by: Denise Nicole J. Rabino

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Manila, Philippines – Whenever the current Philippine president would make a crude, misogynistic comment about women, Malacañang Palace and presidential spokesperson  are immediately ready to give out a statement of disclaim, cleansing Duterte out of his offensive statements.

Even before the start of his presidential reign in 2016 election, President Duterte has been known to elicit crude and vulgar words to emphasize extremities of his “movement” to stop crime.

However, his own crude words does not only follow his emphasis on stopping crime, but how he views women, children, and even the society.

For the past three years of his current presidential reign, there had been controversies regarding his comments  about women that could be considered insulting, humiliating, and traumatizing, especially for those who had been victims of abuse. The constant rape jokes and blatant disregard of personal space of women he meets is wholly demeaning for all women, regardless of whether or not they experienced abuse.

Still, the people in Malacañang continue to dismiss the concerns of certain groups, downplaying the comments into merely jokes.

Former spokesperson Harry Roque had long been cleansing Duterte’s hands out of possible revolt of groups against the groups who support women rights. Harry Roque had claimed that the president himself knows his limits in making such comments, however, women’s rights movements is questioning if the president actually knows the influence of his repulsive comments towards the women of the masses, and how it molds society’s way of thinking.

This streak of protecting Duterte from the consequences of his malicious jokes is still ongoing to the current presidential spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, as he had downplayed Duterte’s comments regarding killing of bishops as “dramatic effect”.

by: Troy Benedict S. Omaña

Manila, Philippines – Different people have different choices when it comes to comfort food, but majority of Filipinos prefer noodles or something with broth or soup. In terms of noodles, different dishes can be identified. May it be instant or hand-pulled noodles, you name it, we take it!

Currently, there is this food from the land of the rising sun taking the Philippines by storm. I’m talking about ramen, but the real question is: What is ramen?

According to groupon.com, Ramen is widely considered a Japanese invention in the 1950s, but it originated from China way back from 1900s. It was called “Chinese soba” because it was served in noodle carts owned by Chinese people to the Military in Japan back in the Sino-Japanese war. Currently, it is a trendy dish from Japan that skyrocketed the popularity in different countries all over the world with its creamy broth, thin slice of chashu or seafood, delicious egg, and firm noodles, it feels like frolicking under the cherry blossom trees and having a trip to Japan with only spending less than 500 Php. Because of that, one can consider ramen as a comfort food. Now, I’m here to give 3 places that offers the best ramen with different price range if you crave for the smooth and silky noodle dish.

1. Kichitora – Second Floor, Atrium SM Megamall E, EDSA, Ortigas.
   Store Hours: 10 AM – 9 PM (Store Hours may vary with mall’s operating hours)

   The name “Kichitora” means “lucky tiger” and was derived from the symbols of two families that joined forces to create the said resto. This restaurant offers a wide variety of ramen, tsukemen, dons, and of course, different side dish like gyoza, and buns. Price of ramen ranges from 350 to 440 Php, depending on the customer’s additional toppings. For more information, visit http://kichitora.com

 

2. Mendokoro Ramenba – V. Corporate Center, Soliman Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City and Icon Plaza, 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig CityStore Hours: 11AM – 12 Midnight
This is the highly recommended ramen place by different food websites because of its ambiance and delicious food. It feels like you’re in a ramen resto in Japan itself! Different ramen variants are served here, like tonkotsu ramen, hiyashi ramen, tsukemen, and maze soba. Their food ranges from 370 – 480 Php. For more information, visit https://www.zomato.com/manila/mendokoro-ramenba-bonifacio-global-city-taguig-city/menu?context=eyJzZSI6eyJlIjpbIjYzMTYxMjUiLCIxODY5NTQyNyJdLCJ0IjoiTWVuZG9rb3JvIFJhbWVuYmEsIE1ldHJvIE1hbmlsYSJ9fQ==#tabtop

3. Ramen Nagi – 15 locations in Metro Manila
Store Hours: 10 AM – 10 PM

When we talk about ramen, one restaurant that instantly comes in our mind is Ramen Nagi. One of the “fathers” of ramen in the Philippines, this U.S. – based restaurant is known by their four “kings”, they bring up the excitement and cravings to the next level. Their ramen ranges from 390 – 410 Php, depending on the additional toppings. For more info, visit https://www.zomato.com/manila/ramen-nagi-bonifacio-global-city-taguig-city/menu

Now that we gave our top 3 recommended ramen restaurants, it’s your time to explore different ramen places and finally say “amen” to ramen!

