SuBIT Part of 2019 One Belt One Road Triathlon Series
Pasig City, Philippines – March 27, 2019 – The 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup slated on April 27 and 28 gained added significance as it ushers in the 2019 One Belt One Road Triathlon series.
This arrangement highlights the enduring relationship for decades between the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), the Chinese Taipei Triathlon Association (CTTA) and the China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA).
Further, CTSA, for this year, will dispatch the Chinese national team to compete in the SuBIT with TRAP reciprocating with a team of triathletes seeing action in the 2019 Lianyungang ASTC Triathlon Asian Cup and 2019 Jiayuguan ASTC Triathlon Asian Cup. The latter events serve as the second and third legs of the One Belt One Road Triathlon series.
“For the past years, Triathlon Association of Philippines (TRAP) and China Triathlon Sports Association (CTSA) have been keeping a good relationship and communication. Thanks for the invitation and help from TRAP, Chinese National Triathlon Teams participated in Subic Bay ASTC Triathlon Asian Cups for many times and got good results.
“Meanwhile, our two national federations have always been supporting each other during ASTC Congress elections and other international activities,” CTSA Secretary General Chen Xiaoran stated.
For its part, the CTTA is sending the Chinese Taipei national team and a good number of age-groupers to join the SuBIT.
Registration for the SuBIT is ongoing with entry fees now set at P5,500 per participant for Standard Distance, P5,000 for Sprint Distance, P4,000 for Super Sprint Distance and P9,000 for Team Relay.
Organized by the TRAP in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Tourism Department, the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup is supported by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC,) NTT, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP) and Gatorade.
What is the one thing I love most about superhero comics of the 1990s? It’s easy – the Ultraverse! Launched in 1993 by Malibu Comics during the late stage of what is now called the Comic Book Speculator Boom in Amerca, the Ultraverse was a line of superhero comic books featuring all-new characters and concepts which were the result of intense brainstorming by the founders of the Ultraverse.
Back in mid-1993 here in the Philippines, I first got to discover the Ultraverse through print ads in comic books and take note that the Internet was not yet publicly accessible. By June that year, I visited a comic book store in BF Homes, Paranaque and was astonished to see the store’s wall with multiple Ultraverse comic books on display. With my limited funds at that time, I only managed to buy Freex #1 and Mantra #1. By the end of the evening, I greatly enjoyed what I read and became an Ultraverse fan ever since.
As the months passed by, I enjoyed reading more Ultraverse comic books. What was also fun to read were the special double-sized UV comic books, the Ultraverse Double Feature comic books (flip comic books) and then there was the Ultraverse Premiere #0 comic book which had a cover of Mantra drawn by the great Jim Lee! This is the one comic book I am taking a look back at.
The front cover drawn by Jim Lee!
So what Ultraverse Premiere #0 and what made it special other than having a cover drawn by Jim Lee? Released in late 1993, the comic book is a showcase of separate stories featuring Prime, The Strangers, Rune, Hardcase, Mantra and Freex. It is also a showcase of the respective talents of a big mix of writers and artists that include Len Strazewski, Tom Mason, Gerard Jones, Steve Englehart, Barry Windsor-Smith, Rick Hoberg, James Hudnall, Mike W. Barr, Norm Breyfogle and others.
Given its release date, the stories served as preludes leading to the stories told in the launch comic books. For example, the Hardcase story shows Tom Hawke/Hardcase with his team called The Squad performing what turned out to be their last mission leading directly to the events that started Hardcase #1.
Tom Hawke/Hardcase with his lovely teammate during his time with The Squad.
The story of Mantra in the comic book however was presented more like a side-story. Lukasz is already shown as Mantra with her mystical powers and revealing outfit in place. The short story adds a nice perspective on the personality of Mantra as well as her burden of having to take care of a daughter.
The Rune segment meanwhile was a look at the making of the character involving Barry Windsor-Smith and his art. In the text written by Chris Ulm, what caught my attention was the following segment.
After writing up the concept in the Ultraverse bible, I shortly added Rune to “Fusion”, the story of a conspiracy to develop the ultimate biological weapon by a covert group called Aladdin.
This opening of the Freex short story starts very strongly.
Of course, there is also the fine story of Prime by Len Strazewski and Gerard Jones with great looking art by the late Norm Breyfogle. Remember in the early pages of Prime #1 when the overly muscular superhero claimed he saw the school coach touch the young girls? That got emphasized in the Prime short story in this comic book.
