Press Release: Makati After Dark: Run & Survive Hallowfest

Halloween's Biggest Street Festival

On October 31, Halloween night, hordes of the undead will rise and party with the living as J.R. Usi Presents--MAKATI AFTER DARK: RUN & SURVIVE HALLOWFEST--the grandest and most exciting Halloween party of the year.

With 3,000 zombies in a "FANTASY RUN" designed and directed to feel like a movie set, the run promises to give participants the most thrilling experience right at the heart of Makati's financial business district.

Coinciding with the FANTASY RUN is an ALL-NIGHT STREET FESTIVAL adjacent to the race course featuring several TOP LOCAL BANDS, DJ's, CAR SHOW, GTMACCON PINOY KOMIKS and COSPLAYERS CONVENTION, MERCATO CENTRALE FOOD FEST, and several other side pocket events to keep you up 'til sunrise!

The Halloween Fest has already received the endorsement of Makati Mayor Junjun Binay as well as the Makati Tourism Office. "MAKATI AFTER DARK is an event that can greatly help promote Makati as a top events destination that will attract more local and foreign visitors to the city."

On his part, promoter J.R. Usi said, "Makati, has always been the preferred venue for pioneering events, whether its fashion, food, arts, and culture--and even for some advocacy and political rallies--making it the perfect place to launch our "After Dark" series.

Beyond the festivities, however, the underlying advocacy of Makati After Dark is to gather funds for the displaced families affected by the recent earthquake in Bohol and Cebu. "We've all seen the damage and how the calamity has affected its residents, especially the children that is why we will be donating part of the proceeds in the relief efforts, we hope this would greatly help them recover and return to their normal lives," Usi explained.

CONCERT PERFORMERS

Headlining the bands that will be performing at MAKATI AFTER DARK are CALLALILY, SANDWICH, 6CYCLEMIND, CHICOSCI, GRACENOTE, MOONSTAR 88, and several other surprise guests--each one promising to perform their biggest hits and newest songs.

In addition, a separate DJ setup will also be in place for those who'd rather dance the night away with other celebrity guests expected to make an appearance and join in the festivities. 

HALLOWEEN "FIESTAVAL"

Foodies are also in for a treat as MERCATO CENTRALE will be holding one of its biggest Food Bazaars at the venue and will offer party goers a wide array of choices that will satisfy all your cravings. 

See coolest and sleekest cars in a special CAR SHOW that will showcase some of the most pimped out rides, exotic cars and numerous high-end custom cars.

Kicking off the festivities will be GTMACCON 3 Pre-event where Pinoy Komiks artists and Pinoy Komiks Cosplayers can meet and interact with their fans.

Other side events include Zombie Movie Marathons, street performers such as magicians, stilt-walkers, mimes, fire breathers, dancers, exciting LAN Games and many more.

Visit www.makatiafterdark.com for more information and sign up either as part of the Human Survivors or be among the Zombie Horde. Registration fee of Php1,000 includes souvenir event shirt, race bib, life belt, swag bag with Halloween treats, event wrist tag, and access to Hallow Fest event grounds. Registration centers are located at TOBY'S ARENA GLORIETTA 2, TOBY'S ARENA SM MOA, TOBY'S SPORTS SHANGRI-LA MALL, and RUNNR TRINOMA. For non-runners entrance to the Festival Grounds, concerts and Hallow Fest is only P500. Tickets are now available at Ticketworld Outlets and at the venue.

Like facebook.com/makatiafterdark. Follow them on Twitter @makatiafterdark and share your photos on Instagram: makatiafterdark and use the hashtag #makatiafterdark.

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About J.R. Usi Presents 

John Richard Usi a.k.a. J.R. Usi is a Filipino-American based in Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California. His vast experience in the U.S. mainstream entertainment industry as a promoter and booking agent has allowed him to establish solid personal relationships with some of the top celebrities and musical performers in Hollywood. 

Makati After Dark is the first in a series of grand outdoor events and street festivals scheduled for the coming year with the goal of bringing iconic musicians and artists who have yet to perform in the Philippines.

Celebrating 25 Years: Toyota Motors Philippines' World of Toyota Motor Show at the World Trade Center Manila

In celebration of its 25th year in the Philippine automotive market, Toyota Motors Philippines recently launched a world-class car show at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, called The World of Toyota. This week-long car show features the latest line-up of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, as well as some interesting concept cars and classic Toyota models from the 1960s until the 1980s. For a minimum entrance fee (but free for pre-registered bloggers such as myself), you can get up close and personal with these cars, and get a glimpse of Toyota Motors' interesting history. Reserving a Toyota car right at the venue also entitles you to some pretty sweet deals that you might not get anywhere else. For one, you can get a free portable GPS navigation device if you reserve/purchase a Toyota Vios right at the World Trade Center! Awesome, isn't it?

I myself drive a Toyota (a 7 year-old Corolla Altis), and I must say, the car has never had any serious issues.  Toyota is known globally for its high quality vehicles and I can personally attest to that. Toyota is also known for its environment-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles, and Toyota actually pioneered the use of hybrid technology when it introduced the Toyota Prius in 1997, and soon enough, other car makers followed with their own line of hybrid cars. 

