Maniolas

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Internationally acclaimed singer, Gary Valenciano, popularly known as ‘Gary V’ will rock the theater of the famous Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California through a concert slated on March 8 at 7 p.m. Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and performers such as Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the singer/actress and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, popular comedian and actor Vice Ganda, winner of “Star Power Search 2011” Angeline Quintos, international actress and top endorser Anne Curtis, and Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo – who all gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd. Aside from fine dining, relaxation and entertainment, Pechanga Resort & Casino wish to provide the ultimate experience especially, to Filipino-American patrons. Thus, Gary V, with 31 years of solid international exposure in the field of singing and dancing will ‘wow’ the crowd in this year’s opening extravaganza. Gary V, a singer/songwriter/musician, was born to a Puerto-Rican mother and a Filipino father. He remain consistently visible in the public eye since he began his career in 1983. At 18, he first burst on the Philippine music scene with look-a-like antics of Michael Jackson and Al Jarreau’s pyro-techniques. To date, Gary V has released 32 albums including those released in the USA and the Asian Region. The Pop idol has the most illustrious track record in the Philippine recording scene winning a total of 12 Awit (Song) Awards (US counterpart of Grammy Awards) in the Best Male Recording category Read More …

Fil-Ams among victims of debilitating disease By Rhony Laigo If not for the universal campaign of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease may have been just that – a disease that has no cure. Now, ALS is known worldwide. But unknown to many, another debilitating disease that affects many, including the young, also needs the same kind of attention and because it is passed from one generation to another. On September 20, American families, their relatives and friends, and advocates will do just that. They will troop to the City of Long Beach to participate in the Sixth Annual LA/OC Walk n’ Roll for Ataxia so more people may be aware of an unfamiliar neurological disorder called ataxia, which simply means “lack of coordination.” Starting from 340 S. Pine Avenue, the Saturday 1K Walk n’ Roll for Ataxia Awareness in Long Beach at the Aquarium of the Pacific area will coincide with the International Ataxia Awareness Day. Personally, I know people here in Southern California who have been suffering from ataxia or the lack of muscle control caused by the disease. One is close to Balita family and her name is Moira, whose mother, Saira Velasco, better known in the Philippine celebrity world as Bunny Paras, used to be our Advertising Manager for the Motoring Section. Saira had to semi-retire to focus on her daughter, who was diagnosed with the disease four years ago. Moira is only 15. Two other friends of mine, back from my Novaliches Read More …

She successfully conquered the competitive and often-stressful world of corporate America… but failed in what is perceived to be a most fun and relaxing period…retirement. That’s how influential Filipina Cora Tellez, explains her professional life. “I had completed a great run of corporate life,” said Tellez who has had 25 years of management experience in healthcare finance and delivery, having worked for Health Net, Inc., Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente. “When I retired, my husband said ‘You’re going to drive all of us crazy, because of all this energy.’ He was right. I experienced retirement for two hot months. I flunked retirement,” said Tellez, President and CEO of Sterling HSA, a company she founded in 2004. But whether working for others and now working for herself, Tellez admits she has always been focused on her career, which made her a very busy wife and mother to her two sons. “My family is very important to me. I’m a lola now, to two grandchildren, two sons and a husband I’ve been married to for 38 years,” she said. “But I remember when I was working for Kaiser. I commuted to and from Hawaii for five years. I would leave my family on Monday and come back on Friday. My sons dealt with a corporate mom who wasn’t always there. This was before cellphones. They would fax over their homework so I could help them.” Tellez considers this to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest sacrifice she’s ever Read More …

I feel like how I used to feel at the end of timed exams when the teacher would say: “Pens down. Now more writing. Finished or not finished, pass your papers.” I am both excited and anxious; relieved yet feeling like there are still a million things that needs to be done; because after about a lifetime of dreaming about it and 6 months of planning it, July 20 has come… It’s time to walk down the aisle. And whether or not we’re done with the planning, the wedding will go on. As I mentioned last week, I did learn a lot from planning this wedding – things I hopefully won’t be needing after my first and hopefully only wedding. And so I thought those lessons will be better shared. Here are the rest of what I’m calling “The 10 Commandments of Wedding Planning.” 6. Thou shall steal (or borrow) ideas. While as young girls, we grew up planning and visualizing our wedding, it’s good to be flexible with ideas. I read some magazines, checked out bridal shows, but more importantly, listened to the experts we hired to help with the wedding – coordinator, designer, florist, etc. I realized that even social media is a good source for wedding trends that are worth incorporating. I started following some accounts on Twitter and Instagram, to get more wedding ideas. 7. Thou shall not commit the mistake of thinking “There’s still time.” There will never be enough time. I learned to make decisions quickly Read More …