Your STEAKation begins at McDonalds with their newest offering Mushroom Pepper Steak

I got an invite to try out McDonald's newest offering yesterday. I left the house at 10am with an empty stomach. When I got off at Ayala,  I took my brunch at McDonald's SM Makati before proceeding to McDonald's Forum. I asked for a breakfast meal, the service crew told me that they're not serving Breakfast meals at their branch. I opted for a Mushroom Pepper Steak which turned out to be delicious with the lavish and creamy mushroom sauce! Not to mention its affordable at Php55.  After my heavy breakfast I proceeded to McDonald's event and was surprised that Mushroom Pepper Steak was their newest meal. I hope that they would put this on their permanent menu. This one became my favorite right away,  next to their fries and Big Mac.

McDonald’s welcomes the New Year with the new Mushroom Pepper Steak! A welcome addition to McDonald’s range of filling and affordable rice meals, it features a juicy burger patty, smothered in a mushroom cream sauce with a hint of pepper, and topped off with sliced button mushrooms.

With the New Mushroom Pepper Steak, customers can enjoy a STEAKation wherever they are, may it be in their home or office. Taste the 1-pc Mushroom Pepper Steak with a regular drink for only Php55. It also comes as a 2-pc meal with a regular drink for only Php89 or with a McFreeze starting at Php69 for a 1-pc meal and Php 99 for a 2-pc meal.

Your STEAKation begins when you dine in at any McDonald’s restaurant nationwide. You can also order the New Mushroom Pepper Steak via Drive-Thru or McDelivery (86-2-36, www.mcdelivery.com.ph, or the McDo PH app).

Share your photo of the day while leisurely enjoying your STEAKation with the new Mushroom Pepper Steak on Facebook, facebook.com/McDo.ph or tag @McDo_PH on Twitter or Instagram. 

UNIQLO JEANS: Evolution of Versatility

Global Japanese brand UNIQLO continues to make good lives of Filipinos better by offering a wide variety of denim designs made with high quality materials as it continues to pioneer the evolution of denim with the newly established Denim Innovation Center.

The updated denim line offers various styles, allowing both men and women to choose which piece best fits their lifestyles.

Women’s Denim Jeans Collection

UNIQLO Ultra Stretch jeans for women are made with an exclusive material that provides 50% stretch while retaining 90% shape recovery, resulting in a supportive fabric that hugs the body in all the right ways. Its unique fabric ensures a flattering silhouette while remaining soft and lightweight and comes in both regular and high rise ankle design.

UNIQLO Slim Boyfriend Fit Ankle Length jeans for women are on-trend, with a slim feminine silhouette and embellished with whiskering and fading in strategic areas. Cut above the ankle, it gives off a light, casual feel, perfect for a laid-back, effortlessly stylish look.

UNIQLO Skinny Fit Tapered jeans for women have a flattering leg that makes for a slim silhouette, with flexible denim material ensuring all-day comfort. It comes in both regular and ankle-cut design and regular and colored denim.



Men’s Denim Jeans Collection

UNIQLO Miracle AirRegular Fit Tapered jeansfor men arealso developed with internationally-acclaimed denim manufacturer,Kaihara, and aremade of uniquely hollow woven fibers that make it 20% lighter than the average pair of jeans. This innovative fabric also provides stretch, as air can pass through and around these fibers, for a soft, comfortable feel.  


UNIQLO Jogger Slim Fit jeans for men have ribbed cuffs that provide a low-key and sleek look perfect for an active lifestyle. Its elastic waistband creates a relaxed fit and allows superb ease of movement while its design features authentic denim fading and wear.

UNIQLO Slim Fit Straight Jeansfor men feature a basic, stripped down look essential for daily wear, and comes in regular, damaged, and colored styles. With a comfortable amount of stretch to ensure comfort and ease of movement and stylish rivets and buttons, it is the perfect pair for an active lifestyle.

