Jovit Baldivino is the first "Pilipinas Got Talent" Grand Winner

A contestant from Batangas, Jovit Baldivino was declared as the first “Pilipinas Got Talent” grand winner during the talent-reality show’s finale Sunday night at the jam-packed Araneta Coliseum. The 16-year-old teenager, who sells siomai has topped the overnight text and online votes garnering an overwhelming 48.81% to win the contest and the P2 million cash prize.

Dance groups Baguio Metamorphosis and Velasco Brothers received P100, 000 cash prizes each as runners up.

Judge Kris Aquino hailed Baldivino as ABS-CBN’s next singing superstar after he sang a heartfelt rendition of “Too Much Love Will Kill You.”

Baldivino was an early favorite by some regular viewers of the competition after he sang The Journey’s “Faithfully” during his audition. He was then dubbed as the next Arnel Pineda due to the striking resemblance of his voice to that of the Journey front man. His video which was uploaded on YouTube has already received over 3 million views. His fans went in full force at the Big Dome to show their support.

"Pilipinas Got Talent" (PGT) reportedly reached Top 2 of Twitter’s Philippine trending list during the show’s grand finals last Saturday night. It reached the No. 2 spot sometime between 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Watch his performance below:




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Choosing the right Stockbroker.

Investing your hard-earned money in the stock market is coupled with risks. After all, there’s no such thing as guaranteed profits when you invest in the stock market. Sometimes, spur of the moment decisions can spell the difference between losing and profiting on the market trends. And this goes for both veteran and novice investors and traders. This is the reason why choosing the best stock broker is crucial to succeed in the moneymaking venture.

Things that you need to consider when choosing a stockbroker are of course, accessibility or ease of access, the charge brokerage rates and the benefits and deals being offered by the stockbroker. The stockbroker should not only offer internet accessibility but you should be able to contact them through phone at all times.

If you are investing in AIM markets, one of the best stockbrokers that you can find is HB Markets. For those who are unfamiliar with AIM, it is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange which allows smaller companies to float shares with the more flexible regulatory system. Now, HB Markets has been doing its job with a difference. They offer not only stock market news, share dealing, penny shares or share tips but they do this differently, in a much more intimate process, which involves getting to know their clients, and sharing with them the pressure and strains of understanding which strategy to follow to achieve their investment objectives. HB Markets also offer advisory booking services which cover FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and AIM.

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"Noynoy" Aquino proclaimed as Philippines' 15th president

It is official. After three weeks of canvassing the votes of the first automated election in the country last May 10, the Philippine congress finally proclaimed Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as the country’s next President.

The son of Philippine hero Benigno “Ninoy Aquino II and former President and democracy icon Corazon Aquino will formally take office on June 30 to become the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines. The 50-year-old bachelor will replace the outgoing president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the final results, Aquino got 5.7 million more votes over his closest rival, former president Joseph Estrada. Aquino received 15,208,678 votes or nearly 42 percent of the total while Estrada got 9,487,837.

Despite being a three-term congressman prior to his election as a senator, Aquino was considered as a political lightweight. The death of his mother last August 1, 2009 and his reluctant decision to become the Liberal Party’s bet in response to the clamor for him to seek the presidency catapulted him into the political limelight.

Aquino, an economics graduate, said that among his top priorities are fighting corruption, improving the economy and bridging the enormous wealth divide.

Makati mayor Jejomar Binay, was also proclaimed as the Vice President of the country.

Photo Courtesy of NPPA

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Music Monday - MYX Daily Top 10 (June 7, 2010) Featuring "Cant Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus

Super Junior's "Bonamana" is still dominating the MYX Daily Top 10. "Never Let You Go" by Justin Bieber is at number 2 followed by "Eenie Meenie" by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber.

From last week's number 10, the Miley Cyrus song "Can't be Tamed" jumped two notches at number 8.


