Monthly Archives: April 2021

My City, My SM, My Art, which recently launched its book just in time for the National Arts Month, is the latest edition in the My City, My SM series, which celebrates the beauty, culture, traditions, and great peoplein cities around the Philippines where SM has malls.

​This comes after My City, My SM, which promotes tourism; My City, My SM, My Cuisine, which highlights heirloom recipes from prominent families in the different regions; and My City, My SM, My Crafts, which showcases traditional arts and modern Philippine design.

​My City, My SM, My Art celebrates Philippine visual arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and filmmaking. It aims to bring people and art together in a roadshow featuring the works of masters, modernists, and millennials around the SM Supermalls. 

​Our cultural journey began on March 2016 at SM Seaside City in Cebu with an exhibit featuring artists from the Queen City of the South including maestro Romulo Galicano; and concluded on March 2019 at SM City Cebu with the masterpieces of Manuel Rodriguez, Sr., the Father of Philippine Printmaking leading the way. 

In between, our search for art and artists brought us as far north as the Baguio and the Cordilleras and as far south as General Santos in Mindanao. During those three years, we advocated art for all by working closely with communities, schools, and the public to mount exhibits, workshops, and contests in key cities around the Philippines.  These were featured in the Philippine Star, our project partner, as well as in local media, and a cultural series in regional cable channels.

To make all these possible, we collaborated with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and the Shell Companies of the Philippines; as well as the Philippine Star, Center Stage Productions, and Finale Art File.

​Along the way, we were able to have a glimpse of what makes Philippine art unique, and how close family ties, ingenuity, and a sense of community have played key roles in its development.

 

 We have seen how Filipino art has flourished through families like the Abellanas of Cebu; as well as those of masters Mauro Malang Santos, Jose Pitok Blanco, and Eduardo Castrillo whose children – and in some cases grandchildren – now represent a new generation visual artists. There are also wonderful examples of how art ties fathers and sons together – National Artist AbdulmariImao and Toym, National Living Treasure Eduardo Mutucand Eduardo, Jr., Ricarte Puruganan and Victor, Manuel Baldemor and Monnar, Romulo Olazo and Jonathan.

​Family members have also played significant roles in preserving the artistic legacies of their loved ones: Josie Baldovino for her brother National Artist Jose Joya, Daisy Tolentino-Mendez for her father National Artist Guillermo Tolentino, and Totong Francisco II for his grandfather National Artist Carlos Botong Francisco. We were both honored and touched when the family of Manuel Rodriguez, Sr. flew all the way from the US and the Bahamas to join us in the tribute to their father at SM City Cebu.

​We were also amazed at how Filipino artists created groundbreaking works from non-traditional materials. With art supplies either too costly or simply unavailable, Baguio’s Jordan Mang-osan and Patric Palasi found their niche in solar and coffee art, respectively; while Palawan’s Elordie Mesac crafted his pieces from rubber slippers. When his materials were washed away by super-typhoon Yolanda, Tacloban-born Dante Enage began using tuba, a local wine made from coconut juice, as his medium.

​The rise of regional Fine Arts schools like the Philippine High School for the Arts in Laguna, the University of Mindanao, the University of Rizal System, La Consolacion College in Bacolod, Ateneo de Naga, and the Adventist University of the Philippines in Cavite have likewise been vital to the growth of the arts around the country.

​We also saw how art thrived when artists got together in collectives like the Tam-Awan Village in Baguio, the Artist’s Village in Baler, and Pinto Art Museum in Rizal.

Now, after three years, more than 30 stops, hundreds of artworks, and a myriad of memorable experiences, we have compiled our exciting cultural journey in a book. Join us as we unravel the exquisite tapestry of Philippine art through the lives and works of some of the country’s most fascinating visual artists.

Join in our cultural adventure at our micrositehttps://mystorymysm.com/mycitymysmmyart/ and our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/mycitymysmmyart. Please also watch out for our television series over Galing Bulacan TV Program. 

MSI laptops are well-acclaimed for their state-of-the-art innovation, exquisite craftsmanship, and powerful performance. Today, MSI has officially unveiled its latest “Best of Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021” convertible laptop, Summit E13 Flip Evo and Summit E16 Flip, both designed under the law of golden ratio. Alongside the powerful laptops are the launch of MSI Pen, an innovation awardee from CES, and the USB-C Docking Station Gen 2. These new products bring the most flexible, mobile, versatile work style for business professionals.

