The Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt Winners

the prizes, sans the Honda Jazz car

It’s fun. It’s purple. That’s how things have gone for the Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt. And to cap the event, a grand finale was held on July 25, 2009 where Yahoo! painted Manila purple and purple hunters had fun joining the many activities that Yahoo! prepared for them.

And to end my blog posts about the Purple Hunt, I am posting the list of winners from Phases 2 – 4.

Phase 2 – The Hunt for the Canon Digital Ixus Camera
Congratulations to the following:

1. Franze Ramirez
2. Tristan Jerick Reyes
3. Antonio Victor Velasco
4. Francesca Cruz
5. Marileen Moral
6. Joan Lyn Matawaran

I am so glad to know that one of the winners (Tristan) is from Yahoo! Profiles, which I manage as a Purple Crew member.

Tristan onstage, with Myx VJ Drei and Jonas de los Reyes of Yahoo!

And oh, I so love his unique and very craftily made jeans! Isn’t he creative?

I was so charmed by his pair of jeans that in the morning, I asked him if I could get pictures of it. He obliged, which was so nice of him. Love the Yahoo! logo, huh.

Again, my heartiest congratulations, Tristan!

Phase 3 – The Hunt for the Blackberry Smartphone
Congratulations to the following:

1. Jennilyn Tanciangco
2. Sylvia Oronce
3. Germie Florendo
4. Alwedjh Obenario
5. Coralyn De Castro
6. Eleonor Priscilla Garcia

Phase 4 – The Finale Footrace

the Footrace winners from left Erliza Karen Cabisidan, Calvin Galgana and Jemuel del Valle

Congratulations to the following:

Calvin Galgana - 1st Prize: the Honda Jazz Car.

Calvin onstage with the lovely Miss Bianca Gonzalez & VJ Drei

Erliza Karen Cabisidan - 2nd Prize: state of the art entertainment system including an Apple Ipod Touch, a Bose SoundDock, an Apple Macbook Air and a Sony Playstation 3.

Jemuel del Valle - 3rd Prize: the Canon 500D Digital SLR

The Finale Footrace winners doing the Yahoo! yodel

Congratulations too to the remaining 37 footrace hunters who each got a Globe Broadband Tattoo Prepaid Kit.

For more information about the Purple Hunt Finale, check out the blog of Miss Janette Toral, a fellow Yahoo! Power User and Purple Crew member.

And oh, the fun does not end when the finale was held as now, the Yahoo! Philippines microsite is a fun place of Purple Trivia, games and cool downloads. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks Yahoo! for bringing the purple fun to the Philippines. Cheers!

An FAQ on the Purple Hunt Finale

One of the most anticipated and grandest of Philippine events this year is definitely the Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt finale, which is set to paint Manila purple this Saturday, July 25, 2009.

And to shed light to some Purple Hunters' concerns, below is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Some questions are actually paraphrased from the microsite (click on FAQ then Purple Hunt Finale) but since there are still various scenarios per Purple Hunter, I have thus decided to delve deeper into each topic.

Where is the location of the finale?

This is actually a question that we, as Purple Crew members, cannot give the exact answer to. We may provide you with clues though and since I am primarily in-charge of Yahoo! Profiles and Yahoo! Answers, I will thus provide the link to the latter. Click HERE to view your clues, as given in Yahoo! Answers.

Or go to the microsite and take your guess as the microsite pieces by now have gradually been peeling off.

How can I enter the Purple Hunt Finale footrace?

1. Guess the location of the finale.

2. Print and present the confirmation email, together with any government issued ID for verification of your age.

3. Wear purple.

4. Crack the secret code.

Are there any conditions that apply for me to be eligible to join the footrace?

Yes. You must be at least 18 years old to take part. Please note that any form of parental consent will still not allow minors to join the said activity.

The second condition is that you do need to be physically present during the finale so you can join the actual footrace.

What IDs are considered as government-issued ones?

Passport. SSS ID. Driver's License. Postal ID. GSIS ID. Voter's ID. BIR TIN ID. Philhealth ID.

What if I do not have any government-issued IDs?

Government-issued IDs are the main type of ID that Yahoo! is accepting to verify the identity of the winner. In special cases where the person has no government-issued ID, s/he may be required to provide Yahoo! with other official government-issued documents like an NSO-certified birth certificate or NBI clearance. However, please note that the latter is not the rule but an exception so it will always be best to provide what was required and bear in mind that an entrant’s failure to validate his/her identity will result to the forfeiture of his / her participation to the finale.

