The Philippine Beat

The SAFE STEPS Kids programme teaches kids safety measures while watching Cartoon Network

Posted on July 6, 2019 by jane

Who doesn’t know the Powerpuff Girls? As the mom of four growing kids some years back, I still remember how they were hooked on Cartoon Network and one of the shows they watched all the time was the Powerpuff Girls. Well, the Powerpuff Girls and more of their Cartoon Network buddies are back again, not just to save the world, but to SAVE OUR KIDS!!!

Partnering with Prudence Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Cartoon Network will be bringing crucial safety information to our kids on their cable channel. Twelve videos, each about 50 seconds long, will feature three topics: disasters, first aid, and road safety. The Powerpuff Girls start off the series with videos on how to stay safe during disasters. Later in the year, We Bare Bears will be featured with first aid tips; and characters from The Amazing World of Gumball will tackle road safety.

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Cool down this summer with these Starbucks frappuccinos and food items

Posted on April 10, 2019 by jane

These past days, I’ve been “dying” from the heat. So it’s a comfort to know that I can cool off at Starbucks with the latest frappuccinos (there are 4!) and a new selection of food items.

The summer beverages and food items, as well as other summer Starbucks merchandise including two new cards and a coffee blend, were introduced in a fun, island carnival event called the Siren’s Island. Set within the Music Hall of SM’s Mall of Asia, Siren’s Island treated bloggers and the public to the carnival feel.

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Let’s join Earth Hour 2019 and support awareness of the plastic pollution problem

Posted on March 8, 2019 by jane

2019 is the 12th year of Earth Hour but it is also the second year of its #Connect2Earth global theme which calls for an urgent need to care for the Earth’s biological diversity. Central to this theme is the continuing focus on the issue of single-use plastics.

What began in 2008 in Manila (Earth Hour first started in Sydney in 2007) as a campaign to create awareness of climate change has evolved into the world’s grassroots movement to raise awareness on the importance of biodiversity as a viable resource link that families, communities, nations, and future generations all depend upon.

(L-R) WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma, AIS Development Executive of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines Yasser Sarona, WWF-Philippines Climate and Energy Program Head and Earth Hour Pilipinas National Director Atty. Gia Ibay, WWF-Philippines National Ambassador Iza Calzado, WWF-Philippines National Youth Ambassador Janine Gutierrez, and WWF-Philippines National Ambassador Rovilson Fernandez. Photograph courtesy of Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines

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Experience Sakura spring time at Starbucks!

Posted on March 5, 2019 by jane

It’s springtime!

I know….we are in tropical Philippines. There is no spring. But in many other countries with four seasons, the ground is suddenly coming out of its wintry sleep as plants and trees start to come alive. What a great time it would be in Japan as spring brings with it the sight of cherry trees all abloom with cherry blossoms.

Starbucks embraces the changing of the seasons with Sakura merchandise, beverages, a special card, and a special spring coffee blend.

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10 things you should know before going to the Big Bad Wolf Book sale

Posted on February 22, 2019 by jane

If you are a bookworm, you have probably heard that Big Bad Wolf Books is back in Manila for a second time and it is bigger and better! Admission is FREE so anyone, any age can go. Discounts are even deeper now, from 50% to 90% across different genres.

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Welcome the New Year with these Starbucks Year of the Pig goodies and new Teavana beverages

Posted on January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 by jane

February 5, 2019 will be Chinese New Year — the Year of the (Earth) Pig. To usher it in with abundance and prosperity, Starbucks Philippines has come up with Year of the Pig merchandise and an accompanying Year of the Pig Starbucks card.

I love the look of The Year of the Pig mug. It helps that the dominant background color is a vibrant red. A cute pig face with a prominent snout is embossed on the front. The handle is a stylized version of a pig tail and you realize, as you turn the mug, that the handle gives you a back view of the pig.

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Meet the 2019 Starbucks planners and travel organizers

Posted on October 31, 2018 by jane

You saw it right. Starbucks has leveled up and for 2019, it is giving all Starbucks lovers two different items that can be obtained by collecting stickers.

