MANILA UP MAGAZINE VOL 3 #8

MONACO

MALAYSIA

LONDON

MANILA

LOS ANGELES

NEW YORK

LAS VEGAS

HAWAII

FLORIDA

THAILAND GERMANY CANADA

VOL. 3

#8

Connect to your culture Miss Universe arrives in Bangkok

Anil Gupta’s

INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

Cynthia Baker

A Woman of Service

Korean National Day

THE HAPPINESS FORMULA

RC Caylan

Mrs. China Elite

International 2018

Spring Summer 2019 Collection

Oliver Tolentino

in “1st Thai Silk Fashion Show”

MAYENNE CARMONA ’S EXCLUSIVE ON

VIRGINIA G. LANE

+1(866) 930 0110

INTERNATIONAL

MAGAZINE

Sonia Dionela Bermejo

E

Publisher/Executive Editor

very year when the anniversary is forthcoming, we, the Manila Up staff are in anticipation of a celebration of another year of bliss. The anniversary of Manila Up! International Magazine always evokes mixed feelings of excitement, elation, gratitude, and joy, that is overwhelming . No doubt the apostrophe after up stands up to its meaning.

This year, we decided to have a smaller celebration with close sponsors, family, and friends in the industry. But we cannot just celebrate and not have some entertainment. Kiki Wang who was one of our last year’s featured designers is showcasing her “RED” collections. From her busy stints in Europe, Italy, Paris and recently Dubai, she still has the enthusiasm to show her latest creations for Manila Up! anniversary. Last year was her first show in Los Angeles, and from then on she went on around the world showing her collections. She is now popularly known as the “Red” lady designer. Her journey was an exciting one and she was thankful that from Manila Up!’s first show, she has travelled across the continents to be recognized as an International Designer.

With the continuous contribution from our writers in London, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States, we added writers from Germany, Canada, Malaysia and most recently the international model from Monaco. The blessings and the work of God is unbelievable. We are also recognized and approved to cover the Miss Universe pageant which is being held in Bangkok, Thailand. It is an added and valid recognition of our true worth.

We would like to continue to bring more value and more diverse contents to our readers as we move

on to our 4th year. First, we thank God for allowing us to exist and be a conduit to inspire, to elevate, and to contribute to our society, to our community, to our country, and beyond borders. A magazine, as well as a medium to relay our shared stories from the folks of our covers and those we write about within our pages who each have a unique story to tell. Everyone’s story is relatable to most among us.

It is to YOU that we owe our gratitude as we continue to reach out to different communities. To connect with various international cultures and ethnicities. You are all an audience to reckon with through our wonderfully authentic, true-to-life stories.

With this coming year, we send out our greetings to each one of you, a HAPPY, BLESSED CHRISTMAS and A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

www.manilaupmagazine.com @ManilaUp_mag

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manilaup@gmail.com manilaupmagazine

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MONACO MALAYSIA LONDON MANILA LOS ANGELES NEW YORK LAS VEGAS HAWAII FLORIDA THAILAND GERMANY CANADA

2018 – VOLUME 3 #8

SONIA DIONELA BERMEJO Publisher/Executive Editor

EDITH Y. PENDLETON EDITOR

KATHERINE BERCASIO ART DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MONTE CARLO Monaco: Fashion, Style & Travel ANGELINA KALI KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA Sugar Queen SAMANTHA GOH BAYERN, GERMANY Secrets of Success SILVIJA POPOVIC VANCOUVER, CANADA The Disruptors, The Audacity of Truth KAT SCHULTE PHILIPPINES: MANILA In Other Worlds BECKY GARCIA Walk my Way MAYENNE CARMONA Metro Scene JOY FONG Proverbs 31 Woman JHOANNA DE GUZMAN MANILA UP! MAGAZINE 3756 W. Avenue 40 #160 Los Angeles, CA 90065 USA

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UNITED KINGDOM: LONDON Kingdom Adventures GILDA PINEDA DIONELA

Mental Wellness JANIE LACY

UK na UK ELA HIDALGO

Glass Half Fil NAIIA LAJOIE

BANGKOK, THAILAND Siam Living MARICEL DIAZ

Inspirational Living RACHELLE CASILLAS

UNITED STATES: NEW YORK Coffee Break with J JEANETTE MARCO On Call ROMULO AROMIN, JR. MD Special Section: New York & New Jersey Joy in Tiny Jaunts JANICE LINGAD-THABET LAS VEGAS Vegas Vibes ESMERALDA PADILLAGOULD FLORIDA Life’s Journey MELODY GARCIA

LOS ANGELES

Talk This Way TIM PARK Dine Travel in Style GRACE AGUILAR Beautiful Life MONET LU

On the Beat FE KOONS Immigration Professor’s Corner ROBERT PERKINS, ESQ EZWay’s Corner ERIC ZULEY HAWAII Maui Mania EDITH PENDLETON Island Living RANDY ANTONIO

Email: manilaup@gmail.com Website: http//www.manilaupmagazine.com Follow us: FB, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Issuu

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In House-Hair and Makeup Artist MARY ANN “MUAH” CIDRO SHEIFERT Social Media Photographer / Videographer CELIA ABUEL “PAPARAZZCEL” Correspondent/TV Host/ Columnist GRACE AGUILAR Photographers: JOPHEL HUFFMAN TONY GARCIA AUSPICIO YAN PHILLIP NER RAMIE DADOR JON BERMEJO RAJESH SHAH ARNOLD CAPATI MARC PACHECO JOSEPH OBLIGACION POL JOAQUIN Website Designer ALLAN MARK PAANIO

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.

ISBN 231-256-2-16

Edith Y. Pendleton Editor

Happy Holidays All!

“M

ele Kalikimaka” is what we say in Hawaii. Merry Christmas to one and all. And, should you not celebrate this event most all of Christians of Silk launched the 1st International Fashion Show with the do with fervor, most especially in the Philippines which is world renowned Thai silk as its center point. Our own Oliver renowned for holding the longest of Christmas celebrations Tolentino has opened his collection as a preview to a select may the spirit of the season bless you with all that is good. few prior to the Spring/Summer 2019 Fashion show.

Come December, we at Manila Up! International As I have mentioned prior, there are so many new and Magazine get into a frenzy of sorts. What with this being exciting events, people and places to cover but we can the third year anniversary of our publication. And as the contain only so much within an issue. Not to be the last or influencer we have become, more contributing writers from the least of our December Anniversary issue, Mrs. China various places become part of our family. This being the Elite International 2018 bursts into our cross hairs. With a case, I had to relinquish my own space to accommodate new population of over 1.4 billion, thousands of contestants from writers and material. Gladly so of course. all walks of life and ages (from 40 to 70 years old) registered In these pages, our highlight and spotlight goes to our for the competition. Fireworks originated in China, so with cover personality, Virginia Lane. She among the elite of this teaser, we close the year with a big bang, May the coming society, and though bestowed with such power, she has a year be benevolent as we end another chapter to warmly story to share which may make one rethink the makings of embrace a new beginning. one who shines as a woman of all seasons.

Anil Gupta is someone who may have found the formula for happiness. 3 G;s he called it - Giving, Growing, and, Gratitude.

In England, there is a woman of service Follow us on: who hails from our own roots back home. www.actvus.com /Las Vegas ch 30.6 Cynthia Alcantara Barker never dreamed INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE 12:00-12:30 Saturdays/ACTV-05 apps for of becoming a politician, more so, in her 3756 W. Avenue 40 #160 Los worldwide Angeles, CA 90065 USA adopted country. Fascinating as it is, the www.kxla.com /Los Angeles ch 44, story she weaves resonates among us who 19, 34 (check listings Spectrum/Dish/ manilaup@gmail.com can identify with her ordained destiny.

DirectTV manilaupmagazine.com Thailand is in our radar more than once Website: http://mutv.manilaupmagazine in this issue. Our correspondent is up front FB: Manila Up TV – mutv Entertainment follow us on and personal with a detailed brief on the FB, Twitter, Instagram,Tumblr, Issuu Miss Universe 2018 held in Bangkok this year. Simultaneously, the 8th Celebration

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inside

Vol. 3 No.8 INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

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VIRGINIA G. LANE A Woman for All Seasons She has an aura that exudes of glamor and wealth, always well put together from the top of her well-coiffed head down to her expensive Loubotins. But truth to tell, the lady is not merely a lady of leisure but is in fact, a workaholic. She has her hands full with her work at Lane Moving, running several homes in different continents, attending to her philanthropic advocacies and being a loving wife to husband Gerry. Not to mention, being a mother to three wonderful children.

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Cynthia Alcantara Barker A Woman of Service Elstree and Borehamwood, England Cynthia never dreamed of being a politician, she worked in British Council looking after the scholars, worked in a mobile company then put up her own businesses in recruitment, healthcare care training & immigration law practice. She has a daughter and two lovely grandchildren who inspire her to contribute to make life in Great Britain even better for others.. She started volunteering in the community after she retired from work.

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Mrs. China Elite International 2018 This is the eighth year that TKS Mrs.China has held their pageant.

The number eight holds important significance to us Chinese. So this year the organizers really went all out with events leading up to the October 12th finale.

China has a vast population of over 1.4 billion. The women who registered for the competition were in the thousands from all parts of China. These were women from all walks of life and ages, from 40 to 70 years old!

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The Beauty Queens Have Arrived!

Contestants for the Miss Universe 2018 beauty pageant started arriving in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29th at Dusit Thani hotel. This marks the start of 4-day registration period to officially join the pageant.

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“1st Thai Silk International Fashion Show” in Bangkok Bangkok held its “8 th Celebration of Silk” event in an effort to promote Thai silk to the world. This year, the event launched its first fashion show called “Thai Silk International Fashion Show” and invited over 40 embassies in the city to showcase their own top couture designers with designs that reflect their countries’ culture and talents.

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THE HAPPINESS FORMULA by Anil Gupta People ask me, Anil are you happy all the time? Quite frankly, I am not… I have my moments… But I don’t live in a world of bad moments, but a world of great moments. This was a revelation… As I delved deeper, I realized that whenever I had my bad moments, one of these 3 G’s *(Giving, Growing, Gratitude) was at a much lower level.

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COVER STORY

VIRGINIA G LANE

A Woman for All Seasons

BY MAYENNE CARMONA

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family photo

f you had seen Virginia Garrido Lane for the first time and did not know her status in Manila society, you would surely dismiss her as one of those glamorous ladies of leisure who indulge themselves in all the imaginable beauty treatments to look forever youthful & wrinkle free! This impression is often expected from people who do not know her because she has that aura of glamor and wealth. She is always well put together from the top of her well-coifed head down to her expensive Loubotins.

But truth to tell, the lady is not a lady of leisure and is in fact, a workaholic. She has her hands full with her work at Lane Moving, running their several homes in different continents, her philanthropic advocacies and being a loving wife to husband Gerry. Not to mention being a mother to 3 wonderful children.

A Happy Married Life

Gerard Michael Lane and Virginia Garrido Lane have been married for 42 years and 8 months to be exact. Theirs is a marriage that never hit the rocks. Always steadfast, they focused on raising their three beautiful

Cover photo by Lorna Llanes 7

manilaupmagazine.com Beautiful couple Gerry & Virginia

COVER STORY

Family enjoying their hotel at Tinakilly, Ireland

Virgie Lane with husband Gerry and sons Jason and Gerard

children and building their business empire. They first met in 1974 during the Philippine Marketing Association Week at the Plaza Hotel where Virgie was working for a Swedish marketing firm. The dapper businessman was immediately smitten and asked her 8

out to dinner. She agreed but only if she could bring a chaperone.

Parents did not allow their daughters to go on dates without chaperones during those days. A chaperone on a first date was unheard of in Dublin, Ireland, Gerry’s home country, but he found this Filipino custom amusing and agreed for Virgie to bring along a chaperone. Not that he had any choice.

They fell in love and as the cliche goes, the rest is history. The union first produced a daughter, Roisin Joan, who is now married to an investment banker in Singapore and two sons, Jason Alexander and Gerard Aidan, who are now involved in the numerous Lane Moving businesses. The couple made their base in

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COVER STORY

Gerard Michael Lane and Virginia Garrido Lane have been married for 42 years and 8 months to be exact. Theirs is a marriage that never hit the rocks.

Always steadfast, they focused on raising their three beautiful children and building their business empire.

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COVER STORY

Patron of the Arts Awarding with Jaime Laya, Consul Health, Virgie Lane, Korina Sanchez

Manila but they have homes in Puerto Gallera, Sydney, Australia, Singapore and Ireland.

Patron of the Arts

Virgie, as she is fondly called, is a lady who wears many hats. Aside from being the Vice President, Treasurer, and CEO of Asian Tigers Lane Moving which was founded by husband Gerry in 1977, she is also deep in philanthropic work that involve the arts and culture. As the Chairman of the Philippine Culture and Arts in Australia she brought our top fashion and jewelry designers and artists to Sydney to showcase the true culture and substance of Filipinos some years ago.

Lane Moving has been a patron for the Philharmonic Orchestra and supported Ballet Philippines since the early 80s. Ballet Philippines helps pay the salaries and ballet shoes of struggling ballet artists. Today, Virgie Lane is on the Board of Trustees of Ballet Philippines.

