The Maya Kitchen's Cupcake and Gingerbread Making and Decorating at Bellevue Hotel

As one of the contributors of this blog, I am mostly assigned to cover for mommy and kid events but I seldom make it because I'm recently promoted in my job so I'm having difficulty with schedule.

The recebt invite of Tita Joy Mendiola of Occasions of Joy to attend The Maya Kitchen's Cupcake and Gingerbread Making and Decorating at Bellevue Hotel is something I cannot ignore. It was the first time for my son, Yuan, to join such an event. I'm pretty sure he had an amazing afternoon with all the sweet treats he saw on the table. Well, he nibbled jellies here and there too.

Bellevue Hotel

North Bridgeway, Filinvest City,

Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines Phone

Number: 632-7718181
Fax Number: 632-7718282
Email: tbmnl@thebellevue.com

Netflix Binge Pairings

Some things are better together, and it turns out TV and movies are one of those pairings. According to research from Netflix*, a new trend in watching has emerged with more than 30 million Netflix members around the world weaving film into their binge routines.

After finishing a series, a majority of Netflix members (59%) take a pause, usually lasting three days, before committing to a new show. During that break, more than half (61%) watch a movie to keep the binge feeling alive, like pairing the satirical comedy The Truman Show to the delightfully quirky Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt or the criminally comedic The Big Short to the dramatically comedic Orange is the New Black.

“In our ongoing effort to make great programming decisions for our members we found movies play a unique role in their evolving binge watching routines,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “It’s interesting to see a third of our members adopt this pattern and the movies those 30 million go on to pair with series, but what I find most compelling is how consistently our members expand the role movies play in their lives on Netflix.”

When looking globally into what movies most often followed some of today’s top series, interesting pairings emerged. After watching House of Cards, some members moved to Beasts of No Nation swapping politics for war, but keeping a narrative deft with uncompromising and ruthless leaders. Vince Gilligan’s cinematic nod to Tarantino in Breaking Bad didn’t go unnoticed with watchers moving on to Pulp Fiction after Mr. White bid his final adieu. Meanwhile, fast talking fans of Gilmore Girls kept their retro references fresh by revisiting movies like Clueless and The Notebook.

Members also turned to documentary films to fuel their post-binge craving. After watching Narcos, viewers fueled their cartel curiosity with Cartel Land. Watchers of Marvel’s Luke Cage continued the pursuit for justice with 13TH while fans of Black Mirror saw the real consequences of technology in Hot Girls Wanted.

An exception to this pattern - comedy. When watchers are in the mood for a different entertainment rhythm they tend to choose comedy as their series pair. This stands especially true for horror series where viewers of the frightful most often turn to comedy before moving to the next nail biter. For instance, fans of Stranger Things turned to Big Daddy to help shake off the thrills while watchers of Scream  traded terror for comedy like The Do-Over.

Filipino fans followed similar patterns of staying with the same genre and style of the series. For example, those who loved Stranger Things wanted more of the same great thrills and chose Super 8, another sci-fi thriller set in the 80s. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Daredevil fans who hankered for more grim and gritty action turned to Kill Bill Vol. 1.

According to the research, here are some popular series-movie pairings:

*Methodology:

Netflix analyzed the viewing data of over 86 million members across more than 190 countries between January 2016 and October 2016. The research examined variation in member’s viewing patterns in relation to TV series and movies. In this research, Netflix found when members switched from one series (completing all seasons available) to another, 59% of the time they took at least a one-day breather with a median gap of 2.5 days. During this breather, 61% of those members watched a standalone title (documentary, movie or stand-up special) before beginning the next series. In total, 36% of all Netflix members demonstrate this behavior. Members did not have to complete a series in a certain amount of time in order to be included in the research. To determine example series and movie pairs, Netflix analyzed more than 100 TV series to identify which movies were paired most frequently per market. The movie pairings do not equate to viewership numbers.

 ABOUT NETFLIX

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 86 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

B Hotel and the Bellevue Kids Club Cooking Class with The Maya Kitchen

B Hotel  and the Bellevue Kids Club in collaboration of The Maya Kitchen encouraged and inspired young kids, aged 4 – 12, with their Baking Class last December 11.

