Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, March 7, 2016

Megawatt: Tex-Mex Cuisine in an Energy and Power Plant Themed Ambiance

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Megawatt – Pizza. Chicken. Burrito. Is ready to serve the Quezon City-San Juan crowd an electrifying collaboration of Tex-Mex cuisine, with a sure-fire recipe crafted to perfection by a group of friends and foodies who loves to eat, as much as cooking it.

The idea of having an energy & power plant themed restaurant came to mind after a recent visit to one of the power plant stations in the country where cement-finished flooring, solar panels and bright yellow power generators caught the eyes of everyone and sparked the idea of having a restaurant theme patterned from it. Taking the concept to a whole new level, the owners emphasizes on it being an Eco-friendly dining place wherein everything from the cups to utensils are made from recyclable materials; the restaurant is powered partially by clean energy provided by the solar panels, diners can see how the panels can create a renewable source of energy through sunlight alone!

One of the owners who happen to own 21st Element, one of the leading brands in the car-wash/car-care segment certainly paved the way for the decision to open Megawatt’s first branch within LG2 Carwash Station’s compound. Apart from being a good friend and client of the owner, LG2 Carwash Station and 21st Element’s collaboration proved to be a strategic partnership where both parties saw the potential of the concept, which can boost each other’s foot traffic. People, who want to have their cars washed, would definitely have to wait, and what better place should they be spending time while watching their cars washed? Well, enjoying a burrito perhaps!

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Here are the full video interviews with former senator and re-electionist senatorial candidate Panfilo "Ping" Lacson at his campaign headquarters in BGC.

I bumped into the guy one day inside an elevator on my way to a press conference that day and so I grabbed the opportunity to request for an interview, of which he readily agreed that very same day.

Immediately after the press conference at a few floors above his headquarters, I proceeded to him and here is our in-depth discussion about prominent issues and programs he plans to mplement if he gets re-elected as Senator.

You ca check out my previous post about our accidental meet, and the impromptu interview that transpired immediately after.

http://www.wazzuppilipinas.com/2016/03/ping-lacson-for-senator-exclusive-video.html

http://www.wazzuppilipinas.com/2016/03/ping-lacson-for-senator-my-crash.html

Remember that he is running as an independent but was adopted by two parties as guest candidate. I'm not sure if that's a great strategy but he seems to have the best of both worlds.

Listen to what he calls the BRAVE campaign which is an acronym for Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment. He does makes sense with this campaign and I hope many will implement the same even under a different name.

By the way, I invited a media friend with me during the interview. He is from another publication, from one of the newspapers, who asked the best questions. I am glad I invited him to tag along as he is more familiar with political issues.

Koko Buri: Pampanga's Pride for Pure Canola Deep-Fried Chicken

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The next restaurant in our Pampanga Hot Air Balloon and Restaurant Tour is Koko Buri. It was said to have been originally a Korean restaurant but they diversified already into many kinds of dishes thus re-branding themselves as the restaurant with international cuisines.

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual event held in Clark, Pampanga. It's already on its 20th year of featuring multi-colored and shaped hot air balloons. The four day hot air balloon event from February 11 to 14 is the biggest aviation sports event in the Philippines.

We were staying at Holiday Inn Clark for an overnight only between February 10 to 11 for convenience on attending the hot air balloon fiesta during the early hours of the morning. We went to Koko Buri after our lunch at Mequeni restaurant of Holiday Inn where we had a buffet treat. Imagine how still full we are from that dining experience. We were actually surprised that we couldn't stop ourselves from still dining at Koko Buri. We were planning to just take photos and videos for the blog fature, but their food were just too good to ignore.

You can't miss Koko Buri's unique exterior with a huge yellow letter sign that spell the restaurant's name: Koko Buri - which is also a great spot for photo ops, and selfies or groupies. You can see at the end of this article that all the members of the Wazzup Pilipinas team, including our driver from Froehlich Tours, posed with the letters in front of the restaurant. All five of us were proudly wearing our shirts from 1st Draft Manila Clothing, our official shirt provider.

They have a few more branches all over Pampanga and has also expanded in Manila to serve more customers.

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The next stop on our Pampanga restaurant tour while attending the 20th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon is Yu-Fu-In Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant. The restauramt is located at First Street, Balibago in Angeles, Pampanga. It took us a while in locating the place since Google map could not exactly pinpoint its location online but we found it after a few minutes of roaming around the area near the SM Clark mall.

