TITAN 2K13 "THE QUALIFIERS" EVENT RECAP

Last November 10, Saturday, My brother Victor and I were invited by TITAN and SLAM PH to participate in their 2nd 2K13 tournament. It was a no-brainer for us; with a prize line-up so ridiculous (PS3 unit,  2K13 game, a year's sub to Slam Ph, a 1-of-1 WIP Cap, a year's supply of fresh kicks from Titan, and the usual championship wares), we would be stupid not to join.

We got there at around 9:30 AM, and the line has snaked to The Deck already. Hopefuls filled in their names and got their complementary Slam Ph magazine and game shirt (which yours truly designed), and at around 10:00 AM, the tourney was good to go.

256 players battled it out, and at the end of the day, only 128 will march on. Here's the recap from our perspective.

Thanks to the fam Titan and Slam Ph for the invite! We had a blast! 

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TITAN X JASON MARKK EVENT RECAP

I usually save my Sundays for cleaning my shoes - I'm sure you good folks do the same. I have a couple dozen lined up as we speak, and just thinking about it makes me tired. Thank God for Jason Markk, though!

I'm pretty much addicted to doing things efficiently, and that's the reason why I'm on Jason Markk: the ground-breaking sneaker cleaner has cut my detailing time in half. That's a big factor to consider. It's the only solution I trust my shoes with.

On the flipside, Titan - an entity that is also synonymous to innovation, recognizes this greatness; And so, the two revolutionary players of the game got together to produce something unimaginably dope.

It was just bound to happen.

And so last November 29th, Jason Markk and Titan celebrated a collab so crazy, it brought shoe lovers of all forms to The Lightning's new flagship. Jason Markk himself came thru to bless the event!

Cheers to everyone that came out and showed love. A big shout out to Jason! All around good fella... Hope you enjoyed your time here, bud!

Here's a recap of what went down that night. Go on ahead and enjoy the photos, I have to step out for a while... So excuse me, I have shoes to freshen up. :)

TITAN 2PARKADE OPENING WEEKEND RECAP

A DAY IN THE LIFE, Vol. "2PARKADE"

Happening in an hour.



History. Be there.

#GAMECHANGERS

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RETURN TO DEER VALLEY OMNIBUS VIDEO

WELCOME BACK TO DEER VALLEY.

SBTG X TITAN X UNSCHLD "RETURN TO DEER VALLEY"

The day is almost upon us. This Thursday, November 22, Basketball retail giant TITAN, local street wear powerhouse UNSCHLD, and the legendary artist SBTG join forces once again for another monumental collaboration.

"RETURN TO DEER VALLEY" is the sequel to the highly successful DEER VALLEY TITANS project of 2011. The Deer Valley Titans - consisting of Andro Torres, Brandon Cablay, Tony Dela Cruz, Marc Pingris, PJ Simon, Vaughn Canta, and Sudan Daniel - are set to return stronger than ever to defend the throne they conquered.

TITAN 2PARKADE OPENING DAY

THE BEST JUST GOT BETTER.

DVT.
FOUR.
YEEZY.

NOW THAT'S A WEEKEND.


#FLOTG

PERFORMANCE REVIEW /// CONVERSE MVP MID

Whoa... It's been a while since I did a review. Great to be doing this again! Anyway...

For a month, I used the Converse MVP Mid to our local open runs. In previous reviews, I based my performance assessment solely on a single-day skirmish. This time, though, I ran with the shoe through four consecutive runs to get a more intimate understanding of the shoe.

But before we go further into the review, let's talk about the aesthetics first.

The Converse MVP Mid shares the same design DNA as the Converse Defcon Mid (as reviewed here). A synthetic one-piece vamp forming a seamless cage encasing the foot. Buy one major difference, or should I say upgrade, from The Star's previous top-tier basketball footwear is the incorporation of Nike's marquee innovation - The FLYWIRE. We'll discuss its performance benefits later.

The integration of Flywire aesthetically gives the shoe a sense of effectivity on the court. In my pair, the bright streaks of thread come alive against the black upper.

The finish of the shoe fades from the very dark toe and forefoot, to the very bright collar and heel counter. As I was lacing it up, the Converse MVP immediately broke necks - even the ones that were on the court!

