Mga napulot ko sa aking pagala-gala... (Picked up from my wandering about...)

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas with Young Frankenstein

I wasn't sure whether this was to be a review or a simple blog entry about what I did this Christmas. The city was bustling as always during the holiday season and it seemed as though all Broadway shows were either closed for Christmas or already sold out.

I had heard about the show before and although it wasn't my first choice (we passed by 'Avenue Q' and 'Billy Elliott' first), they were having a lottery for the front row seats and as luck would have it, we won!
Winning is always exciting but I can't say the show was all that great. The jokes were a little corny. The music and songs were just so-so and I was surprised it won the 'Best Musical' award for 2008. Plenty of double-entendres.

But you could tell that the production, the set, and the costumes were very expensive. Though the house was packed that night it was obvious the show was losing money and would be closing in January. Spam
alot is much better but when we watched it we actually had no seats and had to stand during the show for roughly the same price as our lottery tickets here.

Actually, here's a link to a more comprehensive review in the New York Times (which says our tickets were worth $450 each!):
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/theater/reviews/09fran.h
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But despite everything, I really must say, the lottery was definitely worth it! For $27 you get the best seats in the house and I really kept going on and on about how lucky we were because it was a full house from orchestra to both balconies. This probably will be my last Broadway play of the year. Now if only I can get my good luck to work on 'Wicked'.


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Maligayang Pasko !!!! May your Christmas be filled with love and joy! :)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Just a Ride

On my way to work, I could not help but smile when I read this Isaac Newton quote in the "Trains of Thought" series on the bus today:

"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

That's not all. Once I transferred to my train, I had to
suppress a giggle when I saw this poster:The picture is just from my phone's camera so it's a bit blurry ... but if you're looking for a unique Halloween costume or want to be a superstar as advertised, you can be Kanye West! I think it's an ad for Absolut vodka but I really had to read the fine print to find that out. Funny how no one else in the crowded train paid it any attention.

Then I did a search on Google and found this (will also upload the video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TrkrSdyIHY

Crazy old big apple indeed!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

First and Last

You know that first day high? It feels strange but good having another one of them. Today was my first day as a working girl in New York.

Dressing, grooming and making myself up to look professional. I haven't done that for years. I found this photo of me at my last day at my last real job. I looked so happy then. Probably because I knew it was an exciting ride ahead. But I had no idea of all the adventures I would get myself into.

Now I'm back to office life. Back to getting lost on the floor, not knowing where to get water, and feeling awkward needing a badge to use the bathroom. Anyway, nothing too crazy happened but today is proof that the New York chapter of my adventure is not over yet.




Monday, October 13, 2008

Thies Village Banks

My last week and first time on the field in Thies.

Walking around Thies

Night at Cathedrale Sainte-Anne, Thies

This is the cathedral right across the street from where I lived in Thies. I think it was around 9pm and there were lights inside the church because there was choir practice. It had just finished raining and I went outside with my camera gear, super fantastic tripod, and my travel umbrella (good thing too because it was still drizzling). I soon had to go back inside though because I was being devoured alive by mosquitoes. Thies was part two of my summer internship (the first part being in Kolda).


Tourist spots: My trip to the Gambia



Finally, here is my entry on the Gambia. I do not have time to edit the photos so any suggestions and advice would be very much welcome. I know I still have much to learn about lighting, especially outdoors.

My trip to the Gambia...Taking a long ride on a sept-place (7-seater), crossing the border and convincing border officials to let me through with a visitor's pass instead of a visa (which was more expensive than I'd have hoped), weren't easy but were accomplished.

I wasn't sure if I could survive it alone but I surprised myself by making the trip and having fun too.

First, everything was so much cheaper compared to Senegal. And English was a national language so since I communicated easier in English than French, I thought it would be a good change. I stayed in Bakau and I was able to get a real bargain on it because it was no longer peak season and prices were so much lower. The owner and guards were really nice and friendly too.

Next, transportation was easy to figure out. On my first day I was able to take the cheaper shared vans instead of the more expensive private taxis tourists usually take. I was also able to use more Wolof than I ever did in Senegal and the people were very helpful.

I was in awe watching fishermen at the beach at Bakau coming in on their boats at sunset with their catch as crowds of people waded into the water to meet them with empty buckets on their heads, and then came back to the shore buckets-filled with fresh fish. They didn't want their picture taken so after a lot of unsuccessful no-look shots, I finally just settled down and watched them while chatting with some friendly kids and some rastamen who were eager to teach me new Wolof phrases. I would also be approached by people who wanted to have their photo taken.

