Gensan Gazer Nov-Dec 2011

Photography: Apple Greatson Francisco | Model: Che Tiongson Hair and Makeup: Jacque Kate A. Duguil | Gown: Emi Englis

Gensan Gazer

To all Global Filipinos...

Overseas workers and balikbayans -- who have come home to spend the holidays with family and friends -Vista Land would like to invite you to take a peek at our Home for the Holidays’ homecoming offer.

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Inquire about our home financing packages and special prompt payment discounts that make owning a Vista Land home such a joy! So come, visit any of our property sites or mall booths... Gifts and give-aways await you.

We pay homage to each and every Filipino overseas worker as we look back to the very first home we built for an OFW 36 years ago. Now, it’s time we give back... To all of you who have made all this possible, salamat po!

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Live Life Here!

Camella

F

rom the sea’s bounty to the land’s mystique to its people’s charm, all roads lead to the first and only premiere Caribbean-inspired community in SoCCSKSarGen -Camella General Santos.

A beautifully evolving new landscape spanning 12 hectares of prime residential land, this impeccably masterplanned community offers real luxury within reach to diverse homeowners -- the newly independent, newly-weds and startup couples, big families, pensioners, practically across all income grades.

With fast and easy access to schools, malls, markets, City Hall, the business district, and the second largest international airport in the South, Camella Gensan features exquisitely themed houses that are spacious and built in harmony with its tropical setting and the Caribbean

ambience. The community is cableand Internet-ready, with amenities such as a grand entrance plaza, an elegant clubhouse and a tastefully designed pool to match, gardens, children’s playground, multi-court activity area, tree-lined roads with flood-proof drainage, a CCTV monitoring system and 24-hour security, and all these, managed by an independent property management team to ensure quality, continuity, and service excellence.

The exclusive lifestyle that awaits you at Camella General Santos only gets better and more colorful with the expansion of the gated community to nearly 10 more hectares of quality homes and landscaped lawns along NLSA Road in Barangay San Isidro, and the future addition of a commercial center at the estate’s main façade.

Isn’t it about time you called Camella your home?

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Camella General Santos, 2nd Flr, Mandarin Tea House, South Osmeña St, General Santos City (083) 553 3377 | www. camella.com.ph

Gensan Gazer™ Magazine is published by Armanikolas Publishing ®™ and printed in General Santos City, Philippines.

GENSAN GAZER NOV-DEC 2011 Gensan Gazer shall not, without the consent of the Publisher, be given, lent, resold, used as textbook, hired out or otherwise disposed of; or affixed to any part of any publication or advertising material in any way whatsoever. While all reasonable care is taken for contributed material, no responsibility will be assumed for its return or for corrections.

Opinions expressed or implied are solely those of the authors, and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or Publisher. Advertisers and/or their representatives shall indemnify the Publisher in relation to any concomitant slander, defamation, breach, royalties, intellectual property and copyright infringements, unfair trade practices, or violation of privacy rights in their ad material.

All contributions must be submitted by email to writing@ gensangazer.com and are subject to editorial review for possible inclusion in Gensan Gazer.

Armanikolas Publishing ®™ B34 - L7 Doña Soledad II A, Espina Gen. Santos City 9500 Philippines Phone : +63 83 826 9221 Phone : +63 83 554 7055 Mobile : +63 908 337 3005 Website : www.armanikolas.com Website : www.gensangazer.com Email: inquiry@armanikolas.com Email: inquiry@gensangazer.com Email: advertising@gensangazer.com

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he last few weeks of the year are seldom alluded to as beginnings, but as it turns out time and again, they are. The coming of winter heralds the new start of the continuing cycle of the seasons. Nuptial rites in December, the real wedding season in the country, signal the commencement of a new union. Incidentally, Miss Tourism 2011 Maureen Elvy Paulo recently started her apprenticeship after winning the crown, even as eight-division world boxing champ Manny Pacquiao’s third encounter with (and win over) Juan Miguel Marquez in November

Gensan Gazer

didn’t seem like the end of the bout either. Nothing, however, captures the notion of yearend beginnings more poignantly than Che Tiongson, who comes home and starts over in Gensan after 18 years in Manila; hers is a bold, brave move.

V2N7 also brings you Bing’s account of vintage transport in Old Gensan, Donna Mae’s active life, Romarie’s world of modeling, Van’s take on emo, and a few notes on city buzz involving tourism awards and blogfests.

Elsewhere, we look inside the world of international deejay Bada Lehner, how time is frozen

on Mackinac Island, Gensan Gazer in Korea, Gaddafi’s grim end, as well as new GGList items, two books to read, two albums to listen to, a couple of shorts on themes of health and living green, and many more.

We leave the yearly summaries and recaps to other print and online magazines; we simply pack this issue with more interesting stories (and less ads as usual), including that of a nine-year-old girl who designs couture fashion! Read on or first check the next page for a guide to V2N7’s rich pages.

‘Tis the season to be merry... And why not?

Armando Nicolas P J

Gensan Gazer

Congratulations to Jean Pierre Sabido, who graced our V2N6 cover shortly before the 26th SEA Games, and to the Philippine Taekwondo Team for bringing home 4 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals! In total the Philippine delegation bagged 36 golds, 56 silvers, and 77 bronzes -- placing sixth overall at the SEA Games held in Indonesia November 11-22. The games were held in two host cities, Palembang and Jakarta, with 545 gold medals at stake in 48 sports. n Francisco n: Apple Greatso Artistic Directio r: Marthin Millado Photography & Sabido | Produce Model: Jean Pierre

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It’s never too late -never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.

-Jane Fonda

o | Model: Che Tiongson Greatson Francisc | Gown: Emi Englis Photography: Apple Kate A. Duguil Hair and Makeup: Jacque

eatson Francisco

Van Almeria Egai Cadiente Bing Cariño Donna Mae Congson Romarie Ivy Cunanan Apple Greatson Francisco Nusha Heit Avel Manansala Orman Manansala Marthin Millado CONTRIBUTORS

Gr Cover Photo by Apple

editor’s NOTE

Armando Nicolas P J EDITOR

INSIDE V2N7 volume two number seven

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Gensan Buzz Gensan -- Philippine Tourism’s Rising Gem

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Maureen Elvy Paolo General Santos City’s Miss Tourism 2011

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Conversation with a World Circuit DJ Soul Techno: Bada Lehner

by Armando Nicolas PJ

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BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2.0 Another Hit

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Gensan Gazer eZines Now Read in 338 Cities Across 47 Countries/Territories

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GGList: That mish-mash of stuff and such is back for good!

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Travel Tales & Trivia: Korea’s a Big Stage

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Green Living: Going Green Is So Much Simpler Than Most People Think

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Cover Story Che Starts Over in Gensan Photos by Apple Greatson Francisco

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Arts Attack, Culture Shock by Bing Cariño Vintage Travel & Joyriding in Dusty Dadiangas

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Frozen In Time: Mackinac, Michigan

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Somewhere In Time by Shirley Aala-Yuzon

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Places2Go | GGPicks: Roster of bars, cafés, hotels, resorts, and restaurants to enjoy

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Pop Pizzazz by Egai Cadiente Tireless Wakefulness

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Book Pickings: Of Litigators and Legends Music Reviews: The Simple and the Schizo

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(Very) Young Designer’s Fashion Creations

by Alyana Marie D. Aguja

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Health Bits: Positive Thinking and Its Effect on Your Health Manansala, Dumalay bag Philippine Blog Awards

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Ambush Fashionista by Van Almeria Emo is the New Voice

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RMMC Teatro Ambahanon’s 5th Director’s Prize

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Back2Back The Active Life by Donna Mae Congson The World of Modeling by Romarie Ivy Cunanan

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Opinions Cache: Gaddafi’s Grim End by Donald Kaul

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Postscript Wedding Shoots Only a Groom Would Take On

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The Acute Eye by Apple Greatson Francisco MassKara Festival 3

gensanBUZZ

Gensan: Philippine Tourism’s Rising Gem G eneral Santos City sealed its name as Philippine Tourism’s Rising Gem with four major awards at the 12th Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) National Convention in October

at the Villareal Stadium, Roxas City, Capiz.

Held in February to commemorate the city’s 72nd Foundation Anniversary, Kalilangan 2011 was named Champion, Best Tourism Event of 2011 (Culture and Events Category).

Gensan’s National Tourism Week 2010 event was also named Champion, Best National Tourism Week Celebration of the Philippines.

Rounding up the awards are First Runner-up nods each for Gensan Eco-Karera 2011 as Best Tourism Event of the Philippines (Sports and Wellness Category), and Dr Gregory Dominic Jing Velos, Best Tourism Officer of the Philippines.

The annual award ceremony, a project of ATOP and the Department of Tourism, aims to “recognize and honor the most outstanding and significant tourism projects and programs, and tourism officers who have excelled in their respective local government units. It is for this reason the ATOP decided to institutionalize an annual system of recognition of distinguished tourism personalities, groups, and events. ATOP Best Tourism Practices Award hopes to celebrate the best in the

tourism industry.”

Mayor Darlene AntoninoCustodio extends her thanks and congratulations to MSU Chancellor Abdurrahman Canacan and Vice Chancellor Dr. Mary Lynn Abiera, CoChair and Festival Director of Kalilangan 2011, respectively; Hon. Virgie Llido, Chairperson of the 4th Gensan Eco-Karera; Edgar Cadiente, Chairperson of the 6th National Tourism Week celebration; and Dr. Jing Velos.

The Tourism Division staff -- Jing Velos, Dianne Kristine Acharon, Darlon Solana, Stewart Ang, Charina Salazar-Cruz, Shernie Limbo and Hosen Ngilay -- headed by Cora Tito, proved that Gensan events and celebrations are more than just competitive. “They are the unsung heroes behind these events, who continuously labor to promote Gensan in the national tourism scene,” said Meriam Buguis, CEMCDO Department Head.

Jing Velos (below, in color) poses outside City Hall beside the congratulatory billboard.

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e first laid eyes on Maureen Elvy B. Paulo at the Lakan and Lakambini ng Kalilangan 2010 search, and then again at the Mr. and Miss Gensan 2010 pageant, where in both instances she landed first runner-up. Not a bad feat for this stunner, but we thought she could have gone further.

“It was great to have joined those pageants because it encouraged me to do better and to be always at my best,” she said. “I am grateful to have been a part of the Miss Gensan and the Lakambini ng Kalilangan competitions.”

It is with this modesty and persistence, plus a more mature outlook and calm confidence that in October this year, Maureen, a BS Biology junior at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, prevailed over seven other candidates to emerge as General Santos City’s Miss Tourism 2011.

The svelte 5-feet-5-inches-tall, 20-year-old budding model, was born in Iligan City on April 17,1991, and grew up in Gensan.