Am I allowed to provide photocopies of my ID or any other required document/s?
Please note that Yahoo! will not accept photocopies of any IDs or documents.

Will Yahoo! allow us to provide IDs or documents that have lapsed validity?

No. Any ID or document that you have to present has to be valid and up-to-date.

Will Yahoo! allow Purple Hunters to bring non-Purple Hunter friends or family members? Any requirements for such?

Yes, bringing in of friends and family members is allowed. People who wish to go to the venue and join in the purple fun are not required to present any document at all. They also do not need to wear purple as only footrace participants are required to follow the said guidelines. Your companions also do not need to be at least 18 years of age. Parents or guardians though should be responsible for their children and ensure their safety and wellbeing at all times.

What is the "Crack the Secret Code" about?

It has something to do with the experience you got from hunting for the locations of the items from Phases 2 - 3. Details of this and other rules for the contest will be provided to the entrants on the day of the finale itself so recurring questions about this asking for more details will go unanswered. ***wink***

About the Footrace, what if I made it to the Footrace and I have friends who are also footrace participants. Can we help each other out?
You can't help each other out, especially in the challenges. It's up to you, really, if you want to tell others the locations of the clues if you have solved them already (but that will work against you), but essentially, you're on your own during the final hunt.

Any hints on how the footrace will go?

The footrace is much like the Amazing Race with a uniquely purple twist. It will have pit stops where a Purple Hunter will have to finish certain task/s before moving on to the next stop. The first one who reaches the end point will be announced the ultimate winner who will be bringing home the much coveted Honda Jazz car. The moment the said person reaches the final stop, the race will be halted and the second and third persons nearest to the final stop will be declared the second and third placers respectively.

What if I am not from Manila and I won the car?
In case you are non-Manila based and you won the car, then you have to cover for the shipping costs.

The first placer of the footrace wins the car. What will the second and third placers get?

The second placer wins a state of the art entertainment system including an Apple Ipod Touch, a Bose SoundDock, an Apple Macbook Air and a Sony Playstation 3 while the third placer brings home a Canon Digital SLR.

What about the rest of the Purple Hunter Footrace participants?

They each will get a Globe Broadband Tattoo Prepaid Kit for a consolation prize.

Click HERE to view the prizes.

What if I just joined the Purple Hunt during the latter phases? Am I still allowed to join the footrace?

Yes. Even if you did not make it to Phase 1 (the Purple Ticket), Phase 2 (the hunt for the Canon camera) or Phase 3 (the hunt for the Purple Crew and the Blackberry Smartphone), you may still join in the purple fun so long as you have correctly guessed the location of the finale and were able to send in an entry. Just don't forget the other requirements, okay?

What if I already won in either Phase 2 (the Canon digital camera) or 3 (the Blackberry Smartphone) and I was one of the top three (3) placers in the footrace? Will I have to give up my previous prize for the bigger prize?

If you won an item in either Phase 2 or 3 (camera or smartphone) and you won any item from Phase 4, then you still get to keep your prize from either Phase 2 or 3 and the prize from Phase 4 as well. It is only in Phase 2 and 3 that you cannot win both items.

Now I am very excited. What time do I need to be in the venue on Saturday?

The registration is from 9:00 –10:30 AM so please come on time as those who come in late will not be given the chance to register and will thus lose their chance of being in the footrace.

Let's say I have successfully registered on that day. What's the next step?

From 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM, those who have successfully registered will go through a skill-based test to shortlist the 40 people for the footrace.

Those who have been shortlisted will have a briefing at 1:00 PM.

The 40 participants will then engage on an actual footrace from 2:00 – 5:00 PM.

Again, other details of the footrace will be revealed on the day itself so if you could please content yourself with just this information for now. ***wink***

What if there are more than 40 people who were able to "Crack the Code?"

If this is the case, then the 40 slots will be raffled off among those who have successfully "cracked the code."

While the footrace is ongoing, what awaits others who do not wish to join the footrace or were unfortunately unable to be among those lucky 40 who got shortlisted?

From 12:00 NN to 6:00 PM, there will be plenty of activities at the venue such Purplescape Exhibition, Purplize Your World, Purple College, Project Purple Showcase, Purple Lounge and Interactive Games.

So let's say I won anything from this really cool and fun Purple Hunt. When is the awarding?

The awarding is on the finale day itself, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM so be sure to be there and be at your best!

I heard about a purple concert. When will that start? And who are performing?

