MUSIC | 10 reasons why you should watch the Boyce Avenue’s concert in the Philippines

Heads up everyone!

International acoustic boyband and Youtube sensation Boyce Avenue is back in the Philippines to perform a five-day Philippine tour on February 2016! To be produced by the Ovation Productions, the trio’s concert will be joined by fellow artist Savannah Outen in Araneta Coliseum on February 16. The Manzano brothers (uhm, I don't think they are related to Luis haha), who became popular for uploading amazing covers of hit songs, will then be moving forward with the next leg of their Philippine tour outside Metro Manila, specifically in the following venues: Waterfront Hotel, Cebu on February 18, Limketkai Mall in Cagayan de Oro on February 19, St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod on February 20, and University of Baguio on February 22.

While you’re still deciding whether or not you should buy Boyce Avenue tickets or treat your lover/loved ones to a great night of relaxing, soulful music, allow me to give you enough reasons why you should watch Boyce Avenue’s concert in the country.

1. It’s THE Boyce Avenue!

Come on! They are THE THREE AND ONLY Boyce Avenue! They are very much loved by fans all over the world with more than 5 millions subscribers to their Youtube channel. If you’re one big fan of BA, you'd definitely not pass this time. ;)

2. It’s a rare moment that artists are willing to come much closer to you, rather than you going to them!

Last Valentines’ Day, they came, they saw, they conquered.

Here’s the thing. They would not just come to the Philippines to serve Metro Manila residents. They’re reaching out to other fans who are located far from Manila. They value you! Don’t let this opportunity just fly by! If you're just living near the venue, mark your calendars already!

3. Boyce Avenue concert tickets are a lot less pricier than other foreign acts.

The prices of tickets for the Araneta Coliseum concert range from 792 Php to 5280 Php. It’s not that bad at all, compared to Ariana Grande’s (2,099 Php minimum, 15,999 Php max), Katy Perry’s, and Taylor Swift’s concert.

4. You’ll hear beautiful cover songs and renditions.

Well, this is already expected. And if you’d like to reminisce those A Thousand Years, Lay Me Down, or Here Without You moments, then hesitate no more. The Boyce will back you up!

5. You got three awesome brothers serenading right in front of you. What more can you expect?

After #slimefest Fabian got really emotional. He cried slime.

A photo posted by Boyce Avenue (@danielmanzano) on Sep 25, 2015 at 4:18am PDT

It’s not just one, but three! The brothers, Daniel, Fabian and Alejandro will let you fall head over heels in the concert and get caught by the love bug for days.

6. And there’s just No Limits!

It is definitely hoped they’d sing their originals from the No Limits EP, one of which is my favorite - 

One Life!

7. They might just talk to themselves about the PH concert through their @BoyAvenue handle!

The Boyce just love to hilariously talk to themselves in Twitter, and I sure know that you know that! What will they say about Pinoy fans once their concert tour is done? Let’s see!

8. Watch out for Alejandro’s Grumpy Cat look!

You’d definitely love to get the chance to observe Alejandro make that grumpy cat look he does in social media, as you ask for a personal autograph.

9. Them Boyce might just love you back multiple times.

Love meeting fans around the world!!! #adorable

A photo posted by Boyce Avenue (@boyceavenue) on Feb 13, 2015 at 9:09am PST

Who wouldn’t love to hear them say “Mahal ko kayo!” at the concert, right? Mind you, just hearing them say “Yes” to you request for a photo will make your heart melt. Prepare your hearts, girls!

10. You can’t wait to jam with them! And they can’t wait to jam with you!

First time listening on @spotify in the car! #nervous #besomebody

A photo posted by Boyce Avenue (@danielmanzano) on Nov 6, 2015 at 8:52am PST

You can’t just wait for a night full of extra-awesome covers! It’s one mega escape from the stresses of reality when you immerse in the Boyce Avenue!

BONUS: It’s going to be one memorable event!

2...

