Saturday, November 28, 2015

Power Mac Center and Microsoft Philippines Launch Office 2016 for OS and iOS devices


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Power Mac Center (PMC) has done it again with another first as they partner with Microsoft Philippines in launching Office 365 for Apple products. The launch of Office 365 was held at the Power Mac Center Rockwell Power Plant Mall branch on November 27, 2015. 

I'm sort of busy this weekend because of a two-day drive-tour caravan to be held on November 28 and 29 in Cavite where we will be touring the different popular tourist spots in that area. Thus, for the meantime, I'm just posting the official press release below as provided by the organizers. 

As per interview with the people doing the demo of the product installed on the different Apple devices, I've learned that eventhough the Apple OS have their own office productivity software named iWorks, Microsoft Office remains to be the most popular and in-demand office productivity tools used even on Apple products. Previous Office release was 2011 so the Office 365 which is 2016 if they will base it on the year it was release must surely have many new and advance features and tools for better office productivity requirements.

I may tell you more stories about the launch, post more pictures, and share my thoughts about the new productivity software from Microsoft soon. after I used the actual product since they gave each one of the attendees a personal Office 365 subscription.

AAP Travel and Petron To Hold 11th Drive-Tour Caravan to Cavite


Wazzup Pilipinas!


Farm Tourism, a component of Community- Based Rural Tourism, is now a global trend as travelers seek unique and engaging experiences. It boosts the country’s economy by improving the income and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities.

With just a little bit of ingenuity and creativity, farmers can earn more not just by selling their produce, but by diversifying to other products and services that would satisfy the needs and wants of travelers.

On November 28-29, 2015, Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) Travel in partnership with Petron will hold its 11th Drive-Tour Caravan to the province of Cavite.

With the theme, “A Culinary and Farm Expedition”, the caravan will bring the participants to Gourmet Farms, Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm, Cornerstone Pottery Farm, Aguinaldo Shrine and Good Shepherd.

They will also bring the participants to some of Cavite’s newest tourist spots such as Puzzle Mansion, The Gingerbread House, Balay Indang and Balay Farmers Park. 

Friday, November 27, 2015

Chef Boy Logro Judges Lady's Choice Real Chef Challenge Grand Finale


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) recently held the grand finale of their culinary competition participated by chefs and cooks all over the Philippines which started way back July of this year dubbed as the Lady's Choice Real Chef Challenge where the finalists from both Salad & Sandwich combo and Hot Dish categories battled it out to impress the three designated judges led by CLICKS ( Chef Logro's Institute of Culinary and Kitchen Services) celebrity Chef Pablo "Boy" Logro with the owner and kitchen geek of Pino Kitchen Studio and Backyard MNL Chef Edward Bugia, and UFS Senior Sous Chef, Chef Brando Santos.

The top 25 finalists needed to creatively incorporate the usage of the mayonnaise of Lady's Choice in their food innovations or recipes. Some of the lucky attendees from the audience, including members of the media were able to taste the competing dishes and able to cast votes to determine who will be the People's Choice awardee. The judges, in turn, will determine who were the best for them based on the criteria for judging. I assumed both plating presentation and taste will be part of the judging aside form the innovative use of the Lady's Choice mayonnaise.

The two winners of the Lady's Choice Real Chef Challenge brought home Php 100, 000 each and exclusive TV features of their establishment and the winning dish.

Dimples Romana and Bettina Carlos where there to host the event, while UFS Executive Chef Joanne Lumonaco-Gendrano and UFS Channel Activation Manager Nicki David shared some information regarding the event. I also saw UFS Managing Director Colin Butler at the event but I had to leave early so I do not know if he gave a message or awarded the chosen winners. I will update this post when I get the list of winners. Below are some photos from the event.

Please check more photos, especially of the dishes, at our official Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

Discovery Channel's Racing Extinction: A Global Television Event On December 2 at 9pm


Wazzup Pilipinas!

We are causing our very own extinction! Just by stepping out from our homes, it is already very evident from what we see around our neighborhood that we are in deep shit.

The streets are filled with all kinds of vehicles that pollutes the air. The rivers around the metro are stinky and dirty and could no longer sustain living creatures except for the harmful germs. 

At a special advance screening for members of the media by Discovery Channel at the Bonifacio Global City Theaters in Taguig City, we've also learned of other facts which surprisingly very few people know about unless they are personally involved in the communities affected. 

From the screening, we've witnessed how China has been involved in selling prohibited animal parts and even from endangered species. From sharks' fins to manta rays' gills, the country knows they are guilty of the illegal activities yet many of them are doing it because people, especially other countries, buy from them. So if we're thinking right now that China is solely to blame, then we are deadly wrong. Those who buy from these traders are equally responsible for the depletion of endangered animals. Many other marine life are decimated because of illegal and over-fishing. It these continue, it will be just around 100 years before many species we know become extinct.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

MCA Music Artists' Mitoy Yonting, Sabrina, and Darren Espanto Bag Awards



Wazzup Pilipinas!


