SLAPSHOCK- the only ASIAN band to perform in ROCK DESERT DUBAI...

ASTIG ANG PINOY

Filipino of The Month: Brandon Vera...

Vera is the son of a Filipino father, Ernesto, and an Italian-American mother, Amelia, and grew up in a family with seven boys and three girls. He was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia,and attended Lake Taylor High School, where he excelled in wrestling and earned a four-year athletic scholarship to Old Dominion University. He however dropped out of Old Dominion after a year and a half when he felt college was not for him, and he enlisted in the United States Air Force.

In the Air Force, he joined the force's wrestling team and trained at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His military wrestling career was cut short in 1999 when he shred ligaments in his right elbow. Arthroscopic surgery repaired the ligaments but he had nerve damage from the experience, causing him to be unable to use his right arm. He was released from the Air Force on a medical discharge.
He returned to Virginia where he steadily rehabilitated his arm, and eventually was fit enough to enter the Grapplers Quest submission wrestling competitions on the east coast. There, his solitary training methods (he did not belong to a camp, and trained and cut weight on his own) caught the attention of Lloyd Irvin, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and coach, who invited him to train with his school. At Irvin's school, he was introduced to mixed martial arts. He also trained with Linxx Academy, and Hybrid Academy, where he received a foundation of his Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Vera's first professional mixed martial arts bout was on July 6, 2002, while training under Lloyd Irvin. He won the fight, against Adam Rivera, via TKO in the first round. He fought and won another bout in 2004 before entering a World Extreme Cagefighting heavyweight tournament in 2005, where he won two bouts in one night, including a bout against The Ultimate Fighter 2's Mike Whitehead in the finals.
Vera moved to San Diego, California on New Year's Eve, 2003, to accept a training position with City Boxing in San Diego. At City Boxing, Vera excelled as a trainer and was taken under the wing of City Boxing owner Mark Dion, who became his manager and introduced him to kickboxing great Rob Kaman. With Vera's success as a trainer and a mixed martial arts fighter, Dion gave Vera partial ownership of City Boxing.

Vera made his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2 on October 3, 2005 against Fabiano Scherner. Vera won the fight via TKO mid-way through the second round. Following the Scherner bout, he faced Justin Eilers at UFC 57, winning early in the first round by knockout. At UFC 60, Vera defeated Assuerio Silva with a guillotine choke. Vera's career as a mixed martial artist flourished under the management of Mark Dion. It reached its zenith on Nov. 18, when he needed just 69 seconds to stop ex-heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 65 in Sacramento, Calif.
UFC president Dana White was effusive in his praise of Vera, who was on the fast track to the title.

Whatever happens? Brandon Vera is always a PHILIPPINE PRIDE!!!!

Vitamin Beer ....Oye!

You have to hand it to the Filipino inventor Virgilio "Billy" L. Malang for creating an invention that has a widespread appeal. He has created a type of beer, which is Vitamin B complex-fortified and makes a promise to "take some of the guilt out of drinking" by replacing the essential Vitamin B which is lost when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed. Mind you, this is the same guy who has published a book, called "Sex Every Minute." I don't think he's got a patent on that, though.

Malang says that he believes the invention will be popular because beer is the national weakness of the Philippines. A Kirin Research Institute study ranked the Philippines as the 5th highest beer consumer in Asia, after China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, with an average of nearly 20 liters (45 pints) of beer per person per year.
It has not been marketed yet, but Vitamin Beer already won a gold medal at the European Union-sponsored Genius-Europe competition at the Budapest Fair Center in Hungary in May 2004 and bagged the Romanian Ministry Education and Research Cup among 1,000 inventions by 540 inventors from 46 countries, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

This is interesting because I have lived under the impression that there is a lot of Vitamin B in every beer, that is why beer is supposed to be good for you. Or it could just be something my dad tells my my mom to make her feel better.

Recently in Thailand:

Vitamin Beer was the hottest among 150 products by the International Federation of Inventors’ Association recently held in Thailand. Uncontrolled crowds gathered to taste this new product by a Filipino Inventor Billy L. Lalang.
“If you are looking for an excuse to take a swig, this is it,” said Billy L. Lalang, who concocted a beer mixed with Vitamin B, to replace the vitamin lost when people drink too much booze.

Basically when you are drinking beer or alcohol, you are drawing Vitamin B and that’s why Vitamin Beer was invented. The inventor noted that Vitamin Beer has Vitamin B in its content. So if you drink a lot of Vitamin Beer you’ll wake up one morning without hang-over and feel a lot better.

Vitamin Beer is prophylactic for drinkers Lalang said and has already won a gold medal at the Genius Europe competition
Too good to be true? If that is the case, for sure beer lovers can’t wait to taste this new invention.

Cheers to all!

Philippines Home of The brightest!

