SM MALLS IN BULACAN INSTILL THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOK READING

SM City San Jose Del Monte turned its event area into a mini playschool where Grade school students from Tungkong Mangga Elementary School gathered to listen to stories about Duck and Crocodiles.

JULY 17 – In celebration of the National Children’s Book Reading Day, SM Malls in Bulacan conducted a storytelling activity to promote and rediscover the joy of reading books to the pupils of their chosen Public Elementary School.

Bulakeño kids had fun while learning as guest storytellers were invited to bring stories to life and to share the moral lessons to students aged 4-8 year old. “Book reading is a celebration of learning. In this day and age when videos and pictures are becoming more prevalent, we must commit to enforce reading to our children, who will be our future leaders” SM City San Jose del Monte Mall Manager Jose Mari Emmanuel H.Correa said.

Kicking off the two-part storytelling was the reading of Robert Magnuson’s Duck and Croc Meet Collector Alligator, an inspiring story about Duck and Croc, who are best of friends. The kids joined in their adventure on how Duck teaches Croc in using their imagination after not finding a Pixie Horse toy that Collector Alligator hoards from every single store.

Actress, TV Host, and anchor Diane Medina graced the storytelling and share lessons not only to the children but also to the teachers and guardians present in the celebration. “It is important that we bring back our children into book reading in which they could get proper information and could widen their vocabulary. Please help SM raise this awareness on how important book reading is, especially in today’s generation that we are living in a much modernized world where everything and everyone is in technology.” Medina shares after reading the first story.

Actress, TV Host, and anchor Diane Medina shares the importance of reading books and imagination during the National Children’s Book Reading Day at SM City San Jose Del Monte.

Meanwhile, the second story, Duck and Croc’s Magnificent Race also by Robert Magnuson, was read by SM City San Jose del Monte’s Leasing Manager, Ms. Michelle Balcueva, wherein the kids witness the most exciting race and learned the meaning of a healthy competition.

SM City San Jose del Monte Leasing Manager take a break at office to serve as a storyteller during the National Children’s Book Reading Day

The event was also highlighted the turnover of books, pencils, other reading materials to the Tungkong Mangga Elementary School. And as an added treat, each participants received a snack meal and an entertainment from a famous Filipino fast food chain mascot. Moreover, SM City Baliwag, and SM Center Pulian also inspires students from Tarcan Elementary School, Bulacan North Central School, Sto. Cristo Elementary School, and Marciano Del Rosario Memorial Elementary School with the same inspiring stories.

A student of Tungkong Mangga Elementary School immediately read the book he received from the program during the National Children’s Book Reading Day at SM City San Jose Del Monte.

Grade school students of Tungkong Mangga Elementary School actively participated in the ice breaker question and answer game during the celebration of the National Children’s Book Reading Day at SM City San Jose Del Monte.

SM Center Pulilan is one in the celebration of the National Children’s Book Reading Day, giving learning books to their beneficiary schools Sto. Cristo Elementary School and Marciano Del Rosario Memorial Elementary School.

SM City Marilao’s celebration of book reading is on July 24.Spearheaded by SM Cares, the National Children’s Book Reading Day (NCBRD) celebration is held in all SM Malls every 3 rd Tuesday of July in commemoration of the publication of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s classic, “Ang Pagong at ang Matsing”. It is a joint project of Vibal Publishing, Inc. National Book Store, Department of Education, UNICEF, and SM Supermalls to influence, instill and share a culture of reading among children.

Inspired student beneficiaries of SM Center Pulilan meticulously scans through their new books at the celebration of the National Children’s Book Reading Day.

Reyna ng Singkaban 2017 Lady Justerinnie Santos read before the students of Tarcan Elementary School and Bulacan North Central School, the beneficiaries of this year’s National Childrens Book Reading Day at SM City Baliwag.

The happy faces of Tarcan Elementary School students while holding some new books they received at the National Children’s Book Reading Day on SM City Baliwag.

This year’s National Children’s Book Reading Day at SM City Baliwag brought happiness to 60 beneficiary students. Books given were themed in different learning areas to promote rediscovery of reading among students.

Super Sarap, Super Busog, Super Sulit!

Remember the days when you couldn’t decide what to order among your favorite Jollibee meals? Well, you can now enjoy more of your Jollibee offerings in one plate with the new Chickenjoy and Burger Steak bundles! 

Now, choosing among your favorite Jollibee meals is easy because you can have them in a single value meal. Indulge in the crispylicious, juicylicious goodness of Chickenjoy paired with gravy and rice and the 100% beefy-linamnam Burger Steak patty with its signature mushroom gravy. Still feeling hungry? You can choose to add the cheesiest, meatiest, sweet-sarap Jolly Spaghetti to round out your super busog, super sulit meals, and both of which come with a drink!

