Miggs Cuaderno and Ken Chan for GMA's Destiny Rose

I didn't get to attend the grand press conference of Destiny Rose when it happened in GMA 7, but I sure was glad we got to sit down and interview them over lunch last week. Two stars, no other than recent FAMAS winner Miggs Cuaderno and talented singer, host and actor buddy Ken Chan. The story is different, not your ordinary gay role - and it starts when Joey Flores Vergara had to endure confusion, the brute of his father, the community when he finds out early on how he knows that she's a woman trapped in a man's body. The psyche was entertainingly told in the story and how he finds out he wasn't really meant to be a General in the army as his father hoped. He had the happiness, the love and contentment when he's performing on stage, being who he thinks he is in the first place.

Miggs mentioned he didn't have a hard time doing the young Joey's role because he just concentrated on doing the job and he's got a knack for following instructions to a T. After a few indie films, especially Asintado which won him the Best Child Performer award, as young as he might look right now, he already knows what he's doing. He's very smart and you would mistake him for an even older teenager when he talks to people. He couldn't believe he won an award in FAMAS since it was just something they used to watch on TV. Here's the interview we did during that afternoon.

His dream? To be in the Oscars. We could see he's really got potential and who knows, we might just see that in the near future.

Ken Chan has been in the industry for quite a number of years, but has yet to be given a break by GMA. He was always optimistic, played his cards of singing and getting an album these past few years. Now that he's already done support roles, pairings, and several acting pieces in movies and TV, he's absolutely ready to take on the life of Joey Flores Vergara, as she blooms to be Destiny Rose. She's a transwoman and you can just imagine the work put into this project on how to turn the hearthrob into a woman. 

He auditioned for this role, a lot of them actually did in GMA's stable. Though what sets Ken apart is his keen to do this gig no matter what it takes. The opportunity also to be a lead star was just too important to pass and he's grabbing it now. I believe that it's really his time, and if it means he's going to have to act like a woman in this show, he can do it. I'm a little proud to see what he has become and he truly deserves this. Honestly, I feel the story is fantastic and absolutely smashing.

Here's a short interview we did with Ken. 

Congratulations Ken and I hope this is just the start of more projects in the pipeline. You've done the legwork and I hope this bears fruit as you take on more lead roles in the future.

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

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Reminisque Bistro: Food, Drinks and Good Music

We went to the Tomas Morato area a few days ago to experience Reminisque Bistro. It's a restaurant and pub at Scout Lozano Street right at the back of Zirkoh in Tomas Morato Quezon City. The place is right below the modern multi level parking complex and can easily be spotted on the district. The place is owned and operated by a group of friends (Ynna Matias, Jun Aventura, Martin Porta) who initially just wanted a place where they can crash, remember the good old days, particularly the 80's when the music was perfect to their ears. They invested a lot in the interiors, putting tables significantly tight, and put some really good Filipino regional food on the menu.

Chef Richard Nazareth, owners Ynna Matias and Jun Aventura

The Interiors

The place reeks the owners taste for the 80's, but kept it modern and not so vintage aside from the little pieces and clocks on display. At night, they open up the LED lights on the posts which randomly changes color. A feature that you would find a little fancy when in Reminisque. Aside from that, they've got dark wood tables and chairs, white upholstered bar stools, leather bunk chairs, and a white fabric covered tables on the main dining area. They also added a whimsical beehive installation on the private room where small gatherings could take place. Aside from that, their full bar could whip up some of the best cocktails and juices you would really love. They also have a fully functioning DJ's booth so invited guests could enjoy spins of their own decade and a small platform for acoustic performances as well. We even had Pido of former Artstart band sing during the small event.

The Food

Cansi Soup - The lovely beefy broth and the fruity and sour "Batuan" found locally in Iloilo/Bacolod area just made this Cansi Soup a hit with everybody. I had tons of this because I am partly ilonggo too, this was as good as you could have had it in Negros. People wondered how they got it because this is a little scarce to source but they said friends helped ship it. I'm going back for this.

Chicken Inasal Salad - Lovely roasted Chicken Inasal slices mixed with greens, sweet golden mangoes, olives, tomatoes and light dressing. Pretty good.

Salmon Salad - This one must be eaten fast. It's like Tempura batter covered so it kinda softens a little when left to be cold. It's good don't get me wrong, but not my favorite.

Pork Sisig - Now this is tasty. I loved how they mixed the usual sisig bits with chicharon bits (pork crackling). It's a play on texture, then a tangy touch with the calamansi plus your optional liquid seasoning and chili. You can't go wrong with sisig.

