Sunday, November 19, 2006

Tsunami Experience

November 16, 2006
Thursday, alas 2:30 ng madaling araw

Sa Saipan na ba ako mamamatay?

Ayaw ko nga!

Sa pakiramdam ko, nananaginip lang ako. Ngunit ng marinig kong may kumakatok sa pintuan ng aking kuwarto, naalimpungatan ako.

Si April ang kumakatok. Naka-jacket na sya at sa mukha niya ay nakita ko ang pag-aalala.

"Ate, gising. May tsunami alert. 1:30 am daw."

"Ha?"

"Mag-e-evacuate tayo."

"Totoo ba ito?"

Binuksan namin ang pintuan ng apartment at dumungaw sa labas. Maraming sasakyan sa daan at may patrol car na dumaan. Ang aming mga kapitbahay ay naghahanda na ring lumikas.

"Totoo nga!"

"April, dalhin nyo ang mga papers ninyo. Yung mga damit, dito na lang sa maleta ko. Mas malaki ito at marami pang space."

Habang ihinahanda ko ang aking mga gamit, naalala ko ang aking kapwa OFW. Tinawagan ko siya at sinabihan na lumikas din.

"Hey, may tsunami alert daw. Mag-e-evacuate kami."

Sa tono ng boses nya, mukhang lasing na naman sya. "Eh, nandito ako sa labas, wala namang nangyayari."

"Basta. Start packing and start moving."

Binalak naming pumunta sa Mt. Tapuchao. Ang pinakamataas na lugar dito sa Saipan. Nagmamadali kaming bumaba sa parking, dala-dala ang maleta at pagkain (tinapay at peanut butter)

"Naku, bili tayo ng tubig. Wala tayong dalang tubig."

Ang sagot ni Alex, "Dun sa may San Jose, ate. 24 hours bukas iyon."

Habang nasa loob ng sasakyan, tumatawag si April sa mga kaibigan at kakilala. Ako naman, panay ang text sa mga malalapit na kaibigan.

"Baka naman prank lang ang lahat ng ito."

Binuksan namin ang radyo para malaman kung totoo nga na may tsunami alert. Halos lahat ng istasyon naka-automatic programming na. Dito sa Saipan, walang radyo na may 24-hours na naka duty na announcer. Puro FM stations kasi at walang AM stations na tulad sa atin.

Pagdating namin sa San Jose, sarado ang tindahan.

"Mukhang totoo nga."

Hindi ko alam kung saan na idinaan ni Alex ang sasakyan. Nahihilo pa ako sa antok. Ngunit hindi naman ako kinabahan. Pero naisip ko, ayaw kong mamatay dito sa jologs na isla ng Saipan.

Dumaan kami sa bahay ng mommy ni April para gisingin din sila at para humingi na rin ng tubig.

At habang naghihintay sa sasakyan, narinig namin ang announcement sa radyo.

"The tsunami alert for all the islands in the Pacific have been cancelled as of 1a.m. Repeat! The tsunami alert......"

Totoo nga na may tsunami warning! At hindi kalokohan ang lahat.

Pagbalik ni April sa sasakyan, dala-dala ang tubig na hiningi sa mommy nya.

"Cancelled na ang tsunami alert. Uwi na tayo."

Habang pabalik sa bahay, tinanong ko si April kung ilang beses na nya naranasan ang mga ganitong pangyayari. Dito na kasi sya halos lumaki at nagkaisip.

"Mga 5 times na siguro ate. Minsan yung iba, nakatulugan ko na nga lang eh."

Nang makarating kami sa bahay, hindi na ako makatulog. Binuksan ko ang TV at nanood ng CNN. Dun ko nalaman na may 8.1 earthquake sa Japan at may tsunami warning nga. May tsunami sa Hokkaido sa Japan pero maliliit lang.

Naisip ko na kung magkakaroon ng tsunami dito sa Saipan, eh baka mabura na sa mapa ang islang ito. Sa kaliitan ng isla ay baka lamunin na ng tubig ito. Dun ko napagtanto na ayaw kong magtagal sa islang ito.

Kinabukasan, pumasok ako sa opisina na inaantok at wala sa tamang wisyo.

Pagkatapos ng ilang minuto, nagtawagan ang mga kaibigan para ibahagi din ang kani-kanilang istorya tungkol sa experiences nila.

Hay...... buhay nga naman dito sa isla ng Saipan. Kakaiba!

