FIBA Manila in 2019??

Hey guys! Whats up?
Sorry it took me so long to write another blog post. College just started and I need to organize my schedule so yeah..
HELLO! I really did miss writing a blog post haha fells like centuries! XD

Anyways, back to the topic.
Did any of you guys hear about this?

Source: www.philstar.com

(MANILA, Philippines -- There's no let up for Philippine Basketball.

With the country returning to the FIBA World Cup after 36 years, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas does not  want it to be just a 'one-and-done deal'. Plans are already in place to make sure Gilas will have a big chance to become a regular fixture in the international arena.

SBP President Manny V. Pangilinan announced on his Twitter account Thursday that he already received documents to bid for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

The successful staging of FIBA Asia Men's Championship here in Manila last year has boosted the country's chances.

Pangilinan is banking on the Mall of Asia Arena, Smart Araneta Coliseum, the 50,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bulacan and the soon-to-be-rise arena in Cebu to provide world-class venues to the games. 

The country last hosted the World Basketball Championships in 1978 that also marked the last time a Phl team participated in the prestigious tournament.)

~

IF THIS WOULD PUSH THROUGH, I WOULD BE SO LIKE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! *insert party music here* 

I think it would be really awesome to hold such prestigious tournament and sports meet right here in Manila, Philippines. My hometown will be able to catch the global "sport"lights and media attention. It would bring lots of tourists and foreign dignitaries here just as the Olympic Games would.

But sometimes I wondered if we are really ready for such a huge and special global event? Are the facilities and funds enough to push through this event with flying colors? Will we be able to even convince the board to choose us as the rightful host of FIBA 2019? Well, we might be able to if we get together as one nation and support our sports industry.

Who knows? We might be able to bring the biggest sports event in the world, The Olympic Games!! And I would like to see that someday!

To Sir Manny V. Pangilinan, please continue to do efforts like this and inspire us to strive for excellence in basketball! Thank you so much po! :))

And to Gilas Pilipinas in Spain right now for FIBA2014, A MAJOR MAJOR GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!! PUSO!

We will support you all the way! Go GILAS PILIPINAS! Laban Pilipinas!

Kbye. :3

C1 Film Fest. ADVNTR Blog #2

C1 Film Festival | June 5-6, 2014 at SM North Edsa

DAY 1
We went yesterday, July 5, to attend the Cinema One Anniversary Film Festival at SM North Edsa. We went there for our tickets to watch different movies featured.

SM North Edsa | July 5, 2014

We arrived at 1:30 PM and the first movie started at 1. I knew we were running late. So we hurried and asked the guard where Cinema 2 was.

So many people! darn it haha

We headed straight for the organizer and asked about the movie. Fortunately, there were technical difficulties and the movie is suspended for now. But, we got our tickets!

First movie was Blur Bustamante.

And we waited in line to get inside the theater. And minutes passed. I got so bored that I took this photo from the glass pane. Hahaha!

What a sight ain't it? I wish you were there.

And so, a lady came out and said that the movie will have to be skipped and the next movie in line will be played. Well, most people got angry and left but we like the next movie so, it's worth a shot.

(And because video taping inside the theater is prohibited, I just took photos!)

Before the film.

After the film.

And that day, we went through 3 movies, namely Bride For Rent, On The Job, and Starting Over Again.

We were very tired and frozen (The temperature inside the theater is the same as the inside of your fridge!)

So we slept and are hopeful for the films to be shown the next day!

DAY 2

And it's Day 2 for the C1 Film Fest in SM North Edsa. We brought a friend to accompany us in today's journey in the SM REFRIGERATOR. just kidding!

When we got to Cinema 2, which is in The Block, the guard told us that the screening was moved to Cinema 5 at the main mall. So we had to walk like 500 meters to get there. And believe me, there was a very long line in front of the theater.

This will serve as proof! Very very long line.

And I was even more shocked when we got our tickets from the organizer.

We were No.213! The theater's capacity was at 500! Anyways, popcorn!

