Ang Kalatas Volume III August 2013 Issue | Page 13

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA.

August 2013 | Vol. 3 No. 11 | www.kalatas.com.au |

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eternity. Use that time and do or say something! Speak up - and most of all be yourself - stay calm - and enjoy! Do you have other comments not covered above? I can be quite pedantic with Organisers, Producers, etc - and somehow, I have earned their trust and respect that they let me MC and event without their intrusion. I take my hats off to them for believing and having con?dence in me. About Rod Dingle Rod is the fourth of the ?ve children of Fortunato Dingle and Felicidad Acosta,who hailed from Sudipen, La Union and Tagudin, Ilocos Sur respectively. The family moved to Pozorrubio, Pangasinan where Rod was born and raised. His completed his primary and secondary education in Pozorrubio. He then moved to Manila for his Secretarial (National Teachers University) and BS Foreign Service (Lyceum). He has completed other courses here in Sydney thru the years - Project Management, Music Theory, Intro to PRINCE II, Computer Programming and an extensive Toastmaster’s Course. He migrated in Australia on13 April 1980. He and his siblings Emily Dingle Rudd, Tony Dingle, Danny Dingle and Faye Dingle Demagante all live in Australia.

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Michelle Baltazar

When was your ?rst event to be the emcee? I’ve hosted several events here and there but the one I can remember was a Philippine-Australian Chamber of Commerce invite on the request of Atoy Sayas. It was a disaster as I was an amateur: didn’t write a script, didn’t know the audience, was late to the event. Think of the top 10 things you should NOT do as an emcee and I probably did them all. I wasn’t happy with my performance but I chalked it up to experience. Of the events you have done which one you remember fondly or were happy with? It’s hard to name them all as I’ve been invited to several but the high pro?le ones would be the Alliance of Philippine Community O rganisations [APCO] annual Independence Day celebrations, a couple of Blacktown Festival events, and a couple of concerts (more recently the one with Kate Ceberano). I have hosted the Filipino-Australian Adhika Media events, which were attended by members of the mainstream media and multi-cultural media organisations. I’ve also hosted birthday celebrations (haha) of my mum’s friends. Based on your experiences, what are the highs and lows of being an emcee?

Highs - I get to meet interesting people and celebrities; having an excuse to wear something nice and get all done up Lows - believe it or not I dread public speaking so it makes me nervous being on stage, but the more I do them, the less stressful the whole thing becomes, which is good; when the crowd is tough and I wish they would clap more when there’s a great entertainer onstage, Filipinos are a tough audience! What is your advice to anyone who is interested in being an emcee? Don’t do it. Haha. I’m more of an accidental emcee as I don’t seek the role out. But if you really want to be an MC, I think the basic rules of preparing for any project applies: Run through your lines, try and dress up for the occasion and have fun. People are there to enjoy themselves, not to judge your emceeing. Oh yes, try not to have a wardrobe malfunction. Do you have other comments not covered above? I’m always reluctant to accept emcee-ing gigs because I feel like I never have enough time to prepare for them, but I end up saying yes because I care about the people who invite me. It sounds cliche but it’s an honour that they

would ask me to help host their event. About Michelle Baltazar Michelle is the daughter of known community entertainer/ singer Cleo Baltazar . She completed her secondary schooling at Dulwich Hill High. Her higher studies include a Diploma in Financial Markets (Securities Institute of Australia), Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry & Animal Biology (University of Sydney) and Graphic Design Portfolio (TAFE, Enmore Design Centre).

Michelle started her career as research assistant at national business magazine BRW. In late 2000, she moved to London where she worked as a ?nance journalist at Shares Magazine, writing weekly columns on funds management, equities and derivatives. She is currently the editor of Financial Standard, a Sydney-based publication for the ?nancial services industry. In 2001, Michelle won joint ?rst runner-up at the Friends Provident’s Socially Responsible Investment Journalist of the Year Awards. In 2004, she published a ?nance book in London titled ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Spread Betting: Step-by-step instructions and winning strategies’. She recently launched her travel coffee table book titled Love, Manila - 10 Days, 10 Discoveries. She has also won community awards for her work in FilipinoAustralian media. Formerly TV Reporter of ABS-CBN Australia, Michelle is currently one of the hosts of community radio, Sandigan Radio on www.radio2rdj.com and Publisher and Editor of The Australian Filipina Woman, business and lifestyle magazine.

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Annual Show of the Art Association of the Philippines and was named “Artist of the Year” by the AAP in 1975. His work was chosen to represent the Philippines at the Paris Sud. His paintings are in the collection of The National Museum, Cultural Center of the Philippines Central Bank of the Philippines, Convention Center of the Philippines, and the Metropolitan Museum. In Australia he has participated in groups shows at the Water-colour Institute Annual Show at E. V. Erwing Museum in1981and 1982; John Irving Gallery group exhibit of Philippine Artists, 1982; International Art and Photo Exhibition, Commonwealth Bank, 1983; The Metro Sydney group, Dorian Grey Gallery, 1990; Mellow Mist Gallery, 1991; Museum of Contemporary Art “Images” Philippine Australian Artists Association, 1995. Ding has illustrated and designed more than a dozen books. In Australia his works were featured on the covers of Hemisphere and Geo, Australasia’s Geographical Magazine. He is also an accomplished photographer. A collection of 60 of his photographs were exhibited under the auspices of Kodak at the Hotel Melia in Singapore and at the Australian Centre in Makati Manila in 1992. He is currently a member of the Royal Art Society sketch club in Sydney. He is also up with the use of technology in his art works. He has been experimenting with assemblage paintings and digital art created on the iPad.

Center of the Philippines and Ayala Museum. In Australia, he held a one man show at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney in 1982. Ding’s works have earned wide recognition in the art world. He won Grand Prize in the 25th