Video Queen

Oh well, I'm now back in Bangkok after a long holiday in Las Islas Filipinas.

I should really make my next visit shorter. I love visiting my family and friends, but not having my own space and getting out of my routine (whatever that is) is a bit exhausting.

For instance, cos I spent two or three nights in Manila and Cebu I was moving around a lot (my gratitude to my kind and welcoming hosts!). And then when I reached Surigao my clothes were just piled in my suitcase. I also missed eating my share of fruits daily, which Surigao sorely lacks (or maybe I just didn't bother searching for them).

This is so typical of me after I go home. I whine and whine like it's nobody's business.

Maybe I should shut up already. LOL.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my visit very much. I was particularly happy to have met my family after seeing them last in 2011. And then I also spent a lot of time with my cousins and the few friends who have stayed in Surigao.

To prove that I had a good time at home, I compiled some video clips of my trip. I was inspired by my cousin's video of her summer holiday in the Philippines. So right from the onset of my trip I was already taking five-second clips of my journey.

I was daunted by the editing because it was my first time to do so. Thank god for iMovie I managed to pull it off through a slow trial-and-error process.

So, amigas, here is the final product.

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!

Kylie's Back, Bitches...

 

It hurts
When you get too close
But baby it hurts
If love is really good
You just want more
Even if it throws you to the fire fire fire fire

Do you hear the people sing?

As some of you must've heard, there were a number of explosions in the business district of Bangkok last night, killing three and injuring scores of people who were probably just on their way home from work. This is yet another bloody episode in the ongoing political standoff between the red shirt protesters and the government, which has thrown some parts of Bangkok into a virtual war zone.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

At the moment, there's really no end in sight and everyone is just hoping that violence will be kept at a minimum, especially with another crackdown looming this weekend. It is obvious however that even if the reds get their way of a dissolution of the house, or the government finally getting rid of the reds, the political rifts in Thailand will not conveniently end either way.

The Bangkok Post has an insightful column today, written by Suranand Vejjajiva entitled No other option but to a deal to end conflict. The writer argues... 

But for a deal to be made, assumptions of the root causes of the problem must be agreed upon.

First the establishment must not view the red shirts as terrorists, or that they are nothing but former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's lackeys. A majority of them have real concerns and have identified their plight with the existence of injustice and double standards in the system. Democracy and the return of the 1997 constitution are not just political rhetoric. Economic opportunities that come with political freedom are what they yearn for.

The grassroots rural and urban poor who now sit and sleep on the hot concrete intersection surrounded by modern shopping malls and high-rise five-star hotels feel they have been taken advantage of for decades. Resources of the nation combined with their blood, sweat and tears have built tremendous wealth for the capitalists which has barely trickled back down except in the form of meagre wages.

 It's definitely refreshing to read something not anti-red from the English newspapers for once. Anyone reading The Nation for instance can clearly tell that it is flagrantly yellow through and through. In fact, I heard that the Thai media in general, especially during this tight political situation, had hardly been objective, making it difficult for outsiders like myself to find out what the real deal is.

It does not help of course that the government propaganda machine is in full force, such as these lies. This is worsened by the fact that there are just many things that cannot be discussed openly, otherwise the censors would block websites and TV stations.

Observers, including the media, are currently focusing on the Silom/Sala Daeng area, the most obvious clash-point between government forces and the protesters.

(Photo credit: Global Post)

(Photo credit: Thai-Blogs)

I saw the barricade in the Silom intersection a couple of days ago. A pile of tires, supported by bamboo scaffolding, covers the width of a wide avenue in central Bangkok. Men waving red flags sit atop the barricade while loud music blasts from the demonstration site. Across the street are the police in full riot gear. Hanging from their chests are pellets that can be used anytime against the mob.

The barricade looks like it's straight from a theater set. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind as I emerged from the subway to be greeted by such a dramatic sight was: Les Miserables. Not to undermine the cause of the red shirts, and the political standoff in general, the scene in Silom that morning was a sight to behold.