"P.P. goes joke time" one time lng leap year naman e!

Pag Leap Year may kasabihan na lumalabas lahat ng kabaliwan, kaya ang post na ito ay puro kabaliwan hehe,, (all are real)
Only in the Philippines will you find such amusing names as:
> > * Bread Pitt (a bakery)
> > * Maruya Carey (a fast-food place selling turon and maruya> > in Greenbelt, Makati
> > * Caintacky Fried Chicken (an eatery in Cainta, Rizal)
> > * Mang Donald's (a burger joint at the Naga City plaza)
> > * Candies Be Love? (Can anything be sweeter than this?)
> > * Doris Day and Night (a 24-hour eatery)
> > * Babalik Karinderia
> > * Holland Hopia (owned by Mr. Ho) and next-door neighbor
> > Poland Hopia (owned by Mr. Po) in Chinatown
> > * Miki Mao (a noodle house)
> > * Tapsi Turbi (a tapa house)
> > * Cleopata's (a manukan and bakahan)
> > * Goto Heaven
> > * The Fried of Marikina (a fried chicken house)
> > * Wrap and Roll (a lumpia outlet in Quad, Makati)
> > * Pansit ng taga-Malaboni (a panciteria on Boni Ave.,> > Mandaluyong)
> > * Side-saki (a side street eatery beside Mandarin Oriental> > in Makati) (khay & irene, may bago na ba?)
> > * Let's Goat-Together (a kambingan-cum-beer garden)
> > * Meating Place (a meat shop)
> > * Meatropolis (another meat shop)
> > * Isda best, Pusit to the limit, and Hipon coming back> > (entrees on the menu of a seafood restaurant)> > * Cinna Von (a laundromat)
> > * Pier Carding (a tailoring shop in Pier, Manila)
> > * The Way We Wear (a boutique)
> > * Curl Up and Dye (a beauty salon)
> > * Goldilooks (a barber shop)
> > * Sylvestre's Salon
> > * Bote Nga Sa 'Yo (used bottle shop)
> > * Christopher Plumbing (your friendly neighborhood plumber)
> > * Goldirocks (a gravel and sand shop)
> > * Fernando Pe's Box Office Hits (a video rental shop inPalawan)> > * Leon King Video Rental (in Las Piñas)
> > * Memory Drug (a clone of Mercury Drug)
> > * Petal Attraction (a flower shop near UP Diliman)
> > * Susan's Roses (a flower shop, but of course!)
> > * Maid to Order (maids placement agency)
> > * Yag-Bulls (a beer house joint in Zamboanga City> > featuring live sex shows)
> > * Sign on the window of a restaurant in Baguio - Wanted:> > Boy Waitress> >> > For the commuter (a jeepsetter?) - signs on some jeepneysand buses:> > * "Full string to stop driver."> > * "God knows Hudas not pay."> > * "Don't get closed to me, get closed to God."

Philippines Sports.. Did you know???

Weather Makes Basketball Popular
Basketball is considered the number one spectators' event in the country simply because it is usually held under a roof (at the Araneta Coliseum for example). Baseball and football could not gain popularity because Filipino spectators are not willing to seat under the scorching sun or heavy rains. It must be noted, however, that young Filipinos are beginning to switch to new games, such as billiards and computer games, because of the limited number of basketball courts in the country

Filipinos Brought Home 3 Olympic Medals in 1932
Three Filipino athletes brought home a bronze medal apiece from the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso won a bronze at the 200-meter breaststroke event while Simeon Toribio also clinched a bronze in the high jump event. Jose "Cely" Villanueva clinched the country's first boxing bronze medal in the bantamweight category.

Filipinos Won 9 Olympic Medals
Filipino athletes have brought home a total of 9 Olympic medals since the country began participating in the quadrennial event in 1924. Teofilo Yldefonso, a 200-breastroke swimmer, won the country's first bronze medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and its second bronze at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The country actually had 3 medals in 1932 when Simeon Torribio, a high jumper, added a bronze and bantamweight boxer Jose "Cely" Villanueva clinched another bronze. Miguel White, who fought for the country in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, won a bronze in the 400-meter hurdles event. Featherweight boxer Anthony Villanueva, a son of Jose, won the country's first silver medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Villanueva actually lost a controversial decision to Russian Stanislav Stephaskin in their battle for the gold medal. Tenpin player Arianne Cerdena won a gold in bowling at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but Cerdena's gold was not included in the medal tally since bowling was considered only as a demonstration sport. Light flyweight boxer Leopoldo Serantes, however, brought home a bronze from Seoul. Light flyweight boxer Roel Velasco won a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. In taekwondo, bantamweight Stephen Fernandez and featherweight Bea Lucero brought home two bronze medals from Barcelona, but they were not included in the medal tally, since taekwondo was just counted as a demonstration sport then. Roel's younger brother Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco won a silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Onyok lost a controversial decision to Bulgarian Daniel Bojilov in the light-flyweight finals.

