GEORCELLE DAPAT-SY . Is the creative dynamo og G-Force, one of the country’s most sought-after dance companies today, performs regularly in ABS CBN’s ASAP every Sunday, and in other major TV shows. Teacher Georcelle, as she is fondly called by G-Force members, is grateful and elated by the success—though this means, of course, more hours at work and less time at home.

As dances her way through life, she spends most of her time in the studio or on the dance floor, teaching and training young men and women in the G-Force. Her hectic and often unpredictable schedule is one of the challenges regularly faced by Georcelle, who has three beautiful kids aged 12, 8 and 3. Good thing about it, Georcelle can partly do her work at home.

As with her students in G-Force, she teaches her kids the importance of passion in order to excel in their endeavors. Passion is certainly one of the main driving forces behind her own success.

“It can be difficult,” she admits, when asked about how she is able to switch between two very demanding roles. She works almost seven days a week, with the nature of her job requiring her to work on weekends, unlike most moms with regular jobs. “Every day is a challenge. One of the things I do is to devote set times entirely to each activity: when I’m working, I just work. When I’m at home with my family, I leave work behind. I devote my whole attention to what I’m doing at any given moment.”

The Sy family does plenty of things together. Dancing is, of course, a shoo-in in their list of activities, and this summer they’ve taken up swimming and soccer. They also enjoy watching movies at home, where a strong internet connection plays an essential part.

Georcelle is fortunate to have plenty of help—most importantly from her husband Angel who manages G-Force. “It’s very important for me to have a p...Read post

A funny actress wants to dispose one of her six Hermes bags. She is selling her dark violet bag for P.5 million! If interested, please email to TODO! ENTERTAINMENT can refer you to the person to contact.

The recession has taken a toll on economies around the world, from driving down standards of living to sending unemployment to record levels. Through it all, however, some nations' people have emerged stronger and wealthier than ever before. Is there a trend among the richest countries on the planet, and can investors benefit from these economies' gains?

Compiled from data from the International Monetary Fund's 2013 estimates, here are the richest five nations among the world's 50 largest economies, sorted by GDP per capita and adjusted for purchasing-power parity. While at least one expected name makes the list, a few may surprise you.

5. Switzerland, $46,474                                     
4. United Arab Emirates, $49,883
3. United States, $51,248                                
2. Norway, $56,663
1. Singapore, $61,567

The human diet contains thousands of antioxidants--nutrients that may help do everything from preventing wrinkles to killing off cancerous cells. But while many foods from chocolate to popcorn promise these health benefits, your best bet for a long, vibrant future begins with produce.


TOMATOES . Lycopene, an antioxidant that can combat free radicals (molecules or ions that can damage healthy cells and suppress your immune system), gets the credit for tomatoes' ability to help protect against some cancers, including lung cancer. If possible, opt for Classica tomatoes--in a study of 13 tomato varieties, Classicas ranked highest in lycopene.

KALE . This popular leafy green is a major source of vitamin K (one cup cooked contains almost 12 times your recommended daily value), which may help ward off heart disease and osteoporosis. Ask for Winterbor kale at your local farmers' market--in addition to vitamin K, this variety contains high levels of fiber, which can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

EGGPLANT . The deep-purple skin gets its rich color and anti-aging power from nasunin, a nutrient that helps fight the spread of cancerous cells by cutting off the blood supply they need to multiply. Research also suggests that nasunin may slow the development of Alzheimer's disease by preventing free radicals from damaging neurons.

RED BELL PEPPER . This immunity-boosting superstar contains roughly 60 percent more vitamin C--which triggers the production of white blood cells that fight off germs and bacteria--than its green counterpart. It may also keep you looking young: A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people with diets high in vitamin C were less prone to wrinkles, possibly because the nutrient spurs the production of collagen.

BLACKBERRIES ...Read post

In a survey of the world’s most and least racially tolerant countries, Max Fisher of the Washington Post found the Philippines to be “low.” It states:

“RACIAL TOLERANCE LOW IN DIVERSE ASIAN COUNTRIES. Nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines, where many racial groups often jockey for influence and have complicated histories with one another, showed more skepticism of diversity. This was also true, to a lesser extent, in China and Kyrgyzstan. There were similar trends in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.”

The rating of other countries are as follows:

ANGLO ANG LATIN COUNTRIES MOST TOLERANT. People in the survey were most likely to embrace a racially diverse neighbor in the United Kingdom and its Anglo former colonies (the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and in Latin America. The only real exceptions were oil-rich Venezuela, where income inequality sometimes breaks along racial lines, and the Dominican Republic, perhaps because of its adjacency to troubled Haiti. Scandinavian countries also scored high.