The concert is from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. As to who are the artists, wouldn't it be more fun if such an information is kept as a surprise?

A lot of activities and surprises and purple fun are laid out at the finale so be sure to be there.

See you!

The Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt Phase 4

What: The Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt Phase 4

When: July 14, 2009

Specifications: The microsite will start falling apart to reveal the secret location of the Purple Hunt grand finale event. Users have to guess the location and input their answer on the microsite from July 14 – 24, 2009. Once they have successfully guessed the location, they will receive a confirmation email. Only Purple Hunters who received the confirmation email will have the chance to participate in the footrace.

The Prizes at Stake:

1st Prize: the Honda Jazz Car
2nd Prize: state of the art entertainment systemc including an Apple Ipod Touch, a Bose SoundDock, an Apple Macbook Air and a Sony Playstation 3.
3rd Prize: the Canon Digital SLR

Consolation prizes: Globe Broadband Tattoo Prepaid Kits

For the complete list with photos, please click HERE.

The Footrace

Mechanics:
1. Purple Hunters must bring their respective confirmation emails and be at the location at 9:00 AM, wearing purple outfits. Please note that participants have to be at least 18 years of age to qualify.
2. Registration is from 9:00 –10:30 AM.
3. From 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM, those who have successfully registered will go through a skill-based test to shortlist the 40 people for the footrace.
4. Those who have been shortlisted will have a briefing at 1:00 PM.
5. The 40 participants will then engage on an actual footrace from 2:00 – 5:00 PM.

Meanwhile, from 12:00 NN to 6:00 PM, there will be plenty of activities at the venue such as the following:

· Purplescape Exhibition
· Purplize Your World
· Purple College
· Project Purple Showcase
· Purple Lounge
· Interactive Games

The event will start to wind down from 6:00 – 9:00 PM where there will be a prize presentation for the winners of Phases 2, 3 and 4, a finale programme and a Purple concert with local talents performing.

For questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your Purple Crew from various Yahoo! products like Answers, Flickr, Groups and Profiles or leave me a post or two.

Good luck and Happy Purple Hunting!

Yahoo! Purple Hunt Market! Market! Mall Tour

Yesterday, my friend and I (together with her husband and her adorable daughter) went to Market! Market! so she can redeem her prize for the purple ticket that she found. I was there because as a Purple Crew member, I was to meet Stephanie of Yahoo! so we (and other Power Users) could later have dinner.

We arrived there at about 05:45 PM and I was pleased to see people crowding around the booth, especially in the area where the Honda car was. My friend claimed her prize (a Yahoo! purple wire organizer) and we then parted ways so she and her family can roam around the mall.

Later, when I met Stephanie and was with Kuya Jimmy, I asked her permission if I could take pictures and she agreed.

In the mall tour, there's the Purple Graffiti Wall where people had fun doodling, writing their thoughts or professing their love (yeah, I actually read the posts there, LOL).

Then there's the really cool Purplize Yourself photo booth. Here, there are purple props that one can use for his pictorial.

Introducing, the "Purple" Hornet. He he he!

There's the Find Purple Game Wall too where the participant will be asked to look for something (i.e. three purple hunt logos, the Honda Jazz car etc). There's a time limit though. Stephanie engaged us in this game by making us look for the three logos and the car. Successful finders in this game can then win prizes.

This booth here is where Purple Hunters can redeem their prizes.

And to cap this blog, below are pictures of what may be the most coveted prize of all - the Honda Jazz car! It was newly doodled as when I arrived there, the ink was still blatantly wet.

So for all of you who have already found the purple ticket, head now to Market! Market! to claim your prize and to enjoy all these really fun activities. The Market! Market! Purple Hunt mall tour will run from June 05 to 07, 2009.

For the complete mall tour schedule, click HERE.

Yahoo! Philippines Mall Tours

Yahoo! Philippines will have mall tours in Ayala Malls starting June 05, 2009. For the complete schedule, please see below

Purple Hunt Tour Dates:

Market!Market!, Central Plaza - 5th June to 7th June (Friday - Sunday)

Greenbelt 3, Lobby - 8th June to 10th June (Monday - Wednesday)

Glorietta 3 , Lower Level Lobby - 11th June to 15th June (Thursday - Monday)

TriNoma, Level 4 - 16th June to 18th June (Tuesday - Thursday)

Purple Hunt Tour hours are Sunday to Thursday, 11:00 AM to 09:00 PM and on Friday and Saturday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

The mall tours are going to be packed full of games and activities such as “Purplize Yourself” photo booth, Find Purple Game Wall, Purple Graffiti Wall, Surf & Lounge laptop stations, Yahoo! Mobile stations and the doodled Honda car will also be on display except at Glorietta 3.

