The Fab & The Furious

Furious writes…
Opening ceremony

8:00PM on 8-8-2008. Last Friday’s Opening Ceremony was one of the moments in this world when superlatives had no shot. Brilliant. Amazing. Jaw-dropping. Fantastic. Take your pick.

The first moments of the ceremony were signaled by the amazing rhythmic rumble of 2,008 percussion drums that produced a pulse-pounding start. The drums also turned into a giant set of cascading lights, shuffled from one end of the bird’s nest to the other, as a roaring crowd climbed to its feet. There was something primal yet elegant and powerful about the drums at the start.

The sheer number of human beings incorporated into the ceremony was staggering. The government put the tally at more than 10,000, and it didn’t appear to be an exaggeration.

But the array of costumes and props was like nothing an Olympics has ever seen. The sets produced were unending, from a titanic scroll to an undulating stadium floor that produced Chinese symbols to a planet that rose from beneath the stadium deck – the sets took you through a 5,000-year time capsule of China’s history. And the costume designs (there were over 15,000 costumes used) were flawless, vivid and colorful, whether it was the thousands of ancient robes or space-age suits that contained countless flickering bulbs.

The lighting of the torch really grabbed me. Beijing set a mind-bending standard that defied belief. I bet that nobody in the building could have guessed what ultimately happened! Let’s all enjoy and watch 2 weeks worth of the Games and hope that the Philippines will take home a medal! Mabuhay!

Tags: 08-08-08, 2008 Beijing Olympics, China, Chinese history, costume, fireworks, Games, mascot, Olympiad, Olympics, scroll, Sports, stadium, XXIX