From 'The Waterfront' to (Lucky) Chinatown
As I was searching for a title for today’s column, I wryly observed that the title could well mean a Kunte Kinte Roots-type odyssey of self-discovery for my half-baked Chinese heritage. After all, in another century, the trek from the waterfront to Binondo could have traced the very footsteps my great-grandfather Guillermo took upon landing in Manila. But fast-forwarding to the present day, and the title in fact refers to two opportunities I recently had, to witness firsthand how today’s generation of young Chinese-Filipino are masterfully handling the legacy their fathers began, and have now seen fit to thrust into their capable hands.
I was recently in Cebu, my late mother’s hometown, for the formal unveiling of the spanking, new lobby of the Waterfront Hotel. I’m friends with Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, and while I had expected to see him there, I was introduced to his younger brother Weslie and his charming wife, Tiffany. Weslie handles the hotels and resorts division of the family business, and that entails the Manila Pavilion in Manila, two Waterfront establishments in Cebu/Mactan, one in Davao, plus a smaller, boutique hotel type of establishment in Manila, the G Hotel. What they’ve done with the Waterfront Cebu lobby is quite impressive. What was stately, formal but somewhat outdated, has now been given a fresh, more modern and airy look. Predominantly white, there’s a brighter atmosphere that now prevails as you enter the lobby. And from what I gleaned from Shiela Selga, who handles corporate communications for Weslie’s division, this pretty much reflects the kind of comfortable, easy kind of relationship Weslie creates within his division –– a stern eye on the job at hand, but making everyone feel like they’re family.
Back in Manila, I was lucky enough to grace the opening of Megaworld’s Lucky Chinatown Mall. I met Kevin Tan years ago when he was given the reins of Eastwood Mall by his father, Andrew Tan; and it’s always a pleasure to spend time with Kevin. With Lucky Chinatown, the conglomerate was going against conventional wisdom that dictated Binondo is the home of wholesale, and that putting up a mall devoted to retail was bound to sink. Well, reports can’t paint a rosy enough picture of what has been happening since the mall opened its doors. The eating establishments are doing two, three turnovers per table. Retail is so healthy, SSI began with its Designers Boulevard concept, but will soon open an official Lacoste store. One knew that money did reside in Chinatown, so while the bargain, wholesale centers continue to thrive, Lucky Chinatown Mall’s runaway success proves there’s more than one way to drive spending within the locale. That the fabled eateries along the estero and side streets of Chinatown now have a more comfortable, easy- to-park location, can’t hurt for those who live far from the vicinity, and would plan those “food trips!”
It’s a welcome sight to see how the young generation has readily assumed the mantle of leadership and management within divisions of what their father has set up. And before we cast a cynical eye, and say it is there for their taking, let’s remember that it’s also just as easy to squander, be irresponsible, or play “fat cat” with that kind of advantage. While the true test may come in the years, even decades, to come, one has to be encouraged by what we see today. Well worth the visits, the refurbished Waterfront in Cebu, and the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Manila share imposing physical presence – but they also stand as testimonial to how the next generation has “come to the plate.”
The Commonwealth (reading) games
The three novels today are by authors who share a common lineage of hailing from Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Boyd is English, while Welsh (ironically) is Scottish. As for Peter Carey, he’s proud of his Australian roots. Together, they represent a breed of writers I’ve avidly followed for decades, eager to snatch up their every output.
Waiting for Sunrise – William Boyd (available through Amazon UK) Set in 1913, this latest from Boyd is a successful blend of the advent of psychiatry and wartime intelligence. When the novel opens, we meet Lysander, an Englishman who has travelled to Vienna, seeking help for his sexual problem – he can’t reach orgasm. There he meets the married Hettie, and after a tumultuous affair, he is charged with rape, and discovers she is with child. He escapes Austria with the help of shady Embassy personnel. Payback comes a few months later, when he’s recruited to go “behind the lines,” and discover who is receiving classified information from London. Suspicion and betrayal fly fast and thick in this story.
The Chemistry of Tears – Peter Carey (available through Amazon UK) Set in London, in the world of academia, this new novel of Carey is a drastic departure from his most recent works. Catherine Gehrig is a horologist/conservator at the Swinburne Museum. A fellow scientist at the museum, the married Matthew, passes away, and she’s completely unhinged, because their affair was a secret one. Reconstructing an automaton that dates back to the 1850’s is her “passport” back to life. As commissioned in Germany by Englishman Henry Brandling for his consumptive son, the novel’s double helix narrative consists of Brandling’s letters, and Gehrig’s bout with despair amidst her work. Meeting the teenage children of the dear departed Matthew, her interaction with her new assistant and her immediate boss are just some of the incidents making up the second narrative. A deep, intense novel about the frailty of human encounters, coping with grief and the world of science.
Skagboys – Irvine Welsh (available at National Book Store) An educated guess would be that for a good number of people aware of novelist Irvine Welsh, said exposure would be via the film based on his novel Trainspotting. A searing indictment of modern society and how it drives the dispossessed and marginal to heroin, the novel (and film) was a rude awakening to what today’s angst and alienation can look like. Skagboys is a prequel to that. With a multiple cast of characters, we’re brought back to the era when Thatcher ruled, and beneath the iron-fist rule and economic gain, there was a lot to be disgruntled and depressed about. Written in the Scottish vernacular, this may make for slow reading. The elements of anger, frustration, dark humor and anguish are once again on brilliant display. Plus, you will encounter character we had taken to heart, laughed with, or empathized with.
