Recap

So much has happened since the last entry that I hadn’t had the chance to write about:

1. I finally submitted my dissertation, nine days late. For those of you I hadn’t surveyed, the topic was “The use and acceptance of sexual suggestiveness in advertising in Hong Kong”. If all goes well I’ll be graduating from the master program in July. I had not felt such tremendous relief since I graduated from U of T, though as I remember, that undergrad was a lot more stressful than this two-year master program. With that said, I dreamt last night that I got a mark of 37 on my dissertation. Having to resubmit 12,000 words and postpone my graduation would be my worst nightmare.

2. Saw the second of my two HKIFF films for the year—Caché by Michael Haneke. For a long time, I didn’t know what to make of the film. It’s the only film since 21 Grams that’s been able to have me leave the theater feeling terribly unsettled, yet in a different way. The plot of Caché unfolds in a straightforward manner that leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. It got to a point that I was completely lost as to what I could expect to see next, because it was clear that anything was possible, Yet, the one important “answer” viewers would’ve naturally been looking for throughout the story was left ambiguous. The majority of the audience remained in their seats waiting for an answer as credits rolled on the backdrop of a seemingly meaningless continuous shot, which I later found out did give hints to the answer, hints I failed to see. I blame it on the fact that I arrived the theater late and HKIFF's free-seating system meant the only seats available was on the most right of the second row; I was practically sniffing the widescreen the whole time. Caché is a heck of a disturbing story, with graphic scenes that are just not meant to been seen upclose like I saw. Some say the film is an allegory of the ongoing conflicts between the West and the Middle East, showing how presumptions and mistreatment snowball into terrorizing episodes. Otherwise, it can simply be understood as the conscience of a guilty man at work, showing how the not-so-innocent mistakes we might have made as kids can stir up the kind of anger in the victims that brings cross-generation consequences. I will need to rewatch this film.

3. After many weekends of working on my dissertation, I finally got a three-day vacation. Singapore seemed like the best choice given that flights to and from every part of Thailand were full. Before this, I couldn't grasp how it was possible to keep such a big place spotless unless all its residents were anal about cleanliness. I just thought if anyone could do it, the Singapore government could. But as it turns out, the lion city isn’t as clean as I thought it’d be; it’s only a few thousand times cleaner than Hong Kong. Eating at hawker centers is a whole different kind of experience in Singapore because there were no flies to fling away, no crispy leftovers on the chopsticks to scrub off, and no cockroach legs to pick out from the food. The satay beef, mutton, chicken and prawns were not as good as the chunky satay sauce they came with. But the Hainan chicken rice for SGD3.50 tasted like a million bucks. The recipe for a Bandung didn’t sound very appealing (rose syrup with evaporated milk), but boy, was the Pepto-Bismol-color drink addictive. City Hall in Singapore reminded me of TST, the way multiple shopping malls were linked together with underground walkways. My favorite was the Esplanade—an artsy mall on the riverside linked to concert halls and theaters that hold all kinds of international performances; as well as spacious areas indoor and out for free art exhibitions, musical performances, and young kids to gather and practice their things (street dancing, juggling and freestyle cycling were just a few examples of what I saw). The Esplanade lives up to its label “theaters on the bay” because it truly embraces art and cultural activities. The Hong Kong government couldn’t achieve half the success of the Esplanade with West Kowloon even if it really tried.

4. Got tickets for Phantom of the Opera. This will be my first musical. And I will love it.

Esplanade--Durians on the bay