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Makati City Grand Parade Photos - Sneak Peek
Photos taken at the Makati City Grand Parade May 9.. just a sneak peak.. watch out for the full upload later.
more photos later!
This Week in PinoyCentric
- Television host and actor Ryan Agoncillo launches a coffee-table book, Ploning: The Making, a companion to the recent Judy Ann Santos starrer Ploning film.
- With classes opening very soon, teachers might want to take advantage of the Theater-in-Education course offered by PETA. The five-day course teaches educators some creative ways of teaching.
- Dell recently launched its newest laptop and desktop models.
- On Sunday, May 18, take your kids to the Life Is Good watermelon festival at Bonifacio High Street.
- Catch Bituin Escalante next week at the Captain’s Bar at Mandarin Oriental.
- Sam Concepcion, Cheska Ortega, and PJ Valerio will be performing at the “Enchanting Teens Musical” at Enchanted Kingdom.
- Philstage recently gave awards to the best of Philippine theater in the first and second quarter of the year.
Photo: “Day 183/365: Philippine Gothic” by {karen}f
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“Enchanting Teens Musical” at Enchanted Kingdom
Enchanted Teens Musical” performers: Kevin Concepcion, Jackie dos Santos, Cheska Ortega, Sam Concepcion, Athena Tibi, PJ Valerio and Janeena Chan
Summer sizzles further at Enchanted Kingdom(EK) with the high-energy performances of today’s hot teen idols Sam Concepcion, Cheska Ortega and PJ Valerio in “Enchanting Teens Musical,” which goes on stage on May 17 and 24 at the Spaceport Zone.
What’s more, park guests get the chance to take home a Sony PSP with the Pepsi Everyday Magic Promo at Enchanted Kingdom until June 8.
(more…)Athena Tibi, Cheska Ortega, Enchanted Kingdom, Enchanting Teens Musical, Jackie Dos Santos, Janeena Chan, Kevin Concepcion, PJ Valerio, sam concepcion
Puppet Regime, Noli De Castro Style
If Gloria can’t have her way, she may have to do a Putinesque style of move come 2010, and this will mean backing Noli De Castro with all her machinery (maybe trickery) so that her reign in power will be uninterrupted. Whether she remains President or not, she clings on to power either way.
Now, the only way to finally get Gloria off our back, put her on trial for crimes against The Filipino People, is to not support Noli De Castro for President. (No to Erap too)
I know this is premature, and I just wanted to put this out there. That however many scenarios we may be thinking of, Gloria’s advisers, including her own masterful brain has probably already thought of it. And unless, we want to be caught by surprise for the antics of our dear president, putting this one on the table isn’t such a bad idea at all.
We’re all thinking of it, it’s been discussed, but I just wanted to make sure we’re all clear on this. Noli De Castro is not a move forward, it is not bringing this country in a new direction, it is not a move towards accountability — A Noli Presidency will be a continuation of The Arroyo Regime.
Talk about a Russian influence. Vodka anyone?
Bituin Escalante Sings Standards at Mandarin Oriental
The timelessness of the world’s most beloved standards comes back to life with the soulful rendition of one of today’s most respected vocal talents, Bituin Escalante.
Join her at the Captain’s Bar, Mandarin Oriental Hotel on May 17 and 24, 9 p.m., in her solo concert series “The Standards . . . In Bituin.”
Listen to the classics and let Bituin bring back the good old days of music as she takes on the songs of Billie Holiday, Janet Siegel, Tony Bennett, and the many others that ushered in the golden age of jazz.
Tickets are at P1,000 and P800.
Get your tickets at selected National Book Store branches, selected major Robinsons Department Stores, and Greenbelt 1 and Glorietta 1 Ticket World offices.
You can also call 891 9999 or visit the Ticket World Website for tickets. Contact the Mandarin Oriental at 750 888 local 2446.Bituin Escalante, Filipino singer, jazz repertoire, Mandarin concert, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, The Standards . . . In Bituin
A Startup, And Some Thoughts
A project as historic as FilipinoVoices.com is something that any blogger can be proud of. But it has its times of uncertainty. As you know, we have started a new phase in the Philippine political punditry, that of a collaborative site. To bring bright minds together, in the blogging world, as well as other sectors, including media, so that issues could be discussed and analyzed.
