Stoked by the 10th La Union Surfing Break

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The call time for members of the media was at 6 am of October 29, 2015 at the Department of Tourism (DOT) Makati office. Our destination was San Juan, La Union, known as the surfing capital of the North for being the preferred surfing spot for both beginners and professionals who want a laid-back surfing experience.

With only five hours away from Manila, the place is very accessible even through commute via bus lines that directly pass along the spot where many surfing enthusiasts gather almost every weekend and even during weekdays especially during the surfing seasons when the tides are at its best.

We travelled via van exclusive to a handful of media people invited by DOT to cover the annual event. Wazzup Pilipinas is proud to be a part of the group. It was a great day to travel since it was fairly sunny and without any sign of rain. We will surely be stoked this weekend!

What makes the place very special is the annual surfing break event that is always held at the same spot. The 10th La Union Surfing Break, held from October 30 to November 1 at Urbiztondo San Juan, La Union, is the climactic event when all surfers, wannabes, and other like-minded individuals, enjoy being together under the sun and amongst the sand and sea.

La Unison Surfing Break is the flagship event of La Union that has continued to draw in crowds for years, and considered as one of the best tourism events geared on sports and wellness. If the regular days already attracts crowds, what more during the surfing break events. You'll definitely see San Juan alive all throughout the day - from early morning up until 9 am when surfing is at its best, and the nightlife at bars and restaurants where you can chill with your friends or barkadas, or just about anybody you newly met while surfing.

The event boasts of a street dancing competition, a surfboard design contest, several surf clinics from different surf shops, a sandcastle building contest, a sundown fun run, a Trick or Treat costume contest to celebrate Halloween, a Henna Tattoo design contest, and a Face and Body painting contest.

We had surfing lessons 101 from Surf Star, owned by Felimon "Lemon" Dines, who was also one of the organizers of the event. His team taught us the basics of surfing in just a few minutes before going to the waters, and almost an hour doing the actual surfing through their guidance. Some of us managed to successfully stand on top of the surfboard since some already had previous experience on surfing while some of us still had to endure falling down into the waters at every attempt.

Also at the event were a Fun Art exhibit by the Arts Guild of La Union (AsLAUN), a photography contest, a few surfing competition, a Zumba session, a beach volleyball tournament, and a beach party in the evening filled with booze and food from participating stalls.

Thank you to the organizers of the 10th La Union Surfing Break headed by DOT Region 1 Director Martin Valencia, La Union Tourism Officer Adamor Dagang, surfer and surf school owner Felimon "Lemon" Dines.

See you again next year for the 11th La Union Surfing Break, of which the DOT has announced the transfer of obligation to the local government. By next year, the LGU will now be responsible in organizing the annual event. We hope that it will be equally as successful as when the DOT was leading it.

Zoomanity Group Gives Diners a Taste of Dinner in the Dark

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Zoomanity Group, one of the leading companies in the park industry, is hosting a series of "Dinner in the Dark" events this November.

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of being one of the visitors of Zoocobia Park Zoo to experience this much-talked about dining event.

The zoo is located on top of Sacobia Valley in Clark, Pampanga. It's name was the combination of the words "zoo"anacobia". The name of Zoocobia’s three adorable owl mascots: Zooc, Cobi, and Bia, was derived from Zoocobia.

In addition to the park’s informative animal exhibits and taxidermy displays, Zoocobia offers a variety of other opportunities to make your visit memorable, from enjoying camel (yes, you read that right!) rides to feeding bearcats and long-tailed monkeys. It’s an ideal weekend getaway with loved ones, young and old.

An Intimate Afternoon with Addasound Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As technology moves, new trends emerge. High call volumes in today’s businesses have put forward higher requirements for headsets to have long time wearing comfort, excellent noise cancellation and durability at an affordable price.

Addasound Denmark A/S, global top headset manufacturer and headset provider of wearable intelligent voice and unified communication devices, can help us meet the said demands. The woman behind the Philippine office, namely Country Representative Loren Remo Aguilar, invited selected members of the media to an afternoon of coffee and snacks on November 17, 2015 at 1pm in Ascott Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 

Building up on the successful history of acoustic companies based in Denmark, Addasound believes that the trend goes further towards hand-free communication and natural sound. They develop products based on the customer's need and devote themselves into making outstanding technology practically usable. The ergonomic design combines outer simplicity with inner exquisiteness.

The event introduced us to the excellently crafted audio solutions developed by Addasound whose technology offers the latest state-of-the-art voice solutions led by an award winning team from Denmark, a global leader in sound technology. 