A photo posted by Boyce Avenue (@boyceavenue) on Jul 21, 2015 at 11:45am PDT

If there is one thing that would really convince you, it’s this! Their comeback to the Philippines means they’ve shared great memories here. And the brothers would definitely love to make more with you guys! So, get this chance of a lifetime to relive the days of live music! And enjoy the sound trip!

Images and Videos Courtesy: Youtube channel Boyce Avenue, Instagram @boyceavenue, @danielmanzano, @alejandromanzano

LOOK | The real face of Jesus Christ? How Jesus looks like during his era.

Yup. What you're seeing above might just be the actual/real face of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity.

By studying thee (3) Semite skulls found in Israel using up-to-date forensic technology and information from the bible, a retired medical artist named Dr. Richard Neave has reconstructed what the actual face of Jesus would have been in his time. And it seems that it's so different from the face that you see in the cross and in other religious images --- Caucasian with long, brown/blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Son of God possibly has a wide face, dark eyes, a bushy beard, short curly hair, and a tanned complexion. Here's a side view of how Jesus Christ looks like.

Dr. Neave's team hypothesized that Jesus would have shared facial features typical of Galilean Semites of his time, as described by events in the Garden of Gethsemane from the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus would have closely resembled his disciples. 

Some experts believe that Dr. Neave's depiction is likely far more accurate than those in paintings of great artists. 

What is your say on this?

Images Courtesy: BBC/Red Vision, Dr. Richard Neave

HEALTH | What are the blood types? Why is it important to know about your blood type?

Accidents happen all the time. And for what it's worth, it is definitely essential to get to know about your and your loved ones' blood types. Pero, what are the blood types? And why is it important to know about your blood type?

Image Courtesy: Interactive-Biology.com

In general, there are four (4) blood type: A, B, AB, and O. There are two components to consider when talking about blood transfusion. First is antigen, and second is antibody.

Kung iisipin natin, parang ang A antigens are the keys (susi), and anti-B antibodies are the doorknobs with matching "machine gun" to kill any foreign object. Kapag ikaw ay may type A blood, nakabantay ang anti-B antibodies mo against B antigens (na matatagpuan malamang sa type B blood at pati na din sa type O blood). Ibig sabihin hindi ka pwedeng tumanggap ng type B blood kasi it contains B antigens na sisirain lang ng anti-B antibodies ng dugo mo.

What will happen if the anti-B antibodies attack the B antigens in the blood that you received? The B antigens (bilang ikaw ay type A na pasyente na tumatanggap ng type B blood) will be attacked (via "machine gun" bratatatat hehe as mentioned above) and destroyed by your B-antibodies, may clog your blood vessels, and eventually cause blood clot (o barado sa ugat). Yung condition dito ay acute hemolytic transfusion reaction.

Okay, so here are some of the basic rules:

1. A person with A antigens in their blood is said to have type A blood. Type A patients have anti-B antibodies. So, they can only receive type A and type O blood (check number 4 below).

2. A person with B antigens in their blood is said to have type A blood. Type B patients have anti-A antibodies. So, they can only receive type B and type O blood (check number 4 below).

3. A person with A and B antigens (yup, both) in their blood is said to have type AB blood. Type AB patients have no antibodies kaya pwede silang tumanggap ng type A, type B, type AB, or type O blood. This is why they are called universal recipients.

4. A person with no antigens in their blood is said to have type O blood. Type O patients have A- and B-antibodies, kaya hindi sila pwedeng tumanggap ng blood other than type O. Pero if you will notice, from 1 to 4, people with type O blood can give to any of them. This is why people with type O blood are called universal donors. Sila yung dakilang pwedeng magbigay.

These are the four (4) basic types of blood. Pero, may specific pa na classification sa kanila. And the specificity of the blood type all depends on the Rh factor, another antigen found in blood cells na ipinangalan sa Rhesus monkeys. Yung pag-assign ng whether or not merong Rh factor sa dugo mo is either (+) or (-). And it is important kasi pwedeng atakihin ang dugo mo kung ibang Rh factor ang meron ka.

