nov 6 weekend

It’s go, grow and glow for Clint Holton P. Potestas as he interviews a lass with a penchant for milk.

Megamindmovies

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Winningstreaks

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PreciousHeart

[email protected], November 6, 2010

cover story

CHERRY ANN LIM Managing Editor, Special Pages and FeaturesJIGS ARQUIZA Editor CLINT HOLTON P. POTESTAS Writer

Sun.Star Weekend | November 6, 2010C2

“Atik-atik,” answered an international beauty titlist as an answer for the first Cebuano word she learned from

her boyfriend, which refers to a man’s verbal strategy to win a woman’s heart. “Actually, he never taught me. I just heard it from his friends. Did I get it right?”

“Did I get it right - tama ba yon (is that right)?” Precious Lara Quigaman asked again, addressing it to the Cebuanos at the Principal’s Office of Mabolo Elementary School, where she took a break after she spoke to a multitude of mothers of schoolchildren about proper nutrition.

As an advocate of Nestle Philippines’ Bear Brand campaign, Laki sa Gatas, Lara visits schools around the country to share her story and the importance of milk drinking in the daily dietary pattern. When the caravan reached

Cebu last Oct. 20, Wednesday, she only had less than 24-hours to spread the word.

In fact, she rescheduled her taping for the Christmas station ID of ABS-CBN just to arrive on time. Well, on a lighter note, the island-province has always been close to her heart. She spent her Christmas last year in Guadalupe, Cebu City, where the family of her boyfriend, model-turned-actor Marco Alcaraz, resides.

“I said yes because I believe in maintaining proper nutrition. I mean, it should be promoted at school,

PreciousHeart

RALPH RHODDEN C. CAVERO Graphic Designer

C3Sun.Star Weekend | November 6, 2010

featurebecause it’s where most kids spend their time in a week, but equal importance should also be given at home,” the 27-year-old television host continued.

“Stay healthy and strong by drinking milk so you can make your dreams come true. You, too, can be a successful ‘laki sa gatas’ (‘grew up on milk’) like me,” she said amidst the scores of grade school pupils. Lara also encouraged them to follow their ambitions.

Another important part of the activity was when she and the pupils shared their dreams using their “Ambition Glasses.” Creating images with the colored pencils on paper inside the glass, they were asked to draw the profession they wanted to pursue when they grow up.

Lara added that their drawings will serve as their inspiration to study hard and to follow their ambitions. She emphasized to the mothers to cook meals composed of “go, grow, and glow” foods so their kids could get the essential nutrients they need. Moms were also educated on how milk drinking can help their kids grow up healthy.

According to her, milk contains key nutrients like calcium and protein that make bones and muscles stronger. There are also milk brands that are fortified with vitamin C, zinc, and Iron, known for strengthening one’s body resistance.

Apart from the healthy lifestyle that she lives by, Lara has also been lauded for her sheer

determination to chase her dreams. Among the celebrities who were also considered as achievers are Batangas representative Vilma Santos, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, and Bubble Gang comedian Michael V.

“I never gave up my dreams,” she said with conviction. “I have been discouraged many times, but none has weakened my fighting spirit.”

True enough, before she was crowned Miss International 2005, she joined several pageants. In 2000, before she left for London where her late father worked as a bus driver, she was part of the Bb. Pilipinas beauty search, but she was not able to place in the top ten.

“I was not ready, and it was not the right time yet. So when I was in London, I practiced by myself - how to walk, how to speak, how to maintain posture,” she recalled. “So when I came back in 2005, I joined again, and thankfully, I won. I prayed hard because it was my ultimate dream.”

An answered prayer, indeed. More than just the beauty title, she has several acting stints, like the upcoming independent film, Slowfade, the now-defunct show Precious Hearts Romance, and the newly-launched show, Imortal, opposite John Lloyd Cruz and Angel Locsin.

“Who would have thought that the girl with big ears, protruding front teeth, and dark skinned would become a beauty queen?” she asked, not without some irony.

Well, with those features coming together to form a pretty face, why not?

