Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Jeepney Tours: Videoke Fun Time While Touring the Streets of Manila

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The jeepney is the most iconic representation of the Philippines next to the national flag. I know that the original make were used to transport soldiers during wartime, and that many of these vehicle were left behind after the war and eventually "pimped" by the Filipinos to make it more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

At present, it also shows how creative our countrymen are. There are a variety of festive designs ranging from superheroes to family member portraits that clearly shows how endearing we are to both our hobbies and personal ties.

Just like our many festivals, the jeepney is as colorful and grand in terms of decorations depending on how affluent the owner is. But what is very evident about jeepneys is how it also represents the resilience of Filipinos. This vehicle can carry loads of passengers beyond its seating capacity. We can see many passengers hitching a ride at its back, and even some on top, just like our visits to the provinces. True enough, just like Filipinos, we can handle loads of stress and distress, and come out still strong and raring to go for more rides.

But wouldn't it be great if we could further pimp our Jeepney ride to also actively promote tourism in the country while having loads of fun at the same time. Well, at Jeepney Tours, they made touring the streets of Manila, and other provinces of the Philippines, a real fun ride that you would literally want to sing out loud to rejoice its beauty, and of course to freely express your joy that has been wanting to come out from deep inside.

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It was sort of intriguingly funny to realize the food attendants were carrying names like Pepper, Garlic and Sausage. Though it's not their real name, but merely fancy pizza toppings-themed nicknames given to them that reflects their personality. The restaurant management thought it would be a crazy way to totally immersed their customers to a complete pizza adventure. You're not just making your own pizza, but even the people around you has a hint of a pizza in the making.

Imagine yourself calling out to a server named Pepperoni, and maybe you'll see yourself unable to stop grinning. Well, I was smiling all over the idea, that even encouraged me to ask some of them to do a video shoot (which you will see embedded within this article) to highlight their individual aliases. Try to see if it truly matches their personality when you visit the restaurant.

The recently opened Mad for Pizza is located at Il Terrazo, Tomas Morato in Quezon City and offers Toppings All-You-Want pizza for only P280. But what makes it different from the other pizza place with a similar Make-Your-Own-Pizza theme is that this brand not only allows you to customize your own pizza, but it also offers a lot more equally satisfying dishes and drinks to complete your dining experience.

Launching of the First Philippine University Investment Club

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MetisEtrade has recently spearheaded and launched the Philippine University Investment Club Program in collaboration with 5 top Philippine universities - ADMU, DLSU, UA&P, San Beda, and UP.

The Philippine University Investment Club (PUIC), an elite trading and investment training program, launched its first of seven training sessions last June 14, 2014 in Ateneo’s Ching Tan Hall, John Gokongwei School of Management. The training is being spearheaded by MetisEtrade and attended by select students from five Philippine Universities with renowned business programs.

The investment club’s objective is to develop the financial industry in the Philippines particularly through incubating the foreign exchange, precious metals and commodities fund management industry. By working with prestigious universities in the country, the program hopes to find, select and train future fund managers.

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John Cooper, famous Mini fiddler and F1 designer, may now have enough reasons to make him turn in his grave to try out the car that now wears his name.

The undeniable exuberant charm and retro coolness of the Mini have taken this car brand to great heights. Now, a look at the new Mini Cooper S and it becomes really clear that the Mini is no longer a "mini." You’d never get the impression that the Mini is a big car as long as it’s not parked next to one of its predecessors. But "big" here does not only mean the outside physical look, you have to step inside into the driver's seat to really know what "big" means. This third-generation model pushes the envelope on “premium” way, way farther.

The yellow paint job and black racing stripes paired with bug-eye headlamps gives the 2014 Mini Cooper S a distinct style. The car looks great from man angles. The classical cute, stocky, upright and similarity to the rough-and-ready look of an English Bulldog was said to be intentionally kept and will never change in every redesign.

