Digging into anything and everything that makes the CNMI tick beyond politics...

Friday, July 30, 2010

An afternoon at a ‘resort away from the resort’

YOU haven’t seen it all on Saipan if you haven’t been to the eastern part of the Laolao Bay Golf & Resort in Kagman.
Dubbed as a “Resort away from the resort,” the Laolao Bay Golf Resort is indeed a paradise even for non-golfers.
As you turn off the main road in Kagman and enter the gates, you will start to feel being relaxed as you drive along wide, paved roads under the shade of tall trees.
Laolao Bay Golf & Resort’s assistant food and beverage manager Ren Sapkota took me up to the sixth floor of the newly-finished resort with its fresh and brightly-colored doors and emerged into the balcony from one of the suite rooms. The spectacular view from the top can make anyone breathless.
From the resort, we drove around the range in a golf cart, following arrows on the road until we reached the eastern coast.
The eastern course is more of the touristy side. For the daring, leaning against the railing at the edge of the cliffs with the view of the endless ocean stretched out before you is one of the most exhilarating feelings you can ever experience, with the wind blowing your hair and attempting to carry you off and the gigantic waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the rocky cliff lines a long way below.
The eastern views provides breathtaking views of stunning seascapes—the paved roads with its unique twists and turns, well-manicured lawns and golf courses, gentle swells and slopes—all of which add to spell a tropical island beauty. The stronger winds prove additional challenge to golfers in the eastern coast.
The western course is more of the classically designed inland golf course which provides a golfer a panoramic view of the Kagman Valley with Mt. Tapochao as the backdrop.
Ren and I ended our ride at the Tea House, an ideal rendezvous perched atop a cliff and nestled amidst lush foliage. It serves as a quick stopover for golfers who want to grab a drink or a quick snack.
The cool and comfortable ambiance of the Tea House, with its glass windows provide guests a full view of the ocean and the golfers nearby.
We were served shaved ice topped with tropical fruits, a very cool and refreshing respite from the heat outside.
If you need to get away from it all, you can find solace at the tropical beauty of this Resort away from the resort.
For inquiries, visit www.laolaobay.com, call 256-888, or fax number 256-8000.

Friday, July 23, 2010

La Fiesta Mall The glory that was

IN broad daylight, the ruins of what was once a flourishing mall teeming with life and activity looks like what it exactly is—sprawling dilapidated buildings, but cloaked under heavy darkness, the view changes. The crumbling buildings take on a sinister form and everything about the place feels creepy.
It was getting dark and I and a buddy were at the parking lot of the former glorious La Fiesta Mall in Marpi. Sitting under the old, ominous-looking tower with the huge clock up above, I could not stop the goose bumps as the silence engulfed the whole place.
I’d been at the La Fiesta mall several times in the past with companions, picking our way among the ruins, through the debris-filled hallways, peeking through the rooms and shouting “hello” into the vast emptiness. As always, our voices ricocheted through the walls.
I had seen the place come to life with gun shots echoing through the hallways when the Department of Public Safety used the place as a training area for shooting.
I’ve heard hundreds of stories about the glory days of La Fiesta Mall before the bustling mall finally closed its doors.
Now, no traces of the once-largest shopping and entertainment center on Saipan remained except for these forsaken buildings with its peeling paint, shards of broken glass from the shattered windows and dangling plywood from the cracked ceilings. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these buildings that had been mute witnesses to events of the past.
Somehow, in the deepening darkness and deafening silence, it was hard to imagine that just a few years back the place bustled and throbbed with life.
The three sections– Fiesta I, II, and III which used to house shops, fast food restaurants, designer boutiques, movie theaters and a concert hall where performers belt out live musical renditions every night have become a thing of the glorious past.
We didn’t dare wander thought the empty halls in the darkness albeit the temptation to do so was strong. I didn’t exactly relish the thought of being caught by authorities and mistaken as burglars.
We left the ruins with a heavy heart, feeling sorry for the days-gone-by when La Fiesta stood in all its glory, a past that I was not even a part of.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Up close with a sand sculpture

