SunStar Weekend

[email protected], May 7, 2011

movies

4Fast Five

feature

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Kadaugan Street Party

The corporate world was once her life, until love and motherhood came along. Join Jigs Arquiza as he discovers how one makes the transition from career woman to caring mother.

From career to caring

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 20112CCHERRY ANN LIM Managing Editor, Special Pages and FeaturesJIGS ARQUIZA Editor CLINT HOLTON P. POTESTAS Writer

RALPH RHODDEN C. CAVERO Graphic Designer

cover story

“Behave, kids!” 35-year-old Janice Chua Go tells her children Caitlyn, 7 years old, and Aidan, five years old, as they run around Figaro, the coffee shop in IT Park where she is a managing partner. The kids join us at our table and sit beside her as she relates “I was so into my work before I had Caitlyn, but now the kids come first.”

A transplanted Tagala, Janice moved to Cebu around seven years ago, when her husband Stanley, a Cebuano, suggested that life might be easier in Cebu. Giving up Manila for Cebu was hard at first, as Janice confesses “I used to cry a lot when I was still new here.”

Leaving Manila, her family, and her work was difficult, but Janice soon adjusted to the easy-paced life. Finding work was no problem, as Stanley’s parents had a thriving rice wholesale business, Greenfield Marketing, and Janice easily found a place in the family corporation. “It’s nice working for the family, because my in-laws are very understanding and very doting grandparents. They realize that it’s important that I have time for the kids.” Janice explains further “Stan, a vice president for Virgina Food, is always so busy, and we both wanted that it would be best if the kids had me with them as often as possible, so this arrangement really works for us!” C3

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Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 2011 3C

FROM C2

It surpassed the organizers’ expectations.

The crowd that joined the first ever Kadaugan Street Party in the evening of April 29 reached 20,000 according to police estimates.

On April 30, during the Rampada, the Brazilian-inspired street dancing, the crowd who lined up the whole stretch of M.L. Quezon Highway, Lapu-Lapu City swelled to 50,000 according to Police Senior Superintendent Antohony Obenza, Lapu-lapu City’s police chief.

“I only expected 10,000 people to grace the event considering it is the first time that the city organized a victory party to celebrate the victory of Datu Lapu Lapu against Ferdinand Magellan, I never thought the event would be a huge success,”Harry Don Radaza, organizer of the event said.

In the open category, Viva Imperial of Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa bagged the first prize of the Rampada winning P50,000. The second prize of P 30,000.00 went to Barangay Gun-ob, while third place went to Barangay Buaya, which

Kadaugan Street Party

feature

won P20,000.In the barangay level category, first prize

went to Barangay Gun-ob, winning P30,000. The second place went to Barangay Buaya, winning P20,000, and third, Barangay Looc, with P10,000.

Other winners who got P5,000 each were Reyna Bulakna from Viva Imperial, Best Headress from Viva Imperial, Best in Costume went to Barangay Gun-ob, Most Colorful again going to Barangay Gun-ob and Most Lively, Barangay Buaya.

The Kadaugan Street Party also featured several free concert and party stations presented by the city government, Faces Bar, dyLS-FM (Lupig Sila, dyRT-FM (Nindota Ah), Let’s Share TV.com. while Goldberry Suites and Hotel turned their facade into a street bar featuring Loft DJs.

A car show by the Federation of Auto Clubs of Cebu had 200 cars in exhibit, providing party goers with an added treat. The hotels and resorts of the city also extended their week-long food festival held at the Liberty Shrine by coming up with a gourmet walk at the venue of the Kadaugan Street Party.

All told, the event will be repeated next year and expectedly it will even be grander and merrier.

Referring to her previous job in Manila with a major real-estate company, Janice declares “If I was still working in a strict corporate setting, I wouldn’t be able to take care of my children properly.” Janice adds “Nowadays, I just work when the kids are asleep already. You can’t do that if you’re in the corporate world.”

