Sunday, February 07, 2010

Pointless Sunday Post...



I like Sundays.
In fact, i have reason to believe that most people in general like Sundays.
"...[on Sundays] Everything seems to stand still, like they did in every one of those Sundays you spent as a child…"
Way, way back... And i mean waaaaaay back... one of the things that marked Sundays was tuning in to the Mellow Touch (at frequency 94.7 DWLL, FM) and catching pretty much the same bunch of songs that one heard the weekend before that, and the weekend before that, and so on... This usually comprised of love songs and soft-rock country songs like those by Michael Johnson, Jim Croce, Neil Young, to name the merest tip of the iceberg... this was all topped off by the weekend station ID, which was comprised of a voice-over by the then sole speaking DJ of the Mellow Touch, some guy named Ernie Fresnido, over the instrumental theme song of “The Young and the Restless,” more properly referred to as “Nadia’s Theme.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzGe5IDOF1E

nope… no voice-over on that link up there… but for those who know what I’m talking about, then I’m sure the tune will bring back memories…

Weekends in Metro Manila are particularly drifty for me… As weekdays get more and more stressful and the rat-race just keeps getting tighter and faster in the city, a mall-less Sunday seems to provide a bit of a time-rewinding respite. Everything seems to stand still, like they did in every one of those Sundays you spent as a child… And the only thing you want to notice is how there seems to be a couple of extra lines on yours and your spouse’s face while you smile at each other, while driving through the loose traffic of Roxas Boulevard…

To top off the memory stroll, we had lunch along J.Nakpil Street, at the recently-relocated Korean Village in Malate and I noticed a sticker of the long-defunct Far East Bank on the door of Casa Armas right across the Korean resto… Some of you may remember Far East Bank's famous battle cry "Yes, we can!" As many know, Far East Bank was bought by Ayala's BPI arm... But if you're a lucky BPI customer, maybe you will find yourself being served by former Far East people, who have retained the friendly "yes, we can" culture of their former company. Ask around, try and compare... There's a reason why Far East Bank became one of the biggest banks of its time.

Yes, I know… aren’t there enough Koreans all over the place? Why patronize a Korean establishment? But for those who know, Korean Village is for many people their first taste of Korean food, and ManileƱos respect many of the first Korean settlers in the country. We just wish they can help control many of their unruly countrymen from the recent influx…

‘catch you later…