So we got inside, and definitely knew that this theater was bigger than Cinema 2 at The Block. Take a look inside!

JAM PACKED!

So the film started and the first film was Himala with Nora Aunor. I really liked to see this movie because of it's help in the Philippines' cinema industry. And of course, to witness this grand scene!

"Walang Himala!"

Then the next movie was Slumber Party which is an indie film by CinemaOne Originals.

And the next one was Shift featuring Yeng Constantino. As you know, I'm a big fan of Yeng and her music. Since we have been watching movies like this since yesterday, I kinda memorized the opening sequence before the actual movie starts. They are all the same: C1 theme song, interviews, some commercials, some trailers, and a MTRCB advisory like the green one in the US. But the advisory never came up, the screen was just black for a while before a lady came up the stage and said hello. It was the director of the film Shift, and she just announced that Yeng Constantino was going to watch the movie with us. WHAT?!?!? Then, the gates opened, and I immediately recognized her violet hair. It was really Yeng!

AAAAHH! I LOVE YOU YENG!

So there was a lot of commotion and we were told to just sit down and watch the film as it starts. All in all, it was such a wonderful film, and we gave Yeng an applause for that.

See the crowd behind Yeng (including me!) when she exited the theater. LOTS!

And afterwards, we went grocery shopping because tomorrow is school day once again for my little brother, AJ! 

 

Then we went home after 2 long days of "film fest"ing and movie watching at SM North. It was such a good experience (even if it was like a trip to Alaska)

So that's it guys! I feel sooooo tired right now :( I wanna sleeep. Until next time guys! Bye! :)))

100 million and counting.

Hey! Whaddup guys! So have you heard?

100 million Filipinos by 2nd quarter 2014

But isn't the second quarter of 2014 right now? The population of the Philippines reached 100,000,000 RIGHT NOW!!
Ain't that amazing? But sometimes, I think that I'm quite (a bit only) terrified.
Why?
That is because of limited resources, inadequate jobs, and low rank in global human improvement level.
I am quite worried on how the government will deal with us being a hundred million in a nation only a dot in the UN logo. But if there's one thing that I learned about being Filipino. It about bayanihan and people power. I realized that the more we are, the faster the economy would grow because of the number of young people ready to work. What the problem is the lack of jobs produced by the government. If only there would be more jobs, we would help the economy a lot more therefore, pushing our nation upwards in the global scale.

Some say that "the more, the merrier" is a bust. But that ain't not far from the truth. The feeling of energy whenever you attend a concert, or just a scary movie. When suddenly a scary scene is flashed unto the screen. and all of you just scream at the top of your lungs or when the roller coaster drops down a tall hill. Then feel like laughing because of your synchronization. The slogan "It's more fun in the Philippines" will apply on this point. But there are still an awful lot of problems resulting to high population.

For further references on this topic, click here or here.

References: Philippine Star and Manila Standard Today

That's all for today guys! Check out for more news! See ya! :))

Densely Populated. ADVNTR Blog #1

 Today, 4th of July, my grandmother and I had a stroll around the city of Manila. I am scheduled to order my college uniforms in my university and she asked is she could come along.

So we took a jeepney, and boy was I really surprised. Just 3 years ago, the normal seating capacity for a jeepney on each side is 8 people. Then, I got a little frustrated when the number went a little higher to 9. But now, the capacity is maxed out and a whopping 10 people are seating on either side. Literally, my butt is on the edge of my seat. It felt really uncomfortable, considering that it was a sunny morning. It think that the government, even just the local one, should implement a law that regulates the amount of people that can be seated inside the jeepney because it felt really irritating that even if the capacity of the vehicle is capped on, the driver is still willing to give ride and leave us all in there like sardines in a can. So please guys, fix this problem okay?

