DEEJAY WRITES: 2014

Fusion: The Taste of the Season

Events 9:00 AM

Since its introduction during this year’s edition of the Sandugo Festival, the International Fusion Nights (IFN) has become a part of the Boholano’s merry making, giving the people the opportunity of tasting the different specialty dishes of some of Bohol’s biggest names in the food and beverage service.

The IFN is once again re-introduced in observance of the Yuletide season, with ten locators: eight repeating locators and two first-timers. Unlike the previous editions, however, the Christmas edition of the International Fusion Nights is loaded with varying nightly entertainment (the last two only had live bands) to pump up the cheerful feel of the Christmas season.

SPOTTED: Yours truly with Ms. Inday Dominise (far left),Head of Bohol Investment Promotion Center (BIPC),
and Mr. Rommel Gonzales (far right), General Manager of The Bellevue Resort and President of
Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants (BAHRR).

Electrified Under Neon Lights

Events 9:30 PM

"I survived my first dance party," that is all that I could ever say right after the last mix was played and all the lights have faded.

I'm a homebody so being invited to cover Electro Circuit was a breathe of fresh air, although admittedly, I was totally clueless. I don't know how to socialize and be there at the moment. I was in fact sticking with the organizers rather than joining the party crowd.

But there was something about the energy that enveloped Crabhouse by the Bay that night. It was a cold, gloomy night. Ruby’s wrath was imminent. A public storm signal number one warning was given to our province and has caused a bit of panic to Boholanos. However, the Bohol sky was cloudy but very calm. It was the calm before the storm, a very treacherous kind. However, it did not stop the Boholano partyphiles to crowd the venue.

A Gift of Joy on A Gift of Joy

Events 9:00 AM

Just a few more hours to go and Rebuilding Bohol: Gift of Joy, A Benefit Concert will be staged at Bohol Wisdom School. In this season of gift-giving, Rebuilding Bohol is but one perfect opportunity to give joy while receiving joy.

Kirby Asunto: Who's That Girl?

People 9:00 PM

The beautiful and extremely talented Kirby Asunto.
From Rebuilding Bohol's Official Facebook Page.

It is, perhaps, in every singer’s wish list: to sing the Philippine National Anthem in a global event. So, when a rather unknown Filipina named Kirby Asunto was handpicked by the one and only People’s Champ, Manny Pacquiao to sing Lupang Hinirang during the Pacquiao-Bradley fight, microblogging site Twitter was filled with curious tweets. The question: Who is that girl?

Kirby sang and owned her moment, almost outshining the one singing Star-Spangled Banner was Jessica Sanchez, the half-Filipina American Idol runner up. Netizens took notice of the petite girl who showcased her impressive vocals; the internet savvies, and the entire Philippine was pleased.

#BEHOLDBOHOL: Beyond Bilar

#BeholdBohol 8:00 PM

Parts of this write up have been published on the December 7, 2014 issue of Lifestyle Bohol of The Bohol Chronicle.

Famous for its man-made forest, Bilar is one of Bohol’s crown jewels, boasting a picturesque landscape of pristine waters and lush greenery, from its rich rice fields to its sprawling trees.

For the unfamiliar, perhaps, Bilar would simply be equated to the man-made forest. However, Bilar is the cradle of so many sights to discover and behold, one of which is probably what houses many other tourism destinations, the man-made forest included — the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape.

7.2, A Year Ago

Deejay Diaries 1:05 PM

I was up really early that day. It was the scheduled evaluation of The WORD for the first semester. I was running late already. We were supposed to be at the venue, Arabelle Suites, by 8:30am but I was still at the waiting shed, hoping to get a ride as soon as possible. That was around eight in the morning already. I was with an old woman and her granddaughter. Young boys were also playing basketball at the basketball court behind the shed. Only a barbed wire fence separating us from the kids.

Then all of a sudden there was shaking. I thought it was the kids hitting the fence with a ball until the old woman beside me shouted "Linog!" ("Earthquake!"). People went hysterical. I saw houses moving, a Southern Star bus about to block the road, people going out of their houses. I was there sitting under the waiting shed after I checked if it was safe --- no electric cords above or anything that might fall under me --- and stayed calm. I was trying to stay cool. The entire Bohol was not.