Aside from the well-loved 2019 Starbucks Planners, Starbucks is introducing, for the first time, two variants of the Starbucks Travel Organizers. That’s four different items you can get from stickers you collect! Be sure to read all the way to the end to see how to collect these stickers and join the promo, Starbucks for a Year.

The 2019 Starbucks Planner comes in only one size this year – the regular size (in some years, they also offered a smaller notebook size). It comes in two colors: Espresso and Milk (I am partial to the Milk variant!). Each planner cover features a canvas finish with metallic gold and copper stamping as well as matching canvas pouch. The 2019 Starbucks Travel Organizers feature a leather-finish, zipped case with slots in the inside left side for cards, a mobile phone or powerbank, wires and a pen. A small notebook in matching color comes with pages that are a third grid, dot grid, and plain. Each planner/travel organizer comes with its own exclusive, limited edition Starbucks Card inspired by the mystery of the Siren and the magic of well-roasted beans.

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Let’s do our share to reduce plastic waste in the Philippines! Say #AyokoNgPlastik!

Posted on October 25, 2018 by jane

A 2015 report on plastic pollution done by Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment is said to have ranked the Philippines as the third top plastic polluter in the world. A pilot whale was found dead in Thailand with almost 20 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Just the other day, news broke out that microplastics have been found in human feces. It is no longer surprising. If animals ingest plastics by accident and meat is part of our diet, these microplastics will eventually find its way into our gut.

It also does not help that plastics proliferate, especially here in the Philippines, due to the ‘tingi’ (sachet) concept where products are repackaged into one-time use plastic sachets for convenience, sanitation, and affordability by the less fortunate.

Recently, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, together with Ayala Malls and other partner corporations, officially launched #AyokoNgPlastik — a movement that hopes to address these alarming facts by bringing together companies, individuals, and other sectors to minimize and eventually eradicate single-use plastics such as straws, bags, bottles, and caps by refusing to use them.

WWF-Philippines National Ambassadors Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez with WWF Next Generation Council member, Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi

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Starbucks releases its celestial siren themed anniversary collection

Posted on September 11, 2018 by jane

Watch out, Starbucks collectors, coffee lovers, and anyone who loves sea themes. On September 11, 2018, Starbucks will be releasing its limited edition Starbucks Anniversary Collection of tumblers, water bottles, mugs, and Starbucks card. Going by the theme “Celestial Beauty of the Undersea”, the artwork of the Starbucks merchandise has ethereal qualities featuring a siren swimming in a sea of stars.

Taken from a Norse woodcut from an old maritime book, the two-tailed siren pays homage to the seafaring history of Seattle (location of the first Starbucks store) as a port city and to the journey of coffee itself.

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No more laundry woes! The Electrolux UltimateCare Washing Machine takes care of your precious clothes

Posted on September 2, 2018March 5, 2019 by jane

Are there clothes you would not entrust to your laundrywoman or to the care of your washing machine? I do! I have had woolen stuff come back to me deformed and misshapen or expensive blouses that get ripped at the seams or missing buttons. I have a lot of scarves, silk and cotton, and because I cannot always trust how my washing machine will handle it, I end up hand washing these.

Electrolux Philippines, in partnership with Mommy Mundo, one of the leading mom communities in the country, conducted a research among moms on their laundry woes. The research showed the following top laundry concerns:

When asked what fabrics they were afraid to machine wash, 67% of the mom respondents said they were afraid to machine wash their silk clothing. 52% answered delicate wear, 40% said cashmere clothing, and 39% said wool clothes.
When asked what made them hesitate to put clothes in washing machines, 58% or more than half said they thought it might ruin their clothes. 17% thought it would cause fabric shrinkage and 4% said they were afraid that colors would fade.
Other concerns the research brought out were himulmol (the fibrous fluff in fabrics that tend to stick out with frequent washing), stubborn stains, and misshapen clothes.

Electrolux UltimateCare Washing Machine/Dryers

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