Filipina: Iwa Moto

Biography

Name: Iwa Moto
Nickname: Alien, Lyn, Ewa, Aiwa
Birthday: August 29, 1988
Birth Place: Las Pinas City
Showbiz Anniversary: March 13, 2006

Favorites

Hobbies: Matulog, manood ng TV, tumambay at kumain
Sports: Cheering, volleyball, track & field
Pets: Dogs, cats and fishes
Movie: The Notebook, Mean Girls
TV Show: Nuts Entertainment, Love to Love, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Animax, AXN
Singers: Joy and Bevz
Song: "Huwag Na," "Kulang na Kulang," "Can’t Take That Away," "Tattooed On My Mind," and "Eternal Flame"
Music: Senti, R&B, hiphop, rock
Book: Eat Right For Your Type
Author: I forgot eh!
Expression: Girl!

Personal

Adjective that best describes you: Frank
Fashion: Shirt, jeans, cap and rubber shoes
Most treasured item: Towel
Fears: Death
Unforgettable Childhood Memory: When I fell from the stairs in Glorietta
Goals: To become successful

Filipino Student Creates Social Networking Service

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-year-old student Jerome Uy of the Mapua Institute of Technology is attracting young Filipinos and alike to a social networking website he created.

Developed in late November 2006, the social networking service, dubbed Oyaye, has already registered about 8,000 members as of April this year, and more are people signing up to his service.

Combining different elements he picked from other existing social networking services, Uy disclosed in an e-mail interview that this one-man endeavor is an effort to develop a "new web 2.0 website that would focus on the needs of the Filipinos."

"Slowly I have developed a search engine powered by Google that gives more results from the Philippine websites. I hope that in the future, this site would cater to the needs of every Filipino locally and abroad featuring job search, real estate ads, classifieds, andauthentic job listings for Filipinos going abroad. Hopefully within two years this site would be one of the top web 2.0 sites on the Net that Filipinos can be proud of," he said.

School requirements prompted Uy to develop Oyaye.

While attending his National Service Training Program class, he found it impossible to keep up with the information posted by their professors on Yahoo Groups to collaborate the events and assignment on the Internet. So he went ahead and developed his social networking website.

He claims to have done most of the design and the backend programming. But he intends to outsource "some of the difficult programming jobs" to other people soon; that is, if he finds money to spare.

There is also a story behind the name Oyaye (pronounced as Oh-Ya-Yeah).

"It was just a coincidence that Oyaye is also found in the Filipino dictionary. It motivated me more to think that the site would get a lot of Filipino visitors because of its name and origin. I really believe that the Philippines can be at par with other countries. This can be seen in the social networking site of Friendster that receives most traffic from the Philippines. By centralizing the need in the online market , Oyaye could be the one stop online source of Filipino users," he said.

By word of mouth, Uy said he was able to attract people to try his online service.

Asked if he has already mapped a business plan for the site, he admitted he has yet to do so.

"So far, Google Adsense is able to shoulder a bit of its webhosting fees that I'm paying every month," he added.

Yu was born in Manila but he eventually studied in Brunei for about 12 years. He came home in 2001 after his dad suffered a stroke.

"When I arrived here, I looked for a summer job as a computer technician and then shifted to web design when I got addicted to the Internet," he said.

Eventually he got a job in a company as a web designer. In 2002, he moved to a company in Makati as a web developer and consultant for e-commerce integration. But he went back to Brunei to continue his studies and work part-time as a network administrator.

Currently, he stopped going to school for a semester to take care of his dad. "Hopefully I'll be back (to school) this June," he said.

Oyaye is still evolving, Uy said. For now, he is just proud that he has developed a social networking website that friends and other people have found useful.

Beyonce Knowles

Filipina: Jeni Hernandez

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced War Fighter 2

The award-winning original next-generation killer app returns with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. The Ghosts are back!

