Filipina-Singaporean R&B star Gail Belmonte channels personal heartbreak on new single “Restart”

Filipina-Singaporean singer-songwriter Gail Belmonte has finally dropped “Restart,” her last release for 2020. The electro-R&B ballad caps off a trio of singles that mark her debut as a solo artist signed under Umami Records. 

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“Restart” immerses listeners into a harrowing tale of breakup and romantic dissolution. Written by Belmonte based on personal experience, the poignant track dissects a kind of love that the singer-songwriter thought was the only thing that she’ll ever get to have. “It was deeply upsetting at the time but I learnt so much, including the fact that there will be new beginnings, even if it seems like it won’t be happening anytime soon or in the ways we want,” reveals Belmonte.

 

“Restart” is the most personal of Gail’s releases so far, and takes a slower pace, music-wise. A steady 808 kick plays throughout the song, while the mood flows with a more sober approach. “I wanted this to be like the sound of a heartbeat, grounding the song musically from start to finish,” shares Gail. 

 

“Please, don’t forget one thing - it’s to remember me. I’ll love you for eternity”, Gail sings at the end of the bridge, and reflects, “those words seem to stop time for me for a little while. They really highlight the weight that love and heartbreak hold.”

 

Gail is currently working on her self-titled debut EP scheduled for release in 2021, as well as an upcoming collaboration with R&B singer Angelo Martinez on an acoustic EP.

 

Listen to Restart via Umami Records

https://www.umamirecords.sg/restart/

About Gail Belmonte

R&B/soul singer-songwriter Gail Belmonte makes music full of heart, with a voice that radiates beauty and effortless delivery.

 

Born and raised in Singapore, of Filipino descent, Gail Belmonte loved singing and performing from an early age and has been practising professionally from the age of 18. Gail was champion in the vocal solo category of Singapore talent competition Impresario 2016, a finalist of China Super Vocal 2016, a finalist in Mediacorp Singapore’s The Final 1 (2013), and also appeared in Season 4 of ABS-CBN’s Pilipinas Got Talent (2016). Gail made her theatre debut in Pangdemonium’s staging of the Tony award-winning musical, Fun Home, in 2017.

 

Gail Belmonte has featured on tracks by artists like fulses, thecolorfractal, Fingerfunk and Tim De Cotta, and is finally ready to put out her own music with 3 singles planned for release in 2020 via indie label Umami Records, in which she explores the effects of love, heartache, falling apart and putting yourself back together again.

 

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About Umami Records

Umami Records is a Singapore-based indie record label founded in 2013. Much like the “5th taste” reputation of its namesake, the label strongly believes in discovering new, interesting sounds that run underground and away from the mainstream. The label’s tight-knit, curated roster includes releases from Linying, The Steve McQueens, brb., Evanturetime, CampFire, Martin Baltser, Phoria, Oriental Cravings, and more.

UmamiRecords.sg · Instagram · Facebook · Twitter · YouTube

Source: Nyou

Cable Crocheted Beanie

The global pandemic has motivated me to crochet for charity. This has been an enjoyable endeavor, however, I also wanted to expand my creativity. I continued to watch crochet tutorials on YouTube. One of the patterns that I liked was the crochet cable hat by Sirin’s Crochet. I followed it, and I was able to make my own beanie using Red Heart Super Saver in baby pink which I have purchased from Oh My Yarn.

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It took me three days to finish this beanie. I made it while taking a course on Coursera. It was a lovely experience, and I highly recommend this pattern as it is easy to follow and understand.

I look forward to sharing more of my projects with you in the coming weeks!

Octopals!

I have been volunteering as a crocheter since the lockdown was imposed last March 2020. The corona virus has cancelled all my events and outside work, so I dedicated my energy and skills to donating earsavers to medical frontliners via Earsavers for Lifesavers PH. Since the project has already attracted numerous volunteer crocheters across the Philippines, I have joined another charity called Bayaniyarn. They donate crocheted and knitted beanies and octopus amigurumi dolls to premature babies at government hospital NICUs across the country. So far, I have already finished a box of Monaco mercerized cotton and crocheted 22 octopals for preemies.

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I am enjoying this new project so far, and I have also crocheted a few beanies already. I hope to turn these over to Bayaniyarn in time for Christmas.

Please also consider volunteering for Bayaniyarn if you know how to knit or crochet! It will make your heart fuller and your quarantine more meaningful.

The Red Fern Beanie

I enjoyed crocheting this red beanie using fern stitch. I used Oh My Yarn’s Cotone Medio yarn in red. I used the crocheted beanie pattern by Crochet for Baby on YouTube.

