I Just Had To Do It
After more than a handful of business trips to Singapore, I finally saw the Merlion (well, one of the four Merlions). And I know I'm not the only one who has ever posed like this here. Thanks to Justin and Cecille for letting me act like a complete idiot. I really enjoyed it! We should revive our old "photosessions at the new roads" days.
The Iceman Winneth
I can write a ridiculously long post about the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix, but I'll reserve most of my comments for a long drink and a smoke with anyone willing to discuss (and you know Joby and I have a lot to say about the cheaters). However, I must say...THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC RACES I HAVE EVER SEEN! Do you know how stupid it feels to yell, "What?! How?! Did you see that?!" when you're sitting alone in a hotel room past mdnight wondering how Lewis could make a mistake like that on the first turn? Oh, he but drove hard and well all the way from 18th place up to 7th. Beautiful!
I didn't think Kimi would win the championship (let alone the race). I mean, I was all for Kimi from the start of the season, really excited about his move to Ferrari and all that, and was just completely blown away by Lewis after Canada, but oh my gas! I thought Ferrari's strategy was to keep Massa in the lead, but with Alonso trailing Kimi in third, of course Kimi had to move up front. I nervously expected Alonso to catch up, but somehow he stayed far behind. And those pit accidents, wild! And the Hondas. And....
Man, it was so worth the wait. And worth waking up late for my meeting this morning. I love you, Kimi! I love you! I love you! I love you!
Shopping Nation
There is something about Singapore that just compels me to shop. I don't get this feeling anywhere else. When I visit another country, whether for work or for pleasure, shopping is not on the top of my to-do list. Not even in Bangkok (my shopping mecca). I mean, it's on the list, but it's not a priority. I always look forward to exploring, taking pictures, learning about the locals, and having local cuisine (when in the US, that does not mean McDonald's. It's lomi-lomi in Hawaii, In-n-Out Burger in California. Hahaha). But in Singapore, it's like I have nothing else to do but shop. It's as if I have no choice but to purchase something. Anything! The moment I step out of that walkway that connects the plane to the airport, I'm assaulted by duty free shops in Changi (is it a mall or an airport?).
I arrived at lunch time today, settled into my room at the Intercontinental in Bugis, then headed straight for Funan Digital Mall to buy laptop peripherals. And these things were really on my list of "must buy in Singapore because it's cheaper there". In the words of my best friend The Puskal, "Nyar!"
I then decided to stay close to the hotel by walking around the newly refurbished mall around the Bugis Junction. For some strange reason, Books Kinukoniya was a mess.
Parang siya lang ang hindi inayos. But I was able to find the books I wanted except one. I was told to head over to the main store in Takashimaya Mall on Orchard Road for Jeanette Winterson's latest,
Stone Gods. Next weekend
nalang siguro. Our company's insurance broker recommended
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which is about a woman who travels to Rome to enjoy food, to India to find enlightenment, and to Bali to find peace. I couldn't find it back home, but found it here on sale. I guess we all know what I'm reading tonight.
I checked out the mid season sale at G2000, Topshop and U2.
Sulit sila,
ha. Blazers for SGD39 (down from SGD80). I purposely stayed away from Charles & Kieth. A woman CAN have too many shoes and bags. I'm still thinking about HMV if only to check if they already have Bruce Springsteen's
Magic (I knew I should have bought it for Bianca in Madrid. Sheesh).
Apparently, the entire Singapore is on sale. Everyone was out shopping today. All the shops were full, and merchandise was scattered everywhere inside the shops. Shopping seems to be a national hobby. Or sport. I think some of the locals have even elevated it to an art. No wonder they have such a strong economy.
At some point, I thought I was back in Manila because all the Pinoys seemed to be out in full force on the metro and in the malls.
Tuloy,
tinagalog ko yung mga sales assistant
sa DC Comics shop,
mga Singaporean
pala. I'm starting to feel like Singapore is an extension of Makati (like, do the Ayalas or does Henry Sy own this place?). I wonder if Singaporeans bother to visit their own tourist attractions. Or is shopping the attraction?
Right now, I'm waiting for the Brazilian Grand Prix. I'm hoping against all hope that Kimi wins, although I think Lewis will claim the championship. Cheater. Hehehe. I'm supposed to check out an F1 store for Joby in a mall near the Mandarin Hotel. I wonder which cars will be featured in the store after the race. Thank God, I don't collect model cars and that I'm "operating" on a very strict budget this week (I haven't strayed from the list despite the many temptations), otherwise that trip to the Mandarin is going to hurt my wallet! This is becoming an exercise in restraint! And I'll be here until next Tuesday. Waaaah!
Wala akong pang-shopping! Torture. Of all countries for this to happen to me, it had to be Singapore: Shoppers' Paradise.
Harry Potter 8: The Drama Continues...