International Rapper and Singer Nicki Minaj Recognizes Darren Espanto

Wazzup Pilipinas!

MCA Music’s very own Darren Espanto the runner up for the 1st season of The Voice Kids performed for Wish 107.5’s radio show called the Roadshow. The 14-year old showed his vocal prowess with his rendition of Sia’s hit, “Chandelier”.

Darren Espanto was able to hit and belt every note with ease thus impressing the DJ of the show; little did the young singer know that somewhere and somehow a very popular international artist was also wowed by his vocal chops.

Nicki Minaj an international singer and rapper shared the young singer’s video on her facebook page. “So effortless. Incredible voice!” said Nicki, sharing her thoughts about the video. Not only had the international artist got to share her thoughts about the video but also the fans of both artists also shared their delight over the video, and how impressed they are with the young singer’s amazing voice. 

One person even said that Darren’s version is better than the original, while Darren’s fans thanked the international artists for sharing a video of their idol. Nicki’s shared video garnered 5,000 plus likes, and still counting!

An Afternoon of D-Coding with Biobalance

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I was surprised to find out that I am Vitamin D deficient. This was according to the test conducted on me via a quick method using just a few drips of my blood pricked from one of my fingers. The tool was like that from a pregnancy test but instead of dripping urine, they used blood fro the testing.

According to the invitation we got, Vitamin D deficiency is now considered a global pandemic. Why does it matter? New research shows it's no longer just for calcium and bone health. Vitamin D deficiency is now linked to conditions like fatigue, depression, risk of pre-eclampsia, and diseases like diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, and psoriasis!

This prompted me to attend the event held on November 12, 2015 at Biobalance situated at the Soho Central building at the Greenfield District along Shaw Boulevard. I assumed there will be free testing, and if ever they find me Vitamin D deficient, they will provide a corresponding solutionor cure.

We were informed that today's lifestyle, of being mostly indoors under roofed and airconditioned housing, establishments and other facilities, and the farming and preparation of our food (vegetables, fruits, poultry and similar sources, has changed the amount of Vitamin D we receive on a regular basis. At an afternoon of "D"-coding with BioBalance consultant, Dr. Stan Chua (Functional Medicine Practitioner) gave us more reasons why we needed to bask under the sun more often than stay indoors in the comfort of our homes.

TV4ME.ph: Online Lifestyle Multi-Channel Network from Media5 and Brand New Media

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Starting off with 10 lifestyle channels, from which 8 are locally-produced, TV4ME.ph, an online lifestyle multi-channel network from Media5 Marketing Corporation and Brand New Media, is offering content that the Filipinos would surely love, and the best part is everything is accessible for free, anytime, anywhere and on any Internet-connected device.

At the launch held on November 12, 2015 at the Brand NewMedia offices of the TV5 Media Center, the TV4ME.ph network was introduced to members of the media. Yours truly was among the selected media invited to the event where Mike Constantino, formerly from Yahoo Philippines, led the program which was hosted by Boom Gonzales, also one of the talents of the network.

During the press launch, we got to experience first-hand the rich quality of content TV4ME offers in all lifestyle aspects – food, wellness, fashion and travel. We interacted with some of the talents in front of and behind the online multi-channel network’s shows, and discovered how through TV4Me, we can find all the resources we need for a better life. 

TV4ME.ph primarily serves bite-sized content via a best-in-class video technology that plays the videos seamlessly even on a tablet or mobile phone. Thousands of hours of helpful video content about food, fashion, home, and health & wellness fill the void in local content that Filipinos are most passionate about.

Six Highly Urbanized Cities With Homes Under Php1 Million

Wazzup Pilipinas!

These cities outside Metro Manila have what it takes to give you a spacious home that fits your one-million-peso budget.

Many assume that buying a home in a highly urbanized city (defined by the National Statistics Office as having a minimum population of 200,000 and an annual income of at least Php50 million) is expensive. But it looks like this is not the case. According to data from MyProperty.ph, the following are highly urbanized Philippine cities that boast urban yet laidback lifestyle, great culinary tradition, buoyant economies, and most importantly, affordable real estate.

DUMAGUETE CITY
Photo by Mike Gonzales via Wikimedia Commons

Dumaguete City, nicknamed the City of Gentle People, is located in the province of Negros Oriental. This city is accessible by air via Sibulan Airport (aka Dumaguete Airport), which is located in the general area of the city. If traveling by sea, it can be reached via daily ferry transportation to and from neighboring Cebu Province.

