ABS-CBN Philharmonic : Bringing symphony music closer to the Filipinos

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In an effort to establish a connection between the general public and symphonic music, ABS-CBN, the country’s largest multimedia conglomerate, and First Philippine Holdings Corporation has established the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

Composed of 40 musicians, the orchestra is under the baton of music director Gerard Salonga and the guidance of executive director Mickey Munoz.

“We aim to bring live orchestral performance closer to the Filipinos and give them an option of what to listen to,” said Gerard Salonga.  

To achieve this, the orchestra will be holding educational outreach programs that will give both kids and adults a chance to experience a medium that is considered as one of the highest forms of art. The project will consist of three categories: “Philharmonikids” will cater to grade school students; “Musicoveries” will cater to high school students; and “Philharmonic Discoveries” will be for the mature audiences that want to be acquainted with classical music.

Those who would like to watch the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra live can catch the inaugural concert at the BDO Francisco Santiago Hall in Makati on August 18 (Saturday). The program will includeHector Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival Overture”, Franz Liszt’s “Piano Concerto #1” with Jovianney Cruz, Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony #1 in C minor”.

On September 2 (Sunday), the orchestra will also hold a tribute concert at the Meralco Theater for American composer and conductor John Williams. The award-winning Williams is known for his iconic movie theme compositions such as “Superman,” “E.T.,” “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Schindler’s List.”

Coca-Cola Launches Anywhere In The World The Anthem for the London 2012 Olympic Games

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Track Features GRAMMY Award Winner Mark Ronson And 2011 Mercury Prize Nominee, Katy B

"Sport is music in the way that it has so many different natural rhythms... when I was recording the athletes I wasn't really thinking of them in terms of athletes performing a sport, I was thinking of them as people in an orchestra." Mark Ronson

Fusing the sounds of sport and music. Anywhere in the World, the anthem for the Coca-Cola London 2012 Olympic campaign launched globally today. Available for purchase online, the exclusive track is the centerpiece of the brand's Move to the Beat™ campaign.

Move to the Beat ™ is designed to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games and to sport in general by engaging them through a fusion of two global teen passions - sport and music. Drawing inspiration from London's musical heritage, the campaign combines London music with Olympic sport in an effort to connect young people to London 2012.

"The number one passion point for teens is music," explains Shay Drohan, Senior Vice President of Sparkling Beverages, The Coca-Cola Company. "Through Move to the Beat™, Coca-Cola is inspiring teens around the world to move to the beat of London and come together in the biggest Olympic Games activation in our 84-year partnership."

Coca-Cola Presents the Beat of London 2012

The creative process behind the production of the track has been brought to life in an engaging hour-long documentary currently airing across the globe. Ronson traveled the world gaining inspiration for the song and meeting young athletes to record the sounds of their sport, before teaming up with UK chart-topper Katy B to provide the vocals. The athletes whose sounds form the beat of the track are:

Maria Espinoza, taekwondo athlete from Mexico; Dayyan Jaffar, archer from Singapore; Darius Knight, table tennis player from Great Britain; David Oliver, 110m hurdler from the United States; Kseniya Vdovina, 400m sprinter from Russia.

In this musical experiment, Ronson recorded the array of sounds that each athlete produced while participating in their sport. He used innovative methods to capture the unique sounds of each individual sport, like cycling alongside hurdler David Oliver with a microphone to yield the sound that is produced at the precise moment his feet hit the ground.

"If someone had just sent me a hard disk of all these sounds of athletes, the track wouldn't have been anywhere near as three-dimensional as it is because I needed those personal experiences with those athletes," said Mark Ronson. "It's just so important to be there to see these athletes and spend so much time around them and be in their environment to understand how to make this track.

