sunstar weekend magazine

It’s always been Nature’s way: the old rest and the young take over. Join Jigs Arquiza as he discovers what this young captain of industry is planning for the new year.

[email protected], January 1, 2010

feature

3Apl de Ap

movies

4Tron: Legacy

New blood

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 20102C

cover story

RALPH RHODDEN C. CAVERO Graphic Designer

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

There’s a new challenge every day you

go to work. When you meet different kinds of

people, and you have several operations going on all at once, there are

going to be problems cropping up. That’s

the challenge of running a hotel. Newblood

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 2010 3C

It’s not every day that a world-famous kababayan walks into Club Vudu but there he was, Apl de Ap of the Black Eyed Peas, lounging on a comfortable chair only two meters away. Although I rarely go out (much less rub elbows with international celebrities) on a Saturday night, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary to walk over and exchange a few words. It might have been his jovial smile and very approachable vibe, but to be honest, my eyes were just transfixed on that gigantic Lego Apl de Ap head bling he wore on a chain around his neck.

For those of us who live in a cave (me included) – Apl de Ap is Allan Pineda Lindo Jr., a true-blooded Pinoy, having been born in Pampanga to a Filipino mother and an African-American father. He then spent most of his growing years in the United States thanks to a sponsor from the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that helps young Amerasians to, in the words of Pearl S. Buck herself, “enjoy the educational, social, economic and civil privileges normally accorded to children”.

It was primarily for the benefit of this very organization that Apl was here for a visit, but he was also genuinely glad to have the chance to return to Cebu. “I was here a year and a half ago and never got to see anything then. It’s a beautiful place. Thank you to all the Cebuanos for welcoming me here on my charity tour. I want to give back to the people of the Philippines and you have really helped me out. Maraming salamat, mga kababayan!”

Apparently, the second reason for this club tour was to promote the Black Eyed Peas’ new album. I plonk down on a seat across him and ask Apl to give it his best shot.

“The album’s name is “The Beginning” and it’s sort

of an extension to the end,” says he, “It’s a mixture of dance tracks and love songs. We have more love songs in this album than in the previous ones, and a little bit of life history.”

From this line-up, he singles out a song closest to his heart. “One of my favorite tracks is called “Someday” – you know, one day you dream and someday that dream will happen. In that song I get to talk about where I came from, my culture, my family.”

How would he persuade non-BEP fans to give “New Beginning” a shot?

He grins winningly. “They should listen to us because our music is like therapy. We like to provide joy and we like to make people dance, yet at the same time, we promote social awareness.”

And for those who do grab a copy and like what they hear, he also recommends “...the artists that I listen to! Empire of the Sun, Kings of Leon, Bamboo, Bob Marley and Shaggy.”

Apl de Ap is aware, however, that where he has succeeded, there are hundreds of young Filipino artists still struggling to pursue dreams in the

entertainment industry. For them, he offers these words of wisdom:

“Surround yourself with good friends with the same aspirations. Work hard – it doesn’t happen overnight. It took us years to achieve our success. Play around. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Listen to other music genres and try to integrate them into your music.” (Pami Therese Aldanese Estalilla)

feature

Apl de Ap reprazents!

He starts the day with a light breakfast: a cup of coffee, some toast and jam, maybe some eggs and bacon. Once done with his morning meal, he goes to his office at the Cebu Grand Hotel, N. Escario St., where he is the general manager. Once at work, he goes through his morning routine of checking his e-mail, scheduling appointments, checking up on hotel operations and having business meetings. And then lunchtime comes.

“My main meal of the day is lunch,” declares 24-year old Carlo Anton Borromeo Suarez. An affirmed food lover, he then invites me to have lunch with him at the hotel coffee shop, where we have steak and mashed potatoes. Carlo then tells me about a Japanese ramen house he recently discovered, saying “You have to try it out, it’s really fantastic!”

Talking about food, he also reveals some plans for his hotel. “We need a lounge-type outlet here in Cebu Grand Hotel, where not only our guests,

but also walk-in customers can relax and have a few drinks and have some great food!”

