biyahera : Mayo 2014

Biyernes, Mayo 23, 2014

ONEDIRECTIONERS (not my girls)

Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles. You guessed it right, they're the members of the hottest English-Irish pop boy band that is taking the world by storm, the ONE DIRECTION.

They finished third in 2010's Britain X-Factor but Simon Cowell, the hard-hitting ex American Idol judge and one of the founders of the X-Factor singing competition was so impressed with the group and it's potential to sweep the kids all over the world (and their parents) off their feet wasted no time and took the boys under his care. One direction signed up with Cowell's record label and the rest is history.

Hit record after hit record, award after award, the swoons of their fans got louder and louder.Avid followers mob them everywhere they go. They came in multitude and baptized themselves as 'onedirectioners', a stamp of commitment and loyalty to the boy band.

The band is now a fad, a craze, a culture and for millions of their followers, a way of life. The Philippines, our teens, parents in tow whether swayed or not joined in and also got caught in the madness. So, it came as no surprise why there were sobbing, crying and hearts broken when many onedirectioners failed to buy tickets for the boy band's scheduled Philippine concert in March 2015. The onedirectioners are more than willing to shell out up to P18,000 pesos for a concert ticket to finally throw their love and devotion to the boys up-close and personal. A ticket so expensive it could equal a random private school's annual tuition fee.

Many came from the province just to become one of those who lined up in malls for hours buying nothing in return. Many felt like it was the end of the world and some would even go the distance to get the chance to watch the show. Some sought the help of fixers and shady characters selling overpriced tickets just to see the boys.

And who wouldn't? Even country superstar Taylor Swift, a musical genius in her own right fell with one of the boys, writing another sad song after their relationship failed to see the light.

I have nothing against these screaming teens and shrieking fans. Lucky them because they have thousands of money to spend for a night of music, screaming and madness overload..

With the recent turn of events where two of the members were caught on video doing weed, I am grateful that my girls are not into the boys.

So thankful, they are pursuing their lives and interests in OTHER direction.

'Everybody's youth is a dream.

A form of chemical madness'

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sabado, Mayo 10, 2014

TWENTY-ONE: POSTCRIPT TO HAIYAN ( a life behind a number)

Tacloban Airport porters (number 21 not in sight)

Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, City of Tacloban, the 9th of April 2014, exactly five months after Haiyan brought the Visayas and the Philippines unto its knees, I stepped out of an Air Asia flight, my first after that fateful morning of November 8, 2013.

Slowly but clearly, Tacloban is en route to recovery and re-development even if some political animals are fighting to the nines in trying to claim 'ownership' of the on-going rehabilitation efforts that is still not enough for the typhoon victims and international community that played a critical role in easing out the burden and unimaginable misery of the lives severely affected and impacted by Haiyan's wrath.

I cannot contain my emotions. It was hard seeing for the first time the city that has been a huge part of my life. I spent my college years in Tacloban and lived in nearby Paterno Kings, one of the areas severely hit by Haiyan. I started my career in broadcast at the now 'dead-air' DYDW Radyo-Diwa. Haiyan brought the station to deafening silence, destroying everything that got in the way. We pioneered producing the first ever waray-waray radio dramas that many Waraynons came to love. I spent the good one third of my life in Tacloban. The city where I started making my dreams happen while enjoying the line of barbecue stalls along the downtown strip and frequenting Diorico's bakery every time I have extra money to spare on their breads. It was a part of my life well-spent and well-remembered until now.

The rain was pouring hard, the skies turned black and cried endlessly as if remembering the more than six thousand lives Haiyan claimed in a single blow of super storm and raging waters. An airport crew handed me an umbrella and slowly, I made my way to the ravaged airport. My heart was beating fast that I can hear it making an endless sound of faint booms and thuds.

I immediately saw the line of men in white and blue shirts with numbers on their left chest, the porters, the friends of weary and luggage-heavy travelers. My eyes wandered, looking for a familiar sight, a wave, a face, a smile, a number...twenty-one.

But there was none. There he was not. The burly man with the gentle lines of his years etched on his face. He with the shy smile and dependable helping hand. There wasn't he who always welcome me with the usual 'ilan po ang baggage nyo ma'am?'. There he was not to carry my load until I am safely settled in a vehicle that would bring me to my next destination.

Sadness swept over me as maddening thoughts entered my mind. Could it be that the life behind number twenty-one was among Haiyan's victims? I said a prayer of gratitude and hope. Gratitude for knowing him and for the time he spent securing my luggage everytime I set foot at the airport. A prayer of hope, wishing to heavens that I was wrong.

The other porters knew of the bond that I and Manong 21 had. It took another porter to calm my nerves down, but then, the news. 'Ma'am wala na po si 21'. Panicked ran through my blood again. My heart sanked and I nearly choke in tears.

'Kasama ba sya sa na-yolanda?' I asked.

'Hindi po ma'am'.

He survived.

Twenty-one found a better job.

The view from the plane

The sadness that was Haiyan

Waiting & hoping

Displaced lives everywhere.

Unspoken sadness. Tormented sorrow

Ray of Hope. Camella roofings restored. Thanks to the generosity of Vista Land's boss and billionaire Manny Villar who donated more than P20M to bring back the 'normalcy' in his ravaged housing communities

With or without politics, Tacloban will rise again

'We fight, get beaten,

but we rise and fight again'

-Nathanael Greene

Linggo, Mayo 4, 2014

beaching in BINOGAWAN

Photo by Franklin Robedizo

Binogawan Shoreline

Binogawan is a quaint barangay in the town of San Policarpo, province of Eastern Samar. Just like the other 16 barangays, it is abundantly blessed with the beauty of nature. Facing the Pacific Ocean, it is a window to a whole new world of azure skies, cool breeze, blue waters and cold waves gently lapping and kissing the stretch of white sand that is now becoming the favorite vacay spot of tourists from near and far.

But don't raise your hopes and expectations just yet. Binogawan is not your Boracay type of beach fun. It is stripped with restos, shops and required accomodation that other known resorts have. There is however Binogawan Beach Resort owned by a local (who made it big overseas) and a foreign partner. It has well-appointed rooms for overnight (or a couple of days) stay. Weddings, birthdays and social functions can now be done at the resort, giving the community a choice from the traditional and customary social venues.

What really makes Binogawan a must-go all year round destination is the charm of its own. Nipa and bamboo cottages are scattered along the shoreline owned and operated by the locals, of familiar smiles and pastoral bonds. It come cheap with a view of paradise.

Binogawan beachgoers do not usually hit the beach and bask in the warmth of the sun, except of course for vacationing tourists from other parts of the world. People converge to share stories and laughter, dig in to whatever food they put on the table and get drowsy with booze and the orange burst of the setting sun. Binogawan beach is undoubtedly a meeting place, a watering hole of sorts, and a picnic point for families, friends as well as new-found acquaintances.

It is more of a 'story' place, a hub of rousing laughter and a place where new memories are made.

Binogawan beach is perfect as it is. Vast, free, and still 'unharmed' by the mad dash of 'uber' commercialization. And yes, beach lovers scantily clad in bikinis sashaying in straw hats and aviator shades are not welcome in Binogawan beach.

At least, not now.

Not yet.