Boracay as big dance club

There is no doubt that Boracay is an island paradise which has the finest white sand this side of the planet, so white and fine you would think you can use them for facials and body scrubs.

Of course everyone (and that includes me) loves to talk about the good, old Boracay when at sunset, torches would emerge along the beach to illuminate the island which had not yet been connected with electricity and "population density."

Today, after sunset, Boracay is a big dance club that is sanctuary to a fabulous tequila-loving mob. But even after rape attempts – by careless tourists and helpless locals – Boracay has managed to survive. It is still paradise.

And one of the best things about Boracay is Boy So. He owns La Carmela de Boracay, one of the nicest hotels in the island. There are better hotels than Boy’s, but Boy is perhaps one of the best guys who owns a resort hotel in Boracay. He is a hands-on manager. He takes care of his guests like one who welcomes visitors to his home. Boy is a simple man. He goes around his hotel attending to the needs of his visitors in his favorite tees and jeans. Boy loves doing what he does. You can smell his passion an island away.

His main business is actually construction, but he’s been hooked by the island paradise.

In front of La Carmela is a swimming pool. And he opens the pool to everyone — not just to the hotel’s guests. "I love watching people who are happy. This makes me happy, too," Boy declares.

La Carmela is named after Boy’s daughter Carmela. No wonder he watches over his hotel like a doting father.

Boy was introduced to me by our dear friend, entrepreneur par excellence Manny Ongkiko.

In a previous lifetime, Manny and I must have been mermaids of the sea that surround the island of Boracay!

Alpha Music’s Billie Bones

Alpha Music is proud to release in the Philippines Janis Ian’s 18th studio album titled Billie Bones.

The album contains 13 tracks, and has much in common with Janis Ian’s 1975 Grammy-winning album Between the Lines. Visceral, mature songwriting, subtle in-song key shifts and unique arrangements lend a jazzy sophistication to this 13-track compilation.

The album features the title track, Billie Bones, which lays down a haunting syncopated groove while paying homage to Janis Ian’s idol, Billy Holiday, My Tennessee Hills pairs Ian’s halcyon alto with Dolly Parton’s thrilling soprano in an unabashedly sentimental ballad that sounds like an instant country classic. Matthew imagines the 1998 hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard. Against a slow, bluesy vamp, Janis Ian delivers her bittersweet thoughts on What Makes A Man A Man in dulcet tones, getting her message across effectively. The album wraps her aching voice around masterfully-crafted songs that flesh out and give meaning to the core of life experiences.

"Before there was Jewel, there was Janis Ian." It is an apt portrayal of an artist known for her ethereal vocals, poetic wordplay and sublime melodies. Through more than three decades, Janis Ian has managed to keep her music fresh and inspiring, always winning praise for her remarkable songwriting and tender voice.

Raised on a farm in Southern New Jersey, Janis Ian’s father and mother steeped her in classical and folk music, with a healthy dollop of jazz.

She began playing the piano at age two and a half, moving on to the guitar at age 10, and wrote her first song (Hair of Spun Gold) at age 12.

In 1966, at the age of 15, Janis Ian’s career exploded with the release of her controversial tale of teenage interracial love, Society’s Child. The self-penned song topped the charts and created a storm of controversies that featured Janis Ian on The Tonight Show and Newsweek. Her debut album, 1967’s Janis Ian, earned her the first of her nine Grammy nominations.

Other cuts in the album are Paris In Your Eyes, Marching On Glasgow, I Hear Your Song Again, Forever Young, Amsterdam, Dead Men Walking, Save Somebody, Mocking Bird, Mary’s Eyes and When I Lay Down.