Manny Pacquiao: Knock out in 6th Round

Manny Pacquiao: Knock out in 6th Round

This comes as a big surprise! Manny Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez on the 6th round, one second before the end of round six.

Marquez who has a bloody nose dropped a solid straight punch to Pacquiao's chin. Thus Pacquiao was knocked out cold to the canvas just before the bell.

Juan Manuel Marquez survived a broken nose and standing eight count to beat Manny Pacquiao with a stunning sixth-round knockout.

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez Part IV

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez Part IV

What more is there to say? Nothing. What more is left to do? Nothing. Who would have thought that there will be a fight for the fourth time between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez? Did you happen to predict this? Not that I am complaining. But have you heard about the "sawa" factor? Anyway both boxers are looking as ripped and ready as ever when they had a weigh in last December 7, 2012.
 

The fight between the two great fighters will happen later this morning Pinas time ( Dec 9, Dec 8 in the US) live at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  So stay tune for the live blog update!

Pacquiao vs. Marquez Part 4 weigh-ins photo

It seems as though the war between Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez never ends. I hope after this fourth encounter there will be no more words left unsaid between Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. 

They successfully passed the weight requirement. Whew! Grabe nilaki ng kaha ni Marquez. Pansin mo rin?

Basta ako para kay Manny pa rin. I am praying and hoping Manny win this time around. He is such an inspiration so please make him win please!  Mag re retire na siya soon so dapat yun record niya puro win na lang.

PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCESS KATE: Nurse who took prank call found dead

PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCESS KATE: Nurse who took prank call found dead

Oh no! Katakot naman! The nurse who took a prank call at the London hospital that was treating Prince William's pregnant wife Kate for morning sickness has been found dead, the hospital said on Friday.

The death, which police said they were treating as unexplained, comes days after the King Edward VII hospital apologised after falling for the call from an Australian radio station and relaying details about Kate's condition.

 

"It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, Jacintha Saldanha," the hospital said in a statement.

 

"We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her," the statement said.

 

Police said they had been called at 9:35 a.m. (0935 GMT) about a woman found unconscious at an address near the hospital. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance staff.

 

The announcement on Monday that Kate was pregnant with a future British king or queen sparked a media frenzy and generated worldwide interest.

 

William and Kate, who left the hospital on Thursday, said they were "deeply saddened" by the death.

 

"Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time," a statement from William's office said.

 

Two presenters from Australia's 2Day radio station called the hospital early on Tuesday British time, pretending to be William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth and his father, the heir-to-the throne Prince Charles.

 

Presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig were put through to the ward where Kate was being treated and were given details about how she was faring.

 

The hospital issued a statement after the prank was revealed saying it deeply regretted the incident and said it was reviewing its "telephone protocols".

 

The prank call and its tragic aftermath comes as Britain's own scandal-hungry press scrambles to agree a new system of self regulation following a damning inquiry into their reporting practices.

 

A recording of the call was widely available on the Internet and many newspapers printed a transcript of the call.

 

The Australian radio station had previously apologised for the call, saying it was done with the "best intentions".

 

But some people leaving comments on the station's website had been unimpressed. "You have probably cost a young nurse her job ... Never mind that you violated a woman's privacy. Never mind, it was all done for fun," one said.

 

Facebook tribute pages swiftly set up after the nurse's death attracted messages of sympathy, some calling for the radio station to pay compensation to her family and others for the presenters to resign.

 

Saldanha's body was removed from the redbrick, five-storey building where it was found, and transferred to a small private ambulance, shortly after the hospital confirmed her death, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

 

Detectives and forensics staff had earlier been seen entering and leaving the building, which contains residental apartments and adminstrative offices for the hospital. — Reuters

HONDA: Donates Php 1 Million to Victims of Typhoon Pablo in Mindanao

Honda donates Php 1 Million to victims of Typhoon “Pablo” in Mindanao

Hundreds of our fellow Filipinos in Mindanao suffered the wrath of typhoon Pablo ( International codename- Bopha) the other day. It is as if my heart got twisted and stomped on when I saw on TV, hundreds of people lost not only their homes but also their lives.   

