Vilches Beach Resort

Vilches Beach Resort was established in 1993 and was originally called Sunrise Beach Resort. In 1995, the name of the resort was officially changed to its current name. A major renovation that begun in July 2007 resulted to a modern yet authentic resort aimed to cater to both local and international tourists.

Located in the eastern side of the Island of Guimaras, Vilches Beach Resort’s facilities include 2 bedroom air conditioned cottages with private kitchen and living room and 2 bathrooms with hot & cold shower, 2 Native Cottages with bathrooms, Picnic Huts as well as public bathrooms. A 3000 sq. ft. Pavilion and Restaurant is also available for special functions. Enjoy the taste of Filipino cuisine through a variety of home-made dishes prepared by their experienced and friendly staff. Come and discover Vilches Beach Resort!

I’ve been here three times with my mountaineering buddies, at every visit namin sa beach na ito ay talagang may improvements. Nag-iiba ang cottages, may dumagdag na mga cottages at iba pa. Since yung isang friend namin ay pamangkin nang may-ari nang resort so medyo nakaka-less naman kami.

Naala ko tuloy sa isang visit ko dito. Siguro mga August 2009 pa yun. Wala akong tulog, sinadya ko talagang hindi matulog kasi takot akong ma tripan nang mga kaibigan ko.. Kaya isa ako sa mga nang trip sa kanila. Hehe… Nang dahil sa hindi natulog nakita ko mismo ang magandang sunrise. Hindi na ako nagtaka kung bakit tinawag ito dati na SUNRISE BEACH RESORT.



HOW TO GET THERE:

• Access to Vilches BEACH RESORT is either via Parola - Buenavista wharf or Lapuz - Jordan wharf ( Ro-Ro Terminal).
• From Iloilo Airport, Cabatuan, Iloilo to Iloilo City it is approximately 45 minutes commute via public transport or 30 minutes via a taxi cab or private cars.
• Then it is a 15 minute motorized pump boat ride from Parola to Buenavista or 30 minute Ferry ride from Lapuz to Jordan wharves.
• From either Buenavista or Jordan wharves it is approximately 30 – 45 minutes ride via Jeepneys or Minivans to Vilches BEACH RESORT.
• Personal service can be arranged for pick up at the Iloilo Airport or at Buenavista or Jordan wharves

For Rates, just visit their site at http://vilchesresorts.com/rates.htm

Pacquiao to participate in celebrity golf tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is set to participate in a celebrity golf tournament on July 12-17 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Pacquiao will make his debut in the 22nd Annual American Century Championship golf tournament, according to Examiner.com.

The Filipino boxing icon will join other sports legends and Hollywood celebrities in the tournament.

Other athletes set to participate in the tournament include NBA legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, current players Jason Kidd, Shane Battier and Ray Allen, football Hall-of-Famers John Elway and Marshall Falk, as well as former US Vice President Dan Quayle.
The complete list of participants can be found here. https://www.americancentury.com/cause/2010_players_list.jsp

Oscar de la Hoya is also included in the list of guests, but it is not sure if “Golden Boy” will be able to participate as he is currently undergoing rehabilitation for alcohol and drug addiction.

Snow White 2012

With comic book superheroes getting dibs on their very own big-screen treatment, why do fairytales have to settle for the back seat? This time around, fairytale refuses to be neglected yet again, and is bent on making a comeback tackling its ever-popular tale; Snow White, which has two upcoming movies to offer along the ride. Originally titled "Kinder- und Hausmärchen", Snow White is a 1857 German folk tale from the Brothers Grimm, which sees an emotionally abused, neglected child who still manages to hold together her sanity and good nature, despite being robbed of her birthright from her evil stepmother who repeatedly tries to kill her. In spite of all the unpleasantness, Snow White is a pretty awesome tale that has been remade or re-imagined countless of times, including the well-known Disney animated version in 1937 which we have all grown to love. Now let's run through some of the Snow White movies that have, and will be adapted after the fairytale in the near future.

1. "Happily Ever After" (1993)
"Happily Ever After" is an unofficial sequel to Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", which was produced in 1988 and released in 1993. It featured low budget animation and a typical high fantasy/adventure setting, though with surprising twists. The story this time around, sees the Evil Queen's brother attack Snow White in the form of a dragon and take Snow White's Prince to the Realm of Doom. Instead of dwarfs, we're also introduced to the seven 'dwarfellas'. The movie is a complete reverse from the well-known old Snow White tale where Snow White gets saved by the Prince. In this feminist-like movie, Snow White embarks on a quest to rescue the Prince with the aid of the 'dwarfellas'.

2. "Snow White: The Fairest of Them All" (2001)
In this adaptation, Snow White's mother dies during childbirth, leaving baby Snow White and father John for dead on an icy field, who then receives a visit from one of Satan's representatives, granting him three wishes; nourishment for Snow White, a kingdom in which to raise his family and also a Queen by his side. Miranda Richardson as the Evil Queen is beautiful and compelling as ever, but this adaptation undercuts her fine performance with a terrible back-story in which she is originally a hag who is turned into a beauty by her well-meaning spirit of a brother. Kristin Kreuk (Snow White) looks the part, but doesn't act it as well as expected. The film is a great example of a classic story, one that is so perfect in its original form that there is really no room for improvement. Caroline Thompson known for the screenplays of "A Nightmare before Christmas", "Corpse Bride" and "City of Ember" directed the film.