This city is also the home of Asia’s first American private university, Silliman University, which makes Dumaguete a popular college town in the Visayas region.

According to the 2014 Retire Overseas Index released by Live and Invest Overseas, Dumaguete is one of seven best places to retire in the world. The index, which was cited in an article published in Forbes magazine, singled out Dumaguete’s beaches, affordable real estate, and good health care facilities are major draws.

So if one plans to relocate in Dumaguete, he will be delighted to know that houses for sale in the city are some of the most affordable. MyProperty.ph data shows that depending on the area, a two-bedroom house may cost as low as Php410,000.

Most Sought After Location In The Philippines For Land

Wazzup Pilipinas!

If you own either a residential lot or a raw land and plans to sell it, then your property better be in Quezon City, Tagaytay, or Baguio to get as much inquiries as possible.

In a recent data analysis conducted by global property website Lamudi Philippines, these three cities, plus Davao and Antipolo, are the top five most searched by property-hunters researching land for sale online. Wrapping up the top 10 were Manila, Taguig, Pasig, and Dumaguete, with Las Piñas and Marikina tied at the 10th spot.

According to Lamudi, what is interesting about its latest data analysis is that half of the top 10 most searched cities are located outside Metro Manila. Tagaytay and Baguio are the second and third most searched cities, respectively, and many of those researching about available land for sale in these areas are probably real estate companies looking for potential new areas to develop, or private buyers looking for available lots to build their own vacation homes. Tagaytay and Baguio are both tourist hotspots popular during the summer and Christmas seasons.

On the other hand, Davao and Antipolo are cities with high population (1.45 million and 677,740 as of 2010, respectively), and both are popular with buyers looking to buy land on which to build their home. Ninety-five percent of all land for sale in Antipolo listed in Lamudi are residential lots, while in Davao it is 67 percent.

Michelin and Nissan Secure Fourth GT500 Title in Five Years

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The N°1 NISMO-run Motul Nissan GT-R were forced to start the Motegi GT 250Km Race, final round of Japan’s 2015 Super GT Championship, from 12th on the grid after an extremely wet qualifying session. Even so, drivers Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda were determined to finish at least fifth and, above all, ahead of the N°12 car (Yasuda/De Oliviera) which began the weekend with a three-point advantage over the Nissan squad in the Teams’ standings and two points clear in the Drivers’ classification.

Prior to the start, the staff at NISMO and its partner Michelin Motorsport were tense and extremely focused on their mission since success in Super GT is as much a question of prestige as it is an indication of technical supremacy. It is this that drives the Japanese makes and the four world class tyre brands which are active in the championship to dedicate such significant technological resources to the series.

Despite facing competition from three local tyre makers, Michelin has risen to the challenge in style in recent years to claim three of the past four titles, including the 2014 crown with NISMO and Quintarelli/Matsuda.

The track was wet and the weather overcast for the start of this year’s Motegi GT 250Km Race but brighter sky was visible on the horizon and the local forecasters predicted sunshine before the chequered flag. As a result, the crews faced a mixed bag of conditions, making tyre versatility a potentially crucial factor which boosted Michelin’s hopes of a strong result. 

UST Varsitarian to Hold 17th Inkblots Journalism Conference on Dec. 1 to 3, 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Varsitarian, the 87-year-old official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, will be hosting the 17th edition of Inkblots, the annual UST national campus journalism conference and fellowship.

Inkblots will be held on Dec. 1 to 3, 2015 at Thomas Aquinas Research Complex in UST.

This year's Inkblots theme is "Rise Beyond the Norm," with speakers talking about how budding writers and journalists can rise above the constraints posed by the practice of journalism in the campus setting.

Inkblots speakers will share their expertise in doing good journalism in the digital era, through sessions in news writing, feature writing, sports writing, and photojournalism, among others.

Speakers include author Eros Atalia for Filipino Journalism, ABS-CBN reporter Christian Esguerra for news writing, Tempo Entertainment editor Nestor Cuartero for feature writing, and ABS-CBN Photographer and Editor Jun Sepe for photojournalism.

Woman, Create: 365 Wonders 2016 Planner Launch Event

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"All Universes must begin somewhere."

Come see the wonders on the 28th of November as Woman, Create finally debuts the first edition of their creative planner, 365 Wonders, a planner / art book featuring local artists, writers, illuminators and dreamers across the city. For 365 days, let this book be your excuse to create, scribble, think, ideate and find inspiration in your everyday; a reason to jumpstart your creative journey and enrich the Universe found within you.

