Mermaid show at the Manila Ocean Park
The kids and I hang out at the Manila Ocean Park over the weekend, just in time to catch their recently launched Mermaid Show. This is a 30-minute treat where attractive (and should I say, curvaceous) swimmers perform dances, moves and acrobatics underwater. Of course it’s a given, they gotta be professionals to do that!
I must say it’s a real delight for kids, who must be harboring fantasies about being the next Little Mermaid or even our homegrown Dyesebel. It was fun seeing the women-swimmers in their colorful, alluring costumes, waving and smiling at their audience while grooving to the beat of the music. I took a video but I still have to upload it to YouTube 
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All ready for Pacquiao-Hatton boxing match
Just a few hours and the whole Philippines will be glued to the historic May 2 big fight between Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Arena. The grand confrontation is scheduled at 8 a.m. Manila time, with Martin Nievera singing the Philippine National Anthem.
I will be out of town and will not be around to know how traffic in Manila stops during this time. Although I’ve pinned my hopes on Pacman before, this time am betting on Hatton to humble down the greatest Filipino boxer of all time. But then again, I could be wrong and that makes their match really exciting
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Switch off your lights, today is Earth Hour 2009
I will be on blog leave as the world switches off today their lights for Earth Hour, happening in the Philippines from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time.
With global warming, unabated pollution and other environmental ills upon us, just one hour will make a difference for sure.
Because we ate all that Chickenjoy, Jollibee turns over P18 million to charity
Donations are hard to come by, in these times of recession. Companies are cutting back on all fronts, including charitable contributions which used to be an appropriate venue for tax breaks and aiding underprivileged sectors of society.
That is why we were quite elated when we heard the news that fastfood giant Jollibee turned over P18 million to eight recipient-foundations who will implement programs to benefit Filipino children around the country.
The eight beneficiaries of the Jollibee grants are Cottolengo Filipino (Rizal), ERDA Tech (Manila), Families and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation (Manila), House with No Steps (Quezon City), Marcellin Project (General Santos City), Shontoug Foundation (Baguio City), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (Quezon City) and the Busog, Lusog, Talino In-School Feeding Program of the Jollibee Foundation (Leyte).
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Havaianas for a cause
Shortly after we covered the Ipanema event inspired by supermodel Gisele Bundchen, a colorful big box arrived on our doorstep, this time from another well-known flip-flops manufacturer, Havaianas. In it was a denim bag and the “original” Havaianas with a monochromatic color for its strap (we had blue). I equally love this pair as it is simple and classic.
Havaianas was inviting the media to the launching of its collaboration with Rock Ed on the search for the most original youth-targeted projects. It was quite ironic because right after the launch, news came out in the papers about children’s styles of the brand being recalled from the US market because of high lead content in the paint being used to decorate the sandals. The official distributor in the Philippines, Terry SA, promptly issued a disclaimer and said they have pulled out the kiddie flip-flops in question, and will conduct further testing soon.
Visiting the Wedding Expo Philippines
One month and one week after getting married, the wedding hangover is still upon me. So I took time to visit the 14th edition of the Wedding Expo Philippines which ended yesterday at the PICC Forum. It was full of people and couples! You wouldn’t believe the number of lovebirds engaged or about to be wed in this part of the world. It proves a number of things: love rules and 2) weddings remain a big business in the country, which also assures that it’s as expensive as ever. Each move will cost you thousands, and that’s why it’s always advised to scout for the best, most reasonably-priced supplier. I can tell you it’s possible with a little bit of research and sleuthing.
In fact, I would tell my fellow brides out there not to limit themselves to these expos because not all suppliers join them. So it’s also good to depend on word-of-mouth, Googling and visiting your locality’s bargain havens.
What’s great about wedding fairs like W.E.P. is that the exhibitors really try to court you in terms of freebies and discounts just for booking them on your special day. We had fun munching on cake samples. There were also food tastings, free make-up sessions and the like.
Here are some pictures I took of the wedding fair:
A bridal car with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in it adds a unique touch from the usual bouquet of flowers pinned to the front of the car.
