Fall on Your Knees

La Donita, as in Fuchsiaboy ITSELF, was here in BKK for his semi-annual pilgrimage to the cathedrals of consumerism in Bangkok.

He again paid tribute to the patron saints of fashion and design such as Balenciaga, Marni, Marc Jacobs, Maison Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons, Dries Van Noten, etc.

He also walked on his knees all over the hallowed grounds of Chatuchak weekend market, and kissed the rings of the ecclesiastical who's who of Thailand, e.g. Playhound, Tipayaphongpoosanaphong, Wonder Anatomie, WWA, and The Alchemist, among many other members of the clergy.

Standing firmly beside La Donita in this religious journey is the equally pious Bo Parcon ITSELF. Who is Bo Parcon, you might ask? Well dahling, Bo Parcon IS Bo Parcon! And Senorita Bo found an instant BFF in no other than Breathless Bubbles.

Toxicdiscoboy and Betty... you were missed. *Sabay raise ng left eyebrow.* Charot!!!

Imagine Peace

I made a trip to one of my favorite buildings in BKK, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Let me remind you first how it looks like inside. The lines and light of the building are truly elegant, and the space never fails to inspire me even if I've been there so many times.

On my visit last weekend, one of the floors had an exhibit of students' works.

Another section had a show titled "Be Skeptical." Quite a good number of quirky multi-media pieces in this floor. Here are some of the works that struck me.

The main exhibit is called "Imagine Peace: Contemporary Art in Thailand in an Age of Disorder," which is organized by the Ministry of Culture "to heal the emotional emotional wounds of the people and to recover Thailand's public image" as well as "(to) encourage artists to create art works to express their desire for peace in Thai society." Hmmm...

Check out this piece by renowned artist Louise Bourgeouis, which is part of this exhibit.

Also there are two pieces by one of Thailand's premiere artists and architects, Sumet Jumsai.

 More beautiful artworks below...

Maggie's Back!

Well, well, well... look who is in town?

Yes, it's my sister from my Chinese mother... Maggie Cheung. She lived in BKK for six months last year for an internship at my office. During that time she and I were hanging out together like crazy. It helps of course that she is into shopping and partying too!

It has been a year since she went back home but we had kept in touch through these months. Maggie is nearly finished with university and is trying to embark on a career in her native Macau.

Despite her busy schedule, she took the time for a holiday in BKK. She came with her BF, Kenneth. We had the chance to catch up last Tuesday at an Indian restaurant.

Right now, Maggie Cheung and Kenneth are enjoying the sea and sand of Koh Samet.

It's definitely wonderful to see again an amazing friend.

Weekend Report: Useless Tofu Adobo

Some good-old weekend report...

I had the temerity to cook adobo for Lara Stone last Saturday. We met at the supermarket in Silom and we got some tofu in lieu of chicken or pork because Lara is a vegetarian. I could have ran to the nearby Filipino store for Silver Swan soy sauce but we did not have time for it.

Instead I used some Thailand-made soy sauce, which was too light for my taste. I ended up pouring a whole bottle of soy sauce into the pan of diced tofu. Of course we know how salty that would get. I poured out some of the soy sauce from the pan and added loads of sugar, which helped little in the salty situation I was caught up in.

But that was not the only cooking emergency that evening. The red rice we were cooking in the rice cooker had too much water, it was nearly porridge-like. I had to scoop out some of the water while it was boiling.

I don't know why I braved cooking for him that evening when I know very well that I'm not exactly a kitchen diva. I don't even like food, period. I tried to be the hero of course by refusing Lara's offer to help in the kitchen (what does he know about Filipino food, aber?). Instead, I left him on the couch watching a football game between The Netherlands and Japan. The result of the match surely made Lara happy.

Back to dinner. I served the dinner with trepidation and I even warned Lara that it was not how I wanted the adobo to taste like. But Lara was kind enough to eat the adobo tofu. He said in fact that it wasn't as bad as I proclaimed it was. And we all know he was just being polite.

I swear the tofu was uber salty. I even ended up dousing it with copious amounts of vinegar, which all the more made the adobo taste despicable. The rice was good though and we ate most of it and left the salty adobo alone.

