Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Johnny Alegre Affinity Stories Album Launch

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The album Stories by Johnny Alegre Affinity is now out in record bars AstroPlus and Odyssey plus on digital distribution via iTunes and Spinnr.ph.

The Stories album contains the most memorable performances from Affinity's first two recordings: 2005's Jazzhound and 2007's Eastern Skies.

I guess this kind of music is highly appreciated by professionals at their 30s, as per Johnny Alegre's statement when I asked for their target audience, and those that appreciate music without the vocals.

The youth may have a hard time adding this selections to their album playlist but it is these kind of music that elevates OPM into a level much higher than the novelty songs that are banking on the popularity of personalities that we see most of the time on TV, or probably shows, concerts and other gigs.

But basically, one has to marvel on the effort of our Filipino music artists, composers and producers in producing quality work and masterpieces but with only a select number of audience or market.

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“There is so much out there to conquer and no matter where you come from, and no matter how small your beginnings may be, you can never be too small to dream big,” the first Apprentice Asia winner Jonathan Yabut told over 500 delegates of international organization AIESEC’s Asia Pacific Youth to Business Forum (APY2B) last March 24, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

The Economics major tried to instil the importance of preparedness to the young delegates of Asia Pacific who have the passion to be the successful leaders of tomorrow. Yabut emphasized that ”preparation breeds familiarity and familiarity breeds confidence. When you’re confident you become this unstoppable force that makes you think no matter what the problem is, you’re going to be number one.”

APY2B revolved around Values-based Leadership that focused on identifying common Asia Pacific virtues and ideals that can be used in transforming a better region that thrives with transparency, global competence, and youth empowerment.

“For the first time, we decided that the Youth to Business Forum should be held individually in the different regions of the globe because each region has its own dominant social problem that all people in that part of the world can relate to and would like to address,” AIESEC International Vice President for Public Relations Cassie Ruggiero said.

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“There should be an end to this cycle of corruption, and that end could be you,” Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago told over 500 young delegates in AIESEC’s International Youth Leaders Conference (IYLC) 2014 last March 22, 2014 at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

The Senate Committee head on Foreign Relations encouraged the Asia Pacific youth to become leaders with the purpose of serving and adding value to others while upholding the values of trust, respect, determination, and excellence.

“Some leaders are not born but are made. You, in conclusion, can make yourself a leader. Each person has the potential to make a difference and build a legacy” the iconic senator said.

The one-day youth summit focused on fostering self-leadership with engaging activities such as the panel discussion, leadership café, and youth rally where delegates shared their leadership experiences and pledged the creation of individual legacies towards self and social change.

“The youth wants to work independently and are very competitive. But with people who have the same advocacies and beliefs, there is more impact. We have the idealism, we have the energy while we’re young,” Social Entrepreneurship advocate Noreen Bautista said.

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It was a colorful festivity of more than 24 national cultures in one event.

The Asia Pacific Global Village (AP GV) bridged the Asian region and some countries from Oceania and Latin America to celebrate culture and globalization last March 22, 2014 at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

As the world’s largest youth network that provides a leadership platform through exchange programs to over 120 countries, AIESEC hosted AP GV to promote cultural diversity and relativism, as well as individual nationalism and tourism.

“We brought all these young delegates from all over Asia to let the people see how diverse the world really is. But more importantly we wanted to highlight the interesting differences of humanity to discover and emphasize that our core isn’t entirely different at all,” AIESEC President Audrey Elumba said.

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Traveling around the world is undeniably part of each and everyone’s bucketlist. However, it shouldn’t begin and end with hopping on a plane with a destination in mind.

It’s so much better to indulge in the culture and their way of life; being ridiculously open to appreciating a country’s traditions and lifestyle while still being able to cherish your own.

That’s how one can become more than a tourist by gaining experiences that can’t be encapsulated by mere photographs.

Some even let themselves be cloaked with empathy towards a different society that enables them to become young Philippine ambassadors, showcasing Filipino values and talent abroad as they try to help and create positive impact in countries like China, Germany, Czech Republic, Brazil, Romania, India, and many others by involving themselves in social projects and organizations.

It may sound as if it’s too good to be true but international student-run organization AIESEC has been making it possible for the Filipino youth through their Global Citizen and Global Talent Programs.

AIESEC is present in 113 countries and is known for their holistic world-class and global leadership platform and extraordinary socio-cultural exchange programs.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger of the Philippines is becoming a fitness and health buff. Yeah, I'm sincere with those words. Ever since my shirt size increased from a medium to an extra large, and I grew a beer belly even though I do not drink at all, and worsts is the unwanted growth of a second chin more popularly known as double chin....well I think you can imagine how horrified I was when one day I had the bad luck of looking into a man-size mirror and realized all that food and restaurant review made me look like a bullfrog.

