Krispy Kreme is opening its 3rd Store in Cebu –  the Krispy Kreme SM City Cebu branch. The first KK store in Ayala was opened in October 22 last year, together with the KK IT Park.

Its opening is in celebration to the company’s 75th years of making delicious dougnuts and coffee.

For those who want to get a peak of the SM City Cebu Krispy Kreme store opening and get a lot of surprises, be there on May 17, 2012 @ 4:30 PM, Upper Ground Floor of SM City Cebu.

For more updates about the opening, tune in to this page. We will keep you posted.

I am one of those who watched ABS-CBN’S PINOY BIGGEST LOSERS.

After watching it and finding myself in the shoes of the participants, I realized I am more or less a part of the Filipinos who needs to be challenged to be fit.

It also crossed my mind “If I have an Ideal Fitness Coach, that would be Coach Jim Saret.”

But that would be wishful thinking to begin with, until I saw a blog post that Coach Jim Saret is coming to Cebu to start the FITFIL Fitness Bootcamp.

Aside from my personal reason of finally getting my four pack abs under celebrity fitness coach Jim Saret there are other 10 Top Ten Reasons why you need you Join FITFIL Fitness Bootcamp.

For Cebuanos and tourists, here is FITFIL Bootcamp in Cebu schedules:

May 15 to June 9, 2012
(Tuesday and Thursday) from 6 pm to 8 pm
(Saturdays) from 6 am to 8 am
The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City

To register, visit this page: http://www.coachjimsaret.ph/2012/04/join-coach-jim-sarets-fitfil-fitness.html

Just a reminder: This offer is only for 100 lucky registrants.

Feel free to visit the link I mentioned above or you can also visit https://www.facebook.com/FitFilCebu for more updates.

Get Fit Filipino!

 

Gabii sa Kabilin or Night of Heritage, which is inspired by the long night of the museums in Germany and other European countries, aims to encourage the public to visit museums and understand their position as a venue for cultural understanding. During the Gabii sa Kabilin, participating museums and heritage sites are open until midnight for public viewing. Each of these establishments prepares programs and activities that highlight their unique heritage agenda.

The event is slated every last Friday of May to culminate with the International Museums Day and National Heritage Month celebrations.

This year 21 museums and heritage sites will serve as main attractions, from last year’s 18. New participating sites are Ayala Center Cebu; Fo Guang Shan Chu Un Temple; BPI Museum; CAP Theater; JRG Halad Museum and University of San Carlos Museum. The BPI Museum will be available for viewing to Gabii sa Kabilin guests from 8:00 am t0 4:00 p.m. only.

This year’s Gabii sa Kabilin will highlight heritage routes by “themes” and will feature additional sites along the routes. Cultural performances, exhibits, art fairs, food markets, interactive demonstrations, as well as activities for children in selected sites are activities set, aside from the popular tartanilla (horse-drawn rig) rides.

Gabii sa Kabilin began on May 25, 2007 with four Cebu City museums. Every year the number of participating museums has been growing, as with the participants. In recent years, the Gabii sa Kabilin has drawn a growing number of tourists and locals alike, with the youth making up the bulk of visitors.

“Cuevas: A Retrospective (Iconography and Style)” Painting Exhibit opens tomorrow, April 27, at 4 p.m. at the Casa Gorordo Museum, Lopez Jaena Street, Cebu City.

Tito Cuevas, who started painting late in his life, invigorated the Cebuano art scene by putting out works in the abstract expressionist style. He is considered the Father of Abstract Expressionism in Cebu. He died last month. For those who attended the Contemporary Cebu exhibit in Cebu City Museum, you would have met him. Please click on this link to see a photo of Tito Cuevas.

The retrospective exhibit in Casa Gorordo Museum is the first of a series that deals with various aspects of the late master’s life and works. The succeeding exhibits will showcase Cuevas’ personal memoirs and influences at the Alternative Contemporary Art Exhibit, and masterpieces and rare works at the Cebu City Museum. The concluding exhibit of the series will be housed in SM Cebu in June.

The exhibition in Casa Gorordo Museum traces the development of Cuevas’ art career. It focuses attention on different styles that the master employed all throughout his art career from the late 1970s to 2012.

For inquiries, please contact Nancy Cudis at (032) 418-7234 local 520, or through mobile number 0917-3959423, or email at Nancy.Cudis@rafi.org.ph.

