Arthur Navasero: Beat the Odds, Ball Anyway
For Arthur Navasero, basketball isn’t just a game — it’s therapy, family, purpose. He grew up in love with the sport, drawn to the brotherhood, the competition, and the way the game could instantly lift his spirits, even on the hardest days. When his father passed away in 2020, Arthur made a promise: to chase […]
Jessyka Maliksi: All Heart, All Game
Basketball wasn’t just something Jessyka Maliksi picked up — it was part of her family rhythm. Her dad, her brother, the tournaments she tagged along to as a kid — it all built into something bigger. Something she never let go of. Like many young Filipino girls, Jessyka once juggled dance, piano, even singing lessons. […]
Long Live the Scene: A Love Letter to Toronto’s Vanishing Music Venues
There was a time in Toronto when the heartbeat of the city pulsed through amps and cymbals, not condo drills and construction cranes. Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, you didn’t need a million followers or a Spotify campaign to be heard. You just needed a busted amp, a few chords, and a stage—any […]
From Landfill to Sanctuary: A Walk Through Tommy Thompson Park
If you’ve lived in Toronto long enough, you’ve probably heard of Tommy Thompson Park—a quiet, sprawling strip of nature that juts into Lake Ontario like an arm stretching away from the city. Known for birdwatching, cycling, and peaceful reflection, it feels like an escape, a rare place where the noise of the world fades into wind […]
Asia Brown: No Pressure, Just Purpose
Asia Brown doesn’t just teach basketball. She teaches freedom. Her camps aren’t about stats or rankings. They’re about girls falling in love with the game — with no pressure. Because she remembers what it felt like to be the only girl in the program, starting at four years old. It was terrifying. And now, she’s […]
Karl Mariano: It’s Not Over Till It’s Over
Karl Mariano still remembers the feeling. Grade school, summertime, his first basketball camp. He was the youngest on the floor, playing alongside high schoolers, but none of that mattered. Every week, he showed up. The excitement never left. That same feeling lives in the kids he now coaches through Level Up Basketball, a grassroots camp he […]
Thrive in Canada: Turning Job Search Challenges into Career Wins with Access Employment
“Most of the jobs out there? They’re never posted.” That’s how Mangjit Deman, Senior VP at Access Employment, kicked off a deeply insightful conversation on Thrive in Canada. And for thousands of newcomers struggling to find meaningful work, this fact can be both sobering and empowering. In this episode, we dive into the realities of job hunting in […]
Phil Ramirez: Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do
Phil Ramirez didn’t plan to be a trainer. It started with his little brother. Just two siblings in the gym, pushing each other, dreaming big. Phil had played college and university ball at a time when there weren’t many Filipinos on the court. That mattered to him. Representation mattered. So he trained hard, not just […]
Marching to a Shared Beat: Philippine Heritage Band Shines at Vaughan International Music Festival
This year’s Vaughan International Music Festival (VIMF) press conference hit all the right notes—not just with music, but with meaning. Now on its fourth year, VIMF continues to grow as a vibrant platform for cultural unity. Co-founder and chair Sandra Yang Rako shared the festival’s vision: using music to bridge divides, spark connection, and celebrate diversity. “You don’t need […]
Our Vote, Our Voice: The Rise of the Filipino Voter in Canada
If there’s a place in Toronto that feels like a piece of Manila, it’s right here—Bathurst and Wilson. Little Manila. It’s where the stories of arrival, survival, and new beginnings come together, along with the largest cluster of Filipino-owned businesses in the city. But this time, the question isn’t just about where we’ve gathered—it’s about […]
