Immortalized

Larger Than Life

 

Why he’s in the list:

He’s our national hero!

He’s multi-talented: eye doctor, linguist, author, artist… he can do it all!

What they say:

I wonder what more Dr. Jose Rizal could have done if the Internet had existed during his time?

A photo of a photo of Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma

Nice to know:

The first Pinay…

• to top the Philippine Bar Examinations in 1935
• prosecutor
• judge in the Court of First Instance
• justice of the Supreme Court
• president of the Philippine Constitutional Commission

Whew! Several firsts!

I wonder why everyone's smiling

Hala, nakakunot na ang noo...

Nice to know:

Bata means “kid” or “young”. He certainly isn’t a kid anymore, but why is he called Bata anyway? Legend has it that there was an older (with all due respect) Efren who also played pool. To eliminate confusion when both Efrens are in the same area, people refer to him as “Efren Bata”. I’m not sure if the other Efren was called “Efren Tanda“. Probably not.

Foreign pro pool players call him “The Magician” because of his mystical powers and his magic wand.

What they say:

Other than Bata’s knack for nailing unbelievable shots, what really impresses me is his incredible humility.

An Immortalized Leon Maria Guerrero

Nice to know:

Leon Maria Guerrero y Leogardo was the very first licensed Pinoy pharmacist.

Information about Leon Maria Guerrero, as noted by the National Historical Institute

April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002

He was named National Artist for Music because of his contributions… count them, more than 4,000 songs!

Guinness Book of World Records recognized him as the only leaf-player in the world. Er, that sounded strange. It means that he was the only person who could play music using a leaf. You know, those green things from plants.

He was buried with full military honors at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Rightfully so.

What they say:

Levi Celerio was famous for his unusual leaf music, but I didn’t know that he wrote the immortal classics like Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, Ang Pipit, and a whole bunch of other songs that even our great grandchildren will still be singing.

All eyes on the flying cue ball - well-timed photo by Cescil Castaneda

Nice to know:

Francisco “Django” Bustamante started playing billiards when he was 10. He owns one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) break shots in the world.

“Sa wakas nakumpleto na din ang pagiging bilyarista natin. Lahat kasi, ito ang pangarap, maging WPA World 9-ball champion,” the Tarlac City native said after winning the 2010 World 9-Ball Pool championship. – from mb.com.ph

What others are saying:

I’ve been trying to mimic Django’s signature behind-the-back shot but I only end up embarrassing myself. He makes it look so easy,  so I’ll just leave it to the pro. – Alvin

Answering questions after a film viewing session...

Nice to know:

Anita a multi-awarded actress who has been at it since the 1940s. Talk about longevity!

Why she’s in the list:

She always arrives at the set without her script because she takes the effort to memorize her lines way ahead of time. - Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr., film director

Photo by Luis Cruz of www.lightchasersphotography.com

Why she’s in the list:

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Musical: Tony Award, Laurence Olivier Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award

I saw the multi-awarded international singer Lea Salonga in person last March of 2008, wherein she agreed to sing a couple of songs to benefit an organization that helps victims of sexual abuse. An amazing performance was expected, and that was exactly what she delivered. She had an aura of elegance and invincibility. But what completely blew me away was her humility despite her superstardom. – Alvin