2010 08/04-08/10

MANILA MAIL COMMUNITY

This columnist was there in person at the Mandalay Bay MediaCenter, when Floyd Mayweather, Jr. proclaimed himself as the 'past, present and future of sports entertainment'. He was crying here on this 1996 photo shortly after defeating Argentina's Carlos Baldomir in Las Vegas for "People have talked bad about me, said I didn’t fight anybody, but I’ve done all I can.” He almost lost that fight and retreated to a semi-retirement shortly after. Sportswriters now are saying he is ducking Manny Pacquiao.

Journey's Arnel Pineda called this columnist before he departed SFO for Manila last Sunday night to collaborate with Club Royal International fund-raising projects in the future. Shown also in this photo are AP Foundation's Emma Eghmam, right, and Marie Rose.

Belated Happy Birthday (July 26th) to Nelson Tan, son of Blackhawk's Mary Lim who celebrated with family and friends last week

Maria Venus Raj, a half-Indian Filipina left Manila for Las Vegas last Sunday night to compete in the this year's Miss Universe Pageant to be held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino Resort. Right now, she is leading the 83 candidates in the online poll ratings, as per the official Miss Universe website (www.missuniverse.org) , followed by Miss Brazil (2nd) and Miss Venezuela (3rd). Finals is set on Monday, August 23rd and will be televised live on NBC from 9pm-11pm eastern time.

Showtime's Vice Ganda will be performing with Lani Misaluchaat the Bob Hope Theatre, Stockton, CA on Friday, October 15, 2010. For ticket reservations and sponsorships, please call Filipinas Productions at (510) 552-6915. Bob Hope Theatre is at 242 E. Main Street, Stockton, CA 95202

Kaiser Permanente's Ms. Rakel Gamboa bids Arnel Pineda goodbye at the San Francisco International Airport last Sunday night

Foton Motors' Junny Borgonia, right, shown here with wife, Abby Borgonia of San Ramon at the Firewood Grill in San Francisco International Airport last Friday night shortly before he departed for Manila on a business trip

ABS-CBN's Toni Gonzaga will be the headline artist on the 17th Pistahan Parade and Festival, happening at the Yerba Buena Gardens on August 14-15.

17^th Pistahan Kicks Off

August 14

(ABS-CBN’s Toni Gonzaga is headline artist)

TO-BE-SEEN IN THE CITY

San Francisco’s Commissioner for Entertainment, Al Perez announced that the most anticipated Filipino Festival in the Bay Area, the 17^th PISTAHAN PARADE AND FESTIVAL, will take place on August 14-15 (always the second weekend in August) at the Yerba Buena Gardens , from 11am-5pm.

The Pistahan Grand Parade will kickoff the weekend festivities on Saturday, August 14 at 11am. It will start at Beale and Market, march down Market Street and end at the Yerba Buena Gardens (disembark at Folsom St). Featuring 7 themed floats and hundreds of parade participants! The Pistahan Parade is the only Filipino cultural parade in San Francisco !

Perez furthered that “This year's theme is CREATE • EDUCATE • CELEBRATE, with a focus on ART EDUCATION. We will continue our mission to broaden awareness and deepen understanding of Filipino culture and heritage through various INTERACTIVE and IMMERSIVE pavilions: art pavilion (live art), creativity pavilion (baybayin workshop), dance pavilion (folk dance, hip-hop and ballroom), culinary pavilion (adobo cookoff and balut eating contest), heritage paviion (Filipino heritage exhibits and presentations), health pavilion (culturally-sensitive health awareness) and play pavilion (sungkaan, & patintero and arnis & eskrima).

Since its inception 17 years ago, the Pistahan is produced by an ALL-VOLUNTEER crew who are passionate about preserving, sharing and celebrating Filipino American culture and heritage. We invite YOU to join us: express your creative passion and give back to the community at the same time!

We are looking for volunteer photographers to help us capture and document this fun, colorful and fantastic weekend festival. We'll have a shoot list to be assigned to various shooters so that we can cover all areas and events of the festival.”

