The 5th Ortigas ART Festival: A Spectacle of Expression and Creativity

The 5th Ortigas ART Festival just started at the Estancia Mall at Capitol Commons in Pasig City. This was attended by the who's who in the art scene, several art gallery personalities, those in fashion and the Ortigas family who's heavily involved in this movement. They want art to be accessible for Filipinos, and what better way to do that but now.

Architect Renee Bacani VP for Ortigas Malls says "We are grateful for you to join us on the 5th year of the Ortigas Art Festival. We were requested a space for artists to showcase their works, and this is how the event came about. We won 2 international awards for making Ortigas properties more accessible to people. We present to you a bigger and bolder Ortigas Art Festival with photography, film, Fashion, Music, artwork and more. We look forward to more years of this for more years to come. Thank you for sparking joy to our patrons."

This is a platform for artists to showcase their works, and have it be seen by people from all walks of life. They want art to become part of the daily lives of Filipinos. There were lots of art installations, sculptures, all free of charge to see at Estancia Mall in Pasig City. There are also seminars and workshops for collectors on how to take care of artworks, and hope you also get to know various Filipino artists from July 7 to August 7, 2022.

"The previous years were a challenge to Ortigas Malls, and the event concentrated on Filipino artists. At the height of the pandemic, we got help from participating galleries, FDCP. The best place is this mall, accessible to everyone. From performance art, art workshops, exhibition center, a whole art ecosystem is here. Art is a catalyst for enlightenment, and this is a good thing." says Renato Habulan, Ortigas Art Festival's Lead Curator

Liza Diño the Chair of FDCP says "It's an honor to celebrate with you face to face. For many of us who lived in lockdowns, we watched, we read and remained creative. Art protects us from harm, this is a noble cause for expressions of the human spirit. The vertical cinema contest is doing shorts asking "Kamusta Ka Na?" to incite hope, change, in this month long festival. Highly acclaimed titles will be seen and highlighted and we hope through Ortigas Art Festival, we show our love for films. We provide ways to educate, learn before artists make films and we will have several noted film makers, screenwriters to do seminars during the month. This will bring cinema much closer to the public."

Gil Granado of the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines says "We have come a long way in fashion . We appreciate art, the pandemic has slowed us down but we continue to strike back. Art and fashion is the lifeline of culture. We dedicate this event to the 40 years of FDAP, thank you to Ortigas Inc, and all our fashion patrons."

If you want to know more about the event, download the Ortigas Malls app and register to get their card to get perks from participating malls or visit OrtigasMalls.com. Best of all, these activities are FREE so there's no reason for you not to come.

Monsoon Season Won't Ruin Your Tagaytay Highlands Experience

When it's summer, people flock to cold regions in the Philippines and the closest one from the metro is Tagaytay. During monsoon months, people think it might be a different story but no, lucky are those who live in Tagaytay Highlands because they're still enjoying the cold weather without compromising food, entertainment, activities in the area.

Theirs is a whole refuge perfect for rest and recreation, the complex itself has several walkways and unbelievable vistas overlooking the world renowned volcano and lush vegetation plus a golf course that could rival the best in the world. From Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club and Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club, you can hit a tee or two to further your skills, or just have it be your time to relax after a whole week of working in the city. After all, it'll take you a while to conquer a 27-hole exclusive golf course, and perhaps months to get used to as it is very challenging.

For adrenaline junkies, there's several mountain trekking activities that you and your family could do plus several gustatory destinations as Tagaytay Highlands have restaurants serving the best Filipino dishes, dry aged steak, dimsum, that come from heirloom recipes and served for you. If you work in different time zones, there's several 24/7 establishments that can serve comfort food, coffee, that you and your loved ones could feast on if needed be. All can be found at Midlands Golfers Lounge or the stores at Gourmet Avenue.

Members, residents and guests are assured that you are secure and safe in this place and has been proven so by the safety seal that Tagaytay City Government awarded last year. With a heavily awarded real estate developer SM Prime Holdings, they continue to serve and uphold safety standards so everyone remains safe inside the property. Who wouldn't want to go here right? World class facilities, dreamy place, a place you can also call home soon. That's Tagaytay Highlands for you!

