Watching the FIBA World Cup 2023 with the TCL C648 QLED TV

The FIBA World Cup is indeed something we all looked forward to since announcements were made a couple years ago. With the hosting done in 3 countries, it was already making history. The Philippines very own Gilas Pilipinas has beaten China but before that happened, we got invited to watch the match versus Angola at a sports bar in Makati.

To tell you honestly, I am rooting for the Philippines but ranks and numbers tell otherwise. It must have been nice to see this live but with the logistics to get there, I wouldn't want to do that since it's too far and crowded. We watched it all unfold via the TCL C648 QLED TV which was all over the venue. It was nice because even before the games, we got to look at the actual TV and how it performed for the livestream.

It's bright, clear and crisp, it's got really vibrant colors and you can see the details on screen so even if I was a few meters away from it. The perfect word that would describe it, is immersive. I could still see the players, the scores and the actual game without squinting and that's a lot for the TCL C648 QLED TV.

TCL is also a global partner of FIBA so at the venues, TCL also wanted people to experience the TCL C648 QLED TV. This is why they put up booths at Mall of Asia Arena, the Araneta Coliseum and the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Folks were able to see the actual TV's on display and use the various IOT products made by TCL. TCL also provided the TCL Player of the Game trophy for the best of the best player in every game.

According to TCL Philippines Brand Manager Joseph Cernitchez, he says "We are excited for people to see our TCL booths at the FIBA venues here in the Philippines. People could start trying our different appliances and sets especially the Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, Washing Machines and new QLED TV's."

Since they are celebrating their FIBA partnership, you too will benefit from it as they cut the price of these TCL C648 QLED TV's to Php 24,995 (from it's original 32,5++). This will only last until September 17th so if you're looking for something to replace your old one, this might be the best one to fit your living room. Imagine the things you'll enjoy watching here aside from the FIBA finals. 

 

Who knows, you might just be lucky and take one home too (make sure you join their promos by following their social channels!). Thanks for the love TCL!

MANILA Prepares for Manila International Dance Festival

Something really big is happening over at the city of Manila, it's the Manila International Dance Festival (also called MIDFestival) happening on September 8, 2023.

In a grand press conference a couple of days ago at the Manila City Hall's historic Session Hall, they announced details about the three day festival aimed to celebrate diversity, peace and unity through dance and music. The word international must have already given you an idea that this will involve several countries in the region that will also showcase their cultural dances at the event. This includes our neighbors Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, plus friends from India and South Korea.

What's quite different about this festival is that it'll be happening in different areas of the city simultaneously. From the biggest malls in Manila like Lucky Chinatown and Robinsons Place Manila, schools, universities and Fort Santiago in Intramuros, they'll be performing in these places then culminate in Rizal Park later on in the evening.

Vice Mayor Yul Servo says "4 of our newest projects in Manila is happening this last quarter, with the help of our Mayor Honey Lacuna and the different organizations in the city of Manila, we are asking for your support and cooperation to make this a very successful one in the coming months to benefit the young Manilenos and Manilenas. We will have 16 dance groups from the Manila and different parts of the Philippines plus other countries like Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand. This project aims to showcase the talent of Manilenos, and our neighboring countries too. We would like to thank those who have cooperated and arranged this project like the National Parks Development Committee, Concert at the Park, Archiestic Events Production, Office of the Vice Mayor of Manila, Department of Tourism, the National Center for Culture and the Arts, Verde Creatives, and the City of Manila who will fully support this much awaited event and prestigious dance festival in the region. We will also be holding the "Mr. Manila" pageant, which is now a separate entity from the previous Mr. and Ms. Manila pageant where talented Manilenos who work, live and study in the city could join and represent Manila in international tilts. We sincerely thank our Mayor Honey Lacuna for her full support on these endeavors."

Here's our interview with Festival Director Archie Dema-ala who also shared some details about the upcoming MIDFestival:

MIDFestival is also supported by the honorable Senator Loren Legarda, Hotel Sogo, Lyf Hotel, and the City of Manila. If you want to become part of the celebrations (for partnerships) you may email them at midf2023@gmail.com or through their social channels facebook.com/manilainternationaldancefestival.

The sheer number of participants just make me feel so excited for what's about to happen. This is a big event for the city of Manila, we can't wait to see this in the coming weeks!