Tattoo competitions have sprung up in the various regions in the Phil-ippines where many artists have aspired to become known locally and also on a national level.

One of the most popular of these is the Dutdutan competition, which is held annually in Manila.

This year, the top Cebuano tattoo artists took their A-Game, packed their bags, tools and kits and compet-ed in the Dutdutan, at the same time making new friends and socializing with fellow artists from all over the Philippines. With more than 200 art-ists competing, one local artist defied the odds and made a name for him-self by winning this year’s Dutdutan Tattoo Competition held last October.

Ryan Bernardino, 27 years old and an 8-year veteran in the tattoo industry, captured the 2nd place in the Portrait Category during the second day of the competition. He also won the top prize in the Best Black and Gray Medium and Best Realistic Categories respectively, besting his competitors. A fantastic follow-up to his wins in last year’s Dutdutan, with awards for “Tattoo of the Day” and second place in the ready-made best realistic category.

He started tattooing in 2000, when he was still an ECE student in Manila. He lost interest after a year but his uncle, Ronnie Macapa-gal, who is one of the most famous

Cebuano tattoo artists and owns a well-established tattoo shop in Cebu asked him to work as an apprentice in his shop.

“The moment I first tried using a tattoo machine, I knew it was a love at first try, “ Ryan said with a laugh. He was 19 years old at that time with a bright future ahead.

He was already into scribbling, drawing and the like, but for Ryan, it was a matter of choice, grow-ing up in his Dad’s Tattoo shop in Olongapo, back when they were still using bamboo sticks with needles on the tips. Seeing his dad work, the reactions of the customers, the al-lure of the body art subculture, the

fees people pay to get themselves tattooed, all contributed to Ryan’s attraction for the art (and business) of tattooing.

Ryan stopped doing tattoos from 2006 to 2008 to work in Dubai as a graphic designer, web designer, autoCAD operator, 3D Max operator because of the higher compensation he was getting.

“One day during mid 2009 I met cebuano artist Zairex Gantuanco and the next thing I know I’m back with a lot of revenge,” Ryan added.

Ryan is known for his expertise in photorealism and attributes his skill to his Uncle Ronnie who trained him and taught him the basics.

“I learned from a lot of people, not only from their tips and experience but also from their mistakes,” he said.

Ryan’s goal is to be at the top and to stay at the top for as long as he can, and also to challenge all the best tattoo artists in Philippines. Af-ter that, Ryan hopes that the whole (tattooing) world will know his name. (Chris Rodriguez)

Winning streaks...

movies


A dastardly super-villain who turned evil because of a bad

upbringing finds himself seduced to the good side to defeat an even badder guy.

The movie is called “Megamind,” but didn’t we just see this last summer in “Despicable Me”?

The latest action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, “Megamind” features dazzling computer-animated design and action. Yet despite a clever hook – what’s a villain to do when he manages to defeat his superhero nemesis? – it’s a thin story that feels familiar and unfolds with no surprises.

The movie offers an amiably goofy voice cast led by Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill, whose wisecracks are cute if not terribly memorable.

Director Tom McGrath (“Madagascar” and its sequel) and screenwriters Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons aim to keep the pace moving as fast as a speeding bullet as blue, bulbous-headed Megamind (Ferrell) battles superpowered hero Metro Man (Pitt) for control of Metro City.

The story borrows liberally from “Superman” as both Megamind and Metro Man begin as infants on distant, dying worlds, dispatched to Earth in space pods. Metro Man lands in a loving foster home, while Megamind gets dumped among prison inmates, setting him on his evil path and creating his rivalry with his heroic foe.

Fey’s the Lois Lane stand-in as TV reporter Roxanne Ritchi, perpetually the focus of Megamind’s attempts to ensnare Metro Man. Hill’s a geeky cameraman who’s in love with Roxanne and later becomes a new menace to Metro City as Megamind tries to fashion him into a replacement superhero after he actually vanquishes

Metro Man.With the smart, capable Roxanne, Fey

delivers a real performance full of genuine tics and temperament, as opposed to the

mostly caricatured vocals her male co-stars provide.