UNIQLO Stretch Selvedge Slim Fit jeans for men are developed with internationally-acclaimed denim manufacturer, Kaihara, and feature a straight-leg cut.It is perfect for both every day casual style and slightly dressed up day. Its fabric fades after every wash, creating that perfect worn-in look and feel. It is made of 98% cotton and 1% spandex for a stretch fabric that allows easy movement.


UNIQLO Slim Fit jeans for men feature a basic, stripped down look essential for daily wear.It comes in regular denim, distresseddenim, and colored denim styles. With a comfortable amount of stretch to ensure comfort and ease of movement and stylish rivets and buttons, it is the perfect pair for an active lifestyle.


UNIQLO Stretch Skinny Fit Tapered jeans for men feature a sharp and stylish design. Its exceptional side-to-side and vertical stretch provides easy movement and comfortable fit, perfect for everyday wear. It comes in both regular and colored denim varieties and is an essential addition to any wardrobe.

DENIM INNOVATION CENTER, new R&D facility

Fast Retailing, UNIQLO’s parent company, establishes the DENIM INNOVATION CENTER in Los Angeles, California, new R&D center specializing in denim to further enhance the quality and value of UNIQLO jeans. The facility is a research hub that brings together specialists in jeans development utilizing innovative technologies and materials, based on the established tradition of jeans. One of the first projects for the facility will be research on jeans for UNIQLO.Products that will be developed in the center will be available from the fall winter 2017 season.

With a full range of in-house equipment for the entire production process, Fast Retailing will be able to quickly incorporate the essence of current trends in its designs. By focusing on the fit, fabric, and finish, the finished jeans will look exceptional while being comfortable.



For more updates, visit UNIQLO Philippines’ website at www.uniqlo.com/ph and social media accounts, Facebook (facebook.com/uniqlo.ph), Twitter (twitter.com/uniqloph) and Instagram (Instagram.com/uniqlophofficial). 

Make Way for Blue Way

The up-and-coming band Blue Way—composed of Ace Agamata on guitar and vocals, Josh del Mundo on saxophone, Nathan Manansala on guitar, Paul Matcott on drums and Stephen Lachica on bass—are ready and raring to bring something new to the local music scene. As of this writing, they’re putting the finishing touches on their debut EP, which features six original songs written by Ace himself.

Ace describes Blue Way’s music as blues (hence the band’s name) with a little bit of classic rock and soul thrown in for good measure. Although he admits that blues isn’t a very well-known genre in these parts, Ace and his band mates believe they do have what it takes to win the hearts and ears of the public.

Nathan says, “Blues isn’t too far from rock, so I think it’s just a matter of having catchy songs with good lyrics. The musicians in the local blues scene are really talented and the blues scene itself is still growing. So if artists from the blues scene will be able to bring their songs to the masa, then maybe the genre will become more popular.”

“Some of our songs have the OPM feel, but the way we approached them is from a blues perspective. If you listen to our EP, you’ll see na parang kundiman yung melody and structure nung ibang kanta namin. So even if our approach or genre is foreign, Pinoy na Pinoy pa rin ang dating ng mga kanta namin,”Ace adds.

Blue Way’s music isn’t the only thing that’s foreign yet very Filipino at the same time. While three of its members were born and raised in the Philippines, the other two spent their formative years and then some in Australia and the USA. Even so, they’re all Pinoy at heart.

Ace, Nathan and Stephen first started playing together in 2014. “At first I started the band with two other guys, tapos naging busy yung bassist namin, so we had to find a replacement for him. That was when Stephen came on board. Nathan joined us a year later,” Ace says. “As for Paul, he used to do session work for us whenever our previous drummer wasn’t available for gigs, so when we needed a new drummer, Paul was our first choice.”

Josh is the baby of the band in more ways than one. (“I’m the newest addition and the youngest member,” he says.) But he quickly adds that he didn’t find it hard to gel with the rest of them—same as Paul, even though the drummer is the oldest member of the band. Long before he married a Filipina named Brenda and settled in Manila with her in 2010, Paul lived and worked in his native Australia as a music teacher. He says he didn’t have trouble adjusting to life in the Philippines because all the people are so nice, especially his band mates.

