Those who have been following this blog and have read my book, Embracing Disability This Ability, already know that James, my son with cerebral palsy, could not talk nor walk and can't even sit up by himself without the seat belts and harnesses on his wheelchair and car seat. But, despite James' limitations, our family continues to find ways in making his life better. We also keep praying and hoping for further signs of development on how he communicates and moves. 

seeing James walk used to be just a dream

Since we moved to California in November 2017, James is still yet to have physical and occupational therapy services due to several factors, one of which is his transition from child to adult under the state's health care services system after he turned 21 last September. While we patiently wait for things to fall into place, I actively seek connections with organizations and caring individuals who have the heart to help the special needs community.  

Last week, Canadian-based Trexo Robotics announced that they will be coming to Los Angeles for two days to allow mobility-challenged kids try their awesome device. I have been following their posts on Instagram for quite a while now and find inspiration in the stories of children who are being helped to walk using Trexo's enabling technology.

Thank you so much, Manmeet, Rahul, and Dina for giving James a chance to try the Trexo!

Without knowing where exactly they will be in LA, I resolved to bring James to them if they could give him a slot for a trial. I reached out to the Trexo team via direct messaging and got a call from COO Dina Nikitina on the phone who asked me a few questions. She then informed me the next day that they can accommodate us for January 24th at 10AM.

Early this morning, my husband, James, and I traveled 34 miles to Hawthorne where NAPA (Neurological and Physical Abilitation) Center is located. There, we met Dina as well as Trexo Robotics founders Manmeet Raggu and Rahul Udasi (read the wonderful story on how they started Trexo, here) who patiently helped James get comfortable in the walker with the robotic attachments before they got him "walking" using controls on a tablet.

For the first time in his life, James was able to move by himself with the help of technology and, while I focused on taking pictures and videos, it took me a lot of effort not to start crying upon seeing my son beaming big smiles while he took 199 steps in less than 10 minutes!

In individuals like James who hadn't experience how to walk independently and whose legs most likely do not know the correct motions needed to do this activity, I believe Trexo's innovative technology would be a big help in training the muscles and the brain to remember stepping movements through practice and repetition.

cherishing this new milestone in #gideonjamesjourney

After this Trexo trial, my husband and I plan to look for ways on how we could lease, if not buy, the device so James could practice walking more until such time he could, hopefully, graduate to a simple walker. We'd sincerely appreciate it if you could help us pray about this. Just like in the very beginning when we started in this special needs parenting journey, my family and I will keep on dreaming more dreams for this young man who never fails to give us immense joy each and every day.

Asia, many say, is the part of the world from which great TV arises. This year, HOOQ -- the largest Video on Demand service in South East Asia -- is mounting a project that turns TV series ideas into reality by calling Asian filmmakers to send in their scripts and treatments for a TV series idea.

calling Asian filmmakers!

During a media conference held at B Hotel in Quezon City the other day, Allison Chew, HOOQ Head of Brand, pointed out that more and more Asian viewers are making the shift to watching local shows so HOOQ is giving film professionals "a format to tell their stories" via the HOOQ Filmmakers Guild.

Renowned director, Erik Matti, who will represent the Philippines on the judging panel, affirmed that, "Everyone's moving to online so we can already see the shift to online viewing. HOOQ offers an international opportunity for us to share our stories and bring them to the global stage."

Direk Erik further added he believes the Philippines still has a lot of undiscovered filmmakers out there just waiting for their big break. "The HOOQ FIlmmakers Guild will give these aspiring filmmakers a chance to see their ideas become reality and, hopefully, inspire others to pursue their dream."

(from left) Allison Chew, Jane Cruz-Walker, Director Erik Matti,  and Jeff Remigio HOOQ Content and Programming Head

"Filipinos are very good storytellers," described Jane Cruz-Walker, HOOQ Country Manager. "There are so much more we can explore. This is an opportunity to spread your wings," she encouraged.