Thanks to the more aggressive bumpers on both ends and a mesh radiator grille, the Mini Cooper S adopts a sportier appearance than the Mini Cooper. The designers have bestowed the car with even chunkier exterior styling, headlights that are gaping cannons of halogen (or optional LEDs), and huge logos.

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The Eco-Products International Fair (EPIF) 2014, the largest environmental exhibition in Asia, also included an Epson booth where products from the digital imaging and printing brand were featured. The EPIF, held at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall earlier this year, was jointly organized by the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade.

Owing to a series of disasters caused by extreme weather patterns, the overall interest in environmental action has been mounting in Asia lately. Taiwan, which has a strong market for environmental goods, was chosen to host this year's EPIF, now in its ninth year. Epson had a solid presence at EPIF, with Epson Taiwan Technology & Trading Ltd., Epson Singapore Pte., Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation presenting exhibits that highlighted Epson's efforts to create eco-considerate products in new business areas and to help realize a sustainable society.

Epson depicted mileposts in the company’s development, starting with the seminal EP-101, the world's first small, lightweight digital printer. The digital imaging company also drew attention to the environmental benefits of Epson’s compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies and explained that Epson is expanding beyond consumer markets and into the business, industrial, sports and personal healthcare sectors.

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Your friendly neighborhood pambansang blogger had an awesome "great" luck (nah, I was tagged along by a dear friend) to get an opportunity to try out a new dessert at Magnum Manila located at SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City. It was an intimate gathering of a few media friends to try out another sweet treat that will hopefully tickle the fancy of eager ice cream patrons willing to become more adventurous with their dessert.

Magnum Manila in partnership with Rogue Magazine has come out with a Magnum ice cream bar-based concoction that best represents the edgy identity of the lifestyle magazine. From their online site, Rogue magazine is defined as the Philippines' only literary luxury magazine covering art, culture, fashion, interiors, and controversial general-interest topics. An array of topics for an affluent, discerning, and powerful audience that warrants a dessert concoction that would equally be as thought-provoking and glamorous in both appearance and taste just like their literary masterpieces.

The multi-layered creation was a mixture of awesome ingredients conceptualized by the multi-awarded illustrious pastry Chef Miko Aspiras of Magnum Manila, and is composed of cashew meringue, marscarphone mousseline, fresh strawberries, topped with a vanilla Magnum bar dipped in Belgian white chocolate with freeze-dried strawberries and salty almond shards, drizzled with top-quality fig-flavored Crema del Duca balsamic vinegar (considered as the magic ingredient as mentioned by Rogue magazine's Editor-in-Chief Paolo Reyes. Balsamic vinegar has become all the rage thanks to creative chefs at upscale restaurants) and then cutely branded by the small round chocolate Magnum logo we see as a big M.

DOT, IA join Alliance Francaise de Manille in Fete de la Musique 2014

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The Department of Tourism (DOT) and its attached agency, the Intramuros Administration (IA), join hands with Alliance Francaise de Manille (AFM) in presenting the 20th edition of Fete de la Musique this year.

One of the most celebrated cultural events in the world, Fete de la Musique is slated to mark its second decade of festivity on 21 June 2014 (Saturday) from 3:30PM onwards, with free live music and cultural events simultaneously happening at A-Venue Mall Open Parking and Greenbelt 3 Park in Makati, and at the Maestranza Plaza in Intramuros, Manila.

There will also be a kick-off party on 20 June 2014 (Friday) from 8PM onwards to be held at Baluarte de San Diego, Intramuros, featuring French, Filipino, and Indian artists such as DJ M.MAT, SinIndia, Caliph 8, and Kate Torralba. The Fete de la Musique’s 20th edition will also mark the four-year partnership and collaboration of AFM with B-Side Productions in handling the festival program and logistics.

Summer solstice of 21 June 1982 saw the launch of Fete de la Musique, which spread to five continents around the world in less than 15 years. Also known as World Music Day, Fete is a global phenomenon where every music genre is represented in various venues simultaneously around the city for one night. At present, more than 450 cities in 116 countries celebrate the Fete de la Musique, promoting live music performed by amateurs and professionals on a wide range of musical styles and genres.

