Uniqlo (Glorietta 5)

Jap
label opens 6^th outlet

By Demi
Braque

Japanese
apparel brand opened its latest store at the Glorietta 5 Mall in Ayala Center
Makati recently. “This is the 6^th Uniqlo store that we’ve opened. It’s
slightly smaller in floor area when compared to the other branches. This branch
caters to the Ayala Center traffic.  We
started with our flagship store in the Mall of Asia two years ago. Now, we have
six. By the end of 2013, we will have eleven.

“Bottoms
have remained to be our top-sellers alongside jeans and leggings. We will be
coming up with a merchandise line that’s exclusively for Filipinos; something
suited for the local climate. We will still continue to offer the Fall/Winter
collection not so much for residents here but for those who’ll travel abroad. Our
UT (universal t-shirt) collection will feature a line designed by a London-schooled
Pinoy designer for the forthcoming Fall/Winter 2013 collection in september.
These will be high-quality merchandise with affordable prices; unlike in Japan
where products are either high-quality but expensive or highly-affordable but
poor in quality.

“We at
Uniqlo call our products ‘LifeWear’ because we believe that clothing should
enhance your day-to-day life; not impede it. A full life requires, practically,
innovation, smarts and the freedom of self-expression. That’s why our goal is
to give you tools from which you can build your own style. You won’t find
splashy logos or unneeded gimmicks on our clothing, just sophisticated
practicality. The way you wear it and combine the pieces is up to you,” shared
company COO Katsumi Kubota.

This
year, new hues, patters and designs have been added to its range of lineups.
With the quick-dry feature intact, the varieties of prints, collars, stripes
and color blocks have grown tremendously, bringing new energy to the collections.

“Quality
is the key to making such versatile clothing. Everything we produce is durable
in both bold and nuanced ways, which we believe gives our garments a value
beyond the superficiality of the usual clothing. It’s a collection of products
that knows when to get out of the way to let you make your own decisions, but
also knows just how and when a helping hand might be needed in the form of the
perfect added feature or technological advancement.

“We will
be opening another provincial branch very soon. We are still on target for our
goal of opening 50 stores by 2015. At present, there are 300 Filipinos and nine
Japanese under our employ. The past two years afforded us to generate a 20 per
cent increase in revenue generation.” Katsumi-san declared at the close of an
intimate colloquy with members of national broadsheet media.

The new
Uniqlo outlet store is conveniently located at the ground floor of Glorietta 5,
with ingress/egress points from within the mall and Ayala Avenue. Check out the
Uniqlo Philippines fan page on Facebook and/or their Web site, www.uniqlo.com.

 

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Elan Awards

Who will be the quintessential Pinoy gent?

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

The
quest for the epitome of the modern Filipino gentleman is on! Celebrities
including singers (Christian Bautista and Richard Poon), athletes (Phil
Younghusband and Chris Tiu), actors (Dingdong Dantes, Xian Lim, Coco Martin,
Piolo Pascual, Derek Ramsey and Jericho Rosales), a food blogger (Erwan
Heussaff), and a politician (Sen. Sonny Angara) are among the top twelve
finalists of the 2013 Elan Awards bared recently during the media launch at the
spanking new Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.

The said
award will be bestowed by popular leather brand McJIM to the best role model
who will exemplify style and elegance among today’s Filipino gentlemen. The
finalists were chosen from a lengthy list of entertainment, fashion, sports,
music, and public service personalities nominated by Facebook users at the
McJIM Classic Leather official fan page. The nominees were chosen by the public
in a popularity contest conducted through the aforementioned site. Facebook
users were asked to nominate male individuals, whether celebrity or not, who  met the requirements of having a Filipino
lineage and who must be 23 to 40 years old on the onset of the search last
Labor Day.

“From 80
qualifiers, the list was trimmed down to 60 by virtue of age and citizenship.
From there, the panel of judges determined who makes it to the Top 12. Until
August 2, Facebook users can tick off their choices. They can vote only once
per account.

“This is
a public poll wherein the winner is chosen from the finalist who garnered the
highest number of votes. The Elan Awards reinforce what people think of McJIM
as a man’s brand. The label is patronized and preferred by men who have
succeeded. McJIM leather is, after all, not a cheap commodity but a premium home-grown
brand. Though employing European technology, the belts are manufactured with
Pinoy design and craftsmanship,” enthused project & publicity manager Chris
Cahilig.

