Lilianne Cobiao of Wanderlass’ Round the World Trip

“When your 35, still single and have saved enough then why not travel around the world?” says Lilianne Cobiao a blogger of Wanderlass who plans to go around the world solo in backpack style. Her trip doesn’t have a fixed itinerary but more like wherever her feet will bring her. She didn’t know how many particular countries and for how long will she stay on each but most probably would touch all the seven continents in the world and will be for a year.

This trip she said was planned two years ago but it took her only last March to do serious researches like getting visas, what country to start with etc. She happily shared her discovery that there’s actually a lot of countries we Filipinos doesn’t need to get a visa at all to go there.

Lilianne is an active member of Couchsurfing, a social networking sites of travelers. She said she will has booked her first one-way ticket to Israel first where she hosted Israelis in her home in Quezon City. She emphasized that travelling is not staying in posh hotels  and going to a certain place’s first class spots but its about walking in the dirty streets, seeing a flea market, going to the terrains,   catching a sunrise in that side of the world or trying their weirdest food!

Best of all it is all about talking to the locals: sharing them your stories and them too, learning their culture and being part of them at least for some time.  To read her official blog post about it entitled  her RTW (Round the world) trip entitled “The World is My Oyster” please click here [Photo of Lilianne giving a talk in R.O.X Philippines last June 1st at Bonifacio Global City Taguig]

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant for Nuclear Tourism

"This will be the only tourist-friendly nuclear power plant in this part of the world," Dennis Gana, spokesman for state-owned power firm Napocor that runs the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Described as  one of the country's most expensive and troublesome burdens,  this nuclear power plant will be revived for Nuclear tourism to pay for the Philippine site's maintenance budget and also to show it is very safe place.

Built almost 30 years ago under  former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos that costs $2.3 billion, Bataan Nuclear Power Plant never produced a watt of energy. Uranium was actually trucked into the site in 1984.  The plant was closed in 1986 when Marcos was overthrown in a revolution. Visitors are assured there is no uranium at the site -- the nuclear material was sold in 1997 at a huge loss of $35 million.

The  entrance fee is P20  or $.50 cents to Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. For complete details you may read ABS-CBN's  Philippines launches nuclear tourism By Karl Malakunas, Agence France-Presse. You may click here.

[Photo courtesy of THE TECHNOLOGY REVIEW]

Hotelwithheart.com-HWH Launches its Pencil Project

"We can measure statistics of children without the means of Basic Education, we can measure poverty, we can measure the rising crime rate, and we can even measure the cost of ignorance. But can we truly measure the potential of a child?" says Dr. Rudy Sabater, HWH Director. Ânswer is "By providing these children with the materials wherein they can continue to learn, we are offering them a brighter future."

Hotelwithheart .com (HWH) in partnership with Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) is launching its HWH Pencil Project Signature campaign which aims to provide pencils for underprivileged children being taught by DTC. One can sign up the HWH Facebook Page and HWH will donate 1 pencil to DTC for every signature collected.

 

The Pencil Project will run for a month from June 1 to June 30, 2011. HWH hopes to raise 10,000 pencils to be donated to DTC as materials they could use to help children further their education despite their poverty. To join this campaign, you may visit HWH Fanpage at Facebook.com/hotelwithheart.

Hotelwithheart.com is the world's first and only online hotel booking site that gives to charity from commission income at no cost to guests. Hotelwithheart.com offers over 100,000 cheap hotels, luxury resorts, beach resorts, budget accommodations, and 5 star hotels in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) is a group of concerned young people with a mission of making a small yet significant difference in other people's lives, particularly the small children in slum areas who have no access to education, basic hygiene and sometimes, even love from their families. The group was founded in August 1997 by four teenagers from Cavite National High School, one of whom was Efren Penaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.

Contact Information: Manu T. Ofiaza, Tel: 7280406
Email:marketing@hotelwithheart.com, Website: http://Hotelwithheart.com

 

Turista Magazine: Free for 1-Yr Subscription

Turista Magazine is a local magazine for travel tips and as its byline says "your gateway to Philippine Adventures".  This magazine can be seen in the lounges of our local airports so a  local, a tourist or someone who has been away from home can grab one, head home and have the most updated foretaste of what our country has to offer.