The Krypton connection continues as Ferrell does a mildly amusing riff

on Marlon Brando as Superman’s raspy dad from Christopher Reeves’ first “Superman” flick.

Mildly amusing is the pattern throughout “Megamind.” The patter is a bit witty, the schemes are sort of crafty. But nothing in the story or dialogue ever leaps out and grabs you.

Not so the images. The movie’s 3-D version bursts off the screen, sometimes distractingly as vehicles, explosions, even smashed buildings are hurled into viewers’ faces.

The most impressive thing about “Megamind” is the city itself, a richly detailed skyline of steely skyscrapers. The dizzying heights are so authentic in 3-D that some of the mid-air action sequences bring on a faint sense of vertigo.

Unfortunately, the underdeveloped story and characters seem to be there to service the visuals, rather than the other way around.

It’s no great surprise that competing studios would churn out two super-villain cartoons within a few months, considering how prevalent superhero stories are on the big screen. A smaller coincidence – the fact that Megamind’s fish-faced accomplice (David Cross) is named Minion, while Steve Carell’s villain in “Despicable Me” was aided by cute lab assistants called Minions – only reinforces the feeling that we’ve seen all of this before.

Of course, if we’re making comparisons, Pixar Animation’s 2004 triumph “The Incredibles” remains the gold standard for cartoon superhero tales. With six years of computer-animation advancements behind it, “Megamind” may be an improvement visually, but for story,

character and emotion, it’s a lightweight sidekick next to Pixar’s epic adventure. (AP)

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

Sun.Star Weekend | November 6, 2010 C5

audiosyncracyshort reviews

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

foreview

IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Troubled savant Lisbeth Salander isn’t up to much in “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” the film adaptation of the final chapter in late author Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. Lisbeth goes out with a whimper after the way she outsmarted enemies and went on bloody rampages in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl Who Played With Fire.” Now she’s just the girl locked in a hospital room, recovering from wounds inflicted in Part 2. The girl in police custody, awaiting trial for the attempted murder of her vile father. The girl in a stuffy courtroom, looking to regain her freedom. Only in the closing minutes of this long, snoozy finale does Lisbeth (again played by Noomi Rapace) get out in the world and mix it up with one more bad guy, but that climax is a dreary, passive letdown compared to the wily survival skills she displayed in the earlier movies. (AP)

Wild Target“Wild Target” takes aim at various styles

and genres and misses the mark every time. Ostensibly, it’s intended to be a comedy – a remake of a 1993 French farce, to be specific. But it’s tonally off from the first moments and never recovers, never finds a comfortable, natural groove. Director Jonathan Lynn, whose hit-and-miss film-ography includes “My Cousin Vinny,” ‘’Clue” and “Nuns on the Run,” strains at screwball laughs, with zany, over-the-top musical cues. The dark humor always falls flat, the romance is completely implausible and the heartwarming, life-affirming ending is glar-ingly out of place. Worst of all, “Wild Target” is never funny. Not. One. Time. It’s also a waste of a solid cast, led by Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt and featuring Eileen Atkins and Rupert Everett. Another Rupert – Grint, of the “Harry Potter” movies – is all grown up here but has no real purpose; he’s just along for the would-be madcap ride. (AP)

Like a warm ray of sun breaking through the clouds, Michael Franti & Spearhead deliver just what is promised by the title of their latest release “The Sound of Sunshine.”

The title track, which kicks off the record and then is revisited in a reworked version at the end, is the perfect bookend for this 11-track set that should only expand Franti’s growing fan base.

Known for mixing rock, rap, reggae, soul and other styles into a musical gumbo all his own, Franti delivers songs that will force the listener to stand up and “Shake It,” as he exhorts with the help of backing singer Lady Saw.

While not all of the songs live up to the best three or four, the strength of those tunes makes it easier to forgive the weaker ones.

