Brand oct nov2014 - Volume4, No.2 by Utmost Creative Publishing

U R B A N

P R O F E S S I O N A L ’ S

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

M A G A Z I N E

U R B A N

P R O F E S S I O N A L ’ S

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

M A G A Z I N E

EDITOR’S NOTE

Talk about déjà vu. As I write this, I alternately switch my gaze from my monitor, to the television screen and what I see on the news worries me. Just when the memory of destruction of Typhoon Glenda was beginning to fade, along comes a new one and, like Typhoon Ondoy from September 26, 2009, it’s catching us completely unexpected. This new typhoon – named “Mario” – began as a continuous rain on the evening of September 18, trapping me along Gil Puyat Avenue on my way to the evening events of the Philippine International Motor Show that had just started its four-day run that same morning. By the time I make it to the Boomland parking area, the entrance is already flooded shin-deep. It was bad then, but I had no idea how much things would get worse by the next morning. And did things get worse. Office and factory workers whose employers hadn’t cancelled work for the day found themselves desperately trying to get to their respective offices in kneeto waist-deep floods, while a large portion of Metro Manila was paralyzed, with several major roads – including sections of EDSA – flooded beyond the capacity of light vehicles. The La Mesa Dam spilled over mid-morning, prompting fears of secondary flooding. Provident Village in Marikina – one of the most severely flooded residential areas in 2009 – was, miraculously, not flooded. Thanks to diligent engineering efforts on their part, the village had managed to construct its own flood control and drainage system, resulting in minor flooding that averaged ankle-height, as opposed to roof-height five years ago. Now if a private village can

fix their flooding problem, why can’t a city; or an entire metropolis? That isn’t a rhetorical question. I know the answer, but I’m not about to turn Brand into a political magazine, even if it looks like we’ve put three politicians on this issue’s cover. Rest assured, none of the men on our cover have any political aspirations. Not because none of us have criminal minds, but rather because we’d rather eke, er, earn our keep the honest way. As the theme suggests, we’re supposed to be, ahem, gentlemen. But what, really, is a gentleman? Different people will have different views on this. In fact, we even have an article inside devoted just to this question. But getting back to the point - what is a gentleman? I don’t think I’m qualified to answer that. I do know it is not in one’s clothes, or outward appearances. If there’s one thing I’m sure a gentleman is, is that he is someone who will put the needs and welfare of others ahead of his own, without completely neglecting himself. In the midst of Mario’s onslaught, gentlemen from all walks of life prevailed. They may not have been in fancy suits; most of the ones I saw were in raincoats, others merely in shorts and slippers. But all of them were doing the same thing – helping others; saving lives where they could. Making a difference where it counted. To the gentlemen of Typhoon Mario, I salute you and thank you for the unending courage that you display time and again. You are the country’s unsung heroes, and this issue is dedicated to you. You know who you are. Thank you, very, very much.

STAFFBOX

THE GENTLEMAN’S ISSUE

Volume 4 No.2 Issue 20

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MARIO ALAMAN Publisher

STEVEN EDWARD YU

Co-Publisher / Editor-In-Chief

EDITORIAL ANDREW RODRIGUEZ Managing Editor

KAYE BENEDICTO

Associate Editor - Tech

YHUONG BOTOR

Associate Editor - Fashion

RICKY ALONZO Jr.

COVER 1: EJAY FALCON

Photographer: G-nie Arambulo of AdPhoto, Inc. Stylist: Aisa Ipac Assistant Stylists: Baron Solomon, Philip Malala & Pia Stevens Venue: Pan Pacific Hotel Manila Special thanks to: UniSilver Time

Associate Editor - Lifestyle

JUDE MORTE

Associate Editor - Mobility

NOVELYN QUIAMCO Assistant Editor - Tech

COVER 2: ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

ANDREW ALTAREJOS

Senior Writer / Visayan Correspondents

LIAN CAPILI and NATHAN FEROLINO Editorial for Beauty

CREATIVE ALFRED CABRAL and GUNTHER DE GUZMAN Art Directors

Contributing Photographers

G-NIE ARAMBULO, YHUONG BOTOR, REYNALD CRUZ, GUNTHER DE GUZMAN, ANA MANLAPAS of AdPhoto Inc., JERICHO MONTEMAYOR, RONALD RAMOS, ANDREW RODRIGUEZ Contributing Writers

JACEL DE JESUS, SHERILLINE L. MAGALLANES NOVELYN QUIAMCO, ANGEL RIVERO BLESSY STO. TOMAS, MARIJO VIRAY

COVER 3: THE MEN OF UTMOST Mario Alaman, Steven Edward Yu and Andrew Rodriguez Photographer: Gunther De Guzman Hair & Make up: Ally Monasterial & Yona Pacheco Stylist: Yhuong Botor Venue: Camayan Beach Resorts & Hotel, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Celebrity Contributor

DINDIN MORENO MARK ESCUETA

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING MJ ESTEBAN

Senior Account Manager

LORNA ALEJANDRO, EMMAN ACUNA, EDERLYN MATARO Account Managers

JANE LOYOLA

Admin & Circulation Head

Brand Magazine is published by Utmost Creative Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Copyright @ 2013 Utmost Creative Publishing. Printed in the Republic of the Philippines. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner without permission from the publisher and editors. The views and opinions expressed by the authors in this magazine are not necessarily those of Utmost Creative Publishing. Unsolicited manuscripts and images, of which the publisher assumes no responsibility or guarantee of publication, will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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Brand Magazine is Available Nationwide at all LEADING BOOKSTORES: (National Bookstores, Power Books, Fully Booked, Book for Less, Booksale, Bufini, News & Bytes, Saddle Brown, Merriam Webster, Book and Read, Mio Magazine, Forewords, Inc. NAIA: Christian Ventures – II-III-IV, Trading V-VI, North and South Wing, Travellers Drugstore. HOTELS: Diamond Hotel, DusitThani Hotel, Manila Pavillion, Intercon, Mandartin, Sofitel, Manila Hotel, Shangri-La, New Hyatt, Heritage, Peninsula, Dusit Hotel Nikko. DEPARTMENT STORES:Rustan’s Express Lane and Supermarket, E-Media Greenhills, Hyper Souvenir &Flowershop, Cash and Carry, Kangs Grocery, Cubix, Shoppers Mart. PROVINCE: Bacolod, Dumaguete, Cebu, Ilo-ilo, Kalibo, Tacloban, Baguio, Balanga, Dagupan, Lipa, Davao, General Santos. OTHERS: Enchanted Gift Shop, Saddle Brown, Makati Medical, Total Gas Station Alabang, Newport Terminal3.

CONTENTS

FASHION, TECH & LIFESTYLE VOLUME 4 / No. 2 / OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

14 22

STYLE

TIMELINE

SCAN

NETBASE

RATED

HIGHLIGHT

ABOUT

INFOCUS

UNWIND

TASTE

WELLNESS

RENOVATE

SPOTLIGHT

BILLBOARD EVENT

BILLBOARD NEWS

100

A Man’s World

BEAUTY

3 Easy Skin Care Steps for Men CASIO EDIFICE, FREDERIQUE CONSTANT, RADO, UNISILVER, ALEXUS,TECHNOMARINE, CHAMPION Gadgets for You Gadgets for Men TCL E5690 SONY XPERIA Z1C LOGITECH 2110 WD My PASSPORT ULTRA TORQUE DROIDZ MOTION CANON PIXMA MX92 The Men of Utmost A Woman’s Perception of a True Gentleman Ejay Falcon

Annyeong Korea Akira Restaurant Recipes Restaurant Defy Gravity

Giving Yourself a Little Space In a Whole New Light Robert Downey Jr. Movie Line up Raymond Gorospe BRAND Magazine 4th Year Anniversary Party Beats Studio Wireless by Dr. Dre, Beats Executive GIBI Fun Day, WD TV Media Player, Krysvox, Wattpad

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

CONTENTS

Mobility

BRAND Magazine 2013 Henry Ford Award Winner “Best Automotive Consumer Feature”

VOLUME 4 / No. 2 / OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

“Riding a motorcycle is not all about riding in a straight line and acceleration; it’s also about going around corners. The Monster 1200 S equipped with Ohlins suspension bits and Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires had me taking the mountain roads of Rizal with increasing confidence as I got used to how the bike handled.”

Andrew Rodriguez, Managing Editor & Photographer

NEUES EV LAUNCH

HYUNDAI Accent 1.6L DSL 6M/T sedan

61 63

MITSUBISHI ASX GLS (model year 2015)

• Sen. Bam Aquino formally opens THE BMW X PAVILION • Honda Cars Makati, Inc. names Optimum CARe: X-1R grand raffle promowinners

DUCATI MONSTER 1200 S

Nissan Unveils All New X-Trail at the Philippine International Motor Show

Volkswagen Polo Notch 1.6 TDi M/T

Median Motoring on the Down Low The B-Side of Drving Fun

The Heart of the Compact SUV Crowd Mega Monster

CAMPI opens the 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) with Senator Bam Aquino

Fashion is a popular style or practice in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup and even body piercing. It is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses. Mint is one of the clothing retailers here in the Philippines that believes fashion is essential. They have the freshest illustration of FASHION, TREND & STYLE and was voted 2013 Outstanding Filipino Retailer.

CODE: MTSLS-11381-FD-07 PRICE: Php1050

CODE: MTKLO-11474-MG-08 PRICE: Php850

CODE: MTSLO-11338-FD-08 PRICE: Php1050

CODE: WTSLO-11182-WB-06 PRICE: Php950 CODE: MTPSR-11268-CA-06 PRICE: Php750

CODE: MBWRO-11276-BB-08 PRICE: Php950

CODE: MBDJP-11495-BB-08 PRICE: Php1050

Volume 4 No. 2 www.brandmagazineph.com

CODE: WBDJP-11361-BB-08 PRICE: Php900

CODE: MTSLO-11338-FD-08 PRICE: Php1050

CODE: WBDJ-11413-BB-07 PRICE: Php1000

STYLE

FASHION • LIFESTYLE • ACCESSORIES Burgundy jumpsuit (Php1435) and black jumpsuit with belt (Php1535) from Forever21. Black romper (Php1200) from Daze by Dez online. Cuffs (Php330 each) and earrings (Php280).

1 Nitesha - Multi strapped satin platform heels with glitter and crystal applique. Color: Red/Gold, Silver/Silver, Purple/Gold Price: Php1,599.75 Size Range: 35-39. 2 Beliz - Double ankle strapped stiletto sandals with glitter. Color: Green/Gold, Black/Silver, Red/Gold Price: Php1,499.75 Size Range: 34-39.

3 Bellarisa - Open toe suede ankle strapped stiletto sandals. Color: Red, Purple Price: Php1,339.75 Size Range: 34-39. 1

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A MAN’S WORLD T

HE old adage goes that behind every great/ successful man is a woman. That statement may still hold a little significance but let’s not forget that it’s 2014 and most self-respecting women would never allow themselves to be labeled as just “the woman behind/beside her man”. Female self-empowerment has even evolved to a point where ladies are no longer afraid to display their femininity in the business district where men are in sleek black/grey power suits and avoid feeling intimidated. FASHION of course has to adapt to its consumers and so has redefined the meaning of “power-dressing” for the ladies. Gone are the days when women would compete with their counterparts on who has the sharpest suit or crispest shirt. Thanks to our friends at the SM store we will show you today how to power-dress and still be very lady-like using items from Forever21 and SuiteBlanco in an editorial applying the minimalist and monochrome trends of 20142015 where less is definitely more. Gibi shoes also helped us to show that you can still show a little playfulness (you are still a girl after all) by adding a pop of colour and even embellishments. TO anyone who dares, or dared, to show more skin than the norm, one must not forget that less is still more and consider showing only the slightest sliver of flesh like wearing a cropped top or midriff and then high-waisted pants to cover up anything you don’t want to show. Remember that you want to look like you are respected. Using garments with strong lines and structure will always add a sense of strength to your look and show that you know what you’re doing and pay attention to detail. The true secret of power dressing is that you don’t just feel powerful, at the same time you also show and make the world feel your power.

Photography: Yhuong Botor Stylist: Benj Rogando Assistant Stylist: Edona del Puerto Make Up: Dylan Sean Chua, Muriel Vega Perez, Chief Make Up Artist PAC Philippines Hairstyling: Muriel Vega Perez Assisted by: Darlene Castillo for Lynelle Hair Extentions Models: Anjellica Lopez, Gladys Buenaventura and Annija Ozolina Shoes: GIBI Shoes Venue: Pan Pacific Hotel Manila

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Dress with leather paneling (Php1175). V-neck dress with frontal zipper (Php1025). Leather dress (Php1435). Cuffs (Php330 each) and earrings (Php280) all from Forever21.

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Black woven shorts (Php815). Black knit cropped top (Php715). Ivory woven shorts (Php815). Cream knit cropped top (Php815). Grey woven shorts (Php1025). Woven bloc-striped black and white mid-riff (Php665). Cuffs (Php330 each) and earrings (Php280), all from Forever 21.

Volume 4 No. 2 www.brandmagazineph.com

The Philippines’ Leading Business Hotel for the third consecutive year! Pan Pacific Manila has recently been awarded the “Philippines’ Leading Business Hotel”, for the third consecutive year, at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2013. This marks the fourth time that Pan Pacific Manila has been recognized by the World Travel Awards in the said category. The award is a reflection of Pan Pacific Manila’s commitment to quality, excellent, consistent service and creating memorable guest experiences. For more information visit panpacific.com/manila. M. Adriatico corner Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines Tel +632 318 0788 Fax + 632 310 25 01 enquiry.ppmnl@panpacific.com

Bali, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Ningbo, Perth, Seattle, Singapore, Suzhou, Vancouver, Whistler, Xiamen, Yokohama

Polygonal leather shorts (Php1699). White long-sleeved top with keyhole and black piping (Php899). Quilted leather shorts (Php1799) and white long-sleeved v-neck top (Php1199), all from suiteblanco. Cuffs (Php330 each) and earrings (Php280), all from forever21. Black & brown fur bolero, stylist owned.

1 392601- Ankle strapped patent platform with studs. Color: Black, Red Price: Php800.00 Size Range: 34-39. 2 CNN 848 - Classic suede pumps with snake printed fabric. Color: Red/Brown, Black/Gray Price: Php600.00 Size Range: 34-39.

1 2

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ESSENTIALS

FOR MEN

By Jacel de Jesus

3 EASY SKIN CARE STEPS FOR MEN Gone are the days when men would sit down and watch women do their usual skin-care routine. Men now are more conscious of how they look because they understand the importance of having clear, clean and cool looking skin. Here’s a simple summary of basic skin care followed not just by women, but also by real gentlemen:

2 Belo Toner For Men 100 ml Php199

TONE Toning is another option that men should consider. Done once or twice daily, this procedure is ideal for oily or blemished skin. A toner refreshes your skin, restores your PH balance and shrinks your pores.

Kiehl’s Herbal Toner No available price

1 Pond’s For Men Whitening Facial Foam Wash, 100 ml Php190

CLEANSE This is the first and very basic procedure that everyone follows. The ideal skin cleanser removes bacteria and the accumulated outer layer of dead skin cells. It should be non-irritating, easily washed and economically priced.

Neutrogena Facial Wash For Men, 150 ml Php530

Nivea Double Action For Men, 100 ml Php139

MOISTURE / PROTECT Whether your skin type is dry, oily or sensitive, moisturizing is an important portion of daily skin care, even for men. It provides a barrier film to protect skin from the environment and ensures smoother skin.

Mary Kay Toner For Men 177 ml Php1,250 Garnier PowerLIght Moisturizer For Men No available price

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Olay For Men Balancing Gel Moisturizer, 50 g Php843

L’Oreal Men’s Vita Lift Moisturizer, 50 ml Php843

TIMELINE

EDIFICE

CASIO EDIFICE

Conducts Virtual Race Challenge via F1 Simulator Machines

By Angel Rivero

t appears that everyone desires a taste of what F1 racing is like; and as a treat, Casio Philippines gave a bunch of race-savvy Filipinos just that, courtesy of their Casio-Edifice Virtual Race Challenge that was held in SM malls last June-August! The mechanics were simple: Filipino racing enthusiasts just had to sign up to play a virtual F1 driving game, and the player who scores the fastest lap of all the contestants in that leg, wins the game! The virtual racing pods were custom-made in the Philippines, and created specifically for Casio’s multi-leg event. Meanwhile the gaming software was developed to accurately resemble the responsiveness, sensitivity and speed of real F1 cars. This virtual race experience was brought to the public by Casio’s “Edifice” line of metal watches – the beautifully crafted, official timepiece of the Red Bull Renault Racing Team. Up for grabs in the event were: the hottest Edifice watch, official Red Bull merchandise and raffle tickets that gave the holder a chance to

win the ultimate prize – an allexpense-paid trip to experience the F1 night race in Singapore held September 19-22! The generous prizes were in commemoration of the forged partnership between Casio and Infiniti Red Bull Racing. The complete collection of these special-edition watches can be found in all G-Factory stores nationwide, as supplies last. The availability of these limited-edition Edifice watches was announced in Tokyo last March, stating that this new line of Edifice metal watches captures the essence of “Speed and Intelligence”. Casio has supported the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One Team as an official partner since 2009, and now offers 5 spanking new EFR-534RB and EFR-537RB models. Christian Horner, Team Principal of Infiniti Red Bull Racing exclaimed “Time is vital in Formula One, everything runs to a schedule whether it be race sessions, production lines, build programmes or events at the racetrack. Casio’s

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launch of the new collection of Infiniti Red Bull Racing Edifice watches is perfectly timed! With all of the new design regulations with Formula One and a new driver line up, we all look forward to sporting our new watches and building upon the success of the current partnership.” The EFR-534 base model comes with the Super Illuminator – a specially bright LED that illuminates the dial with greater intensity than a regular LED light. While the EFR-537 base model comes with the Neon Illuminator – a technology that uses the absorption of photoic energy from a black light LED to enable the watch indicators, dials and hands that are specially-coated with luminous ink, to glow vividly. Of course the colors red, blue, yellow and purple are characteristic of the hands and inset dials of this line of watches, as they are the official team colors of Infiniti Red Bull Racing. And naturally, the Red Bull team logo is likewise found on the watch dial, and emblazoned on the special packaging.

“The new collection looks great!” remarked Sebastian Vettel, of Casio’s new line of Edifice watches. “I like the use of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing colors, in particular the blue, which is a cool feature in the team’s garage this year,” he said. Meanwhile, Senior Managing Director and Senior General Manager of Casio Computer Co. Ltd.’s Global Marketing Headquarters, Hiroshi Nakamura expressed “It is an honor to be able to release a product in association with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, a team with worldwide popularity. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with the team through future collaboration models and other activities.”

EFR 533BK 1A

EFR 539D 1A2VU

EFR 539SG 1AVU

EQW-A1200DB

EFR-536D-1A4

EFR-534RBK

EFR-537RBK

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Watches for Men

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT

Words by Kaye Benedicto

A watch is an important accessory that every man needs. They have become more than just instruments to tell time, they are reflections of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality. A quality watch is the quickest way of emitting a confident and successful image. Here are some examples of watches that every man would want to add to their collections.

