TAIWAN Excellence Shows LOHAS Day with Catriona Gray

When I heard of it initially I didn't know what it meant, but LOHAS basically is Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability. Taiwan Excellence brought the cause to Market!Market! this morning with no less than Miss Universe Catriona Gray, a fitting face because this is something that she feels so strong about and they talked lengthy about it in what they call LOHAS DAYS Activate, which makes a lot of sense in this day and age. 

Fitness sessions and lifestyle experiences, with the tons of brand that Taiwan has, they will be showcasing them at the Activity Center from September 12-14 to support your goals. 

Check out what we saw at the event:

Aropec for water and diving gear, Besv Folding bikes, Acer Swift Laptops, Vinxper wine accessories, Hepty Extinguishers, Atunas Yoga and Fitness equipment, ASUS laptops, FECA Slam dunk Basketball Kit, GIANT XTC SLR 29, and more.

Josephine Shun of TECO says "Taiwan is serious about health, and the idea is very simple which is why we launched a program like LOHAS. This is health and lifestyle using Taiwanese technology. We are currently third in the world exporting fitness machines. Running along the mountain, the ocean and the warm smile, that is LOHAS and we want you to enjoy what you see around you!"

Director Alex Lai of the Taiwan Trade office in Manila says "LOHAS is not just strength, but a choice, the way we live. This is not just limited to us, but the generations to come. We have 70 Taiwanese companies presenting 30 products like folding bikes, eco products, and excited about you enjoying the fitness classes which we will hold here at the activity center. There is something for everyone, this is carefully selected to match your market and most of them have awards. You will also have the mascot to make sure you'll have fun today. On 17-19 there will be a Taiwan expo on SMX Convention center where you can find even more companies to grow your business with."

Catriona Gray says "As the LOHAS ambassador in the Philippines, I'm excited to make you enjoy fitness and a healthy lifestyle. I am very proud to represent them, many of us know it is attainable. A healthy sustainable life is achievable, we get to encourage our friends too. Like this year, I got into running because I wanted to move, it made me happy, I guess it's endorphins. My schedule is crazy but I wanted to have an achievable routine, so I do pilates, stretch, get in the water, it should fit your lifestyle. You need to take care of your mind spirit and body. I'm really inspired by their LOHAS movement, they enjoy it, use their spaces, something that we can learn and adapt in the Philippines. I love getting sleep, have a night without phones, eat good food, not just convenient food. We have to schedule time with activities, we are busy but we have to have some of it for ourselves."

She adds "Making conscious decisions is what sustainability is. I am conscious about water bottles, fashion, we need to look for solutions that impact the community. The car free days, the community runs, small actions that we can do for the environment."

If you want to join the fitness and wellness sessions, see exhibits and products from Taiwan, they will be there til the 14th so make sure you head down to Market!Market! or their FB page for updates by searching TaiwanExcellence.ph on the platform.

LG Celebrates 10 Years of OLED

LG is celebrating their milestones especially the LG OLED TV. It's been a standard, and with good reason because they're the best in this technology. Back then, it wasn't common to see Organic Light Emitting Diode on TV screens but today, the same tech has changed the landscape of not just theirs, but every company that comes out with their own TV screen, all because they have pushed for its innovation.

Today, they've got LG OLED evo that has got a Brightness Booster, an a9 Gen5 AI Processor so you see those pixels with unbeatable clarity. Thing turns off on screen so those blacks are now deeper, but colors still remain rich and vibrant, something that you probably have never seen before on TV.

A history lesson ensued, they displayed generations of their OLED TV's from the beginning HD to now their OLED evo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaming on it even has it's own setting, to enhance not just experience, but latency and better framerates

Some sets even had close to no gaps at the back, so you're basically looking at something that could depict artwork to change the feel of a space. That was nice!

They used a PS5 without a speaker attached, but it sounded quite nice. It's also Dolby Atmos ready, so for acoustic freaks, this would be satisfying.

They utilize their own LG WebOS 23 that's got apps, quick cards, easily accessible through the clicker that comes with the OLED TV from LG.

 

It's also got HDR like quality visuals, those textures would come quite handy in some games you need to play.

In a studio setting, you can teach KPOP moves with ease. It's also got multi screens if you need to look at materials and see yourself at the same time.

Shortcuts to use if your favorite team has a game, or use it to follow them if you miss one.

The brightest because the pixels light up independently.

LG Executives, several celebrities like Enrique Gil, Michelle Dee and Dominic Roque were in attendance, no interviews but just seeing them was precious!

It was certainly a good thing that they also did this in the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines where some got to dress up in cultural garbs like Hanboks and Jeogori. Thank you for the fun event LG! Congratulations and I fervently hope you'll continue to innovate, perhaps introduce new ones in the coming years. Real progress! Cheers!

