(c) 2010 F. Bruce Abel
Yes, I write and think about other topics than Wall Street. Carlos Celdran is "a man in full" in Manila. We talked around the pool on Corrigador during his break of his Walk With Me weekend tour.
The Pearl of the Orient is a Catholic Country. Just fascinating. Genny is there.
Click onto the title of this blog for his reasons for voting for Gilbert Teodoro, a name I did not know a 1/2 hour ago. You will learn a lot (maybe too much, but not too much for me.)
Carlos can write! He went to Rhode Island School of Design, etc.
Showing posts with label carlos celdran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carlos celdran. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Carlos Celdran
I haven't mentioned Carlos Celdran and his Blog Walk This Way, for a while. Need to get back to Manila and take his tours again!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Philippines
Paper read to Joe D'amato's Writing Class at the Glendale Lyceum
Thursday, April 23, 2009
© 2009 F. Bruce Abel
“The Three “M”’s of Manila”
Wherever daughter Genny, who now works in Manila for the Asian Development Bank, goes, world events get refocused in my mind. And who am I to say that trouble on a vast scale doesn’t follow her? Witness: Genny’s last job but the current one, was in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2007, and involved in part driving periodically into the countryside of the politically “frozen” area of South Ossetia, training farmers in the capitalist business of collecting milk for sale, checking on the milk collection centers and the dairy farmers, near the town of Gori, Stalin’s hometown. In the fall of 2008, of course, this area was overrun by Russians, cows lying dead in the fields. God knows what happened to “Madonna No. 1,” as we called her.
In the case of Lithuania and the Philippines the past was so cruel in so many ways. And I will not mention them here.
Of course the Philippines was a blank and innocent page in my book at first, therefore heavily-influenced by each new person, tour or event that occured. (I, say “blank page” and “of course” because I like to experience places that way. Unlike Eunie, I do not prepare myself for any event or person, or movie, not even about a country which I am to visit.)
In the case of the Philippines I spent the early days of February, 2009, in the awe of the humidity and the Far East and the traffic jams and pollution of this young (average age 21) but Catholic city and country.
Item: During our weekend trip to Corregidor, a trip within a longer visit to Manila, I was astounded to read that $150 million in 1912 dollars had been put into the fortification of Corregidor, that tadpole-shaped, three-square-mile island, so far away yet close to the "inscrutable Far East," and Ft. Mills, in and around “Topside,” built, -- Topside I mean -- among other things, for the training, play and enjoyment of the officers of the U.S. Army.
I hadn’t thought of turn-of-the-century American imperialism in the Philippines more than a millisecond, if ever, or what I will now and forever call “the three M’s” – 1912 American Money, or the MacArthurs, or the Marcos or the Philippeans for many years, but our daughter Genny, and this trip to see how she lived, drew us there.
Now as I write it’s just that we have taken two tours from Carlos.
Despite a two-week attempt to keep this paper in focus as a simple presentation of my achingly deep feelings but guilt-ridden “idyllic” weekend tour of Corregidor with Carlos Celdran and his “Walk With Me” website and Celdran tours -- by ferry out of Manila, I am now forced to give up, as the overall dramatic history of the Philippines swamps my thoughts.
Concrete, which we introduced, is the basic building block of the Philippines. Beautiful concrete. Supplemented with dark teak-like sliding wooden doors and floors. Concrete, which cures in perfect conditions in this climate, stays around for centuries, even after being dive-bombed by both sides in WWII.
The parade grounds of Ft. Mills, Topside in a perfect climate, can be re-seeded to be beautiful for centuries, even after bombings. Caissons, with five-foot thick bunkers, remain no matter what, with their awesome mortars. The jungle can be destroyed into oblivion on a three-mile island, but reseeding by helicopter can retrieve it for the tourists.
I’m not going to talk about generalities of Filipinos, but I cannot resist this line of thought: It has been said that Filipinos are the Irish of Southeast Asia in their universal goodwill – especially toward Americans.
There is also one stretched metaphor I must tweak you with, however awkwardly: It is correct to say that Philippine society under the American “protectorship,” was “stratified.” But on one important island standing at the entry to Manila Bay, stratification was figuratively and literally true during the long period of 1902 through 1942.