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

The Aftermath

And violence erupted in Bangkok once again. Twenty-one people are dead and scores are injured as the government decided to disperse the crowd in the old part of Bangkok.

Early in the afternoon of Saturday, the tension was already palpable. Riot police in full gear were gathering not far from the demonstrations and indeed some skirmishes took place near the UN building, with teargas and fire trucks supposedly used against the crowd. Reading this on the the internet, I thought it was as bad as it can get. For months now the demonstrations had rather been not violent.

Later in the afternoon, however, I noticed a couple of helicopters hovering above my area (again, I live not far from the main site of the protest). I also heard what sounded like firecrackers.

I learned much later on that the helicopters were dropping tear gas and that riot police fired rubber bullets at the crowd. The epicenter of the clashes was around the Democracy Monument as well as the tourist enclave of Khao San Road.

For the entire evening, I sat in front of the computer being fed mainly by Twitter updates of journalists, eyewitnesses, and tourists. It turned out to be a bloody confrontation between the government and the demonstrators, with deaths and injuries on both sides.

Within the evening, photos of the injured red shirts were posted on the internet. One young man had his head blown off. His corpse, along with another man, was brought to the main stage of the demonstration for everyone to see.

See one man's coverage of the violence in the videos below.




Last night, Bubbles, E, and I visited Khao San. Anyone who had been to Khao San before knows very well that as the center of cheap guesthouses in Bangkok, the area is always teeming with tourists. Backpackers from all over the world constantly spill over its streets and stalls of souvenirs, food, books, clothes cram the already crowded street in an atmosphere of blasting music and a cacophony of a dozen languages spoken by scruffy travelers.

What we found last night, however, was a relatively quiet street of shuttered stores and a few tourists drinking in the handful of bars that managed to stay open. It's definitely not the Khao San that we used to enjoy.

We walked all the way to the end of the road towards Dinsor Road intersection, one of the clash points last Saturday. A barricade was set there. The once 24-hour Burger King was closed, together with most of the businesses in the area. The street was unlit. Glass shards, wood, rocks, slippers, and shirts were strewn all over the place.

Going around the barricade, we came upon people gathering around what looked like two shrines (for lack of a better term) for the dead.I'm not sure if it was the actual site where two people died, but it was decked with candles, incense, food, shirts, flowers, and photos.

Around the intersection, barricades were still set up. Some of them were guarded by the red shirts. I even found this boy, perhaps not more than ten years old, armed with a baton and a shield.

As of today, the political impasse continues. So much uncertainty hangs in the air. As a resident of Bangkok, I could only hope that no further violence takes place. In spite of the staunch political convictions of the parties involved, the loss of lives is never justified.

Tomorrow, celebrations for the Buddhist New Year, or Songkran, officially starts. I wonder if anyone has the wherewithal for any festivity after the bloody turn of events.

Meanwhile, as everyone tries to escape from Bangkok for the week-long holidays, Bubbles and I are heading to Khmerlandia to meet the queen... Fuchsiaboy!

Lady Gaga in Talk Asia

All excerpts below are from an accompanying article on CNN.com, which says that apparently Lady Gaga had to be "pacified" from practically walking away from the interview.

The full article is found here.

Part Uno

"I'm sort of a musical pop music misfit," she said in her slow New York drawl, and "a relentless bitch" in response to how she had got to the top of the music industry.



Part Dos

She claims Lady Gaga is not a persona and it seems she is committed to living as closely to the wild fantasy shown in her videos. More at home on the stage than in the interview chair --"We could sit here and talk, but you will never know who I am unless you see me live" -- even Gaga's faithful make-up artist (in attendance throughout the interview) thought she was crazy because she sleeps in her wigs.

Was it to keep the persona up, stay in character? No, "I just like wigs," she said with an unintentional comic deadpan.