SLIMLINE MANUFACTURE MOONPHASE Model no. FC-705V4S4 Php225,000 Dial: Silver Strap: Brown Alligator Diameter: 42mm Movement: Automatic Glass: Sapphire Glass

CLASSIC MANUFACTURE

RADO

Model no. FC-710MC4H6 Php145,000 Dial: Silver Strap: Black Leather Diameter: 42mm Movement: Automatic Glass: Sapphire Glass

HYPERCHROME

Model no. R650.0525.3117 Php221,000 Dial: Black Strap: Black Rubber Diameter: 45mm Movement: Automatic Glass: Sapphire Glass

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TRUE THINLINE

Model no. R140.0741.3070 Php179,000 Dial: Black Strap: Black High-Tech Ceramic Diameter: 39mm Movement: Quartz Glass: Sapphire Glass

Esenza Ceramic Touch

Model no. R277.0092.3071 Php149,000 Dial: White Strap: White High-Tech Ceramic Bracelet Diameter: 33mm Movement: Quartz Glass: Sapphire Glass

Model no. R650.0037.3001 Php231,000 Dial: Silver Strap: White High-Tech Ceramic Bracelet Diameter: 45mm Movement: Automatic Glass: Sapphire Glass

UniSilver Time KW1220-1103

Php1,895 As the saying goes - “Health is Wealth” - and nothing could be further from the truth. However, with our busy lifestyle, it’s difficult to keep track of our health. The Stride Well Pedometer Watch lets us avoid the sedentary lifestyle, with its built in pedometer function. This watch records and displays the number of steps/strides, distance, speed, calories burned and the time of walking so that we can know if we are being active enough throughout the day. Remember, exercise is very important for a sound body and mind, and whether you are walking, jogging or running, the Stride Well Pedometer Watch is your best companion!

KW1597-1001 KW1684-1001

Php1,495 The black and red Traxster Watch blazes a trail with its attractive and complicated design. Strap this one on your wrist for your casual and sports outfits. It features a stopwatch, countdown timer, 5 alarms, chime and electroluminescence lighting.

Php1,395 The Green Sentry Watch brings some army action into your style with this handsome and durable digital watch. It’s made of high-grade and hypoallergenic materials. Be a trooper and gear up with this timepiece now!

KW1423-1101

Php2,195 The Empyrea Deluxe Watch for men is on the pinnacle of elegance in timepiece design. A classic face, casing and bracelet makes it timeless and versatile for your wardrobe. The mother-of-pearl dial evokes opulence. It’s time to invest in great timepieces like this one. It pairs with the Empyrea Deluxe for ladies’ (KW1424).

KW1478-2101

Php2,495 A timepiece from the Core Collection is a versatile accessory as one can wear it with almost any type of attire, from casual to formal. It’s a wardrobe staple that should be a part of everyone’s wardrobe.

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ALEXUS ALEXUS CHRISTY Blue/Black/Cream/Brown Japan Movement Pure Stainless Steel Case Silicon Band 3D Dial Watch Luminous Time Index Scratch Resistant Mineral Glass 3 Day Dater Stainless Steel Back Watch Size: 48mm 3 ATM Water Resistant 1 Year Warranty Php4,620.00

ALEXUS CHRISTY 250E Red Japan Movement Pure Stainless Steel Case Silicon Band 3D Dial Watch Luminous Time Index Scratch Resistant Mineral Glass 3 Day Dater Stainless Steel Back Watch Size: 48mm 3 ATM Water Resistant 1 Year Warranty Php4,620.00

ALEXUS CHRISTY 3164A Black/Brown Japan Movement Pure Stainless Steel Case Oversized Calendar Watch Highly Luminous Hands and Time Index Scratch Resistant Mineral Glass Fabric Outlay Strap, Leather Inlay Strap Stainless Steel Back Stationary Bezel with Numbers Watch Size: 50mm 3 ATM Water Resistant 1 Year Warranty Php 5,430.00

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TECHNOMARINE CRUISE CALIFORNIA GENERAL FEATURES MOVEMENT: Quartz Chronograph Swiss Ronda 5040D FUNCTIONS : hour / minute / second /date / chronograph CASE: Stainless steel 316L, deep blue PVD pushers GLASS: Sapphire crystal WATER-RESISTANCE: 200m / 660ft (suitable for swimming and serious surface water sports, NOT scuba-diving) BEZEL: Stainless steel 316L, white painted triangle at 12 oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock, deep blue lacquer on grooves DIAL: Double plates dial with navy blue sunray top plate and colored cut markers STRAP: Combined strap with navy blue silicone base, colored plastic canvas insert and navy blue stitching COVER: Clear transparent EXTRA STRAP/COVER: Navy Blue

CHAMPION WATCH

Y.O.T INTERCHANGEABLE CONCEPT CHANGE STRAP, TERMINAL, CASE, CONTAINER, BEZEL, PUSHERS, LOOPS & BUCKLE. FEATURES: Time & Date of Local City World Time Alarm Events (Schedule Alarm) Chronograph Timer Electroluninescent (EL) Backlight for LCD Message Display

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SCAN

HOME • OFFICE • PERSONAL

Gadgets for You! Words by Kaye Benedicto

The first few months of 2014 saw several launches of new gadgets across various categories. Whether you want a mobile phone, tablet, camera or laptop, there are brand new options to choose from. Check out our list of hot gadgets to find the best device for you.

Acer Iconia Tab 8

Acer Iconia Tab 8 smartphone with 8.00-inch 1920x1200 display alongside 2GB RAM with a 16:10 aspect ratio and Zero Air Gap technology that is said to reduce reflections and improve readability under sunlight. There’s also an anti-fingerprint coating. The Iconia Tab 8 boasts dual stereo speakers and an anodized silver metal back cover. The tablet is powered by an 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor and offers up to 7.5 hours of battery life. Available at Php10,990.

Acer Liquid Z3S

Explore stylish in this 3.5 inch smartphone which comes with a premium hairline brush cover. Dual-Core processor 512MB RAM | 4GB storage 5 MP camera Android 4.2 Php2,999

Acer Liquid Jade

Acer Liquid Jade smartphone with 5.00-inch 720x1280 display powered by 1.3GHz processor alongside 1GB RAM and 13-megapixel rear camera. And has a dual simcard slot. Available at Php14,990.

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Oppo Find 5 Mini Oppo Joy

Oppo Joy smartphone with a 4.00-inch 480x800 display powered by a 1.3GHz processor alongside 512MB RAM and 3-megapixel rear camera. Connectivity options include HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and microUSB port.The smartphone measures 124 x 63 x 9.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 125 grams. It is powered by a 1,700mAh battery. Available at Php5,990.

Oppo Find 5 Mini is an Android smartphone powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor, 1GB RAM and Android 4.2, 4.7 Inch QHD IPS Touchscreen Display, 8 MP Rear Camera With LED Flash, 2 MP Front Camera, 3G/EDGE/GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 3.0, FM, 2000 MAh Battery. Available at Php13,990.

Cherry Mobile Snap

1 GHz Single Core Processor Dual Sim/ Dual Standby Android 2.3 Gingerbread 3.5” Capacitive Screen 2MP Main Camera Wi-Fi b/g/n Bluetooth, FM Radio Price Php1,699

Cherry Mobile Bubble 1 GHz Single Core Processor Dual Sim/ Dual Standby Android 2.3 Gingerbread 3.5” Capacitive Screen 2MP Main Camera, 0.3MP Front camera Wi-Fi b/g/n Bluetooth, FM Radio Price Php1,699

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CloudFone Thrill 550q

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Display 5.5” HD Touchscreen 13MP AF Rear Camera w/ LED Flash, 3.2 MP Front Camera 1.2 GHz Quad Core Processor Dual SIM Dual Standby ROM: 4GB. RAM: 1GB HSPA+ Php5,499

CloudFone Excite 355g

Features: 3.5” HVGATouchscreen HSPA+, WiFi Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 2MP AF Rear Camera, Front Camera 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor ROM:2GB, RAM:256MB Mobile TV Dual SIM, Dual Standby Php2,299

Dell Precision M3800 Workstation

Features: 15.6in, 3,200 x 1,880 resolution IPS touchscreen; Quad-core Haswell Core i7 processor; ISVcertified Nvidia Quadro graphics; 19mm thick; 1.8kg weight; 256GB SSD; 16GB RAM. Dell Precision M3800 laptop workstation, designed for demanding apps such as CAD and 3D animation.

WD TV The new WD TV media player features WD’s newest intuitive user interface that allows users to take control of their entertainment by customizing the home page with their favorite apps, setting shortcuts to favorite content folders for quick access, and setting auto-run for preferred apps to begin at startup. Additionally, WD TV now supports Miracast™,so that users can project their Miracast enabled mobile device onto their TV in up to Full HD 1080p. WD TValso allows customers to easily stream hit movies, view the latest viral videos, catch up on TV shows and stay connected to social networks through apps such as YouTube®, Hulu Plus™, VUDU®, SlingPlayer®, Spotify®, Pandora® and Facebook.

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TCL

Model: L48B2610/RT49S-AP ST4761B01-3 LCD TV Natural Light Engine Warm / Normal/ Cool Normal, Soft, Bright, User Auto, 16:9, 4:3, dot by dot (VGA) 3D

TCL

Model: L55B3700/MS306-AP (CS4) 55” LCD TV 16:9 Normal/Warm/Cool Full, Subtitle, Wide Zoom, Normal 4 picture effects preset (Standard/Bright/Soft/Personal) Auto 3D

TCL

Model: L50B2800/MS306 LA/ CMJGTA 50”LCD TV 16:9 Medium/Warm/Cool Auto/4:3/16:9/Zoom1/Zoom2/Panorama 4 picture effects preset (Standard/Dynamic/Mild/User) Auto 3D

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NETBASE

HOME • OFFICE • PERSONAL

GADGETS FOR MEN Words by Kaye Benedicto

Gadgets are a part of our everyday life. Affordable, efficient and useful are three qualities we want to have in our gadgets. Because gadgets are important to men, here’s a collection of innovative new ones men will want;

Written Reminder Alarm Clock Check out the Written Reminder Alarm Clock that will greet you first thing in the morning with the most important task you need to accomplish that day. The alarm clock is connected to a clear dry erase board that allows you to write in semi-transparent marker on it. You simply write down all of the things you need to do that day or the most important ones and when the alarm goes off, the board illuminates showing you what you wrote down.

Soundsight Headphones With Soundsight headphones, you’re wearing a virtual studio on your head. These premium Bluetooth headphones allow you to record 1080p HD video, edit, and mix your music through the SS app.

Music Track Mini Mixer

Features The Tryble Mini Mixer is a pocket sized track mixer for 2 separate music devices. Functions include: Headphone Volume, Speaker Volume, Fader, Channel Selector It has 2 x 3.5mm MP3 Ports, a Speaker Port and Headphone Port It measures approx. 11.3 cm x 6 cm x 2.6 cm Includes 3 x 3.5 mm jack to 3.5 mm cables and instructions The music mixer takes 4 x AAA batteries

EPSON PX-S05

Epson is coming out with a slim, lightweight A4 papersized inkjet printer that can come with you on your travels. It measures 309x154x61mm, and only weighs around 3.5 pounds. It has the capability to print 50 colored images, or 100 in black and white at a maximum resolution of 5760×1440 DPI. Since this will work with Windows, Mac, and is Wi-Fi compatible, it can be used with your computer or mobile devices. It can be charged through a USB cable connected to your PC or through the mobile battery.

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USB voice recorder The USB voice recorder simply records the whole meeting. Then, when the meeting is over, simply plug it in and email the meeting to your boss. They will most likely enjoy hearing themselves talk.

Logitech Powershell Features Console-style controls: Precise analog game controls let you dominate your favorite mobile games 1500 mAh Battery: Game on and on. It increases the battery capacity of iPhone 5, iPhone 5s or 5th generation iPod touch Supports iOS 7 controller-compatible games: Works with a great selection of games. No extra software needed Portable, comfortable shape: Slim, streamlined profile fits easily into your pocket for go-anywhere gaming Easily access phone features: Your phone’s camera, music and calls remain fully accessible while you’re gaming

Withings Pulse

The road to six-pack abs and an allround better level of fitness is made up of thousands of steps taken; calories burned and elevated heartbeats per minute. This wearable smart activity tracker monitors all of your activity, sleep, reads vital signs and improves your overall health.

Philips Norelco Turbo Vacuum Stubble Trimmer This powerful stubble and beard trimmer delivers superior trimming performance. The stubble comb has been specially designed to create the perfect look you want. The integrated vacuum system captures hair for less mess with the Philips stubble trimmer.

Self-Stirring Mug

Yeti Hopper 30 cooler

Features Mug with drink through lid included Dimensions: 4 3/8” H x 3 3/8” W To clean just pour in soap and press a button to stir. 14 oz. mug

Weighing 5.5 pounds empty, it holds 18 cans in its 6.5-gallon interior. The outer is a thick nylon fabric coated on both sides. The company says it is tear-proof and puncture resistant.

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RATED

TECH • LIFESTYLE • REVIEW

The Big Five-Five TCL E5690 Words and photos by Andrew Rodriguez

here was a time when I steered clear of large screen televisions and monitors for my personal use. It was mainly because I felt that the large screen failed to give me the detail that I got accustomed to with the smaller screens. Fast forward to the present where technology has brought detail and resolution into the realm of big screen TVs. The monitors in the 40-inches-and-above range have continually impressed me so when TCL had their 55-inch Smart LED TV dropped off at our office for a review, I quickly stepped up to the plate and volunteered for the task. The TCL E5690 is their sleek looking 4K (UHD) Smart LED TV that is their first model with the 4K format in the country. So what is this 4k (UHD) TV all about? In a nutshell, the technology allows at least four times the picture resolution than before. The higher pixel density results in better image detail and clearer overall picture

quality. Being a smart TV, the E5690 offers more than just viewing bliss. It allows you to access the worldwide web too. Powered by an Android 4.2 Jellybean operating system running off a Quad-core processor, you can browse your online social circles via the pre-installed social media applications. You can install additional applications too by simply downloading and installing them. Did I mention that the E5690 also has 3D imaging capabilities too? With the use of a pair of 3D glasses that comes packaged with the TV, you and a companion can enjoy realistic 3D format movies and even games. Setting up the TV in our office, the E5690 looks classy with its slim metallic bezel that compliments the matte finish of the large screen. Supporting the 55-inch screen is a chromed hexagonal TV stand. The minimalist design approach was something that I particularly found appealing. Hooking up the DVD player, PC and other video sources

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was straightforward and without any problems. Configuring the TV took a little figuring out on my part while using the cool touch pad remote control but once I got the hang of things, I was watching and browsing easily. Queuing up my selection of videos I had selected for the review, I wanted to hold my judgment until I had gone thru the selection and I miserably failed. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing. When I got started with the first video, I already saw indications that the 4K technology was at work early on. By the time I got to watch the third video, I had been able to see more detail that I did not know was there in the video that I had already watched over and over again. Color rendering was vivid but never overbearing. If there were any reservations on the video capabilities of the 55-inch TV before I began the review, they were gone even before I was finished with my video selection. Using the built-in speakers of the TV,

the audio reproduction was above average. The two 8-watt powered speakers placed at the lower rear of the TV enclosure did a fairly good job of belting out the dialogues, explosions and musical tracks in the movies or videos. Understandably, they are a long way from being audiophile quality so hooking up a surround speaker system to the TV should open up the acoustic experience of what you’re watching. TCL’s latest offering, the E5690 is an impressive large screen TV that dishes out an eye opening visual experience that gives the major players in the category something to worry about.

BRAND RATE THE VERDICT: TCL’s latest offering, the E5690 is an impressive large screen TV

Everything But The Price Words and photos by Jude Morte

ny smartphone such as the Sony Xperia Z1c nowadays is a veritable Swiss knife of communication and journalism. But when the smartphone comes from a manufacturer with a long history of technical prowess and strong market presence like Sony, you expect it to be on the cutting edge on all aspects available to the consumer. When you unbox the Z1c (Z1c stands for Z1 Compact, a smaller version of Sony’s Z1 flagship smartphone line), you’ll find the unit is about the size of an average Filipino’s open hand, which occupies a lot of pants pocket/ shorts pocket real estate but its thickness doesn’t make your trousers pocket bulge. Necessary peripherals such as earphones, a wall/extension outlet charger (with two detachable USB cables for charging via a laptop or personal computer) come with the Z1c, but it doesn’t have its own protective casing. You’ll have to go to the nearest mall or the smartphone mecca of Greenhills to get a protective casing (or even protective film) that covers the glass at the front and the rear. Turn on the Z1c and you are greeted by an Android 4.4.2 operating system and multiple application/app icons, which can be overwhelming to the first time smartphone user. If you’re curious enough to try out every

app on the phone, you’ll end up getting frustrated as there’s repetitive bloatware that one rarely needs, such as Socialife News and Social Live (you have the Facebook and Twitter apps for that), and the Play Movies & TV and TV Sideview apps (you have the Movies app for that). Oh, and much like most smartphones, battery life is a 24 hour-30 hour matter. You’ll definitely need to bring a charger or a powerbank on occasion with the Xperia Z1c. On a positive note, there are many Z1c apps that are useful, such as the Notes app - great for taking down notes during press conferences and making grocery lists or car shopping price lists. The screen saver requires that you press a round button at the right of the unit, then swipe on the front glass to return to active usage. The Recorder app is great too for audio recording speeches or interviews, but if you have a lot of stuff in the internal storage (read: videos, still photos, MP3 tracks), it’s best to put the videos, still photos, MP3 tracks in a pre–loaded Micro SecureDigital or Micro SD card (preferably 16GB or more) and use the internal storage to handle audio recordings. Why? Because you can go all the way up to 72 hours worth of recording speeches or talkies with the unit, but a lot of internal and added storage (read: via the Micro SD slot) tends to slow down the phone.

The Z1c’s biggest come-on is arguably its 20.7 megapixel camera. It’s great for shooting not just selfies, but also for motoring journalism work – particularly for outside shoots, be it stills or video work. However, indoor shoots with very little lighting and zooming in with the lens make images grainy. Another come-on for first time smartphone users is its text messaging and calling capability. When you get your hands on the unit for the first time, the “dictionary” feature – wherein the phone suggests two to three words that you can use instead of the word you intend to use, even if you’re midway towards spelling out the actual word you want to use – can be quite intrusive. But as you send multiple messages, the “dictionary” incorporates your language, personal terminologies and syntax, and makes message composition much easier. It’s best to send messages via landscape (phone tilted on its side) viewing, as the screen “buttons” are large enough for your thumbs and forefingers to type, and the font used is the equivalent of a size 7.5 or eight on a Microsoft Word document – which doesn’t strain your eyes. The downer here is that very few cars are compatible with the Z1c’s Bluetooth signal to make hands free calls. Upon testing the Z1c’s Bluetooth signal on the Volkswagen Polo Notch, the Mitsubishi Mirage GLS hatch and

the Chevrolet Spark, only the Spark allowed this writer to make handsfree calls via the Z1c’s Bluetooth reception. A third plus for first time users is the Wallkman app, which you can use to play music on the phone as if it was an external MP3 player. Problem is, if you use the phone as an external MP3 player and try to plug it into a car’s auxiliary input jack, the volume on your MP3 tracks can be maddeningly inconsistent. Playing MP3 tracks uploaded unto the Xperia Z1c on the Polo Notch’s head unit and the volume from the MP3 was quite low. But when I played them tracks on the head units of the Spark, the Mirage hatch and a Hyundai Accent turbodiesel sedan, the volume levels were fine. All told, the Sony Xperia Z1c is great, but sport major hitches such as pricing (the Z1c is P 21,990P27,490).

