The Rugby Chronicles: An inquiry into the existence of Jocks with Brains
I won’t lie to you: it started with the shorts. As a tennis fan I am appalled by the length of the shorts on the ATP men’s tour. Why don’t they just wear white flannel trousers while they’re at it? Understand that I grew up in the McEnroe era, when Wimbledon finals were contested by men wearing hot pants.
The Rugby Chronicles part 1 in Emotional Weather Report, today in the Philippine Star.
For maximum appreciation, get hard copy. Buy ten copies of the Star now!
Thanks to my editors for the front-page announcement,
and the full-page treatment.
Watch out for the second part, which appears this week.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
November 7th, 2010 at 02:12
Great article, Jessica :) I keep procrastinating on the IRB Beginner’s Guide to Rugby but I’m reading it slowly but surely :D Somebody needs to quiz me on it though, so I can push myself to learn everything, at least in theory for now :)
November 7th, 2010 at 03:03
I must find a way to be born to a set of parents who can send me to a boarding school in Europe in my next life.
November 7th, 2010 at 04:59
“Some strange alchemy occurs when Filipinas marry people of other ethnicities: the progeny look fabulous.”
You mentioned this last time in La Cuisine. Still holds water, but we don’t know why that is. Anlakas lang siguro maka-ganda ng lahi natin. Bukod dian eh natatangi ang ating confidence, pandayo.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:51
@ #3 Momelia: Ngunit ang problema. Kung nanganganak ang mga yan parang hindi na masyadong kaakit akit ang labas.
November 7th, 2010 at 13:00
Di naman lahat! @ chronicler pogi
Pero may point ka. Kumbaga sa pagkain eh taba ng talangka. Nakakaumay on its own. Pero pag sinabay mo sa nilasing na hipon eh rakenrol!!
November 7th, 2010 at 16:25
most of the time maganda naman ang mix, depende kung saan ginawa at bakit.
November 7th, 2010 at 17:22
Hi Jessica, fondness for the members of the team is very obvious in the way you wrote the article. Good vibes!
November 7th, 2010 at 17:39
Onyx at 5:22 pm: I hope so. Stunning contrast to other trips I’ve been on in which I wanted to kill people.
November 7th, 2010 at 17:56
Grrrr!!! Wala ng copies ng Star pagka-gising ko T_T Magma-mass text ako sa teammates ko na dalhin copies nila of the Phil. Star :D
November 7th, 2010 at 20:27
@ #5 Momelia ang Maringal and #6 gabby: Oo nga. Depende din siguro sa mga hahaloan nila. Hahaha.
@ #7 Onyx: I agree. The fondness seeps from the sentences. It is especially manifest in the use of adjectives and other descriptive words. The word choice describing each player reveals the depth of the author’s fondness. There are some deeper than others. Or maybe I am just overanalyzing as I always tend to do. Hehehe.
November 7th, 2010 at 21:42
I noticed this as well. If the father is Filipino, the offspring seem to be mostly meh. If the mother is, they are gorgeous.
And is Preciosa Soliven still making it mandatory for HS students in O.B. Montessori to have a Star subscription?
November 7th, 2010 at 23:33
jessica, isa kang kate hudson. chos.
never ko napanod and games na toh. pero sad kasi it means wala ng wednesday jocks. :(
November 8th, 2010 at 00:09
lestat at 11:33 pm: Mas Patrick Fugit kaysa Kate Hudson. At ang dami-dami ko yatang kinuhang ritrato para sa Jock With A Book. Tatagal hanggang 2011, ganoon karami.
November 8th, 2010 at 09:39
#13 ms. z: wahahaha!! maraming bala!
November 8th, 2010 at 12:13
# 8 jessica: Yeah, I remember years ago when you wrote about the Eraserheads US tour. I was kinda surprised nobody got decapitated then. Hehe.
November 8th, 2010 at 16:47
tala at 12:13 pm: Very perceptive hahaha. I must point out that it’s easier to admit a stranger into your company if you have absolutely no idea who she is. You’re not thinking, “She’s going to gut us any second.” Which causes you to clam up and become defensive.
November 8th, 2010 at 22:38
i wasn’t able to get a copy of the paper but got the flip reader yesterday from national bookstore instead. small confession: i’ve only heard about flip this year when i found out about this blog and i wish i’d known about it years ago. i’ve been reading the flip reader while commuting. even if this is much belated, thanks from the bottom of my ofw heart for working on such a project as flip.
November 8th, 2010 at 22:50
oriames at 10:38 pm: Thank you, that means a lot to me. Of all the projects I’ve worked on, Flip was the one I really killed myself for. When it failed it took me years to get over my rage. I still kind of hate the audience, but I’m dealing with it.
November 9th, 2010 at 00:22
@ #18 jessicazafra: By the way, thank you(you or your staff) for sending me the the first three issues of Flip even though you had ceased operations. It was difficult to find them in Cebu. My sister used to work at the Aboitiz headquarters and I used her office address for my subscription. I was carrying a copy into the cafeteria one day when one of the Aboitizes(I don’t know who. They all look Hispanic) saw me and he said to his relative in a surprised tone:”That’s Flip!”. Later, I found out that a corporate VP was also a subscriber.
November 9th, 2010 at 12:47
the chronicler of boredom at 12:22 am: That’s good to know, thanks. I think our publisher got to all the insulares-peninsulares haha.
November 9th, 2010 at 18:35
#10 chronicler – “The word choice describing each player reveals the depth of the author’s fondness. There are some deeper than others. Or maybe I am just overanalyzing as I always tend to do. Hehehe.”
– Very well said. Completely agree with you on this, though not on the overanalyzing bit. Haha!
November 9th, 2010 at 19:58
#21 yorkie85 & chronicler — I agree to you both! Let me end with my favorite vowel of the moment — Eeeeeeeee!!! :D