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"Get up to 30 minutes worth of FREE CALLS to any landline or mobile number in the world, PLUS an exclusive LINE sticker set, when you send messages using LINE from June 17 to July 1, 2014."

The world’s leading instant messaging app we all know as LINE will offer its Philippine-based subscribers a special “LINE Free Calls” promo. LINE is the mobile app that allows its 460 million plus users to make FREE voice calls and messages worldwide,

Users will instantly get LINE Premium Call Credits* (up to 300 credits in total), plus an exclusive LINE sticker set, by just sending LINE messages from the noon of June 17 until July 1, 2014 only.

a LINE user can receive 100 call credits as the maximum number of FREE call credits in one (1) day. During the duration of the promo, the maximum number of FREE call credits a LINE user can receive is 300 call credits, equivalent to up to 30 minutes worth of calls to any mobile or landline number in the world. The credits will be valid for 30 days.

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The New Mexico Tourism Department is putting the Breakfast Burrito on the map. Literally.

The state of New Mexico is putting its chile-laden breakfast burritos on the map with the unveiling of the New Mexico True Breakfast Burrito Byway. This will surely make road tripping to the state more tastier tastier.

No adventure in New Mexico is complete until you have experienced their cuisine. Unlike any other, it is a blend of flavors from Spanish and Native American cultures that has been perfected over the course of 400 years. At the center of it all is the New Mexican chile, in both red and green varieties, which is used in everything from enchiladas to ice cream. Whether you are looking for a dining experience that has received a James Beard award or an authentic dive off the beaten path, you will find it here.

In New Mexico almost no food, no meal is without the influence of the famous chile pepper. So it should be no surprise that New Mexico claims the invention of the Breakfast Burrito. It is the wrapped wonder that brings spice to the morning. It is now a staple on menus across the Southwest, and showing up frequently on menus nationwide. Even fast food chains now offer versions. Now, to celebrate this success and its New Mexico heritage, they have created the New Mexico True Breakfast Burrito Byway.

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Following the Manila International Airport Authority’s (MIAA) move to incorporate terminal fees in passengers’ airline tickets upon purchase for less queuing time at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya has instructed other airport authorities to do the same.

“We want to improve passenger convenience at all our airports, not just through infrastructure and facilities upgrades, but also through more efficient business processes. I have asked the other airport authorities to follow MIAA’s lead,” said Abaya.

These bodies are the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which operates the country’s airports besides NAIA, Cebu, and Clark.

“This development comes as we are developing several key airports across the country to accept more international flights, in support of our tourism goals. We are expanding Cebu and Clark, and at the same time, upgrading or replacing those in Puerto Princesa, Bohol, Bicol, and Caticlan,” Abaya added.

MIAA first integrated terminal fees for domestic flights on 1 August 2013, and is set to begin transitioning to an integrated system for international flights over a one-year period beginning in October this year until September 2015. The transition period is meant to cover those passengers who have purchased their tickets in advance.

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Welcome to the wedding month of June! We're not gonna talk about bouquets, bridal gowns or honeymoon destinations today. Let's step back a bit and make June an extension of the Valentine's Month as we discuss about... speed dating.

You probably think no one does speed dating today after it has gained social approval here in the Philippines about a decade ago. I was invited by Telu Events, one of speed dating organizers in Manila, to prove this wrong. I'm not really sure what to expect but I was excited nevertheless while I was on my way to the venue in Cab Cafe (East Capitol Drive, Pasig City) last Saturday.

I was preparing myself to see a very romantic venue adorned with Rose petals and with lighted candles on tables in a room infused with music by a violinist or a pianist. When I reached the venue, I found my expectations too traditional. Yes, there were candles and petals but the full-packed room of 30 participants, 15 girls and 15 guys, can be likened to a classroom of excited college freshmen. Everyone was talking!