Timmy Llana and Maxine Medina: Choosing Their Wedding Rings

It's surreal to see how LOVE happens at the most opportune time. Some may call it serendipity, some may call it fate, but in the case of Dive Master Timmy Llana and Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maxine Medina, it would have been a case of marrying "The One That Got Away".

They went to the same school and had the same circle of friends. He was smitten the first time he laid her eyes on her, but she was young, boyish, had that athletic mindset to think about relationships. Volleyball was the only thing she wanted to do that time. He drove her home a couple of times, and felt taken cared of. 

Nothing romantic came of it, but they remained friends, communicated and then didn't get to talk for a couple of years after that. Maxine then went to win the Miss Universe Philippines title to represent the country for Miss Universe pageant in 2016, right after Pia's reign and eventually, got to the Top 6. After that, she went on to became a celebrity, appearing different successful TV shows, movies, and hosting stints which she remains to do today.    

Got to talk to Timmy and Maxine at J's Diamond in Trinoma during the time they were choosing the designs for their wedding ring.

Timmy prefers the classic design (left), one that could be worn for years and doesn't go out of style. Maxine on the other hand plans to have her rings layered (right) when she wears it. She chose simple but elegant design which is currently is in yellow gold. All would be custom made by J's Diamond in white gold. The one on the far right is a diamond crusted band, she loves it and plans to pass it on for generations to come. These two rings will be paired with the existing marquise shaped diamond ring (her engagement ring), an heirloom piece she got from Timmy's family.

Here's how our conversation over lunch went:

 

Here's a short tour inside the store, and some moments with Timmy and Maxine that afternoon:

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Maxine's love for the sun, sand and the sea got her reconnected with Timmy. They felt it wasn't much of formalities and courtship that happened, the friendship just blossomed into this. She attributes it to her ability to go with the flow, they just kinda knew it was LOVE and embraced it. Timmy saw how they grew closer while doing the things they love (with so much passion), particularly diving. It just so happened that he was a Dive Master, and says they were just at the right place and the right time. 

From a friendship that spanned almost 20 years, and being in a relationship for 5 years, Timmy and Maxine plan to start a family after their wedding in October. They hope to have twins as he's had family who are too . Maxine wants to pursue A LOT of things still, and continue her showbiz career plus other businesses she plans to do in the future (quips she can multitask). She's currently doing "Magandang Dilag" with Herlene Budol and other GMA stars. She says it'll be shown next month, make sure you watch out for that!

Their story could have ended a long time ago, but you see, LOVE has its ways. This too proves how friends, old flames, the things you are passionate about can spark affection and relationships. Hope their story inspires you. I mean who knows?! That person who genuinely care for you might just be THE ONE.

 

Congratulations Timmy and Maxine! Again, thank you for the opportunity to interview and get to know you on a more personal level. I'll be cheering from the bleachers like I did during your Miss U stint!

P.S. If you want to know more about J's Diamond, just search the same on Facebook. You may also visit their official site jsdiamond.com.ph and book appointments there.

Met Miss Universe Ladies at Lazada Today!

Lazada got us to see Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez and Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu this morning. I guess they're letting us experience the feeling of getting crowned when you buy something on the Lazada app. If you haven't won anything yet, they've got promos, stackable vouchers, discounts and more.

 

Beatrice Luigi Gomez Miss Universe Philippines 2021 "Lately I have been doing a few shoots, a few endorsements and I haven't been able to rest. It's a good problem, because it is work. I have been watching a lot of movies, catching up with series that I missed since I've been in the competition. I hangout with friends, we don't talk about work so it is relaxing. Recently I watched the first TOP GUN movie. The thing that I found online is a laptop stand, it helped with my posture, we are not conscious about our zoom calls and this gave me more confidence when I did interviews especially during the digital challenges. Currently, I have joined a foundation so I can reach out to communities and take up sociology, do my masters, I will continue to do that. I'm doing a few entertainment gigs, I will focus on that goal and help out in the community."

Harnaaz Sandhu Miss Universe 2021 "You can see photos of my work, I learned so much about a lot of world leaders, speakers, and I was able to push for my causes. I relax watching Netflix series, writing scripts, do Yoga in Central Park and calling my Mom... that relaxes me. The tip I can give the Miss Universe now is to take care of your mental health, change your dreams into actions, go for it as it's your time to shine. I bought books online, it makes connection of mind, body and soul, and I took time to read. My idol, my support, my love, my Mom is my role model."

Lazada is still celebrating their 6.6 sale, so if you're a queen who wishes a lot of things, you can get all that and more in the app... so download it today!

Klea Pineda Opens Up on Why She's Not Joining Pageants YET

Klea Pineda just renewed her contract with GMA and GMA Artist Center. With the Never Say Goodbye star doing this, what does she expect to do with GMA this year? For starters, there's a lot on the pipeline and aside from that, she'll be doing projects with other stars from the same network. We talked to her this afternoon after she signed with GMA and Artist Center executives.

