A Happy Happy Kidsmas with TV5

Sunday, December 27, 2015



Had so much fun during the media Christmas party of TV5. They dubbed it as Happy Happy Kidsmas to bring back the kid in us. Of course there are TV5 home grown stars here and I can't wait to see who's performing! 


We were greeted first by buddy Bret Jackson. I was just talking to him last night about his type of music, I think he was singing haha.. But he was sure to say he sounded better last night as it was better after midnight. I hope he gets to write music and perhaps have his own album too. He's still making Wattpad episodes and I like him being paired with Ella Cruz. Doesn't #UmBrElla sound fancy?


Also in the event (who personally also handshaked us) was TV5's CEO Noel Lorenzana.



I love Mark Neumann and Shaira Mae and I've been religiously following their career and shows on the channel. Aside from the numerous Wattpad episodes they've been in this year, the two are also included in an ensemble cast in the afternoon show Happy Truck Ng Bayan. It's got tons of dance portions, games and surprises prepared by TV5's greatest artists and guests that the channel has to offer. I also saw the lovely and beautiful Malak So (in her stunning outfit and heels!), the equally gorgeous Chanel Morales (who danced so happily with the other artists), Alberto Bruno and super handsome Akihiro Blanco too. 



They also introduced the great programs this 2016 and called it a new campaign called FOLLOW ME TV5. Bebong Muñoz and Boss Vic Del Rosario also divulged 8-10 shows in the first part of 2016, and while having fun they believe this will be good. Top female stars are also gonna be there, a mestiza, a morena, Richard Gutierrez, Alonzo Mulach, Claudine Barretto, a BIG series with BIG scenes with TV5's artists and Viva artists too. They'll also be doing a few movies very soon. Isn't that good news?

To continue to get us to feel like kids again, Hi5 Philippines performed!


They were a nice bunch of guys and gals who teach kids a lot of things through entertainment. A good thing to have on TV today. Their show is on at 8:30AM everyday and 9:30AM on weekends.


Child star Alonzo Mulach also said hi before they ended the event. Thanks TV5!


Ciao!
KUMAGCOW
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Divisoria and Binondo After Christmas



Today was great! I had time to spare so I went to Divisoria and Binondo today and see if I could actually do a short photowalk in Manila's streets after Christmas. The last time I did this was during my D60Krew days back when we had time to do photowalks and didn't have jobs to bother. Anyway, I've been very discreet and careful about doing this because I don't know the place that much and it's been notorious for crimes (as seen on TV) so instead of lugging around my huge DSLR I just used my phone. It's been here since the dark ages, a part of Philippine history, where commerce brewed between the Tagalogs, the provinces and the Chinese. It's also the oldest Chinatown in the world and I couldn't have gone in an opportune time since the crowd has thinned out a bit. Let's start shall we?!


Betty Go - Belmonte Station


Recto Terminal Station

Recto Terminal Station stairway to exit


The short trek required me to take the MRT2 and go to the Recto station. Even if you're fresh, perfumed and all, you're going to smell like shawarma after passing this joint LOL. I took a jeep to Divisoria after that.

You won't really need to be dressed and all, so it'll be better if you're in rags so you kinda blend in and be incognito. I went to different malls like 999, 168 and a couple more just outside the buildings. It's like a complex, some are airconditioned and some are just out in the sun. I've seen a couple of foreigners carrying bags for their Filipina wives, and they looked like they were having fun. I was trying to look for a couple of things to shop for and ended up just people watching. I tried to shop but some of the things just looked cheap. I lowered my expectations of course, but if you think about it I'm the one who's going to wear the clothes and giving the gifts, the wrong grammar on the mugs and prints on the shirt were just too obvious and I might have to go there some other day and do the buying again if I find something good. I mean, I like the stuff in Greenhills and most of them come from Divisoria right? I might probably am looking at the wrong place, so that needs another visit.

I also got lost and ended up walking back from the wet market of Divisoria. I didn't know that was actually Recto too that the vendors are on. I looked at google maps and they were actual roads there. On the ground it was like Balintawak Market but only bigger, most were outside too.

So when I didn't get to buy anything, I got hungry. I went to Wai Ying, a hole in the wall Chinese fastfood restaurant in the district of Binondo. I didn't hold back ordering, as it was cheap and very good. I think it's my third time here.


This is their kitchen, there's a fryer back there and a huge steamer on the front counter. Most of their customers are Filipino Chinese which would probably vouch for their authenticity. 


Like in Hong Kong, they serve you hot tea for free before a meal. I wanted a glass of ice cold water but this will do lol.


I ordered the Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea. They have this in hot versions but I was already hot BOOM and it wouldn't make sense LOL.


I ordered these Beef Balls and should have ordered more. This was so good rather than just having Siu Mai no?