We arrived in Quiapo Church and what I first noticed is the lack of breathing space. It felt like that particular place is the same as the jeepney we just rode on. The feeling was the same. Hot, Irritating, and well CROWDED. But I think that is totally fine in mega city of mostly christian people. We went to attend the mass just at the sides because there weren't any chairs left to sit in sight. Afterwards, we headed to where my grandmother intends to go. She wanted to see the statue of the Black Nazarene at the back. The streets leading to the back portion were really tight and narrow, giving us a feeling of like we are in Divisoria.

Altar of the Quiapo Church
(well side view of the altar)

Side view of Quiapo Church in Manila

The Black Nazarene statues at the back.

Busy traffic in Quiapo Church area at rush hour.
(well the left lane has a lot of room compared to the right :) )

So we went to where I was supposed to go. My college! University of Santo Tomas.
We were going to order my college uniform and check on the patches for them. The patches weren't available :(( (yet)
They said that maybe by July 13, the patches would be available. Yey!

Roque Drive in UST. How I wish EDSA could be this quiet. Wake up! Hahaha

So, that's all for my first ADVNTR Blog! Thanks for reading! See ya :))

"I am not afraid of cancer. I am not afraid of anything." - Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago

I just recently opened my twitter account and found this:

She is one of the people in the government that I highly respect and greatly adore. When she speaks, It's not just regular babble but meaningful and sensible sermons for the political people who are not doing what they are suppose to be doing. I even thought that one day, she could be the next president of this nation. If she did run, I will not regret to vote for her for she carries within her the passion and determination that this nation deserves. We love you Ma'am Santiago and get well soon! #MiriamFight

Global Spotlight on Manilla

Before we proceed, if you noticed that the spelling of Manila is wrong, GOOD JOB! Most websites mistakenly misspell Manila as Manilla. You must really know Manila then. But if you didn't, now you know what's the correct spelling, okay? 

Manila, recently dubbed as the Capital of Fun, is rapidly becoming known worldwide because of the recent events like World Economic Forum 2014, Shell Ecomarathon 2014, FIBA Asia Championship 2013, and the incoming APEC Annual Meeting on 2015. It is also known as one of the most dynamic, vibrant, and innovative cities in asia along with Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, Jakarta, Dubai, and many more.

Manila is a global city comprising of 25 million people, dwarfing that of Greater London's 7 million population. Recently, Manila only comes second to Jakarta in the list of Future Emerging Cities Outlook 2014 (see right). With the whole Philippines' buzzing energy of 98 million people, the country is named the texting capital, social media capital, and recently Manila's concert capital of asia moniker. The city is moving really fast. Lots of infrastructure projects including a skyway, airport, and a first in manila's history, a subway! The city is getting a lot of international recognition for it's outstanding performance on medicine and technology. 

But even as a global city, Manila still has some areas to fill up. Areas like city development, waste management, traffic congestion, poverty, and corruption. Many complaint about ugly architecture, trash and rubbish everywhere, lack of trash bins, high criminal rates, bad air quality, bad public transportation hygiene, lack of orderliness when it comes to PUVs, lots of shanty towns and street beggars, and bribe-ready traffic enforcers and officers. Of course, every other city in the world has these problems. Even some may be worst than Manila. But what we all should know is that, we are the people who walk these streets everyday. We are the ones responsible for our own metropolis. If we only learn to discipline ourselves, obey to rules and regulations, find wrongdoings and help correct them, and not act like you don't care. This is our city, and we should do all that we can to improve and preserve it in anyway that we possibly can.

Bet you are now saying "But how can we help Manila be a better place?". Simple. In addition to what I said earlier, we should engage in discussions and petitions about the city's improvement like one like this. We must always start with ourselves and from there, start improving your communities and villages. That way, we are helping Manila every step at a time.

For me, I imagine Manila as an urban center for commerce, education, culture, entertainment, and global involvement. I believe that Manila will be a great city, greater than its present day shape. Someday, we'll be proud to say that "It's More Fun in Manila!"

Well guys, that's all for now. See ya! :D

Movie and Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars!!!

