Maniolas

Sarah Jane ‘SJ’ Gandia Sj is a young breed of Filipino songwriter who was born in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite and is now based here in Los Angeles. The development of her unique songwriting style is the result of a lifetime of musical influences, coming from her late mom’s side of the family as she witnessed the family sing at church services. Her dad on the other hand injected his love for deep vocabulary with his unique use of words in stage plays. A music loving mom plus a talented playwright dad makes for what Sj is right now. Her first foray into learning the piano herself came when she was in preschool, about 5 years old. She tried to have formal training but because she was too eager to tap the piano keys, she defied her teacher’s musical notes teaching and went on doing what she wanted to do Sj’s musical journey began in the Philippines, in her hometown of Cavite where she developed her musical taste and interests. It wasn’t long after tapping those keys that she found herself experimenting with the musical instrument. After meeting with the world renowned and respectable singer/songwriter, Mr. Jose Mari Chan, she began to showcase her talents in various competitions. Growing up in Las Pinas, she represented the city at the then renowned, Metro Pop Music Festival. Garnering the 1st runner up award, she got lucky when a representative from Octo Arts approached her and asked if she would be interested in submitting Read More …

Only 24% of people said that they felt excited after buying a car.©Dasha Petrenko/shutterstock.com (Relaxnews) – Nearly nine in 10 people believe that there should be an easier or better way of shopping for or selling their car. Whether it’s via a dealership, from an independent garage or an online listing service, US consumers believe that the playing field isn’t level and that the odds are stacked against them when searching for a quality used car. That is, according to a survey of 1000 US adults, commissioned by online peer-to-peer marketplace Beepi, who had bought or sold a pre-owned car in the past 12 months. When asked, 85% of all respondents and 88% of women quizzed said they believed women were more likely to be taken advantage of when buying or selling a car. Fewer than one in three (28%) of men said that they feel ill-equipped or too intimidated to negotiate with a dealer or sales representative when it came to buying or selling, compared with 42% of women. However, the perception of car salespeople at a dealership isn’t helping matters with 66% of respondents saying that they see salesmen as self-centered and out for themselves. Only 22% described car dealers as trustworthy. Yet, when the situation moves from a garage forecourt and from face-to-face negotiations onto the web, emails and messaging, things don’t become any easier; in fact, when it comes to using web services like Craigslist, three in four women said that they worried for their personal Read More …

AARP-Report-Screen-Shot-19December2014-300×387 WASHINGTON, D.C. – AARP convened a panel to discuss key issues – caregiving, economic security, health and healthcare – impacting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) age 50-plus. The webinar was open to the public and transmitted live from Washington, D.C. earlier today. Watch it online at https://aarp.webex.com/aarp/ldr.php?RCID=740efb030b01c7b7ed3c9c009003fd33 “There is a lack of disaggregated data about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Yet data is the key to unlocking policy, resources, and solutions that address the critical needs of AAPI communities,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President, Multicultural Markets & Engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. “We are committed to bringing attention to the gaps in knowledge about these groups and hope that our research will help individuals, non-profit groups, and funders make informed decisions about the concerns of our communities.” The panelists discussed AARP’s recent three-part research series (available for free download at www.AARP.org/AAPI), including data that AAPIs age 50-plus: Are more likely to provide caregiving for older family members at home Appear more financially secure than the general population, but many more Asian ethnic groups are at or below poverty levels compared to the general population of the same age Lack health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care compared to other Americans the same age The other panelists were Dr. Xenia Montenegro, AARP Research Team Lead for Multicultural Markets; Angela Houghton, AARP Research, Senior Research Advisor; and Ron Mori, AARP Manager, Multicultural Markets & Engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. The presentation Read More …

First of all, let me express my belated thanks to Mrs. Sylvia Palanca Quirino and the Palanca Foundation for responding promptly to our recent appeal for them to reconsider and rescind what many writers thought were rather onerous rules for this year’s Palanca Awards competition. That has happened — we’re basically back to the old rules, which prospective entrants can read on the Palanca website. I do have to remind people to mind the check box on the entry form, where you need to indicate whether you’re giving your express permission for the Foundation to publish your work in full, in case it wins. We can understand the Foundation’s desire not just to give away monetary prizes for literature as it’s done for over 60 years now, but also to develop a readership for good writing. That’s why it’s important to strike a balance between the authors’ rights to their work and the sponsor’s need to share some of that work with the public for whom it’s presumably being written. As someone who’s come to be associated, and happily so, with the Palanca community, I’m relieved that this little tempest was dealt with expeditiously and reasonably by the Palancas and their lawyers — with the personal and gracious intercession, of course, of Mrs. Quirino. I should note that both sides came away with the clear understanding that the rules are a work in progress — as are the Palanca awards themselves — as the literary and publishing environment itself continues Read More …

Kim Kardashian heads to lay flowers at the memorial to the victims of genocide in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, April 10, 2015. The Kardashian sisters, along with Kim’s husband Kanye West and their daughter North are in Armenia on a high-visibility visit ahead of this month’s observation of the centennial of the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. AP Photo/Hrant Khachatryan, PAN Photo YEREVAN, Armenia — On a visit to Armenia, Kim Kardashian has seen that stardom’s privileges have limits. Kardashian, along with husband Kanye West, their daughter and her sister Khloe on Saturday were in Gyumri, a city 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of the capital Yerevan, where records show some Kardashian ancestors lived. When the entourage went into the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, bodyguards tried to close its doors to keep journalists and onlookers away. But the local bishop, Mikayel Adjapagian, sharply objected to obstructing worshippers from the church. The bodyguards relented and the doors stayed open. Afterwards, the Kardashians and cameramen shooting footage for their reality show went to a house where ancestors once lived. The house is currently unoccupied.