Updates for Maya have recently been announced by the micropayment service application. Similar to GCash, it will now have a small fee when users cash in using the bank accounts they have linked with their accounts.
Photo from BusinessMirror
The fee amount is Php 5 which will be charged every time users cash in. Banks referred to in the said transaction include Chinabank, Union Bank, BDO, BPI and RCBC.
Photo from Unsplash
Despite the announcement, there is still no charge for cash ins in the application as of the moment. The new policy will take effect on February 26, 2024.
The first royal wedding of 2024 is making headlines, and alongside it is Denise Ochoa, a celebrated Filipino makeup artist. As Princess Anisha Rosnah steps into this milestone of love and duty, Ochoa expresses her reflections in taking the honorable task of being the bride’s beautifier.
Photo from @deniseochoa on InstagramPhoto from @deniseochoa on InstagramPhoto from @deniseochoa on Instagram
On Instagram, she wished the best to the newlyweds and expressed her gratitude in being able to play such an important role in the royal wedding. To her, the opportunity wasn’t only career-defining, but also a memory she deeply cherishes.
Photo from @deniseochoa on InstagramPhoto from @deniseochoa on Instagram
Ochoa regards the event as a rich cultural experience wherein she was met with traditions different from her own, as well as the grandeur in a wedding as significant as that of a royal family’s. This is a very transformative chapter in her job as a makeup artist, and will truly open more doors for her to showcase her craft.
Photo from @deniseochoa on Instagram
As a Filipino individual with a career path that is far different from the usual professions that Asian parents impose on their children, choosing the arts can be a challenge. This is truly a wonderful opportunity for Ochoa to forward her career even more, all while exposing herself to new worlds where she can learn from, and expand her horizons as she grows as a makeup artist and a person.
With a number of Barbie supporters tweeting lyrics of Taylor Swift’s The Man, nominated supporting actress and actor America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling posting about their disappointment, and tabloids publishing their think pieces about the snubbing “proving the movie’s point”, it is apparent that the non-nomination of both Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig won’t be let go of without a fight.
Photo from Lipstick AlleyPhoto from Harper’s Bazaar
Barbie (2023) was one of the most highly anticipated films since the general public heard of its production. Barbie itself has been the most popular doll since time immemorial, and without a doubt, a live-action film of a lot of girls’ and boys’ favorite toy would be flocked around by everyone, longing to know what Greta Gerwig has to say about it and how she’s going to say it. With a star-studded ensemble cast and Gerwig’s known excellence in her filmography particularly covering feminist narratives, Barbie(2023) ended up being the most successful film of the year, grossing over $1.3 billion in tickets globally.
Photo from The Movie Database
Because of the highly positive reception of the film, everyone was already expecting its domination in the Oscars. And in a shocking turn of events, Miss Barbie herself, Margot Robbie, was not nominated for Best Actress, and neither was Greta Gerwig for Best Director.
Photo from People
A lot of people dubbed Robbie’s and Gerwig’s lack of nomination as unfeminist. After all, a movie that was literally about introducing and deconstructing the patriarchy in a world full of pink really resonated with a lot of women and men living in a world where the conflict of the film is the default. While it received criticism for Mattel perpetuating harmful standards to women since the first Barbie doll was released in 1959 and for the movie only scratching the surface of feminism, it did give Feminism 101 to a lot, and especially to children. Even if the movie was underwhelming for me, I do know that America Ferrera’s speech made some of my friends cry, and a film can only go as far as how it touches people.
Photo from Cosmopolitan
But enough about Barbie’s marriage to capitalism and the film both working and not working for individuals. Was the snubbing of the two most important women in the film a disservice to feminism?
It’s not. If anything, the discourse around it averts the attention to the actual wins of women in the lineup of nominees at the 96th Academy Awards. For the first time ever, we’re very close to the possibility of getting the first Native American win at the Oscars with Lily Gladstone’s nomination for best actress. And instead of this milestone for indigenous women being covered by multiple headlines, the talk of the town is the complaint about white women who have long been globally recognized. Lily Gladstone’s Oscar nomination is landscape-defining, just as Michelle Yeoh’s win as the first Asian Best Actress last year was.
Photo from EllePhoto from PAPER Magazine
The cast of Barbie are also giving their two cents on their social media platforms regarding the issue, including America Ferrera herself who just received her first Oscar nomination despite being in the industry for two decades. It’s a sad sight to see how her success as a woman of color in a supporting role in the movie is ultimately overlooked to discuss the unnecessary justice the general public is asking for Robbie and Gerwig.
There are 10 nominees for Best Picture, and only 5 for Best Actress and Best Director. It is clear how both women poured their hearts out in what they did for Barbie, but their absence in the lineup was not a loss, but a gain for other women to get their chance to be under the spotlight. Recognition for women who aren’t that established in the industry yet will bring them wonders, as Twitter user @awards_watch said, “Paraphrasing Viola Davis, an award or a nomination is almost meaningless if it doesn’t turn into opportunities.”