“The new meal bundles are the perfect choice for those who want all their Jollibee all-time favorites in one plate” shares Cathleen Capati, Jollibee AVP and Group Category Head for Flagships. “By coming up with these new hunger fill meals, there will definitely be a lot more diners walking out of Jollibee with a wider, more satisfied smile on their faces.”

These 2 new exciting bundles are available in all Jollibee stores nationwide for dine-in, take-out, delivery, and drive-thru:

• Chickenjoy with Burger Steak Value Meal (P130.00*). 1pc. Chickenjoy & 1pc. Burger Steak with rice, gravy, and regular drink
• Chickenjoy with Burger Steak and Half Jolly Spaghetti Super Meal (P150.00*). 1pc.  Chickenjoy, 1pc. Burger Steak, and half-serving of Jolly Spaghetti with rice, gravy, and regular drink

Moreover, you can continue enjoying other super busog, super sulit, super meals which include:

• Chickenjoy with Jolly Spaghetti and Shanghai Super Meal (P130.00*). One-piece Chickenjoy, a serving of Jolly Spaghetti, and three pieces of Shanghai with rice, gravy, and regular drink
• Yumburger with Jolly Spaghetti and Regular Jolly Crispy Fries Super Meal (P99.00*). One Yumburger, a serving of Jolly Spaghetti, and regular Jolly Crispy Fries with regular drink

For more information on Jollibee latest products and promos, like Jollibee Philippines on Facebook and follow @Jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.

* Prices may vary across different locations

THE PEARLS AND PERILS OF BLIND DATING

In the age of mobile dating apps, blind dates may seem like a thing of the past. Still, meeting a
complete stranger thanks to a matchmaking friend or family has its charm. Just imagine the thrill of
mystery as you nervously await the big reveal at a fancy restaurant. Not all blind dates end in
romance, though, but the lack of expectations that come with online dating has a way of opening
minds and hearts to a lasting relationship.

The Good
With a good matchmaker who personally knows both parties, there’s a better chance of meeting
someone compatible with you. No need to sift through profiles to find someone who interests or is
interested in you. All you have to do is show up and have fun!

The Bad
Shy? There’s no getting-to-know stage prior the meet-up unlike with dating apps. You also won’t
know how the other person looks like until you see each other. On the other hand, your possible
date would probably be just as anxious, so relax and focus on bringing out your best self.

The Ugly
Any date comes with the risk of disaster. Just scour the Internet and you’ll find plenty of horror
stories, from total creepers with bizarre fetishes to those getting matched with an ex—you’d wonder
if the matchmaker was playing a prank. At least you’ll have something juicy to tell your friends
afterwards.
Regardless of the outcome, blind dates bring a sense of adventure to the quest for love. If you
haven’t tried them, you can catch a lot of examples from the British reality television show First
Dates. The show involves maître d’ Fred Sirieix and his crew pairing romantic hopefuls over dinner at
Central London’s Paternoster Chop House in hopes of getting them to fall in love. Awkward, funny,
passionate, and sometimes painful, each scenario is a story worth watching.
Want a sneak peek of what goes on in a blind date? First Dates air every Tuesday at 8:50PM, first
and exclusive on Blue Ant Entertainment.
For more updates, follow Blue Ant Entertainment at www.facebook.com/BlueAntEntertainment/,
@BlueAntEnt on Twitter, and @BlueAntEntertainment on Instagram.

Resilience is Everything: A Conversation with TOKiMONSTA

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(July 13^th, 2018) MANILA, Philippines – Red Bull Music Academy alumni, TOKiMONSTA (Jennifer Lee) returned to Manila for an intimate discussion at 20:20 Nightclub in Chino Roces, Makati City. The discussion was followed by a hotly energetic performance at the nearby XX XX. For Lee, it was a chance for her to sit down and share her insights with a handful of aspiring, young musicians and producers.

“It’s cool! It’s crazy to think that I have any knowledge to impart on anyone else,” Lee shared. “If I share my experiences with you, then you guys can use that as a short-cut to evolve yourself more as human beings. In 2010, I got to sit in the audience and watch artists I respected speak to me. It help fast-forward my perspective through their experiences. Now I get to sit up here and share with you guys, and hopefully, you guys will get to be up here and share with the next generation.”

A native of Los Angeles, California, Lee was raised as a classically trained pianist and would begin creating beats during her time in college. In 2010, she was invited to London for the Red Bull Music Academy. In the time since, Lee has released a string of successful albums under the name, TOKiMONSTA.

