7:20 pm
With clockwork precision, I made my way from Avenida to Quiapo amidst the teeming mass of humanity rushing to get home. I dodged beggars, swerved vendors selling pirated Dibidis and overtaken pious souls slowly marching towards the Basilica. It was a rush hour, and despite the human bottleneck at the heart of Carriedo, I put up a struggle just to get home before the opening ceremony begins.
With clockwork precision, I made my way from Avenida to Quiapo amidst the teeming mass of humanity rushing to get home. I dodged beggars, swerved vendors selling pirated Dibidis and overtaken pious souls slowly marching towards the Basilica. It was a rush hour, and despite the human bottleneck at the heart of Carriedo, I put up a struggle just to get home before the opening ceremony begins.
The ceremony was spectacular and surprisingly devoid of politics. It showcased the Chinese culture, who invented fireworks, paper and bureaucracy. There were references to Confucius, the Tang Dynasty and the preservation of the environment for the children. Despite my initial judgment that the Athens Games had a stronger impact, the world had already made its verdict: The Beijing Olympic Games is the best show ever. The efforts of thousands to put up a well coordinated presentation had paid off. The Chinese nation must surely be proud of this moment.
What is sad however is that they allowed a single media company have a monopoly over the coverage of the games. I was extremely pissed off when I could not watch it live on CNN or BBC and had to rely on Solar Sports to see it last night. Since the coverage was monopolized, Solar Sports had to pay huge sums of money to have it aired in the country. In return, the local media had to overload it with so many commercials that I saw more product endorsements than delegates marching and waving proudly during the Parade of Nations.
In fact, the Philippine Delegation, where Manny Pacquiao was chosen to be the flag bearer only appeared for ten seconds. Had a spectator been channel surfing during commercial breaks, he would have miss the moment completely.
Despite the setbacks, it was fantastic to see how the Chinese told their story. The light and visual effects were enchanting and the focus on children and cultural diversity was something I never expected from the Chinese. It is arguable to say that everything was done to show a different face to the world knowing that their government has pending human rights violations. But late last night, amidst the song, dance and fireworks that lit the skies of Beijing,
It felt like the world was at peace.
And united by a single event that will go down in history as the best games ever.
In fact, the Philippine Delegation, where Manny Pacquiao was chosen to be the flag bearer only appeared for ten seconds. Had a spectator been channel surfing during commercial breaks, he would have miss the moment completely.
Despite the setbacks, it was fantastic to see how the Chinese told their story. The light and visual effects were enchanting and the focus on children and cultural diversity was something I never expected from the Chinese. It is arguable to say that everything was done to show a different face to the world knowing that their government has pending human rights violations. But late last night, amidst the song, dance and fireworks that lit the skies of Beijing,It felt like the world was at peace.
And united by a single event that will go down in history as the best games ever.
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Photocredits:
AFP
PDI
Reuters
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