“Giselle” to Celebrate Ballet Philippines’ Sapphire Year on Sept. 19-21

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In a special repeat performance, Ballet Philippines’ highly celebrated restaging of “Giselle” returns this September 19-21 to the CCP Main Theater. The beloved romantic ballet is once again being restaged by the Philippines’ premier danseur, Nonoy Froilan to start off the Blue Moon Series, a two-week fundraising series celebrating the company’s sapphire milestone.

Stella Abrera and James Whiteside from the American Ballet Theatre will perform as Giselle and Albrecht on the fundraising gala on September 19. That evening’s performance will also feature live accompaniment by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Olivier Ochanine.

Stella Abrera

Ballet Philippines principal dancers Katherine Trofeo and Jean Marc Cordero, as well as newly promoted soloist Denise Parungao and junior principal dancer Earl John Arisola will reprise their roles of Giselle and Albrecht for the other 4 shows in the production’s one-weekend run.

The 2013 restaging of “Giselle” earned recognition at the Philstage Gawad Buhay awards, winning the trophies for Outstanding Ensemble Performance for Classical Dance, Male Lead Performance in Classical Dance for Jean Marc Cordero, and Female Featured Performance in Classical Dance for Rita Winder.

Touted as one of ballet’s greatest, “Giselle” is a classical romantic tragedy of loss, forgiveness, and love beyond death. Her story is a familiar one – two men are in love with her, but she chooses to surrender her heart to Albrecht, the suave newcomer who, as Giselle later finds out, is engaged to be married. 

Ignoring her own suspicions and the well-meaning advice of Hilarion, her other suitor, Giselle eventually discovers the truth and ultimately, her heartbreak results in her demise. Yet she chooses to forgive her lover and save his life.

James Whiteside

In a medium like ballet where spectacle often takes the spotlight, such drama and conflict are seldom found. But everyone has a story to tell in “Giselle”. The choreography and the music, not to mention the dancers, all help to create well-rounded and relatable characters.

What lies at the very heart of this ballet is its story. Its message and the emotion it conveys have the power to move an audience to tears. While other ballets may be remembered for a particularly fantastic movement, “Giselle” will be remembered by how it made people feel.

The production also features Mailes Kanapi as Berthe, Giselle’s mother, with Nonoy Froilan and Butch Esperanza alternating as the Duke of Courland, as well as Carissa Adea, Richardson Yadao, Rita Angela Winder, Ma. Celina Dofitas, with Ballet Philippines’ company members, apprentices, and scholars.

“Giselle” will be performed at the CCP Main Theater on September 19 at 3 PM and 8 PM, September 20 at 2 PM and 6 PM, and on September 21 at 2 PM. 

For bulk reservations, show buys, and inquiries, visit www.ballet.ph or call Ballet Philippines at 551-1003. For tickets, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or Ticketworld at 891-9999.

Connect to Ballet Philippines online through the following social media networks:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/balletphilippines

Twitter: @balletph

Instagram: @balletphilippines

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/balletph

Ballet Philippines - The 45th Anniversary Sapphire Season. Rare scenes of power and grace. Love, valour and redemption. A toast to 45 years of dance excellence!

Global Academy wins, the first-ever Philippine Culinary Cup back-to-back Overall Champion

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Global Academy won big in the most prestigious culinary competition in the country. Global Academy was declared the Overall Champion of the Philippine Culinary Cup (PCC) for the second year in a row. 

The top-notch culinary school bagged the title competing against other culinary institutions, hotels, restaurant and catering groups from different countries including Thailand, Korea and Malaysia.

Global Academy awarded 2013/2014 back-to-back Overall Champion at the Philippine Culinary Cup

Global Academy is the only culinary institution in the Philippines that is recognized by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), the same internationally-recognized accrediting body of the Philippine Culinary Cup. With eight gold medals, Global Academy proves faithful to their world-class standards.

“It’s been an exciting time for all of us at Global Academy,” said Chef Mike Yap, program and faculty director who led the team through the competition. “These past few weeks have been filled with intense preparation as both our chefs and students have been determined to defend our title as overall champion.”

The gold medalists of the Dream Team category coached by Yap are Chefs Brando Santos, Anna Katrina Pascual and Summer Salvador. Their menu included a sous vide angus beef flank,a petite beef pie, with rolled saffron-infused spaghetti as the main course; a duo of brill as the appetizer; and a Felchlin Maracaibo layered cake for dessert.

Santos also bagged the highest gold for US Poultry where he prepared a trio of chicken. In addition to that, he, along with his team mate Chef Abigail Almeda, received gold for Amuse Bouche with their chawanmushi (egg custard) and cromesquis (croquette).

Chef Gerd Gendrano’s trio of pork and sautéed snapper with slipper lobster tail and deep-fried mud crab claw received gold medals for the US Pork and Local Fish or Seafood categories, respectively.