Michael Franti & Spearhead, “The Sound of Sunshine” (Capitol Records)

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Inspired to record his seventh record after spending time in the hospital recovering from a ruptured appendix, Franti extolls listeners on “Hey Hey Hey” to “never let another moment slip away.” It’s a song even the healthiest of listeners can identify with.

A different kind of pageantFollowing on the very high heels of a critically and

commercially well-received first outing, the sophomore edition of QUEEN: A Pageant for Alternatives is all set for tonight, November 6, 2010 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino’s Pacific Grand Ballroom.

A flagship project of the revered Clothes for Life Foundation, Inc., the umbrella organization of Cebu’s designers, stylists, make-up artists and clothing manufacturers, the pageant showcases once more the three-pronged approach to beauty that only the Cebuano can deliver: physical, mental, and spiritual – regardless of sexual orientation.

QUEEN, A Pageant for Alternatives, chose to benefit a wide range of institutions namely Sto. Nino Children’s Center in Catarman Liloan, Seven Sisters House of Mercy Home for the Elderly in Talisay Our Lady of Divine Grace Orphanage in Simala, Sibonga, and The Little Lambs Children’s Center in Pasil. Not only were they involved in actual interactions, the QUEENS donated to those organizations. This tradition continues in 2010.

QUEEN 2010 candidates had several activities such as the TOASTMASTERS SEMINAR conducted by Atty. Ginging Navarro-Laude, HIV-AIDS AWARENESS SEMINAR conducted by Mr. Julicor Generalao, WISDON of WINNERS (WOW) 2ND GENERATION WEB CONFERENCE HOSTED BY Rotary International District 3860 and The Rotary Club of Cebu Fuente, DOG FASHIONISTAS hosted by the KENNEL CLUB OF CEBU, INC. and the finale celebration of PINK OCTOBER, MOONWALK through the very active cancer-survivor and benevolent sponsor Ms. Mary Ann Alcordo-Solomon.

This whole event will culminate on November 6 at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in a celebration of beauty and individuality.

This November 6 & 7, the Cebu leg of the nationwide Havaianas’ Design A Smile contest will be held at the SM Northwing (near the SM Appliance Center). Children from 5 to 12 years of age who are permanent residents of the Philippines and have consent from their parent or guardian can participate in “Design a Smile” to lend their creativity for a greater cause.

All they have to do is design the sole of a Havaianas pair based on the theme, “What makes you smile?” Contestants will be provided with paper and art materials and must provide a one-sentence explanation of their design. Prizes from Havaianas, My Masterpiece Movement, Polaroid, Faber-Castell, KidsSports and Orange Juice await the winners.

The top winning entry will be produced by Havaianas in a future collection and will be sold nationwide for the benefit of Operation Smile.

This contest is in partnership with Operation Smile, a non-profit, volunteer medical organization that provides reconstructive surgery and healthcare to kids with facial deformities. Together, they are sure to put smiles on children’s faces. By taking part in a flip-flop design competition, Filipino children will be given the chance to help heal the broken smiles of children who suffer from cleft lips and palates. The winning design will be the first of its kind as it will be produced and released for retail in the Philippines as part of the Havaianas collection. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales of this unique design will be donated to Operation Smile in order to help make a positive change in the lives of indigent Filipino children.

Putting smiles on children’s faces

A feast for the sensesThis November, the Cebu City Marriott Hotel offers a feast

for the senses as you explore the exotic flavors of the magical Kingdom of Thailand. Enjoy authentic Thai cuisine like Phad Thai, Yam Som Oh, Thod Mad Pia, Kaeng Phanaeng Neua, Saku Peak Crab Ma Prao On, and many more! The Flavors of Amazing Thailand is served nightly at the International Dinner Buffet, 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM at the Garden Café.

Relish heart-warming moments with friends and loved ones this Thanksgiving when you feast on a traditional Thanksgiving meal with favorites like Herb Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy, Sage and Apple Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce, Mango Glazed Ham with Pineapple Mustard, Crispy Roast Lechon, and classic homemade desserts like Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream and Apple Pie with Raw Sugar Crust. The Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration will be held at the Garden Café on November 25, 2010, 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM.

