LJ REYES Renews Ties with GMA Artist Center

LJ Reyes doesn't have to prove anything. With a Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress award on her belt, she's one of the few stars from GMA that has done the legwork and succeeded in impressing critics in several award giving bodies. She's now taking everything in stride, taking care of Paolo and her kids. She also hosts a throng of shows, does influencer projects and is currently vlogging. Above all, she is a mother who would do everything for her family and her passions. Recently, she signed up again with GMA Artist Center. We got to talk to her the day after and it was so nice to see how she's managed to do all these things and more. I remember her telling us that GMA actually asks her what she wants to happen in her career, asks her what she wants to accomplish and do. I think that alone made the difference. 

LJ says "It's been a very colorful journey, I remember the rainbow colors of GMA when I do this. It's hard not to look back to the experiences, now that you have no work. I can't just leave my kids at home, I'm so happy and feel very rewarding to be still here in the industry. I didn't get to experience to be a child actor, Pao and I agree that it's better for them to have a private life, to have education, to do projects on the side but want it to be more normal. Even if they are not artists yet, there's social media. I feel both of them should have that for themselves as they are growing. I was able to experience that unlike Pao, which we both think they would prefer, they need to experience life. Anytime naman, if they were to choose to be part of this, we would be there to guide them. Aki wants to dance a lot, but now, he's a little conscious. He wants to post something that he would choose, and he's getting the hang of it."
About working with Pao, she says "Pao and I have worked in small projects already, but if we do have had the chance to make him a contrabida for me, we would probably laugh a lot in scenes, that would be really challenging if it happens. But that's very interesting, we talk about that often. We hope we would be able to produce it on our own, Pao has an eye for producing, we would want to grow as artists and we look forward to that." 

Here's part of our interview with LJ that afternoon

Make sure you follow her social media handles and Artist Center because definitely, she's going to have more projects and guestings this year. You bet you'll see her shine even brighter as she stayed with GMA.

NOBRVND Releases "SEXBOMB GIRL" Under Warner Music

 

Seen the video, and I'm utterly impressed. Rap artist and producer NOBRVND has just released a new single called "Sexbomb Girl" this week, a very light, uplifting and melodic rap song under Warner Music Philippines.

The Sexbomb Girls were an iconic local girl group in the late 90's and was considered the "Best Selling Female Group" of all time. While making this particular single, he was inspired by songs that had their own muse like international artists depicting their perfect woman from girl groups abroad. NOBRVND thought about it and figured, why do that when we have our own iconic ones. He grew up listening to them too, hence the inspiration to make the track with the successful girl group's name on the single as well. He's got lots of influences and judging from the this particular songs vibe, he renders it into something that's catchy, dance-able, made from piano, violin, brass and electronic music. He's already got a multitude of songs released in the past  like “Bakit”, “Langit” and my personal favorite “Sinayang” (which was catchy, vengeful and gives a little feeling of regret).

 

 

Nobrvnd sees this all as a touch of what's to come with his made EP called "Get This Bread". He says “It feels so good to finally finish making this EP. I have worked on this album for so long and I almost thought it wouldn't see the light of day. I really had doubts, and discussed this on the album. I hope people enjoy listening to it, and my music. We're planning to have "Get This Bread" be released around the last week of July."

For more of Nobrvnd's music, you may follow @WarnerMusicPH on social media. Stream his album and this single on all digital platforms and if you dig it, go watch the official music video of "Sexbomb Girl" on YouTube. I'll embed it here.

How To Have a Promising Future for Your Family

Times are hard but that doesn't mean you would veer away from your goals. You still have a family to feed, a house to build, and hopefully, a positive future for your family.

I've been an AIA Philam Life beneficiary and my family has been a testament of what it means to have a prepared future. I'm taking that journey with the Philippines premier life insurance company because their purpose coincides with mine, to live healthier, longer, and have better lives. Recently, their CEO Kelvin Ang and Investment Management Head of Funds Shrikant Bhat shared their secrets on how to manage and secure their finances. As fathers, this was something important to them for the stability of their family.

