Yes, if you puke, you pay....more!
Years ago, my good Korean friend Woong-Jae told me that he puked inside a cab the night before. We were laughing when he told me that the cab driver had to pull out some tissue paper for him to wipe his vomit off from the taxi cab floor. Eeeww! I think he gave the driver more than his cab fare to make up for that smelly mixture of soju and what he just had for dinner an uncleaned portion of which the driver had to wash off later. Talk about leftovers. Ha-ha-ha!
My friend was lucky. At that time, he got away by paying more than his actual cab fare with some apology. These days, my good friend and all the drunk passengers in Seoul should be more careful.
The Seoul City Government, as lobbied by the Seoul Taxi Association, has imposed a fine of KRW150,000 for every passenger that pukes inside a Seoul cab. Yes, even if you're a tourist, if you puke, you pay.
The cab drivers must have had enough of this. We all know that the drinking is part of the Korean culture. Although everyone loves to drink every night, it's usually on Friday and Saturday nights when everyone drinks until he or she passes out, or when the sun rises the next morning, whichever comes first. Ha-ha-ha!
Try heading to Gangnam on a Friday night and see if you can get a cab at midnight. You can see drunk people dangerously hailing a cab in the middle of the busy street late at night, or worse, you may see drunk people behind the wheel! Another Korean friend told me years ago that he had to pay about KRW 10 million to a few people because he accidentally hit them as he was backing up his car one night after drinking. He was too drunk to think straight and just drove away without even looking at the back.
There have been a lot of cases of drunk people, including celebrities, getting arrested for driving under the influence. Well, I guess if they puke inside their own car, they wouldn't be penalized. But if they kill a pedestrian or hit another vehicle, that's another story. That's why there are many DUI (driving under the influence) check points all over the city at night.
So, the next time you drink, make sure you don't drive. Hire a driver for the night! And if you're taking a cab going home, bring a disposable plastic bag! Or an extra KRW150,000! Ha-ha-ha!
And if there's a penalty for vomiting inside a cab, why isn't there a fine for puking on the sidewalk! There's a lot of these, too!
Calling Mayor Park!
I don't exactly like watching war movies. Why? In these times, one doesn't have to go to the cinema to see war. Just turn on the TV and watch the news. There is always a war going on somewhere. I didn't even watch Brad Pitt's Fury last year.
But this 'war' movie is different and I was glad I watched it.
American Sniper is about the life of America's best military marksman. Bradley Cooper, who plays a real life hero, Chris Kyle, reminds me of Mark Wahlberg, who played Bob Lee Swagger in Shooter. Although both characters are excellent snipers, Wahlberg's Swagger was a fictional character embroiled in a conspiracy, while Cooper's Kyle was an actual sniper in the Iraqi war embroiled in his own mental issues.
Unlike Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan where we saw a lot of mutilation just on the opening scene, here, Clint Eastwood showed us war casualties, one bullet at a time. Although, Kyle's impressive number of kills already made him a legend in the Iraq War, it's his struggle to be a normal father and husband back in his family in Texas made everyone realize he's human after all.
This makes Clint Eastwood's movie a very good one, just like his Gran Torino film; so easy to watch. His style of storytelling about a soldier and a father forced us to ask the question on whether which conflict was more important for him to win. Bradley Cooper's portrayal of this soldier who was very brave at war, but seemed so vulnerable and weak when back home was outstanding. He even pulled off a Texan accent.
Although the movie ran for more than two hours, Eastwood and his editors made sure each minute counted. I was especially impressed how he staged the final encounter between the American soldiers and the insurgents in the middle of a huge sandstorm. The last scene showing the actual footage of Chris Kyle's funeral procession (yes, he was killed but not in a place you'd expect) was very moving and sad. Do note that there isn't any music nor sound playing when that scene starts.
Do watch American Sniper. It's not just a war movie.
When she and her sister Venus started winning Grand Slams, I remember reading a sports news item that quoted their father Richard saying that, between the two, it was Serena who was hungrier.
He was right. Father knows best, I guess.
I saw Serena Williams play at the Rod Laver Arena during the Australian Open back in January 2007 at Melbourne. That summer day in Melbourne Park, inside the players' lounge, my friends Elizabeth, Louise (a tennis commentator and the former Australian Fed Cup captain), and I were watching Serena battle against Nadia Petrova from the TV monitor. The first set score was 6-1 in favor of the Russian, but Serena fought back on the second set. That was when we decided to go up to the Rod Laver Arena and watch the match from there. Serena won in three sets.
I guess that's just Serena; the grit, the determination to win and the fight till the end. And just as Monica Seles said of her matches against her legendary tennis rival, "with Steffi, till you shake hands, the match is not over". I think that's the same mentality of champions. They never give up until the chair umpire declares 'game, set, match'.