BRAND RATE THE VERDICT: All told, the Sony Xperia Z1c is great, but sport major hitches such as pricing (the Z1c is P 21,990-P27,490).

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Sound Pods Logitech z110 Words and photos by Andrew Rodriguez

ight and sound are two of the senses that affect how we feel and the way we interact with the world around us that does not require any direct contact to our bodies. In the world of portable computing, designers and engineers of notebooks or netbooks have made huge improvements in how we view online content and our own data like photos and videos. Images are clearer and sharper than ever but the experience is somewhat blunted by the shortcomings in the audible side of things. It is a tall order to achieve audio excellence within the compact confines of notebooks and netbooks. But all is not lost; there are companies that make solutions for the audio shortcomings of our compact portable computers. One of those companies is Logitech. The company is known for the many innovative products they have made for desktop computers and laptops and one example of their forward thinking is the z110 stereo speaker system. When I was handed the small box that contained the z110 speakers, I immediately wondered how much better would they sound from the generic 2.0 speakers that we could find just about everywhere in the city.

Once I got home, I quickly opened the box and was greeted by two white oval-ish shaped enclosures that housed one small full-range speaker each. From behind, three sets of wires come out of one of the enclosures where one of those wires runs directly to the other enclosure. The other two wires respectively end with a standard 3.5mm plug for audio inputs and a USB plug that allows you to use the USB port of your notebook/netbook to supply the power for the speakers. Each of the three wires is a good 1meter long. Setting up the z110 was an exercise in simplicity. All that it needed was to plug the 3.5mm plug to the headphone socket of my notebook and the USB plug to one of the USB ports for power. The beauty of being a USB powered speaker system is that there’s no more searching for an AC outlet to plug into. The wires are long enough that it allowed me to position each of the enclosures as far apart from each other as my preferences wanted them (positioning further apart than the width of your laptop gives a better stereo experience). Logitech has thoughtfully integrated a wire management system at the back of the enclosures that allowed me to tidy up the excess length of wires. No wires looking like spaghetti on my

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desk. After giving the z110 an initial look over, it dawned to me that it was missing a dedicated volume control. Depending on which side of the fence you stand, the absence of a volume control can be good or bad. Good because it reduces the number of volume controls that you have to fiddle with when listening to music or watching movies on your laptop. The only downside of missing a volume control of its own is not being able to turn up or down the volume quickly without getting on the computer. Once I had the speakers placed where I wanted them and hooked up, I booted up my notebook and it cued up my test tracks. On my first track, the z110 put a grin on my face. The sound reproduction was better than what I had expected from full-range speakers of its size. Trying out the other tracks in my test playlist revealed its ability to play music with relative clarity and detail. Vocals and instruments were reproduced without being overly ‘bright’ or ‘muddled’ in the higher and lower frequencies respectively. When it came to tracks which were bass heavy, that was where the limits of z110 showed its head. Understandably, the small speakers are not capable of belting out low frequencies at above moderate volumes. Turning to movies, the Logitech z110 speaker

system was up to the task as well but low frequencies and high volume levels can tax it and lead to distortion. Overall, the Logitech z110 is a good choice for small external speakers that you can carry around in a bag along with your laptop and has enough output capabilities to fill an average sized room with music. You could use it with your portable media player too but you would have to find a way to power it. My only gripe is the exposed speaker face. If by any chance you would be taking them along for a trip, you have to take steps to protect the speakers from damage.

BRAND RATE THE VERDICT: Overall, the Logitech z110 is a good choice for small external speakers that you can carry around in a bag along with your laptop and has enough output capabilities to fill an average sized room with music.

WD My Passport Ultra: Understands Your Storage and Mobility Needs Words and photos by Blessie Sto. Tomas

Drive type 2.5-inch external USB hard drive Connector options USB 3.0, USB 2.0 Available capacities 500GB, 1GB, 2TB Capacity of test unit 500GB, 1TB Dimensions (LWH) 4.34 inches by 3.21 inches by 0.5 inch Weight 9 ounces OSes supported Windows 2000 or later, Mac OS 10.4 or later Software included WD SmartWare Pro, WD Utility, WD Security

torage and mobility – these are two of the most important features this generation looks for in their gadgets. There can never be enough space for all our files, pictures, songs, movies and more. A gadget likewise needs to be compact enough so it can be brought anywhere, anytime. The new WD My Passport Ultra embodies these two features in sleek, compact form. It can store up to 2 terabytes worth of data, and should fill out your storage space requirements. You now

have space for the latest season of your favorite tv series, for your songs, the pictures from your latest trips and all your files. On top of it all, the WD My Passport Ultra is compact and light, about 9 ounces, that you can bring it along with you anywhere, as most of us do these days. It comes in a shiny finish and sleek colors of titanium, red, black and blue - most certainly not an eyesore. The WD My Passport Ultra is the perfect companion for your laptops. The device comes with a

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Micro-3.0 USB port and with a foot-long USB cable, and this cable takes care both of data and power requirements of your WD My Passport Ultra. It works with both USB 2.0 and 3.0, but faster with the USB 3.0. It also has automatic and cloud back up with WD SmartWare Pro automatic backup software. One can easily back up straight to this drive, or to the cloud via Dropbox. You can also secure your files with a password to ensure privacy. Since everyone is always on the

go these days, data security and back up are essential considerations and the WD My Passport Ultra delivers on both points. The WD My Passport Ultra certainly understands your storage and mobility needs. You’d not go wrong with this one! BRAND THE VERDICT: The WD My Passport Ultra certainly understands your storage and mobility needs. You’d not go wrong with this one!

Torque Droidz Motion Words and photos by Dindin Moreno

ORQUE released the DROIDZ MOTION last year, adding to its growing list of affordable phone models. Out of the box, it comes with an Android 4.2 Jellybean OS, Dual SIM slots, 1.2ghz QuadCore CPU, 5” IPS Capacitive Touch Screen, Quadband GSM, 512 RAM, 8MP Auto Focus Rear Camera with Flash, VGA Front Camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, WiFi Tethering, GPS & AGPS Support, FM Radio, 3.5mm Stereo Headset Jack, MicroSD Support up to 32MB, 3-Axis Gyro/ Accelerometer, and a lot more! It feels a little bit heavy on the hand, but it can be forgiven if you consider the size of the screen and the thickness of this unit. It feels solid and well built upon close inspection

except for the thin rear plastic cover that could easily come off if you accidentally drop the phone. The phone looks business-like and elegant in its Glossy Piano Black finish, but it easily gets smothered with fingerprints. The screen is a revelation and is easily one of the phone’s strength. The 5” Capacitive Touch screen is responsive to every touch and is colorful and bright compared to other “affordable” phones I’ve seen in the market. Starting up the phone and setting it up for initial use went by with a breeze. The Android 4.2 OS is quite a joy to use. Very customizable and feature rich. The DROIDZ MOTION responded faster than I thought, considering it only has 512MB of

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RAM on a Quad Core CPU. I first thought that it would show some slowdown or hiccups, but I did not encounter any. All the basic Android Apps and functions are found in the phone. One gripe I have is that I didn’t find any option in the settings that would look for software updates for the OS. So I guess you are stuck with Jellybean for this one. The battery also lasted me a full day of average use. The camera functioned as advertised. Tapping your intended subject on the screen focuses it. There is a little lag when you press the shutter, but its not that bad. The camera performed well enough considering the price of this phone. Picture quality though is one thing that should also be improved.

Overall, the TORQUE DROIDZ MOTION is surprisingly a capable performer. It has all the bells and whistles of other phones that are further up the price range. If you want a high-end phone but don’t have the budget for it, take a close look at this model. You will be pleasantly surprised.

BRAND THE VERDICT: High-end features at an affordable price!

More Than Just All-In-One Canon Pixma MX92 Words and photos by Mark Escueta

The Upshot: A printer with features within features, this “all-in-one” doesn’t just mean “four-in-one”. Today I was introduced to the Canon Pixma MX927, an all-in-one printer which means it can do more than just print. Specifically, this one can print, fax, scan AND copy - among other things. Yes, this the same Canoncompany that makes some of the best cameras in the world which is my first major reason why you should consider this printer if you’re into photography, like me. I do have to admit, I was initially a bit taken aback by the size (and weight) of this thing but upon further scrutiny and exploration of features, everything was well justified. I tested this printer with my Macbook Pro and several types and sizes of paper. Being a fan and user of the Canon SELPHY product line of photo printers, I was hoping this printer would churn out equally great photos. I wasn’t disappointed. In order to test the capabilities of both the scanner and printer in one go, I decided to scan AND print a professionally shot photograph of the Alaskan Aurora Borealis (photo by Daryl Penderson) with lots of color changes and gradients. There was some visible banding when I scanned at 600dpi resolution so I decided to re-scan at 1200dpi. I then printed the file on an A4 sized glossy photo paper at the highest resolution and I was very impressed at both the speed and the quality of the printout. It took less than 3 minutes to print the photo and there was hardly any noticeable difference between the original photograph and the one I just printed. I also tried printing on 4x6 size photo paper at lower quality settings and still the prints looked just as good as those coming from your friendly neighborhood photo lab. High quality 4x6 prints done in 2 minutes or less. The printer has 2 separate paper trays. The lower tray holds up to 250 sheets of A4 to letter-sized paper, and the smaller upper tray is designed to hold up to 20 sheets of 4x6 inch paper which is very convenient. You also have the capability to print full color labels

directly onto compatible CD, DVD or Blue Ray discs. Perfect if you like to archive your files to discs or maybe give some personalized digital photo/video albums to friends and family. People who like to scan books will be pleased to know that the top cover can actually be lifted to accommodate books which are extra thick. A nice additional feature is a 35-sheet ADF (Auto Duplex Feeder) built in to the scanner cover for effortless scanning and copying BOTH sides of multiple documents, without having to open scanner to flip each page. This printer also lets you work without your computer. There is a standard USB port located on the front lower left side of the printer that lets you to print directly from your flash drive. When scanning or using the fax, you can choose to save the files directly to your flash drive and straight into your pocket. Good stuff. The 3-inch colored LCD on the fronttop portion lets you view your photos or other files before printing. The same LCD screen is used to view the different functions and menus of the

printer. The control panel layout is pretty neat and simple to understand. Buttons on the top left and rightmost sides are dedicated to the major functions and are clearly marked. There is a 12-button keypad next to the LCD screen which appears to be blank when the printer is off, but it illuminates with simple graphic icons depending on which printer function you are in. For example, when you are in fax mode, they become your telephone keypad. Non-intimidating controls and efficient use of space.

the printer with everyone in your home or office is pretty simple, as long as you’re on the same network as the printer. iOS users can make good use of AirPrint functionality and you can also print directly from WiFi enabled cameras through PictBridge. Loads of quality specs and value for money in this friendly printer, not to mention you save a lot of desk space with one device instead of four. Check it out at your favorite Canon store or dealer.

The Canon printer utility software also deserves a special mention. The printer practically installed itself and there were a lot of nice software features that complemented the hardware. It was nice to know that aside from the usual head cleaning utility that you would find in most reputable printer software, you also have the power to clean your back BRAND RATE rollers and paper guides using the same utilities. To top it all off, the THE VERDICT: Canon Pixma MX927 is WiFi enabled giving you that added flexibility on our Loads of quality specs and value for money in this friendly printer, increasingly wireless world. Sharing

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HIGHLIGHT

THE MEN OF UTMOST

THE MEN OF UTMOST Photography by GUNTHER DE GUZMAN Text by Novelyn Quiamco / Styling by Yhuong Botor Hair & make-up by Ally Monasterial and Yona Pacheco Models: Steven Edward Yu, Andrew Rodriguez and Mario Alaman Clothes by Chancellor9000 / Watches by MOA Time Location at Camayan Beach Resort & Hotel, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

guess everyone is interested in knowing about Utmost how this independent publication came to exist, and how it started as something else. Everything began back June 2010, when a young man’s mind created the Philippines’ first Discounts Magazine. In July 10, 2010, Utmost Creative Publishing was registered as a sole proprietorship under the name of Mario Alaman in Imus, Cavite and on August 26, 2010, the quarterly magazine Discounts was launched. Since then, a lot of various projects have come to our door, indicating that aside from a publication, there was a potential opportunity in marketing, advertising, photography, and events services. With the support of several advertisers who believed in the skills and talent of Utmost then, the company continued growing, eventually reinventing itself when Discounts was reborn as a Brand Magazine, and increased frequency from a quarterly to bi-monthly. The best two years: in every partnership, relationship or business some people say that the first 2 years are the most important. After that is the true beginning of everything. It’s true; the first two years are the hardest part of the business, but the most fulfilling ones. Experiencing the loss of a friend, clients and partners have been great challenge to Utmost, but in turn made it stronger. “Katulad daw ng dyamante na kinakaskas upang lumabas ang tunay na halaga.” “Minsan ganun talaga, may nawawalang magaling upang palitan ng mas magaling,” Mario says. Enough of the past; let’s talk about the present, the NOW – the men behind Utmost Creative Publishing, who regularly bring to you this fast-paced, growing, lifestyle magazine named Brand – the four gentlemen behind Utmost. The founder President and CEO of the company, is Mario Alaman. He said that he only had P20 in his pocket while meeting his first client, with the intent of securing a magazine cover and making this business sustainable. That cover went on to be graced by Sam Milby; that client was UniSilver Time. Shortly after, his prayers were answered when Lexmedia came on board as the maiden issue’s printer, while Eastwood City provided a venue of the launch. In the middle of 2012, he met his other partner, who would provide funding for the business. “Sorry we can’t reveal him. For now, he just wants to remain a silent partner”, Mario says. But even with a business partner, the business still struggled on the editorial side, when he was left behind by his writer-friends to put up their own titles.

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Blessings unexpectedly came to his way in February 2013, when major changes were underway, when he met Steven Edward Yu, who was first designated as Motoring Editor. “Steven is an answered prayer to make the business go well, and made the magazine much stronger and competitive. The editorial contents of Brand become more meaningful and readable. Mahirap ligawan yan.” Mario admits, “it took six months before he answered ‘YES’ to my business proposal, because at the start he just wanted to help me to make the company grow.” Steven’s position would progress to Executive Editor, to his current position as Editor-In-Chief/ Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer of the company. Along the way, Steven introduced Andrew ‘Andy’ Rodriguez, a fellow motoring journalist, to Mario with the intent of grooming him to be Managing and Rated section editor. On that meeting, Mario offered him a partnership. While it took six months to persuade Steven to take on the EIC/EVP/COO titles, Andy decided on that day itself, making him a partner, Executive Vice-President & Chief Marketing Officer of the company. “Having Andy in the company is a blessing and I can say the I found the missing piece of the puzzle I was dying to complete. At first, I was just seeking help from others, until I realized that what I actually needed were business partners with the same goal and directions”, Mario declared. “From the Imus, Cavite office inside my house, we had a lot of satellite office “branches” in Metro Manila like McDonald’s, KFC, Mang Inasal, Taco Bell, etc.”, Mario continues, laughing. “The office transferred to Pasay City in 2012, then moved to Makati in 2013. We hope to have our own building soon! Malay natin diba? God will provide if we just work hard and put our best effort into everything we do; nothing is impossible. Partnership is a risky thing, as we did not know anything about each other, but the good thing also is there is no pretension between us, as we discover that a good partnership starts with being honest and broad minded. We’re not young, but if we work and treat everybody like family, we can never go wrong”, he concludes. As they celebrated the Fourth Anniversary of Brand Magazine and Utmost Creative Publishing last August 27, at Resorts World, we prepared some questions for our company’s three front-liners. For the benefit our advertisers and readers, we present to you Mario Alaman; Steven Yu and Andy Rodriguez. Read on to know more about their ideas for the company’s achievements goals, and direction for a better future.

*Tee-shirt from Emperor

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Interview with Mr. Yu: BM: Other than being the EIC of Brand Magazine, who is Steven Edward Yu? Steven: As you’ll eventually see, I’m a man of few, well-chosen words – which is ironic for a writer. I would rather let my actions – or in this case, the final product; like each cleanly-edited, published issue of Brand – speak on my behalf. I believe in being the “strong, silent type”, though “strong” is an appraisal that only others can make. I am a very private person, and one of my biggest pet peeves is having other people volunteer personal information about me without my consent and/or permission. The Golden Rule is something I live by, and I try to follow it in my day to day existence. BM: As the theme for this issue, what does being a gentleman mean to you? Steven: Like I mentioned in my Editor’s Note elsewhere in this magazine, I believe a gentleman is one who puts his needs behind the needs of others, while not totally depriving himself. Having been raised in a traditional Jesuit setting, we were firmly taught the value of being “Men for Others” – a quality espoused by St. Francis Xavier, after who my alma mater is named. Rarely will you ever find a fellow Xaverian who would not help another in their time of need. That’s just how we are. And by that virtue, I feel that any Xaverian who routinely goes out of his way to help others in need; or puts someone else ahead of him – is a real gentleman. BM: As one of the owners of Utmost Creative Publishing, how does it feel to be on one of the covers? Steven: Like a politician preparing to run for the 2016 elections! Seriously, though, because I am part of this magazine’s behind-the-scenes operations, I honestly wasn’t comfortable with the idea because it felt self-serving. But we were on a deadline and, frankly, we can’t afford Sean Connery. For now. Ha-ha. BM: What can you say about the way Brand Magazine has turned out to be? Steven: I could say I’m content with it, but the truth is I will never be content. Because when I stop pushing or striving to be better, complacency sets in; I lose my competitive edge, and I’m very, very, very competitive with everything I do. As a result, our mobility section was blessed to have won a prestigious Henry Ford Award last year on its first attempt. Now I want to develop the other sections to balance the quality of the entire magazine. It’s not just one person’s job, though; it’s a team effort and we are constantly developing our internal human resources, or acquiring new talent who bring their own color and flavor to the magazine. BM: What are your future plans for the magazine and Utmost Creative Publishing? Steven: It would be nice to grow the company and expand our titles, but not at the cost of sacrificing quality of content. As Utmost’s only Chinese officer, I tend to be conservative and am always wary of deals and offers that feel too good to be true. We’re not in a position to squander money recklessly. I’d rather have just one title that serves as a benchmark; a standard for others to surpass, than several titles that just gather dust on a bookstore’s shelves. This won’t be easy. Ad astra per aspera, as the saying goes.

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Interview with Mr. Rodriguez: BM: Other than being the Managing Editor of Brand Magazine, who is Andrew “Andy” Rodriguez? Andy: When I’m not busy with my duties as Managing Editor of the magazine, I do photography as my other line of business and have been do so for at least 6 years now. I have always been a person who looked at the business possibilities of just about anything. I’ve have been into several businesses already, on my own or with a partner. I discovered my interest in going into different businesses when I was still studying. By the time I had reached college, I was in the business of buying and selling stuff. Before I had gotten out school, I must’ve had been into roughly 2 or 3 other businesses of different natures already. The common denominator among the different businesses, activities and endeavors that I have gotten into is that I love doing what I did or do. I would have the patience and motivation to do whatever I needed to do, regardless of the lengths or sacrifices I had to make. I’m almost never afraid to do business, not that I take risks, I just know if I can make something work for me for the long-term. BM: As the theme for this issue, what does being a gentleman mean to you? Andy: A gentleman for me is a man who holds honor and respect of utmost importance in whatever he does. BM: As one of the owners of Utmost Creative Publishing, How does it feel to be on one of the covers?