Flip the future to the peak of the success: Summit E13 Flip Evo

The Summit E13 Flip Evo, awarded as “Best of CES 2021”, has exemplified the law of “Golden Ratio”. The 13-inch lightweight and versatile laptop represents impeccable aesthetic perfection, crafted with precise calculation and design, from the logo and its most prominent placement to the 16:10 display that expands reading space to enhance work efficiency.

The chassis of the laptop is also an artistic masterpiece tailored by CNC machining process. It features an ergonomic 360-degree hinge for variable working scenarios, a special Ink-Black or Pure-White case with shining streamline edges that reflects the users; confidence, and the brushed line engraving that showcases the extraordinary taste of the business elite.

Even for business laptops, MSI stands firm on providing excellent performance. Verified by the Intel® Evo™ platform, the Summit E13 Flip Evo guarantees exceptional performance. It is powered by the latest 11th Gen. Intel® Core™ i7 processor & Intel® Iris® Xe graphics that delivers heavyweight performance yet lightweight portability with up to 10 % performance boost compared to same tier laptops. More incredibly, the Summit E13 Flip Evo offers up to 20-hour battery life for optimal mobility without compromise.

Additionally, it is the very first laptop to equip with the latest Wi-Fi 6E technology to deliver stunning speed while keeping the network smooth and stable even when sharing the network with numerous users. 

MSI treasures the precious time of business elites, that’s why the Summit E13 Flip Evo offers multiple productivity boosters like featuring the Thunderbolt™ 4 which allows you to quick-charge your devices, transfer data at 40 Gbps to achieve ultimate connectivity. PCIe Gen4 SSD efficiently boosts the daily workflow and even has better signal reliability and integrity for improved performance.

More importantly, the confidential information will be carefully protected under enterprise-grade security like hardware-based TPM2.0. Additionally, to cope with the booming trend of video calls, the Summit E13 Flip Evo’s webcam exclusively delivers unprecedentedly triple protection with indicator light, an on/off hotkey, and a thoughtful physical switch on the side of the laptop. More considerate functions are the MSI AI Noise

Cancellation and the Noise Reduction CAM, which can help acoustically and visually reduce noise to create an uninterrupted professional working environment for constant meetings.

The thinnest 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop with powerful performance: Summit E16 Flip

The Summit Series also comes with a larger version, the Summit E16 Flip. This is hitherto the thinnest convertible laptop in the 16-inch 2-in-1 laptop market. It boasts an Ink-Black design that would blend into any office, and its streamlined diamond-cut edges provide a much sleeker and more premium look than most business laptops. On top of outfitting with all the excellent features of the Summit E13 Flip Evo, the Summit E16 Flip equips with the latest NVIDIA graphics, enabling it to handle heavy-computing works.

Another worth noting of Summit E16 Flip is the MSI exclusive new thermal design, “Dynamic Cooler Boost”. The system only produces 35dB sound even when the CPU is under full load, while the competitor laptops generate in the average range of 45 to 60dB. 

The best companion, the CES 2021 innovation awards winner: MSI Pen 

For professionals who desire maximum productivity, the MSI Pen allows users to express their ideas freely. It is the first award-winning stylus that won the 2021 CES award. The minimalistic and steady craftsmanship with all-metal design displays the perfect proportions just like a fountain pen. 

Interiorly, the MSI Pen provides 4096-level pressure sensitivity and equips with MPP2.0 technology, which provides a more stable connection. It combines a stylus and presentation remote for any time and anywhere. Standing out from the competition, MSI Pen Control allows users to customize functions of the pen button, and more conveniently, shows battery life on the screen. 

The thoughtful designs provide a seamless smooth user experience and boost productivity. Now, enjoy the benefits from both traditional and modern ways of note- taking within one device.

Expand and connect workplace to the maximum: MSI USB-C Docking Station Gen2

To face challenging business environments, you need a flexible and mobile work style. The new MSI USB-C Docking Station Gen2 saves users from the messy workspace and epitomizes all the devices into one dedicated docking box.

 It can connect up to 3 displays and with 5 extra USB ports for users to achieve unrivaled work efficiency. It not only meets your needs of 100W power output but also 4K video and data transmission, maintains professionalism, and brings higher productivity, helping users save more time to scale the top peck of their career.

The Summit E13 Flip Evo and Summit E16 Flip laptops not just help users save budget if users desire both tablet and laptop. Moreover, the laptops make users’ life easier by configuring comprehensive functions meeting the demands of the business elite and daily users who determine to succeed.