February 2013

February of this year seems to be my busiest month yet. I met up with friends a lot, went to Hong Kong and explored some areas there on my own, flew to Ho Chih Minh, and got physically more active compared to previous months.

I watched 4 out of 6 movies shown during the Spring Film Festival at EDSA Shangrila Mall. I even accompanied an old man who seemed to me to be lonely. I asked about his wife and he said they used to watch movies a lot. It's all different now because his wife has become sickly and weak and so he now watches alone. At first I felt creepy but then I thought of my grandmother, I thought of the many old people left behind by relatives, neglected by their own children, alone, wandering, reminiscing those sweet old days... I thought of maybe in the future I will be like one of them, an old solitary woman, unmarried, with no child, companionless. Maybe it's the last thought that prompted me to stick with this man for one night and be his companion. I talked to him about the old times. Too bad I am not a fan of Elvis Presley, as he seemed enthused of the popular star.

I watched The Life of Pi with a dear friend at a time when I needed to keep my mind off a certain someone. We both agreed that 3D would have been a whole lot better. After the movie, we pigged out on gelato. It had been months since I last ate ice cream. Gelato is still a better alternative.

And with the same friend, I watched DUP's "Collection", a brilliant satiric play by Floy Quintos attacking the hypocrisy, excessive greed, materialism, and vices of the present-day society. This, in contrast with the pure Hermana who was all for the poor and the needy. Of all the plays I've watched in UP so far, this one is the BEST!

More friendly dates with my girl friends kept me happy on days when I was feeling down. I'm happy to be able to hang out with them. They have this amazing power to make me forget about that guy who flirted a lot with me and with whom I got attached to and found hard to detach from. And at present I have accepted that I was nothing more than a game for him. To be fair, I couldn't think of "us" either but still welcomed his flirting with much gusto. To be honest though I "considered" him, but after everything that happened, I know better. In fact, I think I may be committing a grave error. In my diary dated February 6, I wrote, "Upon careful examination, I think maybe I'm just obsessed with love. Or maybe just experiencing a thirst for love.", which, I know, is not fair to the other person concerned. One day in February, I reread his messages to me while on the bus and felt my heart constrict. I realized that he's one of the very few guys who seemed so simple yet who took the risk of being sweet to me, despite me being intimidating and all. Before the month ended though, I finally have gotten over him.

A day before the Chinese New Year, I went to Chinatown and was greeted by LOTS of people. The place has become a tourist spot with all the festivities in the area, made even more lively by the ubiquitous dragon dances with the sound of gongs and drums and firecrackers complimenting the smell of sulfur. Add to that the widely used color combinations of gold and red, lucky colors for the Chinese. I was in no mood that day and was annoyed that Filipinos go there to document rather than to actually engage with the place and the people.

Also this month, I went to Corregidor on a bus tour. It wasn't at all the tour that I wanted. I was expecting lots of walking and hiking. Turned out to be just a boring bus tour. And so I resolved to myself to go back there and explore, as well as to spend the night at the beach. The tourist guide boasts of zero crime rate in the island. I wonder if it's true.

On the last day of February, I flew to Vietnam. Cebu Pacific still has the Valentine Promo. In addition to the two bagtags I won during my Hong Kong trip flights, I won a small netbook sleeve.

My Date with a Vampire Season 1 (Episodes 1-12)

A month ago, I was lucky to finally find a DVD copy of the Cantonese series My Date with a Vampire. I first watched it when I was in elementary school more than 10 years ago. Back then, vampire-themed series were not as many and I think the Western rival would have to be Anne Rice’s vampires. It is important to note though that My Date with a Vampire is a romantic series (though not as sappy as Twilight) merged with popular Chinese mythology and religion except that the vampires in this series are not like the jumping zombie vampires with paper seals on their foreheads, but are vampires patterned after those from the West.

Just recently I picked up from where I left off last month and did a marathon from episodes 5 to episodes 12. While I initially intended to write a per-episode summary cum review, I changed my mind, feeling the need to be realistic since I have a lot of backlogs to take care of. So what I’m going to write about in this entry is the summary of My Date with a Vampire so far.

