin’s Pilot Experience.

The 19 days MICHELIN Pilot Sport Experience which starts August 6th will give participants including the exhilaration and adrenaline rush of piloting arguably some of the most competitive circuit racing vehicles in the motor sports arena. All of the activities are done under the watchful eye of professional instructors and renowned racecar drivers with decades of experience in totally safe and competitive driving environment.

This year, Michelin teams up with ORECA Asia, the Asian branch of ORECA, internationally recognized in motorsports including organizing brand events and circuit operations across the globe.

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The Bigas2 Hack brings together developers from around the Philippines to inspire innovations that help improve the livelihoods of rice farmers. This hackathon is unique because it is driven by IRRI's mission to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable. Developers will have the opportunity to learn new programming techniques, network with other developers and software representatives, win prizes and, most importantly, make a difference in the world!

When:: Saturday August 31, 2013 - Sunday September 1, 2013
Where:: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
Who:: Hacker teams of 2 to 4 people (individuals may form teams at event)
How:: Register here for free: http://bigas2hack.eventbrite.com.
Why:: You want to make a difference in the lives of Filipino rice farmers and you like prizes!

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Do you know where you will find a hot spot place to enjoy this cold weather? Why not go to the Ganso Shabuway Japanese restaurant nearest on you?

They have branches in Greenbelt 5, Powerplant Mall and at the Albang Town Center. But wait! - they have a new one at the East Wing of EDSA Shangri-La Mall in Ortigas! Now, that's awesome news!

Ganso Shabuway is also now offering a new variety of menu to make your tummy happier than ever!

I got so excited after I got an invite to try out the new menus I felt I needed to bring my wife along to share the excitement - share the blessings!

After all, Shabuway is a coined term that means "the road to shabu-shabu for shabu-shabu lovers." So I tagged along my "lover" on our way to a Japanese treat!

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Delegates composed of Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors gather around the Taal Vista Hotel lobby entrance infront of the huge tarpoulin welcoming them to the second stop of the Department of Tourism's and Rajah Tours and Travels' Cultural and Historical Tour around the Metro and nearby cities like Cavite, Laguna and Tagaytay. This was last July 10, 2013 after their visited to historical Jose Rizal Shrine in Calamba, Laguna and Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.

The event is the 8th run managed by Rajah Tours and Rajah Travels in partnership with the Department of Tourism. It is a week long event which started last July 9 and will end on July 12.

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"Ang nais ko ay maging luntian ang kulay sa paligid ng daang matuwid" or something to that effect. This is what all honorable nature lovers should say when the need to take care of our environment is threatened. We should act now before it's too late. We can only save our planet if we all do our share and contribute for a greater and "greener" cause.

Set aside the "epals" and "pasaways" of the government and private sector and put forward political will and social responsibility so we can guarantee a bright future for the next generation. We start with the land we are living, and hopefully others around the world will follow.

If the goal of our President (and his chosen men) is to clean up our government from "trapos" and "buwayas" and to put everything in its rightful place, the people (both locals and foreigners living in and visiting from out of the country) coming from the private sector should also try their best to come up with ways on how to help him in his endeavor. He can only do much so he needs all of our help to accomplish greater tasks before he ends his presidency.

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I thought I've already tasted the best Filipino dishes at home. Well, sorry mom but your cooking has been beaten by this new restaurant offering Filipino Comfort Foods.

As of this writing, I've been there twice already....and both visits never disappointed me.

What is there to say about their Filipino dishes? Well, I'm Filipino but it came unexpected that they will still be able to bring out the best in our native dishes.

Don't believe me? Then go there for yourself at the expansion of EDSA Shangri-La mall. Just follow your noses but be able to distinguish their great tasting sardines or "binangoonan" dishes.

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It is not very often that I get to have time to post on Facebook the photos of the food that I am currently enjoying at that very moment. I was surprised I found myself very generous and proud to share to the world what we were currently dining on. I usually just post it a day after, or just post one photo just to let people know where I am right that very moment. However, the food were just too good to keep to ourselves, I had to share it with the rest of the world - or at least to my friends and subscribers on Facebook.

What even motivated me to boast of the food was the mere fact that even my kids enjoyed the treat. At first, I really thought they won't be too fond of the dishes the restaurant will be serving us. But I was totally surprised my kids really appreciated the food at Thai Bistro.

It makes me wonder how mature their taste buds have grown already to even like authentic Thai spicy foods. My kids have tasted American, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Korean, and many other dishes but it was their very first time to try Thai.