Take a look at TLC's latest TV offerings this April!

TLC April 2015 Highlights

TLC brings us an awesome summer by airing these spectacular shows on food, fashion, and travel! Take a look at this lot:

THE TASTE UK 

Premieres every Tuesday at 10:00 p.m., starting April 7. 
Encores every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. 

Flavour is the only thing that matters in this high-stakes cooking competition as Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain, and critically-acclaimed chef Ludo Lefebvre search for the first winner of THE TASTE UK. During the blind auditions, the judges will pick their respective teams based on just a single spoonful from a dish prepared by each contestant. Then, each week – mentored by Nigella,  Anthony and Ludo – the contestants must tantalise the tastebuds of a guest judge and win their vote with a single spoonful in order to stay on in the competition.

JAMIE’S COMFORT FOOD 

Premieres every Monday at 8:00 p.m., starting April 13. 
Encores every Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. 

Celebrate nostalgic memories, traditions and childhood favourites in JAMIE’S COMFORT FOOD.  It's about recipes that really hit the spot – from the perfect burger to the ultimate toasted cheese sandwich, to reinvented old-school classics such as shepherd's pie and crispy duck lasagne – it's food that can wrap its arms around you and raise your spirits. Filmed at Jamie's Essex home with friends and family, this brand new series is brimming with inspirational dishes, epic flavour combinations and some seriously clever cooking.

TRINNY & SUSANNAH’S MAKEOVER MISSION INDIA 

Premieres every Thursday at 8:30 p.m., starting April 16. 
Encores every Monday at 8:30 a.m. 

World-renowned style experts Trinny and Susannah are about to face their most exciting challenge ever – this time, the duo head to India in search of men and women of various shapes, sizes and backgrounds, all in need of a major style intervention. With the help of a team of hair and makeup artists, see how the contestants look like a million bucks in the hands of these fashionistas in TRINNY & SUSANNAH’S MAKEOVER MISSION INDIA! Each episode, the straight-talking style gurus strive to bring a renewed confidence to the selected men and women, transforming their fashion faux pas to fashion fabulous within the span of 12 hours.

SAY YES TO THE DRESS: BRIDESMAIDS 3 

Premieres every Friday at 10:00 p.m., starting April 24. 
Encores every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and Monday at 4:00 p.m. 

SAY YES TO THE DRESS: BRIDESMAIDS returns for a third season with even more taffeta, trains and tantrums. Get ready for cheers, jeers – and sometimes, tears – at Atlanta’s Bridals By Lori, as brides and their entourage of bridesmaids search for the perfect bridesmaid’s dress that will please them all. One bride’s BFF hates every dress she sees while another stalks off the runway and refuses to be seen at the wedding in a strapless dress. It’s up to Lori Allen and her team of consultants to make sure that the bride’s fantasy wedding doesn’t turn into her worst nightmare!

---

About TLC 

TLC is a global lifestyle and entertainment destination, presenting non-scripted and scripted programming featuring real life stories and universal themes that resonate with viewers around the world. TLC’s programming is told through the lens of larger than life characters and adaptable formats, celebrating everything from relationships and life stages, to makeover and transformation to food and travel. Launched in Asia Pacific on September 1, 2010, TLC is currently distributed to over 148 million subscribers in the region. For more information, visit TLC at www.tlcasia.com.

About Discovery Communications 

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content on worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery also controls Eurosport International, a premier sports entertainment group, including six pay-TV network brands across Europe and Asia. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award- winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. In Asia Pacific, 15 Discovery brands reach 652 million cumulative subscribers in 38 countries and territories with programming customized in 15 languages and dialects. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

the nightshift struggle

this is so frkn hard. i was on midshift and dayshift the past 2 days respectively and now i'm on nightshift. what a way to go around three different schedules!

i'm writing because i've been trying so frakking hard to keep myself awake. at this very moment, my eyes are drooping, my head hurts, and i'm battling the urge to sleep on my desk and just forget about all the work. chos. the latter is proving to be very tempting though.

i wasn't able to get enough sleep before i headed to this shift, that's why. my stomach is also full, which probably contributes to the sleepiness. i don't know how to go about this time. i just want the clock to tick past 4 hours so i could go home and sleep and properly prepare for my next nightshift (that, and test out my new vacuum cleaner! random, sorry)

i'm not going to be on this shift for long, i just kindof volunteered to because i didn't want to be left alone in midshift. T___T but this is really proving to be pain in the ass. i seriously want to just grab a pillow and sleep head on. aaaargghh.

it's 2am would you believe it?! if i was on midshift i'm probably already sleeping or lulling myself to sleep with a book. but what am i doooing, so actively engaging my brain in words... aggravating my headache.

this is sooooo craaaaazzyyyy i wanna sleeeep badllyyyyyyy. my eyebags are twitching awkwardly, begging for my lids to close. should i give in?

heck.