As ambassador of tourism in General Santos, Maui, as she is called by family and friends, joins the Tourism Cultural Promo-

Photo by Montage Digital Photography

The 2011 Pageant

tion and Development Division of CEMCDO (City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office) on a special apprenticeship with Gensan’s tourism leaders. After her training, she will assist in the conduct of tourism awareness initiatives, and later lead in the promotion of tourism within and outside the city.

Joining her as ambassadors of tourism are Michelle Camacho, First Runner-up, and Frances Gaye Gonzalez, Second Runner-up.

“Frances and I have been very close for years, and it was not planned that we would be at the same pageant. It was during the screening that we learned about it,” she confided, amused. “We were really excited about being in the Miss Tourism search together as contestants, and as good friends.

By then we had considered the pageant as part of our bonding... Whoever wins will have to take the other out to dinner.”

Which Maui did, of course.

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aui says of her busy schedule, “Being a student, being an apprentice, and being Maui all require time management.

I enjoy being Miss Tourism 2011 because of the responsibilities CEMCDO has given me, which I believe would make me a better person.”

On health and beauty, she adds, “Being stress-free allows a person to be beautiful.

Drinking lots of water, eating vegetables, and good sleeping habits help us stay fit.

Taking vitamin C supplements before going to school or work won’t hurt either. I see to it that I eat the right food, and surround myself with the right mix of people.”

On her plans after her Miss Tourism tenure and CEMCEDO apprenticeship: “I plan to enroll at a medical school. I have not yet decided which school and where, but I know that with God’s grace and guidance I will be a pediatrician someday.”

“We should always keep God in our hearts, live life to the fullest with no regrets, and most importantly, never forget those who have loved and supported us through good times and bad.”

(Maureen Paulo also takes this opportunity to thank the designer of her gown and jeans couture Mother Weng, makeup artist Kuya Nok Tupaz, and her ever-supportive family “for always being at my side.”)

Photos by Jing Velos, collage by Mandi NPJ

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Conversation with a World Circuit DJ

Intro and Interview

by Armando Nicolas P J

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e met and became good friends with Boris Bada Lehner in Singapore while he was interning at a European energy conglomerate there not so many years ago, and partied with him in Cologne, Germany shortly after that.

Now Bada has made a name and quite a following in Seoul, South Korea, where he’s successfully made the switch from techie wiz kid to parttime techno wizard. Join us as we uncover the music (and the magic) behind the man.

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The crew from LUV Superlounge: (from left) Bada Lehner, Pascal Dior, Wendy Bailey, Andi Numan, and Seung Pil Oh

What first drew your attention to techno?

First off, I actually play a wide range of music during my sets. Even though the broadest genre description would be electronic music, I can say that I mostly stay in the sub-genres of deep house, house, techhouse, and techno.

So I wouldn’t limit myself to the genre of techno.

I started to listen to electronic music rather late. It wasn’t my first choice of music until maybe in my early 20s. I listened to hip-hop a lot, but after some time I had my differences with the overall hip-hop scene or the hip hop style. I listened to hip-hop because I liked some of the lyrical aspects (sick rap skills -- however not linked to lyrical content) and

the production side. Some hip-hop beats were/still are just dope. But I wasn’t really into going to hip-hop parties because I didn’t like the scene around it.

Growing up in Germany, electronic music has always been very present. The scene is really big and it has been around for a very long time -- at least 25 years, I’d say -- correct me if I’m wrong.

Since I didn’t enjoy going to hiphop parties I just naturally started going out to electronic music parties with some of my friends who liked that kind of music. I think I first went to a couple of open air events in Germany during the summer. What I immediately liked about those techno parties was that, people were really relaxed and just wanted to enjoy a fun time together. No attitude, no image trips -- quite different from my

Seoul Techno: Bada Lehner

experiences at hip-hop parties where people were very self-conscious and concerned about looks, etc.

One may argue that electronic music and especially techno music is repetitive, therefore stupid, conveying no message because it often lacks lyrics. For me, these arguments were totally nullified after going to a couple of techno parties. Firstly, most of the time techno is, of course, dancefloor-related music. It is a common basis -- the glue that holds people together, so to speak -- in order to have a good time. Techno, on purpose, doesn’t force a certain style or message onto people. By being very stripped down and simple, techno gives room to the people/dancers to interpret the music according to their individual style.

I mean, why should I “put my hands up” when some MC or DJ tells me to do so? While listening to techno, you are free to do whatever you like. You can dance, you can just relax... I think the message of techno music doesn’t have to be conveyed through vocals; it is a medium that enables people to communicate and have a good time together.

I compare the repetitive aspect of techno to some kind of tribal dance.

Electronic music (as well as pop music, hip-hop, etc.) consists mostly of variations of a basic 4/4 rhythm.

Techno emphasizes this basic beat the most out of the genres I mentioned.

The foundation is always a steady, strong beat, which has a hypnotic effect. Again, I think this repetition brings people together, because it is so basic and easy to understand.

Everybody can somehow move/ dance to a 4/4 beat. However, if you know a little bit more about electronic music, you’ll agree that even though it is based on a simple beat pattern, the variations are endless. Therefore, I like to break up the repetitive during my sets by by mixing various genres such as deep house with techno.

Does anyone still call you Boris?

Sure. Since I’m half-German, halfKorean, my given names are Boris and Bada.

I often introduce myself as Boris in professional environments since I’m a little tired of explaining my Korean name Bada.

However, though my mom, family and close friends know me as Bada, my dad calls me by the name Boris.

Haha!

Who and what are your influences music-wise?

I have a bunch of favorite labels, producers and DJs, and I follow new productions and releases. On a more personal level there were a few people who helped me out when I started deejaying. I would just stand near the mixer during their sets, and I would observe how they mixed, how they dropped a beat, what effects they used, etc. Also, they gave me a chance to play in clubs just to gather first crowd experiences. So, even though I may have had a bad day, they gave me enough chances to play again to become a more consistent DJ. So, those few people/friends who helped me out in the beginning were my biggest influences with regard to deejaying.

Of course, I was also influenced by the parties and clubs

I went to back in Germany. Basically, those clubs influenced me as regards what I consider a good party. Lots of locations, lots of parties. Haha!

I had the privilege of crashing your nifty pad in Köln in 2004. Do you still keep it?

Haha, unfortunately I had to give it up. I’ve been living in Korea for a couple of years now, so it didn’t make sense to keep it.

What was the first techno record that you ever bought and when did you start scratching and mixing on the turntables?

I’m not sure about my first techno record, but the first techno album I was really

impressed with was D9 Transitions from Richie Hawtin. It’s still an awesome album -- music you can listen to at home as well as in a party setting.

If you don’t know much about techno and have this stereotype of fast, hard beats and glow sticks, etc., try to listen to this album. You will be surprised how broad the genre of techno is and how different the sound is on this album.

Still one of my favorite techno albums of all time.

There are so many different styles of techno a lot of people don’t know about.

Some techno tracks or albums wouldn’t work at all in a club environment. Not all techno music is produced for the dancefloor.

I think I started deejaying about 5 years ago.

I partied with you quite extensively in Singapore. Was that where your passion for DJ-ing started?

No, not really. Singapore was good times, however, I think the partying we did there was not necessarily focused around music. I remember that we basically enjoyed having fun times with friends -- going to the beach, doing trips to the islands, clubbing.

Basically, I started deejaying after moving to Korea.

When I went out at first in Korea I was surprised how limited and small the music scene was at that time. I made some friends in Korea who were into hip-hop, but as I mentioned earlier I didn’t really enjoy that kind of partying. So I ended up having to go with my friends to a hip-hop club, leaving by myself after an hour or two to go to the only (!) electronic music club in Seoul at that time, and meeting up with my friends again still later.

On top of this strange parting/meeting again arrangement, the music at the electronic music club was horribly commercial and cheesy.

I didn’t know if there was

a like-minded scene that kind of matched my European electronic music background, so I literally started to search for like-minded people in Seoul via various social media websites (Facebook didn’t exist at that time).

I found out that only very few people (maybe 5?) would spin what I would call decent enough music in Seoul, and that there was no venue that regularly hosted those DJs at all. Also, when they played, the clubs would book various other DJs to play totally different music genres during the night. So, after 1 or 2 hours, a techno party would turn into a drum-and-base party. It was totally weird for me.

Because there was a lack of places that offered music I liked, I decided to get into deejaying. I bought equipment and began to deejay practice at home with one or two friends. After a year or so, we started to organize small parties and I made my debut.

How would you describe your sound?

It changes, for example, depending on the season. During the summer when people are wearing tee shirts, etc. I tend to play more house-y tunes because it just accommodates the summer vibe. In the winter, I tend to play harder and maybe darker tunes.

At the moment I enjoy a generally deeper sound and slower tracks. Maybe you can call it deep techno? Not sure.

Nowadays, I play a lot of sets that are around 3 hours long.

That gives me enough time to incorporate various techno and house styles into my sets while building up a certain vibe and suspense.

You did modeling before.

Tell us about that. Do you still do it?

I have a couple of friends who are professional models. They work mostly in Asia and on

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tour from country to country.

So from time to time they stop by in Korea.

One time a friend asked me if he could forward some pictures of me to his agency and I said, “Yes, why not?” So, yeah, a friend scouted me.

I totally forgot about it, but one day I got a direct booking request for a job through that agency, and that’s how it started. I got a little bit more into modeling for a while and went to castings, etc., but after a while it started to conflict with other things I did and I realized that this kind of work is really just short-term for me. I’m not the youngest anymore, haha!

So I made a decision to reduce the time I invest into modeling. I still have good contacts in a couple of agencies and I get direct booking jobs through them from time to time. Direct booking means that you don’t have to go through a physical casting process, which means that you don’t have to present yourself personally in front of the production team. When you get a direct booking job, the client or production house picks you based on your profile pictures and/or previous work.

What images and emotions do you want your music to invoke in the listener?

I think I’m going to be quite modest here. I don’t have the opinion that my DJ sets (by the way, here you are spinning other people’s music) have a major emotional impact if you took them out of a club or dancefloor context. Of course I want people to enjoy the night when I play music. I see myself, or the music I spin, as a facilitator to generate an enjoyable atmosphere.

So emotions? I guess happiness? Contentment? Naturally, I like it when somebody (who is more interested in music or knowledgeable in music) tells me after a set that he or she has enjoyed the set.

But I think the average clubber is quite indifferent to 10

music when going out. Things such as a new/hot venue, lots of people, cool crowd, etc. are in my opinion more important to a lot of people than the music itself.

What I try to do is to fulfill the basic clubbing expectations, e.g., danceable music, good atmosphere, etc., but through means that are not mainstream, predictable or plain boring.