I refer to “Topside,” “Middleside,” and “Bottomside,” the three named layers of Army post, Ft. Mills, on the body of volcanic rock and jungle jutting 500 feet out of the South China Sea guarding the Bay of Manila, with the city 26 nautical miles to the south. This island has another name more familiar to you: Corregidor!
“Middleside” contained more cement barracks for the U.S. and Filippino enlisted men, and the Malinta Tunnel, which cut from South to North through the island, was perhaps as startling to me on that February, 2009 weekend as was my first view of the awesome Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels of the 1940’s, on that first 1946 trip of the Abels to live in Columbus Ohio from Philadelphia, except wider.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
© 2009 F. Bruce Abel
“The Three “M”’s of Manila”
Wherever daughter Genny, who now works in Manila for the Asian Development Bank, goes, world events get refocused in my mind. And who am I to say that trouble on a vast scale doesn’t follow her? Witness: Genny’s last job but the current one, was in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2007, and involved in part driving periodically into the countryside of the politically “frozen” area of South Ossetia, training farmers in the capitalist business of collecting milk for sale, checking on the milk collection centers and the dairy farmers, near the town of Gori, Stalin’s hometown. In the fall of 2008, of course, this area was overrun by Russians, cows lying dead in the fields. God knows what happened to “Madonna No. 1,” as we called her.
In the case of Lithuania and the Philippines the past was so cruel in so many ways. And I will not mention them here.
Of course the Philippines was a blank and innocent page in my book at first, therefore heavily-influenced by each new person, tour or event that occured. (I, say “blank page” and “of course” because I like to experience places that way. Unlike Eunie, I do not prepare myself for any event or person, or movie, not even about a country which I am to visit.)
In the case of the Philippines I spent the early days of February, 2009, in the awe of the humidity and the Far East and the traffic jams and pollution of this young (average age 21) but Catholic city and country.
Item: During our weekend trip to Corregidor, a trip within a longer visit to Manila, I was astounded to read that $150 million in 1912 dollars had been put into the fortification of Corregidor, that tadpole-shaped, three-square-mile island, so far away yet close to the "inscrutable Far East," and Ft. Mills, in and around “Topside,” built, -- Topside I mean -- among other things, for the training, play and enjoyment of the officers of the U.S. Army.
I hadn’t thought of turn-of-the-century American imperialism in the Philippines more than a millisecond, if ever, or what I will now and forever call “the three M’s” – 1912 American Money, or the MacArthurs, or the Marcos or the Philippeans for many years, but our daughter Genny, and this trip to see how she lived, drew us there.
Now as I write it’s just that we have taken two tours from Carlos.
Despite a two-week attempt to keep this paper in focus as a simple presentation of my achingly deep feelings but guilt-ridden “idyllic” weekend tour of Corregidor with Carlos Celdran and his “Walk With Me” website and Celdran tours -- by ferry out of Manila, I am now forced to give up, as the overall dramatic history of the Philippines swamps my thoughts.
Concrete, which we introduced, is the basic building block of the Philippines. Beautiful concrete. Supplemented with dark teak-like sliding wooden doors and floors. Concrete, which cures in perfect conditions in this climate, stays around for centuries, even after being dive-bombed by both sides in WWII.
The parade grounds of Ft. Mills, Topside in a perfect climate, can be re-seeded to be beautiful for centuries, even after bombings. Caissons, with five-foot thick bunkers, remain no matter what, with their awesome mortars. The jungle can be destroyed into oblivion on a three-mile island, but reseeding by helicopter can retrieve it for the tourists.
I’m not going to talk about generalities of Filipinos, but I cannot resist this line of thought: It has been said that Filipinos are the Irish of Southeast Asia in their universal goodwill – especially toward Americans.
There is also one stretched metaphor I must tweak you with, however awkwardly: It is correct to say that Philippine society under the American “protectorship,” was “stratified.” But on one important island standing at the entry to Manila Bay, stratification was figuratively and literally true during the long period of 1902 through 1942.
I refer to “Topside,” “Middleside,” and “Bottomside,” the three named layers of Army post, Ft. Mills, on the body of volcanic rock and jungle jutting 500 feet out of the South China Sea guarding the Bay of Manila, with the city 26 nautical miles to the south. This island has another name more familiar to you: Corregidor!