Facebook
users were  allowed to nominate different
individuals, each, on the criterion of elegance of style; manners &
etiquette; and accomplishment. Voters also chose one individual for two of the
three criteria or all three. Their nominations were then posted on the McJIM
fan page. The judges then chose the Top 12 from the roster of nominees. The
panel of jurors included society columnist Tim Yap, model-actor Victor Basa,
and broadcast personality Sam YG.

“We’re
very happy that these 12 deserving finalists have been chosen by our esteemed
panel of judges. We look forward to the public’s decision in the final poll
that will determine the top winner. We established the Elan Awards to define and
showcase the modern Filipino gentleman as someone who is proudly and truly
Pinoy. As Filipinos, we should stop imitating and aspiring for foreign cultures.
We have our own and we are as good as anyone else in the world. We should be
proud of who we are and what we do as a people. Each of these 12 finalists is a
role model who inspires us to be as successful, stylish and elegant in our
manner of dressing, grooming, etiquette, achievements and overall lifestyle; and
who are, like us, distinctly and proudly Filipino. The Elan Awards is here to
inspire more Filipinos men to blend a sense of style, gentlemanly manners and
values, as well as the drive to excel,” said the McJIM official statement.

The
grand winner, as determined by the pollsters, will receive a prestigious
designer trophy, P100K for himself and another P100K to a charity of his
choice, a year’s supply of McJIM products, plus the opportunity to be considered
as the label’s next image model and/or brand ambassador. All the other
finalists will each receive plaques of appreciation and a six-month supply of
McJIM products.

All
Facebook users in the Philippines and overseas are eligible to participate in
the poll. Now that the 12 finalists have been announced, FB users can go to the
McJIM Classic Leather official fan page and vote for their chosen finalist
based on the criteria. Voting is open now until August 2^nd. The
finalist with the most number of votes will be proclaimed on August 15^th.
 

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Toshiba

Picture-tube
perfection!

By Earl
D.C. Bracamonte

Since
2011, Toshiba has been perfecting the 4K technology to provide discerning
consumers with the ultimate real high picture quality. With new models, it has
once again raised the bar in television viewing. The brand takes HD viewing to
new heights with its latest upgrade of the Regza 55z7 and the Ultra HD Regza
84-inch LED models. Both carry the 2^nd generation 4K TV system or 4K
Ultra HD.

“The
commitment to high picture quality is the core of Toshiba’s technology. The
marriage of hardware and software results in outstanding reality to image. Our
latest models have achieved the natural effect of color, which is not too
bright. The 4K Ultra HD models is a video format that delivers four times the
pixels of full HD,” emphasized Yuji Motomura, Toshiba’s chief specialist in the
TV marketing division, during a product demo pitting Toshiba against other
brands.

The 4K
TV system delivers excellent gradation output with analog-like brightness. This
provides a sense of depth and texture in picture quality that does not
compromise B&W contrast. For HD TV connoisseurs, picture quality is a
critical feature in large-screen TV models especially those over 55 inches.
This is because the larger the screen size, the rougher the picture quality
becomes. To address this, Toshiba developed the CEVO 4K, an in-house 4K video
processing engine that set a gold standard unmatched in the market today. One
can now enjoy precision viewing of Blu-Ray and HD TV programs in near 4K picture
quality.

Advertising
director Paul Soriano experienced first-hand the power of the Regza’s 4K
technology. Paul has shot over 50 commercials since he got his first ad break
in 2007. In his line of work, he does not compromise on visual quality. “It isn’t
easy to show true images on a television screen that best match real life color
and consistency. Toshiba’s Regza series is top-notch in terms of precision. The
sense of detail and sharpness is excellent and the way it captures natural
light and skin tones. If you’re the type who likes to watch videos in Blu-Ray
and TV programs that are broadcast in HD, then it’s definitely a must-have. It
will be a waste not to enjoy the full benefits of HD broadcast if your TV set
is not optimum. Most certainly, the quality of the picture in your HD TV adds
to the emotional excitement of what you’re watching.

“The
clarity of costumes, colors, even the acting and the way they look on screen
affects the experience of viewing. Details like skin tones spell a lot of difference,”
Paul intoned.