After a good set you can see that people are quite excited about the music that was played, even though they might not have known that kind of music style before. I mean, you don’t have to tell anybody that you may have played a main-time set at 123 bpm (beats per minute), which is very slow compared to a regular main-time set in Seoul (up to 140 bpm).

The difference in tempo creates a totally different atmosphere, and even though non-music people can’t explicitly point out the difference, they feel that the music is slightly different from the usual, maybe even refreshing and surprising, and therefore their experience may be slightly more memorable than on another night.

What do you look for in a beat?

Character. Sophistication.

Nowadays so many new tracks are released on a daily basis.

Most of them sounds very generic...

Can you break down the Seoul techno scene for me?

The whole electronic music scene exploded during the last 3 years. I think there are at least 6 super clubs in Seoul at the moment and more will open soon. I call a super club a venue with the capacity to hold at least 1000 people. However, because of the size and the need to fill the club every weekend with a lot of people, most of these clubs tend to play quite

commercial music to attract the maximum amount of people.

Besides those super clubs, numerous smaller clubs and club-lounges have opened during the last couple of years. They usually hold between 100 and 400 people. Since these venues don’t depend on attracting masses of people each weekend, some of them can focus on niche markets, and therefore have music policies that push less commercial music.

Thanks to the smaller venues, Seoul has a quite diverse electronic music scene, but compared to Europe the scene is still very young. I think it will take at least 5 more years until Korea will have its truly

own electronic music style and scene.

There are a few Korean techno and house music producers that are starting to get more international exposure at the moment. Also, international deejays are playing in Korea on a regular basis now, so with the various new inputs I’m sure that the Korean electronic music scene will grow.

The scene is quite big at the moment, but I’m not sure if it’s a long-term development or just a trend. Most definitely, some of the super clubs won’t survive. On the music production or music label side, I hope that Korean (and other Asian) artists will have a chance

Season’s Greetings from First District of South Cotabato and General Santos City Representative Pedro B. Acharon, Jr. and Dr. Rosalinda Acharon Equipment Rental

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to get more international exposure.

Who would you like to work with in the future?

I’d like to work with less known European DJs who, for example, are legends in party capitals such as Berlin or Ibiza, but are not well-known in Asia.

I respect DJs who have residencies in the best clubs in the world, because they have to deliver top DJ sets week after week. If people like the resident DJs even after a couple of months or weeks (especially in Ibiza), it shows that those DJs are able to keep their sets interesting and are able to diversify.

That’s a hard job.

On the contrary, if you tour from club to club and play only once at every location you can basically keep on playing

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the same set of best-of hits for a long time. You only show up once at a certain club and at the next club nobody has heard the set you played at the previous club. So with very little variation, you will be able to play a decent set.

I’m not saying that all DJs are doing that, but you can afford to be more lazy with regard to track selection, etc. if you don’t play regularly at one location.

How did you overcome the Korean-EnglishGerman language barrier? While we’re at it, what other languages do you speak?

German is my mother tongue, so no problems there. English is taught quite extensively in the German school system and

hat was meant to be only a small gathering of blogger friends based in and around General Santos turned out to be the largest assembly of online writers in South Central Mindanao in December last year. With the theme, If You Blog It, They Will Come, the event gathered over 120 participants from Davao, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, and Zamboanga. For the first time, fellow bloggers were able to personally meet the people behind the blogs they were following.

The forum also tackled related know-how and trends. Picking up on that success, lead convenors and multi-awarded bloggers Avel Manansala (GenSan News Online Mag, gensantos.com) and Orman Manansala (GandaEverSoMuch.com) teamed up with Circle of Arts Production to organize BlogFest 12

I spent a couple of months in the States when I was younger; that helped. Basically, I have a lot of exposure to English on a regular basis.

I had to learn Korean almost from scratch when I came to Korea. Well, basically that was one of the main reasons for me to come to Korea.

I took language classes, tortured my language exchange buddies, and just studied for a while. My Korean is okay now, definitely not as good as I would like it to be, but I get along just fine.

I studied French for 7 years at school. Hm, I was quite fluent and able to read books, newspapers etc., but I haven’t used French for years.

I still understand a lot when I hear it, but my brain seems to be blocked when I try to speak it. I’d like to refresh my French some time when I get the chance.

BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2.0 Another Hit SoCCSKSarGen 2.0 on November 26, 2011. The team envisions BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen to serve not only as a yearly meet-up for bloggers and online writers/publishers in Mindanao,

but as a forum where knowledge and skills relevant to their craft are honed and enhanced. The roster of resource persons for the day-long BlogFest SoCCSKSarGen 2.0, with its theme, The Emergence of Blogs and Social Media, include: • Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, Gensan’s chief executive, who recently launched the official websites of Gensan’s 69 public elementary schools and 26 barangay high schools through the SHEEP-Computer Literacy Program, a first in the Philippines • Flow Galindez, ABS-CBN staff, blogger, World Food Programme advocate • Jack Madrid, country manager of Multiply Philippines, former Yahoo!

Philippines head • Bob Martin, technopreneur, blogger, humorist, travel advocate • Abe Olandres, a.k.a. Yugatech, tech blogger (Yugatech.com) • Mae Paner, a.k.a. Juana Change, videoblogger, film/TV commercial director/actress • Manuel Quezon III, a.k.a. Manolo Quezon, essayist and blogger, Undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office • Raffy Tima, GMA Network anchor and political analyst

Level 2, Tan Bldg, Aparente Avenue, Purok Malakas (Beside Lagao National High School) General Santos (083) 303-5086 | (0922) 8637437 Whole body massage, foot spa, foot massage, manicure, pedicure, waxing, and body scrub | Separate sauna for men and women

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ongratulations on the success of BMT 2011! The euhopia may have died down, but the fond memories linger on and on...

For the MSU GSC PAVILLION PROJECT please send pledges/ donations to Mercy GaldonezAquino/Sheila Marie AlonsabeDumaguing (SA# 0093430257-07, BPI Santiago Blvd, General Santos City)

Gensan Gazer eZines Now Read in 338 Cities Across 47 Countries/Territories

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hree-hundred 38 cities across 47 nations now read the Gensan Gazer eZine, according to Google Analytics (23 Nov 2011). The GROUP OF 47 GG READER NATIONS consists of the Philippines, US, Singapore, UK, Ireland, Germany, India, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, UAE, Japan, South Africa, Guam, Denmark, Italy, Brunei, Morocco, Malaysia, Israel, Russia, Colombia, South Korea, Qatar, New Zealand, Croatia, Micronesia, Greece, Sweden, Vietnam, Bahrain, Brazil, Kuwait, Serbia, France, Hong Kong, Norway, Spain, Turkey, Chile, Portugal, Holland, Switzerland, Georgia, and Argentina.

Of the Top 20 Reader Cities, Davao stays in the first spot, besting 11 other cities in the Philippines. Gensan moves to the 14th

spot, with more local readers resorting to the printed magazines. Outside the Philippines, Singapore (7th spot) remains the top reader city, with New York (8th), Brooklyn (9th), Jeddah (10th), Los Angeles (15th), Dubai (16th), Houston (18th), London (19th), and Moscow (20th) in tow. Here are the cities that made the Top 20: 11. Tacloban 1. Davao City 12. Cagayan de Oro 2. Manila 13. Mandaluyong 3. Quezon City 14. General Santos 4. Cebu 15. Los Angeles 5. Mandaluyong 16. Dubai 6. Makati 17. Cotabato 7. Singapore 18. Houston 8. New York 19. London 9. Brooklyn 20. Moscow 10. Jeddah

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ensan Gazer is published at least 6 times a year by Armanikolas Publishing and put out at GensanGazer.com as a Flash-based eZine. Limited copies are sold in Gensan at AUB Santiago, Aunt Ludi Robinsons, Big Ben Robinsons, Blugré Robinsons, Choca Loca South Osmeña, City Mayor’s Office, Fagioli KCC/Petron, Gaisano Post Office, Hairs & Nails KCC, Piyesta Robinsons, Sydney Hotel, and Taps & Mix. It is also sold at select shops in Davao City, Panabo, Tagum, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Polomolok. For ad inquiries, call +63-83-5547055 or +63-838269221, or write to advertising@gensangazer.com. (See this and other issues at www.GensanGazer.com/gg_menu.html.)

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GGList

Last-minute bit on your Christmas Shopping List Sunny Health and Fitness 33-pound dumbbell chrome set for him (and for her, too)...

iPhone 4S: Best One Yet The new iPhone 4S resembles the current iPhone 4 on the outside, but is completely rehauled inside, including the A5 chip found in iPad 2, sevenfold faster graphics, an extended battery life (now 8

Fireworks you can sip, suck and drink!

Perfumes for her (from left), True Star by Tommy Hilfiger, Dream Angels Heavenly by Victoria’s Secret, Pleasures by Esteé Lauder, and Beyond Paradise by Esteé Lauder...

Piyesta at Robinsons Place Gensan always looks for ways of giving a new twist to having a fun night out on the town. Their latest offering is Fireworks -- a shot of flavored vodka (lime and strawberry are just two variations), set ablaze to cinnamon sprinkle -- the concoction sipped with a straw after the pyrotechnics, the fumes sucked, and what’s left of the shot gulped down one last time, bottoms up. If that’s not one festival of a drink, then we don’t know what is.

Walter Isaacson writes about Steve Jobs.

On October 24, writer and media mogul Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was published. Because of Jobs’ death just weeks earlier on October 5, the book became an instant international bestseller. See what the book offers on page 30.

Photo of Marthin Millado by Donna Mae Congson

Colognes for him (from left), Nautica Classic, Cool Water by Davidoff, Black by Kenneth Cole, and Blue

by Polo Ralph Lauren...

hours of talk time on 3G, 14 hours 2G talk time, 6 hours 3G browsing, 9 wifi browsing, 10 video, 40 music), an enhanced antenna to improve call quality and download speeds (up to 14.4 mbps), both GSM and CDMA support, a revved up 8-megapixel camera (with resolution at 3264×2448 and video recording in 1080p with image stabilization). Other than the new features of iOS 5 and iCloud, such as Twitter integration, iMessage, reminders, notifications, and new camera options, Apple introduced Siri, the intelligent voice recognition system. Siri has a lot of promise, allowing you to do almost all basic tasks on your phone using only your voice, including making appointments, reading and responding to text messages, looking up information on Wikipedia, and more. This makes iPhone 4S still the best smartphone around.

Photo by Donna Mae Congson

GGList is a mish-mash of stuff heard, tasted, seen, worn, posted, drunk, touched...

Korea is a Big Stage

Travel Tales & Trivia

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hoosing to be an artist in Gensan may seem to be a losing financial proposition but there are perks outside the nobility of serving the community.