Many of individuals have asked me what exactly is the aim of Filipino Voices, and I guess, after some thought, I am still not sure. But one certainty I have is that it should be a site where we can spur on debate, where dissent is appreciated because it is non conforming. Out of the box thinking should be the norm, and whatever our agreements or disagreements, the ultimate goal is to try to bring objectivity, a sense of trying to figure out what the problems are, and hopefully come up with some solutions.
To bring the democracy of thought, and utilize it to tackle some of the biggest issues of the day. (more…)
Avenue Q Manila, The Final Run - Buy Your Tickets Now and Get a FREE Genki Umbrella!
Related Posts: 5 Reasons Why You Should Not Miss the Opening Nigh of Avenue Q's Final Run!
OAP is selling the best value tickets for the opening night of Avenue Q’s Final Run!
In partnership with Ticket 2 Me, I’m personally selling limited tickets to the June 13, Friday 8pm Opening Night and June 14, Saturday 8pm Opening Night for the Avenue Q Final Run. The shows will be sold out before June. I want my OAP friends to never miss this opportunity to watch Avenue Q's final run!
MOTHER'S DAY OFFER!!
Also, we have surprises for people who will buy their tickets from OAP. For all the people who already bought Avenue Q tickets from us, we have already reserved each buyer one Genki Transparent Umbrella! That is a way of saying thank you for buying your tickets early from OAP. For those who will buy Avenue Q tickets over the weekend (until Mother's day), we will also give you a FREE Genki Transparent Umbrella! We will prioritize Avenue Q buyers (of course) for the Genki umbrellas -- but only until this weekend. Remember, this offer is valid only until Sunday.
“Avenue Q is what has become of Sesame Street while we're away getting a college degree.
Coming back, we find a grungier, less innocent neighborhood.”
- Socky Pitargue, Tennis and Conversations
Avenue Q: The Final Run! June 13, 2008. Friday. 8pm. RCBC Theater
June 13 Seatplan. Reserve Your Best Seats Now!
Orchestra Center (P 1, 300). Special Online OAP Price $ 30.0 Orchestra Sides (P 1,100). Special Online OAP Price $ 25.0 Loge (P 1,000). Special Online OAP Price $ 23.0 Balcony (P 500). Special Online OAP Price $ 11.0
All Major Credit Cards are accepted. No Service Fees or Processing Fee. Compare Prices @ Ticket World.
Avenue Q: The Final Run! June 14, 2008. Saturday. 8pm. RCBC Theater
June 14 Seatplan. Reserve Your Best Seats Now!
Orchestra Center (P 1, 300). Special Online OAP Price $ 30.0 Orchestra Sides (P 1,100). Special Online OAP Price $ 25.0 Loge (P 1,000). Special Online OAP Price $ 23.0 Balcony (P 500). Special Online OAP Price $ 11.0 All Major Credit Cards are accepted. No Service Fees or Processing Fee. Compare Prices @ Ticket World.Alternatively, you can reserve via email (anton@diaz.ph) and pay me in regular peso rates by depositing payment in my BPI bank account.
Text and Photos by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.
Genki Umbrellas - The Coolest Transparent Umbrellas in Town... (until everyone has one)
Are you a fan of transparent umbrellas that you've seen Charlotte holding in Sex in the City or Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation? (see a sample of the umbrellas in Shopcrazy) The company asked me to feature and review it. I don't usually feature this stuff and I told them that the only way I will put it in my blog is if they would give me 100 umbrellas to give away to OAP readers. They agreed.
So I'm giving away 100 transparent Genki Umbrellas which comes in white, pink and violet to OAP readers. In return, you just need to send me a review of the umbrella by commenting on this post. If you love the cool umbrellas, please send me a picture of yourself with your genki umbrella via email: anton@diaz.ph. The comments and photos are totally optional, go ahead if you just want to get the umbrellas for FREE.
I'm reserving the first few umbrellas to OAP readers who bought Avenue Q tickets already and to past winners of the IKEA contest. I'll give it first come first serve to people who would ask for it. We need to meet of course for me to give you the umbrella preferably in Makati or Serendra area. I will be giving umbrellas away until supplies last ! I can assure the first 50 people who commented below to have one.
BTW, the umbrellas are really cool! I like the white while Rache like the violet. They are only cool until everybody in Manila has one. The umbrellas that I have to give away are manual umbrellas and they say that the plastic used is easily worn out. Also, you cannot use it for sunny days since it is transparent.