Donors with Rh (-) antigens can give to either patients with Rh (-) or patients with Rh (+) antigens, while those with Rh (+) antigens can ONLY give to patients with Rh (+) as well.

So, to apply what was learned (refer to the table above), we will compile everything up. Ang pinaka-universal donor talaga ay yung mga type O (-) patients. Compatible ang dugo ni O (-) sa lahat ng blood types. Si type AB (+) naman ang pinaka-konti ang pwedeng mabigyan; in short, kahit gaano man ka-deep yung intensyon niya na magbigay, hindi talaga pwede. Luckily, may tinatawag na blood swap/exchange sa blood banks hehe. Ang mga may AB (+) ay pwede lang talagang magbigay sa kapwa AB (+).

Ang pinaka-universal recipient naman ay si AB (+) kasi kaya niya tumanggap ng dugo mula kahit na sinong walang sakit. Now, if hindi mo pa din naintindihan, do watch the video below.

Image and Video Courtesy: Youtube channel Thoughty2

In case you still don't get why you need to know what your blood type is, the real reason why you should know about your blood type is so that you'd be aware of what blood type you need. Oo, may mga high-tech gadgets na ginagamit to detect your blood type at an instant. Pero sa mga probinsya at malalayong lugar, bihira ang ganyan, kaya importante din na alam mo kung ano talaga blood type mo. Kasi kung mali ang blood type mo, mali din ang dugo na maitratransfuse sa iyo. And you wouldn't want that case. Promise.

ALERT | Typhoon Nona Updates: #WalangPasok Class Suspensions, Signal Numbers

As of 10 PM, December 14, Nona was spotted 325 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar, moving westwards at 19 kph. It had maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gusts of up to 185 kph. Estimated rainfall amount within the typhoon's 300 km diameter was from moderate to heavy.

Here are the places/areas where public storm warning signals have been raised.

Signal Number 3:

Catanduanes,

Sorsogon,

Albay,

Ticao Island, 

Northern Samar,

Eastern Samar,

Samar

Signal Number 2:

Masbate including Burias Island,

Camarines Sur,

Camarines Norte,

Marinduque,

Romblon,

southern Quezon,

Leyte,

Biliran

Signal Number 1:

Oriental Mindoro,

Batangas,

Laguna,

the rest of Quezon, 

Southern Leyte,

northern Cebu including the Bantayan and Camotes Islands,

Aklan,

Capiz,

northern Negros Occidental,

Dinagat province,

Siargao Island.

Classes have also been suspended in the following areas:

REGION IV-A (CALABARZON)

Lucena City, Quezon - preschool and elementary

REGION V (BICOL REGION)

Albay - all levels

Camarines Sur - all levels

Camarines Norte - pre-school to high school

Naga City - all levels

Masbate City, Masbate - preschool to high school

REGION VII (CENTRAL VISAYAS)

Bogo City, Cebu - elementary to high school

Medellin, Cebu - elementary to high school

REGION VIII (EASTERN VISAYAS)

Northern Samar - all levels

Biliran Island - preschool, elementary, secondary in the following towns:

Naval - pre-school, elementary and secondary

Biliran - pre-school, elementary

Kawayan - pre-school, elementary

Culaba - pre-school, elementary

Cabucgayan - pre-school, elementary

Caibiran - pre-school

Cathedral School of La Naval (CSN) - all levels

Sources: PAGASA, GMA News, CNN Philippines

LIST | 5 reasons why you should start prepping

What would it take for you to realize that anytime of the day, you might end up gasping for your last breath? There are just so many reasons to let anyone make that move – start prepping. And in this post, I will try to convince you and push you to do it now.

And what I mean by "it" here are equally significant things like confiding your feelings to a beloved one, reaching for your goals, ending the laziness, moving mountains, etc. You know what i mean. There are just lots of things going on right now that sometimes we fail to realize how important it is to give out our best in every day of our lives. Here are five (5) of the most compelling reasons to enable you to JUST DO IT. Make the most out of your day. Start prepping for anything.