This is me playing around with the free photobooth from this company called Pose n’ Print. Photobooths are getting to be in-demand wedding souvenirs or reception fixtures….. obviously because guests love seeing their happy, funny faces.
Nov. 30 book launch set for Ricky Lee’s first ever novel
After being the most-acclaimed Filipino movie scriptwriter, Ricky Lee wears another hat in his star-studded career by launching his first novel entitled ” Para Kay B (O kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin)” on Nov. 30, 4 pm. Venue is the UP Bahay ng Alumni in Diliman, Quezon City.
Previously, Mr. Lee published books but they were more literary adaptations of his screenplay. The list includes “Trip to Quiapo” (considered a bible by aspiring screenwriters), “Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon” (anthology of short fiction, essays and a screenplay), and Brutal/Salome (the first-ever published film scripts in the Philippines).
“This is the realization of a lifelong dream for me,” says Mr. Lee, whom I had the fortune of interviewing in the past at his house in Xavierville, Quezon City – the official address of the notable Ricky Lee scriptwriting workshops. Mr. Lee is an avid bibliophile and also has an enviable collection of films in all formats.
A grand tour of the National Museum, anyone?
It’s been ages since I visited the National Museum. I used to work in that hallowed building back in the 90s, because the Philippine Senate was housed there. It’s really such a shame to be ogling at museums in other countries and not loving your own. Must.go there.soon.
The National Museum today has undergone a complete transformation. In fact it can already compare with its counterparts in Asia and beyond. It boasts of an extensive art and artifact collection housed in 21 galleries and spanning two colonial-era buildings. What can be seen in its historic walls? The works of great men like National Artist Fernando Amorsolo whose ongoing retrospective at the museum features his best works and drawings.
Somebody says one of the best gifts you can give to yourself this Christmas is the gift of cultural understanding and appreciating art. It is the gift of having a Grand Tour of the National Museum. Who can disagree with something noble like that? Details after the jump:
Biggest outdoor art gallery in Asia… only in the Philippines
It was only in the Philippines where you find a member of the so-called Manila’s Finest being apprehended for the crime of snatching. It is also only in the Philippines where you can now find the “biggest outdoor art gallery in Asia.” The latter is good news. We love it when things turn for the better, and aren’t screwy, as some events and happenings in this country are.
This humble space can’t help but laud the gigantic effort of the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP) to mount works of art in the metro’s major highways. While it is human to ogle at those beautiful faces and sexy bodies in billboards peppered by artistas and lingerie-clad models around the city, contemplating about art while stuck in the traffic rut can be an edifying experience. And this commuters will see with masterpieces about nature and preserving the environment dominating ad spaces in some of the country’s major roads.
The Manila Outdoor Art Gallery route coming soon in the highway near you. Featured are the works of the most promising Filipino artists Popo San Pascual, Riel Hilario, Eddie Boy Escudero, Jose Terence Ruiz, Mario V. Fernandez, Gari Buenavista, MM Yu, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Lotsu Manes, and Tina Fernandez .
More pictures after the jump:
Postscript: Philippine Blog Awards 2008
This modest space congratulates the finalists and winners of the Philippine Blog Awards 2008 which just had its successful run at One Esplanade last Sept. 21. It was blogger power at its finest, the awards having been organized by a group of bloggers and carried to fruition by a big army of blogger-volunteers. Everything, from the smashin’ AVPs to the emceeing and last-minute details, was done by bloggers.
I can still remember the first blogger event I attended in 2004 which filled a long table at Cabalen. Now, blogging in the country has come a long way!
Each year I feel obsolete, and each year I feel amazed at the wealth of blogging talents that keep cropping up. This is how I look at it because I judged the Blog Awards in some categories again this year. Doing so has always been an enlightening experience as it opens my mind to great blogs I haven’t added yet to my Google Reader. These are the blogs who we don’t get to see in the blog events, or get monetized, or who don’t receive 75 comments. Read: underestimated. I will always doff my hat to fellow bloggers who blog with aplomb and blog for the sheer love of it, treating it almost like science, or a well-researched dissertation. All i can say is: wow, people! 
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
