Pia Wurtzbach Launches ‘Queen of the Universe’ Novel

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Actress-beauty queen-advocate Pia Wurtzbach Jauncey officially launched her book “Queen of the Universe” at the Manila International Book Fair held at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

The novel is drawn from the Miss Universe 2015’s real-life experiences as a beauty queen and beyond, set against the rich backdrop of Manila’s glittering urban life. It centers on a fictional character named Cleo who has to face unexpected twists and turns and endure challenges to her identity and integrity amidst the dizzying world of beauty pageants.

“Cleo is loosely based on my life story but as you go through the chapters you will see that she goes through her own journey so it’s not me. Medyo magkaiba kami ng path na pupuntahan. I’ll leave that up to you guys to discover when you read the book,” Pia said.

“Queen of the Universe” is one of a handful of books by a Filipino author to launch internationally. Aside from the Philippines, the book is now in Singapore and will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, UAE, and the UK later this year. Its e-book version will be available worldwide starting November 7.

“Queen of the Universe” is published by Tuttle Publishing, one of the oldest American publishers in operation and the world’s largest publisher of books about Asia.

For this project, Pia is represented by her literary agent ABS-CBN Books, best known as the publisher of titles from bestselling authors such as Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Charo Santos-Concio, Vice Ganda, Alex Gonzaga, and Binibining Mia. “Queen of the Universe” is ABS-CBN Books’ first international deal.

Grab a copy of the “Queen of the Universe” at National Bookstore and Fully Booked branches in the Philippines and at Kinokuniya and Times Bookstores in Singapore. US-based readers may already pre-order a copy on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

For more details, like ABS-CBN Books on Facebook at www.facebook.com/abscbnbooks and follow it on Instagram @abscbnbooks

World Vision Philippines celebrates their 65th anniversary with “The Day My Life Changed” book

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Every Filipino will know someone who has been touched by the help of a World Vision Philippine’s supporters here and overseas. Today, in any given year, World Vision child sponsors and donors help 1.5 million of our most vulnerable children. They give these children the opportunity for a better future— their own, their communities’ and indeed all our country.

World Vision representatives and former sponsored children graced the book launch of “The Day My Life Changed”

That’s evidenced by the many amazing stories of current and former sponsor children. Ace, who is now a policeman looking after his community. Bishop Alconga, who was World Vision sponsor child No 7. Commodore Armand Balilo, our one star General and spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard. The many teachers, nurses, business owners, professionals, amazing parents and grandparents that have flourished through World Vision’s programs since 1957.

Commodore Armand Balilo went from selling rice cakes as a child to becoming one of our most prominent public servant. He says: “Years back, I was the one who needed to be saved and rescued. I grew up in a community where poverty and misery was a norm. I was selling rice cakes to put food on the table and there were times when I would attend Sunday School shirtless. One day, a World Vision project staff approached me and that day changed my life. My wonderful sponsors gave me the opportunity to create a better life for myself and my family.”

To mark its 65th anniversary, World Vision compiled a book entitled “The Day My Life Changed” with inspiring stories of sponsor children and how their sponsors helped them transform their lives.

Award-winning broadcast journalist and World Vision sponsor, Karen Davila, writes in the foreword on how her life changed ever since becoming a child sponsor and how she actively helped in transforming the organization to help more of our most vulnerable to get their opportunity.

Rommel Fuerte, World Vision Philippines’ National Director is tasked with taking the organization into the future. One that he says needs many more Filipinos to help one of our most vulnerable children. He says: ‘Thanks to our supporters so many of our children have been able to write their own life story. I am passionate to see many more stories of transformation being written by our sponsors and their sponsor children.’

Mr. Fuerte sure know what he is talking about. He has sponsored a child with World Vision for over 25 years, started with World Vision in their programs on the ground and now, as National Director, guides World Vision Philippines and has led strategies and emergency responses for World Vision for 16 countries and is a key member of some of World Vision International’s committees, driving among other topics the fight on climate change, that affects all children in the world, but ours extremely.

“We hope that through this book, we find reflected in these pages God’s wonderful plan for our lives, enclosed with a prayer for our hearts the will to make it so,” he added.

To know how you can avail the book, visit www.worldvision.org.ph or follow World Vision’s official social media pages /worldvisionph on Facebook, @worldvisionphl on Instagram, and @worldvisionph on Twitter.

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About World Vision

A faith based organization, World Vision is the world’s leading child aid organization and committed to helping our most vulnerable children and communities – even if they are in the most remote and dangerous places.. We help children and their communities on the ground in over 100 countries while driving change globally at UN and governments levels on child rights, poverty and climate change.

