Look what’s left of the Bench billboards

Mother, wala na sila!! How sad!! (1987 was a good year)

P.S. I wonder what happened to Aly Borromeo’s billboard?

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Last Thursday we were invited to visit the Central Bank of the Philippines in the heart of Manila.
Ooh, a field trip! I was very excited and felt grade school again.
Carpooled with Pia Magalona and Harold Geronimo all the way to Manila because carpooling rocks! It’s fun, you save gas, and lessen traffic.

The good news is, the BSP building, built in the 1960s-1970s (by Pia’s grandfather, in fact) is well preserved with the marble floors and a retro feel. You could almost expect to bump into Eddie Rodriguez or Vic Silayan in its freezing hallways, or maybe my grandfather.
Pia and I made a quick stop at the José Rizal wall to take pictures. I had a serious crush on Jose Rizal during high school. I swooned while reading Noli and Fili. So yes, mahal ko si Cristostomo Ibarra!
Until I found out he was less than five feet tall in real life, so I got over it.

Because of our long journey, Pia and I had to make a quick stop at the restroom, which was renovated, and well, TONS better than NAIA. Why can’t NAIA restrooms be like this??

We were led into a conference room for a briefing about fakes

The fakes are very scary real-looking

Bam Aquino was there

The nice part was when we were allowed to change our money into the new bills (kulang ng 50 pesos)

Tessa is happy (and yay, my arm is smaller than hers, hehe)

After the briefing we went to see the Governor in his office, which had all these iconic Amorsolo paintings.
(Ugh, I miss my lola!! Amorsolo used to eat in her house and he would give her paintings!!)

Amorsolo really warms my heart.

Bold!

We got to meet Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. (and I wonder if he could take over NAIA to fix the damn place).
He gave us a gift of all the new bills plus a 10-peso coin in a special folder.

We got autographs

On our way out we saw this massive antique table where the Malolos Constitution was supposedly signed.
Awesome!! I want to see some mumus.

Paid our respects to Rizal once again.

Then said goodbye to the wonderful Fe dela Cruz, Director of Corporate Affairs.

Tomorrow, Pia Magalona, Tessa Valdes, Bam Aquino, Elmo Magalona and I will be at the media launch of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Anti-Counterfeit Campaign.
HP Philippines and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas invite you to view a showcase of original currencies and HP inks and toners at the Activity Center of Trinoma Mall on July 20 and 21, 2011.

The two-day affair will feature panoramic galleries showing national currency memorabilia through the years, and interactive demonstrations on how to determine the authenticity of the newly issued Philippine peso bills.
Guests can also enjoy the special opportunity of exchanging their old bills for the new banknotes in all denominations during both days.
Each person is allowed to exchange one (1) set of the new peso bills (P20, P50, P100, P200, P500, P1000).

Aside from getting their hands on the new banknote series, visitors can also exchange their old non-HP printers to receive discount certificates on new HP printers. HP will raffle off new HP printers and premium items to those who visit the exhibit.

There will be photo souvenirs given away and special performance from surprise celebrity guests.
See you tomorrow at Trinoma as soon as the mall opens!

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Funny and sad, it is published in the Showbiz section of GMA News.

Amanda Coling’s statement about an Azkals ‘incident’
07/19/2011 | 11:27 PM
Posted by Atty. Apollo X.C.S Sangalang
Lawyer of Amanda Coling
July 19, 2011

My client, who is known to most by her screen name, Amanda Coling, is trying to find in her heart forgiveness for what has been done to her more than a month ago, specifically on June 2, 2011. Since then, she has moved on with her life, making a decent living as a freelance commercial model and events host in order to support her family.
Amanda Coling. GMANews.TV

It was her intent to just suffer in silence but subsequent events have forced her to surface.

On or about June 6, a purported reporter from a major newspaper somehow learned of her mobile phone number and started requesting an interview regarding the incident. He claimed that he got the lead from someone connected to the group involved. Fearing that this was a setup, she declined and avoided him. The reporter, however, kept on encouraging her to speak out and press charges. Confused, she consulted a militant women’s organization and then with a public attorney, but it only strengthened her resolve to remain silent. Be that as it may, she lived in constant fear that the June 2 incident would become the next big scandal in the Philippines.

