Philippines aims to attain Guinness World Record for Longest Line ofCoins

There is more to look forward this coming Nov. 30 aside from it is Bonifacio Day, a non-working holiday. Lead by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Officers Club and Employees Association, Philippines aims to attain a Guiness World Record for Longest Line of Coins in a project called "Barya ng mga Bayani: The Power of Small Change". At least 5 million of pieces of 25 centavo coins will be lined up and estimated to measure up to 70 kilometers at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park on Bonifacio Day. ------------

Filipinos are invited to volunteer to line up the coins, bring 25 centavo coins and other coin denominations or be a sponsor to one of hte kilometers for only P12, 500. The organizers hope that through this event not only Philippines bag another Guiness title but to "unify Filipinos to unleash the power of small change and the power of unity through small acts starting at collecting and donating coins for nation-building. The collected amounts will then be used to fund construction of classrooms for public elementary schools in the country.------------

Ever wonder why Quirino Grandstand? Well last year's tragic incident about  the hostage of ex-police that killed Hong Kong tourists gave this place a bad impression so hopefully with this event the image will turn to be a lot better. [Image of the  25 Philippine Peso coin taken from Wikipedia]

--------------The little known Father of Philippine Photography Teodulo Protomartir photographs Quirino Grandstand 

Seven Minutes!

Was talking to a customer over the phone last night with a very charismatic voice at the start. Took seven minutes before I pulled up his order info only to find out that it’s cancelled. After hearing what happened, his voice changed like a roaring lion.

Him: “Seven minutes? Took you seven minutes before you tell me that? You just wasted seven precious minutes of my life! I would have been undressed and been undressed someone, made a banal conversation and went all out in seven minutes!I would have done something better of my time!” Well in Paulo Coelho’s blog it’s actually 11 minutes long in a post last 11/11/11 but I did not contest. So I said every positive scripts and anything spiel I can explain which now I forgot what it is all about and he calmed down at the end saying “Anyway it is Thanksgiving…” 

Makes me think how many seven-minutes of doing something good have I wasted in my life compared to this man who thinks like I have wasted seven years of his life. 

FREE Foreign Familiar Photography Exhibition at Shangri-La Plaza

• • 10 November – 21 November 2011
    

    4th floor, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong.

    
    

    
    

    Nine photographers from six western countries who lived and worked in different Asian countries and later developed a strong passion andinterest in Asia will showcase exhibition that puts an emphasis on the modern urban environment with its dynamic development and on the frictions which result from these dramatic and exuberant transformations.

    
    City of Ambition: FERIT KUYAS / Switzerland – China
    
    Space- In-Between: OLIVIER PIN-FAT / England – Thailand
    
    Babel: WOLFGANG BELLWINKEL / Germany – Thailand Indonesia – Singapore
    
    Home: MARRIGJE DE MAAR/ Netherlands – China
    
    Bangkok Twilight: NICK NOSTITZ/ Germany – Thailand
    
    Salaryman Project: BRUNO QUINQUET / France – Japan
    
    Reflections of Chaos and Calm: PETER STEINHAUER / USA – China – Vietnam – Burma
    
    Rithy, Chéa, Kim Sour et les autres: LAURENCE LEBLANC / France – Cambodia
    
    Voyage imaginaire au Japon: GRAZIELLA ANTONINI Switzerland – Japan
    

    
    

Visit International Bazaar 2011 at PICC Nov. 20, 2011

International Bazaar is an annual event where imported, local goods and merchandise are sold to the public, the proceeds are used to finance projects to those who are most in need of assistance. Dubbed as a "shoppers' paradise where the diplomatic and consular posts in the Philippines, as well as local entrepreneurs, sell choice and unique merchandise."

International Bazaar 2011 will be at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Forums I, II and III at the CCP Complex on November 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are P100 only. Please call them at 833-13-20 / 834-3054 (phone) or email ibf.dfa@gmail.com.

Maharlika Filipino Moderno Restaurant Featured in NY Times

“Maharlika is a gateway restaurant — an exotic excursion with a soft landing, a chance to discover an unsung cuisine without getting too down-and-dirty.” says the writer of Authetic Filipino Moderno review at NY Times. It started in January as a pop-up weekend brunch then finally got a space in August at East Village. The owners — three young Filipino-Americans, Nicole Ponseca, Enzo Lim Noel Cruz, and Dominican chef, Miguel Trinidad.

The ambiance of Maharlika the way it is descibed is very Filipinoish - like one is eating back home: a Capiz shell lamp, blown-up photos of the Filipina Miss Universe of 1973 Margie Moran, flamboyantly painted jeepney and portrait of José Rizal.