“Middleside” contained more cement barracks for the U.S. and Filippino enlisted men, and the Malinta Tunnel, which cut from South to North through the island, was perhaps as startling to me on that February, 2009 weekend as was my first view of the awesome Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels of the 1940’s, on that first 1946 trip of the Abels to live in Columbus Ohio from Philadelphia, except wider.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Most Carlos Celdran Clip
One of the joys of working at home and with numerous computers is to change the configurations. Right now we have the base computer and the new laptop side by side. Both are set so that they randomly show photos from our trips to visit Genny -- to Tbilisi, Georgia, Istanbul, Manila.
But back to Carlos! and his ever-changing (i.e. always better) theatrical tours of Manila.
http://guides.clickthecity.com/clipcast/?v=61
But back to Carlos! and his ever-changing (i.e. always better) theatrical tours of Manila.
http://guides.clickthecity.com/clipcast/?v=61
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sent to Kristof of the New York Times:
The most frightening thing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05kristof.html
And I added this comment for Kristoff:
"And you should read the excellent piece on this very topic in Carlos Celdran’s http://www.walkmyway.com/. (I think that’s the URL. You’ll get it right in any event it by typing in “Carlos Celdran” in Google.) This blog refers to and shows the wonderful BBC video on the out-of-control population explosion in Catholic Manila and Philippines. Interviewing an intelligent 30-year old woman with eleven children living in two “rooms.”
Carlos, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, is a celebrity in his country with “acting” tours of the key spots of Manila and Corregidor, will be coming to Toronto in May for an art exchange of a type, and to refresh from his grueling “real-live” daily performances walking around Manila.
In fact Carlos would be worth an article. You’ll see."
Bruce Abel
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05kristof.html
And I added this comment for Kristoff:
"And you should read the excellent piece on this very topic in Carlos Celdran’s http://www.walkmyway.com/. (I think that’s the URL. You’ll get it right in any event it by typing in “Carlos Celdran” in Google.) This blog refers to and shows the wonderful BBC video on the out-of-control population explosion in Catholic Manila and Philippines. Interviewing an intelligent 30-year old woman with eleven children living in two “rooms.”
Carlos, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, is a celebrity in his country with “acting” tours of the key spots of Manila and Corregidor, will be coming to Toronto in May for an art exchange of a type, and to refresh from his grueling “real-live” daily performances walking around Manila.
In fact Carlos would be worth an article. You’ll see."
Bruce Abel
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Carlos Celdran is Coming to Toronto
in May, I believe. Who is he? Click on the label named "Carlos Celdran" of this blog. A quintessential performer, if you ever get to Manila, Philippines. A mid-30's live tour guide, spinner of tales and history. His tours are fast-paced and totally off the wall. And up close and personal. Carlos studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, so he knows architecture, history, presentation, style, marketing. In other words everything that matters.
Is Toronto ready for him? I hope so!
I would not be surprised to see him hosting Saturday Night Live.
And his Corregidor tour, going on this weekend, and filled up I'm sure, is a show-stopper that will leave you haunted and your soul aching.
Is Toronto ready for him? I hope so!
I would not be surprised to see him hosting Saturday Night Live.
And his Corregidor tour, going on this weekend, and filled up I'm sure, is a show-stopper that will leave you haunted and your soul aching.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Carlos Celdran's Blog
We had taken two tours by this talented "Rizdi" graduate. Now he was on BBC's excellent piece this past week on the Philippine Catholic Church's responsibility for the out-of-control population situation in Manila.
The two tours -- a two-day trip to Corregidor and a Saturday afternoon walking tour re the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos monumental arts buildings of Manila.
The BBC clip should be watched by all! Interview one 40-year old woman living is squalor (no teeth) and her 11 children.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2009/02/whee-whee-whee.html
Apparantly there is legislation, hotly contested, which is going through the Philippine legislature, correcting the problem. Opposed by the Catholic church, of course.
The two tours -- a two-day trip to Corregidor and a Saturday afternoon walking tour re the Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos monumental arts buildings of Manila.
The BBC clip should be watched by all! Interview one 40-year old woman living is squalor (no teeth) and her 11 children.
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2009/02/whee-whee-whee.html
Apparantly there is legislation, hotly contested, which is going through the Philippine legislature, correcting the problem. Opposed by the Catholic church, of course.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Carlos Celdran
From Manila:
We will be going on one of his tours this afternoon. I cannot wait. What a treasure!
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/
We will be going on one of his tours this afternoon. I cannot wait. What a treasure!
http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/
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