Turista Magazine has 120 glossy pages and divided into many  sections a reader may be interested under:

Scene and Heard - those latest craze for conscious people like slimming programs, weight management etc. Global Closet - local and international products and services that are very much suitable for everyone such as sun-block lotions etcShopping - like who doesn't know what shopping is?Local

Dining / Food Stop - all about food and authentic recipes. this is best for tourists who wanted to know Filipinos by stomach Travel - like who doesn't know what travel isTop Treatments in the City -  since a city is always spelled s-t-r-e-s-s, this is the best to find spas' latest detox and rejuvenation methods

Manila Musts - anything worth mentioning within the city recommended by our local actors and celebrities Postcards - where to be the best  along with memorable stories what hooked them up in more than seven thousand islands we have

Turista Magazine is best of all  FREE subscription for one year. All needed is just pay a P120 delivery fee  or P10 copy.  For more information on how to get one, they have a Facebook Fan Page. This free subscription is for Metro Manila residents only. You may click here for details.

Photos of Male Affection through Philippine history Exhibit

"By the macho 1950’s such restrained but affectionate poses were not acceptable until the sixties and seventies when gay liberation ended all restrictions on male love." From John Silva's official statement who is the  author, curator and photograph collector of A Token of Our Friendship, Philippine Photos of Male Affection, First Half of the 20th Century, picture book and a photo exhibition to be shown at the Silver Lens Gallery on June 29, 2011.

To read the complete details you may click John's blog here. He is by the way a writer, a fundraiser, and an advocate for the arts and heritage preservation

Some snapshots from the exhibit:

Click The City's Jose Rizal Metro-wide Birthday Bash

 

A special screening of one of the most acclaimed biopics locally Marilou Diaz-Abaya's Jose Rizal, thirteen episodes of Noli Me Tangere and Mga Kwentong Rizal,  one hundred fifty people to recite the 70 verses of Mi Ultimo Adios at Instituto Cervantes Manila , a stage performance SI RIZAL AT AKO: Isang Pagpupugay at Pagkilala sa Natatanging Anak ng Biñanat his very own hometown in Binan, Laguna exhibits about him in different museums Metro Manila wide and a romantic stage presentation RIZALizing the future... all of these compiled by Click the City on how to be part of and feel what it's like in the personality and time of the Philippines' National Hero Jose Rizal who will be celebrating his birthday on Monday, June 219th. Yes it is holiday.

To read the whole details please click here

Free: 16th French Film Festival and Nestle's Short Film Anthology

 

16th French Film Festival

June 8-19 Shangri-La Plaza

June 23-25 Ayala Center Cebu

June 28-July 2 UP Film Festival

Watched '7 Ans' w/c won Festival de Venice 2006 as part of 16th French Film Festival at Shangri-La Plaza. About a husband who is serving 7 yrs in prison. He loved so much his wife that he asked a warden he befriended inside to fulfill his wife's biological needs while he can't. One thing I noticed since the titles are foreign, they should have a sign if a movie needs parental consent or not. I saw a mom w/ her 3 kids. When scenes become 'uncontrollable' how can she cover their eyes w/ her hands at the same time w/ that screen so big? Or tell them not to look... could be awkward.

 

 

 

 

 

Nestle's Short Film Anthology

Ten 10-minute short films featuring each of their brands

June 10  SM Megamall

June 11 & 12 11AM at selected SM cinemas nationwide

(Megamall Cinema 3, Southmall Cinema 6, Rosales Cinema 1, Davao Cinema 1 and Cebu Cinema 7)

"Watch it now or wait for another 100 years"

I'd rather wait for another 100 years maybe. The line of people waiting was as long as the Great Wall of China. If the SM Megamall's walls and roofs are transparent, I swear the queue can be seen from the moon like this Great Wall. But I admire the marketing strategy is superb.

