adidas UltraBOOST Uncaged

Press release

Inspiration from fans, innovation for performance

adidas drops the next generation of running greatness with UltraBOOST Uncaged

·       Trademark adidas innovation updates for high performance

·       Re-engineered upper delivers Uncaged look without compromise

·       The perfect expression of adidas’ dedication to meeting today’s athletes' needs

The wait is over. adidas embraces the future of running with the introduction of UltraBOOST Uncaged, a shoe inspired by fans and perfected by the innovation experts of adidas Running. Featuring a new adidas Primeknit upper, an internal support system and unique tiered lacing system, UltraBOOST Uncaged is engineered for maximum performance.

Originally created as an evolution of the greatest running shoe ever, UltraBOOST Uncaged continues the performance legacy of its predecessor with each element designed to collectively deliver an unparalleled running experience. To transform the Uncaged look into a performance vehicle, adidas adapted an internal midfoot skeleton using technology developed for the world’s top track athletes, delivering highly technical support and comfort with a rebellious look. A re-engineered adidas Primeknit upper provides flexible breathability and natural movement through each stride to complement an adaptive knit collar. A new multi-tiered lacing system allows runners to personalize style and fit, while specially-designed flat laces offer enhanced comfort and stability.

Alongside its new innovations, UltraBOOST Uncaged also maintains its signature UltraBOOST features. A supportive heel counter showcases the iconic embossed UltraBOOST name and keeps the foot locked in place for additional stability; a full length BOOST midsole provides industry leading Energy Return and a Stretchweb Continental Rubber™ outsole flexes naturally for superior traction with every step.

In addition to providing running greatness, UltraBOOST Uncaged represents the commitment adidas has to its fans and athletes. After global trendsetters first modified UltraBOOST by cutting off its cage, adidas embraced the movement and invited partners to create their own stylized versions of the shoe. Following this collaborative approach and in line with its dedication to delivering only the best for the athlete, adidas created its latest running innovation - a sleek new silhouette with the performance benefits that separate UltraBOOST from every other running shoe.

“UltraBOOST Uncaged combines the performance and innovation standard of UltraBOOST with the unique flair of our passionately creative fan base,” says Ben Herath, Vice President of Design for adidas Running. “adidas is committed to making athletes better through innovation and UltraBOOST Uncaged is another prime example of that pledge being met with the input of runners from around the world.”

adidas UltraBOOST Uncaged for Php8995.

Join the adidas Energy Running movement by following @adidasrunning on Twitter and Instagram using #UltraBOOST

How to better prepare your child for school

Press release

As the new school year makes its presence felt with all the back-to-school promos in the malls, most parents busy themselves with making sure that everything their children need for the academic year is covered – from notebooks to school shoes.

However when the mad rush to be ready for school finally subsides and parents look at their children, what do they really see --- excitement or more of nervousness?

Change can be stressful for people, especially for children who may mirror the nervousness and excitement of their parents as they take a big step towards personal growth.

As such, parents having a clear and positive disposition can help children embrace their new experience with much openness and joy. As a result, more learning can be absorbed by children. Parents have the power to prepare their children better by identifying possible leverage actions.

The identification of leverage points, or understanding that small actions can produce big, desirable results, is one of the habits of a systems thinker.

Systems Thinking, which is now being practiced by multi-national companies and in many schools in the United States, is loosely defined as a way of thinking that sees the bigger picture and how the parts of a system interact with each other, making an individual more critical and grounded on how change happens and what possible responses can be done to yield positive results. Given adequate training and exposure to this way of thinking, an individual increases his chance at personal success by not being easily overwhelmed by change.

Systems Thinking is one of the newer 21^st century-apt approaches to education, which has a diverse range of sources - one of which is Peter Senge, an American systems scientist who is also a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and the founder of Society for Organizational Learning.

In the Philippines, Benedictine International School (BIS) which is located in Quezon City has pioneered in incorporating systems thinking in the Philippine education curriculum. Apart from being known to have a family atmosphere, BIS has been practicing Systems Thinking and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for several years now and has been happily assisting parents in helping children become more adaptive to changes.

Having a systems thinking mindset, parents can help children be ready for school by doing the following three things:

1.    Create a Goal together

It is important for children to find value in what they do. Oftentimes, children ask “Why do I have to do it?” And the answer may not be obvious to them as they are to us, parents. Having a clearer view of the bigger picture, we should be able to gently guide them towards understanding what lies ahead of them and aligning our dreams for them with that of what is meaningful for them at the moment. Goals may not necessarily be immediately big, but must always work towards and accomplishment of a bigger objective. Breaking down big tasks and  manage expectations so that your child may actually feel empowered being able to achieve personal success one day at a time.