“I think that when you make something personal as music, you’re not making it for other people,” Lee began. “You’re making the music as an expression of yourself and your own creativity. And it’s very vulnerable. You’re sharing some part of yourself that’s expressive. When you go to different countries and you see that people are resonating with your music, that means they resonate with a very deep side of you. I’m really humbled by it. And I get to see people also enjoy the music that I make and the shows that I perform. It’s a shared experience by all these different cultures. You start to see this commonality between everyone.”

The Creative Process

Lee discussed her creative process, which the artist admitted that the creation of any piece of music compels total vulnerability. “When you’re vulnerable, you’re trying to show a part of yourself that’s not inhibited. And in a lot of ways, we are all susceptible to trends and influences. It’s very risky to be vulnerable. It’s very risky to express yourself in a way that shows everyone something different. Vulnerability is very much hand-in-hand with being unique and having a unique sound.”

This allowed Lee to really share the inner workings of her creative process. “Focus is really a point of contention. The commonality is that creatives tend to be very unfocused people, you know? I can’t force myself to make music if I’m not in the mood to do it. None of the music that comes out will sound inspired. So I can take upwards of several weeks not making any music, but then once inspiration hits, I’ll lay down five tracks in a week. And once I start a song, it’s very easy for me to discover that I’m very motivated to finish. I’ll work for about eight hours straight. That’s just the way that I work, everyone is different. You can’t force the focus, I guess. You just have to be inspired!”

Becoming a Brand

While the creation of music is often the most attractive aspect of the job for many musicians, the process of putting their music out there can be very demanding.

“You have to learn to be comfortable with yourself, because what are you going to do with all this music if no one can hear it? It’s all relative”, said Lee. “Social media is a great avenue for self-promotion in a way that wasn’t available to people twenty years ago- it was all record labels. Now if you’re on SoundCloud and you’re making really good music, you can find avenues to share your music with other people.”

As far as Lee is concerned, surviving as a successful musician in the 21^st century means becoming a lifestyle brand in-and-of-your own body of work. “Music has become a lifestyle brand. You as an artist aren’t just the music that you make. You’re your music, you’re your personality, taste in artwork, preferences, you share so much of yourself (on social media).”

Resiliency

Ultimately, as Lee revealed, the secret of every successful artist is resilience. “Resilience is everything. If you’re not resilient, every blow is going to hit you so much harder. A lot of it isn’t always awesome. The circumstances of our environment, the county that we live in, the people we’re around, it’s not always going to be great. At the same time, there are tons of things that are amazing. It’s not easy, but it’s finding that inner power in yourself – that confidence and that drive. But understand it’s okay to feel all these emotions. But you can’t hold on to them. You can’t sulk.”

As a female Asian-American artist in her genre, Lee’s career as TOKiMONSTA has been filled with a number of challenges, “The challenge has changed over the years. At the very beginning, I wasn’t very common. But my music was up to the standard of my male peers and all my male peers respected the music that I made. And even though I don’t set out to be an example, as an Asian female, I want to show that I’m making decisions. I want to be normal. I want to make music on the same level for everyone else.”

The biggest challenge for Lee, however, was returning to the stage after her battle with Moya Moya disease, a neurological disease that required Lee to undergo two surgeries that temporary impaired her ability to communicate and make music.

“As time passed, the memory of how do things came back to me. So when I started going back out and playing shows, the most challenging part was the more emotional and mental part,” Lee shared. “I had isolated myself from everyone for two months. I had social anxiety. I couldn’t stay out for a long time.  I became very sensitive. To go from not seeing everyone for a while, to a very traumatic experience, to playing in front of 20,000 people at Coachella, it’s quite a big schism to cross.”

Performing Live

For Jennifer Lee, the process of creating a song isn’t just about capturing a single moment or an emotion. It’s about creating an experience, an adventure told through rushing bodies across the dancefloor.

“I do hope that whenever people listen and come to my shows, they understand my intentions for the experience. Not my intentions for them as individuals,” Lee began. “Again, there’s this sense of relating to each other, that we can understand the feeling and emotions in the music. What’s meant to be more sensitive or hyper, you can understand that those were the moods that I was in. I want the music to be cathartic for myself and I want to share it with you, in case that it might bring you some peace.”

Yet, despite all her success, Lee is aware that her music is not for everyone. And that’s something she has shown comfort in.

“I don’t want to force a feeling on anyone. Everyone is allowed to feel what they want to feel. If you don’t like it, cool,” said Lee. “When I preform, we’re going to have an experience together that’s shared. At the end of the day, we’ll know that we went through a whole trip together and experience that together, whatever that feeling was. These are all unique experiences and there’s no way I’m going to recreate the experience that I’m going to have tonight.”

