There's a Rainbow Always After the Rain

Sendong had stricken the Philippines last December of 2011. Known internationally as Washi, the said tropical storm that badly hit the Visayas and Mindanao region is also the world's deadliest storm in the previous year. The Philippines was struck unprepared, leaving about a thousand victims, dead and homeless. And some remained missing.

It seemed like we haven't learned our lessons from the other tragic incidents that had struck our country like the storm Ondoy in 2009. Still, we are incapable of handling this kind of calamities.

Iligan City is one of the places that were heavily hit by Sendong. Thousands of homes were ravaged by flash floods and wiped-out by mudslides, especially those near the streams and rivers. And mudslides caused by illegal logging desolated the city. 

Although it was another sad picture for the Philippines, a silver lining broke through the dark clouds. Millions of support flooded the victims from their fellow countrymen and from all over the world and unexpected heroes emerged, proving that no calamities can bring the Filipino spirit down. 

A young girl saved by two rescuers in Iligan City (photo courtesy of allvoices.com)

DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND,LEND A HAND!

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Sagip Kapamilya Foundation

SAGIP KAPAMILYA HOTLINES

(02) 411-4995
(02) 394-9272
0917-887-4411

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FOR IN-KIND DONATIONS*

SAGIP KAPAMILYA
ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.
Mother Ignacia cor. Eugenio Lopez St.
Diliman, Quezon City

*You may send rice, canned gods, noodles, biscuits, coffee, sugar, clothes, blankets, mats, medicines

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ABS-CBN CAGAYAN DE ORO and ABS-CBN DAVAO also accepting donations for relief operations

ABS-CBN Cagayan De Oro
Barangay Bulua, Cagayan De Oro City

ABS-CBN Davao
Shrine Hills, Matina, Davao City

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FOR CASH DONATIONS
1. BDO Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 39301-14199
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

2. BDO Dollar Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 39300-81622
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

3. PNB Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 419-539-5000-13
Swift Code: PNBMPHMM

4. BPI Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 3051-1127-75
Branch: West Triangle, Quezon City
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

5. BPI Dollar Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 3054-0270-35
Branch: West Triangle, Quezon City
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

TV5 Kapatid Foundation

Cash donations may be sent through the following accounts:

TV5 Kapatid Foundation Inc. BDO Savings Account No. 005310-410164 and

Bank of the Philippine Islands Savings Account No. 1443-05333-2

Donations in kind like food, clothing, utensils, blankets, mats, water containers, and medicines may be sent to News5 Aksyon Center, TV5 office in San Bartlolome, Novaliches, Quezon City.

For inquiries, please call News5 Aksyon Center hotline – 938-6393.

Kapuso Foundation

For monetary donations, the Foundation accepts cash or checks. Our finance officer can personally accept these in our office, from Mondays to Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or you may course your donations through the following:

•METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST COMPANY (METROBANK)
Peso Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:3-098-51034-7
Dollar Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:2-098-00244-2
Code:MBTC PH MM

•UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK (UCPB)
Peso Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:115-184777-2
:160-111277-7
Dollar Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:01-115-301177-9
:01-160-300427-6
Code:UCPB PH MM

•CEBUANA LHUILLIER (all branches nationwide)

•NO SERVICE FEE CHARGED!

Donation are also accepted in the following banks:

BANCO DE ORO (BDO)
Peso Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:469-0022189
Dollar Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:469-0072135
Code: BNORPHMM

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK (PNB)
Peso Savings
Account Name :GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Numbe:121-003200017
Dollar Savings
Account Name:GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.
Account Number:121-003200025
Code:PNB MPH 

Red Cross

to help, send RED to 4143 (Smart) and RED to 2899 (Globe).

* Smart subscribers may send financial help to the Philippine Red Cross through text. To donate, cellphone users should send RED to 4143. Valid donation amounts are 10, 25, 50 and 100 and will be charged to the subscriber’s prepaid load or postpaid bill.

* Globe subscribers may send help to Red Cross. Just text RED and send to 2899. Valid donation amounts are 10, 25, 50, 100 (For ex, RED 10).

PEOPLE HOOKED ON IT

Can’t wait getting into the glamorous and gorgeous world of fashion this 2012?

Techie? Can’t wait to get  your hands on the latest product of technologies?

Moviegoer? Can’t wait to catch the most talked about movies on screen?

Here is an exciting preview of what lies ahead in the world of fashion, movies and gadgets this year. 

FOR FASHION

Metallic style is still in this season and it presents as a great alternative in the form of amazing pants, tops and skirts. But this year’s, neon bright will not either fades. In fact, these bright colors bring happiness in shadowy and gloomy days of ours.