World Vision Philippines is the second oldest World Vision national office.

Lampara Books hopes to promote spiritual formation and values education through its Guiding Light imprint

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The new Philippine imprint offers inspiring stories centered on Christ’s teachings and fun, purpose-driven storytelling

Lampara Books has recently launched Guiding Light, a new Philippine imprint that hopes to encourage parents and families to be a good influence on their children’s journey to life.

The family-oriented and faith-based imprint aims to promote the spiritual formation, values education, emotional growth, and community development through highly entertaining but transformative books written and designed by some of the world’s most promising and award-winning writers, illustrators, and personalities.

“It has always been our goal to inspire adult readers, most especially parents, to engage with their children on stories of inspiration, joy, and life lessons within a framework of Christ-centered beliefs and teachings,” says Segundo D. Matias Jr., the Chief Publisher of Lampara Books. “Our activity books create bonding moments between mom and dad with their kids through storytelling that put good values at the forefront of its principles while inspiring everyone to become a better human being.”

For its premiere offering, Guiding Light has recently released its ‘Little Life Lessons on’ series—a collection of fun activity books that parents and their children can color, play around with, and use as a medium for purpose-driven instruction. Written in both English and Filipino, the series is made for childhood care providers and parents to help their kids learn important values in life. The ‘Little Life Lessons on’ catalog contains inspirational stories that depict kindness, obedience, respect, and love, among many others.

The motivational imprint also takes pride of its Family Bible Illustrated edition, which has 365 pages of bible stories, meditations, and prayers for the whole family to reflect on together, and The Comic Book Bible, which offers a treasury of stories, known and loved by generations of readers.

For readers who are looking for a refreshing spin to the familiar narrative, there is Classic Bible Stories, illustrated for pictures-and-words format by talented young artist Tommaso d' Incalei. Bringing stories to life for a new generation of readers, this timeless collection will inspire people discover the meaning behind the teachings of God in an exciting and easy-to-read way. Another significant title under its banner is The Classic Children’s Bible, which is beautifully illustrated and presented to cater to a younger readership.

Other titles that are currently available at the Guiding Light website are Rhona Davies’ The Life Of Christ, strikingly illustrated to chronicle the important life events that Jesus Christ went through from his days in Galilee to joining God in heaven, and Angela M. Burrin’s Welcome To The Mass, a beautifully illustrated book that ‘explains the Mass by linking the liturgy to scenes from the Gospels.’

The classic and new titles are available at the Guiding Light official website, https://www.guidinglight.com.ph.

 

Noted artist-publisher Roy Espinosa puts out “Contemporary Art by Asian Artists”

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Multi-awarded Filipino publisher and artist Roy Espinosa just released the coffee table book “Contemporary Art by Asian Artists.” 

The art book explores the culturally diverse posits of 60 Asian visual artists as they “respond to personal and conglomerate notions of inner visions and exoteric realities projected in their art and art-making.”

The project by Filarts, Inc. featured artworks from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. The artists involved articulated to a large degree the cultural identity of their nations.

Serving as content editor is one-time Manila Bulletin writer and National Museum art researcher Ben-Oliver Matias who worked with co-authors Vanessa Tan Gana and Ruth C. Espinosa has kept in touch with artists from around the world amidst the new normal situation and takes pride in his pandemic period coffee table book project “Contemporary Art by Asian Artists,” now available in the market for P4,500 each, with a thousand-peso discount if bought directly from him. 

For book copy orders and further inquiries, please call at this number: 09214799189

“Why Financial Education Alone Does Not Work,” an FQ Trilogy’s book 2 by FQ Mom Rose Fres Fausto

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 Achieve the right money behavior in FQ Trilogy’s book 2

 

Finance guru Rose Fres Fausto turns the spotlight on principles affecting money behaviors in her latest book “Why Financial Education Alone Does Not Work,” the second installment in her financial intelligence quotient (FQ) trilogy published by ABS-CBN Books.

Rose Fres Fausto 

“It took a lot of courage on my part to write this book. Why? Because many people would not like to hear what I have to say,” said the bestselling author, who seeks to elucidate why financial literacy per se is not enough to guide people in making better money choices.

 

While understanding finance fundamentals remain important, the FQ mom said that people should not count on it to solve woeful behaviors that lead to poor money conditions. “In order to solve financial problems, we have to focus on our actual financial behavior,” she added.

 

“Why Financial Education Alone Does Not Work” is divided into three parts and Rose shares her detailed assessment in the first part of the book followed by a crash course on behavioral economics.

 

In the book’s third part called “The Psychology Of Money,” the author introduced two main characters—Mak who is ‘makatwiran’ or rational and Emong who makes financial decisions based on his emotions. 

