Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, May 16, 2016

Casa Italia Cafe Food Tasting Event with Zomato Foodies

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I admire food establishments, such as restaurants or cafes, when they make efforts to include the public in guiding them towards the best decisions in finding the right taste, texture, color, combination, etc., of their newly concocted dishes.

Normally, most would just trust their own team and keep it within the kitchen and the chefs, plus the owners hands-on running the restaurant, and a few higher management, to decide on what new dishes to promote or introduce.

Zomato, the online food and restaurant portal containing a wide database of establishments for foodies, invited us to join their food tasting event at Casa Italia Cafe BGC branch.

Upon entering the restaurant, the first things that you would notice is their various selection of gelatos and the huge number 8 at one portion of their wall. It gives you an impression that it's most likely an ice cream (for those who do not know the difference between an ice cream and a gelato). If you did not take a look at their menu, you would miss the fact that they also offer other culinary delights.

Aside from their superb gelatos (that frozen delight that's a lot better than ice cream), Casa Italia Cafe also serve hot dishes. It is very evident from their giant menu displayed at the front of their restaurant which could be a clever idea since customers would already have an idea of the food and prices of the dishes. They won't also get intimidated when they enter the restaurant and browsed the menu containing the name of the dishes and their corresponding costs.

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Miss Bikini Philippines 2016 has succeeded in getting my interest again when it presented to media the 30 candidates all vying for the highest title possible. My becoming a media partner of the event was an opportunity to once again see bikini-clad sexy and alluring ladies in action on the runway. There is so much to see, but so little power (for both the camera or smartphone) left to do a more complex and elaborate presentation.

Since I arrived early at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on May 15, 2016 for the media presentation, I was able to catch them practicing their walk on the runway. I really thought they nailed it on the last practice, but when the actual event took place, the mistake was almost a disaster.

I also took the liberty of taking some photos and videos using my smartphone and immediately uploaded them on my social media accounts as BTS or Behind The Scene updates.

If a company wants to reach a greater number of people, the best way is to find a blog or social media account that could definitely help them on your way. You might find yourself among the many who would understand that most people nowadays use their smartphones to research or find a specific destination or establishment.

Below are the photos of every candidate wearing their swimsuit attire. Fesh from the phtod aken using the:

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Congratulations to Miss Bikini Philippines 2016 candidates #3 (Clarise Perez), #24 (Christine Opiaz), #25 (Ivy Tapic) and #16 (Gregelhi Pahilga) for the special awards they received at the media presentation of the Slimmers World International beauty pageant celebrating the beauty of the Filipina at a higher level as it continues to set trends in the search of the lady who will represent Asia's leader in slimming, fitness, health and beauty.

Now on its 9th year, Slimmers World International takes a turn to high fashion with Miss Bikini Philippines 2016. The beauty pageant continues to take the country by storm as it brings out the best bikini figures in the nation. After months of screening, 30 candidates have been chosen to heat up the ramp as the competition takes on high fashion for this year’s theme.

On May 15, Ms. Bikini Philippines opened the competition with a press launch and the pre-pageant at the Diamond Hotel Manila. As expected, it was attended by many members of the media including some who participated as judges to rate every contestant so the organizers can determine who the people think really stands out.

There are two parts of the media presentation - a swimsuit presentation with creative posing and Q&A in the morning, and a long or evening gown competition in the afternoon. The hosts were both vibrant enough to keep the mood of the audience alive and at awe even after a hard fall by one of the candidates who quickly stood up and continued her catwalk.

Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 Candidates: Glamorous Wearing Their National Costumes

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The month of May has always been regarded as the merry month of blooms and foliages, when flowers and greeneries are profusely in full season. This is why there's a Flores De Mayo which means Flowers of May and highighted by a Santacruzan were beautiful ladies parade wearing their best and most flattering gowns.

The candidates recently wore Filipiñiana gowns or their national costumes showing the best creation of our fashion designers for the Flores de Mayo showcase at the 2nd Tourism, Lifestyle and Business Expo held on May 10, 2016 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City.

Here are some more awesome group photos of the candidates that were all smiles and elegance during the event. I am truly proud of our Filipino designers for their magnificent Filifiniana gowns that indeed brought out the oozing appeal of every candidate. The Philippines is truly blessed to have so many beautiful women.

