ANNAlysis

As Chely said this morning while we were watching/reviewing/critiquing our pilot episode, “I can’t believe we have a podcast!”

This week we taped the first episode of Coffee Hour, a weekly one-hour podcast at the New Media Factory that offers a fresh take on social issues and current events. My co-hosts are fellow Global Shapers and some of my closest friends, Bianca, Chely, and Lynn. We’ll be having a mix of in-studio interviews, external video clips, and on-location videos.

While we take our advocacies seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I think that’s pretty evident in our pilot episode :)))) Coffee Break promises a hopeful and positive view on what’s happening in the Philippines. The four of us can be seen working on projects together (like Cat@lyst), but also having brunch in between speaking engagements, meetings, writing assignments, and shoots. Watching Happy Hour is like sitting in a café with us and listening to us talk about everything from the implication of the USS Guardian’s grounding in Tubbataha to the most appropriate shade of lipstick to wear to your passport renewal appointment.

Here’s our first episode, The Dirty Finger.

Our first meeting for what is now known as Cat@lyst (then with a completely different name) was in September 2012. I still remember that day–the supposed one-hour meeting in the early afternoon evolved into a dinner at Borough because we (the Global Shapers Manila Hub) had so much fun brainjamming. Our sentences began with “What if…” and we kept building on (and laughing at) each others’ ideas.

Our dream was to hold a nationwide competition for young people to propose tech-based solutions to existing community problems. Then, the winning ideas would be further developed through Shapers Lab, which we envisioned to be something like American Idol or even America’s Next Top Model. We had no idea how we were going to fund it then.

But, as the Universe has proven time and again, when you pursue something you believe in, the stars will align. It turns out Globe had a similar idea and was looking for a youth group to partner with. After a series of meetings, revising the mechanics and program of Shapers Lab, another series of meetings and revisions, we finally launched Cat@lyst last Thursday, May 2 at the Ramon Magsaysay Center. It was quite a production number to mount, but we were lucky to have a great support system in the forms of my brothers, Ike, our wonderwoman of a project manager Kat, our Founding Curator Karen, and my mof, Kakki, who did an excellent job of hosting.

To give the guests an idea of what the Global Shapers are involved in, we invited them to visit three booths showcasing different projects. Noreen set up a booth for Jacinto & Lirio where people could see how water hyacinths can be woven into bags, Harvy showed parasites that caused neglected tropical diseases through a microscope and large photos, while Bianca asked people to help her pack school supplies for students in Taguig.

To spur ideas, we posed the question, “What change do you want to see in the Philippines in 5 years?” Check out the video below to see what Pinoys from all walks of life have to say. I got goosebumps the first few times I watched this video. It seems that we all want the same things for our country.

During the press launch, we asked the guests to write their answers too.

Here’s mine:

Cat@lyst invites Filipinos ages 18-30 to pitch their tech-based solutions to existing community problems. Proposals may be submitted by individuals or a representative of an organization, company, or community. We’ve listed some examples of tech-based solutions here. Don’t limit yourself to mobile and online stuff, yeah? Think about people with limited or no internet connection, or those without smartphones. Let your imagination run wild! No need to think out of the box because there is no box.

Applicants must upload a one-minute video answering the guide questions, and submit the completed application form, along with photos of the community you want to help and empower. Click here to download application form and here to view the complete mechanics. Deadline is on May 31, 2013.

The applicant must be available to attend the development forum, Shapers Lab, on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the ADB Headquarters in Ortigas, Metro Manila. Financial assistance for transportation and accommodations will be provided for non-NCR based participants.

Five winners will each receive P200,000 in cash for program development, as well as Information and Communications Technology support to see through the ideation, distillation, and incubation of technology-based innovations.

We are so excited that this project has come to life!

Since I spend more than half of my time on or by the beach, having sturdy flip-flops is essential. I’ve been a loyal user of Havaianas since high school (which was 7 years ago WHUT!). My closet has probably held more than 20 pairs, give or take. I’ve lost a few pairs along the way–naiwan sa resort, hiniram ng kaibigan na hindi na binalik, pinamigay kasi bigay ng ex-boyfriend… (Uy. Joke lang yung last.)

