GATSBY STYLING DANCE COMPETITION 2012

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Gatsby Styling Dance Competition
10 November 2012 - 4PM Market! Market!

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The champions of Gatsby Styling Dance Competition 2012 are none other than... our kids, the resident competing team of UPLB Street Jazz Dance Company. Woohoo!

1st runner-up: Next 2 Innocence
2nd runner-up: ICI Dance Company

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I'm one proud alumnus.

During our time (yes, I had my share of the limelight back in college) UPLB Street Jazz is not that known. There were a lot of other good crews in the Metro. So all we ever wanted then was to get noticed. And yes, get noticed we did.

We introduced a different style of hiphop here in the Philippines back in 2006. We called it LA Style or laidback hiphop. It was a trending genre in the US (you know GenTwo or Kaba Modern?). But the local hiphop was quite different. So it was a gamble for us. Good thing the hiphop community welcomed our style well. And thus, Erik Javier and Louie Canaria, and even Thea Baraquio (our main choreographers) were born. They created some noise in the Philippine hiphop scene.

YAY!

We were so unique back then that people always watch out for our performance. Or so we felt. (Haha... feeling!)

So that was then. we only aimed to get noticed, to create an impression. And now? We're aiming for the win (No, I'm not part of the team anymore). In the past few years we've been aggressively aiming for that. Until Gatsby. CHAMPIONS, baby!!! I couldn't be any more proud.

I know this will just be the start. Tonight our kids will again battle their hearts out at Skechers Year 8. And every molecule in my body is ecstatic. It's on hyper mode, dying to get to MOA Arena and cheer for our kids.

Woohoo!

Good Luck TEAM!

WHOEVER WINS, I will be proud of you. I mean whoever wins 2nd or 3rd place, I will be proud of you... Champions. :-)

Go for gold!



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P.S.
I'm having issues with uploading photos in blogger, i.e. data storage limit :-(. I will update this post for the photos as soon as I resolve the issue. Ciao.

STAR CITY

The last time I went to Star City was when I was in Grade 4. I was in elementary school and was still based in Tagum City then. We spent a summer here in Metro Manila to meet in the airport a balikbayan aunt who worked as OFW in Singapore. And while were at it, we dropped by Guimaras for a side trip and spent a couple of days there (very memorable side trip, btw), then went to Angono, Rizal to visit another aunt, and then had a trip to Manila Zoo and Star City with my cousins. :-)

Since I moved to Luzon to study college, I never got the chance to go back to Star City. Maybe because Enchanted Kingdom opened, and it is much much much much nearer to us. Hence, when a good friend of mine Wrej asked me if I could join her in their company Family Day which will be held in Star City, I could only say YES YES YES!

ELBI

Los Baños, or “Elbi” as we fondly call it, is a place that I consider my second hometown. I have generally lived most of my life in four places: Tagum City (~11 years), Davao City (~4 years), Los Baños (~6), 

Makati (~4).

Carillion and the Fertility Tree

Feb Fair

BON VOYAGE WYMOI

Not a few people cried the moment they learned about Wymer's health condition. Much more when he passed away a short period later. To most of us, it was a mere couple of days from the moment we learned about his illness to his passing away.

Jorell Wymer Sagenes is one of those people you'd consider yourself lucky to get to know with. He's that big goofy guy with big dance moves, and with an even bigger heart. He has a ready smile and an ever-sincere attitude, and it is plain impossible not to like him. That's why, even if we were involved in the past in a sort-of falling out as a dance crew, I was still very affected when I learned about his condition. Most of us were.

It was sudden. And heartbreaking. And it was all over in a few. We drank the night away to cope with the incident. As if the pain we feel was close to how his best buds and his family feel.

* * * * * * *    

A week later, people are still mourning. And celebrating. And praying that he'll have a joyful journey returning to the arms of our Creator.

And me? Well, I just want to write about it because Wymer is a special person who I believe should not be forgotten.

Bon voyage, Wymer! May you have a fun time dancing with the angels up there. :-)

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p.s. both pics were stolen from Facebook

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – LOVELAND

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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WARNING!

If you are under 18, or have a weak heart, please do not proceed on reading this entry.

I am actually warning you. See those cartoon characters they used on their entrance booth? Definitely not for kids.

