The Chinese Tourist (In The Eyes of The Taiwanese)
What is it with the Mainland Chinese that they get easily noticed when they travel abroad? Ask a Taiwanese.
Gaby Dela Merced: Cool Driven, And Empowered
Check out the April-June 2009 issue of Metro Post for my interview with Ms. Gaby Dela Merced, über awesome race car driver.
Chinese Students: The Most Stressed In The World
It's back to school time here in the Philippines!
Are you ready to hit the books and face all those competition, I mean, fellow classmates?
Many years ago, before the UPCAT, ACET, and all the nerve-wracking, spine-twisting, hair-pulling college entrance exams, we had the National College Entrance Examination--a standardized test for college entrance that was discontinued in 1994.
China has the GaoKao every June--a test that can be somehow traced back to the imperial examinations of long ago. This determines the social fate of the student. No wonder June is considered the most stressful time for Chinese students!
Are you ready to hit the books and face all those competition, I mean, fellow classmates?
Many years ago, before the UPCAT, ACET, and all the nerve-wracking, spine-twisting, hair-pulling college entrance exams, we had the National College Entrance Examination--a standardized test for college entrance that was discontinued in 1994.
China has the GaoKao every June--a test that can be somehow traced back to the imperial examinations of long ago. This determines the social fate of the student. No wonder June is considered the most stressful time for Chinese students!
Racing Time On The Chungking Express
Chungking Express is not the name of train. It actually juxtaposes the names of two locations in the film by Wong Kar-Wai, namely, Chungking Mansions and Midnight Express. But we are getting ahead of the story.
If you a fan of WKW and Tony Leung, this is one of the movies to see.
Chungking Expresses comprises of two totally unrelated stories involving cops and their lovesick romances. But if you look closely, you could actually see the six degrees of separation concept in their stories where they become related by a mere touch or encounter.
In the first story, He Qiwu aka Cop 223 played by Takeshi Kaneshiro of "Turn Left Turn Right" fame (also one of my favorite movies) has become obsessed with his breakup with his former girlfriend May. They broke up on April Fools' Day and is giving himself until May 1 (his birthday and coincidentally his girlfriend's name) for them to get back together. He has this thing with pineapples (because it is May's favorite) and pineapple cans with expiration dates of May 1.
Fate brought him and a girl disguised in a blonde wig together inside a dingy bar. And with all his obsession in finding the next girl to love, he totally dismisses the idea that her getup (blonde wig WITH sunglasses AND trenchcoat) is a coverup--although he mentions this momentarily just in an act of flirtation.
Why would a woman be wearing shades this late? Either she's blind, or she's a poseur, or she doesn't want people to see she's been crying.
And the hopelessly lost in love Qiwu replies, "The last one!"
In WKW's film, I especially loved how he played with time and emphasized deadlines in the stories. Towards the transition to the next story, Qiwu bumps into Faye (played by singer-actress Faye Wong) and recounts in freeze frame,
This was the closest we ever got. Just 0.01 of a centimeter between us. I knew nothing about her. But six hours later, she fell in love with another man.And the second story starring the another man (Cop 663 played by Tony Leung) and Faye starts with Qiwu disappearing in the background.
Faye and Tony have incredible chemistry together. Their moments are both sexy and innocent enough, because WKW tells the story as if you just can not guess what the outcome of their love story is.
Faye is "ditzy" and smart at the same time and has her own obsession with the song "California Dreamin'". The song symbolizes her dream of travelling to California. She plays it really loud while working because it "stops me from thinking." The viewer will adore her character here!
Moving fast forward, it is cute to point out that when Cop 663 invites Faye to go out on a date, he suggests the California Restaurant. Does Faye go or not? I will leave that to the viewer.
There is no definite story in Chungking Express though a theme appears (of cops and their romances). It is all about how real the characters were portrayed. No cinematic plots were involved (except for the chase and kill scene with the blonde lady) and only the quirky behavior of people in love. i.e., Playboy Qiwu and his pineapples; Cop 663 and his emo episodes...talking to himself and inanimate objects...
