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Saturday, October 22, 2005
Still and breathless, am still is
By Dennis E. Dungao
A Lakeshore afternoon
THE afternoon was bathed in sunshine; it was very hot, prompting me to escape the motorcade convoy of the Miss Earth 2005 candidates, straight to the magnificent estate of Lakeshore. The large retinue was split in three groups and I found myself hitching and riding shotgun with the security contingent of the pageant along with the first band of candidates. The Talent Night Competition was about to be held at the "Event Tent".
The day is long; time is a luxury we can afford. Perhaps I was the only member of the press present during that relaxed and laid back moment of the beauteous Ms. Earth candidates, excluding two Chinese media men, I think, and quite a few photographers. We were encamped at the Lakeshore tent. Facing the lagoon in all its majesty, wind blown and picture perfect, the colorful sails and soft humming of the boats going through and from the waters added magic to the moment.
The ladies of Ms. Earth were also wandering in the grounds - spectacular sight it was, the breathtaking entirety of the splendor that traversed before my eyes. Beauty queens - sash, wide smile, long legs and all were as real as any Jane we know, this I'm about to confirm. We might have deviations in culture, having to represent their countries from all over, but they were, as a matter of fact, still a bunch of girls who just want to have fun - they're actually larger than life.
The ladies attached themselves with the locals, even permitted them to take snap shots with them while they waddled around the estate like giggling schoolgirls, eager to socialize and to please.
I took my random pick of which candidate I'm going to interview, and an organizer from Carousel Productions suggested Ms. Israel. She was amiable, but put on a blank stare when I asked if she knew how to handle a semi-automatic rifle, and she replied that she was a pacifist - doesn't like war, nor weapons and her government respects her belief, thus she was never called into military training, but walks the ramp instead as a model. I was actually expecting a judo move from "Avivit" upon asking the question, but it never came, so I just bit my lip. She has maintained her wide smile, which was not perfunctory at all. Now who said that farce that there was no civilian Israeli?
Ms. USA, Amanda Kimmel, was nice - an epitome of the "All American Girl" type, along with Ms. Korea, Yu Hae-Mee. I felt like a midget standing next to them so I requested for us to sit down and chat. Ms. Korea remembers seeing Tagaytay, Pagsanjan and Mimosa in Pampanga, while Ms. USA likes the place so much she compared it with Hawaii's tropics, but hotter.
Jenny
I got dizzy circling around the girls, had difficulty conversing with many of them, and no interpreter was available. It was then that I decided to be resourceful and choose a lady candidate who's very smart and can speak a common language with me. She will be my resource person.
Then she came... I saw her lining up with Ms. Sweden, or was it Ms. Germany, can't really recall, for a re-touch-up of her make-up. In a sea of pretty faces, she was radiant. She emanated a different aura; I was immediately drawn to her.
Her name is Jenny Sutjiono; I asked her to spell her name for me as an erstwhile prelude to a most enjoyable banter. Jenny is Ms. Earth Indonesia 2005. Fluent and even eloquent in English, the interview cum conversation had been long, it ran close to an hour. We discussed almost about anything under the sun. She is from Jakarta, but works as a flight attendant for Singapore Airlines.
Joining Ms. Earth is a cause for her to make the citizens of the world aware of how fragile the environment we live in is. It is to promote that cleaning our home, Earth, is a responsibility, and that we should all be brothers and sisters in doing this universal task. Her talent presentation was making soap, fashioning a doll from it - and this can also be used as scented candles for rooms. Now that's pro-environment advocacy. She won't perform on the stage for the night, this I've learned. What I'm trying to imply is, will the adoring public want to see a beautiful woman making soap on stage?
Jenny was quite a handful. She was the bubbliest of all the candidates and answered my questions with a crack at a joke or two. We even compared notes on language, and surprise, surprise for us Kapampangans - "tua" (old) and "mangan" (eat) were just two of the words that have the same meaning in Bahasa Indonesia, her national language. She found Filipino faces the same as hers and her countrymen that Jenny felt she never really left home. You know, she was politically correct in every way - however hard I tried to think of it as a fallacy.
Good night, beautiful
Evening came falling with soft drizzling raindrops, and I can say it was a way of showing a grandstanding entry and participation on the part of "Wind" and "Water" when the heavens eventually delivered a full-blown rainstorm that filled the earth to the brim. With the Lakeshore as backdrop, the reality of it was that I've never thought that rainfall can be that beautiful. No, it was not beautiful, it was BEAUTIFUL. It cooled down the heels and brought over a refreshing feeling to everyone present - they were now ready to watch the talent night and party, too. Good vibes seemed to stem out of the ground, filling the air with pleasantries, or was it just the smell of the lush greenery that seem to embrace the estate endlessly that cram my sense of smell?
The happening at the "Event Tent" was an all too pervading display of talent. Indeed, it entertained and at the same time, left a lucidity of other nation's cultures on everyone watching.
Present among the panel of judges were two prominent Kapampangans - HUDDCC Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan and multi-awarded talent in the performing arts Mr. Peter de Vera. Representing Central Country Estate Inc. as host, Architect Nestor Mangio was also in attendance to welcome the Ms. Earth 2005 candidates.
I may not remember all the performances, but some of them were simply unforgettable. Ms. Macau spell-bounded the audience by floating on the stage while balancing porcelain bowls on her head (she was roller-skating on the stage - a task I found too many even for my talents). Ms. Australia did a rendition of "All That Jazz", while stellar performances were shown by Ms. Tanzania and Ms. Finland. The wolf whistling and cheering was so loud I thought the top of giant tent got blown away. It was disclosed that the winner of the said talent night will be announced during the pageant night on October 23.
The talent night ended, followed by a party ignited by The Freshmen's music. Here, the ladies got even more close and personal with the crowd. Everyone got to dance and groove, even the candidates who invaded the stage en masse.
Of course, Jenny and I saw each other again. I offered her beer, but she opted for bottled water. We had another chat, and upon seeing me, Carlo Jimenez, Lakeshore's Public Relations Manager wood us to dance with the crowd. I could have, if only not to find myself feeling very loyal to my claptrap creed "Bad men don't dance, nor sing".
To complete the merging of all the elements in this one enchanting evening and to cap the event, a fireworks display was done in the middle of the estate's man-made lake - now how is that for total consummation? Earth, wind, fire, and water - Miss Earth Beauty Pageant 2005 and the Lakeshore - these two were indeed the perfect menagerie of the essentials in existence.
With firecrackers flying in the air like a meteor shower, the wind blowing colorful sparks to different areas amidst the waters; I wished Jenny good luck. Waving her hand (Sandara Park-like?) before she stepped on their bus, I took a last grasp at words and expressed, "Good night, beautiful. It was a pleasure to meet you - still and breathless, am still is."
For comments and suggestions, mail the author, supremo_babaylan@yahoo.com
(October 22, 2005 issue)
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