In an industry where more and more young entrepreneurs are trying their hands, Carlo’s already gotten a head start. He comes from a family of hoteliers on his mom’s side, the Borromeos, which in Cebu can be said in the same breath as the word “hotels”. On the other hand, his dad’s side of the family, the Suarezes, is into a wholly different industry: the jewelry business.

According to Carlo, he chose the hotel because he found the industry very challenging: “There’s a new challenge every day you go to work. When you meet different kinds of people, and you have several operations going on all at once, there are going to be problems cropping up. That’s the challenge of running a hotel,” Carlo explains. The main challenge for the new year, he divulges, is how to be more aggressive.

“We’re trying to make the transition from being a stodgy, conservative hotel, to being a more aggressive one in terms of marketing, facilities and I guess, looks,” he says proudly, pointing to the new lobby, adding, “I believe ‘boutique’ is the key word nowadays. We’re doing a lot of renovations; we don’t want to miss out on the Sinulog crowd coming this January.”

Aside from planning new things for the hotel, he is also planning some things for his life. Carlo says, “I studied abroad, at Northwood University in Florida, where I graduated with a double major in International Business and Management, but I still want to take up my Master’s degree.” No marriage plans yet at the moment, as he is still single, but he’s certainly looking around. “Maybe you have some friends you can introduce me to,” Carlo jokes, “but she’s gotta be interested in the things I’m interested in, too. I don’t want a high-maintenance type of girl.”

So what interests him? Cycling, running and singing, not necessarily in that order. And of course, food. Although Carlo confesses to a liking for Rhythm & Blues, he admits to going clubbing once in a while, and checking out new restaurants. Still, he says, “My life now is the hotel, but if I can find someone who can love the hotel as much as I do, then I guess it’s a match made in Heaven.”

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 20104C

movies

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

Hugely high-tech and forward-thinking in its day, “Tron” now looks cheesy and quaint in retro-spect, with its blocky graphics and simplistic

blips and bleeps. The original film from 1982 was all about the possibility of technology and the human imagination, and the adventures that could result from marrying the two, but only now are the computer-generated effects available to render this digital world in its fullest potential.

Hence, nearly three decades later, we have the sequel “Tron: Legacy,” which is in 3-D (of course) but is actually best viewed in IMAX 3-D, if that option is available to you. The whole point of the story and the aesthetics are that they’re meant to convey an immersive experience. We’re supposed to feel just as trapped inside this challenging and dangerous electronic realm as the film’s characters.

And at over two hours, we are indeed trapped – there is no justifiable reason for such a lengthy running time, especially given that the original got in, did what it had to do and got out in about an hour and a half. While director Joseph Kosinski’s feature film debut is thrilling and cool-looking for about the first half, its races, games and visuals eventually grow repetitive, which only draws attention to how flimsy and preposterous the script is from Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

“Tron: Legacy” is a mishmash of pop culture references and movie rip-offs, Eastern philosophy and various religions, and one insanely cute, strategically placed Boston terrier. And with the return of Jeff

Bridges in the lead role, there’s plenty of Dude-ishness for you fans of “The Big Lebowski.” (At one point he complains, “You’re messing with my Zen thing, man.”) It’s all giddy, ridiculous fun for a while, set to an ideally integrated techno score by the French duo Daft Punk. But a little of this goes a long way, and eventually you realize there’s not much “there” there, no real point beyond exhilaration.

Bridges’ video game developer Kevin Flynn was aiming for deeper meaning, or at least a new level of

consciousness, when he created the Grid all those years ago. Now, his estranged son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), discovers that’s where Dad’s been all this time – sucked into the Grid and stuck there for the past two decades. The place Flynn built with high hopes is now dominated by the tyrannical and not even vaguely fascist dictator Clu (also Bridges, digitally tweaked to look like a 35-year-old version of himself), the doppelganger Flynn created to oversee the operation. Younger Bridges is uncanny and nearly seamless – until

he opens his mouth, and then everything goes kinda wobbly. But for the most part, it’s a neat trick.

The confident and good-looking Sam similarly gets drawn into this parallel universe and quickly finds himself thrust into the middle of a sort of floating gladiator arena. Throngs illuminated in deep orange cheer ravenously as opponents try to shatter each other, literally, by hurling the discs that are attached to the backs of their neon-glowing bodysuits. Next up, Sam is forced to take part in the deadly lightcycle races

– which look infinitely better here than in the original – and, being your typically rebellious, motorcycle-loving loner, he naturally fares rather well.