The color pops... And to say that it's bright is an understatement. The fading color blocking truly sets it off. I would definitely buy these on looks alone.

Let's now proceed to the performance assessment of the shoe.

INTRODUCING: THE NIKE KD V

From the mind of Leo Chang comes Kevin Durant's fifth signature shoe - The KD V. It is Kevin Durant's heart and soul manifested in a shoe; it's design is the most honest and pure yet.

The Nike KD line, in my opinion, has become the most genuine and conceptually rich among the footwear franchises today. The V just proves my point.

The depth of the concept is remarkable. Still present are the minute details that tell KD's history, a tapestry of symbols that represent his deep and unwavering love for his family and hometown. But completely unique to this model is the incorporation of the numeric symbol "V" and the pentagon. Symbolizing his fifth shoe, the "V" is also a representation of the "team" - five men on the court aiming for victory. On the other hand, the Pentagon is a literal symbolism of The Pentagon, the military landmark in his hometown Washington, D.C.

The KD V is a truly inspired piece of art. Yes, I said ART. It looks like art, and I'm sure it performs like one, too. This partnership of Leo Chang and KD will go down in Nike Basketball's 20 year history as one of the most exciting and inspiring footwear lineages to ever grace the hardwood.

I just had to do this - The KD V on my feet. Are you inspired yet? The detail on the tongue is crazy...

Thank you FIVE TIMES FIVE TIMES, Nike Philippines.

A DAY IN THE LIFE, Vol. "JEFF STAPLE IN MANILA"

While having dinner last Sunday, I told my parents about Jeff Staple's trip to Manila. I told them about the talk he gave - how he dealt with his personal obstacles, his addiction to "work", and his relentless pursuit of success. Over Japanese food, of all things, I told them about the compelling story of "The Sword Maker" - my favorite part of the talk.

I told my parents how "happiness" was his main motivation for pursuing his multi-disciplinary job. "Life sucks...", I told them quoting Jeff, "So just do what makes you happy". Both my folks nodded with approval, replete with comforting smiles on their faces.

I hate to turn this "Jeff Staple Live In Manila" post into an entry of self-indulgence, but I was relieved to see that look on my parents' faces. I was happy - no, more like thankful that they gave me that acknowledgement. I've been practicing architecture for a good 5 years, and just like Jeff, I jumped on the chance to pursue something that, unconsciously, is actually my life's passion. Some people know about this shift - and I think those select few are happy that I am finally living my dream.

As far as my government ID is concerned, I am still a licenced Architect, and most likely will be one for the rest of my life. But on a daily, I now chase dreams and do dope shit for a living... And I can't help but be thankful to my parents who are all out with their support over my switching career lanes.

I remember my folks saying finding happiness and making it ones 9-to-5 is something most people struggle with through out their lives. They said I was lucky I found it while I still had enough youth in me to enjoy it.

Golden.

That's what I got from that talk. Thanks to Jeff for affirming that idea. For telling people that it can be done. That you can have dreaming as a hobby, and making it happen as a job.

Thank you Ian and WIP Caps for making this event possible! I've been picking this dude's brain via YouTube for as long as I can remember, I didn't think I would physically be part of this experience. Thank you for real.

Props to Sarah and Banjo for hosting the event. Shouts to Nix for providing the music. Shouts to everyone that was there: Archiebolz, B-Roc, Mark Legendary, Martin Solemovement, JC, Notti, Christel and Julo of the UNSCHLD fam, Jose and George of SCRT SRVC. Shouts to Sassa Jimenez and her killer shoes. Shouts to Sudan The Player. Shouts to the STNDRDS crew. Shouts to Rjay Lionheart who is about to drop his birthday capsule collection this Friday (more about that later).

I am sorry for being selfish. I was more into digesting the talk than documenting it, hence the photos - or lack thereof. I was not able to take a photo with the man either. I didn't even make an effort to ask him... I dunno, but something tells me that we will meet again.

But for now, thanks Jeff!

"There are no directions or formulas left to make ancient swords."

P.S.

DT and I had this conversation over lunch one day. I just had to share it with you: 

Kids, I know Jeff ditched the whole Business Plan process when he started out, but that does not mean you should too. What was good for him does not necessarily mean that it will be the same for you. Do your homework and embrace the process.

Just saying. :)

On with the photos.