Doritos: Pilar Zaragoza

Pilar's Project Art(is)+ (http://www.dosomething.org/project/project-artis) partners with local NGOs to run empowerment workshops for disenfranchised youth worldwide, holding workshops for over 2,300 street children and incarcerated minors in Ghana, Mali, and the Philippines.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/4732650224_ecd43ce09d_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1204/4732005401_6d352fb582_b.jpg

Doritos: Pilar Zaragoza

Pilar's Project Art(is)+ (http://www.dosomething.org/project/project-artis) partners with local NGOs to run empowerment workshops for disenfranchised youth worldwide, holding workshops for over 2,300 street children and incarcerated minors in Ghana, Mali, and the Philippines.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/4732650224_ecd43ce09d_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1204/4732005401_6d352fb582_b.jpg

Nice naman. mali lang ang spelling ng Philippines sa tarp.

Rico Hizon: Proud Filipino, proud father
(The Philippine Star) Updated June 18, 2010 12:00 AM

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/4020/shopping1.jpg
Rico Hizon reports for work at BBC World News in his CEO business suit.

MANILA, Philippines - Watching BBC World News anchor Rico Hizon deliver the news from his Singapore post to a global audience in the early morning makes Filipinos proud. Rightly so, as Hizon brings sunshine to his television viewers with his trademark smile of confidence and positive outlook as he breaks the day’s news.

Hizon is a proud dad to his son, five-year-old Migo, as wife Melanie happily attests. Raising a family in Singapore offers some challenges for the couple. But Hizon makes sure Migo retains the Pinoy traits in him. It helps that he is a proud advocate of Pinoy optimism (check his advocacy www.GoodNewsPilipinas.com). Even in his choice of business clothes, Hizon proudly wears CEO (Corporate Executive Outfits), a Filipino brand, from his suits, shirts, barong, and even neckties. “CEO has the quality and designs that are globally comparable at competitive prices too,” he observes.

This Father’s Day, Rico Hizon celebrates with his family a global tradition with his distinctive Pinoy touch. And that’s the latest news, with Rico Hizon reporting.

Clothes by CEO, available at The Block, SM City North EDSA; The Landmark TriNoma; Metro Gaisano, Market! Market!; Robinsons Department Store Pasig; SM City Baliwag; and MarQuee Mall.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8435/lif16hires.jpg
[Pinoy teen shines in World Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tourney]
Eros Baluyot of the Atos Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Club wins the gold medal in his bracket and the championship title at the 2010 World Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Championship held recently in Long Beach, California, USA.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=588516&publicationSubCategoryId=80

Kapamilya reporter wins int'l award on labor rights
By JOJO P. PANALIGAN
June 26, 2010, 9:42am
http://www.mb.com.ph/sites/default/files/Corpuz_0.jpg
Niña Corpuz

ABS-CBN reporter Nina Corpuz’s article titled “Filipino Domestic Workers, Between Justice and Survival” was picked as best story on labor rights by the United Nation’s International Labor Organization (ILO).

Corpuz's story bested 50 other entries. She received her award in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 99th Session of the International Labour Conference a couple of weeks ago.

According to abs-cbnnews.com, “Filipino Domestic Workers, Between Justice and Survival” tells the story of expatriated Overseas Filipino Workers who were sent home in 2009 after experiencing abuse from their employers in the Middle East.

“I wanted to tell the world kung ano ang pinagdadaanan ng mga Pilipino… na maipaabot natin ang kanilang mga pinagdadaanan sa international audience para kahit sa maliit na paraan ay mapaganda natin ang kalagayan nila,” she says of her winning piece in an interview on “TV Patrol,” June 25.

According to a press release, the "prize recognizes efforts to help spread information on international labour standards drawn up and overseen by the ILO and their relevance to local labour and social issues."

Last year, Corpuz was in Turin, Italy under a grant for a scholarship course on “Communicating Labor Rights” that was held by the ILO. It was during this time that Corpus began writing the article that would eventually make her the first Filipino to win the award from ILO.

Corpuz is seen regularly on “Magandang Gabi Dok” and the Saturday morning program “Para Sa ‘Yo Bayan.”

Pacquiao in Forbes’ most ‘powerful’ list
By NICK GIONGCO
June 29, 2010, 5:50pm

Manny Pacquiao made it to the 100 World’s Most Powerful Celebrities for the second straight year on a list made by Forbes magazine.

Pacquiao was listed at No. 55 with an earning totaling $42 million (roughly P1.9-billion) from fights with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto and Ghanaian Joshua Clottey that covered the period July 2009 to June 2010.

His ranking is a rung better than last year.

Interestingly, Floyd Mayweather was ranked higher – No. 31 – with earnings reaching $65 million from fights with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and fellow US fighter Shane Mosley.

Topping the list is TV show host Oprah Winfrey with $315 million, while the highest-rated athlete is golfer Tiger Woods with $105 million.

The ratings were based on the celebrity’s standing in earnings, TV/Radio, press, web and social rank.

Pacquiao and Mayweather’s ranking would take another notch higher in the event a proposed November 13 fight between the two of them materializes.

Their handlers are still in talks for the fight that will likely be staged in Las Vegas.
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/264388/pacquiao-forbe

Filipino nurse wins leadership award in New York City


IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT Filipina nurses working abroad are well-liked by patients because of their efficient performance. Most of all, they have gentle touch and innate kindness.

One of these nurses is Belina Diaz-Perez, nurse manager of the Coronary Care Unit of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. She recently received the prestigious Nurse Leadership Award 2010 during Nurses Week Celebration on May 9-13.

She was cited for her significant contributions to nursing practice at Mt. Sinai Hospital. A graduate of St. Paul School of Nursing of Iloilo and St. Paul College of Manila, Perez has worked with Mt. Sinai for over 30 years. She is an active officer of the Capiceno Circle US. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey with her husband Ricardo Perez where they’ve raised two daughters, lawyer Anabelle Perez-Gray and Dr. Rosalyn Perez.

Perez is the sister of Fr. Erno Diaz, who has been assigned to the Church of the Epiphany on East 22nd and Second Avenue in the Archdiocese of New York starting July 1. She supports the propagation of the devotion to San Lorenzo Ruiz among Filipinos living in the United States.

Ulirang Guro Awards

Chito Atienza, chosen by New York Times as Teacher of the Year in 2008, recently received the Ulirang Guro Award 2010.
Chito teaches English to Hispanics in New York. The other awardees were Lynn Ciocon and Romelita Panga (elementary level) from Maryland public schools; Rosemarie Parreno (secondary level), Department of Education in New York City, also a New York Times ESOL awardee; Arwin Alitagtag, Utah private school; Rubilyn Gitgano, Department of Education of NYC; and Rowena Adalla.
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/sundaylifestyle/sundaylifestyle/view/20100627-277748/Filipina-nurse-wins-leadership--award-in-New-York-City

:horse:

^^ congratulations to them.

the last 4-5 achievements are good. walang songer-songer :banana:

the last 4-5 achievements are good. walang songer-songer :banana:

I say all achievements are good, granted they have earned the right to be called an achievement. Hehe.

Mapasa larangan man nga sports, music, and especially sa talino, integridad at galing sa trabaho. There is diversity in talents and abilities and every single time we get known for something good and wholesome bolsters our image in the world, and hopefully balances or takes away from the constant bum rap we have had.

Fil-Canadian in 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'
By Cecille Docto, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Posted at 07/01/2010 2:10 PM | Updated as of 07/01/2010 2:10 PM

His photo can be seen here:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/07/01/10/fil-canadian-twilight-saga-eclipse
VANCOUVER, Canada – A Filipino-Canadian is among the cast of the next installment of the teen vampire series, Twilight.

Actor Brett Chan is a stunt coordinator, fight choreographer and one of the new-born vampires in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.

“I’m one of them the newborn vampires. I’m kind of insignificant, but in a sense I play a big role, as my whole team does,” Chan said.

“Eclipse” is just one of the many blockbuster movies Chan has been involved with.

He choreographed and did stunts in the last Samurai, Nacho Libre, Fantastic 4 and X-Men 2, where he was badly injured.

“I pulled out one second too late. I've got second-degree burns all over my arms and on the side of my face,” said Chan.

Chan's venture into the action film industry started in the Ninja Turtles movie.

“You want to audition for the Ninja Turtles? I said yeah, definitely. So I went on and I got it. So I was always a bad guy in Ninja Turtles. It just kinda snowballed from there,” he said.

Chan has an extensive background in martial arts, shotokan, taekwondo and arnis. His dad literally forced him to go into martial arts and it paid off.

He has been working closely with Hollywood A-Listers for years now.

“Halle Berry, she was a pleasure to be around. Tom Cruise was fabulous. Tom Cruise did 99% of his stunts in the (movie) Last Samurai,” he said.

Chan said he hopes to create a whole new world for action movies in the Philippines.

“I think it would do great to bring the Hollywood aspect of action and film making into the Philippines market,” he said.

If his plans push through, the Philippine movie industry would surely benefit from Chan's Hollywood experience. Balitang America

^^That would be great if he did movies in the Philippines. He could become the Ramon Zamora of the new generation :cheers:

^^ Well baka makaya nyang mag ala Tony Jaa.

im very proud of this girl ;)
4F3R0oBGYZ8&feature=related
Glee is even aired here in Australia...keet it up charice..:cheers:

im very proud of this girl ;)
4F3R0oBGYZ8&feature=related
Glee is even aired here in Australia...keet it up charice..:cheers:

^^Guest din ata siya sa Americas Got Talent eh.

'Django' Bustamante captures elusive World 9-Ball title
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 07/06/2010 8:10 AM | Updated as of 07/06/2010 12:40 PM

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Francisco “Django” Bustamante reigned supreme in the 2010 World Pool Championships (World 9-Ball), defeating Taiwanese “The Little" Monster” Kuo Po-cheng, 13-7, in the final.

“Sa wakas nakumpleto na din ang pagiging bilyarista natin. Lahat kasi ito ang pangarap maging WPA World 9-ball champion,” Bustamante said after winning his match at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation hall in Doha, Qatar early Tuesday morning (Manila time).

“Salamat sa Diyos ito na lang ang missing sa career ni Django,” said Philippine Billiards godather Aristeo “Putch” Puyat of Puyat Sports, a long-time benefactor of Bustamante.

On the way to the final, Bustamante beat compatriot Antonio “Nickoy” Lining, 11-5, in the semifinal round to arrange a titular showdown with Kuo who edged Johnny Archer of the United States, 11-10.

Bustamante took the top prize of $36,000, Kuo settled for $18,000 while Lining and Archer got $10,000 each.

The WPA World 9-Ball was Bustamante’s 4th championship this year after previously being a member of the winning Team Asia that routed Team Europe last January 17 in the Asia vs Europe Challenge Match.

He defeated Puyat Sports stable mate Reyes to win the 23rd Annual Japan Open — Open Division in March and took home the inaugural World Professional Billiard League (WPBL) championship in Winnipeg Canada in June.

2002 heartbreak

The World Pool title seemed to be elusive for the Tarlac City native Bustamante.

Although he made it to the World Pool Championships final in 2002 in Cardiff, Wales, he was unsuccessful against American Earl “The Pearl” Strickland.

At the height of the tournament, Bustamante received a shocking phone call from his wife informing him that his daughter, who was less than a year old, had died.

Bustamante strongly considered forfeiting his participation, but his wife somehow convinced him that their child would have wanted him to continue to fight.

In the final, Bustamante was leading Strickland, 15-13, but the American went through with a 17-15 victory. – With reports from Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com and Marlon Bernardino

Proud to be Pinoy
By Marilyn P. Rayray


Late afternoon of May 3, I received a text message from my husband: "Hurry home, Lhyanne has a surprise." I came home to find my daughter waving her cahier de correspondence, a notebook where teachers and parents communicate through notes and messages. There was a message from her teacher saying how brilliantly she had presented her exposition and congratulating us, her parents, for having a smart daughter like Lhyanne.

My daughter was so proud that she monopolized the conversation over dinner about how her classmates were amazed by the islands and the historical places she presented; how they admired the beaches and the culture of the Philippines.

She really had delivered her presentation so well that her classmates had voiced out their plans of asking their parents about visiting the Philippines on their summer holiday.

Nothing can compare to the feeling parents have when they see their child so overjoyed. We knew it wouldn't end there. Knowing our daughter, we expected a series of happy stories about her exposition.

The next day, she spent hours browsing Philippine websites for local animals, pearls, and the islands. She had a pile of printed pictures she planned to distribute to her friends the next day. Before bedtime she remarked, "Philippines is really a paradise. I love the Philippines so much." I nodded in agreement and bade her goodnight.

Thursday night, I came home late from church. I expected my daughter to be sound asleep but she had waited to ask me a question: "Ma, I told the class the Philippines will have a new president because there is an election on May 10. My maître (male teacher) asked me how many presidential candidates there were."

"There are nine, anak. Go to sleep now, it's way past your bedtime."

On Fridays, I get off from my job early. It marks the start of my three-day cooking schedule which ends on Sunday night. I rang the doorbell a couple of times but nobody seemed to hear me. This is weird, I thought. Where's my daughter, who rushes every night to open the door for me? I kept pressing the ringer until I got tired and dialed our phone number instead. My son picked it up. "What's taking you so long," I complained.

Apparently, he was in the bathroom and expected his sister to open the door. I walked into our bedroom looking for my daughter. There she was on our bed, lying on her stomach, sobbing.

"What's the matter, anak? Are you sick?"

"Is it true, Mama?"

She sat up on our bed and gave me a look of disbelief. "Ma, my friends said what I said in the exposition about the Philippines was not true. Their parents said they don't want to visit the Philippines, kasi c'est dangereux daw. There are many crimes and terrorists. And my teacher said our government is corrupt, maybe that's why so many want to be president. This isn't true, huh Ma? I hate him," she said and burst into tears.

I held her tightly to my breast. I too was heartbroken (http://blogs.inquirer.net/livingabroad/2010/07/04/philippine-history-lessons-in-paris/). I couldn't say a word. I pacified her somehow because she stopped crying and her shoulders steadied. She rose and asked, "Why are we here, Mama?" She bombarded me with her whys. "Why did we leave our country? Bakit po, Ma? Ang Philippines ang pinaka-beautiful country, di ba? Why do we live here? Can we just go back and stay there, forever?"

I bit my lip. I closed my eyes; I didn't know how to answer. I pulled her back to my chest and kissed her head while caressing her hair gently whispering, "You'll understand in time, mahal ko."

**

Last June 30, I felt my daughter approaching while I was undoing the laces of my sneakers. "Ma, I watched Noynoy kanina," she said, referring to the televised inaugural address of President Benigno Aquino III.

I sat up straight and grabbed her two hands while examining her eyes. "So how was it? How did it go?"

She sat on my lap, her nose wrinkled. "He spoke Tagalog. Ma, I would like to understand everything that he said."

"Sure thing darling...Go turn on the computer and I'll follow after putting the groceries away."

^^ Just posted the whole story in the tourism blog a few days ago...

Pinoy sets out on solo expedition to South Pole
philstar



MANILA, Philippines - A 59-year-old Filipino adventurer is set to embark on a solo expedition to the South Pole in Antarctica to dramatize his crusade to declare South Pole as the first line of defense against global warming and break the Guinness record of trekking overland on ice without the use of dogs or mechanized vehicles.

“I will attempt to break the world record of 33 days’ journey across the South Pole,” said Bob del Castillo during a broadcasters forum at the Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City.

He said he has been training for the last two years in preparation for the South Pole journey and part of his training was the recent climb of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, 14,000 feet above sea level.

Upon his descent from the mountain, he said the first news that met him was that a big chunk of ice – as big as Jamaica – had drifted away from the North Pole, a sign that global warming is taking its toll.

“I want to send the message to the world that if there is a fight against global warming it must be carried out at the South Pole,” he said.

Del Castillo, who claimed to be an “extreme sports” enthusiast, said he intends to ski across the South Pole in 30 days to break the record of 33 days held by a Canadian adventurer.

He said he would leave for New Zealand in August to train in ice-skiing and other techniques. In the first week of November, he will begin his expedition across Iceland.

“Hopefully I will be back the first week of December,” he said.

'Paolo's Journey'

http://www.cbcpnews.com/files/images/mb.preview.jpg

Archbishop Socrates Villegas plays “Paolo’s Journey”, a 3D computer game based on Pope Benedict XVI’s Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which Fr. Maximo Villanueva (right) developed for the kids. The computer game is the church first-ever video game with “catechetical value.”

Source: http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/14030

CBCP to launch its first 3D video game

MANILA, July 8, 2010—The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has created its first ever video game for kids with “catechetical value.”

The CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) will launch it during a press conference on Friday, July 9.

CBCP has developed the first game called “Paolo’s Journey” within the Commission itself and is available for PC and Mac users.

“Paolo’s Journey is a 3D video game based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The video game was developed and will be presented by Fr. Maximo Villanueva, Jr. of the Balanga diocese who studied computer animation at the New York Film Academy in New York City.

The creation of the video game is also in coordination with the Studio of Secret6, Inc, the CBCP added.

Speakers of the 10:00 a.m. press conference at the CBCP Media Office in Intramuros, Manila include ECCCE chairman Archbishop Socrates Villegas and Christian Victor Arellano of Studio of Secret6, Inc. (CBCPNews).

Source: http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/14023



At eto ang box art na ginawa ko para sa game.....
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/605/paolos.jpg

:lol: :hilarious :lol: :hilarious

^^ Freeware ba yan? Sorry church. Fail.

According sa GMA news, balak daw nila IBENTA un game :hilarious

^^ Para makakuha ng pondo? Please... They will only get my support back if they tackle more pressing issues

^^ Freeware ba yan? Sorry church. Fail.

nakita mo na ba yung game for you to make that judgement? why are you even assuming that you're a target market for the game?


fail.

^^ Wala pa, and that's why it's a big fail as well. I may not be the target market but this is a pathetic attempt to evangelize. So fail.

I respect your attempt to put justice to this game, but this is a fail for me.

that's stupid I think, judging something without seeing or experiencing it, not even a picture of it :ohno:

Open kaya sa public testing un game? Parang gusto kong tulungan un development team :lol:

Open kaya sa public testing un game? Parang gusto kong tulungan un development team :lol:


sorry, para sa mga holy lang yun:D

don't even think of getting it in Divisoria
piracy is a sin:D
gusto mo mapunta sa hell:lol:

^^Amf, Balak ko pa naman ipirata un game :lol:

^^ Baka gawing beta testers yung mga estudyante. :D

^^Amf, Balak ko pa naman ipirata un game :lol:

Naku, christian pa namn ang name mo:D

Wow!! Charice album is now selling in Japan! July 7 pa pala ito nagstart...:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Naku, christian pa namn ang name mo:D

Ironic diba? :naughty:

Wow!! Charice album is now selling in Japan! July 7 pa pala ito nagstart...:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Is it selling like hotcakes?

Man if you make it big in Japan, it's something. Japanese Edition CDs are like 3 American CD prices in 1 kaya sobrang mahal.

kaya mahal kasi di nila naiintindihan:D toinks.


good for Charice:D

WWE Veteran Batista Trains With Cesar Gracie:)
Posted By steverattlesnake On 08 Jul 2010.

http://prommanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Batista.jpg

On Wednesday, former professional wrestler Dave Batista began a two-day training camp at Cesar Gracie’s California facility. Batista has been negotiating with Strikeforce, and the promotion was instrumental is setting up the training experience.

Batista walked away from the WWE after working for the company for eight years. There he was pushed as one of the industry’s top stars and headlined some of their biggest shows. Like many professional wrestlers turning to MMA, he reportedly became disillusions with the business and the grueling touring schedule.

Gracie told Sherdog.com that Batista’s training partner Imani Lee wished to train with the camp after fighting on Dream 14 with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. Ultimately, Strikeforce made the connection and allowed the two to train with the camp. Also in the Sherdog report, Gracie described Batista as a “natural athlete” and says “if he can put it all together he could be a very formidable force.”

Former WWE stars have recently made an impact in the MMA world. UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar was once one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling. Another WWE star, Bobby Lashley he fought multiple times for Strikeforce.

source (http://steverattlesnake.cliquezone.com/archives/181)

US Filipino teachers group gets Democracy Award

INQUIRER.net First Posted 13:30:00 07/11/2010 Filed Under: Education, Justice & Rights, Labor

MANILA, Philippines—A newly formed Filipino teachers group based in Louisiana received on July 9 an award from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a large US-wide union of teachers and professionals, the Partido ng Manggagawa said in a news release Sunday.

The Filipino Educators Federation of Louisiana (FEFL) was awarded the President’s International Democracy Award during the annual AFT convention. This award was created two years ago by AFT “to highlight the continuing struggle for human rights around the world.”

In an earlier letter to FEFL informing of the award, AFT stated, “We have selected your organization for your perseverance in fighting against the abusive treatment of placement agencies, its dedication to promote the rights and welfare of all educators and migrants, and its commitment to the democratic and legal system.”

In the letter addressed to Ingrid Jomento-Cruz, founding president of FEFL, AFT further said, “AFT leaders and staff have witnessed the immense courage you and your colleagues have displayed in the face of great adversity.”

Jomento-Cruz, also an active member of AFT, received the award in behalf of the Filipino teachers group. Jomento-Cruz and other Filipino teachers have been instrumental in organizing the efforts of Filipino migrant teachers against the abuses of their recruitment agency, Universal Placement International (UPI) and its Philippine-based counterpart, PARS International.

Jomento-Cruz was also accorded as the International Honoree title during the same event.

The efforts of the Filipino teachers, in coordination with AFT and other groups, resulted in initial legal victories including the decision by Louisiana Workforce Commission ordering UPI to refund up to $1.8 million in fees to the teachers.

In her acceptance speech, Jomento-Cruz cited how AFT helped them revisit a Filipino virtue of bayanihan. “It is most impressively displayed in the old tradition of neighbors helping a relocating family by getting enough volunteers to literally carry the house on their shoulders and moving it to its new and better location.”

“And believe it or not, that act is done with happy, festive, and un-expecting disposition. We can clearly see then that these heroes in the community collectively work and sacrifice for each other and be heroes to one another. In essence, bayanihan is all but one with the spirit of unionism.”