And then there is the one very memorable whole page art of Prime by Breyfogle.
I love this art of Prime by the late Norm Breyfogle.
The stories and art, in my view, were done with a lot of passion by the creators. They make Ultraverse Premiere #0 a worthy comic book to collect even though Marvel (which acquired Malibu Comics in the mid-1990s) screwed the Ultraverse and left the characters and concepts in limbo with no clear sign of any revival coming.
Last but not least, there is this great art of the Ultraverse characters done by Art Nichols at the rear of the comic book.
The best back cover of any superhero comic book of the 1990s!
Art Nichols’ work on the back cover is fantastic and timeless in my view. It’s great multi-character art that truly captures the spirit of the Ultraverse!
If you are going out to buy old comic books, I strongly recommend Ultraverse Premiere #0.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
If you want to prevent yourselves or your loved ones from becoming victims, then you should read what I encountered today (March 18, 2019).
This morning, coming from the direction of Festival Mall in Filinvest City, Muntinlupa City, I was about to enter the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) branch at the ground floor of the Insular Life Corporate Center along Commerce Avenue.
As I was preparing myself, a thin, dark-skinned young man wearing dark shorts, dark t-shirt and slippers called my attention from behind. He carried a light bag on his back.
So I looked back carefully and then he said “Sir, patulong po.” (meaning he needs my help) and showed me a noticeable handy sign (like a card) with words written on it emphasizing that he needs money to solve his problem. From that moment on, I figured out he was a beggar trying to manipulate me discreetly (he did not even open his palm to show begging).
I just ignored him and went inside BPI Insular Life branch to do my transaction at one of the ATMs (automatic teller machines). As the ATM I used was processing my transaction, I took a few peaks outside and noticed that the guy was still standing outside on the lookout for other people he could approach.
Right after I completed my ATM transaction, I took it upon myself to photograph him for this very article. I also figured out it was a rare chance of mine to find out if he was trying to scam people given his very discreet approach on asking for money.
So I walked outside with my smartphone and its camera ready. As he noticed me nearing him, he showed me again that sign and asked for money. Then as I pulled out my smartphone to photograph him, he quickly put his sign away and faced the other direction trying to hide his face.
This is the first shot I managed to take as he hid himself when he noticed my smartphone. The thing he is holding with his left hand is the sign/card with a written message to convince people to give him money for his “problem”. At this moment, he knew his discreet begging was exposed.
After taking the first photograph (the one right above), I still aimed my smartphone camera at him and I asked him to face me and challenged him to beg while being seen. He refused to do it and kept hiding himself by facing away from me.
Check out the pictures below.
By the time I took this picture, he was resisting and decided to keep facing away and hide the beggar’s sign. He refused to face me and beg knowing that he was exposed. His earlier courage of discreetly begging for money was gone.The discreet beggar walking away.
As the discreet beggar walked away, I went back inside BPI Insular Life branch and alerted the security guard about the beggar.
The guard said he remembered seeing that beggar a few times from before begging within the Filinvest City spots. He also remembered that from time to time, adults like the one pictured would beg discreetly for money just outside their bank.
More notably, the security guard said that it is illegal for anyone to commit begging within Filinvest City. He added that the discreet beggar I encountered was very lucky that there was no Filinvest City security guard present otherwise he would have been apprehended for committing a violation.
The guard also warned that such beggars who use signs and words (to convince people to give money) might be members of local crime syndicates.
By the time my short talk with the bank security guard ended, the discreet beggar was several meters away heading towards the direction of South Supermarket.
Out of curiosity, I decided to follow him temporarily to determine if I could spot him trying to find a new spot to beg at others.
I walked some meters towards the discreet beggar and after a minute, I guessed he could have decided to go home. I took one last picture of him walking away before deciding to let him go.
The final picture I took of the discreet beggar walking to the distance.
This incident I am writing about was NOT the first time I encountered a beggar along the roads of Filinvest City. What makes this different is that the beggar used a handy sign while saying only a few words to beg.
I have a strong mental defense and I always practice caution (including awareness of my surrounding). It’s natural for me to resist the manipulation attempts of street beggars.
If I were to give out money to help people who really need help, I would not give to beggars roaming around and I certainly discourage you from giving to them especially if the begging constitutes a local violation. Surely you would not want to give your money to a beggar who happens to be a member of a crime gang!