At the
heart of the Regza 55z7 is superior resolution and technology that restores
image precision and brilliance. Its advanced clear panel feature cuts down
reflection to deliver higher contrast even in bright environments. Top of the
class technical color specifications include color texture restoration that
refines high-chroma texture and color resolution that restores richness from
the compressed color information. Its 3D Frame Resolution+ brings heightened
enjoyment for 3D viewing aligning congruent texture in ambient frames. It is
also enabled with Reconstruction & Self-Congruency methods that both
enhance image sharpness.

Yuji Motomura
is the key person behind the development of the Ultra HD Regza. “Our aim always
is to pursue the superior picture quality for our users and inspire them with
our innovation. The 4K Technology gives new models an outstanding sense of
detail and enhance picture quality far superior to any other brand available in
the market today.”

The
excellence of the Regza series has not escaped the attention of local
technophiles. Abe Olandres of YugaTech is struck with its image quality, which
he notes is almost true to life in terms of color and vividness. “Where Toshiba
has taken TV technology is quite impressive. It’s hard to think that they can
still improve on the features of the full HD yet they were still able to
enhance it by four times. That’s quite a feat! As a viewer who likes to watch
fast-paced TV shows and play video games, the Ultra HD Regza 84-inch LED is a
treat. I can fully appreciate the heightened sense of excitement that this superb
piece of equipment delivers.

“The
rendering of picture quality and the technology behind it is what
differentiates any brand offering TV products. 4K is the wave of the future
especially in terms of picture size, resolution, contrast and natural color.
Who knows, by 2020 it becomes 8K. Content is the driving force on what type of
TV set consumers buy,” Abe concluded.

Toshiba
is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of
advanced electronic & electrical products and systems. The Toshiba Group
brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses, digital
products, including LCD TV (like the REGZA series), notebook PCs (like the Portege
Z10t Ultrabook), retail solutions & MFPs, electronic devices, including
semi-conductors, storage products & materials, industrial & social
infrastructure systems, include power generation systems, smart community
systems, medical systems as well as escalators & elevators, and home
appliances.

Toshiba
was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 530
consolidated companies; with 202,000 employees worldwide, and annual sales
surpassing US$74-billion. For more information, simply visit their Web site, www.toshiba.co.jp.

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Fila-Pinas

Field of
dreams

By Demi
Braque

Pride
burns deep as the country’s football team, the Philippine Volcanoes, inch
closer to their dream of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup Sevens following a
victorious run against the United Arab Emirates last month.

The game
closed at 24-8, a 300 per cent victory against its opponent, after a final
touchdown by outside center Matt Saunders. The first half closed with a very
hopeful score of 12-5, in favor of the home team. UAE managed to score three
points at the early part of the second half but never recovered. From another
Volcano touchdown, the score rose to 17-8 unto 19-8 and then victory.

The
Philippine National Rugby Union Team, nicknamed the “Volcanoes,” is the
country’s official representation to the international rugby union. With
countless gold medals to their name, besting prominent countries in
international tournaments, the Volcanoes have now become headlines in
Philippine sports news.

Today,
the Volcanoes are the most successful team in the Asian Five Nations
Tournament, next to Japan. In the past five years, the Herculean squad has only
lost twice to South Korea in Division One, last year and, more recently, last
April. Last year, the Volcanoes stormed into the Top 5 with an unbeaten run,
besting Chinese-Taipei, Singapore and Sri Lanka in a round-robin basis.

“We have
three more games next year,” hollered team captain Michael Letts during the
post-game photo opp at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

2013
marks a new era for the Philippine Volcanoes as they the Philippine flag to the
2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow this June. This athletic feat is a big
first for the country – and even deeper for benefactor Fila Philippines, who
will accompany the team to the prestigious competition as official sponsor.

Let the
cheer thunder on and grow even louder as the Philippine Volcanoes heave on to
the show-grounds of champions. Finally in league with the big boys, the
Philippines’ own are pumped more than ever. And with Fila Philippines standing
behind in full support, there will be no backing down.

Stand
strong and proud behind the Philippine Volcanoes team, as they charge for
victory in realizing their dream of competing in the 2013 Rugby World Cup
Sevens.

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Once Upon A Time

A text said,

"...and things have become complicated."

I said,

"...go ahead and leave. I couldn't care less."