Janice describes herself as “the all-around girl in the family,” adding “I’m the driver, I do the tutoring, I do a lot for the kids.” Of course, Janice has no complaints whatsoever, saying “I want my kids to know that I’ll always be here for them. I really want to give my kids the best that I can.”

She does have some questions on parenting though. Janice says, “You’re forming a person, and you don’t have guidelines on being a parent, how would you know if you’re doing the right thing?”

“I find it hard to discipline Caitlyn and Aidan. After I discipline them, I cry. I don’t know if I’m going overboard. I just try to find a balance between scolding and being caring.” Janice promounces, hastening to add “I don’t spank my kids. I’m afraid I might hurt them. I’m a lot bigger than them, and of course, what I think is not painful may be very painful for them.”

“It does feel good to see that my kids are growing up well,” Janice says proudly, “and I know that Stanley is proud of me that I’m taking really great care of Caitlyn and Aidan.”

“I want my kids to know that I’ll always be here for them. I really want to give my kids the best that I can.”

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 20114C

movies

I f the “Fast Five” filmmak-ers had thrown in giant, shape-shifting robots,

talking apes and some vam-pires, the fifth installment in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise would hardly have been more outlandish.

That said, the movie will get you where you’re going. Pretty cars, prettier women, insanely absurd action that truly thrills even as it shatters all physical laws, and enough testosterone-fueled violence to satisfy the most-rabid WWE SmackDown crowd.

Opting for a blowout of a movie with no restraints whatsoever, the filmmakers wisely add former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson as a relentless federal agent to go toe-to-toe with Vin Diesel’s driving ace Dom Toretto, who’s again on the run along with his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), and cop-turned-outlaw Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker).

Any thwack from the inevitable Diesel-Johnson slug-fest might kill an ordinary human, but these characters basically are comic-book figures, so they’re able to wail the innards out of each other and come through with only a cosmetic bruise or two.

Directing his third chapter in the franchise,

Justin Lin applies that over-the-top-and-then-some approach to everything in “Fast Five.” If it can move, it can move faster. If it can crash, it can crash harder. If it can roar, it can roar

louder.It’s nonsense, but when

Hollywood does nonsense right, it can be a lot of fun. Lin now is far

more assured as an action director, crafting stunts and chases that zip along

so recklessly you won’t much care how utterly impossible they are.

Likewise, Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan, who wrote the last two “Fast and Furious” flicks, step up the silliness of the dialogue and the characters’ mannerisms to let the audience in on the joke that no one is supposed to take any of this seriously. People strut and pronounce in such farcical fashion that it goes beyond stupid and somehow becomes, if not clever, at least crafty.

The filmmakers do actually achieve cleverness with a surprise or two. You’ll want to stay through a portion of the end-credits to catch one of them, a jolting tease for the franchise’s preordained sixth installment after “Fast Five” hauls in its fortune.

In the current story, Dom is hunting his own fortune after Brian and Mia break him out of

custody in a dementedly excessive prison-bus escape. Hiding out in Rio de Janeiro, the three join a daring car heist that puts them at odds with local crime boss Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) and sets super agent Hobbs (Johnson) on their trail.

So Dom decides to get the band back together, enlisting an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style ensemble of past “Fast and the Furious” rowdies to part Reyes from his millions.

Returning as part of the team are Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon and Don Omar.

Elsa Pataky joins the cast as possibly Brazil’s lone honest police officer, a woman tapped by Hobbs to help him chase down Toretto’s gang.

But words like honest don’t mean much in the “Fast Five” world, where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and only the really, really bad guys get what they’ve got coming.

There’s no moral compass here (and apparently no clock, either; the movie runs much too long, and despite the breathless pace, the trip does start to wear on you).

