Definitely not (wake)bored
March 18, 2007 | 12:00am
Four days in Camarines Sur may not sound like a lot of sun and sand if one is still stuck in Bora-mentality. But wakeboarders all over the world now see CamSur as the Asian Mecca of their world; and thanks to Nivea, we found out just why the sleepy Bicol town of Pili and Gov. LRay Villafuerte are now permanent fixtures on the global wakeboarding map.
When LRay was touring Europe with his family, he was taken by the avid interest in water sports such as wakeboarding and decided to put up a watersports center right in the middle of his province. This would help create something unique from a tourism standpoint for the province. He figured that if denizens of countries with more than three months of winter, and even those of landlocked nations, could get behind these water sports, then how attractive could his province be, offering year round indulgence in these sports. Having tipped Nivea on how wakeboarding was fast gaining in popularity and how the CamSur Watersports Complex would be hosting the world championships next year, it was a simple matter of calling on the Governor, and mustering the logistical support to hold the annual Nivea "usher in summer" event in Camarines Sur.
Nivea Sun Non-Sticky Lotion, a new specially formulated lotion that leaves no greasy residue while protecting the skin from harmful rays, was the ostensible excuse we were being flown in to CamSur; but truth be told, Nivea has always been about promoting unabashed summer fun and this year was no exception. The formula is simple, bring a planeload of entertainment celebrities and media personalities to some specified location, and just let the games and fun begin!
Angel Locsin only stayed for three days as she had to jet out Saturday for Thailand, but the dedication she exhibited in getting the hang of the sport spoke volumes of how gritty and tough this young actress can be. Also at the event were Mylene Dizon, Michelle Madrigal, Bianca King and Say Alonzo. As for the men, we had the likes of Wendell Ramos, Ryan and Geoff Eigenmann, John Estrada, Joey Marquez, Antonio Aquitania, Paolo Paraiso and ABS Publishing’s Ernie Lopez showing us the way. LRay and his sons demonstrated how they were no slouches as well, proving that having the Complex in one’s own backyard leads to loads of practice and perfection!
On the awards night (Nivea Sun copped the top prize), the rock band The Dawn entertained the assembled throng, and it capped another memorable weekend that Nivea and Events Plus’ Marilen Nunez had put together. Edd Fuentes did his usual trick of looking like he was busy, when actually recruiting Alex (van Hagen) to join him in escaping and getting some sensible shut-eye. Pili and the Complex are still in need of some infrastructure support to become a true and complete tourist destination, but you have to give credit to the foresight and vision of LRay, as all the steps are being taken to make this an imminent reality. Even those who are not into wakeboarding will find the natural beauty and bounty of Camarines Sur difficult to resist. Once again, thank you Rica King and Nivea; and one would not be mistaken to think CamSur when making plans this summer.
Two recently released novels exemplify how fiction writers can be very adept at providing us a window into history, and gaining us creative portraits of historical figures. And there’s a wonderful non-fiction memoir by Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (available at Fully Booked) has a curious provenance. Written during World War II, right before her death in a concentration camp, and not seeing the light of day as a published work until 60 years later, Suite Francaise has already been acclaimed by the critics as one of the outstanding novels of 2006. Two novels in one, it explores the lives of the "real people" affected by war. Storm in June recreates the impending occupation of Paris by the Germans, and we follow different types of characters as they evacuate the city. Dolce is set in an occupied Alsace rural village, and we see how forbidden desires swirl, tempered by the efforts to maintain some form of normalcy while being under Nazi rule. The magic of Nemirovsky fiction is how aristocrats, bankers, the rank and file, common workers and farmers all work together and try to make sense of the war, while class distinctions and old habits refuse to die. It’s a fascinating mirror of what life during the war was really like.
Measuring the World by German author Daniel Kehlmann (available at Powerbooks) takes on two seminal figures of the Enlightenment, and provides us a playful, anecdotal analysis of scientific discovery and the people behind them. There’s Prussian aristocrat Alexander von Humboldt, who’s a self-styled second Columbus, travelling to every corner of the world and recounting his discoveries; and there’s introverted mathematician and astronomer Carl Freidrich Gauss, who doesn’t even leave his home to prove space is curved. Two polar opposites of scientific discovery, the novel revels in the dichotomy between the two, and how so much of that period had as much to do with personality, as it did with process and research.
And don’t miss out on the wonderful memoir of Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Myself, Elsewhere. The first in a projected series, this installment covers the period of pre-war Ermita up to 1945, with the Guerrero clan as the cynosure of the never less than fascinating study of life in those times. The gentrified neighborhood of Ermita, it’s leading role in the "glittering decade" of the 1920’s, and the sharp contrast of the destruction of Manila (and Ermita) during the World War II, makes for compelling reading. With a very singular voice that’s characterized most entertainingly by candor, Mrs. Nakpil takes us on a sojourn that leaves us mesmerized. There are times that she flits from that period to the present day in her narrative, but these flashbacks and fast forwards add to the unique voice that emanates from the pages.