When the people over at Toyota Motors Philippines decided to invite bloggers to cover this event, I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to be part of it. I immediately registered as a blogger and a week later, I was at the World Trade Center to check out what Toyota has in store!

MindBurst: Brains and Booze Quiz Night at The Mind Museum

I was invited by a high school friend to attend the first ever quiz night at The Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City called MindBurst: Brains and Booze held last Friday, July 19, at The Mind Cafe. Prior to this event, I didn't really know much about the concept of "Quiz Nights"--I thought they were just for older  people who would get-together at a friend's house for a night. 

As I researched about it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Quiz Nights have quite a following, with quiz nights being held in different bars, restaurants, and clubs around Metro Manila, with each attracting a different type of crowd (for a list of Quiz Nights around Metro Manila, click this link).

The Mind Museum wanted to be in on this Quiz Night thing too (they are a museum, after all), so they decided to come up with their own, with their first one held last July 19. I think this is going to be a regular thing for them from now on, given the success of their first one.

The Mind Museum has its own Jollibee branch. I think there still room for improvement service-wise, though.

By the time the quiz night started, all tables were filled up with people, who were mostly in their late 20s-40s. The people in our team, consisting generally of fresh college graduates, were clearly the youngest "competitors". Oops. Oh well.

Tickets are at P250 each, inclusive of unlimited cocktails.

Answers are supposed to be written on these boards.

The quiz night had three main categories (Places, Technology, and Sex) with several subcategories (like imaginary places for the Places category), and the questions were either multiple choice, true or false, and identification. All the teams just had ten seconds to answer each question, and this proved to be a challenge at times especially for the questions that had multiple answers. The winning team for each subcategory would get free food, while the overall winner would win free passes to The Mind Museum, as well as P3,000 worth of bookstore gift certificates.

Since this particular quiz night was held at a science museum, most questions were science-related (yes, even for the Sex category--I'll be showing sample questions in a bit). They would also give us Did You Know? facts/bits of trivia after they would give the right answer to each question. I actually learned quite a lot that evening. Who says learning can't be fun?

We got the right answer for this one.

You had to write your answer quickly before time runs out!

Imagine having ten seconds to write all these answers! These answers were for a Game of Thrones-related question. Unfortunately, we didn't get this one right.

After they gave us the right answer to each question, they would give us bits of trivia related to the question. I learned quite a lot!

The right answer was supposed to be Chernobyl, Ukraine. Still though, our answer was considered since we had to argue that Ukraine was part of Russia, back when it was still called the USSR. Hehe.

Mango Sling

Mango and Orange Sling--drinks are unlimited.

More booze!

Our team failed miserably in the Technology category.

They also had food available.

This photo was taken during the break in-between rounds. During each round, a lot of the teams can actually get pretty loud out of excitement--especially when they get the answers right!

Posing for a photo with the team. The only other guy in the photo and the one in purple were my classmates in high school. The rest are the college friends of my friend in purple. 

One of the questions in the Sex category. Don't worry, people, nothing too...wild here.

It was also a bit of a guessing game for us.

"Taoism" was the right answer to this one (we answered Hinduism).

LOL at the second paragraph.

The final scores. The winning team got 50 points, while our team walked away with 25. Oh well. At least we had fun.

One final shot with Team Limitless (that name was chosen to emphasize the fact that we were the youngest ones there. Haha).

Even if we didn't walk away with prizes (those bookstore gift certificates would have been great), I would say that I had a lot of fun during this event. Quiz Nights are certainly a great alternative way to have fun on a Friday night!

(Also, please do like The Mind Museum on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for the latest updates!)

Congratulations to the First Winners of the 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition!

Since the 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition started in February, several fireworks companies representing their home countries wowed the crowd with their bright and colorful fireworks displays perfectly timed to music. It was a pretty tough battle, with two countries presenting before an audience composed of thousands of people every Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia. Now, the competition is over and the results are in. Congratulations to the winners!

Champion: United Kingdom (Jubilee Fireworks)

2nd place: China (Liuyang New Year Fireworks Manufacturing Inc.) and Canada (Fireworks Spectaculars)

3rd place: Finland (Pyroman Finland)

Once again, congratulations to the winners--until the next competition!

Learn How to Prepare Healthy Meals for Your Kids with Chef Santos from Shangri-la Maldives!

Attention all moms (and dads!)! Do you want to learn how to prepare delicious and healthy meals for your little ones? Well, something's definitely cooking at the Bright and Cheerful Preschool in Mandaluyong City this Saturday, February 16 at 9am! 

Chef Santos from Shangri-la Maldives will be flying all the way to Manila to share his knowledge on how to make mealtime more meaningful and enjoyable for your kids by showing you how to prepare meals quick and easy. Your little ones are most welcome at the event, too--there are also lots of fun activities for your kids that they'll surely enjoy! And guess what? Admission is FREE!

Head on over to the Bright and Cheerful Preschool with your family for an interesting weekend experience! See you all there!

