Friday, February 7, 2020

Shawarma Shack extends help to Taal Volcano victims



Shawarma Shack famous for its buy one, take one Shawarma, visited the affected communities of the recent Taal Volcano eruption, particularly those in Tanauan City, Batangas. Bottled water and relief goods were donated to over 1,000 families in different areas. 

This good came from the heart of Shawarma Shack founder Walther Buenavista's wife, Patricia Buenavista, who spent her early childhood in Tanauan City. It was disclosed that she has relatives residing in the area when the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised alert level 4 for Taal Volcano on January 12, 2020. 
Multiple houses and livelihoods were destroyed since the volcano started erupting, forcing residents within the 14-kilometer radius from the main crater to immediately evacuate. This is when the bayanihan evidently blossomed among Filipinos—everyone, even in their own little way, lent a helping hand. 







Shawarma Shack visited and gave aid to 170 families relocated to La Consolation College, 70 families at Daughters of Mary Immaculate School, 89 families at Tanauan Local Government Unit Evacuation Center, 120 families at Tapia Elementary School in Barangay Trapiche, 98 families at Jesus is Lord Christian School, 45 families at Tanauan City College, 250 families at Pamahalaang Sentral ng Hilagang Tanauan, 98 families at Ulango Elementary School, and 92 families at Pantay Bata Elementary School.  

Tanauan City Vice Mayor Atty. Herminigildo "Jun-jun" G. Trinidad assisted the Buenavista family along with other Shawarma Shack volunteers during this relief operation.  

Get a glimpse of how Shawarma Shack extended a helping hand to Taal Volcano eruption victims by watching this video.  


Visit Shawarma Shack's Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

UNTRUE starring Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim under Viva Films


When there is violence in a marriage, you can expect conflicting narratives from the couple involved.  “Untrue”, the psychological-drama-thriller from “Kita Kita” writer/director Sigrid Bernardo, will show that there’s a lie in every story, and it’s going to be a dark, intriguing ride.
Cristine Reyes and Xian Lim play Mara and Joaquim, two lonely Filipino migrants in the country of Georgia who find solace and companionship in each other.  They hastily get married, without even getting to know each other very well.
When their fiery romance turns into heated arguments and physical abuse, Mara goes straight to the  Georgian police.  Following her narration of how she married a mad man, Joachim defends himself with his own version of the events, pointing to his wife as the real lunatic.   
In this he-said/she-said film, a strange apparition of a woman adds to the suspense.  As Mara and Joaquim fight to discredit each other, truth, lies, and a dark past are brought to the surface.  
Director Bernardo described “Untrue” as “an acting piece”, and she commended Cristine and Xian for their dedication to their roles that resulted to their remarkable performances.  
“We had 10 days of workshop…Kumuha ako ng acting coach…They were really professional.  They studied their lines.  Xian gained 20 pounds for this.  I told him to gain 20 pounds, and he did…tapos nagpabalbas siya.  Si Cristine naman nagpakulay ng buhok.”  
“I am very happy with the outcome of Xian and Cristine. They were good…I’m very satisfied,” she said in an interview posted on YouTube by My Movie World.  
Cristine understood the need for acting workshop since they had a limited time to shoot in Georgia, with no time left for rehearsal.  “3 weeks lang ‘yung meron kaming time for that and everyday work kami, wala kaming bakasyon, so kailangan talaga masunod lahat ng sequence doon.” 
The movie was mostly shot in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where the cast and crew endured freezing weather.  
 “Sobrang lamig, parang pa -1,”  Xian shared that the temperature dropped to -1 degrees Celsius, making the shooting extra challenging for them.  “Ang lakas ng hangin, drama pa yung ginagawa namin, ang hirap talaga,”  he said emphatically at last year’s Viva Con.
Georgia was chosen as the film’s setting because the story called for a place that isn’t filled with Filipinos. “Kailangan sa kwento na konti lang sana ang Pinoy kaya nag-migrate (yung character) doon,” said Bernardo.  According to her, there were only 30 Filipinos living in Georgia at the time of filming and she actually met all of them.
“Untrue” was featured at the prestigious Tokyo International Film Festival last October, along with seven other notable Filipino films.  
From Viva Films, in cooperation with The IdeaFirst Company, “Untrue” opens in cinemas nationwide on February 19, 2020.


Garrett Bolden wins New Male Recording Artist of the Year at The 11th PMPC Star Awards for Music

credits to GMA Network for the photo

Kapuso Soul Balladeer Garrett Bolden won the New Male Recording Artist of the Year award at the recent 11th PMPC Star Awards for Music.

“I Still can’t believe that I won.Win or lose, I really wanted to attend the awards night show as it was my first nomination from a major award-giiving body. I wasn’t really expecting to win,” said Garrett, who rose to fame after competing in the Clash on GMA Network.

In his acceptance speech at the 11th PMPC Star Awards for Music, Garrett said the award was special to him because he has been joining singing contests and auditioning for years and this was his first major recognition.

In a radio interview, Garrett also shared that his supporters can look forward to new songs personally written by him. Garrett was a finalist on Season 1 of GMA Network’s reality competition show The Clash.


He released his debut single “Lilipad Na” in 2019. This was followed by “Handa na Maghintay.” 

Garrett appears regularly on GMA Network’s newest variety show All Out Sundays.