  
You see, I grew up in Bicol the so called eye of the storm, so you might think I am immune seeing dead bodies on the street by now. Human as I am,  I get affected whenever I see victims of typhoon. Luckily since 2011, Bicol region had been spared from typhoon, thank God. Environmentalist advocates said it is because of the effect of climate change to our environment. I remember talking to the good people of Mindanao during my visit in the year 2010, they told me that they don't know how it is to have a flooded streets or the wrath of a typhoon because Mindanao is not a typhoon prone area. So I can imagine the surprise on their faces when they got hit by several typhoons since 2011. Typhoon Pablo left 353 dead with hundreds still missing. Statistics as of  December 7, 2012: Injured- 714; Missing- 517; Rescued- 155 persons

  This particular photo is from Minda news.

With the news of widespread devastation, loss of lives, and displacement of families and communities caused by typhoon Pablo in Mindanao, it is good to note that Honda Foundation Inc. (“HFI” for brevity) lost no time in reaching out to its partner institution, ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., and donated Php 1million to sustain rescue and relief efforts to severely affected areas. On behalf of the Filipino people "Arigato gusaimasu Honda".

HFI is the corporate social responsibility arm of the subsidiaries of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Japan) in the Philippines.  The subsidiaries of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Japan) in the Philippines are comprised of Honda Philippines, Inc., Honda Cars Phils., Inc., Honda Parts Manufacturing Corp., and Honda Trading Phils., Ecozone Corp.  

HFI had also donated to victims of strong typhoons such as Ondoy, Sendong, and Habagat.       
 
Honda Foundation, Inc.

SANSO: A New Beginning Exhibit

SANSO: A New Beginning Exhibit

I received an invitation to Sanso's 83rd birthday celebration and newest exhibit at Galleria Joaquin at the 4th floor of SM Megamall Bldg A  entitled "Paintings of a New Day".

This is the third time this year that I got invited to Sanso's exhibit. He is really amazing! Imagine at his age, he still paints and makes other people appreciate arts and culture.

Flamingo Dance during Sanso's exhibit.

The invited guests were entertained by these amazing flamingo dancers!

I was awed! They're superb! How I wish I could dance also with such grace! By the way, here are some of Sanso's newest paintings.

 Hurry see these paintings before they are sold out.

 Depending on the size, price ranges from Php 300,000 and up.

 I also saw some artists and familiar faces in the art scene such as Hans Sy.

 A guest who bought one of Sanso's paintings had it autographed by Sanso.

  

Sanso is so cowboy! So pinoy. He practically grew up in the Philippines. He came here for a vacation when he was 4 years old. His parents like it here. They even planted camote during the war. Possessing a caucasian skin, he was tortured by the Japanese during the war, that's why his right ear couldn't hear.  With his hands tied, he luckily escaped death by rolling and letting himself fall into the water of Pasig river.

          

Wacky shot with the one and only- SANSO! He is so pinoy! Sanso is well-versed in Tagalog.

We're looking forward to his future exhibit.

KASAMBAHAY BILL: Domestic Workers Act

KASAMBAHAY BILL: Domestic Workers Act

Finally after 15 years, the Senate finally ratified on Tuesday the “Kasambahay” bill which sets the following benefits for household workers:

• A monthly minimum wage of domestic workers at Php 2,500 for those working in the National Capital Region. Please note that househelpers working in chartered cities and first-class municipalities will receive a minimum wage of Php 2,000 and for those in other municipalities, Php 1,500.
• 
  
• Overtime pay after 8 hours of work a day
• At least 8 hours of rest per day
• 24 hrs. break once a week
• Total cost of Php 368.00 per month must be paid by the employer for the domestic worker's SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth, if salary is less than Php 5,000
• The domestic worker is entitled to 13th month pay.

The following requirements are needed to be submitted by the household workers to DOLE

• Birth Certificate
• Baptismal Certificate
• Baranggay Clearance
• NBI Clearance

A contract must be signed by the employer and the household worker. Said contract should be in a language or dialect understood by both parties. The contract is renewable every year.

The Kasambahay bill will give dignity and respect to some 2 million domestic household workers.

GINA GIL LACUNA: New Guinness World Record Holder for the Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles in any Size, Shape or Form

GINA GIL LACUNA: New Guinness World Record Holder for the Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles in any Size, Shape or Form

I personally witnessed the awarding ceremony of the Guinness World Record to a Filipina at the Puzzle Mansion in Tagaytay City last November 29, 2012.  