Several days later, friends informed her that in a certain news program of a major TV network, Amanda Coling was named as the woman in an alleged gang rape video scandal with some members of a very popular sports team. Soon, media people started calling and texting her for confirmation and interviews. She did not confirm or deny. And she again declined all requests for interviews.

Some of the reporters suggested that she hire a publicist or a lawyer. But she does not know or trust the people being referred to her. This finally prompted her to seek my legal advice and representation on or about July 12, 2011.

When she first brought up the matter to me, she told me that I am the only lawyer she trusts. She was straightforward in saying that she could not afford my fees. So I offered to help her as a friend. She was obviously sleepless. She said she felt harassed and very scared, primarily due to apparent pressure from some friends and media people encouraging her to take immediate legal action and call for a press conference.

I listened to her story. She sounded honest to me, but very confused. I believe her. I asked whom else she confided with about the incident. She answered that the only persons she consulted were the one from the militant women’s group in Quezon City and the public attorney from Makati City Hall. She also remembered calling TV celebrity friends of her for help on the day itself, June 2, and thereafter, sharing her ordeal with a close friend.

Since I was flying out of town for a pre-scheduled vacation, I advised her not to talk about her story with anyone else and to say “no comment” to anything related to the June 2 incident, until I return and study all the angles.

It is unfortunate that on July 13, Amanda was abruptly informed that she will no longer be allowed to participate in the production number for a major victory event of a well-known men’s magazine. She was also told that she would be removed from the roster of sexy model endorsers for a leading contraceptive brand. The reason being that the management found out that she was being linked to a scandal involving the Azkals, and they are afraid of negative publicity.

The loss of her job, income, and career opportunities was too much for her to handle. It pushed her to seek redress thru the media which she initially avoided. She had no intention to stir up the issue but she could not understand why she had to become a victim all over again, when she was trying to hold her peace. She granted media interviews to protest the unfair treatment she got from the events organizer.

For the record, she has no axe to grind against the Azkals as a team. In fact, she openly supports Team Azkals and continues to wish them great success and glory in their upcoming games. She also has nothing against the men’s magazine and the contraceptive brand. She actually wishes them more business successes. This was precisely the point she was trying to make in her media interviews and TV appearances. She was trying to send out positivity and peace to everyone. She was extending love as a way of countering the prejudice that she experienced. Unfortunately, the message got drowned out sensationalism and cynicism.

I am sure that a lot of us will find it hard to understand the real person behind Amanda Coling because she is not the victim stereotype. Yes, she still experiences pain, agony, suffering and anger. But she doesn’t despair, at least not for long. She shifts, bounces back, and moves forward quickly, sometimes too soon. Insofar as the June 2 and July 14 incidents are concerned, she has no vindictiveness or vengefulness in her heart. And because of this, she is and will be misunderstood. She told me that she’s been getting a lot of threats and hate messages and feedback in the media and Internet, but she forgives them.

She fervently hopes that the issue that involves her and certain individuals, will not be blown out of proportion, nor should it cause additional grief and harassment to her and to the others affected. Although she is a model and attracted to the limelight, it is never her intention to seek publicity at the expense of others. Neither did she speak out to cause divisiveness, or to promote negativity. What really happened on June 2, 2011, she would rather forget than remember. The way she was treated on July 13 is already behind her. To set the record straight, she never specifically named, identified, or blamed anyone as liable or responsible, despite attempts by certain entities to put words into her mouth. It is highly unfair to subject anyone to trial by publicity. Everyone has a family or a loved one to protect, as well as dignity to uphold, whatever status one may have in society.

She believes that everyone makes mistakes and deserves second chances. She is therefore open to accepting an apology from the concerned parties, provided that they are sincere and willing to mend their ways. Regardless, she knows that the universal Law of Karma will eventually serve poetic justice in favor of the deserving consistent with her Rosicrucian beliefs.