HEY! Why are you still reading? Didn't I tell you to leave this page?

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There. Don't say I didn't warn ya

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – SOINGOOK MINIATURE THEME PARK

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Christo Redenter

Yup, that's right. It is the Christ the Redeemer statue. But nope, we were not in Rio de Janeiro (how I wish we're there). Actually, we were in Jeju Soingook Miniature Theme Park. It features miniature versions of some of the most famous architectures, landmarks, et cetera around the world.

See? It's just a miniature version.

Anyway, please enjoy viewing our trip to the Soingook Miniature Park. :-)

BLV T R NT

Before I start this entry, let me just make a (belated) congratulatory shoutout to my two brods in UPLB Street Jazz, Louie Canaria and Erik Javier. Yeah, I know I have already done this in Facebook but I just want to make this moment a part of my blog. :-)

Both Louie & Erik were part of the Megacrew entry of the UP Streetdance Club which won 3^rd place in World Hiphop International (Megacrew Division). Erik is also part of The Crew, a subset of UP Streetdance Club which competed in the Adult Division of the same event. They bested all the other entries... GOLD baby!

with Louie and his Bronze

Erik's Bronze and Gold

Great job, you guys!

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Okay, since I am now in a roll, and since I’m still on vacation, let me squeeze in this entry posts that I missed writing about due to my uber impossible work-school routine.

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First up, I want to congratulate my friend Jaja (Pooja Sujanani). She recently got married.

If you’re wondering if that’s her in the image, yes, you’re right. She is a pure blooded Indian who grew up in Bohol.

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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I knew this is a quite delayed post for my March trip, but I vowed to finish these Kimchilandia entries even if I have to do it inch by inch. :-)

You see, I have started my Masters in June and since then I barely had time to rest. Much less blog. But anyway, here’s another tourist attraction we visited while we were in Jeju Island.

Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum.

Mr. Ripley with Balinese dancers

Mr. Ripley in few of his countless excursions

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – CHOCOLATE MUSEUM

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Wow. I have been soooooo busy with my work-school routine that I am recently finding it hard to make time for blogging.

But anyway, since I am currently uploading bulk photos of my Aunt's wedding and his son's christening (rushing this for my dear mama who's so eager to see the pics since she wasn't able to attend because she is in the province), I will squeeze in posting this one entry.

Luckily, this is not too time consuming as there is no long story to tell.

not your ordinary chess set

That pictured above is something that you don't want to play with. Because that set, believe it or not, is food.

It is chocolate molded into chess pieces. And while you're reading this entry, you will see a lot of "cute-ly" styled chocolates, because well, this entry's about the...

CHOCOLATE MUSEUM! Are you ready to salivate?

Shortstride & Arigato by the entrance of the museum

the facade

the welcoming lobby is a chocolaterie

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – TEDDY BEAR MUSEUM

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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We kicked off Day 2 of our Jeju sub-trip by having a warm morning with teddy bears.

I used to love cutesy stuff when I was young. Figurines, collectibles, potpourri, stationery, anything scented, stuff toys. However, that affinity disappeared when I started college. I don’t really know why 

I stopped liking cute things maybe because Elbi made me realize that life is tough, and cutesy stuff are just impediments in one’s coping with the bluntness of reality. (huh?)

So anyway, enough of that uhm darkness. I’m here to talk about light, delightful stuff! What’s good about the Jeju Teddy Bear Museum is that it made me get in touch with my old self. Now I’m liking cute stuff again. =)

Move over Michelangelo

I mean, how could you not be joyed when you see these adorable bears...

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND – JEJU FOLK VILLAGE

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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umi-emo si koya

Folk villages are a common type of tourist spot in Korea. It is one of the must-go-to attractions in Kimchiland, so I insisted that we should visit at least one. However, even if there was one near Seoul, we were only able to visit the one in Jeju (one of the two in the island).

The Jeju Folk Village features an actual village, albeit uninhabited except for dolls, where you get to peek inside traditional village homes, farms, backyards, etc. The village also features an administrative house, where the most influential man in the village ought to live.

The compound has some restaurants and souvenir shops where you can shop for neat Jeju thingamajigs. Plus, there's an area where you can don traditional Korean costumes, for a fee of course. And it even has a hut filled with Jang Geum memorabilia. Yes, that Jewel in the Palace girl.