Cheers,
Dya


taken from http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-488-488-90/30/3035/9RUBF00Z/posters/garfield-ask-me-if-i-care.jpg

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Padma Hotel-Bandung

Been a long time, eh? Not that I'm busy or something. The link of this blog suggested that it was about books that I've written or read.  However, writing a review or even mere opinion about a book is not as easy as one might think. So, because I believe that it takes time and practice to be fluent at something, I started to write about anything that catches my attention.  Lately, my days have been absolutely monotonic and boring and as the result, I was running out of idea to write.

Couple of weeks ago, there was this one moment that absolutely not boring.  I went to Padma Hotel in Bandung.  I've seen hotels with great view, tasty foods, and luxurious interior, but those are not the qualities that caught my attention at Padma. It was their absolutely splendid hospitality (the hotels does have beautiful view, their bathrooms are very comfortable, and they have quite a nice playground and swimming pools).

There was nothing standard about their greetings, their tone of voice, or their words. Have you ever pay attention to employees at the supermarket chain or banks or beauty shops? They have standard words, they bow in unity, hell even their smiles are almost the same.  But not at Padma. They called and played with my daughter while she was running around the lobby, a butler wooed her to get on a horse, and when my husband looked a bit confused, an employee who was just passing by spontaneously asked him of whether he needed help.  In the last day before we checked out, we were lost between the parking lot and the lobby (because as usual, my husband always preferred to look for nooks and crannies rather than a normal path) and we met a butler with messy appearance near a storeroom (apparently he was not currently in his working hours). He did not bother to straighten up or something...he suddenly stood and greeted us like we were best friends, "hey! what can I help you with?" He explained about the infrastructure and welcomed us if we ever wanted to explore more. How nice.  There was nothing fake in his hospitality. I really wonder on how Padma trained their employees.

To make it fair, they do have shortcomings when it comes to toddler's activity.  At my stay there, I found out that they have playground and flying fox and nice swimming pools and other nice things, but those are more suitable for older kids. It would be better if they have wide room with transparent and very thick glass and inside they could put mini playground and golf-course. So, the kids will feel like they are playing outdoor and parents can also enjoy the view! What do you think? Heh heh.

I assumed Padma is a popular hotel (well, it's one of the favorites in tripadvisor), so I would strongly suggest you to book weeks before. 


Cheers,
Dya

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I Need to Explain

Hi,

People accused me of being arrogant. Said that I got angry and sad easily.  My friends at junior high school deliberately called me a whore because of my so called "relationship" with an old man. My high school teacher said that I was stupid and manipulative.  I never bothered to explain until one of my friends labelled me "unstable" today because I often deactivated-reactivated my Facebook. And...at this moment, I am very offended because I have a mental disorder just like my friend, Entien and I have worked so damn hard for years to stabilize myself. I am stable most of the time.  It was not easy at all, especially when I was near my "depression and mania cycle".  By labeling me as "unstable", he just insulted and undermined my whole work at fixing myself.

Let me tell you why I deactivated and reactivated my Facebook...
I was busy from time to time and at that particular period I often did not have the chance to update my status, reply comments, approve tags, and all. One-third of my friends seemed OK when I ignored them. One-third started texting me and called me arrogant and the rest thought that I was angry with them and begged me for forgiveness.  (There was one other reason actually. It involved jealousy, but I think it will be unwise of me if I discuss it here). I do not want that to happen. So, if I felt that I would be busy for the next several days, then I'd deactivated my Facebook. As simple as that.

I don't want to seem childish by explaining these things, but really...
My Imam said that people offended by the words of others were actually answering to their own needs for respect.  But the thing is, I think my never-ending efforts to stabilize my emotions deserve a little bit of respect. I really did not appreciate his words.  I wanted to say "to hell with you" and moved on, but I couldn't. I want my efforts to be recognized.    But then again, I cannot really force people to respect my work, right? So, I'll just cry a little bit tonight, go to a shooting range or karaoke club nearby, pray at night, try to wash his poisonous words out of my mind, and say to myself, "you are successful at restraining yourself so you didn't yell and kill people when you were depressed. Keep up the good work! I love you so much."

