Sun-Star Weekend Magazine

1C

Saturday, November 19, 2011 [email protected]

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4moviesJ.Edgar

Rescue AHero

BreezingThroughFiona Patricia S. Escandor goes up the mountain and learns what it means to be both a city girl and a country girl at the same time.

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , November 19, 20112CCHERRY ANN LIM Managing Editor, Special Pages and Features

JIGS ARQUIZA Editor

RALPH RHODDEN C. CAVERO Graphic Designer

cover story

Amidst the lush greenery of their farm stands a simple, open hut with two dining tables and several chairs inside; across the hut is a free-flowing spring whose waters trickle serenely into a small pool. It is a quaint sight, the ideal spot where one can unwind from strains caused by city

living. “We were here more often when we were kids,” she admitted, surveying the trees that sur-

rounded us. Donned in comfy horse-riding attire, Marian Unchuan looked perfectly at ease in her family’s farm in the town of Barili. Having been born and raised in the city, one would ex-pect she is the kind who would be wary of the rural life – however, the activities that trans-pired that sunny afternoon proved otherwise.

“As my Dad keeps on saying, it’s a cycle,” she said, over a hearty lunch that consisted of lechon, grilled fish, dilis, keseo, and bibingka. She continued, “It’s the same when they were younger. When they reached their early twenties, adto na sila sa city kuyog sa barkada (they would go to the city with their friends). He started coming back only when he had kids. Na abot na sad daw mi ana nga stage karon nga dili na kaayo mi mu-anhi (He said we’re at that stage that we don’t come here very much).”

In spite of that admission, she seemed to be the perfect tour guide of their farm – from the family’s ancestral house, to the stables, the piggery, up to their firing range at the back. We trekked through rows of mango trees in a grassy path going downhill – and Marian, with not much of a complaint, led the way.

“It’s always a good thing to get away from the city,” she said. Marian, who’s more fondly known as ‘Anya’, is presently the Resource Operations Director of Cebu White Sands Resort and Spa. “Being a family business man gud, my work there is pretty broad. But basically with operations, I’m the one who looks into everything, check each department, talk to the people. My Dad wants to retire soon so my siblings and I have to step up in our roles in the resort and our other businesses.”

Anya is the second child in the

BreezingThrough

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3CSun.Star Weekend | Saturday , November 19, 2011

PHOTOS BY ALLAN DEFENSOR

family. Her older sister manages the resort’s city office, while her younger brother is currently re-viewing for the civil engineering board exams. “We were all geared to help out in the business,” Anya explained.

Her involvement with White Sands is rooted in her very own personal attachment to the place. “In a way, we grew up with White Sands,” she said. When White Sands began commercial operations in 1995, they had only a few rooms, and it was opened merely for ‘day use’ to the public. The resort initially served as a clubhouse for the subdivision their family had developed across the street.

“While I was growing up, the resort was also changing. By the time I came in, we already had fifty rooms,” she said, “A lot of the people there have been with us since sa una pa (From the start). Bata pa mi, mag samok-samok mi nila, kami pa mag hugaw-hugaw didto (We were kids then, and we would always bug the staff, we were the ones who would always leave the place in a mess).”

Anya had known she would somehow find herself in the family business later on. That however didn’t prevent her from venturing in the medical field in college. She took up Nursing in Cebu Doctor’s University, pri-marily intending to proceed with medical school afterwards. She said, “It was between being a doctor and being a busi-nesswoman. Those were the two things that made sense to me as a profes-sion.”

Although she eventually decided not to pursue medical school, Anya had enjoyed her profession as a nurse that she even planned on going abroad. She took the NCLEX and passed it. “I was telling my dad that I would go out, try it out for a few years,” Anya shared, “but he told me, ‘Give it one year, just help in the company. After one year, you can do whatever you want.’"

“I think my dad knew I would stay,” Anya had realized. “After three months, I kept on saying, ‘Dad, do I really have to stay for a year?’ It wasn't until eight, nine months in nga naka ingon jud ko nga (that I could really say) ‘I can do this.’ Kaya na ba (I could already do it).”