MCA Music Artists – Mitoy Yonting, Sabrina, and Darren Esapanto emerged victorious this November, for bagging home multiple awards in recognition of their excellence in the music industry from different award ceremonies and categories!

Mitoy Yonting, known for his excellent vocal chops and belting, won the Gawad Rajah Sulayman Award (Remarkable achievement as Filipino & as performing Artists) at Gawad Amerika Awards Night at the Celebrity Center, Hollywood, CA, last Nov 17, 2015. Gawad Amerika Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping and cultivation the talents of young Filipino-Americans. Awards are given to Filipinos who are excelling in their chosen careers to honor their achievements and to inspire the younger generation to excel in their respective chosen careers.

Meanwhile, Sabrina, Asia’s Acoustic Sweetheart also took home The Philippine Movie Press Club’s (PMPC) annual music award for the 7th PMPC Star Awards for Female Acoustic Artist of the Year last November 10, 2015, at KIA Theater, Cubao. And last but definitely not the least, the biggest winner in this group is also the youngest, singer and performer Darren Espanto was able to bag home several award in two different events! The young singer won not one but two awards in the 7th PMPC Star Awards. He won Best Album Cover Concept and Design, and Best Pop Album of the Year for his debut album “Darren”. 

Stanley: New Products with the Power Of Innovation


Wazzup Pilipinas!

I grew up using my father's handheld tools. They were not the ordinary tools which can be easily bought from the local neighborhood hardware stores. I'm proud to say that most of them were of quality brands. I remember that we had a complete set at home composed of several pieces of tools some of which were previously unknown to me.

Thus when I finally had the need to complete my own set of tools, I always make it a point to buy only the quality brands. Stanley was the better choice for me because of the following reasons:
1. The colors yellow and black looked really good. 
2. The design was extra cool compared to the others I've seen at leading hardware shelves.
3. The price is reasonable since they really do last for years.

Needless to say, my first set of tools were mostly from Stanley. The other brands that I have were either gifts or freebies I get from different sources. I've always appreciated the quality brands since the cheap ones can only be useful after a few months of continuous usage while my Stanley tools have been with me since 2003.

Thus, whenever some of my tools get lost because my relatives forget to return them, I always come back to the hardware stores to buy a Stanley.

Below is their official press release:

Stanley Black & Decker, the world-leading provider of tools and storage, commercial electronic security and engineered fastening systems, recently launched new product catalogues under its hand, power and mechanical tools, and storage solutions at the Prism Plaza, Two E-Com Building, Mall of Asia Pasay City on November 25, 2015.

Male Hunks and Beauties Battle for a Crown with a Purpose


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Advocacy group, LoveYourself, Inc., in partnership with HIVOS and City Government of Mandaluyong, brings an exceptional beauty pageant with a purpose to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS to targeted populations, including males who have sex with males (MSMs) and the youth.

The “Mr. and Ms. Fratpad 2015” banks on promoting self-worth, while fostering unity and camaraderie among LGBT sub-communities to achieve a common goal of preventing and ending misconceptions on HIV/AIDS in the country.

Interestingly, the 21-candidates of the pageant are all biologically males, in which eleven (11) contestants are confidently donning as hunks, while the ten (10) others are courageously draping as beauties.

LoveYourself Executive Director Ronivin Pagtakhan said “Regaining self-worth plays a pivotal role in preventing the spread of HIV by eradicating misinformation, stigma and discrimination often associated with it.” He added that “innovative initiatives such as this pageant strategically engage everyone, most especially the vulnerable populations like MSMs and the youth.”

Sparta Presents The First Ever Battle of the Bars Calisthenics Competition.

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sports and Recreational Training Arena, recently opened the first and only calisthenics academy in the country. It is proud to present the first ever Sparta Battle of the Bars Calisthenics Competition.

Calisthenics, which is slowing making waves in Asia, uses body weight movements and has benefits which include increasing strength, creativity, balance, power, endurance, and of course, aesthetics.

Sparta has been at the forefront of this movement in the Philippines. After opening the first indoor calisthenics academy this month, it will now put to test the strength and endurance of the best calisthenics practitioners in the country on November 29, 2015 for the Sparta Battle of the Bars.

According to Sparta Calisthenics Academy’s consultant and designer Ton Vergel de Dios, “Calisthenics or training with body weight exercises is not only fun and challenging but also beneficial to strength, and in achieving that Spartan 3D abs look.”

“What sets calisthenics apart from the usual weight training is that, one gets to master moving the body through space and is able to use body weight exercises as opposed to external weight to gain strength. One is also able to work on the smaller muscles, which gives calisthenics practitioners that 'ripped' look.”

Porsche and Michelin Clinch the Season’s FIA WEC Drivers’ Crown


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) concluded with Michelin’s partner Porsche claiming the top prizes in both the LM P1 and LM GTE Pro classes. Following its return to world class endurance racing in 2014, the Stuttgart brand emerged as the discipline’s team to beat this season despite year-long pressure from fellow Michelin runners Audi (in LM P1) and Ferrari (in LM GTE Pro).