“They’re the kind of guys you can just sit down and have a beer with,” Paul explains. “They’re very easygoing. Actually, Filipinos in general are very friendly, so I found the transition from my hometown of Victoria to here easy to make.”

That easygoing vibe is reflected in how they work with each other. For example, Ace is the chief songwriter of the band, so he usually starts a song then presents a rough cut of it to the rest of the band. Although Ace is more than capable of finishing a song by himself, he prefers to enlist Josh, Nathan, Paul and Stephen to help him do so. According to the members of Blue Way, cooperation is crucial to their success.

“Sometimes he’ll have the whole song in mind, so he’ll just tell us how he thinks the bass, drums, guitar, or saxophone should sound. We’ll make a few suggestions and then we’ll run through the song once or twice just to try it out,” Nathan shares.

The band’s first single is titled “Simbang Gabi,” and Ace wrote it about his wife. “I wrote it four years ago, mga December yata. My wife works at night kasi for an American bank, and at the time matagal na kaming hindi nakaka-attend ng Simbang Gabi, so I wrote that song kasi miss kona magsimba na kasama siya.”

The song “Simbang Gabi” may not sound like most of the songs playing on Philippine radio these days, but Ace believes even the masa will find it relatable because it’s about a universal subject—missing someone you love. Ace says the rest of the tracks on Blue Way’s upcoming EP (“Long Legged Woman,” “The Doctor,” “Romansa Blues,” “My Woman” and “Eleksyon Na Naman”) are just as relatable.

The second that Blue Way band is promoting now is "Long-Legged Woman."

“Whether you’re happy or you’re sad, our songs can be the soundtrack of your life.You can play them when you want to relax, when you want to dance and have fun at a party, or if you want to impress your date. Our songs reflect what happens in people’s lives—which is actually what influences my songwriting. Everyday life lang,” he says.

According to Ace, he and his band mates are determined to introduce blues to the masa because doing so is their way of revitalizing the OPM scene. There are a lot of people doing hip-hop, pop and rock these days. More and more Filipino artists are getting into EDM as well. But no one has been able to bring blues to the mainstream yet, and that’s exactly what Blue Way plans to do.

“I think, with our songs, we write and record partly because we want to express ourselves,” Ace says. “We can actually always go on and rather be known for playing a lot of instrumental jams and covers of classic songs since that’s the common public perception of blues artists; but that’s not what Blue Way is all about.We also consciously write original songs that other people can relate to, because that’s our main objective as a band. We want to share and promote Philippine blues and contribute to make it a permanent part of OPM.”

There you have it. Make way for Blue Way!

Must Watch: McDonald’s latest TV commercial celebrates the unconditional love of parents for their children

Remember wanting to win trophies or contests as a child but never making a podium finish? How about falling in love with art but not being able to perfectly color inside the lines? Were you the kid who loved dancing but had two left feet? No one ever starts out being a pro at anything, but many would agree that the support and love received from mom and dad can make all the difference.

For parents, no defeat can make them love their child any less. As long as they do their best and follow their dream, mom and dad couldn’t be any prouder. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether they finish first, last, or not at all. They will always be number one for their parents.
                                                                                                                                                           
McDonald’s launches its newest TVC titled, “Laging Mahal ni Nanay at Tatay,” which candidly depicts the silly, not-so-picture-perfect moments that make family life challenging and rewarding at the same time. Watch it here



The TV commercial humorously and heartwarmingly affirms how unconditional love goes both ways—that kids, though still learning, try their best and give little tokens of love in ways they know how. Similarly, it pays tribute to the unwavering support parents pour into their children’s passions and quirks, regardless of the outcome.

Combining the element of nostalgia and the joys of parenthood, the video tugs at the heartstrings of viewers both young and old and shares a valuable truth about the precious moments of parenthood.