Apart from White Sands, Anya is also helping out in their farm. Their farm is known for Molave Milk Station, a popular stopover shop in the south where they serve fresh milk, cheese, and ice cream. “We have plans of making this open to the public, put a few rooms…,” she went on, “But it’s something we’re not rushing into. Right now, we see it as a place to bring our friends, a place to relax.”

The farm’s big, open spaces make the perfect place for Anya to get back into her love for sports. She had played football, softball, golf, and tennis when she was younger. And of course, having horses housed there, Anya is no neophyte when it comes to horseback-riding. “The first time I made a horse gal-lop was accidental,” she laughed. “I just wanted it to do a trot, but instead it ran really fast! We were going through trees, and I could hear my dad shouting at the back, ‘Very good, Yan!’”

The peaceful ambiance of the countryside goes well with Anya, who is a self-confessed “laidback” person. “I would rather have friends come over to the house, or I go to my friend’s house, or we stay in a coffee shop,” she said.

A city girl, a country girl – Marian ‘Anya’ Unchuan is obviously a little bit of both. She has been toughened up by the ways of urban life, though not too much; as a life filled with simple days spent at their farm balance it sweetly.

Formed nearly four years ago, this local indie band has been making waves all over Cebu through their vari-ous performances and gigs at schools, bars, and other hangout spots in the city.

“Simply wanting to play music” was what initially drove the four friends to start the band. The band is com-posed of Mark Cortes on vocals, Carlo Villarica on guitar, Jeremie Lim on bass, and Jason Almendras on drums.

They describe themselves as an “indie rock band with lyrical folk-based songs.” Their poetic lyrics go beyond messages and emotions that the band members themselves have experienced. They delve into different topics in their songs purely because they enjoy creating their music, their art. “And it’s fun to circle around com-plexity,” added vocalist Mark.

Corrupt, Honest, Awake is truly a product of the four musicians’ as they have been very much involved in the

album’s development - from recording their songs in their bedrooms up to doing the promotions. “Bands to-day are forced to fend for themselves,” they said, “but of course it can be difficult without asking for help.”

Rescue A Hero will also release their first music video this month. It will be directed by award-winning filmmaker Victor Villanueva.

Their songs are available for download at their web-site rescueahero.com. Listen to their hits like “Above the Asphalt” and “Don’t Be So Sad” as well as some of their earlier material.

Experience a night of good alternative music as Rescue A Hero launches their first album Corrupt, Honest, Awake at The Outpost on November 26.

Other bands who will also be performing at the launch are Foc Fashion, Dance with me Kris, Stairdown, and Sunday Sunday.

feature

World-renowned operatic tenor and philanthropist, Sal Malaki performs on December 2, 2011 (Friday) at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in ‘Christmas Showers of Grace’ directed by thespian Daisy Baad. The 2-hour concert is animated by Spring Rain Global Consultancy Inc. led by Glenda Antonio, president and CEO. Proceeds of the concert will benefit three (3) groups - Living the Gospel Community for the ongoing construction of a family formation center in Nazareth, Mantalongon, Barili Cebu for dysfunctional families; Liloan Boys Home in its continuing formation of 120 boys ages 1- to 20; and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters’ indigenous people’s apostolate for the Mamanawas of Surigao and Higaonons of Cagayan de Oro. Matinee performance will be at 3 p.m. and the gala at 6 in the evening.

Sal Malaki who was born in Leyte and studied at the University of the Philippines’ College of Music, major in Flute and Voice is the only Filipino member of two prominent ensembles in the US: the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Opera. He sang with the Philippine Madrigal Singers in Manila before moving to California in the 1990s. As one of the most seasoned artists of the Los Angeles Opera Company, the United States’ 4th largest opera house, Sal Malaki was under the general direction of world-renowned tenor and conductor, Maestro Placido

