Al Gatmaitan: "In Pursuit of a Dream" on May 23

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Al Gatmaitan, one of the country’s topnotch tenors will take his summer studies at the New York University Steinhardt School for Music and Performing Arts Professions this coming June.

But before he takes a bite of the Big Apple, catch Al Gatmaitan: "In Pursuit of a Dream" – a special fund raising concert presented by The Philippine Opera Company and Grupo Reposo, in collaboration with LRI Design Plaza. With Karl Estudillo, collaborative pianist, directed by Will Fredo.

The concert is on May 23, 2014 (7:30 p.m.), at LRI Design Plaza located at 210 Nicanor Garcia St., Brgy. Bel Air II, Makati.

Special guest artists include: Soprano Gabri Panlilio, Mezzo Soprano Clarissa Ocampo, Soprano and stage actress Tricia Amper-Jimenez, Film, Tv and stage actress Liza Dino, Singer and songwriter Aiza Seguerra,
and World renowned concert pianist Raul Sunico.

UNO Magazine Makes Summer Hotter with 2014 Swimsuit Special

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Be warned: this issue of UNO is going to make you want to give a standing ovation over and over again.

With the Philippine summer hitting extremely high temperatures this year, it is but apt that UNO rolls out its swimsuit special with not one, not even two but four ultra-delish, blazing hot cover girls.



One of the cover girls is Mercedes Cabral, fresh from a two-month stint filming a movie in Denmark, who looks anything but frozen. Her dusky complexion and curvy body seem to make any swimsuit look like a stand-out piece, even if it's a simple black or orange number.

Mercedes is smart, sassy and sexy and isn't afraid to speak her mind on anything: from her frustrations in an industry obsessed with big-name stars to her high hopes for the same industry she so obviously loves.

On the other hand, cover girl Ryza Cenon has that uncanny ability to look both girly-sweet and madly alluring in one perky package. This home-grown Kapuso star looks younger than her age but speaks with wisdom and experience, and the occasional girlish giggle to remind us that she is indeed still a girl.

She reveals how she has learned to take on wifely qualities like cooking and baking and her love for her pets, one of them being a gay dog. This budding chef also comes up with her list of what will make her say yes to a guy.

Bicycle Tour: Challenging the Streets of Manila One Pedal at a Time

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There is truth in the old cliche that once you've learned how to ride a bicycle, you'll never forget.

The last time I rode a bicycle was way back 2008. I had to stop riding a bicycle when my family and I had to move to a rent-to-own apartment for more convenience to our daily commuting to our workplace. Commuting a long distance from home to work adds a great amount of stress to the daily challenges we usually get, and traveling using our own private vehicles will only leave us spending more from our meager take-home pays. The public trains (MRT/LRT) somehow help lessen the hours but we usually end up all feeling squished like a lemon but smelling awful and sweaty like we just came from a workout.

Going through the huge crowd enduring the traffic or the over-congested trains are just some of the struggles in the Metro. Most of us are all similarly rushing to our respective work places and need to make do of what's available to the ordinary Pinoys. Only a few of us were luckily blessed with an affluent family while many of us can't afford to be too choosy because we were not born with rich parents.  Thus we are often called a resilient race because we learn how to make ends meet with very little resources and don't complain much.

My mountain bike was used for traveling to nearby areas for  sudden urges to buy snacks at the nearest neighborhood groceries, or whatever other errands I needed to do. It was better to sweat it out a little than wasting a few bucks on "special" tricycle fares. It was also ideal as an early morning exercise especially when I needed to escape our neighborhood and just freely ride away into anywhere. Sadly, it just ended up in storage, gathering dust and almost forgotten at one of our houses because it will be difficult to bring along with me through 9 floors of our building apartment. If it was not for the Bicycle Tour offered by Smokey Tours, I wouldn't have remembered my previously well-cherished possession.