Wednesday, July 11, 2007

ON STAYING YOUNG

"Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes,
music, plants, hobbies, sports, whatever." -- George Carlin

* * *

TANDUAY FIRE STATION, Quiapo

Camera: NIKON D80
Aperture: F3.8
Shutter: 10/10000 sec
Focal Length: 39mm
ISO: 400
Flash: No

.

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:29 AM

37 Comments:

houseband00 said...: For me, Eric, it's Bach in the morning. =); July 11, 2007 7:17 AM
Anonymous said...: parang malaking Wii na naglalaro ng tennis... hehehe; July 11, 2007 7:38 AM
cacofonix said...: It's humor and laughter pour moi Senor Enrique...:). Lots of medical benefits, including boosting the immune function. Laughter keeps the wrinkles away too - by exercising the facial muscles! Libre pa! :).; July 11, 2007 7:59 AM
Gita Asuncion said...: are they playing pelota? :-); July 11, 2007 8:31 AM
NOYPETES said...: Handball, paboritong laro ng mga bombero sa Maynila. Most of the fire stations in Manila have a wall for playing handball. Eric, do you still see kids and adults alike playing Jai-Alai on concrete walls with the gallon plastic container for motor oil or coolant (nowadays)cut in half vertically for their pelota and tennis balls? What about PALMO, the coin toss on the wall similar to the "Diyolens" rule?; July 11, 2007 9:39 AM
Señor Enrique said...: That's most certainly a lovely way to start one's morning, hb00. Also, good for D to be exposed to classical music :); July 11, 2007 10:33 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Speaking of which, Rhodyl ... when I had no one to play tennis with, I'd spend at least an hour hitting a tennis ball against a similar wall with my racquet.; July 11, 2007 10:35 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Humor and laughter, Cacofonix, is among those on this list of tips for staying young and enjoying a full life. I am one of those who always enjoy a hearty laugh.; July 11, 2007 10:38 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Handball, Gita.

But much to my surpise, they were using a small paddle; unlike those in New York which is only their bare hands.

But there is also paddle ball, much like a ping pong racquet but the rubber ball used is somewhat larger.; July 11, 2007 10:40 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Same in New York, Pete, but with their bare hands. Here they use a flat disc to hit the ball with.

No, I don't see any kids playing jai-alai in and around Manila anymore. Come to think of it, remember the wall at the entrance of the North Cemetery back then? That was where we used to practice jai-alai with our real cestas, but we used a bald tennis ball injected with some sort of crepe soul for weight.

There was also a side of a building inside the UST campus whre we used to play jai-alai with a friar using a real jai-alai ball.

Haven't seen a game of Palmo, but will certainly ask around.; July 11, 2007 10:44 AM
Anonymous said...: I surround myself in those music that I like every morning and it will make my day.

;); July 11, 2007 1:05 PM
carlotta1924 said...: wow sa tanduay fire station? nakapasok na ba kayo dun?; July 11, 2007 1:07 PM
Señor Enrique said...: What a wonderful way to start the morning, Kyels! Just like hb00 with his bach :) Good for you.

Although I get the paper in the morning, I don't read it until after lunch. Bad news I don't want to indulge into during the mornings ... hehehe.; July 11, 2007 7:21 PM
Señor Enrique said...: I've only passed by it, Carla, but always admired they way they have maintained it through the years. It's my favorite fire station in the whole of Manila :); July 11, 2007 7:23 PM
Amadeo said...: Palmo, now that's a real blast from the past.

This was a very simple marbles game. By bouncing marbles thru a wall, get it as close as possible to the other marbles. Distance measured by a little short stick. A marble that gets the distance covered by the little stick wins.

Tried with no luck to find out about its origins. The word itself is a measure of distance.; July 11, 2007 11:04 PM
NOYPETES said...: Wow! You used to play Jai-Alai at the entrance wall of the N.Cemetery? Spent many Saturday mornings there too! We used to play at the Central Seminary at UST with Fr. Molina, our choirmaster and his seminarian crew. My favorite cesta was a hand me down from the Famous Taft. Avenue pelotari, Inaki that a friend passed on to me. I used to love shaking a "golf ball" in that cesta, ala the pros before the lob on the concrete wall and the sound of the catch was always music to the ear too!..."El fallo del juez es enafilable" ...what was the term used again for the roll around on the ground after the catch from the back wall? was it rebote?; July 11, 2007 11:41 PM
Anonymous said...: nice quote...; July 12, 2007 1:11 AM
carlotta1924 said...: same here! although it's the only fire station i pass through when going to manila. =) san juan's fire station isn't as old as tanduay's.; July 12, 2007 5:07 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Thank you, Amadeo, but I don't think I ever played this game when I was a kid. Jolens, yes, but Palmo, no :(

But let me ask around if kids still play this game.; July 12, 2007 6:49 AM
Señor Enrique said...: I never got to execute rebote complete with a body roll on the ground, Pete.

A golf ball comes closest to the real ball used in the fronton, but it's much too small and dangerous, lalo na pag nagkakainitan na ang laro.

I favored the hand-me-down cesta from Jorge. My cousin even shipped me one when I moved to NYC, but never got a chance to use it because I had no one to play with. That raquet ball court with its three sides at the YMCA and a tennis ball would have been fine though.

Yes, I even made it as an amateur player, the congressman of Manila's 2nd district, Joaquin Roces, got me in with just a little note to Jai-Alai's management. Rumor soon spread about me as a Roces boy, and before I knew it, I was receiving favors and tips from "friends" of suspended players ... hahaha! I made out quite all right :)

My cousin stayed on when I left for NYC. He was about to turn pro, but he opted to move to Canada instead.