But this spectacle is as overwhelming for Sam as it is for us – even though Sam has the benefit of his dad’s DNA – and so he’s happy to accept help escaping from the mysterious Quorra (Olivia Wilde, bringing complex emotion to what could have been a beautiful but forgettable character). She has long served as Flynn’s protege and does the honors of reuniting

father and son; should they stay or should they go becomes their ultimate debate.

The moment Flynn and Sam first see each other isn’t filled with wistful emotion so much as confusion, and it takes place at Flynn’s distractingly stylish, glowing white-on-white lair. The place suggests what might have happened if the Dude had matured a bit and moved into a loft designed by Philippe Starck – although, unfortunately, there is no rug that really ties the room together. (AP)

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 2010 5C

audiosyncracyshort reviews

IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET

IMAGE FROM THE INTERNETThe FighterMark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s

“The Fighter” is a punch-drunk tale whose fitful ramble from Jerry Springer-style family seaminess to “Rocky”-like triumph is elevated enormously by knockout performances. Less a boxing drama than a drama with some boxing in it, “The Fighter” turns Bale loose in a supporting role that dominates director David O. Russell’s film, much as Heath Ledger’s Joker took over “The Dark Knight” from its hero, Bale’s Batman. Not that Wahlberg comes up short in any way as real-life boxer Micky Ward, who rose from his blue-collar roots and overcame ugly squabbling with his relations to earn a title shot in 2000, when he was in his mid-30s. (AP)

The TempestA pedigreed cast, led by the formidable

Helen Mirren and including David Strathairn, Chris Cooper, Djimon Hounsou and Alfred Molina, cannot save the misguided mess that is Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest.’’ It’s just too weird. And it’s a waste of one of Shakespeare’s richest comedies, the play that’s considered his last. You want to admire Taymor for taking such risks, for trying to do something different with a classic work. And in the wildly visual style that’s become her trademark through stage productions like “The Lion King’’ and films like “Frida,’’ “Across the Universe’’ and a previous Shakespeare adaptation, “Titus,’’ she upends and reinvents the play on many levels. (AP)

Even on ballads, Jason D. Williams lives up to his reputation as a rockabilly wild man. The first slow song on “Killer Instincts” references life in prison, the JFK assassination, marijuana and Christmas. The title is “If You Ever Saw a Baby ...” and when the tune ends, Williams confesses he wrote it.

Not everyone would make such an admission, but Williams is quite comfortable in the role of a slightly crazed piano-playing singer. The Arkansan has long drawn comparisons to Jerry Lee Lewis and does a fair share of Killer impersonations here. With encouragement from producer Todd Snider, Williams also gave songwriting a try, and the titles hint at the resulting fun: “To Hell With You,” “White Trash” and “You Look Like I Could Use a Drink.”

Even when Snider flavors the arrangements with horns, there’s an informality appropriate for the material, and the whole thing comes off like the third set of the night at the neighborhood roadhouse. Williams pounds the bejabbers out of the piano, whether he’s playing honky-tonk, a Yiddish instrumental solo or Lewis’ “Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee.” Pass that bottle.

CHECK THIS OUT: Williams gets religious — sort of — on back-to-back cuts “Sanctified” and “Mr. Jesus.” The former is a rousing stomp that bridges the divide between gospel and early rock; the latter comes off like a Bible Beltin’ Tom Waits.

Rockin’ Jason D. Williams, “Killer Instincts” (Rockabilly Records)

Crafting music, at least for the Wonggoys, is still best

done the old fashioned way.

The brothers: Gabriel, Billyboy and Kyle, first draw

inspiration from the now: Facebook crushes, laser beams

and the desire to be king of the world, and some cryptic

boytalk—all of which lend amazingly well to great

guitar playing honed from years of aping their musical

inspirations, until they come into their own in this debut

album.