Part Tres

Composure regained, "You can ask me about scrutiny, but I'd prefer if you didn't..." Gaga said.

Must-Watch: 100

I just finished watching 100, a Filipino indie film written and directed by Chris Martinez (released in 2008). I heard so much buzz about it, partly because of its triumph at the 2008 Cinemalaya Film Festival, and had been looking forward to watch it since forever.

Fortunately someone lent me his copy (thanks, your highness... I swear babalik sya ng Las Islas).

Take a peek at its rather crappy trailer...

*** Spoilers ahead... many of them. ***

100 is the story of Joyce (portrayed to perfection by Mylene Dizon), who learns she has cancer but refuses to get treatment. Instead, she devotes the last three months of her life (hence, one hundred days) to prepare for her death, starting with listing in yellow post-its the things she needs to accomplish before she dies.

She selects her coffin and funeral dress, and even manages to prepare a sound-track and powerpoint presentation for her wake.

She also indulges in random pleasures like eating ice cream, skinny-dipping, and kissing a stranger. She even goes on a Vilma Santos movie marathon with her best-friend Ruby (given to life by the genius that is Eugene Domingo).

The heaviest of her tasks, however, is telling her loved ones about her impending death.

One of the most poignant scenes of the movie is when she finally tells her mom about her illness. Her mom, played by the divine Tessie Tomas, is obviously disappointed of the late notice and remarks: "Huwag mong alisin ang karapatan kong mag-alala, mag-alaga, mag-wala."

Her mom thus takes over and adds more post-its to her list of things-to-do such as a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Manaoag, trying Chinese herbal medicine, and flushing down the toilet Joyce's pack of cigarettes and stock of coffee.


*** Spoilers end here. ***

Did I mention that the acting is superior?

The film could have easily fallen into the cliches of movies of its kind, but it chooses instead to stay light-hearted and playful, at times just hysterical.

Oh, the acting is just incredible. Did I say that already?... The acting is breathtaking, just in case you missed the point.

Now this is one of the few Filipino films that is devoid of histrionics and melodrama, thanks to the savvy writing by Martinez who instead chooses to keep the film tender and truly enjoyable. I swear I laughed more than a dozen times for what seems like a morbid film.

Speaking of Filipino films, Kinatay, Manila, Imburnal, and Indepencia are screening in the 2009 Bangkok International Film Festival, which will run from the 24th to the 30th of September.

Now I could not help feeling stoked!!!

These are truly remarkable Filipino films, perhaps some of the most outstanding outputs of Filipino filmmakers this year. Kinatay won Best Director in Cannes this year and Manila was screened at the same festival. Filipino cinema appears to have a bright future, no?

So mga bading, supportahan natin ang sineng Pilipino. Keri? Keri!

Must-watch: Inglourious Basterds

Good gawd, this film is crazy, crazy, crazy!

One of those truly hilarious films that revels in its sheer absurdity.

Love it to bits.

"Chasing Pavements" by Adele

I'm freaking KUHRAYZEEEE over Adele for the past two weeks now (see her Wikipedia entry here). I've been listening to her album day in and day out and I could not seem to get enough of her music.

And she's even fat! How can I like her that much when we all know that I have a strict body mass index requirement of 19 (and that's already generous) for the people I like? (Joke, bitches.)

Anyway, I first discovered her while watching the runway show of Burberry Prorsum (I could not remember the season) wherein her fantastic song Hometown Glory was used. (Watch the video here.)

I instantly fell in love. She has this amazing soulful voice that just haunts me.

Lately I've been listening to Chasing Pavements, which also appeared in her 2008 debut album 19.

I've already posted a link to this video on my Facebook site but let me post it here nonetheless.

Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere,
Or would it be a waste?
Even If I knew my place should I leave it there?
Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere

Oh, I'm yet again taking a blog break until perhaps Sunday as I'm flying to the north of Thailand tomorrow for a meeting. Will bring you full-blown campiness when I come back.