Apart from Direk Erik, two other judges from Indonesia have also already been announced: Mouly Surya, a critically acclaimed director who recently screened at Director's Fortnight in Cannes; and Nicholas Saputra, an award-winning actor and documentary producer. They will lead the selection process of the five pilots to be produced and the full series thereafter.

"There is incredible talent for TV series making in Asia and we want to give opportunities to film professionals to turn these amazing ideas into reality. HOOQ is built in Asia for Asia and we want to give Asian filmmakers the power to create quality entertainment that gives our customers that escape into worlds of romance, action, adventure, and even heroism, all in the setting of their backyard," pronounced Peter Bithos, Chief Executive Officer of HOOQ.

one of HOOQ's original productions

So, if you are a director, producer, or scriptwriter, take a chance to have your script selected as one of the five that will be given a funding of US$30,000 to be converted into a pilot episode that will debut on HOOQ! Submissions can be from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. The best among the five pilots will be converted into a full series produced and aired on HOOQ. Winner will be decided by HOOQ subscribers and a star-studded judging panel consisting of top film talents around Asia and Hollywood (still to be announced). 

The HOOQ Filmmakers Guild is open for entries until August 15, 2017. Applicants must be either in film school or working as professionals in the film industry with prior film production experience. To qualify, they need to submit the script and treatment for a mini-series or a full-series with a maximum of 13 episodes for a single season. There will be no restriction to genre but submissions and productions must be in the language of the applicant's country.

Watch the trailer of this movie! I bet you'll be intrigued by the story, too!

The winning series will be part of HOOQ's new original productions including Critical Eleven and Sweet 20 which hit cinemas last month while Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts and OTJ 2 are scheduled to come out later this year.

  

Two years since its inception, HOOQ continues to deliver the best of both Asian and Hollywood entertainment to homes across Asia. With subscribers in the millions, the largest Video on Demand service in South East Asia provides over 30,000 hours of quality entertainment that will be increased with new partnerships from Paramount Pictures, BBC Worldwide, and Endamol Shine.

In addition, HOOQ has just announced a new service that delivers movies fresh from the cinema to your home. Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD) allows blockbuster movies to hit the service within three months of their theatrical release. To top it off, customers who currently subscribe to the Subscription VOD (SVOD) service will be able to enjoy one movie from the TVOD library each month as part of their subscription at no additional cost!

"Securing new partners such as Paramount Pictures, BBC, and Endemol Shine are a testament to the fact that HOOQ has the right formula to deliver quality entertainment to Asian homes, with a balance of the best Asian films and dramas alongside solid Hollywood blockbusters and series," described Peter Bithos, HOOQ Chief Executive Officer. "We have never been more elated and will continue to push boundaries to evolve and stay committed to delivering the best entertainment to our customers with new services such as TVOD that bring movies to your homes quicker than ever before -- even as part of your SVOD subscription."

Build in Asia for Asia, HOOQ continuously innovates and delivers the best quality entertainment through the world's first download capability for Hollywood, its weekly pricing, or its ad-free freemium model. This successful formula comes from HOOQ's strategy of combining the best Asian and Hollywood content with a solid distribution partner network of the top telcos and broadband providers in the region including AIS, Airtel, Globe Telecom, Telkom, and Telkomsel, just to name a few.    

"In the Philippines, we made sure to put together the best Filipino content for our subscribers with a combination of the top local studios and independent filmmakers. This, combined with HOOQ's strategy of serving premium Hollywood content, as well as our key distribution partnership with Globe, has contributed to making HOOQ the regional leader," pointed out Jane Cruz-Walker, HOOQ Philippines Country Manager.

As mentioned above, HOOQ subscribers will get access to watch one TVOD movie a month for free while additional movies can be rented for just P125.00 each. Every month, new movies will be uploaded from studios such as Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar with titles such as Arrival, Underworld: Blood Wars, Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, just to name a few. With this new feature, HOOQ customers can now enjoy the largest library of Hollywood and Asian hits, TV series same day as the US, as well as the latest movies fresh off the cinemas!

