Halo-halo Ang Summer Saya Photo Contest- Trip to Boracay- by GMA

GMA's halo-halo ang saya photo contest: Submit/upload a photo of your barkada and answer the question 'Bakit Masaya ang halo-halo ninyong pagkakaibigan?  and get a chance to win a Barkada trip for 5 people to Boracay, Palawan or Sagada.

To Join just  'Like' their fanpage:  halo-halo ang summer saya

then you will be prompted to this page:

For more Summer Saya at para makasali sa promo, click HERE!

To receive the best GMA Halo-Halo Ang Summer Saya experience,
please use the latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

After clicking the link you will be prompted on registration page as shown on the image below:

All above images courtesy of GMA Network fanpage

Mikael Daez and Lia Andrea Ramos Host "World Premiere" - Travel Show from GMA

This Easter Sunday, April 24, ay magpi-premiere telecast na ang bagong travel show sa GMA News TV titled World Premiere na produced ng Mercator Model Management, Inc.

Ayon sa producer ng World Premiere, ang kanilang travel show ay magpapakita ng fresh approach from the usual travel show na napapanood ngayon sa TV. Hindi lang daw basta ang mga lugar, pagkain at mga tao ang kanilang i-feature. Ipapakita rin nila kung paano mag-excel ang Pinoy bilang isang artist sa mga kilalang international film festivals.

"The show also intends to pay tribute to Filipino artists who have exemplified great talent in the international arena and in effect, display Filipino social and cultural values with the rest of the world."

Para sa pilot episode ng World Premiere, daldalhin ang televiewers sa bansang Argentina kunsaan naimbitahan ang indie film na Chassis, directed by Adolf Alix Jr., sa Mar del Plata International Film Festival.

Mga highlights nga ng pilot episode ay ang exclusive interviews with Filipino and foreign actors and directors; clips of nominated films; awarding ceremonies and festival events and parties. Hindi naman mawawala ang exquisite sites, sumptuous cuisine, homegrown music and art at ang vibrant nightlife ng naturang bansa.

Ang hosts nga ng World Premiere ay ang Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2006 na si Lia Andrea Ramos at ang commercial model-turned-actor na si Mikael Daez.

Ito ang first-ever TV show na ihu-host ni Lia after maging isang beauty queen as well as being a commercial and runway model. The 29-year old beauty queen hails from Davao City at nakatapos ng Political Science sa University of the Philippines. Hinirang rin siya as Miss Photogenic sa 2006 Miss Universe.

Nakilala rin si Lia bilang ex-girlfriend ng sikat na ngayong Brazilian-Japanese model na si Fabio Ide.

"This is a new challenge for me. Naging beauty queen na ako and I've done a lot bilang isang model. It's time to try something new and hosting is something that I like to sink my teeth in.
"Nakakatuwa because I not only host a new show but I also get to travel to different countries. It's very exciting and I get to learn a lot about different cultures. Mapapanood nila kung paano tayong mga Pinoy nagsa-stand out sa ibang bansa," ngiti pa ni Lia.

Regarding her ex-boyfriend Fabio, ayon kay Lia ay magkaibigan naman daw sila at masaya siya dahil sa tinatakbo ng career ni Fabio sa showbiz.

"Fabio and I promised that we will be good friends no matter what happens. Kahit na wala na kaming relasyon, at least ang pagiging friends ay nandoon. I am happy that he has a very successful career on television. Ipagpatuloy pa niya ang pagiging masipag niya and he will definitely go places," diin pa ni Lia.

Ang World Premiere ang ikatlong show na ni Mikael Daez. Nauna na siyang naipakilala sa Spooky Nights Presents Bampirella. Ngayon ay sisimulan na niya ang epicserye ng GMA-7 na Amaya with Marian Rivera.

"It's a new adventure for me and what's great is that we a lot of traveling and we learn something new in each travel. They will get to see different cultures and we will interact with different people from whatever country we are in. It will be a fun show for everyone," ani Mikael.

Kasama rin si Mikael sa cast ng Temptation Island ng GMA Films at Regal Entertainment. Siya ang pumalit sa role ni Paulo Avelino na nag-backout na sa movie dahil nagre-recover pa ito mula sa sakit nitong pneumonia. Ang magiging naman ni Mikael sa naturang pelikula ay si Solenn Heusaff.

