ARJO ATAYDE Runs for Congress in QC's 1st District

Yes, ladies and gentlemen... the internationally acclaimed actor and head honcho of Feelmaking Productions is taking his passion for service a notch higher as he filed his certificate of candidacy today as he runs for a seat in congress for the 1st District of Quezon City.

Present during his appearance in Intramuros, Manila was his mother Ms. Sylvia Sanchez and Mr. Art Atayde. He was also flanked by current Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. Arjo reiterated "The pandemic has made me realize that I needed to be the person to provide service to the people in my district. I've been really interested in doing this since highschool and the COVID situtaion made me ask when and how. I know the public deserves leaders that are sincere, the dignity and compassion to serve the people. Everyone deserves help."

He was also asked about Maine and said that she fully supports his decision to run in District 1. The district by the way is composed of 142 Barangays and he's planning to champion causes for healthcare, employment and education. Ms. Sylvia also stated "I told him that I will support him, he needs to serve his constituents well, not fool anyone or steal otherwise I'll throw him a punch!" she said jokingly. Arjo says "Trust that I will serve District 1 of Quezon City well. I will not fool them, nor will I steal from the city's coffers."

That statement alone is a testament of his eagerness to serve, you guys and gals from District 1 are lucky.

Thyroid Care and How To Walk The Healthy Path

Checking your Thyroid (image from Mercgroup website)

Thyroid disease has been in my Father's side of the family for generations. According to health some studies, there's a greater likelihood that problems with it is somewhat hereditary. Early signs include digestive problems, mood swings, weight fluctuations, skin issues, difficulty in changing weather, vision probs, hair loss or memory problems. It can be caused by your thyroid having difficulties in making the right amount of hormones that will keep your body from functioning normally. If it's causing your body to use energy quickly, it's hyperthyroidism. If it doesn't do it much, it can easily make you tired, gain weight and not stand the cold weather. There are a lot of people affected by thyroid disease and anyone, of any age, can be a part of that statistic.

In a recent event I attended about Thyroid Care: Walking the Healthy Path, Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus Jr. who currently is the President of the Philippine Thyroid Association says "The country has seen a rise in Thyroid disease since 1993 including goiter. It happens more than that of diabetes, which is about 9 out of 100."

They also stated a WHO study that indicates that it's the 7th most common cancer type in the country next to cervical cancer. Leading pharmaceutical company Merck hosted the event. Dr. Adrian Fernando of the Head and Neck Unit of Benavides Cancer Institute at the UST Hospital says "The rise in Thyroid Cancer cases is attributed mostly to genetics. It is also caused by increasingly unhealthy lifestyle. We need to make everyone aware and improve the current cancer registry so we can implement management guidelines."

We learned that most of these thyroid disorders though can actually be treated especially if they are detected at an early stage. This is done by medically supervised head and neck exams and using ultrasound for the thyroid area. If you have lumps or nodules in this place, it may lead to cancer so it's best to consult a doctor if you see any issues. They could conduct blood tests and check for abnormal amount of T4/T3 hormones. Henry Wilson, the President and Managing Director for Healthcare at Merck says "Our research and development efforts are funded well and is capable of creating the best medicines and treatments for thyroid disease. You can start taking care of yourself by living a healthy lifestyle, eating iodine rich food. Start with fish, dairy, and lessen radiation (your exposure to it).

If you want to know more about Thyroid care, they have put up lots of information on their Umansking Your Thyroid Facebook page. They also suggest you to visit Thyroid.ph and thyroidaware.com if you need to check for symptoms, there's a lot of resources on these sites. As doctors say, you should always seek doctors advise, they've studied years for it so you get professional help.

It was a good day to learn about thyroid health.

Meet the Movement Called GLOPM

In the eve of Filipinos making huge strides in the music industry, it's time to go global as Warner Music Philippines launches this movement called "GLOPM".

WMP Managing Director Sarah Ismail says "GLOPM is a collaborative movement to promote Filipino talent around the world. Now, we have Filipino artists who have been able to work and connect with international producers and this is why we should support GLOPM! The Filipino artist is truly world class!"

Warner Music Philippines A&R Manager Kelley Mangahas adds "The initiative will enhance the release of music, to learn from each other. We wanted to break through the international scene. We realized, we needed to learn best practices, it's knowledge transfer from people who have done it internationally."

Filipino Canadian Producer August Rigo (who did great work Justin Bieber and BTS among other great international artists) said "There are so many of us down here in North America but for sure there's a disconnect somewhere that there's actual talent in the Philippines. I feel like we should connect. I just think the girls (Leanne and Naara) have amazing talent, I feel I really trust the music they're creating. Usually what happens is that they send me a demo vocal, I kinda take that and mold it to a direction that puts the song out, we're like 10,000 miles away and it's a very collaborative effort. They trust what they are bringing to the table, I feel that they're not even in the beginning of their potential. They have so much to offer with their music. It's not like throwing in the international sound, we had to take music rooted in the Philippines and it's a great time to tap back into our culture. We keep a piece of that. These girls, they really did a thing about that."  

