The Filipino Student's Guide on How To Be Invisible In London

I recently tweeted about the "TOUCH ME NOT" screening in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (a copy of which I've uploaded in my blog before, as featured in the National Gallery website). Most short film entries were around ten minutes in length, whereas mine was only a few seconds over 3 minutes. It put my term 2 film at a disadvantage from a competition perspective but that was alright cause what I was really after was the opportunity to have the screened in a public venue back home in the Philippines.

(Here's the link again: Touch Me Not in the National Gallery website)

I felt bad that I was going to miss its screening by a few days as I was scheduled to fly to Manila only three days after. I invited my good friend, Mahal, who composed the soundtrack along with her band Kireida, to watch at the CCP, but she had a previously set appointment. My lead actress and very close friend Nep was already in the Philippines for the Christmas holiday so I also told her to go and invite people whom she missed showing the film (she already saw it in the National Gallery last year).

I was therefore annoyed after finding out that the schedule was moved to two hours earlier without prior notice. My aunt and my assistant who went all the way to CCP missed it by an hour, and Nep, who braved the horrendous Christmas rush, missed it altogether.

Thankfully, it was balanced by some real good news.

I actually also submitted my Term 3 documentary, "THE FILIPINO STUDENT'S GUIDE ON HOW TO BE INVISIBLE IN LONDON," in the same competition. For those who might have seen it at LFS or whom I asked for feedback during its development stage, this was the film about three girls who came to London on student visas.

I'm very proud to share that it won third prize in the 21st CCP Independent Film and Video Competition held last December 8 to 11, 2009. The 'Gawad CCP' distinguishes itself as the longest-running film and video competition in the Philippines, open to works in 16mm and 35mm format for film and DVD and MiniDV formats for video.

Upon sending a copy of the film to the CCP Media Arts, I concurrently asked the three subjects if they were fine with the film getting screened in a huge venue. When I first asked them to be the focus of the documentary, I assured them that if they were not comfortable with it being showed beyond the privacy of the school, we would honor that. In response, one of the girls said she preferred that the documentary not be screened in the festival, so I emailed CCP to request that they not screen it anymore and they obliged.

I thought that meant they would pull it out of the competition as well since the Gawad CCP rules stipulate that CCP would acquire rights to screen the film upon its entry and include it in the CCP's film archives. Apparently, they still showed it to the judges even if it was not in exhibition during the festival week and even ended up winning 3rd place. The competition also reserves the right not to award recognition if it felt that none of the entries deserved it, so it had a very discriminating and exclusive profile to me.

The official announcement from the Cultural Center of the Philippines is posted in the CCP official website. Chrissy, the LFS Librarian-slash-festival coordinator triumphed the achievement by blogging about it in the London Film School's news blog. It was a little embarrassing to see news about our humble documentary above Duncan Jones's big win at the British Independent Film Awards for "MOON," but that was very much welcome. Seeing my name on the LFS blog... I can die now! Haha!

Mad props to 166/3D for their contributions, and to the three girls for generously sharing their time, insights and sentiments in this documentary film. Congratulations to us :)

Preview

The November issue of "PREVIEW." Thanks to Mel for the article, and to Kar and Jane for the scans.

(Click on photo to enlarge and read the article)

Venice, Summer 2009

It's now been a couple of months since I went to Venice this summer. I meant to upload the pictures earlier, but since I didn't take a lot of photographs, I had hoped to post it along with the pictures from my friends who were there for the Venice Film Festival. I didn’t receive the reinforcements I had hoped and only remembered about the pictures I took now. So here they are!

I wasn’t too keen to go back to Venice just yet since I was just there a few months earlier. It was only when Mike and George started talking about going to the Festival to watch George Romero’s new film that I thought, maybe I should go as well. I then learned that a close friend of mine who line produced the film ENGKWENTRO by Pepe Diokno was also going. That finally helped me decide, so I cut my summer holiday a few weeks early, made hasty arrangements and flew back to Venezia two days after landing in London.

I’m really glad I decided to go back. I got to see the red carpet screening of my friends’ film, and it ended up winning the Orrizonti Award for Best Film, as well as the Luigi De Laurentis Award for Best Debut Film. Thanks to Miss Amor, I got to celebrate with the filmmakers and was allowed access to some of the glamorous green rooms and victory dinners. Had I not been as shy as I was, I would also have taken the chance to have my picture taken with Ang Lee, Colin Firth, Diane Kruger, Omar Sharif, Jared Leto, and Tom Ford.

Even better than the Venice Film Festival experience, the first major film festival I've ever been to, was the chance to hang out with Mike and George. It would’ve been even better if I arrived earlier but because of the last minute bookings, I only got to spend one night and the following morning with those two. It’s so great seeing close friends from LFS outside London.

So here are the handful of pictures that I took. Nothing exciting really, but they help me remember the wonderful time I spent revisiting Venezia.

Touch Me Not

This has been a long time coming. I stumbled upon it by accident and got a bit nostalgic. I can't believe I'm just one term away from my grad term!

(Watch it in full-screen mode!)





To read the accompanying blurb and put proper context to this film, go to the National Gallery website.

