art for the people

the best part of my day today was hanging out with this person CJ, she's is on staff with one of the congressman. She is also an artist and her last job was working for the organization, Sining na Naglilingkod sa Bayan (Art for the People). Which, is absolutely up my ally. It's a member organization, with a staff of organizers, that work with "cultural workers" (basically me, artist who work with communities) around activism. Amazing huh. They basically have programs with workshops, putting on productions and events that is in essence, art for social change! I couldn't ask for this trip to be any better. I can't believe it really.

http://www.geocities.com/sinagbayan

"business as usual"

i had the best day. . . inspiring, motivating, and satisfying . . . today i went to the house of representatives and attended a congressional session hearing. a congressman today gave a "privilege speech" on behalf of all those people who were relocated in laguna. he was calling congress to action. being there today at was exactly where I needed to be. i wanted to be a witness. this is where the majority of the dirty work happens, it is the hot bed of corruption. here decisions are made where the people are not first. and what is absolutely bizarre. it wasn't all that much of a circus as I thought it was going to be, but strangely enough, a series of polished executed actions that smelled of normality. the scene didn't phase anyone, everything was "business as usual."

origami for peace

this is bani and he met us in laguna. after the long day of seeing everything and hearing all the stories. it wasn't hard to feel terrible inside. . . bani went into his bag and pulled our a brightly colored pump and some balloons. he then proceeded to make many balloon poodles. he said, "there is nothing like the smile a child gets when you give them this." it then made sense to me. later her told me his other hobby, origami. which is an short for: Organized Resistance Involving Grassroots Against Militarism

a trip to laguna

yesterday, I spent the day in laguna. my friend laurice, invited me to participate in "an inspection" of an area that has been under served. it's a long story . .

basically 15,000 people have been relocated to an abandoned development with 9,000 homes. the government bought these homes for very cheap, probably considering it was a companies unfinished project. they were tiny one room row homes of just cinder block and cement. no roofs or windows, with dirt floors, non-functioning toilets, limited access to water, and so on. For all these families, there is one health center with 4 volunteer nurses only open monday through friday, no market nearby to buy food, a tiny elementary school with an average of 90 kids per class (the national average is between 40-60), no police or fire station, barely a sewage/drainage system and so on.

So why? All these people lived right next to an old railway that the government is planning to reopen and rebuild. All these people were moved to a new location that had no jobs for them waiting, hours away from their last one. There is little money to buy food or even to fix up the houses to be livable. And can you believe it? All these people are renting to own these desolate lots and they're not even sure if they will own them in the end, because of red tape. They were promised money when they were relocated and many have not seen any of it. And it's not enough to even fairly compensate their needs. This whole process has also brought along other struggles for the people, not mention quality of living. In the end, all these people will be moved to a even worse situation and it is rumored that the railway won't even be built, because of corruption of the government and the pocketing of the allocated funds secured by another country.

This sad happenstance in the world is a result of a system that not only doesn't look out for theses people, but simply does not care. We went on behalf of a congressman who will be making a speech this tuesday about the tragedies that have fallen on these people, in hopes to make a difference.

Later in the evening we went to a meeting with a room full of people who were about to be relocated as well to this same area in laguna. they were told what really they were about to face and by the end, they were all inspired to fight for their rights from the lessons learned. it was beautiful. one woman said in tagalog, "I can't do much and I don't know what to do, but I know how to cook pancit and will cook for everyone, whenever it is needed." i felt the energy in the room surging, you could even feel that change could happen.

it felt good to not just be an observer but to help, it happened that they needed a better working camera for documentation pruposes, so I took many photos on their behalf. above is one picture that I took. this women is holding her 2 year old daughter who is sick with Degue Fever. the women had no more money left to pay for the hospital bills, so she had to bring her daughter back home who continues to get sick.

walk this way

today, I went on this walking tour, recommended by lonely planet, and it was incredible! really. his name is carlos and I think he is an incredibly brilliant storyteller, smart, ingenious, funny, informative, critical and completely entertaining! I believe anyone who comes to Manila has to check out one, if not more of his tours.

He just has this remarkable wealth of knowledge about Philippine history that he tells and in a way that I absolutely appreciate. He is critical about the different people in power, multi-cultural influences, economics and so forth. He clearly and fantastically explains these multi-layered histories and how it links to why the Philippines (focusing particularly on Manila) is in the crisis it currently is. Totally up my ally! It left me absolutely inspired and filled to the brim with ideas.

his mission is to be "A man who is trying to change the way you look at Manila - one step at a time. " amazing. . .

http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/

Jose Rizal

After the museum I went to Rizal park and wandered into this curious sculpture garden. One being a-larger-then-life-size recreation of the execution of the Philippines great hero, Jose Rizal. It was also on the same land where it actually happened over a hundred years ago. He died at 7:03AM on December 30, 1896.

One of the plaques read "Rizal's martyrdom fanned the flames of the Filipino Revolution of 1896 and inspired Filipinos in their resolute and epic fight for freedom."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal

Welcome back!