LG Showcases New Monitors and Gives to PH Naval Air Wing

Took a short trip to BGC a few days ago for an epic event from our friends at LG Philippines. They're showcasing their latest monitors and surely, I was already drooling of the huge ones on display on our table because I've been dreading to get one for gaming purposes especially for Valorant and GTA V. I also work with the same setup and having something that can accommodate all the windows for programs and files that I need to function especially when there's a lot to write about. So far, I love what I'm seeing from them. In this TOP GUN themed party, it was fit to see their most technologically advanced monitors and they used it legibly in different scenarios.

From spreadsheets, work related stuff, movies, graphics, they all displayed quite nicely at the event which was also attended by celebrities. Andrei Felix hosted the event and one by one, other celebrities like Eric Tai aka Eruption, PBA's LA Tenorio, Photographer par excellance Magic Liwanag, actress Myrtle Sarrosa and all around performer Gab Valenciano took us around for a tour to look at what's new with LG monitors. 

They used the 32GQ950 OLED Monitor for a race car game and it performed well under these conditions. The LG UltraGear 32GQ950 had 4K resolution, details were on point, the 144Hz refresh rate was something gamers like me would benefit in especially in first person shooting games where lag is an enemy. It also has very nice output as blacks and whites are deeper and brighter, you won't be asking for adjustments right from the start. They also used the 48GQ900 OLED Monitor for console games, and because it's got faster response time and higher refresh rate, you'll see your character take action as soon as keypress happens, no delays in platform games or 1v1 modes because it can keep up with you. You can also see less glare and reflection, something that is quite important especially when you are editing images on the screen on normal work days. Photographer Magic Liwanag showcased the LG Dual Up 28MQ780-B which he uses on portrait mode, beneficial for creatives who would want to see the whole picture then work with a lot of other things while you're rendering videos of events on the side. Myrtle Sarrosa on the other hand loves the 29WP500-B 29-inch which is a 21:9 ratio UltraWide monitor. It gives her more than enough immersive experience when she's playing her favorite games on PC plus do her tasks if she needs to do office work on the side. Gab on the other hand enjoys the LG UltraGear 32GN500 because it gets all those ghosting problems gone as it utilizes NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium at start, something people used to pay for to make things better. There were lots more in the event but I got a little excited when real NAVY personnel came in and met with Sungjae Kim the Managing Director for LG Philippines.

They even used this setup with a real flight simulator software, like the real deal.

LG Executives went up the stage and announced something good, they gave 30 LG UltraGear 32GN500 monitor units to the Naval Air Wing of the Philippine Navy that was also there for the occasion. That part was really touching to give these quality monitors to people that serve the country, in my books, that's huge especially knowing that they'll be able to help a lot of communities with it. 

Real Pilots Appeared!

Congratulations to LG Philippines and to the men and women who organized this event M360 PR+Activations Agency. Haven't had fun in a while so this was something really good to experience physically, after being stuck at home for a number of years because of this pandemic, thank you!

ROCCO and MELISSA NACINO Launches MAMA LUNA

 

Meet the Nacino's, Actor Rocco and Volleybelle Melissa

 I've been really looking forward seeing Rocco Nacino and his wife Melissa Gohing-Nacino all these months since they've announced that they're having a baby. Recently, they divulged it's going to be a baby boy, and have yet to choose a name and settled for a temporary one called Baby N. Rocco just finished building his dream home, and are making headway finishing the baby room in the next few weeks. He also is a bit busy with a few acting projects and shared an international one which he hopes would bear fruit soon. Aside from that, Rocco and Melissa were busy with this brand they're working on with popular Direct Selling company Orabella. It's a family line called Mama Luna.

Anne Acuna VP for External Marketing of Orabella says "This was developed with Rocco and Melissa, and is part of our Mama Luna series. They have been heavily involved in developing this product. Orabella is one of the fast growing direct selling companies in the Philippines. We made sure this new line called Mama Luna is safe for babies and children. This rejuvenates, moisturize, affordable and is easy to use. Orabella also is in the business of helping others, a brand that you can trust. We've been  producing sustainable products for the whole family."

Melissa and Rocco Nacino says "We are for family care, for mommies, for daddies, it's been hard to keep it a secret but we've gone through a lot launching this product. Thank you to GMA for setting this up especially Sparkle. We got this idea when we got pregnant, we didn't know that there are products that we're not really allowed to use. We need something that would be safe for the family. Orabella has access online and through shopping apps. We experienced that there are products out there, but they're usually too expensive, Filipinos need access to it so we worked with Orabella to make sure Filipino moms are at their best in their pregnancy."