Domingo. To Sal’s credit, he has performed in virtually every

opera masterpiece in almost one hundred opera productions in his 17 consecutive seasons as part of the opera chorus. He has performed solo roles in La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, La Bohème, Luisa Fernanda, Der Rosenkavalier, La Rondine and Fantastic Mr. Fox. With the Los Angeles Master Chorale, now in his 16th season, under the baton of Maestro Grant Gershon, Sal Malaki was the tenor soloist in the world premiere of Jeremy Soule’s L’extase; in Bach’s Christmas Cantata

Part I; and in Nielsen’s Hymnus Amoris with Maestro Paul Salamunovich in the latter’s farewell concert as music director of Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Here in the Philippines, Sal Malaki did a recording of Spoliarium, the operatic composition of Mr. Ryan Cayabyab and libretto of Ms.

Fides Cuyugan-Asensio being the lead role as Juan Luna, telling the story of the hero’s love and life, and the world-class painting Spoliarium.,

As an artist, Sal Malaki is very much involved in philanthropic concerts with invitations from the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. He performed in Cebu last July 30 at the Pilgrim Center of the Basilica del Sto. Niño for six (6) beneficiary-groups.

International Tenor and Philanthropist Sal Malaki Performs ‘Christmas Showers of Grace’

by Fiona Patricia S. Escandor

Corrupt, Honest, Awakeby Rescue A Hero

PHOTOS BY AMPER CAMPANA

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , November 19, 20114C

movies

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

In Clint Eastwood’s new film, “J. Edgar,” a 1930 movie theater audience makes its preference clear. Whereas J. Edgar Hoover’s pre-movie

promotion reel about G-men and the FBI draws impatient boos, a trailer for the upcoming James Cagney flick “The Public Enemy” inspires hoots and applause.

Though Hoover was exceptionally popular with the American public throughout his nearly four decade reign as FBI director, his opponents – the gangsters, the radicals, the Kennedys – have always been the chosen subjects of movies.

“J. Edgar,” too, may not draw cheers, but it remains a riveting, noble attempt by Eastwood, now 81, to wrestle with big American questions, many of which have obvious relevance to today’s politics. It’s another largely fascinating, if disappointingly flawed chapter in Eastwood’s fantastic late period.

“J. Edgar” is a biopic framed around Hoover (a thoroughly committed, engaging but ultimately still removed Leonardo DiCaprio) dictating his life story to various typists. This is Hoover’s story, mainly told through his perspective – and therefore a somewhat claustrophobic view of history.

The film, from an ambitious script by Dustin Lance Black (who wrote the Harvey Milk biopic, “Milk”), opens with a lot of switches in time as the narrative rushes to pack in the rise of Hoover as a Justice Department upstart and eager riser at the nascent Bureau of Investigation. It’s a grimly propulsive first hour, pushed forward by the relentless, paranoid patter of the fast-talking Hoover (nicknamed “Speed”).

Hoover is fully formed from the start: A meticulous, obsessive defender of America (or what he conceives as America). He tries to make typist Helen Gandy (the wonderful Naomi Watts, here underused, looking too bright for a somber tale) his wife, but when she declines, he makes her his lifelong, trusted secretary instead.

“Edgar, can you keep a secret?” Gandy, explaining her career goals, asks – and somewhere, five decades of American politicians chortle.

Eastwood makes an effort to show the post-World War I political climate by which Hoover was formed – the bombings and assassination attempts that would ignite his long “war against the Bolsheviks.” The point, perhaps, is that the threat was not just paranoia – but was still far from the “end of times” warnings that echoed, not unlike they have in contemporary times.

Hoover will continue this fight throughout, eventually mistaking other movements (such as the civil rights movement – Hoover, a racist, would call Martin Luther King Jr. “the most notorious liar in the country”) for extensions of communism. Whereas many biopics chart a person’s arc across history, “J. Edgar” follows history’s arc across Hoover’s bullheaded steadiness.

Eastwood explores Hoover’s increasing megalomania, his illegal surveillance, his secret files. By the time Nixon is elected president, Hoover ironically recognizes him as a “menace” who will do anything to keep power. But Eastwood also reminds us of Hoover’s accomplishments.