One of the Philippines most organized blogging organization — Cebu Bloggers Society, Inc. (CBSI)  is celebrating its 4th year anniversary.

The gathering, which is expected to draw old and new Cebu Blogger members, will be held at Azkals Sports Bar and Grill  on February 11, 2012 from 5:30PM – 8:00PM.

Cebu Bloggers Will be Checking In at Azkals Sports Bar and Grill

Azkals Sports Bar and Grill
Treehouse Building, Ramon Aboitiz St, Cebu City.
(right next to backgate of St.Theresa’s College)
Opens Mondays through Thursdays
BAR HOURS: Weekdays – 4:00PM – 1:00 AM and  Weekends – 4:00PM – 3:00 AM

For reservation contact at +63 915 343 3251 and +63 32 2391967. Interested parties can also email at azkalssportsbarandgrill@gmail.com.

One significant detail to set the 2012 Sinulog celebrations apart is the introduction of PLDT WiFi Zones all across public thoroughfares and establishments nearest the event to maximize the Sinulog experience.

In partnership with Cebu City Government through the Office of the Mayor, Councilors Bob Cabarrubias and Mike Ralota, PLDT WiFi Zones have been set up in time for Sinulog but will be a service made available to Cebuanos year round starting January 12. The PLDT WiFi Zones may be accessed in Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Gorordo to Fuente Osmeña Circle, Osmeña Boulevard, Portions of N. Bacalso Avenue and P. del Rosario, the Cebu City Sports Center, Cebu City Hall, Provincial Capitol, Magellan’s Cross and Plaza Indepencia and many other establishments.

The service will be free for the duration of the festival. Consumers just need to look for the PLDT WiFi Zone booths strategically located along the festival route to get their free WiFi zone PINs.

“PLDT has always considered Cebu as one of its priority cities. With the unveiling of its latest technology, the PLDT WiFi Zone, the Sinulog Festival, every Cebuano’s proudest moment, can now be shared throughout the world as it takes place,” according to PLDT Head of Cebu Operations Bong Lintag.

PLDT Vice President for Data Acquisitions Retail Business Group, Gary Dujali, believes that powering Cebu up for its biggest festival will prove to be a great development for everyone involved. “This new service we are proud to finally launch in Cebu is an extension of our subscribers’ internet connection at home. They can take advantage of ultra fast and reliable WiFi service not just at home but everywhere in the city.” Residents of Metro Manila can attest to experiencing WiFi like no other from more than 2000 establishments upgraded to the WiFi Zone just from last year.

PLDT Retail Business Group Head, Dan Ibarra, continues by saying that “With PLDT WiFi Zone, PLDT subscribers can experience the strong connection they get at home and they never have to miss out on their broadband experience.” It means that for the first time in Sinulog history, people can share what they’re going through online and in real time as PLDT WiFi Zone is right where all the festivities are centered! Posting photos in real-time of the most colorful costumes, the most captivating Cebuana beauties, or even your best dance moves won’t have to wait until after the festival is over.

PLDT WiFi Zone is the same unlimited myDSL connection you take with you outside the home and is made even more convenient by utilizing just one username and password when you connect to it. Experience PLDT WiFi Zone now for as low as P150 a month for PLDT myDSL subscribers, and P300 for PLDT landline subscribers. PLDT subscribers can register at www.pldtwifizone.com to try the service out for free until January 15 in the midst of the Sinulog merriment and to be privy to areas in Cebu that are set to be upgraded to the WiFi Zone in the near future.

Paintings and sculptures of contemporary Cebuano artists were featured in the art exhibit, dubbed Contemporary Cebu, which opened last Jan. 4 at the Cebu City Museum.

The exhibit, which is curated by JV Castro, is designed to bring national attention to contemporary Cebuano artists and their works. It is open to the public until Jan. 31.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, during the opening ceremonies, lauded the initiative undertaken to make the exhibit possible, saying it is a way to recognize Cebuano talents in visual arts as well as to promote the Cebu City Museum.

The Alternative Contemporary Art Studio, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), and The Grove by Rockwell, partnered together to launch this annual exhibit. The first exhibit was held in June 2011 in Manila at the Ateneo de Manila University and Picasso Boutique Hotel.