(Bright and Cheerful Preschool is located at 15 Ideal Street, Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City. For more information regarding this event, please contact Germaine Tuazon at 09178582932. You may also visit the website at http://brightandcheerfulschool.com/preschool/ or like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bright-and-Cheerful-Preschool/184260021610298)

Get Ready for the 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition

Yes, it's that time of the year again. Prepare for another explosive competition that will amaze you--watch as these 11 countries compete against each other to become the winners of the 4th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition at the SM Mall of Asia, which would be held every Saturday between February 16 and March 23. 

Who will win this year? 

Last year we saw Canada take home the grand prize, and Finland and Australia were tied in second place. The Netherlands, meanwhile, placed third. These four countries are back again this year to reclaim their respective spots--or are they? 

To witness this grand display of fireworks, please call TicketWorld at 891-9999, TicketNet at 911-5555 or SM Tickets at 470-2222 to reserve or purchase tickets. Tickets are at P1500, P500, P300 and P100. 

See you there!

Feel the Christmas Cheer at TriNoma

Residents from the northern part of Metro Manila will no longer have to go all the way to the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati just to witness an amazing lights-and-sounds show--now they can just head on over to TriNoma to witness the Merry Musical Lights, a spectacular show brought to us by the same team behind the amazing shows at Makati for the past few years.

There are currently four hourly shows every night beginning at 6pm (first show is at 7:30pm from December 15-23) at the TriNoma Plaza. The last show will be on January 6, 2013.

See you all there!

The Skechers Streetdance Battle Year 8 High School Finalists! Is Your School Included?

The 8th edition of one of the largest dance competitions in the country, the Skechers Streetdance Battle, kicked off last Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, with 21 high school teams competing to make it to the finals at the new SM Mall of Asia Arena. The following ten teams are the official finalists for the high school category:

• Ateneo de Manila High School
• Claret School of Quezon City
• La Salle Greenhills
• Marist School - Marikina
• Miriam College 
• Xavier School
• Colegio San Agustin
• St. Mark's Institute
• St. Paul College-Pasig
• School of St. Anthony

All 10 high school teams will be getting ready to battle it out against each other at the finals at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on November 17, 2012. 

Meanwhile, the college eliminations round will kick off this weekend, September 29, at SM City Fairview, and will be followed by more elimination rounds on September 30 (SM City Fairview), October 7 (SM City San Lazaro) and October 13 (SM City San Lazaro).

For more information and for the list of previous winners, please visit the official website or the Facebook page.

BigFish International's "Innovation Black 2012" at the World Trade Center

BigFish International presents "Innovation Black" at the World Trade Center Manila on August 25, 2012 (Saturday).

Featuring DJ Jerome Ismae and Tritonal, the trance duo, along with John Boy Lee and Chris Raubeur, BigFish International's resident DJs. 

For early reservation and tickets, please call 6327762, 6348238, or 09218380133. You may also check out their website at www.bigfishmanila.com

This event is brought to you by Cuervo Black in cooperation with Power Horse Energy Drink, AXN, Diamond Hotel and Sony BeTV.

Work hard, party harder!

Battle Shots--Party for a Cause (A Fundraising Event at El Buono, Tomas Morato)

When: August 4, 2012 (Saturday)

Where: El Buono, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

What: Battle Shots--Party for a Cause (a fundraising event to help selected, and well-deserving 4th year Integrated Marketing Communications students/scholars from the University of Asia and the Pacific attend the prestigious Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity to be held at Suntec City, Singapore from September 16-18. This is a rare opportunity that should not be missed--click this link to find out more about this exclusive event.)

Doors will open at 7:30 pm to give people a chance to practice for the Battle Shots Competition which will take place at 9pm (for those who don't know, Battle Shots is basically like the famous Battleship game--this time, with an added twist). Prizes await the winners. Tickets are at P220 (door price) or P180 (early bird price), inclusive of one free beer, on a first come, first serve basis. Mixes brought to us by Electro Manila.

See you there!

Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity--Happening This September at Suntec City Singapore

Mark your calendars, folks--the Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity 2012, one of the most prestigious events in the field of advertising and communications, will be happening from September 16-18 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre over at Singapore.

This event, presented by the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in partnership with the Haymarket Group, gives those in the creative communications industry (copywriters, creative directors, clients, media agency executives, agency heads, and the like) a chance to get together and share their expertise ona wide range of topics relevant to the industry. Students are also encouraged to attend, to give them a chance to learn from the experts, through various seminars and workshops.

This event will culminate with the Spikes Asia Awards, one of the oldest award-giving bodies for creative communications in the region, which will happen on the 18th of September. Here, awards for the following activities will be given out: Film, Outdoor, Print, Direct, Radio, Digital, Media, Design, Film Craft, Promo & Activation, Print & Poster Craft, Mobile, Integrated, PR, Branded Content & Entertainment and Creative Effectiveness. Those who are 28 years old or under (and are employed in the advertising or communications industry) may also show-off their talents and take part in the Young Spikes Competitions.

Visit the Spikes Asia website for more information and to register for this exclusive event. This is a rare opportunity that cannot be missed--see you all there (yes, I will be attending)!