Saranggola

2008-11-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

'Have been traveling... We left 03Sep08 for Paris to attend the 15th Dieppe International Kite Festival (6-14Sep).

Dieppe is still as glorious as ever. Nice kite people, good organization, good food, amazing kites...
'Had the chance to meet an old friend- Michael Steltzer of Berlin, and he was organizing the Potsdam International Kite Festival (19-21Sep). So who's gonna miss this chance? Not us!

It was another week of the good life... German beers, sausages, tours, etc. But it was too good to last. We left Berlin 24Sep.

Like clockwork, the Amihan wind season arrived early October, and we just had enough time to prepare for the 3rd Shenzen International Kite Festival (6-11Nov). We did appear in an early morning TV show at ABS-CBN which featured traditional Filipino kites.

Shenzen has grown since we were there a year ago. Chinese tea, Tsingtao beer, roast pigeon, dimsum, noodles, Chinese chicken, steamed fish, oysters, Chinese vegetables, pork dumplings, and more food than we can take in one sitting.

But then, there was also more than enough wind which broke strong lines, fiberglass and carbon spars. Several kites were blown out to sea. Peter Lynn's giant shark and fish kites broke lines dove into the sea, but were fortunately retrieved at the cost of several hundred yuans paid out to the boatmen. Sami Sayegh of Lebanon lost his giant snake kite. The Korean team lost more than a hundred kites when their long kite train snapped its line in a sudden strong gust. My medium size crown snapped it's line twice and a strong gust bent-open the metal clamp.

18Nov, I'm flying to Singapore to meet with Peter Lynn, Scott Skinner and Ali Fujino of the Drachen Foundation, Hj Hussin Haron of the Malaysian Kite Council, a group from the Jakarta Kitefliers Association and the Singapore Kite Association.

We are dividing the ''loot" which Peter Lynn gave the ASEAN Kite Council (AKC) as donation. It's a container-load of excess kite materials from Holland. 700 rolls of rip-stop fabric, a ton of carbon fiber tubes, 10,000 pieces of 10mm fiberglass tubes, kite buggies and parts, kiteboarding equipments, rolls and rolls of dyneema lines, more, more, more.

2008-05-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

OOOPS! I checked the YouTube vid I posted earlier, and it says that the URL malfunctioned. What to do? On top of that is a blank search box. Put in Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival 2008 and several YouTube selections will appear. Click /watch the one posted by Virtual Malaysia. It's a cool video. Check me out somewhere in 1:22 (orange shirt) and 3:37 flying a PeterLynn kite. Buddy L. is in 3:13 jacking off his kite, hahaha.

2008-05-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

WOW! Look at that, my last post was in October 07. I must have been pretty busy. Oh yes, Jan 08 was so hectic that I declined the Gujarat International Kite Festival invitation (Jan12-16). Then the bad news about my 82 year-old Dad (Pepe) being rushed to the ICU due to multiple organ malfunction. I had to rush back to Davao to check on his health condition.

Thank God, he slowly recovered after several dialysis and blood transfusion procedures. He's still in his sick bed, but at least out of the hospital. He manages to take several steps at a time, but moves around in his wheel-chair. I hope he recovers fully so we can fly kites together and sing "Saranggola ni Pepe".

During that time, I have to fly back and forth from Manila to Davao since the organizer's meetings for the 12th Phil. Internationa Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) are ongoing. Then the big PIHABF event (7-10Feb).

PIHABF 08 done! Fly to Singapore a week after that with Buddy L. to attend the 13th Pasir Gudang International Kite festival in Johor , Malaysia. Check us out in action, watch- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr

March 14-18, Me and Lauro De Guzman flew to Guam for the 4th Kites for Wishes event of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Great hotel, great food, great flying field!

April 18, I flew to Xiamen, then Wenshou to Qingdao. I attended the 2nd Congress of the International Kite Federation (IKF). I was appointed IKF Official for Marketing and Promotions, a special Sub-Committee. April 19-23 was the 25th Weifang International Kite Festival, which unfortunately was rained out. But, we were there in the cold rain, still flying kites. I guess our strenght and determination came from the Tsingtao Beer we were drinking all the time. Fabulous event!

Now there! That covers up for the several months I was out. I'm posting some photos of these past events (hopefully).