This year’s Contemporary Cebu art exhibit features the works of Palmy Pe-Tudtud, Marvin Natural, Kidlat of the Junks Collective, Karl Roque, Sio Montera, Ritchie Quijano, and Tito Cuevas. Russ Ligtas will give Butoh performances on Jan. 12 and 13.

“It is an exhibition that features some of the finest artists we have in Cebu. All the works in the exhibit are done by Cebuano artists who specialize in contemporary works, meaning the portrayal of subjects are different. In a way, we want to promote Cebu in a different light,” Castro said.

Dennis “Sio” Montera, one of the participating artists shared the inspiration and stories behind his paintings.

“My art is more on expression of the things that have been relevant in my life—happiness, sadness, loss of loved one, any life experience. For me, the best way I can communicate or deal with my emotions is to paint. It is more likely the reflection of a current situation of my life. It’s like a diary, mirroring what is happening around me,” he said.

Alternative Contemporary Art Studio and RAFI have been partners since Contemporary Cebu’s inception in 2011. This year, they took in The Grove by Rockwell as a major partner. The other sponsors of the exhibit are the Cebu City Government, Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission of Cebu City, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Blue Shield Risk Management, Gothong Southern, Michelangelo Pizzeria, and Hola España.

“Contemporary Cebu is a good opportunity for introducing the Cebuano audience to contemporary arts and for them to be familiar who the Cebuano contemporary visual artists are,” said Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of Culture and Heritage of RAFI. (Hannah Reoma/Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. intern)

CEBU, Philippines – Philippine wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Cebu-based website MyCebu.ph have partnered to deliver information on tourism and heritage sites to mobile phones and tablets through quick response or QR code scanning.

The project is being undertaken in partnership with the Department of Tourism Central Visayas.

Smart and MyCebu.ph will place special markers on tourism and heritage sites all over Cebu.

The markers will contain a snipper of information about the site and a QR code that, when scanned, will be open an article about the landmark. To be able to laod the information, users must be connected and they must have a QR reader in their devices. Most phone platforms offer free QR code scanners in their respective application markets.

The project is set for launch at historic Barangay Pari-an Cebu City today. Smart and MyCebu.ph also announced the immediate availability of a free electronic guidebook to the Sinulog for the iPad, Iphone, Kindle, Android tablets and phones and other smartphones and ereader brands. The guidebook will be offered for free downlaod at the airport, Ayala Center Cebu, hotels, restuarants and other tourism establishment in Cebu. It will also be given away at the officers of the DOT and the Sinulog Foundation.

Smart and MyCebu.ph also launched “A Guide To Cebu 2012,” an electronic guidebook on Cebu. Get Guide to Cebu 2011. The guidebook will be sold on Amazon and other online bookstores but will also be mad available for free downlaod at the airport, Ayala Center Cebu, hotels and other locations frequented by tourists.

The Sinulog guidebook is available for downlaod starting today. A Guide To Cebu 2012, however, will be made available for download in January in time for the Sinulog.

For the launch, Smart and MyCebu.ph will take guests on a short heritage walk in Paria-an to demonstrate the viewing of information through QR code scanning.

The highlight of the tour will be the display of the San Juan Bautista Parish Church through a QR code marker at the chapel that is built on where the church used to stand. The parish church is described by historic records as the most opulent in Cebu. It was torn down in the late 1970s during a conflict between the Pari-an community leader and a Spanish priest.

The project showcases journalism that takes takes full advantage of new technology to deliver information to people,” said Marlen Limpag, MyCebu.ph editor,” With the project, people are able to read on their phone or tablet about historic events right at where these happened.”

Limpag stressed, however, that the project isn’t purely historical or heritage.” Tourists can also get tips on how to get the most of their stay right at the tourist spot they are visiting.”

“This is a very exciting project for us. We are not only promoting tourism here in Cebu, we also get to work with passionate people from MyCebu.ph, DOT, Sinulog Foundation, local bloggers and local community leaders in helping preserve these heritage sites by raising awareness through Internet and communications technologies.” said Atty. Maria Jane C. Paredes, senior manager for Public Affairs Group, Smart.

The group will also showcase video clips linked to the QR codes in select tourism and heritage areas.

The capitalize on social networking to help spread word on the country’s tourism sites, the articles loaded by the system are plugged into various social networks like Facebook, Google+, Twitter and even location-based services like FourSquare. They can then “Like” or tweet about the place.