#WhereToNext: 5 reasons I would love to stay in this apartment in Thailand

Not a very specific title no? haha

Here's a fancy 5 star apartment villa i found over at Airbnb which only rents for Php 2,868 per night (say whuuut). I've been scouting for potential overseas staycation spots and was recently reminded of Airbnb (via 2 Broke Girls: that ep when Max and Caroline had their place rented for Victoria Secret models!) a booking site where you get to choose from tons of unique places to stay in from local hosts in over 190 countries. awesome! you don't need to stay at an uber expensive hotel to get a posh space that's well maintained and looks pretty in pictures haha. you can just head on over to Airbnb and ogle over the many houses, lofts, and apartment units offered for rent by the locals (hm. as an IT person, "local host" sounds weird to me haha) and book away!

so here's the place i've been eyeing: an apartment space at  Intercontinental Resort, Koh Samui Thailand.

just by looking at the pictures and the reviews of the many travelers who has booked the place, i've gathered 5 things that made me fall in love with the idea of staying at this beautiful apartment

1. it's very affordable

cos you're not booking from the resort per se, but with the private owner of the villa. i was actually taken aback by the price, and looked everywhere at the page for hidden charges, extra fees and all, but found nothing that would bill shock me... just a 6-12% guest service fee, and a Php 7,291.00 security deposit (varies per place) which you can refund after your stay if you didn't mess with anything in the house.

so for a 5 star resort, Php 2,868 a night is a frkn great deal. just look at this beauty...

kumpleto kusina!

presko!

ang bongga ng bed!

2. the beach and the view is awesome 

Actual photo of the sunset coming into place <3

which is what an ideal getaway should have, right? the villa is located at Baan Taling Ngam, the quieter part of the island where luxury resorts are situated, plus you get an awesome sunset view to boot!

the apartment is atop a hill with a direct view of the sea from all of the rooms! <3

perfection!

haaaaay life

3. access to all areas of the resort 

the amenities are to die forrrr. even if i'm just gonna be renting out a single room, i get free access to their 5 pools (oo kelangan ganun kadami), private beach with sports equipment, tennis court, fitness center, etc!

okay let me spam you a bit:

that's a crazy lot of water facilities! why so pretty?! T____T

4. no negative reviews! 

as per the people who has booked with the owner, nothing bad came out about their entire stay! the place is perfect, it's near the beach, the amenities are complete, you can hire a maid for daily cleaning, avail of hotel services, and communication with the contact people is a breeze.

but what really got me promising to myself that i'd book this place one day is this review...

the pictures don't even do it justice, he says! can you imagine what kind of paradise this is? i was already sold with the price, now the reviews just made me want to book sooner!

and last but not the least of the reasons i would definitely book this place...

5. it's in Thailand! 

one of my dream vacation places mainly because it's near, and the currency exchange is 1:1, so i don't have to mess my head with conversions and stuff cos i'm budget OC like that and hates math.

so singing along with Annie... "Yes! Yes! I think i'm gonna like it here!"

So whether an apartment for a month, a castle for a week, a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries!

in fairness to Airbnb, they offer a really unique travel solution for those who are wary of expensive lodging. i'm definitely going to scout at their website on my next travel plans!

Join Me!

Click photo to register

If you want to make Airbnb your next travel buddy, let me refer you so you could enjoy some travel credits and more! You may sign up here: http://www.airbnb.com/c/ybirog

#WhereToNext #Airbnb #AirbnbPH

Where are you headed next? Let me know and let Airbnb guide you! <3

Note: all photos used in this blog post were taken from the Airbnb listing. :)

GlobalTestMarket Proof of Payment

AT LAST!!! After all the fuss about their cheques bouncing and being in a different denomination, i was finally able to get my CASH. as in CAAAAASH. How?