Got a similar story of unconditional love you want to share? Watch the video and tell us all about it on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/McDo.ph, or tag @McDo_PH on Twitter or Instagram.

Join The BIG Beauty Challenge by Ever Bilena and get to win P50,000 cash

Unleash your inner artist and win big cash prizes as Ever Bilena dares you to experiment with different looks through The BIG Beauty Challenge – a weekly make-up tutorial video contest following different themes.

Open to video bloggers, aspiring and professional make-up artists residing in the Philippines, the contest requires participants to create a tutorial video on how to do a complete make-up look, following a specific theme, using only Ever Bilena products.

Ever Bilena, the leading local cosmetics brand, carries Ever Bilena Advance, a full range of make-up essentials for young professionals; Ever Bilena Naturals for skin care; Careline cosmetics for teens; Blackwater for fragrance and other personal care products.

The contest, which began on the first week of December and will end on the last week of February, will test the creativity of the participants as they create their versions of Ever Bilena’s weekly theme which will be announced every Monday on Ever Bilena’s Facebook page,

www.facebook.com/everbilenacosmetics. One winner will be announced every week and will take home P10,000 cash.


Weekly winners will qualify for the grand finals where the grand prize winner will take home P50,000 along with three winners who will win P10,000 for Special Award; P15,000 for 2nd runner-up; and P30,000 for the 1st runner up.

Entries must be public and uploaded on Facebook with hashtags #EBBigBeautyChallenge and #EverBilena and tag Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc.

Participants will be judged based on the following criteria: 40% most number of Ever Bilena products used in the video; 30% creativity; 20% make-up executions and skills; and 10% most number of views and shares.

Show off your inner artist and join the biggest and most beautiful challenge this season!
 
To know more about Ever Bilena and The BIG Beauty Challenge, visit Ever Bilena’s website, www.everbilena.com.ph  and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/everbilenacosmetics. 

TELCOS DROP CALL RATES; P1 PER MINUTE VOICE CALL POSSIBLE?

Expect more voice calls from your friends and  loved ones this year as PLDT and Globe Telecom are anticipated to aggressively offer cheaper voice rates through their “all-net” promo offerings, according to a news article from Malaya.

“All-Net” services is one way of reducing  voice call rates which would drive traffic to voice services which in recent years had  been declining as subscribers opt to use the cheaper over-the-top services such as Viber, Facebook Messenger  among other offerings using data, Edgardo Cabarios, National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) deputy commissioner was quoted in the article.

Telcos have committed to lower voice calls by as much as 40 percent following the lowering of  interconnection charges by P1.50: (from P4 to P2.50 per minute) for mobile-to-mobile calls across operators and landline-to-mobile voice calls  and from P3 to P1.50 for mobile-to-landline voice calls  effective Jan. 1, 2017. 

According to the NTC, the lower interconnection charge between the different networks is expected to cut down the current retail rate of P6.50 per minute for mobile-to-mobile calls and P7 per minute for mobile-to-landline calls.

Under a memorandum of agreement signed last November , the two telcos committed to take steps to lower retail rates for voice, taking into consideration the reduction in interconnection rates. Both parties also committed to maintain GOS (grade of service) in interconnection.

Eric Alberto, PLDT chief revenue officer, said the company will be aggressive in offering all network calls promos this year as way of passing on the lower interconnection fees charged to subscribers.

Alberto notes that voice calls are already part of the (service) buckets last two and that they will be a little more aggressive in all net-bundles.

Bucket or bundles offerings are comprised of call, text and mobile data services at the lower rates with short period of validity.

Before the lowering of the tariff on voice calls, bucket and unlimited offerings were only limited within each network. PLDT has three mobile brands in the market: Smart, Talk and Text and Sun Cellular while its rival has two, Globe and TM . 

Globe Telecom, for example, is planning to offer P1 per minute call to other networks under a bucket price offer.