Find truth and comfort in the art, stories, thoughtful meanderings, poetry, lines, insights and experiences of strangers you will never meet, except through this book.

Are you ready to ...take the next dip into your creative wonders?

Avail our pre-order promo from November 10 - November 28, 2015 to receive 20% OFF its original price.

Pre-order via: http://bit.do/365WondersPreOrder

UP DOST SA Presents the 31st Annual SciQuiz: HELIX

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This November 21, 2015, the University of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology Scholars’ Association (UP DOST SA) will be holding the 31st Annual SciQuiz, or simply SciQuiz: HELIX, at the College of Science (CS) Auditorium, UP Diliman. On this day, Grades 7 to 10 students from all over the region will gather to engage in a healthy competition that will test their knowledge of the different sciences.

With the theme, “HELIX: Spiraling Towards Scientific Excellence,” the event aims to enhance students’ scientific abilities and critical thinking skills, promote science consciousness among the youth, and build camaraderie among the participating schools. It shall also introduce the DOST-SEI scholarship for the future applicants. SciQuiz: HELIX consists of the following rounds: (1) a written exam, (2) a quiz bee round, (3) an oral defense, and (4) a buzzer beater round.

This year’s SciQuiz is co-presented by Iflix, in cooperation with Ponds, also brought to you by the Mind Museum with our media partners Wazzup Pilipinas, ClickTheCity and DZUP 1602. Your school can still join! For more information, like UP DOST SA’s official SciQuiz page: www.facebook.com/SciQuizUPDOSTSA.

U-Hop Wins Final Arena Battle at Tech in Asia 2015

Wazzup Pilipinas!

U- hop, the country’s first app based shuttle service, recently won in the Final Arena Battle at Tech in Asia 2015 held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Tech in Asia’s two day conferences are held tri‐annually in Singapore, Tokyo, and Jakarta. They are among Asia’s largest conferences organized for the region’s tech ecosystem. The conference bring together entrepreneurs, investors, media and developers to understand more about the startup community.

Before the conference proper, Tech in Asia scour the whole Asian region and pick the top 10 startups to compete in the final Arena battle on November 12. U- hop was chosen to participate and won in the Arena. The first Filipino company ever to win the prestigious competition.
U- hop brought home a prize money of US$10,000 and a legacy engraved on Tech in Asia Jakarta 2015 Champion Trophy. Our victory was featured on different media outlets all over the world.

Tech in Asia’s partners include Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Samsung to name a few.

Ayala Land, Inc. Bags ITS South Terminal Project

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has awarded the Integrated Transport System (ITS) South Terminal to Ayala Land, Inc. after the firm submitted the bid with the lowest annual grantor payment of Php 277.8-Million. The original project cost is at Php 4-Billion.

“This is the second ITS Project that we have awarded. Our goal here is to give passengers coming from the South seamless transfers to other modes of transportation, as well as help decongest traffic in the Metro.” said DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya.

The winning concessionaire is required to submit post-award requirements to the Pre-qualification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) no later than twenty (20) days from the receipt of the Notice of Award (NOA).

Ayala Land, Inc. is responsible for the design and construction of the new terminal which will be situated in a 5.57 hectare land along FTI Compound in Taguig, this will connect passengers traveling from neighboring provinces such as Laguna and Batangas to other modes of transport including buses, taxis and jeepneys.

The private concessionaire will operate and maintain the terminal for a period of thirty-five years (35).

Construction is set to commence in August 2016 and be completed in 18 months or in January 2018. Operations of the terminal will be in full swing by February 2018.

Sparta Opens Calisthenics Academy

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sports and Recreational Training Arena, also known as SPARTA, recently opened the first and only calisthenics academy in the country.

SPARTA has a sprawling space of almost 10,000 square meters right smack in the middle of Mandaluyong City. The entire facility is being developed phase by phase. Early this year, it initially opened the country's first and only FIFA 1-star certified indoor football field.

Its owner, TV host and football player Amanda Fernandez, says, “We envision a sports facility which turns ordinary individuals into modern-day Spartans wherein they can overcome their own limitations through constant practice and focused training that challenge them beyond their limits.”

The Sparta Calisthenics Academy was launched this November with the aim of training athletes and non-athletes using bodyweight movements. The benefits of calisthenics include being able to build Spartan-like strength, power, balance, endurance, proprioception, and of course, aesthetics.

Calisthenics comes from the Greek words, "Kalos" and "Sthenos” which means beauty and strength.