The team just came from an interview with Chef Clause Tayag at his Downtown 1956 Cafe by Bale Dutung restaurant located at Nepo Center, and a quick stop back at the Holiday Inn Clark hotel for a meeting with their management, before proceeding to this Japanese restaurant. Thanks to our 12-seater Higer Executive van from Froehlich Tours, it was very convenient for us to travel around Pampanga.

According to their Facebook page, the company’s restaurant business started way back 1995 having the name of Yakiniku Tombo Japanese Restaurant. It was the very first restaurant in Angeles City that served authentic Japanese cuisine.

But with the growing needs of the market, The company decided to move to a better and bigger place because of the growing needs of the market. At the new location, they then changed their name to YU∙FU∙IN Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant.

Having a 3-storey building with different concepts for every floor, YU∙FU∙IN Yakiniku and Japanese Restaurant is probably the biggest authentic Japanese restaurant in Pampanga. It is indeed the perfect place for family occasions, business meetings and simple after-work get-togethers.

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"Kahit anek ka pa, tuwid o baluktot chi, hanggat waley niyuyurakang nilalang bongga tayo!"

They just opened last July 28, 2015 but they've been featured already in Umagang Kay Ganda of ABS-CBN, Brigada of GMA News TV and now Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho of GMA 7. "Talagang rumarampage na sila sa mga TV networks."

According to their official Facebook page, Bekylog is a "Munting lafangan para sa mga tom jones na mudrakels, pudrakels, jupiter, ombre, gelay, badet, tambolina, thunders, jogets, biway, chaka, gandara, antibiotic, eksenadora, insekyora, effem, paminta, otoko, shala, mimosa, garapata, emengard, julalay, plastikada, nagmamaasim, borta at sa mga jordinaryong nilalang."

They have dishes on their menu which are named as "Chinenes na T-Bone,: "Embutidey," "Kinyemeng Juset," Liempochina," Chinorvang Nyisig," Sizzling Nyokchop," "Sisigalore," Nyerger," Luncheon Metchina," "Tapachinabels,"Jootlong,"and "Nyicken Longga."

I've been reading their Facebook page so I decided to play with the messages there especially the ones using the gay lingo. So below are what I came up with. I don't really know if you'll understand any of them but I'm pretty sure member the members of the third sex will.

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The HTC One A9, also known as the iPhone look-alike, because of how the smartphone's black-glass front tapering into the curved, grey aluminium body is purely identical to the iPhone. Even the layout of ports and buttons are undeniably very iPhone. It's just a bit taller and wider than the iPhone that would make it more handy on the grip if it weren't a bit slippery.

But it isn't an HTC flagship phone so that is why many iconic elements have been left out but it is also unfair to compare it with an iPhone if you are to consider the impressive power under the hood. It's more like a fashionable device for those who want an elegant looking smartphone but slightly more affordable than the high-end counterparts.

The smartphone runs with an Android Marshmallow, and is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor with 2-3 Gb RAM and 16 - 32 GB internal storage, features a super-thin metal frame with an elegant finish, an edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 5 inch energy efficient 1080p screen, a 13 megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 lens, a 4 mp front-facing camera, an expandable SD card memory and available in an array of brilliant colors: Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Deep Garnet, and Topaz Gold.

Though it's another mid-range phone sporting a high-end design and priced to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6, many feel it is still overpriced compared to smartphones within he same specifications line.

My first requirement would be the camera for my mobile photography needs. Being a blogger requires us to have a convenient tool to capture photos and videos so I prefer a smartphone that's fully equipped to the task. Being a good photographer is easier with the HTC One A9 because of its high-end 13 mp rear camera which allows you to take blur-free photos using the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). You get 40% more color than a normal LCD screen for brilliant graphics and gaming — even in direct sunlight. You can save more image details for unsurpassed editing and creative control with RAW capture in Pro mode, and speed up your videos up to 12x for a dramatic effect with Hyperlapse.

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Samsung is redefining what a phone can do by completely changing how users share experiences and memories. They are shattering the boundaries of what a phone can do.

Now you can now capture some of the best times of your life with the Gear 360 and relive the moments through your Gear VR and Samsung smartphones.

It's so easy to transport yourself with the Gear VR. Whether you want to play a game, take a virtual vacation, or watch a movie, the possibilities with Gear VR are limitless.

Put on the Gear VR, and you're there in the moment. Gear VR works seamlessly with specific Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Whenever you want to enter a virtual reality, just take your Galaxy smartphone, slide it in the Gear VR, and you're in.