RP Became Far Eastern Games Champion
At the inaugural Far Eastern Games in 1913, the Philippines beat China to clinch the championship. Only the two countries competed in the event in 1913 and 1915 while Japan joined in 1917 and Indonesia in 1934. From 1913 to 1934, China won 9 championships and the Philippines only one championship

RP Placed 2nd at Asian Games
The Philippines placed second to Japan among 18 participating countries in 8 sports events at the 1954 Asian Games held in Manila. It also placed second behind Japan among 20 participating countries in 13 sports events at the 1958 Asian Games held in Tokyo.

Filipinos Became World Sports Leaders
At least five Filipinos had headed international sports organizations. They are Florencio Campomanes, former president of International Chess Federation; Justiniano Montano, former president of World Boxing Council; Rudy Salud, former secretary-general of World Boxing Council; Gonzalo Puyat II, former president of International Amateur Basketball Federation; and Manuel Nieto, former president of Oriental Boxing Federation.

Nepomuceno was First Olympic Bet
David Nepomuceno, a sprinter and member of the US Navy, was the country's first ever representative in the 1924 Paris Olympiad.

RP Had the Biggest Lead in a Basketball Game
The Philippine team registered what could be the world's biggest lead in an amateur basketball game when it clobbered Brunei Darussalam, 160-19, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on July 2, 2000. The 141-point lead could be the biggest for any amateur basketball team since basketball was introduced in the Philippines by the Americans. During the game, the Philippine national team limited the Brunei squad to only 19 points. It later won the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Young Men's Tournament crown against Malaysia.

Filipinos Were First Football Players in Asia
It was said that Filipinos were the first Asians who played football. The Philippine Football Federation (initially the Philippines Amateur Athletic Federation) was in fact founded as early as 1907. The first football match in Asia took place in the 1913 Manila Far Eastern Games where the Philippines defeated China 2-1.

Philippine Baroque Churches: World Heritage site, Philippine's Pride...Standing through the test of time (1)

The Baroque Churches of the Phillipines represent a fusion of European church design (baroque) and local construction techniques and decorations. Their specific characteristics include a separate bell-tower and strong buttresses to withstand the powers of earthquakes common in the region.Four churches were selected to make up this WHS, as samples of the development of this Phillipine-Hispanic style over a period of more than 150 years (16th-18th century). These four are:

- San Agustin (Manila)

- La Asuncion (Santa Maria)

- San Agustin (Paoay)

- Santo Tomas (Miag-ao)

This 3 Part Series will feature the 4 churches and our first stop are the San Agustin Churches:

The San Agustin Churches

San Agustin in Manila is located conveniently in Intramuros, Manila's small historic center, the only building to survive WWII there. From the outside this is a bulky church with a Latin American touch. On the inside it's more refined. It can be visited from the adjoining monastery complex, a quiet refuge from Manila's hustle and bustle.

San Agustin (Ilocos)

A more exemplary exponent of the so-called Earthquake Baroque I saw in Paoay, a village 1.5 hours by bus from Vigan (Northern Luzon). This church is also called San Agustin, the Agustinians being the first order to arrive in the Phillipines in 1565. This San Agustin church has a spacious setting, so you can have a look at it from all sides.

The large buttresses every few meters that keep the church standing look sturdy enough to withstand any earthquake.

Filipino of the Month: Bayang Barrios

Conceiving a child and nurturing it to term usually means a sabbatical from work for many women, including artists. But for singer-songwriter Bayang Barrios, it was a wonderful opportunity for growth, though pregnant she was with her firstborn, daughter Mayoomi. "A lot of people were calling up to work with me, and I knew right then that those nine months would be doubly blessed!" And so started one of the most prolific periods in Bayang's career, as she lent her unique voice and artistry to projects such as the Asian Tourism Summit held in Davao City last January, the music of GMA 7's hit shows "Encantadia", "Etheria" and "Pinoy Abroad"", and heralding the South East Asian Games 2005 with Ryan Cayabyab and the San Miguel Orchestra. She has also started work on another album, a collection of lullabyes dedicated to her new angel. No doubt another treasure trove of music from one of our most talented artists, new mother Bayang Barrios.
In a world reeling from the vocal histrionics of singing contests winners and their equally soaring idols, the music of Bayang Barrios is a welcome alternative. Intense and full-bodied, her singing never fails to mesmerize and she uses that remarkable voice to provide advice to the youth facing a darkening future and to give vent to her concern for nature, the welfare of indigenous peoples and other worthy causes. (Baby A. Gil)
BAYANG Barrios, grand prize winner of 2004 Metro Pop songwriting competition, feels like a winner once again.

Bayang Barrios.... A Philippine Pride!!!