By providing tyres developed to meet the specific needs of its different manufacturer teams in this championship which permits open competition between tyre firms, Michelin enabled all of its partners and drivers to fight at the sharp end in the course of the 2015 season. “I would like to congratulate Porsche on its different titles and I am proud of the role Michelin played in its success,” said Michelin Motorsport Director Pascal Couasnon. “We work closely with all of our partners and we were at their side throughout this year’s FIA WEC which was of an extremely high level in both sporting and technological terms. It’s important to remember that this year’s cars marked a big step forward, especially the LM P1 prototypes which boasted power outputs and aerodynamic downforce of an unprecedented level.”

The performance, durability and versatility of Michelin’s 2015 range of endurance racing tyres were illustrated by the high grip they delivered in cold weather at Silverstone and Spa, the quadruple-plus stints they permitted in LM P1 at Le Mans, their consistency and also their ability to double stint at the season’s most exacting circuits in high temperatures.

IPC Bolsters Anti-DDoS Thrust With Incapsula Partnership



Wazzup Pilipinas!

IPC, the country’s pioneer DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) Mitigation service provider, recently signed a partnership with Imperva Incapsula, the world’s number one DDoS Mitigation service provider for 2015 according to TopTenReviews.com. This partnership is part of IPC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its cybersecurity portfolio to provide local enterprises much needed protection from DDoS attacks, a kind of cyber attack that denies service or renders a company’s online presence and servers inaccessible to users.

In photo from left to right: Shimon Revah, Incapsula Partner Manager; Marc Gaffan, Incapsula General Manager; Rene Huergas, IPC President; Nick Ratuiste, IPC VP – Operations.

DLSU-D JFINEX Launches its First Students’ Summit


Wazzup Pilipinas!

As one of DLSU-D’s most active Recognized Student Organizations, Junior Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (JFINEX), together with CFA Society of the Philippines and Bloomberg as content partners, will spearheadanevent entitled the “DLSU-D JFINEX STUDENTS’ SUMMIT: INVESTMENT INSIGHTS AND ASEAN INTEGRATION” to promote financial literacy and responsible investing through the insights imparted by esteemed resource speakers.

The conference will be held on December 9, 2015, Wednesday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Ugnayang La Salle, DLSU-D. In this event, distinguished speakers from finance sectors and Bloomberg Singapore are invited to talk to 2000 business students and professors,as well as young professionals, from different universities and colleges within and around Cavite. This activity aims to enhance the knowledge of the students about smart-investing and its rewards and returns.

This event’sline of top-caliber speakers and guests feature some of the country’s most successful finance and investment professionals, as well as regulatory officials and representatives of leading financial institutions.

The panel of speakers includes:

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Apprentice Asia Winner Publishes Motivational Book for the Gen Y

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Jonathan Yabut, the proud Filipino winner of the hit reality TV show The Apprentice Asia Season 1, will be launching his autobiography and motivational book, “From Grit to Great” on December 3, 2015 at Fully Booked Forum. There will also be book signing, and hopefully our favorite selfie opportunities as well. 

The book shares Jonathan's life journey from humble beginnings to winning the “world’s toughest job interview” to finally land him a job in one of the great airline companies in the world, AirAsia.

Jonathan today is Southeast Asia’s leading business icon representing the Gen Y workforce. He is best known today as a motivational speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 Companies focusing on development and management of millennial workers. What started out as a series of posts on his popular Facebook Fan page (Facebook.com/AAJonathanYabut) became a collection of stories on how Jonathan won the show through leadership and grit.

Written by a millennial icon for his fellow millennials, “From Grit To Great” is a delightful treat for aspiring students, rockstar yuppies, and budding entrepreneurs looking for inspiration and motivation on "making it big". The book is a compilation of Jonathan’s personally written articles and blogs during his one-year apprenticeship featuring:

Fuelling success from grit: What is grit? How do you develop grit? Jonathan explains that you don't need to be an Einstein, a Richie Rich, nor a royalty to succeed in life—what you need is grit.

Behind the scenes spilled: From bedroom to boardroom, Jon reveals juicy secrets and life lessons he learned from Mr. Tony Fernandes and fellow candidates.

BGC Kicks Off Holiday Festivities for 2015


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) of Taguig has formally launched the start of their holiday season festivities.

At an event held at the BGC High Street area fronting Italianni's restaurant, a couple of choir groups presented some Christmas songs to the audience. Followed by some introductory statements coming from the host, followed by a BGC management who gave the Welcome Remarks.

The curtains, all red and glorious, were temporarily closed down, and when finally opened, revealed Santa Claus with his elves who went towards the audience to give away Santa Claus hats filled with a colorful Christmas-themed cookie.