This beanie pattern has trained me to be more patient. Before doing this hat, I was crocheting simpler designs. This really taught me to follow a more complex pattern step by step. At first, I was challenged by the stitches, but eventually, I found myself enjoying it. It was a journey in itself, and I’m pleased with the result.

I am now ready to take on more complex patterns thanks to this hat. If you are looking for a challenging hat that still uses basic stitches, give this a try! You will get a pretty beanie in the process, and you might also enjoy making it.

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Little Mix reigns supreme with the release of “Sweet Melody”

Award-winning British pop group Little Mix made an impressive entrance on several music charts in the Philippines with the release of “Sweet Melody,” the new single off their upcoming album Confetti

The sassy banger emerged triumphant on its first day of release, as it trended at No. 1 on Twitter Philippines, and debuted on top of the iTunes Philippines’ Songs chartduring the same timeframe. 

Co-written by Ariana collaborator Tayla Parx, and co-produced by No.1 hitmaker MNEK, 'Sweet Melody' is a pulsating and infectious pop song emblazoned with gigantic harmonies and a driving rhythm.

Its edgy and highly choreographed music video is also making waves on YouTube Philippines as it climbed to No. 10 on its trending list with more than 7 million views on thethird tracking day. 

More about Confetti

This November, the world's biggest girl band will finally release their highly anticipated sixth album this November, Confetti.

Jade, Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jesy have been working on the album since last year, perfecting a collection of thirteen solid gold pop songs that showcase their sensational talent for creating music that crosses generations.

Confetti sees the band team up with the cream of current pop creators including Tayla Parx and MNEK, pop supremos TMS and long-time collaborator Kamille.

About Little Mix

Little Mix have established themselves as the world’s biggest girl band - they have sold over 50 million records worldwide, collected over 18 million Spotify listeners, received over 3 billion YouTube views, and collated 12 billion streams worldwide.  

2019 witnessed the band win their second Brit Award – for Best British Video for ‘Woman Like Me’, and perform the same song live at the ceremony. They also won two Global Awards for Best Group and Best Song, followed by their 4th EMA Award for Best UK & Ireland Act. 

2020 Top 10 hit 'Break Up Song' has so far been streamed 75 million times and incredibly became their 15th UK Official Charts Top 10 hit with 300k UK sales. This November will see the band both perform at and host the 202o MTV EMA's.

Little Mix are currently on primetime BBC One every Saturday night with a brand new TV series Little Mix The Search. The series, made by ModestTV, sees the band creating bands and becoming mentors to a new wave of talent. The singers who have made it into new bands gain access to Little Mix’s inner circle who have contributed to their phenomenal success, including vocal coaches, song writers, producers and stylists. 

Little Mix’s “Sweet Melody” is now available on all digital platforms worldwide via RCA / Sony Music.

Source: Nyou

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Israel donates a handwashing facility to Makati High School to support Brigada Eskwela 2020

Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation – MASHAV, through the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, built a handwashing facility at Makati High School to support the Brigada Eskwela of the Department of Education.

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“Access to sanitation facilities is essential for effective prevention and control of diseases, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ambassador Rafael Harpaz said. “We value health and education, that’s why we decided to build this handwashing facility. Students and faculty members can use this to wash their hands once the schools reopen,” Ambassador Harpaz added.

In attendance to the turn-over ceremony held on 20 October 2020 at Makati High School were Ambassador Rafael Harpaz; MASHAV Officer Ms. Gladys Baniqued; OIC, Schools Division Superintendent, SDO DepEd Makati Ms. CarleenSedilla, CESE; Makati High School Principal Mr. Felix Bunagan, Principal III; Assistant Principal, SHS Ms. Gizelle Laud; Mr. Lilio Carreon Jr. English Faculty of MHS, Mr. Democrito Flores, OIC of TLE Department; Mrs. Bernardita Caduhada, OIC of English Department; Mr. Angelito Baloloy, Faculty Coordinator of Brigada Eskwela 2020; and Ms. Kaye Joy Fule, President of the Student Government of MHS.

Israel has recently donated printing equipment to the Department of Education of the Philippines to help its continuous efforts in coping up with the pandemic and to aid in providing distance learning to the Filipino students. Israel also donated personal protective equipment to the first responders of the Department of National Defense and the Philippine National Police. 

Source: Embassy of Israel Manila

7 Must-see features of the awesome new TECNO POVA

The newly-rebranded POVA smartphone series combines premium performance and competitive pricing 

 

With the arrival of its POVA series in the Philippines, global premier mobile phone brand, TECNO Mobile, has once again provided consumers with a high-performance phone at an affordable price tag. 

Officially launched on October 15, 2020, POVA is exclusively available at the TECNO Mobile PH Official Store in Shopee Mall. This smartphone comes in two attractive colors, Magic Blue and Speed Purple, and is priced at PHP 6,999.