Prior to the reduction of interconnection charges,  Globe  has started offering all-net calls  for prepaid subscribers at P200, P300 and P500 bucket offerings inclusive of 6 hours and 50 minutes of calls to all networks; 9 hours and 40 minutes of calls to all networks and 11 hours and  50 minutes of calls to all networks, respectively .

Smart, meanwhile has yet to announce any bucket offerings and its all-net service is still  limited to its three mobile brands.

The country has over 127 million mobile subscribers as of September last year of which 80 percent are making voice calls at much lower rates through the unlimited and bucket prices offering and around 20 percent are still making calls at regular rates.

Consistent with global trends, voice revenues remain challenged given the migration of voice traffic to alternative channels that make use of internet-based applications, such as Viber, Facebook, Skype, and Whatsapp, among others. Against the previous quarter, mobile voice revenues increased by 3 percent.

SOURCE: Telcos drop voice call rates via aggressive all-net offers; By Myla Iglesias
 http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/telcos-drop-voice-call-rates-aggressive-all-net-offers

Grab your favorite Buena Mano Monday Meal only at your favorite Goldilocks Foodshop branch

We are all too familiar with the dreaded feeling of our alarm going off early on a Monday morning, signaling the start of another long week. When faced with the challenges of school or work, it is important not only to treat ourselves every once in awhile, but also to stick to a budget. Getting out of bed may be difficult, but it gets a little easier when we know that there’s an delicious new meal and a sweet deal waiting for us at some point during a day.

Tender Pinoy Chicken Curry

While Mondays may be tough, the Tender Pinoy Chicken Curry from Goldilocks is far from it. This latest addition to the Goldilocks menu is sure to brighten up your week, accompanied by only the finest potatoes, carrots and bell peppers, brought together by a satisfying Pinoy-style curry sauce.

With rice and a 12-oz drink, this tasty meal is surprisingly affordable at only P110, and during Buena Mano Mondays, customers get a box of free polvoron mallows to add something sweet to their week! This delicious new meal will tantalize your taste buds, and the polvoron mallows will leave you wishing that it was a Monday all over again!

Hurry and grab the curry at any Goldilocks Foodshop branch nationwide. For more information, you may also follow Goldilocks on Twitter or Instagram at @GoldilocksPH, on the Goldilocks Facebook page, or at the official Goldilocks website at www.goldilocks.com.ph []

National Broadband Plan to boost fixed-line internet service penetration

The country’s fixed-line broadband speed and penetration expected to further improve once the national broadband plan implemented.

National Telecommunications Commission Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios made this comment after Akamai, a leading content delivery network services provider for media and software delivery and cloud security solution, noted in its third quarter survey that the Philippines had registered marked improvements in terms of connectivity.

Based on Akamai’s Q3 report, the country’s average connection speed (IPv4) for mobile internet was now ranked first in the Asia Pacific region, registering an average speed of 13.9 Mbps up from 8.5 Mbps in the second quarter.

On the table presented in the study, the Philippines’ average mobile speed 13.9 Mbps came in the fastest in the Asia Pacific cluster, topping the speeds of Australia (12.8 Mbps), Japan (11.6 Mbps), South Korea (11.2 Mbps), Indonesia (10.9 Mbps), New Zealand (10.8 Mbps), Taiwan (9.4 Mbps), China (8.9 Mbps), Singapore (8.5 Mbps), Hongkong (6.1 Mbps), Thailand (6.1 Mbps), Sri Lanka (5.4 Mbps), India (3.5 Mbps), and Vietnam (3.4 Mbps).

The report also cited an improvement on the “above 10 Mbps broadband adoption” category, of which Philippines adoption rate is now at 5.4 percent, representing a growth rate for the country of 9.1 percent QoQ and 517 percent YoY.

The Philippines also showed an improvement in the “15 Mbps broadband adoption” category, of which the country is now at 2.4 percent adoption, or an improvement 11 percent QoQ 645 percent YoY.

According to Cabarios, the significant improvement in the mobile internet speed may be attributed to the recent activation by Globe and Smart of Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell sites, making use of the 700 MHz spectrum.