They serve Arroz caldo, Adidas, Bangus, Sizzling sisig, Crispy pata, kare kare and Puqui puqui. A free plate of crisp chicken skin may be offered too. I bet everyone will agee with the writer when she says “More suka, please! ”

To read more of the review please click here  or go to  Maharlika’s website here as I am also curious what a Puqui puqui is. (Image taken from NY Times)

FREE Seminar: 19th Defense & Sporting Arms Show

The Association of Firearms & Ammunition Dealers of the Philippines, Inc. will present the 19th Defense & Sporting Arms Show on Nov 17 - 21 from 10:00am to 8:30pm at the Megatrade Halls 1-2 Bldg. B., SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

There will be free seminars in this five-day gun show to be offered for gun enthusiast and other visitors.  For more information you may check their Facebook Fan Page here

Puerto Princesa Underground River is 1 of the New Seven Wonders ofNature

The Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River, the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo and South Africa’s Table Mountain were named among the world’s new seven wonders of nature, according to the organizers of New7Wonders, a Swiss foundation.

New7Wonders was founded in 2001 by filmmaker Bernard Weber in Zurich, which is based on the same principle of the seven ancient wonders of the world. More than 440 contenders in 220 countries aspired then trimmed down to a shortlist of 77, then cut to 28 finalists. The final seven were voted via telephone, text messages or Internet social networks.

The results announced are provisional and based on the first count of votes. It is possible that there will be changes until finally  winners are confirmed which will be announced early 2012 according to New7Wonders.

Vote for Puerto Princesa Underground River for New7Wonders of Nature

Puerto Princesa’s Palawan Underground River is among the 28 finalists in an online search for New Seven Wonders of the Nature. Palawan Underground River is a unique and magnificent river located at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and one of the most biodiverse conservation areas in the world. As described in the New7Wonders website, this place features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2km navigable underground river, reputedly the longest subterranean river in the world with major formations of stalactites and stalagmites inside. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right on the water’s edge.

Started last September 2010 and will end this November 11, 2011, Palawan Underground River  needs more votes against :  Dead Sea, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Maldives, Grand Canyon, Jeju Island, Bay of Fundy, Black Forest, Iguazu Falls, Angel Falls, Yushan, Uluru, Galapagos, Milford Sound, Bu Tinah Island, Great Barrier Reef, Halong Bay, Komodo, Amazon, Mt. Vesuvius, Table Mountain, Masurian Lake District and Mud Volcano. Most of these finalists are found in Europe and Latin America.( Image from New7Wonders website)

FREE Entrance to CZECH CINEMA UNDER THE STARS

Top  Czech films will  be shown al fresco at the Rizal Park Open-Air auditorium this month November 5, 6, 12, 13, Saturdays and Sundays starting at 7pm.  It will showcase a popular children's animation, a family comedy, a retro-musical, a historical drama-romance, and an Oscar winner.

List of Schedule

For more information you may check The Embassy of the Czech Republic site here

Free Entrance to Italian Film Festival at Greenbelt 3

Presenting Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now at Greenbelt 3 from November 9-13, 2011. Moviemov is a travelling festival supported by the General Direction for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture. Its opening  will be on November 9, 2011 at Greenbelt 5, Fashion Walk. Italian actors, directors and producers such as Dario Argento, Asia Argento, Lina Sastri, Ennio Fantastichini, Gianni Paolucci, Daniele Cipri, Alice Rohrwacher, Camilla Nesbitt, Claudio Cupellini, Carlo Macchitella, Franco Piersanti, and Luciano Sovena will join  together with representatives of Asiatic Film Mediale, headed by Senator Goffredo Bettini, Italo Spinelli and a few local actors.

8:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Opening Gala

HABEMUS PAPAM

BY Nanni Moretti (Italy 2011 - 104’) CAST Michel Piccoli, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa

8:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Billante Mendoza

SERBIS

BY Brillante Mendoza (Philippines 2008 - 90’) CAST Gina Pareño, Jacklyn Jose, Julio Diaz

10:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 4

Tribute to Dario Argento

DRACULA 3D

BY Dario Argento (Italy 2012 - 20’) CAST Asia Argento, Rutger Hauer and Thomas Kretschmann

5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

MINE VAGANTI | LOOSE CANNONS

BY Ferzan Ozpetek (Italy 2010 - 110’) CAST Riccardo Scamarcio, Nicole Grimaudo, Alessandro Preziosi

5:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

HABEMUS PAPAM

BY Nanni Moretti (Italy 2011 - 104’) CAST Michel Piccoli, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa

9:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

PASSIONE | PASSION

BY John Torturro (Italy 2010 - 88’) CAST John Turturro, Max Casella, Lina Sastri

9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

IL CONFORMISTA | THE CONFORMIST

BY Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy 1970 - 115’) CAST Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin

4:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Tribute to Dario Argento

SUSPIRIA

BY Dario Argento (Italy 1977 - 112’) CAST Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