SCOOPING water from a bucket with his hands, he allowed the salty droplets to trickle through his fingers to wet the mound of sand he shoveled to his workplace in the beach.
Unmindful of the sweltering heat of the noonday sun, the world ceased to exist for Australian photographer turned world-champion sand sculptor Dennis Massoud as he focused all his attention to the sand for the next 10 minutes, patting, scrubbing and brushing, trimming and blowing until very soon, the form of a young dolphin became recognizable.
Known as the “Sandman”, Massoud lived practically all his life near the beach.
From a matter of minutes to several days or weeks, Massoud can form simple to the most intricate designs of castles, animals, humans, mermaids and anything else.
“I think I have already sand-sculpted everything I can imagine, but I cannot stop,” he said.
Massoud recalls that his most fulfilling work was when he worked with a group of other world champions to create a huge sculpture in Luliang, China using the natural multi-colored sand.
“That sculpture has generated over $180 million a year for the producer from the millions of people who visited the sand forest,” Massoud said.
He has been invited to do sand sculpture in several parts of the world for both private and government agencies. He is also available for corporate team building workshops or sculpting workshops, for themed sculptures such as Christmas, weddings, and more.
“I’ve been everywhere around the world doing sand sculpture and the sand is my life,” Massoud said.
“If you won’t be allowed to touch or work with sand again, what would you do for the rest of your life?”
For several long seconds, Australia’s famous sand sculptor Dennis Massoud stared blankly at this reporter, clearly caught off guard by the question as he grasped for an answer.
“I would probably spend the rest of my life looking for sand and working with sand again,” Massoud finally answered in a faltering voice.
For one who has spent most of his life on the beach and the past 15 years playing with sand as his source livelihood, that would be equivalent to taking away the meaning of life.
“In every man or woman, there is a child who wants to come out to create sandcastles and play in the sand,” Massoud said.
The Sandman has been on Saipan last and stayed for a few days for the Sandcastles for Wishes 2010 building competition at the Hyatt Beach Park on July 10 where he created a mermaid hugging a little girl that were washed ashore.
To see more of Massoud’s works, visit www.sandinyoureyes.com.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Up close with a sand sculptor

SCOOPING water from a bucket with his hands, he allowed the salty droplets to trickle through his fingers to wet the mound of sand he shoveled to his workplace on the beach.

Unmindful of the sweltering heat of the noonday sun, the world ceased to exist for Australian photographer turned world-champion sand sculptor Dennis Massoud as he focused his attention on the sand for the next 10 minutes, patting, scrubbing and brushing, trimming and blowing until very soon, the form of a young dolphin became recognizable.

Known as the “Sandman,” Massoud lived practically all his life near the beach.

From a matter of minutes to several days or weeks, Massoud can form simple to the most intricate designs of castles, animals, humans, mermaids and anything else.

“I think I have already sand-sculpted everything I can imagine, but I cannot stop,” he said.

Massoud recalls that his most fulfilling work was when he worked with a group of other world champions to create a huge sculpture in Luliang, China using natural multi-colored sand.

“That sculpture has generated over $180 million a year for the producer from the millions of people who visited the sand forest,” Massoud said.

He has been invited to do sand sculpture in several parts of the world for private and government agencies. He is also available for corporate team building workshops or sculpting workshops, for themed sculptures such as Christmas, weddings, and more.

“I’ve been everywhere around the world doing sand sculpture and sand is my life,” Massoud said.

If you won’t be allowed to touch or work with sand again, what would you do for the rest of your life?

Massoud stared blankly at this reporter, clearly caught off guard by the question.

“I would probably spend the rest of my life looking for sand and working with sand again,” Massoud finally answered.

He believes that “in every man or woman, there is a child who wants to come out to create sandcastles and play in the sand.”

The Sandman stayed for a few days on Saipan for the Sandcastles for Wishes 2010 building competition at the Hyatt Beach Park on July 10 where he created a mermaid hugging a little girl.