World Premiere will air its pilot episode on April 24, Sunday, 11:00 to 11:30 PM on GMA News TV.

More Photos from Sydney Trip

Some more photos from my Sydney trip. I visited a quilter friend Geo (no blog) at her beach house in North Sydney. I met Geo in Bathurst and we have been friends ever since. You can see from the photo of her quilt and the way she decorates her home that it's a beach house. The colour scheme is blue and decorations are all sea related. I have been there a few times before, but each time I visited she would have a new quilt on the main wall. 

I love this log-cabin quilt with boats and lighthouse. It makes you want to jump in and have a swim!

This is the main living room with all her blue furniture and floor cushion. Most of the books in the bookshelf are also sea related. I love being there. It gives me the feeling of peace and tranquility.  

The wonderful Mr Geo was preparing our lunch when we arrived. I would call him a quilter's husband. He seems to be doing lunch every time I visited. Can you see the table setting is also blue! We had a lovely lunch out on the deck. 

Geo on the left and Myra on the right. We are all ex-Bathurst friends. You might wonder why Geo wears pink? She is a big supporter of Pink ribbon and a driving force behind many charities for breast cancer. 

The next day I met up with Terry another ex-Bathurst friend. Terry is now living in Sydney. Terry was a great guide for us because I don't know Sydney all that well. The only place I wanted to visit was a Japanese bookshop Kinokuniya in the Galleries Mall.

But we also went to Queen Victoria Building for browsing. Queen Victoria Building was built in 1898. This is an old building for a country that is only just over 200 years old.  

I wanted to share this photo of my colleagues and I, taken at lunch time today. We had a farewell lunch for an Indian friend and in her honour we all came dressed in Saris. Five of us from 5 different countries. A true international community I am working with. From left Jocelyn, Nan, Wai Yoke, Nyi and Moi...! I do treasure an occasion like this. Saris are so delightful to wear. They are light, cool and comfortable. The only thing is we needed help putting them on! 

Sydney Bicycle Film Festival: One of a Kind

A mini trip to Sydney was very successful. I did all that I was planning to do. It's too much to fit into one post so I will have to break it into 2 posts. This post will be about the Sydney Bicycle Film Festival that DD Kit is involved in organizing. It was a week-long festival full of activities involving bicycles, but the films are the main aim of this festival. We only attended a couple of events while we were there. One of the events was RIDE: Life in the Bike Lane an exhibition of one of a kind bicycles. We are very proud of Kit and the team for what they did. I'm sure that it's not easy organizing anything in Sydney. These guys did a great job. Congratulations Kit and the team.

Here is Kit with her creation of Pinata bike. The idea was that the organization gave wooden bicycle frames to the artists to decorate and display the finished bicycles at the RIDE exhibition. 

These are some of the bikes I really liked on display. I wish I had taken photo of them all, but the venue was packed to the brim that I couldn't get to see all of them close. One of my favorite bikes was the one with Aboriginal style paintings on it. Click on the above photos to enlarge. I would have loved to buy it, but I don't think I could afford it and I would need to find somewhere to display it too! 

Have you seen Bike POLO game before? No, not me either. One of the events they had was bike polo and I thought it was a very exciting game to watch. Above is a poster I picked up from there. Very cool uh?

Kit and some of the team members. I think they had so much fun and it paid off for the hard work they have put into organizing the festival. Well done guys! 

Mr NJN was joining in for a free beer at the exhibition evening. The noise level was a bit high so smiling was the only way to communicate lol! 

It was great to see Kit again. The last time we saw her was in July. We do chat on Skype or FB or gmail chat. I can always find her somewhere online. Looking forward to have Kit home at Christmas and it's not too long now...! 

Kit visit and Japanese Fabric

It has been a busy week since I last posted on here. It was nice touring the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I'm glad to be part of it again for the third time. If you have not seen it, please see my previous post for more detail or click the above link.

I haven't finished anything in the last couple of weeks so I thought I will show you my Japanese fabric I brought back from Japan. I have a lot more photos from Japan to sort through and show to you.