When LRay was touring Europe with his family, he was taken by the avid interest in water sports such as wakeboarding and decided to put up a watersports center right in the middle of his province. This would help create something unique from a tourism standpoint for the province. He figured that if denizens of countries with more than three months of winter, and even those of landlocked nations, could get behind these water sports, then how attractive could his province be, offering year round indulgence in these sports. Having tipped Nivea on how wakeboarding was fast gaining in popularity and how the CamSur Watersports Complex would be hosting the world championships next year, it was a simple matter of calling on the Governor, and mustering the logistical support to hold the annual Nivea "usher in summer" event in Camarines Sur.
Nivea Sun Non-Sticky Lotion, a new specially formulated lotion that leaves no greasy residue while protecting the skin from harmful rays, was the ostensible excuse we were being flown in to CamSur; but truth be told, Nivea has always been about promoting unabashed summer fun and this year was no exception. The formula is simple, bring a planeload of entertainment celebrities and media personalities to some specified location, and just let the games and fun begin!
Angel Locsin only stayed for three days as she had to jet out Saturday for Thailand, but the dedication she exhibited in getting the hang of the sport spoke volumes of how gritty and tough this young actress can be. Also at the event were Mylene Dizon, Michelle Madrigal, Bianca King and Say Alonzo. As for the men, we had the likes of Wendell Ramos, Ryan and Geoff Eigenmann, John Estrada, Joey Marquez, Antonio Aquitania, Paolo Paraiso and ABS Publishing’s Ernie Lopez showing us the way. LRay and his sons demonstrated how they were no slouches as well, proving that having the Complex in one’s own backyard leads to loads of practice and perfection!
On the awards night (Nivea Sun copped the top prize), the rock band The Dawn entertained the assembled throng, and it capped another memorable weekend that Nivea and Events Plus’ Marilen Nunez had put together. Edd Fuentes did his usual trick of looking like he was busy, when actually recruiting Alex (van Hagen) to join him in escaping and getting some sensible shut-eye. Pili and the Complex are still in need of some infrastructure support to become a true and complete tourist destination, but you have to give credit to the foresight and vision of LRay, as all the steps are being taken to make this an imminent reality. Even those who are not into wakeboarding will find the natural beauty and bounty of Camarines Sur difficult to resist. Once again, thank you Rica King and Nivea; and one would not be mistaken to think CamSur when making plans this summer.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (available at Fully Booked) has a curious provenance. Written during World War II, right before her death in a concentration camp, and not seeing the light of day as a published work until 60 years later, Suite Francaise has already been acclaimed by the critics as one of the outstanding novels of 2006. Two novels in one, it explores the lives of the "real people" affected by war. Storm in June recreates the impending occupation of Paris by the Germans, and we follow different types of characters as they evacuate the city. Dolce is set in an occupied Alsace rural village, and we see how forbidden desires swirl, tempered by the efforts to maintain some form of normalcy while being under Nazi rule. The magic of Nemirovsky fiction is how aristocrats, bankers, the rank and file, common workers and farmers all work together and try to make sense of the war, while class distinctions and old habits refuse to die. It’s a fascinating mirror of what life during the war was really like.
Measuring the World by German author Daniel Kehlmann (available at Powerbooks) takes on two seminal figures of the Enlightenment, and provides us a playful, anecdotal analysis of scientific discovery and the people behind them. There’s Prussian aristocrat Alexander von Humboldt, who’s a self-styled second Columbus, travelling to every corner of the world and recounting his discoveries; and there’s introverted mathematician and astronomer Carl Freidrich Gauss, who doesn’t even leave his home to prove space is curved. Two polar opposites of scientific discovery, the novel revels in the dichotomy between the two, and how so much of that period had as much to do with personality, as it did with process and research.
And don’t miss out on the wonderful memoir of Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Myself, Elsewhere. The first in a projected series, this installment covers the period of pre-war Ermita up to 1945, with the Guerrero clan as the cynosure of the never less than fascinating study of life in those times. The gentrified neighborhood of Ermita, it’s leading role in the "glittering decade" of the 1920’s, and the sharp contrast of the destruction of Manila (and Ermita) during the World War II, makes for compelling reading. With a very singular voice that’s characterized most entertainingly by candor, Mrs. Nakpil takes us on a sojourn that leaves us mesmerized. There are times that she flits from that period to the present day in her narrative, but these flashbacks and fast forwards add to the unique voice that emanates from the pages.
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