Going back to encountering the beggars who roam around and near you, better have a defensive mindset and be ready to protect not only your money but also yourselves. Also be ready to call the local police or the nearest security guard if ever the beggar victimizes you.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
Last night (March 17, 2019) I attended the birthday party of former Barangay BF Homes kagawad Alfred Lazatin who is a candidate running for one of the eight seats in the City Council (for District 2) of Parañaque with the next local election happening this May. The party was held at the covered basketball court in BF NorthWest, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City, Philippines.
Birthday celebrant and City Councilor candidate Alfred Lazatin watches as former City Mayor Jun Bernabe greets one of the many guests during the party in BF NorthWest on March 17.
Lazatin, who served his barangay for over a decade, is now 40-years-old. His wife Cielo is now serving the barangay as an incumbent kagawad.
As this year is an election year for both national and local levels, it is no surprise that the teammates of Lazatin with Team Bernabe-Marquez were also present mingling with the guests and greeting as many people as they could. This includes former Parañaque City Mayor Florencio”Jun” Bernabe (whose birthday party I wrote about), his running mate former Barangay BF Homes chairman Jeremy Marquez, former BF NorthWest president Anthony Vivero plus other teammates including those running for City Council seats of District 1.
Members of Team Bernabe Marquez and Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte (middle in between Jun Bernabe and Jeremy Marquez) do the Duterte Fist Bump for photographers.
“I met with Mayor (Jun Bernabe) at SM MOA not too long ago and I told him that he should return to power in the city (to improve it for the people),” Duterte said. “The team led by Bernabe and Jeremy Marquez is ready to serve the people of Parañaque for a brighter future. They can’t do it alone and that’s why your participation in the election is needed. The future of Parañaque is at stake.”
The speech ended with a strong applause from the many guests who were present.
The rest of the birthday party saw the guests enjoy the meals and drinks served. Some prizes were raffled off and the lucky winners were seen happy.
For your viewing pleasure, check out the other pictures from the party posted below.
A guest with birthday celebrant Alfred Lazatin, wife incumbent Barangay BF Homes Kagawad Cielo Lazatin and former BF NorthWest president Anthony Vivero.Birthday party guests getting served with tasty food.
Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez listens to Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte.Parañaque City Council Candidate for District 2 Anthony Vivero with Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte and a BF NorthWest resident.Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte raises the arm of Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez showing her support for him.Parañaque City Vice Mayor candidate Jeremy Marquez mingling with some of the guests.Team Bernabe-Marquez raise their arms in unity with Presidential Consultant Maria Fema T. Duterte.
If you enjoyed this article, please click the like button below or feel free to comment and/share this article to others. You may also contact me directly.
This past January, there was lots of buzz on Facebook when a new branch of pizza maker Little Caesars Pizza opened in the Ermita area of the City of Manila here in the Philippines. There were pictures and videos showing some entertainment just outside the restaurant and customers who looked like they enjoyed the place.
Because I live and work in Alabang, the Little Caesars Pizza Philippines was far away. Very recently I got the golden opportunity to visit the pizza joint and try out the food for the first time ever.
To put things in perspective, Little Caesars started with a blind date between Mike Ilitch and Marian Bayoff that was arranged by Mike’s father in the year 1954. Some months later they got married and they invested their life savings to establish their first pizza store in Garden City, Michigan. In 1962, the first franchise opened in Warren, Michigan. The move with franchising helped Little Caesars to expand rapidly in the United States and eventually as an international pizza maker.
I myself had visited the United States many times in my life and the funny thing was that I NEVER got to visit a branch of Little Caesars nor had I ever ate any of their food. There were times when me and my relatives traveled by car passing a few Little Caesars branches but never stopped to dine in.
This brings me to my first-time ever to visit and dine at Little Caesars right here in the Philippines. The Little Caesars Pizza Philippines branch is located along United Nations Avenue corner Alhambra street in Ermita Manila. Parking there was tricky and I was lucky that the parking slot right in front was vacant.
Little Caesars Pizza Philippines in Ermita, Manila.
So there I was at the counter carefully looking at the menu and saw selections like 12-inch pizzas with flavors of Pepperoni, Cheese, Ultimate Supreme, 3-Meat Treat, Hula Hawaiian and Veggie Veggie. Since I love eating vegetable pizza, I ordered a Veggie Veggie and a drink.