Time to say goodbye to my dream of becoming a housewife.

The evening progressed to us watching 500 Days of Summer. It was a choice between Cinema Paradiso and the romantic comedy. Obviously we chose the right film. Hahaha.

I always wake up an hour or two earlier than Lara. Yesterday I took that time to read the first chapter of Miguel Syjuco's Ilustrado, which my sister gave me for my birthday.

When Lara woke up we had breakfast, after which he started massive cleaning of his apartment while I sat on the floor sorting out DVDs. The cleaning took the most part of the morning and we eventually treated ourselves to some laps in the pool at about noontime. I'm proud to report that I've significantly improved my freestyle. London 2012 here I come!

We took a ride to Little India in the afternoon to get some fabrics to drape his couch with. We decided to use three colors of fabric to give the living room a much-needed burst of color. I've never done fabric shopping before and it was quite a delight to rummage through rolls and rolls of dusty cotton.

Lara, I discovered does not like purple. I don't get it; tell me what's wrong with purple, aber?

4th of July (Fireworks)

Kelis is not selling Milkshake this time, but damn, she's back and is bringing lots of fireworks with her. While I watched with mouth open the video of her other recent single Acapella (see video here), I was more entranced with the styling and clothes than the song itself.

In this new video, on the other hand, I'm not exactly a big fan of the styling. The clothes look a bit too 70s to be taken seriously in an age of music videos in which clothes matter as much as the song. Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga lead the pack.

So Kelis has some catching up to do, or at least her stylists do. There's a certain way to make a round girl like Kelis look more divine than what she's made to wear in 4th of July (Fireworks). She looks like she was made to wear the gowns from last months' Santacruzan in Barrio Anahaw. Besides, the choreography is just completely lifeless! Someone needs to be taught to dance by dragqueens, hon.

But please press play, don't mind the video, and just listen to the song.

I soooo cannot wait to dance to this!

Shelf Life: The History of the Burgis

I meant to write this entry in time for the 112th Independence Day of Las Islas Filipinas last June 12, but I was caught up in a few things, so I'm making this pahabol entry.

Still it disturbs me that we mark our independence day on the declaration of the first Philippine republic in 1898 when in fact we were sold for a measly 20 million dollars by the Spanish to Uncle Sam, marking the start of fifty years of American colonization until it was formally granted to us in 1945.

Coincidentally, a few weeks before Independence Day, I stumbled upon a book called The History of the Burgis by Maril N. Francisco and Fe Maria Arriola (GCF Books, 1987). Burgis is the Filipino term for bourgeois and was for time used as a pejorative to describe the snootiness and crassness of the rich, nouveau riche, and even the middle class.

According to the authors, burgis as a label is both an economic condition and sensibility. A burgis lifestyle for instance can mean having disposable income for trips abroad or also a Westernized mindset that separates the burgis from the masa (masses).

The book's introduction mentioned that "[t]o understand the role of the burgis in our society, we need to take a good look at our history," after all, the burgis played a major role in the many upheavals in Philippine history. Our national hero, Jose Rizal, was clearly burgis as a member of the ilustrado class (the so-called "enlightened ones" who were educated in Europe). All of the Filipino presidents were burgis. And of course, the People Power movement that toppled Marcos was largely a middle-class revolution.

The History of the Burgis thus traces the evolution of the burgis: how they came about, their many incarnations, and their very profound impact on Philippine society (either as collaborators of the colonial governments or as instigators of change). The book has comics-style illustrations, deftly playing on the events and people that mark history, making it fun and easy to read (it's far from a hard-core history book).

What struck me most about the book is that while it was published in 1987 (fresh on the heels of the People Power revolution), and with the nearly quarter of a century since then, it is still undoubtedly relevant today. The oligarchs still rule Philippine politics and rob our country's coffers. Economic power still rests on the hands of the few. And most of the rich people continue to act blindly in the midst of glaring poverty in the cities and elsewhere.

The authors best say it: "Burgis is being removed from the realities of a developing country. It is being trapped in a First World consciousness while living in the Third World. It is ignorance and disinterest in how a nation's bounty can be shared by all of its citizens" (p. 14).