The Naked Stallions

The curious cat became a witness of the flesh trade again. This time the male version of it.

It was a Saturday night and with boredom creeping on our bones, my acquaintances and I decided to spend a couple of hours in Club V (that gimmick place in Saipan Grand Hotel where the new band - Resound - plays) The music was too loud and at around midnight, we decided to go to The Naked Stallion, a gay bar here in Saipan.

Another shocking experience I am sharing in this blog site.

The Naked Stallion is located in Middle Road. At around 12:30am, there was barely a handful of people inside - around 12 in all, including the dancers, the waiters and the manager.

We came in and maybe it was their lucky night. We were 15 in all and we became the crowd that filled up the club. We were greeted by the loud music blaring on the stereo. A gay man (he was pretty) dressed in black panties and bra was gyrating on stage.

Doll, (an acquaintance) who was a bit tipsy at that point, told me to bring out $1 bills. I gamely got 5 $1bills from my wallet and put the money on top of the table. A local girl who was in our group, saw a friend of hers and said, "Why are you here? Don't worry, I am not telling." And they laughed out loud enjoying the chance to be naughty that night.

The manager (who's name I later learned was Allan), with badly fitted wig and an Arnel Ignacio look-alike, got our orders. He was a bit disappointed because most of us ordered iced-tea, mango juice and coke. Our companions, the locals girls, who were more well-versed in alcoholic stuff, ordered their usual staple - Bud Light.

After a few minutes, a dancer came on stage. He was naked except for a sarong covering his private parts. His erection was obvious because the sarong was so manipis. He got off the stage, walked towards the table across us. He removed his sarong in front of the girl, and gyrated in the girls face. The crowd was screaming wildly. The dancer placed his sarong back and the girl inserted the $1 bill in his waist.

I was intently looking at the male dancer. He was so young! His body was alright. The right kind of combination of the muscular and the ordinary. I think he works out but not much. His skin was fair and was quite flawless. He could pass as a matinee idol. He was quite short though. About 5'4''.

The second dancer was more boyish looking. He danced to the tune of "Love begins with one hello. The hardest part is over, now it's easy letting go." (I actually don't know the title of the song). His sarong was black decorated with red flowers. He did a lap dance with Doll. We were screaming and covered our faces with our hands. Doll was game. She was tipsy already. She gave the dancer a dollar too.

The dancer then went to the local girls. Queena who was really wild that night, even touched the dancer's penis. The dancer did a lap dance in her face and she was touching the guy's back and butt. Of course, the more conservative members of the group did nothing but scream our lungs out. I was busy making a mental note of it all, careful not to forget details so I could write about it. I made messages on my phone and Vic (Cecil's friend) told me, "Ano ka ba? Kanina ka pa text ng text."

The third dancer came with green tapis. His tapis was longer. He was wearing briefs. The color? Camouflage. Just like an army uniform. He was the tallest among the 3 dancers but he was not as good looking as the first 2. He danced near Vic who was seated at the far edge of the sofa. He took out his penis, got Cecil's mango juice on top of the table and dipped his erect penis on the juice. (Yukky!) I was watching Vic's expressions and he looked really uncomfortable. The dancer sensed that Vic was not gay, so he went near Cecile (I was seated beside Cecile) and started to gyrate in front of our faces. We were screaming with our hands on our faces. I didn't dare look. The dancer was disappointed I think so he got on top of our table, danced a bit and then went to the other edge of the sofa where the local girls were seated. He removed his tapis, wrapped his penis on it and one local girl removed the tapis, threw it away leaving the dancer in his naked glory. He held his erect penis in his hands and went back on stage, did a few thrusting motions on the floor, (which really looked pathetic in my opinion) took a bow and left.

The crowd got a bit tame after that performance. After a few minutes, the tall dancer came out. He was already dressed (tatterred maong pants and t-shirt). He went to the table behind us, and entertained the group. I took a closer look at him and noticed that he was wearing foundation and eye liner. Maybe it was to conceal his acne scars.

It was 2 in the morning and they were about to close. Allan the manager, gave us the bill. We took the bill from him, paid our share and waited for the others to pay theirs. The gay guy in black loungerie came on stage and danced. His special skill was "eating fire." Vic commented, "Naglalaro nga ng apoy."

While waiting for the others to settle the bill, the dancers came out. They were already dressed and the first 2 went to the far edge of the room where a big-fat-gay-guy was seated. They were chatting and the gay guy ordered food and the dancers ate.