Given the foregoing premises and after discussing again with my client the possible ramifications of the issues, it is still her decision to defer whatever legal action is appropriate to take under the circumstances in order to give all parties, including herself, ample time and opportunity to reflect, meditate and pray for enlightenment and discernment. She prays that, if she ever decides to take legal action, it would not be for the wrong reasons, and that it will not become a circus.

On behalf of Amanda Coling, I thank you for your patience, respect and understanding.

Atty. Apollo X.C.S Sangalang
Lawyer of Amanda Coling
July 19, 2011

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Five years of playing American bad boy “Chuck Bass” on “Gossip Girl” have made British actor Ed Westwick one of the biggest names on US television. Talk Asia sits down with the 24-year-old to discuss the popularity of the show, how he nearly missed out on his career-making role and he shares his experiences of working with some Hollywood’s biggest names.

“Gossip Girl”is shot on location in the heart of New York City and is based on a popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar that explore the lives of a group of privileged adolescents. The show’s popularity has seen its stars become idols across the globe. But for Westwick, a problem with his working visa nearly saw the actor dropped from the show before it even started. He recalls how he felt as his nervously waited for the go-ahead.
“I don’t think I allowed myself to panic too much, because if I would have done, I don’t know, the whole world would have crumbled down around me. Fortunately what happened is I had a fantastic immigration lawyer, who met me in Toronto, which is apparently the place you go to get quickie visas!”

Born and bred in the U.K., Westwick’s first acting role was in the 2006 British film “Breaking and Entering” directed by the late Anthony Mingella. He says the experience was invaluable and exciting.
“All of a sudden you are 17-years old and you find yourself on this film set with an Oscar winning director, and film stars like Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Ray Winstone and Robin Wright Penn. And it was just like this is pretty cool, everyone is super nice and it’s fantastic. And you’re just like, wow, this is great. It’s summer and I’m 17, turning 18 on set, and they bought me an iPod for my birthday.”

The 24-year old is also a singer in the band “The Filthy Youth” but has had to put his musical aspirations on hold after moving to New York.  But Westwick won’t rule out a musical career in the future.  ”We get inspired for films through music.  You only have to look at Quentin Tarantino, who said that whenever he is having an idea for a film what he does is he will go through his record collection… I don’t feel like anyone should have any reservations about pursuing one art form just because they are established in an another.”

Highlights of Ed Westwick’s interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

Show times:
Wednesday: 0930 GMT (1730 Hong Kong)
Thursday: 0330 GMT (1130 Hong Kong)
Saturday: 0800 GMT (1600 Hong Kong)
Saturday: 1600 GMT (0000 Hong Kong)
Sunday: 0830 GMT (1630 Hong Kong)
Monday: 0200 GMT (1000 Hong Kong)
Monday: 0730 GMT (1530 Hong Kong)

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Find out from Smart C+’s new generation of movers and shakers: Anton del Rosario, Divine Lee, RJ Ledesma, Liz Uy, and Rissa Mananquil
Designed for multi-tasking individuals on-the-go, Smart C+ is a revolutionary vitamin-powered drink made with real fruit juice and pure vitamins, minus colorings, preservatives, and additives.
Each 500 ml bottle delivers 500 mg worth of Vitamin C, known to be beneficial in strengthening the immune system, supporting the metabolism, restoring energy and repairing vital cells and tissues from day to day stress.

To know more about your Smart C+ ambassadors, click here.
http://www.keepupwithsmartc.com/

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Pepper Lunch aside, Jeroen’s favorite steak is hands down, Mamou.

For me, it’s Tsukiji’s Wagyu Ohmi Beef, which I can have only once in ten years because it’s so bloody expensive.
So when my friend Abet invited us to her birthday treat, I was really just hoping to have the best kani salad in the world (Pepper Lunch aside).

But then Abet mentioned wagyu—say what? I couldn’t refuse. I seriously thought four of us were gonna share one order—we had four orders of wagyu.
I was shocked when four orders of steak were brought to the table! I was also in heaven. I broke my no meat diet and gave in to steak, rice, and Coke.

These were my lunch dates: Tina, who isn’t a Coke drinker, ends up ordering Coke whenever she sees me.

Patty is a Simple Girl with perfect ponytail and Longchamp Pliage tote. Kulang na lang hand sanitizer! (And iced tea )

Here’s the generous celebrant

And once again, Patty, who is simply chica.