2007-10-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

KAP with Shenzen Lady Stunt Kiteflyers (and man, they can fly). Eat your hearts out!

The 2nd Shenzen International Kite Festival (25-30 Oct 2007) was great. Lots of food, Tsingtao beer and potent "China water".

2007-09-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

The "Habagat" wind (southwest moonsoon) is still on, dumping rains and brewing typhoon in the Pacific area. Not much kite action except the "Power Kite Boys" making use of the erratic southwesterly wind at the Mall of Asia open field.

I did not attend the Jakarta International Kitefest in July, but I did manage to participate in the August 2007 Bali International Kite Festival. Awesome experience!

Five days after that, I was in Kuala Lumpur to catch an Airasia flight that will take me to Bintulu, Sarawak. If you're not familiar with that far-flung name, perhaps Borneo will be more familiar. Now you will picture dense tropical forest, hornbills, snakes, longhouses and headhunters. Yes, the Iban tribe of Borneo were once headhunters. Now, we're teaching them how to make and fly kites!

October is not far away, and soon the "Amihan" wind (northeasterly moonsoon) will blow away the storm winds. But then before that, I will be in Shenzen, China to attend the 2nd Shenzen International Kite Festival (24-30Oct07).

2007-05-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

I missed Weifang and Qingdao this year (Tsingtao Beer too!). Houlgate in Normandie, France sent in their invitation for the official signing of AKC-FFVL Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). I didn't go too.

The reason? I need to oversee two local events. The 1st Papagayo Festival in Batangas City went on smoothly. More plans for next year's event. The KAP also signed a 3-year contract with Yoshinoya (a popular Japanese restaurant) for an annual kite project. Cultural exchange!

It's May and the rainy days have arrived. The first typhoon of the season just skirted Philippine area of responsibility. A Huey chopper crashed in Cebu killing 9 people. They blamed it on kites! Tragic and bad news for kite people.

Let's pack our bags and travel to other far-away kite paradise. Invitations came from:

Jakarta International Kite Festival Jul 20-24
Bali International Kite Festival Aug 9-12
Borneo International Kite Festival Aug 22-26
Taipeh International Kite Festival Sep 28-30

Best winds!

2007-02-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

2006 was a busy year!
Pasir Gudang, Weifang, Bali, Brunei, Borneo, Dieppe and Siem Reap, Cambodia in December. All these travels for the love of kites.
Oh yes! Let us mark May10, 2006 as an important date. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Standing Committee approved my application for affiliation of the ASEAN Kite Council (AKC) as the 55th and newest Civil Society Organization (CSO) recognized by the ASEAN. The Secretary General himself sent me the approval letter. All these for the love of kites.

2007 will surely be a busier year.
I have to decline the Gujarat International Kite Festival invitation due to more pressing commitments in the Philippines. We have also formally launched the AKC in Pasir Gudang in February with the Sultan of Johor himself launching the AKC kite.

Coinciding with that launching is the 11th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clarkfield, Pampanga. I have to leave the running of the kite events to my loyal KAP officers. Thanks guys!

Three days after arriving from Johor, I have to fly to Guam with 4 KAP members to attend the 3rd Annual Kitefest of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Another feather to our cap, I beat the Japs in a kite fighting demo! It was actually a staged kite duel using the Filipino "spiked gurion".
Of course, the mostly Filipino crowd cheered.

Local kite events now block most of our week-end calendar. This will go on till around May. I hope the rains don't come early this year.

2006-11-17T06:01:00.000-08:00

Dieppe was fabulous!

2006-07-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

Yes! It is the "Habagat"(southwest monsoon) wind season. Rain and typhoon season. Bad news for kite flyers. Another bad news is... WE LOST THE FORT! Buildings, buildings and more buildings. Sign of progress?

For almost a decade, The FORT became our "official" kite flying site and "outdoor clubhouse". Let us thank the Fort Bonifacio Development Authority for allowing us to use the wide open field. Thanks to everyone who made use of their time to fly kites and shared the sky with us.