The only compass is the one pointing down the road straight ahead, down which “The Fast and the Furious” flicks will keep moving faster and faster. Maybe the filmmakers can do a little “Alice in Wonderland” rhyming and call the next one “Furiouser and Furiouser.” (AP)

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 2011 5C

short reviews

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

audiosyncracy

Moony at the Mariner’s Court

Water for ElephantsThere are times you should just keep

on ignoring the elephant in the room. For instance, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson’s “Water for Elephants.” The adaptation of Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel about romance and intrigue in a Depression-era circus plods along at a pachyderm’s pace. Witherspoon and Pattinson are a three-ring snooze-fest together, bringing little passion to a love story supposedly so fiery, it blows the roof off the big top. The movie’s lone star attraction is Christoph Waltz, who won an Academy Award as a gleefully psychotic Nazi in “Inglourious Basterds” and here delivers another wicked performance as Witherspoon’s hubby, the cruel, jealous circus ringleader. The movie is a long, long way from the greatest show on Earth; at best, it might be the greatest show in your local theatre, assuming it’s the only film playing there. The more you ignore it, the sooner it will pull up stakes and lumber away to the elephant graveyard. (AP)

PromIt’s not just prom, it’s Disney’s “Prom.”

And so no one smokes, no one sneaks in peach schnapps in a flask and no one – that’s right, no one – gets lucky in the back of a limo. This is all about that magical night when everyone gets together, regardless of the social hierarchy that had been firmly in place for the past four years, and dreams come true. Wholesome, earnest dreams for wholesome, earnest kids – except for the resident bad boy, that is. But naturally, he’ll turn out to have a heart of gold. Essentially, this feels like a Disney Channel TV show stretched out to fit the big screen. No one pops out as a major star quite like the actors did in the “High School Musical” series, but they’re all harmless and good-looking and the school is sufficiently multicultural to make everyone feel comfortable and included. “Prom” means well – and it grows on you. And it’s much less of a hassle than schlepping to the real thing. (AP)

For an album about life’s journey, Emmylou Harris wrote most of the songs herself. Long celebrated as an interpreter with impeccable taste in material, Harris composed 11 of the 13 tunes on “Hard Bargain,” and they’re up to her high standards.

There’s a theme throughout: Time is flying by, the sun is going down, and Harris has spent her life “working on the blues.” Nearly 40 years after the death of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons, she offers a fresh assessment of their close relationship on “The Road.” Harris sings with equal eloquence on “Darlin’ Kate” about another friend and singer who died last year, Kate McGarrigle.

Harris finds dignity in late-life solitude on “Nobody” and the gorgeous “Lonely Girl.” On “My Name Is Emmett Till,” she contemplates the years stolen from the young man whose killing became a symbol of the civil rights movement.

Harris still performs in cowboy boots, but she branched out beyond country music some time ago, and there’s little twang here. The album was recorded with producer-guitarist Jay Joyce and multi-instrumentalist Giles Reaves, and the trio creates the sort of gauzy, soft-focus sound Harris first explored on “Wrecking Ball” in 1995. Her silvery soprano is in fine form, and as always, her songs benefit from contributions by the world’s greatest harmony singer: Harris. (AP)

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: “My Name Is Emmett Till” revisits the horror of an infamous 1955 murder with moving grace, the wordless chorus echoing spiri-tuals sung at civil rights rallies.

Emmylou Harris, “Hard Bargain” (Nonesuch)

Born in Venice, Italy, Monica Bragato started singing and dancing when she was three years old, with her father holding her in his arms while whistling old show tunes. This influenced her so much that the following Christmas, Monica asked for, and received a hi-fi and a pair of headphones. Her brother, a radio DJ, also played a major influence in Monica’s love for music, introducing her to funk, soul and disco music. In the eighties, Monica grew up listening to Toto, Genesis, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Wham.

Fond of recording demo tapes, a friend of hers listened to one of her recordings and convinced Monica to audition at a piano bar near her home. The following night, she sang in public for the first time and became an instant hit with the bar’s clientele, with the manager asking her to sing regularly at the bar. This marked the start of Monica’s professional singing career.