Do you wanna be on top?

OMG, watch this first, bitches...

My colleagues and I went on a roadtrip to a few sites outside Bangkok (pictures in Facebook) and we eventually ended up in Ancient City, which I visited last month with another group of friends.

Because the place is super vast, I did not have the chance to see some of its parts on my first time there. Fortunately, when I returned last weekend we stumbled into this part of the site.

The moment I saw this I swear I had an orgasm... I practically shrieked, jumped off a moving golf cart, and ran towards the structue like a deranged bayot (well maybe I really am!)... of course to the bewilderment of my colleagues.

Looks familiar, bitches?

I can't believe I had the opportunity to walk on the same wooden planks Tyra Banks walked on five years ago when they shot the final runway show in which Joannie and Danielle were in the final two. They were wearing the truly amazing Thai brand Issue (check out their site!).

I swear it was the closest to heaven I ever got, I could've died a happy bayot right there and then.

So we had to stage our own Top Model competition, chai mai?

The final four had a group shot, and immediately P was eliminated because it turned out she is not tall enough to be a top model. Well, at least she can join the next cycle.

And then there were three... Tyra had two pictures in her hands. The girl she did not call had to return to the model house, pack her belongings, and go back to... Macau.

So Tyra pulled out Lakshmi Menon's picture, which made it obvious that Maggie Cheung did not make it to the cut because she is way too fat. No, this is not the season that Tyra's looking for a plus size model. Bye, bye, Maggie.

So it was between Lakshmi Menon and moi.

Time for the final runway... I worked that freaking runway like I owned it. I made sure that I applied everything that I learned from my clandestine catwalk lessons with Naomi Campbell and Natasha Poly.

I know I took Tyra's breath away.

In the final panel, Tyra said Lakshmi Menon's final photo is not acceptable to Covergirl Cosmetics because Lakshmi has a limited range. He can be high fashion but he cannot be commercial. Besides, he does not have a neck in all his pictures! What can be worse than that, aber?

So as predicted my picture was flashed on the screen.

All the judges praised me for my versatile look.

Noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker said I can do editorials for Vogue, US Weekly, and Preview Magazine and can even do catalogue for Neiman Marcus and Tesco Lotus.

Runway diva extraordinaire Jay Alexander believed I can reign over the couture runways of Paris as well as the press presentations of Marikina Shoe Expo.

Paulina Porizkova is dying to see me model for Victoria's Secret and So-En.

Tyra said I can surely endorse Lancome and Ever Bilena.

Oh, enough of the platitudes. Blush, blush. I know I can be on top.

Must-watch: Turtles Can Fly

Surreal. Harrowing. Unforgettable.

Turtles Can Fly (2004)
by Bahman Ghobadi

When Love Takes Over

This is my current favorite dance floor music, which I have been listening to in my PC for some weeks now. Finally it was played in the club last weekend when I went out with not-too-obese Bubbles (peace, Juliana Imai... mwah, mwah).

The song's called When Love Takes Over, by David Guetta (I'm sorry, I don't have any idea who he is exactly) featuring Kelly Rowland.

BTW, Kelly is the host of The Fashion Show, that copycat of Project Runway. It's on Youtube, bitches. Lyka, you are watching this, right?

One of the designers who reached the top three is a Filipino BTW, and his name is James Paul. Just an FYI. I doubt he'd win coz he's way too avant-garde and is thus not compatible with American viewers (there's a public voting, which I truly, truly detest... what do Americans know about fashion?)

Oh, just press play.

[Edit: Changed the clip into the music video. Kelly is quite pretty, chai mai?]

When love takes over yeaaah
You know you can’t deny
When love takes over yeaaah
‘Cause something’s here tonight

Can't Have It All

Awww... one of the most fascinating singer-songwriters just released a new music video. Remember me writing about the uber fabulous - and my long-time crush - Jay Brannan here and here?