The tracks, produced by veteran Cebuano musician

Cattski Espina and distributed by homegrown 22 Tango

Records, sound like conversations the siblings have among

themselves, to catchy rhythm. The title track embodies the

spirit of the entire collection: I’m not sure what to say, but

I’ll say it anyway. Not exactly a Jack Kerouac stream of

consciousness, it does have undertones of this untethered

release of emotions into precisely arranged words: bridge,

refrain and all. And the subject matter, perfect for a debut

release and in tune with the naught-laced innocence of

the three, is never heavy-handed and always—almost

nonchalantly—spot on current.

Bound for heavy player rotation, or repeat radio airplay,

are the jazz and blues-infused, guitar-driven dilemma in

Chase the Girl (or Rule the World), the ingeniously-written

patriotic piece Kalayaan sung in Cebuano, Filipino and

Hiligaynon, the Jason Mraz-inspired HD, and the track

that best showcases their wicked sense of humor, Bonus

Track…masquerading as the sweetest love song.

Completed in a little over 4 months, this neat little

package comes in a tiny full circle, definitely the first of

many. Photographed by the award-winning Dr. Erwin Lim,

who also shot them for their first newspaper feature, it’s

the perfect Holiday gift from Gabe, Billyboy and Kyle to a

listening public hungry for a new sound that doesn’t labor

to be heard. An album launch-slash-listening party was

held last Dec. 9 at the IPI clubhouse for special friends

and members of the media, as well as a special appearnace

by nationally-acclaimed composer Jude Gitamondoc.

Sibling revelry

homegrown

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 20106C

books

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

circus of fanciesPami Therese Estalilla

bottomsupAileen Quijano

On a New Year’s Eve party, a cheeky bartender once told me, “When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt!” Not my standard line, really. If it were another time, I would have made lemonade instead. But once in a while though, the season calls for us to open ourselves to things unexpected – such as perhaps the sudden availability of a premium tequila gold brand amidst a sea of red, red wine… why not?

So there you go – a clang, a toast, whistles and cheers, and then (camera ready?), bottoms up!

Isn’t it funny how life sometimes tastes just like tequila? Fiery hot, bitter, and not quite easy. And yet, if you drink it right, it oozes out a smooth, tantalizing flavor that pumps the blood, warms the belly and leaves you wanting for more.

When I had my first taste of tequila a few years back, I knew that I had found my drink. Oh yeah, I’ve heard bitter tales about it from those who’ve gone before me. That’s why, in defense, I did not sip, but gulped down my very first shot – bottoms up! – and that, I believe, made all the difference. I was fast to grab the lemon and wise enough to taste the salt.

It was then I realized that with the right ingredients, life also has its moments upside down.

Every time I dare to drink, I do not mind the bitter flavor for I know it clears the mind. I do not fear its fire for I know it awakens the senses. For me, it’s all passion and wonder contained in a shot glass. (Wait, I did say one shot glass, right?)

That’s how I knew life should never be lived in sips. You only prolong its bitter taste if you do. Like tequila, it’s either you choose to drink it bottoms up or not at all. It’s either you embrace all of it – its unpredictability, its different flavors, its constant change – or just let it go. But nothing in bits, nothing in half-measures.

So go ahead, fill up your shot glass to the brim, swirl it if you can (never mind the spills), lick the salt and don’t

forget to suck the lemon. Most importantly, drink it bottoms up!

For life, no matter how funny or twisted it goes, remains beautiful and wonderful! Let’s drink to that.

Happy 2011, everyone. Cheers! ([email protected])

Life in a shot glass

Whether you just bought your first sewing machine or have been sewing for years, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts will open your eyes to an irresistible range of ideas. A comprehensive visual reference, the book covers everything a home sewer craves: the basics of sewing by hand or machine, along with five other time-honored crafts techniques, and step-by-step instructions for more than 150 projects that reflect not only Martha Stewart’ depth of experience and crafting expertise, but also her singular sense of style.

Encyclopedic in scope, the book features two main parts to help you brush up on the basics and take your skills to a new level. First, the Techniques section guides readers through Sewing, Appliqué, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing. Following that, the Projects A to Z section features more than 150 clever ideas (including many no-sew projects), all illustrated and explained with the clear, detailed instructions that have become a signature of Martha Stewart’s magazines, books, and television shows.