Homecoming, 4th Edition

Coming home is always a treat. A luxury nowadays, to be honest. And was I in need of some spoiling this last summer. Fourth term at LFS was my busiest ever, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Of course, that also meant I was exhausted by the end of it, thus the desire to be back in my own house, sleeping in my own bed, away from the mundane nuances of everyday life in London.

Aside from that, my other urgent reasons were the weddings of two of my closest friends. The funny thing, however, is that one got married at the start of August, and the other on the first week of September. Almost exactly one month apart. So that meant, they forced my vacation at home to extend to the length that it did. Almost a full six weeks! That forced me to decline some invitations from my friends to travel with them during the summer break, something that I would’ve loved to do.

That doesn’t mean, though, that I was sorry for having spent that much time back home. It was great to be back hanging out with friends and family. And how so much have changed. People getting married, having babies, new jobs… I shouldn’t be surprised since the last time I was on vacation in the Philippines was last Christmas (excepting the “one night only” incident of flying in for another close friend’s wedding).

So this is what my summer vacation was like. Crazy fun. Two weddings, a side trip to Macau (pictures of which I’ve previously uploaded), two premiere nights, an insane party, one couchsurfer, two new godsons, dozens of new friends, and reconnections with many treasured ones.

*Oooh, thanks to my friends who gave me copies of their pictures, some of which are in this album (thanks Mark, Olive & Chelle).

Macau

Casablanca

Our last two days saw us traveling back to where we started as our return flight to London was also to leave from Marrakech. We kind of hesitated whether or not it was worth getting off Casablanca since our research told us that there really wasn't much to see there. Initially, we had intended to get off there on our way to Fes, but our train ticket didn't allow for it. In the end, we decided to stop over on our return to Marrakech.

I'm glad we did. Thanks to our guide books (I bought a DK Eyewitness Travel, which was quite good!), we were able to decide on where we'd have lunch and which sights we were going to see. I lobbied for a visit to the Hassan II Mosque. It is the second largest religious building in the world and I also read that it is the only mosque in Morocco that allowed tourists to go in.

We arrived in Casablanca just in time for lunch and with just enough time to taxi to the mosque and catch the guided tour. Casablanca itself, aside from its antiquated popularity brought on by the Humphrey Bogart-Ingrid Bergman film, is really not much of a draw. It's the country's financial capital (comparable to our Makati), but it doesn't really look impressively modern. Nevertheless, I was mighty glad we made that stop. The mosque was simply breathtaking and on its own made that layover worthwhile.

Fes

After two days in Marrakech, we woke up early the next day to catch the train to Fes. I've always loved train rides so I actually looked forward to it even though we were effectively 'wasting' our day just traveling to Fes.

There is a robust rivalry that exists between Fes and Marrakech. We first learned about it from one of our taxi drivers in Marrakech, but even if he hadn't mentioned it, we were bound to find out. When we got to Fes, the tour guides and locals we met often boasted of the bounties and beauty of Fes, almost always at the expense of Marrakech. In many ways, though, I have to admit it was well deserved.

Off the bat, Fes struck me as more conservative compared to Marrakech. Perhaps it was partly due to its repute as the spiritual or religious capital of Morocco. Also, people here spoke less English compared to the people in Marrakech.

Unfortunately, we only had a day to experience the entire city, which was evidently ludicrous. We arrived there at night and had to leave two mornings after. With Marrakech, I felt like I've become friends with. With Fes, I felt like I was merely introduced. Fes is so rich with culture and mystery that I've already resolved to come back to get to know her better.

Not like I needed any more convincing. Morocco had me at hello.

Marrakech

Africa had always been a place I wanted to visit (along with South America). I was never interested in going to the US or Australia, but I promised myself Africa. During the spring break before this current summer term, I decided to not go home and stay put in London to see more of the city. That, of course, didn't happen as I ended up spending half the time somewhere else. 

Duke and Carol had mentioned their plan to go to Morocco to me sometime before. With no definite plans for my holiday, I decided to invite myself to their vacation. Buti na lang, mabait ang Bajentings :) Aside from buying myself roundtrip tickets to Marrakech, I left everything up to Duke & Carol. Tisay, another close Pinay friend here in London, told me how much she loved Morocco and shared insights on what we could do on our trip. She suggested that we stay in a riyadh and even offered me her contacts (which I then forwarded to Carol, the lazy oaf that I am).

We flew to Morocco during the Easter holiday. Duke and Carol took the early flight to Marrakech while I decided to take the afternoon flight so I'd have time to submit my make-or-break paper requirement in school. As usual, I was sleepless the night before I flying. Nevertheless, I couldn't get a wink of sleep on the plane ride to Marrakech. It was just too exciting, and I didn't even know why. I knew so little about Morocco that I couldn't help but ask the man sitting beside me on the plane what Morocco was like. He was an English businessman who's been there a couple of times before. He simply said the country was 'something.'

I first stepped on African soil late afternoon of April 7. It only took a whiff of Moroccan air to experience for myself the enigma of this country. It truly was something.

The Traveler (A response to Laida's question... 'Backpacker Ka Ba?')

