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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Pages: At two in the morning, dancing the lambada
By John Pages
Matchpoint
Most nights at around 11, I’m slumped in bed, standing horizontal, snoring. Not last Sunday. A night unlike most nights.
I was at a bar where a hundred people crowded the room and chatted, San Mig Light oozed and spilled on round tables, and smoke enveloped the room like fog would Mt. Everest.
Koreans, Japanese, Germans, French – they sat aplenty. Wearing red T-shirts and donning headbands with red lights, the Koreans look liked the Red Devils.
The Japanese wore blue, while the Germans and French and Europeans were tall, blonde and had some…Filipina girls beside.
We were at the Badgers Resto-Bar in Banilad.
Time I arrived home: three in the morning.
YEAH!
Have I gone mad? Celebrated my birthday? Won P5.7 million in the lotto jackpot? Bet on Geoff Ogilvy to beat Phil Mickelson at the US Open golf and won green bucks?
No, no, no.
I went to a party that happens only once every four years. A party where millions, if not billions, attend and don’t sleep until three in the morning.
The World Cup.
YEAH!
Since it kicked off last June 9, I haven’t watched a single live game. With the best games shown at 12 midnight or three in the morning, who’d want to watch?
Not me, the early-sleeper, early-riser. But late last week, when I checked the schedule and it read, “Brazil vs. Australia,” who can resist such temptation?
I arrived at 10:30. Not a single seat available. Badgers was painted blue as the Japanese, dozens of them, crowded the building. They stood on wooden stools, clenched their fists, and screamed at each goal attempt against Croatia. After 90 minutes, they lost. Hoping to win, the score read “0-0” and the only way for them to advance to the second round is if they defeat Brazil this Thursday. No chance.
At 12 midnight, yellow and green filled the six TV screens as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Cafu, Roberto Carlos and Team Brazil started against Australia.
I was lucky. Thanks to Babaw Tiongko, the former junior tennis champion who was there early, I sat on a high stool 10 feet from the large screen.
The first half was boring. I came to watch a movie, to be entertained and dazzled by the Brazilian football style called “dancing.” Dancing? Nah! There was none. If there was, they danced the cha-cha.
Halftime.
That’s when Paul Taneo arrived. You know Paul. Every Wednesday and Sunday, he occupies this same space. Paul entered Badgers wearing a brown jacket, but just as soon as he unzipped it to reveal a green-and-yellow Brazil jersey, the Brazilians started dancing to familiar beat: the lambada.
At the start of the second half, Ronaldinho dribbled down the center, passed to Ronaldo, who swirled his legs, faked, and passed to his right where a waiting Adriano took one stop at the ball then pummeled the Adidas rubber in between a pair of Australian knees, past the goalie and straight to the back of the net.
Lambada!
Shouts rocked Badgers and legs seated stood upright.
Still, despite being down 0-1 and leaning on Graeme Mackinnon’s optimism, the Australians sprinted, passed and kicked.
They scored. Almost. But we know “almost scored” and “scored” spell the difference between “lost” and “won.” In the end, the Brazilians scored once more, 2-0.
Paul, a wall of a goalie during his Siliman University heydays, brought the good luck. In fact, we were one big Sun.Star Cebu sports section family there: Sports editor Jobannie Tabada, chief copy editor Noel Villaflor, football guru Mike Limpag, Paul and myself.
When I reached home, slipped off my leather shoes and slumped in bed, I couldn’t sleep. Instead of a loud snore, my feet were tapping the bed, dancing the lambada.
(john@brightacademy.edu.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 20, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
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