Klea says "I don't really have an expectation, whatever the management chooses for me, what character I play, I'm willing to do it. I believe they won't give me something that wouldn't help with my career. I don't want to be stuck in one love team, I want to be with different leading men so I can grow as an actor. I want to work with my co starstruck batch like Arra, Jay, Ayra, Prince, it's been so long since I have worked with them, more so in a regular show. I wish we could do that. I chose to stay in GMA because they gave me a break, they gave me the opportunity, they opened doors to fulfill my dreams. I came from auditions, I lined up, I really started from scratch and they believe in me. In the future, I hope to have a family of my own but still work here as a Kapuso. Harlene and I was just hanging out, we recorded it and posted online and you can see how we bonded so fast like we have already worked previously. Max, Lauren, Ms. Snooky, we all worked for the first time and we bonded over that during the locked in taping. It's not the end of the pairing with Jeric, I am happy to be paired with others so I can learn from other artists, I don't want to be stucked in a loveteam and Jeric knows that I want to be with other leading men in this industry because you will learn a lot from other artists too. Jeric and I bonded over regional shows, when we promote things, we are together, we have coffee in the morning, he's a very good gentleman, but our friendship won't end there. We still send each other messages, we support each other, talk when we have shows and he's very supportive. Our friendship is very matured. I wish for a primetime show, but it will happen in time. I'll feel fulfilled when I hear my show will be next after 24 oras, and with Bea Alonzo of course."

 

Here's the rest of the interview on video, enjoy!

 

 

Klea will be working with Jak Roberto, Lauren Young and Snooky Serna on Never Say Goodbye under the GMA Entertainment Group so stay tuned for that!

CATRIONA GRAY Launches Own Single RYF (Raise Your Flag)

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray just recently released her single RYF (Raise Your Flag). She was in Australia, but there were media from all around the world asking questions, pretty good to see that in the morning yeah?

Catriona says "If you see discrimination on your workplace, in school, you can stand up for that. You need to empathize and listen. I believe the song's message is standing up for someone or for something. It can be as simple as an employer looking after your people, a leader looking after your community, around the world, not just the Philippines. I think that's the message from RYF.Recording is a different field, when I came back to the PH after my reign, I had to do RYF, it's lending my voice for something that I believe it. I encourage for people to do the same, to resonate with my journey and hope they too can connect with that. A lot of things have been changed but I've been working on this silently and I'm excited to release more music soon."


She adds "In RYF, there is a line that says "Whatever dreams there is in your heart" whenever you have a certain ambition, an interest, you have a dream in your heart for a reason. I really want to put it there. 2021 is going to be interesting, I have a few upcoming organizations that I will work with this year. It is my role giving back to the community and I recognize my privilege and there are people who are in hard times. I know I can be of service. When I was younger, when I was in highschool, I never knew what I wanted to do. I didn't know my purpose, but life is a journey, we have plans, but at the end of day we will be nudged to somewhere else, listen to your inner compass. At a certain point, you have to choose if you want to live for others, or yourself, it's a decision that you have to make, if you want to live your life, it's a bit of a journey."

"I want to be able to perform in different places around the world. When you put yourself out there, a new work, a new place, a new career, there is self doubt. When I submitted an entry to BB Pilipinas, I came from losing something, wanting to try again, there was so much doubt. Will I even get in as candidate? Another title? I realized that when I was on stage, I can talk for things that I care about. I searched for that feeling again, to live my life, to cry, but I can."

"RYF is an anthem for me, a personal song and I hope people connect with that. People are showing so much support and I'm glad people are appreciating the song and my music."

Her single RYF (Raise Your Flag) is now available for streaming on Spotify and other streaming sites around the world. This is under Star Music and ABSCBN. Go do it now!

Miss Universe Catriona Gray for Santé Daily C

This is a great morning worth having a short discussion about the benefits of Vitamin C and keeping our health in check. 

Aside from the Santé Daily C launch, today is a testament on how Filipinos could conquer the universe and have a great ambassador to boot (which we all find adorable). They also began discussing non acidic forms of Vitamin C and how they are bringing health in the forefront for Filipinos worldwide.

Santé Chief Network Development Officer Paul Caluag says “This is something that would help everyone especially during these times. We need to increase protection and our immunity, we are excited for you to see the new Santé Daily C.”

Arlyn Corpuz their Marketing Head says “Sodium Ascorbate is Vitamin C buffered with sodium content. PH range is from 7-8. We need more of these extra Vitamin C, this is our 750mg vegetable capsules and is plant based. It reduces risk of chronic diseases, and boosts immunity.”

CEO Joey Marcelo introduced their brand miss and said “Our new ambassador is no other than the most beautiful woman in the Universe, Miss Universe Catriona Gray.”