Mathew Sygal So of Marikina Vies for Mister International PH 2023

Having a quiet life must be something that people would wish for, and I wouldn't blame them because it's an easy route. A few days ago, we met with Marikina City's representative for the Mister International 2023 pageant Mathew Sygal So. He's a Management Engineering student from the Ateneo de Manila University (a very tough course!), and he had a reason why he joined. I didn't have to think about it because at the venue, there were several PWD's clad in their country uniforms. They were athletes who won several bronze, silver and gold medals from the recent ASEAN Para Games 2023. They have represented the country well. It was so awesome to see them all cheering him on.

They were from the National Council on Disability Affairs which he's been actively involved in these past few years. Prior to him joining the pageant, he was hailed as their ambassador. Which is why one of the reasons he wanted to join Mister International Philippines 2023 was to further their cause. Here's part of the interview we did with Mathew:

 

It's so nice that he was game to also answer questions about joining showbiz and perhaps politics later on. But for now, he's glad that he was able to tell a story about his passion on giving PWD's a voice, to hopefully have awareness so everyone would practice equality, because he believes that if they were given the same opportunities, the too can do it.

I hope this has given you more insight about their plight, Mathew Sygal So is going to do his best to further make this cause heard in the international scene to hopefully have more people hear about their plight and see why he deserves a title in Mister International 2023. 

Here's wishing you would win Mathew! Cheers!

ASUS Launches Incredibly Slim 2023 Zenbook Laptops

Took the hot trip to ASUS Philippines recent event as they take innovation up a notch once again with the newest #IncrediblySlim Zenbook laptops. No question on the power and specs (I own one that's a few years old and swear by it), but the changes in these new line made me wonder, how do they make it ultra thin and light like this? Imagine, only a centimeter thick and about a kilogram... that's a lot different from laptops a few years back.

That's not all, because as soon as they put them into a smaller, thinner and lighter form factor, they made it with less impact in the environment with sustainability in mind (both on product and packaging). I love it when they take the step further. During the event, they revealed the new Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304), the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (UP3404) and Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (UX6404). These are three new laptops made really slim, fit for those who would need to carry it around (students and professionals), or travel to a different place/country.

The new technology starts with its ASUS Lumina OLED Display which gives users an excellent visual experience for work and play.  Just like its recent predecessors, it's set to higher contrast and deeper blacks. It's also got 70 percent less blue light which means you'll get less eye strain if used for long hours. 

The Zenbook S13 OLED (UX5304) is also the thinnest in the world. It also uses recycled materials for the packaging and parts. They've managed to reduce the carbon footprint  to 50 percent in its production. Out of the box, it is equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor, has 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.

The Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (UP3404) on the other hand is a work of art. It's got a body capable of doing a 360 degree fold hence the name. You can treat it as a laptop, a stand, tent or a tablet just by flipping it around. Imagine the things you could do with it especially if you need to present, small gatherings, meetings, things that could make life easier for you without lugging around a huge projector for it. I've seen it first hand and among the products released today, I had my eye on this because it could make sharing content easy especially for school or work. It also comes with an ASUS Pen that would get your drawing sessions, sketching, writing and pressing buttons quite easy than usual. It also uses the same processor, memory and storage as the previous one.

The Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (UX6404) on the other hand already impressed a lot of people, giving it a respectable award, the 2023 Red Dot Product design. The difference is the graphics hardware which uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. It's built for creators, uses the ASUS DialPad for Adobe Creative Software. Running programs and rendering would probably cause heat but no worries, it's got ASUS IceCool Pro thermal technology that would take good care of that. It also has a dedicated MUX Switch to make sure resources for your laptop would be sufficient for your graphics work, or a few rounds of third person shooting games that it could accommodate during your leisure time. We might have to ask for a review unit soon so I could play around with it, I bet it'll be a remarkable piece of technology. If you want to know more, just head on to ASUS Philippines social channels and their main website just by searching the model numbers we were discussing today. I'm sure it'll impress you too!

RIA ATAYDE is Your New WHITE CASTLE Calendar Girl 2023

I am personally so happy to see this happen as gorgeous actress Ria Atayde don the much coveted White Castle Calendar this 2023. This was witnessed by select press and executives of Destileria Limtuaco & Co., Inc. this afternoon.

