Day: December 20, 2011

I had the chance to take a picture of the lovely Valerie Concepcion a few days before she got embroiled in a controversy over her December 18 tweet about President Aquino laughing at her jokes at a Christmas party in Malacanang.

The tweet, sent to her 281,000++ followers and which she has since deleted, read: “Done w/ work.. Tnx for having me.. It was nice to see Pres. P-Noy laughing at my jokes & enjoying my performance..ü #Malacañang #PSGNight”

It could have been any other tweet except that a lot of netizens didn’t find it timely. More than 500 people had just died in the floods that swept Northern Mindanao.Valerie also knew that the tragedy occurred since she also sent this tweet before going to the Palace Christmas Party: “Nakakalungkot po tlga.. ? RT @Karen_DaviLa: Nakakalungkot…magpapasko, ang daming namatayan dahil sa bagyo.”

Maybe, Valerie was just overcome with excitement and forgot to be politically correct at a very opportune time. I follow Valerie on Twitter and I know for a fact that she she regularly tweets about the goings-on in her career, her business (Posh Nails @ Venice Piazza) and her daughter Fiona.

But ever since the Dec. 18 tweet which elicited violent reactions the following Monday, December 19, Valerie Concepcion’s Twitter has gone quiet. Her last tweet apologized to people whom she might have offended.

Maybe she’s just busy. Or maybe she did feel traumatized about the incident.

My friends and I had a heated discussion about the matter on Facebook. Honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with the President attending the party of the Presidential Security Group which protects his life and that of his family.

I am just suggesting that maybe it’s time that the Palace drafts confidentiality agreements with the celebrities they invite for private Palace functions. In this age of social media, anything is “twittable” and subject to lots of interpretation

A group of young mobile app developers have launched the first Pinoy-themed game on iTunes and the Android Market. It is called SIPA or simply called street hacky sack.
This game is a must-try because it reminds us of those good old days when Filipino street games like patintero, taguan, habulan, tumbang preso and luksong tinik ruled the day. If I mention these games to my kids now, I know they will just say DUH! to me because they’re more used to video games played on handheld consoles, desktops or internet cafes.

The desire to refresh our memory with traditional Filipino games is the inspiration for the development of SIPA. As Team Butchokoy, the proponents of the game, said: “Technology has changed the way kids play now but this same technology can help us appreciate games no longer played.  SIPA brings back childhood memories and introduces this to the younger generation.  On top of this, Butchokoy, the central character plays SIPA in historic and beautiful places in the country like Rizal Park, University of the Philippines, Quiapo, Mt. Pulag.  ?.”

So guys, if you’re using an Apple product or an Android device, it is worth checking out SIPA and relive electronically what the childhood of before is like

I missed the HSBC Fun Run last November 26 because I was too tired from my own chicken run (pardon the pun). But I heard it was successful with close to 3,500 runners participating and P2 million raised for Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation.

The HSBC Fun Run featured 3k, 5k and 10k categories for adults, as well as sprint challenges for children 12 years old and below. Runners of all ages and fitness levels assembled at the SM Mall of Asia grounds at dawn wearing singlets specially designed for the event by international renowned Josie Natori.

Some pictures:

Warm up time. It is important to stretch and stretch prior to running events like these …

It is cute to see the kids running for the 100 meter dash. Ms. Lizzie Zobel led the gun to kick off the relay

OMG!HSBC president & CEO Tony Cripps hands over a replica of the grand prize, trip to London for 2, to the winner in the 10K race Annlouise Castro. If prizes in fun runs are like these, I’ll be serious with my running Congratulations!

Over the past eight years, HSBC’s initiatives for Sa Aklat Sisikat have benefited over 650,000 students; 9,000 teachers; and 285 principals all over the country through their reading programs and pioneering workshops for principals and teachers.

Cripps said: “It’s been a great year for HSBC, Asia’s strongest financial brand. It’s been a wonderful year for us here in the Philippines, as well, and this event is our way to celebrate that, as well as to give back to the community which makes our success possible. We contribute 100% of the run proceeds to our beneficiary, because we believe that there is no better investment in the future than investing in the education of our children.”