Daniel de la Cruz's 'Passage'

One of the country’s most prolific sculptors Daniel de la Cruz unveiled his latest work called Passage at the Artistspace of the Ayala Museum. It was his fifth one-man show, which offered a rare glimpse into the artist’s spiritual evolution.

Daniel’s 26 new works presented the different crossroads and junctions man must pass through in his journey to spiritual redemption. The artist portrayed the human figure in acts of extreme emotions such as rapture, agony, remorse and ecstasy as the sculptor debuted works created in electroplated chrome and nickel.

Cutting the ribbon during the opening were artist Juvenal Sanso, Rizal Gov. Casimiro “Jun-Jun” Ynares III, TV host Edu Manzano and Mega Group CEO Sari Yap. Stage actress Carla Guevara and Nikki Guevara, the artist’s sisters-in-law, serenaded the guests during the opening while Manzano, an ardent art admirer and collector, offered a toast.

Others seen at the event were Tessa Prieto-Valdes, glass sculptor Ramon Orlina, another sculptor friend Michael Cacnio, Rosary Ysmael, Ika Ysmael and Cory Quirino. Lending support to the artist were his wife Monica Guevara-de la Cruz, parents doctors Eduardo and Leticia de la Cruz, parents-in-law Boy and Monette Guevara, and his children Eduardo, Dana and Diego.

Innovative and smart cameras make it easy

Samsung Electronics Phils Corp. announced the arrival of its new range of smart cameras, which was unveiled at the Main Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza. Guests were welcomed by Samsung Electronics Phils Corp. CEO and president Spencer Shim, vice president for consumer electronics Jay Ha, marketing director Glenn Glinoga, sales director for consumer electronics Antonio Mauricio, head for digital imaging sales Nelson Perez and digital imaging product manager Candy Delos Santos.

Samsung senior manager for digital imaging product launches Deborah Kim shared the vision of Samsung Digital Imaging Business Unit followed by Delos Santos’ introduction of the 2009 second half Samsung Digital Imaging Camera Line up, highlighting the Samsung ST550 and ST500, the latest in compact cameras featuring the innovative Dual LCD on both the front and back. The 1.5-inch LCD located in front of the camera now allows consumers to take first rate photos whether they are behind the camera or in front of it. Samsung ST550 also features the world’s highest resolution 3.5” Wide Touch Screen Back 1152K LCD, almost four times more than many cameras, with Haptic Effect vibration feedback for ease of use. Complementing this is a 12.2 Megapixel CCD and 27mm Wide Angle Schneider-Kreuznach lens with 4.6x Optical Zoom that gives a wider shooting range from a shorter distance, producing clear, clean images with even resolution from the center of the image to the edges. A Gesture User Interface (UI) with built-in Gravity sensor, means that a simple tap or hand gesture now allows users to quickly access key features such as Smart Auto to analyze the key elements of the composition and will then automatically adjust to give the perfect image. A simple tap can also turn the camera on instantly and into “take” mode, ready for the perfect photo, thanks to Samsung’s renowned innovations that include “Smile Shot” and “Smart Face Recognition.” Samsung’s innovative Smart Face Recognition technology will adjust the focus and exposure on up to 20 faces and allow users to quickly search for people in the album instead of viewing every single photo. Alongside professional-grade photos, the ST550 and ST500 records HD video in 1280x720p resolution at 30 frames per second in H.264 format giving twice as much recording capacity as an MPEG4. A HDMI connection means that your HD videos can be watched with any HDTV or HD Monitor.

Maggie Wilson hosted the entire product experiential part. Dinner was then served with harpist Noelle Cassandra who serenaded the guests. Guests also enjoyed a raffle with Samsung digital cameras as prizes including the latest Samsung ST550.

Get on your feet

Kids, with the rest of their families, gathered around SM Mall of Asia, which served as the start and finish area for a three-kilometer Kiddie Fun Run. The run was the culmination of Looney Tunes Active! Running Clinics conducted in different schools the past few months. The participants gathered around at 5 a.m. for their registration and they got up on their feet at 7 a.m.

The event allowed more time for families to be together and at the same time demonstrated to young kids a positive attitude toward fitness. Bugs Bunny, in behalf of the Looney Tunes characters, was there to grace the affair and to encourage young kids and their families to enjoy the run. Director for sales of Global Brands group, the licensing agent of Looney Tunes in the Philippines, Ailea Zialcita said: “Kids love cartoons. We want to use the natural attributes of these characters to promote an active lifestyle for children and for their families to spend fun time together.”

The event was hosted by Irene Soriano and Anthony Suntay. Local coach Rio de la Cruz demonstrated experience in providing training, strength and conditioning programs during the event. The event was sponsored by Nestle Ice Cream, Goldilocks Cakes, B&B Personal Care, Advance Paper, Alaska, Timex, Summit Water and 100+.