Empress Of Drac, A Cebuana Blogger

Palamantasan 2010, the first interschool competition among grade school students nationwide, was successfully held last 17th of July at Lapu-lapu Central Elementary School. The event aims to educate the young minds about the importance of proper nutrition and healthy diet.  Kraft Cheez Whiz, one of the most-loved cheese brands in the country in partnership with the Department of Education initiated the said event.

Nutrition Education

Palamantasan is a school-based program to further raise public consciousness and enhance nutrition education in schools.  According to Dr. Alex Dan Tacderas, Category Manager for Cheese and Spoonables, Kraft Foods Philippines, School is second to home where children learn basic lessons and values.  He said that this is the very reason why they direct their cause and execute their programs in schools - in both an enjoyable and educational way.

Kraft Chiz Wheez and DepEd declared Palamantasan as a nationwide nutrition advocacy that will be conducted until the month of September.

Winners

Below are Palamantasan Winners for the Lapu-lapu Elementary School Leg.

Essay Writing - Despi Montesa (91.7%)
Jarchitecture - CH Whizy - Body Protector (84.33%)
Speech Choir - Team Aktibo (95%)
Sandwich Art - Mrs. Dina and her daughter, Samantha Montero (93%)
Cheering - She Brats (85.33%)

The winners will be competing in another round of higher level competition. Visit http://palamantasan.com for more details.

About Kraft Foods

The combination of Kraft Foods (http://kraftfoodscompany.com) and Cadburry creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals.  With annual revenues of approximately $50 billion, the combined company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in more than 160 countries.  The combined company’s portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion - Orea, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadburry chocolates; Trident gums; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats.  Another 70+ brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million.  Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

Photo Credit: Jorich Ponio

I always believe that there’s no such thing as impossible if we help each other.  No man is an island because we, human beings, are programmed to live and to depend on each other.  In this era of Information Technology, helping each other is just a click away.  The internet revolution brings the human race closer to each other that even if you are not in Haiti, you can still extend helping hands to help the earthquake survivors there.  Well, we can’t help it.  We are the only race in the entire universe who are gifted with ingenuity.

Extend Yourself.org believes in the power of the internet and how important it is as a medium in helping people.  As part of the launching of their website, they are giving away a brand new Apple Ipad.  Check below for more details.

Last Two Weeks to Raise 100K and Win an Apple iPad!

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES, July 19, 2010. - Vote for a cause & get a chance to Win an Apple iPad! Yes, you can win a brand new Apple iPad just by extending yourself and helping others! CLICK HERE TO VOTE & WIN NOW!

Why should you vote?

1. The cause that gets the most votes at the end of this campaign will be rewarded P100,000 to help fund their efforts.

2. You get a chance to win a brand new Apple iPad!

How does it work? Simple. All you have to do is choose which cause you would like to help. You
can help the cause by voting for it.  Choose ONE cause. Once you’ve voted for a cause, you cannot change it
anymore so choose wisely.

There’s absolutely no catch. Just VOTE FOR A CAUSE and get a chance to WIN a brand new Apple iPad now!
Know more about the different groups you can vote for: Visit Featured Causes Page

*iPad raffle available to Philippine residents only.

About ExtendYourself.org

SM City Cebu opens its 3rd IMAX theatre in the country and the first outside Metro Manila today.  A pre-launching event and fashion show was held last 2nd of July to introduce the newest technology that would forever change your movie experience.

IMAX is the latest theater technology that features the highest-quality, most immersive motion picture entertainment.  It is specifically designed to deliver the world’s most immersive movie experience.  With it’s crystal clear images and combined with its powerful digital sound, the IMAX experience makes the audience feel as if they are IN the movie.

IMAX 3D

A 3D fashion show was held during the IMAX pre-launching at SM City Cebu, Northwing Atrium last week.  This event showcased Cebu’s 3Ds (3 DJs and 3 Designers).  The 3D theme represents the IMAX 3D technology which enables images to leap off the screen and into the laps of the audience, further enhancing the feeling of being IN the movie.

Below are the movies that will be screened at the IMAX theatre today.

1. AVATAR
2. Inception
3. Hubble 3D
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

IMAX theatre ticket price is around Php 400.

