Travel, Photographs and Lifestyle

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Air Phil Express Sale Period from January 24 to 26, 2012

Air Phil Express

Sale Period: January 24 to 26, 2012

Travel Period: February 15 to May 31, 2012

* Travel starts January 31, 2012
** Travel starts February 9, 2012
*** Travel starts March 22, 2012

Details

Quoted fares for Domestic and International Flights are for one-way only.
Fares are with 15 kilos Free Baggage Allowance.
Philippine Goverment Tax not included.
Fare is not guaranteed until the final purchase.
Subject to rules and conditions, please review carefully.

Domestic Destinations	One-Way Fare
Manila to Butuan, Cebu, Iloilo, Pagadian or Tacloban and Vice Versa	P488
Cebu to Butuan*, Dumaguete, General Santos, Legazpi or Puerto Princesa*** and Vice Versa	P488
General Santos to Iloilo*** and Vice Versa	P488
Zamboanga to Jolo or Tawi-Tawi and Vice Versa	P488
Manila to Cagayan De Oro, Cotabato, Davao, General Santos, Ozamiz or Zamboanga and Vice Versa	P688
Cebu to Hong Kong and Vice Versa	P888

Click here to book AirPhil Express now!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Cebu Pacific Sale Period from January 24 to 26, 2012

Cebu Pacific

Sale Period: January 24 to 26, 2012

Details

Quoted fares are one-way and have limited availability.
Fare are exclusive of government fees and taxes.
International fares are exclusive of fuel surcharges.
Fares are non-refundable.
Flight changes must be made more than 24 hours before scheduled time of departure.
CAB approved terms and conditions of carriage apply.

Domestic Flights	Go Lite Fare
Manila to Cauayan (Isabela), Laoag, Legazpi, Naga or Roxas	P288
Cebu to Bacolod, Butuan, Clark, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Legazpi, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Pueto Princesa, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Zamboanga or Kalibo NEW!	P288
Davao to Zamboanga	P288
Cagayan de Oro to Iloilo NEW!	P288
Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi NEW!	P288
Manila to Kalibo	P488
Cebu to General Santos	P488
Davao to Iloilo	P488
Manila to Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Dipolog, General Santos, Ozamiz, Pagadian, Surigao or Zamboanga	P888
Travel Period: March 1 to May 31, 2012
International Flights	Go Lite Fare
Manila to Kota Kinabalu of Xiamen NEW!	P888
Kalibo to Hong Kong New!	P888
Manila to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore	P1,488
Clark or Cebu to Singapore	P1,488
Travel Period: March 1 to May 31, 2012

Click here to book Cebu Pacific now!

YEAR OF THE WATER DRAGON BEGINS TODAY JANUARY 23, 2012

Year of the Water Dragon begins today January 23, 2012, and ends on February 9, 2013. The year of the Dragon brings many possibilities for good fortune.

Days of colorful festivals, intense preparations, parades, dragon and lion dances, ﬁreworks display, visits to friends and relatives, and the largest human migration around the world to travel home to attend reunions culminated yesterday with the onset of the Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.

New Year’s Eve traditions were observed including the thorough cleaning of homes, wearing of new clothes and shoes, opening of doors, windows, and lights, getting a new haircut, cleaning and repainting of altars, preparation of fruits believed to invite good fortune on tables, and the repainting of doors and window panes. The color red, the emblem of joy and prosperity and which is believed to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune, was liberally used in painting and decorating.

Lucky money in red envelopes were given to children, sweets were served, while some bathed in boiled pomelo leaves for good health.

The Eve of the Passing Year reunion dinners were also held serving an abundance of food like ﬁsh, chicken, dumplings, nuts, noodles, and sweets like the popular glutinous rice ﬂour (tikoy) to symbolize prosperity, abundance, longevity, and good fortune as well as in thanksgiving for the blessings of the past year.

The celebration of the Chinese New Year traditionally begins on the ﬁrst day of the ﬁrst lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends 15 days later with the observance of the Lantern Festival.

For the Chinese, dragons are the divine mythical creatures that bring with them intense power, ultimate abundance, and good fortune.

In Sung dynasty manuscripts, the dragon is described as having the “head of an ox or donkey, eyes of a shrimp, horns of a deer, body of a serpent covered with fish scales, and a feet of a phoenix,” and it usually clutches a pearl symbolic of its supernatural powers.

To the Chinese, the dragon is born in the most desirable year and is the mightiest of the signs.

The Oriental dragon is regarded as a divine beast, the reverse of the monster that Westerners

felt necessary to find and slay.

