The Visit

Quick update from the Bayot from Surigao... I'm doing this in an internet cafe. My PC decided to not work just when I have loads of updates. But that's all right; gives me reason to stop blabbering.

So yesterday my family went back to Las Islas Filipinas after staying here in Thailand for about a week. It was a frentic visit. I showed them around the usual tourist places in BKK as well as a train ride to Ayutthaya and an overnight trip to Koh Samet.

It was definitely fun being with them, and I could tell they also enjoyed their trip despite the rigid itinerary I imposed on them (buwahahahahaha). My mom enjoyed the klong (canal) tour. But in Ayutthaya, she finally said "Oh, that's look like what we saw earlier" when we reached our third temple. My brother and sister loved the beach of course. Unfortunately, I could not show them around the night spots in BKK as the curfew was still in effect when they were here.

One of the highlights of the trip was introducing Lara Stone to my mom, the first time I introduced a BF to her.

Sharing some photos below...

Bangkok, why?

No one expected the seemingly peaceful demonstrations the red shirts started about three months ago would conclude with the unconscionable deaths of dozens of people, appalling damage to property, and, worst of all, an undeniably torn Thailand, the ramifications of which are foreseen to last for many years to come.

With the magnitude of what transpired in the past few months, in its wake is a hysteria of finger-pointing among the red shirts, government, yellow shirts, military, media, and casual observers. I doubt if an explanation would satisfy any of these parties, much less if justice would be served or whether a reasonable compromise would be reached at all. As of now, there are no clear winners and losers.

Having observed the events in Thailand not just in the past few months but over the nearly three years of my time here, I could not make my self take sides. It would be far more convenient if I can, but my sentiments vacillate between the many factions of the many opposing sides.

Perhaps in the first place there is no need to choose whose purported truth I should believe in. Just like most cases, there are no black and white in such chaotic episodes.

I just, however, need to take this off my chest. After the despicable events in the recent days, one of the many things that annoyed me is the number of people who expressed (such as in Facebook and Twitter) their dismay over the burning of Central World and who have vilified the people who did it. Some have even said that those who died deserved it after what they have done to their favorite shopping mall.

I certainly do not condone the arsonists' acts; and specifically in the case of Central World, the people who burned the mall should answer to the law (together with those who committed illegal acts during the demonstrations, both on the sides of the reds and the government). Also, clearly many people, mostly minimum-wage earners who work directly or indirectly for the mall, lost their jobs, and that is surely one tragic consequence.

While there are only a number of people, mainly Bangkokians, mourning the demise of Central World (as in the mall as a building), I'm still totally dumbfounded and furious at their insensitivity. For crying out loud, it's just a bloody mall! Nobody deserved to die just because you cannot shop, for heaven's sake.

Why would anyone feel so strongly for a cause that he'd want to die for it? Surely it's not just because he was paid to leave his farm and family to sit under the summer sun in the middle of Bangkok for a measly amount of money? Think of the larger picture, people. Look deeper into what prompted these demonstrations to begin with.

There, I just needed to say that.

Meanwhile, let me share what happened to me when all hell broke lose in BKK since late last week. Well, there's nothing much to say except that I live in a safe area, a few kilometers away from the virtual war zone that was central Bangkok.

On the other hand, Lara Stone's apartment was right in the middle of the violent clashes between the protesters (or terrorists as the government have since labeled them) and the police and military. So he headed to my place last Friday and stayed with me for roughly six days.

During that time, we stayed within my area, while in the distance, visible from my building, tall plumes of smoke from smoldering tires (and eventually buildings such as Central World) painted the Bangkok skyline gray for days.

Work was canceled for the entire week (although for some reason our office decided to open starting last Wednesday, the height of the crackdown).

We monitored the situation mostly through the online newspapers and Twitter (the latter being somewhat up to date and misleading at the same time). We are very much awestruck and repulsed at how the violence just spiraled out of control and hoped it would end soon.

And then last Wednesday evening the government started imposing a curfew, initially at 8 pm to 6 am. That afternoon we dropped by the backpacker haven of Khao San Road and most of the shops in the area were shuttered. I have never seen the mostly rowdy area absolutely desolate. We rushed back home, the tuktuk driving through empty streets.