By combining her passion for creating musical experiences to her “never give up” attitude, Jennifer Lee/TOKiMONSTA has become one of the most widely respected acts in her genre. As an alumni of the Red Bull Music Academy, Lee continues to travel all over the world to share her music and her knowledge with the next generation of producers.

“My number one advice for anyone is to be yourself. Be unique. Hear your own voice. Just be yourself. Don’t be like everyone else. Everyone else already exists. You want to set yourself apart. You want to be someone with some level of integrity.”

JAMBA JUICE SHOWS OFF THE BETTER BLENDED LIFE THROUGH ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Over 500 people come together for a weekend of Ultimate frisbee at the first ever Jamba Juice Whirl’d Cup

What do you get when you blend a plastic disc, a diverse community, and a thirst for new experiences? The very first Jamba Juice Whirl’d Cup, of course. Jamba Juice is focused on blending real whole fruits and veggies to create great tasting and refreshing beverages. In its maiden tournament at the Alabang Country Club, Jamba Juice showed how life can be Better Blended as it brought together different kinds of people into a community sharing in the spirit of Ultimate frisbee over smoothies.

For Mark De Joya, Brand Development Director for Jamba Juice, Ultimate frisbee strongly resonates with the brand. “Jamba Juice believes in mixing it up, having a positive energy, and creating rich human experiences. We take unusual combinations and blend them together to create unique experiences for our customers. And that’s what the Whirl’d Cup is about – blending all these components to create a fun, open, inclusive event where people can take part in the growing Ultimate community,” he said.

Ultimate Frisbee, or simply known as Ultimate, has been gaining popularity in the Philippines. It’s a no-contact, self-officiated sport that only really needs a disc and a place to play. No special equipment required, just Spirit. It’s due to this very simple nature that has drawn fans and players from all walks of life.

“Ultimate is about the Spirit of the Game. It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you come from. Anyone can give Ultimate a try, have some fun, learn some new things, and meet great people along the way,” said Pinggoy Bautista, President of the Philippine Flying Disc Association, the official governing body of all disc sports in the country.

This diversity was on full display at the recently concluded  Jamba Juice Whirl’d Cup 2018, as men, women, and children from different backgrounds came together to play, compete, and have fun. Kids as young as 10 years old were throwing discs to veterans of the game who were in their 40s. The tournament had musicians, corporate executives, service professionals, entrepreneurs, and people from other professions – all of whom bonded over smoothies like Jamba’s Piña Colada Refresher – in between their matches.

Bullet Dumas, a musician and math teacher, has been in the game for several years now and has blended his artistic interests with his love of the game. “You don’t normally associate musicians with sports but with Ultimate, anyone can play. I’ve come to appreciate Ultimate as an art as well – the skill and movement has a certain grace to it,” he noted in Filipino.

There was no shortage of new players as well, who were welcomed with open arms by the community. Survivor castaway and all-around dad Chuckie Dreyfus, a man of diverse talents who is no stranger to mixing it up, played well in his very first foray into Ultimate. “It was a fantastic experience. Considering it was my first time to play, my teammates were so welcoming. In the span of two days, I fell in love with the game and the people,” he said.

It wasn’t all fun and games as the 31 teams battled hard to win. The matches got progressively more intense as the weekend went on. Players were jumping and diving to make crucial plays. In the end, there were 4 teams who emerged champions of their respective brackets: Pancake X (Pool A), DC Brats (Pool B), The Saints (Pool C), and Hux (Pool D).

More than winning and losing, it was all about the spirit of the game. “What really struck me was the sportsmanship and camaraderie. Everyone was competing hard but also encouraging and congratulating other teams. That’s what made me love Ultimate. And that’s what made this weekend really special,” said Sel Guevarra, a sportscaster, professional bodybuilder, and an Ultimate newbie.

Jamba Juice made sure players and fans alike were hydrated and energized throughout the two-day tournament. In between matches, players would flock to the Jamba Juice Fender Blender, a mobile smoothie truck, to get their fix of fresh fruit blends and talk about the game they all play.

With over 500 people from all over attending the Whirl’d Cup, it looks like we can expect more Ultimate action from Jamba Juice in the future. “At Jamba, we want to support those who want to drink life up. So it’s refreshing to see the level of diversity, inclusivity, and community in a competitive sport like Ultimate. We believe that this kind of blending truly squeezes the most of what life has to offer. It’s more than just a plastic disc – it’s the community of those that move it that makes it truly better blended. When it comes to chasing a better blended life, we have a simple mantra: Thirst Begins Today. So there’s no better time to start than now. That said, it is events like this that we look forward to seeing more of in the future,” said Stephanie Elumba, Marketing Manager for Jamba Juice.