It's that simple. All you need to do is slip in your phone and you're free to take on the world and beyond. A Super AMOLED display, wide field of view, precise head-tracking and low latency brings reality to the virtual. It's definitely the biggest thing to happen to phones. Ever.

The similar VR devices like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive gives you some limitation because you need to be wired to a computer, The smartphone-powered Gear VR offers up a glorious trek into imaginary virtual spaces making the experience better and could even tempt you to stretch your legs and meander.

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Aside from the 13 megapixel rear camera, the Oppo F1 boasts of an 8 megapixel front facing camera with a wide f/2.0 aperture lens and a sensor size of ¼ inches. It's 30% clearer than a 5 mp camera and 44% brighter than an f/2.4 lens. This is great news for selfie addicts like us who can't seem to stop ourselves from facing our smartphone cameras. The feature allows for more light to enter the camera so we can take clearer selfies even in less ideal lighting conditions.

We can use the Beautify 3.0 feature to enhance our look for an always perfect selfie experience. It brightens up our skin and seamlessly removes blemishes, so we can always look our best. We can also choose from three different beautification modes or apply one of the many available filters. No matter where we are, snapping a great looking photo will be easy and quick.

To make snapping selfies in low-light conditions an even better experience, we can turn the patented Screen Flash feature on. It converts the F1’s entire display into a camera flash, with a carefully adjusted brightness level optimized for natural-looking shots. So our face will always come through bright, clear and natural.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Octa-core 64-bit processor and 3GB of RAM makes this device fly when it comes to multitasking and daily usage. It is based on Android 5.1, ColorOS 2.1 is seamlessly responsive, providing a smooth and steady performance, and offering more memory and power to users.

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The new LG X series is crisper in design and packed with edgy high-end functions like a second screen for LG X screen and two rear cameras (15 megapixels and 5 megapixels) for LG X cam. The LG X series will have best qualities of a smartphone more approachable.

LG says the mid-range smartphones are aimed for customers who do not need all the bells and whistles that come with today's high-end phones, but still desire a great camera or advanced display.

Just as how many of us only use the smartphones for the regular SMS and calls, and lots of mobile photography, not all would need the high-end features that would only add cost to the smartphones but will never be used anyway.

It is always a good move to come out with more affordable phones that can be easily bought by the lower class. Even though there are many smartphones available on installment basis or packaged with a subscription with a telecom company, the current smartphone models easily becomes obsolete fast with the release of newer models that's better and a lot more budget-friendly.

It is also advantageous to the buyers to have an alternative smartphone that they can conveniently put out anywhere they are without fearing of getting robbed in the streets of Manila. There's just too many demands for smartphones that crooks are infesting the streets waiting for unsuspecting victims to snatch their phones right out from their hands.

Ping Lacson for Senator Exclusive Video Interview

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What I appreciate about Ping Lacson is that when he comments on an issue, he always follows it up with a clear action plan and solution to resolve them at his current capacity.

From my initial impressions, he's the guy who would not over-promise just to get votes. He would tell you who's the appropriate person to handle certain issues. He would not assume the role of Superman as nobody can really solve the problems of the country if he has no access to resources.

Thus, his proposed program on equal distribution of funds at the LGU level is very reasonable. After all, no matter how bright and intellectual the leader of a community is, if he has no access to funds, the projects may just end up as a dream and never materialize within their term.

He would also prefer to evoke emotional responses from his fellow candidates rather than persuade the voters that he is the right candidate for the position. Whoever wins should assume the role of a statesman, thinking about how he can make the country better, and not trying to work on being voted again for the next election during his time of service.

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AirAsia and AirAsia X are offering 3 million promotional seats for its highly anticipated Red Hot Seat Sale* which will connect travellers to over 100 destinations across 22 countries including flights to/from Manila, Kalibo, Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban and international destinations in Korea, Malaysia, China, Macau and Hong Kong.

The promotional seats start from P1.00 base fare, excluding applicable taxes and fees. It is available for booking from 7 to 13 March 2016 on the airline’s website – www.airasia.com for the travel period from 1 October 2016 to 22 May 2017. This promo is also available on AirAsia’s mobile site mobile.airasia.com.

AirAsia’s Group Chief Commercial Officer Siegtraund Teh said, “This time around, we are pleased to offer 3 million promotional seats. Guests may grab this perfect opportunity to make advance travel plans and enjoy extra value for their money. We have introduced many new and undiscovered routes throughout the region and grabbing a promo seat is the best way to discover new destinations!”