 

The Philippines remains essentially feudal and paternalistic and the sad thing about it is such system seems to persist and will continue to persist in the many generations to come. I honestly do not see our country changing for the better soon. Well, that's what a corrupt system breeds: cynicism.

While seriously treading dangerous waters here, it has crossed my mind why the Philippines is not going the direction Thailand's rural class just recently took. In fact, the income gap in the Philippines is much, much, much wider than Thailand. And maybe I can also safely imagine that corruption is way much worse in the Philippines, no?

 

I wonder if the Filipinos' relative freedom to express their political views help quell such a "revolution". In fact criticizing the government, "the system", and "the culture" has become a national past-time. Perhaps while corruption, injustice, and poverty prevail back home, we can always give a dirty finger to the bitch in Malacanang, hence, still tempering our discontent? I really don't know, but I should give that assumption much better thought.

At least with a culture that encourages criticism against the government and the elites, I still see a little bit of hope among the new generation of burgis. I noticed that there's quite a strong political consciousness among the educated class, especially in these days of easier exchange of information and views.

However, getting an example from the recent elections, the so-called "educated vote" remains right at the top, and their message failed to trickle down to the masses, thus explaining why half of the elected senators in last month's elections are movie actors. A huge gap does still exist in terms of making informed decisions (as an example) and unfortunately our dysfunctional educational system continues to fail the rest of the Filipinos.

So in the midst of all these gaps, there exists the masa and the burgis, the pesante (peasants) and the panginoong maylupa (landords), the uring manggagawa (working class) and the kapitalista (capitalists). What's obvious in the case of the Philippines is that such a system takes generations to change. Perhaps it's time we examine again the burgis in us?

Some Notable Films from Thailand

Thailand is celebrating Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives winning the Palme D'Or in Cannes a few weeks back. Apitchapong Weerasethakul certainly brought international acclaim to Thailand at a time when most of the recent news coming from the country had been negative. I couldn't wait to see the movie but some people doubt it would be shown in Thailand pretty soon.

Apitchapong's films have been labeled as inaccessible by local audiences, at least that's what I read in one blog. Many allege his movies are made for festival circuits instead wherein only the serious cineastes could understand his often times surreal films.

Thanks to torrent, I have seen Blissfully Yours (2002), which won Un Certain Regard in Cannes; Tropical Malady (2004), which won the Jury Prize in Cannes; and Syndromes and A Century (2006), which won the Golden Lion in Venice.

Despite all these accolades, I could not pretend I like any of his films. I find these movies' story lines rather vague... I don't even know where to begin in describing them. Their technical aspects, however, are very clean and unobtrusive, but other than that, I find his movies incomprehensible. But that's me.

While I haven't seen many Thai films yet, there are three standout Thai movies, however, that I come to mind.

The first is Citizen Dog (2004) by Wisit Sasanatieng. The movie tells the story of a country boy who goes to Bangkok and discovers its eccentricities, including a woman who is stuck with "reading" an Italian book, for whom he develops a fascination. It's a rather quirky movie: people sing in the bus, helmets fall from the sky, and a cute stuffed bear is addicted to cigarettes. The movie is surely going to put a smile on your face as it unravels a boy-meets-girl tale told in a non-conventional way.

Another Wisit Sasanatieng film is Tears of the Black Tiger (2000). Thailand's countryside is the backdrop of this pseudo-cowboy film shot in lush, saturated colors and employing over the top acting. Add to that the uber fashionable cowboys (pink scarf anyone?) as well as the hyper-realistic set, giving the film a good dose of exaggeration and fantasy. Ironically, the film's very gory, but you can forgive the director for that. The violence is a parody of sort, making it an element of the film that's funny rather than repulsive.

Lastly, I also admire Pan-Ek Ratanaruang's Moonrak Transistor (2001), which is a good-old love story between a country lass and a naive boy who adores her. While that part is cute and sweet, the hero is drafted into the army, which eventually led him on the run in the city, only to end up corrupted by it. Despite making a dark turn, the humor of the film saves it from becoming a cliche. The acting, cinematography, and solid pace makes this movie engaging, which makes it my favorite Thai film so far.

