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Archive for June, 2010
The scent of books
would be a bouquet of new paper, ink, leather, a faint hint of glue, and cedar wood. Its name would be Literal.
Scent Stories are perfumes inspired by famous authors. Ah&Oh Studio has designed glass bottles shaped like inkwells, with the heads of characters from the authors’ best-known works.
I have to warn you: the Marquis De Sade (or as a classmate in Comp Lit said, the Marquis De Shar-Day, like the singer) is a bore to read. As for the scent, I’m thinking leather and a cell in the Bastille. For Orwell I imagine the smell of pork chops; for Poe whiskey, rose petals and cat piss; and for Laclos diamonds, candlewax and tears.
Taking over the world, including the rugby pitch
Photo from PRFU’s Facebook page
Christopher Hitch is a carpenter in Sydney, Australia, where Michael Letts works as a mortgage broker. Austin Dacanay is a chiropractor in Texas, USA. Every year in May they fly to Manila, at their own expense and using their hoarded vacation time, to play rugby for the Philippines.
They are joined by two dozen young men from Brisbane, Wales, North Carolina, Modena, the British Armed Services, Boston and many other places. Most of them are very large, and have names like Saunders, Morris, Zappia, Holgate and Sutcliffe. Readers might recognize longtime team member Andrew Wolff the model slash actor; this year’s recruits include Jaime Urquijo Zobel, a new University of Notre Dame graduate headed for a Wall Street firm.
Meet the Philippine Men’s Rugby 15’s National Team now competing in the Asian 5 Nations Division 2 Championships in New Delhi, India.
Your first question is: We have a Philippine national rugby team? Your second question is: Where are the Filipinos?
Introducing the New, 100 Percent Filipino Heritage National Men’s Rugby Team, in Emotional Weather Report, today in the Star.
Yikes
Entry No. 3 in our Roger-Rafa playing outfit design competition almost makes me glad Roger won’t be in the final.
Designer: Alrey
Designer’s statement: “I was thinking along the lines of Russell Crowe in Gladiator/Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans. Ah, carnage! Gore! Battle to the death! And they wore skirts. Real men.”
Aiiiiieeeee! Rafa in a skirt.
Keep sending your designs to urban.matthias@gmail.com. You have until Saturday night. I can’t think of a prize so I’ll just take the winner to lunch.
RP rugby team crushes top-ranked Thais, rolls into Division 2 final!
PRFU file photo: The Philippine men’s rugby team
The Philippines has just beaten Thailand 53-33 in the semifinal of the Asian 5 Nations Division 2 Championships in New Delhi, India. Thailand was ranked number 1, while the Philippines, undefeated in Asian 5 Nations rugby, was ranked fourth. The Philippines goes to the final on Saturday against India, which beat China. (We’re having a finals party after all!)
PRFU file photo: Head Coach Expo Mejia and the Philippine players at the training camp in Sydney in April.
We’re still waiting for the match details, but according to our correspondent in Delhi the Thais scored first, then Filipinos took the lead 29-16 and never lost it.
If the Philippines beats India on Saturday, they take the Division 2 Championship and get promoted to Division 1.
The Philippine rugby team gets very little media coverage. If you have a blog or a Facebook page, please repost this report.
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Read the match report from the HSBC Asian 5 Nations site.
The match report from Head Coach Expo Mejia.
The lead changed several times in the first half with both teams scoring great tries and trading penalty goals. A converted try late in the half gave the Volcanoes some breathing space as they went into the break with a 29-16 lead.
The second half began with Thailand mounting sustained attacking pressure inside the Philippines’ half. Thailand’s star fullback Warangkorn Khamkoet surprisingly missed a drop goal and two penalty goal attempts which would have narrowed the gap considerably. Once the Volcanoes managed to secure possession they were able to convert pressure to points and seemed to be coasting with 15 minutes to go. However, the Thailand team were extremely dangerous out wide and they scored two quick tries to come within two converted tries of a victory. The Volcanoes held strong and finished with late try to secure the semi-final win and continue their undefeated charge through the Asian 5 Nations competition.
On an historic night, the Volcanoes fielded a team comprised entirely of Filipino-heritage players. With a view to the future, national coach Expo Mejia named 7 new players in the squad of 22. The forward pack included 5 debutants, Phil Abraham, Jaime Urquijo Zobel, Ronald Fong, Chris Hitch and Michael de Guzman, each of them having an outstanding game. Only 2 forwards retained their starting spot from last year, Austin Dacanay and Freddy Morris with Josh Sutcliffe returning after taking a year off.
The new look forward pack dominated the opposition from the start and provided a strong platform for the backs. Hooker Phil Abraham was named man of the match for his lineout throwing and strong ball carries making a number of decisive line breaks. Jaime Urquijo Zobel was not far behind with his dominant performance in the lineout and his mobility, strength, work rate and inspiration for the whole team. Chris Hitch was a constant threat at the breakdown. Michael de Guzman scored a great forwards try in the first half and also produced the hit of the night with a bone rattling tackle. The Volcanoes scrum won a number of tight heads, the lineout was dominant, the driving maul was a real weapon and they outmuscled the opposition at the breakdown.
In the backs, 17 year old Ben Saunders made his run-on debut playing at inside centre in the middle of his two brothers, Oliver and Matthew. The three Saunders brothers proved a handful for the crafty Thailand backs as they combined beautifully to score 4 tries. Oliver Saunders organised the team brilliantly from flyhalf and also landed 8 out of 9 from the boot. Another set of brothers, halfback Jake Letts and fullback Michael Letts, produced strong games. Captain Michael Letts kicked superbly from general play and also made a number of line breaks. Wingers Kenny Stern and Harry Morris did well to contain the threats out wide. Harry Morris produced a memorable try by bumping off two players in one hit and racing down the wing to eventually score under the posts.
With temperatures reaching 40 degrees and a heavy dusty atmosphere to go with it, the Volcanoes looked to their bench in the second half. Kit Guerra, brothers Rupert and Raf Zappia and Kenzo West all contributed well in the forward pack. In the backs, Cleo Gomez and Justin Coveney ran on for their first international cap whilst the versatile Gareth Holgate did a good job on the wing.
* * * * *
How often is basketball relegated to the postscript?
Rafe Bartholomew has written a book about Philippine basketball. From The Awl:
In Pacific Rims, Bartholomew not only follows the Alaska Aces—a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) franchise—for a season, but he also weaves in eclectic stories from a land abroad and a league with many seemingly capricious (and often-times sketchy) rules. The stories, often very funny, cover many topics, including his on-court temper tantrum, in which he drops his pants and leaves the floor after fouling out of a local tournament. Also midgets battling transsexuals in an ethically questionable bout and two appearances on Filipino television. . .
Articles of faith
At Faith+Reason, a group show at Manila Contemporary in Whitespace, Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati:
Vampire, in stainless steel, by Pintor Sirait.
The Kaya Ko Rin Yan (Pero Naisip Mo Ba?) [I Can Do That Too (But Did You Think It Up?)] item in the show: Phosphorescent Salvation by Gerry Tan. A bunch of plastic statues in a wooden crate.
Repulsive but/and fascinating: The mind is a terrible thing. . .by Leeroy New, who also made these.
Bastilles, crochet lace and epoxy, by Patricia Eustaquio.
Finally, under the stairs, Untitled by Mawen Ong (the lightbox on the right).
Nakakatawa na nakakaasar (Funny/annoying). I have a friend who would buy that.
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