 

Readers will get to see themselves in these two characters facing various relatable situations as Rose tackles 16 vital principles affecting how people arrive at money decisions in everyday life, even when buying essentials, paying for repairs, and doing leisurely activities.   

 

Among the principles explained are the ‘price of free’ which attracts people to the price of zero than any other price, no matter how low; ‘ego depletion’ or the limited ability to make sound choices because of decision overload, hunger, self-restraint, and fatigue; and ‘pain of paying’ which seems to make purchases less painful depending on the mode of payment.

 

Rose is a newspaper columnist, a behavioral economist, and a Gallup-certified strengths coach. Her new manual is a follow-up to “FQ: The nth Intelligence” book where she talked about tips on how to improve one’s relationship with money.

 

Understand “Why Financial Education Alone Does Not Work” and learn about the “Psychology of Money” in this latest ABS-CBN Books’ offering available on Lazada, and Shopee for only P680. 

For more details, follow ABS-CBN Books on Facebook (www.facebook.com/abscbnbooks) and Instagram (@abscbnbooks).  

 

Chef Tatung’s “Simpol the Cookbook”, collaborates with NutriAsia

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If celebrity chef, restaurateur, best-selling cookbook author, and popular YouTuber Chef Tatung Sarthou were to single out one word that drives his culinary journey, that would be “simpol”. Chef Tatung, after all, has spawned a huge fan base of homecooks who all share his creed, “Kahit sino kayang mag luto basta simpol.”

Chef Tatung’s “Simpol the Cookbook” online cooking show has over 1 million subscribers between YouTube and Facebook. In Simpol the Cookbook, Chef Tatung presents over 101 recipes that are easily executed using familiar ingredients and basic kitchen equipment.

This approach to cooking has defined Chef Tatung’s success through the years. His first neighborhood restaurant in Quezon City was famed for its hearty and delicious offerings. Chef Tatung quickly branched out with several casual dining restaurants that trained the spotlight on the best of Filipino cuisine, including the Tausug-inspired, blackened and coconut-infused Chicken Piyanggang.

The popularity Chef Tatung garnered from his successful restaurants led to a gig as a resident chef for ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda. His stint at the early morning show inspired him to master his craft and develop a deeper appreciation and love for simple home cooking.

Chef Tatung soon gained international recognition for his efforts. He was one of the highlights of the Asia Madrid Fusion 2017 event at which he spoke at length about the undiscovered cuisine of Mindanao. One might also recognize him from the popular Netflix series Street Food for which he was handpicked as a resource speaker to discuss the evolution of street food in Cebu.

Chef Tatung currently hosts the popular online cooking show “Simpol,” which between Facebook and YouTube has over 1 million subscribers and counting. His passion for teaching and sharing wisdom knows no bounds.

“I really want to be known more as an author, a teacher, and an advocate. Being a chef is just a stepping stone for me to be able to do what I want to do, to understand what I want to understand,” said Chef Tatung. “There are more important things, such as food security and national identity.”

Despite the attention from around the world, however, Chef Tatung has never once lost sight of the importance of Filipino culture.

“Food is incredibly powerful in how it speaks to our values as a nation and a people,” says Chef Tatung. “It is important then to continually pass on our knowledge about cooking in a clear and understandable way to reach as many people as possible. Making cooking ‘simpol’ and less intimidating allows the story behind each dish to thrive in the hearts and minds of Filipinos everywhere.” 

No surprise, then, that “Simpol” is the title of Chef Tatung’s soon-to-be-launched fourth cookbook, a venture for which he collaborated with NutriAsia, makers of Filipino homecooks’ well-loved food condiments. Several of the prized recipes utilize NutriAsia products such as Datu Puti, Silver Swan, UFC, Golden Fiesta and Locally, highlighting these as cornerstones of the Filipino culinary experience.

Chef Tatung has been a lifelong advocate of how food can speak to the values of the Filipino people. Celebrity Chef Tatung Sarthou makes cooking easy with recipes in his fourth book, 

“Simpol the Cookbook”. 

In Simpol the Cookbook, Chef Tatung presents over 101 recipes that are easily executed using simple, familiar ingredients and basic kitchen equipment. The featured dishes include cherished Filipino classics for every occasion and a slew of recipes that merit the tag ‘heirloom’ because these evoke images of beloved family elders lording it over a hot and smoky kitchen.

The recipes in Simpol the Cookbook were perfected and carefully catalogued by Chef Tatung over the years and are now served up as parts of a handy kitchen companion for both seasoned and first-time cooks. Hearty and delicious dishes he enjoyed as a young boy growing up in Cebu are there so you may replicate these in your own kitchen with simple, easy-to-follow steps.

