Of Bowling and 9 Kilo Balls

As this will be my last entry in this blog, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to make it a little personal.

Tonight, I went bowling in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in Cainta, Rizal. The fee was 80 Php per head for one game, plus 20 Php for shoe rental.

Even though it was something I really wanted to try, I was skeptical because even though it looked easy, I knew it was anything but. I thought that because it was my first time playing, it would be enough of an excuse to play poorly. But the competitive atmosphere in the bowling alley caught up with us and before long, we were bowling like we’ve been doing it all our lives.

Of course, there were those times when the ball just couldn’t resist veering towards the gutter, but it was a good first game for us.

It was intimidating being surrounded by pros who held 15-kilo balls while ours were only 9 kilos. But we didn’t care. We were too busy laughing at ourselves to notice, and needless to say, we had the time of our lives.

And, did I forget to say that it’s a very good sport?

A Cultural Awakening on the Horizon?

The Philippines seems to be getting back to its roots.

Declared by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its Culture Capital this 2010 to 2011, the country will be hosting the 4th ASEAN Festival of Arts (AFA) which aims to highlight the creativity of ASEAN nations and promote exchange of ideas among the best artists from ASEAN countries.

Themed The Best of the ASEAN: From Ancestral Roots to New Artistic Routes of Expression Mobilizing Cultural Diversity for the UN MDGs, the festival will showcase the best works in the chosen field of arts by ASEAN members.

In this modern day and age, culture and arts are slowly becoming extinct. With the advent of technology upon us, people are turning to computers and gadgets for entertainment rather than foster and enrich cultural traditions.

Being chosen as the Cultural Capital of ASEAN, the country must continue if not put more effort into promoting its identity and amazing cultural diversity. The Philippines is never lacking when it comes to rich tradition, culture and talent, another reason to be proud of who we are.

Unfortunately, we being a developing country, one might argue that there are far more important tasks at hand. That’s why culture is not given much attention as industrialization, perhaps.

With the opening of the 4th ASEAN Festival of Arts is the hope that the country will finally realize the importance of revitalizing and strengthening our culture, a gift for future generations to come.