Reference: IMAX.com Photo Credit: LaagCebu.com

Artist Ko! Artists & Musicians Marketing Cooperative, held a press conference last 8th of May, 2010 at VIP Room, Teatro Casino, Water Front Hotel, Cebu City.  During the event, the people behind the group were introduced to the local media.  They also announced the group’s upcoming project, VISPOP, the newest Cebuano songwriting competition.  Miss Raki Vega’s newest single, “We Will Rise Again”, was also launched.

What is Artist Ko?

Artist Ko is a duly registered association of artists, musicians and entrepreneurs with a common bond of interest who voluntarily joined together to achieve a lawful, social and economic end by making equitable contributions and accepting the fair share of the risks and benefits in all undertakings.

Artist Ko is a marketing cooperative and is a profit entity.  The group is serious in supporting each member’s endeavors through profit-oriented projects.

The group is headed by Cebu’s finest artists and musicians like Mr. Ian Zafra, Cattski Espina, Jude Gitamondoc, and Insoy Ninal.

VISPOP

This is a joint project initiated by Artist Ko and Tsinelas Inc. which bears the tagline “Bisayaa Uy!“.  The project aims to alleviate the current state of Cebuano music on radio by introducing a more professional and competitive playlist of new Cebuano songs. All songwriting enthusiast are invited to join.  Visit VISPOP’s multiply account for more details.

Raki Vega’s We Will Rise Again

Miss Raki Vega’s interpretation of her latest single, “We Will Rise Again”, gained positive feedback from the local media.  The song is written and composed by the award-winning songwriter, Jude Gitamondoc.  The song has a nationalistic streak on it which inspires hope and optimism among Filipinos.  Mr. Jude Gitamondoc said that the song conveys all Filipino people that we should not depend our future to a person only, people should work and strive together to shape and build a better future.

My Personal Take

During the press conference, one of the media people mentioned about Bisrock, which is now referred to by Artist Ko as a phenomenon, not a genre or whatsoever.  I was a bit sad hearing about it.  It’s because I am one of those people who love bisrock music, and in my heart of hearts, I really, really feel its essence.  I’ve been a bisrock supporter since 2006.  I I even created this blog to show my support to Cebu’s local rock music scene.  I will never forget those bisrock bands like Missing Filemon, Aggressive Audio, Leon Kilat, Smooth Friction and the likes.  It’s just sad to see that the good apples were being spoiled by the rotten ones.

Still, with the creation of Artist Ko, I expect another phenomenon that would lead to a worldwide recognition of  Cebuano’s arts and music.  I’m quite confident that Cebuano people are far more talented than any other artists from around the Philippines.  Together, we can make this happen!  Jia you, CEBU!

After a nationwide search that commenced in March and generated thousands of entries, the journey from anonymous to famous is on its homestretch as the top 10 finalists of the PLDT myDSL WatchPad Crew was unveiled online recently.

PLDT myDSL is not just looking for the usual eye-candy as the finalists were chosen based on their unique personalities, love for the internet, and a passion in life ranging from music, sports, the performing arts, and even advocacies relevant to today’s generation. Simply put, these are teens who want to stand out and make a difference.

Two Cebuanas have made it to the coveted circle of young, vibrant personalities from all over the country and with Cebu’s support may just become part of the coolest crew in town joining the ranks of Rhian Ramos, champion drifter Alex Perez, Isabel Oli, Gino de la Peña, Viktor Aliwalas and Steph Henares. The top five with the most online votes will have a chance to become a part of the 5 new PLDT myDSL WatchPad Crew. Public online voting is open until May 23. Read the rest of the press release here.

At first glance, the thought of initiating a worldwide event is like a vagary.  People are raising their eyebrows, some are pessimistic, and some don’t even give a deal.  The main point here is that, we successfully initiated something which would result to a global impact later on.  We don’t need to expect a lot because this is the first, and though we have some failures, we surely can learn from it.

I wanted to congratulate Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. for successfully launching the very first World Bloggers’ Day event at Parkmall Cebu just a while ago.  It’s actually the very first time that all blogging communities around the Philippines made representations for each group.