“AFT made us realized a strong message of being heroes in our own ways united as a potent force, unloading each other’s burden, pushing common goals and aspirations with pride and dignity,” added Jomento-Cruz.

The ongoing AFT convention, held in Seattle, Washington, was attended by more than 3,000 union members and guests from labor and union network all over world. Filipinos were well represented in the convention with Filipino migrant teachers as delegates from different states including Baltimore, Washington DC, California, and Louisiana.

International guests also included Philippine-based organizations: Annie Geron, Secretary General of Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) and Ian Seruelo, US-based liaison officer of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM). PM and PSLINK have been supporting the organizing, campaign, and legal efforts of Filipino teachers.

The formation of FEFL earlier this year marked the unified and coordinated action by migrant Filipino teachers in Louisiana to push back against the exploitative practices of their placement agencies. The founding objectives of FEFL include the following: to help Filipino teachers and workers who are victims of trafficking, oppressive forms of recruitment, and unfair labor practices; to implement campaigns to pursue justice and enforce the rights of migrant teachers and workers; to advocate for the promotion of the welfare of migrant workers both in the US and in the Philippines, and to raise public awareness about the plight of migrant teachers and workers as a whole.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100711-280428/US-Filipino-teachers-group-gets-Democracy-Award

Congratulations!:cheers:
UST Singers bag 2010 'Choir of the World' prize
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sites/default/files/a_images/people/others/UST%20singers.jpg
By Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at 07/12/2010 9:19 AM | Updated as of 07/12/2010 10:16 AM

LONDON - The University of Sto. Tomas Singers made history on Saturday when they bagged the Choir of the World- Luciano Pavarotti Grand Prize at the 2010 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, in Wales, UK -- the oldest and most prestigious choir competition in the world.

The group has earned many awards and recognition internationally but the newest title is very special for the group. It won the same award in 1995, making it the first and only Filipino and Asian choir to win the celebrated award twice.

The Choir of the World competition (COTW), which is the highlight of the festival, is exclusive for the 1st prize winners of 5 major choir categories: Mixed Choir, Chamber Choir, All-Male Choir, All-Female Choir and Barbershop/Close Harmony Choir.

The UST Singers won the top prize in the Mixed Choir Category, which qualified the group for the COTW competition.

In the COTW competition, the UST Singers triumphed over 4 champion choirs: the Cywair Choir of Wales, winner of the Chamber Choir category and also a Choir of the World winner in 2005; the White Rossettes Choir of England, winner of Barbershop/Close Harmony Choir; Cantabile Choir of Limburg, Germany , winner of the All-Male Choir Category, and the Chanterelles Choir of England, the winner of All-Female choir.

The COTW trophy is named after the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who started his career as a singer at the same Llangollen International Musical Eistedfodd stage in 1955 when he was a choirboy in an All-Male Choir in Modena, Italy. His choir emerged as the All-Male Choir Champion in the same competition in 1955. The Pavarotti name was added to the COTW title in 2005.

The University of Santo Tomas Singers was founded in 1992. It is a mixed choral ensemble composed of a select group of students and alumni representing the different colleges and faculties of the oldest university in Asia.

The group, under the baton of Prof. Fidel G. Calalang Jr., is completing its tour in some European cities before returning to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, another entry from the Philippines, the DLSU Chorale, also won 2nd place in the Chamber Choirs category.

^^ I'm proud... We have to hone our choral talent and produce original material.

Now, if I could only find their CD for my OPM collection.

Donaire saves day for RP:cheers:
By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star) Updated July 12, 2010 12:00 AM

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7506/spo2hires.jpg
Interim WBA superflyweight champion Nonito ‘Filipino Flash’ Donaire moves in to attack Mexico’s Hernan Marquez en route to an eighth round TKO win in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


MANILA, Philippines - Unable to goad big-name fighters into the ring, interim WBA superflyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. vented his frustrations on Mexico’s Hernan (Tyson) Marquez and scored a convincing eighth round stoppage to soften the impact of two Filipino losses on the same card at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico last Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time).

Donaire, 27, looked exceptionally sharp as he mowed down Marquez in devastating fashion. A southpaw, Marquez had never been knocked out before but Donaire walked all over him, dropping the Mexican in the fifth and sending him down once more in the eighth with a vicious left uppercut. Referee Roberto Ramirez waved it off at 2:59 of the eighth.

Switch-hitting to confuse Marquez, Donaire started out boxing southpaw and appeared to bewilder his opponent who is a natural left-hander. Then, Donaire turned orthodox starting the fifth round, confounding Marquez even more.

Shorter by about three inches, Marquez fought courageously and tried to work inside Donaire’s jab but was just not in the Filipino Flash’s class.

Before the bout, Donaire said it would be his last outing in the 115-pound division. The former IBF flyweight champion plans to invade the 118-pound ranks and hopes to challenge WBC bantamweight titleholder Fernando Montiel who stakes his crown against Panama’s Rafael Concepcion in Mexico this Saturday. Concepcion, who was outpointed by Donaire last year for the vacant interim WBA superflyweight belt, is a late replacement for Puerto Rico’s Eric Morel who backed out supposedly due to a training injury.

Donaire’s manager Cameron Dunkin has been frantically trying to lure Montiel, Morel, Jorge Arce and Vic Darchinyan for a marquee duel but nobody is stepping up to the plate. Although he is not a holder of a “regular” world title, Donaire is ranked No. 4 in the Ring Magazine world pound-for-pound ladder.

Donaire raised his record to 24-1, with 16 KOs. Marquez, 21, has now lost back-to-back to Filipinos. Last March, he was decisioned by Richie Mepranum in Grapevine, Texas.

There was some concern about Donaire making the superflyweight limit but he proved critics wrong by scaling 114 1/2 pounds for the fight, showing remarkable discipline in the gym.

“I was very confident going in,” said Donaire who will be in Manila with his wife Rachel in a week. “I wanted some more rounds and knew I could figure him out right away. I took some beating but I think I needed that.”

Two other Filipinos on the card were not as fortunate.

Bernabe Concepcion of Virac, Catanduanes, engaged WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico in a slugfest from the onset and paid a hefty price for his gamble. Both fighters were floored in a fiery first round then Lopez took control in the second, decking Concepcion twice before ending it at 2:37.

It was a test of strength as Concepcion and Lopez tried to overpower each other. Neither backed off and fireworks were on display right from the start. But Lopez’ arsenal was clearly superior as he improved his record to 29-0, with 26 KOs. It was the first knockout loss for Concepcion whose mark dipped to 28-4-1, with 15 KOs.

Lopez got off to a strong start, flooring Concepcion with a powerful left hook. Then, in a stunning recovery, Concepcion threw a left hook that dropped Lopez late in the first round. The Filipino was trapped in a corner under heavy fire when he landed a desperate counter to put Lopez down. But in the second, Concepcion had nothing left. Lopez floored Concepcion twice before referee Luis Pabon stepped in to halt the carnage. Concepcion hit his head on the padded ringpost in the final knockdown. He was distraught in the end but clearly in no position to continue, his rubbery legs betraying an unstable condition.

Working Concepcion’s corner were Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri and Argentinian cutman Miguel Diaz – all from Manny Pacquiao’s camp.

Eden Sonsona of General Santos City seemed to be on the verge of victory after taking an early lead then ran out of steam, no thanks to a blistering body attack by Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo. Losing his composure, Sonsona was docked a point for a headbutt but Oquendo also lost a point for a low blow in a bizarre eighth round that closed with the Filipino crashing to the canvas along the ropes from a right straight.

In the ninth, Oquendo went in for the kill and used another right straight to drop Sonsona. This time, Sonsona stayed on the canvas and was counted out at the 1:05 mark. The win rewarded Oquendo with the North American Boxing Organization superbantamweight title.

Sonsona, 21, showed his vulnerability in the fight. Two years ago, he surrendered to Silence Mabuza in an IBO bantamweight title match in South Africa after suffering a knockdown in the eighth round – the first sign of a small heart. Against Oquendo, Sonsona didn’t bother beating the count, didn’t struggle to get back on his feet and gave up on the seat of his pants. His record fell to 21-6 with seven KOs. The defeat ended Sonsona’s streak of six straight wins.

kaya mahal kasi di nila naiintindihan:D toinks.


good for Charice:D

Not only in Japan ito selling, sa iba't ibang ugar sa Asia: Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore...:)

RP team bags gold in international IT competition:cheers:

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:34:00 07/13/2010

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Good news, Infotech

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines bagged first place in an international technology competition after a team of young students developed a game aimed at battling poverty, environmental pollution, and other social issues.

Team By Implication, consisting of students from the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines, got the $25,000 cash prize at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Game Design competition with its entry titled Wildfire.

The game asks players to battle poverty, gender inequality and environmental degradation and save the world by social action and volunteerism.

Inspired by the spirit of volunteerism displayed during and after the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana), Team By Implication developed Wildfire that centers on the idea that social problems can be addressed if people will work together.

“After the havoc wreaked by Typhoon Ketsana, we saw that Filipinos responded immediately and actively to disaster efforts. We were moved by this and Wildfire demonstrates the amazing things people can achieve when and if they work together,” said Philip Cheang of Team By Implication.

Team By Implication outshined 400 other students from around the world.

“We at Microsoft Philippines are very proud of Team By Implication and we congratulate them on this big achievement,” said Tim Vergel de Dios, Academic Developer Evangelist, Microsoft Philippines.

“Their victory shows the innovative minds of the Filipino youth and their great potential to help solve real-world problems, with the help of technology,” he added.

Student teams competed in five categories: Software Design, Embedded Development, Game Design, IT Challenge, and Digital Media.

The Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals will be held in New York City. To learn about the Imagine Cup 2011, visit http://www.imaginecup.com.

Filipino students win in int’l math contest
By JONATHAN M. HICAP
July 14, 2010, 10:48am

The Philippines bagged 11 medals, including one courtesy of a Muntinlupa student, to place second overall in an international math contest in Hong Kong.

According to the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), 13-year-old Adrian Reginald Sy, Grade 6 student of St. Jude Catholic School in Manila, was the lone gold medalist in the 16-member Philippine team in the 13th Po Leung Kuk Primary World Mathematics Competition, which was held from July 10 to 13 in Hong Kong.

Dr. Simon Chua and Rechilda Villame, MTG president and vice president respectively, said Sy was one of only seven gold medalists in the annual math tilt.

Besides Sy, the Philippine team also bagged two silvers and eight bronze medals. The country tied with math powerhouse China for second place.

Chua said the silver medalists are John Thomas Chuatak from St. Stephen's High School in Manila and Farrell Eldrian Wu from MGC New Life Christian Academy in Taguig.

The bronze medalists are Rafael Jose Santiago from PAREF Southridge School in Muntinlupa City, Andrew Lawrence Sy from St. Jude Catholic School, Ethan Riley Chan from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Ezekiel Christian Ong from UNO High School, Jonn Angel Aranas from Makati Science High School, Francis Concepcion from Philippine Cultural College, Benedict Ryan Tiu from St. Stephen's High School, and Clyde Lawrence Sy from Chiang Kai Shek College.

MTG trained the students that competed in the Hong Kong contest.

“Filipino students have once again proven their enormous talent in mathematics,” Dr. Chua said.

The other members of Philippine team are Allen Cedrick Domingo from San Beda College-Alabang in Muntinlupa City, Deanne Rochelle Abdao from Integrated Montessori School, Jimuel Lara from UP Integrated School, Jasper John Segismundo from Pasig Catholic School, and Jason Carlo Carranceja from Grace Christian College.
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/266773/

Pinoy MMA fighter wins title in Martial Combat 5
abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 07/15/2010 5:07 PM | Updated as of 07/15/2010 5:13 PM
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/323229/Eduard_Folayang_vs_Dooje_Chung_5_small.jpg
Eduard "Landslide" Folayang

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Eduard "Landslide" Folayang carved out a unanimous decision against his Mongolian foe to take the Superfight lightweight title in Martial Combat 5 at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on Wednesday.

According to ESPNStar.com, it was a hard fight for Folayang who had to deal with Bao She Ri Gu Leng’s efficient stand-up action in the first 2 rounds of their superfight.

The Filipino, however, was able to take down the Mongolian in the next 2 rounds, pummeling his foe with ground-and-pound.

All three judges awarded the contest to Folayang.

"I had a tough fight tonight, he was very quick,” Folayang admitted to ESPNStar.com.

“Every round, I persisted to win, and in the fourth round I knew I would win it. I was more prepared in this fight because I was able to execute my technique well,” he added.

Folayang also thanked the Filipino fans who trooped to Resorts World Sentosa to watch his fight.

“I am proud that so many Filipino people came to see me fight and I would like to thank them all," he said.

Pinoy teachers group receive top US education award
Posted on July 12th, 2010 under The Good Balita

An association of Filipino teachers based in Louisiana, US, received Saturday a prestigious award from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an education sector labor union with almost one million members.
The Filipino Educators Federation of Lousiana (FEFL) was bestowed the President’s International Democracy Award at the ongoing AFT convention in Seattle, Washington.
The award was created two years ago by AFT “to highlight the continuing struggle for human rights around the world.”
News of the award reached Manila through the workers group, Partido ng Manggagawa (Workers’ Party), which has been helping Filipino teachers here and abroad organize themselves.
In a letter to FEFL founding president Ingrid Jomento-Cruz, the AFT said: “We have selected your organization for your perseverance in fighting against the abusive treatment of placement agencies, its dedication to promote the rights and welfare of all educators and migrants, and its commitment to the democratic and legal system.”
AFT said its leaders and staff “have witnessed the immense courage you and your colleagues have displayed in the face of great adversity.”
FEFL has been instrumental in organizing Filipino migrant teachers against the alleged abuses of recruitment agency Universal Placement International (UPI) and its Philippine-based counterpart, PARS International.
With the help of AFT and other groups, the efforts of the Filipino teachers resulted in initial legal victories, including a decision by the Louisiana Workforce Commission ordering UPI to refund up to $1.8 million (about P83.6 million) in fees to the teachers.
Another complaint has been filed with the US Department of Labor.
Three years ago, Cruz and about 300 Filipino teachers were flown to Louisiana for jobs which, their recruiter promised, would give them a salary of $40,000 annually.
The Filipinos protested inflated fees, commissions and rents that their recruiter tried to collect from them in return for their US work visas.
In her acceptance speech, Cruz cited how AFT helped them revisit the Filipino tradition of “bayanihan.”
“It is most impressively displayed in the old tradition of neighbors helping a relocating family by getting enough volunteers to literally carry the house on their shoulders and move it to a new and better location. And believe it or not, the act is done with a happy, festive disposition. We can clearly see the heroes in the community collectively work and sacrifice for each other. In essence, bayanihan is all but one with the spirit of unionism,” she said.
(Story courtesy of Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Charice's Pyramid is now ranked number 8 in Japan's Billboard Hot 100. :cheers:

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/japan-hot-100

^^ that's good news.


Philippine team’s eco-friendly business plan wins Jade Award
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=594473
One of the outstanding corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects of global financial leader HSBC is addressing those questions with their annual HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards (HSBC YEA) Regional Competition, which was recently held at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur Hotel in Malaysia. It is an annual business plan writing competition held in various countries in Asia, with the top winning teams competing in the HSBC YEA. It hopes to cultivate young people’s interest in entrepreneurship, challenging college students to create innovative and commercially viable business ideas.

Of the six international teams competing in Kuala Lumpur, one of the best-prepared was the Philippines’ Delta Eco team of Ateneo de Manila University management students Wylie Emille Datu and Maria Isobelle Lacsamana who were supported by HSBC Philippines VP for Corporate Affairs Johanna Garcia and AVP Cat Avelino, and also coached by Ateneo’s Gokongwei School of Management dean and professor Rudy Ang.

The Philippine team won third place or the Jade Award which comes with an HSBC self-development fund of HK$10,000. Their product, Eco Plast, is a range of unique flooring materials for sidewalks developed out of wastes and in partnership with NGO Gawad Kalinga. Ice Lacsamana told The Philippine STAR: “We thank HSBC Philippines for the support, to Professor Rudy Ang and most especially to our three mentors in our social entrepreneurship class Pam de Silva, Johnny Filart and Hector Guballa. My long-term dream is to start my own firm in the field of social entrepreneurship, which we learned from Ateneo’s Gokongwei School of Management.”

Johanna Garcia explained that the Delta Eco team won in the Philippine championships, which had 120 college teams from universities and colleges participating nationwide. Every year, college students are encouraged to submit their proposed business plans which are then evaluated by a panel of judges from HSBC Philippines and leaders in the business community. HSBC has been successfully doing business in the country for 135 years and includes HSBC Savings Bank.

Along with the various Philippine finalists invited by HSBC Philippines to Malaysia, including recent Ateneo graduates Rigel Cua, Julian Tan and Jeremy Pe, the judges for the Philippine competition this year included HSBC Philippines’ outgoing president Mark Watkinson (he’s moving to Canada and Tony Cripps is the new CEO starting August 1), JG Summit Holdings chairman James L. Go, Josephine Gotianun-Yap of Filinvest Group, Fernando Zobel de Ayala of the Ayala Group and Ramon del Rosario, Jr. of Phinma Group.

RP tops in game design; other math notes

By Queena Lee-Chua
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:17:00 07/18/2010

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Education

MA. Regina Estuar, chair of the Ateneo de Manila University computer science and information systems department, has good news.

An interdisciplinary team composed of Wilhansen Li (computer science/mathematics), Rodrick Tan (management engineering), Philip Cheang (fine arts-information design) and Levi Tan-Ong (chemical engineering, University of the Philippines) was first place in the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup World Finals for Game Design in Warsaw, Poland.:cheers:

An annual Microsoft competition, the Imagine Cup has five categories: software design, embedded development, digital media, information technology challenge, and game design.

In the early 2000s, Ateneo also won in the contest when it was still the Microsoft Net Competition. Since it was renamed the Imagine Cup in 2003, our team has made it to the world finals three times. This year we finally emerged champions.

No to $1 million

Reclusive Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman was awarded in March the $1 million Clay Math Institute Millennium Prize for solving the famous Poincare Conjecture. A few weeks ago, he announced that his decision not to accept the money was final.

In 1900, French mathematician Henri Poincare postulated a complex problem in topology, the study of properties of objects that are stretched, deformed or twisted, but not broken up.

The conjecture sounds esoteric, and the simplest explanation is found in Wikipedia: “The Poincare conjecture is a theorem about the characterization of the three-dimensional sphere among three-dimensional manifolds. The claim concerns a space that locally looks like ordinary three-dimensional space, but is connected, finite in size, and lacks any boundary. The conjecture claims that if such a space has the additional property that each loop in the space can be continuously tightened to a point, then it is necessarily a three-dimensional sphere.”

As convoluted as it may sound, topology has important applications in industry, engineering, geometry. Many mathematicians have tried to crack the conjecture, but no one has succeeded, until Perelman provided the proof in 2002 and 2003.

In 2006, Perelman turned down the Fields Medal (the math equivalent of the Nobel). This time, he declined the Millennium Prize, saying he was only following in the footsteps of another mathematician.

I am not sure I agree with Perelman’s decision, but I admire him for his devotion to intellectual pursuits. He solved the conjecture not for the prize but for the sheer joy of exploration, something sorely lacking in this mercenary world.

May his example inspire other scientists (and artists) to renew their dedication to their craft above all else.

Singapore math

Valerie Hizon writes: I was your student in the Edu-Psych class (you conducted for) the Xavier School teachers. I was wondering if you could refer me to somebody who could teach/train me and a couple of my teachers to do Singapore math. Apparently, a progressive preschool is supposed to start familiarizing students with the Singapore math style to prepare them for the big school. We have students that are already verbal from 4 years old to 6 years old. This training would really help our kids.

My reply: I have been receiving a lot of queries on Singapore math. For the record, I think if the teachers are trained well, it can be a good method for kids to understand math.

Xavier is one of the schools already doing Singapore math. I think their teachers can help you. Ask the math teachers who were in my class with you.

There are other schools doing the model approach, and they may have training sessions for their teachers that you can join. Many centers specializing in Singapore math are opening up, but I am not certain about their quality.

Australian math

Blessie S. Luzarita of Iloilo City writes: May I seek your help in confirming if Australian Math is a bona fide math organization? I have checked their website but it seems that access to further information is for members only and requires a password.

My reply: The Australian Mathematical Society is the umbrella society of math in Australia, with website at www.austms.org.au. They are a bona fide organization and most, if not all, of their members are teaching math in Australia.

Numberland

Beth Mabugay says: The book “Alex’s Adventures in Numberland” may interest you. I am sending a link to a review in the Independent on May 21 (www.independent.co.uk).

My reply: Thank you for your suggestion. I have not yet read an actual copy (I don’t think the book has reached our shores) but, from the reviews on the Net, I think the book is worth reading.

Alex Bellos approaches math in a spirit of fun. Using stories and anecdotes instead of equations, Bellos takes the reader on a journey from geometry and numbers to probability and computers, with snippets of fascinating trivia. I look forward to reading this book soon.

E-mail the author at blessbook@yahoo.com.

'Lola' wins Best Film at Rome Asian filmfest
by Boy Villasanta, abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 07/19/2010 1:52 PM | Updated as of 07/19/2010 1:57 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Brillante Mendoza’s “Lola” won Best Film anew this time at the 8th edition of the Asian Film Festival held in Rome late last week.

In a text message from Mendoza, he said that he is once again proud and happy about the Philippines as he competed in the world famous festival.

“This is not only a birthday gift for me but most especially, to the glory of the Philippines,” Mendoza beamed.

“Lola” was shown on July 14 side by side with another Mendoza's award-winning work, “Kinatay (The Execution of P)” that won him the Best Director of the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival.

A phalanx of Asian films, mostly from awarded filmmakers, were exhibited in the international film event. Among those screened were South Korea’s Park Chan-Wook’s “Thirst,” Hong Kong’s Stanley Kwan’s “Rogue” and “Women,” Vietnam’s Dang Nhat Mihn’s “Don’t Bury,” Taiwan’s Ann Hui’s “Night and Fog,” Japan’s Matsumoto Hitoshi’s “Symbol,” the last 3 were among the 17 entries which competed against “Lola.”