This new video is very, very melancholic but the lyrics makes it totally cute.

Well it helps as well that Jay is the cutest thing around, right?

cant have it all
music and lyrics by jay brannan

applying moisturizer in the microwave window
for the tenth time, he shouldve called me an hour ago
would he be here with flowers if i lived in arizona?

they say theres no love left in the big cities, its kinda true
i guess youll find me coming soon to a small town near you
ill sell my guitar so i can by myself a tractor

fuck this, this cant be my life
i moisturized ten times tonight
why cant i sit down and write,
bring this question to light?

chorus

do you want a lover, or do you want a life?
one hand or the other, the butter or the bread knife?
do you choose winter, spring, summer, or fall?
its driving me crazy that i cant have it all

if these walls could talk, theyd probably cry out for mercy
til im outlined in chalk, ill be romantically thirsty
so i drink and drink from the proverbial time sink

fuck this, this cant be my life
tears flowing in full force tonight
why cant i sit down and write,
bring this question to light?

chorus

do we hold the future, or does it come in peace?
and if its in my hands, are you sure it should be in brittle hands like these?
life, love, and the pursuit of all the things they promised me
can i have all of the above? are the best things in life truly free?

chorus

© 2008 great depression publishing

Quince

Just a quick note on my fifteenth month in BangCock as I just couldn't help ticking the months as they come.

On this occasion, I choose to write about love. (Sabay hawi ng hair.) I always remember love when it's Halloween. It was Halloween when I broke up with my last BF. That was five years ago. Seems like a long time na noh?

For many years I was too occupied with work to even think of, much less have the time and energy for, dating again. I thought being in a relationship just too much effort. Besides, I was very fortunate to have been surrounded with amazing, amazing friends with whom I emotionally connected on such astounding proportions. So there, I settled in the wonderful company of my friends not noticing the years of singlehood slipping by.

Looking deeper, however, I've always had this immense fear of opening my self to the prospect of loving. For a time, I completely swore it off, especially when I was still fresh from my breakups. It's not really loving that petrifies me but it's aftermath. I've never seen a worse version of my self as when my relationships end. All my weaknesses and vulnerabilities resurface. For five years pride kept me away from all that.

But then sometimes, if we don't watch ourselves, we slip into the precipice of falling in love. When we land at the bottom with a thud that's when we have to lick your wounds and wait for our cuts and bruises to heal.

Much as I loathe going through that mending phase again, I have never discovered so much of my views on relationships as when I was reeling from my latest brush with love. It jolted me to confront, reassess, and redefine my perspective related to amour. I had the chance to challenge my vanity and my pride, together with seriously questioning my fears. These are the walls that not until recently I refused to pry open.

And as what the supreme Barbra Streisand said: We're children, needing other children / And yet letting our grown-up pride / Hide all the need inside / Acting more like children / Than children. Check out this vintage Barbra singing People in Funny Girl.

Gravity

A few months ago, my ex-uber-colleague, Jay, forwarded me a number of songs through YM. One of the batches he sent was from a certain singer called Sara Bareilles. At that time, I had no idea who she is, but Jay assured me that she is worth listening to. So listened the fagot did. Instantly I was mesmerized by her stirring voice, complemented by her appealing song-writing. She's a bit Fiona Apple-ish and Sarah Mclachlan-ish actually, albeit more upbeat and "popy". Read more about her in her official website.

Since discovering her music, I've been listening to her practically everyday (together with Jason Mraz and Mika). Her best known song to date is Love Song, which I sometimes hear in food courts in BKK, and even in the sidewalks of Silom. Girl is obviously getting more popular by the minute. My favorite song, however, is called Gravity. The official video is found here, and here's a live version of the song.

Gravity
by: Sara Bareilles

Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.

You hold me without touch, You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your reign.

[CHORUS:]
Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile, When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.

[CHORUS]

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on
The ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down