“I was walking
along, minding my business, When out of the orange colored sky, Flash, bam, alacazam,
Wonderful you came by,” so goes the lyrics to the first solo song by Kyla and,
which proves to be a great welcome song to the people who came during the Green
Freedom concert celebrating Earth Day held at the Evoliving Center Dockside
grounds of Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna last April 21.
Watching a
performance in the great outdoors always brings together people, and for a
community, it also brings neighbors together. And while the rest of Metro
Manila was withering under a 35 degree weather, people who watched the said concert
experience a cool night as the Evoliving Center is wonderfully located by the southern
end of the Nuvali lake.
Nuvali, the 1,840-hectare
mixed-use property that spreads over the cities of Sta. Rosa, Calamba and the Municipality
of Cabuyao in Laguna has been on the lips of people who are on the lookout for
a place that balances both nature and city life. And who would not want that if
it is possible, right? Nuvali has been developed by Ayala Land, Inc. together
with the Yulo family owners to be a wholly sustainable eco-city with its design
rationalized by its economic, social, and environmental sustainability, coupled
with programs on energy efficiency, water conservation and re-use, and waste
management.
Not surprisingly,
Nuvali’s concert to celebrate “Earth Day” is titled “Green Freedom.” The
concert pooled the talents of warblers Kyla, Juris, Zia Quizon, and crooners
Christian Bautista, and Jed Madela who opened the concert with the song “Let’s
Stay Together” by Al Green. After that,
was Kyla’s solo turn on the Natali Cole classic
“Orange-colored Sky” before she paired off again with Madela next for
the brilliant “Colour of the Wind” number, and where Madela’s tenor rang
clearest. Madela’s solo turn for the
song “Change the World” definitely floored the crowd. Zia Quizon, that young goddess
of a singer, and daughter of Zsazsa Padilla, emerged back on stage in a yellow
summer dress to the delight of the crowd. Quizon, a self-confessed Carole King
fan, released her honey-colored voice in the songs “You’ve Got a Friend,” “So
Far Away;” and “It’s Too Late.” Quizon sizzled right on to the songs “I Feel
the Earth Move” before cooling down to her currently popularly requested song:
“Ako na Lang.” Other high points of the concert include Juris’ version of Side
A’s “Forevermore, and Christian Bautista’s version of Michael Jackson’s classic
“Earth Song” before the group rejoined for the last song. It was indeed a
well-thought out concert with the spiels on the songs being turned smoothly
towards caring for the environment.
Backstage, two
of the singers in the concert share their “Earth” moments. Kyla remembers that
growing up, she experienced the joys of climbing up a tree, an Aratiles or
Cherry Tree, back in their home in Bulacan. Jed Madela, on the other hand,
admits to being a lucky “probinsyano,” having spent his childhood in Iloilo. “Umaakyat kami ng puno. Pumupunta kami sa
dike. Gumagawa kami ng bola mula sa dahon ng niyog” (We climb trees. We go
to the dike. We make a ball from coconut leaves).
To
learn more about NUVALI and its upcoming events, visit www.NUVALI.ph or call 0917-5ASK.NUV
(275.688).
Yesterday (April 3), I was invited to try out the latest dining promo by the Manila Hotel: Thai Food Festival.
Held in partnership with Thai Airways and Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thai Food Festival at Café Ilang-Ilang allows diners to experience a food sojourn to the Land of Smiles from April 16 to April 30, 2012.
The Thai buffet is a recent addition to the international culinary selection of Café Ilang-Ilang.
Savor the rich and exquisite tastes of Thai cuisine as Manila Hotel’s Head Thai Chef Sawan Edo takes you on a gastronomic journey to her homeland with authentic Thai dishes. For the festival, Chef Edo created Thai favorites including yam pla dook (catfish salad), tom yam goong (hot and sour prawn seafood salad), goong ob woon sen (baked prawn sotanghon), gaeng gup khao (chicken with cashew nuts), masaman kai (chicken curry), pla nenung manao (steamed fish with lime), and woon lai (Thai jelly). A different set of dishes will be served for lunch and dinner.