Alodia Gosingfiao's New "Capsicle" Backpack Hoodie

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You got to love the Alodia Gosingfiao's new "Capsicle" Backpack Hoodie from Ecstatic Customs! She's wearing the girl version (which is slightly smaller by 2inches but same design). I love the guy version and hope something similar depicting other superhero outfits will also come out soon.

The backpack is made with leatherette & canvas like costume. There's a laptop sleeve inside, 3 Pockets 1 meshed, zipper and velcro. The hoodie is removable via zipper.

The "Custom "Capsicle" hoodie Backpacks are in very limited pieces only so quickly order before you ran out of this awesome backpack.

To purchase bag visit Robyns toy shop 2f Shoppesville plus, Greenhills mall open daily from 11am-8pm or dropby our booth #90 at Mega Mall, Mega Trade Hall 2 TOYCON PH: The Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectibles Convention on June 20 to 22

For shipping details local & International, Ecstatic Customs will announce soon when they are ready to ship about in a months time as they are fixing up their PayPal/ BDO account & Xend details.

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Alodia Gosiengfiao will be participating at the Toycon 2014 to be held on June 20, 21 and 22 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. She will be setting up a booth there and cosplaying as well. She won't be coming on the first day, but she'll be there on the second and third day.

On June 21, she'll be cosplaying as Mikasa Ackerman of Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) and on June 22, with an outfit from zemotion shoot.

The Alodia Booth will be located at Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall. To be able to join them in the booth for photos, selfles and fan signs, you must purchase anything in their booth worth at least P500 and they will give you a "Ticket".

Purchase worth P1000 will receive a "VIP Ticket". VIP tickets will have a separate priority line. Each ticket (normal & VIP) can be used for only 2 shots - 1 official DLSR shot (to be uploaded on Alodia's Official FB Page) and 1 selfie shot (bring your own camera). These 2 shots can be used as an individual shot or group shot. If you come in a group and want individual shots each, you must acquire 1 ticket each.

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I was in the middle of listening to a speaker who was sharing information about his company when my mobile phone rang. I forgot to put it in silent mode so I had to immediately walk out of the room to answer it. I heard a familiar voice on the line and she informed me that they were at my home to deliver something. later I realized they also sent me a text message that said "hi ross, are you at home? may dedeliver kasi kme jan snyo" which I failed to reply to because I was glued on listening to the speaker's social innovation story.

Nobody was at our home during the day. My wife was at work, and my three kids were all in school, while I was attending the first day of The Dream Expo MNL happening for three days at the Asian Development Bank in Ortigas. I told the caller to just leave their packages at our neighbors. I had to talk to our neighbor before she agreed to accept the packages in fear it might be a bomb or something.

When I got home....Wow! It was a remarkable early Father's Day gift from Max's Restaurant. Father's Day is still on the 15th (third Sunday of June) but Max's delivered it before that special day. I should also say "gifts" instead of "gift" because not just one, but two boxes of wonderful thoughts of appreciation from one of my favorite restaurants was there at home.

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Kudos to the photographer for such an impressive shot which really captured my attention. This is one of the very best cover photo that I've seen.

Playboy Philippines looked for a muse for their 6th year anniversary. They will be celebrating their anniversary on June 26, 2014 at Solaire Resort and Casino.

The qualities required: 1. One who best represents ferocious sensuality without overstepping the lines of class and sophistication. 2. One who represents the wit and playfulness of this iconic brand. They chose the alluring Mara Lopez.
Like mother, like daughter...she definitely looks totally (put your preferred adjective here) like her mother. She stands out among the other magazine covers all lined up in the newstands. Mara Lopez looked really stunning while partially submerged in water. Actually, that was the crucial aspect which made this shot really special aside from the natural beauty of Mara Lopez.

Dive in (even in just a bathtub) and see the world through the eyes of this mesmerizing indie-film sweetheart and avid surfer.