Solving Hunger The WFP Way!

You know what, I've been thinking about this all week. I watched something on TV a couple of days ago and this was a video of KC Concepcion but shown on GMA7. This I think is part of their UN WFP Programs in Mindanao. I couldn't believe how hard it is to live there until I saw people literally needing a couple of kilograms of rice to survive in that area. Malnutrition was seen everywhere, where kids are mostly affected. Those who live in conflict areas, or those who were just so poor they couldn't afford to buy food or fend for themselves.

Some were eating root crops, unripened bananas that they boil around an hour or more just to make sure its soft to eat/edible. Life is too hard and these people would not survive on the land alone, they cannot plant on land because they had to transfer every time there is security problems in the area. Even though they have places to buy rice and other things, they just don't have that amount of money to do so. It's one of the most expensive places to buy rice at 100+ a kilo. In Manila it usually costs half of that. Because of the scarcity, places like these charge that much. It was injustice personified. Even though I find it inexcusable, there shouldn't be a hunger in this day and age in the Philippines. I unfortunately felt it REALLY existed there.

This is a thing that can be easily solved through the programs of WFP. Please don't hesitate to check out this particular page and see how you can help.

CLICK HERE

Join The "Like Creativity, Love Sony!" Photo Contest

Don't let anything stop you and your friends from having a good time anytime, any day. We all deserve to be happy and SONY knows this. Right now, they are running a Facebook Photo Contest called "Like Creativity, Love Sony" where you and your friends can get a chance to win thousands worth of prizes. You can also have the chance to see Jason Mraz and Corrine May in Singapore when they open The New Gardents by the Bay. This also includes a brand new Sony NEX-F3 camera, a great Sony Mobile Xperia Sola phone, the perfect Cyber-Shot WX100 camera and 1,000.00 US Dollars in cash. Isn't that amazing? Just simply upload your best outdoor photos through Sony's Facebook Page here. 

Get to also be recognized in the whole Southeast Asian region by battling it out with entries from the same area. Voting will run until June 18, 2012 at 12 PM. Three winners with two of it selected by SONY from each country where the first place winner will win a trip to Singapore to watch the Rhythm with Nature Concert with the two artists mentioned earlier. The chosen grand winner will get the ultimate prize of 1,000 US Dollars! Imagine that!

This Photo Contest entitled "Like Creativity, Love Sony" is part of their Youth Campaign called SONY UNITED make.believe. Soon there will be more of these activities to promote Music, Movies and Gaming which Sony believes in as an integral part of daily living. I'll be joining now, you should too!

For more information about the contest


Like them on Facebook!

Sony Philippines

Calling Made Easy: KAMUSTA.PH from Bayantel

The Philippines has one of the highest overseas workers in the world. I'm sure every single family these days have one or more relatives making a living outside the country. I'm one of them and I know how hard it is to even think about their welfare when they are faraway from their loved ones. When one gets sick, nobody takes care of them. The homesickness is truly immesureable. It is also physically and psychologically draining. I went through the phase of even seeing my own family cry everytime they tell stories through a single telephone call. We can't even talk that long because the rates these days are preposterous. The lack of communication does not help a bit. Bayantel knows this and they've got one good thing to tell us Filipinos. Have you heard of KAMUSTA.PH?

(Logo from Bayatel's website!)

A single application which you can download off the apple store can get you and your loved one abroad the chance to talk for free like having your own local phone at home. You can also make calls outside the network with competetive prices way cheaper than most promo rates available in the Philippines and other countries. Now, calling your loved one is made easier, better and truly thought out for the Filipino workers abroad. You'll have your own Bayan Number. It's like going to be a local call, you can talk longer... for free!

Clown in A Million winner Karen Dematera better known as KaladKaren says it all. "Ang Lakas Makayaman ng  KAMUSTA.PH". She felt really good seeing a lot of Filipinos will definitely benefit from this. 

I was able to talk to Mr. Neil Macalino head of Bayan International and he said that he knows Filipinos in the US and Japan will really need this application. Thousands of these OFW's have iphones but they have never even used an application that would concentrate on the communication between them and their relatives in the Philippines. KAMUSTA.PH wants to bridge that gap, stop the DRAMA that's been hounding us and the rest of the world. At this day and age it has to STOP. Let's all start using KAMUSTA.PH on our apple devices and see how this world can be a ton CLOSER! Watch out for the ANDROID release later this year too!

For more informatoin:

Please visit their website:

http://www.bayan.com.ph/kamustaph

Road Trips Are Easy!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PA Tourism for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love travelling. I'm actually on one right now as we speak. I love to escape away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take time to live a simple life. I want to be totally disconnected from the outside world and just enjoy the sights and sounds of a new place. Have you ever been to Pennyslyvania? I haven't been there too but I'm adding it to my "go to" places probably next year when my US trip pushes through. I've heard pa-roadtrips were all so long awaited. I couldn't blame them more because the place is charming. I would love to explore this part of the world for what its worth. I would gladly share what i'll see here to my friends and family. This won't be the normal roadtrips you see on TV. The state has character, charm and quite a few unique non touristy places  that I'll surely love! 