Filipino movie fans would likewise be glad to know that HOOQ has inked exclusive deals with Regal Entertainment and Viva Communications for digital rights to their new movies within three months of theatrical release. Recent hits such as Camp Sawi, Bakit Lahat ng Guapo May Boyfriend, and I Love You to Death have already debuted on HOOQ and are consistently in the top 10 list of most watched content by subscribers. Next to be released within the next quarter are Mano Po 7, Die Beautiful, The Escort, and My Rebound Girl with newly released movies to follow throughout the year.

HOOQ is moreover bostering its line-up of Hollywood studio partnerships consisting of Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, Miramax, Starz, and over a hundred Asian studios. New hit series are also now available from Endamol Shine and BBC including Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Mistresses, and Wolf Hall. Furthermore, the full catalog of DC shows are now also on HOOQ: Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, and Gotham. Meanwhile, Supergirl, Lucifer, and Powerless are available to stream within 24 hours of US airing.

Get HOOQ'd by downloading the HOOQ app from the Apple Store or Google Play, sign up or log in to access its library of top Hollywood and Asian hits anytime, anywhere and on any device including computers, smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, smart TVs via Google Chromecast, and all Apple devices. 

If you are a Globe At Home customer, get up to up to six months access to HOOQ with plans P1,299 and up, while Globe mobile customers can also get u to six months trial on selected prepaid and postpaid plans. Visit www.hooq.tv to sign up for a 7-day free trial.

* photos courtesy of Trail Unlimited

Design vs. functionality -- for many users, this is usually the case when choosing a new personal device. However, an impressive aesthetic feature most often doesn't translate to a gadget's power and performance. This dilemma prompted HP to reinvent the personal laptop experience to come up with user experience without compromise; an innovation that promises versatility by tastefully merging existing stylish designs and unmatched performance; and to provide a smarter, finer edge suited for discriminating users. 

Recently, HP Philippines unveiled the HP Spectre x360, its latest hybrid innovation in a event hosted by the ever lovely Tessa Prieto-Valdes. Dubbed A Finer Edge, the launch was held at the Century Mall Events Center in Makati City to celebrate the union between artisanal craftsmanship and functional ingenuity. 

Apart from the exclusive preview of the premium laptop, guests were able to admire versatile art pieces from the Benildean Industrial Designers Organization (BInD) as well as listen to renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue talk about his design processes. As a fan of his magnificent pieces, I appreciated the snippets he shared of his work, many of which highlighted Filipino artistry and creativity to various design expos all over the world.

Pallasena Viswanath, HP Philippines, Inc. managing director described the new HP Spectre x360 as a device that can either be used as a laptop or a tablet. "It provides exceptional performance and design to complement the dynamic lifestyles of our tastemakers. But more than the aesthetic flexibility and the exquisite craftsmanship, it also gives users a finer edge, as the HP x360 makes their experience more meaningful beyond functionalities."

Having seen the gadget up close, I'd say the laptop slash tablet is definitely elegant and eye-catching, thanks to cutting-edge engineering that puts a premium to everyday digital experience. The HP Spectre x360 transforms into four different angles to accommodate the varying needs of its users: as a laptop for industry-level work performance and a tablet for people on-the-go as well as on stand and tent modes for those who enjoy movies and music.   

To further put mobility at ease, the new unit sports a hidden piston hinge mechanism to make way for a 10.4mm and 2.45lbs featherweight, seamless design feature. It retains its predecessor's distinct lux copper metal accent and two-tone gray carbon fiber and aluminum top finish.

Users will likewise get the most out of every frame and every pixel with the 13-inch, edge-to-edge, durable, and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass and vibrant full-HD display to ensure crisp pictures and ultra-wide viewing angles that cover all details. Bringing to life entertainment with outstanding quality and a more dynamic sound is a pair of Bang & Olufsen HP speakers, amplified by HP Audio Boost.

Despite its compact frame, the HP Spectre x360 can run up to 9 hours of battery life with its hybrid polymer batter system while the hyberbaric cooling technology by Intel also guarantees optimum usage, drawing cool air inside towards the processor. Its backlit keyboard and track pad likewise makes this laptop very user-friendly. To deliver an impressively-smooth performance, the Spectre x360 has full Intel Core i5 or i7 power supply and Windows 10 operating system.