Fashion; the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time, a garment in such a style. (from Merriam Webster)

Unlike before, fashion matters a lot almost for everyone without the distinction of age or sex, young and old, men and women all alike.

South Korea is one of the countries that leads the fashion industry in the world. We can see a lot of made in Korea products including the clothes, bags, shoes, and beauty products in malls of different countries. Many people all around the world want to follow the Korean fashion and even make-up style. One of the main influences of this trend is the Korean celebrities especially K-pop singers or the actors and actresses from K-Drama.

 

K-Dramas (Picture above)

K-Pop singers (Picture above)

Whenever the singers release their new album, it is not only the song of the singers that catches people’s attention, but fashion items in music videos and dance cover videos or on the stages of K-Pop stars is also another factor that attracts the public attention internationally.

Jennie from K-Pop band ‘BlackPink’ released her first solo song entitled “Solo” on November 12, 2018.

“Solo” by Jennie

BlackPink which is known for their hit songs like “DDU-DU-DDU-DU”, “PLAYING WITH FIRE”, “BOOMBAYA”, and “WHISTLE” . Since this group was awarded for so many times, Jennie’s solo album was also highly expected by the audience.

This song was customized only for Jennie focusing on her unique voice and aura. The song is about a girl who is tired of fitting into the stereotype being a girl and also of having same love relationship cycle. She determines to live as solo rather than being someone’s girl. Following this concept of the song, Jennie wears exceptional while fabulous outfits to show the independence of a girl. (Pictures follow)

It is hard for normal people to wear in daily lives, but it will be great to wear those things during parties or any special events.

Her music video has reached 111,334,677 views as of December 12, 2018 and the mass is very interested in her new album.

These are some of the comments of her fans under her music video.

“I forgot to close my mouth the whole time..”

“It’s a month old song now.. I’m not even tired of coming back here everyday, not once but more than 20 times I guess. Or maybe more. I just love JENNIE. And the song of course. I will never get tired of loving BLACKPINK.”

“Notice how she is never really alone during this music video, during the scenes at her home, her dog is with her, at the bar/club her friends are with her and at the end, many people are dancng along with her, I think it represents that no matter what you are going through you are never the only one, you are not alone!”

Check out the followings:

Ariana Grande, who is one of the top stars in the America released new song title ‘Thank U, Next‘ dropping names of her ex-boyfriends’ saying thank you to them. This song became her first Billboard Hot No.1. This must be very special to her because even though she started as a singer from 2011 and released famous songs such as ‘Santa Tell me‘, ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘God is a woman‘ she never got a chance to reach number 1 in chart.

 

Not only her song reached top 1 in chart, but her music video broke the YouTube Record of most views. Her video became most viewed within 24 hours right after she released her video.

As a famous artist, she was surrounded by numerous rumors that could hurt her but this song was not only just saying thank you to her ex-boyfriends who made her to grew up as a better person but also an attack to the people who never stops saying bad things about her. Through the song, she show she had nothing to hide about her past relationships but rather proud of things she’d gone through and courageous enough to face the challenges.

She got permission to mention their names in her song so let us look her ex-boyfriends based on the lyrics in her song. But this song is not to tell them she hates them but rather thankful to them.

1. Big Sean

   

She thought that she would last with Sean but they weren’t mean to each other. He is a rapper and they also released song together. There was a rumor saying that they broke up because he wrote so dirty lyrics about Ariana Grande.