Mendoza’s citation reads as follows: “For the extraordinary narrative grace which has conjugate an almost documentary glance about the dignity of the poorer classes’ life, to a subtle ability to create characters made of a huge humanity. Mendoza does that with an incredible directorial skill in the use of space, time and light, that are perfectly inherent to a story where lightness and drama are combined together, to return us a profound reflection on the meaning of the bitter-sweet life.”

Brillante will celebrate his natal day on July 30. -Report by Boy Villasanta, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Not really world class but something to ponder...

Avid airports
CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren (The Philippine Star) Updated July 17, 2010 12:00 AM

Press reports on the selection of a new Tourism Secretary, Bertie Lim, have been positive. Secretary Lim’s quotes regarding the direction he plans to take Philippine tourism under his watch have been met with general approval, or at least by most everyone save resort operators in Boracay.

Philippine tourism clearly has a long way to go before it can hit any level close to our ASEAN neighbors. Many cite Thailand’s 13 million, Malaysia’s 10 million and Singapore’s nine or so million visitors last year, and compare these numbers to our measly three million (bloated, some say, by the inclusion of balikbayans).

Previous administrations have focused mainly on marketing, but no marketing effort will be of use if access to destinations is difficult or if the destinations themselves are lacking in quality, variety and visitor-friendliness.

Our problems with access have been highlighted in the last few weeks when technical deficiencies with our premier airport caused diversions of flights. If you consider that NAIA is the top airport in the country then one cannot blame international airline bodies and foreign countries for blacklisting the country.

Even if we are able to land planes safely, we are met with another big problem. Our airport terminals suck. The original Locsin-designed airport — the NAIA 1 — is so poorly maintained that it looks like a Philippine government building complete with stinky toilets, peeling floor tiles and air-conditioning conking out every so often. The terminal’s baggage handling equipment is inadequate and only operate if helped by personnel who (to the surprise of many a foreign traveller) clamber through the conveyor tunnels to help push things along.

Okay, I must admit that NAIA II is still in fairly good shape, but even this is starting to look worn; again as seen in the awful and inadequate toilet facilities, and deficiencies arising from using it as an international airport when it was originally meant to be our new domestic terminal.

The NAIA III, on the other hand, is a big white elephant, which can only be partly used because of legal impediments. It was supposed to open close to a decade ago and its design is from the 1990s. The terminal will be semi-obsolete before we can see it fully operational (note the old CRT displays when Chek Lap Kok, Changi and other regional airports use flatscreen displays).

In fact, the whole complex of three airports plus the remaining domestic terminal that dates from the 1950s fail to function as an integrated complex. Tourists are met with this mess, woefully trying to get connections that often require traversing through Manila traffic (and the obvious blight that surrounds the complex). When they do get these connections to island or provincial destinations, they arrive at airport terminals that suck even more!

Few provincial terminals come close to acceptable standards of design, aesthetics and functionality. Often, if new, they last a year or so before they are altered (read disfigured) by incompetent managers. Many are badly designed in the first place, with undersized spaces for check-in counters, uncomfortable waiting lounges and yes, grubby toilets and bad air-conditioning. How do we expect tourists to visit us again, or tell their friends to visit, if the first and the last impression of the Philippines (or any of its touted attractions) involve sweating it out on broken plastic chairs and dealing with waterless comfort rooms?

Even when some tourists manage to avoid the usual discomforts of Philippine air travel, the first and last impressions of the Philippines is through airports that have little to show in terms of Philippine architecture and design value. The last two NAIA airports were designed by foreign architects. Both lack much of anything to lend it Filipino cultural flavor. Neither boasts Philippine art or sculpture. Spaces and articulation of facades and interiors feel cold and foreign with little of the supposedly renowned warmth and hospitality of the Filipino.

For provincial terminals and island destinations like Caticlan, the gateway to Boracay, the feeling is even worse. The structures look like they were designed and built by the lowest bidder. The architectural and aesthetic design values of many border on the non-existent. Often they look no better than warehouses or glorified sheds.

Airport terminals are one of the dream projects of any architect, yet Filipino designers are rarely given the chance to apply their creative talent for this building type. With this in mind, BluPrint magazine, of which I am editor in chief, selected this design problem for its first Annual Visionary Design Competition (Avid) late last year.

The competition is meant to discover new talent in architecture and related design fields. For the airport challenge, the focus was on an island destination airport based on the Caticlan/Boracay situation but meant as a hypothetic al model for a small airport that we sorely need if we are to open up more than just one single island to the world.

Six finalists were chosen by a board of judges that included myself, renowned architect Bong Recio, the legendary architect Willy Coscolluela, multi-awarded graphic designer/multi-media artist Robert Alejandro, and former Tourism Secretary Narz Lim.

Heavy emphasis was put on creativity and originality. The finalists were architect Mario S. Dagdagan for “Banig,” a design based on the tampipi, our native luggage; architects Sherwin Z. Abad and Jelina Frances Dimaguila for “Bio-Diver-City,” modelled on the structure of corals; architect Kris Elix S. Zalavarria, who took inspiration from sea waves; architect John Patrick L. Buensalido for “Sculpted. Spp.,” another design based on coral reefs; architects Jonathan Kim Jimenez, Deo Alrashid Trevecedo Alam, and interior designer Stephanie Ellen Nubla Sy for “Ten Sails” based obviously on sails. The winning entry, “Tropical Transience,” was designed by architects Gabriel P. Limgenco and Raissa Gallemit with Sherwin Jason Ang and Rolando Aranag. Their structure was patterned after leaves, specifically tropical palm fronds.

All six entries endeavored to imbue their designs with an understanding of Filipino cultural use of space as well as requirements of local and international tourists. The designs were all expressive and exuberant. They all, of course, looked much better than the boxy, non-descript lumps of concrete and galvanized roofing that we now have masquerading as airport terminals.

I do hope that the new administration and the new tourism head look hard at improving tourism infrastructure. Our airports, their equipment and runways are a good place to start. We cannot have a tourism industry without first getting our tourist over here safely and in style. This is not just for tourists, by the way, but for all citizens and Filipino businesses to benefit from.

Finally, I do hope Filipino architects, interior designers, landscape architects, lighting designers, artists and sculptors, engineers and contractors are given priority in designing our new airport and terminal complexes. The talent is obviously there otherwise why would our creative designers be in such demand overseas?

The designs for our airports should be visionary. They should project the best of Filipino art and architecture, interiors and landscape, evoking our cultural specificity and exuding our warmth and welcoming nature. Visitors, local and foreign, should be able to recall the initial experience of arrival and end their stay with delight. First impressions do last and last impressions will ensure tourist come back for more.

* * *

Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

Charice's Pyramid is now ranked number 8 in Japan's Billboard Hot 100. :cheers:

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/japan-hot-100

And now, the song moved up to number 4!!!

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/japan-hot-100


Way to go Charice!!!:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::banana::banana::banana::banana:

And now, the song moved up to number 4!!!

http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/japan-hot-100


Way to go Charice!!!:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Sikat na nga siya kasi napapansin na siya eh.


New York magazine site says Botoxed Charice missed the message of Glee, Perez Hilon calls it "SICK!!!"
Published: 20th of July, 2010

http://www.spot.ph/the-feed/46135/new-york-magazine-site-says-botoxed-charice-missed-the-message-of-glee

NYMag.com says in this Vulture bit posted on July 19: "Filipina singer Charice, dubbed by Oprah the 'Most Talented Girl in the World,' is scheduled to appear on the upcoming season of Glee as a foreign-exchange student and rival to Lea Michele's Rachel Berry. To prepare, the 18-year-old has gotten Botox and an anti-aging procedure 'to look fresh on camera.' A 'celebrity cosmetic surgeon' said the operation was intended to make Charice's 'naturally round face' more narrow, all but forcing Glee creator Ryan Murphy to rewrite Charice's episode to contain the message: It's important to love and embrace one's naturally round face as it is.'"

The hit Golden-Globe-winning musical-comedy-drama TV series centers on high school outcasts who join the school glee club where they find solace and fulfillment in their musical talents rather than their looks or popularity. The show tackles issues high school students (and even the older teachers on the show) have to deal with, such as identity, acceptance, conviction, integrity, and even body confidence.

Among the readers' comments on the story: From NYCBUNNY: "nice way to promote naturalness. great role model...and what would Oprah say?? FAIL." LYRA127 wrote, "Uh she looks like 12 in that pic, so any fresher and they'll have to write her as an elementary school singing prodigy," while JOURGY said, "I'm surprised that I'm reading about how she got Botox and not a nose job to put in that bridge! Sadly, I believe a large number of Filipinos are particularly vain/extremely self-conscious people who are obsessed with beauty more than Americans."

Meanwhile, news about Charice's Botox procedure has landed on the websites of CNN, People, Us Weekly, AP and Just Jared, and Perez Hilton, who called it "SICK!!!" and wrote, "Who the eff would do that to an effing teenager in good conscience?!" He quoted Charice as saying she was "very proud to be an Asian, very proud to be Filipino," then remarked, "Obviously not or she would accept her naturally round face. Get some help, bb - or you're not gonna last very long!"

These news reports say "local cosmetic dermatiologist" Dr. Vicki Belo explained that the Botox and Thermage treatments aimed to "alter the shape of the singer's 'naturally round face,' but according to People.com, "The singer's rep confirms she had Botox, but says it was not for cosmetic purposes. 'She's had Botox for some jaw pain she's experiencing.' (Botox can be used to ease pain from TMJ.) However, she noted that Charice will look different on the show: 'She had her hair colored at the Brad Johns Studio at Elizabeth Arden,' says her rep. 'That's the only vaguely cosmetic thing she's done.'"

The rep told Us Weekly that the point of the procedure was "to relieve a jaw problem similar to TMJ...It did not hurt; it relieved the pain...You've seen her face - she doesn't have a wrinkle in it so she wouldn't need it for cosmetic purposes. The Glee people are thrilled with the way she looks which is why she got the part."

^^ sinungaling talaga ang mga reps na yan. si doktora viki belo kaya talaga ang nagsabi na botox and thermage para mabawasan ang round shape ng mukha nya.

^^ Naging issue sa pag-Botox ni Charice sa US. Kasi nga sikat na sya!!:)

why cant Bello keep her mouth shut? where's patient confidentiality?

why cant Bello keep her mouth shut? where's patient confidentiality?

Hinay lang dude. Magrerelease ng medical statement....:)

Singing his way from the bank to center stage

By Joy Rojas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
DateFirst Posted 22:05:00 07/20/2010

HE WAS the lone Filipino in a Hong Kong-based singing contest hosted by HSBC for its Asia Pacific employees, one of 21 competitors in a group that included 14 participants from the home court, and one of five who sang in English. Who knew that Dan Allen Nuesca, a 23-year-old credit analyst for HSBC Philippines’ consumer credit and risk department, would emerge the grand prize winner of this international event held last May?

Certainly not his mom Edna, who watched proudly (and perhaps in disbelief) as her son wowed an enthusiastic crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium; as far as she was concerned, it was his younger brother who was the singer of the family, not Dan. Truth be told, even Nuesca didn’t think he had a fighting chance: figuring at least one of the 14 Hong Kong participants would claim top honors, he had to be nudged by a competitor next to him when hosts announced, in Chinese, that he was the winner.

A week after the competition, it’s clear that his victory hasn’t quite sunk in yet. “It’s unbelievable. I mean, I’m just in the office...” says Nuesca, a boyish, shy and soft-spoken guy who gropes for words when asked how he’s been since. “I’m very happy, of course, and very thankful for the support.”

The second of five kids and the son of landscapers, Nuesca thinks he got his talent from his mother’s side; an aunt, he says, was a singer with her own album even, though she never quite got famous. As for his own gift: “I just happened to like music and was fortunate enough to have a voice.”

A reluctant performer, he joined only one singing contest while growing up-a high school tilt which didn’t take him very far. He also never held a brush like a microphone and lip-synched in front of a mirror, and doesn’t even have a YouTube video of himself performing the way most youngsters do.

If he didn’t court dreams of singing professionally, it’s because he knew, early on, that a career in the corporate world would be it for him. He has been with HSBC, his first job, for three years.

Work-life balance

As luck would have it, the bank was strong on work-life balance and organized many opportunities for employees to showcase their skills purely for points and bragging rights. When HSBC employee relations and communication human resources senior VP Therese V. Garcia mounted internal auditions after an e-mail about a singing competition among Asia Pacific employees caught her attention, Nuesca signed up “just to try,” he says, “and just to be able to sing before an audience because I didn’t get to do it much.”

Despite his lack of performing experience, Nuesca, who sang Avant’s “Wanna Be Close,” sure put on a good show. “It was unanimous,” says Garcia of what the judges thought of him.

Soon, the Philippine representative to HSBC’s regional singing contest was gearing up for the big day, skipping chocolates for a month and Starbucks frapuccinos for two months to preserve his voice. He was also practicing at home—quietly, as it turns out, because his Lola, who was living with his family at the time, claimed she never heard him sing.

Nervous wreck

In Hong Kong, he shared cab rides and made friends with HSBC colleagues from Macau, Thailand, and the half-Pinoy competitor from Brunei. Come contest night, he was a nervous wreck, stressed out during practice and his turn on stage.

But a video recording of Nuesca’s performance belies any tension or the fact that he wanted to get everything over and done with: dressed in a jacket, jeans, sneakers, and a fedora and grooving to Elliott Yamin’s R&B hit “Wait For You,” he looked like a totally different person. Owning the large stage, he appeared comfortable in his own skin and confident before a mostly international audience.

“He was so cool, I expected him to place,” says HSBC talent management and career development VP Pebbles Carlos-Lacson, who accompanied Nuesca and his mom to the event. “But my concern was that almost everyone sang in Chinese and there were about four or five who were really good.”

An all-Chinese panel of judges seemed to narrow the Pinoy’s chances even more, and Carlos-Lacson grew worried when the second and first place winners were not among her personal picks.

Nevertheless, she kept colleagues in the Philippines abreast with blow-by-blow accounts via text. “Dan’s next. Pray,” she SMS-ed Garcia in Manila. At 10:30 p.m., when Garcia texted for an update, Carlos-Lacson did not reply. Instead, she called, screaming: “We won! We won!”

Grabbing her Blackberry, Garcia quickly spread the good news to HSBC’s top brass. “Philippines won!” she announced proudly.

Nuesca received a solid glass trophy and HK$5,000 (about P30,000), a cash prize he plans to use for surgery to repair a torn ligament on his right shoulder which he incurred playing volleyball. To celebrate, Carlos-Lacson and Nuesca’s mom went out to a late dinner. And Dan?

“He excused himself to go to sleep,” says Carlos-Lacson with a laugh.

Back in Manila a day after the contest and on the eve of the national elections, he enjoyed some level of fame in the office for what he’s accomplished. Colleagues have sent him e-mails of congratulations, and people are starting putting a face to his work.

“You know, that report was done by Dan,” colleagues would mention casually to his bosses. “Is that why they’re late?” joked his bosses. “Because he was busy rehearsing?”

Otherwise, little has changed for the unassuming but talented credit analyst who plans to keep his day job. Next on Nuesca’s plate: passing a financial risk management certification exam.

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/wellness/wellness/view/20100720-282053/Singing-his-way-from-the-bank-to-center-stage

GLEE Creator Ryan Murphy Rewrites Charice's Episodes?

Apart from getting new teachers for Broadway-style singing and television acting, 18-year-old international pop singer from the Philippines Charice reportedly succumbed to availing a non-evasive, 30-minute Thermage skin tightening procedure and a botox from controversial Filipino cosmetologist Dr. Vicki Belo, as the teenager prepares filming for "Glee's" second season by the end of the month. New York Magazine has noted that this incident already forced the television show's creator Ryan Murphy "to rewrite Charice's episode(s) to contain the message: It's important to love and embrace one's naturally round face as it is."

Integral to "Glee's" charm among its growing viewership around the world is the consistent message of staying true to yourself.

The less than one hour cosmetic rejuvenation procedures with Charice and Dr. Belo had accommodated Philippine press and media coverage, which made this brouhaha looked much more like a publicity stunt for the singer and her doctor.

"...The procedure will make her 'naturally round face' more narrow," Dr. Belo told press and media.

"All people will be anticipating how will Charice look? Is she good enough to pit against Rachel Berry? So of course there is tremendous pressure," Charice said.

But an unnamed representative of the singer told U.S. Weekly that the procedure was meant "to relieve a jaw problem similar to TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder )....It did not hurt; it relieved the pain. You've seen her face - she doesn't have a wrinkle in it so she wouldn't need it for cosmetic purposes. The 'Glee' people are thrilled with the way she looks which is why she got the part."

After earlier rumors anticipating the young pop singer's (first seen in U.S. television belting out big songs from the musical "Dreamgirls" and Whitney Houston on Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey's daily talk shows) inclusion in the second season of "Glee", BroadwayWord.com and other media outlets in the U.S. and the Philippines finally announced Charice's official casting in the show last month.

Charice is set to guest star in the Fox TV hit show as a Filipino exchange student who will be pitted against Lea Michelle's Rachel Berry character. The show's highly anticipated second season premieres Fall 2010.

Outside show business, Charice is a freshman studying Communication at a Massachussetts-based online university. She wants to become an entertainment lawyer someday.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Charice began vocal lessons at the age of four and started to compete in local amateur singing contests, and singing competitions on Philippine television three years later. In 2007, videos of Charice's performances on YouTube started to attract the attention of American television show producers, which led to appearances on "Ellen" and "Oprah".

Soon afterwards, Grammy award-winning producer David Foster invited Charice to perform on his "David Foster and Friends" PBS Show in Las Vegas alongside Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, and Josh Groban. She also went on to perform "The Prayer" with Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany, and Celine Dion at her Madison Square Garden show in New York City.

Her self-titled international debut album landed Top 8 on Billboard 200.

Charice's carrier single "Pyramid", a collaboration between her and R&B artist Iyaz, topped the Billboard dance club chart.

^^Is this a Philippine media article? Source please...

why cant Bello keep her mouth shut? where's patient confidentiality?

partly to blame din si charice. the PEP (a showbiz magazine) was there to cover the whole operation. i think libre ang procedure ni charice pero dapat publicized so belo can get that media mileage.

Yup Belo thought she could cash in on the advertising, what more Charice is "international" that's an international billboard. She should have just kept quiet, all these actors get some form of cosmetic surgery anyway. What she doesn't know is the American public is not as accepting of cosmetic surgeries as Filipinos in the PHils. Good thing she didn't try to change Charice's color to white. THere would definitely be an uproar with that.

it did not go well with the US press. the comment was, she should have left her appearance alone. she's only 18 and she doesnt need botox.

http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab335/kin_toy/7-20-201010-58-32PM.png

from Gawker


http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab335/kin_toy/7-20-201011-00-32PM.png

Best tweet I read today...."Charice Pempengco: the Asian Heidi Montag." :lol:

Sabi ng mga tagapagtanggol kay Charice, TMJ daw ang dahilan ng botox. :lol:

Anyway, she caught the entire US press. Everyone's talking about it. It was a well executed publicity stunt.

^^ Uhmm....it won't be so "well executed" if it backfires. Here's to "crossing fingers," I guess. :|

Charice got the procedure as freebies. I think Bello got her money's worth from all the publicity, but I think it backfired on Charice.

Since she's the talk of the town, here's some videos of her in a Japanese TV show...

DHMaHE1dCGI

rKsrOs1HX3E

CHEER FACTOR
‘Lola’ conquers Rome (http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20100720-282202/Lola-conquers-Rome)


Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:28:00 07/20/2010

Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Cinema, Celebrities, Awards and Prizes

“WORKING with him is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me as an actress,” said Rustica Carpio of Brillante “Dante” Mendoza, her director in the indie drama “Lola.”

The film, which also stars Anita Linda, won Best Picture at the 8th Rome Asian Film Festival, concluded on Saturday.

“It was a tough job; my role required me to be wet the whole time we filmed,” Carpio, 80, told Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday.

“But it was worth it,” she added. “Dante is an extraordinary talent. His victory is the victory of the Filipino people.”

The jury, headed by actor Giorgio Colangeli, commended Mendoza for “incredible directorial skill in the use of space, time and light,” according to the official website www.asianfilm.eu. Marinel R. Cruz

Wl_qUrtViIo

Damage has been done. Sana lahat ng concerned parties (Belo, Charice, local press and media, etc.) will learn from this PR disaster
Na-picked up pa ng USAToday
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/07/singer-charice-makes-face-more-narrow-for-glee-role/1

Jul 19, 2010
Singer Charice makes face more narrow for 'Glee' role
07:21 AM

Recording artist Charice Pempengco poses for a portrait in New York, Thursday, April 15, 2010.
CAPTION
By Jeff Christensen, AP
Have you heard of Charice?

She's a Filipino singer named Charice Pempengco, 18, and she was launched to fame after impressing audiences on Oprah Winfrey's show and Ellen DeGeneres' show when she was 16.

Now, in preparation for her role on the upcoming season of Fox's Glee, she has undergone a 30-minute Thermage procedure, involving an anti-aging skin tightening device, and Botox treatment to make her "naturally round face" more narrow, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo told ABS-CBN television.

Charice, in the same interview, said last week's face makeover was part of her big preparations "to look fresh on camera," reports AP. She added that she is feeling "tremendous pressure." Charice said she'll start filming at the end of July.

Filipino maid inherits P200M from boss
inquirer.net

SINGAPORE—A devoted Filipino maid inherited S$6 million (around P202 million) from her late employer after more than 20 years of service, a newspaper report said on Wednesday.

“I am the luckiest maid in Singapore, with or without the money,” the 47-year-old single woman—identified only by the pseudonym “Christine”—told the Straits Times in an interview.

The maid, who arrived here in 1986, refused to be named in public for fear of possible threats to her life in the Philippines, where wealthy people have been kidnapped for ransom and some killed by their abductors.

The windfall, including cash and a luxury apartment near the Orchard Road shopping belt, came from the estate of her employer Quek Kai Miew, a medical doctor and philanthropist who died last year at 66.

‘No secrets’

The maid had also taken care of the doctor’s late mother, and was told that she would be a beneficiary of her employer’s will when it was drawn up in 2008.

“There were no secrets between us. I was not surprised at all when she told me how much I was going to get,” the maid recalled.