In 1981, Lane Moving hosted the delegations of 500 members of the International Moving companies worldwide and organized a fashion show featuring the designs of the late Pitoy Moreno.It was held at the Champagne Room of the Manila Hotel and aimed to showcase the beautiful Filipiniana designs of our culture. In 1985, Virgie and Gerry Lane set up a branch of Lane Moving in Indonesia. During her stay in Indonesia, Virgie promoted Philippine arts and culture until 1992. She collaborated with the Indonesian Fashion Designers to use Filipino Fashion Accessories which at that time were hardly recognized outside the Philippines.

Aside from her involvement in many charitable

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organizations, she is also the Treasurer of the Johann Strauss Society. Most notably, she does not turn away any organization that reaches out to her for help. If the goal is to uplift the plight of Filipino artists, Virgie Lane will surely extend a helping hand. She always sponsors dance festivals, the launching of up and coming artists in art galleries and other fundraising causes to enhance cultural enrichment among many. The scope of her philanthropic work is too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say that philanthropy is second nature to Virginia G. Lane, a true Patron of the Arts.

Custodian of the Arts

Virginia G. Lane is not only Patron of the Arts but she is also Custodian of the Arts.

Not too many people know that aside from moving & storage, Lane Moving is also heavily involved in the packing, moving, shipping and storage of millions of dollars worth of priceless art pieces. For decades now, they have been trusted by Manila’s top museums and galleries for all their needs. Additionally, Lane Moving was entrusted by the Vatican to handle the moving of priceless collection of artwork pieces to the Philippines in 1986. “La Pieta” was among the collection and it might seem incredulous, but it was the first and only time La Pieta has ever left Rome!

Accolades

In 2008, the Cancer Society ‘s “Best Dressed Women” chose Virgie Lane as their “Style Icon”. She has always supported the Cancer Society which is one of her many advocacies. A year after, People Asia chose

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COVER STORY

Virgie, as she is fondly called, is a lady who wears many hats. Aside from being the Vice President, Treasurer, and CEO of Asian Tigers Lane Moving which was founded by husband Gerry in 1977, she is also deep in philanthropic work that involve the arts and culture.

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COVER STORY her as one of their “Women of Style and Substance”.

She was also featured on the cover of the “Faaabulous” coffee table book of noted portrait artist Rupert Jacinto and chosen as one of Manila’s 15 Fabulous Ladies. Just recently, she was one of the awardees of the Global Leaders Award for Global Business.

What about her fashion preferences?

“Pitoy was my favorite designer. In 1989, he designed and created our Filipino Barong Tagalog for all the executives of Lane Moving & Storage as well as my gowns. I learned from a very young age about fashion from my mother. She used to have a group of seamstresses and cutters to create barongs and dresses for different shops, so pretty much I was exposed to quality fashion. I do love Versace Roberto Cavalli and Chanel. Unfortunately, as I aged, Chanel doesn’t cater anymore to my size to my great dismay. YSL and Valentino are also my favorites. Classic style is my kind of fashion.”

The Consummate Hosts

The Lanes have been known to throw the most lavish parties. They don’t often do it, but when they do, it is usually the event of the season. They love giving theme parties which they plan a year ahead. When they decide on a theme, the invitations, menu, and giveaways match the theme of the party. They involve their guests in planning their theme parties which the guests enjoy and they all get excited planning their costumes and anticipating the actual event.

One theme party they had was “A Night of A Thousand Stars” wherein guests came as the celebrities they chose. Virgie came as Marilyn Monroe and Gerry as her lover, John F. Kennedy. As part of the program, she serenaded Gerry (aka President Kennedy) Happy Birthday Mr. President and performed “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. On another occasion, they had the “Magnificent Wonders of the Magnificent World” where guests came as personalities during the

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magnificent eras. Virgie came as Nefertiti & Cleopatra, husband Gerry was Ramses 1 and their 2 sons were Ramses 11 & 111. Daughter Roisin was an Indian Princess. The party place was decorated with replicas of ancient Gods and Goddesses, Roman centurions and other characters of that era. The whole Ballroom was transformed into an Egyptian Palace.

The “My Fair Lady” theme party was held at the ballroom of the Lane’s Victorian Manor Hotel in Tinakilly, Ireland. They had snippets of Eliza Doolittle singing “ The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain!”. The men dressed in their bowler hats and the ladies in their fancy headdresses and tiaras. They made it a three - day affair to make it worthwhile for friends who flew in from all over the globe. The third day began with a champagne brunch before going to watch a Polo match in Ascot. Their guests, of course, were dressed to the hilt, and, according to the dress code of Ascot. Another huge theme party was the “Imperial Masquerade Ball” held at their Sydney, Australia home. It was another three day affair for their many friends who flew in from all corners of the world. The first night was a Champagne Cocktail Reception at the top of the Contemporary Arts Museum in the Sydney Harbour. One of the guests, Mme. Dewi Sukarno performed a Tango number. The main event was held at the Lane’s home where they transformed the main hall into an Imperial Ballroom.

The three day event was capped by a cruise along the Sydney Harbour with a Champagne Brunch on board.

The hostess with the mostest, Virginia G. Lane says “ to put together a successful party where the guests go out of their way to fly to a foreign country, one must make it a real worthwhile affair for the enjoyment of your friends! “ In everything that she sets her heart on doing, one can be rest assured Virginia G. Lane will not settle for anything mediocre. At work, at home and at play, this “Woman for all Seasons” pursues “Perfection” in all her endeavors. n

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INSPIRATIONAL LIVING RACHELLE CASILLAS

Bringing You Inspiration & Spotlighting on Impacting Events!

Happy Lifestyle Influencers Social & Mixer

at the EnVy Lounge

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very special event took place October 10, 2018 at the EnVy Lounge in Newport Beach. It was an intimate, fun night of making connections with incredible Business Owners, Entrepreneurs & Influencers in the Orange County/Los Angeles Region.

The hosts of the event are called “The Happy Lifestyle Influencers” who include Business Entrepreneurs Lisa Caprelli, Raquel Figlo and yours truly, Rachelle Casillas. All three ladies are empowering women who have the desire to help others with their passions and strategize and execute business and marketing goals.

Filipino Fashion Designer Charmaine Joie Couture was “on the scene” and the “Fashion Stylist” BRINGING FAITH HOPE & for the Event. The Hosts of INSPIRATION TO YOU the night were her models

By Rachelle Casillas and wore her absolutely

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stunning, beautiful dresses. The photography of the event was done by Entrepreneur Lizette Ruiz Bourbon, the Owner of OC Studios by Lizette.

The atmosphere was filled with laughter, and with numerous voices in chatter and discussions. You could feel the excitement in the air! It was such a fun and relaxing environment for networking, socializing and connecting. The EnVy Lounge was the perfect venue with its beautiful, lavish ambiance and courteous staff members.

Community Events like this where leaders can share ideas, personally connect face-to-face with other leaders & bring an atmosphere of inspiration, innovation, creativity, and collaboration are so significant to help bring opportunities for growth and even new business ventures.

Remember to stay connected to a Community of people who share your values and can keep you motivated in your dreams and goals. Sometimes it isn’t about what you know, but who you know that can get you to that next level in your Business. n

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Rachelle Casillas

achelle Casillas is a Writer, Speaker, and Positive Role Model for Empowering Women. She recently represented Mrs. Philippines in the Mrs./Ms. Transcontinental Pageant and is the 2018 International Title Winner of Transcontinental Woman of Inspiration.

She is a United States Ambassador for Community/Family Restoration and for the Country of the Philippines with the FoRe! Program; a program that is exclusively for Women who are a force to promote action and are making a difference in the world. She desires to see families healthy & safe, children protected, and communities in peace and unity. She is highly involved in Community Outreach, Ministry, Charities, & Volunteer work in Orange County CA. Rachelle has a heart for Hollywood and the Creative Arts as well, from singing in Musical Theatre growing up

and loving great Family-Oriented Movies and Films.

She has worked as a Contributing Writer for other publications and is currently working on her own talk show. She also has over 14+ years working as a Business Consultant and Mentor. You can find more about her at www.

RachelleCasillas.com. n

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INSPIRATIONAL WALK MY WAY LIVING MAYENNE RACHELLE CARMONA CASILLAS

Beautiful Oasis .... Los Arboles

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or starters, in case you need an out of town party destination, I recommend Los Arboles in Tagaytay.

Los Arboles is a 1.7 hectare premier outdoor and indoor events venue in Tagaytay.

Established in 2015, it features an indoor Glass Greenhouse that can accommodate 200 guests and 3 lush gardens that can adequately fit 300 to 800 guests exclusively.

Four charmingly furnished and decorated 2 bedrooms and 1bath Casitas are available for the bride, groom and any of their guests to stay overnight before

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WALK MY WAY

BY MAYENNE CARMONA

and after the event. There is ample parking of more than 100 slots. Surrounded by verdant trees, gazebo, the soothing sound of a waterfall, a pond with abundant colorful Koi’s and a delightful ambiance, Los Arboles Tagaytay is the place to consider for your next beautiful memories. n For reservations & more info please go to losarbolestagaytay.com

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PROVERBS 31 JHOANNA DE GUZMAN

WHEN BEING KIND GETS

Underrated (HOW TO VALUE THE VIRTUE OF KINDNESS) “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle.”- Plato

T

rue enough, being kind is so underrated nowadays. Thinking that it is way too easier to treat other people the way they “deserve” it, after all, we live in a cruel world.

It’s hard to offer compassion when people get mean It’s hard to be respectful when someone is rude It’s hard to give when we have nothing left It’s hard to love when we constantly feel rejected It’s hard to be kind because, life is tough.

But Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

The bible gently reminds us that, we can’t just do what we want to do. We have to view other people in a different light. As much as possible, we must not take things personally. Because most of the times, people just usually do things not because of us, but because the fight is hard. Now, this doesn’t mean that we should become a doormat and let people walk all over us. By all means, set boundaries and defend yourself. But that’s an external behavior. On the inside, be kind.

We live in such a way where we often react on

things that happens to us. When life gets rough, we get stressed, when things seem to be doing well, and then we get happy. When someone treats us badly, we try to get back with revenge and sadly when someone is nice, we tend to take them for granted. We based our emotions on our circumstances, we swim in life and glides on whatever it has to offer.

We fail to realize that a lot of people are a walking mess. And we are being treated badly not because we deserve it or they’re just mean, but because sometimes, we just didn’t know that they are breaking on the inside. The world has a way to break each one of us, the gentler, the tough, the innocent..

We can’t control it, but we can control our reactions.

We can be kind.

Let us be kind, since we don’t know how our kindness might change someone else’s life and even PROVERBS 31 our own life. .

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By Jhoanna B. de Guzman

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KINGDOM ADVENTURES BY GILDA PINEDA DIONELA

Cynthia Alcantara Barker

A Woman of Service

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ELSTREE AND BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND

typical Filipina, petite, beautiful and with skin to be envied by those paying fortunes to go on holiday to get her tan. That is how I can describe the outward feature of Hon. Cynthia Alcantara Barker. She grew up in the “City of 7 Lakes”, with great views of green mountains, home of diverse sweet-smelling flowers, various bodies of water and exotic fruit like “lanzones”. The place is called San Pablo City in the province of Laguna in the Philippines.

One of five siblings her mother left the Philippines to work as an Overseas Filipino KINGDOM ADVENTURE Worker (OFW) in United Kingdom in the ‘70s

By Gilda Pineda Dionela

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while they were still very young, the youngest being only 3 years old. Her mother who worked hard and away from her children to send them to good schools and provide for their needs was combating her own loneliness, but she opened the door of United Kingdom for her children.

Nearly four decades later Cynthia opened the door of British politics for next generations Filipinos who aspire to contribute in shaping the values of the United Kingdom in the political spectrum that embraces diversity. She is the first Filipina to serve in British local government as Town Councillor of Elstree and Borehamwood, simultaneous with being Borough Councillor of Hertsmere.

Hollywood of England - Elstree and Borehamwood Elstree and Borehamwood are the centre of filmmaking having the largest film production facility outside of Hollywood. Many film productions such as The Dambusters, Where Eagles Dare, 2001: Space Odyssey, Star Wars, The King’s Speech, and The Queen. In

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KINGDOM ADVENTURES BY GILDA PINEDA DIONELA

Number 10 Downing Street is the home of Prime Minister of UK counterpart of Washington DC. Because of Brexit Downing street is in the front page of world’s major newspaper.

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KINGDOM ADVENTURES BY GILDA PINEDA DIONELA

Photography by: March Joseph Rosales 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World event Designer: Mitch Desunia

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KINGDOM ADVENTURES BY GILDA PINEDA DIONELA

television, EastEnders, Big Brothers and Strictly Come Dancing were filmed in the studios there. This is the hometown of Cynthia Barker in United Kingdom. Let us follow her journey as she joined me in my Kingdom Adventures.

Cynthia never dreamed of being a politician, she worked in British Council looking after the scholars, worked in a mobile company then put up her own businesses in recruitment, healthcare care training & immigration law practice. Shas a daughter and two lovely grandchildren who inspire her to contribute to make life in Great Britain even better for others. She started volunteering in the community after she retired from work. As part of her development to become a better person,and aside from family and other organizations she involved herself with, she gave credit to Rotary Club International for her accomplishments, she is currently the President. The Club made her grounded to the fact that there are countless people who are in dire need.

The Club promotes fellowship and friendship and become creative in dealing with people. Their motto is: ” Service above self ”.

Filipino Values in British Politics Cynthia believes that though most Filipinos especially those in the Philippines have economic and financial needs yet are considered very rich and blessed. Filipinos know what love is in the real sense of the word. At the very young age Filipinos are taught to love God, love our family, help and give to those who are in need, respect the elders and other people whoever they are and whatever they do in life. Those traits Filipinos bring to whatever place they are sent in different parts of the world.