 

2. Ricky Alvarez

He is backup dancer of Ariana Grande. As seen in the lyrics she also wrote songs about him which is ‘True Love’ but she is laughing about the song whenever she listens to it now.

3. Pete Davidson

Pete Davidson is a comedian and they even had matching tattoo with each other. She was engaged with him but then the engagement was broke off. In the TV show, he even talked about Ariana Grande that she switched birth control to tic tac so she can’t go anywhere.

 

4. Mac Miller

He is a rapper who died due to drug overdose. They even had collaboration song and she is saying in her lyrics that she would like to say thank you too him as well since she can’t tell that to him anymore.

 

As you can see she had been into so much struggles and hardships. But those past is just a platform for her to be a better woman and we can see how strong she is. So now let’s listen to the song again with background knowledge about it.

 

By Park, HyeMin

                                                by Marianne Isabella O. Pangilinan

In every corner of the streets of Manila, it is impossible that you would not find any milk tea place. It has been every one’s hobby to drink, study, and chitchat inside milk tea places which is now becoming a tradition especially for Filipino teenagers. The milk tea craze has evolved through times because currently, there are several milk tea places to go to and drinks to choose from. It is overwhelming that the milk tea obsession popped out and became interest of many.

Here are three of the most affordable milk tea places I have visited:

1. I Love Milktea

“Tea goodness in a cup”, from Milk Tea to Frappes to Fruit Tea, I Love Milk tea serves variety of flavors that are mouthwatering enough for our taste buds. Choosing from over 30 flavors can engulf your cravings and can make you feel the sweetness of each. This milk tea place embraces the love in a cup so since then, many customers loved each milk tea they offer and have found this place the most affordable of all milk tea places.

Normally, people would order the most basic teas such as Wintermelon Milk Tea, Taro Milk Tea, and Chocolate Milk Tea, but for my preference, whenever I will buy a drink in this place, I prefer to get fruit tea rather than milk tea. Of all 8 flavors, I always go for the Peach Mango Fruit Tea for it has this tropical taste and unique effect in my mouth. For only 60-70 pesos, you now have a delightful tea and goodness in a cup.

2. Happy Cup

Established in 2017 by Toni and Alex Gonzaga, the goal of the two is to create moments of happiness through a cup. Happy Cup offers budget-friendly drinks and promotes optimism to the buyers. Just like other milk tea stops, they also serve different flavors of milk tea which are loved by the people who often buy and drink it. Their best sellers are Okinawa Milk Tea, Taro Milk Tea, and the commonly known flavor, Wintermelon.

The first time I went to this milk tea place, I cannot decide what to order because they have varieties in which, some are new to my vision. The first ever drink I ordered was Okinawa Milk Tea, at first, I thought it has the same taste with the other Okinawa Milk Tea I have tasted before, but the flavor blends pleasantly in my mouth although it tastes a bit dry.

3. D Cream

Milkier than Ever. If you are craving for something sweeter than the usual taste of milk tea, this is the place to be. D Cream has several options to choose from and gives you the freshest taste of milk and tea combined with tapioca and other toppings to add on.

 

There are top 5 places that people should not miss it when they go to South Korea. Check it out and visit these beautiful and wonderful excited places. These places are really famous that everyone knows it.

1.Lotte World 

     Lotte World is an amusement places that people are enjoying to play with their friends, lovers, and families. There are many amusement rides and foods inside this place. Also, there is Lotte World Mall near in amusement part. Lotte World located in 240, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul near in Jamsil station.

2. Caribbean Bay

Carribean Bay is part of Everland theme park.  People not only enjoy swimming and water amusement rides, but they can also relax in hot spring waters all year round. there are various facilities in the water park such as indoor and outdoor pools, spa, sauna,wave pool, etc.This place is a favorite friend, family, and also lover’s destination. Caribbean Bay Water Park has been designed with a Caribbean theme, and it is the largest water park in the world. This place located in 199, Everland-ro, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do.