The second day I took a long trip to Bijilo Forest Park where I met the park keeper who was so kind. I forgot his name though because it's taken me so long to post this. He would take care, with each step, not to scare any of the birds and animals away, and he would point out every plant, butterfly, bird and animal. It's too bad I didn't have a telephoto zoom to capture the birds and animals but I was amused by this gentle man who was my model for a lot of the shots. Upon leaving the park, I was approached by the guy selling souvenirs, who offered to show me the Abuko national park, a bigger and more famous park, not too far away.

Immediately, warning bells started ringing in my head. But I was so tempted when he talked about all the wildlife we would see and so when he said I was free to decide the price of the tour, I agreed. His name was Foxy and to make a long story short, he was a lousy guide and ended up pissing me off and almost messing up my perception of the Gambia. Lesson learned. Next time listen to those warning bells.

The trip back to Senegal took me to Banjul, then on a ferry ride to the border. I then took a 7-hour ride on a Ndiagane Ndiaye (40+ seater) which was very uncomfortable and time-consuming but at least it was something to add to my unforgettable experience.

All in all, my two-day adventure in the Gambia was not bad at all (or was it not all that bad). I had fun and had a few interesting stories by the time I'd returned to Senegal. My Pinoy friends were definitely impressed.

Weekend in Dakar

After discovering that taking the local public transportation from Thies to Dakar was relatively quick, cheap and painless, I decided to spend the weekend with a friend at Bel-air. The sunset at the beach there was nothing I'd ever witnessed in Africa. It was not the typical picture of an African sunset but I enjoyed every minute of it. We also had dinner at a nice restaurant by a casino which had Asian food which isn't rare in Dakar































Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Monsieur Ibrahim et Les Fleurs du Coran - Eric Emmanuel Schmitt

Excerpt from the German-French book my foster sister sent me from Switzerland and a shot at translation:

Lorsque tu veux savoir si tu es dans un endroit riche ou pauvre, tu regardes les poubelles. Si tu vois ni ordures ni poubelles, cest tres riche. Si tu vois des poubelles et pas d'ordures, c'est riche. Si tu vois des ordures a cote des poubelles, c'est ni riche ni pauvre: c'est touristique. Si tu vois les ordures sans les poubelles, c'est pauvre. Et si les gens habitent dans les ordures, c'est tres tres pauvre.

If you want to know if the place you're in is rich or poor, look at the trashcans. If you don't find any trash nor trashcans, it's a very rich place. If you find trashcans but no trash, it's a rich place. If you see trash beside the trashcans, it's neither rich nor poor: it's touristy. If you see trash with no trashcans, it's poor. If there are people living in the trash, it is very very poor.

*How accurate is it? The translation and his observation? I would highly recommend this book to French learners since it's a pretty easy read (easier for me than 'The Little Prince') and it's got some interesting words to add to your vocabulary. They even made a movie of it but I haven't watched it yet.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Jobless Idealist

I once had a conversation with a friend about working for a non-profit organization where one works to end poverty, hunger, injustice, inequality and do everything possible for a better world. "But when all those goals have been reached," she asked me, "won't we lose our jobs?"

My two cents...it's not likely; but if one day it does happen, is there any better reason to be jobless?

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ile de Karabane: Cemetary Ruins

Ile de Karabane: L’arbre enlacé

Ile de Karabane: Kissed by a rose on the grave


Ile de Karabane: Farzana

Ile de Karabane: Father and Sons


Ile de Karabane: Aissatou

Ile de Karabane: Pretty

Ile de Karabane: Siblings

Ile de Karabane: It's not an island without a pelican


Don't ask why.

Ile de Karabane: Laundry amongst Ruins

Ile de Karabane: Sunrise over Karabane

Ile de Karabane: Sunrise Silhouettes

Ile de Karabane: Boat at Sunrise

Ile de Karabane: Sunrise

Ile de Karabane: View from Campement Le Barracuda


The place we stayed at was called Campement Le Barracuda. I think the reason it's highly recommended is because they serve good food and the rooms are not that bad(although thankfully I have not yet had to see any worse than this). I got up early to try and catch the sunrise. Since I was traveling tripod-less, this is the best I could do at dawn under the low light. It rained all through the night and most of the morning which is probably why there weren't a lot of tourists.

Ile de Karabane: Parrot at the Bar


The poor thing was so scared.