Chefs Jun Manalo, Richard Tan and Nino Runas make up the Filipino Cuisine category gold medalists. Their menu is comprised of humbang pato (braised duck), fried rice, rellenong ampalaya (stuffed bitter gourd) with ensaladang hipon at guso (shrimp and seaweed salad) and various roasted seafood.

Awarded the only gold for High Tea, are Chef Anjo dela Cruz and student Michael Madrid with adzuki and genmaicha (brown rice tea) scones; salmon and nori (seaweed) roulade; black sesame, hojicha (green tea roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal) and miso layer cake; strawberry plum pastry; and a yuzu (citrus fruit) and matcha (green tea) verrine.

Last but not least of the gold medalists of Global Academy is Chef Erika De Leon for the Quickfire Salad category. She prepared Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Salad Greens Tossed in Arugula, Walnut and Feta Dressing with Roasted Mushrooms, Baby Corn and Tomatoes, Pickled Beets and Poached Duck Egg.

Silver medalists and their respective categories are: Chef Jeremiah Go for U.S. Poultry; Chef Gerd Gendrano for Local Fish or Seafood; Chef Erika de Leon for Australian Lamb; Chef Nino Runas, also for Australian Lamb; students Kim Solejon and LA Cedeno for Young Chefs; Chefs Vic Sanchez and AC Agra for Sous Vide; Chefs Brando Santos and Mike Yap for Butcher and the Chef; student Abigail Winco for Pasta; and Chefs Gerd Gendrano, Garie Quiambao, Lorenzo Marcelino, coached by Chef Vic Sanchez for Dream Team.

Bronze medalists and their respective categories are: Chef Cho Marcelino for Wedding Cake; student Jon Rei Juguilion for US Beef; AC Agra, also for US Beef; Chef Abigail Almeda for Local Fish or Seafood; Chef Garie Quiambao for U.S. Poultry; student Jodie Iris Lo for Australian Lamb; Chef Summer Salvador for Plated Desserts; and Chef Kat Pascual for California Raisin Bread.

About Global Academy

Global Academy is an award-winning culinary academy recognized for its world-class excellence and competitiveness. The academy offers professional courses for aspiring chefs, pastry chefs and hospitality professionals for affordable tuition fees. As the first culinary school in the Philippines recognized by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), Global Academy is distinguished for its quality education and unmatched culinary standards.

For more information, visit http://globalacademyph.com.

Globe Telecom showcases high-speed LTE CA, LTE eMBMS technologies

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Globe Telecom showcases their LTE-CA technology with speeds of up to 220 Mbps and the new LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) in a demo during the Globe Innovation Forum (GIF), was led by Globe Head for Network Technologies Strategy Manny Estrada and Senior Advisor for Product Planning Ashish Pilani together with Huawei Senior Account Manager Jordy Cao.

The latest LTE technologies that will enable the telecommunications provider to stay ahead of its customers’ data requirement amid increasing use of bandwidth-intensive applications during its celebration of Innovation Month in line with its advocacy to promote and develop innovative products and services.

As part of its activities for celebration of Innovation Month,  Globe demonstrated its on-going Proof-of-Concept Trials on LTE- CA (Carrier Aggregation) and LTE eMBMS (enhanced Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service) or LTE Broadcast.

The LTE CA technology dramatically increases efficient utilization of frequencies, enabling mobile operators to use non-contiguous blocks of spectrum in multiple frequency bands to achieve higher bandwidths to meet growing demand for wireless broadband services.

“The LTE CA technology would translate to improved data rates and broadband capacity for Globe wireless broadband network and result to high-speed mobile data access. This helps address the demand for data-heavy multimedia applications which are becoming more and more popular. This means that our customers will experience faster data connectivity in areas where this will be implemented as LTE CA becomes commercially available in the near future,” said Emmanuel Estrada, Globe Head of Network Technologies Strategy. LTE CA has an average throughput of around 220 Mbps with a total 20 MHz of spectrum and initial tests conducted by Globe in April this year showed a maximum speed of up to 230 Mbps, Estrada said.

On the other hand, LTE eMBMS (evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service) technology paves the way for the efficient delivery of video and multimedia services over a telco’s LTE network. 

Growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices has led to customer preference for mobile multimedia and video service. However, multimedia applications require large bandwidths and generate large amount of data traffic, quickly exhausting bandwidth resources of mobile operators. “The LTE Broadcast solution addresses such challenge as it enables transmission of live video contents to a large number of users without using huge amount of network resources. The technology enables a more efficient use of a mobile operator’s bandwidth resources, allowing customers to enjoy seamless video services in a wireless communication network,” Estrada said.