Free spirits of the Chinese zodiac, people born in the Year of the Dragon are extroverts who have a deep love for nature and are innovative, passionate, enterprising, brave, self-assured, colorful, and flamboyant. Gifted and irrepressible, they are fearless of any challenges that may come their way, able to see clear the paths and take a radical approach to any harsh conditions.

Of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is the most special and is sometimes called a karmic sign. Bigger than life is very much a dragon thing and in this context we can expect grand things to happen this year. There may be flames and failures, but there will also be spectacular achievements.

For those born in the Year of the Dragon, this year is the time to pursue and act on the impossible dream, change the world or at least your life.

And for the other signs, it is the best chance to make your dreams come true. The dragon sign is associated with spring and the dragon water sign is likely to become a flowing river rather than a stagnant lake, which means that you need to begin 2012 off to a fast start as things are expected to happen early in the year.

Hopefully we used some of the quiet time in the past year to plan your moves for 2012.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY!

TODAY IS A HOLIDAY JANUARY 23, 2012- CHINESE NEW YEAR

President Aquino declared January 23, 2012 as a special non-working day in the country in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

By virtue of Proclamation No. 295 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on November 24, 2011, the President declared Jan. 23, which falls on a Monday, as a special non-working day in the country to give both Chinese-Filipinos and Filipinos alike the opportunity to celebrate the holiday.

Chinese nationals all over the world celebrate Spring Festival today, January 23, 2012, popularly known as the Chinese New Year. One of the most revered and festive events celebrated not only in China but also in the Philippines by both Chinese Filipinos and ordinary Filipinos as well.

The joint celebration is a manifestation of our solidarity with our Chinese-Filipino brethren who have been part of our lives in many respects as a country and as a people according to President Pnoy.

HOW TO SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR IN CHINESE

All dialects of Chinese be it Fookien, Mandarin or Cantonese write these greetings using the same characters, but we will split them up because they're pronounced differently.

Mandarin Chinese:

新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) pronounced as "sheen nyen kway luh" meaning Happy new year! (literally "The new year comes fast!")

恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) pronounced as "gong shee fah chai" meaning Wishing you a prosperous new year! (literally "May you have much joy and wealth!")

Cantonese Chinese:

新年快乐 (san nin faai lok) pronounce as "Sun Nin Fy Lok" meaning Happy new year! (literally "The new year comes fast!")

恭喜发财 (gung hei faat choi) pronounce as "gong hey fat choy" meaning Wishing you a prosperous new year! (literally "May you have much joy and wealth!")

Fookien Chinese:

'Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!' means Wishing you prosperity and good fortune in Hokkien

Let me greet all Chinese all over the world:

Happy New Year!

Shalani Soledad and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo's Sunset Wedding Video

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish to death do us part."

- Book of Common Prayer

A brief kiss but filled with longing sealed the wedding vows of Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo are married in simple and solemn rites at St. Benedict Church at the Ayala Westgrove in Silang Cavite, Sunday, January 22, 2012.

“I’m very happy that I’ve found you,” Romulo, 44, said during the ceremonial exchange of vows.

“I promise to love you from now on until forever,” Soledad, 31, replied.

Soledad wore a Kate Middleton-inspired off-white romantic gown with a lace bodice, skirt made of 17 layers of soft tulle and off-shoulder neckline with tiny cap sleeves. The bride’s face was shrouded in a thin layer of tulle. The look was simple yet elegant, calling to mind Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s lacey wedding gown when she married Prince William of Britain. Shalani chose to show off her arms instead of covering the. Designer Inno Sotto created the simple, feminine and elegant gown for Shalani Soledad.

Shalani wore a pair of shoes by Lila Almario.

Romulo wore a midnight-blue tuxedo, a white shirt and a gray bow tie by Hugo Boss and a pair of black leather shoes by Louis Vuitton.

The 22 principal sponsors came from the business and political sectors. The Mass lasted over an hour. The 500-seat church was full-packed.

The bride’s mother, Evelyn Soledad Yumol, and uncle Mon Soledad, who looked after the young Shalani while her mother worked overseas, gave the bride away. The bride met her real father only last year.

Soledad was born out of wedlock to banker and businessman Adolfo Aguirre and Evelyn San Ramon, a flight attendant. While her mother worked, the young Soledad grew up with her grandparents, aunt and uncles. Her mother never brought up the subject of her biological father, whom Soledad met only after 30 years.

The wedding invitation, made from an off-white paper material, had an embossed “RS” insignia, which stood for the couple’s initials.

After waiting for Soledad for 20 minutes, the guests at the church heaved a collective gasp at the sight of the resplendent bride emerging before them for her march.