My mind was comparing the scenes from the Chicago club and this club. The tricks were the same. Lap dance. Naked bodies. Free touch. Dollar bills inserted inside bodies. Same music. Same set-up. Same rules -No cameras allowed. The only difference is the size of the crowd. Clubs with female strippers attact a much larger crowd than clubs with male strippers.

While on our way out, Allan walked us out to the door. He said, "Pangga (an Ilonggo term of endearment), nag-enjoy ba kayo? Babalik kayo ha?"

I didn't say anything but asked him a question instead, "Allan, gaano na kayo katagal dito?"

"One month pa lang. Bagong lipat lang kami."

"Ang ibig kong sabihin, gaano na katagal ang club ninyo?"

"Mag one-year pa lang."

"Saan galing ang mga dancers nyo?"

"Sa Pilipinas. Sa atin. Sa mga club din dun. Sa Valentino's"

"Ilang taon na ang mga iyan?"

"Mga 21 to 22 years old."

I was starting to sense his uncomfortability with the questions I was asking, so he excused himself, said goodbye and left.

While on our way home, I was asking Alex (April's husband) what he felt seeing those guys in their nakedness.

"Naawa ako sa kanila, Ate."

"Oo nga. Nakakaawa. And what a way to earn money. Pero mas naawa ako dun sa mga babae sa Chicago."

"Ang hirap ng trabaho nila. Gabi-gabi, nakahubad ka tapos kelangan nakatayo palagi ang ari mo. Hindi ko kakayanin yun kung ako."

"Baka may daya yun."

April buts in, "Ate, may choice naman yung mga dancers eh. Pinili nila yung work na yun."

"I guess so."

Well, some maybe chose the job. Some maybe were victims of human trafficking. Some maybe were led by fate. I don't know. I don't have answers.

The business of flesh trade has been around since time immemorial. The courtesans during the Roman empire dined with emperors and kings. Magdalene was (according to the Bible) a prostitute. Geishas are very much part of the Japanese culture.

It just proves one thing. Sex, or the idea of sex, sells. And it is a big business.

Friday, November 17, 2006

A Virgin Journey to Managaha


Managaha Island as seen from Micro Beach


My friends and I at Managaha

The weather was far from perfect - windy and the sea was a little rough - but the trip to Managaha was pushed through. We took the ferry to Managaha. Like excited kids, we trooped to the upper deck to drink the fresh breeze. After about 15 minutes, we reached Managaha. That small dot of island in the middle of Pacific Ocean.

I was not impressed. That's the downside when you've seen better beaches. (I've been all over the Philippines and have been to El Nido in Palawan, Boracay, Pearl Farm in Davao and Panglao in Bohol). The sand was not as white as I thought and the water was a little blurry, like smoked-glass. The only magic Managaha struck me with was the fishes. You feed them bread crumbs and at 4-feet deep, they snatch the bread crumbs hungrily like those coin-divers back at home. Kids, turned brown (deep dark brown) by sun and salt-water, scramble for coins thrown in the water by tourists.

Lying on a beach mat perfectly laid under the kind shade of coconut and pine trees, I became curious about the crowd - Chinese, Japanese and Koreans all sporting colorful bathing suits and beach shoes, speaking in their own languages, I felt like I was in the middle of Babel. Kids, frolic around with snorkels and vests, already faded by too much exposure to salt-water. Neon greens and oranges turned pathetic versions of their once colorful selves.

Young women parade around in flowery-2-piece suits and in the islet called Managaha, there were more semi-naked bodies per square inch than I saw in Panglao in Bohol last year. Any warm-blooded man, would be happy and would drown in nature's beauty. On the other hand, the field for interesting-looking guy is inversely proportional. It took me an hour to spot a well-tanned male body donning a dark-blue Speedo board shorts, showing fat-free abs, obviously gained from hours spent at the gym.

My curious feet made me walk around the island a bit, and another interesting thing that caught my eye was the nail polish. A woman in her 40's was wearing a green, heck!, neon green flip-flops, and interestingly enough, her nails were painted in green. Two young girls in their 20's, had their nails painted in aqua blue, while a kid who's obviously in her teens, was more artistic. Her nails were painted in deep black and dotted with silver images of what I assumed were stars. The solar system on her toes. A mother together with her 5-year old, had their nails painted in violet. Perfect mother and daughter match. I wonder what would the mother say if in one unfortunate event, she loses her child in a crowded mall. This would be announced in the paging booth:
"Lost girl, wearing pink skirt and Barbie T-shirt, 5-years old, toe-nails painted in violet just like her mother's."