For mobile live TV watching on smartphones and tablets, LTE eMBMS works by simply downloading its Live TV Apps and also by using an eMBMS capable device or smartphone. LTE eMBMS will be commercially available within 2015 in select areas, he added.

Globe held Mind Brew talks, a relaxed, sit-down café forum, where experts of different fields were invited to inspire employees to share their thoughts and ideas and make them realize that there is always a better, more effective, and creative way of doing things.

Globe developer community Globe Labs also helped employees unleash innovation and break boundaries through iSpark, which encouraged employees to form groups, prepare their hack concept, make it happen, and pitch their app.

The telco provider also launched Globe City, a virtual platform where everyone has the opportunity not just to share their ideas but to turn them into reality and earn from it, all in a fun gaming environment.

Globe Telecom showcases LTE CA, LTE eMBMS technologies in celebration of Globe Innovation 

and also showcasing their latest products and services during the Globe Innovation Forum were Globe technology partners such as Nokia, WSA/Telco Systems, Gemalto, SMSGT, DTQ, Stratpoint, Acision, Teradata, Amdocs, SmartQ, Evolving Systems, Huawei, WSA/TeleDNA, Nominum, and SAS.

Racing aficionados' celebration of speed with Globe Slipstream

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Global Slipstream attracted racing aficionados for a unique and historic “celebration of speed.” Racing enthusiasts, as well as the city’s partyphiles and music fans, filled the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) 

Globe Telecom in partnership with the Lotus Formula One (F1) Team, organized and held a great event last August 30, Saturday, entitled Globe Slipstream that bring one fo the world’s fastest sports headlined by one of the fastest driving young drivers in the world at the country’s fastest-developing business hub powered by the nation’s fastest and most modern network.

The festivities started at 1 p.m. and kick off with a car  and motors parade at the Bonifacio High Street. 

That was an exciting celebration of speed with a race car driving exhibition, interactive booths, and an outdoor music festival and concert headlined by local and international acts.

We have seen fast as Lotus F1 junior driver and Prince of Speed Marlon Stockinger brings the F1 experience to Manila as he drive his Lotus WSR Gravity Charouz Formula Renault 3.5 car around a customized BGC race track, showing off the skills that bought him a a seat on the premier Lotus F1 junior team.

Here's for the event’s highlight: an exhibition featuring Filipino-Swiss racecar driver Marlon Stockinger.

Bonifacio High Street turned into an ultimate speed strip with vintage and luxury car parade, car exhibition, and a karting challenge for celebrities also there for racing.

Near fast with hard-hitting beats as electronic dance music performer Dualist Inquiry, American dance-puk band Chk Chk Chk, local bands Up Dharma Down, Yolanda Moon and Autotelic, and DJ Joey Santos cap the night with an upbeat concert party at the BGC Ampitheater.

The fast guys, the race teams of Ducati-Bacchus, Ducati-Access Plus, ATAT Racing Team, Samson College-Access Plus - Ducati Desmo Owners Club of the Philippines and Kojie-San brought in their top riders participated at the Globe Slipstream.

Superbike Riders

More photos :)

To know more about Globe Slipstream, visit www.globeslipstream.ph.

J Lo Strikes a Pose & Opens Up on Love for Elle's October Issue

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An American actress, author, fashion designer, dancer, producer, singer. and mother-of-two, Jennifer Lopez  graces the cover for the October 2014 issue of ELLE.

Photographed by Txema Yeste in the breathtaking Paris location of Château de Voisins, J.Lo dazzles in Versace gowns, with accessories by Laura Lee Jewellery and Lock & Co Hatters.

In the eye-opening interview, J Lo opens up about looking for the One. her life's mistakes and future plans. 

‘I still believe in love. The nirvana man, he’s out there somewhere. But you just have to work at it. You have to work at everything.'

"Everybody has seen that I make mistakes. I have to look at what I do wrong. I rush in, I get swept up, I ignore the signs. But so many of us are guilty of these things. Each time it goes wrong it’s hard. I get really hurt but I have to let myself go." 

'Every single album I have ever made is about love. But I am not going to give up. What did I do? What can I learn?’ And as hard and as hurtful as things get, I want to believe I will be able to go one step higher. I’ve got to hope that if I keep going I will eventually get it right."

On future career plans, "I like to tick a lot of boxes. I have a five-year plan. I always have a five and a 10-year plan. If this business is about anything, it’s about reinventing yourself. You have to keep moving, taking risks."

"Is it worth making mistakes, in my case in public, and trying to figure out what you do and balance everything and constantly grow?" 

"I'd say yes. None of it is easy, none of it is safe – you are going to get big highs and you are going to get big lows, so it’s not for everyone – but that's exciting. You just need to believe in yourself."

Find the October issue on newsstands on Thursday 4 September.

Credit: www.elle.com