Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Noted Artist Al Gatmaitan releases Self-titled Album

2:26:00 AM 0 Comments
Artist Playground proudly announces the official release of Al Gatmaitan's self-titled 3 tracks - single CD album 
which can be downloaded in iTunes and streamed via Spotify.

The links are as follows:
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/5Q39mmgTqJ5IHnJ7tPDatO



Al Gatamaitan is a Classical Crossover Artist and a 2-time Aliw Awardee for Best Male Classical Singer.
Award-winning composer Jesse Lucas (2016 Aliw Awardee for Best Musical Director) composed, arranged and produced the following:
1. Perché Ringrazio La Vita
Poem by Rodolfo Chirico
Music Composed and Arranged by Jesse Lucas

*” Perché Ringrazio La Vita” which means “Why I Thank Life” is a song about gratitude. The poem is written by Al’s Italian professor, the late Prof. Chirico.

2. Bituing Marikit
Lyrics by Servando Angeles
Music by Nicanor Abelardo
Arranged by Jesse Lucas
Guitar: Mark Reese Gelbolingo

*A new rendition with an updated arrangement of the popular and well-loved kundiman.

3. Sa Muling Pagsibol
Poem by National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera
Music Composed and Arranged by Jesse Lucas

*An inspirational song with the poem written in response to the devastation of the Super-typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban.

All these are recorded at the Acoustic Underground, Inc. by Recording Engineer: Jaymee Ranoa and
mixed by Aji Manalo. Produced by Artist Playground, Jesse Lucas and Al Gatmaitan.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Tea-rrific Time at Ten Ren's Tea Philippines

2:06:00 PM 0 Comments
The first time I've encountered Ten Ren's Tea was a tea pot with tea gift for my dad by an uncle from Taiwan years ago. According to him, Ten Ren's Tea is one of the most popular tea place in Taiwan. It was before all the tea places blossomed here in the Philippines. Being a Filipino-Chinese, having tea during meals or even after meals is a routine. Honestly, I can't remember how the tea that was given to us tastes like but I got excited when I learned that Ten Ren's Tea is in the Philippines!

Ten Ren's Tea opened its door last year at the 2/F Promenade in Greenhills and at The Galleon, G/F of SM Mall of Asia. I was quite surprised that I didn't heard about it (I also don't frequent these places, I guess) but I'm glad I finally got to pay a visit to their Greenhills branch.
As a first timer, the choices offered were very overwhelming. Good thing their servers are trained to suggest which drinks are good depending on their customer's needs.
I was offered with a taste of 913 King's Oolong which is their best-seller while I decide on my choice of tea.
So why the name "913 King's Oolong?" I was told that the word "King" in Ten Ren's Tea meant tea with ginseng which gives the body energy and resistance against sickness (hmm... I'd like that! What a great way to start my tea time!). The 913 King's Oolong is a bit on the bitter side but with a sweet finish.

Selection of teas on sale in Ten Ren's Tea
All drinks from Ten Ren's Tea are made from natural tea leaves hand picked from their farm in Taiwan to ensure the best quality tea is being served on the table. Aside from the quality of the tea, Ten Ren's Tea promises that they only use all natural ingredients like fresh fruits, taro (for drinks with it), fructose and honey (no sugar) to make their drinks the healthier option for health conscious tea drinkers.

From the array of tea on sale, the Cold Brew Teas caught my attention! Yes, there is such a thing! Will be getting this soon to try out.
The different selections of Cold Brew Teas
The serious tea drinkers can buy their personal tea pot or cup 
More choices for those who'd like to share their cup of tea
Since I wanted to try a best-seller that is cold (it's been really hot these summer days), I chose Green Milk Tea Float.
Green Milk Tea Float
Green Milk Tea Float is made up of Jasmine Green Tea which I was told that the green tea leaves were place on top of jasmine tea leaves for the green tea leaves to absorb the aroma of the jasmine tea leaves. This green tea is mixed with fresh milk and topped with a scoop of green tea ice cream which serves as its sweetener. Honey is used in the green tea ice cream so there's no worries on sugar.
It's as good as it looks! Yummy, green and healthy.
Even when there's no food available in the Promenade Greenhills branch (I heard that the MOA branch has some food items), just as simple as having tea gives a few moments of relief from stress which my regular cup of joe can't achieve. Somehow tea has this calming effect despite having caffeine in it.