“Guests from around the region can take advantage of our Fly-Thru service to connect to many exciting AirAsia X destinations such as Auckland, Sapporo, Tokyo, Gold Coast, Sydney and more. In conjunction with this special promotion, AirAsia X’s Premium Flatbed to all AirAsia X destinations are also on sale,” added Siegtraund Teh.

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I was an enthusiast of Open Source software when I was working as an Information and Communications Technology professional for corporate companies and organizations. I can still remember how I often try out the new versions that keep coming almost every few months. My download queue never ran out of something to try since we all know that open source is free for all.

Though mainstream operating systems from brands like Microsoft was the leading OS for many industries, many were still experimenting on Open Source for the less critical processes that do not require too much support and maintenance.

I even tried setting up an Internet Cafe using open source software, and my difficulty was teaching the kids how to operate within the user interface that they find unfamiliar since many are used to using the Windows OS.

Thus, the Open Source Museum actually brought back memories. I was very familiar with most of its contents and it was sort of a throwback for me when Mitchie Tabirao was touring me around the 8Layer Technologies mini museum and sharing her knowledge about each item on display.

There's so many stories behind every object that the museum can take you back at a historical throwback if you research further online. The Open Source museum may seem small, but I was told they already have expanded this at another location, and I'm pretty sure there will be more added to the collection soon as 8Layer Technologies is very active in organizing events.

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Thank you to Warner Music Philippines for inviting me to an opportunity to interview one of the young bands out there that is surely rocking the music scene with their hit songs.

I was fortunate to be able to chat with EJ Pichay, Eunice Jorge and Jazz Jorge - the three remaining members of Gracenote, and got a copy of their latest album called "Transparent."

It was almost an hour of video interview with these group of young artists that were all eager to answer all my inquiries while laughing every now and then to their teases and jokes especially to Jazz who seems to be in love nowadays as implied by her sister Eunice, the pretty vocalist of the group. Eunice also does most of the writing so that probably makes her the most creative among the three.

Though Eunice said all their success was a collaboration among supportive minds, and the encouragement of their manager, Darwin Hernandez who also manages other popular OPM artists like 6CycleMind, Callalily, Banda Ni Kelly, Chicosci, Imago, Moonstar 88, Pedicab and Sandwich, under the Soupstar Entertainment company.

The album was four years of blood and sweat in the making and had a grand launch at 19 East Paranaque. Star studded guests came to support Gracenote including their sisters and brothers in the industry who came to give an outstanding performance Callalily, Moonstar88, and 6cyclemind. Guest artist such as Yeng constantino, Alexa Ilacad and Tutti Caringal also jammed with Gracenote.

Below is the full video interview wiith Gracenote:

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Basta ‪#‎PinaghaHawaiian‬ ng barkada, sure masarap!

Here's a video blog of the 1st leg of the Greenwich Hawaiian Overload free pizza day held at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Tagig on March 4, 2016.

Greenwich wants to show everyone that their Hawaiian pizza is full of delicious toppings that would be called "overload." But don't worry because we got a video interview from their Marla Bunecamino, Brand Manager of Greenwich, and she's on the video to share what exactly is going on and why they are giving away free pizza slices to everyone.

There's also some fun games for those who are willing to participate like the Hawaiian dancing and trying out the Hoola Hoops together with your barkada, friends, families or colleagues who were around the vicinity of BGC.

The Hawaiian Overload Combi Van is also on display at the area so take a group photo and get a chance to win tickets to Paradise Music Festival!
Their chef would also be doing a pizza making demonstration so be sure to keep glued on how he makes the Greenwich Hawaiian Overload starting with just a dough.

Their next run will be at the SM Mall of Asia by the Bay so be sure to catch them there next on March 6, 2016. The third stop is at SM Megamall on March 19 and at last stop will be at SM Seaside Cebu on April 2.

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To all art lovers out there, come check out Julian Ongpin Young Artists' (JOYA's) second show titled "At The Heart of It".

"At The Heart Of It" is a group exhibit featuring works by three spirited Filipino mixed media artists namely Brisa Amir, Michael Rahman Declarin, and Arnel Agawin, that are sure to impress! These artists are of different mediums and backgrounds, but with the same emotional depth and insight in applying their Art and narratives.

All works selectively hand-picked and curated to show the life, times and power of the space between war and peace.

This exhibit is a journey through the intricacies of both states in pursuit of an answer. The exhibit is a testament to what is, our nature, and our artistic capacity, to positively and wholly transform the world around us from within; even in the midst of persona and impersonal unrelenting tyranny.

Exhibit runs from March 10 till May 10. See you all there!