We have an alternative flying area though. Follow EDSA straight up to the south-end (Pasay).
There you will find Bay Boulevard (beyond Roxas Blvd.) and the Mall of Asia (SM). Just beyond the Mall, beside the sea wall is the Esplanade. It is a brick-layered baywalk area, stretching from the Mall area to about a kilometer farther. Good wind, good flying area, BUT! --- within the aerodrome and flightpath of aircraft landing or taking-off from the nearby airport. It will mean kite flying altitude limitation to only 200 feet! Well, better than nothing.

More foreign trips:
Tanah Lot International Kite Festival - Bali, Indonesia ...... 11-15 Aug 2006
Dieppe International Kite Festival - Dieppe, France ...... 8-17 September 2006
Cambodia International Kite Festival - Siem Reap, Cambodia ...... 4-9 December 2006

Have invitation, will travel. Way to go!

2006-05-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

'Just arrived from the Qingdao International Kite Festival in China. This event was just right after the 23rd Weifang International Kite Festival. FOOD BINGE! Chinese buffet and 15-course lauriat meals served daily (together with all the Tsingtao Beer you can drink). I must have gained several pounds.

At the International Kite Federation (IKF) Convention in Weifang, several resolutions were passed which included using kites to herald the 2008 Beijing Olympics and extend the international kite trade.

I don't think I will go to the 18th Uchinada World Kite Festival in Japan. I've been travelling almost every month since the year started. Good thing the Papagaio Kite Festival (29Apr) in Batangas was moved to November 06, but the Subic Base Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Fun Flying Fest took over the schedule. It was a successful event and we look forward to similar events in the future.

2006-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Looks like a busy year for us:

12-15 Jan 06 Gujarat International Kite Festival Ahmedabad, India
28 Jan 06 Sta . Rosa Parish Fiesta/Kite Event Sta. Rosa, Laguna
04 Feb 06 Ateneo Grade III Kite Flying Day Ateneo Field, Q.C.
09-12 Feb 06 10th Phil. Int'l. Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Clarkfield, Pampanga
15-21 Feb 06 Pasir Gudang Int'l. Kite Festival Johor Bahru, Malaysia
19-23 Apr 06 Weifang Int'l. Kite Festival Weifang, China
29 Apr 06 Papagaio Kite Festival Lipa, Batangas
01-06 May 06 18th Uchinada World Kite Festival Uchinada, Japan

These are only the confirmed events. More sked are coming in as the Amihan wind season and Summer '06 heats up.

2005-12-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

The northeast moonsoon (Amihan wind season) is back. It's kite season again. Time to unpack my kite bag and hang 'em all high (I mean my kites).If you are not familiar with the wind season, let's start with some translation. "Amihan" is the Tagalog/Filipino term for the northeast moonsoon (steady wind coming from that direction). "Habagat" is the southwest moonsoon (erratic & gusty wind from that direction).The Amihan wind arrives sometime in October and lasts until around May. The Habagat wind season takes over bringing with it the moonsoon rains and tropical typhoons. This season lasts till September or even early October.This makes the two season climate of the Philippines. The "dry season"with the prevailing Amihan wind and the "wet season" with the howling Habagat winds.

KAP Profile

2005-10-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Kite Association of the Philippines (KAP) is a non-profit, non-governmental, socio-cultural organization founded by an avid group of kite enthusiasts in the early 1990's. It's main aim and purpose is to revive, develop and promote the age-old Asian tradition of kite making and kite flying, both in the modern and traditional aspects.

The KAP attends local and foreign kite activities and represents the country in international kite competitions where it has reaped honors and recognition from world-renowned kite experts and foreign associations. Part of its policy is to conduct and coordinate the relevant aspects of organizing local, regional, national and international events. As a result, the KAP has not only gained the ability to organize kite activities on the domestic level, but the authority and capability to coordinate with foreign kite authorities from all over the world.

In June of 1993, the KAP was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under SEC Reg.No. AN093-02829. It coordinates and works with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Air Transportation Office (ATO), Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The KAP maintains special projects for Local Government Units (LGUs), Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as well as educational and charitable institutions. Some of the special beneficiaries are:

- AIDS Society of the Philippines
- Haribon Foundation
- Kythe Foundation
- Philippine National Red Cross

For inquiries, comments or suggestions, please contact us:

KITE ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (KAP)
120 Kamias Road, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. # (632) 723 5060
Fax # (632) 927 9113
Email: kiteasia@yahoo.com

2005-10-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is the first post of this new blog site.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!