In one episode, Cop 663 discovers his apartment flooding and in a voiceover, he tells out loud his thoughts,
Did I leave the tap running or is the apartment getting more tearful? I always thought it would cope okay. (His girlfriend also broke up with him.) Didn't expect it to cry so much. When people cry, they can dry their eyes with tissues. But when an apartment cries, it takes a lot to mop it up.And an endearing moment with his soaked towel-
It was such a relief when I saw it crying. It may look different. But it's still true to itself. It's still an emotionally-charged towel.His quotes sound a bit crazy; yet in a weird way, I find them poetic.
Among the 4 lead actors and actresses, Brigitte Lin is the only "older" woman. The others are relatively young adults. Perhaps this is to say that Brigitte's character is intended to be different and the only one "mature" or "straight" in thinking with regards to love. Not to mention literal. She said so herself--
I've been racing around all evening. I'm tired. If you want to talk, find someone else.And another fast quip--
I don't have a boyfriend..I won't like you.At the end of the first story, blonde girl remembers to greet Qiwu on his birthday (also his love deadline). They do not become a couple, but Qiwu is somehow freed on his love quest.
On May 1, 1994, a woman wishes me a happy birthday. Now I'll remember her all my life. If memories could be canned, would they also have expiry dates? If so, I hope they last for centuries.What I like about Chungking Express is that it shows bits of Hong Kong life without anything hardcore attached to it. It starts with a sequence and lets the viewers imagine what is to happen next and still able to fashion memorable portraits from it.
Others have likened it as Wong Kar-Wai's politizing of the Hong Kong handover to China with the timing of the making of the film just right. I just see it as WKW imitating real, real life (and not exaggerating movie ploys) in an art that he does best.
PS. And oh by the way, Chungking Mansions is where mainly all the happenings occurred in Qiwu's story. Midnight Express is the snack bar where both Qiwu and Cop 663 frequent.
The Way We Are: Almost Put Me To Sleep But Still A Notable Film
It really was an effort getting a copy of this film.
I am glad it did not disappoint. Well, only a few yawns here and there.
I am glad it did not disappoint. Well, only a few yawns here and there.
When Your Biological Clock Starts Ticking And This Generation's Idea Of Courtship
I heard from an auntie that her daughter is getting married to so-and-so. Her daughter is younger than me. And her fiancee is my grade school classmate.
When I was in high school, all we could think of was what major to take in college.
Nearing college graduation, everyone started laying out their career plans.
No one said anything about marriage.
Wikipedia says "biological clock" may refer to age as a general factor of female infertility (whatever that means). I think it means something when you realize that time is ticking faster and you are not getting any younger. And marriage becomes a factor.
Before, people would burn the lines giggling with fellow girlfriends and some boys.
But now, the younger ones (as if I am not part of this group) are into instant messaging and the thing which I loathe the most--Facebook.
Courtship these days seems to be about chatting in Google Talk or MSN or the notorious Yahoo Messenger until the wee hours of the morning. If someone meets our eye, we cyber-stalk them and if luck is on our side--we add them in our ever-growing list of online friends (and they add us back!).
One time, I just had too much of this online presence thing that I just deleted my Friendster account.
Sometimes I just want to go back to the days when social networking sites were not the norm and definitely when no one talked about marriage.
Is that a sign that my biological clock is ticking?
When I was in high school, all we could think of was what major to take in college.
Nearing college graduation, everyone started laying out their career plans.
No one said anything about marriage.
Wikipedia says "biological clock" may refer to age as a general factor of female infertility (whatever that means). I think it means something when you realize that time is ticking faster and you are not getting any younger. And marriage becomes a factor.
Before, people would burn the lines giggling with fellow girlfriends and some boys.
But now, the younger ones (as if I am not part of this group) are into instant messaging and the thing which I loathe the most--Facebook.
Courtship these days seems to be about chatting in Google Talk or MSN or the notorious Yahoo Messenger until the wee hours of the morning. If someone meets our eye, we cyber-stalk them and if luck is on our side--we add them in our ever-growing list of online friends (and they add us back!).
One time, I just had too much of this online presence thing that I just deleted my Friendster account.
Sometimes I just want to go back to the days when social networking sites were not the norm and definitely when no one talked about marriage.
Is that a sign that my biological clock is ticking?
Ping Pong Politics: Olympic Pair To Become China Gov’t Officials?
What do you think of marrying sports into politics? Two of China's athletes dive full time into the game.