Fashionistas or designers dare to look for another bunch of garments to show off this season’s trendiest shades in all forms—convenient chic, urban femininity, just-simply-you and many more. 

Lofty and impressive shoes with metals on each side

This pair of silver flats having diamonds on top of its ribbon does not steel attention from the dress and other or whatever your clothes are. 

Without a doubt, this striking 5-inch pumps completed you

Think of these enormous, textured, and extravagant  bags that will surely add style to your office outfit

Restore the summer's outfit

This cottony blouse partnered with shorts will give something slim below. 

These firm hues and patterns are an enchantment to behold with matching neutral sling bag which will keep you on track 

Teasing with its prints and colors that drives home the point that fashion is meant to be fun 

The finest metallic pleat-skirt and Top shop Pewter Ankle Grazers is perfect for it meant to be cool. 

10 of the Best Upcoming Gadgets for 2012

Apple iPad 3

No surprises here – you voted the iPad 3 your most wanted future gadget in the 2011 Stuff Gadget Awards. From the moment Apple launched the iPad 2, iPad 3 speculation has been in serious overdrive.

2011 saw some great efforts from the Android camp, including Asus' original Transformer and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 – but we're expecting Apple's next iPad effort to take things to a whole new level.

An eye-slicingly sharp 2048 x 1536 pixel 10in screen, a quad-core Tegra 3-baiting A6 processor and a carbon fiber case are just some of the rumored specs for the iPad 3 that could see it setting the gold standard for tablets once again. Previous iPad launches point to a February or March release, so we're hoping it'll be putting in an appearance soon.

PlayStation Vita

Dubbed the "PS3 in your pocket," PlayStation's next-gen Vita handheld is a pocketable gaming powerhouse. With a quad-core ARM 9 processor feeding a 5in OLED touchscreen, a tactile back panel and dual cameras for augmented reality gaming, one thing is clear – Sony means business.

Microsoft Windows 8

Microsoft's next OS has already tantalized our taste buds by strutting its stuff in a developer preview  – and you can see just how much by reading our first look review.

Its Windows Phone 7-style Metro UI offers a new level of interactivity for both PC and tablet users, promising an abundance of new features like Kinect for Windows for gesture based control, HTML5 applications which will make full use of online cloud services and ARM chip support – a clear sign Microsoft is taking its tablet efforts very seriously this time round.

Windows 8 is expected to launch its double attack on the PC and tablet world with a beta arriving in February – and an official launch towards the end of the year.

Samsung Galaxy III

Samsung's Galaxy S II certainly made its mark when it showed up on the smartphone scene – and it's still the best Android phone to buy. It's so good we named it our 2011 Phone of the Year.

Now, with the Galaxy S II almost approaching its first birthday, word on the virtual street suggests its successor – the appropriately named Galaxy S III – will come complete with a quad-core engine, 2GB of RAM, a 4.6in screen and a whopping 12MP camera.

Expect the Galaxy S III to be unveiled at the end of February during Mobile World Congress – and expect it to be more powerful than ever.

 Apple TV

Not content with dominating the smart phone and tablet markets, Apple has its sights set on our living rooms. The future of TV, according to the rumors swirling around Cupertino, is AirPlay, mobile device synching and gesture controls.

Clearly the Apple TV will be more than just your average smart TV, with purported specs including the powerful A6 processor destined to arrive on the iPad 3, a giant Retina Display courtesy of Sharp and voice controls handled by the iPhone 4S Virtual Assistant, Siri.

Not only does iTV – as it has been dubbed – look set to revolutionise the television industry in the same way it has with the smart phone market, but Apple could be trying to engineer a shift away from traditional broadcast and satellite TV channels, if the rumors about Cupertino trying to buy up Premier League football rights are anything to go by.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon may not have given the official nod, but its first stab at the crowded Android tablet game could be winging its way to the UK in January… if the rumours are to be believed.

The Kindle Fire is certainly no iPad killer, in fact it's more of an anti-iPad, primarily concerned with providing a 3G-free mobile experience that's less about genre-shattering computing and more about staying amused on the train.

As long as you don't mind living your life in the cloud and compromising a little with Gingerbread 2.1, Amazon's colour tablet may very well be worth waiting for – especially if it's still half the cost of the iPad when it launches. There are high hopes for a January release. We're waiting with bated breath – in the mean time, check out our review of the Kindle Fire.

iPhone 5

It's fair to say there was widespread disappointment among Apple fanboys when Apple lifted the lid on the iPhone 4S as opposed to the iPhone 5 we were all secretly hoping for.