I treasure times with my girl friends as much as my gay friends. Thank you Abet for the wonderful treat.

Tsukiji Japanese restaurant is at the Milky Way Building, Pasay Road corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati
Tel. 843-4285 or 812-2913.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Weeks before the Preview Ball, friends were already asking me what to wear to the Coco Banana-themed party.
I am proud to say I was able to set foot in Coco Banana before it finally closed its doors in the late ’80s.
Unfortunately wala nang tao when we went there in our ’80s attire. All I remember were the disco balls and lights, bleacher seats, a couple of (real) dogs, and small paper money used as club currency.
Last July 8, 2011, the Preview Best Dressed Ball was held at Seventh High in Bonifacio High Street.

L-R: Bianca Gonzales, Raymond Gutierrez, Anne Curtis, Erwan Heussaff, Laureen Uy, Liz Uy

Preview editor-in-chief Pauline Suaco-Juan said, “Indeed, many Preview readers are oblivious to the ’70s and its icons because they hadn’t been born.” Still they opted for a camp theme, Coco Banana, “which was touted as the Studio 54 of the Philippines,” Pauline said.

Bea Soriano and Isabelle Daza

Hosted by Georgina Wilson, the Ball began with Pauline giving a toast to the ten best-dressed ladies in the country: fashion bloggers Camille Co and Laureen Uy, jeweler Lucille Dizon, actresses Mylene Dizon and Iza Calzado, retailers Anne Gonzales, Penny Ngu, and Keri Zamora, model Pauline Prieto, and designer Charina Sarte.
And in true Preview fashion, the rest of the night was devoted to a night of fashion, dancing, and intense partying.

Keri and Francis Zamora

Few months pregnant Andi Eigenmann

Geneva Cruz

Divine Lee

The Preview Best-Dressed Ball was co-presented by Emporio Armani and Plains & Prints, and made possible by Havaianas, Michael Antonio, Blackberry. Preview’s July Best Dressed issue, with Iza Calzado on the cover, is out in stands now.

Read about the legendary Coco Banana here.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Research In Motion has announced that the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet will be available in the Philippines from August 6, 2011.
It will come in three Wi-Fi® models, featuring 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of memory storage, and will be available nationwide from authorized retail stores and mobile operators with a 12-month warranty.
“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an incredibly powerful and feature-rich tablet that is ideal for both business and personal use,” said Gregory Wade, Regional Managing Director at Research In Motion.  
“You really need to hold the BlackBerry PlayBook in your hand to fully appreciate how much it stands out in terms of power and portability, and so we encourage customers to visit a retail store and try it out for themselves,” added Wade.

The BlackBerry PlayBook features an ultra-portable design and delivers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe® Flash®, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.

Specifications include:
• 7″ 1024×600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
• Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1” x 7.6” x 0.4” (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
• Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV) 1080p HDMI output
• Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
• 1 GB RAM memory
• Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
• GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
• Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
• Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support

For more information, go to http://ph.blackberry.com/playbook.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

How could you resist a movie with such a title?
This Cinemalaya entry by Erick Salud, Noel Ferrer and Jerry Gracio tells the story of Karl Vladimir Lennon J. Villalobos (a.k.a. Intoy), who is secretly in love with his friend Jenny.
Jenny and Intoy agree to become “friends with benefits” on the condition that none of them falls in love with each other.
Before graduation, Intoy decides to profess his love for Jenny, only to find out that Jenny is pregnant. Worse, Jenny tells him: “Don’t worry, this isn’t yours.”
Based on the bestselling novel of Eros S. Atalia, Ligo na U, Lapit na Me is an examination of postmodern love and relationship and the way this generation deals with their love and fear.

Stars Edgar Allan Guzman and Mercedes Cabral.
Also starring Mel Kimura, Simon Ibarra, Tolyts “Shalala” Reyes, Evelyn Vargas, Beverly Salviejo, Malouh Crisologo, Jojo Saguin, Joseph Bitangcol, Lucky Mark Mercado, Joe Vargas, Christian Tan, Ian Lazibal, Alex Tiglao, Ardie Bascara.
Introducing Victor Medina, with a special guest appearance by Luis Alandy.