We witnessed the creativity in showcasing the Filipinos' ingenuity and flair for fashion. It would also be interesting for you to know whose creation reflected our value, culture and traditions that grabbed even the attention and nod of our judges during the national costume competition held at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City before the 2nd Tourism Lifestyle Business and Expo event in Makati.

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We are sending our good luck to Raniel Dy, from Draft The Fort; Eduardo Mayani II, of Draft Alabang; and Jordan Bernarte, from Draft Greenbelt—winners of the pioneer Stella Artois Draught Masters Philippines set to conquer Regional Draught Masters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Stella Artois Draught Masters is a competition of both expert bartenders and Stella Artois fans to try their hand at Stella Artois’ time-honoured 9-step pouring ritual. Stella Artois launched the very first Stella Draught Masters Philippines on February 25, at the Draft Gastropub in Greenbelt 2. There were initially eight participants who exhibited their skills during the competition, but only three of them will represent the country.

A send-off party was held on May 13, that's a Friday night ...wow, it's Friday the 13th filled with music, food, Stella Artois beer, and friendly pouring competition among fans and the bartenders, held at Draft The Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Thank you to Stella Artois, Booze Online and Draft Gastropub for hosting a send off for the three - Raniel, Eduardo and Jordan, who are excited to represent the country in June 2016.

To make the event a lot more interesting, attendees of the party were given a chance to test the skills of the local Draught Masters by personally taking part in the 9-Step ritual. There were elimination rounds where fans must compete with each other in the 9-step pouring ritual. The Stella Artois Draught Masters will judge who between two contestants did well, and the emerging winner will then challenge any of the Draught Masters on the next round. I am proud to say that I was only a few seconds slow as compared to the time of the Draught Master.

Say G Day at SM as We Continue to Celebrate 70 Years of Philippine-Australian Friendship

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There was an overflow of Australian goodies that day at The Block Atrium of SM North EDSA as all of us got to try out a delightful array of Australian-inspired or branded delicacies starting with flat white coffee from Vitonna or Bundaberg cold brewed drinks. There were meat pies from @PieFacePH, lamingtons, Tim Tam chocolate cream sandwich, and a lot more including cupcakes designed with the Australian flag.
But that's not the highlight of the event where your Pambansang Blogger was invited to. I was acually late to the Say G Day at SM event, a social media networking day where the organizers, led by the Australian Embassy with Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely, who invited bloggers and online influencers to celebrate the last leg of the exhibition celebrating the 70th year of Philippine-Australian friendship.

Attendees were given sort of a passport containing some information about the Celebrate Australia 2016 festival. The Australian Embassy partnered with SM Supermalls to host the Say G Day at SM roadshow exhibition which features a historical photo exhibition showcasing the depth and breath between the two countries - Philippines and Australia, parallel to an exhibition showcasing Australian lifestyle and culture, and some on education opportunities. Guests can take selfies from large displays of Australian tourist spots.

FYI, the celebration was launched at SM Aura in Tagig last February, then to SM City Cebu last March, then SM City Davao, and finally at SM City North EDSA for the final leg which will last until May 19.

I regret being late because of my failure to properly estimate my travel time from Makati to North EDSA. Even riding the MRT was problematic since there were several times when the ride seems to be too slow than the usual and times when we had to wait for some stations to clear from existing trains before we can proceed to it. It is no longer like it was before when it was newly built.

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Western Digital Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Western Digital Technologies, Inc. has completed the acquisition of SanDisk Corporation. The addition of SanDisk makes Western Digital Corporation a comprehensive storage solutions provider with global reach, and an extensive product and technology platform that includes deep expertise in both rotating magnetic storage and non-volatile memory (NVM).

The Company also indicated that the debt financing associated with this transaction has been consummated and that the previously obtained funds from this financing have been released from escrow to Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

"Today is a significant day in the history of Western Digital," said Steve Milligan, chief executive officer of Western Digital. "We are delighted to welcome SanDisk into the Western Digital family. This transformational combination creates a media-agnostic leader in storage technology with a robust portfolio of products and solutions that will address a wide range of applications in almost all of the world's computing and mobile devices. We are excited to now begin focusing on the many opportunities before us, from leading innovation to bringing the best of what we can offer as a combined company to our customers. In addition, we will begin the work to fully realize the value of this combination through executing on our synergies, generating significant cash flow, as well as rapidly deleveraging our balance sheet, and creating significant long-term value for our shareholders."