An enclosed CD includes full-size clothing patterns as well as templates that can be easily produced on a home printer. Fabric, thread, and tool glossaries identify the properties, workability, and best uses of common sewing materials. And, perhaps best of all, when you need it most, Martha and her talented team of crafts editors offer you the reassurance that you really can make it yourself.

The projects are as delightful as they are imaginative, and include classic Roman shades, hand-drawn stuffed animals, an easy upholstered blanket chest, a quilted crib bumper, French knot-embellished pillowcases and sheets, and Japanese-embroidered table linens, among many others. With gorgeous color photographs as well as expert instruction, this handy guide will surely encourage beginners and keep sewers and crafters of all experience levels wonderfully busy for many years to come.

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Craftsby Martha Stewart/Living Magazine

I like my sunny side-ups very, very well done. That is to say, ‘til the whites get all rubbery and the yolk’s no longer runny.

I drink a lot. Water and most things in liquid form. Um.

I like my coffee with ice.I do NOT take anything with

ketchup and I never will.That aside, I eat mostly anything.

Or everything. Or both put together.(Why am I talking about food?)So let’s talk about something else.

Like why I have my earphones on when I’m not actually listening to anything. Well, I WAS listening to “Playing Love” (Ennio Morricone) earlier (thanks to a tumblr post by my dear Squeak) and anything after that would be somewhat anticlimactic. CAN you really play love? That dude just did.

Speaking of which, if there’s something I haven’t actually written about, it’s music. The day I know I’ve become a great writer is the day I can do just that. (Feeling challenged, I give it a shot.) Music is not one of the world’s creations. Sometimes we think it knows us, that it’s telling our story, that there’s something familiar about it even when we’ve never heard the song before. It’s because the melodies have always been there, inside us, around us, waiting for us to pick up on it and string it together. I want

to believe that music is older than the world. (And I’m lost. See? I’ll try again in five years.) Point is, therein lies one of

my frustrations. I cannot do justice to music no matter how I try. Not with any mode of expression. CAN anyone?

Beliefs – I really do believe that I am a supernatural being. And I’m not the only one. Most inspirational book of the year? “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown. (Thank you, D.) Hey, that’s a good idea for a year-end blog – a Best and Worst List. Not very original, but it’ll keep me amused.

Oh, and I realized this – my most intimate relationships are with the people of my imagination. That sentence carries a world of thought because – it did spring up from the world of thought.

I recently bought myself a book of Celtic beliefs and will be a good little Celtic lore scholar about it.

No New Year’s resolution on the horizon of course, I don’t do those, but I’m decided on one thing. I know I’m housing a hollow. It’s not a very

pleasant feeling, especially when I drum on it. (Makes good percussion though, eh?) So here’s what I’m going to do – fill it up. And only with the stuffing of my choice. There’s too much I’ve hoarded already.

Why CHOOSE my path when I’d rather CREATE one?

Pami. And Weirdness. And Vice-Versa.

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 2010 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: [email protected]

scribblings

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

Shajarah is such a beautiful name. Her father must be so creative to be able to come up with such a beautiful name for his daughter. Or her mother must have copied her name from a Barbara Cartland paperback heroine. They must love their daughter so much and delighted in cooing her beautiful name as she giggled with their coddling. And she must have been a beautiful child with cherubic cuteness. That is if you just imagine her name.

But it was not her mother or much more her father who named her. It was Sister Magdalena or Sister Mags , the orphanage superior. And she also lacks physical beauty. Her wide eyes seemed misplaced in her somewhat askew face. Perhaps she can giggle but she could have not made her Daddy beam with pleasure as she could not possibly utter the word “Daddy” or any other word. And this could be part of the reason she was abandoned and placed in the orphanage.

Shajarah, and 26 other orphaned or abandoned children ranging from 3 to 21 are the wards of an orphanage in Guadalupe,Cebu. Twenty-six girls and a boy, Earl – a boy of 5 but with the size and psychology of a three year old.