“Christine” was devastated when Quek died a year ago, as the two were inseparable, and temporarily moved in with the doctor’s nephew for solace.

“It was heartbreaking for me as I saw more years with Doctor Quek than with my own mother. I would break down every time I thought about her. I could not be by myself,” she said.

“I was always beside her. Wherever she went, I was with her,” the Filipino maid added.

No lifestyle change

The maid, who is now applying for permanent residency in Singapore, said her newfound wealth had not changed her lifestyle.

“I do not really think much about the money I got. I just live my life as I did before, and not as a rich person,” the maid, dressed simply in a blouse and slacks with short-cropped hair, was quoted as saying.

“I am still who I was before. I cannot behave differently because I have money now. Even my Filipino maid friends here still treat me the same.”

Nearly 200,000 foreign maids, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, work in affluent Singapore, which has a population of 5 million.

(Philippines) UST Singers continue winning streak in Europe music fests

Following an historic second Choir of the World title, the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Singers continued their winning streak by clinching the top prizes in two categories of the 28th International Music Festival in Catalonia, Spain last week.

The UST Singers secured first-place awards in both Mixed Choir and Folk Song categories of the competition, besting 33 other choirs and dance groups from 22 countries and from the Catalan and Basque regions of Spain, according to a release posted on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

They beat the choirs from Slovenia and Indonesia, which finished second and third, respectively, in the same categories.

The competition was held in Cantonigròs, a small rural town situated around 150 kilometers north of Barcelona.

The UST Singers opened the festival on the evening of July 16 with a rendition of various folk and popular songs.

“Their superlative performance was met with a rousing standing ovation from the audience, including mayors of Catalan towns in the area and members of the consular corps in Barcelona," the DFA stated.

Philippine Consul General in Barcelona Eduardo de Vega, who attended the opening of the festival, said he was told by festival administrators that Philippine choirs have always distinguished themselves in the annual competition.

The last Philippine choir to participate in Cantonigròs was the Philippine Normal University Choir, which secured the top spot in the Folk Song Category and ranked third place in the Mixed Choir category during the 2008 edition of the festival.

A number of overseas Filipinos from Barcelona were present to support the UST Singers, and met with members of the choir and their Director, Prof. Fidel G. Calalang Jr., before their opening number.

“(The UST Singers’) successive victories in European competitions are being followed with much excitement in the Philippines and continue to be a source of great pride for the Filipino nation," the release stated.

Early this month, the UST Singers set a record when they copped the prestigious Choir of the World-Pavarotti Trophy in the 2010 Llangollen International Music Eistedfodd in North Wales. (See: UST Singers is Choir of the World for 2nd time)

It was the first time in the competition’s 63-year history for a choir to win the title twice. The UST Singers first bagged the recognition in 1995 when they became the first and only Asian choir to win the award in the world’s oldest international choral competition.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV

^^ congratulations....

Fil-Am named chief justice of California high court

INQUIRER.net First Posted 08:17:00 07/22/2010 Filed Under: Migration, Judiciary (system of justice), Government, Americas - Canada
http://www.kennedyinn.org/images/cantil.jpg
CALIFORNIA, United States—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday (California time) named a Filipino-American woman, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, as his choice for chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

“Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands that the role of a justice is not to create law, but to independently and fairly interpret and administer the law,” said Schwarzenegger in a news release.

“She is a living example of the American Dream and when she is confirmed by the voters in November, Judge Cantil-Sakauye will become California’s first Filipina chief justice, adding to our High Court’s already rich diversity,” the Hollywood superstar added.

Since 2005, Cantil-Sakauye, of Sacramento, has served as an associate justice for the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. Previously, she was a superior court judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court from 1997 to 2004 and a municipal court judge for the Sacramento County Municipal Court from 1990 to 1997.

Cantil-Sakauye, 50, worked for the Office of Governor Deukmejian as a deputy legislative secretary from 1989 to 1990 and as a deputy legal affairs secretary from 1988 to 1989. She was a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office from 1984 to 1988.

Cantil-Sakauye is a member of the California Judicial Council, and is vice chairperson of the Rules and Projects Committee and Judicial Recruitment and Retention Working Group. She is a member of the Commission on Impartial Courts, chairperson of the Judicial Branch Financial Accountability and Efficiency Advisory Committee, and president of the Anthony M. Kennedy Inn of Court.

“It is a privilege and a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court,” Cantil-Sakauye was quoted as saying in the same release. “Being nominated to serve on the highest court in California is a dream come true.”

“I deeply respect the inspirational and visionary work of Chief Justice Ronald George and hope to build upon it. As a jurist, woman and a Filipina, I am extremely grateful for the trust Governor Schwarzenegger has placed in me. I hope to show young people what they can achieve if they follow their dreams and reach for their full potential,” she added.

Cantil-Sakauye earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis. Cantil-Sakauye is a Republican.

The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald M. George on 2 January 2011. The compensation for this position is $238,010.

The governor’s nomination for chief justice must be submitted to the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Once confirmed by the commission, the nominee will appear on the November 2nd ballot for voter approval.

:)
Biel International Chess Festival
Young Grandmaster Tournament

Standings after Round 3
1. Wesley So (PHI, 2674) 2.5
2. Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS, 2708) 2.0
Fabiano Caruana (ITA, 2697) 2.0
4. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2723) 1.5
Anish Giri (NED, 2672) 1.5
Dmitry Andreikin (RUS, 2650) 1.5
Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (VIE, 2617) 1.5
Maxim Rodshtein (ISR, 2609) 1.5
9. David Howell (ENG, 2616) 1.0
10. Parimarjan Negi (IND, 2615) 0.0

^^ congratulations....

Fil-Am named chief justice of California high court

INQUIRER.net First Posted 08:17:00 07/22/2010 Filed Under: Migration, Judiciary (system of justice), Government, Americas - Canada
http://www.kennedyinn.org/images/cantil.jpg
CALIFORNIA, United States—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday (California time) named a Filipino-American woman, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, as his choice for chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

“Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands that the role of a justice is not to create law, but to independently and fairly interpret and administer the law,” said Schwarzenegger in a news release.

“She is a living example of the American Dream and when she is confirmed by the voters in November, Judge Cantil-Sakauye will become California’s first Filipina chief justice, adding to our High Court’s already rich diversity,” the Hollywood superstar added.

Since 2005, Cantil-Sakauye, of Sacramento, has served as an associate justice for the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. Previously, she was a superior court judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court from 1997 to 2004 and a municipal court judge for the Sacramento County Municipal Court from 1990 to 1997.

Cantil-Sakauye, 50, worked for the Office of Governor Deukmejian as a deputy legislative secretary from 1989 to 1990 and as a deputy legal affairs secretary from 1988 to 1989. She was a deputy district attorney for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office from 1984 to 1988.

Cantil-Sakauye is a member of the California Judicial Council, and is vice chairperson of the Rules and Projects Committee and Judicial Recruitment and Retention Working Group. She is a member of the Commission on Impartial Courts, chairperson of the Judicial Branch Financial Accountability and Efficiency Advisory Committee, and president of the Anthony M. Kennedy Inn of Court.

“It is a privilege and a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court,” Cantil-Sakauye was quoted as saying in the same release. “Being nominated to serve on the highest court in California is a dream come true.”

“I deeply respect the inspirational and visionary work of Chief Justice Ronald George and hope to build upon it. As a jurist, woman and a Filipina, I am extremely grateful for the trust Governor Schwarzenegger has placed in me. I hope to show young people what they can achieve if they follow their dreams and reach for their full potential,” she added.

Cantil-Sakauye earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis. Cantil-Sakauye is a Republican.

The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald M. George on 2 January 2011. The compensation for this position is $238,010.

The governor’s nomination for chief justice must be submitted to the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Once confirmed by the commission, the nominee will appear on the November 2nd ballot for voter approval.

According to some here she's not considered a Filipino anymore.
and shouldn't she be wiping someone's ass instead?
wow from parents of farm workers into chief justice of California, truly inspirational .

^^ Uhmm....it won't be so "well executed" if it backfires. Here's to "crossing fingers," I guess. :|

Katakot takot na damage control ang dapat gawin ng mga handlers ni Charice sa America :ohno:

Sino kasing nakaisip nyan.... :ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :ohno:

Charice is doing great in Thailand! :cheers::cheers:

http://www.facebook.com/charicethailand#!/charicethailand?v=wall

looks like alot of Thai fans.

yeah.

^^ Charice concert in Thailand (uploaded by a Thai Fan)

eOE0BAEo64Y

Since she's the talk of the town, here's some videos of her in a Japanese TV show...

DHMaHE1dCGI

rKsrOs1HX3E

Her extreme facial makeover took away the youthful and cheery Charice she is known for. :ohno:

she still looks the same to me.
I think it's all right for her to try and improve her appearance since what entertainer doesn't ,they should have just kept mums about it.
Stupid Belo wants free advertisement.

^^ Didn't work out the way Belo thought and it backfired to Charice because of that. :ohno:

Anyway, I'm still happy for what she have accomplished in her career at such a young age.

^^ another Charice's video (uploaded by Thai fan). Bilib ang mga Thais sa galing ni Charice!! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

6JzgV_PtjyY

she still looks the same to me.
I think it's all right for her to try and improve her appearance since what entertainer doesn't ,they should have just kept mums about it.
Stupid Belo wants free advertisement.

she looks prettier today.

^^She looks fresh at syempre remained talented as usual!!

Another video: As you can see in the latter part, one Thai woman cried because she carried away the song!!

qnt5TeTdSms

tantanan na yang botox-botox na yan. lahat naman halos sa hollywood nagpapa-improve or nagpapa-enhance ng physical features. :cheers:

Thai fans are great! :D Ganda ni Charice, bago face niya. :D

^^the Asian Michael Jackson?

Ok bihis nya dyan sa Bangkok. Bagay pala sa kanya naka mini, ganda ng legs.

Bakit pag sa labas ng Pinas, maganda bihis ni Charice, pero pag sa Phil TV appearance, kadalasan di bagay sa kanya ang pinasusuot. :D

Ok bihis nya dyan sa Bangkok. Bagay pala sa kanya naka mini, ganda ng legs.

Bakit pag sa labas ng Pinas, maganda bihis ni Charice, pero pag sa Phil TV appearance, kadalasan di bagay sa kanya ang pinasusuot. :D

mamahalin kasi suot nya sa labas, pag sa pinas ukay-ukay lang :D toinks j/k:lol:

Charice returns to Star King...again.

2pbg6-43KOI&feature=player_embedded


http://www.allkpop.com/2010/07/charice-makes-an-appearance-on-star-king (http://www.allkpop.com/2010/07/charice-makes-an-appearance-on-star-king)

^^ :rofl:

I was just watching that. Watch Part 3, where the blonde girl who apparently is an idol from a group called "f(x)" seemingly calls her out on a song, which Charice totally outdid. :lol:

The reason why I'm laughing is because after Charice sings, the other girl cries. I was reading alot of K-pop fanatic comments in several sites and they keep saying that Charice was being "cocky" and what not, while the idol who called her out was being "charismatic". Hilarious. These K-pop fans are really protective of their respective idols. :lol:

Anyway, the real reason why she cried was because one of the MCs said "Stick to singing in Korean" or something like that. :lol: When Charice tried to comfort her by saying "A lot of people say that I'm not good enough. But still, I believed in myself." alot of these "netizens" had the nerve to say that the statement may have come off as cocky because she doesn't speak English well. And well, to a seasoned English speaker like me after years of having been forced to study the language in the United States, I say that that statement was flawless and hardly even gives off the impression of being cocky.

Also, if you watch towards the end of the duet, a lot of the other idols appear to be bored, which comes off to me as rude. Anyway, the Korean idols in that stage who don't appear humble aren't even good singers, as I listen to alot of their music.

Anyway, I would say they're just jelous, minus the humble ones. :)

^^ They probably can't accept that Charice got the international fame that they all wanted/longed/yearned for, and that her road to fame all started on their TV show. ;)

Obviously. It's like a disease with these idols.

I remember watching the Wonder Girls (you know who they are, I bet), who after debuting in the US with their song "Nobody", were guests on this Korean variety show. They appeared to be everything but humble that day.

Charice returns to Star King...again.

2pbg6-43KOI&feature=player_embedded


http://www.allkpop.com/2010/07/charice-makes-an-appearance-on-star-king (http://www.allkpop.com/2010/07/charice-makes-an-appearance-on-star-king)
the guy in the yellow could be Charice's long lost estranged dad.

my god they all look like Sandara.

^^ :rofl:

I was just watching that. Watch Part 3, where the blonde girl who apparently is an idol from a group called "f(x)" seemingly calls her out on a song, which Charice totally outdid. :lol:

The reason why I'm laughing is because after Charice sings, the other girl cries. I was reading alot of K-pop fanatic comments in several sites and they keep saying that Charice was being "cocky" and what not, while the idol who called her out was being "charismatic". Hilarious. These K-pop fans are really protective of their respective idols. :lol:

Anyway, the real reason why she cried was because one of the MCs said "Stick to singing in Korean" or something like that. :lol: When Charice tried to comfort her by saying "A lot of people say that I'm not good enough. But still, I believed in myself." alot of these "netizens" had the nerve to say that the statement may have come off as cocky because she doesn't speak English well. And well, to a seasoned English speaker like me after years of having been forced to study the language in the United States, I say that that statement was flawless and hardly even gives off the impression of being cocky.

Also, if you watch towards the end of the duet, a lot of the other idols appear to be bored, which comes off to me as rude. Anyway, the Korean idols in that stage who don't appear humble aren't even good singers, as I listen to alot of their music.

Anyway, I would say they're just jelous, minus the humble ones. :)

^^Thanks for clarifying...i was wondering wtf was going on :hahaha:

They were all impressed and have goosebumps when Charice hit high notes. I, myself watching this video makes me feel the goosebumps, what more if I was there in the studio.

Good job Charice!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

She has a weird body shape.

Finally heard Charice's Pyramid on mainstream FM radio station here in Sydney.
Although her album is already available in Australian iTunes store, I don't see it yet in record store shelves.

It was at number 48 in Australia (ARIA)^^

^^That's nice to hear...

RP makes history in math olympiad: Honors for everyone

By Queena Lee-Chua
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:09:00 07/25/2010

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Education

FOR the first time ever, all members of our Philippine team to the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) came home with honors.
At the 51st IMO in Astana, Kazahkstan, held July 6-13, Carmela Antonette Lao of St. Jude Catholic School got a silver medal, while Henry Jefferson Morco of Chiang Kai Shek College and Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School received honorable mention.

Ian June Garces, associate professor of mathematics at Ateneo de Manila University was team leader, while Glen Mackenzie Ong, former IMO awardee, was deputy team leader.

Lao, Morco and Zheng were selected from more than 2,500 high school students nationwide who joined the Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO). PMO finalists were pared down to three after a month-long rigorous training through the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Camp (MOSC) at Ateneo.

Effective

“The training we did this year was effective,” Garces said. “We introduced highly theoretical concepts like groups, topology and epsilon-delta arguments, and we asked the students to prove properties. Though we knew that these concepts wouldn’t (be covered) in the IMO, these exercises trained the team on how to use definitions and math arguments.”

Ong said: “We focused on being able to write proofs and, of course, geometry. We made it a point to generalize types of problems and solutions, so the students could solve similar problems. This eventually proved very useful for easier questions in the actual IMO, which were solved by techniques that had been discussed.”

The contestants were highly motivated. Aside from formal training, Lao “trained by myself at home and in school during math class.” She also prayed the nine-day novena to St. Jude Thaddeus.

Morco stressed the importance of “perseverance and a great deal of hard work.” Zheng solved at least one problem a day.

What made the performance of this year’s team stellar? “Preparation and discipline,” Garces said. “The trainers emphasized to the students that they needed to be able to create their own strategies. The best trainer of a student is himself/herself.”

Another factor was earlier and smarter training. “We’re training younger students,” Ong said. “Last year, Carmela already had training, so all the issues she had, we were able to work on ... Given more time, we can expose the students more to IMO-style problems.”

“The training structure we followed worked well,” Garces said. “This is the best result we have had since we joined the IMO in 1988.”

Most prestigious

The IMO is the most prestigious math festival for high school students in the world. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959, with seven countries participating. It has since grown exponentially. More than 500 students from almost 100 countries joined the IMO this year.

Contestants must not be older than 20 years old, and must not have any postsecondary education, which practically ensures that everyone is still in high school. Students try to solve three challenging problems within 4 1/2 hours on each of two consecutive days. A maximum of seven points are awarded for each correct solution, for a perfect score of 42.

Who gets the awards at the IMO? Students who score at least 27 points receive a gold; those who get at least 21 points a silver, while those with at least 15 points a bronze.

Historically, medals are awarded to, at most, half of the contestants, with gold, silver and bronze in the ratio of 1:2:3. Around 1/12 of the students go home with a gold, 1/6 a silver and 1/4 a bronze. Honorable mention is given to students who get full marks for at least one problem.

Exemplary performance

How difficult was the IMO this year? “Average,” Garces said candidly. “Two geometry problems, two algebra, one number theory and one combinatorics. Our students were prepared in geometry, so all of them got one geometry problem perfectly.”

This is the problem our students aced: Let P be a point inside the triangle ABC. The lines AP, BP and CP intersect the circumcircle T of triangle ABC again at the points K, L and M, respectively. The tangent to T at C intersects the line AB at S. Suppose that SC = SP. Prove that MK = ML.

Ong explained, “The easy questions (where we got almost all our points) were easier than before. But the hard questions were very hard even for the top countries. We’re satisfied with our students, who performed the best we can reasonably expect them to.”

“I decided to focus on the problems I could manage,” Morco said. Apparently, this tactic worked well for the contestants.

This year, out of the 517 contestants, 47 received the gold medal, 104 the silver and 115 the bronze. Honorable mention was given to 160 other students.

Lao received 21 points (three perfect scores of 7) for her silver, Morco 14 points (two perfect scores of 7) and Zheng 10 points (one perfect score of 7 plus 3 added points for another problem) for honorable mention. Our team was 74th out of 96 teams this year.

The last time the Philippines had a silver medal was in 1989, a feat achieved by Jerome Khohayting. Lao received a bronze medal in last year’s IMO.

(To be concluded next week)

E-mail the author at blessbook@yahoo.com.

It was at number 48 in Australia (ARIA)^^

Just checked the charts (http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50). It's actually #46 this week. It debuted at #48 last week.

Just checked the charts (http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50). It's actually #46 this week. It debuted at #48 last week.

^^ At least nakasama na siya sa top 50. I think that is a good start. Diba maraming Pinoy diyan sana suportahan din siya.

Pinoy sets out on solo expedition to South Pole
philstar



MANILA, Philippines - A 59-year-old Filipino adventurer is set to embark on a solo expedition to the South Pole in Antarctica to dramatize his crusade to declare South Pole as the first line of defense against global warming and break the Guinness record of trekking overland on ice without the use of dogs or mechanized vehicles.

“I will attempt to break the world record of 33 days’ journey across the South Pole,” said Bob del Castillo during a broadcasters forum at the Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City.

He said he has been training for the last two years in preparation for the South Pole journey and part of his training was the recent climb of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, 14,000 feet above sea level.

Upon his descent from the mountain, he said the first news that met him was that a big chunk of ice – as big as Jamaica – had drifted away from the North Pole, a sign that global warming is taking its toll.

“I want to send the message to the world that if there is a fight against global warming it must be carried out at the South Pole,” he said.

Del Castillo, who claimed to be an “extreme sports” enthusiast, said he intends to ski across the South Pole in 30 days to break the record of 33 days held by a Canadian adventurer.

He said he would leave for New Zealand in August to train in ice-skiing and other techniques. In the first week of November, he will begin his expedition across Iceland.

“Hopefully I will be back the first week of December,” he said.

^^This guy is going to die if no one knock some sense into him...

Obviously. It's like a disease with these idols.

I remember watching the Wonder Girls (you know who they are, I bet), who after debuting in the US with their song "Nobody", were guests on this Korean variety show. They appeared to be everything but humble that day.

"Nobody" is really apt for them. :lol::nuts::lol:

Yung kanta ni Charice na Pyramid, ang daming hitcharts na nagland yan. Aside sa Philippines, meron yan sa USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, Vietnam, Thailand at iba pa lalo na sa Asia... :)

Check this OUT! All songs (13) in Charice Debut Album is Charting in Japan (or is this Korea?).

13 songs all in TOP 20 with Pyrmaid at #2. And Check out the other Artist.


http://music.daum.net/ranking/song.do?genreCode=PO00&dateKey=3&date=20100727

^^ Korea. And dang that's impressive. :lol:

^^ Top download songs yan sa isang website sa Korea. Pero hit song yan. Yung iba sa Billboard, makikita....:)

OMG!!! Charice's Japanese album ranked number one in Japan's Oricon

http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/wa/

Way to go Girl!!!:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^ that's great...to be no. 1 in Japan is extraordinary for a Pinay.

Entrepreneur Of The Year awards and events

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Award is held in more than 140 cities and in more than 50 countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Each country winner is invited to participate in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards held in Monte Carlo each year in May/June. There, each country winner is inducted into the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Academy and the overall World Entrepreneur Of The Year will be selected by an independent panel of judges. The past World Entrepreneur Of The Year winners include:

* Michael Spencer, ICAP plc, United Kingdom – 2010
* Cao Dewang, Fuyao Glass Industry Group, China – 2009
* Dr. Jean-Paul Clozel, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Switzerland – 2008
* Guy Laliberte, Cirque de Soleil, Canada – 2007
* Bill Lynch, Imperial Holdings, South Africa – 2006
* H. Wayne Huizenga, Huizenga Holdings, United States – 2005
* Tony Tan Caktiong, Jollibee Food Corporation, Philippines – 2004
* Naryana NR Murthy, Infosys Technologies, India – 2003
* Stefan Vilsmeier, BrainLab, Germany – 2002
* Paolo della Porta, SAES Getters, Italy – 2001

To receive additional information on your country’s Entrepreneur Of The Year award and related events, please contact the country leader.
http://www.ey.com/GL/en/About-us/Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year/Awards-and-events

AMUf8EK9YQs

Ang pangalan ng show ay King Jeong Eun's Chocolate... parang imperative yata na ang make-up ng performer ay parang covered in chocolate. :lol:

Big time in Korea! :D

^^ great....