The integration process will begin immediately through the joint efforts of teams from both companies. As previously announced, Steve Milligan will continue to serve as chief executive officer of Western Digital, which will remain headquartered in Irvine, California. Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of SanDisk, will serve as a member of the Western Digital Board of Directors, effective immediately.

"As a combined company, we will be best positioned to address the demands for data storage, which is growing exponentially every year," said Sanjay Mehrotra. "Growth and change go hand in hand, and we couldn't be happier to grow and change together with Western Digital. I look forward to contributing to realizing the potential of this combination as a member of the board."

Under the terms of the transaction, each outstanding share of SanDisk common stock was converted into the right to receive $67.50 per share in cash and 0.2387 shares of Western Digital common stock.

SanDisk shareholders looking for information with regard to the payment of the merger consideration should review the Public FAQ available in the Investor Relations section of our website at investor.wdc.com.

Six Tips for Setting up a Home Office

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Freelancing is quickly becoming a new normal in the Philippine job market. What used to be common in the fields of publishing and graphic design is now becoming popular in other industries as well, such as computer programming, app development, animation, and even executive assistantship. Indeed, popular online freelancing marketplace Elance–oDesk said in a statement that in 2013 alone, 1 million Filipino freelancers earned a total of Php3.3 billion from online work through their platforms.

It comes as no surprise that Filipinos are quickly getting hooked up with freelancing. And who can blame them? Given Metro Manila’s horrendous traffic, people are opting to work from home instead. In addition, as the metropolis’ cost of living continues to rise, it becomes more economical for those based outside the capital to freelance instead.

But this does not mean that freelancing is all fun. Without a properly planned space at home to work from, you will find yourself distracted, uninspired, and eventually unproductive. In order to become a thoroughly productive freelancer, setting up a proper home office is a must. Global real estate website Lamudi Philippines lists down a few tips to create an inspiring and conducive home office.

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Ypur Pambansang Blogger had the pleasure of attending the culmination event for the Power Mac Center Pixelworx short film challenge where six finalists were pre-selected to get the chance to be among the 3 grand winners.

The finalists at the event were all probably both nervous and excited while awaiting the decision of the judges.

Cinemansanas is the second installment of Pixelworx, Power Mac Center’s advocacy of recognizing artists who break the standards of the art scene. It is celebrated with a series of workshops, live demos, and an ultimate art challenge.

The name Cinemansanas is a play between two words, cine and mansanas, to mean film/movie and Apple since the competition required participants to submit 5 minute movies shot using any iOS device.

The awards ceremony was held at the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati. A special screening of all the films were also shown afterwards at the Black Box Theater where the awarding took place.

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The Santacruzan is the pageant on the last day of Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May), a festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It is one of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and lasts for the entire month. Thus the month of May is filled with many festivities involving lovely ladies adorned in their elegant and sophisticated Filipiniana attires.

The Tourism and Lifestyle Expo recognizes the tradition and incorporates the Santacruzan theme as among the attractions that you can find at the second run of the event which was very successful that it had to do another run just a few days after the first.

We've seen the Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 candidates last time on a fashion show for the event, and this time they now flaunt again their beauty at the 2nd Tourism and Lifestyle Expo on May 10 at the Glorietta Activity Center.

Lot's of spectators were at awe with the magnificence of both the ladies and their outfits. They really stood out and truly deserve their spot as candidates for a prestigious beauty pageant, As everyone knows that the Santaruzan is considered to be the "Queen of Filipino Festivals," it seems very appropriate that one of these ladies will soon be crowned and become queen.

I would have been equally thrilled if I knew who the designers were so I can commend them for their wonderful creations. All I know is that these gowns were designed by fellow Filipinos that undoubtedly have world-class talent comparable to other foreign fashion designers. Kudos to all teh designers and we salute you all.