He added that once the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) has finalized the national broadband plan, it will give a boost to fixed-line internet speed and improve coverage across the country.

MYNP Announces Winners for 2nd Sine Nanay Short Film Festival

The Make Your Nanay Proud (MYNP) Foundation Incorporated is proud to announce the winners for the 2016 Sine Nanay Short Film Festival. Now on its second year, the Sine Nanay Short Film Festival is led by TV, movie and theater actor Mr. Arnold Reyes as Festival Director. It aims to develop and discover the creative talents of students from different schools, colleges and universities in the Metro, while staying true to its Mission and Vision of making our Nanays Proud by being the best of what we can be.

This year, the theme is open, so as long as it highlights mothers. Dr. Boy Abunda, Founding Chairman of MYNP stressed that motherhood should not be limited to traditional biological mothers- they can be LGBT Mothers, spiritual mothers, adoptive mothers, so as long as they play a maternal role in the lives their children.

The response was overwhelming. MYNP received a record breaking one hundred twenty (120) entries in its initial call. A panel of experts conducted round table discussions and deliberations, a very tedious process, to come up with a short list of twenty seven entries. From there, further deliberations were conducted and a final list of ten films was chosen.

The winners for the 2nd Sine Nanay Short Film Festival are the following:

Best Ensemble Performance
Life in Videos (Angelicum College)

Best Cinematography
Uyayi
De La Salle-College of St. Benilde

Best Sound
Uyayi
De La Salle - College of St. Benilde

Best Production Design
Uyayi
De La Salle-College of St. Benilde

Best Supporting Actor
Miguel Medenilla
(PaskilniInay)

Best Supporting Actress
No winner


Best Screenplay
Dawn Capales
(Life in Videos)

Best Actor
JeremieRaizen
(Silent Hope)

Best Actress
Christine Calawod
(TataynasiNanay)

Best Director
AldaDalisay
(Uyayi)

Best Film
Life in Videos
Angelicum College

The Final Board of Judges was composed of respected film and movie personalities and mentors in the industry which includes Direk Hannah Espia, Ms. Moira Lang, Mr. Ronald Arguelles, Direk Mac Alejandre, Mr. Sid Lucero, Ms. AngeliBayani, Direk Mikhail Red and Ms. Tara Illenberger.

Ms.Angeli Bayani, jury member, has this to say about the Best Film LIFE IN VIDEOS

“This film is my number one choice, for the sheer sincerity of the filmmaker.  The filmic language is simple and clear, the shots capture the relationship between the mother and her children and grandchildren.  The story, simply told, is beautiful because even as the mother suffers from progressive mental deterioration, her heart remembers.  And as shown in the film, her children will not tire of taking care of her and reminding her who and what she is to them.  The filmmaker shows that a mother's love goes beyond infirmity, disease or disability.”

Ms.Bemz Benedito, Managing Director of MYNP and Festival Secretariat head is very happy with the huge turn out and the variety of talents and materials submitted this year. “It only goes to show that MYNP is making a difference and indeed, inculcating the value of love for our mothers through our activities especially the Sine Nanay Film Festival. While it might just be in its infancy, considering it is only our second year, we are hopeful that this will grow bigger year after year. The imagination and talent of Filipino students are simply boundless. Maternal love is the cornerstone value that the Filipinos should never ever forget. We hope we can continue to improve Sine Nanay Festival in the years to come.

The 2nd Sine Nanay awards ceremony was held on December 16, 2016, Friday, 7:30PM at the Philippine Women’s University Concert Hall.

The 2nd Sine Nanay Film Festival was made possible by the generosity and support of Festival Patron and MYNP Council of Advisers member Mr. Tony Tuviera. Other sponsors were Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office; SEAOIL Foundation, Inc.; Mother Lily Monteverde; Ms. Rica dela Merced; AdGarlic; Great Image; Dannon Clothing; Philippine Star; IntermatrixKatipunan; FLM Creatives and Productions; BDO T. Morato-Kamuning; Offices of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian; Sen. Francis Pangilinan; Sen. Cynthia Villar and Sen. Loren Legarda.