The series opened with the main character 況國華 (later況天佑) fighting as a guerilla against the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He infiltrated the Imperial Japanese Army base headed by山本一夫 and planned on bombing the place and partially succeeded but sustained injuries. When he came to consciousness, he was already resting inside a village hut where he met 阿秀 with whom he fell in love. The Japanese army came to the village and discovering that the villagers had helped the guerilla soldier, killed the villagers one by one. By that time, 況國華 had already fled together with the eight year old 復生. 山本一夫 manages to track況國華 down and the two engage in a fight. Suddenly, the progenitor of all vampires將臣 appears and so does馬小玲’s predecessor馬丹娜. 況國華, 復生, and  山本一夫 are all bitten by the vampire and became unconscious. Before況國華 fainted away, he is able to take a glimpse of the sword-wielding pigtailed girl ghostbuster in traditional Chinese clothing.

Fast forward to 1998, 況國華 renames himself as 況天佑 and now works as a police officer while he "takes care" of his "son" 復生.  況天佑 meets 馬小玲 and 王珍珍 while in Japan. When the vampire first saw the ghostbuster, you know at that moment that there will be something special between the two. And 況天佑 even kissed 馬小玲 when the latter needed to swallow a pill while fighting.

And so when the three return to Japan, they meet again. 況天佑 rents at 王珍珍's mom's estate. 王珍珍 falls in love with 況天佑 but the latter is apparently still in love with former lover 阿秀 whom he met one last time as the old woman lay dying. Then more characters appear like the funny guy 金正中 who pretends to be able to talk to ghosts for money. 金正中 later becomes 馬小玲's disciple. 求叔 is the guy to go to when  馬小玲 needs item repair or answers regarding the supernatural. 求叔 manages an arcade shop where ghosts play at night.

On the other side of the camp, 山本一夫 and his minions are preparing for doomsday, or the day when they will turn everyone else into vampires and rule the world. His daughter 未來 does not think the same though and rebels against her father. Her bitter resentment stems from her disgust at being turned into a vampire, aside from her father being the reason for her mother's death.

AAAAND... 未來's mother looked a lot like 王珍珍. No wonder when she first saw 王珍珍, she looks as if she wants to hug her. 未來's role at first was as the cause why 阿平's mother became a living dead and harms people to "protect" her son. Both mother and son die, but are fortunate to have been helped by 馬小玲 to cross over to the spirit world for reincarnation. It is clear from here that Buddhism plays an important role. (In fact, from what I remember, in later seasons, reincarnation would be a dominant theme as mysteries unfold.)

More and more are revealed and things are getting more interesting with each episode. 山本一夫  finally meets  妙善, the reincarnation of the Goddess of Mercy who appears on earth every 33 years and whom 33 persons can ask 3 questions each.  山本一夫 asks what can stop him from his plans (the other two I forgot...)

And 況天佑's camp does not know of the evil that awaits the world yet...

But while these are happening, 金正中 seems to be falling for 白素素, the legendary White Snake who fell in love with the mortal 許仙. And I'm glad I got to watch the movie 白蛇傳說之法海 (2011) which helped me understand a bit of the legend. (And I'm off to research more on 白蛇傳.)

See here for summary of episodes 13-19 and
episodes 20-35

Summer's Here?

Early morning yesterday, mom's voice woke me up. That, while she pounded on our door. We were supposed to jog. I dragged myself from bed, pulled out a couple of essential things, a pair of shorts with pockets and towel from the closet, my water bottle which I put beside my bed, cellphones, and comb. Grudgingly I went down, head aching since I stayed up late watching My Date with a Vampire. 

When I got down, mom announced that jogging was cancelled. It was drizzling outside. And I had ran back to my room to get a jacket. Sigh.

So I went back to sleep.

In the afternoon, I complained about the heat. It's always hot on Sundays. I wonder why. And so every time we attend Sunday Mass, my head hurts and all I want to do is sleep. Yesterday was no exception.