Hoover built a centralized collection of fingerprints in Washington, and was an early advocate of forensics. He brought professionalism

to FBI agents, but also presided over them like a dictator, insisting they shave any facial hair and wear suits to his liking (Hoover, almost dandyish, kept to his Brooks Brothers). He was an early publicity innovator, creating a mythologized “G-Man” – not to mention an exaggerated Hoover.

Still, the most affecting parts of “J. Edgar” are Hoover’s two most important personal relationships: That with his mother (Judi Dench) and with his No. 2 and close friend Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, who after being digitally doubled for “The Social Network” has been restored to a singular being).

Hoover was an emphatic mama’s boy, and Dench plays her as a kind of Lady Macbeth, fostering her son’s repression. When a grown Hoover gets worked up and begins stuttering, we’re cast back into the “The King’s Speech”: She tells him, like she did when he was a child, to talk to himself in the mirror and “Be my little Speedy.”

The exact nature of Hoover’s relationship with Tolson isn’t known. They ate together nearly every day and took vacations together, but the gay and cross-dressing rumors about Hoover aren’t established.

In “J. Edgar,” the relationship is entirely convincing. Hoover and Tolson (Hammer plays him as totally subservient to Hoover) are inseparable partners, but their sexual desires – while not spelled out – appear to be unsatisfied. Black’s interest in Hoover’s story is that of a closeted gay man, as opposed to the outed Milk. DiCaprio and Hammer have an excellent chemistry, full of slight, homoerotic gestures.

It can and surely will be argued how accurate it is to portray Hoover this way. The politics of the film will also be debated, given that Eastwood, a moderate libertarian Republican, is sympathetic to Hoover (felt most in his loving, mediocre piano score).

But just as the director so caringly switched sides of a World War II battlefield for “Letters from Iwo Jima” after “Flags of Our Fathers,” Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” shows just as much empathy for the power broker as “Changeling” did for the aggrieved.

In “J. Edgar,” Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern fill the interiors with deep shadows and desaturated colors. That adds to the weighty feel of a biopic, which remains – when conventional – a problematic form for movies: not enough time to fit a life, and too much material to find a narrative. “J. Edgar” struggles to put forth a full picture of Hoover, a failure Black’s screenplay attempts to shroud in the contrived flashbacks.

DiCaprio has no hesitation about the biopic, and

he does a great deal to make “J. Edgar” a compelling one. Thanks to Deborah Hopper’s excellent costumes, he plays the character across decades (as Hammer and Watts do as well). He’s most striking, almost Orson Welles-ish, as the elderly Hoover.

And, really, it’s the experience of aging _ a subject of many of Eastwood’s recent films – that comes across best with “J. Edgar.” The resonating images of Hoover are of a man increasingly and tragically out of step with time. Thankfully, it’s been quite the opposite for Eastwood. (AP)


short reviews

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

audiosyncracy

Into the AbyssWerner Herzog does something great

reporters know how to do: He listens. He pays attention during conversation. He’s so in-the-moment, he instinctively asks the natural follow-up question, and that’s what often elicits the greatest honesty and the most unexpected emotion. And so in his latest documentary, “Into the Abyss,” Herzog turns an earnest, low-key interview with a prison chaplain into a sudden outburst of tears, merely by asking the gentleman to relay an anecdote about a squirrel he saw on a golf course. (AP)

MelancholiaDepression finally seems to have brought

out the best in Lars von Trier: “Melancholia” is his strongest work in a while, a devastatingly beautiful, operatic mixture of all his signature themes and visual schemes. Doom is certain from the start. This is, after all, a von Trier film. But the director portends his characters’ fate with a lengthy, wordless prelude: a series of sumptuously photographed, super-slow-motion images of sadness and frustration accompanied by the swelling overture from Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” We see Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg struggle against the elements, against themselves. We know this cannot end well. (AP)

Six years after Miranda Lambert torched a new path for country music with her debut album, “Kerosene,” she continues to burn through the boundaries of Nashville’s Music Row by experimenting with fresh sounds and unexpected themes.

