TRASLACION 2013: Feast of The Black Nazarene PRIMER

January not only means the start of the year but also the start of the Philippine festivals which are largely followed and before the major regional festivals like Sinulog of Cebu, and Dinagyang of Iloilo, it all starts with the feast of the Black Nazarene that is attended by millions of devotees, including myself, to flock to the dense district of Quiapo and also join in the procession from Luneta to the Quiapo church. 

The feast has been a tradition for more than 400 years and has gone through many challenges and milestones which have been etched into the spirituality of Filipino Catholics. And in every festival, it becomes the most dense place on earth with many of the devotees made a pilgrimage from cities in Metro Manila and even some from  provinces like Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga. 

FASHIONISTA: Dress ETC - Find fashion-forward pieces at budget-friendly prices

Dress ETC is an online clothing store providing affordable glamour for the modern day Pinay. Shopping online for clothes and accessories has never been this affordable and stylish with our trend-led fashion finds that are up for grabs for you! 

Looking for cheap clothes online? Get the latest trends in women’s fashion at Dress ETC. It’s a treasure trove of stylish clothes and trendy fashion accessories at marked down prices with quality at par with other clothing boutiques at the mall. 

SM Store Year End Sale EXTENDED!

Great news guys! Even its already 2013 , its still a great time to shop at discounted rates up to 50%! Because the SM Store "YEAR END SALE" is EXTENDED!!! 

So start 2013 right and enjoy great finds of up to 50% off!

Up to JANUARY 13 at all SM stores, nationwide!

Per DTI-NCR Permit Number 9272, Series of 2012

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GMA Network's official statement on Sarah Lahbati

"Last December, Sarah Lahbati unilaterally decided to take a leave of absence of one (1) month from GMA Network, because she said she wanted to de-stress and unwind.  Because her reasons were vague, they were not accepted by management.  While we understand that work in our industry can be stressful (as in any business), we believe that this is not only unavoidable in most cases, but also a part of what one does as a professional and/or performing artist.

Her leave of absence was also disapproved by management because of her pending obligations (i.e. Party Pilipinas, on-going promos and other endorsement commitments).  However, on the evening of Jan 2, she tweeted that she will be going to Switzerland to study, despite the disapproval given to her last December on taking a leave.  This is in violation of her contract, because she has to perform and appear in programs and events assigned to her, and make herself available to faithfully and promptly fulfill all engagements contracted for her by GMA.

At the same time, she has yet to address the issue of her walking out during taping, which caused the production team to pack-up, and incur an additional cost of 500k.  She is therefore, currently under investigation and the network is still studying on what actions to take." 

ART IS A BANG: Concert At The Park 50th Anniversary

Rizal Park's CONCERT AT THE PARK celebrates its 50TH ANNIVERSARY with a feature presentation.

Selebrasyon – a celebration of Filipino culture through music, song and dance

featuring Philippine BARANGGAY Folk Dance Troupe

Sun 6 Jan 2013 | 5 pm 

Rizal Park, Manila

The public is cordially invited and admission is  free of charge

 

MUSIC LYF: Sabrina Brings New Suprizes for “I LOVE ACOUSTIC 5”

Duets with Asiansation Christian Bautista for carrier single “Terrified”

With over 175,000 albums sold all over Asia of her “I Love Acoustic” series, Asia’s Acoustic Sweetheart SABRINA continues to delight Asian audiences with the release of “I Love Acoustic 5”. This is her second album in 2012 after taking a break from “I Love Acoustic” with the concept album “Acoustic Love Notes” her collaboration with radio/ TV host Joe D’Mango which spawned the hits “Somewhere Down The Road”, “Sa Bawat Paghinga” (theme of GMA Korean series “Angel’s Temptation” and “One True”.

Like her previous albums which are multi-platinum successes in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, “I Love Acoustic 5” includes current hit songs interpreted by Sabrina in her signature acoustic style which enthralled Asian listeners. Songs like: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (originally by Taylor Swift), “Call Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepsen), “Payphone” (Maroon 5), “What Makes You Beautiful” (One Direction), “Starships” (Nicki Minaj), “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Gotye), “Part of Me” (Katy Perry), “One Thing” (One Direction), “Glad You Came” (The Wanted), “I Won’t Give Up” (Jason Mraz), “We Found Love” (Rihanna), “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (Kelly Clarkson), “A Thousand Years” (Christina Perri), “Domino” (Jessie J) and “If I Die Young” (The Band Perry).

Gee Canlas: From being TV’s fastest talker to Amazing Race Philippines’ surprise frontrunner

TV host Gee Canlas impressed audiences when she was introduced in the now-defunct ABS-CBN show Music Uplate Live, where he made a name for herself as Speedy Gee because of her ability to talk really fast. 

She then was given a hosting assignment in Pilipinas Win Na Win, alongside Pokwang, and Kris Aquino. The show however was axed after only a few months. 

Recently, however, Gee made a surprise, bold move when she figured as one of the finalists of TV5’s Amazing Race Philippines, where she is paired with her good friend Sheena Vera Cruz.

Her inclusion in the program also showed her transformation. Since she started her stint in the business, she lost considerable weight. 

“Joining Amazing Race Philippines is an opportunity that presented itself, so I grabbed it. In fact, even before this local edition, I auditioned for the regional show,” says Gee. “Pero ngayon, with a new partner Sheena who is a very good friend of mine, we were chosen to be part of the show, so thankful talaga kami.” 

LAKBAYAN: Cafe Lupe at Rizal Park

Luneta has indeed reinvented itself from the dark days years ago. And as featured here in MTL with amazing transformation of the biggest urban park in the Philippines can now again claim its glory as a tourist destination for both foreign and local tourists. 

And with the Christmas and New Year season giving time for people to go out and spend time with family and friends. And indeed it was filled with a sea of people going around the park for the free concerts, bazaars, and the park features like the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, Kilometer Zero marker, Quirino Grandstand, and of course the Rizal Monument.

REEL DEAL: Life of Pi - Suraj Sharma SPOTLIGHT

“LIFE OF PI’S” NEWBIE THESPIAN SURAJ SHARMA NOMINATED IN 18TH CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

From Oscar winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes “Life of Pi,” a breathtakingly beautiful story of a boy named Pi played by newcomer Suraj Sharma who is lost at sea with a Bengal tiger, following the loss of his family in a shipwreck .

Suraj Sharma who hails from India never expected a “Life of Pi” when he accompanied his brother to the movie’s casting call.  Born and raised in Delhi, India and raised by mathematician parents, it seemed that from more than 3,000 hopefuls who auditioned for the role, Suraj was destined to play the role of Pi, a mathematical constant transcendental number. 

Marvin Agustin considers 2012 a landmark year

The year 2012 is undeniably a landmark year for Marvin Agustin, for it is this year that he has been lauded on basically all his endeavors – as a TV/movie actor, entrepreneur, restaurateur, entertainment producer, and a society mover.

Before the end of the year, Marvin bagged two important entrepreneurial awards – the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the annual Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and being one of the recipients of the MVP Bossing Awards. These awards highlight the immense contribution of Marvin as a young entrepreneur, being one of the men behind one of the most successful food chains Sumo Sam.

These achievements were acknowledged by various brands’ support to Marvin by asking him to be their endorser. Currently, Marvin is the face of brands like Knorr, Carbtrim, Tupperware, among others.