Blogs

China is using history as the basis of its claim in all of South China Sea including Spratlys, Paracel Group of Islands, and Scarborough Shoal. Now, the Philippines is digging through its archive to disprove China’s claims. The question now will be, which is valid, Philippines 18th century map or China’s ancient expeditions. Spanish-era map dated as far back 1734 supports the Philippines’ claim of the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc). An old map entitled Carta Hydrografica de las Islas Filipinas illustrated by Spanish cartographer Pedro Murillo Velarde, designates a spot called as “Panacot” or “Bajo ... Read more

Previously, you have the iTunes app pre-installed in your Mac or iOS device (iPod, iPhone, iPad) but you do not have the access to its premium contents. I mean, you are willing to pay but Apple is not willing to sell these contents to users that reside in the Philippines along with other Asian countries. Thus, iTunes media store is not made available to these locations. But recently, Apple Inc. announces the launch of the iTunes media store in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Residents of the mentioned countries ... Read more

Where travelling is part of a social system, travelers tend to inform their peers wherever they are in the world – thanks to Facebook check-in. The social networking giant finally revealed the result on the most “social” landmarks in the world by counting on the number of check-ins received or made in a certain spot. Europe has listed 10 places in the top 25 while 6 of the listed are from North America, four of which are from the US, the country with the most number of listed places. Four landmarks are from Asia, two are from both Oceania and ... Read more

Dubai’s 828-meter Burj Khalifa, the current title-holder, took five years to build. After its completion, there have been constant battles on whose going to build the next world’s tallest and China seemed accepted the challenge. Broad Sustainable Building (BSB), a Chinese construction company, aims to topple Burj Khalifa’s height in just 90 days. The company will build the 220-storey Sky City in Changsa, Hunan which will stand at 838 meters and will cost RMB4 billion ($628 million). BSB has already established its reputation by building a 30-storey hotel in just 360 hours in December 2011. Sky City One is expected ... Read more

Mall magnate Henry Sy and his family still remain as Philippines’ wealthiest, topping the Forbes list of Philippine richest with a net worth of $9.1 billion or some ₱385 billion. The family does not only control the Philippine retail business but is also a leader in real estate development, banking, and investments. The family also holds a significant  share in power and grid industry. The Sy Family is listed 116th in a list of the world’s billionaires topped by Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim, having $69 billion worth of riches. Lucion Tan, with less than half of the Sys’ wealth, ... Read more

Sold at $10,999.99 or nearly half a million pesos (PHP), Sharp’s 90-inch LED TV (Aquos LC90LE745U) stands 4 feet tall, 6 feet wide and weighs 64 kg (141 lbs). Like any other LED TVs of Sharp’s Aquos family, Aquos LC90LE745U is already a Smart TV with built-in web browser and Wi-Fi and is 3D capable. It also features a surround sound subwoofer system. Though it was tagged as the largest LED TV, it does not surpass the planet’s largest Plasma TV, Panasonic’s 4K2K 3D 152-inch Plasma Display Panel. Sharp’s 90″ LED TV (Photo from SharpUSA.com) Specifications: 90-inch LED-LCD screen 3D-capable ... Read more

For stunning and creative pieces of jewelry, many bead enthusiasts and jewelry-makers love to use spring beads in their designs. Ranging from sterling silver vase shapes to gold-plated bugles, spring beads add a touch of elegance to any piece of jewelry. You can pair spring beads with other beads such as glass, crystal, acrylic, Pandora or Murano-style, gemstone, pearls, seed, pony beads, and many more. Spring beads are available in a large variety of shapes and colors, including: nickel, sterling silver, golden, antique bronze, black iron, platinum, antique silver, and red copper; and shapes including bugles, “cage”, “cucurbit” shaped, case, ... Read more

Ms S, a mother, often made a squabble with his elder teenage sons. Reasons include; scolding them when they came home late or not allowing them to attend friendly gatherings of their age and for not giving them the liberty to decide on their own. One day, the youngest followed the same footsteps of his elder brothers. The feared word war between Ms S and her youngest has broken their home’s rarely attained silence. And then I got a chance to talk with the teary mother… Ms S: Ian, Did I do something wrong? Didn’t they realize that I was ... Read more

Travel + Leisure Magazine enlists the Pinoy favorite, Jollibee, as one of the World’s Best fast-food chain. Travel + Leisure Magazine is the same entity that named Boracay as the World’s 4th Best Island. Jollibee is listed along with 20 other fast food chains in the world that offer travelers a local taste at a great convenience and economy. “Fast food gets a Filipino twist at this quick-serve chain, which is so beloved that its mascots star in their own children’s television show.” the magazine stated in its website. On its menu are fried chicken, hotdog sandwiches, and hamburgers to local favorites ... Read more