Screenings:
July 22 (Friday) at the CCP MKP Hall at 6:15 p.m.
July 23 (Saturday) at the CCP Little Theater at 12:45 p.m.
To know more, click here.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Proudrace invites you to the launch of their women’s wear on July 28, 2011 at 5:10 Concept Store.
Proudrace will be showcasing pieces from their fourth collection, HEARTCORE as well as reproductions from previous collections.

5:10 CONCEPT is at 49 Kreta Ayer Road, Singapore
Be there on Thursday from 7-9 PM.

http://5five10ten.wordpress.com/

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Saturday began with a trip to Robinson’s Place, Ermita so early in the morning.
Left the house at 9:15 with Jeroen and his BFF, Joris. Slept all the way in the car.
I love sleeping in a moving car with people talking—especially in Dutch!
Woke up upon reaching the mall and felt like a zombie the whole time. Too early for me.
Robinson’s Place is a different world and one of the busiest, most lucrative malls in the city.
We were there for the grand launch of the 5th Pepper Lunch in the Philippines.

Jeroen and Joris

Our first subfranchisees

Flowers by Fiori di M

Cupcakes by Ange

And a new grand menu

Pepper Lunch loves kids!

Pepper Lunch now open at Robinson’s Place, Ermita • Greenbelt 5 • Alabang Town Center, Corte de las Palmas • Shangri-La Plaza • Power Plant Mall, Rockwell.
Opening soon at SM Megamall A and Mall of Asia. Beware of copycats!
Follow Pepper Lunch on Twitter for promos and updates.

Saturday night Jude and I went to the Cultural Center to watch Quark Henares’ Rakenrol.

Mabuhay ang Cinemalaya.
I dunno why, I’ve been such a hermit lately, but I love coming here. I should’ve made an effort to see more entries.

Once again I’m happy to report that the CCP has many decent/clean restrooms. Whoever is running this place can also run NAIA. There are really no more excuses for NAIA.
So many people came out for Quark Henares’ last movie before he flies back to Los Angeles to study the business of filmmaking.

This queue reminds me of Chris Botti in Tokyo

Hmmmm….ang guapo ni Quark.
Quark just arrived from L.A. where he was, apparently, for four days. He came home for the screening, then he’s back to L.A. Hmmmm…..parang Hong Kong lang.

I could not resist the XL Rakenrol tees. Before the movie it was being sold for Php 400.
After the movie, Php 450 na!

Spotted: lead actor Jason Abalos

Diego and Ge Mapa

Erwin Romulo

Jay Lozada and Angel Aquino, who is gorgeous as ever

Mich Dulce looks amazing, kaya naman nilalanggam. Ateh, dalaga ka na!!

25″ waistline with corset

I love her hat

Mich and Jude later cornered Roderick Paulate, who is so nice!

Movie time

This is Rakenrol

After Rakenrol, there was an even bigger crowd waiting to watch Cinemalaya’s last feature at 11:35 PM—Zombadings.
So yes, dear reader, Cinemalaya is alive, well, and kicking.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

When I graduated from college, I bummed around for a year before actually looking for a job.
My first job was at Daily Globe where I wrote my first column in 1990. For the next ten years I worked, studied again, and tried to set up all kinds of small businesses before I got married in 2000.
When my son was born a year later, my dad told me to stop working for the sake of the baby. It was hard at first, but soon I got used to staying home.
During my pregnancy I discovered blogs and became fascinated with publishing my own stuff at home.
I started thinking of ways to make money without having to leave the house. Ten years later I got lucky with this blog. I never dreamed that what I loved doing would eventually pay up.
This is why Samantha Sotto’s story inspires me.

Like many Filipina moms, Samantha loves writing in her spare time and has a vivid imagination. But unlike most of us, she has just published her first novel under Random House in New York.
Samantha Sotto was featured this Sunday in the Philippine Star‘s On The Radar, interviewed by Christine Dychiao. I was deeply moved while editing this piece, so I just have to share.
Read why Samantha’s story will inspire stay-at-home moms everywhere.