Twice I returned their check to their PO Box at Canada because the first time they sent me, the account has closed. and on the second time, it was printed in dollars and i had no way of withdrawing it. i had my doubts and i was so furious so i ranted about it on this post haha

When I got my points back (after 3 months!), i decided to just wait until they are able to print checks in my local currency, PhP.

But recently though, GTM has rolled out a couple of good rewards conversion alternatives, one of which is PAYPAL (there's also Lazada and Amazon!) so... REJOICE REJOICE!!! Once the feature was up and active I instantly requested for a cash out.

Here's the points conversion:

816 points = Php 1,500
543 points = Php 1,000

Note that in order to claim your Paypal rewards you must have a minimum of 1000 points. :)

So on March 6, i claimed my Paypal rewards, and exactly 7 days after, i was credited with the amount I requested on Paypal! Yeheyyy!

Now I just had to withdraw it to my local bank account. Here's how I did it, if you're wondering! And finally, after a total of 10 days (7 days from GTM to Paypal, and 3 days from Paypal to my bank account)... caaaaash! yeyy! <3

In fairness to GTM, they responded to all my inquiries. They may respond slow, but at least they're working on it.

The support channel I used to inquire to would be this email address: 

support-en@globaltestmarket.com

So if you have any concerns about your points or anything, you may want to email them there. :)

Finally finally, all my doubts about GTM have been lifted and I can now proudly promote it to all you. So in case you're looking for a profitable past time answering surveys (it's not much but it pays!), just leave your email address and i'll refer you asap! :)

Thanks GTM! :)

How to transfer Paypal funds to your BPI Savings Account

Yes! You can actually withdraw your paypal funds to your BPI ATM account! tried it last week and it worked! Here's how...

Prerequisites:

1. a verified Paypal account
2. Paypal funds (of course)
3. a BPI Savings account (yep, that regular ATM account you have, could even be your payroll acct :D)

Procedure:

1. Add your BPI bank account to paypal
- Login to paypal.com
- Hover over "Profile" and click on "Add/Edit Bank Account"
- Click "Add" and fill out the form:

Take note of the following:

• Name on account: your paypal name and bank account name MUST MATCH otherwise you'll be charged Php 250.00
• Bank Name: Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
• Bank Code: 010040018
• Account Number: the 10-digit number at the back of your ATM card

2. Transfer funds
- Once you have registered your bank account at paypal, you may now request for withdrawal
- Navigate to "Withdraw" and click on "Withdraw funds to your bank account" (take note of the charges)
- Fill out amount to be withdrawn >> then select the bank account you just added earlier >> then click on "Continue"

3. Done!
Following the succeeding steps and you will be notified via email by paypal about your request for withdrawal. it will take 2-4 days for the amount to reflect on your bank account and you will be charged another Php 150.00 by the bank. i withdrew last March 16 and got the money on March 18 nighttime. that's pretty fast you know! hehe

For this transaction i was charged a total of 200 pesos (50 by paypal, and 150 by BPI).

Also, on your account statement it will be listed off as a REMITTANCE.

That's it, hope this helps! 

Have you tried withdrawing your funds to your ATM yet? :)

5 FREE Fitness Apps to help you workout on your own!

So you wanna work out without shelling out a single buck? Got a smartphone? large memory, check? a strong wifi/internet? good. i'll be listing down a few really cool apps that will turn your phone into your very own fitness trainer!​ only, you have to discipline yourself... which is just about the hardest part diba. haha

1. Nike+ Running

it's my ultimate running companion. if you're new to this GPS tracking thing and like me was confused whether you needed to turn the data on to get a GPS signal... NO. you don't need internet connection to get tracked. you just need to turn on your GPS (or that location icon on the home curtain of your android phone), and give if a few seconds to initialize. then, off you go!

2. Nike+ Training Club

here's one of my favorites. and this is by far the closest to a virtual PT i could get. it has a lot of workout routines for you to try, demo videos, timers, goals, playlist integration, and it's very organized too. you can cho​ose from various fitness regimen (like get lean, get toned, shape up, etc.) and each has a set of timed exercises you could follow to achieve your goal. i tell you, it's pretty intense !

i love it how Nike has become not just a household name when it comes to sportswear, but also an advocate of promoting communities that inspire people to live an active lifestyle. and while you're already there downloading these Nike apps, why not prep yourself up with the right apparel? did you know that especially for women, workout clothes actually inspire you to workout? that's right, and since Nike for women is available online at Zalora Philippines, i suggest you ogle over there for a while, while waiting for your apps to download. but wait, don't forget to read the rest of the post!