Reason #1: Cyberwarfare and Terrorism

Image Courtesy: Getty Images

The spread of terrorism across the globe, add to that the fact that the presence of ISIS, other Islamic and non-Islamic radicals, and violent people, is evident nowadays. You may have seen the recent terror attacks in France (Paris), Lebanon, Mali, Nigeria, among others. Some people are now becoming more and more determined to take away innocent lives for passion and dedication.

And if it’s not the loss of lives, it is financial trouble as sophisticated fraudulent black hats can easily steal anything vital to your identity and make you bankrupt.

Reason #2: Economic Uncertainty

Image Courtesy: ShutterStock | CNN

Speaking about bankruptcy, even big business entities become attacked. But all these is because some white hats are fighting these greedy corporations owned by the top 1% to play robin hood for the 99%. Other sinister hackers just love to bring trouble to governments as well who hide their dirty laundry in their closets. Unless money is given less priority, everyone will benefit greatly without marginalizing others who then aspire for change and try to destabilize societies.

Reason #3: Severe Natural Disasters

Video Courtesy: Joseph Friedman

You’ve seen typhoon Haiyan, hurricane Katrina, and the destructive earthquakes of Nepal. You’ve heard of severe droughts in California and the killer flashfloods in south Asia. You’ve watched footages of large forest fires in Indonesia whose haze brought inconvenience to neighboring countries. You’re just about to see more in the future. Doesn’t this worry you?

Reason #4: Epidemics and Health Concerns

Image Courtesy: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Ebola epidemic in Africa, the influenza and bird flu attacks, and revelations of growing resistance against super effective antibiotics are quite something to ponder on. You just need to think that bacteria and viruses evolve through time.

Reason #5: Society Breakdown and Change

Image Courtesy: NJPsychDoc Wordpress | Boundaries of the Soul

And with all these things happening, unless you’re prepared enough, you are saved from the stresses that lead people to panic and make wrong decisions which thereby lead to chaos and societal breakdown. Someone once said that change is the only permanent thing in the world. If you keep it in mind, you are always given the option to adjust or get left behind.

Despite all the necessary actions done by world governments, it’s inevitable that unexpected and unpleasant events will happen. There’s nothing wrong with preparing for something that might or might not come. Take a look at it. It’s better than ending up helpless when the worst of chances hit back on you. If there is one thing we can all learn from billions of leaflets, scratches, and pages of human history, it’s that violence continues to be a significant part of the balance in the world.

It helps to be a bit anxious sometimes or at least to consider all future possibilities. The governments are exerting a lot. Now, it’s your turn. Prep up! Or at least, be aware of what's happening around you. And always hope for the better. Be positive, yet be vigilant.

INSPIRE | This short Filipino clip will move you to tears.

Video Courtesy: Youtube channel ChiqChat

Behind every gift that you receive in life from a loved one, there is a story - of hard work, of pain, of humility, of sacrifice, of laughter, of fulfillment.

Sometimes we take for granted the people who cherish us, who give us all we want, who nurtures us to bring out the best in us. This Christmas month, siguro a short "I love you" will ease all those aches and sufferings, and a simple smile will let them know how happy you are for having them.

Whatever economic state you are in right now, be it in a wealthy, well-off background or in a sea of debt and financial  instability, take the opportunity to thank those who make you feel that you matter. Thank them for changing you.

VIDEO | Asians try Filipino food. Check out their reactions!

A lot of Youtubers from various countries have been posting clips of themselves trying out food not local to them. A sweet couple of Asians (one Filipino, one Indonesian), together with their Mexican friend, taste Filipino junk food. 

Arnold Telagaarta, his girlfriend Heart, and their Mexican friend Lupe tried Nagaraya, Boy Bawang, Regent ube cake, polvoron, Pamana chicharon, Ricoa Flat Tops, salted tamarind candy (sampalok), and Piattos.

Check out their reactions below! Watch it.

Video Courtesy: Youtube user Arnold Telagaarta