Being able to travel is one of the benefits of the practice of art-making. Last summer I was in Singapore for the Atelier for Festival Managers; an added perk of the atelier is the invitation from the Korean Art Management Service to participate in the Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS).

The PAMS is the Korean performing arts season.

Strategically scheduled and programmed to coincide with the Seoul International Dance Festival, cultural tourists will not only have the taste of the best in Korean dance, music and theater, but will also see international performances -- one literally run from one venue to another -- catching up on what is showing, demonstrating and lecturing in the breathtaking and exhilarating sights and sounds of Seoul autumn.

The PAMS schedule is tightly packed, one has to make sure to take a full rest at the end of the evening to keep the energy going for the series of PAMS Choices, a program of the best in traditional and contemporary dance, music and theater opening one after the other.

PAMS link program was organized to present a broad range of productions in the Korean performing arts that are being performed during the event period. Around thirty works are selected from submissions and performed at locations throughout Seoul.

Guest travel writer : Bing Cariño

For artists and participants looking for academic events and networking opportunities, There is a focus session on Asia and several round table discussion on current issues and trends in the performing arts.

LIP (looking for International Partners) is for producers and artists looking for international co-production ventures. Speed Dating gives opportunities for artists to talk to international festival producers and directors, and for a taste of Korean hospitality, Lunch meetings and PAMS Night parties down plays the artsy mood by offering soirees and junkets designed just to party and enjoy.

1 1// Eun-Me Ahn, artistic director of the Eun-Me Ahn Co., is one of the most progressive choreographers in Korea. Her “Dancing Grandmothers” is featured in the PAMS choice dance section.

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3 3// GG catches Macbeth. The lead actor in Playfactory Mabangzen’s “Kill Beth” spotted at the after performance party.

4 4// Enjoying Korean cuisine with participants from India, USA, Belarus, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

5// At the National Museum of Korea, enjoying the fine weather and the picturesque autumn scenery.

2// The International Showcase featured the Australian Polyglot Company’s “We Built This City,” an improvisational theater for children. Using corrugated cardboard boxes children construct and reconstruct buildings inside the Box City. GG posed with a construction crew and the Totems that guard the city.

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Photo courtesy of Orman Ortega Manansala

Best wishes from the City Mayor of General Santos City

Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio

greenLIVING

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n increasing number of people are now wanting to do their part to save the planet due to the worsening problems caused by global warming. Unfortunately, numerous people assume that going green is costly and time-consuming. Read on to discover several immediate things you can do to get on on the path to living green.

Recycling is the top way to start. A lot of people continue to place glass and aluminum items in their normal garbage even though recycling is not that hard to do today. In the US, it’s not hard to locate a trash service that offers glass and aluminum recycling choices. Many people still continue to discard these items even though recycling bins are not hard to find. It merely takes a few minutes to wash off the cans and bottles before placing them into the recycle bin.

Newspapers are another item that overburden our landfills.

Virtually all people will merely

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Going Green Is So Much Simpler Than Most People Think

by Collin Rojas

take their daily paper and toss it in the garbage when they are done with it. But there are many other uses that you can get out of your newsprint other than poring over it. Did you know that you can keep your windows clean using newspapers? If you’re tired of seeing small white fragments and streaks on your windowpanes after you clean them with paper towels and cleaner, try to use old newspapers instead.

Several community groups run regular paper drives. Merely compile all of your old newspapers, put them in a stack, and see if the paper drive organizers will come to your location and pick them up.

One more thing that could help you to start to live green is to begin walking a bit more.

Lots of people routinely drive short distances merely to buy one thing at their local corner market. If you just walk to the store, not only could it take less time because you won’t have to locate a parking spot,

but you will save money on gas and help save planet Earth by not burning those fuels.

If you wish to save even more on gas, take the chance to car pool when you can and only mow your lawn two times a month instead of weekly. A gorgeous lawn is good to have but skipping an additional week before you mow again shouldn’t significantly affect it. Using a manual push mower like those more normally used many years ago will help to save the environment even more. Many hardware shops still carry this type of mower.

When people make up their mind to try green living, it’s easy to make a few lifestyle modifications that will benefit our environment.

Likewise, you can find lots of info all over the Internet on other ways to start living green. You only have to look for it. (Collin Rojas is burning off bodyweight his way. He invites you to visit www.articlecity.com.)

Text by Armando Nicolas PJ Photography by Apple Greatson Francisco

Che Tiongson

Starts Over in Gensan

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Gown: Fanny Serrano Couture Hair & Makeup: Tootchie Roll Wara Gaffer: Peaches Lee Francisco Location: Gensan Shipyard

his is it. I need to go away somewhere far and start over,” Che Tiongson said to her eldest daughter Chelsey after her 16-year relationship with former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson finally ended. “I need to start a new life in the States.”

“And you’ll leave us,” Chelsey challenged more than asked.

The rest of the conversation was both painful and redeeming, and in the end, after weighing her options carefully and reassuring that her children didn’t need to bear the burden of her new direction in life, she decided to look back to her roots in Gensan.

She decided to come home.

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oming home was not the easy part either -- not in the beginning, that is. As with all major life changes, there were doubts and reservations about coming back to her hometown.

“I’ve grown quite fond of and very accustomed to the Manila lifestyle, and I know that it’s totally different here in Gensan. For one thing, life in Manila is fast while here it’s a bit slow,” Che mused.

The adjustment, luckily, was natural and easy. “This is where I grew up. My family is happy here and very supportive of me. The family business is thriving.

I also have lifelong friends to reconnect and spend more time with. If it were not for them, home simply wouldn’t be the same.”

As it is now, Che is happy to be based in Gensan after a long time, occasionally visiting Manila, where her children reside and attend the British School. She comfortably shuttles back and forth as opportunities decide. “It’s like I have two homes now. I have to be with my children from time to time. In fact, when I’m in Manila it’s more of spending time with my kids mostly, maybe a bit of seeing my old friends just to keep updated. It’s just like a vacation in Manila nowadays, no work to speak of as most of my time will be here in Gensan anyway.

I’m used to traveling, I see no problem with that. As a matter of fact, my family and I have been traveling to different places for as long as I can remember. This is how we bond.”

What has changed little, if at all, is the level of public scrutiny that Che has learned to accommodate over the years, at times painstakingly, what with the celebrity attached to her stature and affiliations. The public eye can be a daunting phenomenon on its own, and Che has weathered its coarser brushes.

“I have no problem with being in the limelight since I’m such a very friendly person. I’m the type who wants to meet up with a lot of new, different people and faces. I chat with them, share with them some of my ideas and personal opinion.

Respect, too, especially when different opinions arise on the issue being talked about,” she explains.

“In short, I have my own PR and charisma.”

I have come to a point where I realize that this is truly the life I want.

“Here I enjoy more of a quieter, simpler, and more family-oriented life. You know that this is such a small city, compared to Manila, that is, which means that you know almost everyone here. Especially when you’re out in public places, it’s like everyone’s greeting each other. This way Gensan is so homey for me, so comfortable, and safe. I have come to a point where I realize that this is truly the life I want.”

Gown: Emi Englis Hair & Makeup: Jacque Kate Duguil Gaffer: Mandi NPJ Location: Lagare Springfield Resort

“In Gensan, you don’t have to be so self-conscious all the time. You can just simply be yourself. That’s the kind of life there is here,” she claims, as if relieved.

“Everything is near, no major traffic jams, not yet anyway,” she chuckles. “What I really love here is the scenery, where in 10 minutes or so there’s a beach, mountain, farm, coolweather place, ranch -- which we don’t have in Metro Manila, not within a 10-minute distance most definitely.”

Which is not to say that Manila doesn’t have its pleasures and perks. Apart from the urban comforts of her Eastwood home in Quezon City, there is no greater joy than to see her children -- Chelsey Louisse (18 years old), Christian Luis (16), Charmaine (14 ), Christofer (12), and Caitlin (11) -- who all go to The British School Manila.

Photo courtesy of Che Tiongson Incidentally Che celebrates her birthday on December 30, part of which she plans to spend at an orphanage with her kids, who will all be flying to Gensan after Christmas. “I will also have another celebration with my family and friends here. It’s like a coming home celebration, introducing my kids to Gensan, a grand reunion of sorts.”

This is Che’s personal way of telling her family and closest friends that she’s back. “This would be a lot of fun. I am pretty sure that a lot of family and friends will be happier to know that I’m back... for good!”

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Gown: Fanny Serrano Couture Hair & Makeup: Tootchie Roll Wara Gaffer: Peaches Lee Francisco Location: Gensan Shipyard

Gown: Fanny Serrano Couture Hair & Makeup: Tootchie Roll Wara Gaffer: Peaches Lee Francisco Location: Rivera Ranch

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oving forward, Che stays fit by working out mornings before breakfast, keeps up with current events and news after, and busies herself the rest of the time with setting up her future business. “It’s in beauty and food. Right now we’re in the process of renovating the (Tiongson Arcade) area. The restaurant’s easy as I already had one in Manila, which we ran for five years, so it’s practically just a change in location.

My family is really into food, while I personally do PR and beauty (kakikayan), and such.”

Gown: Fanny Serrano Couture Hair & Makeup: Tootchie Roll Wara Earrings by Mayang Blando-Tan Gaffer: Peaches Lee Francisco Location: Rivera Ranch

Her plans include attending and supporting events here, hanging out with old and new friends alike, and getting a headstart in business. “I’m really into exploring things here right now.

I moved to Manila 18 years ago,” she chuckles. “A lot has changed since, and I’m loving it. Thanks to our city officials.

Thanks to God!” 23

artsATTACK cuLtureSHOCK

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nce more it’s that time of year when stress takes the joy out of driving and riding on the roads of Gensan. Traffic congestion in the Tuna Capital arrives at its zenith come the merry season of shopping as all roads lead to the mall triangle.

Last year, it took me two hours to get out of the bedlam caused by the magnet that drew people out of their homes to the overcrowded shopping Mecca of General Santos. For a weary traveler anxious to get to his destination, this may be a big inconvenience, but transportation comes as a big factor in the growth and development of a city. The success of General Santos as a bustling metropolis also came as a consequence of its strategic connection to the rest of the world by land, air and sea.

When the settlers arrived in 1939 on board MV Basilan, the navigation route to and from commercial centers of the country was established, ushering commercial viability and success for any commercial venture -- products and people moved.

Long before the construction of a sea port, vessels of Compaña Maritima and Philippine Steam Navigation anchored offshore to ferry passengers and cargo to an onward destination and back. This grew as a lucrative maritime venture that soon an international seaport complex, one of the cleanest in the Philippines, was constructed.