Rock for Life 2010hits Cebu Cebu’s rock scene will be shaken to its roots this coming November 12 by ROCK FOR LIFE 2010, a concert featuring popular Cebu bands Pandora, Blaksmoke, and MNX. A concert to raise awareness about protecting the environment and all human life from conception onwards, the event will be held at The Outpost restobar on Veteran’s Drive, Lahug, Cebu City. The cause-oriented concert is organized by supporters of the Ang Kapatiran (Cebu) Community and Pro-Life Philippines, and sponsored by Nature Spring, Ginebra San Miguel, DebRey Design, Rhythm Central Music Studio, and Surge Traders.

bottomsupAileen Quijano


books

TEXT AND IMAGES FROM WWW.FULLYBOOKEDONLINE.COM AND THE WEB

Searching for the perfect apartment is just like looking for Mr. Right. It’s hard and, at the very least, takes some time. The good ones in the market are usually taken or way beyond our reach. Some look good on paper, but are crappy in reality. There’s a lot of trial and error. The search could take years. That does not stop us though from single-mindedly pursuing the dream of a perfect fit. But till that happens, we learn to make do on our own.

One time, on another island, my brother’s girlfriend was kind enough to let me “borrow” her rented apartment for “as long as I want” while she moved into my brother’s place. I couldn’t be happier with the arrangement. Growing up in a house that never seem to run out of people, I’ve been itching to live on my own for some time and here was my moment to find out what it’s like.

The apartment’s not much bigger than your typical hotel room, but it’s got its own cable TV, a mini ref, a queen-sized bed, tiled floors and bathroom, and a balcony. Not bad, huh?

I looked at it as the little white cottage in the woods. Thing is, the landlord was trying to construct the woods into even more apartments. “You sure you’ll be able to sleep there with all the noise?” my brother’s girlfriend worried. You’re asking me? After living right smack in the heart of the city for years, I’m immune to noise. So I said. Besides, the noise strangely gave me some sense of security. I prefer it to the eerie silence of any new place.

“Oh, and one more thing, the area floods a bit when it rains,” my brother’s girlfriend warned. And since it was always raining my first week on the island, it did not take me long to discover that it actually does. But after maneuvering the makeshift bridge for the nth time, I got immune to that as well. Besides, the construction guys were kind enough to line up sandbags and cement blocks outside the terrace so I didn’t have to get my pretty feet wet on my way out.

What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the flooding bathroom.

It happened on my third day. Oh, they warned me about it. In my excitement, I just didn’t think it would happen that soon… or ever. But the rain’s been nonstop for days now. I could only watch in horror the water creeping out of the drain… slowly but surely. What’s more, it came with worm-like organisms, which I belatedly realized were baby mosquitoes. Eeew. I distinctly remembered it from fifth grade science class. Then I saw another icky creature hopping in and out of the water. A tadpole? Double eeeww.

As I sat right outside the bathroom door, all ready to bawl and praying the water would subside before it reaches the living room level, I saw ugly mud gushing out of the drain as well. That pissed me off.

And got me thinking. I hate being sexist but – what’s a single clueless girl to do in times of distress? Well, play the part of the damsel in distress, of course. So I put on my most dazzling smile and called out to the gentlemen outside for help. Immediately, they did magic with the pipes or something outside the bathroom and cleaned up the drainage. And the dirty water was gone. And I saw that it was good.

But not for long: a couple of weeks later, it started flooding again.

I finally realized that if I were to remain loving the rain, I had to give up the apartment. But then I wasn’t ready to give up living on my own just yet. So I hunted for a new place… with a resident plumber this time.

Living alone certainly has its challenges. For one, you clean up after your own mess. Two, there won’t always be anyone around to rescue you from the icky insects. And, there’s laundry.

But then, living alone makes you discover things about yourself as well. Without a housekeeper to depend on, I found out I’m actually a neat freak. I don’t like mess in the bathroom and

I like walking barefoot on clean, cool floors.

