There's a lot to be thankful for for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

This is the national day for us to reflect and say our piece of appreciation to everything that has happened to us for the past year. To my kababayans and to all the OFWs who are continuously sacrificing for their family and bringing pride to our country, I salute you. Much appreciation goes to all the readers of this blog, thank you for supporting us.

Whatever goes on your table to celebrate this holiday, be it lechon, manok or if you're into traditional Turkey feast, Here's a Happy Thanksgiving to all us!

Survey: WoW versus Kay Ganda

"Wow Philippines" has been the country's slogan for quite a long time now and many agrees that the slogan is better enough to compete alongside neighboring Asian countries like "Malaysia: Truly Asia", "Incredible India", "Amazing Thailand", "Uniquely SIngapore" and so on. With the new "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" branding by the Philippine Tourism lead by Secretary Alberto Lim, many of us are wondering why do we need to change our country's slogan. Why fix it when it is not broken?
According to the media interviews of Sec. Lim, the new slogan appeals to the foreigners, specifically to Americans and Koreans (I think they're the top foreign visitors of our country) and as long as DOT receives positive feedbacks from the foreign visitors, the new slogan will remain (or maybe until Campaigns & Grey comes up with a better slogan).

For this matter, I wanted to ask your opinions, what do you think of these two slogans and which one appeals most to you? Please feel free to leave a comment.

1) WoW Philippines

2) Pilipinas Kay Ganda

Presenting the Multi-Million Project: Pilipinas Kay Ganda

Just one day after the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) presented the new tourism slogan and logo, they have received public backlash and scrutiny amongst media members, critics, bloggers and concerned Filipino citizens around the world. Many are saying that the new tourism branding is boring, unattractive and not well-researched considering this is a multi-million project (online report says P200 million budget is alloted to this project).

The government has contracted the advertising company Campaigns & Grey to do the branding and research for the new DOT logo, and their research brought them to as far as Poland to get their inspiration.

The slogan also suggests that the President's administration is "too Kapamilya", aside from the fact that all Filipinos know that the President's sister Kris Aquino works for the Kapamilya network, the new DOT slogan "PIlipinas Kay Ganda" is obvously a close clone to that of a Kapamilya morning show called "Umagang Kay Ganda".

It's not surprising that one day,  because of this four-month long well researched and multi-million pesos project, we'll see the new face of Department of Tourism greeting tourists and balikbayans at the Airport.

Philippine Rice Terraces among the Top 10 World Heritage Sites

Philippine's Rice Terraces has been included as one of the recently concluded Top 10 World Heritage Sites. The nomination has been announced by the National Geographic Channel few weeks ago for their site's new online travel guide wherein people all over the world can vote for their favorites through NatGeo nomination page and social media sites Facebook and Twitter.

Aside from the Rice Terraces of the Philippines, among the top 10 Heritage Sites are Chichen Itza (Mexico), Santa Cruz de Mompox (Colombia), Phoenix Island's Protected Area (Kiribati), Borobudur Temple Compunds (Indonesia), Petra (Jordan), Taj Majal (India), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Angkor (Cambodia) and Machu Picchu (Peru)

Here's the Philippine Rice Terraces article as reproduced as is from here:

Site: Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Location: Philippines

Year Designated: 1995

Category: Cultural

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(v)

Reason: This ancient, living cultural landscape beautifully illustrates human harmony with nature and serves as an example of sustainable agriculture with traditional techniques.

* * *

For 2,000 years the mountains of Ifugao province in the Philippines have been carefully cultivated with a seemingly endless series of terraced fields that climb thousands of feet.

The Ifugao Rice Terraces, which follow the natural contours of the mountains, only enhance the region’s rugged natural beauty. They also epitomize a harmonic, sustainable relationship between humans and their environment. These fields, and the knowledge to farm and sustain them, have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

The structures' original builders used stone and mud walls to carefully carve and construct terraces that could hold flooded pond fields for the cultivation of rice. They also established a system to water these plots by harvesting water from mountaintop forests. These incredible engineering feats were done by hand as was (and is) the farming itself.

The rice terraces have long been central to the survival of the Ifugao peoples but they also occupy a central importance within their culture. Entire communities cooperate on cyclical, seasonal systems of planting, pest control, and harvest, which are tied to lunar cycles and sometimes accompanied with religious rituals.

But the world is changing and this region is not immune. Increasing numbers of young people are migrating toward urban areas in search of a far different future. With few left to work the fields according to the old ways their future is uncertain. Some 25 to 30 percent of the terraces are abandoned and beginning to deteriorate, along with irrigation systems.

Due to these threats the site was placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2001 and it remains there today. Sustainable tourism may offer hope for conservation. In fact, the region’s value to the nation as a tourist destination likely exceeds that of its rice production.