On the other side of town, in what is now Barangay Buayan, an airport with grass runway connected the young municipality with the rest of the country. Philippine Airlines DC3 planes established routes that connected Buayan, Allah Valley, Cotabato, Iligan, and Cebu -- making travel to these destinations faster and more efficient.

Even the now defunct Philippine air carriers Fast Airways and Delta Airlines included a Buayan stop. Air travel to the Buayan destination was so active that soon, DC6 planes and later turbo-propelled planes that carried more passengers congested the local air traffic.

In the 1950s when Lagao was the center of the then Municipality of Rajah Buayan (the old name of General Santos City) and only very few had cars, the transport of seafaring passengers to the wharf at the landing site in what is now the Silway district and to the Buayan Airport, connected by a gravel road that is now the J. Catolico Avenue, rested in the capable driving of 24

Vintage Travel and Joyriding in Dusty Dadiangas

by Bing Cariño

the only two commercial jeepneys that navigated the gravel highway. Danding Cerrudo plied the Lagao-Dadiangas route, and Valentin did the DadiangasLagao-Buayan airport itinerary. These two pioneers in local land transportation were stars in those days as they were the most efficient local transit that moved people to their next destination. In the 1960s, hordes of trisikad (a motorized pedal bicycle) began to congest the highways.

Half a century ago, one has to wait at least an hour to get run over by one of two speeding sixseater jeeps...

The old municipality, eight hours away from the cities of Cotabato and Davao, was also a common travel destination reached by land. The first to service the Dadiangas destination was Villa Busline. Then Bachelor Express and Sobusco came before the routes were monopolized by Yellow Bus Line. With the complete concreting of the highways that connect General Santos to

the rest of Mindanao, a full-capacity airconditioned bus would leave the Bulaong Terminal every five minutes or so.

Just seven decades ago, maritime vessels anchored off-shore and waited for passengers and cargo to be ferried onboard from the shores of Silway. National and international vessels now dock safely and conveniently at the Makar wharf. Airplanebound passengers from all over SoCSKSarGen troop to the General Santos City International Airport to board Airbuses and 747s in an international-grade airport. All 26 General Santos City Barangays are now accessible with the choice of boarding a six-seater trike, a 12-seater multicab, or a 22-passenger capacity jeepney, congesting the highways filled with SUVs and dress cars.

Half a century ago, one had to wait at least an hour to get run over by one of two speeding six-seater jeeps that plied the roads of the old Municipality of Rajah Buayan. Recently, the local government installed traffic lights for pedestrians not to get run over by a speeding habal-habal (motorbike that takes up to three people from one place to another).

(Based on conversations with Roman Salazar when he delivered the news that Danding Cerrudo, the pioneer jeepney driver, died in mid-November.)

Frozen in Time Christopher Reeve look-alike Alex Rae from Pennsylvannia poses with Gensan Gazer V2N4.

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Photos by Gimma Samalca

ackinac is an island and resort destination barely 10 square kilometers in size. Located in Lake Huron between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, the island was home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position in the Great Lakes fur trade, which led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812.

By the end of the 19th century, Mackinac became a popular summer colony and tourist attraction. Much of the island underwent extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Mackinac is well-known for its many cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous Victorian Grand Hotel; its fudge; and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.

Somewhere In Time

by Khrys Shirley Aala-Yuzon

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The island has a year-round population of 492 (2010 census), which bloats considerably during the summer as hotels, restaurants, bars and retail shops, open only during the summer season, hire short-term employees to accommodate as many as 15,000 visitors per day.

The island can be reached by private boat, ferry, small aircraft, and in the winter, by snowmobile. In the summer tourist season, ferry service is available from Arnold Transit, Shepler's Ferry, and Star Line Ferry to shuttle visitors from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.

Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on the island since 1898, with the exception of snowmobiles during winter, emergency vehicles, and service vehicles. Travel on the island is either by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area. A 13-km road follows the island's perimeter, and numerous roads, trails and paths cover the interior. The road encircling the island and hugging the shoreline is M-185, the only state highway in the US without motorized vehicles.

The downtown streets are lined with many retail stores, candy shops, and restaurants.

A popular item at the candy shops is the locally produced and nationally known Mackinac Island Fudge, leading to tourists sometimes being referred to as fudgies. Many shops sell a variety of fudge, and some of the confectioners have been operating for over a century.

To accommodate an influx of tourists in the 1880s, the boat and railroad companies built hotels, including the Grand Hotel. Souvenir shops began to spring up as a way for island residents to profit from the tourists. Many wealthy industrialists built summer cottages along the island's bluffs 26

for extended stays. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission appointed to oversee the island has limited private development in the park and requires leaseholders to maintain the island's distinctive Victorian architecture, virtually freezing time landscape-wise.

Most of the buildings here are built of wood, a few are of stone, and most have clapboard siding. The architectural styles on the island span 300 years, from the earliest Native American structures to the styles of the 19th century. At least two buildings still exist from the original French settlement in the late 18th century, making Mackinac Island the only example of northern French rustic architecture in the US, and one of few survivors in North America. Fort Mackinac, with its whitewashed stone walls instead of the more traditional wood, is a European adaptation of Islamic military architecture.

Mackinac Island also contains examples of Federalist, Colonial, and Greek Revival styles.

Much of the island, however, is built in the style of the Victorian era, which includes Gothic Revival, Stick style, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardson Romanesque, and Queen Anne styles. The most recent styles used on the island date from the late 19th century to the 1930s and include the Colonial and Tudor revival styles.

Mackinac Island is home to many cultural events, including an annual show of American art at the Grand Hotel. There are at least five art galleries on the island. Mackinac has been written about and visited by many influential writers including Alexis De Tocqueville, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, Edward Everett Hale, Mark Twain, Bill Bryson, Herman Melville, and Constance Fenimore Woolson. (Condensed from Wikipedia.com)

o visit Mackinac Island in a day is a great adventure, but to totally experience the magic of Mackinac means spending a night or two at one of its hotels.

American Indians of the Great Lakes were the island’s first summer visitors. They paddled to fish for trout, pike, herring, and white fish. So plentiful were the fish that the native people called these waters “the home of the fish.” They considered it a sacred place and named it Michilimackinac, which, by the 1820s, was shortened to Mackinac.

Mackinac lies in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The face of the island changed dramatically in the second half of the 19th century as it transformed from a fur and fishing village to a popular summer resort.

Hollywood has filmed two full-length motion pictures in Mackinac. Esther Williams and Jimmy Durante starred in This Time For Keeps (1947), then Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in Somewhere In Time (1979). In both films the Grand Hotel, one of the island’s principal landmarks, stood as a living background. It was built in 1887 to accommodate the swell of summer visitors over the decades.

Six months ago, I scouted for a short vacation spot for the fall-winter season. I wanted something unique and exquisitely memorable. I opted to veer away from the usual hop-on/hop-off tours. On-line I accidentally stumbled on the Somewhere In Time Reunion weekend at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac. The travel pendulum swung the other way. I wanted to go back in time.

Are you kidding? The world-famous Grand Hotel? As a teenager, this place enchanted me after I saw Somewhere In Time. This was my chance of a lifetime to relive the Victorian and Edwardian era in style. Immediately I got in touch with the people who organized the event, and they gave me a clear insight into this annual reunion.

Inspired by one of the greatest movies of our time, I rummaged through vintage stores, flea markets and thrift shops to find vintage costumes and accessories. I invited my dearest friends Ruth and Gimma, and was I so happy when they said yes! We enjoyed making our own Edwardian hats and putting our period costumes together. There were times I wished the days would go faster as our date of departure drew closer.

Wow! Finally a chance to experience the elegance and luxury of the days gone by. Join us, as we embark on our journey to Somewhere In Time.

Long-time friends (from left) Ruth, Gimma, and Shirley

bars Babes Bar - One of East Asia Royale Hotel’s watering holes, with discotheque, live music Thu-Fri (2nd Flr, Arcade 1, East Asia Royale Hotel, National Highway, Gen. Santos, +6383-5534123 ext. 106) Cassado Billiard Bar - Pool tables with lady attendants, live band, icecold beers (Grd Flr, Arcade 1, East Asia Royale Hotel, National Highway, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3028389) GGPick N O 1 Bar - Live band, ice-cold beers, best live guitar by Gifford (Mezzanine, Marietta’s Bldg, Magsaysay Ave., Gen. Santos) GGPick Pacman Sports Bar - Five pool tables/dart boards, The Pacman himself if you’re lucky, lots of lounge space (JMP Bldg 2, Aparente, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5528880) GGPick Q Bar - Great place to dine and be seen in, for chilling and dancing, with superb music and yuppie crowd (SunCity Complex, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5543202) GGPick Red Rocket Sports Bar Warm meals and ice-cold beers (Grd Flr, Arcade 2, East Asia Royale Hotel, National Highway, Gen. Santos)

GGPick Coffee Dream - Coffee, sweets an refuge after shopping or while waiting for company (2nd Flr, KCC Mall, Gen. Santos, +63-833018263) [wi◦fi] GGPick Fagioli Coffee Shop Great after hours haunt, tends to get really crowded at night (Petron Station, Lagao, National Highway, Gen. Santos, +63-83-552749) [wi◦fi] GGPick Fagioli Coffee Shop - Private yet accessible, perfect chill after shopping (Grd Flr, KCC Mall, +63-835542384) [wi◦fi] Generals Brew - Fine gourmet coffees, sandwiches, combo meals (Pioneer, Gen. Santos, +63-835526559) [wi◦fi] Red Ribbon Bakeshop - Cakes, pastries, sumptuous Filipino/Western meal combos (Lower Grd Flr, KCC Mall, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3018388)

SunCity Suites - Hotel at the heart of upscale and trendy SunCity Complex (National Highway, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5523333) [wi◦fi] Sydney Hotel - Centrally located, offers comfortable accommodations and excellent restaurants, professional banquet/conference facilities (Pendatun cor. Pioneer, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5525479) [wi◦fi] Tierra Montana Hotel - Centrally located, offers comfortable accommodations and excellent restaurants, professional banquet/conference facilities (National Highway, beside DHL, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5547733) [wi◦fi]

hotels iFAMILY COUNTRY HOTEL

resorts iRICHEVA GENSAN SUITES

iQ BAR

cafés GGPick BluGré Cafe - Next best thing to Starbucks, designer coffees, hot/cold mixes, filling meals (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos, +63-835542177) [wi◦fi] GGPick BluGré Cafe - Bigger and more relaxing than the one at Robinsons (South Osmeña, Gen. Santos, +63-5521111) [wi◦fi] Cafe Amoree - Local gem, great drinks/eats, off city center but worth a visit (Mabuhay Rd, Gen. Santos, +6383-5542173) [wi◦fi] Cafe Paulino - Unpretentious coffee place, quiet retreat from the crowd (Gaisano Mall, Gen. Santos) GGPick Caffe Firenzo - Gourmet coffees, desserts, sandwiches, pizza, open 24/7 (SunCity Complex, National Highway, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi] GGPick Choca Loca - Pasta, sandwiches, specialty hot/cold chocolate drinks, shakes, halo-halo (South Osmeña-Quirino Sts across from DTIXII Bldg, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi] Coffee Club 101 - Coffee, pasta, desserts, free PC stations for patrons (Laurel East, Gen. Santos, +63-835535430) [wi◦fi] GGPick Coffee Club 101 - Great place to people-watch and be seen in, perfect chill after shopping (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos, +63-835534878) [wi◦fi]