Andy: It feels a bit odd for me to be on the cover of the magazine. Although I’ve been interviewed for a magazine article before, it did not have photos of me in it so this is a little surreal for me but also an honor to be on one of the covers with my partners in Utmost Creative Publishing. BM: What can you say about the way Brand Magazine has turned out to be? Andy: From the time that I first joined the company, which was just over a year ago, Brand Magazine has undergone several changes in terms of content and the way it looks. I must say that all of those changes have been for the good of the title. From its humble beginnings, Brand Magazine has continuously improved to the level of quality it has now. BM: What are your future plans for the magazine and Utmost Creative Publishing? Andy: Well, for the magazine, I’d like to expand the content of each section of the magazine for more content. I would not want to sit on the laurels of what Brand Magazine has achieved already at this point; I want to find ways to improve the magazine constantly for the benefit of the readers. With regards to Utmost Creative Publishing, adding an additional title (or maybe even more when the time comes) to the company is in the works and will be coming out soon. The company currently has other services aside from publishing Brand Magazine. I would like to be able to expand those services also to widen the possible avenues of revenue for the company. Like us! www.facebook.com/brandmagph

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Interview with Mr. Alaman: BM: Other than being the Publisher of Brand Magazine, who is Mario Alaman? Mario: I’m talkative, opinionated, an idealist, out-of-the-box person. I love challenges; put me in a hard situation and I will enjoy it. I don’t stick to a single plan, I always prepare two plans; first, with partners/companions; second, alone. I learned in life that we really don’t have to prove anything to anybody; I have guts to prove to myself that what I have chosen is the right thing for me, not just because somebody told me so. “Matigas daw ang ulo ko” my father said, pagpipilitan ko kung ano ang gusto ko gawin at nais ko mangyari, but at some point I know how to admit my wrong deeds at hindi ako nahihiya umamin ng mga pagkakamali ko at maling nasabi ko. POSITIVE and NEGATIVE ako, always balanced. I learned what disappointment is, and the boundaries of expectations. In education, after I graduated as a scholar in a private high school in 1997, then worked in our farm and factory, then in 2001 I took up Bachelor of Science in Industrial EducationDrafting Major at CCAT, Cavite. It was a four-year course but I only finished first year, di na kinaya ang budget, kaya my statement is I’m just a high school graduate. But my real dream is to be a lawyer. I love to hear people tell the truth after they lie. Catching those movements while they try to cover-up something, yun bang ipakita ko sa tao na naniniwala ako sa kanila hanggang sa wala na silang magawa kundi magsabi ng totoo. 2003 nang una ako nakarating sa Manila, then I worked as an Independent Sales agent for PT&T with their internet services department, even though I’m not an internet-oriented person. Then in 2005, I worked for a tech and lifestyle magazine with a starting salary of P150.00 a day; after four years of working, I got an offer with another publication where I learned to confront the problems of that business, and publish their magazine. That’s how I decided to put up my own business, even without any penny in my pocket. See, I told you, I am very talkative. BM: As the theme for this issue, what does being a gentleman mean to you? Mario: It is a very tough and hard question for a man, to ask what being a gentleman means? I guess in this industry, if we have “palabra de honor” that’s being a gentleman. If we honor all the words we say and do the things we promise, that’s what gentleman does. BM: As one of the owners of Utmost Creative Publishing, How does it feel to be on one of the covers? Mario: It’s my magazine, so I guess there are no exact words to say how I feel. If I’ll be featured in TIME magazine maybe I can say a lot. But if your question is ‘why did we insist on being on the cover’, which is more appropriate, I have just a simple answer: We just wanted to let the readers and advertisers know who the people behind Brand magazine are, and through this feature we can thank them all for supporting us, in the simplest and most personal way. BM: What can you say about the way Brand Magazine has turned out to be? Mario: “The way it used to be!” according to a song of Humperdinck... Actually, with new every issue of Brand, I stare at the magazine blankly for 60 seconds; it’s not a “love your own” statement, though that’s not a bad thing, because if we don’t appreciate what we do, how will others appreciate it, right? But as the person who conceptualized Brand Magazine, I see how it has improved over time. Even the clients appreciate it, and for that reason, we can say that we are doing the right thing; that GOD is always guiding us to do a better job and to achieve the world-class standard we eye for. BM: What are your future plans for the magazine and Utmost Creative Publishing? Mario: For Brand Magazine to be world-class! Actually, we are targeting Asian distribution next year. Aside from being available as Apps (iOs, Android, Smartphones), if we can reach

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the online world too, that would be an awesome achievement. As a publisher kasi, the most important is to know that we are talking directly to people, not the walls. So for Utmost Creative Publishing, we have lots of plans for the future. Starting next year we will expand our publications by having a new title that should be out soon. To create more concepts and events like the “Concierto Uno” series this will have a second concert by January 2015. To have more marketing and advertising projects, more photography projects and pursue of doing out-of-the box executions and ideas, even go digital. I know by the guidance of the Lord we can do more great things in the future.

THE MEN OF UTMOST

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ABOUT

GENTLEMAN

Texts by Marijo Viray

A WOMAN’S PERCEPTION OF A TRUE GENTLEMAN…... Every woman dreams to be with a gentleman, a prince charming. But is there still a gentleman nowadays? Do they still exist? I’d like to believe that there are still gentlemen out there even in today’s generation. Let me first share with you what it’s like to be with a gentleman. Hmmm….. It’s like being the princess of the world; the Ms. Universe of all time; as if you’re the most expensive and most precious stone that exists. It’s like being so valuable suddenly each time you’re with him you can’t stop being amazed with how wonderfully he treats you. Your aura is all white, they say; you bloom without exerting any effort to look beautiful. Your beauty flaunts the love and joy inside you. What makes a gentleman special over most men? Well, it’s not him being special. It’s the way he enchants a woman that makes the whole experience fascinating. He opens your door. Wipes the bottom of your glass each time you take a drink. Sweeps you off your feet when a shoe heel breaks. Immediately extends a helping hand without asking. When at a party or big gathering, checks on you every so often before he mingles with friends or colleagues. At your defense when someone tries to hit on you. He makes you feel at ease even in a crowd of strangers. Being a gentleman is his character, to treat women gently and respectfully. How then can a woman know if a gentleman is into her? Though he may treat all women somewhat the same, he still has a distinct way in his approach that will make a woman feel special among the rest. He will go out of his way to make you feel you’re his princess, his most precious; his one and only. First thing you will notice is that “his eyes does not linger around when he’s with you even in a room filled with beautiful women. What then is my perception of a true gentleman? 1. A true gentleman keeps a woman safe and secured. He knows exactly what to do and where to be when with a woman, such as, when crossing the road he would automatically be on the side of the woman where the car is coming; when climbing up the stairs he’ll be a step behind or beside the woman put his hand at her back for support; when he sees you carrying a lot of things, he will run to you ease your load; he is not the type who would entertain conversations that malign any person; especially a woman. Lastly, he does not put her in an awkward situation of not introducing her to his friends or family when they are around. 2. Ego takes a back seat when with a woman. To him being egoistic to a woman is a sign of insecurity. Some men think that

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photo from itslavida.com

if they treat a woman with care especially in public it makes him less of a man. But the truth of the matter is, a true man has no qualms to be at the service of any woman, more so when the situation calls for it. 3. A true gentleman is honest, straightforward yet not offensive. He speaks his mind. Frank when needed. He has that charming way of putting words together and saying it in a way that the other person will not feel too offended nor degraded. 4. A true gentleman needs no assurance of his manhood. Some men think that their manhood is assured by the number of women they bring to bed, not realizing that such an act only proves their insecurity. Manhood is assured by being secure in who he is as a person. 5. The best trait of a gentleman is knowing how to compliment a woman, especially his woman. He is aware that, by doing so, he helps boost her confidence and strengthens her selfworth. 6. When it comes to bed, a true gentleman makes love and does not find pleasure in free sex. He would rather abstain than let sensual pleasure be obtained from someone who means nothing to him. Does it then follow that a gentleman is also a romantic man? No. It does not. Gentlemen are not automatically romantic. They just seem to be but are not. Maybe theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to but just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to be (financially). I guess they believe that by treating their woman right they are already being romantic as well. So, who makes a gentleman? A mother who teaches her son to respect and treat all women the way he respects and treats his mother; to respect others the way he wants others to respect his family.

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INFOCUS

features â&#x20AC;˘ cover story

UniSilver Time - KW1220-1103 P1,895 Folded & Hung - knit sweater

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j y Ea

FALCON Photographer: G-NIE ARAMBULO of Adphoto Hair And Make Up Artist: MAC IGARTA Stylist: AISA IPAC Assistant Stylists: BARON SOLOMON

PHILIP MALALA & PIA STEVENS

Venue: PAN PACIFIC HOTEL MANILA

Ejay Lasap Falcon born November 21, 1989 is a Filipino model and an actor who is currently a contract artist of ABS-CBN and the winner of Pinoy Big Brother’s Teen Edition Plus. Ejay’s biological father is French, and his mother is from the Province of Mindoro, Philippines. When the second season of Pinoy Big Brother started, Ejay auditioned and got in as one of the official housemates of PBB. He was introduced as “Promdi Hottie of Mindoro”. In 2009, he played a major role as Gabby Arcanghel opposite Erich Gonzales in ABS-CBN’s drama series entitled Katorse. This was opposite followed by another show entitled Tanging Yaman where he was one of the main casts. In 2010, he also played a major role as Xyriel Manabat’s brother in the show entitled Momay. Followed by Guns and Roses in which he was paired on-screen with Empress Schuck. The show ended on September 2011. And his last project is Dugong Buhay with Yam Concepcion.

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Q&A BM: Hello Ejay, you have been part of the showbiz industry for some time now. Can you share with our readers a little bit of yourself and who Ejay is behind the camera? EJAY: OďŹ&#x20AC;-cam, I am very athletic, mahilig sa sports , I like to join any sport. I always play basketball and boxing. I go out for movies sometimes with friends.

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BM: Can you share with us how you started your career? EJAY: I joined PBB Teens 2008. I was the grand winner. It all started there, and the rest is history. I was given a teleserye from one to another. BM: What keeps you busy nowadays? Any upcoming projects that you can share with our readers? EJAY: I am busy keeping my body ďŹ t. I do work-outs for my next project which is coming very soon. The concept is a bit sexy that is why I am making myself ready for the role..

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BM: In line with the current theme of the magazine, what is the deďŹ nition of a gentleman for you? EJAY: A gentleman for me is showing respect and care for women. I am very protective with women. BM: What are your future plans for yourself and your career? EJAY: If given a chance, I want to go back to school. Kung kaya kong pagsabayin school and career, I would love to do it. And gusto ko pa rin palawakin ang kaalaman ko.

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MOBILITY

CAR NEWS • NEW CARS

Volkswagen Polo Notch 1.6 TDi M/T

MEDIAN MOTORING ON THE DOWN LOW Texts and photos by Jude Morte

The Volkswagen Polo Notch 1.6 TDi M/T is a paradox. It’s because its entire persona screams midpack motoring. But that’s exactly what it wants you to think, until you get into its cabin and drive off. The contradiction starts with its pricing and exterior. About the former, it may be a turnoff for some, given that there are cheaper options with exactly the same features as the Polo Notch - like the P808,000 Hyundai Accent 1.6 E M/T (manual transmission) diesel hatchback. Regarding the latter, the front end is as sporty as its celebrated hatchback sibling (the Polo is the platform for Volkswagen’s World Rally Championship endeavor), but for some reason the rear end doesn’t leave a memorable aesthetic imprint. However, the potential first car-Polo Notch enjoyment starts inside. The fabric seats are comfortable, and they have cushioning with which to get prolonged shuteye. The airconditioning is cold, even with the fan speed at the lowest level. The elephant skin gray dashboard plastics have a premium look; ditto with the integrated car entertainment/ICE layout. Speaking of ICE, its controls and the airconditioning controls are placed for easy reach by either front occupant – and you don’t fumble with any knob or button. The large glovebox has a first aid kit, rare in a mass market car but common with any European auto.

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The doors are a different matter, though. All doors have power assisted windows and levers to bring said windows up or down, and the driver’s side door has a latch to open the trunk (it’s near the speaker) plus the power assisted door lock master switch. The head scratchers here are the: 1) Driver’s side window automation, which only goes all the way down; 2) The driver’s armrest window switches are only for the front windows; and 3) No rear dome light. Regarding number two, if you have kids in the rear and if they play with the rear window switches, you’ll definitely have an adventure. Regarding number three, if it’s night time and a rear occupant loses a small item (such as coins or a cellphone) within the cabin, he or she will be forced to find the missing item solely by touch. Nevertheless, the overall cabin experience is great – and it’s bolstered immensely by the car’s storage ability. All doors can handle a 500 ml soda bottle and a paperback book stacked upright. There are small cubbyholes around the parking brake handle. The center console doubles as a movable armrest, and can fit around two to four top end smartphones and all their respective battery charging peripherals. The cargo bay swallows a golf bag and a small travel bag.

What will sway buyers toward getting a Polo Notch is the driving fun. The fact it that totes a 1.6L turbocharged direct injection (hence the TDi label) diesel in its badging should tell you something. That said, you don’t have to prod the throttle much to get acceleration, and you don’t have to floor the clutch pedal to slot the M/T stick into any gear. Even if you let go of the throttle and then jump on it, the car still lunges forward like a crazed cheetah on a leash - which can be unnerving for the first time Polo Notch driver/owner. Speaking of first timers to the Polo Notch brand, the M/T has a reverse gear where you push down on the stick, step on the clutch pedal, throw the stick at the 11 o’clock position, let go of the clutch pedal slowly while giving a little attention to the gas pedal, and watch the unit go. And the gear indicator within the gauge cluster (located below the clock) tells the driver that the tranny is in a particular ratio, with up and down arrows beside the numerical gear currently engaged to remind the driver to upshift (indicated by an upward arrow) or downshift (indicated by a downward arrow). The car’s other driving dynamics are a deal maker too. The front end is neutral, but the rear can get loose at certain turns. Ride comfort is great and the steering is light in feel but lacks feedback one wants when parallel parking or long backing. The brakes and the parking brake have good bite, and the headlights are bright enough to pierce total darkness. The Volkswagen Polo Notch is a great first car (or even a fine midpack option), and even better for the driver that doesn’t want attention. If only Volkswagen Philippines could do something about its pricing, so one need not lean on winning Das Lotto to get Das Auto.

NEUES EV LAUNCH Pasay City, Philippines—NEUES Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the NKC Metalworks Group of Osaka, Japan and Kart Plaza Manufacturing Corp., the Philippine leading electric golf kart distributor and servicing company, today announced a partnership that will see both companies engage in the local manufacturing of affordable and economical Electric Vehicles, which will be made available in the Philippine automotive market. At a press conference held at the SMX in Pasay City, Johnny Tan, Managing Director of Kart Plaza Manufacturing Corp. said, “The emissions produced by internal combustion engines are contributing to the degradation of the earth’s atmosphere, resulting in pollution that affects our collective health and well-being, not to mention the unpredictable and extreme weather patterns we are now experiencing as a result of global warming. This makes it a necessity for those in the transportation industry to reverse these harmful consequences by exploring alternatives to the traditional modes of mobility. Electric vehicles are one answer to the problems. They are the wave of the future and, today, in the Philippines, we are about to ride on top of its crest with the introduction of an evolving concept in transportation, which is sustainable, economical, and for the Filipino.” Under the agreement between the two companies, NEUES Co. Ltd. will provide the complete EV platform, as well as stand-alone charging stations, which Kart Plaza will use to locally develop, assemble, distribute and service the Electric Vehicles that will be offered to the Philippine motoring public as an affordable, “green”, and sustainable transport. The NKC Group, which is a provider of cutting edge technology and world-class products including bearing retainers, assembly-line conveyor systems, electric forklifts and wind-turbine technology, established NEUES Co. Ltd. which has been hard at work on the development of electric cars since 2009. In 2013, the company unveiled its compact Electric Vehicle (EV) platform, which is comprised of an EV unit, chassis and wheels that can be customized to suit the preferences of any market. Kart Plaza Manufacturing Corp. will help design and manufacture the EVs, as well as serve as the exclusive distributor and marketing arm of NEUES Co. Ltd. in the Philippines. According to Tatsuo Nakanishi, president of parent company NKC Metalworks Co. Ltd., “Air pollution and oil hike cause serious problems to people’s lives all over the world, which is the same situation in the Philippines. One of the solutions to this problem is electric cars. We are going to push forward with this project by cooperating with the Philippine government, private sector and all of you attending tonight. It is not just a dream to promote the electric vehicle by uniting the power of everyone here. Let us make the Philippines as a front runner of electric vehicles.” During the program, several EV prototypes were paraded to attendees of the launch, who included Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino, transport industry leaders, and members of the media. According to Keisuke Imada, Head of the NEUES EV development, “When we designed the platform, the world safety standard rule was integrated into our electric vehicles. We also adopted up-to-date technology for driving and riding comfort at an affordable price. The major costs of the EV are the batteries and its management system. Our Japanese team is composed of experts in developing car chassis but the final styling, assembling and design of the body exterior and interior will be handled by Kart Plaza Manufacturing Corp. Visit www.nkc-neues.com.ph for more information.

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Hyundai Accent 1.6L DSL 6M/T sedan

THE B-SIDE OF DRIVING FUN

Texts and photos by Auto Loco ‘Pinas

If the Hyundai Accent turbodiesel 6M/T (six-speed manual transmission or manual tranny) were an instrument of music, it would be a 10-inch vinyl record toting dual tracks. Specifically, one with both the a-side and the b-side proving to be equally popular, like KISS’s “Beth” (the equally popular b-side single of “Detroit Rock City”). In the Accent turbodiesel 6M/T’s case, the a-side would be the hatchback and the b-side would be the sedan, due to the Accent hatch’s shape looking more aesthetic than its sedan sibling. However, since the Accent sedan was given to this writer for review, glory must now be given to this Huyundai nameplate’s 1.6L diesel 6M/T sedan. The b-side Accent has an exterior that, much like its a-side hatchback sibling, evokes an aerodynamic notion of driving fun. About the only difference is the extended sheetmetal emanating from the rear wheels outward, as the sedan gets a proper trunk while the hatchback gets a nearly flat derriere. For the first time Hyundai buyer looking at both Accent turbodiesel 6M/T variants, the sedan is meant for those that frequently carry lots of gear yet needs a passenger car that can easily be shoehorned in city parking lots.