Her fourth solo album, “Four the Record,” opens with “All Kinds Of Kinds,” a non-judgmental song which references a congressman who is a closeted transvestite and a pharmacist who secretly feeds herself and her family pills. Next comes “Fine Tune,” a tale of erotic awakening that includes an electronically-processed vocal over a woozy, bluesy pop arrangement unlike anything in country music, past or present.

In other words, Lambert continues to follow her own muse and to grow creatively – and both the Texas native and country music is better for it.

Whether she’s singing about wild women (“Mama’s Broken Heart,” ‘’Fastest Girl In Town”), deceitful lovers (“Same Old You,” ‘’Dear Diamond”) or enduring love (“Easy Living,” ‘’Safe”), Lambert fills her new collection with bold songs that utilize sounds and images that mark her as an artist who refuses to play it safe.

But what makes “Four the Record” entertaining isn’t just that Lambert is so daring; the album stands out because the chances she takes result in songs that connect on a deeper, more meaningful level than most of her contemporaries. (AP)

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On “Baggage Claim,” a top 10 hit for Lambert, she shows off a strutting, soulful vocal that plays nicely off of Jay Joyce’s slide acoustic guitar and Steve Winwood’s Hammond organ. The result engagingly updates the southern soul of the 1960s.

glee (gimik, laag and everything else)

Ayala Center CebuTHEIR BOOKS. From November 18-20, treat yourself at a bazaar filled with all sorts of books: from classic novels, to self-help, and to modern literary creations. Their Books will be located at the 2nd floor of Ayala Center Cebu. Proceeds of this book sale will go to the beneficiaries of Tsinelas Association, Inc.

Handuraw Pizza LahugBISROCK TRINITY. Local rock bands Skull Blacklord, Makadawa, and Mantequilla will be performing live at Handuraw on November 26 at 9PM!

Marco Polo PlazaSOIREE BEAUJOLAIS 2011. On November 19, catch multi-awarded Queen of Jazz Verni Varga with the country’s top celebrity host Mr. Johnny Litton at the uncorking of the Le Beaujolais Nouveau. A sumptuous French buffet with free-flowing wines and cheese awaits! For reservations, call 253-1111.

Waterfront Airport HotelCHRISTMAS UNDER THE SEA. On November 29, take part in the momentous lighting of the hotel’s Christmas tree. There will also be a costume contest for kids called ‘Kids at Sea’ as well as a grand spread of cuisines. For more information, contact 340-4888 loc. 7807.

Waterfront Cebu City HotelTHE GIFT OF LIFE. The Rotary Club of Cebu brings you a university chorale concert and benefit gala on November

books

FROM WWW.FULLYBOOKEDONLINE.COM

Miranda Lambert, “Four the Record”(RCA Nashville)

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo. A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - “Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled. As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind

them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector. A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s - 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

24. Listen to the melodious voices of the Cebu Normal University Chorale, University of San Carlos Choristers, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Chorale, and the University of the Visayas Chorale. Tickets are at P1,000 per person. For more information, contact 415-5612 or 0917-396-5855.

The Penthouse CebuDJ YOUSEF (ASIA TOUR). Internationally acclaimed resident of Carl Cox’ Label The Revolution Continues in Space Ibiza, Liverpool’s DJ and producer Yousef will be in The Penthouse tonight!

Veranda ParkmallCEBU GUITARS AND GEARS XHIBIT. Mark your calendars, on December 3, “promote good sound, not noise” with Fragile Tone’s benefit celebration of music.

The OutpostARTIST KO NIGHTS. Catch these bands live tonight: Deanery, Wonggoys, Phantoms, and Sunday Sunday. Event starts at 9 p.m.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and SpaSZECHUAN FOOD FEST. Experience the flavorful Szechuan cuisine at its finest, as prepared by Chef Shi at Tea of Spring at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, available until November 26. Savor delectable dishes such as Sautedd Shrimps with chili, Poached Sliced Beef in hot chili oil and many more.


lex in the cityAlexis Yap

I remember the first time I was in Hong Kong. I was about 12 years old and I was travelling with my mom, my dad, and my four siblings. Of course we had to do the entire tourist thing- Victoria Peak, Jumbo floating restaurant, a Sampan ride, a tour of a jewellery factory, and of course, many samplings of authentic Cantonese and Chinese dishes.