CBHL Garden Rooms & Dormitel - Central location and tasteful guest rooms at budget rates (Laurel, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5546336) [wi◦fi] GGPick East Asia Royale Hotel Stone’s throw away from the financial district, shopping malls, convention/ exhibition centers, with function rooms/ restaurants/bars (Grand Royale Ballroom, Babes Bar), business center, 24-hour room service (National Highway, Gen. Santos, +6383-5534123) [wi◦fi] GGPick Family Country Hotel & Convention Centre - Guest rooms, meeting/banquet halls (up to 1,000 heads), pool, in-house Cafe Leticia amidst greenery (Mateo Rd, Lagao, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5528895) [wi◦fi] Florotel - Strategic downtown location, modern amenities (North Laurel Ave., Gen. Santos, +63-83-5540880) Ice Castle - Modern, centrally located, offers excellent accommodations, in-house bar and restaurant (Provido Village, City Heights, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5544423, +63-838269026) [wi◦fi] Phela Grande Hotel - Luxury guest rooms, in-house Meilih Restaurant/ Cafe Eduardo (Magsaysay cor. Atis, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5524220) [wi◦fi] Residencia Heneral Travelers Inn - Prime location, affordable rooms -Your home in Gensan (RD Bldg, Pioneer Ave., Gen. Santos, +63-83-3020533, +63-922-8420103) GGPick Richeva Gensan Suites - Minimalist-modern, centrally located, offers affordable quality accommodations (11 Sampaguita St, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5540410, +63-919-7936227, +63-932-3753001, gensansuites@gmail.com) [wi◦fi]

iISLA JARDIN DEL MAR

Amandari Cove - Resort-quality accommodations, pool, Cafe Amoree and Caicos Restobar (Dacera, off Mabuhay Road, +63-083-5542654 | 8261074 | 8261070) [wi◦fi] Gensan View Resort - Sun, sky, swimming pool (Nursery Rd, Lagao, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3028237) GGPick Isla Jardin del Mar Sand, sun, sky (Gumasa, Glan, Sarangani, islajardindelmar@yahoo.com) GGPick Le Jardin Arnevel Convention halls, swimming pool, 2,000-m2 garden, spacious parking area (Mabuhay Rd, Gen. Santos, +6383-3012513) [wi◦fi] GGPick Lemlunay Resort Clifftop seaside resort with excellent villas, restaurant and bar, pool, and worldclass dive site (Tinoto, Maasim, Sarangani, +63-920-914 9259 | South Point Divers: www.southpointdivers. ph) [wi◦fi] Merl Garden Spring Resort Zip-line ride, pool, horseback riding and more (Lahit, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, +63-919-4577221) Olaer Spring Resort - Natural springs, lasting city icon (Apopong, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3802345) GGPick Paraiso Verde Resort & Water Park - Modern recreational facility with main attractions Moby Wave Pool, Adventura River Rapids, Freestyle Swim Pool, and Wiggles Kiddie Pool, a 300-person capacity pavilion, and food court (Gen. Santos Drive, Koronadal, +63-832281988, +63-923-8701483)

pLaces2GO

GGPicks

GGPick Rosal Beach Resort Sun, sky, and all-year-round white sand beach fun (Gumasa, Glan, Sarangani, +63-920-9212203) Shellrock Spring Resort - Natural springs and greenery, a welcome escape from city life (Barrio Cebuano, Tupi, South Cotabato, +63-9182821801, +63-83-5524278)

restaurants GGPick Aunt Ludi - Apart from a wide array of gourmet breads, Aunt Ludi serves great burger, pastas, and rice meals. (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos and J&G Propriedad Bldg, Nuñez Street, Purok Malakas, Gen. Santos, aunt_ludi_bakeshoppe@yahoo.com) GGPick Big Ben Steaks & Grills - Steaks you can always rely on in a homey, central setting, you’d wanna hang out long after the plates are cleared. (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3030315) GGPick Bigby’s Cafe & Restaurant - Great coffees and sumptuous food platters. Try Pescado Al Fresco -dory in onion sauce! (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5520111) [wi◦fi] GGPick Cookie Factory - Homestyle restaurant (J. Catolico Sr, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5522035) Firenzo Deli - Pastries, sandwiches (SunCity Complex, National Highway, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi] Gio’s Mongo Grill - One of Tiongson Arcade’s main draw, Gio’s has great tasting barbecue (Tiongson Arcade, Lagao, Gen. Santos) Grab-A-Crab - Exciting seafood, crab specialties (Laurel East, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5535430) [wi◦fi] Grab-A-Crab - Same Grab-A-Crab vibe, only smaller (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi] Gusteau’s Restaurant - Fine crab and seafood delicacies (SunCity Complex, National Highway, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi]

iLITTLE DUBAI KEBAB GRILLS

GGPick Little Dubai Kebab Grills- Taste of exotic Middle East at half the price (Gen. Santos, +63-835520140, +63-922-8141010) [wi◦fi] GGPick The Little Kitchen - Serves European (pizza, pasta, chicken cordon bleu), Oriental (kalbi chim, ebi tempura, chao fan), and Filipino (sizzling bangus sisig, buco pandan with lychee) in Mediterranean-inspired and Filipino-warmed ambience. (Cor. Quirino and Zapote, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi]

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iRED TRELLIS SEAFOOD GARDEN

Ocean Cave Restaurant - Fine seafood and Filipino specialties (SunCity Complex, National Highway, Gen. Santos) [wi◦fi] GGPick Pablo’s Steaks and Crabs - Pablo’s has perfected the art of preparing steaks (certified US Angus) (National Highway, Gen. Santos, +6383-5539298) GGPick Paseo Del Sol - Hacienda-style haven, for theme/special events, serving Pablo’s/Ranchero fare, and exclusive dishes for private functions/catering (National Highway, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5539298) GGPick Ranchero Grill - Takes native/Filipino/ranch-style food to the next level. Book in advance to play it safe! (National Highway, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5539298) GGPick Red Trellis Seafood Garden - Asian fusion-inspired, chili/ black pepper crab to die for (Across NDDU-IBED, Tiongson Extension, Lagao, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3022722) Rooftop Grill Ihaw-Ihaw - Seafood/grill, great city view (6th Flr, Sydney Hotel, Gen. Santos, +63-835525479 ext. 103) [wi◦fi] Royale Lounge - Relaxing café

with minimalist decór, acoustic music Wed-Sat (East Asia Royale Hotel, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5534123) [wi◦fi] GGPick Sarangani Highlands Garden & Restaurant - Hilltop joint with views of Sarangani Bay, downtown Gensan, Mt Parker/Mt Matutum. Great for private parties (Tambler, Gen. Santos, +63-83-3040752) GGPick Taps & Mix - Healthy meals, relaxing atmosphere, eclectic crowd, affordable price 24-7 (Roxas East across NDDU campus, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5542846) [wi◦fi] GGPick Tricia’s The Coffee Pot & Tables - Coffee and pastry, buffet meals twice a week, homey atmosphere (20 Champaca St, Gen. Santos, +63-933-9411941) [wi◦fi]

Wanchin Dimsum Restaurant Good food, ample space, great view of Plaza Heneral Santos (2nd Flr, Sydney Hotel, Gen. Santos, +63-835525479) [wi◦fi]

resto-bars Drill Shack- Aussie staples such as salads, steaks, burgers and condomwrapped beers (Grd Flr, Arcade 1, East Asia Royale Hotel, National Highway, Gen. Santos) GGPick Jmix Resto Bar - Great food, great music, the one place you’re most likely to have a drink with Manny Pacquiao -- if you’re lucky. (JMP Bldg 2, City Heights, Gen.

Santos, +63-83-5542368) GGPick Piyesta! KTV and Resto Bar - Value-for-money combo meals, inventive dishes, novelty cocktails, free KTV rooms up to your total food/drinks bill, friendly staff, al fresco heaven (Robinsons Place, Gen. Santos, +63-83-5542139) [wi◦fi]

iPIYESTA KTV & RESTO-BAR

experience a new class of casual dining...

ntos reet, General Sa 20 Champaca41St-1941 | 0933-353-6555 | Phone 0933-9 | tcoffeepot@yahoo.com 0999-693-9454

we also OFFER CATERINg services for all occasions, and provide PERSONALIZED MEAL sets for both small & large business/social functions delivered fresh to your venue ANy time. call now for cool offers!

popPIZZAZZ

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DITOR’s NOTE: Let’s just say that our esteemed contributor Egai Cadiente has just about had enough of prose for now, and to get his creative juices flowing again, so to speak, we gave in to his more poetic inclinations in the meantime. A first in Gensan Gazer history, here we excerpt select verses from his poetry anthology entitled Tireless Wakefulness.

Prelude To Thunder what is left of a fading rain or the rhythm its streaks make against the sheath of dearth except a hollow sigh soaked, like a well in the throat

Recessed Section of the Room Outside coldness bites the nerves like a thousand needles Inside emptiness feels like flameless fire tiny dusts gather on the floor illumined with a stray streak of sundown Like diffused lumens of a thousand fireflies a solitary whiff of air on the wind chime startled the dusts from their slumber they inched their way to the corner where once there was none

Tireless Wakefulness

by Egai Cadiente

High Tide on a distant ocean the rise and fall of foamy tides sends a steady stream of shimmering beads tossing a thousand trinkets in shades of silver on the shore of that distant ocean I gaze upon the beguiling surface ebbing and mounting as the moon casts its incandescence ceaselessly, the winds whistle shattering the shadows of mounting waves in shades of mourning mauve waving on me but i shall not sail soon for I will wait for the seabed to dry

bookPICKINGS

Of Litigators and Legends

The Litigators

by John Grisham

Two-bit law firm Finley & Figg -subsisting on quickie divorces, drink-drive cases and the occasional car wreck -- crosses paths with burned-out attorney Zinc, and quite fortuitously, a class action suit that just might redeem all three of them. But finding a handful of plaintiffs to stake the claim and simply riding along to fame and fortune just seem too good to be true.