While I find notable the three films above, I'm still waiting, however, for a Thai film that just completely blows me away. I heard the documentary Agrarian Utopia is one of a kind, but I cannot get my hands on it and it has not been widely distributed here either. (But then, I haven't seen old Thai movies, and recommendations from the readers are welcome.)

With Uncle Boonmee's win in Cannes this year, I'm crossing my fingers Thai filmmakers would be encouraged to produce more meaningful works, especially in a country that has a rich culture and history that could be inspirations for the younger filmmakers.

Football What?

So today is the big day for World Cup fanatics all over the world... well, except the Philippines perhaps.

When I came to Thailand, I realized how crazy the Thais are with football. I don't know where to begin describing their passion for the sports, but a recent global study shows that, only second to the British, Thais spend the most time talking about football.

I was told as well that, although by no means as intense as the Thais, football is a phenomenally huge sport in Asia, which I did not doubt of course but the magnitude of which I did not realize until much later on. I've always associated football only with the Europeans and South Americans. How wrong could I have been! Football is not called the world's religion for nothing.

So it's quite amusing that football did not make a dent in the consciousness of Las Islas Filipinas up to now. We've always been a country of the three Bs: basketball, billiards, and boxing. It's easy to understand why billiards and boxing are popular back home that was brought by the international fame of Efren "Bata" Reyes and Manny Pacqiuao.

But basketball is another matter. We certainly haven't been anywhere near as successful in gaining international recognition for basketball and I doubt if we ever will. In a country with an average male height of perhaps five feet and six inches, it is a fact that we don't have the body frames for basketball.

There's no stopping us from enjoying basketball anyway. We might as well declare it as our national sport rather than sepak takraw, which I believe is only played in the National Games and nowhere else. Basketball, on the other hand, is our national past-time.

To prove our passion for basketball, all over the Philippines there's always a basketball ring in any conceivable space where people can set it up: right in the middle of the street, in the front yard, or on the school grounds. The sizes of those courts are not even decent enough to be called as such but the kanto boys spend all day playing hoops in those cramped spaces nonetheless.

Most politicians know very well that the way to the people's heart (and ballots) is through a basketball court. It's no wonder why basketball courts are perhaps their favorite project. Forget about school buildings or irrigation infrastructure. Put a court in the middle of a slum or in the hinterlands and the voters are constantly thankful of the politician's benevolence, especially with the face of the oh so generous politician painted right on the ring-board as a reminder that the court was "constructed with the efforts of...".

(source)

The close relationship between basketball and Philippine politics was firmly established and reached its apex when Robert Jaworski Sr was elected to the Philippine Senate. Jawo notwithstanding, we have lesser basketball superstars, who bag a number of endorsements here and there, or marry the most annoying woman in the Philippines, right James Yap?

So while the Philippines go gaga over James Yap, the rest of the world is possessed with worshiping Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham, or perhaps frantically betting between Brazil and Spain.

Why then did football skip the Philippines? Why is the NBA series championships more compelling to Filipinos than the World Cup?

As usual, blame it on the colonizers. The Spanish brought us pelota and the cross, while the Americans brought us basketball along with PX goods and Hollywood. The popularity of pelota and jai alai has died a while ago (but not the Catholic church, dios mio!), but basketball is strongly planted in Philippine soils.

Ask a Filipino if he watches football and you'd get a scratch on the head for an answer. Or perhaps he'd reply: "Football? You mean soccer?".

Cut!

Thirteen years ago, I entered university. Months leading to commencing my studies, I was deliberating with my dad on what course I should take. My original intention was to take up Psychology, but my score in the entrance exam was not high enough (I'm even surprised I passed the exam!). Left to a limited list of degrees, I was inclined to enroll in Film and Audiovisual Communication as my first option and Theater Arts as an alternative.

My parents regarded those courses as somewhat impractical, my dad's point of view mainly. So in his hopes of me joining law school eventually, he chose my course: Public Administration.

