The Comfort Rooms

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Where would you like to see these gals - Manila, Iloilo or Bacolod? (Image courtesy of Facebook)

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Mr. Gokongwei (2nd from left), what have you done?

This piece of news shocked my morning. Manny Pangilinan's PLDT has just bought majority shares on John Gokongwei's Sun Cellular worth Php 69.2 billion. Don't worry though because Sun Cellular will still be alive. The change, however will be seen on Digitel, Gokongwei's landline telephone arm.

My miniscule business instincts told me to think of this piece of news as an example of monopoly from MVP (Meralco, anyone?). But no, I've read from newspapers that John Gokongwei is one of the smartest taipans (asian tycoons). And for sure, this development will help blossom (pump prime?) JG Summit's other business interests.

Honestly, I'm not really sure if this is a positive or a negative news. I will still have to read from the columns of my favorite business writers and watch my favorite business shows (all on ANC - haha!) to help me formulate what my opinion really is about this matter.

But for sure, this is one heck of a major business news here in the Philippines.

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During Earth Hour from a friend's FB. Are they serious?!?

Yesterday was the 3rd year that the Philippines joined the rest of the free world in the observance of the Earth Hour. For 60 minutes, all lights should be shut off simultaneously (in your time zone of course) and for that moment, be reminded of the amount of damage mankind has placed upon Mother Earth.

The past two celebrations have been successful. The number of participants (not to mention the amount of megawatts saved) increased as each year has passed. Because of past successes, I was hopeful that Earth Hour 2011 will be very successful, as far as the Philippines would be concerned.

So last night, we (Dad, and 2 sisters) left home a few minutes before 8:30pm (designated start of the Earth Hour) and headed towards my uncle's house (a good 30 minute drive). I knew it was Earth Hour and that back at home, all the lights will be turned off. As we drove along Ortigas Avenue, I was freakishly disappointed. Why? Because lights were on and it was Earth Hour.

 Inside the car, I thought I wanted to blame the relatively-poor marketing the Earth Hour guys had on this year (You haven't really noticed the Earth Hour 2011 ads as well right? You know they were there but the campaign wasn't convincing enough). Partly to blame were the people who could have cared more for the environment. In light of all the catastrophes in Japan, I expected the Filipino nation to at least be more concerned this year.

If I were to be asked about my Earth Hour this year, it was disappointing.

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Kobe and the Lakers survived the Suns

If only basketball experts were looking, everyone should mind the Lakers. Since the All-star weekend  a month back, two-time defending champs have gone 13-1 with that sole loss coming in from Miami.

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Something BIG will happen in a few weeks.

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Unarguably the biggest breakthrough TV show of 2010, Showtime is still a big force to reckon with here in the Philippines. 

With the "sole" intent to keep the Filipino entertained, the show has elevated grassroots talent into a whole new different persona as the show has given even the most-talented from the most far-flung of barrios the chance for their own 3 minutes of fame.

But the question is, how big really is Showtime and how heavy an influence they must really be to its viewers? Go check on this cute twitter pic tweeted a few minutes ago by Showtime host Anne Curtis (Showtime is really party party!):

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Photo from Yahoo News

Japan is obviously on a frenzy. Watching the quake aftermath on BBC, the countless tweets and Facebook updates I've been receiving, everything points out to the fact that we should all keep our guards up, keep safe, keep vigilant, and be always on the lookout.

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At least Fil-Am Coach Spo is spared elimination. :)

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After yet another loss, what could be on LBJ's mind? Photo by Mike Ehrmann/ Getty Images

Miami Heat is now on a 0-5 run since the All-Star weekend. It's horrendous I know. But for a team with so much cockiness, some people might actually find relief on their woes (it's true).

Following a blowout victory over the Lakers last Christmas, the Heat suddenly became a team that it has promised to become: strong, dominating, ruthless and most of all, championship-worthy. For a championship-hungry team, they put all stops into finally ending the Lakers domination in the league. However, all talk and cockiness has suddenly disappeared. Now even they're players were bitter about their woes.

Dwayne Wade even went as far as declaring their team the "most hated" in the entire league. C'mon, I thought Lakers is the most hated team. Almost everyone I know who isn't a Laker fan is a Laker hater. I don't think the Heat is the most-hated. People could be put off by their arrogance and cockiness. Besides. the LeBron-Dwayne-Chris (Bosh) troika declared an NBA Championship right before the season started.

As a Laker fan, I'm not celebrating over Miami Heat's woes. I'd rather concentrate on their game come Thursday.

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Will the hype surrounding him last long?

Is it safe to say that Phil Younghusband is currently the hottest thing on Filipino consciousness right now?

It's been three months since the team's sensational Suzuki Cup performance, TV coverage, magazine shoots, twitter, Facebook, product endorsements and countless topless photos marked the advent of Phil Younghusband.

He isn't entirely new in the scene. He and brother created the most minimal of stirs (it's true) when they first burst out into the spotlight. His erstwhile partnership with his former manager provided Phil with (at least) some publicity, most notably his participation on GMA-7's Celebrity Duets and his endorsement of Alaska Milk.