The Litigators is an immensely engaging legal thriller, replete with that brand of courtroom antics and drama that have set in stone John Grisham’s name as one of the world’s most sought-after storytellers.

musicREVIEWS Get Your Heart On! (2011), by Simple Plan | êêêêê -- A fun album, a new sound, but we feel a bit dumbed down here. Sure, You Suck At Love preps us for a power pop rock trip and Can’t Keep My Hands Off You goes Weezer-like for variety, but silly keeps coming to mind.

Of course, Jet Lag fills the airwaves nonstop with its catchy hook, but all that seems a passing radio fad (no offense to Natasha Bedingfield, who shares the duet here).

Astronaut attempts to go deep on the lyrics, an effort that fizzles out in Loser Of The Year.

Freaking Me Out goes so-so on the electro, while Summer Paradise sets out as if to hitch a ride to some movie or TV ad soundtrack. We kinda root for Gone Too Soon, 30

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson

Based on interviews with over 100 family members, friends, competitors and peers -- and more than 40 with the man himself -- Steve Jobs is a riveting story of the personality and life of a techno-entrepreneur who revolutionized six industries: personal computing, phones, tablet PCs, animated movies, music, and digital publishing. Jobs knew that the best way to create value in the 21st Century was to connect creativity with technology. Friends and foes here tell of the passions and obsessions that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that he created.

The Simple and the Schizo especially after hearing Last One Standing and This Song Saved My Life (duh). We suspect that was the simple plan here, but alas, all was gone too soon.

Velociraptor! (2011), by Kasabian | êêêêê -- Perhaps the title is attributed to the relic predator’s propensity to take on almost any-

thing, in this case the band’s near mimicry of The Beatles in Let’s Roll Like We Used To and La Fee Verte, Blur in Neon Noon, and Kraftwerk in I Hear Voices. Lead vocalist Tom Meighan actually sounds like Liam Gallagher in Re-wired. On the whole, the album is a fun and vibrant copy-fest of nearly all works of English pop in the last 40 years.

Asia United Bank is now open to serve you at One Roma Square, Aparente Avenue!

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e at Asia United Bank believe in the highest ideals of corporate excellence, the best-value products, and the timely delivery of services to our esteemed clientele at all times and without fail. This is why we strive to be always within reach by the community that we serve -- businesses, institutions, and homes alike -- a sign of our commitment to our clients first and foremost. We’re proud and happy to say that the AUB Gensan Aparente Branch is now open to serve you.

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ho says you have to be of a certain age or have to go to a design school before you can put out your own couture collection? If you know what you want, use a little imagination, and if you can draw, you’re already halfway to your Project Runway debut. Here Alyana proves just that (save for the Project Runway bit, sure, but hey, she’s only nine!). All drawings and concept briefs are by Alyana Marie Aguja.

(Very) Young Designer’s Fashion Creations 9-year-old Alyana Marie D. Aguja talks about her growing couture collection

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Dress No. 3 -- This suit

is special. I want this to be worn by Charlie’s Angels on a very special mission of theirs. I want this to be worn in one of their movies and become a hit. I want the cloth to be an elastic thingy, and it should be 32

this to be worn by Taylor Swift on an Grammy Awards night. This will be made of silk and a lot of precious beads with green gems and heels that shine in the light with pure Taylor Swift beauty. is perfect for Lady Gaga in the Grammy Awards, too.

I want the side and black part to be the made of dotted cloth thingy and paired with a very cute pair of earrings made of ruby and a pair of red heels.

Dress No. 6 -- I got

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this idea after I watched Barbie: A Fashion Fairy Tale. I am thinking of Kareena Kapoor going with Aamir Khan in a very special boat cruise through River Seine in Paris. I like it to be very fine, with a pink ribbon on the side.

g Alyana enjoyin en being a child whwith she’s not busy work thingy

Dress No. 2 -- This was

inspired by a dress worn by Ruffa Gutierez when she was interviewed on The Buzz show. I saw her dress and I was thrilled to make one like it. I wish her future rival -- Shaina Magdayaw -- can wear this, too.

I just want the cloth to be light, plain yet beautiful.

Dress No. 4 -- I want

Dress No. 5 -- The dress

Dress No. 1 -- I am

imagining wearing this dress in Paris, France, and I’m drinking coffee at a café facing the Eiffel Tower. I want it to be a very special day, like my mama’s birthday, eating crème brûlée together with her peacefully. I like the dress to be made of silk, paired with shining gold shoes, and I’m wearing a very light touch of makeup.

comfortable, worn with very red lipstick and super high heels.

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healthBITS

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he first situation to consider is the relationship between thoughts and conditions like depression and stress. A crucial question is whether the person’s thoughts are creating the physical depression or the physical depression is creating the negative thinking.

When it comes to how you can use your mind to help, this can be accomplished consciously and subconsciously. When someone has a habit of imagining things turning out very badly, rational thinking can show them that they often exaggerate. However, the unconscious mind is much more powerful in shaping our habitual behavior, often beyond our conscious control. Visualization and hypnosis can be very effective in modifying beliefs and, if you do this, the long-lasting effects can be more powerful than using logic only.

It is likewise true that positive thinking can have an impact on our physical health, and you may be aware of the placebo effect on people who feel ill. This is when individuals are given a pill that in reality does not have any healing value, and yet they claim to notice an improvement in how they feel. This is evidence of the connection between mind and body, and there are many examples of men and

Positive Thinking and Its Effect on Your Health

by Greg Riley

women with a positive outlook being able to recover faster from malady and injury. You can also use the power of your mind to help you achieve your fitness goals. A historic example of this is when the four-minute barrier for running the mile was broken, which had been considered as unachievable up to that point.

Once the barrier had been broken, other runners also began to break through what had really been a barrier of belief.

The effects of aging are likewise influenced by how we think about the process. As you get older, do you talk to your friends about your aches and pains, and your weakened capabilities? It seems there’s a great deal of truth to the saying, “You’re only as old as you think you are,” and our thoughts can be used to undo a lot of the so-called effects of aging. Unfortunately, many individuals will continue to hold on to old beliefs about the

unavoidable decline of health in old age, and not pay attention to the benefits of a positive outlook.

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ow that you’re aware that your attitude can bring you a much better state of health, it’s up to you to take advantage of this fact and set your intention to think positive thoughts. (The author invites you

to visit letraschinastattos.com.)

Two Generals Bag Philippine Blog Awards for Mindanao

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rman Manansala and Sheila Marie Dumalay, both from General Santos City, won top prizes at the Philippine Blog Awards for Mindanao at a dinner gala held at East Asia Royale Hotel on November 26. Manansala’s Eat’s Terrific (OrmanManansala. com) won in the Food & Beverage category, while Dumalay’s Anything Goes (sdumalay.blogspot.com) was lauded under the Personal/Diary category.

Philippine Blog Awards for Mindanao began in 2009 as an offshoot of the national Philippine Blog Awards, which was founded in 2007 to recognize the country’s best blogs.

This year’s winners:

BEAUTY & FASHION: Chamimay on Flats – www.chamimayonflats. blogspot.com FOOD & BEVERAGE: Eat’s Terrific!

– www.OrmanManansala.com LIFESTYLE: Lessons of a Dad www.lessonsofadad.com PERSONAL/DIARY: Anything Goes www.sdumalay.blogspot.com PHOTOBLOG: Lantaw – www.lantaw.blogspot.com TECHNOLOGY: Geeky Faust – www.geekyfaust.info TRAVEL: Olanology: Chronicling a Good Voyage - www.olanology.com 33

ambushFASHIONISTA

by Van Almeria

Emo

is the New Voice

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he influence of the Beat generation on the counterculture revolution has penetrated the styles and genres of two art forms -Music and Fashion. Where there is a sense of recollecting the glamor of the somewhat lost generation in Beat poetry, counterculture on the other hand has changed the society’s consciousness and defied social conformities among the guiltless souls of the younger generation.

Emo started with angst-ridden, emotional and poetic style of rock music.

It originated in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s as a form of punk music or hard core punk with more introspective lyrics. As time alternately ceases and breathes, Emo music changed into a style and a counterculture. It has grown from just a music genre to the emergence of fans stereotyped with wearing tight jeans, black wrist bands and studded belts. Fringes, one-sided swooping bangs, shaggy, spiky hairdos, multiple piercings and thrift store clothing are coupled with emotionally-wrought music and musings-on-life, which have become a huge part of the emo counterculture.

As it is poetically moving, Emo’s sudden explosion has been taken into the mainstream. Its aesthetics has altered the way it is perceived. It has greatly influenced teenagers, often screaming independence, while it has glamorized darker themes and elements including depression, suicide and death. As an outward expression of the affliction they feel within, they are often quiet, they scream and cry out emotional devastation, sometimes misunderstood and at times shunned by the society. This is probably the reason why Emo fashion has attracted a lot of criticism, and raves as well.

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With distinct styles and expressions, fashion, just like music, possesses a unifying appeal that is appreciated and embraced by the public. While the younger generation brings a promise of change, and look toward ideas of revolution and improvement, it is inevitable that the stability of the Music and Fashion they have sung and sworn to love would undergo transformation.

Emo youth nowadays tend to create a new voice, which acts on their

These three members of an Emo group in General Santos whom I chanced upon one Saturday evening along buoyant Pioneer Avenue consider Emo Fashion and Music as their lifeblood. They are usually indulging in matters of the heart.

ideas of rebellion, abandoning the traditional ideas of the aged and the more experienced. They are trying to communicate their own unique message, although at times we find their practices and fashions strange.

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hat jarring note you hear among the tongue-tied youth, their political and emotional woes lurking behind the white walls of independence are by no means just waiting to be heard.

Would you dare to listen?

RMMC Teatro Ambahanon’s

5th Director’s Prize Contemporary Dance Competition

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ith an invitation from the RMMC Teatro Ambahanon’s artistic director himself, this writer was both toiled and thrilled to show up at the second and final performance night of the Director’s Prize.

Eight competing works were staged this year at the Dadiangas Baptist Church on October 26 and 27 -- Hosen Ngilay’s Pagkaon sa Kalag (Soul Food), Clarislyn Quiapo’s World Peace, Rhea Gabutin’s Confused, Ed Juary Alonzo’s Hesus, Dioscoro Misoles’ Best Offering, Deejay De Vera’s Baptism, and the winner, Julius Lagare’s Kawat sa Adlaw sa Ginoo (Steal from the Lord’s Day).

The feisty, often feverish dance pieces played

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around themes of religion, spirituality, and the personal relationship with God. Where Pagkaon thrived on routine and monotony, World Peace hitched a ride to this biggest of ideals. While Confused pored over the duality of good and evil, Hesus singlemindedly latched on to the namesake savior.

