Why It's More Fun In The Philippines!

There are so many reasons why it is more fun in the Philippines, and aside from breathtaking views, one can find himself in an adventure anywhere and anytime in the country especially when it comes to food tripping. This is why I never get bored of exploring starting from by birthplace and home city Manila.

I also explored several places in the country but I'm looking forward to traveling to more this year. It's indeed fun and addicting at the same time.  It's really more fun in the Philippines!

This is a pre-qualifying entry to the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge 2012 by IntramurosManila.Asia. This campaign is fully supported by the Intramuros Administration, Barbara's Restaurant, Celdran Tours, Mabuhay Guides, Pilgrimage Pilipinas,Castillan Tours, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc., and Payless Pancit Shanghai.

REEL DEAL: Chronicle - Alex Russel SPOTLIGHT

UP AND COMING AUSTRALIAN ACTOR ALEX RUSSELL IN “CHRONICLE”

A young man flies between the buildings, lifting cars into the air with the power of his mind - based on an original story by director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis, “Chronicle” is the tale of three teens who find a power beyond their imagination, and the struggle they face in learning to control it.

Like so many of us, they’re obsessed with chronicling their lives, however mundane – or in their case, however extraordinary.  For Andrew, Matt and Steve have stumbled upon something beyond their – or anyone’s – understanding. They’re now capable of, well, almost anything.  They can move objects just by thinking about them, crush cars through force of will.  They learn to fly…the ultimate wish fulfillment, until things get dark.

As the story opens, Matt is a cynical, know-it-all, too-cool-to-care teen.  But like his two new cohorts, Matt undergoes radical changes after an encounter with a mysterious force leaves him with incredible powers.  The two other members of the newly empowered high school trio are Matt’s cousin, Andrew (portrayed by Dane Dehaan), and campus king Steve (Michael B. Jordan).  Australian actor Alex Russell reflects on playing the all-American high schooler in the following q&a:

Q: It's not like a traditional Marvel or DC superhero movie.  Was that part of the attraction?

A: You get to do all these incredible action sequences.  You get to do superhero stuff, but the characters are so layered. Not to say that isn't always the case, but if there's a superhero movie the prime thing is to sell that aspect of it—the superpowers and the function of a superhero. This is more about characters learning about themselves and developing as people. It's interesting to think about what Matt, Andrew and Steve would have been like if they hadn't had  superpowers. 

LAKBAYAN: Boracay Garden Resort offers 70% off room rates

Boracay Garden Resort offers 70% off room ratesat the 19th Travel Tour Expo

Visit Henann Resorts’ booth at the 19th Travel Tour Expo (TTE) at the SMX Convention Center from February 17 to 19 and get as much as 70% discount on Boracay Garden Resort’s packages. Based on twin sharing, pay as low as P3,812 net per person for a three-day stay in a deluxe room. The package is inclusive of two-night accommodation, roundtrip transfers via Caticlan, and daily breakfast and dinner.

Boracay Garden Resort is a subsidiary of Henann Resorts, owner and operator of Boracay Regency Beach Resort and Spa, Regency Lagoon Resort, Boracay and Henann Resort at Alona Beach Bohol.

The resort rests on a two-hectare property located at the center of Station 2. It has 201 well-appointed deluxe and premiere rooms with charming and elegant interiors. It features premiere rooms with direct access to the pool and family rooms that can fit up to six persons.

Quick Blogs: Facebook and Other Sites Down

After going home, the first thing I did is to check on m accounts especially mail and facebook which are my main channels of communications to friends and clients. However, I just wondered why I cannot access Facebook and Hotmail. I thought the internet was not really available but when going to other sites like google and plurk, everything is doing fine.

After ranting and asking on twitter about this hassle, me and blogger/online friends found out that the reason for this is the connection which is provided by Globe. No word or official annoucement was made about the outage but areas affected includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pangasinan and Cavite. 

As of the moment, Yahoo, Hotmail and Facebook are the main sites that I (on my end). I hope this is addressed and fixed soon as we do depend on these sites not only for socializing but also for business and network building. I think I will just sleep and hope to be able to log in to facebook via my dreams...

#GlobeInternetFail

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Bloggers' Meet Up With World Vision Philippines

Many people would think that helping others requires one to be materially blessed and stable. That is how many people see the world right now. And it was a great pleasure to be invited to a great organization that sets its eyes on promoting a holistic approach in helping poor communities especially the children who needs education and nutrition.

World Vision actively promotes education to underprivileged children and  malnourished kids. And aside from those they also provide sustainable livelihood and spiritual support. In the Bloggers' meet last Jan 26, I got to know more about world vision aside from its booths found in malls. 

Though it is an international organization, they make sure that they provide programs that fit Filipino needs. Also its not that hard to sponsor a child which is basically 20 pesos a day! I do want to have a sponsored child soon when I have a stable income so I can be consistent virtual parent which can follow the footsteps of community heroes like Efren Penaflorida, who is a World Vision sponsored child back then.

They have reached 33 provinces and 44 cities, but the mission does not stop there because there are still a lot of people and places needing help to survive  but also to help themselves out of poverty and despair.

Like World Vision on Facebook and visit their Website at http://www.worldvision.org.ph/

EastWest Bank Lookson a Great Yearand Looks Forward For A Greater One

Seventeen years since it first opened its doors to the public, EastWest Bank is now one of the country’s fastest growing and most profitable banking institutions.

The year 2011 was marked with performance milestones that have set the stage for a bigger and bolder 2012 for one of the country’s top performing banks.

From 2006 to 2011, EastWest Bank has displayed exceptional growth. In 2006, the bank registered total assets of P30 billion. As of last year, the bank has over P90 billion total registered assets which is a compounded annual growth rate of around 29 percent since 2006.

Last year, the bank made great strides in its core businesses which exhibited healthy growth. Unaudited figures as of December 2011 show that bank deposits grew by 16.9% year-on-year while corporate loans moved up 11.2% on the same period. The bank also saw a 24.9% year-on-year increase in consumer loans as of the last quarter of 2011. 

REEL DEAL: Contraband - Mark Walberg SPOTLIGHT

Mark  Wahlberg produces and plays  “Chris Farraday” in Baltasar Kormakur’s  CONTRABAND

For Contraband, Director Baltasar Kormákur employed the same casting technique he used during the years he made movies in his home country.  Rather than choosing an actor by his or her looks, the director casts according to the performer’s personality.  “I like to find the core of people,” he says.  “The outer appearance is less important.  What is the person?  You try to figure that out and make that right for the character.”  

The first actor cast was the same man to whom the director brought his ideas for a film inspired by the one in which he last performed.  Kormákur commends: “Mark Wahlberg has a mixture of boyish charm and toughness, and you believe him as a blue-collar guy.  Chris has actually walked out of the criminal world, but then he’s forced back in.  That’s the great thing about heist-thrillers.  It’s great to see people step outside the norm and do something that the rest of us wouldn’t do.”

Describing his character, Wahlberg explains: “Chris is definitely a thinker, but he is not afraid to raise his voice or get his hands dirty.”  For Wahlberg, when his character finds himself back in the game, and possibly over his head, that’s when the fun begins.  He offers: “Chris is continuing to try to figure out a way to survive, to still solve the problem and then get his ass home to his wife and kids.”

What drew you to this project?

I saw the original movie and really liked it a lot.  These are the kind of movies I like to watch, with the kind of characters I like to play. Now our new thing is to try to find cool European films, obtain the rights and remake them.

Can you describe your character, Chris Farraday?

He is just a good, hard-working guy trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law is not the sharpest guy around so Chris has to go back and clean up his mess. This forces him back into the world of smuggling.