Janine Gutierrez and Elmo Magalona for More Than Words

Janine Gutierrez's Birthday Celebration at Centerstage Timog Avenue (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

I wasn't able to attend this one because I was a tad late. I still remember the time I shot Janine on the runways of Bench a couple of years ago, she wasn't as visible then but she holds a lot of promise. She just celebrated her 25th birthday and I've seen how happy their fans were in social media knowing one thing that was announced on this day. Yes, Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez are now officially ON. They are boyfriend and girlfriend, something that their fans have long been waiting for.

Elmo Magalona and their fans surprised Janine with a birthday celebration! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo Magalona and the Janine-Elmo fans celebrated her birthday at Centerstage in Timog Avenue in Quezon City. Mind you, the fans did this event on their own, I guess that's how much they love these two. I've seen some of them during their other events and if you see them talking about Janine and Elmo, you wouldn't be surprised that they do these things for the pair.

Cakes and presents all prepared by Janine Gutierrez's fans! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo told me during an interview that they had the best fans. Sometimes they are almost too shy about the big things they do, but ultimately they are very thankful about the support and loyalty that they give them. They can't thank them enough. Now that they are also going to play Ikay and Hiro on their new soap "More than Words", they hope their fans sternly support them on that too. Janine plays a blogger who begins to write about her wishes for the perfect guy. This turns out to be mighty close to Elmo's character in the show. This is a light romantic comedy project so it is a bit different from the projects they had in the past. If you remember Villa Quintana, that was heavy drama, and they always get beaten up since the characters are undergoing family conflicts, the usual rich against the poor. This however is going to be somewhat hopeful, more of the fell good kind of love from Ikay and Hiro which you should definitely watch this coming November. Also in the show are Enzo Pineda, Mikoy Morales, Stephanie Sol, Coleen Perez, Mayton Eugenio, Jaclyn Jose, and the 80's love team Rey "PJ" Abellana and Leni Santos. For more information about the show, please do check out the social media channels below!

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Come to Sofitel Wine Days: Life is Magnifique!

I've been able to sit down and enjoy wine a few days ago at Sofitel Manila. It's a 5 star hotel and going here has always been a magnifique time for me, my friends and family. Sofitel's buffet destination Spiral has been the unprecedented number 1 dining destination and has been proven in various review sites internationally. Today, I'm sharing with you some scenes of the "Private Wine and Cheese Pairing" class I participated in last week. It involved a lot of introduction to wine, champagne, and what food or cheese products were needed to be paired with it. It started with the ceremonial champagne bottle opening using a saber, much like Napoleon would be doing it in his time. Check this video out!

Sofitel around the world is celebrating "Sofitel Wine Days" to pay homage to the harvest season. People from the wine regions in France are now taking time to celebrate their good year and with that happening, people in the Philippines should never be far behind. It's also Sofitel's 50th Anniversary so if that isn't enough reason to celebrate, I don't know what will.

Spiral was dreamy as usual and I sat down on one of their private rooms to wait for the others to come. I tried some of their D Light drinks through test tube sample servings, I loved the Berry mix and the peach flavored one.

This was the part where we started off getting a saber and the champagne bottles opened. Pretty neat right? Nikita Conwi of RX93.1 had fun doing this. Did you know Champagne only comes from the town in France? If it's not from France, it's just what they call Sparkling Wine :) This fact is part of the things I learned that evening.

To pair off with the really great wines like Jaboulet Aine, Castillero del Diablo (part of the many new world and old world wines) you should have this freshly seared Foie Gras in every dinner experience in Spiral.

The favorite that evening was the Woodbridge. The rosy wines are quite sweet and fresh, a favorite in the summer. Since we have summer all year long in the Philippines, we can have this all the time! Now that's good news. This is also their best seller, apart from the regular ones they have on the menu. Another discovery is the local Dragon Fruit wine which is very nice, it's on the menu so I suggest you try that out too.

Spiral's Cheese Room has never been equaled because of the variety that they have inside. They have Wine and Cheese pairing sessions so if you dig that instead of just wine, you can have that class instead. They have regional wine evenings that would give you in depth understanding of your favorite wine varieties and see how it came to be in the places they are from. They have a "From Grapes to Wine Expo" happening from October 26-31, 2014 with degustation from 5:30PM to 6PM. You can get 25% off on Hugel & Fils wines if you dine in Sofitel's Spiral and La Veranda. The "Private Wine and Cheese Class" happens at the Spiral L'epicerie (Cheese Room) from October 27-31, 2014 at 4:30PM to 5:30PM. They'll whisk you off to a journey in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Rousillon on those days and only costs Php 1500.00 per person. 