My family was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok yesterday evening for a few days' holiday but I had to request them to reschedule their trip to a few days later because curfew (now 9 pm to 5 am) was imposed for another three days. So much for my mom celebrating her birthday here. Sayang!

Life Begins Here?

In a few weeks I'm making that big leap to the big three-oh. I know I look like I'm 22, sometimes even 19, but there's no denying that I'm inevitably a victim of the passing of time. Not that I'm particularly terrorized by age. In fact since in my early twenties I've been wishing I'm thirty-something instead.

I started working when I was 21 and at that time my colleagues were mostly in their early to mid 30s. Mingling with these people, they caught my fancy right away.

I was struck by their aura of confidence and savoire-faire, versus my self-consciousness for instance. Many of them had a good career experience so they were always decisive at work and could face all kinds of people with ease.

I also found out that people in their thirties are more financially stable while at the same time they are not caught up in materialism, unlike people in their twenties who must have the latest cell phone and such unnecessary whims while earning entry-level salaries.

As I got closer to my colleagues, I was endlessly captured by the stories of their lives. I was a rapt listener to their anecdotes. Some had gone through failed relationships but emerged from these experiences stronger. Some were doting parents to their kids and could think beyond their limited self-interests.

I don't know, they seem to just live much fuller lives and are not drawn to the impulses and recklessness of the young.

And always they shared to me some lessons in life (perhaps some of them had to learn it the hard way). One office-mate said our twenties are some of the most crucial years in our lives because that's when we make key decisions - e.g. getting married, having kids, taking a particular career path, etc. - that affect how the rest of our lives go.

Another colleague said we should enjoy our twenties because it's that time of our lives when we're most physically beautiful and desirable, and when we reach our thirties everything just starts to sag. (OMG, I should've listened! I used to take for granted - even hate - my metabolism. Sigh.)

 

But I think the most important lesson I learned is: to go through our 20s with mindfulness. I was told it's easy to live life with abandon, which is a good approach to life to a certain extent. At the same time, however, we should be aware of the consequences of our actions and that decisions should be guided by our values.

In fact, our twenties is a time when we supposedly find out who we are, what we believe in, our convictions. Figuring those out is one of the foundations of facing life with confidence, I was told.

Eventually, many of these people became some of my SUPER close friends, with whom I still keep in touch until now. In fact for quite some time many of my friends were at least ten years older than me. I surely look up to them. I don't know, but I always find them more insightful and sure-footed than people my age, and these are the qualities that I like to have as well that's why I gravitated towards them.

My experience with my friends in their 30s somehow influenced me to attach "maturity", "stability", and "self-confidence" to a specific age range. I must've overlooked the fact that not everyone younger than thirty is immature and the other way around.

Well, obviously I romanticized thirty-something-hood (and beyond).

So I'm stepping into my thirties. This is it, life supposedly begins here. I'm excited to reach this threshold after waiting for it for so many years. But I guess I have to find out if being in my 30s is as good as I thought it would be. I have a decade to reach for an answer.

Another Reason to Move to Brazil

One of my favorite blogs for mancandy galore is Models by Dido, a photographer based in Brazil who shoots some of the hottest men (and there are many) that country can offer. While his photos are very homoerotic, there's always a touch of class and artistry to them... and of course his boys are consistently GORGEOUS!

Today I saw one of the most beautiful models featured on his blog. The model is Luiz Paolo. I'm sooooo dying to have his babies. My ovaries, oh my ovaries!!

 For the full posts, click here and here.

Must-watch: Thirst

There are definitely a lot of vampire movies around but I'm not exactly drawn to them all the time. I haven't seen Twilight. I liked Interview with a Vampire, but I was too young then when it was shown, I only remember Kirsten Dunst and her curls. The last vampire movie that really impressed me is Let the Right One In, which, unfortunately, I failed to write about in this blog.

I'm not going to pass again on reviewing a good vampire movie, that's why I'm telling you about Thirst (2009). The movie's directed by the very famous Korean director, Chan-wok Park, and won the Jury Prize in last year's Canne's film festival. I suppose because of that win, among other accolades, the film has been getting some good press and that's how I got intrigued by it.

Thirst tells the story of a vampire priest. If that's not intriguing enough, I don't know what else is. Add to that, he got involved in a passionate love affair with a married woman. Totally irreverent, is it not?