Then the door of British politics opened for her. Since she was involved in different community activities even during elections such as canvassing or encouraging people to vote not necessarily endorsing any political party. In 2014, she was encouraged to join the Conservative Party.

She did secretarial work such as taking the minutes of the meetings, and campaigning to name a few activities.

Then in the 2015 General Elections she was persuaded to

run for the position of Councillor. She did not possess any political experience, but the party was looking for someone fresh or non-politician, a woman from a diverse background who knows the community in and out.

Things happened at the right time and place without her pursuing it. She is now holding the position of Town Councillor and Borough Councillor at the same time.

Let me quote her in these two important questions that I asked: GPD – What Filipino values would you like to impart to the Conservative Party which you think will make a difference in this country and eventually can influence the world?

CAB – Be authentic and be who you really are.

Always take with you the values taught to us as a child such as “Bayanihan” culture or helping one another, faith in God, love of family and respecting the elders.

GPD- Being one of “100 Most Influential Filipina in the World” who is the one who gave you the inspiration to be who you are today?

CAB – It is no other than my mother. She has always been my hero. There is never a day that I don’t think of her. In fact, I have her photos in my kitchen (women’s favourite part of the house). My foundation all comes from her. She worked hard to give us education and everything we needed until we can manage to live on our own. She inspired me in everything that I did. She passed away in January 1997. That made me work even harder to cope with my loneliness.

We thanked Ms. Cynthia Barker for sharing her story with us. As I looked at her life it can be summarized into three biblical principles: Love God, love your neighbour, and, honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. n

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IMMIGRATION PROFESSOR’S CORNER by ROBERT PERKINS, ESQ

Divorcing Your U.S. Citizen Husband/Wife and Keeping Your Green Card

M

LOS ANGELES

any times, an immigrant will come into my office if they are in a bad marriage with a United States Citizen, afraid that separating or divorcing from the U.S. Citizen will end of their chances at keeping or obtaining a green card.

Nothing can be further than the truth.

This article will give an overview of the immigration options available to immigrants who are or were married to United States Citizens and want to stay here based on the marriage itself, even though the marriage has ended in divorce. First, we will discuss situations where the immigrant was petitioned by the U.S. Citizen, has obtained a twoyear green card and is getting divorced during the two-year period. Next, we will discuss situations

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in which the U.S. Citizen has filed a green card for the immigrant, but the couple separates prior to the green card interview. Finally, we will discuss situations where the couple has not filed any paperwork for the immigrant – or a divorce is filed prior to the initial green card interview --and the immigrant would like to obtain status because he/ she was married in good faith to the U.S. Citizen.

For information about immigration matters, contact Robert Perkins: www.ImmigrationProfessor.com 888-439-4560

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IMMIGRATION PROFESSOR’S CORNER

by Robert Perkins, Esq

IMMIGRATION PROFESSOR’S CORNER by ROBERT PERKINS, ESQ

Situation 1: Immigrant Gets a Two-Year Green Card from the Marriage, but the Marriage has Failed and the Coupled has Separated or Divorced When an immigrant obtains permanent resident status because of a spousal petition, and the couple has been married for less than two years, the immigrant will receive a “conditional green card” for two years. The immigrant is then required to file a form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions to transition to a regular 10-year green card. The purpose of the petition is to give USCIS a second chance to check that the couple is in a real marriage. If the couple is still married, they file the I-751 petition jointly and provide proof to the immigration service that they are in a real marriage.

However, not all marriages last forever. In some cases, the couple gets separated or divorced prior to the two-year anniversary of the beneficiary obtaining the conditional green card. When this happens, the immigrant can still petition to have the conditions removed, transition to a permanent 10-year green card and eventually become a naturalized United States Citizen. The immigrant will need to file an I-751 petition along with a request for a waiver of the joint filing requirement. This allows the green card holder to waive/excuse/ pardon the normal requirement that the US citizen jointly sign and file the I-751 petition.If the petition is granted, then the immigrant gets a regular 10-year green card and can apply for naturalization 5 years from the date of the initial 2-year green card even though he/she is divorced. In fact, this petition can only be granted when the couple divorces and filing for divorce is required before filing this type of petition.

Although there are a few ways to file the I-751 Petition while separated or divorced, the most

common one is to show that the marriage was “in good faith” and not just to get a green card. I typically have my clients write a detailed statement explaining how they met and married their spouse and what happened during the relationship and what caused the relationship to break down leading to separation and divorce. In addition, we submit the type of good faith marriage evidence that the client submits to immigration when they go to their marriage interview. Depending on the facts of the case, it may still be approved even with a small amount of evidence. In fact, some years back I represented a woman from the Philippines who came here with an initial two-year green card and, after living with her husband in bad conditions for only 3 weeks, left the marriage. Our firm was still able to get enough evidence for her to keep her two year green card by showing the awful conditions she lived in and that she entered the marriage in good faith.

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IMMIGRATION PROFESSOR’S CORNER by ROBERT PERKINS, ESQ

Situation 2: U.S. Citizen has Filed for a Green Card for the Immigrant, but the Immigrant has Separated from the U.S. Citizen before the Green Card Interview I have had several cases in my office when an immigrant comes to me when their interview is scheduled, and they are separated from their U.S. Citizen spouse. Luckily, it’s possible that the immigrant can still get their green card. The law states that if the marriage was valid at its beginning – in other words, both the immigrant and the U.S. Citizen fully intended to share a life together when they got married –it is valid for immigration purposes even if the partners are separated and the marriage is no longer viable. A separation is only relevant in determining whether a marriage was valid when entered. So again, like above, if the immigrant can show that both parties entered the marriage with the good intentions of having a shared life together, then the immigration service can grant the green card even though the couple is separated and living apart at the time of the interview. Please keep in mind though that if the couple is legally divorced at the time of the interview, then the immigrant cannot be approved for a green card.

Situation 3, The Immigrant has Never Filed for a Green Card Based on the Marriage and is Now Separating, Divorcing or Legally Divorced This is the most challenging of the three situations. In this case, though, the immigrant may still be able to “self-petition” to get their green card if they can show that they married in good faith and that they were subjected to battery OR extreme 24

cruelty during the marriage. The petition must be filed within two years of the divorce being finalized. There is some misunderstanding in the immigrant communities that these types of petitions – called VAWA petitions – require that the immigrant show that they were physically beaten and document that with police reports.

However, this is not always the case.

As mentioned above, the law includes being subjected to “extreme cruelty which regulations say can include – but is not limited to “psychological or sexual exploitation.8 C.F.R. § 204.2(c)(1)(vi) & (e)(1)(vi). I had one case a few years back, for example, where the U.S. Citizen husband pushed his wife once during an argument. There were, however, multiple events of psychological exploitation where he made fun of her, ignored her and made her feel that she was not good enough. There were no police reports of physical or mental abuse, but we had the immigrant go to a psychologist to show that her husband’s verbal abuse had caused her mental harm. We also obtained affidavits from friends and family who verified the mental suffering she endured and showed that she went into the marriage in good faith. The case was won with this evidence on a self-petition by the immigrant.

There are many situations where an immigrant can stay in the United States and keep their green card when married to a United States Citizen even when the marriage has ended or is not working. The law is very generous about this. To get your case evaluated, please call our offices at 888-439-4560 or visit us online at http:// ImmigrationProfessor.com.

We represent clients all over the United States. n

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BEAUTIFUL LIFE BY MONET LU

Rico J. Puno

H

Remembering the ‘Legend’

e was known throughout the

Ted: Wanted (2000), Matalino Man ang

Philippines as the larger-than-

Matsing na-iisahan din! (2000), Alyas

life “Total Entertainer.” His

Boy Tigas: Ang Probinsyanong Wais

charm, which seeps through

(1998), Sailor’s Disaster (1994) – Bruno,

his hit songs earned him the moniker,

Tom & Jerry: Hindi Kaming Hayop

“Macho Gwapito.” He was loved by

(1993), Dr. Potpot Travels to the Moon

many, adored by his fans and respected

(1991) – Enzio, Isang Platitong mani

by his constituents in Makati as their

(1986), Annabelle Huggins Story (1982)

beloved councilor for 9 years. He is

As I have mentioned earlier, Rico

Enrico De Jesus Puno – aka Rico J. –

J also represented Makati City, in the

and he IS a Legend.

Manila area, as a city councilor from 1998 to 2007, and was re-

Rico J was credited as a pioneer-promoter of

elected in 2016 after losing a 2010 race for vice mayor.

original Filipino music. A singer, composer, comedian, actor

According to a short biography posted on his website, Enrico

and television host who has been known to have started

Puno was born on Feb. 13, 1953. After earning a bachelor’s degree

the trend of incorporating Tagalog lyrics in his rendition of

in business administration, he tried to find work as a bellboy. But

the American song, The Way We Were and other foreign songs.

when he failed to get the job, he ended up singing folk songs in

He became known as a singer who regularly infused his onstage

Manila nightclubs.

performance with tongue-in-cheek comedy and adult humor.

His biggest break was a deal with Vicor Records — was

Rico J became famous in the 1970s by covering American hits

precipitated by an encounter in the 1970s with the Motown band the

— including Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were” and Marvin

Temptations at the Palazzi, a club where Mr. Puno played regularly.

Gaye’s “Baby I’m for Real” — in a mix of English and Tagalog.

It was during this period that he recorded his signature version of

Those recordings put him in the vanguard of the Manila Sound,

“The Way We Were,” among other popular American songs.

Filipino popular music from roughly the mid-1970s through the end of the Ferdinand Marcos era, in 1986.

Rico J made American music his own by adding bawdy lyrics and banter in Tagalog. One of his best-known covers was “You

I’ve followed his musical career and I have always been a fan of

Don’t Have to Be a Star,” by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. And

his wit and his talent. He was actually here in the US for a concert

he embellished it with this line: “Even if you’re ugly, I still need

tour with fellow legends, Hajii Alejandro, Rey Valera and Marco

you.”

Sison last April.

Over the years, Mr. Puno performed solo and with the

Rico’s hit songs included “Kapalaran,” “Buhat,” “Macho

Hitmakers, a group that included the Filipino musicians Rey Valera

Gwapito,” “Lupa,””Damdamin,” “May Bukas Pa,” “Ang Tao’y

and Hajji Alejandro.

Marupok,” “Magkasuyo Buong Gabia duet with Elsa

There is so much that can be said about Rico

Chan - and his Filipino rendition of “You Don’t Have

as a musician, an artist, a politician, and most of

To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)”

all, a friend. Yet one thing remains as the common

One of his recent album was Aliw by Sony

denominator. He is and always will be an icon. He

BMG Records. His carrier single was “Kay Hirap

may have left this world too early but he left us with

Mong Limutin” by Lito Camo.

iconic memories and a legacy that can only come

Rico starred in films: Instant Mommy (2013),

from a true Legend.

Who’s That Girl? (2011), Asboobs: Asal Bobo (2003) - Capt. Palma, Pakners (2003), A.B. Normal College (2003), Alas-Dose (2001) – Congressman, Juan &

To the legendary Rico J, rest well and rest

Beautiful Life

assured that your legend continues on. n

By Monet Lu

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Sweet Sarah...….

MORE THAN A CROWN! Beauty Queen with Monterey Park Roots wins the Miss Filipina International Tourism 2018 Title

S

arah Nunnink, an 18 year old FilipinoDutch-American scholar from Davis, California was crowned Miss Filipina International Tourism 2018 at the Miss Filipina International Beauty Pageant held at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center this month.

The beautiful auburn haired teen is the daughter of former Miss Monterey Park Francel Caracol and is the great grand niece of Monterey Park’s three-time mayor, the late Monty Manibog.

She also won the prestigious Miss Philippine Airlines title and Best in Swimsuit Award.

Sarah had been a front-runner from the beginning of the pageant. She debuted on stage in a Joey Galon Atelier National Costume -- “Serena, Goddess of the Pacific” -- a stunning traditional “mermaid” terno companioned with a crystal pearl scepter which earned “Top 3” in the category.

Although she won the swimsuit category, she states it was the most difficult. “Learning to walk in 6-inch heels in a bikini in front of

thousands of people can be intimidating.”

For Sarah, the interview and on-stage question was not as intimidating. At the age of 16, she became the spokesperson for a global brand. In high school, she was inducted into the Youth Hall of Fame for her advocacy on Equal Rights for Girl Sports, often at City Council and School Board meetings and on network national news, speaking on behalf of the cause. She has a record as a fierce Speech and Debate Competitor.

PHOTO BY: Noel Daganta Styled by: Joey Galon Atelier HMUA: MTon 26

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LAFW by Art Hearts Designer : RC Caylan Atelier Photography: Ken Hugh

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Her on stage pageant question was “What is your biggest fear and why?”

Sarah avoided cliches and chose to answer from the heart.

“Time....is my biggest fear,” she said.

“Not having enough time to finish my education.

Not being able to have a family of my own. Not having enough time to start my nonprofit company to help others. That’s why I am so grateful for every day, and cherish every moment.”

Sarah had never been in a pageant prior to last year. But if there is something about her that seems familiar, it’s that pageants run in her blood.