Well! Here I am again, back in the Philippines! I left beautiful Bangkok at 2AM this morning and arrived around 7AM. I slept terribly on the plane, the turbulence was pretty bad. (But granted that's because there is typhoon is coming) I felt utterly disgusting in that red-eye-flight kind of gross. Then, the long trek to the hostel with the big back pack didn't help. But alas! The super nice hostel was happy to let me check in early and I settled in, took a shower and the was the best thing ever.


burial jars

Somehow I had the energy to wonder around. I went to the National Museum of Filipino People. It has lots to offer. My favorites were the totally bizarre burial jars that were found Palawan. They are so curious and detailed. Also there was this contemporary artist Roberto Feleo had an installation and other works in contrast to the "Basi Revolt Series" by Esteban Villanova in 1820s, which is apart of the museums collections. I really like his work.

http://members.tripod.com/philmuseum/index

It was nice on Thanksgiving Day here to feel thankful the entire day for this trip and appreciate what a gift it is!

goodbye beautiful bangkok

so, i met this new friend in Bangkok, her name is Beer, really. She is probably one of the nicest people i've met on this trip. She's been so lovely to show me around. tonight she took me to Kao Shan road, which is the "backpackers" road, it feels like South Street but for people age 20-30. (Pictured above) I said to her, "what's you favorite thing here?" "Oh, I love to drink beer outside, it's the best." I laughed at her, because I had a feeling of why she wanted to take me there. So we sat outside, talked and watched people go by. afterwards, we left for a delicious traditional thai restaurant that played live traditional music. the place was near her house AND near the airport. 3 draft beers later and tons of food in my belly, she took me to the airport and I said good bye to Thailand. I am so sad to leave it. It's a remarkable place, I hope I get to go back again one day.

elephant ride

today was incredible. my dream came true, i shared space with an elephant, in fact, I sat on top of an elephant. the sweet massive creature walked us through the Kho Yai mountain and up a little stream. it was magnificant. today was another beautiful day where I thought to myself, "I am so lucky to be alive."

To check out more photos of the my day in Thailand's National Park:
http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x313/michelleposadas/elephants/

ko pret

today I went to ko pret, a little island north of bangkok. it is a lovely escape from the inescapable hussle and bussle in town. today me and a new friend walked around on a small cement sidewalk that circles the whole island. it is like a bridge raised above the ground, in and out of water, through farms, plantations and little bodies of water. yet another beautiful thing in bangkok. also to beat the rain we took a little break for 99 baht and got an hour long traditional thai massage, it was amazing and unbelievably just $3. . .

joe lewis puppet theater

an evening of traditional thai puppetry. i went and saw the show The Myth of Rahoo and the Lunar Eclipse, which actually won "best traditional performance" at the Prague World Pupptery Festival in 2006. the puppets were gorgeous and the way they were manipulated reminded me of bunraku.
http://www.bangkok.com/kids-top10-activities/joe-louis-puppet-theater.html

chatuchak weekend market

this place is unbelievable. seriously you need a map to get around, it's huge. today I just walked around, got lost, and looked until my eyes hurt. a running theme that ends about everyday here in bangkok.

another amazing bike tour!

me in front of a shoemaker factory int he southern part of bangkok


here is something we tried. inside the beetle leaf is small dried shrimp, piece of lime, peanuts, onion, ginger, dried coconut, chili, topped off with a sweet chili sauce. deliciously strange.


the market on the edge of the trees and canals


feeding the fishes at a park


good company: Heidi (Amsterdam), Anne (Heidie's mom from Holland), Allan & Carol (Queensland, Australia), Me

highly recommended! a great day with biking through narrow paths in the middle of plantations, in the midst of jungle and above water. we looked at sights, cruised local markets, had lovely company, and we ate so much! even a sweet lunch made by this family who lived along the route: i'm still stuffed, I doubt I'll eat dinner. a genuinely good time.

http://www.realasia.net/BangkokBike.htm
check out more exciting bike photos: http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x313/michelleposadas/bike%20tour%20Nov%2017/

like little m+m's

yesterday I walked around dazzling Bangkok. here I was passing by the Democracy Monument and admired all the brightly colored cars below. . .sitting in traffic, slowly circling around the turnabout. the taxis are pink! and green, blue, yellow, green and so on, they look like little m+m's from the elevated walkway. the rest of my day was walking through parks, looking at shrines, wats, night markets and even the royal elephant museum. what a day!

bangkok at night

last night I met up with a friend of a friend, her name was Cici. She lived on the 32floor of this building with a terrace that has a south view of bangkok. it was so beautiful. you can't see it in the picture, but the canal was magical. accompanied with such good conversation and company, it was one lovely night in bangkok.

grasshopper adventures

Ae, the very fun tour guide. going up the stairs to the bridge


Wat Suthat


me on my bike!

the bike ride was all that it promised. 20 km of a off-beat tracks, small alleys and roads. Plenty of whizzing through markets and peoples "back yards." Beautifully rustic. Biked across bridges and explored less-touristy neighborhoods, i particulary loved that. Saw more gorgeous temples and found out Bangkok alone has over 4000. I ended up with a private tour since no one else signed up and they didn't cancel, it was a little awkward at first and also I was hoping to meet new folks. However, it
was nice to ask questions and get one-on-one attention.