My now Dubai-based great friend Laida linked this blog entry in her post recently. I liked it cause it provoked me to think, especially since I've always loved traveling and I've been having a fair share of it lately.

Ako? Hindi. I was never a backpacker and never will be one, I think. I can be pretty koboy (cowboy) if needed, but I wouldn't easily give up comforts if it is accessible and affordable naman. I don't find shame in admitting I like taking photos, but despite being touristy in that sense, I revel in the interaction with the locals and being shown around by one. That's the immersion I crave and aspire for in each of my travels - which, if the article is to believe, is surprisingly not present in the backpacking culture after all (at least not always).

What Babakoto (the blog owners) says in the article is that 'backpackers' don't refer to what it used to anymore. The term, and its accompanying identifiers (i.e., among other things, the backpack) has come to mean a superficial lifestyle detached from the simpler meaning it used to have - that they are people who travel with their backpacks in search of adventures and in pursuit of unplanned experiences.

"Backpackers" now refer to a community of people with a particular look, custom and conduct. (Babakoto writes about this in detail. Take time to read it, it's an entertaining observational account). Let me say early on that I take exception to that (and the coming) generalization. Nevertheless, based on my encounters, I do tend to agree with most of what was written. That description tends to be true for most Western backpackers I've come across in most of my trips, though they are admittedly far less annoying than the average tourist-tourist. I'm particularly peeved when the latter (the tourist-tourists) make no effort to speak the language, speaking louder in their same un-understandable English when lost in translation, and act as if they're clients with the locals providing services. I have to say that most backpackers do behave better than that, though not always less colonially.

Even more interesting to me is that it's also true for many Pinoy backpackers I've encountered. Ilang beses na nakakasabay ko sa mga local biyahe ko yung backpackers na alam na alam yung pupuntahan nila. They have inside knowledge of the locale: the language, customs, where to go, eat, drink, and snatch the best quality drugs. They too find satisfaction in not being the average bakasyonista (vacationer). They've been here before, or at the very least, they're not here for shallow reasons like seeing tourist attractions. They do shun the cursory trip to the hanging coffins, Chocolate Hills, henna tattoo stall or Burnham Park. Yet frequently, they are still regarded as outsiders. A much friendlier bunch who discriminate less, perhaps, but outsiders nonetheless. In the article, Babakoto wrote:

"...in the unfortunate situation that (they) have to take a local bus, (they) seclude (themselves) as much as possible from the local people by wearing (their) Rayban sunglasses and putting the earphones of (their) iPod in (their) ears. Subsequently (they) sink unashamed in (their) seat, and put (their) feet with coal black soles, at the arm rest of the seat in front of (them)."

It's funny because that image is so vivid, whether talking about foreign or local backpackers. It is this lack of discretion, however welcomed and knowledgeable about the locals the backpacker is, that makes him no different from the average tourist. The fact that he stands out makes him an outsider, and the sad part of it is however he thinks otherwise, he still is.

All this, of course, is arguable. One might also say that my agreement with the article is a reaction to non-inclusion, especially since there seems to be an existing condescension backpackers have toward other kinds of travelers. However, I find validity infered by the Babakoto article. It is indeed curious that while backpackers celebrate the value of travel and discovery, it seems quite ironic that they make great effort in maintaining exclusivity and the subscription to an image, to the extent that they often miss out on an undeniably important aspect of travel: the 'nuanced understanding' of cultures, places, and people previously unknown.

Once I took an online quiz once which concluded that I'm a 'leisure traveler.' I suppose that's true. Di ako backpacker-cool! I don't belong to that community. Pero okay lang naman.

That's not to say that I'm any better, but I do aspire for experiences that transcend that of an outsider. I don't always succeed. In fact, often times, I fail miserably. After all, it's hard not getting overwhelmed by sights, sounds and people that confront you for the first time. I remember how in Camiguin, we befriended a local who owned a very modest videoke-bar-sari-sari store. We kept coming back to her place to drink and enjoy the videoke. We truly felt welcome and liked. By that virtue, one could think that he's a cut better than the average turista, but all we truly were was an inconvenience - keeping her up past her normal closing (and sleeping) time. However she enjoyed our singing and genial gestures, we were outsiders and her time with us was a an aberration in her life.

What I can say is I definitely try to transcend being an outsider and find fulfillment in a genuine immersion. On another occasion naman, while sharing bottles of beer with our tour guides in Batanes, I remember them telling me and my friends:

"E iba naman kayo, syempre. Quality tourists kayo e."

Quality nga, tourists pa rin! And there I thought we were being backpacker-ish na. Still, I guess that's a step closer to the kind of interaction I aspire for. What I'm really saying is that being a backpacker does not guarantee that you're better than an average tourist - not in that respect. It doesn't really matter how you prefer to go about your journeys, but it would sure be great if however you do it, you come out changed and inspired by it. That's the one aspect that doesn't always survive in all of it e. Whether it changes you by galvanizing you to change something in the community you visit or the one you belong to, making you less of a bigot, or simply making you more understanding of those who are, what would be most ideal is that you change. Otherwise, we squander the privilege travel affords - connecting with and learning from people and experiences.