After a few years, Monica, now more popularly known as Moony, started singing in the Italian club circuit, catching the attention of DJ and music producer Cristiano Spiller. Moony was asked to write lyrics for some of Spiller’s music, and out of this association came the hits “Positive” and “Batucada”.

One of her side projects, Angelmoon, a collaboration with fellow recording artist Angelino Albanese, resulted in the dance hit “He’s all I want”.

Moony became even more popular when she joined DB Boulevard, contributing to the success of the single “Point of View” which reached number three in the UK Singles Charts. This earned them a nomination in the MTV Europe Music Awards.

Going solo in 2002, Moony released her first major single, “Dove (I’ll be loving you)” which peaked in the UK

Charts at number nine. Moony then released her debut album “Lifestories” in 2003, widely gaining popularity all over the world. Another of her popular songs, “For Your Love”, was released in June of 2006, with “I Don’t Know Why” being released in July 2008. Moony then released a second album entitled “For Your Love”, featuring previously released songs and a few new tracks.

Moony will be performing tonight at the Black Light Costume Ball

at the Mariner’s Court Convention Hall near

Plaza Independencia. Gates open at 9:00pm.

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 20116C

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

books

bottomsupAileen Quijano

IMAGE FROM THE INTERNET

One of today’s premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma-the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel- bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England’s greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. But what was she really like?

In this novel, her flame-haired, lookalike

cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows all too well. Elizabeth’s rival for the love of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth’s throne, Lettice had been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire, one trying to protect her country, and throne, the other trying to regain power and position for her family and each vying to convince the reader of her own

private vision of the truth about Elizabeth’s character. Their gripping drama is acted out at the height of the flowering of the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh, Drake-all of them swirl through these pages as they swirled through the court and on the high seas.

This is a magnificent, stay-up-all-night page-turner that is George’s finest and most compelling novel and one that is sure to please readers of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Hilary Mantel.

by Margaret GeorgeElizabeth I

Okay, I confess, when I was researching Asian destinations in travel sites like agoda.com and airasiatravel.com, it took me a moment to realize that SIN City was actually a code for Singapore. I know – funny, right? There I was ignoring it with the careful thought I should go look for a ‘whole-some’ destination. “Told you all along ‘twas what you were looking for,” the smartass in me could only roll my eyes.

What happens in SIN City anyway? It wasn’t the month of the ‘Big Singapore Sale’ so there’s no chance for greed. Singapore time and money (at current conversion rates: $1 = Php 35) are too precious for sloth. Local food? Nah, for me, too bland for gluttony. Wrath? Not a chance when the people are too disciplined and everything from transportation, the roads, to the placement of their buildings are too organized. You only have to stroll by the Marina Bay’s Esplanade and, as a Filipino, be amazed that somehow, it could be done after all. With that, yes, I admit a twinge of envy. What leadership, what hard work for their coun-try! If only …

Just then, I was distracted by a roar on the streets. From one billboard to another: The Lion King has arrived! That is, Disney’s multi-award winning Landmark Musical has finally reached the shores of Singapore. As it happens, the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands is currently the proud new ‘home’ of the Lion King produced by Disney’s Theatrical Productions and Base Entertainment. Performing in Southeast Asia for the first time after tour-ing the world over 13 years, this musical has already won over 70 major international theatre awards. As a matter of pride and lust, this, finally, is one hot happening I’ve got to see.

The story is, of course, familiar to anyone who saw the 1994 classic Disney film. At its heart, The Lion King is the

powerful and moving story of Simba – the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pride Lands. I’ve seen the film a handful of times (and loved it over and over) and yet, the story is even more powerful in theater – the death of Mufasa, the grief of Simba, the viciousness of Scar, the tug-of-war at Pride Rock – somehow it’s all magnified here.

