Myleene Klass : determined to prove that Filipina women are Worldclass!

Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is an English actress, singer, model, pianist, radio and television presenter, formerly a member of the short lived UK pop band Hear’Say. Musician, writer and, latterly, M&S model, Klass has been playing the piano and violin since she was four and was recently nominated for a Classical Brit award for an album of her own compositions. She presents the morning show at weekends on Classic FM and her new BBC show will bring choral music to prime-time TV

Before finding fame via Popstars, Klass provided backing vocals on tour with the likes of k.d. lang, Michael Crawford and Robbie Williams. She has also toured with Cliff Richard.

In 1998, Klass spent a short period as part of a reality show for Bravo, called The Doll’s House.

On 13 November 1999, Klass was also a featured back up singer for Cliff Richard’s ITV1 An Audience With TV special, appearing on stage with him for a rendition of the recent number-one single The Millennium Prayer. Read the rest of this entry »

CNN’s Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz to run Olympic torch relay

CNN’s Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz, his 17-year-old daughter and a corporate marketing executive will represent overseas Filipinos to carry the Olympic flames in the forth-coming torch relay of the Beijing Games, the Philippine government said Wednesday.

In a report released by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Cataumber Brady said it is a “great honor” for the Philippines to be represented in the Olympic torch relay through the trio.

FlorCruz and his daughter Michelle were selected by the Beijing Municipal government for their contribution to China, Brady said.

FlorCruz is scheduled to carry the Olympic torch on August 6 in Beijing, two days before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. His daughter Michelle, a student at the International School in Beijing, will carry the Olympic torch on August 3 in Tangshan City.

Marco Antonio Torres, 38, a Beijing-based Filipino marketer for M Moser Associates, will carry the Olympic torch on July 5 in Lanzhou, Gansu province, the foreign affairs department said. Read the rest of this entry »

Miguel Molina Philippines Olympic flag-bearer

By ABAC CORDERO
The Philippine Star

Miguel Molina, the Best Male Athlete of the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, has been designated as the flag-bearer of the Philippine contingent to this year’s Beijing Olympics.

This was announced Thursday by Philippine Olympic Committee vice president and RP team chef-de-mission Monico Puentevella, who said Molina was the hands-down choice for the position.

“Miguel deserves the job, he being the most outstanding male athlete in the last SEA Games,” said Puentevella, adding that he was tasked by the POC board to name the flag-bearer.

“I was tasked by the executive board to decide on the matter and so I decided it should be Miguel. I already got the board approval about it,” added Puentevella, head of the weightlifting association. Read the rest of this entry »

Caloy Mapua bests Indian students in national competition

By JULIE JAVELLANA-SANTOS
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Caloy Mapua started drawing before he could write. His mother, Beth, remembers that from the age of three, he would always be holding a pencil and a sketchbook. His favorite past-time has always been drawing. His girlfriend is even a ‘manga’ character in his sketchbook.

So it was no surprise 16 year old Caloy bested many of his Indian counterparts in the All-India National Graphic Contests held recently in New Delhi.

What was surprising, his parents Lorenzo and Beth told abs-cbnNEWS.com, was that Caloy was even in the contest, which was supposed to be for students in India. His teachers at the American International School in Chennai just thought his nationality did not matter and sent in an entry, which won first runner-up.

The competition was held by Computer Literacy Foundation (http://www.silverzone.org), an India-based non-government organization founded by experts in information technology, science, education and media with the objective of promoting IT talents in India and abroad and to raise the expertise of Indian students at par with the international level. Read the rest of this entry »

Fred DeAsis : First Asian artist honored by Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue, a leading high-end department store in America, honored internationally renowned Fil-Am artist Fred DeAsis by offering an Artist Reception and Cocktail party Saturday, June 7, in Highland Park, Illinois. The party was in celebration of the annual Highland Park Art Walk being held during the month of June.

Fred DeAsis’ artwork titled “Koi” is currently on display at Saks Fifth front show window on Elm Place and Green Bay Road, Highland Park. The 36″ x 48″ brightly colored and texturized artwork was done using acrylic and impasto/encaustic technique on hard board.