He's got good looks, yeah, and he does resemble Taylor Lautner to some degree. However, looks and looks alone did not make Phil the hottest PYT (pretty little thing) in the Philippines right now. It was his football and his unforgetable goal last month against Mongolia that provided him with the publicity and starpower he only wished he could have a few years back.

So far, what has he reaped with his newfound popularity? Aside from DAILY tidbits (really) from the county's most respectable news programs, he's got endorsements (like C2 Collezione shirts, etc), TV guestings, magazine features (check out Metro Society soon), twitter romance (with Angel Locsin) and twitter wars (Angelica Panganiban and that Morales fan) and soon, be among the Filipinos with the most number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

With all the hoopla surrounding him, it made me asked this one question: Is he more popular than what Alvin Patrimonio and James Yap acheived during their peak as basketball gods?

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Melo's tranfer to the East could have tipped the balance

For more than a decade, NBA's Western Conference kicked the East so hard that from the onset of the post-Michael Jordan era, their teams (Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs) have won 9 of the last 12 championships, with the Detroit Pistons (2004), Miami Heat (2006), and the Boston Celtics (2008) snatching in one championships apiece to stop the Western Conference stranglehold.

However, that is certainly not quite the case for 2011. If asked who would end up winning the Western Conference this year, the answer would either be the San Antonio Spurs or the Lakers. But if asked who would end up winning the Eastern Conference, any person would have a hard time guessing who would end up winning it. Boston Celtics? Miami Heat? Chicago Bulls? Orlando Magic? Or New York Knicks?

Here's how I rate all of teams concerned:

1. Miami Heat - though I obviously dislike this team (though they got a Filipino coach in Coach Spo), I think they got the best chance of winning the Eastern Conference title.

2. Boston Celtics - time is not with this team, they'll eventually be run over by younger knees.

3. Chicago Bulls - I want them to win in the East actually. I thought the Derick Rose-Carlos Boozer-Luol Deng-Joachim Noah combination is a formula for (future) success.

4. New York Knicks - 3 names my friend. Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Amar'e Stoudamire.

5. Orlando Magic - I feel bad for Dwight Howard cos he does not deserve a lowly ranking here. He needs back-ups!

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One of the things I've missed the past few weeks on blogging world is to post something about the Grammys a few weeks back. Usually, if I liked a performance during the Grammys, I post them up here. This year, what convinced me to write something up here is Bruno Mars. The Filipino/Puerto Rican (still Filipino to me) musician has got to be 2010's biggest find in the music industry. He makes chart-toppers, he collaborates with a lot of singers, he can sing rnb, rock, pop, alternative, soul, motown, what-have-you.

Just proud of a fellow Filipino.

Watch his Grammy performance here.

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The most important multi-sport event in this region, the Southeast Asian Games is fast approaching and I've been keen on watching out for updates on the biennial event.

For some reason, it's become a not-too-sportsmanlike because host nations always have the final say on what sports would be included in the tiff. If you think the Southeast Asian Games serve as a precursor for bigger events like the Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games, you're partly correct. The games has also served as a way for host countries to dominate the field, hence hometown decisions are not unheard of especially at the SEA Games.

This year, Indonesia (the host country) will introduce a new sport indigenous to a fellow Southeast Asian nation - the Vovinam. This martial art originated in Vietnam. And honestly, I'm not interested to know more about this sport - as of the moment.

Why? Because none else knows about this! Vietnam, if I'm not mistaken has brought in odd sports like shuttlecock and fin swimming to further boost its gold medals claim. If the Southeast Asian Games plans to be the precursor for regional athletes to prepare for bigger and more prestigious continental and worldwide games, then the organization should stop introducing sports like these. Personally, I think they're bullcrap.

If they intend to make this sport known to us Southeast Asians, why not make this a demonstration sport instead kinda like what the Olympics does? That way, you formally introduce the sport to a new audience, get familiar with it and eventually, be a part of the Games' calendar in the future.

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Haven't blogged in weeks! It wasn't really a choice but a predicament that I have had, thanks to the "crackdown" I've experienced here at work. Because of that, I wasn't able to blog about a couple of things, most notably the 2011 NBA All-Stars and probably yeah, a little bit of the Oscars.

Four of these girls made it thru the list except for the one beside Liz Uy (i think she's Bea Soriano)

10. Lauren Uy. Don't know her at all. Liz Uy's little sister. She reminds me of Anne Curtis' Jasmine Curtis.

9. Isabel Daza. I think the low ranking is justifiable because for some reason, she lost that specialness in her already. Prettier cousin Georgina has overshadowed her big time.

8. Sarah Gaugler.  The girl in the Globe Tattoo ads. I like her in the listing.

7. Tricia Gosingtian. Don't know her. Apparantly she's famous for being a blogger.

6. Saab Magalona. Her name's cool. Her dad's cool. She's cool.

5. Anne Curtis. The most famous in the bunch. 2011 will be a big year for her career-wise.

4. Alodia Gosengfiao. For some reason, cosplay is still too weird for me. Not all Japanese loves anime though, me included.

3. Liz Uy. She's always on the news! Nothing more I could add to that.

2. Georgina Wilson. Man, she's too darn pretty to be just number two.

1. Solenn Heusaff.  She's really "it".