I love the moral dilemma of the priest, and the writers and director played it quite well during the first half of the movie, which I should say is the good half. Only, things got way too wacky in the second half, I was pretty much shaking my head on that part.

Despite ending with such a low note, I truly admire the camera-work and cinematography in this film. Also, the acting by the two leads, Kang-ho Song and Ok-bin Kim, especially on how they dealt with the transformation of their characters, keeps the movie engaging.

BTW, a Filipina actress, Mercedes Cabral (Kinatay, Serbis) has a small role in the film. But don't worry, at least she lived, unlike most of the other characters.

Check the trailer below.

Must-Watch: A Single Man

For months now I've been trying to find A Single Man (2009) on torrent but I was led to many false links over and over again. Finally I found one and just a few minutes ago I finished watching it and I thought I should blog about it right away.

Directed and financed by the designer Tom Ford, A Single Man is a mesmerizing look into the day of George, a gay man grieving the death of his lover of sixteen years. In that one particular day, he finds himself unable to find the motivation to live but a series of encounters and flashbacks brings him to question whether life is really worth ending.

Colin Firth was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of George, an award he deserved over that guy from Crazy Heart, I have to say. Juliane Moore, who plays his best friend, unfortunately, was missed a Best Supporting Actress nomination (I live for that day when Julian Moore wins a long-overdue Oscar).

Other than the these two actors, the most revealing performance came from Nicholas Hoult, who plays George's student at the university. The camera loves him, and over and over again I was drawn to his blue eyes as he (sort of) seduces George.

The other distraction - and an exquisite distraction it actually is - is the movie's cinematography. Every frame and shot was studied to achieve a perfect picture (think influences of In the Mood for Love). The movie plays with color saturation to highlight a moment's mood (although, in hindsight these "highlights" were pretty unnecessary).

The clothes are to die for of course! That sweater Nicholas Hoult wears throughout the movie is di-fucking-vine and the suits are impeccable.

With my long wait to watch this movie, however, I realized that despite it's many strengths I mentioned (which make the movie already worth-watching), there's a glossy veneer to it that fails to bring out a more fulfilling narrative. I don't know, I feel that it lacks sensitivity to its characters, making the experience of watching the movie somewhat lacking.

BTW, Spanish supermodel Jon Kortajarena (and a favorite of Tom Ford) and Brazilian model Aline Weber appear in the movie. Love that fashion moment there!

Time for Change

Vote wisely, Philippines.

Harsh Reminder

I just finished chatting with my friend who lives in Pattaya. He and I are not are particularly close, but we have kept in touch through the years. A couple of weeks back I learned he's moving back to his home country after living in Thailand for nearly three years now. He mentioned he does not have a particular reason for going home, it's just that he's looking for a sense of the familiar after having been abroad for around ten years (he used to live in Spain).

Through the years, I have many friends in Thailand who have since left. These are some of those instances when I'm reminded that my stay here in Thailand has an expiration date too. I dread thinking about the transitory nature of our lives here, but this is a reality I continue to confront.

I once remarked to a friend that I'd probably go insane if I leave BKK now, having sort of found a comfort zone here after about three years. I'm just not ready to go anywhere else. Bangkok is my home, at least for now. Well, especially now that there's more at stake for me in this city.

Look who's talking...

In the photos below, the multi-colored group holds a "demonstration against a demonstration" versus the red shirts. The photos are very telling of Thailand's social and political problems.

Photo credit: Cyrille Andres

A Day Trip to Hua Hin

Because of the ongoing tension in Bangkok, now more than ever we badly want to get out of this mad city. It does not help of course that the malls have been shut down, the bars and clubs have stopped playing music, and there's a real danger of some random grenade attack while you're on the Skytrain. How do you spell haggard?

So last weekend, Miss Bubbles, Binibining Liwayway, and I went to the resort town of Hua Hin. We initially thought it would only take us a couple of hours on the road to reach our destination, but the train ride actually reached four hours... on a non-air conditioned carriage at that. It was hot all right, but it was a good opportunity to sit back and update each other of the latest news on politics in Bangkok.

We reached Hua Hin at about two o'clock. Hua Hin is a popular weekend destination for Bangkokians. It's definitely not as crazy as Pattaya but not as laid back as Koh Samet either. Hua Hin has its fair share towering resorts, and many old rich families in Bangkok own a weekend house there.Think the Hamptons, dahling... not that I've been there... hahahaha.