My most recent trip to Hong Kong included a lot of sight-seeing, shopping, eating, and walking! I was with my mom, my Tita Marie, her husband Dr. Nilson Gelbolingo and their two children, Nikka and Mark.

I was very excited to be travelling with them since the last time I have gone on vacation with my mom was in 2007 in Switzerland, and it was my first time travelling with my Aunt and her family.

We opted to stay in a hostel with a fabulous location, right smack in the center of Causeway Bay. The MTR was conveniently located under our building so getting to our destinations was no problem at all. Of course we had to visit Disneyland and Ocean Park. It was the perfect time to go since it was Halloween! I always enjoy a good scare every now and then.

The weather was just perfect. It was sunny but the breeze was cool. The last time I was in Hong Kong with my friends, it was scorching hot that I had to bring an extra shirt (and extra hankies) with me every time we went out ‘coz everyone knows that a lot of walking is involved when travelling to Hong Kong.

But no Hong Kong-first-timer’s trip is complete without one thing. Remember those little souvenir plates they print your picture on? My mom bought one for me on my first trip there. When we did the Hong Kong Island Half-Day Tour this time around, nothing much had changed in the itinerary and I was mistaken to think that the days of making those cute little plates were long gone. Our tour guide’s assistant, Ken was taking pictures of us by the Jumbo floating restaurant and by the time we got to Victoria Peak, there he was, carrying his very heavy black duffel bag loaded with fragile plates, all printed with our pictures.

At first I was hesitant as I knew these things were over-priced. Besides, I already have one. But when Ken took out my photo, it was just so beautiful (compared to my first one decades ago) that I couldn’t resist the urge to get it! My aunt’s pictures also came out beautifully. The price written on it was HK$ 200 (around PhP 1,400). I was in Phuket early this year and they had souvenir plates like

that for only THB 150 (around PhP 225). I wasn’t about to spend PhP 1,400 on a plate! But my aunt was very excited about it and was more than willing to pay HK$ 800 (Ken had printed four plates for them). I bargained for a hundred but Ken insisted on HK$ 150. That’s still

about PhP 1,050. Since Ken was unlike every Cantonese vendor in the typical Hong Kong night market, we settled at HK$ 150 a piece.

I think it is an inevitable habit of mine to always compute how much my purchases abroad would be

in Philippine Pesos since I have become quite the budget traveller. But there are things I turn a blind eye to: things like pictures on a plate that could probably last a lifetime. Imagine that one happy moment (not to mention looking fab in the picture), “plated” forever as a souvenir of your first visit to Hong Kong (or Phuket)... It’s up to you to hang it on your wall, display it along with your trophies on the shelf, or actually use it as a plate (I wonder if anyone actually has).

I found my first Hong Kong “picture plate” in my box of old photos. That plate is almost 20 years old! Looking at that plate brought back heart-warming memories of time spent with the family- the good old days when we were all still together. Travelling together, laughing together, having fun together, eating together... When it comes to things like these, I agree with Jessie J when she says in her song, “Forget about the price tag.”

Here are today’s greetings:Happy Birthday to:Yves Camingue, Johndee Tiu,

Katsy Borromeo, Dr. Fremont Base, Aya Sabarre Gica, Tommy Ngo (Today), Rico Tan, Nelanie Mitchell, Ronald Conopio (Nov. 20), Rock Robins, Dominic Roa (Nov. 21), Nikka Marie Gelbolingo, Celso Pepito, Bong Durano, Kenneth Guillen, Tutu Sebua (Nov. 22), Randolf Libres, Adam Fuentes (Nov. 23), Manu Antigua (Nov. 24), Adrian Ding, Doreen Ting, Kai Tautjo, John Chik (Nov. 25), Chikara Gothong, Allison Angbetic, Van Monroe Sy (Nov. 26), Hendri Go, Bea Diola (Nov. 27), Jan Rodriguez, Herzen Repollo, Cecilia Culango (Nov. 28), Brian Lim, Man Ngo, Alphard Calderon (Nov 30), Patrick See (Dec. 1), Blenn Suan (Dec. 2).