Thai cuisine is largely based on menus traditionally served in regal banquets of the Royal Court. A truly artful masterpiece, Thai cuisine has captured the international palate with its perfect blend of hot, sweet, salty, and sour flavors.
Diners will also get a chance to win a holiday trip for two in Bangkok inclusive of hotel accommodations at the Amari Water Hotel Bangkok courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand
For inquiries and reservations, please call 527 0011 local 1260 to 62.
For press inquiries, you may contact:
Sam Dominguez
PR Executive
PR & Corporate Communications
Manila Hotel
s.dominguez@manila-hotel.com.ph
02-527-0011 local 1384
0917 390 2157
Watch this intro video to "Buhay Pinoy" in the weekly show "Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas," featuring NCCA's (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) very own Chairman Prof. Felipe de Leon, Jr., and Exec. Dir. Emelita Almosara.
LAKBAYIN ANG MAGANDANG PILIPINAS is a weekly program which airs every Saturdays, 8am - 9am, over PTV 4. Originally, this pioneering television program proudly showcases various local government units' advocacies and their exemplary practices in promoting effective local governance. It was recognized by the Anak TV Awards as it continues to strive up to display the positive side, innovations, challenges, and exemplary practices of local government with their dynamic leaders and supportive constituents. It also features stories on Filipino culture and traditions.
To date, Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas has four segments. Out of the 4, one segment titled "Buhay Pinoy" of about 10-15 minutes features NCCA programs. It will show activities of the commission like projects emanating from the committees and other institutional programs, both from Manila and the regions.
For details, please contact RENE NAPEÑAS, Head of the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at cellphone number 0927-5582656 / 09285081057 or at tel. nos. 527-5529. You can also call us at 527-2192 (loc. 612-615) or email us at ncca.paio@gmail.com.
Slater Young, the young civil engineer from Cebu emerged as PBB Unlimited's big winner! And the crowd that greeted him Saturday night (March 31) when he finally came out was equally ecstatic to see him!
The official PBB web site shares these basic info on Slater Young:
Real Name:Jan Slater Young
Origin:Cebu City
Age:25
Birthdate:1987-12-19
Nationality:Filipino
Occupation:civil engineer
Civil Status:
Religion:
Hobbies:board games, hanging out, going to the gym, competitive shooting
Favorite Color:white, blue, purple
My unsolicited advice for Slater Young? Develop his acting skills, groom himself to be the next Sam Milby, team up with Toni Gonzaga, and probably score an album or two. Do this for 5 years, then become a Senator (I think you have more skills in that area). Then, who knows? The Presidency should not be too far a goal to aim for.
Tsk. Tsk. These photos of people interacting this super close with a whale shark (supposedly in Oslob, Cebu) or "butanding" have circulated fast in facebook and twitter. I know it could be a sure lure for people but the more experienced traveler knows that whale sharks should not be touched or even stepped on like this. Horrors, right?!?
My own whale shark encounter in 2011 in Donsol, Sorsogon taught me the basic rules prior to seeing one.
"Swimmers should be 3 meters from the head and body of the butanding; 4 meters from the tail. No touching riding or restricting the movement of the butanding. A maximum of 30 boats at sea at any point in time. One one boat per whale shark, with a maximum of 6 swimmers per whale shark. Maximum of 10-minute swim with one whale shark. Flash photography is not allowed."
"For thoughts and things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe
Each thing must create its kind
And they speed o'er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind."
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox
PAPILIO
["You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."-Mae West]
("Who looks outside, dreams;
who looks inside, awakes."-Carl Jung.)
Reinerio Alba is a Filipino writer from the Philippines, basically, who is happily creating and manifesting the best things in his life right now. "I believe that we can always re-cast our realities into better ones, by willing them. I believe that without passion, life is not what it is. I subscribe to the idea that everyone is in a sort of process and that we should always aim for our highest possible self. Always. ( I am also a sucker for synchronized swimming, who wouldn't be? hehehe)
People I'd like to meet?
I am drawn to people with a passion, people with a great, natural sense of humor, who are not pretentious, and who always keep a sense of wonder about the world around them. If they can cook and sing, or sing and cook, that would be fab! :)"
