2011 08/17-08/23

MANILA MAIL COMMUNITY

Newbie Fil-Am models (L-R) Leo Reyes, Jesse & Christian Perkins (17-year old twins from Menlo Park) & Justin Smaby were handpicked by the Owner of Designer of Nigel, Who! to be part of a 60 all-male fashion show when they launch their male collection in San Jose next year.

Peninsula Photographer Von Cruz with ABS-CBN's Rayver Cruz during Pistahan Day 2 last Sunday at Yerba Buena Park.

Mariluz Santos Panaszewicz Ragasa (right), Owner/Designer at Mariluz Design presented to the public Bay Area-based Designer, Crisanta Malig's latest creations, shown with San Rafael's Tateetz Paloma during Pistahan Day 2 last Sunday.

Dining recently at Intramuros Restaurant in South San Francisco were Philippine industrialists and airconditioning and refrigeration moguls Rafael Hechanova Sr. and Jr., (3rd & 4th left, respectively) hosted by San Francisco Civil Service Commission President Dennis Normandy (2nd left) and wife Lynda (rightmost).

Happy birthday, Digie Katly Torres (August 15) of San Francisco, shown here with Ichiban Library's resident comedian Jesse Cabalza last Sunday. Digie is producing "MC & Lassy sa Amerika", a comedy duo act at Edna's Ichiban Library set on September 9 & 10, 2011 (Friday & Saturday) at 5

Miss Philippines Earth USA (West Coast) 2010 Melissa Sokukawa of Union City & Manila Mail's Photo Journalist, Richard Lao gave the streets of San Francisco a 'heavenly' feel as Heavenly Ice Cream angel models at the Pistahan Day 1 Parade last Saturday.

Angels in the city (L-R) - Dara Bascara, Leo Reyes, Melissa Sokukawa, Richard Lao, Christopher Castillo & Malou Hipolito onstage when they were presented to the public as Heavenly Ice Cream angels/models.

Ben Acorda,left, Owner of San Jose's Heavenly Ice Cream with the Sagmit family angels.

Ronnie Bogle, Owner/Designer of Nigel, Who?, a women's clothing line (yes, it's mainstream) just hired 4 Fil-Am newbie models as he personally witnessed them rehearsing last Sunday at the Bay Area Fashion Week in San Jose, CA.

4 Fil-Ams chosen to model in “NIGEL, WHO? MALE 2012”

(60 of the most beautiful men in the world will include Leo Reyes, Perkins Twins-Jesse & Christian & Justin Smaby)

TO-BE SEEN IN THE CITY

Talking about being at the right place at the right time. Last Sunday’s rehearsal for the Bay Area Fashion Week (a mainstream event set to take place on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 8PM at the San Jose State University’s Barrett Ballroom) was hectic with all 45 or so models coming from all around the country, walking a gymnasium-size makeshift runway with almost no air-conditioner, completing sets for around 45 designers, practicing 700 or so runway exits, from 3pm to 9:45pm, is no mean feat. But it was all worth it for everyone at the end of the day as the models and the staff accomplished what they came there for.

It was even a bigger worth of their time for four (4) of the Fil-American newbie male models – San Jose’s Leo Reyes, 17-year old Menlo Park’s Perkins Twins (Jesse & Christian) & 16-year old Justin Smaby from Sacramento as they were selected by Ronnie Bogle, Owner & Designer of Nigel, Who? (a line of women’s clothing, mainstream) to be part of a huge fashion show titled ‘NIGEL, WHO! MALE 2012’ to launch next year their men’s line of clothing/apparel. All along, Mr. Bogle was silently observing in the sidelines during rehearsals and announced his selection through Bay Area Fashion Week’s Coordinator, Theresa Zaragoza, before he left in the middle of the event. I personally got to talk to Mr. Bogle and in his words, he was impressed by the selected models’ looks and ‘it’ factor.

The San Jose fashion show promises to be the biggest ever the city has ever seen, as it will feature 60 of the most beautiful men in the country.

Congratulations, Leo, Jesse, Christian & Justin!

So before that show, you can catch all four of them, together with 41 other models at the Bay Area Fashion Week on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 8PM!

SEEN IN THE CITY

Pistahan Weekend a huge success!

Huge congratulations to the organizers of Pistahan for this year’s very successful event as we personally witnessed last Saturday & Sunday. The Saturday parade along the streets of downtown San Francisco was pure fun while the Sunday festivities at the Yerba Buena Park with TFC’s Rayver Cruz & Yeng Constantino broke records in audience attendance (nearing close to 6 digits). I have been going to Pistahan for years and for the first time this year, I saw a flood of vendor booths I have never seen in the previous years – enough indication that this event has evolved into something bigger that we Filipinos should all be proud of.

Google Analytics reports that we are being read in 139 countries now!

Yes, I did not expect (not even in my wildest dreams - I got alot) that this column’s online readership could reach 139 countries. Thanks to my online readers who continually email me with their letters of commendation & appreciation.

The Top 15 Rankings of the countries in terms of this column’s readership size are here (as of August 15, 2011), in order:

1. Philippines (this surprised me a lot since we are published in print, in the US)

2. United States

3. Canada

4. United Kingdom

5. Saudi Arabia

6. Australia

7. United Arab Emirates

8. Indonesia

9. Malaysia

10. Singapore

11. Japan

12. Germany

13. Italy

14. Thailand

15. India

Again, thank you very much our global readers for your patronage!

Briefs & Shorts

Aga Muhlach soon on TV5!

Just when I thought that everything is a hoax, I got an invitation to attend the purely invitational TV5’s Pinoy Explorer event with Aga Muhlach here in the US – it’s now set on Saturday, August 27, 2011 (as this column has accurately written in its previous issue). The open-to-the-public ‘meet and greet’ will be held at the Seafood City Supermarket in Milpitas at around 4 pm. Knowing the resources and capabilities of TV5, this will be a huge event that will rock the global Filipino TV dynamics around the world. Since this will be for the ultimate benefit of the TV consumers, this column sincerely wishes everyone more power and good luck!

4-in-1 Pageantry Announcement

Ladoor Entertainment announces the launch of its 4-in-1 Pageantry (Search for this year’s ‘Lil Angel & Teen Angel, etc) to be held on August 28, 2011. For inquiry and application form, please call Rami P. Banaag: Project Manager/Director @ (415) 568-5069 or e-mail ramibanaag@yahoo.com

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” from The Bible verse Matthew 6: 1-4.

When you do charity, do not announce it. If you do charity and you call me to write about it and bring my photographer to take your pictures for publication in my column, that is not real charity.

And by the way, charity should start at home. How can you claim you are giving back when you are not giving enough at home? How can you claim giving back to your community if you are humiliating/bullying people you use and work with?

This article also appears online at www.FilipinoVillage.com and http://sites.google.com/site/adkinsmmcevents/Home/ with readership in 139 countries now (& still counting!) according to the latest Google Analytics report.

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