Don’t forget:Tonight! SoundLab presents

DJ & Producer Yousef of Carl Cox’ The Revolution Continues in Space Ibiza at the Penthouse, Your Party Cathedral!

Tonight! It’s Acoustic Sing Along at Alejandro’s Filipino Resto. Call 253 7921 for table reservations.

Congratulations to Mosbeau for winning The Most Successful Health Supplement Brand of the Year at the Health Wellness and Beauty Awards 2011. Thanks to Mr. Clark Genil and his crew at 505, FGU Bldg., Cebu Business Park for all your support for Sunstar and Lex In the City.

Nikka, Marie, and Malou

With Mom at Ocean Park

Congratulations to Mosbeau! Yeah!The Gelbolingo’s-Marc, Nikka, Marie, and Nilson

Watching the 4D show at HK Disneyland With Marc and Mom The Gelbolingo Family in Hong Kong

It’s a Small World Afterall With mom on the Cable Car

Holloween in Hong Kong On the Mine Train

Picture on a plate


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

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

website: www.palazzopensionne.net

BED & BREAKFAST

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]

eat’s my lifeJigs Arquiza

poetry

“One of these days, hilakan man jud ni nako ang Klaine ba. Awa lang.” I posted this as my Facebook status while waiting for the newest Glee episode. It’s already common for Cebuano teens to periodically update their Facebook profiles in their native tongue, so mine wasn’t any different.

As an active member of Harry Potter and Glee fandoms on the internet, I have made quite a number of online friends. Usually, they simply ignore my Cebuano ramblings, but one friend of mine indulged and bathed in her curiosity. She left a comment on my status asking what it meant, and I replied with the English translation: “One of these days, I will cry over Klaine. Wait and see.” A few minutes later, she both amused and amazed me by reposting my status in our dialect and crediting me. I later found out that she found Cebuano interesting and she wanted to learn it. The news was dumbfounding.

It’s ironic to know that foreigners are interested in learning our dialect when we ourselves tend to grumble when we fail to understand certain terms. Just like that, we get stuck in a rut. As part of the Cebuano youth, I will not deny that the number of times I have ripped my hair out in frustration over this is numerous. However, I believe that alone doesn’t portray who we really are. No sweat.

Cebuano, Bicolano, Waray, Tagalog. What difference does it make? We might not care what the answer or the difference is, but it actually shapes us to be the individuals we are right now.

Being Cebuanos, we are known to be a community of thrifty, modest (though opinionated in nature), curious and friendly people. It’s not unusual for teen Cebuanos to attract friends worldwide, and this is proof of our positive value. If you’ve seen people braving the long line at Ayala to buy Krispy Kreme, they are not showing the contradiction of being thrifty. Instead, they are exploring and flashing their curious side to the makers of the formerly ‘Manila-exclusive’ donut store. Burn.

The youth is the future of the nation. We are future of Cebu. Because of this, we must give our very best in the process of making our hometown proud. If education gives one a lifetime of prosperity, then Cebu will prosper if as early as now, we will do our part in school.

The Cebuano heritage doesn’t hinder you from walking into the road of success in various other places. Rather, it makes you stand out and be the epitome of difference. We have our own creative culture; our own indigenous way of life. Be proud. Chase your goal and jump on it, just like what any Cebuano would do. Don’t be afraid to make your own mark in this world.

Live. Love. Laugh. Wherever you may be, know that Cebu will always be here to welcome you home.

Cebuano prideby Monica Gloria Manluluyo

Picture yourself waiting in line for something like ten minutes so that two people in front of you can have their orders taken and/or served. And then when it’s time to get your order taken, the order-taker walks away, and stays away for a couple of minutes. You stand there, slowly simmering, and then the order-taker comes back, with a big smile and says “Thank you for waiting, sir, Can I have your order?”