Watch out for my genki umbrellas photos -- I'm just waiting for a strong rain to get a shot of the Genki umbrellas.
Text and Photos by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.
PS If you want to buy in bulk, I can connect you with the distributor here in Manila.
I Love Berries Frozen Yogurt -- The Best Froyo so far in Manila...
I Love Berries is so far the best Frozen Yogurt in Manila! They don't have an outlet yet and they are doing their rounds in the bazaars. Unlike Cold Spoon or Haven Frozen Yogurt in Pampanga, they use fresh fruits and their frozen yogurt is more creamy than tangy in taste. Aidan did not like the frozen yogurt in Cold Spoon because of its maasim taste. I Love Berries Froyo is similar to the taste of Pink Berry and I'm sure Aidan would love its creaminess taste (like ice cream already).
You got to try their Tropical Mochi Frozen Yogurt! You can find them this weekend in Karl Edwards Bazaar in NBC Tent on Mother's Day weekend (May 10-11). This is the closest you can be in eating Frozen Yogurt in Manila. Please let me know what you think of their Froyo (as people would call it :) For more info: check out their multiply site: iloveberries4.multiply.com
They still have time before Pink Berry, Red Mango and other international Froyo franchises open in Manila. If Hooters opened in Manila, why not Pink Berry?
Tracking Down the Maverick Chef Ed Quimson
The name of Chef Ed Quimson has been name-dropped and attached to restaurants a number of times. From Fig & Olives which replaced the original Chef Ed's, to the now closed Filos in the Fort, to the so-so spanish food at La Esquina in Splendido, to Tootsie's in Tagaytay. But these restaurants never came close to the famous Chef Ed's spanish mestizo cuisine which only the original Chef Ed can do. I've been intrigued by this chef with no formal culinary education except in the Tuazon's kitchen. I have been tracking him down to get to taste his cooking. Finally, I was able to fulfill that quest when I got invited to a special food writer's preview of Paseo Uno's Pasos del Tiempo (A Walk Through Time) yesterday.
He is now part of the JAKA group and working closely with Heny Sison. Mandarin's Paseo Uno will be featuring Chef Ed's Quimson's Filipino heritage dishes with Spanish Influence. In short, he is featuring the dishes they ate at home cooked by his mother and grandmother in the Tuazon's kitchen. His dishes will be featured on May 26 to 31 at Paseo Uno and he will be there in Mandarin Hotel to celebrate the Filipino Heritage Festival. Here is a scoop: his carinderia named Petra and Pilar will soon open in the JAKA building. What I'm excited about is that he is planning to open 21. It is a special by-reservations only room for 21 people for P15,000 only (consumable for food). Chef Ed will do a freestyle cooking for 21 people and that will rock the foodie world of Manila!
Going back, I got to taste Chef Ed's menu line up for Paseo de Uno and you'll know that you are in the presence of slow-cooked-with-love food that your taste buds will never forget. We (my wife and I) are honored to be invited together with respected names in the food writing industry. We were in the presence of great food and great food writers -- we are so thankful for that. In return, I would like to share with you our experience with The Chef Ed Quimson's Spanish Mestizo cuisine based on home recipes of the Tuazons.
Chef Ed's Quimson's Menu @ Paseo de Uno's Pasos del Tiempo (May 26-31, 2008)
Sotanghon con Caldo. Sotanghon soup with a ball of chicken, ham, pork & prawn.
The amateurish adjective delicious is not enough to describe the soup. It is unique, home-cooked, and the type of soup where you just close your eyes and savor its taste.
Baked Fish Fillet with layers of potato, tomato and onions in white wine. It is served with toasted bread inside the soup bowl to absorb the white wine sauce.
The good thing about Chef Ed is that there is no cooking secrets and he is generous enough to share how he created the food. He said that the white wine sauce was made of olive oil, soy sauce, laurel, perrins and white wine. I don't cook but I appreciate how complicated the taste of the soup because of its ingredients.
Carne Frita, appetizer. This is Chef Ed's favorite and this is how his grandmother would cook it. I honestly did not like it because it was all meat and it is more appropriate to be a pulutan with an ice cold beer. ( Chef Ed -- Isn't this out of place in the overall menu? )
Pollo ala Caserole. It was lechon manok with bread stuffing inside. It was very predictable in taste.
Roasted Turkey with Tuazon Stuffing. The turkey and sauces were cooked to perfection. But after eating the Tuazon stuffing, I wanted to be a part of the Tuazon's culinary clan. You got to try it!