3. Namsan Tower

Namsan Tower is most famous night tour in Seoul. This located in the Mt. Namsan which was the most well-known night tour among foreigners. Mt. Namsan is located at the heart of Seoul and on the top of this mountain has Namsan Tower that many couples visited there. From the Namsan tower, many couples buy the lover lock and then lock it . This symbolizes that their love will never be separated.

4. Hangang River

Hangang River is the famous places where families, friends, and also lovers are dating, playing, eating together. This place also has shown in some Korean dramas. Most tourists visited this river and experiencing this beautiful place. They can jog, walk around the park with their dogs. This place is located in 120, Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

5. Lee Tae Won Street

Lee Tae Won is very famous street where many foreigners are staying and playing with their friends. There are many famous restaurants that tourists should visit and also bars where they can drink and playing with their friends. This street feels like foreign countries that they mixed with each other. From this place, many tourists take pictures and eat a lot.

published by: EunJin Yang

by Allana Mae P. Murillo 12/11/18 6:27 pm

        A lot of food hubs across the metro are gaining much popularity because of the growing number of people becoming fond of eating outside their homes. Food hubs are sometimes called the “tambayan” of most of the people nowadays especially the young ones. These food hubs somewhat became not just an eating place but also a meeting place, a bonding place and even a studying place for some people.

       Some food hubs though they offer good food sometimes do not offer goodness to our pockets. Others, while they offer good and affordable food, their services are just terrible. If you have encountered food hubs/cafes like that before, you better visit Tondo now because food hubs/ cafes in this place offer the best service, the best and affordable food you are looking for.

      If you do not know what food hubs to visit first, here is the Top 5 Must Try Food Hubs in Tondo, Manila:

1. Basement Café

  image from https://web.facebook.com/basementcafe.mnl/       

        Basement Café is an American inspired café located in Sta. Maria St. Tondo, Manila, near the Sto. Nino church. Basement café serves different kinds of burger, pasta, rice meals, coffee, blended beverages, fruit shakes and even milk tea. The price of their food ranges from 70 to 150 pesos. It is super affordable and their service is the best. The staffs here are very approachable and friendly. The food and drinks, from burger to milk tea are all A+. Their best selling meals are Tuna Pesto and Chicken Alfredo. These two meals are really their best meals plus their Curly fries. The food here is a must try, worth every penny I can say.

2. 1531 Grillery

images from https://web.facebook.com/1531Grillery/photos

        1531 Grillery is located just beside Basement Café.  Unlike Basement Café that offers diverse kinds of food, 1531 only offers Mexican cuisines. The food here are really amazing that it can make you feel that you are a Mexican. The prices are still customer friendly, ranging from 70 to 200 pesos only. Their best selling meal is their Grilled Porterhouse Steak. This meal is super delicious, surely an A+. They also serve super delicious Lava cake. Another good thing about this place is their fast service and their staffs that are super approachable. This is a must visit place if you want to have the best eating experience.

3. EATFLIX

   images from https://web.facebook.com/eatflixeatandchill/photos

   Eatflix is located in Franco St., corner Pacheco St. Tondo, Manila. This food hub is a place where you can eat while watching your favorite Netflix movie. This is a good place to hang out with your friends because aside from being able to watch movies for free, the service and the food here are great. If you are fond of watching movies while chilling, you better check Eatflix out!

4. Distreato Café

     images from https://web.facebook.com/pg/DistrEAToCafe/reviews/?ref=page_internal

       Distreato Café is located in Panday Pira St. Corner Velasquez Tondo Manila. This place serves the best chicken wings in town. They offer different flavors of chicken wings such as Garlic Mayo, Salted Egg, Garlic Parmesan, Buffalo and many more. They also serve other food like fries, rice meals, pasta, waffles and even frappe. The price of the food here are pocket friendly, it ranges from 70 to 200 pesos only plus the cozy atmosphere and friendly staffs. It is very “SULIT” as what people say.