I realized too, that I’m actually braver than I thought I was. Living alone, I finally learned how to deal with the weird-looking creatures – killer Baygon for insects and a cold shoulder for men.

I also learned to always have on hand these few essentials to survive – an electric water heater, a cellphone, flashlight, lighter, soap of all kinds, basic utensils, medicines, vitamins, a spare key, bread and peanut butter and yes, Lucky Me instant noodles.

Perhaps, it’s not always easy finding that perfect apartment, but hey, how else will we know that living on our own, rocks? Even if only for these reasons:

You can walk around naked or eat dinner in your underpants and nobody would mind. You’ve only got to close the windows.

You get to pick your own noise. In other words, total TV channel and music control.

You can be as moody as you want and you don’t have to explain why.

You get to test what you can and can’t do.

Your survival skills kick in and are constantly challenged – and you become a better person for it.

([email protected])

This is a biography of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the only boxer to ever win seven world championships in seven different weight classes. Manny Pacquiao, 30, is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Recently named the ‘fighter of the decade’ by the Boxing Writers Association, he is the only fighter ever to capture seven different championship belts in seven different weight classes. But few thought that Pacquiao could reach the pinnacle of his sport considering his background. Growing up in a cardboard shack in General Santos City in the Philippines, he ran away from home at fourteen. Making his way to Manlla and eventually to the U.S., he hooked up with trainer Freddie Roach in 2001 and from there his fighting career took off. Named on Time Magazine’s annual 100 Most Influential People list last year, Pac-Man, as he is afafectionately called, is not only an exceptional fighter, but has a photographic memory, donates millions to charities in the Philippines, and learned to play the piano in one week. Gary Andrew Poole serves up a revealing portrait of this remarkable fighter and personality.

On My Own

Pacman: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiaoby Gary Andrew Poole


Sun.Star Weekend | November 6, 2010 C7

crossline

Got something to share with us? Sun.Star Weekend invites readers to contribute original, unpublished poems and essays or commentaries about funny or memorable moments in your life.

Please email your contributions to: [email protected]

49 Gen. Sepulveda Street, CebuTel. No (032) 255-0105 & 412-5551

Fax No. (032) 412-5552Email: [email protected]

website: www.palazzopensionne.net

BED & BREAKFAST

scribblings

Having finally killed off an academic semester at an aged and aging Cebuano University and schlepped my bulky self home, this first night nestling amongst wooded hills, I find myself reveling in a spectacle I have practically deprived myself of for the last 10 months: this glorious provincial night-sky. I may sound like a romantic rube forever bent on celebrating country life to the denigration of, well, every other place, but, my, I have got to say, that whatever measure of celestial beauty - contrived (fireworks, eh?) or natural (heavenly lights with a little “faded” effect, courtesy of an ever-reliable smog) - an urban sky may muster, is but gaudy, at best, when compared to this magnificent “ceiling” which the gods, those charged with decorating the cosmos eh, have seen fit to endow us hillbillies.

Unhampered by toxic dust and industrial refuse, the stars here seem way more generous, showing off their nigh-infinite incandescence like distant dragons spewing forth their last white-hot breaths, only muted by the seeming calm of that dark limitless mat called space. They also appear in extended, more abundant clusters, definitely a feast for any astronomer’s eyes - though he only knows of about one or two “officially-recognized” constellations (just sketchy recognition, really), this gawking

landlubber himself can count a dozen mammals and a couple of kitchen tools among them. If one were to stare non-stop at these celestial studs of light for some considerable duration (15 or 20 minutes, say), as I have often done many a times before, one can sometimes feel some sort of wanting: a wanting to either fall down upon them all or have ‘em rain down upon oneself. I certainly am having that yearning now, keying this in as I sit out in the porch, ‘neath their glory.