Lengua con Alcaparras. This dish alone brought the house down. I was silent eating this because I know I was in the presence of great food. This was the best lengua we have ever tasted and all the food writers would have to agree. The secret was in the tomato sauce mix aged over 5 days. Just imagine by the time the festival start, the tomato sauce will be more tasty than ever. The lengua was cooked the day before. I admired Chef Ed for the patience and excellence in cooking this food. If you love Lengua like Rache, you should not miss this!
Sotanghon Chicharo and Shrimp.
The lengua was the highlight of the meal and everything after that tasted ordinary but perfectly cooked.
Chicken Galantina. Most of the food writers did not finish this dish. Is it because they are full already or did it fail to meet their expectations? I guess leaving the food on the plate is the food writer's polite way of saying I don't like it that much. (I'm just learning the ropes here, hehe)
Arroz con Leche and Dulce de Santol.The Arroz con leche which is rice with cream, cinnamon and cooked like creme brulee, is an interesting dessert. Rice Pudding is very popular in Europe but the Tuazon version was made exciting by the cinnamon.
One of the desserts to rave about is Chef Ed's Dulce de Santol! Just look at how much sugar was put into it and just imagine putting mantikado ice cream on top of it.
If you are a Chef Ed Quimson groupie like me don't miss Paseo de Uno's Pasos del Tiempo on May 26-31, 2008, Don't forget to try the soup, lengua, turkey and the dessert. Make sure that Chef Ed is there to ensure that the food is prepared under his supervision. Thanks to Mandarin's Paseo de Uno for inviting us!!
Katrina R. Lardizabal, Restaurant Manager
Paseo Uno, Mandarin Oriental ManilaMakati Avenue, Makati 1226
Telephone: +63 750 8888
Email: kathrina1@mohg.com
Paseo de Uno Buffet Prices.
Monday to Sunday Lunch P 1,290 Net
Sunday Brunch P 1,590 Net
Breakfast P1,010 Net
Sunday - Thursday Dinner P1,450 Net
Friday to Saturday Seafood Night P1,590 Net
Chef Ed Quimson's featured menu above will be part of Paseo de Uno's buffet.
Text and Photos by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.
PS. For those who cannot afford Paseo de Uno's buffet, watch out for the opening of Petra and Pilar which is a carinderia concept with the most expensive food item at less than P200. See you there!!
Sardines frittata in tortilla
Beef and chicken are not the only things you can use to stuff flour tortillas. A tortilla is a bread and anything that goes well with bread will taste delicious with tortilla. I bought a bag of flour tortilla a week ago intending to stuff them with chicken a la king. Sadly, the chicken a la king was gone before I could use it as stuffing. The package says the tortillas won't be any good after tomorrow so I decided to create something that would be as radical a filling as chicken a la king.
The title says I stuffed the tortillas with sardines frittata but that title doesn't really do justice to the filling. Read on to understand what I mean.
Fruit and Vegetable Medley
may bago kaming suking tindahan ni jet. mga dalawang kilometro lang ito sa bahay namin - tindahan ng mga organic na gulay at prutas. sariwang sariwa ang produce dito dahil yung taniman ay nasa likod lang ng tindahan. mura lang ang presyo kaya maraming nagpupunta rito.
ang pinaka gusto ko ay yung small town feel ng tindahang ito. kahit medyo ultra modern ang city of irvine, mayroon pa ring pockets of what life probably looked like when orange county was still one big orchard. naisip ko nga: kung ang kinakain mo ay organic, pwede mo bang gawing fertilizer ang ebs mo para talagang masabi mong kasama ka sa circle of life?
Manna Bakery
We were an hour early for an eight o'clock appointment yesterday and we drove around the Loyola area looking for a good place to have breakfast. Not Starbucks, definitely. Not McDonald's either. We considered Seattle's Best but the parking area was bathed in sunlight and getting into the car afterwards would have been like getting into a hot oven. We left Katipunan Road and entered Esteban Abada Street. That was where we found Manna Bakery. We hadn't been there before, we hadn't even heard of it, but the place was cozy, clean and inviting.
Makati City Grand Parade Participants - Iloilo, Iligan, Laoag and others
Makati Mayor Jejomar C. Binay and the city government will celebrate the 338th Foundation Anniversary of Makati with its sister cities and municipalities.
