Dating
Pokémon launched Pikachu-themed wedding rings, but there’s something nasty about them
How big is your love?

As of late, The Pokémon Company has increased its reach to a lot of other industries outside of gaming, including lifestyle apps and wireless earbuds. Now, the ubiquitous brand has expanded to the most precious catch of them all: wedding rings.
Partnered with Japanese jewelry company Ginza Tanaka, The Pokémon Company has officially launched Pikachu-themed engagement rings and wedding bands. The list of products includes simple platinum and gold wedding bands that come in a PokéBall-style box. Couples can also get their rings engraved with their own personal customizations. (However, the company rightly suggests a variation of “I choose you, [insert name here].”)
Meanwhile, the engagement rings are a bit more ostentatious. One design is a simple silhouette of Pikachu’s face, but the face’s center holds a diamond. Another design has two Pikachu tails holding the diamond in place. Like the wedding bands, they can come in either gold or platinum.
Cute as they are, there’s something awfully weird about them, as The Verge points out. In particular, the ears of the Pikachu rings look particularly nasty. Call us skeptical, but we don’t think Pikachu had *those* for ears. And yes, while they are part of the marriage process, we don’t know if you’d want them wrapped around your finger forever.
However, if you’re not bothered by them and think they’re perfectly innocent and fluffy Pikachu ears, they retail for JPY 346,500 (approximately US$ 3,225). Meanwhile, the wedding bands range between JPY 115,550 (approximately US$ 1,076) to JPY 121,000 (approximately US$ 1,126). The collection also has a keepsake photo frame selling for JPY 13,200 (approximately US$ 123).


Music is one thing that can bring potential couples together. With that in mind, Bumble has teamed up with Spotify so you can meet your music match.
The app has long let its users connect their profiles to their Spotify accounts. They’re taking it a step further by showing if you are musically compatible through your Top Artists.
If you’re looking for a fellow Swiftie or want to go to a TWICE concert with another ONCE, Bumble is trying to make it easier for you to connect with someone who share a similar taste in music.
“Discovering that you and a potential romantic partner love the same artist is a fun and fast way to establish common ground, plus it provides a natural segue to start other important conversations around each person’s priorities and passions”, said Bumble’s Sex and Relationships Expert Shan Boodram.
You can also share your favorite music genres right on your profile with Bumble’s Interest Badges. As of March 2023, “Rock,” “Electronic,” “Pop,” “Jazz,” and “Hip Hop” were some of the top music genres adopted globally.
Bumble is the women-first dating and social networking app. They’ve built their platform around kindness, respect, and equality — and their community plays an important part in that. Bumble holds its users accountable for their actions and strives to provide them with an experience free from hate, aggression, or bullying.
Spotify is home to over 100 million tracks and over 5 million podcasts titles, for free. Users can also opt to upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features for music including improved sound quality and an on-demand, offline, and ad-free music listening experience.
SEE ALSO: Still single? Bumble’s ‘Blind’ Dating may be for you