You can also opt for the Spiral Wine Cellar experience all October as Sofitel's sommeliers pick monthly and yearly packages tailored to your taste and budget. There's also "Jazz and Wine: An Austrian and French Affair on the 29th of October at 7PM. They'll be flying in Austria's Michaela Rabitsch and Robert Pawlik. I think the Austrian ambassador will be there as well so if you're up to a day of culture, this would be perfect. You'll see a concert, drink wine, Cheese and canapes prepared especially for the occasion. On the 30th, Le Bar will be hosting the Wine and Cheese Buffet with experts coming from different regions. They will also have a Burgundy Wine Dinner on the 31st, at 7PM featuring a 5 course French terroir dinner made by artisans in Sofitel Manila. They will be featuring wines from Champagne Henriot, Chablis Willam Fevre and Burgundy Bouchard Pere et Fils. It's time you treat yourself, your friends and family to something special. Make that Sofitel Manila moment by calling 8326988 or email h6308-fb12@sofitel.com because Life is Magnifique!

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Spiral Manila

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Amway's 80th Year: Celebrate with Nutrilite

Amway just celebrated their 80th Founding Anniversary by reintroducing Nutrilte, the number one vitamin and dietary supplement in the world to Philippine shores through an event last week at the Makati Shangrila. 

They did it in a big way by inviting to the Philippines the President of Nutrilite Health Institute Dr. Sam Rehnborg. He's been a stalwart of health and wellness, speaking to thousands of people who have not heard of their initiatives in building farms, research facilities, centers for health, their global partnerships plus their wide product lines that aim to better nutritional development of people worldwide. 

They have shared their expertise that afternoon and told us a little more about their efforts. A ton or more media people attended including Don Pusateri who spoke about his vast research on bush from Australia, medicinal ones from Congo and how they made head way in using them for supplements and making nutritional information available for everybody. They also had Amway Philippines Country Manager Leni Olmedo to tell us about their company's great condition and how they have been able to gain success these past few years. The way things shape up is that they are not stopping anytime soon because they know how important it is for everybody to be able to grasp the wealth of information they have collated in years that they've done research in this industry. 

They are also concentrating on something that they think would matter in a few more years, and that's the youth. The better they get to touch base with them, the higher the possibility that they'll be able to make head way in getting the word out there. To ultimately, harvest the results of their research faster and get the benefits of it sooner as expected. 

Congratulations Amway Philippines! I hope you get more people involved in your cause and hope Nutrilite gets to more people in our country too!

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Review: Yell BTS 700 Bluetooth Speakers

I've been able to use a couple or more of Bluetooth Speakers and we're blessed to have been able to get our hands acquainted with one of the most popular ones called YELL. It's designed in Hong Kong and assembled in China but I don't find it substandard at all. The packaging is neat made of two clear hard plastic containers that snap so you can hold the handle and hang it on top. 

It's price point might be a little high to look at, but thinking about it... the sturdy little box which you can take around conveniently surely deserves to be seen how it performs in the real world. If you are a travel junkie, it can fit right in your bag as it's not bulky. I used it right away to check how it fares with the other speakers that I have and the audio from this small square box provide real clear audio. It doesn't have that bass that I usually see in small speakers and I think it's mostly up to your taste. I love that it doesn't distort the real sound of music or podcasts when it matters. You don't want your singers to sound like deep voiced DJ's anyway right?

 This portable bluetooth speaker can also be hooked up in an auxiliary way. You can have it wired directly or use USB power sources to charge its internal battery. It can connect very far in my own home and imagine how I was able to listen in the shower while I charge my phone in the bedroom. There are real world applications like these that you would probably enjoy even outdoors if you are spending time with friends on a beach or resorts. 

 There are 7 different colors of this Yell BTS 700 Bluetooth Speakers but I really love this in Red. It's unconventional and perfectly personifies my Warrior spirit.

Pairing the Yell BTS 700 Bluetooth Speakers is easy too. Just turn on the speaker by switching it into the IN/BT mode. Then wait for the blue light to blink. After that, go to your phone and search for the Yell - BTS name on your Bluetooth section. Click on the device name and it'll ask you for the pin. The default pin is 1234. Put that in and click on "Pair" then wait for the sound on the speaker indicating it's connected. You would hear a little melodic sound when it's done. 

You can also see the Yell - BTS link on the iPhone 5S displayed as seen on the bottom left. Just turn the device OFF and the Bluetooth on your phone when not in use so you can save needed battery life. I even used it on streamed audio and it performed quite superbly.

Micro USB to USB and 3.5mm Splitter Cable, Yell Pouch and Manual to easily set up the Bluetooth Speaker

Overall, it's easy to use, it's portable and it sounds correct and doesn't distort what you're supposed to listen to. If you are a purist, the Yell BTS 700 Bluetooth Speakers is perfect for you. Plus, I've also seen that the battery has lasted me for 3 days already (with a few hours use each day) and I haven't even charged it yet. That is surprising because sometimes, something this small usually lasts an hour or two. I love the 1,000 mAh battery that does that, totally worth the price!

If you want one of these, it's available at Digital Walker stores and Digits Trading affiliates nationwide. Check out their channels below if you wish to know more.

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http://www.yelltowin.com