They had chili and soy sauce so ordering sharks fin (without sharks harmed on this meal) was but a good idea. It's pork and a few veggies, it was hot and amazing to have before having my main course.


There's like a 15 minute wait time for this and the shrimp dumpling, but it was so worth it. This is the Kuchai Dumpling (pork and spring onions I think?) and it was probably because of the glass like skin on them that actually deteriorates if steamed too much. Hence the wait time.


I was craving for Siopao since Christmas eve and since I was already here I said "what the heck!" so I ordered Bola Bola and Asado Siopao (2 pcs.) too. It was barbecuey, sweet and savory so I was already full even before my Mami came out of the kitchen.


For my main course (fine dining? Lol) I ordered Dumpling Mami. I know, I've been ordering too much of it but hey I like it. I don't like the gamey smell of carabeef  so I opted for the lighter more neutral Mami instead. I ate it all, yes! It's not impossible, you just have to put your mind into it. I'll be going back to Divisoria very soon and I'll be eating at some more Binondo restaurants, I'll post more as Kumagcow eats more of the streets next year. This was just fun not to repeat!

Merry Christmas by the way and ciao! Thanks to Smart's 3G and LTE connection I was posting non stop from there today!

KUMAGCOW
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Kanye West x adidas Releases Yeezy Boost 350

Friday, December 25, 2015



I love shoes. Hence this story. I've been looking for a shoe exactly like this but in a different color. They released this in White, Black and Gray initially and now it's in Tan. I super like the concept of Kanye West and adidas Originals but this would only work with people who like neutrals. 



This Yeezy Boost 350 in Tan was just released before the year ends and I'm sure guys would probably have this on their trees since yesterday. I like the knitted form, the breezy feel, as the BOOST was made for comfort, performance and style. They did a really good job with the design and materials now with the help of current technology.

This costs a hefty but worthy Php 11,495 in stores like Commonwealth, Sole Academy or adidas.com so you better hurry before it runs out!


KUMAGCOW
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10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Haunted Mansion by Regal Films this MMFF 2015




I had the chance to watch the movie in advanced so I think I'd be able to tell you reasons why you should watch Regal Film's entry to the Metro Manila Film Fest. I'll add a couple more reasons because we got to also talk to Direk Jun Lana and Janella Salvador after the screening and discussed scenes and more things about it without spoiling the movie. Let's start!

1. The story is interesting. You've got an interesting mix of the past and the future. There are several background information that isn't noticeable in the trailer which you'll find out if you discover the mysteries they put in it. There's a LOT!

2. They went over budget. They wanted this first salvo be something that would look good when you watch it in theaters and they've extended shooting just to give you scenes which can be only shot at night time. Even at the irk of Producer Mother Lily. It's not cheap.

3. Graphics are good, done in just specific scenes so you could still see some sort of realism as Direk puts it. You'll see that in the scenes of LJ Reyes specifically.

4. It was shot in a real mansion, owned by the Marcoses. They needed to make it grand and put in stuff to make it realistic. They also made graves at the back, which made people a little scared even if thet were the ones who put it there in the first place. 

5. You'll be scared, and you'll find interesting twists in the story. Don't be too complacent that the movie is already done. There's always a surprise waiting to happen. You'll be afraid over and over again.

6. Janella did a good job. She might even be nominated for best actress. 

7. If box office success isn't the measurement, they could even be in the running for Best Picture. Who knows?

8. The Marlo Mortel, Jerome Ponce and Janella Salvador love story is cute. Who's gonna win her heart? The answer might shock you, so you have to watch the film.

9. Janella is thankful for the trust given to her. The script has been made and updated for 6 years waiting for the right cast, and they just happen to be there at the right time. 

10. The friends, the enemies, the bullies and the cheerleaders actually make quite a stir. Some of them might die but you have to watch it to know who.

Here's our interview of Direk Jun Lana and Janella. 



Make sure you watch it on theaters today because it's something different. I saw people closing their eyes inside the theater, you might be doing that too. Trust me on that part. Congrats Haunted Mansion! I hope you do get good things on opening day!


COW

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Regal Films Official MMFF Entry: Haunted Mansion



Had the chance to watch Haunted Mansion during the Midnight Screening in the Theater in Greenhills. The film stars Marlo Mortel, Janella Salvador and Jerome Ponce. The premise is actually a retreat that turned out to be a creepy journey since Janella's character can see spirits. 

On the contrary she doesn't seem to be afraid of it, she takes on knowing the story behind each of them and try to find a way to figure their stories out. The film's been able to give a couple of shocking moments especially during the scenes with LJ Moreno. Sharlene San Pedro injects most of the humor as she plays Janella's best friend. Marlo Mortel and Jerome Ponce will in some way fight it out to get Janella's attention, and hopefully fall in love. That, in between horror scenes inside and outside the actual mansion.