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As for the cabin, the Accent sedan is more than adequate for short or long distance travel. The fabric seats are thick enough to prevent any sort of vibration or harshness jarring any occupant, and their plush feeling allows for undisturbed shuteye at any time. The predominantly black cabin colorway is a tasteful contrast with the silver panels in strategic areas, showing a low key approach yet highlighting essential controls. Both front occupant visors have vanity mirrors. The power-assisted door locking is similar to the previous model Mazda 3 - if you’re on the driver’s side, pull the silver door tab stump towards you to unlock all doors, or push to lock all doors. The cargo bay can fit a golf bag and two mediumsized travel bags. Probably the only negatives cabin-wise are the lack of cupholders for rear passengers, and there’s only one source of ceiling lighting. However, the in car entertainment/ICE on the Accent sedan lords it over the Accent hatch, even if the latter has audio controls on the steering wheel. Any type of audio track – be it the purely piano highs of Beethoven’s Fur Elise, purely studio-orignated bass music like Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance,” or the rapid drums, rhythm guitar and bass guitar of Metallica’s “One” – is more than capably handled by the 1-DIN head unit and four

speaker system of the Accent sedan. All lows, mids and highs are faithfully replicated (rare for its subcompact sedan class), and the ICE is external MP3 player ready, be it via the auxiliary input or USB ports within the head unit interface. Also, the radio input presets are numerous – 18 for FM stations and 12 for AM stations. The car’s forward motion dynamics are great, but it may not be for first time car owners. Every gear (save for fifth and sixth) in this Accent exhibits rapid forward movement right after any M/T stick throw. A light tap on the clutch pedal make it easy to slot the stick into any forward gear, but reverse gear requires that you press a button within the m/t stick, step on the clutch, and throw the stick into the transmission’s leftmost part (at around the eleven o’clock side). A light tap on the rightmost throttle pedal and the unit more than willingly goes, which can be unnerving at times. For those just starting to drive using this car, you better have your wits about – and know where the clutch and brake pedals are located. Otherwise, you might be meeting people by accident. This Accent’s roadholding and safety behavior is a mixed bag, but has more positives than negatives. The car is composed on most turns, but you feel that the rear is quite loose due to the extended sheelmetal comprising the trunk. The ride is pliant, making any occupant rarely feel the rear wheels rebound when the car goes through long stretches of broken tarmac. The steering requires little effort from your hands and wrists, but most of the time you don’t know if you cocked the steering wheel at the correct angle, especially when parallel parking. The diesel Accent sedan has no foglights (its gas-fed sedan siblings tote foglights), the headlight beams are wide and bright enough to help you see virtually most of what’s ahead. The brakes bite when you need them to bite, but the lack of airbags (which prevent front occupants from slamming into the dashboard, should there be a full frontal mishap) and an anti-lock braking system (ABS, which prevents the front wheels from stopping, which prevents the car from skidding since the wheels are rotating under heavy braking in an ABSequipped car, and which gives you an extra tenth of a second to escape from a potential accident) make going unto the highway somewhat risky.

CAMPI opens the 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) with Senator Bam Aquino

Overall, the Hyundai Accent 1.6L DSL 6M/T sedan is as good as a potential purchase as its hatchback sibling, especially those who usually park in cramped urban parking areas and those who need to load myriad items that have to be secured within the cargo bay on a daily basis.

“PIMS is the perfect demonstration of the successes that the Philippine motoring industry has achieved over the years. We enjoyed double-digit growth since 2011, and we have no plans of letting up” says Atty. Rommel Gutierrez, President of CAMPI.

MANILA, Philippines, September 18, 2014: The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), formally opened the muchawaited 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), a 4-day motoring event happening on September 18-21 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The opening ceremony was led by no less than Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Industry & Entrepreneurship. He was joined by key officials of CAMPI members and affiliates as well as delegates of the ASEAN Automotive Product Working Group. “This year’s Philippine International Motor Show goes beyond being a worldclass motoring convergence, more importantly, it’s a demonstration of how the automotive industry plays a significant role in shaping this nation’s progress,” says Sen. Aquino IV. On its 5th year, PIMS brings together unique exhibits from (17) top car manufacturers and distributors in the country, and serves as the perfect platform to champion the exponential growth of the motoring industry.

In 2013, the industry achieved a new record of 212,414 units in total sales, their first time to surpass the 200,000 mark. This year, the Philippine automotive industry continues to be strong as it achieved a combined sales record of 19,116 units for the month of August 2014 with a 29.6 percent growth from August 2013. Year-to-date sales also reached 148,803 units or a growth of 28 percent. “We plan to maintain this glorious momentum by doing what we do best – providing the Filipino motorists with only the best automotive products and services that suit their needs and lifestyles,” he adds. On top of the world-class motoring displays, PIMS also features the “Progress in Motion” Exhibit where 12 iconic vehicles are displayed across the main lobby of the World Trade Center to give visitors an overview of the local motoring history. PIMS will also showcase, for the first time, the After-Sales Exhibit that offers packages on vehicle upgrades, repair services, and quality genuine parts for different vehicle models, old and new. To reinforce CAMPI’s advocacies towards Road Safety, Environmental Protection, and Consumer Rights, the organization also prepared Automotive Seminars and Workshops. Topics include fuel-saving tips, anti-carjack measures, and foolproof guide for vehicle registration and driver’s license application. In addition, the Technology Seminar Series which is a regular feature of every PIMS is not to be missed. Topics for this year will cover innovative technologies that will define the future of the automotive industry, such as the hybrid and electric vehicle, development in lubricant, and speed limiter. Affiliated organizations of the participating car brands are also holding Car Club Meets to foster camaraderie among car enthusiasts while giving the public a spectacular display of customized vehicles. Car shoppers also get a chance to test drive different vehicle types and brands under one roof. The young and young-at-heart will enjoy activities such as Pedal Go-Karts and Motoring-Inspired Games. Kids between six and twelve years old can enjoy the automotive-themed Treasure Hunt or check-out the Scale-Model Display. Attendees who want to know the geniuses behind some of the automotive industry’s best designs will definitely enjoy the Automotive Designers’ Photo Exhibit. Truly, this year’s Philippine International Motor Show gives the motoring public a one-of-a-kind experience that shouldn’t be missed. 5th PIMS runs from September 18-21, 2014, from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

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Mitsubishi ASX GLS (model year 2015)

THE HEART OF THE COMPACT SUV CROWD Texts and photos by Auto Loco ‘Pinas

In a segment with five-odd runners like the gas-fed compact sport utility vehicles (SUVs), being a top-of-mind player or the instant choice hinges not only on what can be offered buyers cabin-wise, but also position itself as a balance between hauler and highway sprinter. This is what the 2015 Mitsubishi ASX GLS presents to customers – a refresh on an original 2011 take, but with a more potent engine and interior features very much apt for the perpetually-on-the-go primarily urban family at an affordable price. At P1.148 million, the ASX GLS is P100,000 less than its ASX GSR sibling, the only difference being the GSR having a sunroof (with light emitting diode/LED illumination), leather seats and high intensity discharge/HID headlights. Given that the GLS’s lighting is as bright as the GSR’s, only a handful of SUV customers go stargazing via a sunroof and having leather seats in a car in a tropical country is tantamout to having your bum riding the level part of a heated flat iron, the better choice would be the GLS. Get this too - most of the ASX GLS’ competition tote higher pricetags (for example, the Honda CR-V starts at P1.275 million, the Kia Sportage starts at P1.24 million and the Mazda CX-5 starts at P1.495 million) but offer relatively the same loading capacity, engine grunt and interior features as the ASX GLS.

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Inside is enjoyment for four to five average Filipinos. The multi-color gauge cluster mimics the one on its Lancer RalliArt and Lancer Evolution X cousins, and sports readouts, fonts, and indicators that are easy to see, even for drivers with high grade bifocals. The airconditioning gets cold quickly even at the lowest blower settings (usually at the 11 o’clock or 12 o’clock level on the middle aircon knob), and it helps that the fabric seats have more than enough cushioning to get shuteye at any time. The in car infotainment (ICI) has controls on the nine o’clock side of the steering wheel, has a USB port within the glovebox, has Bluetooth hands-free calls capability, and a global positioning system/GPS that quickly turns on/off and quickly recalibrates (around three to four seconds) should the ASX find itself within the confines of Makati’s skyscrapers. The ICI also sports six speakers and an excellent replication of any track, be it the studio-produced bass of Naughty By Nature’s “OPP,” the fairly constant mids (and occasional highs) of Moonpools and Caterpillars’ “Ren,” or the piano tones of Wolfgang Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca.” Storage is a love-hate matter, though. Storage bins abound for the front occupants (including a fabric-lined center console with a power

CAMPI’s 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), formally opened the much-awaited 5th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), a 4-day motoring event, last September 18-21 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The opening ceremony was led by no less than Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Industry & Entrepreneurship. He was joined by key officials of CAMPI members and affiliates as well as delegates of the ASEAN Automotive Product Working Group. “This year’s Philippine International Motor Show goes beyond being a worldclass motoring convergence, more importantly, it’s a demonstration of how the automotive industry plays a significant role in shaping this nation’s progress,” said Sen. Aquino IV. On its 5th year, PIMS brought together unique exhibits from 17 top car manufacturers and distributors in the country, and served as the perfect platform to champion the exponential growth of the motoring industry. “PIMS is the perfect demonstration of the successes that the Philippine motoring industry has achieved over the years. We enjoyed double-digit growth since 2011, and we have no plans of letting up” said Atty. Rommel Gutierrez, President of CAMPI.

outlet and cupholders for the front doors), but rear occupants don’t get anything beyond the shallow rear door cavities that also serve as grab handles and a pocket behind the front occupant backrest. The rear backrests fold flat and flush with the cabin floor to handle long cargo (such as plywood), but with the rear backrests and the tonneau cover installed you can only fit in a large travel bag, a medium travel bag and a small backpack without sacrificing rear view vision. Perhaps the grunt of the ASX’s 2.0L straight four will convince you to get a unit. A 15 kg reduction in kerb weight (a die cast aluminum cylinder block replaces the cast iron one on the 2011 model, which accounts for 100% of the ASX’s diet) and a continuously variable automatic transmission keeps you in the powerband constantly (whether going up or down a gear). There’s noticeable pep even with a halfhearted gas pedal effort even if you’re just using the default “(D)rive” setting instead of the manual mode. But if you want the engine speed to drop down less on upshifts, slam the stick to the left of “(D)rive”, and use the paddle shifters (left paddle for downshifts, right paddle for upshifts) to select a gear. This is known as the manual mode, and it’s willing to go down to first gear (first gear!) even at 10 kph. The rest of the driving dynamics inspire confidence, whether going forward, backward or laterally. The ride comfort will make you feel tall humps and deep ruts, but overall the damping doesn’t wake up light sleepers in any of the passsenger seats. The 6.5JJ x 17-inch rims and 215/60 spec tires have a wide tread profile, which give you confidence when cornering even in the wet. Also, there’s little body roll during turn entry and exit, and you don’t feel like the SUV’s about to tip over should you carry a lot of speed (plus occupants and gear) into corners. The steering is light, but the feedback is inconsistent. There are times when you cock the steering wheel at the correct angles, there are times when you realize you put too much effort on the steering wheel (and reaching the maximum three turns lock-to-lock) and reaching the maximum possible steering angle on either lateral flank.

In 2013, the industry achieved a new record of 212,414 units in total sales, their first time to surpass the 200,000 mark. This year, the Philippine automotive industry continues to be strong as it achieved a combined sales record of 19,116 units for the month of August 2014 with a 29.6 percent growth from August 2013. Year-todate sales also reached 148,803 units or a growth of 28 percent. “We plan to maintain this glorious momentum by doing what we do best – providing the Filipino motorists with only the best automotive products and services that suit their needs and lifestyles,” he added. On top of the world-class motoring displays, PIMS also featured the “Progress in Motion” Exhibit where 12 iconic vehicles were displayed across the main lobby of the World Trade Center to give visitors an overview of the local motoring history. PIMS also showcased, for the first time, the After-Sales Exhibit that offered packages on vehicle upgrades, repair services, and quality genuine parts for different vehicle models, old and new. To reinforce CAMPI’s advocacies towards Road Safety, Environmental Protection, and Consumer Rights, the organization also had Automotive Seminars and Workshops. Topics included fuel-saving tips, anti-carjack measures, and foolproof guide for vehicle registration and driver’s license application. In addition, the Technology Seminar Series covered innovative technologies that will define the future of the automotive industry, such as the hybrid and electric vehicle, development in lubricant, and speed limiter. Affiliated organizations of the participating car brands also held Car Club Meets to foster camaraderie among car enthusiasts while giving the public a spectacular display of customized vehicles. Car shoppers also get a chance to test drive different vehicle types and brands under one roof. The young and young-at-heart enjoyed activities such as Pedal Go-Karts and Motoring-Inspired Games. Kids between six and twelve years old enjoyed an automotive-themed Treasure Hunt and the Scale-Model Display. Attendees who want to know the geniuses behind some of the automotive industry’s best designs will definitely enjoy the Automotive Designers’ Photo Exhibit.

The brakes bite when you need them, and the reverse gear activated camera (with viewing via the ICI’s monitor) more than makes up for the limited rearward vision. Even though its competition may have increased loading capabilities or more storage bins for rear occupants, any gas-fed compact SUV is meant to more of an urban dweller that’s a frequent hauler. And that is where Mitsubishi’s ASX GLS captures the heart of the compact SUV crowd.

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Ducati Monster 1200 S

Mega Monster Texts and photos by Andrew Rodriguez

hen you mention the word ‘monster’, the first things that usually come to mind are ugly, scary figures that go bump in the night. Mention the same word to a motoring enthusiast and the first thing that comes to mind is Ducati’s naked street bike that bumps heart beats to a frantic pace. Since the introduction of the first generation Ducati Monster over two decades ago, the naked bike line has enjoyed an ever increasing following from motoring enthusiasts whether you’re a 4-wheel driver or a 2-wheel rider. For 2014, Ducati has upped the ante for the hugely popular motorcycle in their product line. You see, a few months ago, the largest displacement Ducati Monster ever produced was released on Philippine shores. The Ducati Monster 1200 (and its uprated 1200 S brother which is the focus of our review) features the water-cooled 1198cc Testastretta 11-degree engine also found in their Multistrada and Diavel line-ups. The new Monster puts together what Ducati has learned thru the years of racing and making motorcycles.

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Upon seeing the Ducati Monster 1200 S in the flesh (or should I say metal and plastic in this case) for the first time, it dawned on me that the new Monster is relatively compact for a 1200cc motorcycle. The designers of the 1200/S achieved this feat by using the meaty L-twin engine as a stressed member of the whole frame design. Trellis design (a Ducati design trademark) subframes attach to the front and rear of the engine to complete the frame. The design is a trickle down from their racing background. The new styling of the Monster maintains the ‘less is more’ design philosophy of the original Monster of 20 years ago. The sculpted metal tank slopes down into the low seat which then kicks upwards to a tapered tail. A removable hard plastic pillion seat cover comes with the bike for those moments when you want ride alone AND look good while at it. The 1200 S variant differs from the standard one (if you can call any Ducati Monster standard) by having Ohlins made front forks and rear coil-over shock absorber. The ‘S’ also has Y-shaped 3-spoke wheels compared to the 10-spoke wheels mounted on the non-‘S’ variants. Getting on the 1200 S, the low seat allows my feet to lay flat on the ground without any problems which is very confidence inspiring. The handlebar position gives you a slight forward leaning riding position that is slightly sporty without compromising on comfort. Taking the weight off the side stand, I’m surprised by the fact that the bike is light to handle owing to a relatively low center of gravity of the overall design of the bike. Starting the engine, I’m rewarded with some grin inspiring Ducati engine noise and exhaust note. With the TFT instrument display showing the engine vitals in the green, I set off on my introduction ride on the ‘S’. The 145hp on tap (135hp on the non-‘S’ variant) from the 1198cc engine can be reined in or set loose on demand by the 3 different riding modes (Urban, Touring and Sport). In ‘Urban’ mode, the throttle response is somehow ‘feathered’ with the help of the ‘ride by wire’ throttle system. Accelerating hard in this mode, you get a

good push backwards in the seat. But switching to the ‘Touring’ and ‘Sport’ intensifies the rush of acceleration. Each mode features its own settings for the traction control and ABS. Getting on ‘Sport’ mode revealed to me the tenacity of power on tap. It was easy to lift up the front tire whether or not it was intentional. Acceleration was strong enough to keep me pinned to the back part of the seat with raw urgency that it had me excited and scared at the same time. Getting around the city, the engine was tractable, handling stop and go traffic easily. Ducati bikes are known to have stiff clutches mainly due to its hydraulic system. On the 1200 S, the clutch is softer that what Ducatis are known for but I still would not recommend riding it in heavy traffic for long periods of time. Another downside is the way that the exhaust pipe for the rear cylinder is routed. The rider’s right inner leg bears the brunt of the heat from the pipe, in some situations I found myself tucking my leg against the pipe while riding. Good thing the designers put in aluminum and plastic heat shields to prevent thighs from getting burned. Riding a motorcycle is not all about riding in a straight line and acceleration; it’s also about going around corners. The Monster 1200 S equipped with Ohlins suspension bits and Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires had me taking the mountain roads of Rizal with increasing confidence as I got used to how the bike handled. Flicking the bike from left to right to change direction was easy and without drama. By the time I was headed back to the civilization, I was taking the corners deeper than when I took them on the way up. Road undulations were easily soaked up by the suspension in the factory settings, even while leaned over in a corner. The experience within city roads on the other hand was slightly mixed. The ever undulating road surface plus the road joints and potholes resulted in a suspension that was on the stiff size. You could almost feel every bump on roads with a concrete surface. On the bright side, the front forks and rear shock absorber are adjustable so it is possible to get a good compromise between comfort and handling for city riding. Ducati has come up with another ace in their new Monster 1200 series. The desirable ‘S’ variant adds slightly more engine output, better suspension parts and lighter wheels. A great naked bike that will continue the cult status of the model line, it mixes performance and comfort in a compact package for large displacement motorcycle.

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Senator Paolo Benigno â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bamâ&#x20AC;? Aquino IV, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Industry and Entrepreneurship, formally opened the BMW X Pavilion at the 5th Philippine International Motor show on September 18, 2014. The booth was presented by Asian Carmakers Corporation (ACC), the official importer and distributor of BMW in the Philippines and featured the complete model lineup of the iconic Sports Activity Vehicle family, the BMW X line. Models displayed in the pavilion include the BMW X1 M Sport, the new BMW X3, the all-new BMW X5, the BMW X6 and the first-ever BMW X4 Sports Activity Coupe. From left to right, Karl Magsuci (ACC Deputy Marketing Director), Maricar Parco (ACC President), Senator Bam Aquino, and Atty. Rommel Gutierrez (CAMPI President). Catch the BMW X Pavilion at the 5th Philippine International Motor show from September 18 to 21, 2014 at the World Trade Center.

Honda Cars Makati, Inc. names Optimum CARe: X-1R grand raffle promowinners Honda Cars Makati, Inc. (HCMI) awarded the winners of the recently concluded Optimum CARe: X-1R raffle promo on September 17, 2014 at Rastro Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Bonifacio Global City. In partnership with CreativeSparx, Inc., HCMI organized a simple gathering to celebrate the success of this promo. The Optimum CARe: X-1R raffle promo took off in January 13, 2014 and concluded in July 13. Customers who avail the X-1R Engine Treatment along with HCMI services such as Change Oil, Detailing Package, Preventive Maintenance and General Repair services from January 13 to July 13 are eligible to join this raffle. Three lucky winners received Apple gadgets in the monthly draw. 1st prize winners took home an Apple iPad 4, 2nd prize winners got their own iPad Mini, and an iPhone 4S awaited the 3rd prize winners. Furthermore, three lucky winners of international and local trips were also drawn from the thousands of entries across branches during the grand raffle draw. 1st prize winner Ms. Remedy Arlene Tierro gets to go home with a 5 days/4 nights package trip for four to Singapore. Ms. Helen Cheng, 2nd prize winner, wins a 3 days/2 nights package tour for four to HongKong-Macau. Lastly, Mr. Johnson Hui, receives a 3 days/2 nights trip for four to Boracay as the 3rd prize winner. All three grand raffle draw winners are service customers of Honda Cars Makati. The winning coupons were drawn at Honda Cars Makati under the supervision of DTI representatives on July 31. Also present during the draws are representatives from HCMI headed by Honda Cars Pasig Branch Manager and Functional Director for after-sales operations, Mr. Leo Dolendo, Honda Cars Pasig Service Manager, Mr. Jojo Tomacruz, Honda Cars Makati Service Manager, Mr. Ernie Samson and the CreativeSparx Inc. team headed by X-1R Country Manager, Mr. Harold Ledda. The second phase of this promo will be launched this October. Honda Cars Makati Inc., with branches in Makati (Magallanes and Greenbelt), Pasig, Alabang, Shaw and Global City, is a member of the Ayala group of companies.

