Uly Dolojol of Oops Bar is Remembered Today

REMEMBERING ULY

It has been a year since Uly Dolojol of  legendary Oops Bar in Alona Beach, Tawala, Panglao, Bohol  passed away

For ten years and with Uly at the helm, Oops Bar stood tall as the hottest and the most hip among the rows and rows of nightspots in the six kilometer stretch of white sand collectively known as Alona Beach.

It was the place to see and be seen.

Celebrities from Manila and Boholano newsmakers as well trooped to his annual celebrations  

THE LIFE OF THE PARTY

Everybody looked forward to his fabulous and spectacular theme parties and was known for his flamboyant ways, colorful personality and outlandish visions

It was a shock then to everyone when news of his untimely demise broke out.

Uly who was larger than life and who lived with passion in his veins and with music in his heart simply couldn't be gone  

A PRAYER FOR ULY

Today on his first death anniversary, I am going to dedicate this post to Ulysses Dolojol, event planner extraordinaire, with some photos that will forever capture those magical moments in Oops Bar

Let us mourn not but instead celebrate the life of an iconic Panglao Island denizen who at one point brought some excitement into our drab existence and put a smile on our faces

Thank you for the gift of friendship Uly. You certainly are one of the best reasons why people keep coming back to Alona Beach, Bohol

His partner Martin said it all with a poignant "Uly, you were one in a billion"  

The lights may have gone out and the music may have been silenced from one of the best- known landmarks in Alona Beach but the memories will forever linger

You are sorely missed Uly

Goodbye My Friend

I have been in a state of catatonia since I received the devastating news yesterday morning that a good friend of mine has just passed away

I am grieving and I am so saddened by his untimely demise. Mind you, it's not pro forma grief but real pain and anguish

Early last year, just before the 10th year bash of his swinging Oops! Bar which is ideally located right smack in the middle of the entire Alona Beach stretch, we had a falling out. It was a simple, petty misunderstanding that soon blew out of proportion. Add some intrigues here and bloated egos there and it was a point of no return. Some well- meaning friends tried to step in and intervene but these were simply exercises in futility

Crossing paths in a very small community where everybody knows everybody became an acid test for civility. Exchanging dagger looks and giving each other the cold shoulder treatment became a common occurrence that it soon bordered on the comical. But what's funny about losing a friend? The wedges between us became so deep that it became clear to those in the know that it was impossible for us to become friends again. 

I thought I had moved on. I thought I had everything covered. I was coasting along with my second lease on life when the call came yesterday morning

Right now, I am so distraught and my heart bleeds for dear Uly with whom I shared a lot of personal and private triumphs, the small intoxicating doses of hedonism and his constant advice on how to live a worry- free life. He is gone now and I really regret that I wasn't able to say sorry and for not telling him how wonderful he was as a friend

DURING HAPPIER TIMES. Hosting the special events in Uly's place was something that I always looked forward to like his Puey Quinones Fashion Show in 2009 

Alona Beach in Panglao Island, Bohol would never be the same again. Long before event planning was in vogue in Bohol, Uly was already the master planner. He was a wiz when it came to events and especially when it has something to do with creating noise and making waves. 

The signature pose, his boisterous laughter and his witty punchlines ...all these would be memories from now on. 

I'm sure right now as I am blogging this very minute that Uly is up there and peering down from where he is ensconced, he is asking "My oh my, what's the big fuss dahleeng?" 

Uly, sleep tight now. 

Goodbye, my friend...