For the life of me, I don't remember where in the UST campus we played this game on Sunday mornings.; July 12, 2007 6:58 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Isn't it, Wencel? This is why I chose to post it along with this picture I took in Quiapo of firemen engaged in some handball game.; July 12, 2007 6:59 AM
Señor Enrique said...: I've never seen the San Juan fire station, Carla. Is it as well maintained as Tanduay's?

Would be interesting to take pictures of our local fire stations and some of their antique trucks if any are still on display.; July 12, 2007 7:00 AM
carlotta1924 said...: i'm not exactly sure coz i rarely pass that area tho i'm from san juan, it's out of the way. but it looks fine from the outside last time i saw it. =); July 12, 2007 7:33 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Oh, I see. Thanks, Carla!; July 12, 2007 8:54 AM
joe said...: Pelota... used to see those Recoletos Priests in Baguio work on their cestas Eric. For us we used it as a backboard for learning tennis then. Had fond memories of the Manila Jai-alai Fronton. Llaves and smoke filled place. Noypetes, i still remember this quote from my late father. Except that it meant that the referee's decision was final and unappealable in sabong hehehe!; July 12, 2007 11:54 AM
Señor Enrique said...: Wow! That's cool Joe.

The only Spanish phrases I learned in the fronton were ... oh, well ... mostly curses, hurled at the players who blatantly dropped the ball without any discretion of any sort ... grrrr ... hehehe!

By the way, I heard July 15 is the anniversary when they started demolishing the Art Deco Jai-Alai Fronton on Taft Avenue. Now, it's a vacant lot with huge steel columns jutting from out of the ground.; July 12, 2007 12:29 PM
Aura said...: Ol� SE
I like that quote..its what i always try to do, suround myself with everything that i enjoy & care about.Its the best thing we can do for ourselves.Life is so short , we must make the most of it! One thing I miss most from where i am now..fun & laughter with friends & family back home!Dito sa Europe , parang wala yan sa vocabulary nila although sometimes hubby & I can have laughs too.
By the way, are�nt they playing "squash" ? It is similar to tennis but without net just a board..you can play alone or with someone.
Regards!; July 12, 2007 7:01 PM
Señor Enrique said...: Nothing beats the oft told stories amongst friends and family back home, Aura :)

Hmmm...surprising to learn how serious the Europeans seem to take themselves :)

There is a number of games played on a wall as pictured; this one is handball.; July 12, 2007 7:58 PM
reyd said...: Mucho saludos from a fellow Jai-alai addict. I never had a chance to play inside the Manila fronton. Being left handed, I just don't have the right moves. We used to hangout on the tambayan owned by the Cuevas family.
Pelota, handball, tennis are really nice sports, they would really keep in shape the person playing them, except for Danilo, Aguiling and Alcain(maskulado, pero lampa). :)
If not for the gimik boys, Jai-alai would still be the premiere sport of the Philippines.
So, when I got assigned in Florida, I went immediately to their Jai-alai games and bet some Filipino players, yun ang sabi ng isang amuyong na katabi ko, kaso parating talo, ma single o duplas, I ask, wala bang ala Oya dito, Chasio o Ibar?, sabi ni mokong, "sino yun?", so I stayed with horseracing. Hahahaha! those horses would not drop a single ball. (balls?) ouch!; July 13, 2007 11:46 AM
Señor Enrique said...: I've also gone to one fronton in Florida; near Ft. Lauderdale, Reyd!
I was astounded that by law they have to wear protective gear unlike here in Pinas.

Cuevas! Yes! I now remember him. Another cousin used only the old cestas by this player. As you know, the pros either sell their old cestas or give them to amateurs.

There was also Arnaldo (rumored to be from the Madrigal clan) and another older Filipino (Still can't remember his name) player during my time.

For the Basque, there was Redondo. Was there a Riondo, too? Darn, I wish they have archives available of Jai-Alai's local history.

The pro players were both cursed and hailed, but for the most part, like Spain's matadors, treated like rock stars :)

Oh, what fun times!; July 14, 2007 7:38 AM
Anonymous said...: brings back old memories--i used to regularly watch jai alai at the sky room (is my memory correct?) with my husband, and we enjoyed every moment of it.; July 15, 2007 1:57 AM
-= dave =- said...: Another way to stay young is to surround yourself with young people. Actually, I've read in an article that having friends that are younger and older than yourself is key to longetivity; because, these friends of yours help keep your current circumstances in perspective.; July 15, 2007 2:05 AM
Señor Enrique said...: My fondest memory of the Sky Room, Dine, was the amateur Christmas party in which my cousin and I, as well as three others in our table, won the raffle! The others started hollering, "Daya! Daya! Daya!" Hehehe.; July 15, 2007 6:25 AM
Señor Enrique said...: I agree, Dave. In such manner does one gain a better understanding of the world around him.

My young nephews and their friends are often fascinated of my true interest in general issues concerning our youth. On the other hand, I love listening to stories told by much older relatives and their friends.; July 15, 2007 6:29 AM
Anonymous said...: saan kaya banda yung tanduay fire station sa quiapo? what time do they usually play?

by the way, meron pa ba naglalaro ng jai alai sa metro manila?; July 16, 2007 10:48 PM
Señor Enrique said...: Tandua Fire Station is adjacent to National Teacher's College in Quiapo, Estan. I happened to have past by and took this shot early Sunday morning.

I haven't seen anyone playing jai-alai anymore :(; July 17, 2007 6:09 AM
Poopai said...: Hi. Do u guys know the Cuevas? Chito cuevas is my father. Does anyone of u know him personally?; December 23, 2009 3:35 AM

Wish you were here

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

ON STAYING YOUNG

37 Comments:

About Me

Archives

Recent Posts

Links