2.    Establish study habits at home

To establish study habits at home is an exemplification of another systems thinking principle which states that structures generate behavior. Taking this to heart, it is important to provide structures that will help prepare children for the rigors of school work and sustain the gains that their experience may bring. Sit down with your child and have a clear picture of how a school day may go and come up with a schedule that reflects the life balance that you want for him/her.

3.    Foster an environment that allows open communication to happen

By actually sitting down with their children and helping them identify feelings about school – both excitement and concerns – parents may actually be in a better position to correct false assumptions about school life. In an honest, open, and trusting communication, parents would be able to assure a child that support will always be there and hopefully, they find courage in exploring the world responsibly. Let your child feel that he can share his feelings without being judged and allow him to surface his assumptions, identifying which ones are limiting beliefs and which ones are actually good for him.

Seriously get involved in your child’s education by knowing new approaches like Systems Thinking. Call Benedictine International School at +632.951.8960 / 951.7154 / 951.7454 and learn more about how you can help your child be successful in all avenues of life. You may also visit the school website at www.benedictine.edu.ph or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BISphilippines.

IFLIX ADDS HUGE SLATE OF NBC UNIVERSAL SHOWS AND EXCLUSIVES, INCLUDING MANY NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN IN ASIA

Press release

iflix to add extensive selection of award-winning, popular TV shows and first-run exclusives, including the highly anticipated second season of Mr. Robot

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8, 2016 – iflix, Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service, today announced a landmark multi-year content licensing deal with NBCUniversal International Distribution. Through this agreement, hundreds of hours of television programming from NBCUniversal’s (NBCU) portfolio, including over 20 first-run TV shows and popular catalogue titles, will be added to iflix’s vast library. 

iflix now has exclusive premiere rights in the region to top NBCU TV series including the critically acclaimed Mr. Robot, fan favourites Difficult People and Hunters, and the highly anticipated fantasy series, The Magicians. Based on Lev Grossman’s best-selling novels, the new series will come to iflix in June. Each show will be available for the first time in the Philippines only on iflix. 

Also available on iflix are current hit programs including Downton Abbey, Grimm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bates Motel, 12 Monkeys, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Millionaire Matchmaker, and many more.

iflix subscribers will also be able to binge on a huge selection of NBCU’s most popular catalogue shows, including every episode of the Emmy® award-winning drama series House as well as Emmy® winning and nominated comedy series such as 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Recreation.

iflix Group Chief Content Officer, James Bridges commented: “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with NBCUniversal, which began with our acquisition of Mr. Robot last year. Mr. Robot epitomizes the type of exceptional content iflix aims to bring to Southeast Asia. Adding more upcoming exclusives, along with an outstanding selection of the studio’s most iconic titles, allows us to further expand on the considerable breadth and quality of content we already offer our members.” 

Belinda Menendez, President, NBCUniversal International Distribution & Networks, commented: “This multi-year deal is an exciting evolution in NBCUniversal’s relationship with iflix. We are thrilled to be able to complement iflix’s ambitious content strategy by licensing such a compelling and broad range of quality series to the service, maximizing value for subscribers.”

Now available in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, iflix will continue to roll out its world-class service to key additional Southeast Asian markets in the coming months. Offering consumers thousands of first-run exclusives, award-winning TV shows, blockbuster movies, popular Asian content, kids programs and more, each subscription provides users unlimited access to the service on up to five devices, including phones, laptops, tablets, and television sets, for viewing wherever, whenever. iflix subscribers can also download TV shows and movies from iflix’s extensive library for offline viewing. The service is priced at only PHP129 per month in the Philippines for unlimited access with no ads!

For new subscribers, iflix offers a complimentary 30-day trial with full access to its world-class service, features and content, with no credit card or payment details required. Go to www.iflix.com to register.

adidas presents the Gazelle Vintage Suede

Press release

adidas Originals presents the Gazelle silhouette in its purest form for FW16, presenting the casual icon in a trio of classic suede make-ups.

Taken from an early 90’s version of the Gazelle, every attention has been paid to faithfully reproduce the shoe in its original form, with a vintage suede upper, off-white rubber sole unit and essential leather serrated three-stripes and heel-tab. Stepping out in burgundy, navy and grey iterations, it’s a release that marks the welcome return of an unforgettable footwear classic.

The adidas Gazelle Vintage Suede is now being sold in Sole Academy, Commonwealth, Sneakpeek Shangri-La, and Urban Athletics, at P4,995.00.