Phytosense Conditioning Shampoo has coconut based ingredients, crecatin, helps hairfall defense, chamomile so we don't get stressed. Melissa had to use it to check the smell, texture, especially at the first trimester. Hair feels either thicker or thinner because of the hormonal changes, and this prolongs the growth of hair.

Phytosense Bath Gel - There are a lot of chemicals that are not good for pregnant women, this is part of Mama Luna line. For those who have skin that tend to dry out right after a shower, this would be good for your skin. If you have dry skin, hypersensitive, and have textural changes, this would take care of you. This has AmiSoft that's got nourishing amino acids that repairs, replenishes and boosts moisture on the skin. This would hasten skin elasticity so you don't have much stretchmarks.

Phytosense Body Lotion is safe to use for pregnant women. This has sunflower oil, vitamins A C and D, Aloe Vera Juice to prevent hyper-pigmentation, and organic Chamomile Essense to reduce redness and relieve inflammation. This is best for body acne so you get less over production of oil, clogged pores. People can now have income selling this, and it is also environmentally friendly. This is very competitive, locally made, very affordable. The wheat straw packaging is renewable, a good alternative to plastic, FDA approved, is hypoallergenic, biodegradable in 3 to 6 months, very recyclable and re-moldable.

Resellers, and dealers especially in Antipolo will be handled personally by the couple. They have partnered with Orabella for this.

 

Rocco mentions "We went with Orabella because of their huge online presence, we were fans of lotions for working out. We were happy customers on day 1. When they do product development, they know how to work with everyone. They are for the people, and they think out of the box. They have expertise in developing products, they are our partners. It was months of planning, lots of yes and no, nights of thinking about it. This is now a fruitful partnership."
 
He adds "It was very exciting for us, but I was in locked in taping. We were trying a lot before that, we went on a vacation, we were relaxed and spent time. Mel knew about it while I was away, she surprised me. I got anxious, I did overthink a lot but we talked to our OB. Being a nurse, I had difficulty talking to people. Mel is blooming, we're officially having a boy!"

Rocco and Melissa are expecting a Boy <3

Melissa says "We tested our relationship early on because we couldn't agree on the name yet. I handle pedia wards and knew what Mommies go through especially with their skin. I went out and asked what their problems were while they are pregnant. It made us stronger, I realized that he's the best partner in any business. I became a lot clingy, I really needed to see him by video calling him every time he had a locked in taping. Adjusting to not being active after being an athlete was really hard, it made me anxious. I'm  thankful that Rocco was there, he's very helpful whenever I'm sad or just at home. I cried once because I was just there, but he took me to IKEA in a wheelchair and that made me happy! Mentally I'm in information overload, but we're going to be in a class for this by the end of the month, we'll attend that physically, but we have already made arrangements online. We have the same mantra, very workaholic, but we support each other. A supportive partner is very important. When we got married, we checked a lot of things in our bucket list first. When we establish these three products, we'll be coming out with more especially the Antipolo franchise to support resellers, distributors of Orabella in our own locale. We want to be a one stop shop for families, they don't have to look anywhere else if they need product for parents."

Rocco told us "I have ventured into businesses before, with restaurants, boxing gyms, and this is our new baby. We know that Moms need these products, Orabella knew how important this is for them. I'm always for experience, and will be dedicating with Mel on this business. I'm taping for another show, this will be multi-tasked. We are preparing the Baby Room, we are watching our weight, the next few months will be busy as we wait for Baby N to come. Every time he kicks, I watch her tummy. He likes rock music and we are excited for him. She is at her third trimester, and it's just gonna be a few weeks more to see him. We have different lifestyles, Mel misses volleyball, I'll be very supportive of her. I wanted to act on things while the idea was fresh, Mel's pregnancy was really attracting brands as an influencer. This is the time to grow with our brand as a family, we saw the demand for products like these and Mel tried all of it. It passed her standards which is why we went for it. These will be accessible through Shopee and Lazada."

This is not just good news for the couple, but for every Filipino Mom, Dad and Baby who's now got choices when it comes to safe products pre and post pregnancy. It doesn't have to be expensive when you're bringing a child into this world, and if you are thinking of gifting someone, this would be a good place to start. Congratulations Rocco and Melissa on your new venture with Orabella! Can't wait to see Baby N soon!