Christmas must be their favorite time of the year. As Christmas is the time that most of us remember that we are Christians, and realize that we are so blessed, and in so doing also remember the less fortunate like the children in orphanages. The third Saturday of December that our Couples group –Teams of our Lady – with our children came to celebrate our Christmas party with them, it was already the kids’ third Christmas party for the day. The first group, a company, must have provided them T-shirts with the company’s logo as they still wore these in our slot. When we came at 2:00 PM, the second group – a newspaper publishing company – exerted double effort to perk up the sleepy children as they were deprived of their siesta, their festive Santa caps not withstanding.

Their T-shirts and Santa caps were already grimy when it was our turn. Yet, their eyes lit up when we unpacked our food and gift items. They mustered enough energy and enthusiasm in the parlor games played with our own children. Each family was assigned two kids each, whose ages were close to our own children. Instinctively, the children held on to the skirts of their “mommy-for-the day” or climbed on the laps of their “daddy-for-the day“, or talked with their brand new “brother/sisters”. They ate the spaghetti and the fried chicken hungrily as if the second groups’ ”Happy meals” taken just 2 hours ago were already burned up by so much activity in one day. “Mommy Muyen” fed Earl while her three real children curiously looked on. Mia tugged at “Mommy Yanyan”’s hand and pointed to the ice cream with the spaghetti sauce still lining her mouth. Janjan towed his new “sisters” – Nina and Cyndie – to find a chair to sit on with their platefuls of food. Our daughter, Dewi gave her “adopted sisters” – Irish and Jinelyn – the earrings she made for them while lining up for the food. Mommy Nida brought Shajarah to the toilet while the food was taking their toll on her stomach, but forgot to wait for her as her own daughter was already crying. She was expecting her new mommy to slip back her clothes on but she seem to not find her among the many strangers. The task fell on me and instantly recalled that the last time I did it to my youngest child was a good seven or eight years ago.

Then, it was the children’s turn to entertain us. It must also be the third time of the day that they had done their routine, as Riza, the adorable 4-year-old could barely lift her hands while dancing and was sleepily toying with her candy bar during their singing. I had to sit beside her and wave her hands to keep her awake as the tugging of other children on her shirt was not effective. “Mommy Vivian, Daddy Nilon and Daddy Farley” somehow added a little fun to the number by dancing with the kids.

As tears started welling in my eyes I turned away.

I purposely brought a Disco CD or jolly Christmas Carol selection for background music because I did not want to cry in their presence, but I could not help it. What have these children done to deserve this situation? Yes, they seem content or even happy to be in the orphanage. They might even relish dancing and singing the same dance and song all day. But what choice did they have?

Then the adoptive parents give them their gifts, and when their names were called that there were still other gifts prepared by the Teams Committee for them, they seem to be in disbelief that they were to be given more than one gift each in one party alone. Yet, most did not show any greed. Even though they were so excited to open their gifts, they obediently obeyed when the sisters told them to put their gifts under the Christmas tree, to be opened on Christmas day. I asked Earl what toy did he like and he answered “naa na man ko duwaan hatag ako mommy-mommy” (“I already have a toy that my mommy-for-today gave”}. “Ah, indeed it’s true! How easy for the children to enter the kingdom of heaven!

When the rest of the group were leaving, I saw the longing in their eyes and I seemed to read their minds “How nice it would be if I were one of their children with my own Mommy and Daddy caring for me.” I asked one of the sisters how to adopt a child and she said that the first consideration is the similarity or resemblance in physical appearance, as studies show that adopted children that have a physical resemblance to either of their adoptive parents are the most likely to become well-adjusted. Maybe because this hypocritical society would not notice so much or waggle their tongues? But who will ever accept their own plain-ness and adopt Shajarah ?

My family waited for the mass, and during the mass, children would purposely pass by our bench and ask why we were still there. Could they be hoping that we were waiting because we were taking one or two of them home? Then as the mass progressed with the kids doing all the parts; reader, guitarist, acolyte and choir and every time their glances passed by us, they would smile. How well-behaved and self-sufficient they seemed. Maybe they are better off without parents than having one who mistreats, molests, abuses or neglects them. Maybe all they need is Sister Mags and Ate Anne. Or do they ?

Then came parting time, all the kids approached us. I hugged the smaller ones and they kissed my cheeks, the older ones kissed our hands. Earl and Mia clamored to be carried for a while. They accompanied us to the gate with their everlasting “goodbyes, take cares and come agains.” No parting was ever sadder.