Punishing Voyeurism
The recent hoopla talks of a certain doctor's sex video with a young actress dubbed the "Sex Video Scandal" by the local media.
Heroic senator decides to give privilege speech about condemning such acts and most especially the fact that as a doctor, he betrayed the trust and confidence given to him by his girlfriend/s.
The following are some excerpts from his speech (text in brackets were translated):
Heroic senator decides to give privilege speech about condemning such acts and most especially the fact that as a doctor, he betrayed the trust and confidence given to him by his girlfriend/s.
The following are some excerpts from his speech (text in brackets were translated):
Today, a sex video was uploaded in the internet involving two prominent local personalities.
These videos show explicit sexual acts and was obviously taken without the consent of the woman. [It is clear that the videos published in the Internet were taken from a hidden camera.]...the acts in the video itself is not what I am angry about, [but the method how this doctor betrayed...] taking advantage of the trust, confidence and emotions, [of his girlfriend].
[It is true that we do not give a damn to what is happening inside the bedroom between lovers or couples, but if this thing is done without the consent of the persons concerned, it is clear that the State has a responsibility to correct the wrong.]. ...I have already written the PRC to revoke the license of Dr. Hayden Kho and ban him from the practice of medicine perpetually. He has no right to treat patients just knowing his state of mind fully well. [How will you entrust your daughters to this doctor?]
I believe that voyeurism should be punished, and the publication of sex videos with or without the consent of the parties should be dealt with properly. [The Internet Service Provider who gave access to this lewdity should also be punished.] We can follow the Chinese or Middle Eastern model where all ISPs are required to block online pornography.
Sex videos are nothing new. The Edison Chen Scandal comes to mind. But some are pointing out that what is private (like sex) should be kept private.
What is private? And in these days, is sex still private?
I heard one argue that everyone knows married couples have sex. Like during the wedding reception, the wedding night is supposedly the night to remember.
I empathize with Young Actress knowing full well the humiliation she is undergoing as a woman. However, certain theories hound my mind.
Is the sex video a form of bribe from Young Actress to get money from Doctor's current girlfriend (whose company coincidentally is or was endorsed by Young Actress)?
Or is Mr. Senator trying to be KSP?
And when the day comes that online voyeurism in the Philippines is censored, I wonder how that will change our Internet culture.
Learning The Filipino Language And More On The Filipino Accent
Have you heard of the elevator joke?
Three persons are inside an elevator going down.
Filipino speaking in the Filipino language: Ba ba ba, ba?
Elevator Operator: Ba ba ba.
A baffled American just looks on wondering if the two men understood each other.
The Filipino language is actually an easy language to learn. The words are pronounced as they are spelled which makes for a funny imitation for foreigners trying to speak using "the Filipino accent".
That is quote unquote because what most foreigners get is the stereotypical Filipino accent oftentimes portrayed by Filipinos from the provinces outside Manila.
I received an email from a Singaporean reader trying to find out more about the Filipino accent. He shared a joke that properly epitomizes this stereotype. In fairness to him, he warns that the joke "is more than a little racist and might be slightly offensive. It is based off the premise that foreign domestic workers that come into Singapore to work as maids often 1) Do not have a very good grasp of English and 2) Are sometimes abused by their employers."
He added, "It is best read out loud in its entirety in a Filipino accent." And well, even as a Filipino, I laughingly completely agree with him. We Filipinos do have a good humor to laugh even at ourselves.
The Chicken Nut Bread Joke
A maid agency decides to showcase the standard of English of the foreigners it employs, so it invites a handful of potential and current clients and sets up a small lunch party. One of the events is a sentence construction competition, where the Filipino maids are told to come on stage and make a sentence with the given words, and the best sentence wins.
So one of the problems was "Make a sentence with the words chicken, nut, bread."
The first maid on stage says, "Last week, I going to supermarket and buying for my sir, chicken, nut, and bread."
The people clap politely.
The second maid on stage is not to be outdone, "Tonight, I maybe cooking for ma'am a salad, using, chicken, nut, and bread."
The assembled applaud appreciatively.
The last maid comes up. She's a little scrawny and looks a little worse for wear. She clears her throat and reads from a scrap of paper, "Tonight, when everyone sleep, I will put a pillow, over my ma'am's face, until chicken nut bread."
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