“Filipinos are very social in nature. We can use social media to our advantage to help encourage more tourists to visit Cebu and the rest of the country. This initiative in Cebu is just the start of something bigger for us. We plan to bring this nationwide in support of the DOT and the various local government units.” added Paredes.

But while the system makes use of QR scanning, Limpag said they are looking forward to using technologies like NFC or near field communication to deliver data in the future.

“We think QR code scanning is transitory. We look forward to using NFC to simplify delivery of information and we are happy to have partnered with Smart, which pionered the use of the NFC as well as other leading wireless technologies in the Philippines,” Limpag said.

The QR code project will be pioneered in Pari-an and downtown Cebu City. Smart and MyCebu.ph, however, will work to expand the system to cover important tourism and historical sites in Cebu.

After more than five years of living in wooden houses built on bamboo stilts, the Bajaus in Puntod, Alaska Mambaling, Cebu City will soon reside in concrete, socialized houses through the Bajau Integrated Area Development Project (BIAD-P), a partnership project of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), Cebu City Government, University of San Carlos-College of Architecture and Fine Arts, Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and partners from Kortrijk, Belgium and Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands.

The BIAD-P aims to transform the Bajaus into a progressive, self-reliant community through the process of social mobilization and community development.

BIAD-P proponents broke ground on the 140-hectare Bajau site at Sitio Puntod, Alaska Mambaling last Aug. 1. This site will house 153 Badjau households or approximately 918 individuals in Alaska Mambaling.

Cebu City officials headed by Mayor Michael Rama, Councilor Margot Osmeña, and Councilor Alvin Dizon; Consul Enrique Benedicto, honorary consul of Belgium; local government unit of Mambaling; partners; and students joined the Bajau community as they witnessed the groundbreaking, which signalled the official implementation of the BIAD-P.

In his message, Rama stressed the need for cooperation to make Cebu City more progressive. He also encouraged the Bajaus to learn the Cebuano language so that they can be better understood, thus, contribute to the unity among Cebuanos and Bajaus.

Volunteers from Cebu City’s sister cities in Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands and Kortrijk, Belgium, who are delegates of the 21-day Multi-city Youth eXchange program, helped in the construction of two pilot quadrant houses using the Inter-locking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEB) technology. They also participated in other activities on social and sustainable development like coastal clean-up, ICEB production, mat weaving, pearl accessories making, and boat painting. They had a four-day immersion in the Bajau community.

For her part, Ma. Christina Aboitiz, executive committee chair of RAFI, lauded the efforts and persistence of Sister Evelyn Flanagan, Presentation Sisters Coordinator, in helping the Bajaus in Cebu.

The Bajau community in Alaska Mambaling, Cebu City is among RAFI’s beneficiaries under its Grants program.

Grants is one of the capabilities in RAFI’s comprehensive approach to elevating lives and communities. Its other capabilities are Awards, Institutional Development & Planning, Knowledge Sharing & Advocacy, and Services & Facilities. These capabilities are harnessed for RAFI to deliver on its promise through its five focus areas: Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.
For more information about Grants, please contact 418-7234 loc. 205 and look for Jan Montilla.

May 24 marked another first for Cebu as Innoland formally launches CALYX RESIDENCES.

Calyx Resindences is a 28-storey green tower located at the residential enclave of Cebu Business Park. A stone throw away Ayala Center Cebu, the building will have 238 units designed by AIDEA Philippines and employing Kenneth Cobonpue’s contemporary and Space Designer Tina Perequet.

The new green building, which sets to be a landmark, combines the best of two worlds: quite and secure in a verdant setting and yet a short walk from the busy business center where bakns, shopping malls, dining and service stores are located.

Cebu Business Park, on the other hand is connected to five major city thoroughfares: Gorordo Avenue, Juan LUna Street. Archbishop Reyes Avenue, General Maxilom Avenue and MJ Cuenco Avenue. Its location provides an edge to easy access to the international port, the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and other tourist destination.

For more information, one may call

Innoland Corporate
15th Floor TGU Tower
J.M. del Mar Ave. Cor. Salinas Drive
Asiatown I.T. Park, Apas, Cebu City
Contact Numbers: (032) 268-7060 to 64
(032) 479-9091
(0917) 395 0711