Filipino couple doing a Bollywood Lip Sync Challenge…
And this is effin Hard!
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Tag Archives: India
Nostalgic Travel: Little India, Singapore (2011)
The “Color” Run
What I expected:
I have been excited to join a Holi-ish fun run ever since I fell in love with India. I have been seeing international Fun Runs which adapted the said concept. It reached the Philippines, if I’m not mistaken, a year ago but only in the Metro and other “posh” places in the country. While in the midst of frustration that I wasn’t able to go to India this year to celebrate Holi, I got excited when my friends sent me an SMS that there will be a similar fun run to be held in our city. 
What my friends expected:
Like kids, my friends planned for an overnight stay at Jogs’ crib in preparation for the big run. They were excited as well. 
What actually happened:
Well, it was far from what we expected. It was a face paint run and not the get-bloody colorful-and-dirty run we were all excited about. The organizers handed us some water soluble face paint and face crayons while telling us that the best face paint will win a special award. BOO! As we looked around, people are painting butterflies, stars, flowers and hearts on their shoulders legs and faces. I almost fell asleep while watching these people do their thing. More BOOS!
My friends are even more disappointed as I am. The hostile cold morning air was suddenly felt. I saw them starting to draw hearts, flowers and other plain stuffs on their warm-turned-cold skin.
What we did:
Because of too much frustration, I took a huge amount of green paint and splatted it on my friends and shouted, “Come on guys. Lets have fun!” One thing I love about my friends is that they don’t give a damn on what other people will think or say. They took large amounts of paint and they started to have a “paint fight” right beside the butterfly infested skins of our competitors. Paint is all over us. You can hardly recognize us. Mission accomplished.
Lesson learned: We create our own happiness and it cannot be found elsewhere but in you.
By the way, remember the “best paint award” I was talking about earlier? Guess who nailed it…
Stuffs worth watching Part 1
Here are some of the Documentaries I have watched last week:
1. Yaxin and Vlado introduced me to this awesome documentary called, SAMSARA. These are the sort of films that do not have plots. Everything depends on your interpretation. I also have to suggest that when you watch this film, you should be with other people for an exchange of thoughts. My Interpretation: The film is actually about the downfall of humanity and how humans failed to be humans especially in this generation.
2. Koyaanisqatsi (Life out of balance) shared the same theme with Samsara. The difference is that the former was filmed in the 80s. Still, there is no plot. My interpretation: Humans failed to embrace nature. Instead, they have exploited it. Everything is instant, even in the 80s. Everything is fast paced. At the end of the day, we are not happy and never achieved contentment. Suggestion: You should compare/contrast Koyaanisqatsi with Samsara. Reflect on the changes that occurred within the 20-year gap of 80s and 00s.
Other documentaries with the same theme that you HAVE TO WATCH are the following:
- Baraka
- Powaqqatsi
- Naqoyqatsi
3. Born into Brothels is about a group of kids who were born in Calcutta’s Red Light District. Zana, a british girl who is helping the kids gave each of them a camera and taught them the basics of photography. You will see in the film some of the works of the kids which were actually showcased in New York and some parts of the world. I find the documentary really inspiring that I wanted to do the same project in my area. Watch out for it!
4. Exit Through the Giftshop. “What was it about?”, asked my friend. “It’s about the world’s greatest graffiti artist”, I answered. They laughed with some sarcastic remarks. I don’t have any idea why they laughed. Probably they are wondering, “who in the world will do a documentary about a graffiti artist?” Well, it was indeed a weird theme for a documentary. But one thing I like about the movie is that PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY FIGHTING FOR ART. They take risks just to show the world their one-of-a-kind creations. It takes a lot of courage to be a street artist. One reason is that it’s illegal. But they have to do it, or they’ll die. You know what I mean, right? I feel for them. I’m an artist in my own way too and not being able to express what I love doing is worse than death. Probably this is not really the theme of the documentary but this is what it left me after watching it. (I will make a separate post about this)
Mail’s Here Part 7
Hello there, here are the cards I received this week:
Dubai cards from my friend in who is now working in the UAE. 
Here’s one from Switzerland…is this the TOBLERONE mountain?
Here’s a card from Neil (India). This is Neil’s 2nd card, therefore, I can now call him a “regular” :
Another card from Russia:
Last but not the least, a card from Japan (but was bought in South Dakota, USA).
Mail’s Here Part 6
My heart leaped with joy as I received my first 2 cards from one of my favorite countries, INDIA.
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A bike postcard from Germany.
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A nice view of a Russian seashore. Still, the snow is present and not to mention the polar bear stamp.
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When I received this Spring goddess postcard from Czech Republic, I moved my postcard collection from a smaller box to a longer box. As a newbie card collector, I didn’t know that there are longer postcard such as this.
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Camping at the west coast of Finland is something like this:
Postcards for Penang, Terengganu, Weedon, Carabobo, Valladolio, Haryana and Shanghai
These are the second batch of postcards I’m going to send this week. The problem is, I don’t like going to post offices, or should I say, I don’t have a time. I will find time. That’s a promise.
English Vinglish
Finally, I have met a couchsurfer who can share my interest in Bollywood films! Last night, Suko (my Indonesian guest) and I watched a very “feel good” Bollywood movie entitled English Vinglish.
The movie revolved around an Indian mother, Shashi (played by Sridevi) who cannot speak in English. She experienced discrimination under her own house and was the laughing stock of her own family because of her inability to speak in English.
The plot started when the family received a mail from their relatives in New York inviting Shashi to cater her niece’s wedding and cook ladoos. It was a difficult decision to make because Shashi kept on thinking about her weaknesses.
Her adventure in New York was a bitter-sweet experience. She cannot dine out, she cannot comprehend signs and other “lost in translation” moments. Being exhausted with all that emotional noise, she enrolled for an English Learning Program and was able to learn English in 4 weeks. She was able to surprise her family during the speech she gave at the wedding:
Meera…Kevin…maybe you’ll very busy…but have family…son…daughter…in this big world…It will make you feel so good. Family…family can never be…never be judgemental! Family will never…put you down…will never make you feel small…Family is the only one..who will never laugh at your weaknesses. Family is the only place where you will always get love and respect. That’s all Meera and Kevin.
I see a lot of wisdom in the film, but for me, the greatest lesson I have learned is that the ability to speak in English (or any other language) will not define a person. It is not the ultimate goal.At the end of the day, love will surpass any language. At the end of the day, you’ll realize what matters most in your life.
Ratha Yatra: A Strange but Surreal Festival
Last February 2, my friend and I went to this pretty cool Indian Festival called Ratha Yatra. The activity was organized by University of the Philippines Diliman, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, Inc.
Ratha Yatra Festival is a Hindu festival where devotees pull the chariot of the gods. While pulling the chariots, people are dancing, singing and chanting with the tune of this Hindu mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Although the chant was sung for an hour, I never got tired of listening to it. In fact, I liked it. The main reason is that I could see the devotees singing it with pure passion and dedication to their gods.
After parading around the University grounds, we proceeded to the hall for the opening program. Outside the hall is a selling area featuring native delicacies, accessories and books from India.
Not Your Average Stranger 