Yes, he/she did say “thank you” because you waited, but, and this is a big “BUT”, shouldn’t they instead be saying “Sorry for making you wait”, since it did take them a long time to get to you? I don’t understand why some corporate trainers cannot seem to get the concept that we have waited UNWILLINGLY, therefore there is no need for us to be thanked for waiting, because the waiting was forced on us. An apology, though, should be forthcoming, but is never given.

So the order-taker takes your order: “One (premium burger), one large fries, one large drink”. And then the order-taker repeats your order, and then says: “Sir, 13 minutes for your burger, OK lang?”

You point out to the order-taker that this is supposed to be a fast food restaurant, and that having to wait 13 minutes for your burger does not apply to the phrase “fast food”. And all you get is

another “13 minutes for your burger, OK lang sir?” So you explain to the person behind the counter that “No, it’s not OK, but since I want a premium burger, then I guess I would have to wait the freaking 13 minutes, right?” And you get a blank stare. And another “OK lang sir?” So finally you realize that the order-taker is so dense, sarcasm is actually wasted, and in resignation, you say “Yes, OK lang.” So you get shooed off to one side, or asked to sit down where you can, because they will just serve your order to you.

You start counting the minutes, until you’re pretty sure that more than 13 minutes have passed, look around for fast food staff looking for you, find out there is none, and then go back to the counter. Following up on your order, you’re given “Sir, two minutes na lang.”

ARGH. Having no choice but to wait, you go back to your seat, and wait for maybe three minutes to pass, until your order finally arrives.

Unfortunately, your drink is either already finished, or has been diluted by the melting ice that it now tastes like water instead of soda. And your fries are more than half gone. And then you discover that the beautiful burger pictured in the advertisements and menus actually look like this:

The problem with fast food

and she who penned of grace and servitude

stopped.

left.

after eons of mandatory blows and dehydrated dignities,she rose from the exploiting tables,spilled the ink in thankless rooms,

slashed and burned the parties of partialities,and published her purpose.

hoping to tear her revelationsand vandalize her recognition,he attended her book launching.

since that day,he licked the mireshe once walked on.

Paybackby Desiree L. Balota

IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET


Clockwise from top: Alyssa Lao, Jennifer Sarmiento, Rizbelle Ostrea, Neil San Pedro; Janke Maningo, Kym Maitland-Smith, Edmond Gaisano, Darleen Hopkirk; Rizbelle Ostrea; Veronica Chiongbian and Penthouse DJ Carlow Montecillo; Marco Toral and Didi Kim with friends; Styles Entertainment’s DJ Skratchmark and MC Nathan; Jennifer Sarmiento.

The plasma says it all!

The ladies of Johnnie Walker

Members of the media getting ready to ride the Ms. Flirt. PB staff chilling on the deck.

Nams and Vikrant Singh Cecile Cuisia and David Ugarte

peeps (people, events and places)

Plenty of establishments held a big party last Friday, November 11, 2011, as a lot of people felt that this date was going to be lucky for them. At The Penthouse, it was business as usual, but with the added attraction of winning a Smart Netphone Samsung Galaxy Y, which was won by young partygoer Jennifer Sarmiento. Music was provided by DJ Skratchmark and MCNathan of Styles Entertainment.

Last October 27, Thursday, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa brought together media friends and resort staff for a fun-filled cruise around the waters off Mactan Island on their new cruise banca, the Ms. Flirt. It was a fun-filled afternoon of swimming, sunning and seafood.

11.11.11

Going on a cruise

Johnnie Walker recently joined 80s glam night, Disco Deluxe, at FORMO Restaurant and Lounge.

Johnnie Walker’s Step Inside the Circuit campaign made a great addition to FORMO Saturday night’s gaiety with premium items given away by lovely JW ladies with iPad Games. And, like any great party, the night overflowed with JW cocktails and shots. It was a weekend revelry that lasted till the wee hours of the morning – one that’s hard to forget!

Formo Disco Deluxe with Johnnie Walker

Sun-Star Weekend Magazine

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