And while I continued watching My Date with a Vampire at grandmother's house, it rained hard. No cool winds, no sweet smell of the earth; just rain. Mom said tomorrow would be the start of summer. I dread it.

Chao Yang Chinese Cuisine (HK) 02162013

On our last night in Hong Kong, we had dinner at Chao Yang Chinese Cuisine, a rather posh restaurant in iSQUARE. The shopping mall is located at Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. The location is perfect, as my last solo tour was just around the area, after having gone to Shau Kei Wan. The restaurant was almost packed  when we arrived there at around 7PM.

Truth be told though, I prefer the simple food we ate at Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei. For some reason, I don't like the stiff and formal look of food in fancy restaurants. Food easily gets cold, and there's the absence of steamy dishes served in front of you.

To be fair though, I enjoyed the evening dinner, but more so the beautiful views outside the glass walls. There's always a feeling of nostalgia after seeing a manifestation of beauty and what's left is a blurred representation in the mind. And as we were nearing the end of the dinner, I cast one last long look outside and tried to imagine the view in my mind, eyes closed. I am afraid that the brightly colored lights would fade in memory. Happy times are fleeting, and so are memories.

Shau Kei Wan ( 筲箕灣), Hong Kong 02162013

The third day of our Hong Kong trip saw me and my relatives splitting up again into three groups with me going solo. My plans for the day include going on a heritage trail in Yuen Long in New Territories then going southeast in Shau Kei Wan just to glimpse the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. Commuting was not a worry since the trains are fast and very efficient, unlike the Philippine MRT and LRT system where people are packed like sardines. However, due to my late departure from the hotel at 11am, I dropped Yuen Long and promised to myself that I will explore the whole New Territories some other time.

Shau Kei Wan is described as a haven for ships in olden times, being a coastal area whose population grew in 18th century when fishermen discovered the place. It is no wonder that Shau Kei Wan has small temples dedicated to fisherfolk deities like Tin Hau and Tam Kung. There is also a Western church named Tsung Tsin Church which was built in 1862. Aside from these, shipyards and a fish market can also be found in Shau Kei Wan. But the most interesting part, and also one of the highlights of my Hong Kong trip, is the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence.

I started with Shing Wong Temple, the nearest to the MTR Shau Kei Wan Station Exit C, where I burned incense as a sign of respect, while admiring the big coils of incense hanging on the ceilings. The Shau Kei Wan tram passes by this temple. (And yes, I was ecstatic to find a monorail here.)

Shau Kei Wan tram. Notice a McDonald's restaurant in the area.

Shing Wong Temple

Next is Tin Hau Temple, which is dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. The roofs have intricate designs composed of dragons and deities as well as murals which give the temple a magnificent aura despite its small size.

Entrance to Tin Hau Temple

Tsung Tsin Church was next on the itinerary and I almost missed it because one has to go inside an alley which slopes upward. I found the edifice under renovation, which is sad.

Tsung Tsin Church at the right, beside a school.

After Tsung Tsin Church, I walked along Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and found this small altar on the sidewalk. The god on the leftmost is unmistakably a fortune god. People obviously pray here as evidenced by the presence of incense sticks.

Straight ahead is Yuk Wong Temple which was originally a shrine. People pray here to solve flooding problems. The temple is small and simple, being made of cemented blocks with very simple designs that one can easily miss it.

Next up is the museum in Lei Yue Mun Fort. The museum holds a permanent exhibit of military memorabilia from the Ming and Qing periods, a must-see for every military history fan as batteries, cannons, tanks, and other articles of war are preserved in this 34,200 meters squared establishment. And all that for only HKD 10 which is already cheap given the many things one will see and learn in this establishment. One's feet will ache from all the walking but will be handsomely rewarded with beautiful views and cool refreshing winds. A very short film can also be viewed in the small theater. It explains the different weapons and provides a lecture of historical tidbits. Aside from the exhibitions inside, visitors are free to roam around the vicinity to check out ruined structures and armaments.