This is the 15th crown for the ManibogCaracol Clan. Her mother, Francel Manibog Caracol and Aunt Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan dominated the pageant circuit in the 1980’s. Caracol winning 6 pageants, including Miss Monterey Park, Miss World Guam and as a competitor in London’s Miss World. Manibog winning 4 pageants, including Miss Monterey Park, Binibining Pilipinas International and competing in the Miss International pageant.

Several of her Manibog cousins have won titles, including the beautiful FilipinoCosta Rican Miss Asia USA, Arianna Manibog Varela.

Sarah is an Economics and International Relations student at UC Davis, a college and USA competitive cheerleader, a Soles4Souls charity Ambassador and a Shaolin Kenpo Karate Brown Belt.

Her thoughts on the Tourism crown: “I am so honored to be the Miss Filipina International Tourism and Miss Philippine Airlines. I look forward to spending my time in the Philippines experiencing first-hand its beautiful resources and my own ancestry.”

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“I believe I represent the diversity of today’s world: being EurAsian raised in the United States.

The US is among the top 3, next to Korea and China, for having almost a million tourists visiting the Philippines every year. This is more than a beauty pageant crown to me. As Miss Tourism, I’m most excited to take on the role to inspire everyone to experience all the beautiful destinations in our country and to fall in love with our Filipino culture and heritage. n

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MONACO: FASHION, STYLE & TRAVEL ANGELINA KALI

I WANT TO BE JUDGED BY MY TALENT, NOT MERELY BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN

BY ANGELINA KALI

T

MONACO: FASHION, STYLE & TRAVEL ANGELINA KALI

here has been a lot in the news lately about women’s place in society with the “me too” social movement, gender pay discrepancy debate and the proportion of women in executive positions. All evidence tends to show that there has been a lot of discrimination towards women in the workplace.

This has been grossly unfair but things are changing for the better, albeit, sometimes a bit too slowly for many. This has culminated in the evolution of “positive discrimination” whereby a certain number of positions are earmarked for women. Now, I am all for gender equality but not just because I am a woman.

There is nothing positive about any form of discrimination, and this also applies to the socalled “positive discrimination”. As a woman, I have faced all kinds of discrimination during my professional life as a model and now as a business woman. But what I don’t want then is for people to insinuate that any achievements that I make is because I am a woman and not because of my talent and hard work. I am sure that any other woman would feel aggrieved that people snickered behind her back that she didn’t really deserve her position or job as she only got it because of the “positive discrimination” policy in place.

A person should attain to a position based on merit. What is important is for all people to be given equal opportunities to succeed and without fear of sexual or racial harassment. As I now branch out into the world of business as well as developing my career as a journalist, I just hope that people judge me based upon my talent and the value that I can add. Gender, race or creed should have no determinant factor in this process. n

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CIAMARA

I

Love Story

t began 10 years ago. Ian had just returned to LA from living in New York, where he had been working for L’Oreal, running Marketing for the Garner Hair Color brand. Ciamara had been living in the US for just a year. The two were introduced by a mutual friend, Bianca, however, both were focused on personal work ambitions and had commitments that made meeting each other inconvenient, much less getting to know each other.

Fast forward to 2017, Teresa was now one of the owners, and operator of Kapistahan Grill. It was a popular dining venue for the Philippine community in Los Angeles. She was the reigning Miss Filipinotown USA. Producing concerts and actively managing events all over SoCal. With work consuming her every waking moment there was neither time nor place to cultivate a serious relationship. Ian on the other hand was reaping success in the beauty marketing field.

They tried to create space for relationships, but, sadly they were both not very successful.

Simultaneously, and sadly, Ian was recently recovering from a rare form of brain cancer. He spent much of the recent few years in rehab, relearning to walk, run, ski and play soccer again.

Then, one Friday night, Ian had been talking to Bianca, their mutual friend, and she suggested he reach out to Ciamara once more. She was single, according to Bianca and interested to meet someone special with the intent to possibly settle down and build a family. Ian

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reached out to Ciamara on Facebook and the two began chatting, only for Ian to find out later that Ciamara thought he was someone else!

Not to waste time, Ian stopped by the restaurant that very same Friday night, and walked in through a crowd of ‘questioning’ Pilipino faces wondering who the new white guy was. He saw and heard Ciamara on stage and approached her after she had finished singing a song in a foreign language (Tagalog). Ciamara sat with Ian a few minutes and they had a brief conversation amidst the sound of various karaoke singers voices in the background. He managed to find a break in the singing to ask if she was interested in meeting for brunch the next Sunday. She accepted his invitation and the very same weekend the two visited the bright and cheerful Marina Cafe overlooking the boats in Marina Del Rey. After brunch Ian drove Ciamara to the historic Venice Canals, where they walked with his Australian Shepherd puppy towards the beach. There they were stopped by a woman who commented “you two look like a beautiful LA couple”, perhaps drawing on Ciamara’s beauty and Ian’s fashion sense. The two continued to date over the next few months. Ian was soon called to be in Hong Kong for business, but instead of going solo, he invited Ciamara along, who in turn suggested they meet in Manila & visit her home in Dumaguete. What Ian didn’t know was that her family in Dumaguete lived on the top of a Volcano in the province of Valencia. The two hiked up the mountain to

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meet the family. After successfully receiving a “thumbs up” in Dumaguete they returned to Los Angeles. By then it was around Christmas. It was Ciamara’s turn to be “under the microscope” as the couple traveled to London to meet with Ian’s family. Ian’s mother instantly fell in love with her, especially so because she had survived the cold and wet English winter weather.

Thankfully she kept warm by holding Ian’s hand and dining on their local food favorite, Indian curry. Six weeks later the two decided to return to the place of their first date, Marina Cafe. As they sat drinking their brunch champagne, the hostess approached and invited them to tour the cafe since there was a special corporate entertainment room that Ian wanted to see.

Ciamara seemed a bit perplexed as to why they would do this inasmuch as they had just arrived. However,

she went along with the plan. As the two reached the entertainment room, the door was opened to a chorus of “surprise!” and voices echoed from 24 of the couple’s best friends, who were eagerly waiting for something to happen. Ciamara was confused given her facial expression. That soon changed to tears of joy as Ian got down on one knee and proposed marriage. Cheers, laughter and toasts soon followed.

That surprise event was outshone by the incredible wedding the two put on eight months later.

Last September the backdrop was the Pacific Ocean, at the beautifully scenic Las Verdes Golf Club.

The wedding combined many folks from all walks of life, the young and old, English and Filipino, spiritual and religious. The common denominator being the infectious love between the couple that radiated out to every guest. As the couple finished their wedding dances they really echoed their sentiments with the introductory song, Ed Sheenan’s “I found a love beautiful and sweet”.

Just a few weeks later the newlyweds were enjoying their honeymoon in El Nido at the fabulous Cauayan Island Resort. This couple’s love for everyone they meet and touch was very evident. They capped off their trip by donating the proceeds from their wedding gifts to an orphanage in Dumaguete, (Friendship Home Foundation) where it all started for Ciamara. Before she fought her way out of nowhere to stardom, towards where this couple is undeniably heading. n

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INSPIRATIONAL LIVING RACHELLE CASILLAS

FREEDOM BALL

BY RACHELLE CASILLAS BEVERLY HILLS, CA

T

he rooftop of the Viceroy L’ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills was packed with numerous beautiful souls all gathered for a night of charity and to raise awareness about human trafficking. The Event was called “Freedom Ball” and was hosted by Meri Crouley, Silvia Sanford & Freedom Cry. The main Sponsor was eZWay Promotions. Guest Speaker, Dr. Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King Jr.), ended up joining the event via “video” only (due to a last minute emergency). On a big screen, she shared her speech from her heart for the sake of saving lives and the safety of our communities.

Other great speakers included Opal Singleton, a strong advocate against trafficking and is the President/ CEO of Million Kids.

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The night also included a delicious three-course meal, a silent auction and a vocalist. Some of the auction items included signed memorabilia by actor Chadwick Boseman and athlete Michael Jordan.

Surprisingly enough, the element that stole the show was the unusual weather, (it was pouring rain in the night sky of Beverly Hills with thunder and lighting).

Guests stayed dry for the most part under the roof of the Hotel, but as the event was ending, many retreated indoors to the Hotel Lobby for a warmer, more comfortable setting.

Overall, it was an impressive night that raised money for the fight against human trafficking. It brought great leaders, humanitarians and influencers together to stand together to make a real difference in saving lives. n

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Alex Alino (714) 600-4915 Email: aalino@s3csolar.com

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EZWay Wall of Fame

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

T

he eZWay Wall of Fame was created by one of the top ten social media influencers in the world. Ranked # 7 of the top ten, by “Hollywood Weekly Magazine,” “Actors Reporter”, “Cold Heat News”, and many more, Mr. Eric Zuley founded eZWay Broadcasting, Inc. His business is now branded as eZWay Network, a multimedia conglomerate affiliated to thousands of other media companies.

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The eZWay wall of Fame is a platform used to honor their clients, members and the eZWay Family.

This collaborative network creates social proof and assists each other in monetizing their businesses.

Digitally, it makes subscribers, clients, and supporters able to find one another. This clever creation promotes relationships and collaborations that were unreachable in the past.

The network provides a user login for all visitors to be able to be seen by their 478,000 hits per month.

This promotional tool is the only one of its kind and promotes users’ social media, websites, videos, audio

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and picture galleries. Others have compared it to a digital “Hall of Fame” or digital “Hollywood Walk of Fame”.

Who’s Who among celebrities, influencers, and change makers are promoted on the wall. Some of these include:

Frank Shankwitz, creator of the “Make a Wish Foundation” Christopher Lloyd, the Doc, on “Back to the Future” Kevin Sorbo, from the TV series, Hercules Anthony Anderson, Star of Blackish Kate Linder who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her role as Ester Valentine on The Young and The Restless Dre Swan, Mr. Sizzle Music producer, Video sizzle genius Bill Brown, Sponsorship Adviser & Consultant Pauline Crawford-Omps, Miss Magical Conversations Founder Meri Crouley, Founder Freedom Ball Dr. Dante Sears, Founder World Prosperity Network Teresa Snider, TV/Radio Host Ron Klein, Inventor of the magnet strip on credit cards & MLS system for Real Estate Sophia Stewart, creator and owner of the Matrix & Terminator franchise, Heide Dangelo, Founder Influential People Magazine Pattie Sadler, talk show host, on the Pattie Sadler Show Berny Dohrmann, chairman of CEO space # 1 rated by Forbes, and Inc. Magazine Allison Hildebrandt Larson, Founder of the Speakers Coalition Bill Duke, Oscar Winner Tom Green, Actor & Comedian And there’s more!

Over 75 eZWay Fam, Influencers, and Celebrity experts…all at your fingertip. Literally!

There have been hundreds of people that have praised eZWay promotions and the Wall of Fame because of their results after being a part of this new platform!

The Wall of Fame features your picture along with top influencers and celebrities which helps edify your brand credibility and gives you social proof.

Members can get verified badges as well as what we like to call “Give Back Badges.” This is acquired by how many times you give back and help others. You can earn a certain amount of points that will help you to be awarded badges to get quantified. These points can be redeemed for extraordinary marketing and promotional services. n

Do you want to be noticed, and get more credibility? Want to be on the wall?

Submissions to be on the wall: http://ezwaywall.ezwaybroadcasting. com Subscribe at: http://Sub. ezwaybroadcasting.com Create your own account at: http://ezwaynetwork.com (Click signup/login at top of page)

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SECRETS OF SUCCESS BY SILVIJA POPOVIC

Mindset for Successful Sales BAYERN, GERMANY

H

ow are you dressed? how do you communicate? , or, how well you know your service?

These are just some of the questions that we often hear when asked to make sales successful.

Allow me to transfer you to another prospect today that will help you be more successful in sales. Sales have gained a negative reputation over the years and most

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people say: “I’m not good at selling.”

Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening here.

When you tell yourself that you are not good at selling, as a business consultant and mindset coach there are many questions to ask that I want you to ask yourself. Those are questions which I, who has been working with coaches and multiple entrepreneurs, have often heard: “I am not good at selling. How do I get more sales?”

When you say: I am not good at selling, I ask you:

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“Who let you believe that and when?

When did you first hear that you were not good at selling?”

Did you try to sell something and did not succeed so you gave up and simply said: “Well, I am not good at it, I will go try something else.

That is the trap.

You are good at selling, you are just not aware of it.

Here’s an example. If at least once in a lifetime you had a relationship with someone - you sold that person an idea of yourself and based on that idea the person bought you. The timing lies with you, the connection is with you, your ideas, your physical presence and all elements that one relationship between two lovers can bring.

If you ever succeeded in making your child do as you said, then you sold something. You sold an idea to your child.

So how does it happen that in one place you successfully sell something, but in others you have no sale?

It happens because of a few reasons:

1. You care too much or not at all

When we really care about someone, we will

turn the whole world upside down for a person to understand and get that. We have no fear of rejection because our heart is pounding, we are very positive and hopeful.

For an example let’s take a person in love. A man or a woman. When we like someone, we are ready for everything and perform all the impossible moves so that we could get close to that person. Why? Because we care. Because we know what we have to offer and how we can make that person the center of our world.

Rarely does it happen that if with our heart, desire, and constant support, that giving attention will not be fruitful. If you are overtaken by some social standards and get to the person you like - you will override these and you will not even be sold going through other connections.

So you should ask yourself when you sell your service to clients - is it really for you to always help that person, as deeply as you can from the heart? Or, do you try to make a target for your own accounts, do you even care? How much do you care to clinch the potential client by offering you have to him? Or, what about starting a sales cycle, and then quitting because ‘you do not really do that?’