Catriona Gray happily says “I am super excited to be part of the Santé Daily C family. I love that this is Filipino owned and a global product. We need to have that extra protection. I am sure a lot of us can relate, we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones. In the last couple of months that is what I have on top of mind. To know that you are looking after yourself and doing yourself a favor by keeping yourself healthy, I am so happy I am seeing that. It is important to do that so you can take care of the people around you. I hope I could see my friends soon, and hope a lot of people see the value of doing this, to not get sick. It was an easy choice to become an ambassador, I believe in the benefits of Vitamin C and how it doesn’t show stress. I am grateful I didn’t get sick at all these past few years, Vitamin C takes care of me and I really know the difference of taking it daily because I feel it. I can only imagine how this could also change lives, the world will appreciate the Filipino talent to the world! Thank you Santé family for believing in me, my fans and supporters, thank you even if we don’t see each other face to face and you still support me all the way! Stay safe and thank you for taking the time to hear our story.“

Joey adds “We are very excited to open this in 8 countries and make global entrepreneurs. Cat is now part of our family, we are excited to have her here with us. Thank God for technology that we are able to do this today. We all had to adjust, not just us but all our distributors especially now that we are going through the pandemic. The vaccine is not yet here so let’s make sure we strengthen our immune system. She represents the Philippines and the world. We believe we can be a champion, the Filipino can be too. We have competent research and product development team and we are the first to put up our own plant in the country. The good thing is we are doing direct selling, so our business owners will grow with us too.”

“Welcome Cat, we can now promote the Filipino product to the world. We are happy Santé is growing, together with other business owners, we will have more breakthroughs and hope people will make this part of their lifestyle. Thank you for trusting Santé. Keep on believing, let’s do more and be more!”

Now isn't that a nice day? Go get your Santé Daily C supply from leading direct sellers and business owners nationwide. Congratulations!

Meeting a Beauty Queen: Dia Nicole Magno

Sat down with a gorgeous Bb. Pilipinas candidate named Dia Nicole Magno (Binibini #39). Just like any Filipino, I love watching pageants and root for anyone who represents our country. This year just feels different because the competition just became a little tougher. The standards are higher especially after getting the country copped the Miss Universe crown last 2015 and 2018 with Pia Wurtzbach Alonzo and Catriona Gray. Dia hails from Butuan City in the Caraga Region. Unbeknownst to a lot of people, the province is so rich in culture, where tons of interesting and world class tourist spots and landmarks abound - but have yet to be discovered. It is ready to be seen by both local and international audiences, she proudly tells us about it. 

Take a look at her home town Butuan City and the Caraga Region:

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Preparing for Binibining Pilipinas, she says "I don’t have any special workout, I just haven’t eaten pork or beef, just chicken and fish all the time. You have to work on yourself more once you get in, I'm glad I got lots of training in Ateneo. We have oral recitation and public speaking so it’s an advantage. The pre pageant already started but there’s a closed door interview because they want to know you. This year’s theme is Beyond Beauty.”

About the ME generation she says “Maybe there’s an advantage, to love ourselves, to express ourselves freely, but not to not connect with people around us and not just because society dictates it. We have to be very compassionate, not to take someone’s life, you have to think of men, women, maybe the government should work on their ideas, to educate the youth and elders, if they are going to be able to do something about it, then it will be good for the youth. I’m happy the administration is doing good in rehabilitating several tourist spots and making people aware about it (referring to Boracay).

About her being single, she says "I’ve never had a boyfriend, but I don’t think being single defines us as a person. Being part of this, I know I have already helped a lot of people and this is unforgettable. I have been able to talk to people who have been able to hear about my advocacies.”

She has her fair share of bashers, she has seen it online but honestly, I would prefer you to get to know her even more. She has a mission and has been working with organizations and local government agencies that could further her cause. The genuine things she does to help schools in her community, the drive to let more people discover what Butuan and the Caraga Region has to offer, mean she cares, and that counts for a real queen.

Support Binibining Pilipinas #39 Dia Nicole Magno as accorded by her merits. She deserves it!

Converse x Miss Universe

We went to the Converse headquarters in the Philippines to learn about good news. A few days ago, some of the candidates for the Miss Universe competition held in Manila took time off their busy schedules to do a little crafting, using a few tools to make their own dream converse shoes. These shoes were all base canvass and to make it worth their time, the people from Converse Philippines would actually be holding an online silent auction to benefit their chosen charities "Positive Action Foundation". Selling these shoes must have been heartbreaking for the them because after all, it's a one of a kind thing and Miss Universe doesn't happen every year in this part of the world. 

Here's the collection on video, enjoy!

This will benefit HIV/AIDS patients under the foundation's care and hopefully, they'll be better. Check out Converse Philippines' Facebook page on the next dates of exhibits. 

KUMAGCOW

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