Saw this on Bro. Arian's blog (click on the link). I know I shouldn't use the Lord's name in vain, but...Oh. My. God!
Link
We're OK!
And I hope you are, too. Wherever you are.
It was the beginning of a Midnight Madness shopping weekend. Most of the students at the mall had been on sem break and many were hanging out in TimeZone. Half a business unit from our company was having lunch in Kaya (Glorietta 4) when the bomb went off in Glorietta 2. Two of our managers almost had lunch at Luk Yuen (close to "ground zero" of the blast) and decided against it not too long before the explosion. Many of my officemates went to the mall, but were on their way back to 6750 when it happened. My seatmate's Mom was in her little shop near Quad. Thankfully, most of them are ok. Lucky me, I was on my way back to the office from RCBC and was advised to turn around.
Did it have to come to this for security guards to suddenly become more vigilant and more strict about carefully checking bags of people entering malls and office buildings? They finally realised that their magic wands didn't work! And that they really should look INSIDE the bag and at all the bag's contents. How can you not find bomb materials with all that bag-checking and trained dogs, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Inside job or not, public safety should be their main concern. It's not that difficult.
Whoever made that press release about the explosion being caused by an LPG tank is insane. We've seen the pictures on MMS and email. Apart from the fact that an LPG tank cannot cause that kind of damage (and one doesn't need to be a
CSI fan or to work for an oil company to figure that out), restaurants in Glorietta are hooked to a central LPG system. They do not have individual LPG tanks on the premises. No mall allows individual LPG tanks on site.
The latest press release of the Philippine Bomb Data Centre, care of The Philippine Daily Inquirer, is that the bombing was "most likely a deliberate attack" (you think?!). They said that a C4 bomb caused the explosion, and an investigation is underway to determine if it was military grade and if it was timed or set off remotely. Eight (8) people have died and over a hundred were injured. One woman was speaking with her husband over the phone when the bomb went off, the line went dead, and she could no longer contact her husband who was in Glorietta. Her husband has not been heard from or found. This poor woman has been going all over Ayala Centre and from hospital to hospital searching for her husband.
Some people are blaming terrorists. Others are blaming the government (they say this is a cover up to divert people's attention from the bribery charge against Malacanang). At this point, I don't care who did it or how it happened (I will later!). I just want to know if everyone I know who was in the Ayala Centre area is alright. Stay safe!
A Bit of Stardust
Of course, I saw
Stardust soon after I arrived. In fact, I saw it with my family. And yes, we all enjoyed it very much. It was very entertaining. And I want to see it again! I must (yes, must)get the DVD when it's released. Although for almost the same reasons as Roman, I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars. It's not
astig like
The Lord of the Rings, but it's cute and funny like
The Princess Bride. Forget Harry Potter. Go get a little
Stardust in your eyes.
The GoodI really like what they did with Robert de Niro's character (which was actually a very small role in the book. I don't even remember The Captain having a name) and Michelle Pfeiffer's. It didn't bother me at all that the witches were not referred to as the Lilim, and I like how Lamia (I forget her name in the book. Starts with letter M) would age everytime she worked her magic.
Charlie Cox as Tristan was quite good and I like how they developed his character.
The ghosts of the lords (ok, princes) of Stormhold were spot on and absolutely hilarious! Perfect casting and timing!
The ending was different from the book, but more effective, I think, for a movie. No qualms about that one.
The BadOk, while not necessarily bad, a couple of things could have been done better. First off, I prefer the book version of Tristan and Yvaine's meeting (including Yvaine's fall to earth with the "Ow" and "F---"). Actually, the first 15 minutes or so of the film felt rushed, and I don't think that The Star should have landed like a real one would (big explosion, crater and all that). It had that over-the-top
Armageddon feel to it that was rather inappropriate for this kind of story.
Second, I didn't like the music so much mostly because some scenes were not scored properly - they should have had lighter or more quiet music. Alia agrees with me on that one.
The UglyI thought that Claire Danes was an absolutely horrible choice for Yvaine (how good is this woman's agent?). She just didn't convey the spirit of Yvaine. All she was was a whiner. Plus she's ugly. In my not-so-humble opinion, Sienna Miller should have played The Star.
The VerdictGo see it! Read the book, too. And if it's still available at Fully Booked, get the original hard bound graphic novel with lovely artwork by Charles Vess.
Stardust is magic! And I hope you feel that magic, too.
I'm Baaaaack!
I'm still going through close to 6GB of pictures and obviously haven't decided which to post. Just ask Andaya, Gabby, Rosabel and Benjor. There are just too many to choose from! Some are posted here. The rest will make it to my Multiply photo page at some point. Not everything I took turned out good, though. You'd think the discipline of using film would have helped, but noooo, I just kept clicking away!