Later we learned that the Santa hats were our ticket to the event activities happening soon. The red and white hats have 3 golden stars which indicates the three main attractions, namely Meet and Greet with Santa, Santa's Mail Station, and Christmas Carriage Rides, where we could experience the holiday spirit from the mentioned activities.

For those not at the launch, they can avail of the Santa Claus hats just by presenting purchase receipts from BGC establishments worth Php 2,500, or a donation of Php 500 to the BGC or Fort Bonifacio Development Foundation, or you just need to be a BGCitizen which requires you to submit any proof of BGC residence or employment.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

iTrueMart, Thailand's Biggest Online Retailer, Is Now in the Philippines



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Thailand's number one online retailer is now in the Philippines!

iTrueMart Philippines was formally launched to members of the media on November 24, 2015 at Discovery Primea in Makati city.

The world's second biggest online shopping portal has launched before December arrives as we all know that it would definitely be among the busiest months with the coming of the holiday season. Christmas is definitely just around the corner and would entail many people to generously splurge on a shopping spree for gifts and other stuff to pamper themselves and their loved ones.

But with the influx of people all wanting to visit their nearest shopping malls, this would normally result to traffic congestion, long queues in cashier stations, gift-wrapping counters, ATMs, taxi lanes if you commute or parking lots if you bring your own car, etc., This would eventually force you to dine outside because of the hours spent at the mall which further burdens you financially. Most of the time, a day is not enough since most of our time is wasted on these difficult and delaying situations that extremely stresses us out and robs us of our precious time.

We have seen many netizens now resorting to online purchases for some of their needs ranging from gadgets, appliances, clothes, beauty products, and a lot more. The number of online shoppers have tremendously increased as well due to the added security features that are now available online. 

Delivery methods are now reliable and faster, plus the products available for online purchases have grown exponentially that soon malls may eventually just evolved into showrooms or places where people can just try out products before they buy. The actual products would just be delivered directly to the buyers after they have picked their choices. But who knows, maybe soon there would be virtual shopping portals where buyers can seemingly experience using the products even through realistic digital technology. With that invention, people can just remain indoors and everything gets delivered to their directly to their homes.

Lee Siblings Cap Off Exciting One: Spirit of Champions Fight Card


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE) has announced the complete fight card for ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS which takes place at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in the Philippines on 11 December. The card is headlined by a spectacular showdown between Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Chi Lewis “Chopper” Parry for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight World Championship.

In addition to the main event, five exciting new bouts featuring local and international MMA athletes have also been announced. These bouts will include the Lee siblings from Singapore, Angela Lee, with her younger brother, Christian Lee making his professional MMA debut. Angela will face Lena Tkhorevska from Poland while Christian meets Australia's David Meak. Filipino fighters Geje "Gravity" Eustaquio and Eugene Toquero are also on the card and will face Yang Jian Bing and Wu Ze respectively. Bruno Pucci returns to the ONE cage to battle Indonesia-based Dutch fighter, Anthony Engelen.

CEO of ONE Championship, Victor Cui stated, “Manila has always been one of our favourite cities because the support for ONE Championship and MMA is tremendous! We have prepared an amazing lineup of fights for our passionate Filipino fans who are eager to witness our unique brand of world-class MMA. These five additional bouts are guaranteed to satisfy fans hungry for action as we hold nothing back in our spectacular return to the heart of the Philippines.”

Tickets for ONE: SPIRIT OF CHAMPIONS are available now at www.smtickets.com.

Ericsson Mobility Report: 5G Mobile Subscriptions to Hit 150 Million by 2021


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ericsson Mobility Report provides insight into the future of 5G networks, including a forecast of 150 million 5G mobile subscriptions by 2021.

South Korea, Japan, China and the US are predicted to lead with the first, and fastest, 5G subscription uptake. 5G will connect new types of devices, enabling new use cases related to the Internet of Things (IoT); the transition will open up new industries and verticals to ICT transformation.

The report, a comprehensive update on mobile trends, reveals a significant increase in mobile video consumption, which is driving around six times higher traffic volumes per smartphone in North America and Europe (2015 to 2021). North America data traffic per active smartphone will grow from 3.8 to 22 GB per month by 2021; in Western Europe, the increase is from 2 to 18 GB per month.

With 20 new mobile broadband subscriptions activated every second, global increase in mobile subscriptions is another clear driver for data traffic growth. As of now, there are the same amount of mobile subscriptions as there are people on the planet; in 2016 we will reach the four billion mark for smartphone subscriptions alone.

Rima Qureshi, Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Ericsson, says: "5G is about more than faster mobile services - it will enable new use cases related to the Internet of Things. For example, Ericsson has built a prototype testbed for applying 5G networking functions and data analytics to public transport, which can save resources, reduce congestion, and lower environmental impact. ICT transformation will become even more common across industries as 5G moves from vision to reality in the coming years."

Free HIV Screening, Pageant Set for World AIDS Day


Wazzup Pilipinas!

