A Burmese Day

“The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations.” – Aung San Suu Kyi Even from a distance, I could tell that the port town of Kawthaung would be intense. The buzz of market vendors, hustle [...]

Berlin Stories: Part 1

“I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed.” – Christopher Isherwood, 1930 Waiting. That’s what happens when you get older. When [...]

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things begins with a quotation from the writer John Berger: “Never again will a single story be told as though it’s the only one.” Thus, even as the novel dives into non-linear, multi-voiced perspectives, it is built around the experiences of the twins, Rahel and her brother Estha, the “small things” [...]

New Wave Revolutionaries: The Sleepyheads

Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski once said, “A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.” While most people see music and visual art as separate entities, The Sleepyheads, often serving as the opening act in Manila’s premier galleries such as Silverlens and Mo’s space, construct their songs to serve as the [...]

A Clean Well-Lighted Place

Our bus rolled into Ranong at dusk. The sun had just set yet it felt closer to midnight than 8 p.m. Music and jovial chatter hummed in the background, but we felt more alone than we ever had before. The starless sky and blazing lights of the hostels and bars gave the town a seedy [...]

Musings on Music: Mixtape Mashup

I think I’m a fairly capable writer. During class or in meetings that go on far too long than they should, I’m also an excellent doodler. I can make caricatures, stars, landscapes—whole new worlds, in fact—on my lined yellow pad. And with my ability to look as though I’m seriously listening and jotting down notes, [...]

Wandering Through Berlin

I always looked forward to weekends in Berlin. Those were the days I would allow myself to wander. I’d even purposefully let myself get lost: If the way home was to turn right, I would go left. Whether it was a perfect day or freezing out, whether I was gung-ho, hungover, or just feeling plain [...]

Berlin Beginnings

I miss Berlin. It’s funny how I ended up moving to a city that I hadn’t even planned on visiting. I was on the first leg of my solo backpacking trip, in Paris, and things had gotten a bit chaotic. I needed to leave and hopped on the first train out. It was the train [...]

Into the Valley of the “Vigo”

Crank up the “Vigo” Volume Challenging mainstream musical conventions, Vigo combines jazz, rock, traditional pinoy balladry (kundiman), modern beats, and a dash of folk to create their own unique sound. With each artist having already forged their own reputations in the Manila soundscape, Vigo is more than just your run-of-the-mill garage band. Vigo is a [...]

Friday Finds to Get You Through This Complex Sphere of Life, 05/07/2010

Another long weekend? Yessirreeee, Ronald McBebot! The Philippine election season is coming to a head. Filipinos will decide on the future leader of the country on May 10, 2010. Well, IF their votes actually get counted, that is. (And yes, people would say I’m cynical…but I say, I’m realistic.) As each day passes, the candidates [...]