Guinness World Record adjudicator Seyda Subasi Gemici of Turkey officially certified Gina Gil Lacuna on Thursday as the new Guinness World Record holder for the largest collection of jigsaw puzzles. The 1,028 jigsaw puzzles at the Puzzle Mansion was adjudicated in the presence of two official witnesses, Sister Angeline Ilagan and UP College of Fine Arts Professor Monette Narciso.

Yes, folks! Be proud! A Filipina was officially hailed by the representative of Guinness World Record as the holder of the biggest jigsaw puzzle collection in the world. 

Gina Gil Lacuna (left) is officially awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest puzzle collection by adjudicator Seyda Subasi Gemici of Turkey. 

 

Gina Gil Lacuna, a Filipina retiree from Tagaytay City, has officially surpassed the record previously held by Brazil's Luiza Figueiredo, who reigned for two years. Mrs. Gina Gil Lacuna, a retired businesswoman, eclipsed the old record five times over.

View of the facade of the building that houses the Puzzle Mansion Museum.

Present during the awarding ceremony are Tagaytay mayor Abraham Tolentino, DOT Calabarzon Director Luella Jurilla, relatives, family friends, media and bloggers. 

"I'm 47 years old,"Gina Gil-Lacuna jokingly said, when asked about her age. The proud new Guinness Record-holder is so bubbly that she actually glows when she talks about her puzzle collections. Mrs. Gina Gil-Lacuna started collecting and solving jigsaw puzzles at age 35, and has been pursuing her hobby for 26 years now.  "It was just a hobby at first. It takes away my stress," Gina Gil Lacuna, 61, told everyone after she was awarded her certificate of recognition by Guinness World Records. The hobby, which she took up some 26 years ago, turned into an obsession that has seen her collect a total of 1,028 different puzzles framed on the walls of the first floor of her two-story bed and breakfast inn. 

 

Mrs. Lacuna's puzzle collections comes in various forms and sizes from pictures of Philippine President Benigno Aquino, Picasso works, comic book characters, architectural replicas, religious figures, landmarks, animals, landscapes, Disney characters even mural-sized classic paintings and custom-made photos to toy-like wooden figures and miniature replicas of cities even puzzles that are 14 feet long and 5 feet tall to smaller globes and crystal puzzles. The largest puzzle in her collection contains over 18,000 pieces.

Who would have thought that solving and collecting jigsaw puzzles is the kind that bags you a Guinness World Record? Good for Mrs. Lacuna she was able to achieve such an astonishing feat.

 

"When the record of 238 puzzles was set in 2010, I already had more in my collection," Lacuna told everyone on Thursday at the Puzzle Mansion in Tagaytay City. "But I didn't know that such a record existed."

The former clothing businesswoman didn't start small with her jigsaw collection. Her first jigsaw was a 5,000-piece puzzle of Disney characters. “I started doing puzzles when I got to Hong Kong 26 years ago,” said Mrs.Lacuna, who solved a 5000-piece Disney set for her son, Gino. “Doing puzzles is easy, that’s why I don’t get any help!”

   

Mrs. Gina Gil Lacuna wants to encourage everyone to try her hobby, especially the youth because according to doctors, working on difficult jigsaw puzzles exercises the brain. The more you work your brain, the better off your mind will be.

   

An upcoming addition to her collection is an almost 32,000-piece puzzle measuring 17 feet tall and 6 feet wide: a Keith Haring Double Retrospect set, believed to be the biggest in existence today. “I want to finish that by February next year,” Lacuna told visitors at the awarding ceremony at the Puzzle Mansion.

 

Mrs.Lacuna’s self-imposed discipline has impressed Guinness World Records Adjudicator Seyda Subasi Gemici of Turkey. She allots three to four hours each day to work on her puzzles, finishing one to five of them at a time. “She is strict in following her own rules, and I like people like her,” said Gemici, who is on her fifth assignment for Guinness in the Philippines. Tagaytay City Mayor Tolentino assured Mrs. Gina Gil Lacuna that Puzzle Mansion will now be included and will be highly recommended as one of the places to see in Tagaytay.

 

The UP Singing Ambassadors serenade us with wonderful songs while we were eating.

The night was capped by a magical fireworks in Tagaytay's night sky.

 

All  of Mrs Gina Gil Lacuna's collections are housed at the Puzzle Mansion in Tagaytay City which you can access just by dropping by and paying an entrance fee of Php 100.00 per person. It is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Sunday. For more information visit here.