And just over the weekend, Serena Williams won her 6th Australian Open singles title, making her total Grand Slam singles titles to 19, one more than the individual Grand Slam records of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Last Saturday, she defeated Maria Sharapova in straight sets. Serena's 19 GS titles make her female tennis player with the 3rd most titles, after Margaret Court (24) and Steffi Graf (22). So, in tennis history, she is already one of the best tennis players ever.
And as a tennis fan, I consider myself lucky that, in my lifetime, I was able to watch and enjoy a legend play a competitive match live, and at a Grand Slam at that! She actually went on to win that year in Australia.
(A post-match interview)
And to make things even special, I received a gift from the Australian Open organizers that year: a t-shirt which was signed by 20 female tennis players who I think played there in 2007, and one of them was Serena! I intend to keep and treasure this souvenir, of course!
Congratulations to Serena! What an athlete and a competitor. Now, she'll be definitely chasing Steffi's record of 22.
(My souvenir t-shirt signed by 20 female
tennis players at the Australian Open)
(Serena's autograph)
(You should drop your name card into this box, too.
Who knows?)
When I was still in Manila enjoying my Christmas vacation, I received a text message in my Korean cellphone. As I disabled my international data roaming services, I could not retrieve the message!
But as soon as I landed in the Korean peninsula, I retrieved it and found that it was in hangeul! And with my basic Korean, I realized that it was from Leonidas Chocolates and immediately sensed something chocolatey!
And just to be sure, I asked my friend Joonho to properly translate it for me. And the message? I won a box of chocolates!
It was from a name card I dropped into their draw box last year when I visited their Itaewon cafe to grab some chocolatey coffee. That first of a few visits actually earned me a box of chocolates. And this time, a lucky draw earned me a box full of chocolates! Again!
(My prize: a box full of chocolates!)
So, thank you, Leonidas Belgian Chocolates for this chocolate treat! I'm actually here in the cafe by the long table, sipping coffee, staying warm and writing this 'thank you' note!
Until the next visit....
(My buko pie 'pabaon' from the Feists)
Late last year, before I flew home to the Philippines, I asked friends living in Manila on where I could buy buko pie in Makati City. I had to ask friends about this because my Korean friend, Joon-Ho, fell in love with buko pie when he first visited the Philippines last summer. Joon-Ho holds fund-raising activities for charity projects, and he went to the impoverished Tondo area in Manila to give out t-shirts and supplies to the kids living there. So, in order to return the favor to this kind-hearted Korean friend, I promised to bring him some buko pie when I return from my vacation.
'Buko' is the Pilipino word for coconut, and buko pie is a Philippine delicacy made of slices of the white coconut meat. These fresh, chunky slices are mixed with some sweetened filling, and enclosed and baked in a crust and yumminess. And there was one brand which I used to enjoy years ago: Collete's.
(A slice of life!)
And thanks to the ever thoughtful friends, the Feists, I got a few packs of buko pie to bring back to Seoul! The day before I flew out of Manila, I got my 'pabaon' of warm, freshly made buko pie straight from Collete's Buko Pie shop in Laguna!
I then bought a plastic container and divided the pies into slices that could squeeze into the container. This way, they wouldn't be crushed in my check-in luggage. How I wanted to handcarry them to make sure they were secure, but I got already a big bag for handcarry. I just saved a slice to eat inside the plane.
(Sliced and packed)
To make the life of buko pie story short, they all landed with me safely at Incheon International Airport, and I was able to share a few slices my friend Joon-Ho, who, as you would imagine, was ecstatic and excited upon hearing I successfully brought him some.
So, thanks again to the Feists (and their driver Ben, who drove all the way to Laguna for the pie!), I (and one kind-hearted Korean friend) was able to enjoy once more this unique Philippine delicacy after all these years!
(My own in-flight meal en route to Seoul: two slices of Collete's buko pie, tuna and beef empanadas from Conti's, sapin-sapin from Dolor, fresh grapes from the ref, and a soda from the stewardess)
Early this week, the 2015 Miss Universe was crowned in Florida, USA. Although it was Miss Colombia who actually won the title, the netizens declared Miss Jamaica as the winner. Why? In the final Q&A, many believed that Miss Jamaica gave the best response among the five finalists. Some members of the audience on coronation night even booed the judges when Miss Jamaica was only declared 4th runner-up. You can google the video of the final Q&A of the 5 finalists and judge for yourself who gave the best answer.
Anyways, since it's #throwbackThursday, I'm posting an old photograph I saw at the newly renovated Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul. This Gymnasium is Korea's first domed sports arena, which was built in 1963 with the help of Filipino engineers. Yes, engineers from the Philippines.
The black-and-white photograph shows the winners of the Miss Korea beauty pageant held in Jangchung Gymnasium on May 29,1968. Even though the photograph is old, you can still see their features and tell that they were beautiful. I don't know why, in this generation, Korean women (and men, too!), have to resort to plastic surgery in order to please society.
Enjoy your Thursday, everyone!
