survivor blood vs water premieres on september 18

the 27th season of the reality show survivor; dubbed as survivor blood versus water will premiere on september 18 (september 19 here in the philippines). the show will feature returning castaways with a loved one competing with them. but they will not be competing with each other, they will be competing on opposite tribes - against each other.

the tribe of the returning castaways is named "galang" or respect (but i really prefer if it was "respeto") and the tribe color is yellow. the tribe of the loved ones is named "tadhana" which means destiny with red as tribe color.

the castaways this season are the following:

standing, starting from left:
> tyson from survivor tocantins and heroes vs villains and girlfriend rachel
> rupert from survivor pearl island, all stars and heroes vs villains and wife laura
> tina from survivor australian outback and all stars and daughter katie
> colton from survivor one world and fiance caleb
> laura from survivor samoa and daughter ciera
> gervase from the original survivor borneo and niece marissa
> monica from survivor one world and husband brad

seated, from left
> aras from survivor exile island and brother vytas
> candice from survivor cook islands and heroes vs villains and husband john
> kat from survivor one world and boyfriend hayden

it is interesting to note that this season features a castaway from season 1 (gervase) and 2 (tina); 2 winners (tina and aras) and a fourth chance for a castaway (rupert). notable loved ones includes former nfl player brad and big brother winner hayden.

this is also the show's 3rd straight season in the philippines. but this time, they are moving to the northern part of the country. the show was filmed in the palaui islands in cagayan. there are also news that the show will also feature a redemption island kind of twist.

this morning, i was able to find a sneak peek into the first seven minutes of the show. it was released in the entertainment weekly website. based on the video clips, this seems to be a very interesting season and i can't wait to start watching it; being a big fan of the show from season 1!

here is the link to the sneak peek video:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/09/16/survivor-blood-vs-water-premiere-video/

survivor blood vs water will air in jack tv here in the philippines; with live via satellite airing at 2pm and primetime airing at 9pm on september 19.

los banos celebrates banamos festival

the municipality of los banos, laguna will be celebrating the banamos festival 2013 from september 17 to 22, 2013. the schedule of activities is as follows:

see you in los banos!

the top 8 contestants of the voice of the philippines revealed

the top 8 contenders of the voice of the philippines is revealed after tonight's live show. there are only 2 contestants left surviving for each team.

the remaining contestants are:

team apl - thor and janice
team sarah - morisette and klarisse
team bamboo - paolo and myk
team lea - mitoy and radah

we are nearing the finals and the remaining artists are definitely deserving of their spots! can't wait of the semifinals next week and the finalists will benamed after next week's show!

filipino dishes featured in restaurant wars of top chef season 10

while watching the 11th episode of top chef 10, I was really amazed on how the filipino cuisine once again gained centerstage. i know that the episode originally aired in the US early this year, the searies os only airing now here in the philippines.

chef sheldon simeon was the brains behind the retaurant named "urbano"; who he names after his grandfather. the restaurant serves modern filipino dishes inspired with simeon's roots.

the dishes served were:

• kilawen - yellowtail with cilantro, spicy chili & white soy sauces
• balut - poached egg, duck confit & foie gras mousse
• miki - prawns, tapioca roll with achiote
• adobo - pork belly with mung been puree & pea shoots salad
• halo-halo - coconut sorbet, avocado mousse, banana & shredded coconut
• dark chocolate with macadamia nuts, ginger & peppermint oil

urbano eventually won the restaurant wars and simeon won a brand new car.

good job sheldon! by sticking to your roots, you showcased great filipino food to the world!

image is from the top chef website: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-10/photos/rate-the-plate/restaurant-wars-the-dishes#image-147180

UP Pep Squad gets 2nd place in 2013 UAAP Cheerdance Competition

After 3 years of being champions, the UP Pep Squad placed 2nd in the 2013 UAAP Cheerdance Competition held at the SM MOA Arena this afternoon. This is the UP Pep Squad's 15th consecutive podium finish in 15 appearances in the said competition.

UP's theme this year is party, and they really made the crowd join the party through the lively music, loud cheers and great routine. It is evident that the squad's routine has one of the higher level of difficulty in this year's team. And this was proven by the numerous falls during their performance.

The NU Cheer Squad's Arabia inspired routine got the top place, garnering a total of 696.5 points. UP got 620.5 points from the judges while 3rd place DLSU Animo Squad got 596.5 points.

Kudos to the UP Pep Squad! For us, you are still the champs! UP Fight!

Image is from DZMM Teleradyo's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dzmmteleradyo)

I AM BACK!

After a long, long hiatus, I declare:

I AM BACK! 

... and I promise to update as regular as possible...