In line with the celebration of World AIDS Day on December 1, the advocacy group LoveYourself, Inc. will be holding back-to-back events in a massive awareness campaign to help curb the rising cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the country.

LoveYourself will be conducting a free and confidential HIV screening on November 29 to raise awareness about sexual health, particularly about knowing one’s HIV status. The event, dubbed as “Ito ang Tamang Panahon” in reference to the hugely popular celebrity couple Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, is the group’s second free HIV Screening Day for this year and will be conducted in Victoria Court, North EDSA in Caloocan City.

“There’s no better time to know your HIV status than now,” said Ronivin Pagtakhan, founder and executive director of LoveYourself, adding that regular testing goes a long way in combating the spread of the virus. Pagtakhan also invited everyone to sign-up and register at go.loveyourself.ph/TamangPanahon.

Aside from free HIV testing, LoveYourself will also be holding the first Mr. and Ms. Fratpad, a pageant for “ambassadors of self-worth” aimed at spreading HIV/AIDS awareness in the country through clans and groups of young Ms. Winners of Mr. and Ms. Fratpad will be crowned in a culmination night on November 28 at the Kaban ng Hiyas Hall, 3/F Mandaluyong City Hall, which will include performances from renowned acts, such as, the Philippine All-Stars and Leah Patricio, among others.

U.S. Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping Madness Made More Accessible and Affordable to GCash Customers


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the most anticipated shopping sales in the United States, are made more accessible and affordable to digital-savvy GCash customers through the international shipping provided by GCash American Express Virtual Pay in partnership with My Shopping Box.

“This is the fourth year for GCash American Express Virtual Pay to participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale and once again we’re giving our customers a better way to enjoy the biggest discounts and most amazing shopping deals from their favorite international online retail stores,” said Xavier Marzan, President and CEO of G-Xchange Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, operator of GCash.

With a waived annual fee of USD 25 from My Shopping Box, GCash American Express® Virtual Pay customers will also be able to enjoy an additional 3% rebate in their international shipments. GCash American Express Virtual Pay’s subscription fee for this year was also waived.

To be celebrated on November 27 this year, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving which marks the unofficial start of the U.S. Christmas season and is often associated with huge shopping discounts. Cyber Monday, on the other hand, happens on the Monday after Thanksgiving which falls on November 30. It also involves large price cuts from smaller online retailers.

First Startup Weekend in Dumaguete to be held on Nov 27-29


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Aiming to cultivate technological entrepreneurship in Dumaguete, the first ever Startup Weekend Dumaguete 2015 will be held on November 27-29.

“We want to introduce the local community to the idea that it is possible to locally grow alternative businesses that use non-traditional business models,” said Danah V. Fortunato, Executive Director of ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental (ICT DGTE).

The inaugural SW Dumaguete is a 54-hour event that begins with participants pitching startup ideas, developing such concepts into feasible businesses, and presenting them to judges on the final day. Winners will have their business ideas undergo development for possible launching to the market.

SW Dumaguete will be at Audio-Visual Theater 1, Multimedia Center, Silliman University, Dumaguete City.

The event was pushed for by Fortunato, Randolf Bandiola, along with members of the local tech community and the support of ICT DGTE and Department of Science and Technology Information and Communications Technology Office’s (DOST-ICTO) Mon Ibrahim and Emmy Delfin.

The Rise Of Female Entrepreneurs In The Emerging Markets


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Men traditionally rule the startup world, particularly when it comes to technology startups. However, an increasing number of women entrepreneurs are driving business innovation in the Philippines and across the Asia-Pacific region.

While there are still gender challenges, women in the emerging markets are overcoming obstacles to break through the glass ceiling. As these developing countries advance technologically, and become increasingly startup-savvy, women are helping to revolutionize the business landscapes in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

And it’s not only individual businesses that are affected by the presence of women at C-level. According to a recent report from EY, tapping into women’s economic potential could have the equivalent effect of an additional one billion people in business and in the workforce.

From managing directors, to frontend developers, co-founders to product managers, global real estate portal, Lamudi, employs women from all over the world to lead its international teams. Lamudi Philippines was founded by young female entrepreneur Jacqueline van den Ende, who was invited to speak at the Asia CEO Young Leaders’ Summit earlier this year.

Telu Events’ Mystery Affair: Halloween Speed Dating (A Review)


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Who said love and Halloween cannot go side-by-side?

Last October 31, Telu Events had raised the bar a notch higher as they hosted their sixth speed dating event back at Oz Bar, roof deck of Holiday Inn and Suites Makati.

The event was entitled “Mystery Affair” and circled around a 1920’s murder mystery. With the help of their event stylist Mabby Makes (@mabbymakes), accents of black and blood were evident from the setup to set the mood.

Registration opened at 6PM and all participants were given their “date kits” to guide them through the event. The date kit also include gift certificates from one of their sponsors, St. Nails Spa (@st_nails_spa). As a twist, organizers also requested from the ladies to leave one item behind, placed it at plastic bags marked with “evidences” and promised this shall be returned within the event.