Perhaps it was the moving live performances of its lead cast – Broadway veteran Jonathan Hume (Simba) and Puleng March (Nala). Or it could be the revolving stages, breathtaking lighting ef-fects or simply the sheer size of the 1,600-seat Sands Theater, which easily filled up even 30 minutes before show time.

Whatever it is, Director Julie Taymore was able to blend African art and Broadway artistry brilliantly. From the first Zulu chant – that hair-tingling moment when Rafiki, the wise old baboon, opens the show chanting against the black and crimson African sunrise – all the way to the closing notes of the last song ‘Circle of Life’, I was on the edge of my seat, all the while thinking: O-M-G.

The theatre production was so wonderfully rich, it was hard to decide what to look at – the changing sets; the life-size animal puppets from elephants to rhinos, cheetahs and giraffes saun-tering from the aisles to the stage; the twist of Balinese-inspired jungle dances; or the char-acters behind the elaborate masks and com-plicated costumes. All these to process while you vainly try to remember the haunting lyrics of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Academy Award-winning ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’.

Yeah, it definitely got me. For two whole hours, I was blissfully lost (and found) in the African Savannah.

As I watch it all in SIN City, it’s only quite natural that I pick up a few lessons from The Lion King as well: 1) That hyenas are really annoying; 2) That bad things do happen, and

there’s nothing you can do about it (Timon to Simba); 3) Just because someone says it’s your fault doesn’t always mean it is (Scar); 4) Remember who you are and where you came from – at the bottom of it all, you are still The King’s child (Musafa); 5) When the burden’s too big, bet-ter let it go – “Hakuna Matata” or No worries! (Timon and Pumbaa); 6) It’s always a worthwhile challenge to live and breathe and try not to eat each other; and 7) Finally, a les-son from the Baboon: we can cannot run from our past, in-stead we learn from our sins/mistakes and turn these into opportunities for discovery and growth.

After the show, going back to the concrete jungle of SIN City was a bit disconcerting. We washed it down with Tiger beers.

We went up to the intriguing Marina Bay Sands’ SkyPark, a giant surfboard or a ship (depending on how you look at it) floating atop three hotel towers. At the viewing deck, 200 meters in the sky, I took a moment and looked down towards the bay, the towering structures and bright lights of SIN City. Yes, definitely, there’s pride there. But well-placed, if you ask me.

You see, Singapore is unique. From a humble begin-ning, this tiny island with no oil, not even resources as abundant as ours, has managed to emerge as an economic powerhouse, from third world to first world in a matter of decades. Well, no wonder it’s Asia’s very own Pride Rock, don’t you think?

According to the “Malay Annals”, once upon a time, a prince of the Sri Vijaya empire landed on the island and heard a strange beast roaring, which he later learned was a lion. He immediately named the island “Singapura”, a Sanskrit word for Lion (Singa) and the City (Pura). Centuries later, The Lion King lands in the city as well, still roaring with success. In the Sin City jungle, I suppose, the lion never sleeps.

The Lion King Musical plays at The Marina Bay Sands Theatre, with eight shows a week, till the final curtain call on 31st May 2011. Ticket starts from $65 to $240. If you happen to be in Singapore or are planning to visit anytime soon, go watch it. You won’t regret it lah! ([email protected])

The Lion King in SIN City

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 2011 7C

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:

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BED & BREAKFAST

scribblings

lex in the cityAlexis Yap

I celebrated my over-the-hill party last year at Alejandro’s with over a hundred friends and acquaintances on the guest list, open bar on booze, and dancing ‘til the break of dawn. That’s how I’ve been celebrating my birth-day for the past five years. So I said starting next year, I will keep it quiet, solemn, and meaningful- and how timely it was since my birthday fell on Good Friday in 2011.