To see more of Massoud’s works, visit www.sandinyoureyes.com.
(This article was first published HERE)

Friday, July 9, 2010

Looking for America on Saipan

THE spotlight is focused on a bar known as the Statue of Liberty on the dot of an island called Saipan, a melting pot of people with various nationalities.

The Statue of Liberty (which is the former Hamilton’s Bar in Gualo Rai) is the regular meeting place of people with different backgrounds brought together by a common goal. They are all looking for “America” on Saipan.

The Statue of Liberty bar is a mute witness to these people’s quest for fulfillment.

“The State of Liberty: Looking for America” is a film shot entirely on Saipan in 2005 by Dan Shor, an award-winning television/film actor, director, writer and teacher at Northern Marianas College who used to live on Saipan, and Ben Salas, a Hawaii-born actor and producer whose family moved to the island in 1985.

They envisioned their film as Saipan’s gift to the world of entertainment.

The characters are Japanese, Chinese, Chamorro, Carolinian, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Russian, and statesiders.

The film’s five interconnected story lines take the viewer to all the scenic spots and captures the beauty and local color of the island.

The story is centered on a Chinese woman searching for her half-brother named America.

Starring in the film are Saipan residents, some of whom have already left the island, including Elena Alexandrova, Tony Angelo, Heather Calderwood, Joseph Calimlim, Myla Capilitan, Li Ying Guo, Sean Maycock, Tanya Oscar Nobuko, Kyoko Reber, Ben Salas, Angel Santos, Dan Shor, Raby Syed, Joe Taijeron, Jason Tarkong, Jing Yang and Bo Zancanella.

A copy of the DVD is available as part of the Passion Profit Company’s SaipanLiving series for $19.95. Buy your DVD at http://www.amazon.com/Looking-America-Saipan-Story-Shor/dp/B003KK5ARK.

(Article first published HERE)

Looking for America: A Saipan story

THE spotlight is focused on a bar called Statue of Liberty on the dot of an island called Saipan, a melting pot of people with various nationalities in the Pacific Ocean.
The Statue of Liberty (which is the former Hamilton’s Bar in Gualo Rai) is the regular meeting place of people with different backgrounds but brought together by a common goal of They are all looking for ‘America’ on Saipan.
The Statue of Liberty bar is a mute witness to the quest for fulfillment to their different aspirations, dreams and goals.
“The State of Liberty: Looking for America” is a film shot entirely on Saipan in 2005 by Dan Shor, an award-winning television/film actor, director, writer and teacher at the Northern Marianas College who used to live on Saipan, and Ben Salas, a Hawaii-born actor and producer whose family moved to Saipan in 1985.
When the two met, a creation was born –The State of Liberty: Looking for America, which the two envisioned as Saipan’s gift to the world of entertainment.
The lead characters in the story – a mix of Japanese, Chinese, Chamorro, Carolinian, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Russian, and Americans represents the different people who share the pursuit of life together.
The five interconnected story lines in “The State of Liberty: Looking for America” takes the viewer to all the scenic spots and captures the beauty and local color of the island.
The story is centered on a Chinese woman who is searching for her half-brother named America.
Starring in the film are Saipan’s international residents, some of whom have already left the island) including Elena Alexandrova, Tony Angelo, Heather Calderwood, Joseph Calimlim, Myla Capilitan, Li Ying Guo, Sean Maycock, Tanya Oscar Nobuko, Kyoko Reber, Ben Salas, Angel Santos, Dan Shor, Raby Syed, Joe Taijeron, Jason Tarkong, Jing Yang, Bo Zancanella, and other people in the CNMI.
“The State of Liberty: Looking for America” has been reissued so grab the chance to see your friends bring the true color of Saipan to life.
A copy of the DVD is available as part of the Passion Profit Company’s SaipanLiving series for $19.95. Buy your DVD copy at http://www.amazon.com/Looking-America-Saipan-Story-Shor/dp/B003KK5ARK.