A montage on the pursuit of passion of people in the realm of fashion, arts, music, culture and sports. Edited by Glenda Reginaldo Amina Aranaz-Alunan (Bag Designer/ Entrepreneur) Amina Aranaz-Alunan, the style icon behind the Aranaz line of bags graduated with honors from Istituto Marangoni in Milan and established her business with a sound social philosophy: Aranaz bags aim to "de-ethnicize the ethnic" with the use of indigenous and eco-friendly materials sourced from the Philippines. Recently, the Rags2Riches Designer Line (RIIR), in partnership with Bounty Fresh Chicken, launched the Aranaz Mercato bag, designed by Amina and produced by the women of Payatas using recycled materials. Apart from being a socially-concious designer, Amina also juggles being a mother of three with teaching—she is one of the co-founders of School of Fashion and the Arts Manila (SoFA Manila) , where she promotes her advocacy on "fashion entrepreneurship" and encourages young individuals to dream big and build their own businesses early on. Gang Badoy (Rock-Ed Founder) In July 2005, former WTHR-NBC Eyewitness News in Indianapolis Desk Editor Gang Badoy founded Rock Ed Philippines, a "volunteer group that aims to rock society" through a series of alternative education projects. Rock Ed has used music, dance, graphic design, sports, literature, film, theater, cultural studies, and other alternative approaches to encourage involvement and critical thinking among the youth. Among the successful Rock Ed projectsare Rock Ed Radio (which aired its third to the last episode on October 21 via the radio station NU 107), Rock the Rehas, Rock the Riles, and RockBayan. Just like her energy and enthusiasm, Gang's advocacy is also contagious. Gang is using her passion for music as an instrument of giving back. Music is one of the ways of expressing oneself; it is a means of voicing out so it is one of the perfect mediums to say something and stand up for a social cause. Gone are the days of apathy. Do what you love and do it while giving back. Norman Black (Basketball Coach) The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles and their coach, Norman Black, proved to be the winning combination in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 73 Senior Men's Basketball Division. On September 30, under Black's guidance, the Ateneo Blue Eagles bagged a three-peat record. Black, who was a coach in the Philippine Basketball Association before going collegiate, started the Eagles' winning streak in Season 71 when his team defeated their rival the De La Salle Green Archers in Game 2 of the 2008 finals series. The Ateneo Blue Eagles were poised for a historical three-peat in the UAAP. This was around mid-August. We knew that we had to feature him prepping up for this goal. Carlos Celdran (Walking Man of Manila/ Performance Artist) We probe into the forces that drive the man dubbed as the "modern-day Jose Rizal," Carlos Celdran. The performance artist, Manila walking tour guide, and activist has earned both cheers and jeers for his protest against the Church's meddling in the government's stand on Reproductive Health on September 30. The best-known advocate of the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill), Celdran was jailed after he stood in front of the altar during an ecumenical service at Manila Cathedral while holding a placard that read "Damaso" (referring to the abusive friar in Rizal's Noli Me Tangere) and said, "Stop getting involved in politics!" We agree with Carlos. Times are changing fast and if we do not act quickly to show our concerns, nothing will be solved. Carlos Celdran shook the ground and made everyone notice an unheard or avoided voice. Sharing an opinion is caring about the present situation. To disagree with the Church doesn't mean you are morally wrong. It just goes to show that times are changing and that there are certain measures that can still be morally right for the good of society. Quark Henares (Filmmaker/ Entrepreneur/ Band Member) The spotlight is on filmmaker Quark Henares this week. At 29, after eight years in the industry, Quark now juggles many roles: director, writer, businessman, teacher, and lately, frontman for US-2 Evil-0. He joined the Philippine cinema industry at age 21 via his full-length sexy film debut, Gamitan. But, it was his second sexy film Keka that earned him the most praise from film critics, including Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino in 2003. When he's not making movies, Quark directs music videos and television commercials, writes for local publications, and lectures in various schools. 27+20 Visual Artists They live and love design. Business partners and real-life couple Nico and Katwo Puertollano are the brains behind 27+20, a design boutique for print and broadcast media. Some of 27+20's productions are the music videos for bands Taken by Cars ("Uh-Oh"), Cambio ("You Wear Me Out"), Narda ("Molotov"), and Duster ("Gucci Gang"), as well as the Nescafe Classic "