How to Get There

Others are just as lovely but the Banaue Rice Terraces are the most famous of the lot. Banaue is some 216 miles (348 kilometers) from Manila (perhaps eight to ten hours with stops and mountainous terrain), and daily buses make the trip.

When to Visit

During summer and fall abundant rains can sometimes cloud views of the slopes. Winter may be a more reliable period for sightseeing. June is harvest time, so the landscape is golden and activity levels are high.

How to Visit

Not surprisingly, hiking into the terraces is a popular activity among visitors to the region. But the emerald hillsides appear lovely even without the walk and outstanding picnic spots abound. Plenty of guided tours are available in Banaue.

You can check the Nat Geo site for the complete list.

Manny Pacquiao, a big credit to US Senator Reid's victory

US Senate Majority Floor Leader and Bob Arum's Friend Harry Reid has won his fifith term as a Senator for Nevada State, after a fierce challenge from Republican candidate Sharron Angle.

Prior to Tuesday's polls, Senator Reid was uncertain about his chances for reelection, as challenger Sharron Angle threatened to pull away in several election survey results.

Filipino boxing superstar MAnny Pacquiao flew to Las Vegas last Thursday on invitation from his fellow politician and U.S. Senator Harry Reid.

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum, who is a friend of Senator Reid said the Filipino champ's presence at the Reid rally could influence a sizable Filipino-American community and help tilt the balance in favor of the Democratic Senate president, who has been facing the fight of his political life.

Fanhouse's reports:

"That was a great thing that Manny did for Harry, who is a very dear friend of mine. I think that Harry is really important to this country and that he has gotten really such a bad rap because of all of these Tea Party people," said Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum. "So, you know, I explained to Manny what Harry stands for, and that's what Manny stands for, and so they really bonded together well."

"Manny Pacquiao and I came from different parts of the world, but we came on the same side of the street," Reid said of Pacquiao, who is being interviewed by 60 Minutes for a feature that will be aired on Nov. 8, the Sunday prior to his bout with Margarito.

"Manny fights for those who cannot fight for themselves," said Reid. "It's not enough to fight yourself. It's not enough to want to be a champion. We want to be champions for others." 

Bob Arum must be very pleased with Senator Harry Reid's reelection and knew Pacquiao played an important role in his friend's election victory.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gives a victory speech during a Democratic election party Tuesday at Aria.

Senator Reid is expected  to acknowledge Manny Pacquiao's role in his election victory as soon as his victory officially proclaimed.

via bleacherreport

San Francisco Giants is the 2010 World Series Champion

More than a half-century after moving West, the Giants are taking the trophy to the city by the Bay for the first time since 1954.


Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants on defeating the Texas Rangers 4-1 in this year's World Series. Tonight's final was 3-1, as Nelson Cruz struck out to end the game. 


Edgar Renteria was named World Series MVP after hitting three-run home run inning of game 5 against Texas Rangers, November 1, 2010 in Arlington, Texas.

Pinoy-pride Tim Lincecum, gets a ride on teammates' shoulders after winning a pitchers' duel against Ranger's Cliff Lee for the World Championship.

Manny Pacquiao duets with Will Ferrell on Jimmy Kimmel Show

Manny Pacquiao made his third appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! late night show, unfettering his boxing gloves to sing “Imagine” on Monday (Tuesday, in Manila).

The Fighter of the Decade sang along with comedian Will Ferrell, drawing a large applause from the studio crowd during and after the performance.

“Imagine there’s no country. It isn’t hard to do,” Pacquiao crooned in the duet.

“No, it isn’t,” replied Ferrell while inserting humor in the song.

Pacquiao’s appearances on the show have been regarded to signal good results in his upcoming fights.

He first appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2009, just 2 weeks before deposing Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto as World Boxing Organization king in the 12th round.

He made a return in the late-night show in March 2010, before winning a unanimous decision over Ghana’s Joshua Clottey.

The boxer is set to battle Mexico’s Antonio Margarito at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas this November 13.


Click the picture above to see Pacman's performance as uploaded in Youtube or here.


source:abs-cbnnews

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito: Tale of the Tape

Pacman fever is alive once again as Pinoys all over the world are all excited and getting ready to cheer for our very own 7 Division title champ and Pound for Pound King Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao  who will fight against Antonio "Tijuana's Tornado" Margarito for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight Championship title scheduled this coming November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.


The Tale of the tape is in favor of Margarito but of course I believe Pacman will win this, without any doubt.

In an interesting note, there are reports that Michael Buffer will introduce Manny as the “Fighting Congressman of the Philippines" in this upcoming fight. 


Let's see how the Tornado will fair against our Pacman.