Tibok Tibok - This is Pampanga's queen of desserts and with good reason. This Tibok Tibok sounds so native but is very close to Maja Blanca. They added tons of cheese to cut through that sweet coconuty taste to have a little saltiness in each spoonful. I like this a lot so make sure you order one before you leave the place. 

Reminisque Bistro has all these and more on their menu which you can probably have in small functions or just about any visit to the Tomas Morato area. They can take care of you and your gatherings so give them a call at 441 5302, or visit the place at Scout Lozano in Quezon City. They open from 11am and closes up til 2AM - that's in the wee hours of the morning. If you have birthdays, meetings, celebrations, they have packaged menu's to choose from or you may opt to have them customized to your preference. So go ahead and invite your friends and try out the place. It's near mine so if you're in the mood to treat me for beer I'd be glad to!

For more information about their restaurant:

Reminisque Bistro

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ALDUB for Talk N Text: Photos from the Launch

We all love Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. They're the most popular love team in the Philippines today and the news of them being the new endorsers for Talk' N Text was just awesome. Their campaign though holds so much promise too. Imagine, if you're running an affordable promo right now on their network and if it expires today, you can extend it with just 5 pesos by texting the keyword EXTEND to 4545. You can use this everyday so if you're not in Talk N Text yet, you might want to consider it now because as Alden says during the presscon, TNT is the biggest subscriber base among its subsidiaries in the SMART network. That means, you'll have more talk time, more texts, more internet connection usage too everyday!

Here's more shots from the presscon that you might love. This is all for you from KUMAGCOW.COM!

The Philips Multigroom Series 1000 (Model MG1100) for Precise Edges and Contours

The Philips Multigroom Series 1000 (Model MG1100) for Precise Edges and Contours.

Now this is the new Philips Multigroom Series 1000 (Model MG1100) made specifically for Precise Edges and Contours. I was excited to have one of these because as you may have figured out by now, my hispanic lineage does come with extra baggage. Aside from being the curly guy all my life, I've been blessed extremely hairy from a scale of 1 to gorilla. That goes the same with my facial hair. I can grow a good short beard in a few days. If I decide to let it grow out it'll take me a week or two to have a full one but looked quite haggard because of stubble growth everywhere. I have to take my precious time after a bath to cut along the edges, check on the mirror and see if I at least have it all precisely cut. Somehow, it's like trial and error, unless I go to bespoke barber shops and have them do it for me. Now that just costs a fortune to do on a regular basis and having a Philips Multigroom Series 1000 was just perfect because I want to do it on my own.

Now I use two electric shavers currently, one at home (the Carrera which I got from the US), and the other for travel (the Korean Shengfa). I also use the 5 blade manual ones just for fun. Both these shavers won't actually be able to help me if I'm already working on the part where I have to sculpt the inner section of my beard. It just won't fit. That goes the same with the hair growing on my sideburns too. Having a precision shaver does the trick because as you can see, these two would be too big in that place in between your lips and chin. The only thing you would be able to do in that case is to totally take it out, but I like my beard too much because if you frame my face with the right amount of hair, you would look thinner and make your face look a little longer. (oh yes I know about every camera trick there is in the book!) I guess I learned a lot from shooting models and portraits and applied it on myself.

The Philips Multigroom Series 1000 (Model MG1100) is packed really neat in one box. It's got the actual unit, a manual/product information sheet, 4 attachments, a mini brush to clean the shaved hair and one penlight battery for free.  

The motor is pretty strong, I could tell how it works with the attachments and it's pretty easy to figure out even without reading the manual. Although, I highly recommend you do that so you know what part goes where. The thing is, this Philips Multigroom Series 1000 (Model MG1100) is one of the easiest to put together. You just have to look at the arrows if you're attaching the head or the battery on the bottom, then a little twist to lock it up. I couldn't believe it's just powered by 1 battery because as I said, it seems powerful enough to do the job.

I used the Large attachment first so I could take out the longer strands of hair on my face so I could thin it out. Then after that, I used the Small attachment to cut it even more closer to the face. After that, I used the one with the metal holes on it so I could do precise shaving. Make sure you don't have a wet face while doing this as it'll make the job harder. The damp, toweled, and thoroughly moisturized face would do. 

Here's a demo via a damn good looking guinea pig, me!

To clean it up, use the small brush that came with your kit and lift the cover of your fine shaver attachment. Make sure you clean it all up before you put it back in the box. Check out the brand and other products on the same line for grooming. It's one of the best things I've tried, if you're looking for one make it a Philips!

For more information about their products:

Philips Home Living PH

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http://www.philips.com.ph/