To ease the tension, participants can freely select their seats for dinner. Dinner was served 6:30PM.The event proper started shortly after 7PM with Telu’s signature game, Getting-to-Know. The host explained the golden rules and mechanics of speed dating, including not giving your mobile number or contact details, as this will defeat the purpose of the “matching” being done after the event.

BGC Passionfest 2015 Scheduled on November 27 to 29


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The annual BGC Passionfest has been announced already its 4th run and now scheduled this coming November 27 to 29, 2015. This will be another weekend offering unique twists of passions simultaneously commemorating the heroism of Andres Bonifacio, from whom the name of BGC was proudly taken, and the equally passionate Filipino community as a whole.

2015's theme is now "Sari-Sari Fiesta" which will highlight food, games and interactive activities that promote local arts and culture in a unique way. The event will surely satisfy everyone's cravings for local flavor that seems to be so elusive nowadays due to the advancement in technology and highly-developed infrastructures within the Metro. Experience tasting regional delicacies, play"perya" games, cultural performances, and other activities that only existed during the yesteryears.

At a media launch held at the Lorenzo's Way restaurant located at Bonifacio High Sreet, we were informed of the details of the event after feasting on all-time favorite Filipino dishes which included Kalderetang Baka, Crispy Pata, and a lot more. The restaurant was truly a very appropriate venue for the media launch as it allowed us to enjoy Filipino food before learning about another celebration highlighting Filipino culture.

It was my second time attending a media launch for BGC Passionfest and it was memorable because the previous media launch was also held at the same restaurant. I remembered enjoying my meals that day where I even won some prizes from a contest held for the attendees. I was appreciative of the fact that some of the BGC officers still remembers me from last year's media launch.

Erwan Heussaff, Janet Hsieh, and The Fabulous Baker Brothers Featured at TLC Festival



Wazzup Pilipinas!

The TLC Festival was recently held for the first time in the Philippines last November 21, 2015 and has invited their talents like Taiwanese beauty Janet Hsieh, host of TLC's Fun Taiwan, and The Fabulous Baker Brothers Tom and Henry Herbert, as well as our very own Filipino celebrity Erwan Heussaff, TLC's newest brand ambassador featured in a series of four vignettes called Food Fix with Erwan Heussaff, to grace the festive occasion for several hours of fun activities, cooking demos, live music from Ransom Collective and The Bloomfields, and remarkable artisanal fare.

TLC, the leading international travel and lifestyle channel, brought to life the excitement of its shows at an outdoor festival at the long stretch of Bonifacio High Street of Bonifacio Global City (BGC) of Taguig city.
First launched in Singapore last September, the Philippines is the second stop of the TLC Festival and immediately proceeded to Malaysia the next day, November 22. Similar to the Singapore event, the TLC Festival is open to all and of free admission allowing many fans to witness their favorite TLC star up close and personal and the audience were treated to a few appearances of the said stars.

Members of the media got the chance to see the three stars showcase some cooking demos at the Village Tavern restaurant. Erwan cooked up his own version of a Filipino favorite called "palabok" assisted by the lovely and newly-married Janet, while the humorous brothers Tom and Henry prepared a fabulous meaty sandwich. Everyone got the opportunity to sample their special dishes that afternoon.

WD To Transition WD Green Hard Drive Models Into WD Blue Family


Wazzup Pilipinas!

WD, a Western Digital Corporation company and a worldwide leader in storage solutions, will be transitioning WD Green hard drive models into the WD Blue family of drives. The company is simplifying the hard drive selection process for customers by streamlining its model families for mainstream PCs to onlythe WD Blue line.

All currently shipping WD Green models will remain available through their lifecycle, as they transition to the WD Blue label. WD Black models will remain in the PC drive family,yet designed for high-performance applications such as gaming and workstations and for those building high-end systems for creative professionals.

WD’s color-coded productportfolio enables customers to easily choose the right hard drive designed for their intended application. Its other colors include WD Red for network-attached storage (NAS) appliances and WD Purple for video surveillance systems. WD’s datacenter drives are identified with gold labels.

“The market for mass storage has expanded broadly beyond the PC,” said Amy Tan, Senior Sales Manager, South Asia, WD. “Every application for storage requires different hard drive attributes for optimal data recording and preservation, and every drive WD designs has a specific purpose. What can be easier for customers than matching a color to their application?Moving forward, they will only need to know whether they are building PC, high-performance, NAS, video surveillance or datacenter systems.”

The new WD Blue model numbers inherit the same nomenclature as the prior WD Green generation products, but end with a ‘Z’ instead of an ‘X’ (example: WD60EZRX to WD60EZRZ).

