If you think Hollywood is trashy, you are in good company. But sometimes, the schizophrenics in that side of the world can manage to hit it right. Remember the movie "The Terminal"? It's about this eastern european who was inadvertently stuck in a United States airport. Well, we have a our own version of Tom Hanks of "The Terminal" here in the Philippines. For about 5 months now, Ayi Nii Aryee, a national player (football, is there any other?) from Ghana, is in virtual limbo in the Clark Airport in Pampanga. How did it happen? Long story, but to make it brief, it is because he was denied entry enroute to Singapore, and was sent back to the Philippines. Upon his arrival at the former American air base, he was put in the "exclusion list" simply because Singapore and the Philippines are Asean co-member nations. He cannot go back to Singapore which he originally wanted, but cannot enter the Philippine territory as well. So Ayi is enjoying a pleasant five-month stopover in nowhere land, living among firefighters of the Clark fire brigade. What's his daily routine like? He runs about 5 kilometers every morning in the tarmac overlooking Mount Arayat, then practices his ball control with the Mizuno that the Union FC players left him the first time we went to see him. Unfortunately for Ayi, in a country of 80 million basketball fanatics, he can't play with the firemen who are just plain clueless about Joga Bonita. In fact, the first time we saw him he was playing footie with a basketball that his present Clark colleagues found for him. Cruel cruel world.... After a light lunch of rice and viand which is more often than not sardines, Ayi turns to reading a few books, then another run on the tarmac. On November 18, Ayi turned sweet 19 (he was playing in the under-19 nationals), and so we paid him a surprise visit and turned one paltry Saturday into a brazilian churrasco; of course, the day wouldn't be complete without a game of futkal, in the searing heat of the airport tarmac; a couple of cases of SML's, hamburgers and barbecued chicken completed the day. Ayi was all smiles after the party had ended. And thus once again, Union FC saves the day. Arriba Union!