On Holy Thursday, three of my friends and I visited 14 churches, a holy week ritual called Visita Iglesia that I have never really done in so many years. We started in Sibonga and ended at exactly midnight in Sto. Rosario Church located in the heart of the city. Just in time for the official start of my birthday! That night I said many prayers of gratitude for the countless blessings I have received.

On Good Friday, my friends and I gathered in the relax-ing and breezy Unchuan Residence in Guiwanon, Mactan Island, Since it was Good Friday, Tita Angie Unchuan (my friend Jay Unchuan’s mom) prepared a variety of delicious seafood dishe. We were lucky to be there to partake of the sumptuous feast, when we were expecting to devour just only our friend Happy Yeto’s super yummy tuna fetuccini which she had prepared for my birthday “celebration”. It was a nice quiet night of laughter, catching up, and online trivia, thanks to Alex Diola who dragged everyone to an-swer those questions.

It was already 2 a.m. when we were driving home from Guiwanon when we decided to drop by the McDonald’s along Escario St. thinking that it was already okay to eat meat past midnight. After getting our take-out, I was rushing out to open the string “gate” that was used to close the parking area so that my friend who was driving in his car could come in and park. I tripped, hitting my big toe on the granite-like base that held their outdoor umbrellas up. Sure, it was painful and when I looked down, I saw my toenail was up and my slippers soaked in blood.

I spent my birthday nightcap in the emer-gency room ‘til 5:30 a.m.

But that did not stop me from going on a spontaneous drive down south on Black Saturday with Harry Dale Seno, Jay Unchuan, and Alex Gomez Diola, which all four of us do ever so often. We decided to spend the night in Argao, Since it was a rainy night, we spent it in-side our quaint little room, catching up and dressing my wound. On Easter Sunday, we paid a visit to Simala before heading home.

On Monday night I went to Cagayan de Oro City as I had planned way before. I took an eight-hour boat trip to CDO to meet with some friends from college who are based there. Marion Du picked me up from the port and spent the entire day with me despite her busy schedule. She manages and owns ten stores that sell computers and accessories, so you can only imagine how much of her pre-cious time she spared for me. In the afternoon, I met up with my college roommate and very good friend, Eugene Calacat who came all the way from Iligan City to catch up and spend time with me while I was in CDO.

On Wednesday, the beautiful Rina Paras-Victorio, of Parasat invited us to spend the day at their prop-erty in Dahilayan, Bukidnon. It is called the Dahilayan Adventure Park where her hand-some and robust husband Ravi Victorio (who used to model back in college) is in charge of construction and operations. Dahilayan is one hour away from Cagayan de Oro and it

proved to be a drive worth taking. The view is absolutely breath-taking, complete with three zip lines, 150m, 300m, and the third one being the longest dual cable zip line in Asia that is 840m long!

The afternoon started with lunch at their newly opened Pine Grove Mountain Lodge that boasts of 6 guest rooms for 3-4 people, 2 family rooms good for 6 people, and a fresh pine breeze all year round. All rooms are air conditioned for patrons who might want to control the temperature of their rooms when it may get too cold from December to February.

The highlight of the afternoon was the chance to expe-rience the longest zip line in Asia and it was an adrenaline rush like no other! What’s special about the Dahilayan Adventure Resort is not just its zip line but also the qual-ity service of its staff, the fresh pine breeze, the nice cool weather, and the other eco-resorts surrounding it.

By dinner time we were back at CDO where dinner was scheduled to be at Bourbon St. Bistro located at the Rosario Strip of Lim Ket Kai Mall. This one-year-old res-taurant that serves Creole and Cajun cuisine is owned and operated by the chefs themselves, Nikki Cabrera Mills and Drew Mills who were both chefs in New York and Los Angeles before deciding to move back home to open a res-taurant of their own in Cagayan de Oro City. Nikki was born and raised in CDO and was my brakada in college.