RP math team wins 31 medals in Korean competition
By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:51:00 07/29/2010

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Schools, Education
MANILA, Philippines—Young Filipino math wizards made the country proud again by winning a total of 31 medals and 11 merit certificates in the just-concluded Korea International Mathematics Competition (KIMC) in Incheon.

The math wizards, wards of the non-government Mathematics Trainers' Guild-Philippines, bagged two gold, one silver and 28 bronze medals in the 26-nation competition, according to Dr. Simon Chua, MTG president and head of the Philippine delegation.

That was good enough for a respectable fifth-place finish in the tough contest topped by powerhouse China, followed by Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong, said Chua in an e-mail to the INQUIRER early Thursday morning.

The country's gold medals were won in the team competition by Philippine elementary Team A, composed of the following students: Jason Joseph Fernandez from San Beda College-Alabang; Kaye Janelle Yao from Grace Christian College; Ma. Czarina Angela Lao and Vince Benedict Sy, both from St. Jude Catholic School; and Team B members Andrew Brandon Ong from Chiang Kai Shek College; Austin Edrich Chua from St. Jude Catholic School; Nathaniel Joshua Balete from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; and Raymond Joshua Fadri from San Beda College-Alabang.

All eight students also won individual bronze medals. Their teams also bagged bronze medals in the group contest.

The silver medal came courtesy of high school Team A, composed of Janssen Lawrence Chan from St. Jude Catholic School; Michelin Ang from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; Camille Tyrene Dee from Immaculate Conception Academy-Greenhills; and Sarah Jane Cua from Pangasinan Universal Institute.

Dee and Cua also won individual bronze medals while Chan and Ang each got merit certificates.

The other individual bronze medalists were Vance Eldric Go, Mikaela Angelina Uy and Audrey Celine Lao, all from St. Jude Catholic School; Kenneth Co and Michael Brodeth, both from Philippine Science High School-Main; Justin Edric Yturzaeta from Jubilee Christian Academy; Brandon Matthew Go from Xavier School; Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa from PAREF Westridge School; and Shawn Gabriele Cabanes from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

The other bronze medals were won by elementary Teams C and D and high school Teams B, C and D in the team contest; and elementary Team D and high school Team D in the group competition.

The following students, meanwhile, took home merit certificates: Magin Benedict Ferrer from the Philippine Science High School-West Visayas; Sedrick Scott Keh from Xavier School, Gen Mark Tanno from Southville International School; Miguel Luis Rivera from PSHS-Main; Aldrich Aldwin Mayoralgo from Xavier School; Julius Vincent Sy from St. Stephen's High School; Hubert Yao from Iloilo Commercial Central School; Michelin Ang from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; Janssen Lawrence Chan and Keefe Colin Tan, both St. Jude Catholic School; and Neil Jordan Chua Goy from Grace Christian College.

Chua commended the Philippine team members for making their respective schools and country proud with their achievements.

"Once again, the exemplary performance of our young math wizards reaffirms the fact that they rank among the world's best," Chua said.

Other Philippine delegation officials included, among others, Rechilda Villame, Eduardo dela Cruz, Robert Degolacion, Joseph Wee, and Manuel Kotah.

Math wizards from China plucked a total of 47 gold medals in the contest, followed by contestants from Indonesia (22), Thailand (21), and Taiwan (13).

Math teams from India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe went home without a single medal.

Other countries which took part in the competition included Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Iran, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.

Many of the Filipino medalists were among the country's representatives to the 2009 Philippine International Mathematics Competition, held late 2009 in Iloilo City.

With a 100-medal haul, the Philippine topped the contest, followed by Thailand and Taiwan with 48 and 47 medals, respectively.

Early this month, the Philippines bagged 11 medals in the 13 Primary Mathematics World Contest and put the country on second place in the 14-nation competition, won by Taiwan.

The Filipino numbers aces tied their counterparts from China in the annual contest.

Three other MTG wards—Carmela Antoinette Lao from St. Jude Catholic School, Henry Jefferson Morco from Chiang Kai Shek College and Zheng Rong Wu from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School—won the bronze medal and honorable mentions, respectively, in the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad, held two weeks ago in Kazakhstan.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100729-283865/RP-math-team-wins-31-medals-in-Korean-competition

Tsimis muna. :colgate:

There are people apparently claiming that the directors at SBS Star King gave the blonde singer (Luna) a "bad mic" and "made the background music louder" just to make Charice sound better. Apparently, even some of the idols in the audience (SHINee) and the media were talking about this.

IMO, Charice can do without a mic and even have a sore throat and still sing better than Luna. :lol:

Charice can sing with a sore throat, but they can't because they're sore losers. :lol:

Tsimis muna. :colgate:

There are people apparently claiming that the directors at SBS Star King gave the blonde singer (Luna) a "bad mic" and "made the background music louder" just to make Charice sound better. Apparently, even some of the idols in the audience (SHINee) and the media were talking about this.

IMO, Charice can do without a mic and even have a sore throat and still sing better than Luna. :lol:

mga epal lang naman talaga ang mga yan. kala nila ang gagaling nila. ganyan dito sa amin, kala ng mga locals ang tatalino nila. hhhhh

RP math team wins 31 medals in Korean competition
By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:51:00 07/29/2010

Filed Under: Awards and Prizes, Schools, Education
MANILA, Philippines—Young Filipino math wizards made the country proud again by winning a total of 31 medals and 11 merit certificates in the just-concluded Korea International Mathematics Competition (KIMC) in Incheon.

The math wizards, wards of the non-government Mathematics Trainers' Guild-Philippines, bagged two gold, one silver and 28 bronze medals in the 26-nation competition, according to Dr. Simon Chua, MTG president and head of the Philippine delegation.

That was good enough for a respectable fifth-place finish in the tough contest topped by powerhouse China, followed by Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong, said Chua in an e-mail to the INQUIRER early Thursday morning.

The country's gold medals were won in the team competition by Philippine elementary Team A, composed of the following students: Jason Joseph Fernandez from San Beda College-Alabang; Kaye Janelle Yao from Grace Christian College; Ma. Czarina Angela Lao and Vince Benedict Sy, both from St. Jude Catholic School; and Team B members Andrew Brandon Ong from Chiang Kai Shek College; Austin Edrich Chua from St. Jude Catholic School; Nathaniel Joshua Balete from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; and Raymond Joshua Fadri from San Beda College-Alabang.

All eight students also won individual bronze medals. Their teams also bagged bronze medals in the group contest.

The silver medal came courtesy of high school Team A, composed of Janssen Lawrence Chan from St. Jude Catholic School; Michelin Ang from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; Camille Tyrene Dee from Immaculate Conception Academy-Greenhills; and Sarah Jane Cua from Pangasinan Universal Institute.

Dee and Cua also won individual bronze medals while Chan and Ang each got merit certificates.

The other individual bronze medalists were Vance Eldric Go, Mikaela Angelina Uy and Audrey Celine Lao, all from St. Jude Catholic School; Kenneth Co and Michael Brodeth, both from Philippine Science High School-Main; Justin Edric Yturzaeta from Jubilee Christian Academy; Brandon Matthew Go from Xavier School; Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa from PAREF Westridge School; and Shawn Gabriele Cabanes from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

The other bronze medals were won by elementary Teams C and D and high school Teams B, C and D in the team contest; and elementary Team D and high school Team D in the group competition.

The following students, meanwhile, took home merit certificates: Magin Benedict Ferrer from the Philippine Science High School-West Visayas; Sedrick Scott Keh from Xavier School, Gen Mark Tanno from Southville International School; Miguel Luis Rivera from PSHS-Main; Aldrich Aldwin Mayoralgo from Xavier School; Julius Vincent Sy from St. Stephen's High School; Hubert Yao from Iloilo Commercial Central School; Michelin Ang from Philippine Institute of Quezon City; Janssen Lawrence Chan and Keefe Colin Tan, both St. Jude Catholic School; and Neil Jordan Chua Goy from Grace Christian College.

Chua commended the Philippine team members for making their respective schools and country proud with their achievements.

"Once again, the exemplary performance of our young math wizards reaffirms the fact that they rank among the world's best," Chua said.

Other Philippine delegation officials included, among others, Rechilda Villame, Eduardo dela Cruz, Robert Degolacion, Joseph Wee, and Manuel Kotah.

Math wizards from China plucked a total of 47 gold medals in the contest, followed by contestants from Indonesia (22), Thailand (21), and Taiwan (13).

Math teams from India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe went home without a single medal.

Other countries which took part in the competition included Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Iran, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.

Many of the Filipino medalists were among the country's representatives to the 2009 Philippine International Mathematics Competition, held late 2009 in Iloilo City.

With a 100-medal haul, the Philippine topped the contest, followed by Thailand and Taiwan with 48 and 47 medals, respectively.

Early this month, the Philippines bagged 11 medals in the 13 Primary Mathematics World Contest and put the country on second place in the 14-nation competition, won by Taiwan.

The Filipino numbers aces tied their counterparts from China in the annual contest.

Three other MTG wards—Carmela Antoinette Lao from St. Jude Catholic School, Henry Jefferson Morco from Chiang Kai Shek College and Zheng Rong Wu from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School—won the bronze medal and honorable mentions, respectively, in the 51st International Mathematical Olympiad, held two weeks ago in Kazakhstan.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20100729-283865/RP-math-team-wins-31-medals-in-Korean-competition

I believe we're good in Math. It's just that not all had been privileged to learn it.

I believe we're good in Math. It's just that not all had been privileged to learn it.

ako bopol talaga ako sa math. hehe

ako bopol talaga ako sa math. hehe

test nga kita. 1 plus 1?:D

test nga kita. 1 plus 1?:D

2 naman. kaw talaga. syempre alam ko naman yun no, otherwise hindi si G1bo ang binoto ko. :D boinks! joke joke joke. baka may mapikon na naman!

Charice can sing with a sore throat, but they can't because they're sore losers. :lol:

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

After Charice became number one best selling album in Japan, she is now conquering Thailand and reign as number 1!!!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:


http://1stpopmusic.com/wordpress/charicethailand/2010/07/30/charice-is-at-the-top-baby-no-1-album-in-thailand/

Marielle Corpuz is newest WCOPA champ (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=596473&publicationSubCategoryId=70)
By Carlo Orosa (The Philippine Star) Updated July 25, 2010 12:00 AM


-REOYTS0cu4

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has done it again. Following in the footsteps of Jed Madela, Marielle Corpuz was proclaimed this year’s World Champion Performer.

Marielle (with the help of Marissa Sanchez) joined the Philippine team in 2008 (through the help of Marissa Sanchez) but lost to Jamaica’s Andrew Clark.

This year, she competed against vocal champions from Belaruz, Russia and Sweden. Marielle’s winning piece was What Kind Of Fool Am I. Another Pinay, Kaye Miranda who sang Papa Can You Hear Me, made it to the finals.

In the junior division, young vocalist Little Big Star finalist Mycah Torre, competed with another Pinoy resident of New York City representing the US Leiana Sta. Ana who won the Junior World Champion title top prize.

On its 14th year The World Championships of the Performing Arts is the only known Talent Olympics recognized worldwide and is held at the Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles, California.

This year’s trip of the WCOPA Team Philippines was made possible through the help of the newest Philippine National Director Kitchie Benedicto and in part by the Former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

sana sumikat sila like charice
:D wag lang hawakan ng ABS tulad kay Jed Madela, hanggang Pinas lang. sayang:D

Eto daw yung kinanta ni Charice nung nagmeeting sila ni Ryan Murphy na creator ng Glee.

6nAOT6_YaFQ

sana sumikat sila like charice
:D wag lang hawakan ng ABS tulad kay Jed Madela, hanggang Pinas lang. sayang:D

The way you said hawakan makes me go mmm.....

Charice can sing with a sore throat, but they can't because they're sore losers. :lol:

Seriously put, I guess they can sometimes get that far because amidst all the body and booty shaking, slick productions, edge-cutting music videos and the like, they still can't put someone who could move mountains in Hollywood.

They got beaten from someone who just sang so powerfully in Youtube with little financial backing whatsoever.

tVuPu3FRk7A

A new name has emerged in the competitive billiards circuit. Jundel Mazon emerged champion in the 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool held this weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia. He faced Irsal Nasution of Indonesia in the race-to-10 finals, and was trailing 1-5 at one point. He won 9 straight racks to win the title and $40,000. No mean feat considering it was an alternate break format. The field of competitors included elite players like Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen, Shane van Boening, Darren Appleton, Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Leevan Corteza, among others.

This is a banner year for Filipino billiards players!

Lee van Corteza won the the inaugural US Open 10-Ball tournament in May.

Django Bustamante won the World 9-Ball Championship in Qatar earlier this month.


Efren Reyes won the 2010 Spanish Open held in Vigo, Spain in June.


Dennis Orcollo won the 2010 PartyPoker.Net World pool Masters.


Did I miss something?

GO GO GO Pinoy Billiards Players!


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=598959&publicationSubCategoryId=200

Bata Reyes won the overall title of Master of the Table in the 2010 Derby City Classic. The tournament is comprised of three events. Reyes was second in 9-Ball Bank, top 25 in One-Pocket and first in 9-Ball. He was the overall winner of the tournament, winning $33,000.

The way you said hawakan makes me go mmm.....

haha, parang alam ko yang tsismis kay Jed Maddela. haha

A new name has emerged in the competitive billiards circuit. Jundel Mazon emerged champion in the 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool held this weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia. He faced Irsal Nasution of Indonesia in the race-to-10 finals, and was trailing 1-5 at one point. He won 9 straight racks to win the title and $40,000. No mean feat considering it was an alternate break format. The field of competitors included elite players like Ralf Souquet, Mika Immonen, Shane van Boening, Darren Appleton, Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, Leevan Corteza, among others.

This is a banner year for Filipino billiards players!

Lee van Corteza won the the inaugural US Open 10-Ball tournament in May.

Django Bustamante won the World 9-Ball Championship in Qatar earlier this month.


Efren Reyes won the 2010 Spanish Open held in Vigo, Spain in June.


Dennis Orcollo won the 2010 PartyPoker.Net World pool Masters.


Did I miss something?

GO GO GO Pinoy Billiards Players!


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=598959&publicationSubCategoryId=200

Congratulations. Jundel Mazon is $40,000 richer! That's P1.84 Million.

CATS LIVE IN MANILA with our very own LEAH SALONGA
It's raining meow - hallelujah!
SUPREMO By Tim Yap (The Philippine Star) Updated July 31, 2010 12:00 AM

http://a.imageshack.us/img833/8900/supreme8hires.jpg
Cats: The Musical curtain call: Take a bow — you’ve purred your way into our hearts — now and forever.

It’s a full moon tonight... perfect for the opening gala night of Cats!!! Woo-hoo!!!”

She’s truly become a cool cat, isn’t she? That was the tweet Miss Lea Salonga sent out to her followers last Tuesday, the gala performance night for Cats: The Musical, with Lea once again giving Filipinos theater memories that will last more than nine lifetimes.

With a Filipino media delegation and Concertus as its local producers, I had already seen this touring production of Cats: The Musical in Adelaide sans Lea. But experiencing the show with Lea and seeing it in our very own Cultural Center alongside our countrymen cheering for our very own Miss is something you should not miss. Let’s meowww to that!

But let me get a hold of myself. That night, all of Manila set out to the CCP complex to catch a bunch of “stray” cats streaming their way into our collective consciousness, purring, singing, dancing, licking and kicking their way into a book of poems by T.S. Elliot, which Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber set into music.

Didn’t quite understand certain parts from the first act? It is best to read up on Elliot’s book of cats to see the genius behind it. Basically, it was a cat-tle call of feline creatures all telling us what their life is about — the back stories and how they got into the Jellicle ball, to become a Jellicle cat. And like a classroom of the same species, they are called out one by one — the rock star cat, the theater cat, the cat duo, the train operator cat, the mystery cat and... even Felix (bakat — just kidding. Depends where you’re seated)! The purring all await the decision of Old Deuteronomy, a St. Peter senior cat of sorts (portrayed by a young veteran of the West End theater John Ellis) — the one who’ll determine who ends up leaving this pusa purgatory. Your guess is as good as mine. Sci-fi acid trip theater at its retro best.

Sidelights? Well, I was seated in the same row as Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla and it seemed like some cats had grown a fondness for cute aisle seat members of the audience, just like our very own Philippine STAR president Miguel Belmonte who was with purr-fect wife Milette — the cats kept on purring to him and to Zsa Zsa, as this was part of the interaction, the breaking of the so-called fourth wall that made us, the audience, enter the world of the cats. Tessa Prieto-Valdes stole the show, literally, when she arrived wearing a headdress made of high hair — so high it made her six feet tall. I’m just thinking of the person who sat behind her — they must have thought she came for Hairspray, not Cats. But Tessa is the kitten who can get away with anything. Hello, Kitty!

A different cat-egory

Onstage, a cat named Munkustrap, expertly sung and played by Shaun Rennie, served as master of ceremonies and Rum Tum Tugger channeled Mick Jagger and swaggered his way through the ladies (and gentlemen?) of the audience, curiously interpreted by John O’Hara. Talk about battle of the bulge. And the parade of cats continued.

A collective goosebump moment was when a former Glamour Cat got her spotlight back and belted it out. The whole theater wildly cheered for Grizabella, purr-fectly played by Lea Salonga, who combined a voice so pristine and emotions so pained you could not help but be moved. To think that one week before opening night, Lea sprained her ankle. She was seen in Greenbelt’s Cyma with her theater posse moving slowly so as not to aggravate the injury, but come opening night, she used the injury to be part of her character, as she walked past the stage with a bit of a limp, which added to her character of a broken woman wanting another chance at life. In hindsight, the same Cats pre-opening curse happened to Dame Judi Dench, who didn’t get to do the show and was replaced by Elaine Paige on opening night, the same legend who immortalized the Memory ditty. But Lea, sprained ankle or not, still purred on and shone as brightly as only she can. Bravo, Lea! A standing ovation much deserved.

On another side note, I actually worked with Lea when I was a teenager — in fact, I celebrated my 17th birthday with her way back during a production of Grease from years past where I happily served as chorus to her Sandy. I also heard her sing the Mulan song before her audition, with Gerard on the piano in their home. And, I watched Miss Saigon right beside her on Broadway before she came back to essay the same part in the CCP Manila stage. But all of that is an entirely different story reserved for another time. To make the long story short, yes, the show is wonderful — great cast, awesome staging, dazzling choreography, flawless technical aspects and more — but you gotta see Lea in this one because I want you to feel the way I felt when she sang Memory at the end of the show.

Now, if all of this still sounds like so much furball to you, you still have until Aug. 22 (final extension) to see this show, as the run has been extended, of course due to popular demand. Corporate sponsors like Citibank, Smart Inifinity, McDonald’s, and Philippine Airlines have bought certain nights in bulk and I heard the good seats have all been taken, but it’s still worth a try. Call Ticketworld at 891-9999 to check on dates and available packages.

And Francis Lumen, you’ve done it again. Now that most concert producers have hopped onto the pop bandwagon and are fighting over the same cat food, you’ve set yourself apart and put yourself in another cat-egory by staging this one. We must all remember, Francis Lumen is our first “He Supreme” awardee. It’s going to be hard to find the next one. But while we’re at it, Francis, here’s to more!

In the meantime, here are choice snaps from the gala night and the Cats cast after-party. Meowwwww!!!

* * *

(Follow me, kitty! More Cats shots are available at twitter.com/iamtimyap. For more info, contact Concertus at 403-2099; e-mail concertus@ymail.com or Kitel Calvelo at 0915-9857830. For ticket inquiry, call TicketWorld at 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph. Contact Bambi Rivera-Verzo at 0917-5370539; e-mail scunsi@gmail.com.)

http://www.countdownradio.com/

http://www.j-wave.co.jp/original/tokiohot100/

^^
Charice #1 in Japan again. Shes making it BIG in Japan. :okay:

http://i32.tinypic.com/34qojet.jpg

Simply put, something to be proud of...

Pinoy Game Designers Win Microsoft Imagine Cup 2010
Written on July 11, 2010 by Design Pinoy in Inspiration

The winners of the eighth annual Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals were announced last July 8, 2010 at the Opera House and National Theatre (Teatr Narodowy) in Warsaw, Poland, where more than 400 students gathered to celebrate their unique innovations aimed at solving the world’s toughest problems.

Philippines team, By Implication, took first place in the Game Design category with Wildfire. These are truly Pinoys to be proud of. Congratulations to you and keep bringing pride to our country.

Wildfire is a gem about saving the world. In this game, opponents such as rampant poverty, gender inequality, inadequate education and environmental degradation can be defeated through volunteerism, social interaction and nonviolent activism. Standing in players way are the menacing “agents”, representing the various forces opposing positive societal change.

This year’s Imagine Cup, sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and known globally as the world’s premier student technology competition, began with a field of more than 325,000 high school and university students representing more than 100 countries and regions and culminated with a weeklong celebration in Warsaw. During the week, students demonstrated their real-world solutions and competed for cash prizes totaling $240,000 (U.S.) across five competition categories and six awards.

http://designpinoy.com/inspiration/pinoy-game-designers-win-microsoft-imagine-cup-2010/

--------

Typhoon Ondoy inspires Filipino students to design award-winning game
Posted at 8:35 pm July 23, 2010
By KC Santos

MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA - The tragic disaster caused by Typhoon Ondoy last year served as inspiration for a group of college students to design a game so unique it won first prize in the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup in Warsaw, Poland.

Team Implication is composed of Kenneth Yu of De La Salle University, Philip Cheang, Wilhansen Li, and Roderick Tan of Ateneo De Manila University and the Levi Tan-Ong from the University of the Philippines.

The team won first prize in the Game Design category for their entry “Wildfire” during this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup held at Warsaw, Poland. The team was also a finalist for “The Envisioning 2020” Award.

With Wildfire, the goal is to fulfill tasks related to seven Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations must be accomplished. Societal issues in the form of agents and “tweets” providing facts about UN concerns are encountered along the course of finishing the tasks. The more volunteers you get per task, the faster you finish the game.