Best Offering poked with shock value, Baptism prodded with humor and selfmockery, but it was Kawat’s simple theme of redemption that clinched the nod of dance auteurs Dan Salvaña Jr and James Fritz Freire, and premiere performing arts guru Romeo Narvaez of Mindanao State University, this year’s members of the jury.

At the Salazar Estate dinner-reception following the performances, where the winner was revealed, Ambahanon artistic director Bing Cariño hinted at opening the yearly contemporary dance competition not only to Teatro members but other institutions as well, perhaps under a separate category. Then, Teatro will have opened the playing field even further, bringing the dance form farther afield. (ANPJ)

Invocations Solemnity of Bodies. Sanctity of Grace. Prayers in Dances.

The Active Life

Back2Back

by Donna Mae Congson and Romarie Ivy Cunanan

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Photo

by Apple Greatson Francisco | Hair by Envy Me Salon | Makeup by Donna Mae Congson

The World Of Modeling

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ind a perfect activity that you can do with your friends and family -- one that is fun and at the same time will serve as your fitness routine.

The Philippine football team Azkals has finally brought the love of the beautiful game to our country. They inspired both young and old, men and women to know and learn to love the game. Football has united countries all over the world.

hen I was first introduced to the exciting world of modeling, I took it upon myself to learn everything I possibly could about the business. A serious student, I quizzed every industry expert I met: agents, photographers, art directors, designers, business people, and the models themselves. I browsed through books about the fashion industry, photography, hair and makeup, and about modeling.

Here in Gensan, football, or soccer as we call it, had already been a favorite game in schools for years, and leagues are done during festivals. The publisher-editor of Gensan Gazer has been a supporter of local team Futboleros, a group of football lovers who offered to coach a high school team just so that they can play football regularly and for free.

They continue to recruit children, young professionals, men, women and even the young once to join their budding club and enjoy the game with them.

They organize a free weekly football clinic at Notre Dame IBED in Lagao to impart their football skills. The clinic starts at 2 pm every Sunday. Look for coach Raz, Raffy or Emman.

Football is not the only activity you can do here. Here is my list. I hope you can find the perfect physical activity for you, your friends, and family.

Now take a good look at yourself in the mirror. You are your product -- your face, body and mind, personality, enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment.

Only you can build a career for yourself. Sure you’ll need the guidance and expertise of agents and industry professionals but in the end, it’ll be up to you.

• Tennis at the public tennis

court behind City Hall • Badminton at Big Shot or Nadine’s • Swimming at Family Country Hotel or Amandari Cove • Hip-hop class (Level 3, Falgui Building, National Highway) -- teacher Alfred, formerly with Maneuvers, will teach you how to move like Jagger • Boxing class at Arcadia Fitness Center • Free aerobics class every Saturday at Robinsons Place Gensan • Skim boarding at Queen Tuna Park • Airsoft at ASG or Blackwater • Or just running around Plaza Heneral Santos, Oval Plaza or Robinsons Any other activity will do. Just always put in mind that you should have fun doing it. Go out and enjoy Gensan’s fresh air, move that body a little more, sweat like crazy, and feel good about it.

Photo by Leonard Pe

Tips for the Model Body HEALTH -- Your health affects your looks, energy, everything you do as a model. Maintaining it must be primary and part of your routine. You will book more work if you consistently get sufficient sleep, eat a balanced diet, and exercise well.

SKIN -- If you’re healthy, your skin will reflect it. Diet, rest and exercise are basic to smooth, glowing skin. Supermodel Beverly Johnson recommends meditation, too.

These, she feels, are powerful beautifiers because they affect our sense of well-being, and that inner beauty is reflected in our appearance.

HAIR -- Wash hair daily to rid it of products used for a typical photo shoot. All that shampooing, blow-drying, curling, gels, hairspray can take a toll. Condition with heat; let the conditioner soak in for at least 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly, finishing off with cool water.

EXERCISE -- A healthy body is fit, toned and curvy. It’s muscle that creates curves -- not bulg-

ing muscles, but long, toned muscle. No matter how much attention you pay to your diet, you won’t look your best or feel best until you find an exercise routine comfortable to you.

MAKEUP -- Until you learn from makeup pros, be aware only of the basics. Keep your skin clean, moisturize and wear just a little makeup to go-sees and appointments. Excessive makeup clogs pores, cause breakouts and even allergic reactions.

You can be a model and still be yourself. Don’t forget to keep learning everything you can about your business, yourself and the opportunities that surround you. Keep an open mind.

opinionsCACHE

Gaddafi’s Grim End

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When you get a chance to have one less Gaddafi in the world, you should take it.

By Donald Kaul

ike any good liberal I thought that Muammar Gaddafi, after being captured by rebel forces, should have been read his Miranda rights and then taken directly to jail to await trial by a jury of his peers. After being indicted, of course.

As a human being, however, I didn’t recoil from the images of his terrible death.

There’s something deeply and almost atavistically satisfying in seeing a murderous tyrant meet the end he deserves.

I recall pictures of his fellow miscreants, Saddam Hussein and Hosni Mubarak, in court looking meek and frail.

You almost felt sorry for them.

There was none of that with Gaddafi. In a scene almost too Hollywood to be true, he was dragged from his hiding place in a sewer pipe, spreadeagled on the hood of a truck and pummeled by an angry mob of his victims while begging for mercy. As far as we know, he was then executed without ceremony.

But his final humiliation wasn’t yet complete. His corpse was taken from place to place so that the people he’d oppressed for more than 42 years could see, at long last, that their nemesis was truly dead. There were stories of Libyans punching the body as they filed past, even bouncing his head up and down where he lay.

That is Shakespearean in its dramatic irony.

It reminded me of a 38

picture I saw more than 65 years ago, one whose vividness I carry with me even today.

It was a grainy newspaper photo of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, along with his mistress and several henchmen, hanging upside down, their arms reaching toward the ground, at a gas station near Milan. As Italy fell, they had been captured by partisans and thus dispatched. It was at once horrible and fascinating.

Although it goes against the grain of my enlightened

liberalism, I can’t rid myself of the notion that there are certain crimes — mainly war crimes — that are so heinous, so incomprehensibly cruel and irredeemably evil, that justice isn’t enough. Vengeance is demanded.

I was a skeptic about our intervention in Libya at the beginning, simply on the basis of our sorry track record in the Middle East. Involvement in yet another endless war wasn’t called for.

I changed my mind when it became apparent that we weren’t putting troops at risk. I think this ending justifies President Barack Obama’s decision.

Not everyone feels that way. Some Republicans (who wouldn’t credit Obama if he single-handedly found a cure for cancer) still say that the war didn’t involve our national interest and we should have stayed out of it, humanitarian crisis be damned.

Gaddafi was a financier of terrorism throughout the world. He engineered the killing of U.S. citizens in the Lockerbie bombing as well as other terrorist attacks. He offered handsome cash awards to the families of suicide bombers

all over the world. Getting rid of him wasn’t in our national interest? Gimme a break.

There’s a legitimate question as to whether Gaddafi’s death will lead to a more democratic Libya, one that is a force for peace in the region.

I tend to be of the persuasion that nothing that happens in the Middle East makes things better. But this may be an exception.

Besides being a tyrant, Gaddafi was also a benevolent dictator, one who provided health care, education, and other benefits to his people.

They are well placed to begin to govern themselves.

It’s a shot. When you get a chance to have one less Gaddafi in the world, you should take it.

If I were President Obama, I’d have a picture of Qaddafi’s last moments blown up to poster size and sent to Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen.

As a friendly reminder. (24 Oct 2011, OtherWords.org) OtherWords.org columnist Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

by Kahlil Bendib OtherWords.org The dialogue in this cartoon, released on 25 Apr 2011, has reached a tragic conclusion. Gaddafi didn’t make it home.

postSCRIPT

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by Armando Nicolas PJ

ruth be told, weddings are a woman’s (and by woman, we mean the bride and her cohorts) territory. The groom, a (hopefully) willing tag-along, really doesn’t have much to say (or much say, actually) on matters of motif, magic or makeup, let alone the superfluous trimmings of what women would call a truly enchanting wedding.

Granted she had her way with the ceremony and the reception, the costume changes, and all that drama, what is there left for our guy to do?

Why not let him decide, just for once, a photo shoot where only his whims are followed?

ly n Wedding ShootsOnly O a Groom Would Take On

Photos by Johann Niño Mari Abi-abi Featuring Marthin Millado, Caroline Joy Arjona, Valerie Pailden, Faye Facturanan, and Honey Lyn Nonog | Gowns by Theresa’s

Top on the list that I’ve casually rounded from guy friends is one to be taken during a US Open tennis match at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York City. (With the right permits and a hefty sum for the round-trip ticket and accommodations, this shouldn’t be impossible.)

A close second is a pictorial where three or four of the groom’s best ex-girlfriends are featured, our guy carrying his final pick in his arms. (Good luck to you on this one!)

Another friend thought of holding one in a packed Irish pub, all the fellow drinkers and revellers, mostly strangers, doing their own thing as the couple poses for a shot in this very unlikely location.

There’s also one to be done in a jam-packed Aerosmith concert, never mind that you’d either be booed or cheered for 40

this unwanted distraction. (If the concert organizers even let you get away with it, that is.)

Daredevil couples have done underwater weddings, some

take the plunge in a bungee jump or a drop from 5,000 feet in the air, or dip in sub-zero waters in the Arctic. I doubt the in-laws would even let you talk them into it.

Y

ou can be a groom only once, generally in the Philippines anyway, so why not get something you really want out of it? Aside from the bride, of course.

his is a festival held in Bacolod every third weekend of October, which began in 1980 during a period of crisis in the sugar industry and the passenger-vessel-and-tanker collision that claimed around 700. Amidst all these, the city’s artists, local government and civic groups decided to hold a festival of smiles (the city at that time was also known as the City of Smiles) to pull the residents out of the gloom. MassKara was coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from mass (many or a multitude of people) and the Spanish cara (face). A prominent feature of the festival is the participants’ masks (also maskara in Filipino), adorned with smiling faces, thus sealing MassKara’s essence as a multitude of smiling faces.

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MassKara Festival

acuteEYE

THE

by Apple Greatson Francisco

Arts & Culture ● Health & Environment ● Lifestyle & Entertainment ● People & Places ● Travel & Leisure

Gensan Gazer GENERAL SANTOS CITY’S MAGAZINE VOLUME II NUMBER 7

The

Yearend Beginnings

Cover Story: Che Tiongson Starts Over in Gensan

Maureen Elvy Paulo Miss Tourism 2011

Seoul Techno: Bada Lehner Conversation with a World Circuit DJ Postscript: Wedding Shoots Only a Groom Would Take On 9-Year-Old Gensan Girl Takes On Haute Couture Philippine Blog Awards for Mindanao | More stories!

Issue Frozen in Time Mackinac, Michigan