 

<img src="https://img.skitch.com/20120511-xk4tut75a6hbewhe7e7jkgjsnk.jpg" alt="visitPA-Roadtrip_box_720px.jpg" />

 

There are facilities that can make planning your trip a breeze too. Have you seen Roadtrip-a-Matic? If you haven't then I suggest you go ahead and try it out. If you often complain about people tagging along your journey or maybe feel like you haven't prepared enough for your family member during your trip then this application is perfect for you! A few clicks of a button and putting in necessary information can make your problematic situation into a dream vacation! You won't have to pack too much or have unnecesary clutter because it would plan it all for you. There would be no magic number to guess anymore when the time comes and you would get the essentials covered all in one place. You'll never starve since it plans out where to get your breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can go wherever, whenever and make that trip memorable. How about you guys? Where do you plan to chill out these days? Try the application out and tell me if it works for you too! It worked for me! 

Remington Hotel Manila - Luxury That Doesn't Break The Bank!

There are several reasons why you go out of town these days but there are a few reasons to stay within Metro Manila. I saw one a few weeks ago in the heart of Pasay City, the Philippines gateway to the world. This new place is Remington Hotel - Manila.

Good looking, warm people welcome you upon checking in which actually just took me a few seconds. Honestly, I felt quite at home right from the get go. These guys made sure you get comfortably settled in and ask you for what they can do more to get you fixed up. This place is inside the fabulous compound of Resorts World Manila. You might think this place might be too exaggeratedly expensive because of that but it's so reasonable! Best of all, the proximity to the entertainment center, restaurants, the domestic and international airport is unbelievable you can literally walk to these structures in minutes!

Serviced Apartments are available too. You should get these for that more "intimate" and "private" moments, This has the garden as the view.

There are two room types available in Remington Hotel Manila which certainly is perfect for the budget traveler. I happened to stay in the Standard Room (costs PHP 3,900.00++) which I was able to enjoy later on. The other room is a Serviced Apartment which costs around PHP 4,900.00++ and is quite nice as well since it has its own sofa bed to entertain guests as well. How I wish I got my special someone to go with me but she had to work. I wanted to go alone up the rooms and get some rest after a long shift in the office. It's so nice this lad even assisted me with my stay, they go the extra mile to get me comfy.

They gave me 2 electronic keys so I can leave the other one in my room to get it colder, although I'd never complain about that since Remington Hotel does not disappoint in air conditioning because my room went so cold in a couple of minutes! Aesthetically I love the long hallways and common areas in the middle where you can eat or prolly share a story or two with co travelers. They'll get large comfy seats in these areas too so a conversation would take you miles as your heart wishes!

They've got your bathroom essentials covered so you basically just bring yourself to the hotel and you can do anything to your heart's content.

The Standard room could easily fit four people or 2 adults and 2 kids so if you plan to bring your family too its not a challenge for them at all! This room was intended for Two (2) adults only. Complimentary stay for up to two (2) children below twelve (12) years old without an extra bed (this one's got 2 queen size beds anyway! makes sense?!)

The room I got had a hot and cold shower, bathroom with bidet spray, the usual bathroom amenities that include soap dispensers, shampoo, bath gel, hand soap and tissue paper. 2 standard bath towels, a closet and an In-room safety box.

Don't worry staying in too much in your hotel room because this 32 inch LCD television with cable alone can entertain you morning, noon and night time. There's also Free WiFi courtesy of the hotel, simply dial 00 on your phone there and ask for it. That easy.

Your room can actually have a spectacular view of the surrounding buildings, the resorts world itself or a garden. Since this place is relatively new, they are making it extra special now by planting several local flora so you get to feel what its like in the Philippines. I saw a lot of foreigners there when I stayed overnight.

The lobby area is modern - exquisitely designed and perfect for those short conversations/meetings if you need to do some business off your Philippine trips. Right beside that is their restaurant/bar so if you plan to grab a bite or maybe get something to drink then you won't have to go out of the hotel. If you plan to do so, there are a lot of places you can go to for lunch/dinner in nearby structures. I had my friends meet here so we were talking non stop that afternoon.

Bloggies with AVP for Hotel Sales & Marketing Ms. Christine Ibarreta, Vice President for Marketing Jeffrey Evora and Sales Coordinator Ms. Lisa Dianne Delfin

We obviously had so much fun with our stay there.... Now it's your turn!

For more information/inquiries/reservations on Remington Hotel Manila
Check out these contact points for reference


hsm@rwmanila.com
reservation@rwmanila.com
Call them at:
+63(2) 908 8000 loc 7796 to 7797
+63(2) 908 8600

http://www.rwmanila.com/hotels-at-resorts-world-manila/remington

/* Gonna post more shots and discuss amenities of other establishments nearby. Stay tuned for that!

Official Statements on TV5-GMA Merger

People are speculating if the news behind TV5 and GMA's merger is true or not since it has been on the Ricky Lo column already. This morning Mr. Cojuanco apparently sent a message to Arnell Ignacio on Twitter) which indicates there's no truth to this claim. Although on the last part of his message, there seems to be an existence of a "talk" but nothing is final. Read this!

See the part where he said "I can now say we're under discussion but nothing finalized at this time" which means they are already talking about it!

On the other hand, below is GMA's reaction to an article published today on the Philippine Star supposing that TV5 and GMA-7 are going to merge this November:

"GMA Network is not in a position to comment on the article that came out in the Philippine Star today, June 4, 2012, regarding the reported merger of GMA Network and TV5 since we are not the source of the information.  The said article attributed the information to Mr. Manny Pangilinan (MVP).  To our knowledge, MVP has clarified that he was misquoted.  We therefore suggest that anyone who wishes to verify may do so with MVP."

Which means "Don't talk to us, talk to the guy that told your sources!" haha... this story is just starting but I bet you when these guys eventually merge, would ABSCBN be afraid of the competition? What do you think? :)