BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Baguio Diary II

February 13, 2009

Fell asleep watching Anaconda. Hahaha. Ho-hum movie? I remember when I first watched that a long time ago and said, "Wow, Jennifer Lopez is hot." And that's pre-nose lift. Hahaha.

You know who is fun to watch? France's #1 femme tennis player, Alize Cornet. What's this fascination with things French... Les Bleus, Cornet, French (formerly Freedom) Fries? Hahahaha. I'm officially over my Sharapova phase. In case you've noticed I've pledged allegiance to Ana Ivanovic, Sania Mirza, and now Cornet.

Am taking a night trip back to Manila. I hate long drives/rides and what compounds that is traffic. And since they've carved up MacArthur highway along Urdaneta the last thing I want is to spend a meaningless hour stuck on a national thoroughfare with the dust kicking up and swirling around you.

It's totally uneventful and that's for the best. But the trip down at least from Baguio to La Union and the town of Sison, Pangasinan was an eye opener.

Some places in Pugo and Sison have no electricity. The only light you will see are from candles or the headlights of passing vehicles. How long has it been that way? Since like forever? What in the blue hell is the Mayor or Governor of this province doing? There was one area where it looked like there was a town fiesta going on. They had those small rides and games and everyone was there. I mean where else will you go, right? It's not like there's a nearby mall. It was lighted naman but I asked myself what did they do here for kicks? Their social night life was either non-existent or they hung out in the dark. But the one thing I noticed was the prevalence of nightclubs or watering holes. And that says a lot. How do people get by during the summer when it's frigging hot? Do they have electric fans?

Then when you get to Urdaneta it's all lit. So many questions and question marks. Our government sucks. I'd use stronger words but I know that Raffy Veloso's kids go here to Brew so I'm not going to use expletives (oh I did somewhere here?).

So sad that many places like the ones I mentioned are still in the dark. The problem with this country is that education, healthcare, environment care, basic services, and job security are so off the radar.

I had to leave early because there were some pressing concerns in Manila. The Donaires asked me if I wanted to stay at their suite if I decided to stay longer. They had an extra room that well, looks almost as big as my room in Microtel. Nice peeps. I totally enjoyed my time with them. But I'll be seeing them in Manila.

I'm going to miss the cold weather!

On the way down, listened to U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Mandalay's Solace, the Railway Children's Greatest Hits, China Crisis' Flaunt the Imperfection, and Patti Smith's Easter and Waves albums.

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