I am actually relieved getting to be invited in health and wellness event. I guess everything that happens were really meant to be....or probably because being fit and healthy has become a fad for many...and a sign of opulence for some. Frankly, some treat the healthy lifestyle as a trademark of affluence since it is expensive to buy organic and "healthy" foods. After all, when you're living in a dump, you can't afford to be choosy with your food. Whatever comes, you grab it and eat it.

Now for those that can afford to buy well-balanced meal alternatives, there are many centers with trained experts that are now offering the healthy living lifestyle. The argument is that the cost of buying selected food choices is a lot cheaper in the long run compared to getting weary, looking ugly and falling sick in bed.

There is this terminology called food intolerance that would somehow provide you with the appropriate information towards a goal of keeping healthy.

LifeScience can help Filipinos get their right nutrition through a better understanding of food intolerance and how to benefit from FIT in meeting health goals and preventing health issues, how to eat healthy and present solutions to food intolerances. You'll be surprise that the food you once considered healthy may do the opposite for you if done the wrong way.

Celebrating Blackout Year End Bash with the Philippine Junior Marketing Association

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It was definitely a night of pure F-U-N and P-A-R-T-Y last Saturday at the BLACKOUT PARTY held at One Esplanade in Pasay City. The Philippine Junior Marketing Association together with other sponsors organized this event for all Marketing Students from different schools.

Students from the top schools graced the event wearing their dress-to-impress clothes and flashy stiletto shoes. The ladies looked lovely with their cocktail party dresses. Everyone is in the mood to enjoy the night away.

To get the party started, funky and hyped beats by renowned DJ’s pumped up the energy of the place. Booths were present inside the venue including the photo booth by Wacoal Philippines, WeChat, Noah Ion Cleanse to name a few.

Free flowing drinks were provided by Tanduay Distillery and Red Bull. Some of the attendees played beer pong on the tables.

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The recently-concluded 3rd Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit showed that putting the electric vehicle into the mainstream of the Philippine auto industry needs a lot of things, foremost among them the infrastructure and the technology. Add to that some incentives for those pioneering in this sunshine industry.

Rommel Juan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (eVAP) says that to be able to do this, we have to plant the seeds now. “Together, let us all help in removing all road blocks and collectively help to facilitate, if not even accelerate, the growth of the Philippine EV industry”.

One of the biggest roadblocks is technology. Nilo Pena of the DOST-PCIEERD pointed out that science and technology initiatives are now sadly lacking in infrastructure such as advanced materials testing laboratories, auto parts & components testing facilities and vehicle research and testing laboratories. These they hope to be able to provide in the future.

Mr. Toru Tokushige, president of Terra Motors agrees and cites that a very important factor in EV success is the battery, specifically on the need for new technologies to reduce its cost while enhancing battery life and performance and the way it is charged.

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Yahoo is excited to unveil world-renowned coach, Jose Mourinho as their global football ambassador for 2014. For the billions of football fans who make football their daily habit, Mourinho will be an exclusive analyst for Yahoo’s worldwide football coverage including the FIFA World Cup 2014 and he will also provide exclusive behind the scenes content from his world on his own Tumblr, so don’t forget to follow.

This is the first time Jose Mourinho has partnered with a media or technology company to offer his insight and expert commentary or to have a personal social presence. Renowned for his confident style and no stranger to a little controversy, Mourinho’s opinion will bring his passionate perspective to sports fans around the world on Yahoo and Tumblr.

“Having worked with some of the league's best players, I'm excited to share some analysis and perspective about the game with the most passionate fans in the world. Teaming up with a global leader like Yahoo allows me to reach football fans from Brazil all the way to Philippines - whether they're in front of their computers or on their mobile or tablets," said Mourinho. “There are many people around the world who like to comment on the game and I look forward to bringing my opinion exclusively to Yahoo starting today on my own Tumblr.”

Asia Pacific Youth to Business Forum 2014: Youth Leaders That Really Mean Business!

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The youth that you see dancing to a few popular music beats is our future entrepreneurs and businessmen who will soon lead and make up our economy. They are our future business and thought leaders that will soon shape the world.

Just like their previous International Youth Leaders Conference (IYLC) 2014 event a few days ago, the Asia Pacific Youth to Business Forum (APY2B) 2014 organized by AIESEC started off with the traditional series of dance moves where these young leaders showed off some of their awesome moves with very little inhibitions and a lot of motivation because they are after all among their peers.

Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was ecstatic witnessing an amazing spectacle of how alive our youth are, or this particular group of youth leaders under AIESEC - an organization that is focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development which offers young people the opportunity to participate in international internships, experience leadership and participate in a global learning environment.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger was invited to attend the elimination rounds for the R16 Philippines event. At first when I saw the poster, I thought the words "popping", "locking" and "all-style" were simply adjectives used to define the dance battles, but when the elimination rounds started I immediately realized it meant three styles of dance techniques.

Many registered to try their luck in winning the elimination rounds and getting the opportunity to battle at the ultimate dance battle events happening at a bigger venue for many spectators to witness, and a chance to represent the Philippines at a competition to be held outside the country competing against other representatives coming from different countries.

Trusted Wikipedia explains that "popping" is a street dance and one of the original funk styles based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit. This is done continuously to the rhythm of a song in combination with various movements and poses.

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The toga and graduation cap are set. All around the campus students stir with a different kind of energy as the semester comes to a close. Gone are the days when academic requirements are the biggest thing happening in your life. In just a few months you will be scanning the job boards, finally looking for your first job as a graduate.

“Most new graduates feel nervous when it comes to their first few job interviews. They are hopeful but at the same time anxious. One of the things to remember is self-presentation because when you look good, confidence follows,” comments Philips Consumer Lifestyle Business Development Manager for Personal Care, Ms. Pia Umayam.

For men, Ms. Umayam suggests a polished and cleanly-shaven appearance. “How a person appears in an interview can be very crucial to the success of an application. A lot of hiring managers say that looking inappropriate is one of their top turnoffs when considering candidates. For men, being cleanly-shaven can make or break the impression they are trying to make.”

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Captain Steve Rogers is back!

Gameloft is pleased to announce the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The Official Game on both the App Store and Google Play, in conjunction with the recent release of the movie in theatres!

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/captain-america-winter-soldier/id808237503?ls=1&mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftCPHM

Game Overview: Play as Captain America and lead your S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team as they struggle to contain a massive global attack by several nefarious criminal organizations. Stop the attacks and then take the battle to your enemies.

The game is $2.99 on the App Store, and you can download it for free and play the demo for 2 stages for Android. Do let me know if you require a free complimentary copy of the game on iOS.

YouTube video: http://youtu.be/GG2BGZtD-Eo

The Secret to a Smooth, Clean Shave is to go Electric with Philips AquaTouch

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When it comes to truly good grooming, a smooth shave is a must for men, especially for business meetings, religious gatherings, or a special date. But a lot of men have grown wary of razors—it’s a hassle to put on and wash off shaving cream, a burden to replace rusty blades, and literally quite a pain to suffer nicks and cuts.

For a fast, easy and pain-free way to get a killer shave, it’s best to go electric. And with the Philips AquaTouch wet-and-dry shavers, you can get a smooth, clean shave—even while in the shower.

The Philips AquaTouch comes in two models, the AT890 and AT750, which are both designed to give a comfortable dry shave and a refreshing wet shave. The AquaTouch features an inbuilt Aquatec seal which makes the shaver fully waterproof and optimized for use with shaving gel or foam. This means enhanced skin comfort and minimal skin irritation.

The Philips AquaTouch also has rounded low-friction protection caps that adjust automatically to the curves of your face, as well as a Super Lift & Cut feature that lifts hairs away from the skin before cutting them to guarantee a close shave.

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Australian featherweight contender Rob “Ruthless” Lisita has promised a great, all-action fight against former Legend FC Featherweight champion Yusuke Kawanago, a battle “which the fans will truly enjoy,” on May 2 in ONE Fighting Championship’s Rise of Heroes at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.

“Fans can expect ruthless aggression, a dog fight, a good scrap,” Lisita said as he seeks revenge against his former tormentor who won via a close decision when the two brawled in August 2012 under another MMA organization.

After that fight, which Lisita believed he won, the Australian has won three in a row, all by way of stoppage. In his last bout, he was the first fighter to ever beat Japanese mixed martial arts legend “Lion” Takeshi Inoue via stoppage.

He said MMA fans will enjoy it more this time. “Our first fight was good; we have both improved, we are gonna trade punches, and I always come to fight. It’s gonna be a great fight.”

Lisita sees his winning streak intact after May 2 as he predicts a victory over Kawanago. “I’m gonna put my fist on his chin and get my hand raised. I believe I have the power to knock him out; but it’s a fight anything can happen. I will do my best, and I think my best is better than his best.”