Most of us in the entrepreneurial waters know that

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SECRETS OF SUCCESS BY SILVIJA POPOVIC

obligations are due, that is precisely the pit in which most sellers fail.

you would want to ask what is positive about that experience. Even if I did not want to, and decided to block bad thoughts about the geese, I would not see 2. When the obligations are due and the the positive facts about the geese. Why? Because my pressure is rising – remember the geese mind would not be ready to move to a new level of Our mental skeleton, made up of many sentences knowledge. If you really want to improve your sales, we tell ourselves is actually designed to retreat from any you decide what you want, focus on the sentences like: past experience, especially embarrassing ones if repeat ‘I’m great at selling, selling is a way to show people that the same actions.

I care about them. Sales are easy and spontaneous.”

Here’s an example. As a child Suppose that one goose was I was very afraid of geese. They wounded, she was sacrificing with snorted at me like snakes and two others who care about her. Have attacked me. And every time I saw a you been in an unusual sale, when goose, I remembered being attacked you were wounded and when you When confronting by one in my childhood. Since I a hard time, landed and shared your greatest fears had realized that this event is a coming your experience with two more fired from the subconscious that prevented and blocks, especially flyers in your team? Someone with with the help of a my growth, I went about the task of a result? Or, did you just leave your overcoming it. mentor, you will also flock and fly as you cannot fly? Do After more than 20 years, I found be able to see every you care about your resignation? a fact that helped me overcome this Do you have a mentor, do you opportunity for each block, which was much more than I have a powerful team that will new sale - there is expected. nurture you and encourage you to one guiding star that heal as soon as possible?

In one business book I found that you can consider geese fly so that the front masses of Have you swung wings far enough from several angles. for other sellers while you were the wings and air circulation help those in the flock to fly. I learned flying, what does it mean? that the last ones in the flock were in Are your good and strong such a formation so that they could connections to your competition stimulate the bodies of those in front such so that you can then talk about to fly farther. If a goose is injured, and ask for your service for the two land with it on the ground until it recovers and amount of work you do not want to do? when it is ready to fly it then joins another flock. Not Psychology of selling a wide area, but for beginning necessarily be flocks of geese, but other birds. So, they , ask yourself what the fear most and decide to find a fly, help and stimulate one another. star that will create a whole Universe. The Universe in These seemingly remarkable facts about the geese, which you rule. And not fear yourself. Stretch is hiding I observed were the stars that guided me to have in small things, childhood, animal, word, experience. a positive impression of geese. When I see them, I Do not let this rule with you. You rule them because remember their teamwork, concern for each other and you are made to be a real, not to allow fear to steal all organization. the experiences you want to experience.

Now, you may be wondering: “But Silvija, how will Write your own story about the goose, in a new and geese help me sell better?” positive way. Whatever your goose represents. n When confronting your greatest fears and blocks, especially with the help of a mentor, you will also be Silvija Popovic able to see every opportunity for each new sale - there Mindset & Business Strategist is one guiding star that you can consider from several International Speaker angles.

Blockchain Advisor If the sale process is related to negative experiences, www.silvijapopovic.com 38

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METRO SCENE BY JOY FONG

Korean National Foundation Day and Armed Forces Day

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he Korean Embassy in the Philippines held a National Day Reception at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel to commemorate Korean National Foundation Day and Armed Forces Day. Ambassador Han Dongman expressed his gratitude to the guests who attended Ambassador HAN Dong-man on the podium the celebration and explained delivering his commemorative address. that the Kor-Phil relationship remarkable year. is developing in all fields As the representative of the Philippine Government, including politics, economy, and culture. He also Ernesto Abella, Under Secretary of Strategic stated that next year will be the 70th anniversary Communications and Research, gave a toast proposal of the establishment of bilateral relations between emphasizing shared values of peace and democracy the Republic of Korea and the Philippines, and between Korea and the Philippines as demonstrated various cultural events will be held to celebrate this

Senator Franklin Drilon, Ambassador Han, and Senator Richard Gordon for the turnover ceremony.

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Presidential Spokesperson (then Presidential Legal Counsel) Salvador Panelo, Cory Quirino, Monaco Consul General Fortune Ledesma, and Ambassador Han.

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METRO SCENE BY JOY FONG

Ryan Bang, host during the program of the reception.

Ambassador Han, DFA Undersecretary Ernesto Abella (representative of the Philippine government) and Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia (Dean of Diplomatic Corps) sharing a toast. through the two countries’ alliance in the Korean War. He said that the two countries are enjoying dynamic, robust, and comprehensive partnerships in various aspects such as economy, tourism, investment, and military.

Additionally, Senator Franklin Drilon and Richard Gordon officially handed over Senate Resolution No. 128 to Ambassador Han Dong-man. n

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Undersecretary Abella, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Ambassador Han.

email joyfong@rocketmail.com

METRO SCENE

Ambassador Han shaking hands with Singapore Ambassador Kok Li Peng.

By Joy Fong

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COFFEE BREAK WITH J by JEANETTE MARCO

Making the most of our Harvest

by Marco

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

F

or those of us living in the Western Hemisphere the time of the harvest is upon us-the days grow shorter, temperatures begin to drop, the sun rises each morning at an ever decreasing angle casting long shadows as the Earth prepares to tuck itself in for a restful sleep from which it will emerge renewed, refreshed, reinvigorated, AND, ready to bloom in the Spring.

If only we would follow suit how much more might we get out of life? If after a long year of working, playing, loving, hating, fighting, reuniting, terminating then rekindling friendships and relationships both personal and business, we used this time of year to reflect, refract, relax, reevaluate, and, reap the fruits of the seeds we sowed in the Spring nurtured to fruition in the Summer might we come the following Spring not be all the better for it?

Yes, say those of us cognizant, prescient, and, conscious enough to appreciate that the quality of our harvest is a direct reflection of the consequences of

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our thoughts and emotions not just in the Spring and Summer but perhaps most importantly during the impending Winter.

Winter is the season of retrospection, introspection, and, reevaluation processes which generate true knowledge based on experience, the food of thought upon which the seed feeds to imbue itself with the required degree of cognitive nutrition to insure it will germinate in the Spring.

Winter then, far from being a time of comatose hibernation, is an opportunity for us and the earth to regather our life force-collect, collate, align, codify,and, perfect our thoughts or the fruit of our harvest quantified as our growth-manifested and realized in the multitudinous iterations of positive ways that we’ve changed for the better.It benefits others -the true fruit of our labors-for which above each of us should be so very thankful for during this time of the harvest since we always reap what we sow and change is all we can ever truly count on.n

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Hard work is a given, a relentless desire to succeed, an open mind, and my refusal to let my dreams fall by the wayside, sell myself short or settle for less.

Jeanette Bocobo Marco

JEANETTE MARCO

J

eanette is currently the President of the Basilia Women’s Foundation, a Non-Profit Organization that supports Victims of Domestic Violence, the Executive Director of Marco Art NYC and Marco Not Polo. Apart from the position she holds, she is the US Bureau Chief of Philippine Business News and the Producer of a Lifestyle Reality Show “Get Reel TV”.

An Event Producer and organizer with 17 years of masterful experience in publication, travel and hospitality industry both here in New York, UAE, Japan and in Australia.

Jeanette as most of her friends call her in New York, is a graduate of Mass Communications from the University of the Philippines, acquired her Master’s Degree in Business and Marketing from the University of Liverpool. She’s a marketing strategist whose passion for writing drove her to pursue a career in journalism. Being well traveled, she combines this passion with a vision to discover the world and sharing her experiences with a wider audience. .n

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METRO SCENE BY JOY FONG

ONE CENTRAL HOTEL, THE NEWEST HOTEL DESTINATION IN CEBU

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ne Central Hotel is downtown Cebu’s premier business hotel, offering affordable luxury accommodations and a panoramic view of the city. The hotel is conveniently located at the corner of Leon Kilat and Sanciangko Streets, making it the perfect starting point for travelers and businessmen as it is near the bus terminal and the port area.

The hotel offers 157 rooms with panoramic views of the city, meeting rooms and a grand ballroom for your intimate gatherings and grand celebrations. It is home to hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Café Tartanilla--that offers delectable buffet spread and downtown’s longest happy hour.

One Central Hotel is managed by Bluewater Hospitality, best known for its homegrown and whollyFilipino owned chain of resort hotels in the Visayas and Mindanao. Bluewater Hospitality brings their over three decades of experience in the hospitality industry along with their uniquely Cebuano approach to hospitality which they call “amuma with excellence”. n Email joyfong@rocketmail.com

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Pete Dacuycuy with DOT Region 7 Regional Director Shalimar Tamano, One Central Hotel CEO Steven Yu and Bluewater Resorts VP for Sales and Marketing Margie Munsayac

One Central Hotel Sales Manager Francis Francisco with COO Pinky Yu and Branch Manager Southfield Agencies, Inc Almie Ambanta

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METRO SCENE BY JOY FONG

One Central Hotel CEO Steven Yu and COO Pinky Yu with Bluewater Resorts President Julie Vergara and ARC Hospital Corporate Finance and Operations Manager Kerbasi Ugarte

One Central Hotel - Molave Uno

One Central Hotel - Cafe Tartanilla

One Central Hotel - Pool at Night

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SUGAR QUEEN BY SAMANTHA GOH

Mrs. China Elite International 2018

by SAMANTHA GOH

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Mrs. International, the lovely Ms. Beverly Tan is my mentor. The venue was in Nanjing Sofitel Zhong Shan his year I am honoured to have been Resort. invited as a judge at the Grand Finals of The grandiose entrance to the resort presented an the Mrs. China Elite International 2018 impressive hors d’oeuvres to the main course, that was held in Nanjing. I have found myself the resort. Upon arrival, there was a reception desk doing a lot of judging and participating in especially for the Elite Mrs. China VIP guests and various pageants since becoming TKS Mrs. Malaysia contestants. I was escorted to my room which was huge International and winning Mrs. ASEAN in November for one person. It had a balcony that opens up to the 2016. courtyard and tennis court.

I understand the importance my role has upon After a sumptuous dinner buffet, I headed for an the contestants. This is the eighth year that TKS Mrs. early night as the finale was next day. Guests of the China has held their pageant. The number eight holds pageant started arriving at the grand entrance of the important significance to us Chinese. So this year the event hall. All wore gowns, had “made up” hairdo, organizers really went all out with events leading up to photos were posed, and instructions were given to the the October 12th finale. China has a vast panel of judges on where to make our entry population of over 1.4 billion. The women after our introduction on stage. Crowds who registered for the competition were started piling in. The pageant opened with a in the thousands from all parts of China. traditional Chinese dance performance.

These were women from all walks of life Once seated, my task of scoring the 50 and ages, from 40 to 70 years old! finalists began. It was not easy as most were The grand finale presented the final confident with their introductions and 50 Elite Mrs China finalists. The Top 3 deliberations. Each contestant had to state winners will have a chance to represent the reason why they joined the pageant China in the TKS Mrs. International and what they believed in life as a woman.

SUGAR QUEEN pageant which is based in Singapore. The It was overwhelming to see the 50 finalists

BY SAMANTHA GOH founder and director of Singapore TKS NANJING, CHINA

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dance gracefully and in sync with one another. That must have taken weeks of rehearsals.

During the talent rounds, only the best top 5 contestants had the chance to showcase their singing or dancing skills. Throughout the pageant the finalists wore robes that women in palaces used to wear. It was a real sight as it’s not common to see these robes. It is likely that they were custom made. Towards the end of the pageant, the 50 finalists, all dressed in evening gowns, awaited the announcement of the winners. The winner was a 47 year old mother of one. Mrs. China is a model and catwalk trainer and will represent China in the upcoming TKS Mrs International, November, in Singapore. n

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

The Beauty Queens Have Arrived!

SIAM LIVING

by Maricel “Celle” Diaz BANGKOK, THAILAND

Contestants for the Miss Universe 2018 beauty pageant start arriving in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29th at Dusit Thani hotel. This marks the start of 4-day registration period to officially join the pageant.

This year’s official licensee, TPN 2018 Co., Ltd., warmly welcomed the lovely ladies from various countries led by its CEO Somchai Cheewasutthanon, and Executive Directors Piyapoern Sankosik and Narong Lertkitisiri. 95 contestants are expected to arrive and vie for this year’s edition of Miss Universe.

This is the third time Thailand hosted this most prestigious beauty pageant event. The first was in 1992 and then in 2005.

Fans in Thailand and from all over the world were all on the look and made their early favorites as who among the ladies arrived the most stylish.

The Miss Universe candidates will attend their first official event at the Thai Night Fashion Show which will be on December 5, 2018. Prior to this day, The ladies are preparing, filming, touring and having social activities such as visit to the Wuttisak Snail Farm, the Krudam Gym to know about the Thai boxing, Chao Praya boat ride, Wat Arun temple experience and the Smile Train charity work.

The coronation night will be on December 17 7AM, Bangkok time.

Miss Universe 2018

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Photos courtesy of MUO manilaupmagazine.com

SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

The ladies are warmly welcomed by TPN 2018 Co., Ltd., CEO and Executive Directors and Thai fans as they arrive at Dusit Thani Hotel f or their official registration.

Catriona Gray, Miss Universe Philippines 2018

Sophida Kanchanarin Miss Universe Thailand 2018

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

Miss Universe candidates visit a snail farm in Bangkok for their city tour activity on Dec. 2, 2018.