 On the day of my visit, the museum had a temporary exhibit on the Wartime Japanese Propaganda Publications which began last year on July 20 and will end this year on March 27. The exhibit showcases the propaganda used to justify Japanese imperialism, with media reports distorting the ugly truths of the war while Japan is suffering from social and economic crises brought about by World War I.

entrance to the museum grounds

entrance to the museum itself

The staff here are friendly and are chatty. In fact, I conversed with the shopkeeper who suggested many things to me. I bought two books and he was surprised when I told him I came from the Philippines. There's always a nice feeling when you talk to strangers, you seem so strong, so suddenly unafraid of the world full of strangers.

The last one on my list is Tam Kung Temple which I visited after spending more than 2 hours at the museum. Tam Kung is the patron of fishermen and is also believed to control the weather and to heal the sick. He is said to have become an immortal at the age of 20.

Because I have to go back to the hotel early to meet up with mom and relatives for dinner and I finished touring around Shau Kei Wan at 3pm, I decided to go back to Tsim Sha Tsui and continued my exploration in the area.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena

The moment I saw this series being featured in the newspapers a few years back, I knew I had to watch it. Period dramas/ series always appeal to me. Perhaps it’s the charm of bygone eras now so foreign to us.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is a six-episode mini series prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It portrays the ascent to power of the House of Batiatus through its champion gladiator Gannicus (Dustin Clare) who won his freedom after winning against Solonius’ gladiators in the arena encircled by fire. The series offers the background of major characters. For instance, it is important to see here the abuses and dehumanization suffered by the slaves of Batiatus in order to please and court men of power and for the House of Batiatus to secure a place in the games. A prime example is the young servant girl Diona who became a sex object for the pleasure of Batiatus’ guests. The series also provides ample opportunity for viewers to probe the personalities of characters. For instance, the cunning of Ashur to save his own skin, and the treachery of Lucretia who will do anything to maintain her status in the household.

Over-all, the series reminds me of the movie 300 with all the blood and gore. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, obviously targeted at male viewers, is packed with action not just in the sands of the arena, but also in the scandalous house of Batiatus where sex seems to be the norm.

Next on my to-watch list is Spartacus: Blood and Sand, with the hope of finally seeing Spartacus.

Vietnam 0301042013

If there is a Southeast Asian country I know very little of, it is Vietnam. Prior to the trip, all I knew of the country is that people wear a conical hat, and that it has an agrarian economy.  As for its history, all I knew was related to the US-Vietnam War.

Days before our trip to Ho Chih Minh, I scoured the internet for Vietnamese songs, hoping to learn a bit of the language. It proved to be a difficult task, since the language has many vowel combinations, to say nothing of the accents. Although utterly discouraged, I discovered some good Vietnamese pop songs.  The first song I listened to was White Noise’s Kết Thúc (To Kill a Love), a rock ballad which encouraged me to explore more of their music.

Some three days before the trip, my friend and I were doing research on what to do in HCMC. Late last year we booked a flight without any plans; we thought of exploring on our own. It all changed probably thanks to the scary thought of getting lost in a foreign country with no means to go back home, as what frequently happens in movies. I did research on budget hotels and decided to stay at dorm-type inns. It doesn’t matter where we stay, as long as it is convenient to commute to and from the airport, as long as it is cheap and clean, as long as it is near museums and parks.

On February 28, right after work, my friend and I met at Magallanes MRT station and took a cab to NAIA Terminal 3. Once inside, we talked about our itinerary. We arrived there early and while waiting for boarding time, planned our day 1 schedule. During the flight, we took our much-needed sleep after winning netbook sleeves from Cebu Pacific for correctly answering trivia questions. (During my Hong Kong trip last February I also won two bagtags.)

One funny incident left us laughing at our stupidity. Before we boarded the plane, already past the boarding time, we saw some French running to our assigned gate. We laughed at them wondering what if they missed their flight. It turned out WE almost missed our flight had my friend not checked the time. We ran like crazy, like the French we laughed at just minutes ago. It turned out we hanged out near the wrong gate! Inside the plane, we burst out laughing, telling ourselves what an adventure it was! And so I learned an important lesson: Always wait at the correct gate.

