MANILA, Philippines – Thea Minor, a Fil-Am tennis player, had an early holiday celebration when she won three championship titles and three runner-up crowns in three separate junior tennis tournaments in New Zealand.

Minor, who was born and raised in Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), competed for the second straight year as a member of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pacific Oceania Touring Team.

She was joined by fellow CNMI junior netters Rafael Jones and Christian Miller, and Pacific Oceania teammate Tarani Kamoe of Fiji.

Minor teamed up with Kamoe in the girls’ 14-and-under doubles to win three titles while also claiming second place honors in three singles events.

She began her New Zealand stint in the Coca-Cola Waikato Junior Open in Hamilton where she celebrated her 13th birthday last December 11 wining the 14-and-under doubles title with Kamoe.

The Minor-Kamoe tandem defeated Fiji’s Annie Shannon and hometown bet Toni Katipa in the girls’ 14-and-under doubles finals, 6-3, 6-1. Minor and Kamoe also entered the 16-and-under doubles finals but lost to the second seed pair of Kerry Hampton and Ellie Verran of New Zealand.

Minor, however, was not that lucky in the singles event where she lost in the quarterfinals of the 14- and 16-and-under divisions.

The Pacific Oceania Touring Team then headed to Gisborne, northeast of New Zealand’s capital of Wellington, for the second tournament which is the Poverty Bay East Coast Ray White Junior Championship where Minor once again teamed up with Kamoe to claim the 14-and-under doubles title.

Minor, however, was unlucky anew in the singles event, losing to Kamoe in the 14-and-under finals and in the consolation draw of the 16-and-under division.

She then capped her impressive stint in New Zealand with another doubles crown and a runner-up finish in the Auckland Christmas Tournament.

Her tested partnership with Kamoe earned the Pacific Oceania team a third doubles crown at the Scarbro Tennis Centre in Nicholson Park. Minor and Kamoe were unseeded in the tournament but scored a 6-1, 6-1 upset of the No.2 ranked pair of Georgina and Kirsty Hayr of Auckland.

Minor remained unlucky in the singles event suffering a 6-0, 6-0 defeat at the hands of top seed Louise Oxnevad of Queensland.

Aside from receiving certificates and medals, she also received a cash prize from Poverty Bay and Auckland tournaments..

The three tournaments attracted the best and upcoming junior players in the Pacific Oceania region, Australia and New Zealand where close to 600 participated.

Minor returns to Saipan to join her parents, Boyet and Joy, and sister Theecel for the Christmas holiday. Her father Boyet works as a civil engineer in an architectural firm since arriving in Saipan in the early 90s. GMANews.TV

GMA News

MANILA, Philippines – A 10-year-old Filipino-American boy set a record by becoming the fastest cup stacker in the world, a report in GMA’s 24 Oras said.

In her report, Trisha Zafra said Steven Purugganan first became curious with the sport after watching the sport stacking championship on ESPN.

Tickled by his curiosity, the 5th grader bought his first cup set, practiced, and soon competed in the game.

“I just practice everyday. And we first bought are set on Aug. 2006. We saw the world sport stacking championship in ESPN so later we just bough another three sets. Every day we’ve just been practicing,” Purugganan said.

He added that creating a world record gives him the utmost feeling of happiness. “It’s really a great feeling cause of the people who stack in the world and being number one is just a great feeling.”

Purugganan, who is in the country at present, bested 116 kids all over the world during the 2008 World Sports Stacking Championships in Denver, Colorado last April 6, where he set his blazing-record of 6.21 seconds in the hardest “Cycle Stack” category.

The television report said Purruganan is scheduled to beat his own record as he competes for the same category on September.

Purugganan’s mother, Vicki, said she noticed that with sport stacking, the focus and concentration of his son has been immensely developed.

“He plays soccer, He play basketball, but I’ve realized and I’ve noticed that with the coordination training with the sport stacking he’s [become] a better ball handler when he dribble’s the ball, bating, he’s had a better hand right coordination, it really has a lot to do with the coordination in sport stacking,” she said.

According to the World Sports Stacking Association (WSSA), the game contributes greatly to the person’s mental development.

Aris Alipon, WSSA Board of Trustees, said sport stacking promotes focus, sharpens the person’s concentration, and helps develop the person’s two sides of the brain.

“It promotes focus, determination. It promotes ambidexterity and bi-lateral development. Bi-lateral development means of both sides of the brain is developed. Theoretically if you activate both sides of the brain you can be good in arts and math reading and music” said Alipon.

The report said other parents also noticed the same improvement with their kids.

“At first medyo half-hearted ako when she joined the club. But I thought it will improve her focus and I think that would also help in her studies,” Cierlene Rivera, mother of a sport stacker, said.

Sport stacking was formerly known as cup stacking. The game was believed to have started in the 1980s in the United States and was invented by a certain Wayne Godine.

GMA News

Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, at Surf’s Up. Ano ang mayroon sa mga animation movie hits na ito na dapat ikarangal ng mga Filipino? Si Armand Serrano, isang Pinoy artist na matagumpay na nakapasok sa dambuhalang animation studios sa Amerika.

Kwento ni Armand sa ipinadala niyang e-mail sa GMANews.TV, bata pa lang ay hilig na niya ang mag-drawing. Naging malaking impluwensya umano sa kanyang naging libangan ang kanyang mga nakatatandang kapatid na mahilig din sa pagguhit at pagpipinta.