3. "Sydney White" (2007)
"Sydney White" is modern retelling of Snow White set against students in their freshman year of college through the Greek fraternity/sorority system. Sydney White is a re-imagined version of Snow White, in the movie there is no evil Queen but instead a popularity-obsessed evil college mate, and instead of the seven dwarfs there are seven geeks with whom Sydney is friends with. Interestingly, a college networking system that rates "who is the fairest of them all" among the female students of the college replaces the famed magic mirror. The movie stars Amanda Bynes as Sydney White and Sara Paxton as Rachael Witch; the arch-nemesis of Sydney. The movie took a different approach to the story and is quite a diversion into reality from the fairytale world.

4. "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012)
This upcoming movie is also a twist to the well-known fairytale, but only on a very small scale. Starring "Twilight's" mono-expression faced Kristen Stewart as the fairest of them all, in this version, the Huntsman is played by Chris Hemsworth from "Thor", and is ordered by the Evil Queen to take Snow White (Stewart) into the woods to be killed, but instead takes pity on her and trains her to fight the Queen. In a role that was first offered to Viggo Mortensen and Hugh Jackman, audiences are excited for Chris Hemsworth to be back on the screen after the highly successful comic book adaptation for which he played the God of Thunder, Thor. Eventhough the pairing of Hemsworth with Stewart may be cringe-worthy; we hope the movie turns out to be a big-hit next year especially with Oscar winner Charlize Theron playing the Evil Queen.

5. "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White" (2012)
For probably what would be the closes adaptation to the original fairytale, "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White" puts a rebellious Snow White who bands with the dwarfs to overturn the Evil Queen who killed her father and destroyed the kingdom. Tarsem Singh ("The Fall") directs with Julia Roberts starring as the Queen, Lily Collins ("Priest") as Snow White and Armie Hammer ("The Social Network") as Prince Andrew Alcott. Director Tarsem who is famed for his artistic movies, informs audiences to expect the strange visual aesthetics of his fairytale, which will feature monotonous buildings contrasted by colourful costumes in what promises to be the most anticipated movie next year.

YAHOO.COM

Parisian Life of Juan Luna

Jose Rizal is one of the men in the background of Juan Luna’s award-winning painting. ”Parisian Life” won the Silver Medal at the St. Louis Exposition (World’s Fair).

INTERPRETATION:

GSIS museum director Eric Zerrudo sugeests that there are three possible interpretations of the work.

The first one is that the woman was a courtesan who caught the eye of the three Filipino patriots while they were discussing affairs regarding their homeland in the cafe.

Another interpretation is that the painting hints at Luna's family problems. Close to the time of the painting's completion, Luna was struggling with personal tragedies--the death of his infant daughter and his suspicion his wife was having an affair with a French doctor. The half-empty beer mug in the table in front of the woman and the coat on the sofa may be suggestive symbolisms.

Zerrudo's third theory on the painting is that the woman in the painting may be intended to represent the Philippines, her form suggesting a mirror image of the Philippine archipelago.

What appear to be artistic flaws in the painting--the dark neck of the woman and the awkward placement of her head against a window joint which thus appears to jut out of her head--may have been intentionally done to symbolize the state of the Philippines at that time.

What is certain, Bienvenido Lumbera points out, is that Juan Luna was a master painter whose works should be valued, and that the painting has historical significance as it depicts a typical scene in the lives of Philippine patriots staying in Europe.

Guinness names Filipino as world’s shortest man

A poor Filipino blacksmith’s son who stands less than two feet (60 centimeters) tall was declared the world’s shortest man by Guinness World Records on his 18th birthday yesterday, sparking a celebration in his far-flung hometown.

The title was bestowed on Junrey Balawing in Sindangan in the southern Philippines, with Balawing’s parents, villagers and officials showering the coastal town’s newly famous resident with a feast, a cake, balloons and cash gifts.

Balawing measured 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) during the ceremony attended by about 100 villagers and journalists. Guinness World Records representative Craig Glenday presented Balawing with official recognition of his status as the shortest adult man in the world.

Balawing, who wore infant-sized shoes and a white shirt emblazoned with the Guinness seal, took over the title from Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, who is 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) tall, Glenday said.

Sindangan, about 450 miles (730 kilometers) south of Manila, has not had so much attention in years – with dozens of journalists descending on this fishing and farming town of 90,000 to cover the event.

“Thank you,” Balawing told the crowd through his father, Reynaldo, who interpreted his son’s words spoken in a local dialect. Balawing blew the candles on a cake and clapped heartily each time the crowd applauded. He was later heard saying “Kapoy,” or “I’m tired.”

Balawing’s mother grew teary-eyed during the ceremony. She said earlier that she was happy with her son’s instant fame.

Glenday said he was struck with the lively personality of Balawing, who constantly smiled and appeared not to be hampered by his condition. Balawing – who is about the size of a toddler and has a child’s demeanor – was photographed propping himself up using empty Coca Cola bottles, which were taller than his waistline.

(Story courtesy of the Associated Press (AP)