The Fault In Our Stars is the sixth novel by John Green, published in 2012. It is widely known worldwide because of its great plot, tossed with different twists and morals that every teenager and teenager-at-heart can related very much to. The book tells the amazing story of a sixteen-year old cancer patient, Hazel Grace Lancaster, who is attending a support group of cancer patients. There she meets seventeen-year old Augustus Waters, who is attending the group that day. She fell in love with Augustus because of his cunning and witty personality.

Mr. Green stated that he found the inspiration for The Fault In Our Stars when he worked at a children's hospital as a chaplain or somebody who is a minister or priest attending to an institution. He thought that the children in the hospital were like the other kids playing out in the world. That they are no difference to others even if they are sick. They still are living their lives to the fullest, just like other kids live theirs.


The book became #1 best seller in New York Times and received a high amount of positive reviews from critics. This is because of the well thought  plot and witty use of words that stick to the readers and change their perspective of life. Critics state that this elegantly-written book may be John Green's best work. Jodi Picoult said that Green's novel was "an electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave."

On January 2012, Fox 2000, a division of the 2Oth Century Fox, gave interest in adapting the novel into a feature film. Filming locations include Indianapolis, Pittsburgh doubling as Indiana, and Amsterdam in Denmark.

The film is directed by Josh Boone and stars Shailene Woodley playing Hazel, Ansel Elgort as Augustus or Gus, and Nat Wolff as Isaac. It was released on June 6, 2014 in the US (and June 5 for the Philippines).
 Here's a catch: John Green was filmed a cameo appearance but it was cut                            from the film. The footage will appear in the deleted                                      scenes.

So, what do I think about The Fault In Our Stars? I personally think that it would be one of those books that will make me, without restrains, to read and read it again and again because of its clever plot and amazing morals and quotes that I know I will learn to use in my own life. I think most of us think about it the same way. It is not just a novel, and as Mr. Green says so himself "It's not just a tearjerker..." but a book that made us feel happy, sad, enlightened, hopeful, inspired, and connected all of us as human beings.

Mr. John Green quoted that "Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them; Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promises anyway."

That's all for today guys! :)) Keep yourselves safe, okay?

Why do I even have this frickin phobia??

I don't think this is called Aquaphobia because I like drinking and playing with water myself. But based on my research (Google :D ), it is actually Hydrophobia or Aquaphobia itself. WHAT?!? I'm only afraid of the depth of it, not water itself...but I have to accept it. Ever since I was a kid, I never liked the thought of deep water and falling into it (though I watch Finding Nemo and Titanic :D ).

I'm thinking that there are a lot of people on the same page as me on this. But I know what we are afraid of. It's not the water, but the Fear of the Unknown, like what's down there? or are there any sea monsters in that water?

We always wonder about myths and legends like Loch Ness or Kraken, and read news about shipwrecks and plane crashes at the Bermuda Triangle. We have our mindset like this on the ocean. We only don't know if those stories are true.

What I would like to say is that each and every one of us have fears. We must learn to accept it, not reject it. Go swimming with a friend or a relative if that will make you feel better. I assure you that only under the sea are spongebob and his friends eating krabby patties hahaha...(or is it really just them?)

"I really think that being yourself, being original, being outside the box is starting to be appealing to people." - Miranda Lambert

In one of the few sources I've read, starting a blog sounds easy but now that I'm writing my first blog post only I realized, that creating one is as challenging as understanding Calculus. You must put a lot, and I mean a LOT of effort, hard work, and passion into it. Well, those few starting sentences were challenging enough. But now that I have started on something, my fingers cannot simply stop typing. Why is that? Maybe it's that you have established a starting foundation and just work your way up. That's how life works, doesn't it? The beauty is that you never get to stop working your way up. It is limitless. You can talk or post about anything and interact with the world around you. You never have to worry that somebody will think that you are stupid because there will always be that somebody. You've got a life ahead of you and being yourself, being original, being outside the box will get you to be appealing to other people, as Miranda Lambert stated. Thank You and Good Day!! :)) (woah, that was hard hahaha)