5. Mr. Kim Samgyeopsal

images from https://web.facebook.com/pg/mr.kimssamgyeopsal/photos

   To all the Korean food lovers out there, Mr. Kim Samgyeopsal is the place to go. This place will surely give you the taste of Korean’s best samgyeopsal.  It is located in Moriones corner de vera Tondo, Manila.  They serve unlimited Korean BBQ for only 299 pesos! Aside from that, they also serve unlimited side dish, unlimited rice and unlimited drinks. They also have promos such as “barkada” promos where in you and your friends can win free unlimited pork. If you really love Korean food, this is the best place to go!

 

Enjoy life, keep on eating!

 

 

 

 

 Maria Chriselle S. Domingo 11/12/2018 6:31 PM

Mixed Martial Arts is an extreme combat sport that requires both stand-up and ground fighting skills; Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Wrestling. MMA employs striking, kicking, and grappling techniques that are combined to produce a unified and solid fighting style.

Many may see MMA as a bloody and morbid sport to be spectated; two fighters knocking each other in full-contact in the octagon. However, Mixed Martial Arts demands an overwhelming amount of skill and discipline for it to be practiced. Just like any other art form such as theater, photography, writing, or music, MMA is also a remarkable expression of art that has various forms,  content, different fighting styles, and a solid medium.

Form

Every fighter has his or her own solid form that answers to an intricate attention to detail. A fighter must be balanced and stable, yet stubborn to movement; firm and unbreakable, but at the same time supple and flexible; ferocious and aggressive, but retains a clear and calm mind. In these various forms, the beauty of the fighter’s movement can either flow like running water or crash like a proud tidal wave.

Content

One cannot survive a round with another MMA fighter in the octagon without the adequate knowledge of what constitutes fighting. There is such a thing as Fight IQ which helps a fighter analyze his opponent’s form, movements, and style as he stands right before him. Fight IQ helps the fighter to instantaneously come up with an instinctive tactic to counter an opponent’s strike or devise a pattern to bait in his opponent to open a short window of time for a possible take down or even a knockout that would lead to winning. In order to acquire enough Fight IQ, one must spend years of hard work, experience, and discipline to develop it.

Fighting Styles

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) comprises of a number of fighting styles that are originated from different countries; Boxing first originated in England, then was widely accepted in the US; Muay Thai was contributed to the world by the Thais; Jiu Jitsu was first known to be from Japan which was known as Judo, then was also practiced in Brazil,  hence Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ); and lastly, Wrestling that was developed in the European continent.

Medium

A medium refers to the materials used to create a work of art. In Mixed Martial Arts, there are a plethora of medium that a fighter can use depending on the style he or she practices. Evidently, the most important media for fighting is the fighter himself; his fist and elbow, and his shin and knee. Asides from the fighter, each fighting style has its own set of media to be used for the sport. For Boxing and Muay Thai, it is evidently the gloves the fighter uses to throw beautiful jabs and powerful straights. For Jiu Jitsu, the fighter uses the Gi, a uniform of heavy cotton jacket and reinforced trousers, and his belt to grip on and enforce various submission holds to his opponent. Lastly, for Wrestling, the mat serves as the medium for the wrestler to slam or throw his opponent or use it as a defensive maneuver in turning over.

Coming from one of the most famous martial artists, Bruce Lee,

“The best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt on any style. He kicks too good for a Boxer, throws too good for a Karate man, and punches too good for a Judo man.”

Being the matrix for these styles to be crafted into one unified system, Mixed Martial Arts is truly a strong and overwhelming expression of art.

by: Jan Rafael Benosa

A quarter of a season has passed and there has been a ton of great performances from around the association. From 50+ point games by some of the biggest names in the league to some moments that could mark what will be the all 30 teams’ destiny for the rest of the season. There are some players who have a fast start to the season and guiding their respective teams to their position in the standings today. These are 5 players who have made a valuable impact to their team for the first 20 games of this 2018-2019 season.