PASSIONE | PASSION

BY John Torturro (Italy 2010 - 88’) CAST John Turturro, Max Casella, Lina Sastri

6:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

UNA VITA TRANQUILLA | A QUIET LIFE

BY Claudio Cupellini (Italy 2010 - 100’) CAST Toni Servillo, Marco D’Amore

7:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

MINE VAGANTI | LOOSE CANNONS

BY Ferzan Ozpetek (Italy 2010 - 110’) CAST Riccardo Scamarcio, Nicole Grimaudo, Alessandro Preziosi

8:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

VINCERE | VICTORY

BY Marco Bellocchio (Italy 2009 - 128’) CAST Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Filippo Timi and Fausto Russo Alesi

9:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

ULTIMO TANGO A PARIGI | LAST TANGO IN PARIS

BY Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy 1972 - 136’) CAST Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi

2:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

UNA VITA TRANQUILLA | A QUIET LIFE

BY Claudio Cupellini (Italy 2010 - 100’) CAST Toni Servillo, Marco D’Amore

4:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Tribute to Billante Mendoza

LOLA

BY Brillante Mendoza (Philippines 2009 - 110’) CAST Anita Linda, Rustica Carpio, Tanya Gomez

5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

VINCERE | VICTORY

BY Marco Bellocchio (Italy 2009 - 128’) CAST Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Filippo Timi and Fausto Russo Alesi

6:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

CORPO CELESTE

BY Alice Rohrwacher (Italy 2011 - 98’) CAST Salvatore Cantalupo, Anita Caprioli, Renato Carpentieri

7:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

CHE BELLA GIORNATA | WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY

BY Gennaro Nunziante (Italy 2011 - 97’) CAST Checco Zalone, Isabelle Adriani, Nabiha Akkari

9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

L'ULTIMO IMPERATORE | THE LAST EMPEROR

BY Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy 1987 - 160’) CAST John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O’Toole

3:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Italian Showcase

CORPO CELESTE

BY Alice Rohrwacher (Italy 2011 - 98’) CAST Salvatore Cantalupo, Anita Caprioli, Renato Carpentieri

3:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Italian Showcase

CHE BELLA GIORNATA | WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY

BY Gennaro Nunziante (Italy 2011 - 97’) CAST Checco Zalone, Isabelle Adriani, Nabiha Akkari

5:00 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 5

Tribute to Dario Argento

PROFONDO ROSSO |DEEP RED

BY Dario Argento (Italy 1975 - 126’) CAST David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia

5:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Brillante Mendoza

KINATAY

BY Brillante Mendoza (Philippines 2009 - 110’) CAST Coco Martin, Maria Isabel Lopez, Julio Diaz

9:30 PM - Greenbelt 3 Cinema 3

Tribute to Bernardo Bertolucci

THE DREAMERS

BY Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy 2003 - 130’) CAST Michael Pitt, Louis Garrel and Eva Green

 For more information you may check their Facebook Fan Page   here  or or Embassy of Italy in Manila site here

Jose Rizal and Switzerland

• • “Nothing more than a free spot for making out”, this is what Historian Ambeth Ocampo joking as he describes Luneta Park today. This place used to be valued for its historical significance but people seemed to have lost appreciation for “useless” things like this. In Jose Rizal and Switzerland talk, Ambeth shared though Rizal stayed for 3 weeks, nothing much has been written about it in his diaries. However, one link that Switzerland has to the Philippines is that the Rizal Monument was made by Richard Kipling a Swiss who won the second prize for the design competition of this monument.

    
    

    Manila was very boring in the 18th century that after the early morning mass every Sunday, going to Luneta Park and watching a human execution is considered an amusement! Rizal was not the only hero executed in Luneta Park. The three priest martyrs Gomburza whom Rizal said “if not because of what happened to them I would have been a Jesuit” was also executed there through a garrote in 1972. That time Rizal was 11, Bonifacio 9, Mabini 8, Luna 6 and Aguinaldo was 3 years old. Jacinto and Del Pilar were not even born!

    
    

    One would notice that at the very back end of Luneta Park is the Lapu-Lapu Monument that is even taller and bigger than Rizal Monument! What is the point of calling it as Rizal Park or when it is shared by other personality? Ambeth said he has nothing against with this brave warrior from Cebu but it is just geographically right to relocate this anywhere not just here in Luneta Park.

    
    

    

    
    

    
    

    Gomburza and Rizal not only shared same place where they were executed but also the place where they were buried in Paco. Rizal is said to have prepared his death very much that he even told the soldiers to hit him with the riffle bullets in the backbone so he can be quickly killed that shortening the agony of being killed! He instructed to be buried in the ground, place a stone and cross in his tomb, fences ok with him and NO anniversaries please. All of these are were followed except the last one that even the country’s presidents do it.

    
    

    As Ambeth ends his talk, he said “Rizal was only 26 when he wrote his novel El Filibusterismo. He wrote 26 volumes of books to sadly… a nation that does not read those.”