Taal Lake is 1 of 12 World's Most Beautiful Lakes in the World

Taal Lake is the deepest lake in the Philippines and home to one of the world's smallest but most active volcanoes. Not only that, Yahoo Travels' 12 Most Beautiful Lakes in the World by Beth Collins ranked Taal Lake number 4th in the list. It also mentioned that "plenty of tour groups offer trips to the natural wonder—in spite of the fact that it has been declared a permanent danger zone."

This post gave me idea to share a few photos of our Taal Lake Adventure last Aug. 2009 with friends & officemates.

Tagaytay Zipline and Cable Car

 

Can't remember where is this exactly at Tagaytay

 

An old wooden & cracked bench I find so mysterious to look at inside a resto in Tagaytay

 

A pair of identical wooden chair that is sitting opposite to each other

 

These flowers remind me of ...

The Gang!

113th Philippine Independence Day Activities

It's been one hundred and thirteen years since we had our first taste of independence! Now in the age of social media and internet when only few people appreciates our Philippine History and often tagged as old and old-fashioned, let's make a difference. History is also for the young people. Because soon we will be part of history too and a bridge to the coming generation.

Here are some of the Philippine Independence Day activities the younger ones may not find it boring: Sinekalayaan (free movie shows) and Musikalayaan concerts, Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal: A Lights and Sound Presentation (free guided tour at Rizal Park) and free LRT/MRT rides on june 12 (specific time). Anyway when your heart is into something, nothing is boring to do so have a heart that has passion for our past!

For complete details of activities, please click here from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Lilianne Cobiao of Wanderlass' Round the World Trip

"When your 35, still single and have saved enough then why not travel around the world?" says Lilianne Cobiao a blogger of Wanderlass who plans to go around the world solo in backpack style. Her trip doesn't have a fixed itinerary but more like wherever her feet will bring her. She didn't know how many particular countries and for how long will she stay on each but most probably would touch all the seven continents in the world and will be for a year.

This trip she said was planned two years ago but it took her only last March to do serious researches like getting visas, what country to start with etc. She happily shared her discovery that there's actually a lot of countries we Filipinos doesn't need to get a visa at all to go there.

Lilianne is an active member of Couchsurfing, a social networking sites of travelers. She said she will has booked her first one-way ticket to Israel first where she hosted Israelis in her home in Quezon City. She emphasized that travelling is not staying in posh hotels  and going to a certain place's first class spots but its about walking in the dirty streets, seeing a flea market, going to the terrains,   catching a sunrise in that side of the world or trying their weirdest food!

Best of all it is all about talking to the locals: sharing them your stories and them too, learning their culture and being part of them at least for some time.  To read her official blog post about it entitled  her RTW (Round the world) trip entitled "The World is My Oyster" please click here [Photo of Lilianne giving a talk in R.O.X Philippines last June 1st at Bonifacio Global City Taguig]

Wanted 150,000 Likes for Jose Rizal's 150th Birth Annivesary Fan Page

 

On June 19, 2011, the Philippines will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of its national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. We invite every patriotic citizen of the country to like this page (not this post but the official Facebook fan page :) and be updated of the coming events everyone can be part of. We still have 13 days to go. Let's let the world know that Jose Rizal still rocks up to now! Please click here.

CouchSurfing Manila presents CouchSurfing Manila Summer Scramble 2011

Couchsurfing Manila's one of the most awaited annual event, the CS Summer Manila Scramble 2011 happened in Ninoy Aquino Wildlife Park in Quezon City. At first I thought this Amazing-Race-like event will just be held within the park but I was wrong it was done all over Manila!

Twelve teams each consisting of four people and a total of 48 people walked, ran and commuted to different historical places in Manila to get clues and answers. The team that is first to finish to reach the last place by using the clues given in a paper is the winner.

Trust me but all were dead serious running and finding answers of their clues though most of them just met for the first time through that event. That's how I realized, "OMG! I'm in a real race!" We took, LRTs trains, jeepnes, buses, trikes and really lots, lot of walking and running. I have to admit the clues were really well thought of that it is not something one can guess in a matter of seconds and it is also time-bound.