Kenneth Yu, who served as mentor for Team Implication, shares that although they had faith in Wildfire, seeing the work of teams from other countries was terrifying. “We were freaked out that we sacrificed sleeping so that that we can polish the presentation,” he says.

The solidarity Filipinos demonstrated in the aftermath of Ondoy (also Typhoon Ketsana) provided inspiration for Wildfire. Yu says games exist not because people want to escape or remain juvenile; games, for him, deliver solid messages people can learn from out of unfortunate events.

The design of the game is more minimalist and the visual detail sparse. Doing away with common crowd mechanics and sticking to a clean interface allow players to focus and experience the subjective exploration quality of the game.

Seven all-women teams took part in the competition and Team Implication is likewise planning to form a female team for next year’s Imagine Cup.

“We have to finish college first then maybe continue polishing Wildfire.” Yu says, when asked about plans to turn Wildfire into a commercial game. The team is eyeing to design the game for XBOX 360.

Apart from the cash prize the team won from the Imagine Cup, Microsoft Philippines further rewards the team by helping their respective universities through programs that aim to spur creativity and innovation among students.

“The biggest thing that the Philippines has is intellectual horse power,” says Microsoft Philippines marketing director Danny Ong. “Acts of volunteerism should be constantly funded and acknowledged especially if it’s reflective of the societal issues of a country.”

http://loqal.ph/science-and-education/2010/07/23/typhoon-ondoy-inspires-filipino-students-to-design-award-winning-game/

Wildfire
-MtB68cA6P8

pZo52vpSjF8

Charice is not really making it big here in Australia but at least her song Pyramid is on the radio...

Here's a screenshot of one of Sydney's popular FM stations website showing the songs playlist in real time, with Pyramid on queue...

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/Mix1065website_02-Aug-10_6PM.jpg


The song climbed 1 notch higher in the Australian charts (http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50), now at #45 on its 3rd week on the chart. It's creeping slowly from #48 in its first week and #46 last week.

http://www.countdownradio.com/

http://www.j-wave.co.jp/original/tokiohot100/

^^
Charice #1 in Japan again. Shes making it BIG in Japan. :okay:

http://i32.tinypic.com/34qojet.jpg

Wow!! And I think, she will promote her next song, Crescent Moon!:)

sa Japan lang ata release yun

Charice is not really making it big here in Australia but at least her song Pyramid is on the radio...

Here's a screenshot of one of Sydney's popular FM stations website showing the songs playlist in real time, with Pyramid on queue...

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/Mix1065website_02-Aug-10_6PM.jpg


The song climbed 1 notch higher in the Australian charts (http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50), now at #45 on its 3rd week on the chart. It's creeping slowly from #48 in its first week and #46 last week.

^^
Maybe because they haven't visited Australia yet. The next stop for promotion is Europe. The Malaysian leg of her Asian Tour got cancelled because of Glee commitments.

Hopefully her handlers will promote Charice in Australia.

^^ As for Portland, I've never heard her on the radio. This part of the country really sucks when it comes to song variety. They only play the top 10, plus old hits. :ohno:

that explains a lot :lol:

Charice's Song, Pyramid is #6 in Malaysian Countdown.

http://www.mix.fm/music/mixtop10/

Dante Di Loreto on Charice:

http://twitter.com/GLEETV

GLEE: Lea Michele hits the Santa Monica Pier, talks Rachel vs. Charice

NmVzKX-z4aQ

Simply put, something to be proud of...

Pinoy Game Designers Win Microsoft Imagine Cup 2010
Written on July 11, 2010 by Design Pinoy in Inspiration

The winners of the eighth annual Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals were announced last July 8, 2010 at the Opera House and National Theatre (Teatr Narodowy) in Warsaw, Poland, where more than 400 students gathered to celebrate their unique innovations aimed at solving the world’s toughest problems.

Philippines team, By Implication, took first place in the Game Design category with Wildfire. These are truly Pinoys to be proud of. Congratulations to you and keep bringing pride to our country.

Wildfire is a gem about saving the world. In this game, opponents such as rampant poverty, gender inequality, inadequate education and environmental degradation can be defeated through volunteerism, social interaction and nonviolent activism. Standing in players way are the menacing “agents”, representing the various forces opposing positive societal change.

This year’s Imagine Cup, sponsored by Microsoft Corp. and known globally as the world’s premier student technology competition, began with a field of more than 325,000 high school and university students representing more than 100 countries and regions and culminated with a weeklong celebration in Warsaw. During the week, students demonstrated their real-world solutions and competed for cash prizes totaling $240,000 (U.S.) across five competition categories and six awards.

http://designpinoy.com/inspiration/pinoy-game-designers-win-microsoft-imagine-cup-2010/

--------

Typhoon Ondoy inspires Filipino students to design award-winning game
Posted at 8:35 pm July 23, 2010
By KC Santos

MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA - The tragic disaster caused by Typhoon Ondoy last year served as inspiration for a group of college students to design a game so unique it won first prize in the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup in Warsaw, Poland.

Team Implication is composed of Kenneth Yu of De La Salle University, Philip Cheang, Wilhansen Li, and Roderick Tan of Ateneo De Manila University and the Levi Tan-Ong from the University of the Philippines.

The team won first prize in the Game Design category for their entry “Wildfire” during this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup held at Warsaw, Poland. The team was also a finalist for “The Envisioning 2020” Award.

With Wildfire, the goal is to fulfill tasks related to seven Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations must be accomplished. Societal issues in the form of agents and “tweets” providing facts about UN concerns are encountered along the course of finishing the tasks. The more volunteers you get per task, the faster you finish the game.

Kenneth Yu, who served as mentor for Team Implication, shares that although they had faith in Wildfire, seeing the work of teams from other countries was terrifying. “We were freaked out that we sacrificed sleeping so that that we can polish the presentation,” he says.

The solidarity Filipinos demonstrated in the aftermath of Ondoy (also Typhoon Ketsana) provided inspiration for Wildfire. Yu says games exist not because people want to escape or remain juvenile; games, for him, deliver solid messages people can learn from out of unfortunate events.

The design of the game is more minimalist and the visual detail sparse. Doing away with common crowd mechanics and sticking to a clean interface allow players to focus and experience the subjective exploration quality of the game.

Seven all-women teams took part in the competition and Team Implication is likewise planning to form a female team for next year’s Imagine Cup.

“We have to finish college first then maybe continue polishing Wildfire.” Yu says, when asked about plans to turn Wildfire into a commercial game. The team is eyeing to design the game for XBOX 360.

Apart from the cash prize the team won from the Imagine Cup, Microsoft Philippines further rewards the team by helping their respective universities through programs that aim to spur creativity and innovation among students.

“The biggest thing that the Philippines has is intellectual horse power,” says Microsoft Philippines marketing director Danny Ong. “Acts of volunteerism should be constantly funded and acknowledged especially if it’s reflective of the societal issues of a country.”

http://loqal.ph/science-and-education/2010/07/23/typhoon-ondoy-inspires-filipino-students-to-design-award-winning-game/

Wildfire
-MtB68cA6P8

pZo52vpSjF8

^^The graphics and gameplay are so simple, yet the message and call to action is so strong :cheers:

This is just great, check this out.

http://charice-central.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/hotteststarsofsummer.png

the graphics of that game are amazing. Reminds me of Mirror's Edge, sort of. All they need is a bit of detail now in the buildings. :)

Charice on Eat Bulaga. :lol:
pWgk-XSMbLA

ganda ng set ng Eat Bulaga. Too bad about the tv graphics. :lol:

^^The graphics and gameplay are so simple, yet the message and call to action is so strong :cheers:

Funny how no one knew about it. I saw this first in TV. It might come to the Xbox Live:

Wildfire Preview: Power To The People
By David Wildgoose on July 21, 2010 at 11:00 AM

n late September 2009, Cyclone Ketsana hit Southeast Asia, devastating the region. In the Phillippines, the average monthly rainfall fell in just six hours, causing flash floods, landslides, power outages and even oil spills. Total damages were estimated at well over $US200 million. This was the inspiration for four Phillippines students to make a game.

Wildfire is one of the games I saw, played and judged at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup in Poland. Like all the teams at the Imagine Cup, the Phillippines’ By Implication is made up of early 20s university students who are working on the game part-time while completing their studies. By Implication designed Wildfire along the theme “Tackling the world’s toughest problems”, developed it using Microsoft’s XNA suite and plan to eventually release it on Xbox Live Arcade and PC.

By Implication took out first place to claim the $US25,000 prize in the Game Design category at the Imagine Cup. So, now that my judging duties are over, I thought I’d tell you more about their game.

What Is It?
During the Ketsana disaster By Implication observed that, while the Phillippines government procrastinated in the wake of “Ondoy” (the local name for Ketsana), it was the people who got out in the streets and – via the power of social media – banded together to get things done. Wildfire is about how this kind of “people power” can solve all manner of problems in a modern city.

You play a citizen of a randomly generated city. As you walk around the streets bustling with pedestrians you are alerted to problems arising in various buildings, and it’s your job to fix them. To do so, you use your ability to “orate”, expending inspiration (your chief resource) to urge passers-by to join with you. These “volunteers” then follow you throughout the city and you can direct them to the various buildings in crisis. As they complete these tasks, you earn more inspiration.

Ultimately it’s a game of resource management where you juggle the demands of the city with your ability to inspire the population. Complications grow as problems appear in more and more buildings, each vying for your attention, the enigmatic, black-suited “agents” roam the streets and hinder your efforts, and all the while your city’s overall health is draining away.

What We Saw
We were able to play a new game from the start all the way through to completion, assuming we could get that far. The aim is to complete 21 tasks throughout the city, but we quickly realised our skills were not going to be up to that particular task just yet.

More on....

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/07/wildfire-preview-power-to-the-people/

RP student wins in Japan intl arts festival 08/05/2010

Share A 15-year-old Filipino student bagged a special prize at a recently concluded arts festival in Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Japan, the DFA said Edwin Marzan Bergaño Jr., 15, of Baguio City National High School, won the International Artist special prize.

“Edwin’s painting entitled ‘The Other Side of Myself’ was selected by a panel of judges headed by Philippine Ambassador Domingo L. Siazon Jr. as the best Philippine artwork," the DFA said.

Bergaño received a medal and certificate at the 11th International High School Arts Festival (IHSAF) of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture of Japan (IFAC) on July 29 at the Ueno Seiyoken in Tokyo.

Participating in the festival for the first time, the Philippines submitted eight other paintings created by high school students John Lauren Bacay, Stepfani Ann Almazan, John Paul Aro, Mahaysha Kitma, Kyle Vizcarra, Ray Martin Yodong, Eric John Rodriguez and Marvin Bacinillo.

The Filipino students’ paintings were displayed along with the artworks created by high school students from Japan, Myanmar, Ireland, Laos, Vietnam, Egypt, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom at the Ueno Royal Museum.

During the awarding ceremony, IFAC chairman Dr. Haruhisa Handa praised the high level of artistic skill shown by Bergaño and the other students.

Each winner received his prize from the representative of his embassy in Tokyo.

In accepting the award, Bergaño thanked those who helped nurture his talent as well as IFAC and others who made it possible for him to come to Japan to receive his prize.

Minister Gina Jamoralin, who represented Ambassador Siazon at the awarding ceremony, expressed the hope that Bergaño would continue to develop his God-given talent.

The IHSAF is an annual event that showcases the visual arts talents of young people from different countries.

It is intended to promote goodwill and understanding among participating countries through the medium of art. The festival ran from July 29 to August 2. – VVP, GMANews.TV

-MtB68cA6P8
u can download the game here free-it's actually quite fun
http://wildfire.byimplication.com/

RP student wins in Japan intl arts festival 08/05/2010

Share A 15-year-old Filipino student bagged a special prize at a recently concluded arts festival in Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Japan, the DFA said Edwin Marzan Bergaño Jr., 15, of Baguio City National High School, won the International Artist special prize.

“Edwin’s painting entitled ‘The Other Side of Myself’ was selected by a panel of judges headed by Philippine Ambassador Domingo L. Siazon Jr. as the best Philippine artwork," the DFA said.

Bergaño received a medal and certificate at the 11th International High School Arts Festival (IHSAF) of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture of Japan (IFAC) on July 29 at the Ueno Seiyoken in Tokyo.

Participating in the festival for the first time, the Philippines submitted eight other paintings created by high school students John Lauren Bacay, Stepfani Ann Almazan, John Paul Aro, Mahaysha Kitma, Kyle Vizcarra, Ray Martin Yodong, Eric John Rodriguez and Marvin Bacinillo.

The Filipino students’ paintings were displayed along with the artworks created by high school students from Japan, Myanmar, Ireland, Laos, Vietnam, Egypt, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom at the Ueno Royal Museum.

During the awarding ceremony, IFAC chairman Dr. Haruhisa Handa praised the high level of artistic skill shown by Bergaño and the other students.

Each winner received his prize from the representative of his embassy in Tokyo.

In accepting the award, Bergaño thanked those who helped nurture his talent as well as IFAC and others who made it possible for him to come to Japan to receive his prize.

Minister Gina Jamoralin, who represented Ambassador Siazon at the awarding ceremony, expressed the hope that Bergaño would continue to develop his God-given talent.

The IHSAF is an annual event that showcases the visual arts talents of young people from different countries.

It is intended to promote goodwill and understanding among participating countries through the medium of art. The festival ran from July 29 to August 2. – VVP, GMANews.TV

Congratulations. :cheers:

Simply put, something to be proud of...

Pinoy Game Designers Win Microsoft Imagine Cup 2010
Written on July 11, 2010 by Design Pinoy in Inspiration


Knowing the fact that they are still students make me WOW even more. I'm only a year and 3 months from graduation and I am verrrryyy impressed with this project. These kids will go distances in our field, IT! :cheers:

Pinoy choir wins big in Indonesia
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/08/09/10/pinoy-choir-wins-big-indonesia
by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 08/09/2010 11:40 AM | Updated as of 08/09/2010 11:41 AM

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Normal University Chorale (PNUC) bagged the grand championship in the 1st Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) International Choir Competition 2010 held from July 29 to August 1 in Bandung, Indonesia.

Aside from being the grand champion, the PNU Chorale emerged as category winners in Mixed Voices-Historical, Mixed Voices-Free Program and Mixed Voices-Young Adult. It also placed third in the Folk Song category.

The PNUC members first competed on July 30. They sang "La Guerre" and "Ama Namin" for the historical category and "Ove Lass Il Bel Viso," "Que Rico E" and "Everybody Dance Now" for the free program.

On the following day, they sang two Filipino folk songs - "Day Baling" and "Tarimbaba Punjungan" plus an Indonesian folk song, "Gai Bintang." In the young adult category, they sang "Aba Po Santa Mariang Reyna," "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" and another Filipino folk song, "Pok Pok Alimpako."

Several members of the PNUC even had a "Meet the Jury" session on August 1. They were able to talk to the judges and ask for comments on their performances.

PNUC member Melissa Regaya related how she and her choir mates felt after it was announced that they won 3 categories.

"Our choir was ecstatic," she told abs-cbnNEWS.com. "We prayed to say thanks and our conductor reminded us that if before whenever we sang in each category eh, it's like we're praying to God to help us and be with us. Now na we won, we will sing in the championship round, we are singing to praise God and give thanks for His help and blessings."

They then sang thrice in the championship round.

The 1st ITB International Choir Competition, also called the Festival Paduan Suara Institut Teknologi Bandung (FPS ITB), is the biggest and most awaited national choral event in Indonesia. It has been held biennially since 1968 in the national level. It became an international choral tilt in 2010. -- Report by Ma. Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com

RT @TheEllenShow I’ve learned 2 things about TV. It’s always easier with vodka & some of the best singers are from the Philippines.

^^ RT who?

yay! charlene's going to have a spread in Chinese Vogue, wearing Vera Wang! :eek:

http://s3.postimage.org/D9_69-20e74f96bfefd87aca8e51b2040a2a06-resize.jpg

^^ RT who?

retweet

yay! charlene's going to have a spread in Chinese Vogue, wearing Vera Wang! :eek:
http://s3.postimage.org/D9_69-20e74f96bfefd87aca8e51b2040a2a06-resize.jpg

wow congrats sa kanya. sana makasali din sya sa chanel haute couture next year. i believe that's the pinnacle of all fashion shows.

RT @TheEllenShow I’ve learned 2 things about TV. It’s always easier with vodka & some of the best singers are from the Philippines.

Ellen DeGeneres :lol:

RT @TheEllenShow I’ve learned 2 things about TV. It’s always easier with vodka & some of the best singers are from the Philippines.

THE PROOF...

Charice Pempenco
JbDTSiqOBKU

Arnel Pineda
sFX0IeqD3e8&feature=related

Rhap Salazar
L_SaVKL4_7w

Rin on the Rox
C8eoMS3W_t4

^^Indeed proud to be Filipino!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Why Charice is Number 1

http://www.charicemania.com/2010/08/09/editorial/why-charice-is-number-1/

Saturday Afternoon

“So I turn the radio up

Looking for a melody

But nobody’s singing to me”

My head does a 180. What the?! I was in a bus in the suburbs of Tokyo, and a familiar tune wafts past my ear. Who on earth has “Nobody Singing to Me”, not even “Pyramid”, as a ringtone in Japan?! A man in his 50s wearing a suit passes me by, his phone ringing. What a fiftyish, stern-looking Japanese man in a suit on a Saturday afternoon is doing listening to an 18 year old, bubbly Filipino girl wearing the latest, coolest clothes is beyond me. What’s his Charice story? Mind-boggling, and mind-blowing.

At The Top Baby!

Charice has topped the Japanese Oricon chart for foreign albums and “Pyramid” is number 1 at the Tokio Hot 100, the oldest radio chart and the one that matters in Japan. To be number 1 on the Oricon chart, beating Eminem, Lady Gaga, Oasis and Miley Cyrus is, for lack of a better word, insane. It is common knowledge that the Japanese music market is difficult for foreigners to crack, and here comes Charice, a newcomer leaving household names in the dust. How did this happen? And why?

Now before anything else, a disclaimer. I am not Japanese, nor am I an expert. I did not major in psychology nor music nor Japanese culture and history. Although I do have ideas on what make the Japanese tick, after having lived twenty-plus years here in Japan, having gone to a Japanese university and having worked in a Japanese company.

The Pursuit of Perfection

There is a story about a Japanese manufacturing company exporting appliances abroad. One of their overseas buyers stipulated in their contract that only three defective products per shipment were allowed. The Japanese, puzzled by this, went along and sent three products carefully wrapped with a note “Here are your three defective products.” The buyer couldn’t get over this and laughed and laughed because he was used to receiving shipments from all over the world with defects. The Japanese, used to perfection, could not understand why there was even a stipulation for defective products because not one defective product ever leaves their factories. Now whether this story is true or not, I do not know. But what I do know is that it paints the Japanese accurately. This is the country that gave birth to the Lexus, a luxury car whose motto is “The Pursuit of Perfection”. What can we do to make things better, no, perfect?

Charice, as we have heard time and again, gives it her all in every performance, live or taped, with 10,000 people watching or with only a handful for an audience. She gives it her all, her delivery flawless each time. This constant striving for the best, for perfection, and the very hard work and effort that it takes to get there is what Charice has in common with the Japanese.

Working Hard and Hanging in There

You see it everywhere, in everyone, everyday. There is this Japanese word “ganbaru“, which means “give it one’s all”, “hang tough”, “keep trying”, “stick at it”, “stick to it”, “try hard”, “work hard”. All these distilled into one word. The Japanese hear it even before they are born. Laboring mothers are urged by their doctors to ganbaru. Babies are told by their mothers to ganbaru and let that burp out. Toddlers are cheered on by parents to ganbaru and take that first step. School kids are pushed to ganbaru and ace those exams to get to the next level. And when they have ganbaru-ed their way out of university, it’s time to really ganbaru and get a job. The stay-at-home mom ganbaru-s at making the best-looking obento lunches for her kids. The aspiring street singer is encouraged by his lone fan listening to ganbaru. On and on and on it goes, this word uttered by millions of people millions of times everyday. So it is no wonder that the Japanese are known for valuing hard work.

Ganbaru might as well be Charice’s motto. We all know her story, how she worked hard to get where she is today. How she hung in there when there was only her voice that allowed them to have food on the table. So it is not surprising why the Japanese TV shows she’s been on and Japanese blogs almost always mention the adversity she’s overcome because they value this. They know what it takes.

Respect

I have to state the obvious. Charice is Asian, and Asians are known for respecting not necessarily just their elders, but those who have come before them. In Japan, the “senpai-kohai” or “senior-junior” relationship is extremely important. When Charice was a guest at a Japanese TV show, she showed utter respect to the hosts by making the effort to speak in Japanese, and not just Japanese, but polite Japanese. The hosts have been in the business way longer than she, but even though she is more famous worldwide, she showed deference to those who came before her. She also visited a radio station when she was here. Later, the DJ blogged that he “understood” Charice’s vibe and her “kindness” because here she was, already big in the music scene but was not loud nor brash which isn’t surprising since Charice herself acknowledges that there are people who have gone to the top already and she is just starting. So it is no wonder if those who saw her on TV or heard her on the radio felt her respect for those who have come before her.

Being Asian

Charice is being touted as the first Asian poised to become a world star. She is the first Asian to break into the upper ranks of the Billboard chart. The previous holder of that record was a Japanese singer. So naturally, the Japanese want to know, who IS this girl? Who broke Kyu Sakamoto’s record? Charice, that’s who! A lot of Japanese bloggers mention affinity with her, on the basis of her being Asian. Much as they adore other non-Asian, foreign artists, Charice is special because she got into the top 10 of the Billboard chart AND she is Asian. And we know how the Japanese love special things, the one-of-a-kind things and events that make the Japanese stand up and take notice.

And Last, (but definitely not the least), The Voice Endowed by Heaven

That is how they describe her – on her Japanese website, on her Japanese CD. Power singers like Charice are and have been rare in Japan. Traditional Japanese singers sing in high-pitched notes mainly because Japanese females in general have high voices. So when a singer like Charice with deep, rich and sweet tones comes along, they love it. They love it enough that when combined with her characteristics of striving for perfection, working hard, respecting her seniors and her luck of being born Asian, they pushed her to the top.

Saturday Afternoon

The fiftyish man gets off the bus, leaving me hearing the words in my head.