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NISSAN UNVEILS ALL-NEW X-TRAIL AT THE 5th PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW Manila, Philippines (September 18, 2014)—Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) launched the all-new Nissan X-Trail at the recently held Philippine International Motor Show. The newly-established national sales company, tasked to market all Nissan vehicles in the country, showcased the all-new X-Trail along with other Nissan vehicles. The all-new X-Trail is Nissan’s contender in the compact sport utility vehicle segment, which has seen much success in key markets including the US, Japan, China and Australia. It was first seen in the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and since then covered solid ground, and is eyeing to launch in 190 countries. The Philippine launch is one of the first in the ASEAN region. The forerunners of the all-new X-Trail were introduced in the country back in 2003 and in 2008. After years of anticipation, Nissan will finally make the third generation X-Trail available in showrooms by November 2014. The all-new X-Trail emerges strong, bold, and still heavily reflective of its outstanding on- and off-road capability. It delivers an unprecedented, full sensory driving experience within a shell that is sharp, stunning, and wellengineered. From its boxy predecessor, the all-new X-Trail shows a shift to a more modern crossover appearance – its design begins with distinctive V-motion front grille that is complemented by LED daytime running lights and boomerang-shaped tail lamps – making it the most stylish X-Trail yet. Built and assembled in Nissan’s Kyushu plant, the all-new X-Trail’s design undeniably embodies an attractive styling. It is fit for on-road driving, but with its 210 mm ground clearance, the all-new X-Trail has more off-road versatility than its competition, giving it a good balance between performance and value for money. For easier ingress and egress, the all-new X-Trail has doors that swing wide up to 80 degrees. Inside, the all-new X-Trail has a much bigger cabin. The interior now has a more functional layout with luxurious panels, brushed metallic accents and soft-touch surfaces. The 4x4 variant comes with multi-function switches in the steering wheel that controls the meter, audio, cruise control and hands-free phone connectivity. The audio system has been enhanced by a 5-inch LCD monitor with CD/ Tuner/MP3/AUX/USB and Bluetooth functions. The seat backs of the second row seats has a 40:20:40 split and comes with slide function, adjustable headrests, center armrest and walk-in function, while the third row seats have a 50:50 split with manual singe folding function and adjustable headrests.

“We are proud to launch the all-new X-Trail at PIMS because it is a model highly anticipated by Filipino fans. It’s sleek, stylish, comfortable and loaded with a lot of new features that shows Nissan’s brand of innovation,” said Antonio Zara, President and Managing Director of NPI. ‘Built on testosterone’ This stylish urban compact SUV is a powerful machine that delivers propulsion, exudes a rugged character, and sits at the summit of its segment – dauntless, defiant and firm. Powering the all-new X-Trail is two of Nissan’s powerful but fuel efficient petrol engines. The MR20DD 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engine is capable of providing 144 PS and 200 Nm of torque powers the 4x2 variant. Meanwhile, the QR25DE 2.5-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engine produces 171 PS and 233 Nm of thrust powers the 4x4 variant. Both engines are mated to Nissan’s latest technology XTRONIC transmission. The third generation X-Trail also incorporates world’s first features such as Active Ride Control and Active Engine Brake that make a huge statement in the compact SUV segment. The Active Ride Control system continuously monitors the road surface and effectively alters suspension damping to control the vehicle’s pitch – managing the body roll during high-speed cornering. Meanwhile, the Active Engine Brake system assists in speed adjustments to ensure a smooth turn when stepping on the brake pedal. Exciting features of the all-new X-Trail include Around View Monitor available in the 4x4 variant – it allows a 360-degree real time and synchronized view that helps the driver maneuver around obstacles while parking; the Hill Start Assistance system – when stopped in an incline, maintains the brake pressure for a maximum of two seconds after the driver’s foot has left the brake pedal, enabling the driver to switch the foot to the accelerator without the vehicle rolling back. The all-new X-Trail will be available in Pearl White, Diamond Black, Brilliant Silver, Fiery Red and a Special Copper Blaze edition that is available for the 4x4 variant. With a suggested retail price of PhP1,375,000 for the 2.0-liter 4x2 variant and PhP1,580,000 for the 2.5-liter 4x4 variant, Nissan is now accepting reservations for the all-new X-Trail starting today. Nissan is also excited to announce a limited-time offer for the all-new X-Trail having its introductory price set at PhP 1,350,000 for the 4x2 variant and PhP 1,550,000 for the 4x4 variant which is the same MSRP as for the secondgeneration X-Trail. This offer will run until October 31, 2014.

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UNWIND

TRAVEL & LEISURE

Gyeongbukgong Palace Seoul, South Korea

Annyeong Korea!

Words and photos by Sherilline Lorenzo Magallanes

11.11.11 – It was National Peppero Day in Korea, but for me and my friends, it was the day that we made our dream come true. We arrived late night in Incheon International Airport and breathing in the cold air was such a dreamlike experience. There I was sharing the same air space with my favorites Lee Min Ho, Lee Dong Wook, CN Blue and Super Junior. Our taxi, that was pre-arranged, was waiting to take us to Seoul Backpackers where we will be staying for the next 5 days. After check-in, we went out for a while to take our first meal in Korea and our feet took us to Pomato where we enjoyed Kimbap and Donkatsu. Our first official day in South Korea was spent making our KDrama (Korean Drama) fantasies come true. It was indeed a thrill visiting the filming locations of two of the well-loved series in the recent years – Petit France where scenes from the “Secret Garden” were shot and Nami Island for “Winter Sonata”. Day 2 was a Sunday, so after hearing mass at Myeong-Dong Cathedral, me and the ladies went around for a bit of shopping and lunch feasting on “Samgeopsal” and “Bulgogi” and went shopping again. Early afternoon we were on our way to the highest point in Seoul - The N Seoul Tower or most commonly known as the Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower. Same with the other visitors, we took a cable car up to Mt. Namsan then walked to the tower. The “Locks of Love” is another reason why Mt. Namsan is frequented by locals and tourists. It is a popular location for people to hang locks that symbolize eternal love, and this has been shown in many Korean television shows, dramas, and movies. It was another KDrama moment as this is where Gu Jun Pyo proposed to Jan Di in the highly rated “Boys Over Flower.”

We visited Gyeongbokgung Palace to have a feel of the rich history of Korea. It is one of the five grand palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. One of the many favorite attraction in the palace is the royal changing of the guard ceremony which is held in front of the main gate, Gwanghwamun, every hour between 10:00am and 03:00pm. Across the main gate, is another popular site, the Gwanghwamun Square, where you can find the statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong the Great of Joseon era. How was that for going historical in our Day 3?

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Day 4 mission was to find and drink coffee at the café of the famed KDrama “Coffee Prince” in Hongdae. We found it but was not able to have coffee as it was still closed when we arrived. Lucky for us, we had another coffee shop in our list which took us back to our younger days – the Hello Kitty Café . After enjoying the coffee like little girls we went to visit South Korea’s largest theme park “Everland Resort.” Loved the rides. Loved the parades. Loved being a young girl again. Then it was our final day. We woke up early to visit the 63 Building in Yeouido Island. Aside for being one of the tallest structure in South Korea, part of it’s attraction to us is that most of the important scenes of another KDrama favorite “My Girl” were filmed there. Buckchon Hanok Village was our second to the last stop. It is a Korean traditional village composed of a number of alleys, hanok (traditional houses) and is preserved to show a 600-year-old urban environment. It is now used as a traditional culture center which allows visitors to experience the atmosphere of the Joseon Dynasty. Then it was time to go. As we were saying our final goodbye to the staff of Seoul Backpackers, another wish was added to our bucket lists – visit South Korea again. There were still more places to see, more people to meet, more memories to create. Visiting South Korea was really a dream coming true and it brought me a joy I could never imagine. Going to the places and eating the food that I only get to see in KDramas and experiencing it first hand was indeed a natural high. Sharing these moments with Cathy, April, Dolly, Tal, Kat and Kapst were really memorable. One visit is not enough. I will definitely go back again.

Yeouido Park

Shortly after, back in April of 2013, I experienced South Korea over again with my friends – Cathy, April and Charie, this time with Cherry Blossoms.

Gwanghwamun Square

We arrived the morning of April 9 and after checking in we had breakfast at our favorite Paris Baguette Café then went straight to visit Korea’s past via Changdeokgung Palace and it’s Secret Garden. We were finally successful in locating the traditional houses used in my favorite “Heartstrings” and Sanggojae of “Personal Taste” in our trip back to Bukchon Hanok Village. It’s history and KDrama all in one day.

Korean Folk Village

It was a KDrama Special in our second day as we spent playing dress-up in colorful “Hanboks” in the Korean Folk Village, the filming locations of my favorite Sageuks (Historical Drama) - The Moon that Embraces the Sun & Sunkyunkwan Scandal + the fusion Sageuk Rooftop Prince. As this was a trip outside Seoul, we had breakfast Gangnam style in Paris Croissant located in the busy street of Gangnam. We had dinner at Insadong and we finally get to drink Soju at a tent in Namdaemun Market. Fan girl activated in our KPop Day by visiting CJ E & M Center where MNET Wide and M! Countdown is taped. We also dropped by SM Entertainment, then to Super Junior brothers Leeteuk, Sungmin and Kyuhyun’s branch of Kona Beans with the highlight of the day - a super photo shoot with Leeteuk and Kyuhyun’s Omma :) This is the nearest I could get to my favorite Super Junior! Then off to the beginning of our adventure at the Banpo River, a major bridge in downtown Seoul over the Han River, to watch the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain. It was a super, colorful & COLD (as in COLD) night --- truly magical. Yey! The day for Cherry Blossoms! We were as beautiful as the flowers in bloom in Yeouido Park. We rode the bike again after a long time. Then it was followed by a fun afternoon at the cool Trick-Eye Museum with its uber innovative murals. We returned to Hello Kitty Café to be little girls again and we experienced the street/night life in HongDae as seen in our favorite KDramas.

N Seoul Tower

Korean Folk Village

The second to our last day was spent having breakfast at Mango Six where most of the scenes of our favorite KDrama “A Gentleman’s Dignity” were filmed :0) We tried a bit of window shopping the “K” way at COEX Mall and Lotte Duty Free. It was a “fun” surprise seeing “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan/ poster in one part of the subway stations in Seoul. Night time was spent doing our own version of “Gimik” at Myeong-Dong and a stroll around Seoul via the Cheonggyecheon Stream. The last in our itinerary was a trip to the N Seoul Tower and it’s Observatory, this time early in the morning to see the cityscape. Enjoyed a bit of Korean history via the Teddy Bear Museum which was a first for me. Then it was time to say goodbye again. It was bittersweet since we were enjoying our time so much, but of course we needed to go back to reality. We were missing our families already and we know they were concerned as they felt that our timing for our vacation is not good as there was ongoing tension between the North and South during that time. It did not stop us though in making our dream come true - return to Korea again. Like the first time that we were there, the experience was surreal. It was like a magic land for us four and our happiness was over-flowing. It was a natural high that I like to do over and over. We made a promise to come back again and we are going to this October. I am happily counting down the days until I say – Annyeong Korea, I’m back!

Korean Folk Village

Banpo Bridge

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TASTE

DINE IN • TAKE OUT

Words and photos by Ricky Alonzo, Jr.

FOOD ART

In Japanese cuisine, nothing is accidental. Every choice is made with the intention of enhancing the dining experience. From the striking balance of simple yet high quality ingredients, to precision culinary techniques, to the beautiful and elegantly serene presentations – elevating Japanese cuisine into a gastronomic art form for the senses. At Akira, the passion for Japanese cuisine is very much alive and is primed to delight. Akira is happy marriage of the opposites--the post-modern design, punctuated with traditional Japanese element, radiates understated elegance. Wooden tables, wicker basket, prints of prominent Japanese icons, abstract tree branch patterns protruding from the walls, small figurines, and other Japanese curios create a statement: an artsy showcase that bodes well for a masterful gastronomy.

Flamboyantly Japanese

The restaurant is named after a fictional character Akira, a legendary teppanyaki chef who waged a war against Kagutsuchi to rescue his dearly beloved Sayuri from the fire god‘s evil clutches. In the tradition of the great Japanese teppanyaki artist, Akira’s chefs are especially skilled in the art of flame mastery and theatrics -- performing amazing culinary feat on a grill in front of the diners. The word “teppanyaki” is derived from ‘teppan’ which means ‘iron plate’, and ‘yaki’ which means ‘grilled’. No longer confined to snooty hotels, teppanyaki is getting the long overdue recognition it deserves, with Akira taking the lead among the new wave of teppanyaki restaurants. The ingredients consist of fresh meat, fish and vegetable. The iron grills on the teppan tables are fired up and diners are guided through the process – from choosing the variety and the amount of seasoning and oil, as well as the doneness of the meat. What happens next is sheer precision and flamboyance -- cutting, stirring, seasoning in between fire acrobatics and voila -- food masterpiece!

Consumable Art

Beyond the cooking acrobatics, Akira is still all about the Japanese food that captures the heart and taste bud of customers. Authentic Japanese pleasers include ramen, tempura, tonkatsu, and bentos. The inventive sushi offering takes the cake when it comes to creativity—a wide selection to choose from—all incredibly artful and tasteful. Of course, the primary arsenals of any Japanese restaurant worth its salt are fresh and prime ingredients. The very essence of Japanese cuisine revolves around this. The restaurant offers premium items such as US Wagyu and prime-grade US ribeye. Japanese Wagyu is also being served with a choice between A3 and A4 grade. For those who crave for the ultimate in beef indulgence, Japan’s coveted Matsusaka and Kobe beefs are yours for the taking. Such items can be served a la carte, or included in the set served with chicken, shrimp, fried rice, miso soup, and vegetables.

“Visual presentation is as much a part of the dining experience as the taste of the food itself, so beauty is always an essential ingredient in any Japanese meal. “ 72

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Visual presentation is as much a part of the dining experience as the taste of the food itself, so beauty is always an essential ingredient in any Japanese meal. “The Japanese steadfastly believe that you eat with your eyes first.” Presentation becomes an art form and great attention is evident in everything -- from the arrangement of the food and garnishes to the dishes upon which each component of the meal is served. Even the chopstick holder at Akira is a thing of beauty! Sitting amidst the Kenneth Cobonpue designed interiors-- the natural wood, raw concrete and soft earthy tones together with the soothing Japanese music evoke calming serenity, sets the mood for a wonderful consumable art degustation for those who crave for a taste of Japan in urban Manila.

TASTE

DINE IN • TAKE OUT

PROFILE Recipes Restaurant Filipino/Asian Cuisine Outlets 1) Recipes by Café Metro/GLG Foods Corp. (opened November 2002) Greenbelt 3, 2nd Level Area: 134.62 sqm Outside Seating: 17 sqm Seating Capacity: 70 people inside/ 15 people outside

RECIPES

Celebrate all the wonderful flavors of home with Recipes Restaurant. Established in 2000, Recipes has continued to bring nostalgia to the Filipino palate with its savorful twist of FIlipino and Asian meals. Patrons have come to love Recipes’ classic dishes like General’s Chicken, Crispy Tilapia, Gising Gising, Lechon Kawali with Kangkong and are getting to know and love new dishes. Each dish is meticulously prepared to perfection, with an unmatched consistency carried out to its 8 branches. Surrounded by its cheerful ambience, modest prices and great flavors, each Recipes visit will definitely be a delightful experience.

2) Recipes by Café Metro/BR Guest Corp. (opened April 2004) Alabang Town Center, 2nd Level Corte de las Palmas Area: 66.94 sqm Outside Seating: 35 sqm Seating Capacity: 30 people inside/ 22 people outside 3) Recipes/Goodchoice Foods Corp. (opened May 2007) Trinoma, 2nd Level Area: 76.90 sqm Outside Seating: 10.44 sqm Seating Capacity: 32 people inside/ 14 people outside 4) Recipes Modern Asian Bistro/Dandeguz Foods Corp. (opened October 2007) Robinsons Place Manila, Level 2 Midtown Wing Area: 97.31 sqm Seating Capacity: 50 5) Recipes by Café Metro/Sarriette Foods Corp. (opened July 2008) Shangri-La Plaza, 5th Level Area: 76.15 sqm Seating Capacity: 50 6) Recipes/Sarriette Foods Corp. (opened August 2011) Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila, 4th Level Area: 80 sqm Seating Capacity: 55 7) Recipes/Southern Culinary Treats Inc. (opened December 2011) Solenad 2, Nuvali Area: 60 sqm Seating Capacity: 38 8) Recipes/Sarriette Foods Corp. (opened February 2014) Fairview Terraces, 2nd Level Area: 87.53 sqm Seating Capacity: 42

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WELLNESS

HEALTH & FITNESS

Words & photos by: Ricky Alonzo, Jr.

Defy Gravity The yoga we know today involves holding stretches as a kind of low-impact physical exercise, and is often used for therapeutic purposes employing meditation, imagery, breath work, and music. The most popular ones include Hatha, Ashtanga and Bikram --all have gained cult followings as alternatives to yawn-inducing and routinary gym workouts and they do come with the benefits of soothing both the mind and the body. A next step in the evolution of yoga is AntiGravity Yoga. AntiGravity takes yoga to new heightsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;literally. Participants are suspended in a silk hammock while doing yoga poses and working out core muscles. AntiGravity Yoga is a patented technique developed by New York-based aerial choreographer and gymnast Christopher Harrison. One day while taking a breather from a rehearsal of his dance company, he sat on a hammock and the idea struck. Being a yoga enthusiast for many years, he thought of a way of bringing several disciplines and techniques together in one low impact exercise routine. The new routine fuses yoga with athletics and sheer artistry. Since then, AntiGravity Yoga has never looked back and has enjoyed a growing following in the United States and 40 countries.

The experience can be daunting at first-- hanging from the ceiling three feet off the floor with nothing but a seemingly flimsy silky fabric supporting a participant while bending and twisting. But looks can be deceiving. The silky hammock is a band of fabric made of special materials such as nylon and lycra that can hold up to 3400 lbs. The same material is used in high-flying stunts in concerts and events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at a much higher altitude. The silk hammock acts as a swing cum trapeze that allows yoga practitioners to cocoon themselves like a larvae while doing stretches and does a good job of providing resistance for a myriad of yoga poses and supports the arms and hips for bending stances. Once one gets past the initial fear and jitters, a whole new world of health benefits with less pain can be had. AntiGravity Yoga combines yoga poses with acrobatics, calisthenics and Pilates sans the strain when doing those positions on the ground. Classes include low impact cardio, strength and flexibility training, balance and agility exercises.

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“AntiGravity takes yoga to new heights—literally.“ AntiGravity Yoga’s patented inversions help with spinal decompression. The holistic effect of this yoga hybrid is therapeutic as it brings relief to mild depression and alleviates back pain. It burns tons of calories as well. “It’s a total mind, body and spirit workout,” says Charlene Ocampo, an aerial yoga enthusiast. “It feels like you are flying,” adds Ocampo. “You move in 3-dimensional space while getting a total workout with a dose of entertainment and challenge… and it’s safe too!” AntiGravity Yoga sends your spirit soaring while getting you in tip-top shape without the ache.