Yahoo! gifts are also available but only until supplies last. These gifts include:

Wire Organizers
Post-its
Highlighters
Tote Bags

USB Fans
Rubik Cube Key Chains
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Nestle Ube Ice Cream

Hope to see you there!

The Unveiling of the Yahoo! Philippines Purple Hunt Campaign

Yesterday, I blogged about how purple is coming our way. Today, my blog is about the event itself that I attended with fellow Purple Crew members. These are the very people whom I have been hanging out with since the campaign was borne. People who are really so fun to be with that I always look forward to bonding with them.

The event was slated at 6:30 PM. I left the office at 6:05 and arrived at the Ayala Museum at around 6:15. I registered myself then promptly located Ate Janette and Anne, who are both Purple Crew members (Anne and I are for Yahoo Answers while Ate Janette is for Yahoo Groups), in one of the cocktail tables. We were later joined by Kuya Jimmy who is the Purple Crew member that represents Flickr, also a Yahoo product. We spent the waiting time giggling while Ate Janette, the perennially online person, "twittered" about the event.

We were ushered inside the air-conditioned event venue (as earlier, we were just waiting outside) at around 06:40. Thank heavens as it was so humid outside.

the event was well-attended

Inside, there was a really cool board (shaped like a Y) that had information about the about-to-be-unveiled Purple Hunt Campaign. There's the Yahoo Answers Board (I forgot to take a photo of it, dang!), a Flickr Board, the Yahoo Philippines Board, our Profile Board and the Board that details the prizes at stake. Below are pictures of some of the boards I mentioned.

As people were going around the boards, I busied myself with looking at my surroundings (what can I say, I am observant by nature!). I was fascinated with the purple cocktail table centerpieces. Lovely!

The night's host was perky Patty Laurel who delivered her information-laden spiels about the Purple Hunt.

As it was a cocktail, drinks were of course present. I had fun with the Purple Sling, which I was told by Jeanne (of Yahoo), was specifically made for the said event. I think I had three shots of that yummy purple concoction.

Heavy canapes were then served. The dessert was yummy! Too bad I wasn't able to take photos of my food as I was starving I dug into my plate the moment I got back to our cocktail table. LOL.

I consider the unveiling of WeWillDoodle's work of art one of the most amazing occurrences of the night. From scratch, these talented artists managed to create something that conveys what the Filipino way of life is about. How cool is that.

The event ended at around 9:00 PM. We bid goodbye to Lynn who introduced us to Bennette, her boss (both are from Singapore and are looking after this whole Purple Crew campaign). Bennette took some pics of us. Afterwards, we hopped around the different boards and had our pictures taken by Kuya Jimmy.

And yup, for the first time, I am going to post a picture of myself in it (it's not a solo picture though). LOL. Below is a pic of me, Ate Janette and Anne. I call ourselves the "Las Niñas de Bungisngis" as when we are together, we always crack jokes, giggle and poke fun at each other. He he!


Maybe when I got permission from these lovely girls (and from Kuya Jimmy), I'll post more pics of us.

Stay tuned for more purple updates!

Summer Fashion Frolics at Plantation Bay Resort & Spa

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, one of the country's premier and most exclusive resorts recently named "One of the Top Resorts in Asia" by Conde Nast Traveler, the most prestigious travel magazine in the world, invites you to a night of fashion, sumptuous cocktails and great entertainment to be provided by its graceful Hawaiian Luau and Brazilian dancers.

Fashion for the night will be defined by Salvador Malto and Lotte Delima Edwards. Salvador Malto is one of Cebu's top designers who specializes in swimwear while Lotte Delima Edwards is a Cebuano designer now based in Singapore who specializes in resort wear. Ms. Edwards' creations will soon be sold in upscale department stores in Singapore.

For inquiries and reservations, please contact Ms. Joanna Cuenco through (+63918) 950 5289 or call (032) 340 5900 local 1026 or 1027.

An Invite to Ipanema's Walk the Green Mile

I received the above invite last week from Ms. Cecille Guevarra of M2.0 Communications. It's for Ipanema's Walk the Green Mile campaign. I actually already knew about it as it was discussed during Ipanema's A Blogger's Night and even that night's loot bag contained a printout about it (see below).