Our group had decided on the activity to make our children realize how lucky they were to have their own parents to take care of them and provide for their needs , thus they should be more appreciative and content. But does this mean also that the orphans should also be reminded how unfortunate they were that they were abandoned and that they should be content with the attention given to them during Christmas? Is that it? Is it not the same hypocrisy that the wealthy tax collector showed when he said that “he is unlike the poor widow who can barely offer a coin to the temple”? But another lesson dawned on me – Is Christmas generosity enough to show that we are Christians? Can three parties a day during December weekends sate their hunger for the rest of the year? How long will their toys and coloring books last? What use do they have of their new wallets? Can the memory of mommy and daddy-for-Christmas erase their longing for a parent’s embrace in the succeeding months? Or maybe they do not long for something they are not used to? Or have they accepted their fate that they can only have so much attention during Christmas? JM said that she will be adopted when she will be four years old – and she was already four last July. The hopeful waiting may never be over.

And then what? Wait again for the next Christmas?

What about them when it’s not Christmas?by : Jaime D. Suico

Oh Christ, the King,where are You tonight?

Many have not found You for many have not sought You.

Are You somewhere

in their carols, their feasts and their revelries?

Are You found in their gifts,

their cards and their wishes

for prosperity and peace?

Oh Immanuel, God with us,where are You tonight?

The people have not bowed down to You, in all Your splendor

and majesty.

Where are You, Jesus?The manger in their hearts

is empty.

Manger by William “Billy” Sienes III

Sun.Star Weekend | January 1, 20108C

DIVINE DUO. Joanna Lhuillier and Emily Wilson.

STAR POWER. A smiling Apl de AP greets fans as he enters VUDU.

peeps (people, events and places)

The boots that take the place of the two “l”s in Willo’s logo tell it all: Emily Wilson’s signature thigh high leather boots are ready to walk all over the city’s ever-expanding nightlife.

The cozy new bar along A.S. Fortuna (right beside HSBC on the Banilad side) opened quietly to a choice crowd, good wine the poison of choice and real food of a British persuasion: the miniature kidney pies were a hit! A parade of ingenious hors d’ oeuvres and a whole turkey were a clear indication of what the Willo’s kitchen was truly capable of. Good food was always a given in Emily and her late husband Paul’s life, and she chose to continue that in her own slice of the pie, quite literally.

In lieu of the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony,

the unconventional Emily chose to have an opening toast with some bubbly from bosom bud, bag and accessories designer Joanna Maitland-Smith Lhuillier.

“Everything here reflects you,” said Joanna in her toast. Ironically, Emily’s touch is infused with a mannish appeal: black leather, understated décor, and three large television screens blasting satellite feeds of major sports channels. “I’ve got to have my football,” Emily shares, a huge fan of the game.

With foot-stomping 80s music from DJ Bong Durano blasting from the speakers, Willo’s debut into Cebu’s nightlife comes at a most opportune time: looking for a quiet nook to nosh and sip wine in this crowded Holiday rush? Find your second wind in Willo’s.

Wind in the Willo’s

Apl de Ap is in da house!

Hip-hop lovers and generally everyone into popular music were given a rare treat last Saturday, Dec. 18 as Apl de Ap of the world-famous hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas visited VUDU to raise funds for the Pearl S. Buck Foundation and to launch the group’s new album “The Beginning”. It’s fitting that the launch was held at the new VUDU, marking a new album for The Black Eyed Peas, and a promise of great things to come from the iconic Cebu nightclub.

POKER FACE. DJ Maxie Perez with poker player Richard Sharpe.

WE THREE QUEENS. Meyen Baguio, chef Lor Torres and April Rama.

PARTY OF THREE. Kyra Cabaero (right) with a couple of friends.

FAB FOUR. Pazu Eteve, a friend, Divine Muego Maitland-Smith and Makring Momongan.

WILLO THE WISPS. (Clockwise from far left) John Gandionco, Emily Wilson, Jules Villahermosa, Jhon de la Fuente, Lawrence Lim; Mercie Abellana, Paul Gabatan, Oj Hofer and John Ong; The Topman-clad staff of Willo’s.