For further details, please visit www.makeyournanayproud.com and FB fanpagewww.facebook.com/MYNP.OfficialFanpage or email makeyournanayproud@yahoo.com. #30

Jimmy Fallon hosts The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 9!

Jimmy Fallon, late-night talk show  entertainer, has been named host of the “74th Annual  Golden Globe Awards,” set to air on RTL CBS Entertainment, live from the U.S. on Jan 9, Monday at 8am (7am JKT/BKK)./B

The Emmy- and Grammy Award-winning Fallon, who’s hosted “The Tonight Show” since February 2014 and has since guided the classic franchise to dominance in every key ratings category, previously won rave reviews for his performance as host of the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards. “The Tonight Show” is currently nominated for two Emmys this year, including Outstanding Variety Series Talk.

January’s three-hour Golden Globes telecast will serve as the official kick-off to the 2017 awards season.

“Jimmy Fallon is an exceptionally talented and dynamic entertainer and we couldn’t be more excited that he’ll be hosting the 2017 Golden Globes,” said Lorenzo Soria, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “His charm, wit and incredible spontaneity will play exceedingly well both to everyone at the show as well as the millions watching at home from around the world.”

“Jimmy Fallon’s brand of comedy will continue the tradition of cutting-edge excitement viewers have come to expect from the host of the Golden Globes,” said Allen Shapiro, CEO of dick clark productions.

Additionally, the 2016 telecast saw an upward trend in digital and social media statistics. On Twitter, beginning three hours before the live show and through 10 minutes after it ended, 4.4 million Golden Globe Awards-related tweets were sent globally, resulting in a total of 1.2 billion views. On Facebook, more than 9 million users globally participated in a total of 19 million interactions on show day, which included posts, comments and likes.

Nominations for the Golden Globes were announced Monday, Dec. 12. Winners are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Produced by dick clark productions in association with the HFPA, the Golden Globe Awards are viewed in more than 236 countries and territories worldwide and are one of the few awards ceremonies to include both motion picture and television achievements.

Optometry: an underrated profession

When we have eye troubles, we are usually asked to get our eyes checked. But how do we really know which eye care professional to consult?

If you need primary eye care like prescription of eyeglass lenses and contact lenses, glass fittings, refractions and postsurgical care, you should first consult an optometrist. An optometrist is an eye care specialist that mainly performs eye exams and prescribes corrective lenses.

“We are often the first responders when it comes to vision problems. People usually come to optical shops and have their eyes checked for possible issues. That’s why optical shops like EO Executive Optical have at least one licensed optometrist always available for customers,” said top optometrist and EO Operations Team Regional Manager Dr. Josephine Yap.

“Seeing our patients smile as we help them care for their eyes is more than enough. This job is very rewarding because we get to be instrumental in them achieving better eyesight.” said EO Group Manager and optometrist Dr. Angel Reyes.

Data suggest that there’s a high demand now for optometric services with the kinds of lifestyle people lead. That’s why EO is an advocate in making this profession thrive. “Not a lot of people know that it is actually a viable profession – that they, in fact, specialize in different fields to better serve the customers,” said EO president/CEO Dr. Maximino S. Uy.

According to the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists, fields of specialization in optometry include developmental and behavioral optometry, sports vision, contact lens and cornea, and low vision.  Developmental and behavioral optometry is concerned with how the brain processes the visual input and how vision affects behavior. While Sports vision deals with eye care services for athletes, Contact lens and cornea focuses on the proper use of contact lenses to enhance eyesight. Then there’s low vision which mainly centers on treating patients with a reduced level of vision that cannot be completely corrected by glasses.

EO Executive Optical ensures its optometrists continuously undergo trainings and seminars to be up-to-date with the latest technology and research findings in their field. So get your eyes checked by an EO optometrist today.