Our daughter Kit visited this weekend from Sydney. After graduating from ANU, Kit moved to work in Sydney. We see each other quite often; either we go there or she comes to us. Kit is leaving for New York in 2 weeks time so it's nice to see her before she leaves. Kit has been to New York a few times in the past. She loves New York and has many friends to visit there.   

This is  Kit and I on an outing to our favorite spot for lunch and coffee at Oakleigh in Melbourne.   

Japanese shop keeper and I in Nara, Japan. A train ride from Kyoto to Nara took only 40 minutes. Nara is Japan's first capital. In the old quarter Naramachi District, the buildings are distinguished by narrow frontages and surprising depth. The lane started off with traditional Japanese shops including the fabric shop above. I purchased a lot of Japanese fabric from there.

These coin purses seemed to drive Japan's economy. Every shop would have them including one that sells only these purses in all shapes and sizes. I bought a few ready made as well as some clasps to try and make them myself. 

The bundles of fabric above came from Osaka. I wondered into a shop of upholstery supplies full of items such as cushions, table mates, napkins,  and Nolans (Japanese door blind). In that shop I found a few baskets full of these bundles. I asked with my broken Japanese how much they were. The lady told me they are not for sale and tried to sell me fabric by the metre. I then used the magic word "Patchwork", oh it was a magic, she understood and agreed to sell these to me for only $3.00 per bundle. It was a good buy! 

Here is my Japanese fabric from Nara. I was only looking for traditional Japanese fabric and not a big amount. I didn't have anything planned to make with them, but I'm happy with what I brought back.

Some fabric from Tokyo

And more

These cute kitten prints were so nice I have to have some! 

I bought some offcuts and vintage Kimono pieces too. I am glad to be using them in my online workshop Cloth to Cloth. 

My online workshop Cloth to Cloth started over a week ago. I'm really enjoying it. I wish I could show you all the work from everyone, but unfortunately the blog we are posting our work on is a private one. I will post my work on here to show you what I have been doing. 

Pieces of Japan

Remember I took all those hand projects to work on my trip? One of them turned into this "Pieces of Japan". I took a bag of off cuts from my rail fence quilt. I didn't know what I would do with them at the time, but I like taking fabric and thread just in case I get inspired to do something during the trip. The pieces inspired me to do utility stitch onto a piece of vintage Kimono I also took with me. I did a couple of pieces in the evening starting from Kyoto and keep adding more pieces as we moved on.
This is just a section from it. The two rolls of sticky tape come in Japanese fabric prints. Aren't they so cute? Unfortunately I only found one pack.
This is roughly the whole piece. I put the last piece in Kanazawa on the last day. I called it "Pieces of Japan" and I plan to put it in a frame. Sorry for the poor photos. I took them with my iPhone just tonight.
This is a piece called 'Isushima-asa' by Miyoko Murata: This is what she has to say about it "On a visit to an antique shop, I was amazed at the beauty of a vertically striped kimono, displayed in the stairway. The Tsushima-asa kimono was just too beautiful to take apart and use for quilting. One day I found a bag full of Tsushima Island fabric. While piecing the quilt I thought of the weavers of Tsushima Island, their lives and the blue sea". This quilt was part of the 100 Japanese Quilts exhibition touring Australia a few years ago. It is an inspiring quilt. I fell in love with it and had to get a catalog as a reminder of it. There is a another quilt I am making from this catalog as well. I will show you later.
Basalt Rock wall at Osaka Castle. It was hand cut and fitted since the castle was built in 1586. This wall is part of Pieces of Japan I found inspiring. When we visited Osaka Castle I had already started my Piece of Japan quilt. I thought a quilt can be made using any shape and size of fabric, not only perfect squares or points. What we need is some stitches to keep the layers together.
A real utility cloth I saw hanging at a shop called Oriental Bazaar near Harajuku station in Tokyo. Oriental Bazaar sells Japanese traditional craft items. It must have been an original piece that had been made and used by the owner. I just love it and thought of all the jeans that no longer fitted me to make one like this some days. I hope that Pieces of Japan inspire you in someway. More photos from Japan are coming soon, but I thought I should show you some stitching as well.