I'm sure over the years, you've identified White Castle Whisky with the iconic red bikini clad female riding a white horse, but management figured it was a bit arduous for them to train women to ride horses (which they did in the past) and do the actual shoot after that. Last year, they did a campaign differently by letting the public choose, this was when Sassa Gurl entered the competition and won. It was certainly a risk for them, but they understood it was but a proper time to have the LGBTQIA+ sector to be represented, a very current social step that got them in touch with a new younger market and a social media presence they gladly received. A few months before that, they also got Ninong Ry to represent the brand, all of which had awesome reception from the public albeit restrictions because of the pandemic. All of these made them realize to use their platform to also cater to different causes and advocacies.

Ms Olivia Limpe-Aw says "My father created White Castle Whisky and the several advertisements with the horse and castle in it. As we celebrate 60 years, the White Castle Calendar has featured several women, LGBT, and has brought social issues in the forefront. This year, we have the diversity in beauty campaign continued as we believe it is inclusive and promote body positivity + build our confidence. We welcome 2023 by celebrating that and beauty, let's cheer for White castle Whisky!" 

She adds "As you noticed we have Ninong Ry and last year with Sassa Gurl, we believe that if you are confident, you are beautiful. Let's not be obsessed by size, color, it's what's inside that matters and we're happy to have Ria represent the brand!"

Ria Atayde certainly had a very successful 2022. Aside from working in several series and shows, she had her hand in production together with her folks and siblings. Needless to say, her successful stint in MIPCOM Cannes has brought honor to the country and peers in Cannes, France via their production company Nathan Studios and ABS-CBN.  They also have finished filming several projects which will have international distribution and also be seen on platforms, much will be released this year so there's certainly a lot to look forward to. During the press conference, she also talked about her real struggles with body dysmorphia. 

She says "I never thought it was going to be possible as usually, calendar girls have a certain mold in the country. White Castle proved us all that big girls can get to do this. The campaign revolves around body positivity, flaws and all. I never thought I'd be one, this made me realize "kaya pala" (it's possible!). I'd be lying if I'm unaffected with all of that but I'd rather workout because I love it, now it's just a positive thing, not dreading it makes all the difference. You just have to turn off the noise, you only listen to those who matter. People have a lot of things to say, but I don't stop telling them about my advocacy."

Talented, strong, powerful, and deserving... Ria Atayde is now your new White Castle Whisky Calendar Girl for 2023. 

Congratulations Ria! <3

YASSI PRESSMAN is Your New GSM Calendar Girl for 2023

Yes you've heard it, your newest Ginebra San Miguel Calendar Girl for 2023 is Yassi Pressman. She was formally launched as Queen of the Barangay and brand ambassador in the yearly Ginebra San Miguel event.

Yassi Pressman just transferred networks but really gained fame with her dance numbers in variety shows, her stint in Ang Probinsyano, and a lot of other programs from the same network. Now her upcoming programs in the Kapuso network include a reprisal 80's film "Saan Nagtatago Ang Pagibig" which will be a project with Viva Films and GMA to be shown on her new station.

They unveiled the new calendars  and it's got a lot of photos of Yassi in different places. From a garage, a forest, by the sea shore, with willow trees, scenic sunset and by the fire. She exudes a different energy. 

Yassi says "At the end of the day, being a part of a great legacy is something special. They are world class and I hope I put something on the table as the new GSM Calendar Girl 2023. I am in a fitness journey right now, I am eating healthy and hopefully this would show. My favorite GSM girl is Pia Wurtzbach. It's challenging to be disciplined, in a way I am going through a lot right now and I feel like being part of this is being ageless, my most natural self and I think people should see that so they get inspired to work on themselves, surround themselves of the people who love them, never say die and keep going in spite of troubles. If you try and fail, you've got a lot of people to catch you. This is for my family, it's why I am really inspired to keep going, they are my inspiration. Being caring is innate in Filipinos, I hope to also get to help other people as your 2023 Calendar Girl."

If you want to get hold of the new calendars, make sure you visit Ginebra and the respective products social channels and get the chance to own these much coveted Yassi Pressman GSM Calendars. You can by the way scan the individual QR codes on the calendar and find a little surprise... Some good recipes made with Yassi Pressman whilst you drink! Enjoy!