Monday, August 18, 2008 Echaves: Of bonds and binds By Lelani P. Echaves Thinking Aloud
ANTICIPATING today’s holiday, we declared it was bonding time for the family. And so off to San Remigio we went, to finally enjoy the vacation package taken some years back.
And so to the Casa del Mar Golf and Dive Resort we went for a three-day weekend. The 2.5-hour drive from the city could seem formidable, but when you’ve deliberately made no other agenda but to relax, that stretch of road, asphalt, cement and some bit of dirt road be-comes tolerable.
We were there neither for the dive nor the golf, though we’re told that no less than world-famous golfer Gary Player designed the Verdemar within the 150-hectare resort. Immediately we were aware that the F & B manager, an American, went marketing daily to Bogo, about 14 kilometers away, to make sure the supplies were fresh.
Still, we could get a specific meal if we asked early enough to be included in the marketing list. And so, thanks to the accommodating cook, Arnel, we enjoyed home-cooked meals like mongo soup, pancit, fish tinola and even sardines and dried fish for breakfast.
Nearby, a Korean family’s dinner included a platterful of kimchi. A Korean lady, a school owner, also shared with us a native delicacy composed of seaweeds prepared tapa-style. She was personally escorting about 30 Korean children here in the country for a month-long summer camp. After this week, they go back home to their families.
In the resort’s very relaxed environs, we caught and enjoyed the Beijing 2008 Olympic games, despite some erratic signals from Dream Satellite. I agonized silently with Swiss Roger Federer when he lost to American James Blake. But when, during a post-competition interview, Blake said of Federer “I’ve always admired him as a player and I’m amazed at how this man has withstood the pressure of being up there all these four or five years,” I saw magnanimity in victory, and became an instant Blake fan, too.
When favoritism binds us, our comments can slide into the irrational, irrelevant and irreverent. When Spanish Rafael Nadal’s Wimbledon win was becoming inevitable, and he’d be habitually pulling down the backside of his pants, we’d say he must be unleashing his power the way Samson freed his long tresses.
And when British Andy Murray also defeated Federer, someone remarked Murray’s improved after changing coaches. Said another, “Whatever, basta bati gihapon siya ug nawong” (Still, he’s not handsome!).” Non-sequitur, yes, but that shook off the frustration.
The USA basketball team has put together two of my favorite NBA players—LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Jason Kidd. Always found Kobe Bryant cocky and so full of himself, but the presence of other good players seems to have humbled him a bit. He even missed a number of free throws and three-point shots.
Still, after registering dismal appearances in about three Olympic competitions since the Dream Team, the USA team is coming back with a vengeance. Not only have they won against China and Spain, but also led by 20 or more points; meaning, it was no fluke, and let no man say otherwise.