It was at the tail end of my Christmas vacation in the Philippines when I finally was able to watch some films. Every year, during the last two weeks of December, all cinemas in the Philippines only show Filipino movies in observance of the Metro Manila Film Festival.
And luckily, the day before I flew out of Manila, the Festival ended, which was very good news to moviegoers who weren't exactly into some corny comedy films included in the festival line-up. And after a reunion lunch with friends who used to live in Seoul, I made sure I squeezed in two movies later that day: Tragic Theater and Seventh Son.
I was able to catch Tragic Theater at the Glorietta 4 Cinemas. I felt at home when I got there. I used to watch a lot of movies with my friend Roselyn here; we're both Hollywood movie fans. But she no longer lives in Manila; she now lives in West Hollywood! I envy her; she could watch the movie stars walk down the red carpet at the Academy Awards night every year. I can only watch it on TV. Ha-ha-ha!
Tragic Theater was supposed to be a horror movie about a group of spirit questors who wanted to talk to the ghosts in a haunted building. Last month, its trailer was banned from TV because they said it was too scary for kids watching TV (which was the whole point of a horror film). It turned out to be a big disappointment. I was interested in watching it because I love ghost stories, and this was about the grounded spirits that still linger at the Manila Film Center. They're said to be the spirits of the laborers who were buried alive during a construction accident in November 1981. Stories I heard about the accident included versions of laborers being left to die under the quick-drying cement because rescuers were allowed late into the site, and another version was that the authorities decided to bury them alive under the cement so as not to cause any delay in the construction. They had to finish the film center in time for the January 1982 opening of the Manila International Film Festival.
But the most scary part about this accident was that the woman in charge of the construction oversight was herself killed in a mysterious car accident months later. She was with another man (not her husband) driving to Tagaytay City in the dead of the night (pardon the pun) when suddenly, the guy allegedly claimed (he survived) that something suddenly grabbed the steering wheel from him causing them to swerve off the road and hit a tree, killing the woman instantly.
Scary, no?
But the movie wasn't. Although the first few minutes seemed serious, a few scenes that followed seemed comedic: Gemma Cruz-Araneta (a former Miss International), who was the Tourism Secretary at that time, was played with some woman with almost bright brown hair and colorful make-up that made her look like she was at cosplay or the Santacruzan's hermana mayor. I wonder if the beauty queen actually saw this film. She would have squirmed in her seat if she saw that scene. Ha-ha-ha!
Another scene where the Film Center's security guard was possessed by a spirit made the audience laugh, which made me think the movie was like the comedy show, Bubble Gang, full of horror jokes. And noticing a female questor with parlored hair and high heels, I thought that she made sure she was all fashionista-ready when she met those dead construction workers.
The last Filipino movie I saw was Sana Dati last November 2014 at the 2014 ASEAN Film Festival in Seoul. It was exceedingly good that even the Korean audience was impressed. And now, Tragic Theater? Tragically funny it was.
After the disappointment at Glorietta 4, I hurried down to Greenbelt 5 to buy myself a ticket for the next movie, Seventh Son. Of all the line-up that day, these two were the most interesting.
And at least Seventh Son sort of compensated for Tragic Theater.
This one is not a horror flick, but a fantasy full of witches, slayers, kingdoms and high mountains, much like a mix of Sorcerer's Apprentice, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Reign of Fire, and Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert. Ha-ha-ha!
Ben Barnes (who was Prince Caspian of the Narnia series) is the apprentice of Jeff Bridges, who was like the medieval version of an assassin; he slays witches and the like. And he can only be replaced by a trained apprentice who should be the seventh son of the seventh son. Yes, the apprentice can only be found among clans with poor family planning. Ha-ha-ha!
Although the story line was very common among witchy, fantasy films, what I liked were the special effects, the landscapes and the fabulous costumes of the mother witch, Julianne Moore, and her followers. Although it was set in the medieval times, their costumes and make-up were so 21st century. It was like they just came from a fantasy costume and make-up convention in Las Vegas.
Of course, the ending was predictable, even when the witches could fly, had supernatural powers and outnumbered Jeff Bridges and the seventh son. The two eventually slayed everyone, even without the help of the other six brothers. Nor six uncles. Ha-ha-ha!
Although she looked good in all her costumes, Julianne Moore didn't convince me that she was evil, just like she was un-convincing as Clarice Starling in Hannibal. I wonder if there are only a few women in Hollywood who could play witches. Angelica Houston in The Witches was one damn evil witch, and I guess Meryl Streep in Into The Woods (I haven't seen it yet) is, too. Famke Janssen in Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters did better, too.
* * * * *
Although my afternoon started with a horror movie that tried to be funny and ended my evening with witches, I never had problems going to sleep on my last night in Manila. Ha-ha-ha! All I wanted to remember was that I had fun all day with friends and movies in the city that used to be my playground. :-)