It’s 2014, and the soldier of the future returns to encounter a new and more imminent threat along the recently completed wall on the U.S./Mexico border. The Ghosts are more powerful, with an upgraded Integrated Warfighter System (IWS) but will have only 72 hours to assess the threat and stop the rebels from reaching U.S. soil. With a border that’s 1,900 miles long and an enemy that doesn’t play by the rules, this is a job for the U.S. military’s most elite fighting unit. This is a job for the Ghosts.

Some of the new features of the game

Groundbreaking Visual Experience:

The war zone in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter comes to life as you navigate through trash-strewn streets and pick off enemies from behind bomb-scarred structures. The cutting-edge physics and particle systems will show you some of the most intense and realistic explosions, smoke, and environment destruction ever seen in a video game. Dynamic lighting and shadows will morph as real-time day/night cycles and a constantly changing weather system require you to adjust to the changing conditions on the fly.

All-New Battlegrounds:

For the first time ever, the Ghosts will defend U.S. soil from a cross-border attack, taking the fight to all-new locations. The Ghosts will battle enemies in mountain terrains, barren deserts and even on their home turf in El Paso, Texas. Each environment presents its own benefits and challenges and will call for fresh tactical approaches.

Vastly Improved Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Watch your back as rebels send their own team members to flank your position or gain vantage points by utilizing vertical gameplay to pick you off from the rooftops above. Improved squad-mate AI will now feed you more of the information you need with descriptive commands like "enemy spotted behind red truck ahead."

Improved Cross-Com:

The revolutionary new Cross-Com 2.0 will give the player more information than ever before. You will be able to see what your friendly forces see in the top left display and the click of a button will expand that to full-screen view for a clearer and more precise picture. This will give you a more comprehensive view of the entire battlefield. The new Full Command View will allow unprecedented precision in developing and issuing tactical plans on the battlefield.

Expanded Support:

Command lethal air strikes with jet fighters, gain mobile cover for otherwise impassable situations and replenish armaments on the battlefield using an unmanned artillery MULE. Players can now heal their team on the battlefield, including squad leader Scott Mitchell, with an all-new Medic class of soldier.

Become the soldier of the future:

Use a fully integrated combat system with cutting-edge weapons and communication systems, all based on real military research

The new Recon vs. Assault mode will have players fight their way through this Mexican village near the US border. As a member of the elite Ghost squad, gamers will need to use all of their know-how and expertise to stay hidden and sneak through small winding roads to locate and engage the enemy. As a Mexican rebel, players must be prepared to engage the Ghosts, using high calibre fire power, and must stop them at all cost.

The return of Team Deathmatch will challenge players and their friends to a fight where everything is possible; explore, engage and terminate.

Maria Sharapova

Filipina: Rica Peralejo

Biography

Rica Peralejo began her career in show business as a child actress in the ABS-CBN children's variety show Ang TV. She would eventually move on to teen-oriented programs such as T.G.I.S. and Gimik.

Growing into adulthood, Rica Peralejo began acting in movies and through the years she has gained popularity by periodically shifting into different movie genres. She starred in comedies such as Banyo Queen (with rapper Andrew E.) and action movies like Ex-Con (movie). This was followed by her roles in "sexy" movies such as Balahibong Pusa earning her the title "Bold Queen". More recently, Rica Peralejo became well-known for her roles in horror movies such as Malikmata and it was because of these movies that the Philippine media alternately dubbed her "Horror Queen" and "Scream Queen". She is reportedly filming a new horror movie titled Matakot Ka Sa Karma which will be shown at the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival.

In between making movies, Rica Peralejo also appears in television programs such as the sitcom Ok Fine Whatever and the weekly variety program ASAP. She recently wrapped up the drama series Sa Piling Mo which is currently available on video.

Ever the performer, Rica Peralejo also found time for her singing career. In the late 1990s she released the album Ikaw Pa Rin At Ako which produced the hit single Fallin'. She was also featured in the soundtrack of the movie Sa Huling Paghihintay where she sang three songs: Maghihintay Ako, Can We Just Stop And Talk A While and Bakit Mahal Kita. Her current album is titled Bollywood Fever.