The 12-inch Veggie Veggie pizza served freshly hot. Tasty too!
Within minutes the pizza was served to me with a box which is ideal for taking out whatever is left. Right from the start there was that fragrance that was delightful to smell. The pizza was freshly cooked and had nice heat (not too hot) and I noticed the ingredients looked really nice.
How was my first bite with the first slice? It was really tasty. The cheese, the sauce, the dough and the ingredients all combined for a nice flavor. It was so tasty, I did not to add any condiments. The dough was also somewhat soft which was good because I managed to eat the crust with no problem. Also I noticed that there was minimal grease on the pizza.
Once I was satisfied, I took home the remaining pizza slices with the box and I left pretty satisfied and delighted. Perhaps next time I visit, I’ll try those another flavor.
Was my visit at Little Caesars Pizza Philippines worth it? YES! In fact, I encourage you readers to visit it if you are looking for nice pizza in the City of Manila.
What can I say about their Veggie Veggie pizza? I highly recommend it!
Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.
The NTT Subic Bay International Triathlon 2019 is a qualifying event for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) triathlon event which will also take place in Subic Bay, Philippines.
Imagine yourself driving down the road in your car until you see a famous pop culture icon also moving along by biking.
In the City of Valenzuela in the Philippines, an unidentified person wearing a Spider-Man costume was seen biking along the road and his presence became viral on social media according to this Tagalog-language news video below.
Watch and see more.
I wonder if that costumed biker was a cosplayer heading to some sort of a superhero or geek event. Perhaps he was a hired entertainer heading towards a party with guests.
Speaking of Spider-Man, are you looking forward to the next movie starring Tom Holland? Did you read any good Spider-Man comic books lately?
Subic Bay International Triathlon set for April 27 and 28
Pasig City, Philippines – March 3, 2019 – The Subic Bay Freeport Zone will once again bustle with triathlon action as well as high stakes as the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) will fire off there on April 27 and 28. This latest event of the longest running triathlon series is one of two international competitions designated as a qualifying event for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) this coming December 1-5, 2019.
Organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Tourism Department, the annual event will be composed of Standard Distance (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run), Sprint Distance (750M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run) and Super Sprint Distance (500M swim – 16 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) that will take participants around the freeport.
As stake in the event sanctioned by the Asian Triathlon Confederation (ASTC) and supported by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC,) NTT, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP) and Gatorade are qualifying points for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) triathlon event plus medals and gift items for the Top 3 categorical winners (age-group and relay).
Seeded are the four gold and silver medalists of the 2017 SEA Games namely Nikko Huelgas, John Chicano, Kim Mangrobang and Claire Adorna. Expected to challenge them are 21-year-old Filipino-Spanish triathlete Fer Casares, Edward Macalalad, JC Abad, Mark Hosana, 2018 Asian Games veteran Kim Kilgroe and Junior champion Karen Manayon of Cebu.
Already 500 participants have registered and for the first time ever triathletes from Sri Lanka have joined in.
Registration is still ongoing with entry fees now set at P5,500 per participant for Standard Distance, P5,000 for Sprint Distance, P4,000 for Super Sprint Distance and P9,000 for Team Relay. Registration will end on March 31 or when all slots have been filled up. Online registration can be done at https://regonline.activeglobal.com/subit2019
Participants, winners and spectators who took part in the My Daily Collagen Triathlon held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone this past Sunday will be happy to know that the event made it in the sports pages of national newspapers as follows:
If you the reader happened to be one of the event’s categorical champions, check the above newspapers to find out if your name got printed.
My Daily Collagen Triathlon was organized by Bike King Philippines with the support of Smart, Saucony, Vittoria, Rudy Project, ACEA Subic Bay, Court Meridian Hotel & Suites, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)
My Daily Collagen® is a protein-rich, mango-flavored health drink supplement with the right amount of easily absorbed marine collagen peptide to help boost bone and joint health, enhance post-workout recovery, and keep skin, hair, and nails strong.
Hey everyone! The My Daily Collagen Triathlon organized by Bike King Philippines at Subic Bay Freeport Zone took place today and it was a fun and successful event.
A lot of the participants and the spectators enjoy the lung-busting swim-bike-run event in more ways than one.
For your viewing pleasure, posted below are varied pictures I took with my smartphone.
Author Carlo Carrasco 