Previously released as TECNO Pouvoir, POVA retains key elements from its predecessor, including an outstanding processor, brilliant screen, and superior battery. Built to provide optimal value to users, the new POVA series is flexible and adaptable, capable of delivering the best mobile experience.

What exactly can users expect from this performance beast? Here is a list of 7 must-see features of the awesome new TECNO POVA. 

1. A 6000mAh super battery with a standby time of 30 days, and the ability to play music for 8 days straight, on just a single charge.

2. An 18W dual IC flash charger, which can increase charging efficiency by 20%

3. A Helio G80 Gaming Processor, which unlocks intelligent resource management in game mode, and enhanced power management for high intensity gaming

4. A 64GB + 6GB memory with HyperEngine Game Technology for a dynamic lag-free gaming experience 

5. The exclusive HiOS Operating System, built on Android™ 10, with an all-new design that allows a wide-range of user customization

6. A 6.8” dot-in display screen with an extremely sharp display, and a 90.4% perfect screen ratio that provides a better viewing experience 

7. Enhanced artificial intelligence cameras for professional quality photos - Four 13-megapixel focal length cameras on the rear, and an 8-megapixel AI selfie front camera

For a limited time only, POVA will be available at the special launch price of PHP 6,499 to the first 3000 buyers on the TECNO Mobile PH Official Store in Shopee Mall.  Be one of the first 1000 buyers to use voucher code GADGETZONE8 starting midnight of October 15, 2020 and get POVA for only PHP5,999.

Visit the TECNO Mobile PH Official Store in Shopee Mall to check out the new POVA series, and see the latest offerings. For updates and other information, visit www.tecno-mobile.com/ph.

Source: TECNO Mobile PH

Israeli flag carrier plane lands in the Philippines for the first time in seven years

The El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. with Flight No. LY 063 landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) this morning,14 October 2020, at 6:25 AM. Ambassador Rafael Harpaz said that this historic flight symbolizes the good relations between Israel and the Philippines.

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It was in November 2013 when two Israeli planes carrying humanitarian aid first touched the Philippine soil via Cebu airport to assist the Philippines in wake of Typhoon Yolanda. It was one of the biggest relief operations that Israel has ever conducted. The Israeli delegation of doctors, nurses, and paramedics and Israeli Foreign Ministry and Defense personnel provided a field hospital and helped repair damaged infrastructures such as schools and water facilities particularly in Bogo, Cebu.

 

Onboard the El Al plane were 250 Filipino students from different agriculture universities and colleges in the Philippines who completed their 11-month on-the-job training course of combined academic learning and practical work in the latest farming techniques and technologies in Israel. The program offered the students the opportunity to study at specialized agricultural academic centers and work in modern farms throughout Israel. Approximately 5,000 Filipino students already participated in this Agro Studies program. Another batch of flight from Israel to the Philippines is scheduled later on month.

 

The Embassy looks forward that after the COVID-19 pandemicand through the existing visa-free agreement, more Filipino tourists will come to visit Israel and vice versa; and hopefully,the direct flight services between the two countries will be implemented soon. 

 Source: Embassy of Israel Manila

Noted Journal

I recently treated myself to the slim notebook bundle from local brand Noted Journal PH. I chose this shop because of the following:

  • It is a woman-led small business that sells handmade vegan leather notebooks and journals.

  • They have a reputation for delivering quality notebooks among the local planner scene.

  • They have a slim notebook bundle with a vegan leather cover which is perfect for customization.

I was not disappointed with the journal. On top of that, I also won a passport journal and two vegan leather desk bins from their recent giveaway. I am truly lucky to have chosen this shop!

I wasted no time in customizing this within the day of receiving it. I used my Crafts Delight stickers (another local, woman-led small business!) to turn the grid notebook into a 2021 planner. It was an easy and relaxing process. I am happy because the notebook lies completely flat, and the gel ink I use does not bleed through its pages.

This is not a sponsored post, I am just genuinely happy with the slim notebook bundle and handmade goodies that I won. I hope that you will consider Noted Journal on your next journal purchase. You surely won’t regret it!

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Glittering By Edsa

I got to visit the new Pulseras by Kim boutique along EDSA, Quezon City. It was a treat to see one of my favorite local jewelry brands grow and thrive. I have been their customer for two years now, and I still enjoy getting new pieces from them every now and then.

I commend them for coming up with fresh pieces and ideas even in the new normal, such as these acrylic earring holders that enable customers to “try on” without actually putting them on.

I also discovered from their staff Ate Min that all their jewelry is local. They do not import from overseas, so each piece is a labor of love by a local artisan.

I hope that you will order a Pulseras by Kim piece soon! Visit their new store or order online now.

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