Miss Universe candidates gets their make up done upon arriving to the Dusit Thani Hotel.

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

The ladies took a boat cruise of Chao Praya on their way to visit the Wat Arun or “Temple of Dawn” on Dec. 3, 2018.

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ On November 19, a presscon held for the reveal of Miss Thailand’s official bet for the Miss Universe’s National Costume competition. The gown is under the theme called “Chang: The Icon of Siam”. The white and gold gown is accented with real diamonds with long trail and is highlighted with veil that unfolds into a white elephant. The costume is designed by Mr. Tee Phasuk. (photos: from Miss Universe Thailand)

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

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SIAM LIVING BY MARICEL “CELLE” DIAZ

Miss Universe Smile Train Charity

Photos courtesy of MUO

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Oliver Tolentino represented the Philippines for

“1st Thai Silk International Fashion Show”

in Bangkok

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angkok held its “8 th Celebration of Silk” event in an effort to promote Thai silk to the world. This year, the event launched its first fashion show called “Thai Silk International Fashion Show” and invited

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over 40 embassies in the city to showcase their own top couture designers with designs that reflect their countries’ culture and talents.

Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Hon. Mary Jo Bernardo-Aragon invited US-based Filipino designer

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And without hesitation and despite not being in Los Angeles, he tried his very best to deliver about 9 gowns, including the now infamous “red gown” for Pia to choose from. And as the old cliché goes, the rest became history.

Oliver thanked the Filipino community in Bangkok for the overwhelming support as the venue was jam packed. He also thanked Pia Wurtzbach as his special guest on the runway and Ambassador Mary Jo for having invited him to represent the Philippines. His show undoubtedly was the most popular and most watched show of the event. n

Oliver Tolentino to represent the country to the show.

In an interview with Oliver, he said that the audience was given an exclusive and first look at all his 50 dresses from his Spring/Summer Collection 2019, after which he will bring these to his Beverly Hills boutique in time for awards season in the US. He said he used a combination of Thai silk that has a very good structure and pineapple and abaca fibers which give an organza feel to this collection that resulted to a very modern and very beautiful look. To make his show more exciting and special, Oliver invited none other than 2015 Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach as his main muse to the show.

Oliver Tolentino became more popular after the famous incident when Pia Wurtzbach was in dire emergency for a proper gown for the preliminaries at the 2015 Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas.

Oliver at that time was on his Aspen holiday when he got this emergency call from Pia’s team.

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Miss Manila UP! LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

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ince I was twelve I had always wanted to be a princess, my favorite princess was Aurora from the 1956 Disney film “Sleeping Beauty�. Although she only had sixteen lines throughout the entire movie her voice always captivated me and I sang along in my pink Aurora inspired gown. I never thought that I would live out a moment like a princess.

I grew up in a quiet home with my mom Joanna. She was always inspiring me to be the best version of myself. She was a hard working single parent, was soon remarried and brought a new man into my life that I am proud to call my dad. Their relationship showed me what true love really is. Within their relationship I gained a little sister and a brother whom I love dearly. I have always had a close relationship with my mom. Although we love to bicker with each other she is always around to make me happy. My mom was one of the many women who inspired me everyday to be the confident woman I am today.

Mom spent most of her time growing up with my Lola Anita. My Lola had many stories to tell and I loved listening to every single one of them. She was

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born in the Philippines and gave birth to my Nana Liz. I know it seems quite confusing with the names but there is a secret reason for that. My Lola and Nana came to the United States to leave a troubled relationship. In the U.S. she became a professor at a private college teaching journalism. Not only was she a smart cookie but she was a Beauty queen in the Philippines. She would tell me about how she would feel walking down the runway in her big beautiful gown. I praised her for being so confident and one day hoped to have the same experience.

I would have never pictured myself in a beauty pageant or being able to walk in six inch heels without falling. But on the day I was scouted at my Junior basketball game in 2016 I was not really considering joining until my Mom really pushed me to be adventurous and try it out. I remember orientation being so awkward, my hair was a wreck, my makeup was completely disproportionate, and my white cocktail dress shaped my body into a box like figure. From that moment on I knew I wanted to be a part of the pageant and found myself within the process.

Sadly, that year of the pageant I did not place nor

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had the best experience but these did not stop me from falling in love with myself. I felt beautiful and I was happy that the pageant improved my self esteem and I was not afraid to join again.

In 2018 I joined to vie for the Miss Philippines USA title and was fully prepared for what was to come. On the coronation night I was so prepared for everything, I was my own makeup artist and hairdresser. Being on stage and chosen to be in top 12 was a huge accomplishment. I was so proud and nearly cried. And compared to my last pageant, it was a big achievement. When my number was picked for top 7, I was shaking. At this point it was the questionnaire portion of the pageant. I was so happy with the outcome of the pageant, I titled Miss Manila Up! 2018 and First Runner Up. This was huge and I couldn’t have done it without my family who brought me up to be a strong confident woman. n

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FASO@10

A Decade of Music Harmony and Community

by Janet Nepales

F

Los Angeles – FASO just turned gold and it has never shone brighter.

ASO (Filipino American Symphony Orchestra), the only Filipino-American symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special concert entitled “FASO@10 (A Decade of Music, Harmony and Community)” at the Alex Theatre in Glendale,

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California).

The show, chaired by Claire Navarro Espina, who is a member of the FASO board made up of members devoted to keeping the orchestra alive, was a rousing event and a fitting celebration of the Fil-Am cultural institution’s 10th anniversary milestone. Board president is Arlene Ferrolino.

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The show opened with the orchestra and a combined choir (Holy Family Chorale and Philippine Chamber Singers) doing “Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618”

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arranged by Eberhard Kraus with orchestration by FASO’s arranger-inresidence and Vice-President, Louie Ramos.

We also loved the rendition of Maria Christina “Kit” Navarro and Joan Cano on “Duo Des Fleurs/ Sous Le Dôme épais” and Navarro’s performance of “Fruhlingsstimmen Op. 410” by Johann Strauss II. We always wondered where that powerful voice was coming from that petite body of Navarro whose voice can make one transcend the environment and bring you to an idyllic location, a tranquil place filled with her melodious voice or make you get up and dance the waltz.

The excerpts from “Karim At Jasmine,” the first original Filipino musical opera in the US, composed by Dr. Ramon Sison Geluz, arranged and orchestrated by Naldy Rodriguez and performed by the dynamic trio of Christopher “Pete” Avendano, Cano and Navarro was also one performance that made us proud of the Fil-Am talents.

The first standing ovation went to Avendano whose powerful rendition of “Granada” deserved praise and attention.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the late Dr. Lucrecia R. Kasilag, FASO performed “Festival,” one of the composer and educator’s works.

For us, one of the highlights was the “Patriotic FilAm Medley” which Louie Ramos arranged and which was performed by Nayah Damasen, Mikaela Bautista, Erwin Andaya, and Gelo Francisco.

Ramos explained that the medley “consists of patriotic songs from the Philippines and from the USA in order of appearance: “God Bless The USA,” “America The Beautiful,” “Bayan Ko,” and “Handog Ng Pilipino Sa Mundo.”

The second standing ovation of the night went to the amazing seven-year-old belter Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja who sang “Tomorrow.”

The young girl is known for belting “The Star Spangled Banner” in an LA Galaxy-Seattle Sounders game and sang the “Dreamgirls” showstopper “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” with no less than Jennifer Holliday herself on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

A very sweet and touching part of the show was the duet of former “Miss Saigon” stars Deedee Magno-Hall, who portrayed Kim, and her real-life husband, Cliffton Hall, who played Chris. Now married for 15 years with their own Tams (Tam is Kim and Chris’ son in “Miss

Photo by Arnold Capati

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Photo by Auspicio Yan

Saigon”) – older son Kaeden Ryley and second son Brycen.

For Ramos, the three highlights of the 10th anniversary concert were “the mashup of the FilipinoAmerican patriotic songs and the second was the world premiere of the winning piece from the FASO International Composition Competition for Philippine Folk Music for students. It was dedicated to the promotion of Philippine folk music. The winning piece was “Ang Pipit (An Orchestral Variation)” by student composer Adriel “Rush” Garcia. Garcia casts the song’s tiny, titular bird as the hero of an expansive musical world that mimics the workings of nature.”

The third highlight for Ramos was The FASO Children’s Ensemble, who performed “So Long Farewell” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The children are products of FASO’s Education and Outreach program. These performances are a culmination of the Vocal Workshops that they have participated in. Each school year, FASO holds a series of interactive and intimate workshops, where we develop the skill, technique and musicianship of each student musician. We teach and mentor aspiring vocalists, string, wind and brass players and most recently, songwriters. There are workshop classes for children as well as adults.”

Joey Albert, a FASO favorite, gave a sweet and moving tribute to Shroder before she performed and 62

described the Maestro as “the dreamweaver and my friend.” She sang the holiday chestnut, “We Need A Little Christmas” (arranged by Resty dela Cruz), and the OPM favorite, “Tell Me” (composed by Louie Ocampo and arranged by Archie Castillo).

Shroder, playing his flute, also performed “Kahit Isang Saglit,” a Louie Ocampo composition that was arranged

by Resty dela Cruz and originally sang by Martin Nievera, to the delight of his fans.

As for his other dreams for FASO, Shroder shared, “I would like to see someday during our time in this world, to have a place for FASO and other performing groups based here in Los Angeles – a place, a structure, we can call home. My dream is also to be able to do an outreach program to visit and have concerts in other Filipino communities – in the neighboring cities in California, to other states or maybe first, a concert tour to the Philippines. We are Filipinos, but there’s also a different Filipino culture we practice, that I think would be interesting and good to share with our fellow Filipinos, artists in the Philippines. Lastly, wherever we all are 90 years from today, I would like to see FASO celebrate its 100 years of music, harmony and community. May God help us!”

In the meantime, we look forward to watching FASO make its debut performance at no less than the world-famous Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles come August next year. n

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FEATURE

Marcelito Pomoy

By Robert D. Womack

M

arcelito Pomoy is a singing sensation from Calauag, Quezon, Philippines. He is blessed with the ability to sing with both masculine and feminine voices. Amazingly enough, Marcelito has mastered being able to sing both the parts of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s duet, “The Prayer”. This unique talent allows him to switch from soprano to alto and back in an instant. He can mimic singing in other voices too.

Marcelito has earned many awards with his talent including that from the Filipino reality talent competition, “Pilipinas Got Talent”, created by Simon Cowell. Before displaying links that allow the reader to hear the phenomenal voice of Marcelito, it is interesting to understand his humble beginnings.

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Marcelito, known by friends as “Mars” or “Lito”, was basically an orphan since the age of two. Because his father was incarcerated and his mother had separated with her first child, Lito lived in the jail with his father.

However, when the jail could no longer feed little Lito, a policeman took him in. When Lito was seven years old he realized that he was not the real son of the policeman so he left. Consequently, Lito lived on the street and under a bridge for shelter. Lito did what he could to survive. He was resourceful and resorted to odd jobs and finally, cleaning chicken cages. Working with the chickens, he began to sing to them and this is where his unique ability to sing developed.

Marcelito’s family life is also of interest, he met his future wife, Joan Paraiso on October 26, 2011 when he

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was a guest at her parents Silver Wedding Anniversary.

They got married on September 21, 2014 and had their first child November 27, 2015.

Lastly, it is important to mention that Marcelito is a deeply religious man and gives gratitude to his creator by attending services with his family. In addition, Marcelito gives back to the community and especially to those who are incarcerated in jail. On his recent birthday this male celebrity, prepped and packed food and gifts for 503 inmates at the Gumaca District Jail. n Robert D. Womack, an actor and writer in Hollywood Contributing writers Joan Pomoy, and Marcelito Pomoy Links to Marcelito Poway singing: https://youtu.be/nRrx1UvFYzg

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PARTY PEOPLE BY AGILE BASTILLE-ZAMORA

"Hermes Black & White Event" FANTASTIC, CREATIVE, LAVISH, EXCLUSIVE, ABSOLUTE CLASS!

“L

MAKATI CITY, MANILA

et’s Play”, a Hermes Black & White event for its 120 most favored guests. Exquisite gourmet food prepared by 35 top local and international chefs was served by no less than 120 waiters, or one for each guest.

Hermes executives flew in from France to personally prepare and attend to the party. Waiters in special costumes, food served on rotating holders, antigravity balloons opening the gift-wrapped desserts.... what more can anyone think of or ask for! Truly a fantastic magical experience unrivaled by any event.

Thank you, Mario Katigbak, for having us. You are still the greatest event creator ever. Every year is a new and better surprise. All the best and more power to Hermes!!! n

Agile Zamora, Nympha Valencia, Hermes GM Mario Katigbak, and Connie Haw

PARTY PEOPLE

by AGILE BASTILLE-ZAMORA 66

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rge Sison lista and Geo ge an Ev rt ea H

Agile Zamora, Anton Huang, Connie Haw, Vicky Belo

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COMMUNITY

Filipino American Business Association of Glendale (FABAG)

Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation

2018 Philippine Heritage Arts and Culture Celebration

G

Designer Carl Andrada with his models

LENDALE, CA,October 26, 2018 – The Filipino American Business Association of Glendale (FABAG) organized in September 1990 under the Cultural Exchange Committee of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, presented its 2018 annual Philippine Heritage Arts and Culture Celebration at the Glendale Central Library held on October 26 during the Filipino American Heritage Month. The celebration was presented in a room packed with an audience in the library auditorium. There was the Filipino flair in songs, piano and rondalla performances, folk dances, a fashion show and a variety of sumptuous delicacies served for refreshments.