It was past midnight when we got to Ho Chih Minh airport. Instead of hailing a cab to take us to the city center, we decided to spend the wee hours of the morning at the airport and slept on the benches overlooking the well-lit city below. Cool breeze turned into chilly wind after a few hours, rousing us from sleep and prodding us to put on our jackets.

At 6:30am we took the bus to ben Thanh Market. From there, we began our exploration. We only had a tourist map in hand in search of Pham Ngu Lao Street which is reputed to have backpackers’ lodges and cheap hotels. On the way, with stomachs grumbling, we paid heed to street food and had a bowl of pho bo each to give us strength for walking in case we get lost.

We were assisted by a cute young man who works at the Japanese embassy. Since we do not know Vietnamese and were armed with English only, we had a hard time talking to the vendor who did not understand English. This young man, named Ngsii (if I got the spelling right), was like a knight in shining armor to us two damsels in distress. And we both agreed that he is cute.

Pho bo (beef noodles) sold in the streets near Ben Thanh Market, 30,000 VND

While in search of a cheap hotel, we met another cute young man named Han Tu. He’s a friendly fellow we near Bui Vien Street. He told us where cheap inns can be found, certainly a godsend. We then found Thai Nhi Hotel which charges 12 USD a night for a room on the 4^th floor. That’s 6 USD per person and so we took the offer. The room has a small TV with cable, a fridge, and clean bathroom. Beds and pillows are not as comfy but it’s definitely better than sleeping on hard benches in the open. The owners are a bit friendly, so unlike the reviews in TripAdvisor and Travelfish I read when I got back to Manila. But maybe I can owe that to the fact that the owner’s sister works at Taiwan and I look like Chinese and almost spoke to her in Mandarin. And I am glad I read the reviews after the trip, otherwise we wouldn’t want to stay there, cheap it may be.

Day 1 of our Vietnam trip was spent exploring the streets in District 1 and visiting museums, parks, coffee shops, and bookshops. We were unfortunate to have encountered a scammer bicycle rickshaw who demanded that my friend and I pay 1,000,000 VND each for 2 hours’ service. We were shocked because initially they asked for only 15,000 VND. I guess at the onset we should have had our suspicions. In fact, I found the initial rate unusually low so I kept on asking if it’s really 15,000 VND and the driver repeatedly said yes. We should have known that something was amiss right then and there.

Beware of bicycle rickshaw scammers like this one. I interviewed  legit ones and they wear white uniforms.

What we visited/ saw:

1. War Remnants Museum (15,000 VND)

2. Zoo and Botanical Gardens (8,000 VND)

3. History Museum (15,000 VND, pay extra 32,000 VND to be able to take pictures inside)

4. Museum of Ho Chih Minh Campaign (15,000 VND)

5. Notre Dame Cathedral (we attended mass in Vietnamese)

6. Saigon Central Post Office (free)

7. Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre (150,000 VND)

Day 2 was the day we toured the Mekong River. We booked the tour from the agency just across our hotel. I think it’s the cheapest in the area. We randomly asked around and it was the cheapest we found at just USD 8. After the tour, we shopped at Ben Thanh market and Saigon Square.

A woman paddling for tourists in the Mekong River.

Day 3 we did the Cu Chi Tunnel tour which we booked at the same travel agency as the Mekong River Tour. It was amazing how they created the complex tunnel system which reflects the tenacity of the human spirit to defend themselves from foreign aggression. We experienced just 100 meters of this more than 200 km system and yet we were easily exhausted. It is hard to imagine how the Vietnamese people were able to live underground for years. And for this, I developed a great deal of respect for them.

Before the tunnel tour, visitors will have to listen to an interesting lecture of the system

After the Cu Chi Tunnel tour, we asked to be dropped at the Reunification Palace. Inside the four-storied French-styled palace are conserved rooms, halls, and  even vintage items like telephones, kitchen equipment, etc. 

Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất), also known as Independence Palace 

For the food we tried, please click HERE.

Detailed blog entries to follow. :)

At present, I am reading more on the history of Vietnam.