3. Daily Yoga

perfect for an early morning stretch. 15 minutes on this will break you a good sweat. the videos are very easy to follow and is audible enough. plus it has 5 default background music which helps you ​get ​into that yoga mood (i actually love the music). hahaha

4. Calorie Counter - MyFitnessPal (calorie counter and diet tracker)

it has been really really helpful (so far). here you could log your every calorie intake (or outtake?) from breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even your workouts (walking, swimming, weight lifting and blah). you get to input your current measurements, your desired measurements, and every time you check out on a day you get a rough estimate of the amount of weight you'd lose (or gain?) if you continue doing what you're at.

i like it cos you could ​get ​very specific specially when logging your food intake! you can search up the exact food you ate from their database and you'll get exactly the info you need! (ie. 2 pcs hotcake w/ syrup ... up to the brands of the food you eat! i'd say they have quite an impressive database of food and blah. but it's not just the food, you could also key in your fitness activities, whatever they are, and it'll magically (well, programmatically), deduct the calories burned for you. it helps a lot! hehe so far so good!

5. MX Player (or any video player of your choice)

since when did a video player become a fitness app? well, ever since it can play workout videos! i know right!? haha you see, even without the 4 up there... you can do with just a video player. thing is, you have to download your own workout videos.

My picks:

Insanity workout, Zumba France, 10 min. workout videos, etc.

So there!

What about you? What fitness apps do you have on your phone? Honestly, i don't use all those regularly, the most frequent app i use is the Nike+ Running app. Other than that, it's always a pain having to schedule a workout sesh alone!

*App screenshots are from their respective play store pages

[Review] Starbucks Pour-over Brewer

here's the Starbucks Pour-over Brewer (priced at around Php 1,400), or in other words... a manual coffee brewer. pretty much works like your electric brewer except that it's not run by electricity, and you have to continuously pour hot water for your coffee to drip. oh yes, it's a drip coffee maker!

What you need to get this thing working (aside for the thing of course)

1. #2 cone style coffee filters
a pack of 40 costs around Php 150. that'll probably take 2 working months to finish assuming you use 1 filter a day, and you use it in the office hehe

2. ground coffee
if you're buying from coffee shops like starbucks or CBTL, you can have them grinded. as for the type of grind... i have no idea, i just told them i'm gonna use it for a pour over brewer. i think they'll reccommend a fine grind. if you're buying from the supermarket though, do you really have a choice? hehe

3. hot water

How to use it:

1. Place the ceramic cone on top of your mug (which is included in the set. nope you can't buy just the ceramic cone, the mug has to go with it ... which made it expensive! haha)

2. Put #2 filter paper on the ceramic cone. You may want to rinse it by letting a bit of hot water run through the sides of the filter paper. Then discard the water.

3. put around 2-3 tbsp of ground coffee. i usually use 3 tbsp.

4. pour hot water! but don't fill the cone too much, maybe just half to let the water seep in the coffee a bit, and allow it to bloom (meaning there's gonna be some cool frothing on yer grounds hehe!). you may want to pour slowly din pala if you want some drama lol. >XD and then you can carry on with more water as needed to bring your cup on full blast. lololol

The Verdict

I super love this product. it's a great alternative for an electric coffee brewer especially that we're not allowed to bring one at the office haha. i love how it's very straightforward to use and easy to wash. been using it for more than 2 months now and so far so good! :D

the only downside is you have to wait for your coffee to drip, and sometimes the water has already gone cold while seeping. eh kasi naman the hot water from our pantry isn't really fresh off the boil, so mejo mabilis nga lumamig. haha keri lang naman. >XD if you're using a new filter paper, you'll notice the water drips faster, but when you keep using it on the next drips... mejo nac-clog sya so bumabagal ung tulo. hehe

My mom actually gave this to me as a gift last year cos i've been stressing over a coffee maker eh ako lang naman mahilig mag-kape samin bwahaha >XD

too much negativity

i'm feeling so frkn depressed lately, for reasons which are definitely my fault. but maybe i'll throw some parts to the weather just so i don't get to carry all these (but it's already sunny, so...), but really it's majorly because i suck so much as a person. hay.

