Australia's Finest

My mom always wanted to go to
Australia when she was a child.
My grandmother also wanted to live in Australia, so she worked hard for it. After decades of working, my grandmother finally got the chance to. My mother got married here in the Philippines and stayed here. We visit my grandmother from time to time and all those times that we did, Australia never failed to surprise me. From Sydney's opera house to the food portions they give, they never fail to surprise me. My mother said that after this year we would go and live in Australia until we finish college, it is up to us if we want to go back here in the Philippines or remain there.

Among all of the finest features Australia has for us, these are what I like most.

1. Food

From world class Australian buffets to just simple street food that's just right around the corner. Delicious for every taste bud you have. Australia's food is similar to American food. Steaks, barbecues, pizza, etc...

Comparing Filipino food over Australian, Australian is the champion. They have really good steaks that are as big as your head. You will never leave a restaurant with a slight full stomach. Filipino food on the other hand has lots to offer, yet it is small but very satisfying.


 2. Transportation
One of the factors that makes Australia one of the finest is their transportation. Here in the Philippines traffic is a modern day problem to everyone who is gonna leave the house. It makes everyone stressed and very much angry.

In Australia you wont ever experience traffic unless an accident happened or a road construction. That is one of the major factors that makes Australia one of the finest.

3. Tourist Spots
Tourists around the world often go to beaches when they arrive at a certain country. In Australia, beaches are a 10 out of 10. The Great Barrier Reef can be found there. It is known to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

Nice and colorful beaches around Australia so you can have a very relaxing and fun day.




                                                                               

Overall, Australia has lots to offer. From wildlife to city life, everything is wonderful. Yet we must not base our decisions on the good side of a country. Every country has a bad side. We must learn to choose correctly and always know whats the best for us.
                                                                                                                    
                                                                                Author: Louie Valenciano      

Philippines joins Italy and Serbia in hosting 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

The Philippines last hosted a FIBA tournament was in 2013

The International Basketball Federation, also known as FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball) announced last January 19, 2016 that the Philippines will be hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, together with the two other host countries, Italy and Serbia. The 2016 FIBA OQT in the Philippines will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

                                                                                                            
The Philippines failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, due to their lost to the Chinese Basketball Team, and just finishing second in the FIBA Asia Championship last year. But it did not end their hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. They earned a position at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will start on July 4 to 10 in this year. 


The President of SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas), Manny V. Pangilinan, expressed his joy through the social media app, Twitter. Panglinan stated, "YES!! PHILIPPINES TO HOST FIBA OLYMPIC QUALIFYING IN JULY. LABAN PILIPINAS! PUSO!"

Official Twitter post of Manny V. Pangilinan, President of Samhang Basketbol ng Pilipinas

The tournament will be divided into 3 different divisions composed of 6 teams. The Philippine Basketball Team, Gilas Pilipinas, are fighting to earn it's first appearance in the Olympic Basketball Tournament since 1972. 

Gilas Pilipinas will be facing the teams of France, Senegal, Turkey, New Zealand, and Canada. The Philippines will be facing the toughest players from around the world, and some great NBA players.

NBA Players from the teams that will play in the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in the Philippines:

Nicolas Batum

FRANCE
- Nicolas Batum (Charlotte Hornets)
- Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)
- Ian Mahinmi (Indiana Pacers)
- Evan Fournier (Orlando Magic)
- Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
- Joffrey Lauvergne (Denver Nuggets)

Gorgui Dieng

SENEGAL
- Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Omer Asik

TURKEY
- Ersan Ilyasova (Detroit Pistons)
- Enes Kanter (Oklahoma Thunder)
- Omer Asik (New Orleans Pelicans)

Steven Adams

NEW ZEALAND
- Steven Adams (Oklahoma Thunder) *questionable

Andrew Wiggins

CANADA
- Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Nik Stauskas (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Andrew Nicholson (Orlando Magic)
- Cory Joseph (Toronto Raptors)
- Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics)
- Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)

Jordan Clarkson

PHILIPPINES
- Jordan Clarkson (Los Angeles Lakers) *questionable

Korean Food Experience

Korean Utensils
Photo by: Joseph Berger

Last Christmas break, me and my family went to South Korea and spend New year's eve there. The food there was amazing! we ate Korean food everyday and their side dishes will always have kimchi and soup. Eating Korean food will be always be cooked right in front of you, they have this grill on the center of the table and is powered through gasoline, at first its scary but you'll get used to it as you leave the restaurant with a full stomach and the smell of the food on your clothes. What I also noticed is that the utensils they used is a spoon and a pair of flat chopsticks. To be honest its embarrassing to say that I just learned how to use the chopsticks by the end of the year. I learned it by not following the right way, instead I used my own way and the chopsticks there are flat so I'm used to flat chopsticks not the usual round ones.