Little hand, as well as big hand of the parents enjoyed doing and decorating Vanilla Cupcakes and Ginger Bread Cookies.

It was timely that B Hotel threw an event like this to give kids a chance to experience the fun and easiest way.

If you want your kids to join activities like this, contact The B Hotel in Alabang at (02) 828 8181. It is located in Madrigal Business Park Prime Street, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa.

Stella Wood Fired Bistro

Having my own business gives me the privilege of staying home and being spared from the hustle and bustle of the Metro traffic. I go out mostly when necessary like bringing my kids to school and to meet my accountant, lawyers and friends.

When I go out, I want to maximize my time and meet only people whom I'm comfortable with. I hate BS.

Last week, my wife Joy of Occasions of Joy insisted that I accompany her for Raintree Restaurants' thanksgiving lunch, which was hosted by Mela Sison (Marketing Manager of Raintree Restaurants).

I met Mela a couple of times and I find her really accommodating and genuinely nice so I said yes to Mrs. Mendiola.

I've been putting off my wife's request to dine here many times in the past because, as I said, I hate traffic. With the food served, well I must say, it was worth my time and effort!

What we had:  

Morcilla Sausage with Pumpkin Hummus

Fried Mushroom Chips

Sweet Beet Salad

Anciant Four Grain Salad

Woodfired Mussels

  

Porchetta Pizza

Callos Ala Stella

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash

Cauliflower Rice

Garlic Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Salt Baked Salmon

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Dates for dessert

Stella Wood Fired Bistro

Address: Fort Bonifacio G/F Bonifacio High Street Central, 

East Superblock, 7th Ave cor 29th St., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

Phone: (02) 631 3222

Viu Video Launched in the Philippines

Last week at Ascot Hotel in BGC, Viu Video was officially launched in the Philippines. It was  PCCW Media, a key global player in the entertainment industry in Asia, who announced the launch of its video Over-the-top (OTT) service. The event was hosted by Sam Oh and was attended by media, guests and people behind Viu.

PCCW Media promised an easy and fast access to the latest authorized premium Korean content as fast as 8 hours after telecast in Korea. With the top four Korean broadcasters, SBS, KBS, MBC and CJ E&M, as content partners and strongly localized content and functions, Viu is widely regarded as the preferred video platform, offering the latest popular Korean dramas, variety shows and other Asian premium content with exclusive content windowing across Asia.   The Hallyu or Korean ‘wave’ has long since swept the Philippines and Viu aims to be the go service to satisfy Korean drama fans with the largest authorized Korean content library in Philippines.

Korean entertainment at your fingertips. Watching on web and mobile anytime anywhere. Viu is the FIRST service in the Philippines market which facilitates downloading of authorized content to smartphones and tablets for Free.  Viewers can access the content on web, download*shows DIRECTLY to their mobile devices via Viu and viewing offline anywhere, or stream via wifi as well as mobile network while on-the-move.   Viu’s multi-screen synchronization feature, which automatically bookmarks the progress of your viewing on different device* offers viewers a seamless viewing experience as viewers move from school to screen.

Premium content with English subtitles and exclusive curated content with local flavor.  An impressive catalogue of around 10,000 content hours with 4,000 hours of the newest simulcast Korean dramas and variety shows with English subtitling in Viu, such as the drama series Hwarang: the Poet Warrior Youth (coming soon), Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo, Sweet Stranger and Me, Dr. Romantic, The K2, Love In the Moonlight, W – The Two Worlds, Doctors, Descendants of The Sun; renowned variety shows Running Man and Return of Superman; popular Kpop music programmes Music Bank and Inkigayo – The Music Trend, etc; and also selected Japanese dramas.

Moreover, K1 Headline, which brings the latest Korean entertainment authorized exclusively by Dispatch – the most influential entertainment news hub in Korea and curated by Viu editor, as well as Fanbites which presents interesting facts and anecdotes on Korean culture to deepen the Filipino viewers’ understanding of the programmes, enhances the overall enjoyment of the content and relevance to locals.