-1

i was down with some mild pneuomonia the entire week last week.

the good: i was able to finish my children's book project with ms. lia, but the process sapped me to bits. working in between fevers is the worst thing ever. argh. it was my fault i got sick though.

the bad: i had everything scheduled out for the completion of the project, i will have finished all the illustrations by saturday and sunday, add backgrounds and do the pdf layouting on monday, then finally pass on tuesday. problem was, i just had to exercise on saturday night (because i'm feeling all sleepy and in need of an upper), so natuyuan ako ng pawis, and the rest is histERy. i could have prevented that right?

the ugly: YES! i could have prevented that but i just had to be so careless! i hate myself. grrr could have saved myself 5 freaking leaves huhu. T___T;

-2

i finally got fed up with our helper and inadvertently cast her out of the house. i scolded her for yet again not washing the utensils properly, and for going out of the house maya't maya for long periods of time. she took the day off the next day (cos guess what, it was her birthday!), hasn't been back since, and couldn't be reached through phone. it caused a bit of a ruckus at home because of my bitching out about her for faults that i should have just overlooked na lang daw in light of her almost a decade long tenure and honesty to our family... but really now. i couldn't bring myself to regret her being finally gone... not if it meant we're having a new maid who can clean better, and is less layas. you really can't have it all. no one's perfect.

not being a total monster, i was depressed for a couple of days because of that. my mom hated me a lot for chucking out her favorite maid, now who's gonna blend her juices? who gonna wake up so early to make our baons? who's gonna iron her clothes? i abhorred the fact that i seemed kindof useless as a person, that a maid is a more important part of the household than i am, apparently. ang drama diba.

maka-first world problem eh.

starting the week without a maid was awkward and sad. not when you're so used to having someone wake you up for breakfast. but it just needs some getting used to diba. it's not like i don't know how to cook, or wash the dishes, or iron and stuff. hay ewan. haha!

during those days i kept on looking for ways i could separate myself from our house. good thing i was on midshift so i didn't have to avoid people lololol cos it frkn feels like everybody hates me. i even felt like my dad hates me too because i gave mom a hard time with the house because shempre si mommy na yung gigising ng maaga and stuff. henako!

i was also even looking for possible places to rent out because hello real world! haha it was the most emotionally distressing quarrel i had with my mom kasi it's the first time it went for more than 24 hours! if we're not talking to each other within a day that's frkn alarming.

-3

my mom and i are okay now, we're eating together na. PERO BAKIT NADEDEPRESS PARIN AKO. ah i know, wala parin kaming katulong. haha ang arte arte ko talaga nakakainis diba.

-4

thinking about the amount of time i'm held prison in this company makes me sadder than ever. i'm not an A performer so chances are my salary isn't going to increase substantialy within the next 2 rotting years. i won't be able to provide for myself considerably, and it sucks so much. i really wanted to get to the level of financial independence where i could already buy a house and a car. haaay life.

during my feedback session with my manager i was revealed my corporate rating, which is you know..."C performer" or "meets expectations" or "probably not getting a raise this year". one of (the only, actually) the negative things that was pointed out about me was my extracurricular activities which disabled me to work longer hours and deliver end-of-day tasks. i was thinking tuloy, if we have an EOD task, are the extra hours were putting for that counted as OT? in my experience kasi, NO. so to hell with EODs! i'm not being paid extra anyway!

it was funny though, you know how the ultimate goal is to really load myself with so much sidelines such that my regular day job becomes my extracurricular instead? BWAHA. joke lang. in time. wooot.

on the plus side

waking up 2 kilos lighter than usual for almost a week now excites me like crazy. depression apparently saps out my fats too!

“Asia’s Got Talent” Premiere Tops Philippine Ratings

“Asia’s Got Talent” Premiere Tops Philippine Ratings Manila, Philippines –AXN’s highly anticipated “Asia’s Got Talent” premiere collectively topped ratings among English Pay TV channels in Southeast Asia. 

During the show’s two hour debut on Thursday, March 12 at 8:05pm, AXN delivered more than 10 times the ratings of the next English general entertainment channel across Singapore, Malaysia and the  Philippines.

“Asia’s Got Talent” was the top AXN program year to date in the country. During its telecast, AXN ranked #1 with more than 80 per cent share amongst all English general entertainment channels, and ranked #2 amongst all Pay TV channels. 