September could see the release of what feels like an overdue handset, but considering there was a 16-month gap between the release of the iPhone 4 and 4S – throwing a spanner into the traditional summer release pattern – Apple may not be gunning to relase an iPhone 5 so soon after the last model.

But a 4in screen, quad-core processor, thinner chassis, NFC and an integrated SIM sound worth the wait, don't you think? Want all the rumours so far? Our rumor round-up should bring you up to speed.

Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia gained back some of its cool cred towards the end of last year when it unveiled the Windows Phone 7-toting Lumia 800. Despite the paint barely drying on Nokia's latest and most excellent foray into WP7, an super-sized successor – complete with a 4.3in screen – is rumoured to launch at CES, the world's biggest consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas.

Netflix

The popular US video-on-demand service that offers thousands of films and TV shows for a monthly fee is crossing the pond in a bid to tempt us into signing up to its unlimited streaming service.

Attempts to woo us begin by offering the first month for free – like LoveFilm - as well as unlimited streaming, which means you can watch as many movies as you like without data restrictions.

Netflix will also throw up suggested viewing based on the stuff you and your friends like to watch. It'll be available on on the iPhone, iPad and Android, alongside the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 and Netflix is currently negotiating for its app to be included on smart TVs.

Nintendo Wii U

The follow up to Nintendo's hugely popular Wii console is going to give the Wii a long overdue facelift. The Wii U sports a slate controller that acts as a second window for creative new gaming views and accepts touch input for zany control options. Meanwhile, the Wii U will treat your TV to HD graphics equalling the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Nintendo promises its next-gen console will be more powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3, and Ninty's USA president Reffie Fils-Aime has gone on the record as stating that the Wii U won't be launching till after April 1.

MOVIE

Here are five of the movies all moviegoers should watch out for this year.

1. UNDERWORLD: Awakening

  After the success of Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Kate Beckinsale stars again in the vampires-vs-werewolves themed movie Underworld: Awakening as the lead role vampire warrioress Selene who escapes from imprisonment and into a world where humans have already discovered the existence of vampires and Lycan clans, and are on a battle to exterminate both of the immortal species.  Selene leads the battle against the humans. 

2.THE AVENGERS 

             Love the movie Thor? Or can’t get over both the Iron Man films? Did you get hooked on the movie The Incredible Hulk? Or do you keep watching Captain America over and over again? If you answered yes to any of the questions—or to all of it—the year 2012 is the year for us who love these movies and these superheroes. Everyone would agree that each movie can stand on its own—each movie’s success is a resounding proof—but merging all of them in one spells M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S.

Marvelous indeed, the movie, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. What made it more exciting are the star-studded cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson. 

In the movie, S.H.I.E.L.D, a peacekeeping organization under Nick Fury, drafts Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor to save the world.  

 3. MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED

                It was six years ago when Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippopotamus (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), on their way to a preserve in Kenya from the Central Park Zoo, found themselves on an island off the coast of Africa in Madagascar. In Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the crew tries to return to New York City but their plane unexpectedly landed in the heart of Africa.

                Now, our favorite animals from Central Park will make us laugh our hearts out once again in a 3D escapade in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, wherein Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman attempts again to go home to New York but ends up in Europe, linked up with a traveling circus and will be pursued by the police.  

 

4. PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER 

                If you’re a fan of Percy Jackson of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series, and Elena Gilbert of The Vampire Diaries, this movie is the one to watch out for this year.  Perks of being a Wallflower, based on the novel of the same title authored by Stephen Chbosky, includes Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Nina Dobrev in the lineup. The plot will revolve around a shy and unpopular teenager who describes his existence through writing a series of letter sent to anonymous person and explores the awkward phase of his life called adolescence.

               

5. COMRADE

                In the Harry Potter movies we’ve come to love the actors who played the characters from the books and brought it to the big screen; and one of the British actors every Potter fan loves is the funny, witty, charming, bestfriend-you’d-love-to-have, ginger boy named Ron Weasley played by Rupert Grint.

                We sure miss him as Harry’s ever so loyal sidekick but this man will prove his versatility in acting as he shifts from the magical world to a battlefield in the anti-war movie, based on true events, Comrade.  

CREDITS:

FASHION

Items from SM Department Store, Maldita, Primadonna and Secosanna
GADGETS

By stuff.tv.com     

MOVIE

[Photo courtesy of rupertgrintonline.com (Comrade), collider.com (Perks of being a Wallflower), disneydreaming.com (The Avengers), 

punchdrunkcritics.com (Underworld: Awakening), madagascar3movietrailer.blogspot.com (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted)]