Architectural students ang kanyang mga kapatid nang kabataan ni Armand. Kwento n’ya, masaya siya tuwing nakikitang gumuguhit ang kanyang mga ito hanggang matapos ang kanilang pinaghirapan.

Ngunit dahil sa pangaral ng ama na walang pag-asenso sa buhay kung aasa lamang sa pagguhit, pinili ni Armand na kumuha ng kursong civil engineering sa University of Sto. Tomas sa Manila.

Nang makapagtapos ng kolehiyo, sinubukan niya na gamitin ang kanyang napag-aralan ng ilang buwan. Ngunit malakas talaga ang tawag ng kanyang first love, ang pagguhit – kaya nagpalit siya ng propesyon at nagtrabaho sa Fil Cartoons, Inc. noong 1990.

Paghahasa ng husay

Ang Fil-Cartoons, Inc. ay subsidiary studio ng Hana-Barbera Studio sa Maynila. Dito nahasa ang husay ni Armand sa modernong pagguhit ng “cartoon characters” na mas kilala sa tawag na “animation.”

Sa Hanna-Barbera studio, kasama siya sa pagtatrabaho sa ilang cartoon shows gaya ng Yogi Bear, Johnny Quest, Tom and Jerry Kids, at Addams Family.

Tatlong taon makalipas nito, lumipat siya sa Philippine Animation Studio at pinangasiwaan niya ang layout department ng Marvel overseas production ng X-Men, Fantastic Four, at music video ng “Prince.”

Walang pagsisisi si Armand sa paglipat ng karera dahil bumabalik ang kanyang pagkabata tuwing gumuguhit ng cartoon characters. Katunayan, kahit may mga anak na, sinabi ni Armand na namamangha pa rin siya sa mga pambatang pelikula.

Mahigit din siya sa epic movies kagaya ng “The Lord of the Rings” at Gods and Generals. May pagka-environmentalist din si Armand at dinadala niya ang sariling krusada sa pagpapahalaga sa kalikasan sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga drawing at proyekto.

Nang mag-migrate ang kanyang pamilya sa Los Angeles, California noong 1996, nakapasok siya sa Walt Disney Studios at kaagad napasabak sa pagguhit sa animation movie na Mulan.

Sa pitong taon na pamamalagi sa Walt Disney Studios, bukod sa Mulan, ang talento ni Armand sa paggunhit ay kasama sa likod ng paggawa ng mga animation movies na Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, at Brother Bear.

Taong 2004 nang lumipat si Armand sa dambuhalang kumpanya na Sony Pictures at nagtrabaho sa bagong animation division upang pangasiwaan ang visual development and environmental design sa animation movie na Surf’s Up.

Inspirasyon

Kwento ni Armand, ang gubat ng Palawan ang naging inspirasyon niya sa scenery ng Surf’s Up na ipinalabas sa Pilipinas kamakailan lang. Kwento ito ng isang aspiring penguin surfer na sumali sa isang kompetisyon na tribute sa kanyang hinahangaang surfer na inakalang namatay sa isang aksidente.

Naging abala din siya sa visual development sa pelikulang Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs at ang part 2 ng Open Season.

Sa ngayon, si Armand ang art director sa bagong animated film project ng Sony na ang setting ay prehistoric times ngunit ayaw pa niyang sabihin ang detalye sa bago niyang proyekto.

Tapsilog at Gotohan

Maraming nami-miss si Armand sa Pilipinas tulad ng mga tapsilogan at gotohan. “We miss the Manila life that even in the wee hours of the morning you can still find tapsilog and gotohan open.”

“But reality is my kids are growing up here and this is the place we consider home now… though they are exposed to the Filipino culture all the time so not to lose their heritage,” paglalahad niya.

Malaking tulong sa paglaban sa pangungulila nila sa bansa ang maraming Pinoy na nakatira sa California. “There’s a huge population of Filipinos here in California that makes it homier for us to live in this part of the country. But of course Bing (his wife) and I miss our families and friends in Manila,” dagdag niya.

Isang paraan din ng pag-alaala niya sa Pilipinas ang paglalagay ng mga Philippine scenery sa ilan niyang mga proyekto katulad ng ginawa niya sa Surf’s Up kung saan hango sa kagubatan ng Palawan ang naging inspirasyon niya.

Disiplina

Nang tanungin kung ano ang kanyang maipapayo sa maraming kabataan na mahilig din mag-drawing at nais makapagtrabaho sa mga animation studios, sinabi ni Armand na, “Whenever I get asked this question, these are the things I recommend – always discipline yourself to have a consistent amount of practice. Be very observant and work hard but not too hard so that you don’t miss out on your life.”

Payo pa ni Armand, dapat ang sariling kakayahan ang kumpitensyahin at hindi ibang tao. “Do not think too highly of yourself and always be willing to learn. Always go for the next level and compete with yourself, not with others.”

Idinagdag niya na dapat abutin ng mga Filipino ang kanilang pangarap at huwag magpadala sa mga negatibong sasabihin ng iba.

“Never let anybody tell you that your goal is impossible – go for it one step at a time,” pagtatapos ni Armand.