This free admission event entertained the audience which was emceed by Edith Fuentes of FABAG and Joy Quiza of Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation with an evening program of lively cultural performances, nostalgia and pride showcasing Filipino- American talents and artists. All performers presented their

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exemplary performances and the audience were all in awe. The highlight of the evening’s show was the fashion show by Carl Andrada, a locally based fashion designer who is known for his Filipiniana inspired creations and designs. A video presentation by a Marvel Studio visual developer/artist surprised the audience.

At the end of the presentation the artist, Anthony Francisco, came to greet and spoke to the audience about his artwork designs as a concept artist and illustrator. His list of works were included in feature films such as the Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Chronicles of Riddick. And, he is very well known too as the Visual Father of Baby Groot .

The evening was graced by State Senator Anthony Fortantino, representatives of Assembly Member Laura Friedman, Burbank Vice Mayor Sharon Springer, Glendale Council Members Paula Devine and Vartan Gharpetian, and Shant Sahakian from the Glendale Board of Education.

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The City of Glendale, at an earlier event prior to this evening’s celebration presented FABAG a “Proclamation and Resolution” proclaiming the month of October as the History and Cultural Month of Filipino Americans in the City of Glendale.

FABAG’s mission is to provide exemplary business leadership and community services based upon the highest levels of trust and integrity. Officers and members of FABAG headed by its current president Maria “Nini” Maldonado, along with the officers and board members of the Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation were very honored to welcome guests and dignitaries and took pride to culminate the evening’s event as another successful arts and cultural celebration.

Marlene Cagatao, FABAG’s past president concluded the celebration with closing remarks of profound gratitude to all the attendees, dignitaries, the City of Glendale, performers, artists, talents, supporters and volunteers who made the event possible and a success.

The Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit founded with a mission to be a beacon of hope for the abused, lost and abandoned children, serving them in both the Los Angeles County and the Philippines. The foundation works in partnership with FABAG for this annual presentation to present attendees with an evening of celebration and fun fare. To leave an imprint of Filipino cultural heritage and CHARITY. An evening indeed one can take home as a nostalgic experience. The foundation aims to serve children who are orphaned and abandoned due to natural disasters, diseases, poverty and violence. While

FABAG Committee

Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation most of these children are left to uncaring hands and unsafe environments, some are abandoned, abused and have lost hope. All of them deserve a loving home, a nurturing environment and a chance for a brighter future. The Alexis Louise Quiza Foundation envisions helping them find homes, heal and regain hope.Alexis Lousie Quiza Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit founded with a mission to be a beacon of hope for the abused, lost and abandoned children. Serving children both in the Los Angeles County and in the Philippines. The foundation works in partnership with FABAG of this annual presentation to present attendees an evening of celebration and fun fare to leave an imprint of Filipino cultural heritage and CHARITY. An evening indeed one can take home with a nostalgic experience.

The foundation aimed to serve children that are orphaned and abandoned due to natural disasters, diseases,poverty and violence. While most of these children are left to uncaring hands and unsafe environment some are abandoned, abused and have lost hope. All of them deserve a loving home, a nurturing environment and a chance to a brighter future.

Alexis Louise Quiza Foundationenvisionsin helping them find homes, heal and regain hope. n

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COMMUNITY

Camera Club of the Philippines celebrates

90th Year Anniversary

with photo exhibit at the United Nations in New York City Photos by Phillip Ner

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CCP LM Narciso dela Merced, Consul General Claro Cristobal, CCP President Paul San Pedro and Charges D’Aaires Ariel Penarada

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RC CAYLAN ATELIER LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

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C Caylan’s “Hues Of Love” Spring Summer 2019 Collection was inspired by the story of “Love”. He translates the love story that presents an angle to express that not every story comes with only happy moments. Each mood in his collection presents the emotions of a woman who felt betrayed and cheated, and yet, falls in and out of love.

RC’ put emphasis on the storytelling in his SS2019 collection. The moral of the story being that no matter how we stumble and fall we can still stand back up, empowered.

Hopelessly romantic and keep the positive outlook on life as

a perspective. Each piece from his collection showcased that provocative look, sensual yet it exudes class and sophistication in impeccable execution.

RC’s show closes up with his exemplary finale.

The masterpiece was a Blue Embroidered Floral Sequined Ball Gown accentuated by an exaggerated ruffled blue veil with crown worn by Miss Universe Canada and Miss World Canada Riza Santos. His Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring Summer 2019 Presentation definitely leaves a mark with the audience, it is for them to look forward every season to watch out for the next big story as translated into superlative fashion by RC, the creator and storyteller for all seasons! n

Designer Call with my Models

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RC CAYLAN ATELIER “Hues Of Love”

Spring Summer 2019 Collection

Fernando Duarte did “Drop Dead Gorgeous” act at RC Caylan ATELIER Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring Summer 2019 Presentation powered by ArtHeartsFashion, that made the audience amazingly surprised and made RC’s show the talk of the Fashion Week.

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RC CAYLAN ATELIER “Hues Of Love”

Spring Summer 2019 Collection

Blue Embroidered Floral Sequins Ball Gown accentuated in metallic sequin diamond shape, in ombre feathered waist line, embellished with Swarovski Crystals sweetheart neck line bodice in exaggerated puff feathered sleeves. Modelled by Riza Santos as the finale for RC Caylan ATELIER at Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring Summer 2019 presentation powered by ArtHeartsFashion.

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Pj “HBOM” Segovia

hen it comes to the men of hip hop, gaining RESPECT in a highly competitive male dominated industry is no small feat whether that’s here in the US or in the

Philippines.

Explore the entrepreneurial genius of Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Rapper PJ Segovia (aka HBOM)! From 1992 till 2000, Pj HBOM Segovia has lived in the Philippines. He was known back then as SKETCH, or H-BOM. PJ made a few movies (Madaling mamatay mahirap mabuhay, Boy Buluran, Kamandag ko papatay sayo) Excuse the graphic content for sensitive readers though.

HBOM made 4 albums during his residency in Manila…1st album self titled HBOM, 2ND BUHAY, 3RD PWEDE BA, and 4TH D REAL SIDE. PJ masterminded his first 1st self titled album HBOM, followed by rap record Album Buhay which appeared in 1997. H-Bom’s third Album release, Pwede Ba?, appeared in 1998; D’ Real Side followed in 1999. The album continued in the same vein established by H-Bom’s earlier material, with the rapper spinning non-threatening rhymes and occasionally singing. Despite his foreboding nickname, HBOM was rather disciplined. Rapping predominantly in English.. his music can be compared to the nonthreatening, entertaining rapping of Will Smith.

H-Bom isn’t mean or thuggish, He raps in a low, sensual voice, and also sings on many of the songs.

His rapping is CONFIDENT, as heard

on the opening “I’m Fallen,” which also features a guest female singer singing a tender, soulful line. “Why” has a flashy horn section playing the instrumental line from the film.. The Pink Panther, which weaves around the exuberant rapping of H-Bom. Another IMAGINATIVE arrangement is heard on “Will I - C - U?,” which contains a string section playing a beautiful Baroque-style movement, blending majestically with the female backing vocals. (Baroque music is a heavily ornamented style of music that came out of the Renaissance).

“The Unknown” has the hardest edge of any song on the album. H-Bom’s rapping here is grittier, and the searing guitar solo adds a tough edge. Mostly, though, the music is accessible and non-threatening. D’ Real Side is a wellconceived, enjoyable project. Like many Philippine pop stars, H-Bom avoided any hard edges on his material in order to cater to the largest audience possible.

Pj HBOM Segovia on a personal scale Loves PEOPLE WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR, He’s a lover of life AND AN OPTIMIST! Good for you PJ! Reflecting on everything. HBOM’s music overall wanted to highlight the shared love, respect, and passion that fans bring to his music events.

With this in mind, HBOM has developed and executed his very own Greatest Hits campaign, which featured none other than all his greatest compilation that can also bring values from his dynamics out into everyday life. n

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LIFE’S JOURNEYS BY MELODY GARCIA

THE HAPPINESS FORMULA

by Anil Gupta

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA

e have been taught many formulas at school, (Newtons laws of motions , Pythagorean theorem, Einstein’s theory of relatively, and many others… but we have never been given a formula for happiness.

I stumbled upon this formula by accident, and through painful adversity that I experienced in 2008. As you know, this was the time of the Global Financial Crisis… All my savings, investments, income, stocks and shares and equity in my house were decimated. To a point which led me to the thoughts of suicide. It was a time that was very hard indeed for myself and my family. The one thing that was immensely helpful was the art of giving. What this means, there is a way to give, and it is an art. And in the moment you give authentically, all the pains and suffering completely stops… and you are filled with a feeling of peace and joy. This feeling was something i had not experienced in a long time and it

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gave me hope. Hope in a way that would take me along a more fulfilling journey.

As I gave more, it was like a drug and it became addictive.

Then another wonderful thing happened, as I gave and gave.. I became more grateful. I would look at my hands, and thank them for all the great things they have done for me, the kindness they had given, the gentleness they had experienced, the children they had carried and the hugs they had given. This feeling too, gave me hope… which compounded the feeling generated by the giving. This awareness felt great and I realized that the awareness had brought some clarity, which in turn, had brought some focus, which in turn, brought some action, which in turn, created results… Leading to momentum. I had not felt this way for many years and I started to analyze why I was feeling this way. I knew I had given, I knew I was grateful… but there was something else. What am I missing.. It was then that I had realized I had grown. Emotionally… Physically…

Spiritually and mentally…. That’s when I said to myself, what a great formula. That stuck in my head for a few days. Then

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LIFE’S JOURNEYS BY MELODY GARCIA I asked myself, what is this formula for… Then I realized it was the formula we had all been seeking - the formula for happiness.

People ask me, Anil are you happy all the time? Quite frankly, I am not… I have my moments… But I don’t live in a world of bad moments, but a world of great moments.

This was a revelation… As I delved deeper, I realized that whenever I had my bad moments, one of these 3 G’s *(Giving, Growing, Gratitude) was at a much lower level. Just by simply knowing that and being aware of it, brought my attention to it, so therefore would focus on the lowest G… Which in turn would bring up all the G’s. Instantly make me happier. I would love for you all to do this really simple exercise which will have powerful ramifications… So right now.. Look at your life.. Which of the 3 G’s (Give, Grow, Gratitude) is at the lower point… and then… Once you have decided which is the lowest G…. All you need to do, is work on that G to raise its level. As you do this, be aware of the impact it has on your happiness… It is quite profound, you can do this more than once a day, as often as you like. And after a while, it only takes a few seconds to be aware where you need to place your attention.

ANIL GUPTA

By Melody Garcia

Our next speaker is a world expert on relationships and happiness. He has coached some of the most famous celebrities on the planet like Mike Tyson as well being a guest speaker with Richard Branson on Necker Island. He enjoys helping people overcome obstacles that prevent them living a fulfilled life and has appeared on stages all over the world and recently was keynote speaker in Medellin in front of 10, 000 raving fans. He has appeared at Harvard on a number of occasions and is a guest speaker on Fox news as well as best selling international author of “Immediate Happiness”. He has written a number of published articles with the most recent one for the Virgin group. He has just returned from receiving an Icon award in LA and is receiving further awards as well as global recognitions.

If you want to have a dramatic impact on your life please stand and welcome Anil Mission - To inspire 1 Billion Lives by Dec 25, 2020 www.ImmediateHappiness.com

H = GxGXG I have taught this formula in front of 10,000 raving fans in Medellin, Colombia. On Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island.

To many celebrities and athletes, in four continents, and in 8 languages. It has never been wrong, and has proven itself to be true in every single case. I urge you to use this formula, to enhance you, your families and friends life….n For further information, please go to my website www. immediatehappiness.com.

I am running a special offer for my private membership site, where you will learn many tools and methodologies, to make your life a richer fuller happier life. https://immediate.kartra.com/page/wDN2

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LIFE’S JOURNEYS

by Melody Garcia

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ROLAND M.SANCHEZ with multitude of talents

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES

OLAND M. SANCHEZ is a professional with a multitude of careers spanning both the more obscure business as an agent with the country’s top bureau of investigation and the more public arena of film production.

Roland boasts of an education as diverse, having 2 Bachelor degrees, one in Advertising and Public Relations and the other in Criminology. Reflecting his more serious career choice is the fact that he has a Master’s degree in the field of Business Administration.