“We are very pleased to have Mr. DeAsis’ artwork displayed in our front display window. Customers and window shoppers enjoy the colorful and unique technique rendered on the art. It is simple in form but very elegant which fits our store,” said sales manager Peggy McCarthy. ” We wish we have more of his artwork on display.” Read the rest of this entry »

Manny Pacquiao picked as best pound-for-pound fighter

A boxing website has picked Filipino sports icon Manny Pacquiao as its top pound-for-pound fighter following the retirement of Floyd Mayweather.

“With Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s announced retirement, FightFan.com has elevated former no. 2 ranked Manny Pacquiao to the number one pound-for-pound fighter in all of boxing,” said the website’s staff.

The powerful hitter has consistently been hailed by several boxing websites as the second-best boxer in the world.

FightFan.com, however, said that since Pacquiao has consistently been fighting top class boxers since 2003, he deserved to be Mayweather’s successor.

“Pacquiao’s lengthy path through the best fighters in three different divisions coupled with his emphatic stoppage victories over legendary fighters like Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric Morales have solidified the Filipino terror’s place atop of FightFan.com’s pound-for-pound list,” the website’s staff said. Read the rest of this entry »

Two English-usage books by award-winning author now off the press

A new book on English usage by National Book Award-winning author Jose Carillo, “The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors,” went off the press last May 15 together with the second updated edition of his award-winning and bestselling first book, “English Plain and Simple: No-Nonsense Ways to Learn Today’s Global Language.”

Carillo’s new 122-page book consists of incisive, no-holds-barred critiques of the most vexing grammar and usage errors that crop up in today’s newspapers and magazines as well as in the broadcast media and on the web. The 498-page “English Plain and Simple,” which won the National Book Award in linguistics from the Manila Critics’ Circle in 2005, seeks to help nonnative English speakers improve their written English without having to go back to the classroom.

Both books may be browsed at www.manilatimes.net/josecarillobooks  and may be purchased at quantity discounts at books@manilatimes.net .

Pinay is top foreigner in Mt. Everest race

Good News Pilipinas

Carina Dayondon was the first among foreign female climbers to finish the 2008 Hillary-Tenzing Mount Everest Marathon, tagged as the highest marathon in the world.

Carina one of the three Filipinas who scaled Mount Everest last year, came in behind seven Nepali women who joined the race.

She together with the other five other Filipino participants triumphantly reached the finish line in Nepal.

The prime slot in the men’s division went to a Japanese national.

Dayondon’s fellow Everest veterans Noelle Wenceslao and Erwin “Pastor” Emata, and other members of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition (FPMEE) team, namely Dr. Ted Esguerra and Fred Jamili, composed the six-man team. Read the rest of this entry »

Ryan Cayabyab is Pinoy Dream Academy’s new headmaster

abs-cbnNEWS.com

He’s one of the best when it comes to music–”The Maestro” Ryan Cayabyab is now the newest headmaster of ABS-CBN’s reality show “Philippine Dream Academy (PDA) Season 2.”

In an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com, Cayabyab–also known as Mr. C–said that after six years of working in the corporate world, he is now back in doing his passion — music and teaching.

“This is an important show, PDA is a very important show and ako masaya ako, it’s an honor for me to be part of the show. Sorry I was out for six years I’d been doing corporate work; tamang-tama pagkatapos noon ito si Lauren saying ‘we want you in PDA if it’s okay?’ sabi ko sure,” Cayabyab said.

Cayabyab replaced PDA’s Season 1 headmaster Jim Paredes and as the newest head of the Academy, the former said audiences should expect so many changes in the academy. Read the rest of this entry »

Manny Pacquiao: Next in line for top pound-for-pound?

abs-cbnNEWS.com

With Floyd Mayweather’s retirement finally in place, talks are spreading about the next top pound-for-pound fighter around.

One of the top contenders for this boxing honor is Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who is scheduled for a title showdown against WBC lightweight champion David “Dangerous” Diaz on June 28.

The powerful hitter has consistently been hailed by several boxing websites as the Number 2 best boxer in the world. These sites include BoxingDaily.co.uk, EastSideBoxing.com and theRing-Online.com of the Ring Magazine which is considered as the bible of boxing.

But with the official exit of Mayweather from the boxing scene, speculations are aplenty on who’s taking over his place. Read the rest of this entry »