Walk the Green Mile is a walkathon project of Haribon Foundation, an environment conservation organization, and ELRO Commercial and Industrial Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Ipanema flipflops in the country. The said project aims to conserve the biodiversity of Philippine rainforests.

What: Ipanema Walk the Green Mile

When: March 21, 2009, Saturday

Time: Registration starts at 3PM and the Walkathon starts at 5:00 PM

Where: The Fort (near Le Souffle in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City)

What's in store for you: The first 500 participants will receive a limited Edition Ipanema GB Seeds baller ID while the first 100 get a free Walk the Green Mile shirt. The first 50 participants get a free Ipanema GB Seeds of their choice.

Best deal to have: Those who will purchase flipflops at the venue get 10% discount and a chance to win a pair of Ipanema Gisele Bundchen (GB) seeds flipflops signed by the lovely Miss Gisele (the world's highest paid model) herself. And for all participants, it is of course the fulfilling feeling of contributing to the conservation of our rainforests.

So don your favorite pair of Ipanema flipflops and be empowered as you take the strides to a greener and lusher Philippine forest.

Thank you, Miss Cecille, for the invite. Too bad I'll miss this walkathon as I'll be in Bangkok then for business. I'm sure 'twill be a blast though as your last event was totally awesome!

Freebies from Ipanema's A Blogger's Night

my name tag!

Upon registration at the lobby during Ipanema's A Blogger's Night, a loot bag containing a complete information kit was given to each blogger. After I have taken my seat, further scrutiny of it revealed some brochures, a CD, as well as a write-up for their upcoming event in March that I will blog about later.

I love their loot bag, with its snaking leaves!

Inside the bag too was a gift certificate (GC) that we can exchange for a pair of the latest Ipanema Gisele Bundchen (GB) Seeds collection. Miss Cecille of M2.0 Communications, the event's organizer and Miss Millet of ELRO Commercial and Industrial Corporation, Ipanema's exclusive distributor in the country, said I could use the GC that night or later claim my pair at The Shoe Salon as this line wouldn't be available in the market until March. I decided on the former.

I chose Ipanema's GB Seeds Plataforma in brown gold as at first glance, I fell in love with its color and the fact that it wasn't unlike my other flipflops that are all simply flat. This one was chunky and would thus benefit those who are petite in stature. My reason for choosing it though was more on aesthetics than its height booster as at 5'5, I am considered tall for a Filipina. I liked its straps too. Given its chunkiness, it was thus a surprise to find out that it felt lightweight. It was no surprise though that like all Ipanema flipflops, this was as heavenly soft.

As mentioned too in my previous blog about the said event, a raffle was also held where lucky bloggers won flipflops from the recently unveiled collection as well as Haribon shirts.

Someone from our table was among the first one to be called. Then another blogger from the same table won a pair of flipflops that we kidded that ours was the "lucky table." The thought was still in my mind when I heard my name called. Whoa!

I got a pair of Ipanema's GB Seeds New Thong Fem in brown bronze. It looked lovely. There's the cute metal spiral button that symbolized the "seed of life" and the double straps that added to its allure.

the "seed of life" up close

I loved its packaging too. Aren't the pockets adorable? It came with some gardening tools too to encourage bloggers to plant for our future. Neat!

At size 7, the New Thong Fem was too small for me so I"m thinking of giving it to a friend. I'm keeping the lovely bag that came with it though. He he he! And the tools of course which I just noticed when I got home were down to only two (there were three). I must have lost them in the cab. ***Sigh***

In our table of eight, six of us won the raffle. Lucky table indeed.

To cap the event, it was announced that a pair of Ipanema GB Seeds flipflops signed by the beautiful Miss Gisele Bundchen herself would be raffled off. Mr. Francisco Elizalde, Chairman of ELRO, decided to include all previously drawn winners. Wasn't that very nice of him?

I waited with bated breath, thinking just how lucky the winner would be when sudenly, I heard Mr. Elizalde say my name. Incredible! I must have looked funny when I claimed my prize as I could feel my face splitting into a very wide grin.

That night was indeed a blogger's night as all of us went home with a pair of the latest in Ipanema's GB Seeds collection. Some were lucky to bring home 2 pairs as they won another pair during the raffle draw.

my three new pairs of Ipanema's GB Seeds collection!

As for myself, I felt luckier, as if the night was especially for me as I have just gotten a pair of Ipanema's GB Seeds flipflops signed by the very supermodel who made this line hers.