 Add to that the really creepy characters that appear every now and then, you'll find this movie a good thing to watch for teens. Ella has a secret and she'll be telling you about it during the scene where she confides it with Marlo. Then they had to stay in the Mansion for one extra day because of the naughtiness of a few of her classmates, now they're going to be really stupid if they did a ghost hunt right? But they did. That starts a whole lot of problems of course. A plus on the graphics, a plus on the story, a plus on the fright once you see the flooding starts.

If a fright is your kind of fun, go watch it in cinemas on December 25 during the Metro Manila Film Festival. If you're looking for variety, this would really be something you could add on the movies you plan to watch during this season. Great job Direk Jun Lana!

Ciao!
KUMAGCOW
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Alden Richards for "My Bebelove #KiligPaMore" this MMFF 2015




He was sick, really under the weather when he was in the blogcon a few weeks ago for "My Bebelove #KiligPaMore". This is Alden Richards', Vic Sotto, Aiai Delas Alas and Maine Mendoza's movie under OctoArts Films and APT Entertainment. It's already being felt in theaters today that it's a box office hit because of the lines I saw earlier in the mall. They also had a lot of theaters for it yet it's looking like the lines won't stop. Hopefully they already fixed the dubbing issues they've seen during the premier. This is another feather to the hat of Direk Joey Reyes because they're not looking for awards this year, but a material that would make all the fans of AlDub happy. They're taking on different roles this time and will shy away from the regular KiligSerye characters they portray in Eat Bulaga. This will also show a different Vic Sotto, more on the macho gentleman side, plus an extremely funny Aiai Delas Alas who's said to be ready to capture the long lost crown of being Comedy Queen in Philippine cinema. 

As of this writing, I couldn't get to watch it again because I won't be able to muster enough strength to line up that long. I will try the reserved seats perhaps tomorrow. It's looking like a successful Metro Manila Film Festival is in the midst and I can't wait to see the figures which they say is coming out tomorrow morning. Alden and Maine's magic continues to be a formula that everyone's still embracing and I hope the whole AlDub Nation would continue to support them this MMFF. They're counting on you guys!

Here's a video excerpt of the "My Bebelove #KiligPaMore" blogcon.


My Bebelove Blogcon with Alden Richards and... by kumagcow


This film shows today until next month so make sure you get to watch it with the whole family! Fall in love all over again with Alden and Maine plus Bossing Vic and Aiai! This is under OctoArts Films and APT Entertainment! Unfortunately Maine couldn't be interviewed on this day because she was caught in traffic and was coming from a remote location in Rizal after their Eat Bulaga location shoot!

COW

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The Alcatel Flash 2

Wednesday, December 23, 2015


Mr. Albert Wong the General Manager for Mobile Internet Group of TCL Communications sharing the milestones for Alcatel Flash.

They've been able to survive selling the Alcatel Flash online and have amassed the number 1 slot in terms of volume in Lazada. Imagine a phone with a 3.5 inch screen impressed a lot of consumers and now they launch the Flash 2 phone. They've also scrutinized the demographics seeing that most of the people who buy most of their products are men. This one according to Michael Chen quips a perfect feel in the hand, and remarkable worksmanship. They also announced that they're addressing the male domination of their current market by bringing in new colors come mid January when they release the additional Pearl White and Rose Gold varieties of their phones. 

Speaking of which, here's the gorgeous Flash 2


The Flash 2 has a 5.5-inch screen and runs on an Android. It's got an Octa-core 1.4 GHz processor and a ginormous Lithium Ion 3200 mAh battery so you can use it all day. It's currently available in a volcanic ash color and fancy with a little curve. It actually feels so good in the hand when we got the chance to see it during the small Blogger/Media thanksgiving night arranged by Alcatel. They've been investing research and development for handsets that would be at their prime form for a long time. They know the younger generation is their market and they made the best handsets on the price range that's still reasonable. 



The phone went to almost a thousand hands before they decided it was the perfect fit. They also have a quick shutter button in the phone’s bottom. Now you can easily press it for rush selfies or photos while you have it on your hand. They boast the Flash 2 has ultra-specs for pixel, runtime and system. They say it's the best Android phone at this price point and they've made a remarkable phone with great design. It's the one they call "Perfect in Hand" which Alcatel prides themselves with.


It's made for the younger generation and they made sure it feels like it, it looks like it and fits your hand like a glove. If you think the first Flash phone was good, you should definitely try this on for size. Make yourself know more about the new one and ask yourself if it's the phone you've been looking for. A 13MP back camera and 5MP front sounds good in my books especially when it costs around Php 6,190 here.

Thanks Alcatel Philippines for having us!

COW

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It's Your Turn!