Oh, how many of us has ever really pondered how looking at the stars, and the cosmos as a whole, from our finite and Earth-based vantage, incidentally is really an act of looking at/into the past (“past” as measured by infinities, i.e. speaking of the universe’s age itself)? As your astronomy or physics professor may have blabbed about, or as perhaps discussed in some science TV channel or suggested by a sci-fi flick, the nearest stars - excepting the sun - are about 4 to 10 “light years” away, a “light year” being equivalent to the distance that light reaches or covers in a year. Other than the implausible distance that that indicates (light travels at 186,282 miles PER SECOND), the most amazing implication, really, is that a particular cosmic object’s light, the image that we see on clear nights, is actually its light/image at

least 4 years ago, with most of ‘em “up there” dating back to several hundreds of years (for many of the brightest are in reality a lot farther out, as one called Rigel, 773 light-years off us), since what gets registered in our vision is basically such light as having thus previously traveled from its source. Thus there could be no telling, at least for many of us yanos, whether or not this or that star, vis-à-vis our Now, still exists or looks the same way. When indulging in mad-romantic moments as this, we therefore are merely celebrating belatedly beauties, which at the moment may already be simple galactic fallouts of another one of the universe’s regular Big Bangs. And talk about an ever-available, accessible-by-all, on-going replay of years past - a running movie of past events in God’s great playground!

Talked of this with my little brother (who happens to be dozing beside me right now in a chair, earphones blaring out tunes by Uncle Neil Young), and some of my friends. I did not get much WOWs from ‘em (I’m not a good teller of tales, obviously), but it is a fact that should not fail to elicit astonishment in the least. Just forgive my ineptness at storytelling, mon ami, and consider getting yourself a little cosmic time-out in the unspoiled provincias near you. Show starts at around 6 on every rain-free night.

He looked so small,bent so low in that corner of Colonwhich he thought was his. As stitch by stitch,his needle moved,made a hole,moved in,and yet again made a hole into the shoes of a lady waitingpatientlystanding.

Shoe Repairby Kim Chavez

Of Provincial Night-Skiesby Roberto Marquez




peeps (people, events and places)

Another weekend full of partiesShangri-La’s night for the mediaThe Shangri-La properties in the Philippines hosted a special appreciation party last Thursday, October 28 at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa for members of Cebu’s media. Key members of the other Shangri-La properties in the Philippines flew in to Cebu just to meet and greet the media. For the party, Shangri-La’s Marquee was transformed into a jungle scene complete with foliage and a fantastic dinner menu. Special prizes were raffled off, and though not everyone won a prize, each member of the media who attended that night did feel very much appreciated.

IT’S A JUNGLE IN HERE. (Clockwise from left) Shangri-La Mactan GM Joachim Schutte, Lourdes Arrieta, Jopy Lopez, Cecile Weber, Patti Javier, Rica Rellon, Erica Sotto, Princes Anderle, Michael Albana; Melissa Ledesma and emcee RJ Ledesma; Malou Mozo, DIvine Ngujo, Mathalie Tomada, Quennie Bronce, Ehda Dagooc; Erica Sotto, Shangri-La Boracay GM Mark Kirk, Cossette Fernandez; Mia Zamora, Melissa Ledesma, Erica Sotto, Lesley Anne Tan.

Marriott awards nightThe following night, Friday, October 29, the Cebu City Marriott held a special night for its customers and special friends. Food and drinks flowed that night, with entertainment provided by a live band. Prizes were also raffled off, and everyone had a generally good time.

PARTIERS. (Clockwise from top photo) Emcee Adrian Ding, CCMH GM Bruce Winton and wife Christina, Charlene Go; Leslie Reyes, Charlene Go, Donna Baidiango, Nickanne Aratea, Yoraidyl Yap, Dominic Dorol, Gayle Moro, Juvy Bartolome, Rowena Sainz, Carol Flores, Thrina Alvizo; Elena Young, Chinggay Utzurrum, Cookie Newman, Mila Espina, Dr. Vivina Chu.

Halloween atThe TaproomDubbed Hell-o-ween, The Taproom in Banilad celebrated All Hallow’s Eve a day early last Saturday, October 30. As usal, the Taproom regulars partied the night away, but this time dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes.

GHOULS? (Clockwise from right photo) DJ Nico Devroe; The Taproom regu-lars clowning around.

nov 6 weekend

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