For highlights of the first ever 2018 Whirl’d Cup Tournament, go to: https://www.facebook.com/jambajuiceph/videos/1719960764762719/

About Jamba Juice

Jamba Juice is a global healthy lifestyle brand that inspires and simplifies healthful living through freshly blended whole fruit and vegetable smoothies, bowls, juices,  boosts, snacks, and meal replacements. Jamba’s blends are made with premium ingredients free of artificial flavors and preservatives so guests can feel their best and blend the most into life. Jamba Juice® has more than 900 locations worldwide. For more information, visit jambajuice.ph. In the Philippines, Jamba Juice belongs to the family of restaurants of Max’s Group Inc.,

Max’s Group, Inc. (MGI) is the Philippines’ largest restaurant operator in the casual dining segment. It is committed to building loved Filipino brands and is currently growing its network of over 600 stores in the country and more than 50 international stores in the USA, Canada, China, Asia Pacific and Middle East.

Its family of restaurants include Max’s Restaurant, Max’s Corner Bakery, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Teriyaki Boy, Dencio’s, Kabisera, Sizzlin’ Steak, Le Coeur de France, Maple and Singkit. The company also operates Meranti Hotel. To know more about Max’s Group, please visit http://www.maxsgroupinc.com.

If you want to get the taste of the Better Blended life or have the Fender Blender at your events, reach out to us through community@jambajuice.ph or follow @JambaJuicePH on Instagram and Facebook.

Sweet 7th anniversary deals from Villa Del Conte

Villa Del Conte is celebrating a sweet milestone as it reaches 7 years of creating rich, decadent and authentic Italian chocolates! Savor the masterfully crafted Villa Del Conte chocolates with their tempting anniversary deals available only until the end of July. It features Villa Del Conte signature boxes: Grande Box which contains 500 grams of 40-45 pieces of chocolates; Medio Box which contains 250 grams of 20-25 pieces of chocolates; and Piccolo Box which contains 115 grams of 9-11 pieces of chocolates. These boxes also come with Villa Del Conte gift cards. Celebrate each bite of authentic Italian goodness with Villa Del Conte chocolates available in all Villa Del Conte stores in Greenbelt 5, Century City Mall, SM Megamall, and Robinsons Magnolia. For bulk orders and to know more about Villa Del Conte’s indulgent creations, contact 893-2575, visit www.villadelcontecioccolato.com, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram: @VillaDelContePh and on Twitter: @villadelconte.  

Jobstreet.com rolls out a campaign to inspire more Filipinos on sharing their career success stories

Graduation season is in full swing, and the next generation of jobseekers is fresh on the market, looking to take their first steps into their careers. Not everyone will know what’s in store for them in their search for their calling, but JobStreet.com Philippines may have a healthy dose of inspiration to keep them motivated.

As JobStreet.com Philippines’ hold

on the online jobs marketplace grows, so too do the many stories of happy candidates who found their jobs through the site.

Jennifer Padua, a Digital Marketing Manager, graduated with a degree in Political Science, but through JobStreet was connected to a career path that ended up being very different from the path she chose in school. "As cliché as it sounds, you just have to try and try sending your resumé to potential employers. You’ll never know what new opportunities are out there unless you try."

Junel De Guzman Aceres, a Front-End Web Developer, tells a story that revolves around perseverance. After his first internship, he found himself at first turned away by some companies to which he applied. But he soldiered on, making extensive use of JobStreet to find more opportunities. Ultimately, he ended up working full-time for the company where he interned in the first place. "For all the jobseekers out there, I urge them to hold on to their dreams. Nothing in life comes easy, so do not give up even if you feel you've been rejected too many times."

It's stories like these that can drive future candidates to keep searching for their dream job.

To celebrate these happy and feel-good stories of finding one’s place, JobStreet Philippines has launched the My JobStreet Stories testimonial campaign, which aims to encourage candidates through the many success stories that have been told through JobStreet.

Did you find your dream job through JobStreet? Were you able to expand your horizons and find something entirely different from what you were expecting, but no less appealing? Share your stories with JobStreet! Your journey will be a source of enthusiasm for others, motivating them to keep going – even when the going seems tough in this competitive job market.

The best stories will earn some social media bragging rights as they’re featured on JobStreet’s official Facebook page, and be an inspiration for more than 900,000 fans! Click here to know more details.