Hermano and Hermana Mayors are Philippine Consul General Marciano Paynor and Mrs. Tessie Paynor. Communitiy Grand Marshal is former California Lt. Governor Mona Pasquil. Celebrity Grand Marshal is Jay Sario (from Bravo TV'sProject Runway). Headline artist is Toni Gonzaga from The Filipino Channel, with DJ Rocky Rock, Stephanie Reese, Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble, Parangal Dance Company, Kulintronica, and many more!

Visit the website: pistahan.net for more info.

Facebook: Filipino American Arts Exposition Pistahan

SEEN IN THE CITY

Arnel Pineda Goes Back Home

This columnist got a surprise call from Journey’s Arnel Pineda last Sunday night direct from the San Francisco Airport where he is waiting to board his flight back to Manila , after a series successful shows in the US and other parts of North America . The call was orchestrated by the officers and members of the Arnel Pineda Foundation as a follow-up to my initial contact with them in trying to collaborate on future fund-raising events to be produced by Club Royale International (for which I was proclaimed as this year’s “King”).

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Arnel Pineda Foundation’s Emma Egham, Juvy Tena, Rakel Gamboa, et al for letting me enter your world.

I am looking forward to working with you and Arnel on future fund-raising events, in my capacity as a Club Royal International member.

PERSONAL NOTES

Fashion Arts & Youth Enterprises Inc. (FAYE), a non profit organization headed by its President and Founder, Ms. Crisanta Malig, is asking for your support on their next fund raising event Fashion for a Cause on September 11, 2010 Saturday - 1:00pm to 4:00pm Moose Lodge 7535 Mission St, Daly City, CA 94014 featuring young emerging artists: designers, models and performing artist.

FAYE provides free after school programs for our youth in the community ages 5 to 17 years of age with fashion designing, arts & crafts, modeling and performing arts. They provide an environment not only to learn about the program that they offer, but also teach them how to learn more about themselves and their interest in life, build self esteem, self confident and how to become productive members of our society.

Since 1993 FAYE provided this program to our youth in the community. FAYE has a long list of success stories of individuals that participated in their programs and they want to add more. With your support we can make it happen.

For more information regarding the program www.crisantamalig.com/fashionarts

You can support us by attending their event. Tickets are priced at $25.00. For reservation send them a check and they will mail your ticket or if you can not make it send your tax deductable donation in any amount that you want to contribute, not later than August 31, 2010.

For questions, please call (415) 341-6371.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Fights like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao are significant because of these fighters’ ability to connect with sports fans around the world. It’s unfortunate that it won’t happen in 2010. I had been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2nd, carefully trying to put the fight together. Hopefully, someday this fight will happen. Sports fans deserve it.” by HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, as quoted by noted Yahoo Sports writer, Kevin Lole in concluding that Mayweather, Jr is ducking (yes, as in evading like a scared chicken) our Manny Pacquiao.

Kevin Lole furthered “Here’s what sports fans deserve: They deserve better than to waste their hard-earned money on “Money,” who acts as if he’s invented the sport. Mayweather’s a brilliant talent who never seems to let one forget it, who behaves as if he should be able to dictate terms and others should gratefully accept it because he said so.

Let him play in his fantasy world. Boxing doesn’t need him. And, truth be told, he’s wrong about his value.

Mayweather has sold more pay-per-views against common opponents than Pacquiao and his gates for those fights have been bigger. But Pacquiao’s Nov. 14 bout with Cotto at the MGM had a far greater economic impact upon the city of Las Vegas than either of Mayweather’s and the Nevada Gaming Control Board attributed casinos’ best performance in 22 months in November 2009 to the presence of the Pacquiao-Cotto bout and the high-rolling Asian gamblers who spent loads of money."

There boxing fans, you have it! Amen.

This column also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com and http://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/with readership in 89 countries now, according to the latest Google Analytics report.

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