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RENOVATE

HOME • OFFICE • ESTABLISHMENTS

Giving Yourself a Little Space Words & photos by Angel Rivero

hen people talk about storage, the first thing that comes to mind is the United States. After all, the country has almost become the heart of storage – being home to a hugely popular, multi-million dollar industry. Having said that, the Philippines, following the commercial footsteps of the USA as we often do, has finally began to welcome the concept and value of storage services... and one of the pioneers in the local industry is SafeHouse Storage Philippines.

SafeHouse Storage was founded by the Coronel brothers, Carlo and Marc, back in early 2010. It operated under its umbrella company, CCMC Development Corporation, which was basically well-known in the real estate industry for its efficient warehousing services. It has since been the largest self-storage facility in the Philippines; and to date, the number of the company’s storage units has already increased by a whopping 3000%! But why should people resort to outsourcing their storage in the first place? Well, because sometimes people decide to move into smaller residences, but are not yet ready to part with their precious belongings. Sometimes Filipinos like to hold on to things with sentimental value to them, and yet also believe that too much clutter may mean bad feng shui and hence, bad luck for the household. For commercial clients it may simply mean that they need a place to keep important documents that would otherwise only eat into precious office space. Asians somehow share this unsaid mantra that implies: ‘uncluttering your environment will leave room for new opportunities’. Whatever the reason behind it is, availing of storage services ensures a convenient, safe and secure solution for households and offices alike. SafeHouse Storage currently maintains 2 fully-operational properties – one in Veterans Center, Taguig and one in Project 7, Quezon City. Each of these facilities offers a range of storage unit sizes (2 cubic meters – 90 cubic meters) from locker-types to medium and big-cut units, with rentals ranging from Php 2,000-9,500/month. The simplest storage unit can accommodate the equivalent of 8 balikbayan boxes, while the largest unit can take in up to 110 balikbayan boxes. For reliable security, every unit has its own roll-up door, and CCTV cameras are deployed at all access points, round the clock. Roving security guards also man the facilities 24/7. Unlike other local storage services, SafeHouse Storage does not mix your belongings with those of other clients. Each tenant is granted full control over his or her storage area, and hence the customers’ privacy is never compromised. Clients also have the option of customizing their own units, based on their desired size. All storage buildings are equipped with elevators for easy transport of goods; and are open for client visits 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Adding more value to the customer experience, SafeHouse Storage also offers assistance in packing and transporting goods, for an additional premium. Such a service becomes mission-critical especially when shipping fragile items such as antiques, paintings, sculptures and precious glassware and collectibles. Contrary to what some people might think, packing is a skill – which requires proper technique and experience. The availability of a tried and tested team, with access to the proper materials (bubble wrap, sturdy fiber boards, corrugated

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sheets, newsprint and packing boxes) and knowledgeable in the right methods for packing, is an awesome value-added service that goes hand in hand with the art of storage. The corresponding packing fee is computed per cubic meter of goods. Furthermore the company also offers services in records management and archiving – especially important for corporate clients with confidential business files and legal documents. Thus, customers may opt for a customized racking and tracking system that will facilitate the speedy retrieval of their documents, whenever necessary. The use of a barcode system is also an option, to make file management more accurate. Should the client eventually choose to dispose of their documents, a document-destruction/on-site document disposal service is also made available by the company. If you have stored furniture and would eventually want to sell them, you could opt to have the company facilitate an auction to their accredited buyers via closed bidding, and simply provide SafeHouse with 10% of the selling price of each item sold. “We realize that the whole exercise of packing belongings and shipping them off to a storage facility is one that demands time and effort from already busy schedules, so we’re making it easy for busy people to just hand off to us and we’ll take care of everything that needs to be done,” expressed co-founder Marc Coronel. “From making packing lists to managing records at the facility, we’ve invested in training our people in the science of packing and storage,” he said. Complementary to their packing service, SafeHouse also offers a professional trucking service that can guarantee the safe transport of your goods. The service costs Php 4,000 for a 4-wheeler truck and Php 4,500 for a 6-wheeler truck, for moving belongings from origin to destination within Metro Manila. Lastly, SafeHouse also offers insurance (of your stored belongings) that starts with a coverage of Php 100,000. If you would like to look into migrating your clutter to an off-site storage facility, you may check out your options at: www.safehouse.com.ph. Like us! www.facebook.com/brandmagph

In a whole new light Words by Ricky Alonzo, Jr.

Lighting plays a vital role in any livable space. It adds drama, sets the mood and provides functionality. Here are a few tips to spruce up your home and brighten your life. When lighting a room, bear in mind that you need to use more than one light and more than one kind -- a combination of overhead lights, floor lamps or table lamps will create a more aesthetically pleasing space. One surefire way to make an impact on a meager budget is by changing outmoded lampshades with chic looking and fashionforward lamps. The choice of replacement lamp shades has never been greater and more exciting with variety of colors and designs available in the market. There’s one for your budget! Adding a few accent lamps does wonders for any room and can dramatically change the look, feel and perception of the size of an area. Lighting fixtures in the entryway should blend with the style of the house. Even a small flush-mount fixture can add pizzazz to an otherwise lackluster entry. Modern kitchen designs more often than not conceal lighting under cabinets or in the ceiling through recessed lighting. Putting fixtures that can be shown off and enjoyed can make a big impact. If you have a kitchen island, consider placing mini pendants – it’s a good place to start. They add aesthetic appeal and lend an interesting focal point at a very reasonable price. Or, upgrade from a simple single bulb fixture in the kitchen to a more interesting multi-bulb unit with a dimmer. In baths and kitchens, ditch old lighting fixtures for a contemporarylooking one. You can mix and match light fixtures with finishes that complement your plumbing fixtures. And of course, choose the most energy efficient source available for functional lighting like LEDs. Why LED? The light bulb has come a long way since Thomas Edison invented it in 1878. One of the most fascinating lighting technologies today is LED (Light-emitting diode), a solid-state lighting that delivers the most efficient lighting, revolutionizing illumination as we know it-from the back lighting on your keyboard, to the street lights outside your home, to your flat TV screens and computer monitors-- LEDs are being integrated more and more in our lives. Here are some enlightening reasons: • LED requires less energy to power – will save tons of money on electric bills. • Mother Nature will thank you for it – LED has no hazardous solids, liquids or gases – which can be harmful to the environment. • LED is available in various colors and shades that can create the style, setting and ambience you desire. • LED is stable as it is resistant to vibrations and shock.

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• LED does not generate high heat and does not emit ultra violet (UV) light, meaning light is less harsh on skin and clothes, and won’t attract bugs. Easy on parchment, artwork, and sensitive materials, LEDs are ideal for places with sensitive light requirements.

SPOTLIGHT

MOVIES • MUSIC • BOOKS • THEATRE

MOVIES October-December 2014

GONE GIRL

Release: October 8, 2014 Director: David Fincher Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris From the bestsellers’ shelves, “Gone Girl” reveals the real Mr. and Mrs. Dunne as they go through the motion of making their marriage work. Nick (Affleck) decides to move back to his hometown in Missouri from New York after being sacked as a print journalist, bringing his wife Amy (Pike) with him. Embittered by his current state due to the advent of online publishing, the couple has slowly drifted apart, with Nick spending most of his time at a local bar he bought and manages while Amy is mostly home and explores the community with a few newfound friends. Unexpectedly, Nick’s sleepy town has awakened due to Amy’s sudden disappearance, what was left are confusing clues as to why and how his wife had gone missing. At the scene of the crime within the Dunne’s home are clear signs of struggle – shattered glasses and an overturned coffee table but there were no signs of forced entry, leaving investigators to think that the prime suspect they’re looking for might be Nick.

THE BOOK OF LIFE (3D)

Release: October 16, 2014 Director: Jorge R. Gutierrez produced

by Guillermo Del Toro Cast: voices of Channing Tatum, Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube, Christina Applegate “The Book of Life,” an animated feature film with an epic mythology inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday set in a visually spectacular world never seen before with an original story from producer Guillermo Del Toro and director Jorge R. Gutierrez. Both of Mexican descent, Del Toro and Gutierrez are compleat filmmakers who wanted to share the richness of their culture to the world by creating an authentic Mexican story at the backdrop of a revolutionary style in animation. The ultimate celebration of life, “The Book of Life” is the journey of Manolo (Luna), a young man who embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, Manolo finds himself at a a time when spirits pass between worlds and where anything can happen.

THE DROP

Release: November 12, 2014 Director: Michaël R. Roskam Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini THE DROP is a new crime drama from

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Michaël R. Roskam, the Academy Award® nominated director of BULLHEAD. Based on a short story from Dennis Lehane (MYSTIC RIVER, GONE BABY GONE), THE DROP follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – “money drops” – in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood’s past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living – no matter the cost.

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (DREAMWORKS ANIMATION) Release: November 26, 2014 Director: Eris Darnell, Simon J. Smith Cast: voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, John Malkovich, Tom McGrath, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare, Chris Miller Super spy teams aren’t born...they’re hatched. Discover the secrets of the greatest and most hilarious covert birds in the global espionage biz: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private. These elitists of the elite are joining forces with a chic undercover organization, The North Wind. Led by handsome and husky Agent Classified (we could tell you his name, but then... you know). Together, they must stop

the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine, from destroying the world as we know it.

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (3D) Release: December 8, 2014 Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro

Epic adventure Exodus: Gods and Kings is the story of one man’s daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

THE PYRAMID

Release: December 10, 2014 Director: Gregory Levasseur Cast: Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O’Hare, James Buckley A team of U.S. archaeologists unearths an ancient pyramid buried deep beneath the Egyptian desert. As they search the pyramid’s depths, they become hopelessly lost in its dark and endless catacombs. Searching for a way out, they become desperate to seek daylight again. They come to realize they aren’t just trapped, they are being hunted.

SPOTLIGHT

MOVIES • MUSIC • BOOKS • THEATRE

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

the Judge

t’s a breezy summer day at the Casa del Mar hotel on the shores of Santa Monica, California. Guests arrive not just for the sprawling beaches just outside the windows, but also to attend two separate gatherings—a wedding and a funeral—being held here this morning. The lobby swarms with just enough activity that two big screen superstars can stroll through the lobby nearly unnoticed. But there are a few audible gasps and pronounced double-takes as Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall casually make their way down the stairs to talk about their new movie and first-ever on-screen collaboration, director David Dobkin’s The Judge.

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Both actors have changed the art of performance over the course of their celebrated, decades-long careers. Downey’s two Oscar nominations—for Chaplin and Tropic Thunder— reveal just a glimpse of his chameleonic range, a phenomenon only underscored by his mercurial, globally popular incarnation of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. To his legions of fans around the world, his role in The Judge will defy expectations to some degree, but not in a deliberate way. Rather, as he tells us later that afternoon, the project came along much more organically. “This is the kind of movie I grew up wanting to do.” Robert Duvall is nothing short of a cinema legend, with more than five decades of riveting

performances, from his unforgettable big screen debut as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, through the landmark Godfather movies and Apocalypse Now, to his Oscar-winning turn in Tender Mercies. He describes his role in The Judge as “right up there with the other things that I’ve done.” Duvall plays the title role, a man known in his small town as a tough judge and, to his son, Hank—played by Downey—as an even tougher father. Hank is a slick, big city defense attorney who has put as much distance between himself and his roots as possible, until a family tragedy forces him to return home—back to his monolithic father and the people he left behind.

Hank’s plans for a speedy exit are precluded when the last person he ever expected to need his services is accused of murder. The Judge, long the arbiter of justice, now finds himself at its mercy, with no alibi or even any memory of the night in question. But after so many years and so many scars, for both father and son, the journey to uncover the truth becomes about more than an incident on a dark, country road, but about memory, love and the possibility of redemption. The seeds of the film’s story sprung from director David Dobkin’s experience with his own parents—a powerful attorney father and emotionally volatile mother—when he found himself in the difficult position of seeing his mother through the final stages of a terminal illness after his father passed. Sinking into a comfortable chair inside one of the Casa del Mar’s plush meeting rooms, Dobkin tells us he’s long harbored a desire to explore on film the complicated emotions inherent in an experience many adults find themselves thrown into. “Like me, I think a lot of people don’t realize that having to ‘parent a parent’ is a part of life—until it happens to them,” Dobkin reflects. “And when you’re unprepared for an experience like that, you make mistakes and have moments that you regret. But, as an artist, you get to go back and recreate those moments into what you wished they had been.” Dobkin developed the story for The Judge with screenwriter Nick Schenk, which ultimately yielded a screenplay by Schenk and Bill Dubuque. Along the way, the director—who has become known for a string of blockbuster comedies like Wedding Crashers—found a passionate partner for this deeply personal project in Susan Downey, who produced the film with him and David Gambino. Seeing them together, one senses an ease and

comfort level between Dobkin and Susan Downey borne out of their extensive collaboration to shape the screenplay while the busy filmmakers were on breaks from other high profile projects. Though The Judge is a studio movie, populated by a master class of actors, they always saw the project as a labor of love. “We faced a lot of challenges that we had to overcome, but we also had two really good things in our pocket,” Downey relates. “We had Robert Downey Jr. wanting to do it, which is a very helpful thing. But the reason Robert wanted to do it was because we had an amazing script.” Susan Downey tells us that the Team Downey production shingle was formed to seek out and support projects exactly like The Judge. Her partner at Team Downey and the film’s star, Robert Downey Jr. even tweeted about it. “He said it’s the kind of movie he’s wanted to make his whole life,” she smiles. “It has roots in the films we grew up loving—intelligent, character-driven stories told with humor and wit, and real emotion. It just had all the elements we were looking for when we first formed Team Downey. We decided that the best piece of material that came in would be the movie we would do first, and we were very fortunate that it happened to be The Judge.” While fans have grown accustomed to Downey bringing extraordinary characters like Tony Stark or Sherlock Holmes to life, he appears to do it with such ease that he almost renders the talent and hard work that go into their creation invisible. It makes one wonder if the actor didn’t relish digging into a meaty role with purely human terms this time around. “We see in Hank Palmer elements of Robert that we are familiar with—the intelligence and the fast talking—but we haven’t been privy to the kind of very subtle transformation that heexperiences as this character in a while,”

she explains. “He approached the role with such restraint, and that, to me, was a brave thing for him to do.” His role in the Judge is akin to the proverbial unstoppable force meeting the immovable object, which, in this case, is his ailing father, who stubbornly resists any father-son role reversal, however subtle. The actor in the title role would have to be formidable; in other words, it had to be Duvall. “The script always read like him,” Dobkin admits. But once he joined the cast, the chemistry between Downey and Duvall crystallized the contentious relationship at the heart of the film. “Duvall brings something so unique because he is of another time and other values. He’s like a wall— insurmountable—and you really believe Hank has to climb Everest to somehow get through to this man.” The filmmakers tell us that both actors dove fearlessly into their roles. For Duvall, this meant embodying both the Judge’s strength and the frailties and failings he hides from even his own family. “It’s difficult to play that man with so many contradictions, who can be loving yet treat his children callously, with such an unrelenting reality,” Dobkin relates. “It’s a great performance for many reasons, but particularly for the vulnerability that he has to display in this role, which is very unique.” From there, an all-star ensemble cast of acting heavyweights fell into place to populate the film’s array of meaty roles, including Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) as the love of Hank’s life that he left behind; Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) as the razor-sharp prosecutor hell-bent on sending the Judge to prison; and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket) and Jeremy Strong (Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln) as Hank’s brothers, who stayed behind. Like Us! www.facebook.com/brandmagph

SPOTLIGHT

MOVIES • MUSIC • BOOKS • THEATRE

With so much on the line, Dobkin rolled the dice on an uncommon practice carried over from his experiences working in theater—to assemble this diverse, powerful cast for three weeks of rehearsals and improvisation to “workshop” their roles and solidify their characters’ relationships prior to shooting. “There was one specific improv three days before the end of rehearsals with the Judge and his three sons, which lasted for around 90 minutes,” he recalls. “And it was just amazing to watch. I mean, these are some of my favorite actors of all time, and no matter what you threw into the middle of that room, they all behaved as their characters. You could see they had succeeded in creating the family dynamic. And then I called off rehearsals because we didn’t need to go any further. They had it.” After lunch, we see the dynamic in person as Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall arrive together, joking around and enjoying their reconnection months after the movie wrapped. It’s clear they not only admire each other as actors, but bonded as friends over the course of filming on location in rural Massachusetts and on soundstages in Boston. “We had a good time,” Downey relates. “We just had this kind of excursion into family grief and healing and life and death and judgment and guilt and all this stuff, over this really nice summer shooting schedule. Nobody suffered too much, and I think everybody grew a lot. There would be times when we’d just be reading through a draft of the script. I mean, I’ve never seen more people cry more times during the course of just getting ready to shoot the movie.” Duvall adds, “It wasn’t a squandering thing. We just began to improvise as our characters, all of us, and we were as relaxed as we are now. A lot was discovered. It was nice.” The interview quickly becomes conversational, with Downey and Duvall—known to Downey and

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his friends as “Bobby”— swapping stories about their relationships with their own fathers and the early days of their careers. Downey isn’t the only one fascinated by Duvall’s tales of coming up in New York, in the era of the Actor’s Studio and his generation’s mentor, Marlon Brando (“Brando used to watch Candid Camera for reference, to be real.”) The son of actor and filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., Downey himself jumped early into acting, first on stage and then in movies, before he’d had much formal training. He says he relished mixing it up with actors from so many different backgrounds and styles during the making of The Judge. But when asked if he took the opportunity to learn from the iconic veteran actor, the latter pipes in that it was mutual. “It’s a two-way street,” Duvall says. “There are very good young actors today, excellent all around and very different, so you learn from each other.” “The stuff that I saw you do there, I’ve never seen anyone do,” Downey says directly to his co-star. “But I think a lot of it just comes from an awareness—I’m just quoting you—of not going for a result, but staying in the process, and realizing that you’re going to be 30 feet-tall and small things work. Every week, we would be filming a do-ordie scene, and Bobby would just be, like, ‘Hey, everybody, we just listen and talk, and trust that it’s going to come across. And when the highs need to come, they may not come in the scene that we thought they would, they’re going to come when they come.’” The conversation inevitably turns to what may be the film’s most riveting and emotionally complex sequence—when Hank gently helps his ailing father cope with the painful and humiliating realities of his failing body. “The last person the Judge wants to be vulnerable to is Hank,” Downey says. Though Duvall recalls the pressure of the moment, he says the best approach was to just dissolve all of that and take it back to simplicity.

“What made it work, I think, was to keep in the offhandedness of it. Let it go funny—humor can be in the most serious of situations. You can almost imagine what it’s like, but then you you’ve got to just let it happen, and it’s not something you can plan, necessarily. That’s what makes it legitimate and real and something that’s unpredictable.” The actors credit David Dobkin and the filmmaking team for working within their time and budgetary restrictions to create an environment that inspired the best in everyone involved. For Duvall, even within the context of his tremendous filmography as both an actor and a director himself, “This is one of my best, and also very different both as a big movie and as a different kind of character. And then, David and the Downeys had a very democratic, wonderful way of working. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it immensely.” For Downey, getting the film made at all was a dream realized, but getting to spar with one of his acting heroes was one for the ages. “I’m sharing a film with one of the great actors of his generation, and he is here today and he’s not diminished at all,” he says. “And this is a hell of a part. We knew that the casting of the Judge was going to make or break the movie. And you have to have a worthy opponent. It’s not like jiu-jitsu or something where your weight class or your age matters. If you’re a black belt, you’re a black belt, and you’re going to choke someone out if they don’t know what they’re doing. So he’s a black belt.” The Judge opens worldwide beginning October 10, 2014, from Warner Bros. Pictures.