If you’re running out of creative ideas on how to announce to the social media world that you are in love (without revealing who your new S/O is AKA soft launch), we got you.
We recently got our hands on the newest vivo V27, which features a 50-megapixel main camera — just the perfect phone to bring on date nights.
This newest vivo phone also features a 50MP selfie camera, and additional 8MP wide-angle + 2MP Triple Rear Camera that easily detects and enhances ambient light.
We reenacted some of the cutest soft launch entries from the internet, so we hope you take notes.
Get creative on your dates and keep your followers intrigued with these soft launch ideas using the newest Vivo V27.
A mirror selfie, of course!
Perhaps one of the easiest shots: a mirror selfie with your faces covered. It’s fun and easy to get creative with this one. Just look for a full body mirror or a blind spot mirror (they’re quite the popular choice). Post this on your story and intrigue your friends.
The photo on the left was taken inside an establishment with low, warm lights. I loved how the camera still captured the true colors of the place.
The right photo, on the other hand, was taken using 2x zoom. The Vivo V27 camera can capture up to 10x zoom, and the photo quality is impressive. You can take a photo of a restaurant menu from afar and still read the text!
The color is still crisp even in low light environment, and you can adjust the light settings accordingly.
Mirror selfie… through another phone camera
If a mirror selfie sounds cliché for you, you can level up your creativity with a mirror shot… through the lens of both your phone and your SO’s.
What I noticed with Vivo V27 camera settings though, it automatically adjusts the color sometimes. The photos above were taken consecutively, and the color change is easily noticeable.
Again, this photo is taken in a low light environment, but the colors are still popping.
The “no cameras, please!” shot
POV: you are your SO’s biggest fan.
Trust us, this shot would look great on your IG feed. Try to capture this with one of vivo V27’s signature feature — the aura light mode.
Vivo V27 Aura Light looks like a mini ring light at the back of the phone. What I loved about this feature is how the light doesn’t overpower the subject and the photo in general, compared to the normal flash feature of other phones.
The aura light looks very bright on the outside, but when I saw the photo outputs, it gave just the right amount of light to give emphasis to the subject of the photo.
Vivo V27’s portrait mode is also pretty impressive. These shots were taken after sunset, and yet the photos are still bright and clear.
The “stolen” back/side profiles
Don’t want to be included in the shot? You can take solo photos of your S/O during your date… still without showing the face.
Perhaps my favorite vivo V27 camera feature, the Super Night Mode is great for your date nights. As someone who also takes night photos using a DSLR camera, I can attest that the vivo V27’s night mode is like using your professional camera without the need for soft box lights.
This phone is definitely a low light and night mode beast. For the photos above, I can’t tell which one I liked better because both shots looked great.
The vivo V27 also features a super wide mode, which adds more character to photos.
Having a hard time finding the right filter to match the vibe of the place? Vivo V27 has a total of 11 filters for you to choose from. My personal favorites are the Yogurt and Macarons. Which one do you think fits the soft launch photos above?
The movie poster style
Set up a self-timer with your vivo 27 and recreate a romantic movie poster for your soft launch! Or if you’re brave enough, ask a stranger to take a photo of your sweet moment with your S/O.
I loved how the tree lights are captured well in the photos above. Finding the focus wasn’t hard either, so safe to say that Vivo V27 is a super reliable date night companion.
The minimalist shots
A photo holding hands, or an eye-level shot below the face will surely make your friends DM you asap. It’s like wanting your relationship to be lowkey, and yet you want everyone to know.
Check out the samples above. Both are taken on normal camera modes.
Compared to other android phones, what I like about Vivo V27 is the camera easily adjusts to difficult lighting.
In the photo above, the subject is against the window light. I was impressed when the camera easily adjusted the focus and lighting and the subject didn’t turn out shadow-y.
Shadow selfie
Whether it’s by the street or by the beach, shadow selfies are cute photos to show everyone you’re taken.
Vivo V27’s Super Night Mode captures solid shadow photos as seen above, so no worries in achieving that Pinterest-like shot.
The ‘lowkey flex’ shot
This one’s pretty common on Instagram stories — you flaunting a photo of your drink.. or wait, are we seeing something else?
You can also take selfies for this shot! vivo V27 also features Bokeh Selifes — it’s like taking portrait except as selfie. You can choose the blur level of your background.
I am personally not a fan of this feature, but it helps give emphasis to the photo subject especially when the background is busy.
Take as much selfies as you want, since the camera features a 50-megapixel HD AF
Matchy shoes!
You know everyone would scream “couple alert!” when you post a photo of matching shoes.
If you want to take a less subtle one, try taking mirror shots with matchy clothes (while still covering your faces, of course).
Want to take more soft launch photos with a new phone? The vivo V27 is now available in the Philippines. It runs on 8GB RAM and 128GB memory so you can store as many date photos (and even videos) as you’d like! It retails at PhP 24,999.
Apps
Still single? Bumble’s ‘Blind’ Dating may be for you
Prioritize personality over physical attraction

In these modern times, who hasn’t tried Bumble? Apart from being one of the most common entryway to online dating, Bumble is quite popular as the app that changed the dating landscape by letting women make the first move.
I’ve tried Bumble myself, and while it’s fun meeting different people, I can say that sometimes it gets tiring to swipe endlessly and start multiple conversations. I honestly don’t have that much energy to stay in the app for too long.
Enter, Bumble Speed Dating.
What is Speed Dating and how does it work?
Bumble’s newest feature brings retro speed dating events to the online dating experience, allowing members to go in ‘blind’ and prioritize personality over physical attraction.
Every 7-8 p.m. on Thursdays, Bumble activates their Speed Dating event in the Philippine region. You will be paired with someone based on your listed preferences, and the conversation will last around 3 minutes.
But here’s the catch: you won’t have any idea who you are talking to until the 3 minutes is up. That means, the chat will automatically end after the third minute, and only after then you’ll get to view each other’s Bumble profile.
Now, you have the option to continue talking to them, or move on to another chat. If you and the other person choose to continue, they will be added to your matched messages where you can continue your conversation.
You can leave the event anytime, or you can end your current conversation before the time is up and chat with someone new.
This newest feature is perfect for those who don’t have much time in their hands. You can set aside at least an hour in a day to find your match. It also adds thrill and mystery, especially in the first few minutes.
Bumble’s APAC Communications Director, Lucille McCart says: “Bumble’s new Speed Dating experience in the app brings the fun back to dating in 2023”
This feature creates intrigue and anticipation in a low-pressure environment, and allows the Bumble community to build connections based on personality and shared interests, which are much truer indicators of compatibility than looks. According to Bumble, the majority (77%) of their user community in the PH said they are more focused on emotional maturity than physical requirements.
Recommend a friend!
Screenshots no more! You can directly recommend a potential date to a friend by simply forwarding their profle link. It’s like the online version of “reto”
If you come across a profile on Bumble that’s not right for you but might be for someone you know, you can now directly share a link to their Bumble profile.
According to McCart, “We all know that feeling when you come across a profile that ticks all the boxes of your bestie. Now you can help your friends find dates by sharing the profile of their perfect match with them.”
Compliments
Compliments is a message before match feature that allows members to stand out by sending a note before connecting.
McCart says: “At Bumble we believe in the power of positivity and kindness, and that when a compliment is the foundation of a conversation, you are setting the stage for the connection to begin in the best possible way. Sending a compliment on Bumble can be as simple as sending a kind message when you come across someone’s profile whom you share a common interest with, such as music taste or favourite movie.”
While this sounds fun, sending compliments is limited, so make sure you give them to the person who really made a big profile impression!
Ready to meet someone special? Download Bumble on PlayStore or iOS.
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