A new author’s happy ending
By Christine Dychiao

Once upon a time, there was a young mom who decided to kill time by writing a novel. She had just read The Time Traveler’s Wife and was so bothered by the ending, she felt like she needed to dream up a different love story to get it out of her system.
Because her son went to prep in Ateneo, and they lived all the way in Parañaque, she would drive him to campus, and then park herself at the same table every day for a year in Starbucks Katipunan while waiting for his dismissal.
“To save on gas and e-pass,” she thought. Which also proved to be the perfect place and time to bring her characters to life, between sips of non-fat green tea latte.
When she was finally satisfied with her tale of true love, she decided to get in touch with literary agents abroad, well, because, why not dream of being published?
As fate would have it, a literary agent from Levine Greenberg took notice, read her manuscript, and eventually sold her book to Random House Publishing in New York.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Her book is due for release in the US this Aug. 2. There will be a Philippine launch and book signing party at National Bookstore on July 27 before she flies off to New York for her press launch.
This is a true story. It really happened to first-time author, Samantha Sotto who is now On the Radar.
Read and be inspired by her narrative that is equal parts guts and genius. And don’t forget to pick up her novel Before Ever After. It is proof that fairy tales do come true.

ON THE RADAR: Sam, you spent some time living in the Netherlands in your teens, backpacking through Europe in your 20s and going there for business trips when you started working for a multinational. What was it about the continent that inspired you to set your novel there?

SAMANTHA SOTTO: Maps and I don’t get along — which is extremely fortunate. I don’t think I would have been able to write Before Ever After if I had a better sense of direction. Getting lost in Europe’s crooked cobblestone alleys and tucked-away corners was how I found the inspiration for the novel. These forgotten nooks whispered stories that history books have left out. The “gaps” I found between my travel scrapbooks and formal research became the places and times that Max, my main character, filled in with his secrets.
The trip that really inspired the book was my backpacking trip to Europe in my early 20s. I sold my car to pay for it.

You mentioned to me that the novel came about because you didn’t like the ending of The Time Traveler’s Wife. What else inspired your writing?

I had a really bad “hangover” from reading The Time Traveller’s Wife. I loved the book and I suppose it couldn’t have ended any other way, but I still found it depressing. Watching tons of Dr. Who and writing the book was my therapy. Dr. Who is my favorite show. It’s quirky and campy, but it also takes some dark turns. It was a huge influence on my writing.

I can only wish that other moms killing time at Starbucks, while waiting for their kids to get out of school, are as productive as you are! Any tips on what made you decide to take a stab at writing a novel?

Ha ha! I don’t know if I’m in a position to give tips. I honestly don’t think of myself as a “real” writer. I just thought that it was something fun to do. I didn’t write the book to get published. I wrote it because I enjoyed the process of writing.
I suppose the only “tip” I can give is to pour yourself some coffee, sit down and write—even if it’s just five words a day. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s still five words more than you had the day before. Everyone has time to write down five words.

Were you into writing short stories before that?

I’ve never attempted to write a short story. I imagine that it would be a lot more difficult than writing a book. I have a huge respect for writers for who are able to make you care about their characters and take you through an entire journey in such a short amount of time.

This is your first novel, and Random House, New York picked it up! Can you share with us how you got published? The highlights and even the lowlights, if any?

I only started researching about publishing when I finished the book. I knew absolutely nothing about the process so when I saw a second-hand copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published on sale, I bought it. That’s where I learned that I needed to find a literary agent.
The thing about literary agents, though, is that they pick you and not the other way around. You need to send them a “query letter” which summarizes what your book is about and why you think it will be marketable. If they like your letter, they will request you to send them a few pages of your book. If they like what you sent them, they will ask to see the full manuscript. After they read your book, three things can happen: they will reject you, they will ask you to revise and resubmit, or they will make an offer to represent you.
Google became my best friend during the agent hunt. I scoured the web for agents whom I thought would be a good fit for my book. I made a shortlist, sent out my query letter and crossed my fingers and all appropriate appendages. But I didn’t send out my letter to everyone on my list.
There was an agent that I particularly liked and so I decided to “save” her until I got feedback from the other agents. I was rejected a number of times, but luckily, I also received requests.
When about four or five agents had my full manuscript, I found the courage to send my letter to my top pick. She read my query, requested the full manuscript the next day, read the book overnight and made me an offer before the other agents had finished reading what I had sent them.
She asked me to make a few revisions and when the book was ready, she pitched it to publishers. After about a month, she sold the book.