Viu sets to satisfy viewers with the burgeoning trend and popularity of K drama in Philippines. Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are very excited with our launch in the Philippines.  Recent research we conducted on online viewing of drama across multiple Asian markets has shown 77% of viewers surveyed in Philippines watch Korean dramas on a regular basis.  With growing affluence, increasing broadband adoption and online increasing penetration of smart phones, we see a great potential in this market where online video consumption is fast becoming a part of the daily habits for over 55 million internet users in Philippines.”  

The Nielsen Global Video-On-Demand Survey shows that 45% of online consumers in watch VOD once a day and 82% of online consumers said they like to catch up on multiple episodes at one time in Philippines.   “Viu’s download features will fulfil their need.  We are confident that our Philippines’ launch will replicate the rapid growth we have experienced in the region,” added Ms. Lee.

Viu’s freemium model - an attractive pool of engaged and captive consumers for advertisers  Operated on freemium basis with MegaMobile, Viu’s advertising management is handled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer that it brings Viu as an effective channel for advertisers looking to reach out to Filipino consumers who are the most receptive audience to online ads in South-east Asia#.   In fact, 51% of respondents in Philippines who watch VOD agree that ads in VOD content give them good ideas for new products to try and 66% say they don’t mind getting ads if they can watch free content.

For video OTT service subscription, revenue from OTT in emerging markets, including Indonesia, Philippines, etc, is expected to grow to $19 billion by 2019. “Millennials want immediacy and flexibility in watching their favorite content and they yearn for Asian and especially Korean content.  They are avid users of computers and mobiles and now they can access their video of choice on the move using their mobile and not confined to the desk.   As such, Viu is an irresistible proposition to these elusive Millennials with its cross-platform viewing synchronization and premium content with fast sub-titled version which come all free,” said Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, President and CEO of Philippine Daily Inquirer. 

The Viu app can be downloaded for free at Apple Store and Google Play or viewers can visit www.viu.com to view the content online.

About PCCW Media:

The media group of PCCW is a leading, fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong. The media group operates the leading pay-TV service in Hong Kong under the Now TV brand delivering both self-produced and licensed content to its customers using advanced IPTV technology. Now TV offers more than 180 linear channels of local, Asian and international programming. Its premium content can also be accessed on-demand and on the go via now Player app. It is also a leading producer of Chinese language news, financial news and sports programming in addition to Asian infotainment content which complements its wide portfolio of licensed movie and international television content. The media group is also engaged in the provision of over-the-top (OTT) video service under the Viu brand in Hong Kong and other places in the region. In addition, MOOV is a hugely popular lossless music digital streaming service in Hong Kong. Kong which holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.

Christmas Tree Lighting of Bayview Park Hotel Manila

It was a privilege to be one of the media to have witnessed the first Christmas Tree Lighting of Bayview Park Hotel Manila last December 1, 2016. The place was joyfully decorated with Christmas decors while  Bayview Employees All-Girls Chorale rendered beautiful Christmas songs during the event.

Mr. Eugene Yap, Bayview Park Hotel General Manager, officiated the tree lighting.

Bayview Employees All-Girls Chorale

Guests, media, bloggers and BPH employees

About Bayview Park Hotel Manila:

Located along the famous Roxas Boulevard, Bayview Park Hotel Manila stands proud and strong. It boasts of its 75-year history as the most sought-after destination for travelers who are here for business and leisure. A boutique-style hotel in Manila that offers very affordable and friendly rates, it provides unparalleled service and exclusive privileges for the most discriminating guests.

The hotel is just 20 minutes away from the airport, making it a convenient location for your unforgettable stay here in Manila. It is a walk away from Intramuros and situated directly opposite the landmark U.S. Embassy building. Being in the historic heart of the city, guests can enjoy the spectacular views of Manila Bay and its famous sunsets while experiencing the significant sites and the nightlife as well.

Bayview Park Hotel

1118 Roxas Boulevard, cor United Nations Avenue, 

Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila

Phone: (02) 526 1555