Oddly enough, the new Powerdance Studio is located once again in a parking lot, this time in Shopwise Cubao, instead of Shangrila Mall.

Although it’s good news to hear that Powerdance is operating again, the bad news is that Powerdance has taken out the previous monthly rate of P1,700 that allowed unlimited attendance of all its classes. (I passed by 07 October 2006 and the good news is they’ve brought back the unlimited rates: Php 3,000 for the Monday-Friday classes and Php 4,000 for the Saturday-Sunday classes plus an annual membership fee of Php 1,500.)

The rate that comes closest to that great deal is the weekend rate. At P2,000, you can attend all the Saturday or Sunday classes. As of the moment, only the Saturday classes are being offered, while the gym is scheduled to open by end of August.

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As I wrote last week, I’ll be attempting to give visitors an idea what the posts are going to be about this coming week. I use the word attempt, because despite my intentions, something unexpected happened that changed the best laid plans… In this case, the unexpected proved to be a delightful surprise.

This week, for example, when Ms. Marietta Giron of the Philippine Daily Inquirer mentioned the site in her weekly column “The Consumer,” I suddenly had to adjust the posts to include Caught My Eye/Ire posts, which focus on consumer related issues.

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Eager to avail of a 10% discount at the Nike Stadium in Shangrila Mall, I made sure to reach the required amount of purchases to qualify for it. However, I was dismayed when I was told by the supervisor that if I use my BPI ATM card, the EPS transaction will be considered a card transaction and I will get a lower discount.

I was forced to go to an ATM machine within the mall to make the necessary withdrawal. The security issues and the inconvenience of it all were just too harrowing, so I wrote a letter to the management.

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A lot of people may not realize this, but Imaw is the result of the combined efforts of puppeteers, actor and technicians.

Q. How does Imaw work?
A. The creators and designers of Imaw took their cue from The Lord of the Rings team, particularly the techniques used for the hobbits’ shots. For the close-up shots, the puppet Imaw is used, while for the long shots when Imaw is required to move, like walk, an actor, who also happens to be a small person, wears an Imaw mask and costume. That’s why a whole team of approximately 8-10 people is needed just to make Imaw work.

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While waiting to order at Pancake House Greenbelt last July 16, 2005, my friend and I noted that a fly was nestled right on top of a fork of a nearby table. Calling the attention of a passing waiter, we pointed out the situation to him. We were shocked when all he did was to wave the fly away without changing the utensil, and hurriedly walked away to another table to get that person’s order.

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My story started with the sexual harassment of a couple of male friends in the male locker room by a Fitness First member. Soon after, I talked with upper management and sent them this letter. It should be noted that harassment could be the basis of the loss of a membership.

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The most important thing to remember is that the deadline is on 12 noon on 31 August 2005, a mere two weeks away. Plus, there’s a total of 36 prizes to be won.

Now, let me say that I like the fact that the contest focuses on the face, as in the photos must be of the face and not a full body profile. Why? It gives the impression that the contest is about who you are, and not how you look physically. Well, not that physical beauty is not a factor, but I am of the opinion that the only way to animate the face is with character.

So here’s what you need to do and what you need to remember…

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There were only pleasant surprises in store for me when I did a guesting on August 2 and 4 of 2005 at ABS-CBN’s “Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin” (You Are Everything to Me), a teleserye or television series starring local stars Claudine Barretto and Diether Ocampo.

Professionalism of Claudine Barretto - This was the first time I ever worked with her; and I was very pleased to observe that she came prepared for each take, knowing her lines and being emotionally ready to do the scene. After each take, she would rush to the TV monitor and observe the work she had done.

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