A sneak peak of Ronson's journey is available online (http://www.coca-cola.com/theolympics/en-US)

Global Digital Experience

Teens across the world are invited to be a part of Ronson's journey and the Games through The Coca-Cola Company's largest-ever digital program. The Create my Beat desktop application (www.coca- cola.com/theolympics) creates individualized beats by mixing a teen's personal musical preference and their sporting interest with their online social media footprint. Once created, the personalized experience can be uploaded to The Global Beat , a worldwide online community that brings together individual beats to create an ever-evolving global music collaboration.

Mobile Experience

The My Beatmaker app for smartphones (available for free download online) goes one step further, using groundbreaking ZooZ technology to enable teens to create their Beat through the motion of their phone. The innovative technology detects the movements of the phone and transforms them into unique sounds.

ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD is available for download at www.mymusicstore.com.ph, the Philippines BIGGEST online music store where you can buy songs from international and local artists!

PHILTOA Launches the Country's Largest Tourism Expo

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If you've ever thought about taking a vacation and exploring the Philippines, now would be the best time to turn that idea into a reality.

 

It doesn't matter if you want a quiet retreat or a thrilling adventure; whether you're planning your honeymoon or just going out with friends, there is no shortage of options in the upcoming 23^rd Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) this coming August 10 to 12 at the SMX convention Center in Pasay City.

Now bigger than ever, the Philippine Travel Mart (PTM)—the longest-running travel trade show in the country—is set to showcase the Philippines in the upcoming Sale ng Bayan. Featuring heritage and eco-adventure tours from all over the Philippines, the 23^rd PTM is the result of various familiarization and exploration trips that bring new tour products into the market every year.

 

The annual event is organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), in cooperation with the Department of Tourism. With almost 250 exhibitors presenting their tour products through colorful pavilions and booths, the Sale ng Bayan will also launch“Philippine Island Fun Caravan Getaways”—joint group tours that cover various locations from all over the Philippines. These 4-day to 8-day tours pool local, balikbayan, and foreign tourists together to avail of special packages that would have otherwise cost a lot of money if done individually. Featured tours include the Batanes-Cagayan Northern-scape, Cordilleras Cultural Weekend Warrior Caravan,Central Visayas Backdoor tour, and the Tuna-T'Boli trail, among others.

 

“It has always been our goal to outdo ourselves every year,” says PHILTOA President Cesar Cruz, who is also the chairman of the upcoming PTM. “Innovation is key. We've been working closely with tour operators and government agencies alike to offer newer, better products yearly.”

 

Like most trade shows, the PTM will still feature classic destinations such as Bohol, Boracay, Cebu and Palawan. Also not to be missed are the individual tour packages that have anywhere from 70 to 80% discounted prices, such as “Kulinarya” (Binondo food trip for as low as P648), “Health and Wellness” (Tagaytay Wellness trip for as low as P2900), “Festivals” (Panagbenga trip for as low as P5500), and many more. Aside from the endless array of tour products in the country's biggest gathering of tour operators, the PTM will also provide informative seminars for students dubbed as Byahe-info. Also scheduled is an Eco Chorale Competition, a Folk Dance Competition, and even a Tourism Quiz Bee—ensuring educational activities for everyone in attendance.

 

It's more fun in the Philippines!

Kenny's Red Hot Roast: Wickedly Spicy, Deliciously Healthy!

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I love Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken. Kenny Rogers Roasters is a chicken restaurant that was founded by country musician Kenny Rogers and former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown, Jr., who had also owned Kentucky Fried Chicken from 1964 to 1971.  Kenny Rogers Roasters now operates primarily in Asia.
Kenny Rogers always use nothing but the freshest ingredients. seasoned and cooked to flavorful perfection.
The menu was originally centered on wood-fired rotisserie chicken. Roasted and Grilled, tender, flavorful and juicy and always deliciously healthy. By 1995 they added turkey, ribs, and various dishes to their menu.

And now, what are the new products and what are they made of? Hmmm... Red Hot Roast Chicken!!! Hot! Burns like Hell! Tastes like Heaven!!!

Red Hot Roast Chicken

A flavorful roast chicken made spicy by the addition of lots of chilies.