I was of course just raring to head to Manila for university, despite joining a college someone else imposed on me. I was crossing my fingers then that eventually my dad would have a change of heart somewhere midway in my studies and allow me to shift to Film.

I tried my best to immerse my self in film while at the university (I honestly couldn't care less for my major subjects). The Film Center had regular screenings of films from Japan, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, etc., that I didn't have access to in Surigao. By watching some of the best works coming from the different parts of the world, I realized how many other ways a story could be told through the language of film-making, a far departure from the formulas of Hollywood that I was more exposed to previously.

Most importantly, my eyes were opened to the amazing heritage that was Filipino movies. Of course I've heard of Brocka and Bernal before that, but I haven't actually seen any of their masterpieces.

The university was generous in showcasing their works, among other movies by brilliant Pinoy film-makers who produced some of the best works of Philippine cinema, particularly those highlighting the political  radicalism of the 70s and early 80s. That period was touted as the second golden age of Philippine cinema. 

I was struck by the gritty realism of the films of Lino Brocka, such as Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Insiang, Bayan Ko Kapit sa Patalim, and Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag. Marilou Diaz-Abaya's Karnal still remains as one of my most unforgettable Filipino films.

Among the long list of remarkable films that came out in the 80s however, the one that stood out the most for me is Oro, Plata, Mata by Peque Gallaga, a nearly three-hour masterpiece I have seen three times to date. (I had a discussion with Miss Lyka Bergen about Oro, Plata, Mata yesterday, thus, prompting this post.)

Some of the best moments of my university days were spent inside the darkness of the theater. It helped that my dormitory was right across the university's cinema. I even skipped classes sometimes just to catch classics, well, such as the sexually explicit Scorpio Nights, which caused quite a big stir in campus when it was shown (our university had immunity from film censorship).My friends and I attended various film festivals the university regularly organized, such as those featuring films from Japan, which entranced us consistently.

Aside from watching films, I scoured the university libraries to read about cinema, which in the end I found too complicated, especially if one gets into the complex world of film criticism. I certainly felt juvenile in my understanding of what films are and how to relate them to a wider social context. For a time, however, I was satisfied to just sit on the sidelines as a film aficionado, but still hoping to study film eventually.

Not that I had a good idea what career I would have if I took Film. Back then, I just fancied a future in directing a porn film the great Filipino film or perhaps writing scripts. But looking at it now, my inclination was really film criticism.  

On my second year of coasting through university life and of being enrolled in a degree I was not particularly fond of, I finally dared to ask my dad if I could shift to film, to which he grudgingly agreed (I don't know how I convinced him, honestly).

I immediately applied to the College of Mass Communication, a very convoluted process in such a typically miserable state university, for the next term in the Film and Audiovisual department. By some strange turn of luck, I missed the interview schedule, thus, effectively cutting my chance in film school. I did not try again the next term, feeling guilty that doing so would extend my time in the university to the disappointment of my parents.

So I trudged on to finish Public Administration and tried to understand public policy and government instead (however, perhaps as an act of rebellion I refused to go to law school after university, as my dad originally intended).

With a botched career in film (or so I think), I kept my interest in movies, but never actually getting inside it nor comprehending its theories and process. I pretty much remain as an outsider, a dilettante if you may.

Sabado Lafangan

I had brunch with the beautiful Pinays of Bangkok at Minibar Royale in Sukhumvit last Saturday. I don't normally go all the way to that side of town as the distance is tantamount to taking an out of town trip from where I live.

But the treat at Minibar Royale was courtesy of a prize I won from BK Magazine. So off I went with my primera amigas to a four-hour brunch in the warm and elegant atmosphere of the restaurant

They welcomed us with a bottle of champagne, which was infused with orange juice. Well, what better way to start brunch with such a fun company but champagne? Hahahah. Dahling, we don't have this in Surigao! Chozzz

After the champagne, we had some proper brunch consisting of some toast, bacon, and a seafood platter. I honestly could not recall now what those combos were called, but they were simply scrumptious.

About a couple of hours of chikahan later, tea commenced. We asked for some pomegranate tea and later on we had rose tea. They were diviiiine!!! I could actually get used to it. Choz! Tea was accompanied with bits of chocolate balls and a few sandwiches, which were all equally fantastic.