In Singapore, “Asia’s Got Talent” led the ratings chart in its timeslot for English Pay TV channels and AXN was also the top English channel for the night on StarHub. 

In Malaysia, “Asia’s Got Talent” was the #1 rated show in its timeslot across all English channels on Astro. AXN dominated the timeslot with over 80 per cent share across all English general entertainment channels.

Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, “Asia’s Got Talent” features some of the region’s most breathtaking, jaw-dropping and mind-blowing performing artists competing for the coveted winning title. The premiere episode was a kaleidoscope of quirky characters and stunning talent, with many acts winning the hearts of viewers across the region. 

Hui Keng Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said,“Asia’s Got Talent is off to a thrilling start on AXN as we bring together millions of viewers to celebrate the diversity of talent and dreams of contestants from over 15 territories in Asia. The response to the premiere istruly incredible and after the success of both The Amazing Race Asia and The Apprentice Asia, AXN continues its mission to create high quality and engaging content.” 

Driven by the strong performance of programs such as “Asia’s Got Talent”, AXN has maintained its top English general entertainment channel position in 2015 year-to-date. Collectively across the three Southeast Asian countries, AXN enjoyed a 30 per cent share amongst 19 English general entertainment channels during prime time.

“Asia’s Got Talent” is the 63rd adaptation of the Guinness World Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The  Source: Kantar Media Singapore & Philippines, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Malaysia, 12 March 2015 8.05 – 10pm. Ratings in Malaysia are based on combined rating of AXN and AXN HD. Target is Pay TV audience 4+ 2 Kantar Media Singapore & Philippines, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement Malaysia, 1 January – 12 March 2015. Ratings in Malaysia are based on combined rating of SD and HD channels. Target is Pay TV audience 4+. Prime time is 6pm-1am. “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

Each act competing in “Asia’s Got Talent” will have to receive at least three “Yeses” from the esteemed celebrity judging panel comprising 16 time Grammy-winning Canadian musician David Foster, UK pop sensation and former Spice Girl Melanie C., Indonesian rock icon Anggun, and Taiwanese-American pop idol and actor Van Ness Wu. 

The four judges must select the most dazzling performances from thousands of hopefuls from 15 territories across Asia. Those who make it to the semi-finals will contend with an even tougher judge, AXN viewers at home who will ultimately decide the winner of “Asia’s Got Talent”. 

A grand prize worth USD$100,000 is up for grabs, along with the opportunity to return and perform at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading entertainment destination – where the semi-final shows and finale will be held. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” spans 10 weekly episodes, including five audition episodes, three semi-finals, a finale episode and aresults gala. In addition to enjoying the performances, audiences can get to know more about their favorite acts as “Asia’s Got Talent” tells the life stories behind some of the most colorful individuals and groups in the competition. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, Big Cola, Pantene, Caltex, Jetstar and GrabTaxi and brought to you by KFC, Globe and Cherifer in the Philippines. AXN is a leader of regionally produced original content in Asia, with notabe ratings successes including four seasons of the International  Emmy-nominated “The Amazing Race Asia”; the Asian Television Award-winning “Cash Cab Asia”; “The Apprentice Asia”; “Cyril: Rio Magic”; “Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition”; and the Asian Television Award-nominated “Cyril: Simply Magic”. 

“Asia’s Got Talent” airs Thursdays at 8.30pm (SG, MY, PH, HK) / 7.30pm (JKT, BKK) - First on AXN 

Connect with the judges, hosts, and your favorite contestants through videos and photos, exclusively on the Asia’s Got Talent official Facebook page. Catch behind-the-scenes footage of the auditions on Facebook at http://facebook.com/AsiasGotTalent

www.AXNAsia.com/AsiasGotTalent

MUNI Market Day

MUNI Market Day promotes healthy, sustainable living with a fun, community vibe

Now on its 3rd run, MUNI Market Day continues to bring together mindful merchants and conscious consumers, this time on March 28, 2015, 9AM-5PM at Capitol Commons. True to its mission of providing not just an avenue for sellers, MUNI Market Day continues with its goals to educate guests on how to introduce healthier, more sustainable options into their lifestyle.

