Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Monday, May 16, 2016

Angela Lee Crowned Inaugural One Women's Atomweight World Champion

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The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship (ONE), returned home to Singapore to the tune of 12,000 screaming Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans cheering loudly for their favorite ONE Championship superstars. ONE: ASCENT TO POWER electrified a capacity crowd with intense world-class MMA action from start to finish. In the main event, Angela Lee earned a hard-fought, five-round unanimous decision over spirited opponent Mei Yamaguchi to clinch the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. In the co-main event, Roger Gracie put Michal Pasternak to sleep to earn the inaugural ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship.

Visit the official ONE: ASCENT TO POWER photo gallery by clicking: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ivh34n9pza3q94o/AADwuMwRg-gnDecd5AIBoQyTa?dl=0.

Please download the ONE: ASCENT TO POWER highlight clip here: https://onefcbovongsakoun.sharefile.com/d-s41bd150d64f4a75b.

In the main event, Singapore’s “Unstoppable” Angela Lee overcame a spirited performance from Japanese MMA veteran Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi to clinch the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. Lee and Yamaguchi traded heavy blows and showcased high-level, tactical grappling skills all throughout the fight to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd. Yamaguchi started out very strong in the early going, but Lee came on late and scored points for multiple near-finishes. Throughout five gruelling rounds, Lee dug deep in the second half of the bout, doing just enough to earn the unanimous decision victory.

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The season for beauty pageants is still as hot as the summer heat especially when Miss Philippines Earth 2016 just had its media presentation at the Diamond Hotel on May 16, 2016.

The noble theme is Addressing Climate Change thru 5R'S: Re-Think, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and Respect - We Will Because We can. The candidates were asked to pose with several signage that when put together will complete the thought of the theme.

The gorgeous Miss Earth Air 2012, Stephany Dianne Damondamon Stefanowitz, was the host of the day and delivered her lines very well as she presents all candidates for this year's Miss Philippines Earth 2016 and the reigning beauty queens from 2015.

You can check out the interview with them on the video that we uploaded on our Facebook channel at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

The same video and more will also be uploaded on our YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/user/wazzuppilipinas

We would like to congratulate the three winners of ‪#‎MPE2016‬ Darling of the Press:

GOLD: Liza Cacho of Anda, Pangasinan
SILVER: Imelda Bautista Schweighart of Puerto Princesa City
BRONZE: Kiara Giel Gregorio of London

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Known for its modern Asian cuisine, Buddha-Bar Manila has been known to bring a wide variety of food dishes to Manila’s food-loving crowd. It has served Western cuisine and even mouth-watering Pacific Rim dishes that has included those from several Asian countries.

Starting May 19 to June 17, Buddha-Bar Manila will be offering the unique flavors of Nikkei cuisine to Manila. Renowned chef Chef Shigeki Iimura will be at Buddha-Bar Manila to serve his signature dishes and host a meet-and-greet on May 20 and 21.

Nikkei is a fusion of Japanese food made with Peruvian ingredients and cooking technique. This particular type of cooking is especially popular in South America, where there is a huge confluence of Japanese and Latin American culture. Considered by many as a gastronomical artform, this unique fusion of flavors has become one of the most sought after cuisine in many top cities and top restaurants all over the world. The past two decades saw the rise of global celebrity chefs specializing in creative and exceptional Nikkei cuisine.

Chef Shigeki is one of the most notable culinary masters when it comes to Nikkei cuisine. Having been exposed to the culinary world since he was a child, Chef Shigeki grew up in Tokyo where his family owned a restaurant and taught him how to select the freshest produce from the world-famous Tsukiji fish market. Having developed a love for Japanese cuisine, he honed different styles of authentic Japanese cuisine from Kyoto-style, Kaga-style & Robata for 35 years. After a career in a top Tokyo restaurant, he established himself in the Japanese culinary scene and traveled abroad to share his skills and knowledge. After also learning the Western style of cuisine and serving fusion dishes, Chef Shigeki is currently the executive chef of Buddha-Bar International.