I brought you back Cherry Blossoms

I'm home! I missed everyone on blogland. I checked in whenever I could. I can see that you have been busy doing wonderful stuff. I did a little bit of stitching too, but it was totally different than I planned! More on that later. I'm still in a vacation mode so I would like to show you some Cherry blossoms. Sakura is the name in Japanese. We couldn't have gone there at a better time for the Cherry blossom season! The first week in Kyoto the blossoms were about 30-50% in bloom, then in Tokyo they were 90-100% in bloom, and then at Kanazawa 80-90%. All in all our timing was perfect. I fell in love with the cherry blossoms. I suddenly like pale pink and their smell is so gentle and sweet. The Japanese use cherry blossoms in so many things. For instance in cake, tea, juice, cooking and in air fresheners. Our friend Lesley even had cherry blossom printed toilet paper!
Cherry trees grow all over the country. Some are growing wild, but mostly they were planted many many years ago. There are many species of cherry trees in Japan. They come in all shades from pink to white. I took the photo above at the Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa.
I decided to group the photos into postcards, please double click on the photos to see the larger images. The photos in the postcard above were taken at Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa. It is one of Japan's great three gardens. If you have a chance please check the links above.
I hope you noticed the snow on the mountain? Yes, it was snowing in Kyoto the day we were there and it was colder than we expected. I found that it's not easy to take photos of cherry blossoms. You need a contrasting background against them to get a better effect. I'm pleased with how they turned out. I hope you enjoyed them too.
I like how they use the cherry blossom shape for a drain hole on the road. The bottom left corner photo was the first tree I found in a small lane in Kyoto. I was so excited that I sent them off to some of you, but unfortunately my iPhone so called roaming service decided to stop working just after I did that. Anyway, here they are and you can all enjoy them at your leisure.

By the way, I totally fell in love with Japan. I already thought about going back there for our next vacation. If you have not been there please consider Japan for your next holiday. You will love it too...!

Postcard from New Zealand

Greetings from the Land of the Long White Cloud, New Zealand. I must tell you that a holiday is good for you. I can't believe how relaxed I am being here. I didn't have anything planned before I came here; just visiting DH's family, so I'm take things as it comes and to my surprise, I am enjoying it!

Thanks everyone for your comments on my last post and best wishes for my holiday, but I'm so sorry I didn't have a chance to thank you individually. I can assure you that I read all of them. One more day here before we leave for Japan. While I have access to the Internet I thought I would post some photos to share with you from NZ. Please enjoy...!

Silver fern is a symbol of New Zealand. It's the symbol of the All Black NZ's national rugby team. When we visited our friend Carol and Paul they just cut a branch of silver fern for their kitchen and I thought it looks appropriate as a symbol of NZ.

MIL's lives on the North Shore of Auckland and this is the view of Auckalnd city from the harbour bridge. I snapped this photo from the car so it is not the best. This is the harbour that hosted the America's Cup yaght race.

I even have an antique quilt to share with you. This antique quilt belongs to Carol. It is made from 30's fabric. It was hand pieced and quilted. It's a lovely quilt, but in a fragile state. I have seen this block before, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of the block, please help?

I took a close up photo of the blocks to ask if you know the name of the block and how to construct it. I want to make one the same for my DD.

Here I'm relaxing on the back deck of our friend's house. Their stray cat was checking my lap out, but I don't think she was happy there.

Carol and Paul are a great collectors of all beautiful things including these cushions from Afghanistan. Lovely vibrant colours.

These cushions have hand quilted stitches all over them. They look like Sashiko stitching.

DH and I drove to Hamilton to deliver my quilts to Donna for machine quilting. Donna has been machine quilting for me for more than 10 years now. Without Donna I wouldn't have finished any quilts. Donna used to quilt from home, but a few years ago she opened her own shop called Donna's Quilt Studio in Hamilton. Donna is a fantastic quilter and won many awards for her quilts. I'm so lucky to have her quilting for me.

Donna stocks a lot of NZ designed fabric at her shop, but I was a good girl and didn't get anything!

I really like the pink prints above, but didn't get it. I wished I did now...!

Next stop Kyoto. The first 5 days we are spending in Kyoto then 5 days in Tokyo and the last 5 days in Kanazawa. I'm armed with the apps in my iPhone. I spent a few hours this afternoon studying it. I wonder how I ever traveled without it!