Were you expecting to get published so quickly?

Not at all! I didn’t even think I was going to be published. I was just happy that I finished writing the novel. Everything after that was gravy. I was extremely lucky.

How did you feel when you got a call from your agent?

I was on vacation in Hong Kong at that time. She called my hotel at about four in the morning. I nearly screamed with joy. Luckily, I didn’t. Otherwise, my family wouldn’t have been too happy to be kicked out of the hotel at dawn. We celebrated by ordering champagne and omelets for breakfast from room service.

How did your husband and your family react when you shared the good news?

I think they were even happier than me. I suppose they were relieved that I was no longer going to be the nervous wreck that I had turned into while I was waiting to hear back from publishers.

Any big plans for the launch?

Yes! National Book Store will be distributing the paperback edition for the Philippines. We will be dong a launch and book signing party on July 27 at 6 p.m. at the National Book Store branch in Glorietta 5.
I’ll be flying to New York after that for a press event. My publisher has also arranged a fun blog tour for me so I’ll be doing a lot of hopping around the Internet when the book is released in the US.

The author—with her agent Stephanie Rostan and editor Kate Kennedy—sat down with Crown Publishing’s associate marketing director, Julie Cepler, to discuss the marketing and publicity plan for Before Ever After.

Are you dreaming up your next book already?

I’m 80% done with my second novel. I hope to finish it in a couple of months.

What advice can you give to aspiring writers who are dreaming of being published by a big NY publishing firm?

Stop dreaming and pursue what you want. The amount of creative talent in this country is huge and there is absolutely nothing that is stopping us from showing the world what the Filipino can do.

You went through such a huge career shift from marketing to being an entrepreneur to becoming a published writer. What advice can you give to women who find themselves having to go on a completely new trajectory?

I don’t want to say that you shouldn’t be scared about trying out new things — because you should be. Big life changes are, by their nature, terrifying. Being scared means that you’ve really thought about what you’re leaving and what you are planning to get into. Fear isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be pursuing something — it’s a test of whether you want it enough to risk failing at it.

Look for Samantha Sotto’s Before Ever After at National Bookstore.
To know more, go to http:/www.samanthasotto.com.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

HONG KONG—Didn’t do a lot today due to deadlines, plus it was raining cats and dogs.
Jeroen and I took a cab to Hollywood Road to buy some wall lights at Innermost.

Jer wanted to have coffee, so we walked towards Gough street.
I saw scary coffins, some (I think) were designed to stand up.

Afraid.

Jeroen entered this place called Sidewalk

May pogi sa loob. Ka-fez ni Jake Gyllenhaal with an Australian accent.

Then we went to Homeless in search of knick-knacks

Jeroen bought a wallet

I love Mr. Blacksmith, also on Gough Street

Took the tube to Times Square to go to City Super. Jeroen had a sandwich.

I don’t care what skinny bitch thinks: I bought Coke in aluminum bottles

Cause they’re cute

These were cute, but I don’t use an iPod

Walked back to the hotel and saw these construction sites with tree preservation.
Buti naman.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

AJ Dimarucot, fiercely independent graphic artist behind Googoo & Gaga and Collision Theory, has always followed his instincts and his truth. From a rogue, satirical website to T-shirt designs for global brands, his brash, color-awash artworks have broken through to international recognition and commercial success.
With clients like Nike, Adidas, Zoo York and ESPN, AJ embodies the Filipino creative entrepreneur—global, independent, inspiring.

Nike Pacquiao tee

Zoo York

Adidas/Dwight Howard

ESPN

Threadless/Dell

On September 3, 2011, join in as AJ shares his creative journey, revealing how doing what you love gets the world to love you back.
Starts 3 PM at the Ayala Museum, Makati Avenue corner De la Rosa Street, Greenbelt Park, Makati.
Tickets at Php 300 each or Php 150 for students, teachers, senior citizens and Ayala Museum members.
For inquiries, call 757-7117 to 21 local 35 or 24 or email education@ayalamuseum.org.