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Eane Jay Sobretodo did it big on race 1 of Suzuki Asian Challenge round 2 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand last May 6-8, 2016. After the glorious victory of April King Mascardo as 2nd placer during race 2 of round 1 in Malaysia, Manileño rider, EJ got the limelight this time with his victory. As a newbie and the latest addition to Team Suzuki Pilipinas, Sobretodo’s performance was surprising and fulfilling.

EJ continuously showed his improvement from the practice, qualifying and actual race. After crashing on practice 1 sending him at the lowest ranks, EJ recovered with a clean comeback sending him to the podium. Placing 8th on the grid, Sobretodo leaped to 3rd place when co-Team Suzuki Pilipinas frontrunner April King Mascardo (who finished at 3rd) got a penalty for crossing the blue line. The warm up on Round 2 continuously showed EJ’s dominance as he finished at 1st place.

Team Suzuki Pilipinas maintains their good performance in the overall standing of the Suzuki Asian Challenge. Visayas’ bet Borbon also showcased a promising performance as he leaped from 11th Place to the 8th Place. Sobretodo is now ranked 5th from his position at 6th overall on round 1. Despite being penalized for an overshoot at race 1, Mindanao’ pride April King Mascardo was able to regain himself in the next races and finished strong at 4th place at the end of round 2.

With the consecutive success and podium positions that Team Suzuki Pilipinas was able to achieve in rounds 1 and 2, the team is more confident on the succeeding rounds. The 3rd leg of the Suzuki Asian Challenge will happen on June 3 to 5 at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.

Follow the story of Team Suzuki Pilipinas at www.suzuki.com.ph and Suzuki racing at www.suzuki-racing.com or Suzuki community by following facebook.com/suzukibikersfed.

Get Supermom on Windows 10

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It’s easy to think of mom as Superwoman. Where she gets the energy to take care of the family while juggling a career, helping the kids with school work, or organizing barbecue parties, we don’t know. But what’s even harder is finding a cool gift for such a busy body.

For the month of May, get mom something that will make her life a whole lot easier and fun at the same time: a device that runs on Windows 10.

Here’s why a Windows 10 (phone, tab, PC or laptop) gift totally rocks for mom:

No password-security, no problem

We can’t blame busy mom for sometimes misplacing the keys around the house, but it’s too much to make her remember all those complex passwords for various digital devices. Thanks to Windows Hello, the biometric security feature of Windows 10, she’ll never have to jog her memory. All she has to do is flash her eyes in front of the device and let the infrared scanning feature verify and log her in right away. Mom will surely get a kick out of having her device “know her.”

A Multi-Tasking Assistant

Windows 10 has a sassy and efficient assistant built into it: Cortana. More than just a bot, Cortana helps out in things that really matter to mom, like helping locate a lost file, suggesting places to go, offering to buy flowers, or make travel arrangements.

Cortana gets even more interesting when you sign in with your Microsoft account. She will monitor the calendar and give reminders, as well as provide relevant information like specific news that’s important to mom.

Never lose her phone again

So mom loses her phone every now and then. We all do – what’s new with that? If she’s on Windows 10 though she can get Cortana to locate her phone using her PC’s geo-location feature. Once Cortana spots her phone, it rings and voila! Phone retrieved in no time at all.

Do edge-y stuff on Windows Edge

The new browser in Windows 10 called Edge has inking capabilities that mom will love. Does mom like to use pen and paper or highlight on reading material? Mom can highlight or encircle items, take notes, write, type directly on the browser page and save the notes in Microsoft OneNote. That’s so much better than going the roundabout way of printing out a page and writing on it…then putting away that piece of paper or passing it on.

Lumia 950 XL: a PC in her palm

Microsoft’s flagship phone for Windows 10 helps moms who are always on the go stay connected in the smartest ways. It’s almost like putting a PC in the palm of her hand.