Spicy Chicken Burrito

The perfect light meal made with Kenny's Mexican rice and chunks of our Red Hot Roast Chicken mixed with tomato salsa and sliced cheese, all in a toasted flour tortilla. 

Served with creamy garlic sauce.

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Creamy Garlic Chicken Wrap

A refreshingly light meal made with Kenny's Red Hot Roast chicken mixed with shredded lettuce, cucumber slices, tomato salsa, and a creamy garlic yoghurt sauce.

Tex Mex Macaroni

Perfectly cooked macaroni in a meaty tomato sauce and creamy cheddar cheese.

Tomato Salsa

A flavorful blend of chopped tomatoes, garlic, and onion with cilantro.

Tropical Fruit Salad

Chunks of pineapple, melon, red apples, and 

honeydew (or green apple)tossed in light syrup.

Flour Tortilla

A lightly grilled soft flour tortilla.

Last Monday afternoon, I was so happy to meet new amazing people and friendly smart bloggers held at the Kenny Rogers , Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Makati City.  We sat together through the get together meeting  and they were all such a delight to be around all day. We had fun and informative discussions about --- food! We talked about these newest tender, juicy, spicy and flavorful chicken.

I've enjoyed this new offering of Kenny Rogers! Kenny's Red Hot Roast! Wickedly Spicy and Deliciously Healthy! It's so Hot but I really can"t stop myself getting hot with the hot roast chicken, pairing with Tex-Mex Macaroni, and grilled soft flour tortilla and I filled it with Tomato Salsa - so appetizing, so flavorful, tasty. We also tried the new Spicy Chicken Burrito and Creamy Garlic Chicken Wrap. Whoooh! Hot and Yummy really! Then I  cool down with Tropical Fruit Salad and Banana Langka Yoghurt ! 

 

Try it! Get hot and you"ll love it for sure! It's now available  to all Kenny Rogers stores nationwide. Check out more updates to Kenny Rogers Roasters . Kenny Rogers Roasters Philippines Facebook.
More photos in Kenny Rogers Roasters - Enjoying Wonderful World facebook.

World Vision Launches ‘Child Health Now’ In Congress

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World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. , an international child-focused organization will be launching the Child Health Now (CHN), a global campaign calling for the improvement of support systems that promote maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) to reduce preventable deaths of Filipino children aged under five (5).

Through the support of Congressman Lorenzo R. Tanada III, the campaign launching ceremony will be held at the North Wing Lobby of the House of Representatives on July 31, 2012 (Tuesday), from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

The launch will be attended by guest lawmakers from Congress, distinguished Executives from the National and Local Government, Officials from the various Health sectors, representatives from child-focused committees in Congress, non-government and bilateral agencies, celebrity advocates for children and the media.

Almost 9 million children under age of five, die every year which is equivalent to one child dying every 3 seconds from preventable causes.  In the Philippines 34 out of 1,000 children born will not reach their 5^th birthday due to easily preventable causes like pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition and lack of access to quality health care.

One-third of these children could be saved with inexpensive, easy and effective solutions.  Maternal deaths have also increased from 162 to 221 per 100,000 live births between 2006 and 2010.  This means that an estimated 11 women die each day from highly preventable complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth.

The Child Health Now Campaign draws upon multi-sectoral partnerships to influence policies, programming, and implementation of health initiatives that prioritize maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN).

The campaign specifically calls on the national government to increase its budget allocation for MNCHN, from 4.2 percent to 10 percent.  Similarly, it also pushes for the concerned lawmakers in Congress to allot 10 percent of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to programs, projects, and advocacy works that intentionally supports and invests on child health.

It is also a paramount concern of the campaign that participatory budgeting among health officials and service providers be strengthened in order to uphold child health support.  Child Health Now Campaign further calls on Local Government Units in project areas to prioritize and include programs and projects on maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition in their Local Development Plan and Budget.