INDIA, JORDAN, BANGLADESH AND HONG KONG BY FAR THE LEAST TOLERANT. In only three of 81 surveyed countries, more than 40 percent of respondents said they would not want a neighbor of a different race. This included 43.5 percent of Indians, 51.4 percent of Jordanians and an astonishingly high 71.8 percent of Hong Kongers and 71.7 percent of Bangladeshis.

“WIDE, INTERESTING VARIATION ACROSS EUROPE. Immigration and national identity are big, touchy issues in much of Europe, where racial make-ups are changing. Though you might expect the richer, better-educated Western European nations to be more tolerant than those in Eastern Europe, that’s not exactly the case. France appeared to be one of the least racially tolerant countries on the continent, with 22.7 percent saying they didn’t want a neighbor of...Read post

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REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH (RH) BILL. Malalim ang sugat na iniwan ng isang Risa Hontiveros sa mga Katoliko. Konting pagbabago at respeto lang sa pamilya ang hiningi naming. We can never agree that SAFE SEX education should be thought to Grade 2 pupils. Sex education is very different from “safe” sex education.

We even had a signature campaign. We presented to her more than 10 million signatures of people against the RH Bill. Sana lang pinakinggan niya becase she had plans to run for the Senate. Now that 10 million signatories spoke to her… that we don’t want her.

Pres. Noynoy Aquino was not in the Plenary hearing of the RH Bill. It was Risa who lobbied. It was Risa confronting us all the time. It was Risa who brought her Akbayan to confront us head on. It was she who didn’t listen to reason. It was she all the time. It was history and I was there all the time. We swore in her face that she would pay for not giving us an open mind, for not respecting our belief.

I did not say a thing before the election. She had a fair and square chance to win. She didn’t and we know why.

It's drizzling in Taipei!

My dear mother went to Taiwan so many years ago to attend a training/workshop visit courtesy of the Philippine government. When she came back she brought a lot of Taiwanese crafts, coffeetable books, oriental decors, music and beautiful stories of her experiences over there. She taught us one song that she learned in Taiwan.

I never forgot about it. In fact, I memorized it and I can sing the song too (pardon the voice!). Try me! Hahahaha! But I loved the melody anyway. It's called Mei Hua (Plum Flower). I loved the version of the late pop star Teresa Teng.

Yesterday was a wonderful day in Taiwan and we thank our Taiwanese friends for it. Our first visit to the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) was fruitful. Thank you so much Dr. George Chien, the Dean of the College of Music; Dr. Wu Shih-Yin, Head of the Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra and Ms. Vivian Chiang, the staff at NTNU for the very warm welcome. Vivian, you are our friend. I am looking forward to our other meetings. We cling to our long history of friendship and understanding through arts, film, performances, cultural traditions and music.

The series of meetings in Taipei today were very meaningful. Thank you Dr. Chien, Dr. Ma and Dr. Yim! Huge thank you to Mr. Hsu! Thank you Ms. Yun and Ms. Chen! We are all very pleased with the hospitality. As always thank you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Vivian who's our superwoman here in Taiwan! She's been most helpful. We are very grateful to her.

I walk the streets of Taipei a lot especially after our meetings and our official tasks and I find the Taiwanese extraordinarily kind. When I asked for directions they really take time to explain and they even give suggestions. When I go to convenient stores and restaurants, the servers are very fast, precise and very attentive. They listen and underst...Read post

2013 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL . The Cannes Film Festival got off to a blockbuster, if stormy start, as Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby opened on a soggy French Riviera. Amid heavy rain, dancing flappers flocked down the Cannes red carpet Wednesday night, bringing a touch of the Jazz Age to the Croisette. Gatsby stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire helped give the festival's opening day a strong dose of star power.

Over the next 12 days, dozens of the world's most artistically ambitious films will premiere on Cannes' global stage. But Wednesday was a day for blockbusters — both the big-budget "Gatsby" and Hollywood's most accomplished director of spectacle: Steven Spielberg.

Steven is serving as jury president at this year's Cannes. The Lincoln director received a standing ovation at the opening ceremony and was serenaded with a performance of "Miss Celie's Blues" from his 1985 film, The Color Purple. He heads the jury that will decide the prestigious Palme d'Or, given to one of the 20 competing films, with entries ranging from the Coen brothers (Llewyn Davis), Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and Steven Soderbergh (Behind the Candelabra). This year's jury is an intimidating, starry bunch, including Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee and Christoph Waltz.

Baz's 3-D adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is this year's festival opener, a choice that surprised many since the film opened last week in North America. Cannes typically takes precedence over release schedules, but Gatsby sails to the Croisette after a robust weekend haul of $51.1 million.

Gatsby plays out of competition at the festival, but Spielberg should have his hands full with a slate lacking any obvious favorite. Internationally-respected filmmakers like Roman Polanski (Venus in Fur), Asghar Farhadi (The Past) and Jim Jarmusch...Read post