“So I turn the radio up

Looking for a melody

But nobody’s singing to me”

Charice, it might be that nobody’s singing to you, but everybody in Japan is listening to you.

Filipina model spotted yachting with Prince Andrew
inquirer

link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301399/Prince-Andrew-jets-model-friend-Alexandra-Escat.html


MANILA, Philippines — Filipina model Alexandra Escat has been seen yachting with twice her age British royalty, Prince Andrew, the Daily Mail’s online news site said.

In her Facebook account, Escat listed Madrid as her current city and her high school as International School Manila.

Escat, 25, is reportedly a child of a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. Also said to be a friend of local celebrities KC Concepcion and Stephanie Zubiri, she has been in a couple of television ads, including one for a hair product seen here.

Prince Andrew, 50, has been separated from Sarah Ferguson since 1992.

Filipina model spotted yachting with Prince Andrew
inquirer

link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301399/Prince-Andrew-jets-model-friend-Alexandra-Escat.html


MANILA, Philippines — Filipina model Alexandra Escat has been seen yachting with twice her age British royalty, Prince Andrew, the Daily Mail’s online news site said.

In her Facebook account, Escat listed Madrid as her current city and her high school as International School Manila.

Escat, 25, is reportedly a child of a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. Also said to be a friend of local celebrities KC Concepcion and Stephanie Zubiri, she has been in a couple of television ads, including one for a hair product seen here.

Prince Andrew, 50, has been separated from Sarah Ferguson since 1992.

Waw I'm so proud!:lol::lol::lol:

Magnificient Madz Dazzled Bandung

Link: http://news.fpsitb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=205%3Amadz-sempurna-di-bandung&catid=46%3A1st-itb-icc-2010&Itemid=170&lang=en

Media Center - Standing ovation welcome Madz return to stage. It was the end of their performace when audience shouted “Sempurna! Sempurna!”, asking for a rewind of the song. It was so beautifully choired by the Madz that the dazzled crowd demand this Indonesian pop song for a second run. This particular song, popularized by Indonesian pop singers Andra and The Backbone, gets the highest applause from the audience.

And Madz finally climed back to the stage for their last song of the night, but this time they chose Let it Be.

“Magnificient. They did not even need a conductor anymore. But their harmony in singing was amazing. They know very well what kind of song they sing,” said Indra Listyanto, ITB Choir conductor.

Last night was the Madz and Madrigal’s first performance in Indonesia on their tour to several Indonesian cities. They are on an “Indonesia Goodwill Concert Tour 2010”. Madz known as one of the best in the world. They won European Choral Grand Prix in Choral Singing twice.

Madz stand a two hours concert in Aula Barat ITB, and it was performed two hour after the last category of 1st ITB Choir Competition 2010. ITB Choir opened the gala concert singing Hope, Faith, Live, Love, Wor and Karimatanu Kuicha, conducted by Indra Listyanto.

“Unbelievable. It is a rare opportunity to be in one stage with Madz. We are lucky to have this opportunity and experience,” Indra declared.

One member of ITB Choir, Angky Arifin, revealed his proud and happiness. “It’s a priceless experience. It is not easy to be in a stage with the famous Madz. You can see that when they are singing. It was so amazing. Here, we can be in one stage with them,” said the second year student.

After three opening song by ITB Choir, Madz’s conductor and choirmaster climb up to the stage together with 19 singers. Six songs rhymed in their first session, eight in the next after a fifteen minutes break. They deliver different kinds of songs, folksong to modern. This followed by a joint performace of Madz and ITB Choir, singing three songs, We Beheld Once Again The Stars, Bengawan Solo dan Khuray.

After 14 songs by Madz and 3 collaboration singing with ITB Choir, the audience ask for more. We want more! They cried repeatedly. And the Madz who had step down, went back up to the stage for one last song.

Interviewed at the backstage after the performance, Mark Anthony A Carpio applauded the audience.

“They went through a long training for this concert, but in the early stage they were a bit nervous performing in front of Indonesian choirs. Most of them are amateurs, college students,” added Mark, trying to be modest.

On Sempurna, Mark love this song,”We love this song. Its musical arrangement is good. And we will remember this song still for a long time.”

“My God, their performance was just flawless. They are perfect. They sing different kinds of songs. Even when they sing Lisoi-Lisoi, we can feel their Batak mood. I am from Batak,” said an audience, Erikson.

Another audience from Bandung, Therman, obeserved that Madz was extraordinary while performing different kinds of music. “They never fix the base note, but still they are so skillfull. And they can change voice characters while they perform.” One song they voiced, Circle of Life, presented different kind of animal sound like birds, monkey, and lion.

“But their best was Sempurna. Its mood was so captured. Its Sempurna [perfectness] was so perfect,” applauded Agus Yuwono who came with his nine other friends all the way from Jakarta. Agus even plan to attend Madz concert in Jakarta. After Bandung, they will move to Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Jakarta.

^^Nakakaloka, nasa Proudly Pinoy thread itong news na ito (date with Prince Andrew)...:nuts::nuts:

Filipina model spotted yachting with Prince Andrew
inquirer

link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1301399/Prince-Andrew-jets-model-friend-Alexandra-Escat.html


MANILA, Philippines — Filipina model Alexandra Escat has been seen yachting with twice her age British royalty, Prince Andrew, the Daily Mail’s online news site said.

In her Facebook account, Escat listed Madrid as her current city and her high school as International School Manila.

Escat, 25, is reportedly a child of a Spanish father and a Filipina mother. Also said to be a friend of local celebrities KC Concepcion and Stephanie Zubiri, she has been in a couple of television ads, including one for a hair product seen here.

Prince Andrew, 50, has been separated from Sarah Ferguson since 1992.

lol, DOM alert. :lol:

^^ paraparaan yan para umasenso sa buhay. :lol:

at syempre eto na ang mga naiinggit:

http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab335/kin_toy/3c4fba5e.jpg

Model on Prince Andrew's arm in the Med was an ugly duckling teenager


By Patrick Mulchrone 9/08/2010 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/09/model-on-prince-andrew-s-arm-in-the-med-was-an-ugly-duckling-teenager-115875-22474921/)

The stunning brunette on the arm of a playful Prince Andrew in the Med was a gawky, ugly duckling teenager, an ex-school friend revealed yesterday.
Alexandra Escat, 24, is now an international model and pictures of the Prince, dubbed Air Miles Andy, revelling in her company aboard a superyacht in Sardinia emerged last week.

But former school friend Alessandra Tinio, 25, spent five years with her at The International School in Manila, Philippines, where both their parents still live.
She said: "She was quite a shy girl at school and a bit of an ugly duckling. She was a bit of an awkward teenager, so it's so wonderful to see her turn into an international model."
Alexandra was pictured hand in hand with the Duke of York, who is more than her age at 50, on the 154ft Yalla, thought to have been chartered by his friends.

And despite one aide claiming she was the wife of another guest, Alessandra revealed the beauty, born in Spain and brought up in the Philippines, is very much single. She said: "The last time I saw her, she very definitely was not married. She was in the year below me. She didn't excel in the classroom or at sport.

"She was fairly ordinary, but it's amazing to see what she's turned into. She is an established model in Madrid now. I see her every Christmas when we go home," said Alessandra, a PR executive in Manchester. She added: "She moves in pretty high circles and is friends with politicians' families. I'm not surprised to see her turn up in such exclusive company, but I would not describe her as a good time girl."

A modelling website says Alexandra has worked for luxury brands in PR, likes shopping in Paris, Hong Kong and Madrid and Ibiza is her favourite destination.


Last night, a Royal source admitted to a 'misunderstanding' over claiming she was the wife of a guest. While not confirming her name, he said she was a friend and insisted she was "definitely not" a new interest of Prince Andrew's.
You could have fooled us...

FERGIE'S £5M DEBT FEAR
The Duchess of York could be made bankrupt over her "gigantic" £5million debts, a Royal source has revealed.
Fergie, 50, has racked up the bill with no way of paying it. She has been advised her only option is to declare herself bankrupt, the source says.
The Queen is said to be "deeply concerned" and even PM David Cameron has been briefed. No member of the Royal Family has ever been bankrupted.
The source was reported as saying: "One key adviser believes the right thing is for the Duchess of York to go bankrupt. He says it will be a week-long wonder, then everyone will say, 'It's not altogether surprising' and then they will forget about it.

Fergie's debts are double the amount previously thought, despite her former husband, the Duke of York, bailing her out at least once. Prince Andrew is said to be forming a "rescue plan"
A source was reported as saying: "The Duchess simply does not have any real idea about money." A spokesman for Fergie said: "There is currently a review of the Duchess's finances under way and a number of options are being considered."

RP students win 92 medals in Singapore’s math competition
By Jerry E. Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 14:57:00 08/10/2010

Advertisement MANILA, Philippines -- It’s a "mission accomplished" for the Philippine team to the just-concluded 2010 Singapore International Mathematics Competition (SIMC).

With a 92-medal haul, including 12 golds, the young Filipino numbers aces placed second overall in the 10-nation contest, topped by China which won a total of 282 medals.

The Philippines also tallied 26 silver and 54 bronze medals in the competition, according to Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers' Guild-Phils. (MTG) and head of the country's delegation.

The RP team members, all wards of MTG, a non-government group which promotes excellence in math training and education, also took home 44 merit, or runner-up certificates.

China bagged 39 golds in the SIMC. South Korea was third with eight, followed by Hong Kong (7), Taiwan (6), Indonesia (5), Malaysia (4), Thailand (3), host Singapore (2), and India, which failed to get any medal, said Chua in an e-mail to the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Tuesday.

The Philippines' gold medals came courtesy of Adrian Reginald Sy and Matthew Angelo Isidro, both from St. Jude Catholic School; Shaquille Wyan Que from Grace Christian College; Farrel Eldrian wu from MGc New Life Christian School; Errol John Suarez from Bicol University Integrated Laboratory School; Raphael Villaluz from San Beda College-Alabang; Frederick Matthew Corpuz from Colegio San Agustin-Makati; Gabrielle Anna Gabaton from Pasig Catholic School; Jervis Ong Chua from Philippine Cultural College; Kate Andrea Bonamy and Shaun Wesley Que, both from Grace Christian College; and Karl Joshua Reyes, from the Regional Science High School-Olongapo.

The silver medals were won by Christopher Banzon from Nemesio Yabut Elementary School; Andrea Jaba and Cary Albert Chan, both from St. Jude Catholic School; Lord Danly Mafe, Bon Leif Amalla and Emmanuel Paulo Santos, all from Colegio San Agustin-Biñan; Adam Christopher Chan, Stephen Laohoo and Jeremy Vance Yap, all from Grace Christian College; Jaymi Mae Ching and Kelsey Lim, both from Jubilee Christian Academy; Jan Joshua Cruz from Pasig Catholic College; Elijamin Wolfgang Claveria from Elizabeth Seton School; Albert Neil Dulay from Integrated Montessori Center; Luis Salvador Dy and Mark Christopher Uy, both from Xavier School; Xavier Jefferson Ray go from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School; Hans Markson Tan and Sterling Alvin Tiu, both from St. Stephen's High School; Alyssa Guevara from De La Salle Santiago Zobel School; Juan Mario Luis Esplana from Elizabeth Seton School-South; Vincent Jaime Benitez from Philippine Science High School-Western Visayas; Dave Laurence Juntilla from PSHS-Southern Mindanao; Himig Marcos from Philippine Cultural College; and Timothy James Tan from Trinity Christian School.

The bronze medalists included, among others, Wilford Jason Julio, Martin Lewis Koa and Kyle Justin Meguizo, all from St. Jude Catholic School; Caisa Subia and Casey Oliver Turingan, both from San Beda College-Alabang; Nathaniel Ryan Ang, Matthew Johann Uy, Brendan Coseto, Adrian Nathaniel Chua, Kyle Garret Lee Uy and Andrew Vince Lee, all from Xavier School; Dielle Tio from St. Stephen's High School; Jan Kendrick Ong from Chiang Kai Shek College; Hans Bryan Ong, Lu Christian Ong and John Cedric Laohoo, all from Grace Christian College; Mark Vincent Tan from Ateneo de Manila High School; Anchelle Grace Ho and Emmanuel Gerard Chiu, both from Silliman University; Charles Emerson Ngo from Leyte Progressive High School; Hannah Elyse Tee from Immaculate Conception Academy; Andrew Cua from Philippine Cultural College; and Anne Michelle Siao from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

A total of 92 elementary and 44 high school students represented the country in the SIMC.

Chua and other MTG officials commended the Filipino math wizards for "another job well done."

"They're among the world's best. No doubt about it," said Chua.

The annual contest's results were announced on Monday night at the Chevrons Auditorium in the Lion City. The SIMC was held the day before at the DBS International School.

This year, MTG wards have so far won 91 medals, including four golds, in four international math competitions - the 13th Hong Kong Primary Math World Contest, 2010 Korea International Math Competition, 51st Math Olympiad in Kazakhstan, and the 2010 Canadian Math Competition.

http://http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100810-285977/RP-students-win-92-medals-in-Singapores-math-competition

Onstage by Juan Antonio Lanuza (http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=15620)

Last Friday I was one of a few persons privileged to attend the press preview of the forthcoming concert/recital featuring Arthur Espiritu, a magnificent Filipino light lyric tenor who made his debut as Ferrando in Mozart’s opera Cosi Fan Tutte in November 2007 at the famous La Scala in Milan, Italy. Apparently this was the second time a Filipino opera singer sang in this auspicious opera house -- the first was bass-baritone Jose Mossesgeld Santiago Font in 1928 in the role of Sparafucile from Verdi’s opera Rigoletto.

In this concert/recital, Filipina soprano Rachelle Gerodias will also sing some solos and do operatic duets with Mr. Espiritu. Excellent Philippine pianist Najib Ismael will accompany them. The event is titled Viva Bel Canto which is a celebration of beautiful singing. It will be held on Aug. 14, 8 p.m., at the Philamlife Auditorium at UN Ave., Ermita, Manila.

Mr. Espiritu was very relaxed, charming, humble and unpretentious during the preview. He regaled us with various interesting experiences he went through during his career. He was not fond of opera during his youth in the Philippines. Before his family migrated to the United States when he was around 14, he idolized Gary Valenciano and Rico Puno. It was in college that he got exposed to classical music. He received an Artist Diploma from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Music from the University of New Orleans. He took lessons and is still studying voice with Dr. Raquel Cortina.

In 2009, he won the George London Award; the La Scala Award in the Belvedere Vocal Competition in Vienna, Austria; second place in the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition; the Rose-Palmai Tenser Mobile Opera Guild Award; second place in the Opera Birmingham Voice Competition; second place in the Regional Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition; and an encouragement award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and the National Opera Association Voice Competition.

During the press preview, he sang a solo aria from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte ("Un aura amorosa"), and with Ms. Gerodias he sang "Un di felice" from Verdi’s La Traviata. In both he displayed his exceptionally beautiful light lyric tenor voice while coloring his singing with emotion, singing with extreme ease, showing us his outstanding coloratura technique and facility to hit high notes, and his beautifully pronounced Italian (he studied Italian in Italy). Later he sang magnificently Agustin Lara’s "Granada" in very good Spanish.

I was mesmerized and speechless. I never expected a voice as spectacular as his to suddenly pop up in a press preview in Manila. Therefore, I urge you not to miss this once in a lifetime chance to hear a Filipino singer who has made it at the Mecca of Opera, the La Scala.

He turns 35 this month. He is clean-cut, handsome and cuts a fine figure, but most importantly he has a VOICE. If he manages his voice properly, he can have a great and long career, similar to that of Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus who also specialized in bel canto roles. Kraus sang until he was slightly past 70 years of age. In fact, most of the operas Mr. Espiritu sings were the ones Kraus sang during his very long career. Mr. Espiritu could be our answer to Peruvian bel canto tenor Juan Diego Florez who also is a light lyric tenor and just two years older.

At the preview, Ms. Gerodias sang -- beautifully -- "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role she will sing later this year in Korea. More power to you Rachelle and knock them down with your singing in Korea.

At the recital on Aug. 14, Mr. Espiritu will sing three attractive "Art Songs" by Tosti including "Aprille," Abelardo’s "Pakiusap," arias from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, and Gounod’s Mirielle and Romeo et Juliette. He also will sing duets with Ms. Gerodias: Santiago’s "Anak Dalita" and arias from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore ("Caro elisir") and Verdi’s La Traviata ("Un di felice"). Ms. Gerodias will also sing arias from Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Noli Me Tangere and Romeo et Juliette.

Trust me, you will not regret going to this concert. God willing, next year he may be brought back to Manila. For tickets call 0918-347-3027 (Alan), 535-5915 (Alan), 0917-831-8353 (JV Castro). See you at Philamlife on Aug. 14.

Miss Philippines in Miss Universe 2010

http://inesligron.com/wordpress/askblog/Picture-434.png

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww164/ardieno16/40807_417239661989_339538031989_5431771_7723017_n.jpg

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww164/ardieno16/40807_417239676989_339538031989_5431774_5731839_n.jpg

http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww164/ardieno16/40807_417239671989_339538031989_5431773_7035014_n.jpg

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

Venus's Evening Gown


http://i33.tinypic.com/33jpah0.jpg

di man mukhang Pinay imo

kamukha ni LMAO:D babae version:D

kamukha ni LMAO:D babae version:D

:lol::lol::lol: ang lintik na ito napagtripan pa ako. May ambisyon pa naman akong araruhin yang si Raj, kung nagkataon parang nag jack all na lang ako niyan LMAO

di man mukhang Pinay imo

Filipino/a face is so diverse now. Mixed races are common although it still a minority.

kamukha ni LMAO:D babae version:D

I concur! :okay:









:rofl:

Ok then see you in August 24...:)

pokwang>melai>raj :cheers2:


just Venting my frustration

pokwang>melai>raj :cheers2:


just Venting my frustratino

wag ka...cum laude yan...ikaw? ano? baka manalo pa yan. wag naman tayong ganyan....look at yourself first in the mirror.

i'm not going to join one of those contests.....i'm realistic enough to know i don't belong there....so if i make a judgement that's not based on hating or jelousy....honestly i just don't see anything redeeming about raj's looks....in a contest that's subjectiVe anyway i think i was in line with my opinion

^^ precisely....that does not give you the right to ridicule the person. She represents the country and whether we like it or not, we have to support her.

^^ Totally agree RonnieR!!! Let's just support our candidate....:):):)

I don't get why there is some apprehension with Ms. Venus Raj representing our country. So she is half-Filipina, even if she weren't completely Filipino, she should be able to represent our country on the premise that she is a citizen and raised in the country. Being Filipino is not just about having Filipino blood, its a state of mind, a feeling, and shared cultural values. I think she is an accomplished young woman that has earned her spot to represent our country. To think of all she went through just to get a chance to represent us.

Being Filipino is not just about having Filipino blood, its a state of mind, a feeling, and shared cultural values. .

I think the greater majority of Filipinos support her. She is even on top of that internet vote.

This statement is good. I remember those foreigners in a local TV show said something like that, too. (in highlight).

^^Ewan ko nga sa iba. Lagi na lang ganun. Why don't they just support our kababayan?

Parang kay Charice lang. 90% ng mga haters niya ay mgaPinoy na kahit anong websites or forum talang effort pa silang magcomment para lang masiraan.

^^ crab mentality ng Pinoy!

^^Haaayyyy.... Ganun talaga tayong mga Pinoy... Pero ako, hindi ako ganon. Support all the way sa mg achivements nila. After Charice, I thinksi Venus naman ang nasa limelight na magiging proud ang mga Pinoys!! :)

Hay naku, pag manalo pa yang si Raj, todo amin na Pilipino yang mga haters nya. I think Raj is pretty hot. :)

Why Charice is Number 1

http://www.charicemania.com/2010/08/09/editorial/why-charice-is-number-1/

Saturday Afternoon

“So I turn the radio up

Looking for a melody

But nobody’s singing to me”

My head does a 180. What the?! I was in a bus in the suburbs of Tokyo, and a familiar tune wafts past my ear. Who on earth has “Nobody Singing to Me”, not even “Pyramid”, as a ringtone in Japan?! A man in his 50s wearing a suit passes me by, his phone ringing. What a fiftyish, stern-looking Japanese man in a suit on a Saturday afternoon is doing listening to an 18 year old, bubbly Filipino girl wearing the latest, coolest clothes is beyond me. What’s his Charice story? Mind-boggling, and mind-blowing.

At The Top Baby!

Charice has topped the Japanese Oricon chart for foreign albums and “Pyramid” is number 1 at the Tokio Hot 100, the oldest radio chart and the one that matters in Japan. To be number 1 on the Oricon chart, beating Eminem, Lady Gaga, Oasis and Miley Cyrus is, for lack of a better word, insane. It is common knowledge that the Japanese music market is difficult for foreigners to crack, and here comes Charice, a newcomer leaving household names in the dust. How did this happen? And why?

Now before anything else, a disclaimer. I am not Japanese, nor am I an expert. I did not major in psychology nor music nor Japanese culture and history. Although I do have ideas on what make the Japanese tick, after having lived twenty-plus years here in Japan, having gone to a Japanese university and having worked in a Japanese company.

The Pursuit of Perfection

There is a story about a Japanese manufacturing company exporting appliances abroad. One of their overseas buyers stipulated in their contract that only three defective products per shipment were allowed. The Japanese, puzzled by this, went along and sent three products carefully wrapped with a note “Here are your three defective products.” The buyer couldn’t get over this and laughed and laughed because he was used to receiving shipments from all over the world with defects. The Japanese, used to perfection, could not understand why there was even a stipulation for defective products because not one defective product ever leaves their factories. Now whether this story is true or not, I do not know. But what I do know is that it paints the Japanese accurately. This is the country that gave birth to the Lexus, a luxury car whose motto is “The Pursuit of Perfection”. What can we do to make things better, no, perfect?

Charice, as we have heard time and again, gives it her all in every performance, live or taped, with 10,000 people watching or with only a handful for an audience. She gives it her all, her delivery flawless each time. This constant striving for the best, for perfection, and the very hard work and effort that it takes to get there is what Charice has in common with the Japanese.