Leanne and Naara says "Hello everyone! We're very excited because even in the start of our career, we wanted to push Filipino talent outside the country. We're very grateful to be part of it. We're on the way to introducing it outside, globally, hopefully continuously so they could appreciate how much it'll go. It's very easy to work with August Rigo, he was fast, he got the vibe. We sent him a couple of songs, we went on the studio and worked on it and recorded a voice note so he knows the direction of the song. It was awesome to see that. In some way, we created this bond beyond music. It's easy for us to work together because there's no ego at all, it's the passion we share for music, I feel good to hear what he has to say. He's very down to earth, we find chemistry, it's smooth sailing because of that. It is part of the plan to release early next year an EP, hope everything turns out good. Please support GLOPM, Anticipation is just one of the songs in this album, we're very happy to be part of it. Thanks to everyone who has been part of this! To be honest, I love the guitar riffs, I was like in the zone. I love how we played around to release tension."

 

 

The GLOPM album also includes "Back to the Times" by artists REON (Reanne and Noah). Music video was shot in Ormoc, Leyte. I could liken it to Imagine Dragons, pretty cool stuff. They worked with producer Xerxes Bakker (EU/Nordic based Grammy Award Nominated Music Producer).

 

Artist Quest told us proudly that "Being part of the GLOPM campaign, I am very excited because its long overdue. We're flooded with world class talent, I could tell 20 other ones that can take over my place. I'm part of the pioneer roster, I'm sure it's going to be more in the lineup, I'm excited to every other deserving OPM artist. I worked with KUYA Productions, I thought they were the missing piece, it took us three zoom meetings to finish one song, amazing because I now understand the level of talent they put in. I learned the ins and outs, Sammy and Bobby are two amazing guys. Yes they are international producers, but they're beautiful partners to have. (Tee, Sammy, Bobby, and Ian of KUYA Productions). We had this concept and idea, they modernized it."

KUYA Productions Sammy G adds "We weren't really presented with the opportunity before, what's great is that they're connecting Filipino artists with world class talents. Please support these songs, we're excited to put out more stuff!"

 

Catriona Gray says "It's challenging to be an artist during these times, it's difficult to remain inspired, you don't get to interact, you don't get to travel, but you have the opportunity to think deeper, to learn more about myself in a deeper context. I am drawn to emotional music, in a way, it's allowed me to become emotionally driven. I haven't written, this process was a bit hard, we took months to work with Kabu and wanting to have more affirmation in a relationship is something that is relatable to anyone, it's a love language and you have to work on it every single day. It's an easy collaboration, the result is something to be proud of! Love Language is available now on streaming platforms!"

Sydney based Producer Cabu adds "No matter what effort Cat puts here is crazy. She came to Sydney to record, it was smooth and super open to ideas. She was doing it so fast took easy, it was amazing, I was nervous. Thanks to Cat and Alex at Warner. I am thankful to be part of GLOPM!"

The way to support this movement is easy, listen to every track they come out with and enjoin others to do the same. Support the artists, support the music, and let the world know how Filipino music is worthy of praise. I learned a lot about music production and passion comes in play, they're just full of that and you can't discount what we've known all along, the Filipino is world class. The world hasn't realized how great and talented our people are. They will know soon. Kudos to Warmer Music for taking initiative.

Cooking with Truffle Is NOT Complicated

I'm a Truffle buff and I'm not afraid to cook with it. I'm also the first one in line to have dishes with it, because for the fun part, I'm crazy obsessed with it. 

Cooking for it must be a mystery for most people, but let me tell you a simple rule. If you are cooking with truffle, use the black variety. If you are using it for a salad or finishing something like soups or dishes, use the white kind because it doesn't need heat for the flavor to permeate. With that in mind, the good people over at UMBRIA are suggesting two new dishes which you can serve your family and friends. Let's introduce these two recipes and get straight to business.

 Beef Mushroom Sandwich

Ingredients: 30 grams Sukiyaki Cut Beef, 50 grams Portabella Mushrooms, a table spoon of soy sauce, Mayonnaise, a good crusty bread, Umbria Truffle Oil and Worcestershire Sauce.

Marinate the beef with soy and Worcestershire sauce (overnight if possible) but 30 mins would do. Cook it with butter, mushrooms, season with salt and black pepper. Put mayo on bread, when beef caramelizes, add mushrooms. Salt to taste, then finish the beef with a little Umbria Truffle oil after placing it on top of bread. Remember, a little goes a long way.

 Potato Leek Soup with Truffle

Ingredients: 3 Medium sized potatoes, 35 grams of leeks, 750ml chicken or vegetable stock, 125 ml of Cream, White Pepper, Umbria Truffle Oil

Peel potatoes and cut into slices, chop up leeks and saute on hot pan with butter. When leeks become wilted, add potatoes, stir it in til it crumbles. Add broth, salt and pepper to taste. Put it into a blender or use an immersion blender if you have one. Add in cream, mix thoroughly (not to boil so it gets creamy). Put a few fresh leeks on top, crunchy bacon (if you have it) and about a half teaspoon of Umbria Truffle Oil. Put this on the side of the sandwich we prepared earlier, and it's a meal you'll love for sure!

Make sure you enjoy your time at home and prepare food for them, your family and friends will surely love it because the one who prepared it is YOU. Truffle is NOT complicated, think of it as perfume when you're about to go out on a date, but you're just putting it on a plate. Umbria is distributed in the Philippines by Dygen Food Ventures Inc. which is under Dyna Drug Corporation. It's available at https://goodwill.market/ which you can order online with.

Trust me on the truffle.