Cheery Ideas For Repurposingpre-Loved Holiday Decorations


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Christmas is just around the corner, and without a doubt, if you’re part of a typical Filipino family, you’ve probably already started decorating your home to get into the holiday spirit. If you don’t have the budget for new ornaments and you’re stuck with old or damaged ones, don’t despair; you can still use them to deck your halls with a bit of creativity. Follow these tips from MyProperty.ph on crafting fresh, new pieces out of these worn but much-loved traditional Yuletide knick-knacks.


Adorn a frame. Got Christmas tree ornaments like figurines and balls with missing hooks and strings? Don’t toss them out; all you need is an old picture frame and a hot glue gun to use them again. Simply stick these ornaments onto the frame and put a picture of your family or any holiday-related image or quote in the frame for a unique wall hanging. If you can’t spare a picture frame, you can do this to a mirror with a frame.


Create a wreath. This is the same concept as using decorations to adorn a frame. Only this time, you’re sticking them together to create a circular form that you can hang on any door that needs cheering up. Form a piece of wire into a circle and use it as the base for your wreath so your creation keeps its looped shape as you keep adding ornaments.

Use a shadowbox. A shadow box—an enclosed glass-frame case—would be the perfect way to group broken ornaments and put them on display. You can either toss in Christmas balls alone, or keep things varied by also popping in a few toys, figurines, and holiday ribbons.For best results, choose a color scheme to make your shadow box look simple but elegant. For additional appeal, you can also decorate the glass itself using poster paint or Yuletide decals.


Create a centerpiece. Is your coffee table looking a bit lonely? You can quickly put together a centerpiece by throwing old ornaments in a clear glass bowl or platter. You can even make the centerpiece more festive by laying some Christmas lights over and around the ornaments. Just make sure the table is close enough to an available outlet, and that there are no flammable materials in and around the bowl.

Lay it flat.Instead of hanging your Christmas wreath like you usually do, place it in the middle of the dining room table and place a candle in the hollow middle for a nice lighted centerpiece. If there are parts of the wreath that have lost their evergreen, you can hide these gaps by gluing in—you guessed it—ornaments.


Make Christmas topiaries. You know those shrubs you see outside hotels and mansions that are trimmed into geometrical or animal shapes? You can do the same with your broken ornaments. Just glue them together into any figure you want, like an inverted cone for a tiny Christmas tree, or a sphere stuck to a branch or stick (use a Styrofoam cone or ball to keep the ornaments together). Place the arrangement on an available vase or decorative pot, fill the container to keep it stable, add some ribbons and you’re good to go. The best part is, unlike a real topiary, your holiday version won’t need watering.


Dress up your old Christmas bulbs. Do you have a string of extra-large Christmas bulbs that won’t light anymore? Collect the bulbs before tossing the string into the trash. Brush each bulb with glue and roll them one by one in some glitter until each one is completely covered. You can also use poster paint to give them each a bright-hued refresher. There’ll be enough cheer to go around with these newly decorated bulbs since a single string consists of multiple bulbs, so you can actually put them in separate containers and proceed with brightening up any surface of any room. You can also tie a string to each and turn them into Christmas tree ornaments.

Airasia’s Red Hot One-Centavo Seat Sale Is Back!


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The highly-anticipated one-centavo seat sale by AirAsia is back, with promotional seats made available to all domestic destinations to/from Manila, Kalibo (Boracay), Palawan, Tagbilaran(Bohol), Davao, Cebu and Tacloban including international destinations from Manila, Kalibo and Cebu to Incheon (Seoul), Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Busan, Hong Kong and Macau and vice versa now available for booking at www.airasia.com from tomorrow, 23 November, until 29 November 2015.

The travel period for red hot one-centavo seats* promotion will be from 1 May 2016 until 5 February 2017, with priority redemption 24 hours ahead from 0001hrs – 2359hrs (GMT+8) on 22 November for AirAsia BIG members, AirAsiaGo users, BIG Prepaid MasterCard and AirAsia Citibank card members.

Philippines AirAsia’s Commercial Head, Gerard PeƱaflor said, “Traveling with your friends and family to Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, Davao or to Hong Kong, Korea and other AirAsia destinations make an ideal holiday gift and our one-centavo seat sale makes the deal even sweeter! From as low as P201.00 all-in fares, travellers will get to discover new places here in the Philippines and across AirAsia’s massive network in the whole of ASEAN region and extending as far as China, India, Japan and Korea.”

The AirAsia Group is also offering promo seats to over 100 destinations across 20 countries including Asia and Australia during the same period from 23 to 29 November 2015 for travels from 1 May 2016 until 5 February 2017, with over 3 million promo seats on sale for flights operated by AirAsia in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, China, Japan, India and several others.

Voices in Harmony 2015: The 17th Annual Awit-Tagisan ng Batang Pilipino


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Children’s Museum and Library, Incorporated is a youth leadership organization that promotes the welfare, development, and empowerment of the Filipino youth through its conventions, competitions, seminars, and tournaments. The CMLI Junior Council Alumni Association (JCAA) presents the grandest, the most prominent, and most sought-after high school choral competition in the country entitled, Voices in Harmony 2015: The 17th Annual Awit-Tagisan ng Batang Pilipino.

