Leg band workout

Image: Instagram/@isabelledaza Isabelle Daza is determined more than ever to get back her slim and toned physique pre-pregnancy. Daza gave birth to her son last April, her first with husband Adrien Semblat. The realities of motherhood duties are far removed from what is glamorous and Daza has shared in the past that being a “glam mom” is not her reality. Daza, too, has been open to her fans about her journey to getting her fitness back after pregnancy, and it’s anything but easy. “Slowly trying to get my fitness back one day at a time,” Daza wrote last July 4 after sharing a video clip of her doing squats with weights. “It’s so tempting to stop and quit when I’m tired!!!” In the clip, Daza is seen working out in Rockwell Club Atletica in Makati, wearing all-black workout clothes and white sneakers. “60 reps of 10kg squats, 6 reps of 10kgs shoulder press, 10 seconds sprint = 14 SETS of these 3 exercises,” added Daza about her intense regimen. “Why don’t you just chop off my ... » Learn More about Isabelle Daza gets fitness back with intense weight training

"PETA has found that a snake farm in Vietnam that supplies snakeskin for use in the global leather industry subjects snakes to horrific cruelty," said Nirali Shah, a spokesperson for PETA. This mistreatment includes "sealing off their mouths and anuses with rubber bands and then inflating them with an air compressor, causing extreme pain throughout their body, crushing their heart, and causing severe stress to the circulatory and nervous systems,” Shah wrote to dpa. One video released by PETA shows a worker standing on the inflated body of a python. In another shot, one of the animal’s tails was still moving. The snakes are kept in small cages and provided no veterinary care, and staff do not check the reptile’s vital signs before skinning and disembowelling them. A single farm can reportedly kill up to 2,000 pythons a year, with the skins made into leather products, such as bags or purses, that are sold across the world. According to a 2016 report by the International ... » Learn More about A special report: Snakes, crocodiles in Vietnam farms inflated, skinned alive

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned as “unspeakable” the defacing of a World War II memorial by alleged Nazi Holocaust deniers.  The defacing happened at the site of one of the worst atrocities carried out by the Nazis in France during World War II. Images of an inscription at the site in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane show the word “martyr” in the text “martyr village” replaced with “liar.” The village was destroyed by SS troops in 1944, with 642 inhabitants killed. The old village’s ruins are preserved just as they were after the massacre. After the war, a new village was built nearby. Philippe Lacroix, the mayor of Oradour-sur-Glane, said he was shocked, adding: “We know what happened here but obviously there are always people who try to tell lies.” Mr Macron said that everything would be done to track down and punish those responsible for the vandalism. The act has been widely condemned by French officials. Prime Minister Jean Castex said he felt “anger” ... » Learn More about Nazi Holocaust Deniers Deface World War II Memorial in France

Another Volvo pops us with lots of bang for the buck. If only it could inspire. The all-new S60 sedan is another product from Volvo that has landed in Thai showrooms with lots of appeal for potential buyers to consider. And that’s even before driving one. Take a look at its on-paper stats, for a start. In T8 plug-in hybrid form, the S60 is equipped with 2.0-litre turbo and supercharged petrol engine. And when combined with the electrical system that supplements it, the combined power rises to an impressive 407hp for a scintillating 0-100kph time of less than 5sec. Mind, that’s a sprint time bracket of a Porsche 911 sports car. Then there’s the CO2-less driving ability of some 50km in the S60 T8, not to mention the all-wheel drive system supported the electric motor. This is an all-season performance sedan, you could easily say. Glance over at the rivals’ spec sheet of the S60 T8 and note that the BMW 330e and Mercedes-Benz C300e are supported by less fancy drivetrains ... » Learn More about Volvo S60 T8 R-Design plug-in hybrid (2020) review

Philippine developers should seize the opportunity provided by the growing popularity of joint venture residential projects across Metro Manila by firming up stronger partnerships with foreign developers and launching upscale and luxury projects. In our opinion, local players should highlight their partnerships with Japanese firms who are known for their technological innovation. Local developers should also emphasize the projects’ upscale amenities, integrated development and potential for capital appreciation, which are all important to discerning buyers. Currently, joint venture projects between foreign and Philippine firms are among the more expensive in the market. Despite being classified as upscale and luxury, these projects have an average take-up rate of 85 percent as of end-2020. Fort Bonifacio, in particular, has been a popular site for joint venture projects. Mutually beneficial Colliers believes that local and foreign companies mutually benefit from these joint ... » Learn More about Joint venture projects to remain popular postpandemic