The first time I went to Hua Hin about a year ago I had the impression the seaside town had a prevailing geriatric feel, mostly Westerners who have turned orange and leathery after spending too much sun time. It seemed then that it is basically like one humongous retirement city. But since we arrived in the afternoon last Sunday, the old folks were probably still taking their siesta.

Instead, the beach was filled with Thai families sitting on lounges underneath umbrellas. The northern end of the beach was pretty crowded because the next day was a holiday. The water had receded when we dropped by the beach, so there was hardly anyone swimming, instead the people camwhored on the rocks by the water's edge.

From a distance, we were fascinated by the huge kites hovering above the water. I don't know how to call this sport, but it's something like water skiing, only it is a kite that pulls the person on the other end. Kite sailing perhaps? You tell me! But damn, it looks appealing ha and it's definitely on my list of future things to do.

We covered about three kilometers of shoreline until the sun set. It was a relaxing walk along the breezy shore that took us about five hours. Exactly how a laid back weekend should be spent.

Face Off

I was walking down Silom a few weeks back when this poster stopped me in my tracks.

It's some advertisement for an English language school in Bangkok, which the city has quite a number of. There's definitely a big market for English training in Thailand, I suppose because it's a skill that can boost peoples' careers, especially if they want to work in multi-national corporations here.

The tag line of the print ad says "you can do it" and at the bottom of the panel says "bring out the English speaker in you" (or something to that effect). Well, the message is clear that the school markets itself as a place that can pretty much train you to speak like a native English speaker.

 

The ad is definitely visually catchy, but I think it's catchy for the wrong reasons (at least from my perspective).

I hope the photos are clear, but what we see in the ad is a (presumably Thai) woman and man unzipping themselves to bring out blond hair, blue eyes, and much-fairer skin. What the photos tell is that not only can the school help you speak better English (say like a native speaker), but it will figuratively turn you into a farang (the term for Westerner in Thai). 

There are many implicit messages in these photos. The people who conceptualized the ad might not have realized the images' deeper implications. The ad might have instead said outright: "bring out the farang in you!", or "come to our school and you will act like a farang in no time!", or "there's a farang inside you and it's just waiting to come out!".

The ad also suggests (most likely unintentionally) a categorization of languages (and the respective identities attached to them) into a hierarchy, with one being desirable than the other, hence, the inferior language has to be replaced with a much superior one. To learn a language and eventually to talk like a native speaker (if that ever is the ultimate goal) is tantamount to rejecting your identity and assuming a new one. Obviously, the transition from Thai to farang runs deeper than the skin or appearance.

In societies that are more sensitive to race, perhaps people would immediately express their disapproval of a similar ad because of its racial undertones. Somewhere else, this ad would not last a day in the street!

But perhaps because Thailand does not have a history of Western colonization, they don't have hang-ups on racial and colonized-colonizer relations. Instead, the image is just seen at face value here.

Coming from a country that experienced nearly four hundred years of oppressive Western colonization, I have a very different take on these ads, which I expressed above. In the Philippines, any instance of pandering to Western standards is still scoffed at as "colonial mentality", and perhaps that mentality is still prevalent but is not expressed openly for its attached stigma.
Recently, a humongous billboard of Adolf Hitler's photo, with a caption that says "Hitler is not dead" (or something to that effect), was erected in the highway to Pattaya (see article here) to announce the opening of Louis Tussaud's Waxworks in Pattaya. The German Ambassador to Thailand reportedly commented that the billboard was tasteless and the Israeli Ambassador found it unacceptable. The manager of the museum replied that the billboard did not intend to offend anyone.

There was likewise a similar incident involving Vogue Paris showing model Lara Stone in blackface in a fashion editorial shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Carine Roitfeld. For the French readers, the photographs were purely artistic, whereas many Americans were aghast at the supposed blatant racism of the images.Take note of the difference in historical experiences between France and the US.

As with the example of the English language school in Bangkok, the images were originally conceptualized without the motive of offending anyone, other than they want to present something eye-catching or perhaps artistic. On the other hand, images are always subjectively interpreted in dozens of ways by different people.

Because the English language school is marketed to Thais, their advertisements should be viewed from Thai eyes as well. But still, I cannot help cringing at sight of these images.