Now on its seventeenth year, the Voices in Harmony Finals Night will feature the musical prowess of some of the best high school choirs in the country. It will be held on December 6, 2015 at the AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The competition continues to promote the talents of choir members and conductors, celebrate the deeper appreciation of Original Pinoy Music (OPM), and encourage the development of the high school choral community.

The top ten finalists are choirs from: Colegio De Sta. Rosa-Makati, Don Bosco Technical Institute-Makati, Immaculate Conception Academy, Miriam College High School, Ramon Magsaysay High School-Manila, School of the Holy Spirit, St. Scholastica’s Academy-Marikina, St. Paul College-Makati, St. Paul College-Pasig, and University of Santo Tomas High School. 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas is People's Choice Winner for Bloggys 2015


Wazzup Pilipinas!

The people have spoken.

We would like to thank the many people who voted for WazzupPilipinas.com making it the winner of the People's Choice Award for News and Events category at the recently concluded Philippine Blogging Awards or Bloggys 2015 held on November 21, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center of SM Aura located at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig city.

This is another recognition for WazzupPilipinas.com that will serve as a powerful motivation for us to continue working hard in delivering significant news that aims to inform, engage and educate our readers.

Sharing the stage with other finalists for the News and Events category, our founder, Ross Del Rosario, received the award for People's Choice with great appreciation. The award signifies that there are many people out there who believe in us. We hear the people loud and clear so we promise not to disappoint as we further improve our site to always make it the preferred choice for news that many would appreciate.

Though WazzupPilipinas.com features various topics ranging from travel and destinations, food and restaurants, health and wellness, ats and entertainment, sports and leasure, technology and gadgets, and everything else from most categories presented at the Bloggys awards, we do recognize our strength is really in delivering the news and partnering with the latest events out there since we often collaborate as media partner and brand ambassador of many organizations and brands. However, we try our best to provide a wide array of features to give a more holistic approach and substance in our news and information sharing for both personal and promotional story-telling and campaigns.

#APECtado Ka Rin Ba ng APEC Summit?


Wazzup Pilipinas!

In this modern world, almost everything could have been done through online (e-mail, video-conferencing. chat, etc.). Though a personal transaction is nice, technology is there to make it more convenient and less expensive for us as compared to personally traveling to a destination just to initiate agreement(s) that would eventually fall in the hands of advisers or team of experts, like economic and legal advisers, for consultancy before it gets a final approval. Even before coming here to our country, the other world leaders must have consulted already with their advisers. It would be dumb for anyone of them if they will just come here without any offer of assistance or collaboration. After all, each one of them knows what APEC is all about.

Thus, pampering the leaders with luxurious meals, accommodation, outfits, entertainment, etc., eventhough our country is poor, should not have been necessary. We did not need to excel what China did for last year's APEC Summit. It would have been more interesting if we showed the world that we would not spend billions just to make us look good to countries who already knows who we are even before they landed in our country.

How can the world leaders recognize what the country really needs if we hide the real situation from them?

Filipinos are naturally like that. The attitude is similar to the annual holding of a town fiesta. The traditional heads of the families or clans would always find ways to serve a festive feast regardless if they borrow money, use credit or sell their belongings just to gain enough money for a celebration.

But I'm not that knowledgeable to to the nitty gritty discussions involved during an APEC Summit so I could not really justify both my opinions and the rants of the many "intellectual" netizens out there with their many viewpoints.

The SALt Lamp Is Not Really Salt-Powered But Still An Innovative Light Source


Wazzup Pilipinas!

There has been a widespread misconception about Engr. Aisa Mijeno and his brother Raphael's SALt (Sustainable Alternative Light) lamps. The product and its inventor has been on the spotlight lately after Aisa was invited by the Whitehouse to sit down with US President Barack Obama and Jack Ma of Alibaba at an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit discussion where her invention was highlighted. While many people praised the inventor for the honorable opportunity, there were others who tried to dig deeper about the invention and now declaring the SALt invention has been falsely advertised.

Many think that the invention need nothing but a continuous supply of ordinary salt water for it to run indefinitely. The truth is, the salt water only facilitates the disintegration of a piece of metal—called an "anode" electrode—that is immersed in the solution. It's the disintegration of this anode, rather than the salt water itself, that produces electricity.

Some are reacting because the invention doesn't really run on saltwater. The saltwater only carries the accumulated negative charges between two different kinds of metals (from the cathode and brings it to the anode). The saltwater closes the circuit, allowing a steady flow of charges that powers the device. Saltwater is only one of the elements involved but can be replaced with other items with dissolved ions like lime juice, vinegar and sports drinks.

What has contributed to the misconception? Well, the name of the product is one, and the many press releases and features about them with headlines containing the words "salt-powered lamps."

But why did the siblings market their product that way? Maybe to be easily understood by their targeted users?