When I received an invitation to go to the launch of Make Your Own Havaianas (MYOH) at a time and place I would be in Manila, I rearranged my schedule. I’ve been wanting to go to this annual event for years, but I was always out of town or doing something else. Last night, I finally got to go, and with one of my favorite people in the world, Ma.

Upon entering, we were given our press kits and the You + Havaianas design template. The latter is a nationwide contest inviting people to draw their own designs. The winning one will be part of the next collection.

Since I have no artistic talent whatsoever, I skipped the drawing part and explored the venue. This year’s theme is “imagination,” so the venue had the following details:

A hot air balloon made of Havaianas

And lots of cupcakes by Sonja (which I think were only available during the launch).

The eco geek in me noticed that they used paper straws, wooden forks, and glass cups/bottles for the drinks. I wonder if it was a conscious decision to go for biodegradable/recyclable materials. Nevertheless, I thought that was very cool.

The procedure for making your own Havaianas is to open the guide and 1) check the color of the soles, 2) check the color and style of the strap (metallic, slim, regular), 3) check your size, and 4) add charms (optional). The charms this year were adorable: sun, stars, rocket, owl, hot air balloon, bike, etc.

Then you proceed to the counter where there are assemblers waiting and ready for your design. The Havaianas assemblers Ma and I ended up with were hilarious. The young, gorgeous girls were Richie and Shane. Since Ma and I are pretty talkative, we quickly discovered that they were on their third year of being assemblers and that they were incoming freshmen in De La Salle University. At this point, they started singing the school hymn that Ma and I sang for a good 13 years of our lives as Lasallians!

For my first pair, I chose the Dan Matutina-designed soles, as part of my advocacy to support Filipino designers. This is the first time that Havaianas collaborated with a Filipino designer, so this is a must-have! This design is available only in the MYOH 2013.

For my second pair, I wanted something more basic. I lost my gold pair a few years back. Ma got brown ones, since she lost hers too. (What is BURARA?) We ended up getting matching charms of the astronaut and the rocket!

I strongly recommend going to this event with a friend, so you can keep each other company for what goes next: lining up to pay! I think it took more than 10 minutes. There’s a short hallway leading to the cashiers that has no air-conditioning. Luckily, we ran into Thysz, a good friend, marketing genius, and Deputy Mermaid. We talked and laughed and brainstormed until we got to the cashier.

That’s one of the bonuses of the event — running into familiar faces and long-lost friends! I ran into Monique of TRAVEL, Toff of Chalk, and the forces behind the New Media Factory. Seeing Rissa Artadi always leaves me a little bit starstruck.

After paying, our flip-flops were slipped into these bags, which I absolutely loved. Gave me ideas for future events, hihi. These will be my shoe bags for traveling from now on!

Make Your Own Havaianas runs from Thursday, May 2 at the Rockwell Tent and until May 5, 10 AM onwards. Don’t miss it!

Register now for the Seatizen’s Festival’s Dash for the Seas in selected Chris Sports branches and Fitness & Athletics!

Check out our adorbs race bibs!

What makes this fun run different from others? We’ll be walking running our talk.

• You can come in a sea-inspired costume. Prizes await the most creative ones!
• No plastic and paper cups will be provided at the water stations. Participants and organizers alike must bring their own water bottles.
• Meals of the marshals and other volunteers will not be in Styrofoam or plastic.
• All materials for the directional signs are tarps that have been re-used every R4C’s races since 2008, replacing only those that are not usable.
• All publicity materials printed on tarpaulin will be donated to the Children’s Environmental Education Awareness Foundation, a non-profit that upcycles tarps into schoolbags.

You can download the registration form here. Don’t forget to print on recycled paper ;)

More details in the poster. This race is organized by Save Philippine Seas and Run4Change.