In an island where people of different cultures meet, it's quite interesting how we all behave alike. Young boys eye young girls. Moms, tell their kids to wear vests before running off in the water, rubbing sunblock lotions to eager faces and impatient bodies. Young girl friends adjust their swimsuits every 10-seconds or so, obviously showing off young bodies at its peak. Old ladies, lie on beach mats with their sun-shades guarding bags and what-nots like faithful sentinels.

The way people rub suntan lotions on each other's backs reveal so much about their relationships. I see two Japanese couples rub suntan. The strokes - slow, thorough, sweet. Honeymooners, perhaps. While another couple, the husband, just pour the suntan on his wife's back and with few haphazard and thoughtless back rubs, closes the lotion and rummages his bag for his googles. The wife's back is left with a blotch of white patches like an abstract painting whose meaning, nobody ever got. Hmmm, couples who are obviously bored with each other and are probably just tolerating each other's presence.

The sky was overcast. The sun was kind but the water fell short of my expectations. The wind was blowing on my face and I scan the endless ocean of grean and blue. Managaha's physical charms failed to entice me. No jaw dropping Wow! escaped from my lips. But, this little island has given me a glimpse of how interesting people are. The people who came to Managaha on that overcast Saturday morning was perhaps, Managaha's charm. It proved once more that the only zen we bring on top of the mountain (or on the bottom of the sea) is the zen we carry inside ourselves. The tourists, like actors in play made Managaha a wonderful stage and thats the magic I caught.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Trick or Treat in Saipan

Trick or Treat at Tototville!

The 3 "Wicked" Witches! He!he!he!

Mr. Miyagi and Superman


Mr. Miyagi and Superman and Me

Batman, Harry Potter, Mr. Miyagi, Pink Butterfly, Superman, Snow White and Princess. Cute Kids!!!!!!!


Aaron Francia and Bella Bargfrede



Spooky Town!!!!!

October 31, 2006

The bank declared a shortened banking hours so we could prepare for trick or treat. In the Philippines, trick or treat is not common. Only the exlusive subdivisions where various expats live, would practice treat or trick.

Here in Saipan, treat or trick is another occasion to party. My officemates prepared a big bag of candy for the kids, bought spare-ribs for barbeque, bread and soda for the celebration. It was my first time to go trick or treat!

Karen (a Chamorro officemate) invited us to her house in Tototville. I invited 3 of my friends to join us so they could experience the fun too. Just like me, they've never been to a trick or treat before.

Tototville is your typical American subdivision. The houses were identical and there are no fences. The houses were decorated with jack-o-lanterns, spider webs and ghost-like figures. Some even played scary music in the background.

It was like Christmas in November! There were a lot of kids going from house to house saying, "trick or treat!" In turn, the adults would give them candies. The kids were wearing costumes. Some were dressed as Superman, Batman, Snow-White and my boss' daughter was a butterfly. She was a pink butterfly and she was so cute!

My friends and I accompanied the kids as they went from one house to another. After that, we headed for Karen's house and it was our turn to distribute the candies for the kids who came. We greeted them, "Happy Halloween." Some of the kids came in spooky costumes and masks. Some girls were so cute in their Disney Princess costumes.

When our candies ran out, we had dinner. Karen prepared barbeque, rice, pickled papaya, hotdogs and burger patties. The kids, including us, had a lot of fun playing billiards in the kiddie billiards table.

It was such a different experience because in the Philippines, almost everybody goes to the cemetery during Halloween. It's a somber time spent remembering the departed. Here in Saipan, Halloween time is fun time for the kids and a chance for the adults to get-together.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Fiesta!

Here is a picture story of a typical Chamorro Fiesta. These pictures were taken on October 28, 2006 during the Biba si Jesucristo Tuna Fiesta.


The Lechon!

The Buffet Table! Get all the food you can eat and more!


The Desert Table! Hmmm, cake! Hmmm, salad! Hmmmm, fruits! Hmmm, pies!


One plate for here! One plate to go!



Your choice! Chocolate! Strawberry! Plain!

The staple of every Chamorro fiesta! The Java rice!


Fellow-OFWs attending the fiesta! Elmer, Beng, April and Cathy!

The Chapel!



Martin. The Chamorro officemate who invited us.