MYX Daily Top 10 – June 7, 2010

10. Di Lang Ikaw - Juris
09. Please Be Careful With My Heart - Sarah Geronimo & Christian Bautista
08. Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus
07. Run Devil Run -Girls Generation
06. Like Eskimo - Slapshock
05. Gabay - Callalily
04. Pyramid - Charice f/ Iyaz
03. Eenie Meenie - Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber
02. Never Let You Go - Justin Bieber
01. Bonamana - Super Junior

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

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Charice records 'Kyralid' for Sims 3

Have you watched the video of “Kyralid” by Filipina international singing sensation Charice? If you haven’t heard about it, “Kyralid” is not a new song; it is the Simlish version of the hit song “Pyramid” by the Filipina singer which has found its way into the popular computer game Sims 3 “Ambitions” expansion pack. Simlish is Sims’ fictional language.

Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons, called Sims, in a suburban household near SimCity.

“Pyramid” spent weeks at number 1 in the MYX Daily Countdown and also landed in the number 1 spot in Billboards Dance Club/ Play Songs countdown.






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How to avoid financial problems.

Many people I know had financial problems at one point or another. Some even didn't know how they ended up in financial difficulties when they have stable jobs and good educational backgrounds to speak of. The fact is, having a college degree and a high-paying job can’t make you less vulnerable to financial problems.

Some people may not know it yet but they are already in or on the verge of a financial problem. To help us evaluate our financial standings, let’s ask ourselves the following questions?

1. Do you always have to work overtime or take other jobs or sidelines to cover for your basic living expenses?
2. Do you need to borrow money to pay existing personal loans?
3. Are you paying your bills late?
4. Have you surpassed your credit card limit?
If you answered “yes” to all or most of the questions above then you may need to sit back and analyze what you are doing wrong in terms of your finances.

Here are some tips on how to avoid financial problems:

1. Live within your means and keep track of your spending. If you spend more than what you make then you are bound to fall into a financial trap. Live a simple life and you will find everything in life easier.

2. Don’t use credit cards. Steer clear of these traps. Temptations to buy luxury and unwanted items will be hard to resist, if you have a credit card. Once you get the hang of using this devil, it will be hard to climb out of it.

3. Stay healthy. You’re lucky if you have sick leaves or health insurances to speak of but even if you have these, you are still on the losing end as you lose the opportunity to be more productive and to earn more if you are sick. Avoid too much stress and live a healthy lifestyle.

4. Set emergency funds. Most of us live from paycheck to paycheck with no savings or extra money in our bank accounts. So in times of emergency, we have no other recourse but to take out a loan which requires paying high interests, use credit cards or resort to other means. These will not be necessary if we have an emergency fund. In addition to your regular savings, allocate at least 20 to 30 thousand pesos for this sole purpose and you will feel more secure in case emergency strikes. What if you suddenly lose your job? How will you pay the bills while looking for another source of income?

5. Lastly you need to maintain a balance of work and fun. Work hard but don't forget to relax from time to time. Burnout will not do you any good and may even cost you your job. If you are healthy and with good disposition, you will be able to handle any stress and financial problem that comes your way easier.


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MYX Daily Top 10 - June 4, 2010 Featuring "Gabay" by Callalily

K-pop is dominating the MYX Daily Top 10 for this week! If you're not familiar with the term, K-pop is an abbreviation for Korean pop music. I am not a fan as I still prefer OPM (Original Pilipino Music) but we cannot deny that there is a recent surge of popularity among contemporary Korean culture in the Philippines. This is evident even in the music scene. As you can see, 3 of the songs/videos who are in the top 10 are Korean songs including the number 1 song for the day "Bonamana" by Super Junior. The video has been in the number 1 spot for three days in a row. Other Korean acts in the countdown are "Run Devil Run" by Girls Generation which is at number 5 and "Love Like This" by SS501.

"Pyramid" by Filipina singer Charice is at number 4 while three other local acts are in the top 10 including "Gabay" by Callalily.



MYX Daily Top 10 – June 4, 2010

10. Love Like This - SS501
09. Like Eskimo - Slapshock
08. Gabay - Callalily
07. Di Lang Ikaw - Juris
06. Please Be Careful With My Heart - Christian Bautista and Sarah Geronimo
05. Run Devil Run -Girls Generation
04. Pyramid - Charice f/ Iyaz
03. Never Let You Go - Justin Bieber
02. Eenie Meenie - Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber
01. Bonamana - Super Junior





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