The Lumia 950 XL has big typing space and a wide 5.7” HD display that lets her see everything crystal clear, even under a noon day sun (the phone auto adjusts the screen’s brightness). This is good for reading articles, e-mails, or messages so she doesn’t need to squint or reach for her reading glasses.

It gets more exciting when she finds that a lot of Windows 10 apps work perfectly on the Lumia like the Windows Reading List, which lets her organize and easily find articles for later reading, or the Movie Moments app where she can edit recorded family videos. Not least of all is the Movies & TV app that lets Mom stream her favorite soap or movie anytime with you!

Share information seamlessly

Have you ever experienced transferring all your files from one device to another? If you hate that, don’t let mom go through it!

Imagine having mom’s photos, music, or docs move effortlessly on any Android, Windows or iPhone through the Phone Companion app on Windows 10 PCs. The updated Xbox Music app on Android and iPhone also allows for free playback of music files and playlists from OneDrive, so all of mom’s media is available to her anywhere and at any time.

People are spending more time on Windows than ever before – over 75 billion hours over 270 million active devices all over the world. It’s Microsoft’s best platform to date. If you're worried about her having issues, don't. Sites like TechLoris are here to solve any issues you can without paying an expert. So do yourself a favor and make that special woman in your life happy with a Windows 10 gift. And if you’re a mom too, it could even be the best gift you’ll give yourself.

Microsoft Partner with Polycom to Offer Skype for Business

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Microsoft answered the need for unified communication through Skype for business. Last month I was at Edsa Shangri-La Makati to witnessed the Partnership between Microsoft, Skype for Business and Polycom. Tech giants that has mutual goal to unify communication that benefit each other. Because communication nowadays are heavily scattered in a workplace.

A workplace that become more digital that will reinvent productivity in a modern workplace. Polycom developed new collaboration ad video room solution for Skype for business. Allowing users to leverage the Microsoft ease of use at the same time uses proven industry proven technology of Polycom.

Christian Lim - Office Business group head of Microsoft talks about the benefits of the technology mobility. As they understand the demands for communication in various timezones and geography of its users. So the evolution of technology greatly impacted to do more in mobile and cloud first world. Peter Leav, CEO of Polycom said "Together, we equip our customers of all sizes with cloud-ready solutions that will help them realize the powerful benefits of collaboration in the workplace of the future.

Couple of years ago, I was using Polycom and Skype business account in doing business in US and Canada. I was connecting various clients through conference call to different time-zones at the same time. Seeing them on video with good audio quality saves time and travel resources for both us. As we do 3 way calling even more people connected at the same time sharing ideas and suggestions. Another fast way to make work collaboration productive. But for now they joint force then upgraded making it better and efficient.

The 2 readily available solutions built in Skype for Business were presented by Microsoft outlook and Cloud Private Branch Exchange (PBX). Business can now integrate Skype biz acct to outlook accts via Skype for Business free App. Public Switched Telephone Network or PSTN calling and PSTN conferencing PABX solutions will provide seamless experience to users.Tool for IM, Video conferencing and Telephony that eventually drive down communication cost.

Speaking of professional meeting collaboration and tools for teamwork. Eileen Ong Small and Midmarket Solutions and partners director of Microsoft Philippines said “Answering the urgent need for unified communications, we simplified Skype for Business design and created a common user experience that is both accessible to people and fitting to their devices”

Also they demonstrate on how to call via skype or mobile phone. To landline that will redirect the call to your mobile phone. So even if you are offline and not physically located on your office. If your not on your office you can still receive the call from your smart phone. So it adds up mobility and business credibility on your company or personal business portfolio.

To know more about visit Skype for businesses - save money, stay connected and work smarter with Skype

Contributed by Jayson Biadog

Casa Italia Cafe Food Tasting Event with Zomato Foodies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Miss Tourism Philippines 2016 Candidates: Glamorous Wearing Their National Costumes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Six Tips for Setting up a Home Office

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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