Mayor Binay said the city government has invited its sister cities and municipalities to participate in events from May 9 to 13 during the month-long celebration leading to Makati’s 338th Foundation Day on June 1.
The mayor said 38 sister localities have confirmed their intention to join. The city government is expecting its sister localities to participate in the 338th Grand Parade on May 9, which will be held at the city’s Central Business District.
The Partial list of Participants Include:
- Cabadbaran Agusan del Norte
- Batangas city
- Dumarao, Capiz,
- General Trias Cavite
- Laoag city
- Sigay Ilocos Sur,
- Iligan City
- Palo, Leyte
- Bayongbong nueva vizcaya
- Binmaley, Pangasinana
- Rosales, Pangasinan
- Gumaca, Quezon
- Conception, Romblon
- Sta Maria, Romblon
- Canavid, Samar
- Dumaraga, Samar
- Sorsogon City
- Surigao City
- Iloilo City
I was talking to someone from Tribu Paghidaet and they mentioned that they are coming back to Makati on May 9.. and he mentioned that they will be performing in Ayala.. I guess this will be for the Makat Grand Parade! We get to shoot them again! and hopefully this time it wont rain!
Also in the list of Participants is The winner of the Aliwan Float competition Pamulinawen of Laoag City.
Who else will confirm and attend the parade? find out tom at 2pm Ayala Avenue.
Aliwan Festival Photo Contest Deadline
Deadline of submission is May 16 at 5 p.m. to Eloi Baltazar at MBC office.
photo in 8 x 10 must be accompanied by entry form in triplicate
Prizes at Stake
- First Prize P50,000
- Second Prize P25,000
- Third Prize P10,000
Before you decide on joining please read the fine print.
NOTE: All entries become the property of MBC, which will have the right to reproduce, exhibit, or publish the images for promotional purposes, indicating/acknowledging the photographer. MBC may display the prints in a public venue, or publish them for the purpose of promoting Aliwan Fiesta, without any financial compensation to the photographers.
Click on the Entry Form to Download - Aliwan Photo Contest Entry Form
Pictures of Aliwan Fiesta 2008
We’ve gathered the best pictures and captured the best moments we can of the recent Aliwan 2008 festivities. See our gallery of photos blow.
Click on the images to see bigger pictures.
Wait, there’s more!: Get cheap domain & hosting from plogHost Powering this blog since 2005.
Philstage Jury Announces Gawad Buhay Citations
The Philstage (Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group) gives its verdict.
In the first and second quarterly citations of the Gawad Buhay, the performing arts awards program organized by Philstage, Tanghalang Pilipino’s Kudeta gets nine citations, including awards for outstanding play, stage direction (Floy Quintos), lighting design (Dennis Marasigan), and set design (Tuxqs Rutaquio), among others.
Repertory Philippines’ Hamlet and PETA’s Skin Deep tied with six awards, and Ballet Philippines’ Latin Heat went away with five citations.
Read the complete list of citations in Gibbs Cadiz’s blog.
Gawad Buhay, Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group, Philstage, theater awards
Winners of Aliwan Festival 2008
The following are results of the recent Aliwan Festival 2008 which was held in Manila last May 1 to 3, 2008.
Winner Results for the Streetdance Competition
Grand Champion: Lumad Basakanon, Sinulog Festival of Cebu City
2nd Place: Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo City
3rd Place: Sinulog Festival, Carmen Cebu
Runners-up
- Kadayawan Festival of Davao City
- Pamulinawen Festival of Laoag City
- Halad Festival of Midsayap, North Cotabato
- Singkaban Festival of Hagonoy Bulacan
- Buyugan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte
- Saad Festival of Leganes, Iloilo
- Alikaraw Festival of Hilongos Leyte
Best Float Design Competition
Grand Champion : Pamulinawen Festival, Laoag City
2nd Place: Boling Boling Festival, Catanauan, Quezon Province
3rd Place: Sinulog Festival, Cebu City
Runners-up
- Kalilintad Festival of Mamasapano Shariff Kabunsuan
- Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City
- Guinakit of Parang Shariff Kabunsuan
- Panagbenga Festival of Baguio City
- Kalilangan Festival of General Santos City
- Singkaban Festival of Hagonoy Bulacan
Wait, there’s more!: Don’t have Paypal yet? What are you waiting for? Sign up now!
Thai Tuyo
No fish heads to worry about here :)
balita
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