The simple and solemn wedding ceremony, began at 5:45 p.m.

Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, Rev. Msgr. Bartolome Santos Jr. and Rev. Fr. Isagani Avinante officiated the wedding mass.

The wedding that took months to prepare was soon over. Cardinal Rosales commanded the groom, in jest, to “now take over.” Roman gladly did and planted a kiss on the bride’s waiting lips.

Roman Romulo, son of former Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo and Rosie Lovely Tecson-Romulo, arrived at 5:15 p.m. Soledad came minutes later in a white S-Class Mercedes-Benz.

The principal sponsors were:

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Gretchen del Rosario
PLDT-Smart-TV 5 chair Manuel V. Pangilinan and Norma Ona
Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Corazon Ong
Emilio Yap and former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar
Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua and Betty Chua
San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang and Bettina Aboitiz
Roberto del Rosario and Elizabeth Gan-Go
James Sy Gaisano and Lily Lee
Felix Tuikinhoy Jr. and Maria Jessica Bautista
Manuel Dy and Natividad Cheng
Bench founder Ben Chan and Janet Napoles.

Romulo’s best friend, J. Antonio Cabangon, was the best man while Joy Marie Castellvi was the matron of honor.

Romulo’s groomsmen were his brother Erwin, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Lagdameo, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, George Rafael Lorenzana and Dante Soliven.

Soledad’s bridesmaids were Catherine May Hervas, Annaliza Jacinto, Ma. Lourdes Romero, Monica Garcia and Diamond Villar.

The entourage consisted of 21 flowers girls.

Broadcaster Karen Davila and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, wife of actor Richard Gomez, were gospel readers at the Mass.

Sunday’s reception was held at Evolving Center Dockside of the nearby Nuvali, in Sta. Rosa.

In lieu of gifts, Soledad and Romulo had asked their guests to donate to the victims of the deadly Tropical Storm “Sendong.”

Roman Romulo and Shalani Soledad Wedding Video source: @24 oras

Katy Perry kisses, former PBB Teen Housemate, Ivan Dorschner

Katy Perry kisses, former PBB Teen Housemate, Ivan Dorschner during her Manila Concert last night, January 22, 2012.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

GREENHILLS SAN JUAN METRO MANILA: LIBATIONS BAR GRAND LAUNCH AT G STRIP

GREENHILLS SAN JUAN METRO MANILA: LIBATIONS BAR GRAND LAUNCH AT G STRIP

Good News to all gimikeros and gimikeras out there! Libations is now open at the 2nd level of G Strip Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan, Metro Manila.

LIBATIONS is a drink lounge that started as a harmless idea between peers and is now a newly set-up establishment with an elegant yet comfortable atmosphere that brings together great music, good people, inspired food and handpicked quality beverages. LIBATIONS was inspired by the latin style of drinking that involved a more personal and laid back feel. The term itself originates from the latin word libare, that refers to the act of pouring as an offering. The term evolved and began to be known as the act of drinking intoxicating beverage, often ceremoniously (as to a deity or a god).

One unique feature that would leave you in a positive mood is the establishment’s long bar, which appears to be the centerpiece of the whole venue.The long bar was designed as such so as to provide more comfort to the customers. This said design enables people to be able to easily access the bar or comfortably engage in a conversation with others.

LIBATIONS goal is for everyone and anyone that enters their doors, to be treated as gods.

LIBATIONS are the first ones in the Manila night life scene to introduce the negative-ion bulbs. These revolutionary light bulbs uses technology that is able to remove positive ions, which are responsible in making us feel tired, irritable and depressed, and generally make the air cleaner. In the simplest way, this ionic technology is able to remove smoke and odors in just minutes.

The interiors of the lounge is designed by Nikki Laurel, they were able to introduce elements of rustic and sophisticated design.

You could sit here with your friends if you want more privacy.

They're the first bar who uses negative ion bulbs to reduce the smell of smoke.

Unlike other bars, LIBATIONS is a place where it is possible to engage in intimate or group conversations void of the typical deafening night club music.

A nice place to chill out and party with your friends. Like James Yap and his buddy.

The selection of imported wine and beer along with their signature cocktail drinks namely Libations and Volcano turns this drink lounge into a place like no other.

The bar list has been carefully selected with expertise, taste and strict control to provide customers with the finest quality at the most affordable prices. It has a wide-array of selection of imported wine and beer

Libations signature cocktail drinks named Volcano.

Aside from their superb drink list, LIBATIONS is also home of the special pica-pica such as the crowd favorite sisig and their sausage platter, with a flavor unlike any other. The Bulacan-hailed Elmer also makes available a variety of chicharon from his side of Luzon.