Photo from Britannica
No award show or critic can define what a meaningful film should be to you. Even if Barbie or its cast don’t end up winning these awards (or aren’t nominated), this doesn’t take away the subjective value of media and its personal relationship with each of its audience. Regardless, the movement continues to progress with the new faces of the women in marginalized communities the Academy is amplifying, further grounding the fact that feminism is non-negotiably intersectional.
Every year during January, Cebu draws in an average of 500,000 guests from all over the world to celebrate one of the country’s biggest and most popular festivals, the Sinulog Festival – a vibrant celebration that consists of colorful costumes, fluvial parades, and endless music to honor the image of the Child Jesus – Sto. Niño de Cebu.
CDM as a canvas of festive energy, embodying the spirit of dance and devotion during Sinulog sa Sugbo 2024
This year, the festivity is grander and more colorful as City Di Mare, the 58-hectare premier coastal township along South Road Properties (SRP), celebrated the Sinulog Festival for the second time as it welcomed Cebuanos and tourists alike with the culmination of the Sinulog festivities at CDM’s 3-hectare Events Grounds.
With 30 percent of its property dedicated to open and green spaces, CDM has been the best go-to destination for various outdoor events that the community can partake post pandemic – from concerts such as the Aurora Festival and Summer Pop Up featuring popular OPM and homegrown artists; sporting competitions like runs, endurance races and dragon boat competitions to festivities, including the Sinulog Festival.
Lumad Basakanon, Champion of Street Dancing competition Free Interpretation Category
CDM, with its accessible location, is only 21km away from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, 7km away from the newly opened Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, and 6.6km from Cebu City. It is centered within major thoroughfares like the Cebu South Coastal Road that plies Mandaue and Talisay, and Imus Avenue in Cebu City. Furthermore, the dedicated shuttle buses to CDM allow public access to SRP while improving foot traffic and increasing business investment in the district.
All smiles from Tribu San Roque as they participate at the Sinulog Grand Parade
Additionally, CDM’s location offers a very strategic advantage with SRP poised to become the new economic hub in Cebu that is backed by significant government investments and the relocation of local government offices. Various real estate investment opportunities are also opening in the district with Filinvest Land Inc. continuously developing CDM, touted as the largest master-planned, integrated city in the district where all essential needs – be it retail, dining, rest or commute – are all within reach. Within the township are various residential projects, like Amalfi and San Remo, for anyone considering relocating or looking for an investment option in South Road Properties.
Apart from the residential clusters, CDM also houses the IL Corso Filinvest Mall, the only shopping and dining development by the sea where Sinulog Festival attendees explored retail and dining options during the exciting three-day festival.
Have you ever been mistaken for another person to the point of receiving money meant for them?
British Actor Tom Hollander often gets mistaken for Spider-Man star Tom Holland—to the point of receiving the money that should have been for Tom Holland when they shared an agent for a time.
Photo from Refinery29Photo from Hello!Magazine
Hollander revealed to the host Seth Meyers that his agency sent him an email with an attached payslip with a seven-figure sum labeled as the first tranche of a box office bonus for The Avengers
“I don’t think I’m in The Avengers,” Hollander whispered to himself when he received the amount.
Photo from Page Six
This was not the first time that Hollander was mistaken for Holland.
Photo from Page Six
“I’m (sometimes) introduced to somebody’s very, very excited, then confused, then disappointed children,” Hollander recalled.
“It’s been very difficult. Because, you know, I was here first,” he joked.
Hollander was a guest on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers for his forthcoming series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. He plays American writer Truman Capote.
The film community arrives at a crescendo as the Academy finally announces their nominees. The lineup of nominees, as a result, are all powerhouses, weaving narratives that excellently show the art of motion picture in telling a story.
Photo from Laughing Place
The victory of Parasite at the 2020 Oscars was landscape-defining. The Oscars has only had two non-English foreign Best Picture winners in its almost century-long existence, and post-Parasite, the Academy has decided to expand its ability to give recognition to film way beyond what Hollywood gives and the majorly Western-centric narratives many of the considered films have.
Photo from The New YorkerPhoto from Mental FlossPhoto from Los Angeles Times
This year is the first year the Oscars’ representation and inclusion standards take effect in order for a film to be eligible for Best Picture. Transcending geographical boundaries and the conventional standards of film, the Academy now requires films to meet two out four of standards regarding representation of minorities such as people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+.
Leading nominees consist of “Oppenheimer” with an astounding 13 nominations, followed by “Poor Things” with 11 nominations, “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10, and “Barbie” with 8.