We were immensely impressed by their cooking. Drew was mostly in charge of the main dishes while Nikki was mainly the restaurant’s pastry chef. My favorite was the chops over a bed of jambalaya. And for dessert, I highly recommend the triple chocolate mousse with choco crum-ble.

The two remaining days I spent in CDO were all about food, spending time with friends, and getting as much well-deserved rest as I could. I even got to see the Royal Wedding of the Century before heading to the port to catch my “float” (you know, like “flight”, haha) on Friday night.

Taking the trip to CDO despite my toe being injured was such a great idea after all. It was so nice to spend time with old friends, reuniting after over a decade since college graduation. My birthday

celebration this year gave me more clarity on the true value of friend-

ship, the responsibilities of being an adult, eating good food, and taking the

time to have fun and breathe. Although it may be true that dancing and alcohol may have

been a more fun way of celebrating one’s birthday, this year’s celebration has proven to be more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, those days of partying like an animal I will never regret because I know that wisdom does not come with age but by experience.

On another note:I would like to say happy birthday to Pia Seno

Campbell (May 5),Bli Seno (today), Kristina Caballes (May 10), Richilieu Ho (May 10), Vaughn Donayre (May 11).

Congratulations also to Bruce Ramirez on his grand opening of Teppanyaki Rice.

Over the hill and over the seas

i am englulfed in the nighttell me, where is the light tunnel to tunnel i go what is this that i follow nothing to guide me here just go from there to everywhere follow your heart if you must the present cannot escape the past i have not seen the brighter side of life it has always been a dark, dark strife the future may hold something bright still the question: where is the light and in my dream I saw a stream a thousand reflections of what may seem whatever it is i will do there is nowhere for me to go i am where no one has ever been somewhere in a planet less and less green the distance of what you traverse is the grim secret of its own universe lend me a hand, lend me an ear nothing here is ever clear if there is heaven, there must be hell what do these walls tell should i go on or should i stay let sleep just carry me away is it day or is it night tell me, where is the light

by Leo E. RepolloThe Missing Light

With Jay Unchuan, Harry Seno, Alex Diola, Herbert Villarosa

Going on the 300m Zip line with Eugene

Drew and Nikki Mills

Niel Kintanar and Anton Tautjo

Ravi Victorio, Ilya Kristine Ravanera, Nikki Mills, Marion Du, Rina Victorio, Santia Victorio

The longest zip line in Asia

Sun.Star Weekend | Saturday , May 7, 20118CCHERRY ANN LIM Managing Editor, Special Pages and FeaturesJIGS ARQUIZA Editor CLINT HOLTON P. POTESTAS Writer

peeps (people, events and places)

Clockwise from top: Ms. Eva Gullas and OJ Hofer; Patrick Rizarri, Catherine McQueen and Jeff Songco; Mikey Sanchez with Ms. Cebu beauties; Leon and Ji Quimpo; Lui Castaneda with a friend; Andrew Sarmiento.

What do you get when the world’s biggest jeans brand, two hot international DeeJays, and a whole bunch of Cebuano clubbers get together? One wild party as evidenced by the Levi’s Roadwear Party held at The Penthouse Cebu last Saturday, April 30. Before the party though, an intimate dinner was held at Maya for the event’s special guests, who feasted on Jason Hyatt’s superb Mexican dishes. Once the dinner wound down, the guests proceeded to The Penthouse, where they wound back up to the music of international models/DeeJays Catherine McQueen and dNile. The Penthouse was filled to overflowing that night, with Thinline Advertising’s Frank Briones, Levi’s Genevieve Yalung and Tess Albulario declaring the party to be a great success.

Hitting the road with Levi’s

International DJ Catherine McQueen

Levi’s Genevieve Yalung with husband DickyLevi’s Genevieve Yalung with husband Dicky

International DJs dNile and Catherine McQUeen Mae Laurence Pilapil (center) with Frank Briones (right) and a friend Tess Albulario of Levi’s Ayala with her daughter Abigail