Business News App Born2Invest’s Biggest Users Come from Southeast Asia, Russia

Press release

Born2Invest, the first and only multilingual news curation app for business and finance, is growing at a fast rate, with a large percentage of its users coming from Southeast Asia and Russia. 

Born2Invest chief executive Dom Einhorn said that based on Google Analytics data, the app’s English edition currently ranks number 1 in the Philippines, number 2 in Indonesia, and 3 in India. 

“There are little changes in rankings but we maintain the top three positions in these countries,” Einhorn said.

The app also maintains a strong number 4 and 5 position in Russia and Brazil, respectively. 

India, Indonesia, and Russia are the three fastest growing sources of downloads, views, as well as overall usage since January 2015. Statistics are expected to improve come the China launch sometime this year, given the size of Chinese-speaking population in the aforesaid countries. 

Born2Invest is available in Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, and Hindi. Other language iterations are Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Ukrainian, and Croatian. It is also available in other European languages such as Turkish, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Bulgarian and Hungarian. 

M6 Limited, the company behind the app is aiming to be truly global by 2017, with all the 50 plus official languages in over 150 markets fully and efficiently covered. 

“To be precise, the app will be present in 190 countries with 54 languages to be rolled out within the next 6 months starting [this] January,” explained Einhorn. 

“We are confident about attracting new investors along the road as we are currently the biggest and most aggressive content curator app on the market. No other app or tech company boasts of such capacity or infrastructure we have now,” he added. 

For Einhorn, the quick rise of the app on global Android rankings is a major achievement for the company. The app, launched in Manila, Philippines in July last year, has been live for only seven months. 

The app’s uniqueness, in terms of its availability in various language editions, news curation process, and ad-free interface, has allowed it to gain attention from journalists, investors, businessmen, students, even regular news readers and ordinary app users. 

2016 and beyond

Push notifications also helped in boosting the number of time spent by users on the app every day, as well as the number of stories being read and shared across various social media platforms. 

The app’s availability on iOS has also expanded the app’s reach, thanks to the large number of Apple users downloading it and the enhanced marketing plan that the company has designed exclusively for them. 

From a small seed financing in August 2015, the company’s revenue based has improved to over $400,000 within the last three months of 2015. M6 Limited plans to raise a larger round of working capital to boost the company’s marketing and global expansion. During the course of 2016, the company expects to launch globally (across 50+ languages and 180+ countries), while  increasing its revenue run rate to $10 million+. The incremental financing will also position the company for opportunistic joint ventures and other growth-focused partnerships.

Along with this growth is the company’s commitment to delivering professionally written summaries of the relevant business and finance stories from the most revered news sources in the world. 

Happiness Is A Pearl: A Review

When I got available for this particular weekend. I never expected this short play would make an impact I never experienced in watching theatrical productions. Allow me to list the reasons why I like it.

The blog author and the cast

• It's for specific kind of audience. For adults only.
• It has no nudity but the explicit aspect of the story is presented in a creative manner.
• The comedy punch lines are smart in an adult manner.
• It has a more engaging and interactive approach to audience. It is not a traditional production. Forget the usual stage set up. They are performing right in front of you literally.
• You will appreciate tango more.

Happiness Is A Pearl stages from Wednesdays to Sundays at 7PM with 3:00 matinee on weekends until July 23. For ticket inquiries, contact Kim at 0926-9323179.

Happiness Is A Pearl is a production of Artist Playground. Currently being stage at the Little Room Upstairs, at Landsdale Condominium. For more theatrical productions, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

Thousands of runners color the streets of Alabang for the CM Blacklight Run

Post-event press release

Thousands of runners colorfully illuminated the night as Color Manila held their Blacklight Run last May 28, 2016, at Filinivest City, Alabang. The one-of-a-kind night run treated around 8,000 runners to a night of colors, music, and fun.

Inspired by India’s Holi Festival, Color Manila brought the fun to the Philippines and began mounting color-inspired races in 2013, getting bigger and bigger every year. For the CM Blacklight Run, the team used special colored powder which illuminate when put under the blacklight, giving participants during the race an even more exciting running experience.

“We wanted to allow people to have clean active fun. Running is for everyone and we just want everyone to experience the real fun in a fun run,” shares Justine Cordero, Vice President of Color Manila.

But the fun didn’t stop when participants crossed the finish line. The CM Blacklight Run proved to be just more than your usual fun run. A race and party rolled into one, participants partied together to the beats of DJ Katsy Lee during the afterparty and Color Festival.