As the saying goes, "There's always time for tea!" So I tried the other cold teas that they offer.
(L-R) Honey Lemon Black Tea, Green Tea Latte with Pearls & Fresh Fruit Green Tea
Honey Lemon Black Tea is actually where the regular iced tea came from but this is its natural form. There's a hint of bitter which the sweetness doesn't mask but somehow the blend of the mixture makes it go battling in your mouth. It's like giving your tongue an adventure in a cup.

Green Tea Latte with Pearls has a very light tea taste with very creamy fresh milk. I loved it too and I think it's something I can drink before I sleep. But alas! I was told that green tea actually has a high caffeine content. With tea, taste can be deceiving. Sometimes people order this at night which their staff had to explain to them first regarding its caffeine content. Some customers who insist have come back to tell them that they were not able to sleep at night after drinking this before bedtime so take this on daytime or if at night, make sure you need the caffeine fix.

Fresh Fruit Green Tea tops my list of teas to have in Ten Ren's Tea after knowing the benefits of this gentle thirst quencher! It's a mixture of orange, lemon, honey and matcha powder that aids in digestion and cleanses the stomach.

There's another tea which I didn't get to try called Cha Workout which is a level higher than Fresh Fruit Green Tea because it has fiber content which works real fast to flush away all the toxins in the body. Good for those who'd like to lose weight in a quick way!

With these benefits of tea, especially on cleansing & losing weight, I say "Tea is the answer! Cheers to a sexier body!" Hope I got to shed some weight off my body from all the tea I had today. Haha! :D
Now, when someone asks, "Want to have some tea?" You know the drill! ;)

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Alice Reyes returns as the Artistic Director of Ballet Philippines

7:43:00 PM 0 Comments
Coming full circle, Ballet Philippines’ founder, National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes steps back into the company’s helm as Artistic Director starting this 48th season.

“It is our great honor to welcome Alice back,” says BP President Margie Moran Floirendo. “She has generously given the company much support especially over the past few years. We felt that this was the perfect time for her to take on a more active role in the company’s overall planning and direction, particularly in leading us to our 50th season in 2019.”

“I am elated to be coming in at this most opportune time,” says Alice Reyes. “The company is two short years away from its golden anniversary, and so this is a fantastic chance to start drumming up the energy and keep it up even beyond the 50th season.”



Alice Reyes is the visionary founder of Ballet Philippines who propelled the company into a national arts institution we can all be proud of. In the Philippines, she established regular season concerts, professionalized dance as a career, and played a major role in the phenomenal development of dance in the country.

With a background in ballet, folk dancing and jazz, Reyes ventured into the challenging and exciting realm of modern dance. Through a grant from the John D. Rockefeller III Fund, she went through an extensive training period in the United States at the Colorado College under a Hanya Holm scholarship. She was subsequently awarded a grant from the Music Promotion Foundation of the Philippines, which enabled her to study further under leading exponents of the medium and earn a Master of Arts in Dance from the Sarah Lawrence College under its scholarship program.

Upon her return in 1969, she staged her first modern dance concert at the CCP. Its success made her decide to remain in the Philippines and develop the great potential of dance in the country. Since then, her outstanding performances on stage have provided artists an enriching example to emulate. The sheer diversity of her choreographic talent has produced highly acclaimed works ranging from the classics like “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet”, to Filipino modern works like “Amada”, “Itim-Asu”, “Bayanihan Remembered”, “Mga Babae”, “Tales of the Manuvu”, and “Rama Hari”. Through her efforts, dance has become among the country’s respected careers and distinguished professions. The Filipino dancers have emerged as an indispensable part of our cultural heritage.


She served as Ballet Philippines’ Artistic Director for the company’s first 20 years. In June 20, 2014, Alice Reyes was declared National Artist for Dance by President Benigno S. Aquino III through Proclamation No. 807.

Paul Alexander Morales will be on sabbatical leave for the 48th season. He served as Ballet Philippines’ Artistic Director from 2009 to 2017.

Ballet Philippines (BP) is the flagship professional classical and contemporary dance company in the country. A resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, it was founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes and Eddie Elejar. It is widely recognized today as a cornerstone of the contemporary Filipino identity. The Ballet Philippines Dance School continues to produce dancers of international caliber.

Connect to Ballet Philippines online through the following social media networks:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/balletphilippines
Twitter: @balletph
Instagram: @balletphilippines

YouTube: balletph
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