SPOTLIGHT

MOVIES • MUSIC • BOOKS • THEATRE

RAYMOND GOROSPE A Smooth Gentleman Interview by Andrew Rodriguez Photos by Ronald Ramos

BM: You’ve been a regular figure in Brand Magazine’s anniversaries as both a guest and host, can you tell our readers a little something about who Raymond Gorospe is outside our events? RAYMOND: Yes I’ve been present since the second year anniversary. Last year was my very first hosting stint with Brand Magazine and to be my 2nd this year and it’s becoming a habit. Raymond Gorospe is a nurse by profession, but not in practice. After I graduated and passed the nursing board exam, I got hooked in Dragon Boat and I was competing locally and internationally while body building. I was once a part of Philippine Dragon boat rowing team and my team mates comes from UST, UP and some were working already. Then, I got into commercials and TV stints and landed some roles in the big screen. Then came Servier Phils, a French Pharmaceutical company and I was part of the task force specialist that will form the 3rd division if the company. Then came Loyola Plans for several years that brought me to different countries, specially Europe where I got most of my big accounts, eventually making me, on a yearly basis one of the top managers. After my stint in the Pre-need industry and since college days I was already into physical fitness. I applied and landed a job as General Manager position in one of the leading fitness gyms in the world, Fitness First. I was trained in Malaysia by the leading experts and was mentored by Mr. Tim Joynt after my General Manager training program and was managed by Megamall branch. Few years after, my friend Arlene Bautista Chua introduced me to Sky Fitness, and became General Manager while doing Marketing and PR as well. It is a

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Singaporean brand which focuses on Functional fitness regimen. Since then, functional fitness became so popular that a lot of gym revamped their fitness training into following functional regimen. Now that where I met this good man named Mario Alaman where he featured me in the gym. I love travelling and I am blessed with a loving wife Mae Pangan Gorospe, an OB Gyne and Sonologist from St. Lukes and now with 3 kids. BM: What are your current projects that keeps you busy? RAYMOND: I just ended my consultation stint with the fashion Icon Francis Libiran, who eleven years ago did our wedding. Mr Arsi Baltazar, President and CEO of Advocate Fashion who happened to be my business partner before approached me last December asking if he can get me as consultant and I said YES. I worked as their Sales Director and was part of the Francis Libiran Timepieces. I am doing some consultancy with Sky Fitness Singapore and they also wanted to explore more business opportunities here and were just waiting for the right timing. At this point, I am now part of Wall Builders Philippines, headed by Manuel Larita and Freddie Larita. It is a design and construction company. To date, we are bidding to design the lobby and interiors of the Diliman Doctors Hospital, a tertiary hospital along Commonwealth Ave in QC. BM: Are you into or have been into any form of sporting activity? RAYMOND: As i mentioned earlier, I was into Dragon Boat rowing. Aside from that, I like swimming. One of my best friend, Benedict Hernandez who happens to head Accenture Philippines and part CCAP and BPAP ( call center industry) has been encouraging me to go back to sports, starting with running, which I hate. Hahaha. I might give it a try. I sometimes bike around our village with Ton Ton Gutierrez and Cesar Montano. Dragon Boat rowing is still one of my favourites and my former mates are bugging me already. BM: Since our theme for this issue focuses on gentlemen, what defines a gentlemen? RAYMOND: For me, a true gentleman knows how to respect. He knows how to begin a conversation.... a true gentleman always think before he speaks or reacts. As for the physical aspect, a true gentleman takes care of himself, his appearance, and must always be aware of himself and of the others. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of characteristics that shows how a man can be a true gentleman... to sum it all up...a man must be GOD fearing. BM: What are your plans for the future, any upcoming projects? RAYMOND: Once in awhile I get to sing and host in some corporate/wedding gigs but not on a regular basis now. As for my plans right now includes, partnering with my best friend Ryan with his catering business the RTuazon catering. We are incorporating healthy food in our menu. Since I am into fitness and health, I am in talks with Dra. Lani Ancheta of Diliman Doctors Hospital in putting up a Preventive Wellness Center that will cater to both well and sick people. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a totally different integrative and holistic approach. Hopefully it will materialize.

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BILLBOARD EVENTS Words by Novelyn Quiamco Photographers: Jonathan De Jesus and Reynald Cruz Event host: Raymond Gorospe

BRAND MAGAZINE 4th year Anniversary Party

hat better way to start this article than to greet our magazine a “Happy 4th Anniversary!!!” That would definitely put a huge smile on the lips of everyone who works at and with Brand Magazine. Now on its fourth year, Brand Magazine has updated its look and content. With the support of its readers, advertisers and staff, Brand Magazine continues to grow and become THE magazine that anyone will buy. Well, that’s enough about the magazine; it’s time to talk about the PARTY! If couples celebrate their anniversaries, why can’t a magazine do the same? Resorts World was the venue once more this year. They cordoned off their atrium area for the sponsor booths and guests of Brand Magazine. Throughout the evening, several bands serenaded everyone present. In between performances of the different bands, Brand Magazine gave away tons of stuff like gadgets, watches, loot bags, and much more to the guests. Incidentally, prior to the anniversary party, Brand Magazine conducted a few contests online via their official Facebook page where individuals who were following the page had to do specific tasks to win prizes. The winners of the contests were awarded their prizes during the anniversary party. Another highlight of the evening was the awarding ceremony for the winners of the first Brand Awards. It was a way for the magazine to thank the different individuals and companies for their support and trust during the past year. A total of 25 awards of were given out. Also, a few of the individuals who appeared in the cover of the magazine graced the event. The several booths from the sponsors which were on hand during the event showcased their different products for all the guests. And what is party without food and drinks? Gerry’s Grill took up the task of preparing several dishes and drinks for the people present. Just before the festivities ended, members of the staff of Brand Magazine distributed copies of the Anniversary issue to everyone present. The Anniversary issue features an updated look used for the first time that gave it an upscale feel. The previous year was a good and productive one for Brand Magazine. For now, check out the images from the anniversary in the next few pages.

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Cake from Gimme Some Cakes

BRAND AWARDS Plaque of Appreciation Awarded to the following BRAND Sponsors:

LIFEOIL

received by Ms. Toni Rose Almante, Office Manager

TCL

received by Ms. May Anne Sapra, Marketing Associate & Advertisng PR

BS MOBILE

received by Mr. Philip Ortiz, Marketing Manager

DMC

received by Ms. Eva Reyes - Assistant Manager Mr. Lucio Chen - Operations Manager

BS MOBILE

GERRY”S GRILL

TIMEX

received by received by Ms. April Mr. Joseph Aquino, Dominique National Sales Manager Rabadam

received by Mr. Arman Bigoy President

CKK Mobile

UNI Writing Instruments

TCL

Cake from Gimme Some Cakes

Representative from

SAPPORO

CHANCELLOR 9000

received by Mr. Ben Chua Sales & Marketing Manager

Reader’s Choice Award UniSilver Time Rated Choice Award received by Mr. Albert Que BS MOBILE ULTIMA President received by Mr. Philip Ortiz Marketing Manager

GERRY’S GRILL

UNISILVER TIME

received by Mr. Albert Que - President Mr. William Ong Co - Vice President Mr. King Go - General Manager

Editor’s Choice Award - MAZDA received by Mr. Steven Tan, President of Mazda Philippines

OUR sponsors

UNISILVER TIME

POLICE, ESPRIT

PRESTIZ

TOMMY HILFIGER

INGERSOLL

TIMEX

FRANCIS LIBIRAN TIMEPIECES

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GUESTS PERFORMERS

Belle Anne

Cooky Chua, Color It Red vocalist

Color It Red

Mark Carpio Cooky Chua, Color It Red vocalist

RAFFLE WINNERS

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Color It Red

OUR PARTY

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Make Your Listening Experience Personal The new Beats Studio Wireless by Dr Dre headphones are perfect for silencing your critics, wherever you are. They’re wireless with adaptive noise cancellation (ANC), a rechargeable battery and re-engineered sound. Stay connected up to 30 feet and roam freely, keep the music going, take calls, skip songs, and change the volume right from the headphones. Hear what you want, when you want. Incorporating Beats signature DSP software, these premium headphones are designed to generate the emotional experience that some of the music industry’s biggest producers want you to feel. Experience music like it’s the artist playing back for you in person. Put the world on mute Beats Studio Wireless puts listening experience to a new height; silence the world around you with its no-compromise dual-mode Adaptive Noise Cancelling (ANC). When you’re listening to music, ANC automatically strikes a balance between your music and the world outside. If you want quiet and use the headphone to cancel external noise, the ANC only mode automatically increases the level of noise cancellation. More juice; more fun To prevent wasting energy, the auto On/Off feature turns off the headphone when unplugged. Forget specialized adapters, the new Studio can be charged via micro USB almost anywhere, and the visible Battery Fuel Gauge lets you know how much juice is left. No more dead batteries to kill your vibe in a flash. Lighter, stronger, easier Beats Studio Wireless comes with a lighter, stronger and more comfortable headband and shorter ear cups and an ergonomic bellow creating a flexible custom fit for every head shape. Beats Studio Wireless is available in black, red, white and titanium variants. For availability, please email marketing@msi-ecs.com.ph or visit authorized resellers of MSI-ECS to ensure that you only buy genuine Beats by Dr. Dre products.

Stand Above The Rest With Beats Experience the legendary Beats sound and get more when you buy Beats Executive over-ear headphone. Get a free Just Mobile headphone stand with every Purchase of Beats Executive from September 1 to October 31. Beats Executive is the headphone designed for travel. These over-ear headphones deliver the legendary beats sound in a refined premium package that’s easier than ever to take on the road. They’re lightweight, comfortable to wear, fold flat for easy packing, and can even play music from an airplane. It’s the only Beats that comes with an airline adapter that can be connected to the inflight entertainment console. Wherever you are, whether you’re flying at 30,000 feet or just making your way around town, they’re the beats for you. Just Mobile Headstand™ is the perfect mate for your Beats Executive. Precision engineered from aluminum, the Just Mobile desktop stands keep your Beats on display—and your music within reach. The HeadStand’s dual-layered base features a storage space for your headphone cable to keep your desk tidy, and your music only a moment away. Buy Beats Executive and get a Just Mobile headphone stand for free from the following participating outlets: Astrovision/Astroplus (Greenbelt 5, Sharing-La Mall, SM Aura, SM Mall of Asia, VMall), Gadgets in Style (Marquee Mall, Shangri-La, Trinoma), The Landmark (Makati), Octagon (Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 3, SM Megamall, VMall), PC Corner (SM Fairview) Perfect Icon (Gilmore), Rustans (Shangri-La Mall), SM Appliance (SM Aura, SM Fairview, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Rockwell) Switch (Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 2, Marquee Mall, UP Technohub,). Beats by Dr. Dre is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by MSI-ECS. For product availability, email marketing@ msi-ecs.com.ph or call 688-3180.

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GIBI Fun Day Trinoma Activity Center

veryone was treated to an afternoon of pure fun. Gibi indulged everyone at the activity center to games and entertainment from no less than Gibi Shoes’ proud endorsers, Xian Lim, Nadine Samonte, Ella Cruz and the presentation of the newest addition to the family. Hosted by radio jocks Chico and Dela Mar, the show had no dull moment beginning from the energetic opening number of The Council Dance Group to Ella Cruz owning the dance floor with her song and dance number of Taylor Swift’s “You were trouble” to Nadine Samonte with her rendition of “Just the way you are” by Bruno Mars; with games and interaction with their fans in between. Meanwhile, crowd drawer and heart throb Xian Lim made a lot of female fans go gaga over as he serenaded the crowd with his rendition of “Harana” On the other hand, after several weeks of hints and games via Gibi Shoes’ social media accounts, Gibi finally introduced the latest addition, the newest face of Gibi ladies- Jasmine Curtis-Smith. Jasmine, the ever so bubbly and full of life entered the stage obviously, in her element, happy to be the newest addition to the family. Gibi Shoes Fun Day is truly a memorable FUN DAY for everyone.

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WD TV

SIMPLIFIES PERSONAL CONTENT PLAYBACK ON ANY TV New WD TV Media Player Gives Users the Freedom to Enjoy Virtually Any Media File Format on Their TV

The WD TV Remote mobile appis currently available for download for free from the App StoreTM and Google PlayTM. The new WD TV media player features WD’s newest intuitive user interface that allows users to take control About WD of their entertainment by customizing the home page WD, a Western Digital company, is a long-time innovawith their favorite apps, setting shortcuts to favorite tor and storage industry leader. As a storage technolcontent folders for quick access, and setting auto-run ogy pacesetter, the company produces reliable, highfor preferred apps to begin at startup. Additionally, WD performance hard disk drives and solid state drives. “Consumers have increasingly large libraries of dispaTV now supports Miracast™,so that users canproject These drives are deployed by OEMs and integrators in rate personal content types on a variety of storage de- theirMiracast enabled mobile device onto their TV in desktop and mobile computers, enterprise computing vices, from portable USB to network attached storage up to Full HD 1080p.WD TValso allows customers to systems, embedded systems and consumer electronics and personal computers,”explains Jim Welsh, executive easily stream hit movies, view the latest viral videos, applications, as well as by the company in providing its vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and catch up on TV shows and stay connected to social own storage products. WD’s leading storage devices and systems, networking products, media players and worldwide sales.“WD’s ecosystem of apps and media networks through apps such as YouTube®, Hulu players ensures that viewing that content is seamless Plus™, VUDU®, SlingPlayer®, Spotify®, Pandora® software solutions empower people around the world to easily save, store, protect, share and experience on all screens, from mobile devices to the HDTV. WD and Facebook, among many others . their content on multiple devices. WD was established TV personalizes the entertainment experience, providing in 1970 and is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. For more the easiest way for consumers to playback all of their The WD® TV Remote™ app improves the navigation information, please visit the company’s website at www. personal videos, photos and music.” experience for WD TV users by turning their iPhone®, wd.com. iPod touch®, iPad®, or Android™ compatible mobile Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC), Irvine, Calif., is WD TV- Personal Edition allows users to enjoy a wide device into an advanced feature remote control for range of personal media such as photos, video and their media player. The WD TV Remote app’s advanced a global provider of products and services that empower people to create, manage, experience and preserve music on their home entertainment systems by supfeatures allow users to more easily navigate the wide digital content. Its companies design and manufacture porting many file formats, including MKV, MP4, AVI, variety of digital media WD TV users enjoy on their WMV, MOV and more. Files can be streamed from any television. storage devices, networking equipment and home connected USB drive like the My Passport® Ultra™ entertainment products under the WD, HGST and and My Book® product families, personal cloud and Price and Availability G-Technology brands. Visit the Investor section of the company’s website (www.westerndigital.com) to access network attached storage driveslike WD’s My CloudWD TV iscurrently available at Iontech Inc and EA product family, digital camcorder or cameras, and any Global Supply Chain Solutions Inc.MSRP is PHP 4,890. a variety of financial and investor informationt. Manila, Philippines 21 July 2014 – WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) companyand a world leader in connected storage solutions, today unveiled the new WD TV – Personal Edition, an easy to use Wi-Fi™ enabled media playerthat plays virtually any media file stored on USB and network storage devices or anycomputer on the home network.

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networked PC or Mac® computer in the home.

KRYSVOX

Naturally. Charmed. Jewels. The name is derived from “crystal” and “box”. We believe in the natural vibration of crystals and stones, element of surprise and gift-giving. We design accessories using crystals and stones then we personally cleanse, charge and program it specifically for your metaphysical and healing needs. Krysvox is not just jewelries. They are Naturally Charmed Jewels.

Moonstone (string, round, size 10mm) Spiritual Aspect: intuition. Subconscious: bestows depth of feeling, helps with sleepwalking. Mental Aspects: makes receptive to inspiration and impulses. Physical Aspects: brings hormonal cycles in harmony with natural rhythms, helps with problems during menstruation, menopause and after childbirth. [Michael Gienger]

Wattpad

Redefining How Stories are Read and Shared

Manila, Philippines, 19th September 2014 – Speaking to reporters ahead of the Manila International Book Fair, chief executive officer and co-founder of Wattpad, Allen Lau, described the fact that there are more than 5 million monthly users of the Wattpad application in the Philippines as validation that people love to share stories through mobile devices and social connections. After the United States, the Philippines is the largest community of Wattpad users in the world. “Wattpad is a huge part of entertainment in the Philippines. In fact many Filipino best sellers and blockbusters get a head start on Wattpad,” said Allen Lau. “Last month, Filipino Wattpadders spent close to a billion minutes immersed in free stories. We’re excited and encouraged by the response we have had from the community in the Philippines.”

Amethyst, medium purple (wired, faceted, size 12mm) Spiritual Aspect: alertness, justice, inner piece. Subconscious: helps overcome grief and losses. Mental Aspects: awareness, sense of judgment, constructive thinking and acting. Physical Aspects: good for the skin; alleviates pain, tension and lowers high blood pressure. [Michael Gienger]

The Philippines has been very prolific with 11 movies already adapted from Wattpad stories and close to 100 books published after their Wattpad stories were discovered by interested publishers. This is no mean feat for an app that promises, quite simply, to connect the world’s readers and writers. Based in Toronto, Wattpad is revolutionising the way we read, write, and think about story-telling. Anyone with internet access, regardless of where they live, can read stories and share their own writing for free. To date, more than 35 million people all over the world are Wattpadders and they connect with each other while discovering and sharing millions of free stories. On Wattad, readers can interact with the written word by leaving comments or messages or embedding images and videos for the authors. There are tens of thousands of stories generated and being revised each and every day. Wattpad stories are available in more than 50 languages and can be read or written from any phone, tablet, or computer. Writers no longer have to stay stuck to their desk, brainstorming for creative story ideas. Writing stories are made easier now that authors can share their stories chapter-by-chapter in a supportive and positive community.

Labradorite (tumbled, polished) Spiritual Aspect: reflection, truth. Subconscious: sharpens intuition, gives emotional depth and mediumistic abilities. Mental Aspects: brings forgotten memories to light and helps recognise illusions. Physical Aspects: reduces sensitivity to cold and blood pressure and alleviates rheumarism and gout. [Michael Gienger] For orders or queries, contact us via: www. facebook.com/krysvox Email: krysvox@gmail.com Contact No.: +63918 305 4455 Instagram: krysvox

Allen Lau will present on a panel called: Wattpad: Redefining what it means to be a reader on Sunday, September 21st at the SMX Stage Area. He will be joined by several popular Filipino Wattpad writers, readers, and official Wattpad Ambassadors. Also on Sunday, Wattpadders will join their favourite writers at the 2nd Annual Wattpad MIBF meet up. A lively panel of writers will share their experiences with their fans through a Q&A session. The annual meet up also includes a photo booth set up where Wattpadders can take turns crystalizing their memories in print. According to Allen Lau, “ Having writers like Ariesa Domingo, Louisse Carreon, Sic Santos, Freesia Lockheart and their fans at MIBF sharing their support of a mobile, social story-telling means a lot to all of us at Wattpad. Moving forward, we hope to convince more of Philippines and the world, to join us in spreading the love for reading and writing on the go.” Like Us! www.facebook.com/brandmagph

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