Sunday, February 28, 2016

Love, Tastebuds


In my 16 years of existence in this world, two kinds of food gave my tastebuds the love of their lives. These 2 kinds of food top my list of best foods ever. The Japanese dish, Ramen, and the Hambuger!
I could eat loads of burger, and pair them with 3 bowls of Ramen. I would show you the history behind these tasty dishes.


RAMEN:

The splendid taste and aroma of Ramen, made me love the dish. The mixed flavors of the ingredients
just keeps me alive. The best Ramen I tasted was in Japan, during my family's vacation trip. 

According to Rufus (2011), "Ramen -- although it wasn't called that, then -- first appeared in Japan in 1910, when Chinese cooks at Tokyo's Rairaiken restaurant created a signature dish comprising broth and Chinese noodles, which were yellower and more elastic than Japanese noodles because -- then as now -- their dough was kneaded withkansui, a sodium-carbonate-infused alkaline mineral water.
This wildly popular dish was not called ramen but rather shina soba: Shina is a phonetic rendering of the word "China." Soba are buckwheat noodles, although the Chinese noodles used in shina soba were wheat-based. Over the next few years, restaurants all over Japan started serving regional versions of shina soba, using local ingredients."

HAMBURGER:

I love hamburgers. Especially when it comes from 8 cuts, and/or In-N-Out Burgers. Now here is a brief history on hamburgers. According to toriavey.com (2013), "During the 19th century, Hamburg became famous for their beef, from cows raised in the regional countryside. Hamburg beef was commonly chopped, seasoned and molded into patties. Since refrigeration was not yet available, fresh beef like this had to be cooked immediately. Hamburg beef came with a hefty price tag outside of its native land, and was often substituted with less expensive varieties of beef. When groups of German immigrants began arriving in America during the 19th century, many earned their livelihood by opening restaurants in large cities like Chicago and New York. It wasn’t long before many of their menus featured an Americanized version of the Hamburg steak– beef that was minced or chopped and combined with garlic, onions, salt and pepper, then grilled or fried. In 1837, New York’s Delmonico’s restaurant offered a Hamburg steak on its first menu. At 10 cents it was the most expensive item, twice the cost of pork chops, veal cutlets and roast beef. A German restaurant at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition in 1876 served Hamburg steaks to thousands of customers."

Author: Cesar Omnes Jr.



The Last Run

Photo by: Jesse D. Garrabrant
A huge event happened on February 14, 2016. It was the NBA All Star Game Day, one of the most awaited matches on every season in NBA. This season the All Star game was more of a show, rather than a match. Both sides scored nearly half of the normal matches of the NBA. The scoreboard of 196-173 was astonishing as it was record breaking. Both teams let their defense down so both of the teams can have as much points as they want. In the end it was all a matter of  a "who scores more?" rather than a "who plays better?" match. Even if they played such an effortless defense, they still made the crowd love every second.

Photo by: Bleacher Report

Photo by: NBA
This seasons reigning MVP of the NBA All Star match up is still the one and only Russel Westbrook. He showed us last season how he can dominate games like these with dominating performance. This year he is still dominating the court with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and a number of highlights in the game. He beat Indiana Pacers' star player Paul George who scored 41 points in the match up for the NBA All Star MVP. "Despite George's effort, he was 1 point shy of making history, which was tying with Wilt Chamberlain's 42 points in 1962." as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports stated.

Photo by: IBtimes
Overall what really made the crowd stay in their seats was not the fancy plays, nor the outrageous scores, it was the one and only Kobe Bryant. The 37 year old veteran who played in the NBA for 19 years is sadly retiring. In those 19 years of playing, he met stars such as Michael Jordan and the like and also was compared to him after creating a lot of history. Bryant only scored 10 points but he dished out 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Considering he is the eldest among all of them, you may still say that he still has the talent. The stadium was full of emotions as Bryant, for the last time, stepped in and out of the NBA All Star court. In a recent interview, Lebron James or also known as "The King" stated that "It was an honor and a pleasure to have the chance to play with Kobe". The same goes for last seasons MVP Stephen Curry.


Author: Louie Valenciano

Tropic Fashion

Summer is coming in a few weeks. The Philippines is known for it's hot and tropical climate. Wearing the wrong clothes would surely mess up your summer adventures. Let me show some Summer fashion trends for men, that would surely keep you comfortable, and attractive at the same time. I will give you two clothing trend genres that would fit the hot weather.

ATHLESIURE
Athlesiure, the style of this genre is simply wearing athletic clothing, but with a classy twist. People on summer days would want to wear the lightest, thinnest, and most comfortable clothing. If you are an athlete, you would most likely want to wear the clothes that would fit this kind of style. You just need any plain, designed top clothes, some comfortable athletic shorts or athletic pants, and a good pair of trainers.
THE CUBAN COLLAR






Are you a classy kind of person? Then the Cuban Collar fashion, is the one for you. This style bring us back to the 1950's. I guarantee that your grandpa would approve of your sense of fashion. If you are tired of people teasing you about wearing the same clothes during the Summer season in the past 3 years, then this kind of clothing would surely make their eyes pop. This style would make you look a lot like the "Godfather" in the summer. You would just need some fitted stylish collared, tucked in some shorts or slacks, and a pair of loafers or formal footwear. This would surely throw you back into the generation of your Grandfathers.




I hope I gave you good clothing tips, to keep you ready for the Summer season. These tips would surely make you look good under the hot sun. Feel free to wear these kinds of clothes, and customize it for that great Summer look. Nobody can take away the Summer form you. Stay fresh! Keep the Summer hot with your fabulous style!

Author: Vince Gerard M. Villegas
  

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The unknown sport

HISTORY OF HANDBALL

Handball is 7 a side indoor sport, which is played on a court that is slightly larger than a basketball court.The objective of this sport is to score more goals than the opposing team.the ball is being moved by the form of passing, in handball you can dribble as much as you can not like basketball you cannot double dribble,but you are only allowed three steps and you are not allowed to have the ball in your hands for more than three seconds. The match consists of two 30 minute halves with a 10 minute rest period. the ball weighs 16 ounces meanwhile for the women it weighs 13 ounces.






There are four types of players:
Goalies: Defend goal.  Not expected to stop as many goals as goalies in hockey or soccer.
Circle Runners:  Large players who block shooters and try to disorganize the defense.  They also are shooters, usually from close-in range.
Wings:  They are offensive players who shoot at odd angles, usually from the sides.
Big Shooters: They are tall, agile players who much like quarterbacks lead the offense.  They shoot from the backcourt over the head of defenders.


Handball may not as entertaining or famous as basketball football or tennis but once you try it, surely you will fall in love with it, handball requires strength, as you bump your opponents body, also speed is required as you try to avoid your opponent in order to score, also high vertical jumps as you jump as high as you can to get the ball and also use this as a technique to score.in the Philippines the sport handball is not yet that evident but i know people who are committed, it is there passion to play that sport, these people are trying their best to raise awareness to people that sport handball really exists

author: Jake Decena


Saturday, January 30, 2016

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      

Friday, January 29, 2016

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