Simpol the Cookbook strips the cooking process of the flourishes and fancy hype one might see in foreign cooking shows and grounds the activity in the everyday Filipino’s experience. Clearly, Chef Tatung has made it his life’s mission to make cooking as “simpol as A-B-C.”

It’s a sentiment that NutriAsia shares with all of us. “We are incredibly proud and excited to have collaborated with Chef Tatung Sarthou on his latest project, Simpol the Cookbook,” says James Lim, NutriAsia’s Corporate Marketing and Communications Head. “As a Filipino company, NutriAsia has always advocated for the joys of simple, everyday home cooking. We believe that anyone can cook special, great-tasting meals. With the pandemic keeping all of us at home, we have all had to become home cooks ourselves. This has made all of us hungry for new and exciting recipes that can be done from our own kitchens. There’s no better way to learn than from someone with the immense talent of Chef Tatung.”

Good eating starts in every person’s home. With the masterful guidance of Chef Tatung and the uniquely Filipino flavors of NutriAsia condiments, let Simpol the Cookbook brighten up your mealtimes for years to come.

What To Do When You’re Too Overwhelmed

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At one point (or maybe more than a hundred points) in your life, things will become just too much. Too many items on your to-do list. Too much pressure from your boss. Too much anxiety over things you have no control over. Too many people in the room with you. Too much anger over a situation. Too many things on your mind. When faced with too much, here are some things that you can do.

Talk to God. Don’t make this your last option. You don’t have to say a “formal” prayer. Make your prayers as normal as breathing. The more you talk to God, the more natural it will feel to turn to Him when things get too overwhelming.

Breathe in, breathe out. The act of physically taking a deep breath and releasing it after a few seconds can help your brain and your heart slow down. Do this a few times until you feel calm enough to think with a clear head.

Step out/away. If you need to leave a roomful of people, do it. If you need to walk away from a person you’re talking to, do it. When you need to leave that to-do list and walk around for a few minutes, do it. When you’re ready to face whatever needs to be dealt with, go back.

Read, watch, or listen to something. It sometimes helps to do something that is so far from your current, overwhelming task just so you can get your bearings back. Read a few chapters from a non-school or non-work book. Watch a few minutes of your current favorite show. Listen to soothing (or rocking!) music. The idea is to get your mind off things, if only for a while.

Sleep. Yes, sometimes, you just need to fully rest.

This is an excerpt from Dawns: A Weekly Devotional for Self-Care and Spiritual Growth, co-authored by Isa Garcia, Janina Marie Rivera, and Ida Torres. Published by OMF Literature, Dawns is available at OMF Lit Bookshop and other leading bookstores nationwide. The book can also be ordered online through shop.omflit.com.

Jessica Zafra's latest book is now available at Fully Booked, Shopee, and other stores

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From the author of the Twisted series comes a collection of 27 stories from the last 27 years. The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra contains award-winning fiction from Manananggal Terrorizes Manila (1992) and The Stories So Far (2014), plus new stories and an introduction by Don Jaucian.

“Jessica is a natural short story writer, and I don’t know anyone else in the Philippines writing in English who does it as well as she does. The fact that she’s a Filipina couldn’t matter less. She would be recognized anywhere on earth that good English is read. But of course in this fatuous world the unmerited hegemony of “English” literature (including of course American, Canadian, Australian, etc. etc.) reminds us that it still fancies itself as the arbiter of the Real Thing. But plenty of us round-eyes know that’s baloney, and JZ provides us with ammunition to stand up in public and say so.” – James Hamilton-Paterson, Whitbread Award-winning author of Gerontius, Playing With Water, Seven-Tenths, Ghosts of Manila, and the bestselling Cooking With Fernet Branca and Empire of the Clouds

The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra is published by Ateneo University Press. SRP P345. Now available at Fully Booked stores, Solidaridad, Popular Bookstores, the Ateneo University Press bookshop, Loyola Bookshop, and on Shopee. Coming soon at Mt.Cloud Bookshop in Baguio and other outlets.

Book signings and author talks will be announced soon. Follow @jessicazafrascats on Instagram and the JessicaRulestheUniverse Facebook page for announcements and updates.

POPCOM launches the biography of Mr. Rafael M. Salas, the first Executive Director of UNFPA from 1969

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The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), launches the biography of Mr. Rafael M. Salas. “Mr. Population” – as he was affectionately known - was one of the first Filipino advocates who made the crucial links between population and development and sexual and reproductive health and rights, globally and in the Philippines.

“Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children,” he said in 1968 - a truly novel statement for the time. Entitled “A Millennial Man for Others: The Life and Times of Rafael M. Salas”, the book chronicles his life from his childhood days, and his achievements until his untimely death in 1987. 

Had Mr. Salas been alive today, it would have warmed his heart to see that the fruits of his efforts have finally become more evident with the passage of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act and the commitment of the present administration to reproductive health and family planning as evidenced by the revamped National Program on Population and Family Planning and the President’s Executive Order to end unmet need for family planning.

NEDA Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia welcomes guests to the Rafael M. Salas Book Launch.

Undersecretary and Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) said that “POPCOM has been constantly bringing into the consciousness of the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Filipino people alike the seeds of development work that Mr. Salas planted when he drafted the Executive Order (EO) that would create POPCOM in 1969. In step with the new millennium, POPCOM will soon launch the “Kaunlarang Pantao” Award, using Paeng Salas’ inspiration of development for the people. “

Mr. Salas was also the first Executive Director of UNFPA. He oversaw the birth of the organization in 1969, nurtured it with care, and imbued it with his foresight and vision. Under his leadership, the agency grew from a relatively small body to the world’s largest provider of multilateral development assistance on population dynamics through the prism of sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality. As UNFPA Executive Director, Mr. Salas carried the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, the highest UN officeaccorded to a Filipino even up to today.

“It is an honor for us to carry on Rafael Salas’ legacy at UNFPA in this historic 50th anniversary year of UNFPA and the 25th anniversary year of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), where Mr. Salas’ vision became a global consensus when 179 governments including the Philippines agreed on a call for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including voluntary family planning, and safe pregnancy and childbirth services,” said UNFPA Representative in the Philippines, Iori Kato. 

UNFPA Country Representative Iori Kato, Ambassador Carmelita Salas and POPCOM Undersecretary and Executive Director Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III after the launch of the biography of Mr. Rafael M. Salas.

Mr. Salas’ legacy continues to this day. Later this year in November, the Governments of Kenya, Denmark and UNFPA are convening a global summit in Nairobi to mark the 25th anniversary of the ICPD, for Member States to express their renewed political and financial commitments towards the promises that they had made in Cairo 25 years ago to support women empowerment through three transformative results: ending unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending gender-based violence. 

The book launch marks the 91st birth year anniversary of Mr. Salas and is a venue to continue his legacy as national influential figures in Philippine government, business and civil society gather and take the opportunity to articulate the country’s commitment to Nairobi.

The event will also feature a photo exhibit at the Department of Foreign Affairs, with Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, of the NEDA, giving the opening statement, followed by a panel discussion on the life of Mr. Salas with Dr. Mercedes Concepcion, and the authors of the book: Mr. Jose Dalisay and Ms. Menchu Sarmiento. Sec. Ernesto Pernia will turn over the book to Mrs. Carmelita Rodriguez Salas who will give a statement. 

Goldilocks celebrates Golden years and released 50th Anniversary Edition of Goldilocks Bakebook

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In time for the Christmas Holiday and in celebration of 50 Goldilicious years, Goldilocks has now released an updated 50th Anniversary Edition of its best-selling Goldilocks Bakebook.

This updated volume contains news insights about Goldilocks Bakeshop, its history, and what it means to the Filipino. The bakeshop that has become an integral part of the Filipino way of life.

National Book Store's Managing Director Xandra Ramos, and Goldilocks' Managing Director Pinky Yee and Marketing Director Cherry Caluya, at the launch of  50th Anniversary Edition of Goldilocks Bakebook, National Bookstore, Glorieta, Makati City, November 29, 2016. 

A collection of recipes of the most well-loved Goldilocks products, honed and perfected through the years. More than 50 recipes are included to create sweet and delightful moments in your own kitchen.

The first volume of the Goldilocks Bakebook was launched last 2011, consumer trends and consumer engagement have changed dramatically. Goldilocks has strengthened its position as the Philippines’ best-loved bakeshop, by seamlessly integrating timeless products and services with emerging tastes and preferences.

The Goldilocks Bakebook is not only a collection of timeless recipes but is also a story of how Goldilocks achieved its success. It is also a compilation of special stories from customers about their own sweet moments shared with Goldilocks.

The Goldilocks Bakebook  is also a unique way of giving back to the community since all proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Goldilocks Foundation.

Lovingly crafted gift by Goldilocks for customers, this special and one-of-kind the Goldilocks 50th Anniversary Edition Bakebook is now available in National Bookstores nationwide. Grab a personal copy, or as a gift for family and friends for only P895. 

For more information about Goldilocks and the Goldilocks Bakebook, visit their website at www.goldilocks.com.ph.