Apart from feasting on wholesome food and buying local or eco-friendly products, interested attendees can sign up for workshops on Urban Farming by Bahay Kubo Organics, Plant-based Nutrition by The Superfood Grocer, Vegan / Gluten-Free Cooking by Jertie’s Kitchen, and Indoor Planting by The Green House Project. Also, one of the unique draws or highlights of MUNI Market Day is the selection of musicians who bring a lot of good vibes throughout the event.

MUNI Market Day is brought to you by MUNI, a collaborative community that has been working to promote mindful living through events like this, meetups, forums, or other workshops, design collaborations, and content, which can be found on www.muni.com.ph, or their Muni PH Facebook page.

For more inquiries or possible collaborations, e-mail the Muni team at events.muni@gmail.com, or merchants.muni@gmail.com for interested merchants. For more information visit www.muni.com.ph/MuniMarketDay3.

Website: www.muni.com.ph 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/muni.ph 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/muni_ph 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muni_ph 

Must try: Slappy Cakes Lenten Specials

Who said Slappy Cakes are all about pancakes and nothing else? For a while I thought they were just one of those fancy all-day breakfast chains, but last week I got to try the restaurant for the first time and discovered that it's not all about the batter!

March 5, 2015 --- Slappy Cakes, the popular international all-day breakfast joint originating from Portland, Oregon, recently introduced its offerings for Lent. Apart from its pancake fare, Slappy cakes is offering no-meat alternatives which are both tasty and fulfilling.

You can start off your meal with these Slappetizers: Cheese Sticks, Mango Ponzu Salad, and Tomato Soup. Then choose from these Pasta dishes and Slappy Plates: Pesto Pasta with Anchovies, Salmon Pasta with Cream Sauce, Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich, and Fish Bites, or indulge in their All Day Breakfast with Salmon Benedict, Seasonal Vegetable Benedict, and Garlic Bangus.

Fish Bites

Cheese Sticks

Salmon Benedict

Pesto Pasta with Anchovies

Mango Ponzu Salad

Carlic Bangus

Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich

Salmon Pasta with Cream Sauce

Seasonal Vegetable Benedict

Tomato Soup

“Given the timeliness of our offering of these non-meat fare, we believe we are giving our diners more alternatives that are in accordance to their preference,” said Karen Caballero, General Manager of Slappy Cakes.

Patrons who are looking to try out these delicious offerings, can visit any of the Slappy Cakes branches in Eastwood Mall from 9am-10pm (9am-11pm during Fridays and Saturdays), SM Aura Premier from 10am-10pm, SM North Edsa The Block from 10am-9pm (10am-10pm during Fridays and Saturdays), and SM Jazz Mall from 8am-9pm. For Holy Week, they are open from Palm Sunday until Holy Wednesday and resume their operations on Black Saturday.

About Slappy Cakes

Since opening in 2009, Slappy Cakes has become one of the most popular breakfast spots in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. by offering a one-of-a-kind dining experience in a fun and interactive setting. What sets Slappy Cakes apart from any other breakfast restaurant is that there are griddles built into each table, giving customers the opportunity of cooking their own pancakes right at their table. This creative and interactive experience is what Slappy Cakes is about - offering a fun-filled dining experience of the kids, and kids at heart. People of all ages, both children and adults, can enjoy the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that Slappy Cakes brings.

After the success of Slappy Cakes in Portland and in Tokyo, Japan, Slappy Cakes is capturing the hearts of Filipino breakfast lovers.

Aside from the do-it-yourself pancakes, the breakfast selection with all-American flavor, Slappy Cakes also caters to the Filipino palate with their Filipino breakfast offerings. Whether you're up for either an American feast or your usual Filipino favorite, Slappy Cakes is sure to bring a pleasant and memorable breakfast dining experience, any time of the day. 

For more information, visit www.slappycakes.com.ph.

About Mother Spice Food Corporation

Mother Spice Food Corporation is the parent company of local dining spots Mango Tree, Mango Tree Bistro, COCA Restaurant, COCA Cafe and Slappy Cakes.

Follow Slappy Cakes:

Instagram: @slappycakesPH

Facebook: SlappyCakesPH

Twitter: @slappycakesPH

hey hey hey

long time no personal post! it irks me that there are already five consecutive PR posts on the first page... like whaaaat?! wala na ba kong ma-share?! so let me break that a bit by updating you on what's up with my life lately! after all,  this is still a very personal blog. not a very PRsonal one. BWAHA so punny.