Warm thanks to the staff of BK Magazine and Minbar Royale for making our Saturday pretty special.

Apres brunch we walked to Emporium, one mall I hardly visit as well owing to its location, to watch Sex and the City 2. Every self-respecting bayot and their fag hag need to watch the movie, chai mai? Well, forget about the story of the movie, we were there for the clothes and the fabulousness of the girls anyway.

A short taxi cab later, we found our selves at a Filipino restaurant in Soi Pridi. On the cab, we were quite delighted to see another side of Bangkok, particularly the Sukhumvit side.

Whereas I live in the old part of town whose streets are lined by crumbling shophouses, what I saw in Sukhumvit were tall, glitzy apartment buildings instead (we saw an ad for an apartment costing 90,000 baht per square meter... I don't even own 90,000 baht!). The area was littered with bars, restaurants, and furniture shops, among other expensive venues. The traffic was also horrendous in that part of town ha. Even on a Saturday afternoon. Jing jing!

Having seen some parts of upscale, not to mention chaotic, Sukhumvit, I feel pretty lucky to be living on the side of the old city.

Anyway, on to dinner at the Filipino restaurant, where we were joined by the Pinay bakla contingent living around the area, namely, Miss Georgina Jones, Madame Rexona Gomorrah, and Binibining Martina Negra, whose lives appear in the wildly hilarious blog featuring their debauchery, Gossip Girl TS.

For those unfamiliar with Pinoy food, allow me to give you a lesson, dai mai? Dai!!!

We start of course with the adobo, the de facto national dish of Las Islas Filipinas. Adobo is a common household dish, a great reminder of home-cooked meals for us living away from home. There's a variety of styles for this dish (dry or saucy), but its main ingredients are vinegar, soy sauce, loads of garlic, and bay leaves. Adobo is mostly made of chicken or pork, and honestly, I haven't heard of any other meat used for adobo. It's safe to assume that every Filipino knows how to cook adobo because it's quite simple.

Let's proceed with dinuguan, which in English is called pork blood stew. Yes, dahlings, you read it right... it's made of pig's blood and is one of the best dishes in Las Islas, although of course not a lot of non-Filipinos can grasp the idea of eating pig's blood (despite the fact that many other dishes worldwide involve pig's blood). Swimming in the thick sauce of blood are tiny slices of pork intestines, liver, and heart, among other internal organs or parts of a pig.

 

Next is pancit. Any dish that's made of noodles is called pancit back home. The type we tried yesterday is called pancit bihon that uses thin, transparent noodles. Pancit is the quintessential birthday dish because the long strands of noodles supposedly represent the long life one wishes for the person celebrating his/her birthday. Pancit is usually a mix of sliced vegetables, some tiny bits of meat, mushrooms, and chorizos.

Lastly, we also had this dish of more strips of pork organs... from what I can tell it's made of liver and lungs, but there could be more in it. It's my first time to hear of such a dish, and have forgotten it since then (can someone help me ID this dish?). I guess we don't have this in Surigao yet again. But this is one other divine Filipino dish, which I believe is best eaten as pulutan (or finger food) to beer.

So there, that's my introduction to Filipino food for you, although don't believe everything I say coz food and cooking are the least of my interests. I hope though this somehow piques your interest in Pinoy cooking.

I Heart Dome Pakorn Lum

My apologies for neglecting the "series" on Thai male celebrities who just make my ovaries go ballistic (see previous entry here). God knows I have to work harder on this coz the list is quite long. Jing jing!

The man of the moment is Dome Pakorn Lum. He is in fact my first Thai celebrity crush, having been instantly captivated by his billboards of L'oreal men's line all over the city.

The 30-year old was born to a Chinese-Thai father and a German mother. He started his career as a model and until now his face still regularly graces the the covers of numerous magazines as well as fashion editorials, on top of his many product endorsements.

Perhaps Dome is best known for his trademark techno-dance music. He first released an album in 1996, which sold more than a million copies. A couple more albums later, he has established himself as one of the Thailand's most prominent DJs.