The event started with an Invocation led by Willand Cuna (CBS member), followed by a welcome address by Miss Ma. Carla Estella, PR Officer of Parkmall, Cebu.  This was followed by the presentation of the blogging communities from around the Phillippines by Mark Monta, founder of Cebu Bloggers Society Inc..  Three blogging communities sent in their presentations: Manila Bloggers’ Network (headed by Azrael Coladilla), SOCKSARGEN Bloggers (headed by Avel Mananzala), and Davao Bloggers (headed by Ria Jose).  And, of course, Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. had also presented a short AVP about their organization.

After the blogging community presentations, Mark Monta presented the newly elected CBSI officers to the public.  The following are Cebu Bloggers Society Inc.’s newly elected officers.

President - Vernon Joseph Go
VP for Content Management - Michelle Louise Maglasang
VP for Corporate Affairs - Agnes E. Jimenez
VP for Education - Jerry Gervacio
VP for Marketing - Michael Sinjin Pineda
VP Membership - Clarence Andrew Mongado
VP for Ways and Means - Mark Monta
Treasurer - Bryan Karl Yuson
Secretary - Wilhelmina Sarawi
Auditor - Jorich Ponio
BOTs for Special Projects
- Gerrymie Tampus
- Guada Conception Esmena
- Mark Alessandrew Abitona
- Prince Ryan Gilig
- Ruben Licera Jr.
Ombudsman/Legal Counsel - Atty. Ethelbert Ouano

The presentation of officers was then followed by the unveiling of Parkmall’s monthly blogging contest.  Agnes Jimenez, the Events Coordinator, presented the contest’s guideline and mechanics.  This blogging competition is open to all Cebu-based bloggers.

The bloggers then enjoyed a sumptuous dinner prepared by Parkmall’s best food tenants.  The event ended with the awarding of the blogger of the day, the one with the best cast-away outfit, and a closing remark by CBSI’s new president, Mr. Vernon Joseph Go.

A lot of raffle prizes were also given during the event.  By the way, Ricky dela Cruz of Rabsing.com, won the best cast-away outfit contest.  Atty. Ethelbert Ouano and Doyzkie Buenaviajie were the men of the event (emcees).  Thanks a lot to Parkmall’s Marketing Team, headed by Madam Judith Letty Sellner for the major support and sponsorship.

N.B.: Before ending this post, I would also want to give special thanks to the special team behind World Bloggers’ Day’s online launching.

Graphics and Design - Jim Villaflores
Press Release - Bert Padilla
Post & RSVP - Michelle Louise Maglasang
Article - Milafel Hope Dacanay
Wikipedia Release - Jerry Gervacio (to be published later)
Others - Mark Monta, Agnes Jimenez

Photos will follow later.

Webthesurfi Rugs Webdesign are the keywords that we are currently competing to top in the Google SERPs. Clairemont Webdesign spearheaded this contest, which started last middle of March and will end in the 2nd week of April.

This is my very first SEO contest, and I really feel its thrill. My original intention why I joined, is to drive new traffic to my main site. Winning is not really my aim because truthfully, I still have a lot of things to learn about search engine optimization.

When I joined this contest, I was actually thinking that I would learn a lot about SEO since I will do my best to at least put my entry in a higher rank. Thus, it will drive me to be more resourceful and find things that I don’t know about.

At this very moment, I can already tell how those 4 entries made their way to the top. And it’s very obvious that their efforts are much larger than mine, though I believe that I also did a tremendous job so that my entry won’t end up in the bottom list.

One thing I learned about being part in this contest is, if you are wise enough, you can actually mimic the strategy of the other contestants. This, is because of the web’s transparency.

A contestant who is wondering why this certain entry is constantly topping the SERP, would eventually do some analysis and will pull out resources to diagnose it. After the nosing around, if you are really keen to details, before you know it, you already discovered their secrets.

For the first quarter of this year, there are only 3 keywords that won’t get easily erased from my mind…webthesurfi rugs webdesign.

Anyways, have you joined a contest lately?

N.B.: I wrote this post on the last week of March and shared it to my forum comrades.  I posted this now here in my main site to at least push my SERP rank.