gorgeous bangkok

so, i took a little working vacation to do some script writing in Thailand. i thought since i'm already out here, i should take advantage of it. it took only 3 hours to get here from Manila. it's incredible to just come from the Philippines to see how it is here, it's starkingly different. it actually makes me a little sad, because of the contrast.

right now i am so exhausted. my body aches and is tired. BUT this a beautiful thing though because of all of what I saw today: Wat Arun, The Grand Palace, Way Prat Kaew and Wat Pho.

wats are these gorgeous temples, there are indescribable and only to be witnessed. so much gold, so tall, ornate, exquisite, beyond my imagination. i was taken aback by it all. i got goosebumps when I entered Wat Prat Kaew and saw the emerald Buddha. it was magnificent, it was awestrucking, i was mesmerized and entranced by all the incredible beauty.

everything I saw today was. . .gorgeous. can you believe it? now my eyes were getting to tried of how beautiful it all was, they still kinda ache from it all.

boom na boom

what wonderful evening for my farewell to this visit to the Philippines. tomas and i followed the bright lights and heaps of noise to explore the x-mas celebration presented by SM Clark. (here they begin playing music and put up decorations for the holidays in September. SM is a mega mall chain strung throughout luzon, the main island.)

tomas, gullible but adventurous, came with me to scream, as I giggled on the roller coasters. apparently it was his first time, ever! I sorta tricked him by having him not realize what we were doing by distracting conversation. during this time, I paid for the tickets, climbed into the trains, and finally, we were locked in. Then he realized where he was and said to me, "oh my god." by the end of the night we went on two more rides, bumper cars, ate disappointing nachos, played games, had lots of fun. . . and I didn't stop giggling either.

angeles

irit, tomas, and I in the jungles of mt. arryat


the very silly jean-paul


at the magic line factory


inside the trike!

spent a few days here, the town I lived in when I was very little and we did many things:
1. saw my tita citas and got fed the most delcious food. lovely to spend time with the boan family
2. hung out with tomas!
3. say "wedding daze" at the mall, not to mention a genuine filipino teen-heart throb perform
4. hung out with friends from taiwan: jodie, jean-paul, hubert
5. had delicious dinner at a friend of huberts, jean-micheal + sonia's
6. hung out at the really neat magic line factory, that produces mannequins
7. went trekking at mt. arryat
8. enjoyed the many forms of transportation the phlippines has to offer: bus, jeepney, handy cab/trike, and the mancho man van

aguilar: family

it was so nice to catch up with family, somany stories. . .not to mention feeling incredible welcome and fed all the time.


lolo pilo


me and lola flory


lola mading at 89! still such a fire cracker


lolo moling


lola mading teaching me some pangasinan

aguilar: lola's house

I'm finally back home. I am so glad. It's a little sad that my grandmother is not here but just walking around on her land, underneath her trees, and through her gardens feel so comforting. Enjoy the photos I took. . .


lola's house


locked out, looking into lola's dirty kitchen, where her plants hang, covered in plastic, waiting for her to come back


underneath a mango tree


lolo pilo

a royal sighting

Kristie A. Kenney is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines. She was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on March 6, 2006, and arrived in the Philippines on March 17, 2006.

yesterday, irit and i were in this neat little hand woven craft store in Baguio, called "Narda." the clerk at the counter was bragging of late breaking news that the US ambassador was coming in 15 minutes. a little curious and ready for a little merianda, a snack, we enjoyed some cake and awaited her arrival. it was fascinating, considering about two days prior i learned who she was and wala here she was. she looked just like the picture and seemingly enjoyed the shopping with her company, 10 car escort and piles of gaurds completely surrounding the area.

http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwh003.html

baguio magic

sunset at tam awan village


a bamboo bridge to a hut in the midst of the tam awan village


oh my gulay!


oh my gulay!


oh my gulay!


bike riding in burnham park


yesterday we landed, literally. we took a plane from Manila to Baguio for an expedited trip, considering it can be up to a 8 or 10 hour bus ride. though it would have been beautiful to sail through the country side; it would have taken too much time we don't have. but luckily as i doze in and out of sleep on the short 45 minute flight, I gandered at the absolute gorgeousness of the cordillera, the mountains in northern luzon. the landscape, exquisite.

we spent our first afternoon taking a peak at this place called "Tam Awan Village." a very beautiful little treasure up in the mountains. Basically this group of folks set up traditional huts of the native people in the cordillera to preserve the history. Folks can also sleep and have accommodation in the huts! which I would highly recommend and want to do on my next visit here. Also the place hosts a core group of artists who reside there. If felt perfect. http://www.tamawanvillage.com/index.php

Then, it rained today. I was sad because I was looking forward to enjoy the gorgeous outdoorness that makes baguio special. But none-the-less we actually found a little more magic inside baguio. A cafe, gallery, and performance space called "Oh my gulay." Which means, "Oh my vegetable." Can you believe it? vegetarian food to top it off AND tofu lumpia! Score! But the most magical part was the space itself. PLEASE check out these photos. No words can describe, but know that my mouth was wide open and grinning freely.