Wait. Why am I spoiling everything? Here, take a peek of our experience in the Jeju Folk Village.

Enjoy!

KIMCHILANDIA CHRONICLES: JEJU ISLAND - LAVA RUINS, A LABYRINTH, AND A GIANT SAUCER

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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Seongsan Ilchulbung (see source at the bottom)

Gimnyeong Maze Park

Manjanggul Lava Tube

From here on, I will classify my Kimchilandia entries per theme. This is because our Jeju trip, albeit short, featured soooo many different tourist spots that putting all one-day’s worth of activities in one entry is a Herculean task.

And besides, I don’t want the amazingness of a particular attraction to diminish; which I think would happen if I would squeeze them in one entry. Especially as Jeju island is the home of 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

So anyway, let me start by featuring first the destinations that are ‘nature’-related.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 4 – CHANGGYEONGGUNG AND THE FLIGHT TO JEJU-DO

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure

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the mysterious palace gate

 

view of Jeju-do from the high heavens

Before I start, let me share with you our dinner after our Everland adventure.

To somehow counterweigh our expenses for the first couple of days, we decided to eat cheap. We bought luncheon meat, noodles, and bab (rice) in Family Mart, a famous convenience store chain in Korea.  I cooked, and then Arigato and Shortstride took turns in cleaning.

By the way, just another tip, if you will be on the move most of the time (just like us, since we wanted to cram a lot of activities in a short span of time), you might want to eat light meals in Family Mart. It is a lot cheaper than eating in restaurants, plus you get to finish more quickly. And then just make up for a heavy meal when you are not in a rush.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 3 – EVERLAND

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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Monday, 12 March 2012

It was Day 3 of our trip and we were scheduled to go to EVERLAND!

Arigato, Shortstride, and Lonewulf --> Happiness

Korevia # 4 When in Korea, it would be a sin not to visit Everland. Everland is a huuuuge amusement park that features not only the usual theme park rides but also some animal shows, exhibits, and restaurants. They even have a separate water resort (with indoor diving pools!) called the Caribbean Bay.  --- Everland is owned by Samsung (surprise!). Yes, that mobile giant that is currently the second largest mobile producer in the world. Apparently, it has businesses in different industries in Korea

By the way, Everland is not in Seoul. It is in Yongin, a city located south of Seoul.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: Day 2 – THE SEOUL CITY BUS TOUR THAT WAS NOT

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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Sunday, 11 March 2012

Day 2 was allotted for Seoul City Bus Tour.

Korevia # 2 – If you want to optimize the appreciation of Seoul, you better board the Seoul City Tour Bus. It travels in a circuit that links the best places to see in the city like the great palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, etc.), N Seoul Tower, markets (Dongdaemun, Namdaemun, Insadong), Korean War Memorial Hall, and many more. What’s best about the tour is that you can purchase a one-day pass for 10,000-12,000 KRW and you can tour the city in your own pace. Meaning, you can get off in a particular attraction and stay for as long as you want, then just board the next scheduled bus.  Tip: The bus tours are not operational on Mondays. So make sure to plot your itinerary properly. Also, if you are serious about the palace tours, research about the tour schedules as English tours are only conducted in certain hours.

Sad to say though, as the title suggests, we were not able to do this activity. We were too exhausted (Go, go, muscle pains!) from the activities the previous day. Plus, factor in the lack of rest since we all came from work the day before that. So our ending: Photoshoot around Hwaseong Fortress.

Kimchilandia Chronicles: DAY 1 (ANNEX) - SNOWBOARDING 101

Kimchilandia Chronicles – Chronological recounting of Lonewulf’s great Korean adventure.

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SNOWBOARDING 101 for LONEWULF, SHORTSTRIDE, and ARIGATO 

Jisan Forest Ski Resort, Yongin, Gyeonggi, South Korea

10 March 2012

Lonewulf, Shortstride, and Arigato

The Slopes

Lovin' the cold

To complement a previous entry about our Day 1 in Korea, I am posting these pictures of our snowboarding adventure in Jisan Forest Ski Resort. Please have a journey through the pictures below. By the way, note that it is our first time (ever) to try this sport so be easy on the "fallen" shots. :)

Happiness - We'll definitely come back next winter

Read on.