Fast forward to today…Still wearing his hat as Agent for the National Bureau of Investigation, Roland Sanchez has simultaneously been Executive Producer, Director and Screenwriter of RMS Productions since

2009. He proceeded to become Managing Partner of Red Post Production House starting in 2015 to the present. His social status is Single, albeit with four kids. Not of very tall stature, emerging giant is a rapid fire dynamo who broke into the international movie awards arena in Movie Production with a roster of impressive wins! He not only succeeded to venture into an extremely challenging industry, he topped it with the following awards all garnered in 2017, his benchmark year for the movie “Broken Hallelujah”.: n Filmmaker of the Year Gold Award (Broken Hallelujah), Film maker of the Year International Film Festival, Bali Indonesia, November 2017 n Founder’s Award for Film Excellence, (EJK) Riverside International Film Festival, Riverside California USA, April 2017 n Best Produced Screenplay, Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress (Broken Hallelujah), World Premiere Film Awards, Canada, October 2017 n Award of Merit for Best Director, Award of Merit for Best Screenplay, (Broken Hallelujah) Cinema Worldfest , Canada October 2017 n Chairman’s Award for Film Excellence, (EJK), Los Angeles International Film Festival, Carson California, USA, October 2017 n Best Film (Broken Hallelujah) UK Monthly Festival, United Kingdom, October, 2017 Silver Award, (Broken Hallelujah) The European Independent Film Awards Watch out for this superb secret agent as he explores the deep recesses of film production. email: nbi_roland@yahoo.com Mobile: 09266717999

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ROLAND M. SANCHEZ PROFESSIONAL Agent, National Bureau of Investigation 2002-Present Executive Producer, Director, Screenwriter, RMS Productions 2009-Present Managing Partner, Red Post Production House 2015-Present EDUCATION Masters in Business Administration, 1996 BS Criminology, 2016 BSC Advertising/Public Relations, 1988 PERSONAL Birthdate: August 21, 1976 Social Status: Single with four kids Height: 5’11 Weight: 170 lbs

Unit 617-A Almanza Metropolis Condominium Manila Doctors Village, Almanza Las Pinas City email: nbi_roland@yahoo.com Mobile: 09266717999

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Benjamin Schnau

A

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

lready during school time Benjamin Schnau had taken acting lessons and played in the school theatre. “Actually, I knew early on that I wanted to do it professionally,” says Benjamin. “But as it is, at a young age you are often guided by your environment, which keeps telling you to do something ‘decent’, because acting is just artless.”

Benjamin, who leaves his home in SaxonyAnhalt, Germany with his mother in 1992 and moves to Frankfurt am Main, Germany initially studying business administration.

When his mother died in 2008 after years of fighting cancer, he quit his office job and moved to London to tackle his international acting career. “Saying goodbye to my mother has shown me how short life can be and how to go after what your inner voice says.”

After starting out in Germany playing in German TV show ‘Rosenheim-Cops’ at the famous Bavaria film studios, he moved to London in the UK to take his career to the next level. “The industry in the UK especially London is a lot bigger than in Germany and therefore more opportunities for actors,” Benjamin says.

Without knowing

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anyone in town, Benjamin starts to work his way up to, first, getting an agent, booking smaller projects until he finally got his first big break -- shooting an international commercial for Amazon and TV shows.

Four years later, after working successfully in the UK he decided to make the move to the US to finally fulfill his dream to establish a name for himself in Hollywood.

It takes one thing above all to gain a foothold in the industry, stamina. “You have to be careful not to

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fall into depression or get frustrated when things are not working,” says Benjamin, who keeps himself fit through regular boxing training and thus gets himself a big coat. “I had moments when I asked myself, ‘Why am I doing this at all, why am I doing this?’ Even selfdoubt plagues him in between. “Was it a mistake to go over there? Am I doing anything wrong?” All these questions occupy the ambitious Germans. “But one thing I always knew in the end was that giving up does not exist, going back to Germany is always a possibility, but realizing my dream can only happen once in my life.”

In the meantime, he already had the chance working on big projects like the TV series “Megastructures” for National Geographic which is available on Netflix in which he plays the lead role Jupp Klein trying to escape Italy with his squad. https://vimeo.com/302621211 https://www.netflix.com/title/80242339 Beside that he had the opportunity playing on ‘The current war’ alongside Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hault and Tom Holland released September 2017. “It was a great experience acting beside Michael Shannon turning this movie into reality”, he says. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140507/reference This year Benjamin already wrapped movie ‘Divos’ in which he plays character Darren alongside actor Jake Busey, who can be recently seen in ‘The predator’ and ‘Stranger Things’ and actress ‘Nicole Sullivan’. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8342232/reference n

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Elna Villaflor Cover Girl

December 2016 PHOTO BY PHILIP NER

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Joy Alegre

Cover Girl March 2016

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EVOLUTIONISTS AWARD Kiss The Monkeys “We should explore ways to make us a more amazing species. A more fascinating society. We should embrace our innovations and evolve with them.” ––A quote by Brad Feld HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

It was in the first year of existence, Kiss The Monkeys/Kiss The Mermaids (KTM) thought we should seek to inspire our community by acknowledging and rewarding the those that live exemplary lives. We are so blessed to have so many exceptionally members in our circle.

Our last event “Calling All Superheroes” was in 86

line with our “Evolutionists Award” as it is easy to imagine Didi Wong for championing women and children with her YES Academy, Gerry Kane to share his expertise in finance to help veterans, and Jeffrey Lefkovitz for his work with the handicapped to be modern day superheroes.

The photos captured all of them in their capes accepting their awards, was a mental image of how we already personally, knew them to be in their daily lives.

Evolutionists that have also been honored include former Mayor of Beverly Hills John Mirisch, Pussycat Doll Carmit Bachar, and Prince Max Mario, just to name a few. In recognizing the best of the best, KTM hopes to encourage our broad audience to live a life that raises the consciousness of our society. n

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KISS THE MONKEYS SUPER HERO DIDI WONG CEO, The Yes Academy and Social Spotlight Events Didi Wong is an international multi-award winning speaker, serial entrepreneur and angel investor with expertise in the industries of entrepreneur education, event planning, public speaking, mentoring, interior design and real estate. Her superpowers include helping clients gain confidence, connecting people strategically, and raising her four children including twins all under the age of eight.

With gratitude, International Multiple Award Winning Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, Interior Designer, Author 2018 WEF’s “Women of the Decade” Award in Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Speaker at the United Nations for the Global Entrepreneurship Initiative Guest Judge and Investor on #1 Digital Business Show - “Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch” Speaker in Feature Documentary movie “IMPACT” https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5vaPON3SaXw to be released late 2019 Best-Selling Author of “Success Breakthroughs” with the legendary Jack Canfield As seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox on Times Square Today Show Featured leading Entrepreneur 2018 in The Wall Street Journal​ CEO of The Yes Academy, Social Spotlight Events and J2D2 Designs www.didiwong.com www.theyesacademy.com www.socialspotlightevents.com C. 917-907-1044 Facebook: @didiwongofficial Instagram: @didiwongofficial Twitter: @didiwong LinkedIn: DIDI WONG

SUPER HEROES Gerald Kane Gerry Kane has devoted the last 25 years helping families and business achieve their goals of protecting their wealth and he has over 3,000 clients and he is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He is devoted to Veterans and his practice has helped countless Veterans obtain Veteran’s pension benefits to help them pay for needed care and assistance.

Gerry, as a father of a special needs child, understands family’s challenges and works with individuals with disabilities and their families to create plans that protect their necessary government benefits. In addition, his Life Care Planning law practice, eliminates the confusion with taking care of a loved one suffering from a chronic disease—such as Alzheimer’s. He helps protect family’s lifelong savings by helping them access care and benefits and reducing the stress through coordinating legal and medical care with their on-staff registered nurse. Gerry regularly gives back to the community and works with and provides educational seminars for the Alzheimer’s association, Parkinson’s, and special needs organizations.

KISS THE MONKEYS JEFF LEFKOVITZ Jeff Lefkovitz and his team helps people suffering from paralysis following a severe injury or illness, by enhancing their connection to their nervous system, so that they may move, feel, function and walk again. His facility, The Abilities Recovery Center in Los Angeles, offers specialized fitness programs combined with innovative cutting-edge equipment that allows our clients access to essential exercises necessary to stand, and to safely learn how to walk again.

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DINE TRAVEL IN STYLE BY GRACE AGUILAR

Camille Abuel’s

18th Birthday Celebration

s Celia h her parent Camille wit o by Auspicio Yan ot and Ariel- ph

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POMONA, CALIFORNIA

n November 11, 2018, we celebrated a wonderful debut held at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel in Pomona. As guests arrived in their navy blue or rose gold attire, they made their way to the red carpet with a floral backdrop and an arch of flowers to take pictures of the debutante, Camille Abuel and her guests. There were cute name cards for table settings, a photo booth to take fun pictures, a gorgeous frame with a picture of the debutante to write birthday messages, a candy bar with lots of sweets for the sweet tooth, nice gift boxes, a table for debutante’s gifts and wine glasses as souvenirs for everyone. The ballroom was beautifully lit, the head table was for the debutante and her court. Guests’ tables were decorated with lovely centerpieces, and there was a delicious three tier cake, lively music, an open bar and a scrumptious dinner. What else could a young girl ask for on her special day?...

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DINE TRAVEL IN STYLE

By Grace Aguilar

Camille’s friends photo by Arnold Capati

A debut is a coming out of age. A traditional Filipino celebration which celebrates a young lady’s 18th birthday. The young girl has blossomed into a beautiful lady. She is the third child of four siblings raised by loving and hardworking parents, Ariel and Celia Abuel (she is Manila Up! International Magazine’s Social Media Photographer). The debutante has beautiful brown eyes, long silky black hair, a sweet smile and a voice like that of a nightingale. Smart and talented in so many ways, she excels in school, and sports, especially basketball. She plays the ukulele and loves to sing. The beautiful debutante, Camille Abuel was presented to the party wearing a gorgeous silver and burgundy gown.

A short prayer upon the debutante was followed by Camille dancing the grand cotillion with her court for her guests of close knit family and friends. The occasion started with 18 roses, which were presented to her by 18 males and dances with the debutante. The dance number concluded with the “Father and Daughter”

dance. Then came the 18 candles, which 18 female friends and relations each delivered along with a short speech about their relationship with Camille. There were some more dance performances, singing, and, a slide show of memories in between the numbers.

The birthday cake ceremony came next after everything else. It was about making that wish and blowing all 18 candles. Camille looked very happy on her birthday, the ballroom was filled with laughter, tears of joy, dancing, and lots of fun. The night ended with Camille’s speech, where she thanked everyone, most especially her parents, her siblings, and relatives for putting this debut together (in less than a month) and showing her gratitude to all her guests for being a part of her milestone birthday.

“Happy Birthday Camille!!!” Good luck in all your endeavors. n Photos by: Arnold Capati and Auspicion Yan

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Celebrating The

World’s Best with

Pops

Fernandez HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

Pops and her “World’s Bests” colleagues took a night off from their work on the new CBS Global talent show to celebrate. Together they make up the network Primetime show›s elite judging panel from all over the world.

The Every gorgeous Pops Fernandez

Photos by STHANLEE MIRADOR

Hosts Ted Benito & Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan congratulate Pops Fernandez Richard-Imee Ong Maghanoy and Manila Up Publisher Sonia Bermejo

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Maghanoy Richard-Imee Ong ra ve and Ram Nie

CBS World’s Best International Judgeing Team hosted by Pops Fernandez, Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan & Peter Brennan

Pops Fernandez celebrating with some of her World’s Best Judging colleagues TV Host Victoria Recano, Pops Fernandez and Actor Jon Jon Briones and publicist

Pops & Lisa with two of Pop’s celebrity Judge colleagues

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The Stars aligned in Hollywood with

Pops Fernandez

by Joey Galon

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

Joey Galon, Winston Emano, Tash Gretz, Lisa Lew & Manila Up Publisher Sonia Bermejo

Host Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan, Jean manibog, Award winning actor Jon Jon Briones, Maria Manibog

Host former Binibininb Pilipinas International & Emmy Award Winning Producer Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan

Photos by STHANLEE MIRADOR

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John & Minda Chin & Lisa Manibog Lew Brennan

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hilippines sweetheart Pops Fernandez and other international superstars aligned together on one night in Hollywood Hills hosted at the private estate of Multi-Emmy award winning Executive TV producers Peter and Lisa Manibog-Brennan. Pops was in Los Angeles filming her upcoming “Worlds Best” television show on CBS along with her co-celebrity international judges from around the world. The night was a culmination of love, beauty, talent and celebration.

Adding lists of sponsors for the event are: Jade Montoya of Barkada Restaurant, Tanduay Rum, Dolce Vida Vodka Tequila, John and Minda Chin of Fiesta Fast Food, Good Greek Grill,Kristine dela Cruz of Creme Caramel and the Dirty Cookie for desserts. n manilaupmagazine.com

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PAQUIAO VS BRONER

By Grace Aguilar

S

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

enator Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner held it›s 2nd press tour at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Beverly Hills last November 20, 2018.

Pacquiao returns to the U.S. to defend his welterweight title vs. Adrien Broner on January 19, 2019 9pm ET/6pm PT at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Available on SHOWTIME PPV. Photos by Celia “Paparazzcel” Abuel

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METRO SCENE BY JOY FONG

Anna Sia’s Birthday Party

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hilippine’s best dressed Anna Sia marked another milestone with a Havana Themed birthday party held at her family owned restaurant chain, Locavore S. Maison at Conrad Hotel. Guests were impressed with the transformation of the trendy place into a Havana haven with glitz & glamour courtesy of her daughter Alta Lyttle. Tables were beautifully decorated with colorful centerpieces of flower, leaves and fruit arrangements.

Cheers!!!!!!!!!

Email joyfong@rocketmail.com

Curata, Bob Miller, Ito y Tanchanco, nn So Standing i John Gadd

Anna Sia

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Cheloy Ignacio, Chuchi Villar,Connie Haw, Agile Zamora, Anna Sia

Marissa Fenton, Mayenne Carmona, Anna Sia

Hera Gerine, Anna Sia, Sheree Chua, Joel Cruz, Marian Ong

Anna Sia

Joy Fong, Sonia Bermejo, Ito Curata

Joy & Joel Rustia, Elsie Pascua, Cory Quirino

Tina Cuevas, Elsie Pascua, Hera Geniera, Duday Tuazon

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