With design and technology taken to a whole new level, the HP x360 can definitely equip users with a smarter, finer edge. It's price tag starts at SRP P75,990.

  

What comes to mind when you hear the word dessert? It's easy to imagine indulging in chocolates, cakes, ice creams, and crepes that come in different flavors and trimmings. But while we may have different tastes when it comes to desserts and sweet treats, I am sure we all definitely have a sweet tooth just waiting to be tickled by flavors that our palates are meant to love! 

The other day, I joined the foodpanda team's Good Food Tour Philippines -- Dessert Edition at the Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa to check out some of best places to have a sweet fix and was delighted at my new discoveries. We visited the following stores and here are what I've got to try in each ...

Bizu Patisserie, an established brand known for its wide variety of luscious pastries, presented us with three cakes they recently launched just in time for the upcoming Valentines Day:

1. Romance (P1,510) is made of tempting layers of dark chocolate ganache, super moist cake, creme brulee, caramel, and fresh strawberries on top.

2. Pleasure (P1,325) is composed of seductive layers of pistachio ganache, chocolate bavaroise with a chocolate biscuit, milk chocolate disk, raspberry compote, and rose perfume. This is the one served on our table and the one I got to try. The delicious combinations give a melt-in-your-mouth feel without overpowering sweetness.   

3. Fresh Strawberry Choboust (P1,050) is a classic French-style cheescake topped with seasonal strawberries and raspberry coulis. I'd love to try this soon because I always have a hard time resisting anything with cheesecake and strawberries.

Before we left, Bizu Marketing Officer Ana Sadang each handed us containers of Salted Egg Macarons to take home. Honestly, I am not that fond of macarons because many of the ones I've tasted before were too sweet. But when I got to try the salted egg flavor, I had to stop myself from finishing everything off. It is really, really good! They've got the combination of sweet and salty just right.

Our next stop was Cold Stone Creamery, which was named after their way of preparing ice cream and mixins on top of a freezing cold and sanitized granite stone. Trivia: this unique process originated in Arizona, USA. Aside from offering yummy ice cream, Cold Stone crew entertain customers by juggling and throwing ice cream scoops to those who are brave enough to catch them. 

Rebecca Fernandez, Training Manager, explained that they always emphasize customer service "because we value our customers so much, we want to give them something that they'll never forget, a fun experience at Cold Stone." 

And fun was what I had because I thoroughly enjoyed my waffle cone filled with Cheesecake Fantasy! It had cheesecake ice cream, graham cracker pie crust, blueberries, and strawberries, which are basically some of my top favorite sweet treats. I honestly wasn't expecting I'll be able to finish the whole thing in one go but I did because it was so hard to put it down!

Our last stop was Paper Moon Boutique and Cafe, which is well known for serving Mille Crepe or what is also known as a thousand crepes. These are handmade paper thin layers of no less than 20 layers of crepes with light pastry cream in between and topped with caramelized crust. 

Apart from the store's many bestsellers, Paper Moon has new Valentines special cakes and beverages for lovers and singles alike. Two products to try this love month are the Red Velvet Mousse Cake and the Strawberry Shortcake that are heavenly delicious and not overly sweet. I love how rich and creamy the frostings are!    

According to Arlene Alinea, Paper Moon's Marketing Manager, "Since the Filipino market are always looking for something new, we are committed to innovating our thousand crepes into different flavors that we know they can enjoy."

This Valentines season, forget about your worries for a while and have some of these wonderful treats. After all, stressed is desserts spelled backwards and we could always use a quick indulgent bite to lift our spirits up. 

Can't get out of the office or too busy doing something? Order treats from Bizu, Cold Stone Creamery, or Paper Moon for delivery via the foodpanda app or www.foodpanda.ph. You can even surprise a loved one with something he or she would love you more for. Browse these restaurants' menus at foodpanda now!