Kemba Walker

The Charlotte Hornets’ talisman is averaging 25.8 points a game as well a 6.2 assist per game. He also contributes hugely to the team’s offense, which helps them to be 5th in offensive rating in the league as well as being 2nd in 3-point field goals. If it wasn’t for his consistent performances as the main man for the Hornets, they would fall down far from where they are now. They currently sit on 7th place in the Eastern Conference and they look to contend for the playoffs. If the former UConn guard continues his form, their chances of making the playoffs will be bigger than anyone would have expected. If the Charlotte Hornets front office do not act quickly to provide Walker with the supporting cast he desprately needs, chances are he will leave at the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2019 as an unrestricted free agent, meaning he can sign with any team without any matching restrictions from his salary.

Nikola Jokič

Nikola Jokic is one of the best offensive centers in the league and one of the centers who have a unique skill set. Most centers usually are post-up scorers, rebounders or anything what a normal “five” can do. But Jokic is more of a “point-center”. He has the passing skills of a point guard with the size of a center who can score either near the basket or from three-point range. He is the 8th in assists per game but leads all centers in this category. He also averages 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Those stats stated earlier doesn’t seem look good on paper, but his contribution to the team is big, as he is 2nd in box plus-minus (9.2) or the amount of box score contribution relative to his stats per 100 possessions. Though it doesn’t usually translated in a normal stat lines, he is contributing hugely to the team on both offense and defense.

Luka Dončič

The Mavericks are 8th in the Western Conference thanks to the “Slovenian Phenom” who really defied expectations from critics early this season. The 6’8″ rookie averages 17.8 points, 4.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds a game. He also leads in 3-Point Field Goals this season for rookies with 38% from the 3 point line. What is more interesting is that he is 4th in the NBA in pull-up 3 pointers or 3 points of the dribble with 29 out of 71 dribbles resulting in threes and only behind from superstars like James Harden, Kemba Walker, and Damian Lillard. Another impressive stat is that he plays 85% of his minutes at the Power Forwar position even though he is a point or shooting guard by trade and makes the most of it by scoring 60% of his shots in the painted area. He is showing flashes of an NBA All-Star throughout this season and an early front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award.

Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris is one of the key players for the L.A. Clippers this year and the scoring punch provided by him is what makes them 4th in the Western Conference so far this season. He leads the Clippers in scoring and rebounding with 21.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 51% shooting from the field. His contribution to the teams offense is big and together with Lou Williams, the Clippers registered a 113.19 offensive rating, ranked 6th in the league and 3rd in the Western Conference. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019 offseason and chances are that Harris might request a max contract to stay at the Clippers for next season. It’s too early to tell whether or not the Clippers are going to keep him as they look forward to sign some big names next year, as their cap space will be as large as $60 million, and that enough should allow them to sign superstars. It’s either payday or go-away for Harris next year. If he continue to be a consistent scorer as well as improving his defense, he can stay in L.A. or go to a different team that will match his potential pay rise.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The “Greek Freak” is averaging 26.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. he is currently the front runner for the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Not to mention, he is leading the league in Box Plus-Minus with a rating of 9.3 and tied 1st in Defensive BPM with 5.1 with Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets. That means he is helping the Bucks in all areas of the floor. That in turn makes them 1st in Net Rating or the estimated point differential per 100 possessions and 3rd in the Eastern Conference Standings. Another impressive feat is that he is 2nd in Win Shares per 48 minutes or the amount of wins contributed by a player per 48 minutes. Meaning he is an important piece to their wins when he is on the floor. Giannis is pretty much the franchise cornerstone of the Bucks and they are looking forward to the playoffs and players like him, with a good supporting cast, can go deep into the playoffs. he is a generational talent who defined the “position-less” basketball, meaning that he can play all five positions with ease.

There are many players that have been missed out on this list and it’s only for the first quarter of the season. There would be changes to their game as the season goes by, but if they keep performing well, they can lead their teams to glory.