Taylor Swift in the music video for “willow” (Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Taylor Swift) Taylor Swift gave her fans an early holiday gift in the form of her ninth studio album “evermore” and the music video of its lead track “willow” today, Dec. 11. The video, self-directed by the singer, opens with her back in the cabin where the visual for her song “cardigan” from the record “folklore” was set. She then steps inside a wooden piano that transports her to a different dimension again, as seen on her YouTube page today. As she enters the magical place, she sees the reflection of a man in a lake and jumps in to follow. However, Swift finds herself inside a glass display in a carnival, where she sees the man once more. “The more that you say, the less I know / Wherever you stray, I follow ,” she sings in the chorus. “I’m begging for you to take my hand/ Wreck my plans, that’s my man .” After their brief meeting, Swift eventually returns to the cabin and finds him waiting ... » Learn More about WATCH: Taylor Swift debuts new surprise album with ‘willow’ music video

PETALING JAYA: Chinese badminton stars are set to make their long-awaited return to the international arena in May with Malaysia being the possible first destination. The likes of reigning Olympics champion Chen Long and Shi Yuqi (men’s singles), Chen Yufei (women’s singles), Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (mixed doubles) last competed at the All-England in March last year. They did not travel to Bangkok for the three back-to-back World Tour legs in January after being barred from leaving the country by their government. For the ongoing season-opening Swiss Open and All-England this month, the China Badminton Association (CBA) did not submit any entries. But the fans can expect to catch their favourite players not too long from now. CBA president Zhang Jun revealed that they are planning to take part in three tournaments – Asian Badminton Championships (April 27-May 2), Malaysian Open (May 25-30) and Singapore Open (June 1-6). However, it’s not certain at this time as to whether ... » Learn More about China’s top shuttlers’ first outing could be the Malaysian Open

PETALING JAYA: Independent doubles shuttler Goh V Shem insists that he and Tan Wee Kiong are still in high spirits although their path to the Tokyo Olympics have become tougher. The Rio Olympics silver medallists resume their quest to qualify for the July 23-Aug 8 showpiece at the Swiss Open in Basel today with the odds heavily stacked against them due to the uncertainty surrounding the remaining qualifiers. They were initially hopeful of featuring in six World Tour legs that offer points for the Race to Tokyo rankings, but are currently left with just five following the cancellation of next week’s German Open. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) have yet to clarify if they will be coming up with a replacement for the event although the qualifying period has now been pushed forward to June 15 instead of at the end of April. Otherwise, the next qualifiers will be the Asian Badminton Championships (April 27-May 2), Indian Open (May 11-16), Malaysian Open (May 23-30) and ... » Learn More about V Shem-Wee Kiong resume quest to reach Olympics despite heavy odds

PETALING JAYA: It was a disappointing semi-final outings for Malaysia’s top singles player Lee Zii Jia and independent mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing as they failed to live up to their billings in the Swiss Open. However, world No. 30 women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah saved Malaysia the blushes when they pulled off an upset win over world No. 10 compatriots Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean 10-21,21-14,21-16 to reach the final. Second seeded Zii Jia was stopped 18-21,10-21 by fast-rising Thai teenager Kunlavut Vitidsarn in 41 minutes yesterday. Kunlavut, already a three-time world junior champion, will now face Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in his first BWF World Tour final. Despite the defeat, it was still a relatively successful outing for Zii Jia. The 22-year-old had been through a lean spell since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year and was under criticism for early round defeats when Thailand hosted the first two legs of the World Tour events in ... » Learn More about Zii Jia and Kian Meng-Pei Jing falter in semi-final stage

As part of the US Department of State’s Arts Envoy program and in observance of Black History and Philippine Arts Month, the US Embassy in Manila organized a virtual jazz masterclass with American bassist and five-time Grammy Award winner Victor Wooten on February 20 via Zoom. Organizers of the Philippine International Jazz Festival and Crossover FM also lent their support to this musical endeavor. Wooten hit the worldwide scene in 1990 as a founding member of the super-group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He became a member of the band SMV formed in 2008 with two other bassists Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, and has played bass for the metal band Nitro since 2017. He has won every major award given to a bass guitarist including Bassist of the Year in Bass Player Magazine’s readers poll three times (the only person to win it more than once). And in 2011, Rolling Stone Magazine voted Wooten as one of the Top Ten Bassist of All Time. As one of the most accomplished bassists of ... » Learn More about US Embassy hosts Grammy-winner Victor Wooten’s virtual masterclass