Cheers,
Dya

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They

There are these two friends of mine. I met them for the first time like two months ago.  Both are singles. The man was highly unstable, he has high standards (but low in self confidence even though he seemed sure about himself), perfectionist (though I think it bears the same meaning as coward), and attractive in a damaged-goods way. I think he has some kind of syndrome. I actually read about that, but I forgot the term. I'll tell you as soon as I remember it. :p

The woman was traumatized by her incapability to understand men.  She is too sensitive and what would you call it? Afraid to make any move without a long long long consideration.  I think she would need more than one period of Hajj before she actually admitted that she was in love.  She is suspicious all the time and for some reasons, she feels quite comfortable with her single life.  However, in my opinion, she just wants to play it safe. She thought about all the loss, sadness, and sacrifices associated with relationships, but she failed to recognize the benefits of having someone.

I realized that she likes him.  My intuition is accurate, trust me. He takes it as compliments but no more.  It could not be more wrong.  She keeps giving him attentions out of love and all and he keeps receiving them out of pride (like a king accepting tributes) because I KNOW he does not have any romantic feeling towards her (plus, he is lethal).  They are not in the same page. Should I warn her? She'll probably deny my assessment and hate me for bringing it up, but hey...she can hate me all she likes as long as she does not fall in love (further) to that man, right?

So, dam-it or damn-it?
Dya

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When I Talk to You

But the thing is...we cannot talk anymore.

Want to be happy,

Dya

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Elathuria and Numa Child

"Numa Child told Elathuria instantly. 'Lady,' he said. 'I will never love anyone the way I love you.' And much to his surprise, Elathuria invited him to kiss her.
" 'Quickly,' she said. 'Because the sun is hot and the hour is passing.'
"Numa didn't think very much about the significance of this. He was simply happy to be invited to kiss his beloved. And as they kissed and talked and kissed again, the hour of the Nonce ticked away..."
"This isn't going to end happily, is it?" Malingo said.
Finnegan didn't answer. He just went on with his story. "When Numa Child kissed her again, there was a little bitterness on her lips.
" 'What's happening?' he said to her.
"She told him: 'Time is passing, my beloved.'
"And to his horror, he saw that her blossoms, which had been so bright and beautiful when he'd first set eyes on her, were beginning to turn gold and brown."
Finnegan's voice, as he told this part of the story, grew soft and full of sadness.
"Finally she said to him: 'Don't leave me, love. Promise me you'll never leave. Find me again, wherever I go. Find me.' "
He did. Numa traveled all over the islands to find her.

Not so cheery
Dya

taken from http://www.clivebarker.info/abaratevolution.html

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Chicken!

The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her (Bob Marley).

I could not agree more.
It was like teasing a thirsty man with a glass of clear water without an intention to give it to him for real.  Wait, it was a wrong analogy I guess...because it was more of a cruelty than cowardice. You are smart, right? you know what I meant.  I'm going to tag this with "My Life" because somehow, out of the blue, when I read the quote, I wanted to say,

"What kind of man is that? I hate him so much. Even if he is burned alive in front of me, I would not take a second to pee on him. To hell with him. A man who cannot make a stand is a worthless little coward. Man who just goes with the flow is unacceptable as leader.  Men who stood in front of a door five feet from you, talked to you about good times, offered you flowery words, made you heart beats faster, turned your world upside down, and at the end,trashed your heart, got inside the house, and shut the door behind him did not deserve any gift except 'being forgotten'.  Keep calm and forget him."

Simmer down, Dy...what just happened? I'm not sure. I just had a sudden burst of emotion, I guess...to an imaginary man. Yes, it's becoming clearer that I am actually insane. Mad at someone who was not even someone.  Well, at least, there must be a man like that exists in this world, right? In that case, I hate you. Hahahahah.

Morning People!
Dya

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What?

I just finished meeting with my colleagues and talked about our annual seminar.  I feel that I have no assigned responsibilities since the beginning.  As a secretary, I should've made meeting invitations and minutes,but...the first secretary, Dini CS, is...what should I call her? very capable for doing it, so...I did not get much to do. As a member of website team, I should've helped my friends with our website,but the thing is...the coordinator never gave me any instructions! (though one of my friends in the team asked me to do some things and I did all of them). I mean...I know the principles of division of labor and all, but how am I supposed to know what he wanted if he never told me what my jobs were? After today's meeting, he lashed out in front of our boss saying, "hey, you should've helped us!" Oh my dear God...I was ashamed and angry at the same time. He never gave me any assignments and now he is screaming that I never helped him! It was bad enough to be pointed out as lazy...did he have to do that in front of a lot of people? I really wanted to cry...


Dya

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