Korean Barbecue for lunch!!

Enough about utensils, like I said the food there was amazing! The kimchi which is my favorite korean food matches perfectly the cold weather with its spicy red sauce. Besides kimchi, Korean barbecue is the best! you can eat it with or without sauce and it would still taste great because of its spicy flavor. Whats best in my food experience is that most of the food we ate are spicy and hot which makes our faces red as we go out to the restaurants we've been. Whats also best is that you have a wide variety of choices to cook because of the fact that you'll be cooking the food yourself, there's a catch though, by the time after you ate you'll smell like food you ate but in our case it was worth it.

Korean Beef!!

Overall, the food experience I had in Korea was the best so far! Every food there was great whether its a side dish or not , everything tastes great. I wouldn't mind going back there again and now, I'm looking forward to my next food experience.


Author: Clyde Vicencio

Dark Souls 3: Prepare to Die... again

Its happening. The third installment of the infamous series Dark Souls will be coming on April 1, 2016. For those of you that don't know, Dark souls is a game made from "From Software". Dark Souls is famous for its ridiculously hard gameplay that will definitely keep you on edge. Bosses and even common enemies of this game will prove to be quite challenging. In some instances you will be outnumbered or be overwhelmed by the boss' difficulty. But the rewarding feeling of overcoming these obstacles is one of the main reasons why this game is revered by so many fans. But Dark souls is not only known for it's difficulty. It's unique way of telling the story to the players through vague dialogues and short item descriptions keep us wondering and dying (see what I did there) to know more of what really happened in the dark souls universe. Dark souls has been around since 2011 but I only picked it up recently. At first I expected a very miserable experience of repetitive deaths and that was all the game had going. And I was right you do die a lot, but nonetheless it was really fun and enjoyable. The difficulty may be frightening but once you get over that hump you will see why people play this game. Watch the gameplay for Dark Souls 3 here: Gameplay Trailer

The game looks amazing and also at the same time very intimidating. It seems to be harder than the previous games because it is more fast paced. The graphics look very similar to their other work BloodBorne which, in my opinion, looks gorgeous. Did I mention the outstanding soundtrack this game has? Even the trailer music got me all hyped up. I'm looking forward to playing yet another masterpiece from From Software. I highly recommend that if you haven't played this game you should consider trying it out. When you do try it out here's a little warning.  

Prepare to Die.

  Author: Darryl Ventura

Journey to Japan

There is so much to experience in Japan that is, well, uniquely Japanese. Last year of April, we went to Japan (me and my family) and we stayed there for a month and it was the best experience I had. As for now Japan is my all time favorite because there are few things that I really like about them and I will mention it in a while. Having studied Japanese language and other sort of stuff like their culture, and especially their food, I felt sure that Japan was a place where I wanted to explore in more depth, over a long period of time.  

These are a few of my favorite things about Japan. 

1. SEAFOOD

Of course, dining in Japan is high quality. Its actually difficult to have a bad meal. World class cuisine is not unique to Japan (What with Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indian, French, etc.) but Japan does seafood best. No wonder: with a longer history of fishing than of animal husbandry, Japan has discovered how to make even algae delicious! Japanese eat more seafood than anyone else

2. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

How many cities in the size of Tokyo can move millions around daily on infrastructure that is, even if overcrowded at times, relatively clean, safe and clean? Not many. I was lost in Japan, once. Inside the train because me and my family made a misunderstanding. So inside the train I was crying and I didn't know how to speak Japanese but maybe a little bit. Then this man came up to me and gave me his phone to call my parents and call the officials of the train to call them. They have the best service too! Japanese commuters are so polite. 

3. ANIME 

I've been reading comic books since I was 6 years old, and have long admired Japanese animation and comic art. I can't resist anime's clean lines, sense of space and forcefulness, and storyboard style of narrative. They make the best anime since then. 

Overall:

In general I can say that Japan is one the best place to go for a vacation not only of her rich and old cultures also the cleanliness of the places. Japanese people were known for their politeness and punctuality. Mass transportation were very efficient and always on time.The sceneries were breathtaking especially during the spring when the cherry blossoms are on it's peak. My experience in Japan were unforgettable and cherish it forever. 

Author: Cesar O. Omnes Jr