*****
Trip Highlights
Barcelona - all things Gaudi (the man was a genius!), the small unmarked private museum with the Dali collection, day trip to the Teatro Museo Dali in Figueres, daytrip to Montserrat, and the Feste de la Merce with it's all-night outdoor concerts and parties.
This is Casa Milla, an apartment building designed by Gaudi that people still work and live in.
There's a stupid story that goes with this particular shot taken from one of the towers of the La Sagrada Familia, but it's best acted out than told. Let's just say that I almost fell out a window and I cracked my Lumix's screen (better the screen than the lens!). And can I just tell you, there is nothing that can prepare you for the La Sagrada Familia. NOTHING!
This is a team of human castle builders. They can go up to 8 "layers" and it's only the little kid on top who wears a helmet. Watching them was just so cool!
Lisboa (pronounced "lish-bow-ah". Apparently, "Lisbon" is the city's English name) - EVERYTHING!!! Visiting Portugal was not part of the original plan, but it turned out to be the most interesting part of the trip. I've become a big fan of fado (Amalia Rodriguez, Mariza) and have a new appreciation for gazpacho and bacalao.
I used to think that the coolest thing about my family heritage was being Brazilian. Now it's being Portuguese! Incidentally, some of the locals thought I was from Brasil. Even the Brazilians thought I was Brazilian. Must be the hair and complexion. Anywho, as that MasterCard ad in the Lisbon airport said, "Exploring the country that discovered half of the world: priceless."
Lisboa was also the hardest city for me to leave....
Oporto (second largest city in Portugal) - the bridges! The view! The wine! Oh, that delicious wine! These are the boats on the River Duormo (?) bringing port to the wineries.
Santiago de Compostela - that cathartic experience at the catherdal during the Pilgrims' Mass. Ay yay yay. Such a Search-in Moment, I swear.
Segovia - the acqueduct, the cathedral, the Alcazar (Vince has a really cool shot of the armory. Ask him about it), and of course: the cuchinillo! Sobrang sarap!
Madrid - exploring the city; finding a Fernando Zobel painting at the Reina Sofia Museum; the Hard Rain Project exhibit at the Botanical Garden; the percussionists and dancers at the Retiro Park;
that colorful cathedral next to the Palacio Real (I forget the name. It's in my guidebook).
Another highlight of the entire Iberian peninsula was the fact that I actually fit in because almost everyone had curly hair! Practically all print ads featured women with curly hair; most hair products were for curly hair; straight hair is considered boring. Thank God!
The nicest, warmest people were definitely the Portuguese. Parang silang Pinoy, but much more helpful. They're very sweet. The Catalunyans were cool, but the Madrilenos were kinda masungit. Met a lot of Germans (as my roommates Vereena and Johann said, "We're everywhere!") and Swiss. I was amazed that almost everyone I met spoke at least 3 languages. Then there was Marie, Antonio and Sven who spoke something like 5 each.
Shopping Highlights
Stradivarius - cool shop found only in Madrid (so they say)
Illegal Music Store in Lisboa, Portugal - I got to chat with one of the owners who happened to be a DJ. We had a great time talking about music and he helped me pick a couple of shirts which happened to have his favorite designs. He said, "DJ's rule the world".
FNAC - music/technology store all over Spain and Portugal
That espadrilles shop that Tita Shanta took me to in Madrid (somewhere on Calle Mayor) where we stayed in all morning. The shopkeeper was so sweet - she wrapped Layla's little red espadrilles in colorful paper and added a lollipop.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the world's best travel agent for helping me get my visa and air ticket: my Mom!
Many thanks to Mike Gars (official map reader) for meeting and putting up with me for 3 weeks (if I'm not mistaken, he's in Paris now);
everyone I met at the Lisbon Lounge Hostel for the grand time I had in that beautiful city (
tou vais para Lux);
Vince "Starving Student" Liwanag for letting me crash in his "box" and acting like a tourist in Madrid; and his classmates Fernando, Julianna and Fabrizio for letting me tag along in Segovia;
and Tito Chema and Tita Shanta Estrada for being so very fond of my parents that they let a complete stranger stay over for a couple of days (they're absolutely fantastic hosts. It was almost like having both my parents in the same room during their happier days).
Thank you to everyone at work who covered for me and actually didn't call or text while I was away! Mark, thank you for letting me disappear for so long.
Thanks to my family for taking care of Max (how I missed my dog!).
And thank you to everyone who gave me tips, lent me stuff, and helped me prepare.
*****
Man, that was such a great trip. I can't wait to go back. I now know why some members of my family and some of my friends love Europe.
I stepped on Kilometer Zero in Madrid's Plaza de Puente del Sol. Legend has it that if you step on the Km 0 marker, you'll return to Spain (bakit walang ganyan sa Portugal?). Time to start saving up again...