Photo from IMDbPhoto from IMDbPhoto from IMDbPhoto from IMDb
The nominees for each major category are the following:
Best Picture
“American Fiction”
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Barbie”
“The Holdovers”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Oppenheimer”
“Past Lives”
“Poor Things”
“The Zone of Interest”
Best Director
“Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese
“Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan
“Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos
“The Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
Best Actress
Annette Bening, “Nyad”
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
America Ferrera, “Barbie”
Jodie Foster, “Nyad”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Best Writing – Adapted screenplay
“American Fiction”
Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
“Barbie”
Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
“Oppenheimer”
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
“Poor Things”
Screenplay by Tony McNamara
“The Zone of Interest”
Written by Jonathan Glazer
Best Writing – Original screenplay
“Anatomy of a Fall”
Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
“The Holdovers”
Written by David Hemingson
“Maestro”
Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
“May December”
Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
“Past Lives”
Written by Celine Song
Now we all eagerly await March 10, 2024 for The 96th Academy Awards.
Faith does not stay in one place. Wherever you are in the world, you bring your faith with you.
Photo from Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu Official Facebook Page
Sinulog is not only celebrated in Cebu. In many parts of the world, many Catholics still ensure that they celebrate their faith.
On January 21, a cathedral in Los Angeles, California, celebrated the Feast of Sto. Niño or Sinulog. People chanted “Viva Pit Senyor” as they waved their statues of the divine infant. According to the organizers, people brought their Sto. Niño statues for a blessing.
Photo from Los Angeles Daily News
There were even Philippine Music and Sinulog dances performed during the celebration.
According to St. Francis, Sto. Niño is perceived to be the protector of the Philippines. The divine infant is known for its miracles. Every January, a whole month-long celebration is observed in Cebu to give thanks and express faith in Sto. Niño.
Once again, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport proves it is one of the top-tier airports in the world!
Photo from Centre for AviationPhoto from Chill and Travel
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport has been at par with other top-rated airports in the world. With it being the PH’s Friendliest Gateway, the MCIA has “redefined airport excellence with state-of-the-art facilities, seamless services, unparalleled hospitality, cultural charm, and a commitment to making your journey memorable.”
The MCIA announced on its official Facebook page that it has been nominated for the World’s Best Aiport by Skytrax Awards 2024. MCIA is asking for your help to secure the title.
Moreover, the MCIA is not new to the word “best,” as it also won the “Best Airport in the World” award during the World Architecture Festival in 2019. Moreover, it also won the “Best Airport in Asia” award under the five million passenger category.
Discourse sparked online over a recent social media post by a Catholic netizen. The photo in the limelight is one of St. Joseph The Worker Cathedral (Tagbilaran Cathedral in Bohol) adorned with grandeur.
Photo from Rosalinda Paredes on Facebook
The cathedral was decorated with pink roses and flowers, later revealed to be edited, which the uploader criticized as being disrespectful in a place intended for worship and devotion. This sparked discussions regarding what is considered an appropriate design for a wedding held in a religious institution. Contrasting opinions by netizens emerged regarding this issue, with some commenting that the setup made the church look theatrical or ballroom-like.
Post snippet from Facebook
The uploader expressed their dismay over the church’s appearance, saying it no longer resembled a place of worship but one of extravagance and mere fun. They called for a modest wedding, especially in a place that values tradition. The uploader also added that Jesus lived among the poor and has always preached humility.
Comment snippet from FacebookComment snippet from FacebookComment snippet from Facebook
The reactions are divided, with some agreeing to the uploader that it is indeed disrespectful. Another commenter added that it is insensitive to the poor who cannot afford to achieve such opulence. The internet is still yet to arrive at a consensus regarding where to draw the line between tradition and modernity and, generally, the placement of aesthetics in sacred spaces such as churches.
Since entering the Philippines as a renowned Western coffee chain in 1997, Starbucks has been a staple for a lot of Filipinos. Recently, it has been the talk of the town because of its in-store updates regarding discounts for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Now, the industry giant has announced an exclusive 40% discount for community members, valid for one day.
Photo from UnsplashPhoto from Starbucks Philippines
Who Can Claim the Starbucks Discount?
According to the official Starbucks website, the following people are eligible for this one-day discount:
Senior Citizens
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
National Athletes
Eligible Solo Parents*
Medal of Valor recipients
How to Avail the Starbucks Discount
Photo from Unsplash
To avail this limited offer, eligible individuals are to present a valid physical identification card to confirm their identity. Remember that the discount is only valid for the personal consumption of said customer who belongs to the communities mentioned previously.
Points to Remember for Hassle-Free Discount Claiming
For a smooth discount claiming process, make sure to take note of the following important details:
Prepare a valid ID to prove your identity.
The limited offer cannot be combined with other existing discounts.
The discount is non-transferable and is for exclusive consumption for the individual only.
Commercial use of the discount is not allowed.
These discounts are offered with respect to the Republic Act No. 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010) and Republic Act 10754.
Don’t miss this opportunity and grab your drinks now.