WHY are you doing it?

 You have to ask that question before you do decide on what your financial goal is. Whether it's for your sons and daughters education, building a house, plainly having a fund in times of emergencies or things you want to do in the future. It should be something you are passionate about. It should give you a reason to strive for your objective.  As Kelvin puts it "It's going to be hard to motivate yourself. Knowing why you are doing this will help you focus on your goals."

ASK the experts

Taking risks is okay, but with the actual future of your family on the line you've got to be more serious about it. Asking the experts would be the best educated decision to do. These days, there are financial advisors with years of experience who would give you sound advice on what to do with your finances. Shrikant says "They know how to asses your financial situation. You need to fully understand that before you decide to engage in purchasing plans and doing investments." This totally makes sense and as much as we hate to go through processes, we need to be sure about this as this involves the people you love.

Start NOW

There's no other time to do things, but now. Yes, you can make mistakes, learn from it, as experience is the best teacher. Your financial situations may take a turn and evolve, but if you do start early, you get to plan ahead. Shrikant adds "It's normal that not all your plans can be fulfilled in one go. You can start small, you must start now. Kids grow and may change your financial situations at any given time, you may start putting more resources re-visit your plans too."

Think LONG TERM

Goals should not all be short term ones. You pay for education and other expenses, but you have to think about what to do if in case you retire. Set aside or invest in yourself too. Focus on your goals, but never forget yourself. Kelvin suggests "Set an amount that would forcibly go to this fund, it will minimize risk and employ maximum returns especially if you're going to be discouraged to withdraw it from your savings."

Always be PREPARED

When emergencies happen, the last thing you would want is to be caught off guard. You have to set aside a fund with around 3-6 months worth of spending so your resources are protected. AIA Philam Life's Future Builder can help you maximize your savings and diversify your investments. This product also gets you basic life insurance for life, disability and personal accidents. You can also enjoy Philam Life's wellness program, Philam Vitality. If you want to know more about it, you may start here.

Visit AIA Philam Life's Facebook page as they also have lots of information there.

IKEA Family Membership Starts on JULY 7

 

IKEA, the biggest one in the world is set to open soon in the Philippines. The thing is, they're letting you in on the fun before you enjoy the ready to assemble furniture, appliances, accessories and meatballs that the brand is known for. It's called IKEA Family.

IKEA Family is a home furnishing club that's already 150 Million strong around the world. This membership will be free starting July 7, best for those who would want to make their homes their passion. You can also use it for help as members would get perks, points on purchases, benefits and experiences to be given all year round, a thing that you should be loving on the day it opens on the 4th quarter of 2021.

IKEA Family members will get the chance to earn, redeem points and enjoy special prices so if you're building your. Membership is FREE, go family.ikea.com.ph and click join now. Fill up the details and register on that day (IKEA Family Day), it's that easy to join. To celebrate, they'll be picking three winners will get 50,000 pesos shopping spree, that would be a whole lot of furniture if you ask me. Members will also get special rates on the IKEA menu, with their world famous meatballs on hand, you'll need that. More so because it's really good.

It would be like a city, you would find inspiration for what you need. You would need comfortable shoes, walk around 4 hours and get acquainted to pick pieces that would fit your design aesthetic. Most of their products present minimalist. Members will get invites to events, as you'll get email for these special days and it'll be about life at home. There will also be "Circle of Life" items that you will get to see, so you get educated about what happens to a product when it is manufactured. Now remember, they plan to onboard about 100,000 people on this day. For those who will be able to join, they'll get a chance to win the prizes mentioned above. Winners will be announced on the 10th, so make sure you also follow their official social media channels. With a lifetime membership, you'll absolutely love it! So if you love IKEA, make sure you're in!

By the way, IKEA is pronounced as Eeekehyah not Aykeeyah. See you online then!