Hi world! I'm a Mama's Boy. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

My Mom taught me a lot of things. She taught me how to read and write, even if it was a little traumatic to tie me up on a chair and write "The Quick Brown Fox" a thousand and one times, I got my handwriting to a T and learned a lot from that. I was always a "kumag" which means if they tell me to do one thing, I'd be doing the exact opposite and laugh about it afterwards. She got me to markets and lift heavy baskets, but that's where I learned to shop, for things at a reasonable price. Then when we got home, I always watched her how to cook. I've seen her cram every time she gets home late so she could get us dinner on the table. She was a magician, taking anything she can see on the refrigerator and whip up a dish with no name and it still tastes homey. I think that's where I got my style of cooking, a useful thing because I can cook practically anything from scratch now.

I do now have my own personal style but it all stemmed from what I learned from my parents. From tying my shoe, to talking to people, to being respectful and being brave when I see the need to... all that I learned from my folks. They're my inspiration, and I'm so lucky to have them til now and I could still show them how much I love them everyday.

They're non techies, but I sure tried to teach them what I can about mobile phones so they can still get in touch with my brother in Dublin, Ireland. I saw how special that moment was when I watched this video.



Touching right? But let me ask you, have you done the same thing to your parents too? Did you try to teach them how to use phones and stuff? If not, I think it's time you do something for them... even if it's a small thing. They'll love you for that.


COW

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Chasing Huawei Hotspot Hotties



Had fun a few weeks ago as Huawei had us chase around Huawei Hotspot Hotties at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Sexy vixens and good looking men started walking around the mall and we were given the task to spot them. They were carrying access points and the guys had the passwords so we could get connected to the internet, which means we also had to talk to them in some way. I was looking forward to capture them all in one photo so I did not get to walk around anymore and just stayed in the new Huawei store in the Cyberzone at the left wing of the mall. It's right on top of the SM Hypermarket's building so you wouldn't really miss it.



Aside from the hotties, there were three other stars of the show. One was the Flash LTE Pocket Wifi, the Spark Pocket Wifi and the Lightning LTE CPE Router. The FLASH has LTE speeds of up to 150 Mbps and upload of 50 Mbps and can accommodate up to 10 devices. The SPARK on the other hand is 3G capable and can run 21 Mbps but is small in form. You can have it run up to 6 hours because it's 1500 mAh and turn on very fast! The router on the other hand is LTE capable, but can get you 32 devices connected. It's also got Gigabit ports so if you're into wired ones, this can perfectly work in your favor. I bet it's even better with SMART as your network provider (of course!).

Here it is on video!

#HuaweiHotspotHotties #ExperienceHuawei Event at the Mall of Asia Cyberzone
Posted by Kumagcow on Sunday, December 6, 2015



The SPARK costs Php 1,890, the FLASH costs Php 3,990 and the LIGHTNING is Php 5,330. It's affordable and if you're always mobile, the thing can be always ON. That's the only thing you can expect with Huawei these days, they're just humble LOL!



COW

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Spoil Them These Holidays with Villa Del Conte Chocolates!




If you haven't bought anything yet to give your friends and relatives this Christmas, I just got a really great idea, had to share it of course! When I got back home from an event, a bag full of goodies surprised me big time on the table. It was from Villa Del Conte, and I couldn't contain myself... I just had to write about it. Inside those boxes are sweet decadent chocolates with a 75 year history. I love the praline sticks, the praline balls and dark chocolate. They also have some really good ones with caramel, creme brulee, pomegranate flavor. They also have some other bars inspired by One Direction, a favorite of every teen I know. I find it first class, I find it very touching to get one, this was the perfect way to surprise me bar none.



On the card, they told me to indulge and enjoy. I will oblige of course, with this 50% chocolate with crunchy toffee and sea salt. It's the perfect combo to something a bit bitter and earthy like that.


If you want something crunchy, they've got Milk Chocolate with Cereals, something simple, yet very addicting. I can imagine myself sitting in front of the Christmas tree and putting the squares in my mouth one by one. Then a mug of hot chocolate with it haha!


For a more intense chocolate experience, this fine milk chocolate with hazelnut chips does the job. The combination has been tested for ages and if you know Italian people, this is like peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a normal day. I will not share it though, I'm going to be selfish today LOL!

For those who want to get boxes of these, they're available at the 3rd Floor of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, at the 2nd Floor of Greenbelt 5, at the Upper Ground level of Robinsons Magnolia, at the Ground Floor of Resorts World Manila, at the Lower Ground Floor of Alabang Town Center, at the Ground Floor of Century City Mall, and at the 2nd Floor of Mega Fashion Hall in Megamall. It's one of the best things you can get for loved ones this Christmas, I'm sure I did! So go ahead and spoil them these holidays! They deserve something special of course!

COW

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