Ile de Karabane: By the Shore

Ile de Karabane: A Backward Glance

Tourist Spots: Ile de Karabane


I'm so glad that instead of heading straight to the Gambia after 2 days in Cap Skirring, I decided to go to Ile de Karabane. To get there we took a taxi from town into Oussouye then a Ndiaga Ndiaye (bigger minibus-like taxi) over the dirt roads to Elinkine, a fishing village. From Elinkine, we took a pirogue(local fishing boat like the one in the photo) ride to the island. It's got historical buildings as it used to be a trading station for the French (the first in the region) and it's supposedly where the Casamance River meets the ocean. It would have been much nicer to go exploring if it weren't raining so much. The boat ride back was pretty crowded and when it started to rain they raised this huge waterproof sheet above our heads but it smelled strongly of fish and I get sea-sick easily so it was not good!

But there are so many things this little island has to offer: history, culture, wildlife. I'm a lot happier with my photos from here this time around so I'll post them one at a time.

Tourist Spots: Cap Skirring

Hoping to see the world through both my eyes (Translation: Less Photos)
Despite my better judgment (i.e. when I try to post only my good photos), I am posting my Cap Skirring photos. Since this is a blog anyway and not a photo exhibit, I think I can post my not-so-nice snapshots. Sometimes, but not always, it’s better to see the world with both eyes than keep one behind a viewfinder. But this is just partly an excuse for not having photos as striking as I would have liked.

The wide stretch of white sand may be pretty impressive since the beach here is known as the best in West Africa, but the beach was not the highlight of my trip. Personally, I think I have yet to see beaches that truly rival the beauty of the beaches in the Philippines. But don’t get me wrong, the beach is pretty nice. The first thought that came to mind when I saw the beach at Cap Skirring was “Wow, that’s a lot of cows!”

But having less photos doesn’t always translate to having less fun. In fact I had an awesome time on the beach, meeting new friends, drinking, shopping, having a barbecue and waiting out a thunderstorm down by the beach. And what do you do when your photos don’t look so great? Jazz them up with photo-editing software and you can make anything ordinary look intriguing. I used Picasa from Google on the photos I didn’t love and it's easy to get carried away but I’m trying to use this only as a last resort which means I’m trying to take more photos I love.

This was also my first time ever to ride a sept-place(bush taxi which literally means 'seven places')! The company car took me from Kolda all the way to the garage at Ziguinchor and I took my first ever ride that took I think around 2 to 3 hours (correct me if I'm wrong because I fell asleep) and wasn't as bad as I'd expected because luckily I'm pretty small and fit well even in cramped vehicles. It was very convenient as it took me all the way into town. Here are just some of the things, other than the beach, that you can do at Cap.

Shopping

There are a lot of cool art shops at Cap Skirring but I didn’t take any photos of them because I wasn’t going to buy anything (my bags were heavy enough and I still planned to go to the Gambia afterwards). They had paintings, clothing, masks, woodwork, etc. and they were willing to sell them at reasonable prices with big discounts. A guy at the beach was willing to let me take photos of him and his shop.


Make a Yassa Cocktail

Yassa is a traditional Senegalese sauce with onions, lemon and spices that can be served with any meat or fish and rice. It also happens to be the name of the creator of this wonderful cocktail by mixing bissap (traditional juice made out of hibiscus petals), bouye (traditional juice made out of baobab fruit), gin (alcoholic drink made of distilled grain juniper berries), lemons (picked off the tree at the campement), and ice-cold water or ice. Some mint would have been excellent too!


Have a Thieboudienne

There are many versions on how to spell this traditional Senegalese fish dish (pronounced che-boo-jen) but they serve this everywhere in Senegal. There is a restaurant in Cap Skirring called ‘Le Carpe Rouge’ (The Red Carp) which had the best restaurant thieboudienne I ever tried. Of course nothing beats the one you eat in actual homes instead of restaurants.


Go Animal-watching in Cap Skirring

What they don’t tell you in ‘The Lonely Planet’ guidebooks is that the beach at Cap Skirring is pretty animal-friendly…which is good if you like birds (unfortunately my lens isn't long enough to capture them), lots and lots of cows and a few dogs.




Have a Barbecue by the beach at night

If you’re staying at Cap Skirring, there are a bunch of bars, clubs and restaurants in the center but these are usually quite far from the beach and taking a taxi to get to them can be a little pricey (perhaps somewhere in between 800-1500 FCFA depending on how big your party is). It was an excellent idea to go to the market, borrow a grill from the campement, buy some fish and vegetables at the market, and cook our own dinner by the beach. It actually turned out pretty good despite a really heavy thunderstorm and no electricity for the whole day and we were able to stay at a little restaurant by the beach to keep from getting wet. Smoke, in my opinion, could make for some interesting photo effects too.