Working Hard and Hanging in There

You see it everywhere, in everyone, everyday. There is this Japanese word “ganbaru“, which means “give it one’s all”, “hang tough”, “keep trying”, “stick at it”, “stick to it”, “try hard”, “work hard”. All these distilled into one word. The Japanese hear it even before they are born. Laboring mothers are urged by their doctors to ganbaru. Babies are told by their mothers to ganbaru and let that burp out. Toddlers are cheered on by parents to ganbaru and take that first step. School kids are pushed to ganbaru and ace those exams to get to the next level. And when they have ganbaru-ed their way out of university, it’s time to really ganbaru and get a job. The stay-at-home mom ganbaru-s at making the best-looking obento lunches for her kids. The aspiring street singer is encouraged by his lone fan listening to ganbaru. On and on and on it goes, this word uttered by millions of people millions of times everyday. So it is no wonder that the Japanese are known for valuing hard work.

Ganbaru might as well be Charice’s motto. We all know her story, how she worked hard to get where she is today. How she hung in there when there was only her voice that allowed them to have food on the table. So it is not surprising why the Japanese TV shows she’s been on and Japanese blogs almost always mention the adversity she’s overcome because they value this. They know what it takes.

Respect

I have to state the obvious. Charice is Asian, and Asians are known for respecting not necessarily just their elders, but those who have come before them. In Japan, the “senpai-kohai” or “senior-junior” relationship is extremely important. When Charice was a guest at a Japanese TV show, she showed utter respect to the hosts by making the effort to speak in Japanese, and not just Japanese, but polite Japanese. The hosts have been in the business way longer than she, but even though she is more famous worldwide, she showed deference to those who came before her. She also visited a radio station when she was here. Later, the DJ blogged that he “understood” Charice’s vibe and her “kindness” because here she was, already big in the music scene but was not loud nor brash which isn’t surprising since Charice herself acknowledges that there are people who have gone to the top already and she is just starting. So it is no wonder if those who saw her on TV or heard her on the radio felt her respect for those who have come before her.

Being Asian

Charice is being touted as the first Asian poised to become a world star. She is the first Asian to break into the upper ranks of the Billboard chart. The previous holder of that record was a Japanese singer. So naturally, the Japanese want to know, who IS this girl? Who broke Kyu Sakamoto’s record? Charice, that’s who! A lot of Japanese bloggers mention affinity with her, on the basis of her being Asian. Much as they adore other non-Asian, foreign artists, Charice is special because she got into the top 10 of the Billboard chart AND she is Asian. And we know how the Japanese love special things, the one-of-a-kind things and events that make the Japanese stand up and take notice.

And Last, (but definitely not the least), The Voice Endowed by Heaven

That is how they describe her – on her Japanese website, on her Japanese CD. Power singers like Charice are and have been rare in Japan. Traditional Japanese singers sing in high-pitched notes mainly because Japanese females in general have high voices. So when a singer like Charice with deep, rich and sweet tones comes along, they love it. They love it enough that when combined with her characteristics of striving for perfection, working hard, respecting her seniors and her luck of being born Asian, they pushed her to the top.

Saturday Afternoon

The fiftyish man gets off the bus, leaving me hearing the words in my head.

“So I turn the radio up

Looking for a melody

But nobody’s singing to me”

Charice, it might be that nobody’s singing to you, but everybody in Japan is listening to you.

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

That's why I <3 Japan. :) Very nice and respectful people. :)

Parang kay Charice lang. 90% ng mga haters niya ay mgaPinoy na kahit anong websites or forum talang effort pa silang magcomment para lang masiraan.

Mga seloso. It's good that Overseas Filipinos support her.. or the majority of them. How else do you think her album landed at #8 in the Hot 200? Ya damn right! US! We all bought the CD on the day of release. It was my first purchased music CD in ten years. :lol:

Mga seloso. It's good that Overseas Filipinos support her.. or the majority of them. How else do you think her album landed at #8 in the Hot 200? Ya damn right! US! We all bought the CD on the day of release. It was my first purchased music CD in ten years. :lol:

oi, inlove kay Charice:D


keep it up. hehehe

di pa ako nakabili ng CD nya, inuna ko kasi ang Journey CD ni Arnel. ako 15 years na siguro sinundan nitong pagbili ko ng Music CD:D

Venus Raj (Miss Philippines) with Misses USA and Bahamas!!


http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/5268/missuniverseofficialswi.jpg


So Beautiful!! :):):):)

aba magka kulay silang 3:D

Yung Miss USA, parang may dugong Pinoy:D

:cheers: :cheers: ^^

aba magka kulay silang 3:D

Yung Miss USA, parang may dugong Pinoy:D

Miss USA is Rima Fakih, half American Half Lebanese. :)

Miss USA is Rima Fakih, half American Half Lebanese. :)

Miss Philippines, half Filipino half Indian :)

Miss Philippines, half Filipino half Indian :)

They are the last batch for the Fadil shots (Glam pictorial). Can't wait to see Venus' best shot. And according to the photographer (Fail), you will be mesmerize the photo..

I can't wait to see that photo.

Btw, Rima and Venus were best of friends... :)

I think the greater majority of Filipinos support her. She is even on top of that internet vote.

This statement is good. I remember those foreigners in a local TV show said something like that, too. (in highlight).

I am really wishing that Venus would bring home the Miss U crown. My G! It has been 37 years (right?)!

I am keeping my hopes alive but OMG again have you seen Miss Venezuela??? she's a total blast!

Go Miss Philippines! I think you have a pretty good chance of bringing home our 3rd Miss U crown! :)

Miss Philippines, half Filipino half Indian :)

nagpapa 5-6 ba siya? :lol:

Another Miss Philippines and other candidates' photo

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/9078/wow2a.jpg

Mariana Paola Vicente, Miss Puerto Rico 2010; Yohana Benitez Olmedo, Miss Paraguay 2010; Ngozi Odalonu, Miss Nigeria 2010; Venus Raj, Miss Philippines 2010, and Oana Paveluc, Miss Romania 2010, before a swimsuit poster shoot at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, August 12, 2010. They will compete for the coveted Diamond Nexus Labs Crown during the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant LIVE on NBC at 9:00 PM on August 23, 2010 from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. HO/Miss Universe Organization L.P., LLLP

nagpapa 5-6 ba siya? :lol:

:):lol:

on Miss Philippines: Friendly and Smart. Cum Laude ata yan.

"Meanwhile, Miss Guam, Vanessa Torres, who is part Filipino by blood, and Miss Indonesia, Cory Sandioriva, find Miss Philippines friendly.

“[Miss] Philippines is very nice she’s very easy going and she is smart,” said Sandioriva."
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/08/12/10/miss-universe-bets-sell-lemonade-cause

:):lol:

on Miss Philippines: Friendly and Smart. Cum Laude ata yan.

"Meanwhile, Miss Guam, Vanessa Torres, who is part Filipino by blood, and Miss Indonesia, Cory Sandioriva, find Miss Philippines friendly.

“[Miss] Philippines is very nice she’s very easy going and she is smart,” said Sandioriva."
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/08/12/10/miss-universe-bets-sell-lemonade-cause

well at least may chance for Ms Congeniality :lol:

where is the miss u this year?

where is the miss u this year?

sa las vegas

sa las vegas

wow. showgirls na showgirls yan.. :lol::lol::lol:

ganda ni Ms. Pinas. very head turning.

wow. showgirls na showgirls yan.. :lol::lol::lol:

ganda ni Ms. Pinas. very head turning.

maligayang maligaya na naman si manong donald :lol:

maligayang maligaya na naman si manong donald :lol:

after all it's Mang Donald's show diba?:lol::lol:

after all it's Mang Donald's show diba?:lol::lol:

yan ang tsismis last year di ba? Pero deny agad ang Miss U org... kasi yata preselected na daw yung mga finalist. So ibig sabihin kahit magtatumbling ka sa Miss U kung wala kang arrived kay Manong eh hanggang 'thank you' girls ka na lang :lol: :lol: :lol:

naku sana naman huwag ganun :ohno:

Venus Raj (Miss Philippines) with Misses USA and Bahamas!!


http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/5268/missuniverseofficialswi.jpg


So Beautiful!! :):):):)

wow Miss USA! she looks more Pinay than Miss Philippines. heheh

Another Miss Philippines and other candidates' photo

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/9078/wow2a.jpg

Mariana Paola Vicente, Miss Puerto Rico 2010; Yohana Benitez Olmedo, Miss Paraguay 2010; Ngozi Odalonu, Miss Nigeria 2010; Venus Raj, Miss Philippines 2010, and Oana Paveluc, Miss Romania 2010, before a swimsuit poster shoot at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, August 12, 2010. They will compete for the coveted Diamond Nexus Labs Crown during the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant LIVE on NBC at 9:00 PM on August 23, 2010 from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. HO/Miss Universe Organization L.P., LLLP

Look at Ms.Romania seems she got big b00bies..:nuts::nuts::nuts:

si Venus Raj ang nangunguna sa ratings sa mga contestants sa site ng Miss U

http://www.missuniverse.com/members/contestants

hehe maganda lang talaga sya... may dugong pinay pa din naman sya...

paano sila nakakuha ng rating. saan galing? online voting ba yan?

Sa Amazon Japan 5 album ni Charice ang nasa top 11. 5 kasi kasama yung old album niya na produce ng Star Records.


Regarding album sales niya sa US:

As of July around 190 thousand palang daw.

Miss USA is Rima Fakih, half American Half Lebanese. :)

Correction, she's not "Half American." She's full-blooded Lebanese (born in Lebanon but grew up in the United States); technically, "an American of Lebanese descent."

paano sila nakakuha ng rating. saan galing? online voting ba yan?

:yes: Yup. Online voting. :|

:yes: Yup. Online voting. :|

:lol:naku Pinoys na namn ang bumuto nyan:D
hindi pa nga ako nakaboto sa lagay na yan eh. 100 accounts yata ang puede kong gawin:D toinks:D j/k


naku, pati pala yung bombay dito, nangangampanya kay Venus. paano kung sasabihin nya, sige, wala muna hulog nagayon basta boto mo sa Miss India at Miss Philippines:D

Miss Philippines in Fadil photos

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3483/goddessl.jpg

http://cdn.missuniverse.com/media/photos/galleries/photo_cron_1_65_0_2010.jpg

i love her color! that's the dark skin i'm so dying to achieve :D

Miss Philippines in Fadil photos

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3483/goddessl.jpg

http://cdn.missuniverse.com/media/photos/galleries/photo_cron_1_65_0_2010.jpg

Especially like her hands, in particular the middle finger which seems to be sending a message to those who tried to disqualify her.:lol:

Venus Raj (Miss Philippines) in Official Swimsuit Studio Pics

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/8268/vennn.jpg


http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/779/ssrb.jpg

Event: Dar Be Dar Swimwear at Registration and Fittings
Venus Raj, Miss Philippines 2010, poses for photographer in swimwear by Dar Be Dar upon arriving to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She will compete for the coveted Diamond Nexus Labs Crown, LIVE on NBC at 9:00 PM (ET) on August 23, 2010. Tune in to see who will win the title of Miss Universe 2010 from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
HO/Miss Universe Organization L.P., LLLP

Miss Philippines in Fadil photos

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3483/goddessl.jpg

http://cdn.missuniverse.com/media/photos/galleries/photo_cron_1_65_0_2010.jpg

OMG.

:drool:


THAT'S HOT.

^^One of the best glam shots of all candidates....:)

I was in a coffee shop earlier. Nagchannel surfing ako and tamang tama din Pyramid ni Charice kaya, pinatutok ko dun. hehehehe. I was beaming with Pinoy pride. :)

^^What channel? MTV?

^^ Yeah MTV. I was looking for CNN and BBC but natigil ako sa MTV ng makita ko si Charice. Kulang na lang na lagyan ko ng malaking speakers para marinig lahat ng mga locals. Kababayan ko yan! :D

^^haha..malaking speakers tapos may strobe lights pa para sumayaw sila!

Miss Philippines in Fadil photos

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3483/goddessl.jpg

http://cdn.missuniverse.com/media/photos/galleries/photo_cron_1_65_0_2010.jpg

Hot!!!

great body, fierce, good presentation skills but plain face..still hoping she makes the cut..

^^ Yeah MTV. I was looking for CNN and BBC but natigil ako sa MTV ng makita ko si Charice. Kulang na lang na lagyan ko ng malaking speakers para marinig lahat ng mga locals. Kababayan ko yan! :D

alam ko sa channel V 4 weeks na no.1 yung kay charice. The last time na naponood ko yung countdown no. 2 sya, nalampasan na sya ng kati perry at in the running yung song na ' i want to be a millionaire' ba yun??? Pero parang matagal pang maglalagi yung song ni charice sa Asian COuntdown :cheers:

Venus Raj in National Costume

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2444/newww.jpg

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/6562/2222222f.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs142.ash2/40459_419674175779_731125779_5296583_4750269_n.jpg

Venus Raj in National Costume

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs142.ash2/40459_419674175779_731125779_5296583_4750269_n.jpg

Emote kung emote ah. Classic ang ganda nya dto parang si Gloria Diaz.


^^haha..malaking speakers tapos may strobe lights pa para sumayaw sila!


Wish ko lang, eh mga students ko nga pinapakain ko ng Jollibee. Nanglilibre ako. hehe



alam ko sa channel V 4 weeks na no.1 yung kay charice. The last time na naponood ko yung countdown no. 2 sya, nalampasan na sya ng kati perry at in the running yung song na ' i want to be a millionaire' ba yun??? Pero parang matagal pang maglalagi yung song ni charice sa Asian COuntdown :cheers:


next week pa daw ikakabit ang cable namin kaya, wala munang TV, mukhang rerun na lang ng Ms Universe ang makikita ko eh, at pag di nanalo si Raj, hindi na ako manunuod.

She actually had the most decent national costume, the others were just horrendous. It was the most horrific parade of national costumes i have ever seen, it's as if someone attended an international day festival got food poisoning and had diarrhea of nations. I know I may come off biased because i'm Filipino but i am confident to say that Ms. Venus Raj had the best designed national costume. It was done in good taste.

Venus Raj in National Costume

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2444/newww.jpg

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/6562/2222222f.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs142.ash2/40459_419674175779_731125779_5296583_4750269_n.jpg

Plain face??? She has angelina lips and deep mesmerizing eyes. I love the high cheekbones, very Filipino...

Hot!!!

great body, fierce, good presentation skills but plain face..still hoping she makes the cut..

Emote kung emote ah. Classic ang ganda nya dto parang si Gloria Diaz.

Dapat nakikihalo sya sa mga caucasian para litaw ang kanyang classic na ganda. Di ba yun daw ang ginawa ni Gloria D.?


next week pa daw ikakabit ang cable namin kaya, wala munang TV, mukhang rerun na lang ng Ms Universe ang makikita ko eh, at pag di nanalo si Raj, hindi na ako manunuod.

No. 1 sya sa online poll, pero last year di ba asian halos ang nasa top 15 ng online poll ng Miss U. Kung di ako nagkakamali pang 7 pa nga si Pamela Bianca Manalo, pero silat lahat as in walang asian na pumasok as semi-finalist ng Miss U. Balita ko pa nga nahimatay si Ms. Thailand yata.

Ayun panay puti ang nakalusot at nasungkit nga ng Venezuela 2nd time in a row. Si Bianca nagpalit na raw ng pangalan, as in Pamela Bianca Natalo na raw sya ngayon.... hahahahahahahahaha :ohno: uy nabasa ko lang yan sa mga blog ah. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Charice - In This Song (Thailand Official Promo Clip) the footage of this video was shot during Charice's performance at Siam Discovery


W_yr2E3jJfc

^^Live song nya yan. Taken during her showcase in Bangkok. Meaning, hindi yan yung typical album mo mapapakinggan. Live nyang kinanta yan.

So proud of you Charice!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^Live song nya yan. Taken during her showcase in Bangkok. Menaing, hindi yan yung typical album mo mapapakinggan. Live nyang kinanta yan.

So proud of you Charice!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Yap. And according to her fans in Thailand that video is being shown on the TV.:banana:

Venus Raj in Miss Universe Preliminary round

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4908844103_385369301d_b.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww131/aldolinishane/venus.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww131/aldolinishane/PHILIPPINES.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww131/aldolinishane/PHILIPPINES3.jpg

^^ Beeyoootipul :D

Venus Raj in videos

knc68j8O5Ig


RMTpHZuCzbQ


NyEN42CWHco

Miss Philippines' Venus Raj in Evening Gown at Preliminaries

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4562/73236038.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7523/62160751.jpg

Venus Raj, Miss Philippines 2010, poses for the judges in an evening gown of her choice during the 2010 Miss Universe Presentation Show at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, August 19, 2010. The Miss Universe 2010 competition that will air live on the NBC Television Network at 9 PM ET, August 23, 2010. ho/Miss Universe Organization LP., LLLP

the Miss Universe contest is like the Super Bowl of gay people, my friend said :lol:

Making us Pinoys proud for RP

COMMONSENSE
By Marichu A. Villanueva
(The Philippine Star)
Updated August 20, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

SHANGHAI — We are here for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 that was officially opened to the public last May 1 and it will run until Oct. 31 this year. The six-month exposition drew more than 180 countries and international organizations, like the United Nations and the Red Cross. Our country, too, joined the World Expo and put up our own pavilion.

As I gathered here, it cost the Philippines some P420 million. Of this amount, the government shouldered P250 million and the rest, or P170 million came from private sector donations and corporate sponsors. One of the corporate sponsors for the Philippine pavilion is the Liwayway Corp., the biggest Filipino-owned company that is operating here a branch of its flagship product under the brand Oishi food products.

Filipino-Chinese taipan Carlos Chan, the patriarch of his family-owned Oishi business empire here and in the Philippines, received the Order of Sikatuna from ex-President Arroyo in simple rites held during the Philippine Gala Night held on June 9 that she led at the Shanghai World Expo. Chan is our country’s special envoy to China, an honorary title to his one-peso appointment.

The Philippine flag flies proudly in front of Chan’s factory located here and in 21 other manufacturing plants located in other parts of China, in Vietnam and in Thailand. The Oishi food products are among those included in the stall exhibits along with other popular Filipino products like “I am Ninoy” T-shirts from Bench as well as native cuisine from adobo to kare-kare that are being sold and served at the food corner inside the Philippine pavilion.

The Shanghai World Expo 2010 is the first World Expo ever held in modern China. Chen Qiwei, who is the official spokesman of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government Information Office, told us here all the pavilions, except for the Chinese pavilion and three other Chinese structures, would be demolished at the end of the Expo. Saudi Arabia put up the most expensive pavilion here. Even the strife-torn Iraq has put up its own pavilion at the Expo.

Chen underscored it took them eight years of preparation to put up the Expo in Shanghai and naturally it cost the Chinese government a lot of money which they shelled out from state resources. But the biggest beneficiary of the Expo are the people of Shanghai enjoying the fruits of development projects that were undertaken for the Expo during the past eight years. Thus, the Shanghai World Expo may yet become the largest World Fair site ever put up so far.

The Shanghai World Expo site occupies a total land area of 5.28 square kilometers. The theme of this year’s World Expo is “Better City-Better Life.” As far as the Chinese are concerned, Chen acknowledged this signifies Shanghai’s new status in the 21st century as the “next great world city.” Based on the previous World Expo attendance held in Osaka, this one being held here in Shanghai is expected to draw more than 70 million visitors at the end of the 180-day exposition period.

So far, the Expo has reportedly recorded a total of 40 million visitors, or already more than halfway to break the record. Chen is confident they could overshoot the target in the last two months of the Expo. The gates average 500,000 visitors per day. When we came at the Expo site before noon the other day, the count was already at 346,792 visitors despite the steaming temperature that reached as high as 38 degrees Celsius.

But despite such humid air and almost sizzling temperature, it could not cut the long lines of people trooping each of the pavilions. We went first to the pavilion of Australia. This was not because the pavilions were arranged alphabetically. It just happened that the Australian pavilion is among the nearest in the area where the Philippine pavilion is located just across it.

The Philippine pavilion looks nondescript from the outside. We almost missed it. We were expecting to see at least the Philippine flag to guide us there. Thankfully, we had a tour guide and led us to the Philippine pavilion, the structure of which did not have any familiar Philippine symbols. Its façade had images of several raised hands in a white painted background.

My fellow STAR columnist Boo Chanco did not like the concept of our pavilion’s façade hands design which appeared to him like a message of either begging for alms or asking for help from people drowning — with only their hands being seen above the water. And with his usual infectious laughter, he wisecracked, it was a good thing the hands did not show the L-sign. He was, of course, referring to the Laban hand signal of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. We surmised, though, perhaps it has a message to Filipinos reaching out with the rest of the world in line with the Expo’s theme.

It was only when we entered the Philippine pavilion that we finally saw our country’s flag displayed at a makeshift stage inside, along with that of China and the World Expo flags. The Philippine pavilion sits on a 2,000 square meter area with displays on its walls of huge photos of our famous tourist spots and attractions. The familiar ones we saw include the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan and the tarsier in Bohol that is billed as the world’s smallest monkey that could only be found in the Philippines and other traditional tourist come-ons in our country.

The Philippine pavilion entertains an average of 40,000 visitors a day. What appears to be the newest tourist come-on now getting the most interest from those going to the Philippine pavilion is the section where they offer hilot or massage.

But the biggest crowd-drawer to our Philippine pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo seemed to be the live performances of our Filipino singers, dancers, and musicians. They continue to please and amuse our visitors with our world famous entertainment talents that only Filipino warmth and hospitality could best deliver.

It finally dawned on me, that the photo of hands must be about the human touch that the Philippine pavilion subliminally tries to sell our country in the World Expo where we vie for people’s attention among the rich and giant nations. It made me proud for the Philippines as a Pinoy.

Ano ang magiging height ni Ms.Philippines kung naka-ganon ang buhok sa photos(submitted by Fraulein), dagdagan pa ng naka-high heels?

the Miss Universe contest is like the Super Bowl of gay people, my friend said :lol:

sama mo na ang olympics, world cup and nba finals rolled into one. :lol:

Miss Philippines during Miss Universe Preliminaries

http://criticalbeauty.com/Phils_Swim_Gown_2010_Cover.jpg

man they would talk about how she came from poverty. ugh