1. my mom wouldn't allow me to buy a bike

well, she would if i promised to stay within the walls of our village... which means no. so depressing. i was planning on cycling it to the office cos there's free parking for bikes. plus i get to save half of my allowance daily. the risk, of course, is surviving commonwealth avenue. worried the heck out of her. as usual. grrr. i'm too old for this! i can't buy an expensive road bike because she'd think, 'no, that's too expensive i'm sure your taking that out'. guess what mommy... that's the plan!!!

if i could only convince her that i'm gonna be safe. that the only part of Commonwealth avenue i would ride is from Don Antonio to Technohub, and that's freaking 5 kilometers only!

thinking about getting a bike excites me so muuuuch, like having a major crush hahaha. imagine the workout i could get with that, the money i could save, the places i could go to without paying for faaare! aaaaah i can get a mani pedi nearby without having to include pamasahe on the budget! so convenient!

and also, i could frkn be a triathlete na! homaygaaaas my athletic frustrations are being acknowledged finally! chos.

2. for a freelance artist, i suck at planning

i don't seem to have a solid work process to follow. mehn, this project is so agile. there are critical dependencies and i have to rework almost all the time. but then i'm really really happy to be doing this. no bull. i love drawing. hihi it's my happy place :D

3. new food phase: Chili's rice

grabe lang! it's already my 3rd time dining at chili's this year and it's only february. on my first visit, their beef salpicao took my heart... but really it's more of the rice haha. last valentines, jeckie and i dined there... i ordered beef salpicao and was once again taken by the flavor of the herbs oozing from every bite. hahaha basta ang sarap. ang mahal din. not a good phase cos a bout of craving would set me back 1k already, juicecolored. T___T

4. have you tried CANVA?

here you go: www.canva.com

check it out guys, i'm naming it as my official graphics buddy for stuff i need in a jiffy. it's very easy to use and is extremely handy for those who want to place fancy text on their pictures. it has tons of templates for different social media formats: facbook cover, instagram post, google + banner, twitter header, presentations, invitations, business cards, etc. you don't have to worry about the dimensions!

i'm also very impressed at the amount of design options it offers, it will frkn turn you into an instant graphics/layout artist i swearrrr. WHICH IS SOBRANG NAKAKAINIS if you ask me, cos artists are fudging elitists and it's not cool how they make it easy to become one. like how you hate calling someone a photographer just because he sports a punchdrunk panda strapped DSLR. odiba.

but even with all the bitterness, i'm all for the promotion of a beautiful web and if it takes a sudden spike of so-called artists due to canva, so be it! i love looking at beautiful graphics! haha

i'm a photoshop loyalist pero baka poser lang din ako, cos traditional artists be like hating on the digital peeps. haha

----

hmmm... that's it! i should be back to illustrating.

how are you?? :D

MTRCB Launches its 2015 TV and Film Infomercial

Have you seen MTRCB's latest TV infomercial featuring celebrity couple Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos? >XD

2015 marks the 30th year of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). To kick off the celebration of its anniversary, MTRCB formally launched its new infomercial on 23 February 2015 at 2:00 p.m., MTRCB Building. Directed by renowned film and television director Jose Javier “Joey” Reyes, Jr., DGPI and conceptualized by Mr. Erlito “Lilit” Reyes, the infomercial features actors-spouses Ryan and Judy Ann Agoncillo in a typical morning situation at home. In such scene, their depicted child picks up a word from a TV feature and asks the elders in the house what it means.

The infomercial aims to challenge parents and responsible adults to be aware of the media content our children are exposed to, and to be mindful of the MTRCB’s classification ratings. Parents are also reminded that the primary duty in guiding their children as to the media the latter see still rests in them.

Details of the infomercial were discussed by Director Joey Reyes, Ryan and Judy Ann Agoncillo, Lilit Reyes and MTRCB Board Members Bibeth Orteza and Manet Dayrit, the latter being Co-Chairpersons of the Infomercial Committee.

The launch was culminated by the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the TV Networks and theater operators to ensure showing of the infomercial and to continuously empower the general public towards discerning viewership and thus, among other objectives, inform parents as to the media and entertainment their children may see.

The infomercial will be aired in all television networks and theaters nationwide starting 25 February 2015.

So have you chanced upon this commercial? What do you think? :D
-----

DigitalMediaPH [FB] [WWW]