Ayala Museum’s DesignTalks is a lecture series that brings prominent and pioneering Filipino creative professionals to the center stage. Find out more at http://www.ayalamuseum.org

http://www.ajdimarucot.com/

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

ROME, ITALY—Jesse Eisenberg (star of The Social Network) was seen taking time out from his latest film, Bop Decameron by director Woody Allen, which is currently shooting on location in Italy.
Jessie was wearing a brand new footwear style, Faas 300 by PUMA, while on set.

Photo: XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM

To view more colorways, click here.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

I wanted to make Jeroen happy, so I spent the night Googling where to get good steak in Hong Kong.
According to CNN, the place to go is Bistecca. I tried to reserve online, but no dice. They did suggest we go to their sister company Craftsteak instead.
We took a cab to Soho and got dropped off in the middle of somewhere, had to search for 29 Elgin Street on foot and found it in one of the uphill side streets.

I started off with this really nice oven-baked bread—Ana would LOVE this.
OMG heaven! Jeroen had to stop me from finishing it because we ordered a really big steak.

Jeroen had the grilled Caesar salad, which was a bit heavy. He loved the Canadian bacon pieces inside.

The whole point of this blog entry is the grilled bread crumb-crusted bone marrow served with bread and salad. It was so sinful. I really wished my dad were there. It’s really great with salt from the mill and a squeeze of lemon juice.
The top looks burnt due to the bread crumb crust

But inside, oh my God, these are what dreams are made of

The bones are big and deep. I finished one and wished I could share the second.
But I couldn’t leave it like that, so I finished it. I am now thinking of it. I wish I could go back again.

Then came our 35-oz. (almost a kilo!) Canadian bone-in ribeye served on a cast-iron tray with your choice of sauce (we chose peppercorn and herb butter). This was also sprinkled with bread crumbs, giving it a nice gritty texture.

OMG this is torture. As a Filipino, I really like to eat steak with rice, but this place doesn’t serve rice, so I couldn’t eat as much.
Our compliments to the chef who is a tourist attraction in his own. Para siyang reality show.

Craftsteak is at 29 Elgin Street, Soho, Hong Kong
Tel: 2526-0999
Open daily for Lunch: 12 noon to 3 PM
Dinner: 6 to 11 PM

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

I am a Canon user, but I’m open to new products especially if they’re colorful, cute and convenient.
This small Sony J Series Cybershot camera fits inside your purse, yet packs in 16.1 megapixels of image resolution.
What’s more, it comes built-in with a USB plug, so you don’t ever have to look for cords or memory card adapters to upload your photos into your computer.

It doesn’t hurt that it comes in all these gorgeous colors, versus the generic black cameras that are hard to find in the dark recesses of your handbag.

For the next few hours only, Groupon is offering a 25% discount on its SRP.
I’ve checked online. This model isn’t available on Amazon and the price is good considering Song Cybershot cameras of this kind cost more than US$300 online. Click <a href=”http://www.beeconomic.com.ph/”>here</a> to buy:

http://www.beeconomic.com.ph/

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.

Samsonite offers a remarkable way to celebrate its next 100 years with the Dublin promo.
From July 30 to Aug 30, 2011, you can grab a Dublin luggage at a very special price: the carryon size (in brown) for only Php 5,999, and the medium check-in size (in black) for only Php 6,999. Plus, get a free gift if you purchase a set.

All Dublin luggage are available at Samsonite Podium, Greenbelt 5, Eastwood Mall, Mall of Asia, Marquee Mall, Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Newport Resorts World, Ayala Center Cebu, Ayala Abreeza Davao, Robinson’s Galleria, Limketkai Center Cagayan De Oro, SM Southmall, Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La, Alabang Town Center, Gateway Mall, plus SM, Landmark, Robinson’s and other leading department stores.
Hurry, while stocks last!

To know more, click here.

Originally published at Chuvaness.com. You can comment here or there.