Holy Days

Part of the spice market within the souks

Au revoir, mes amis.We left Marrakesh just as Ramadan began. Leaving was the right decision as the City was just about to shift into holy mode and then soon its residents would be sporting long faces more out of food-deprivation from dawn to dusk than anything else. Goodbye to a colourful culture and to an equally lively people whose religious discipline I had come to admire.

Faithfulness is written all over the country and I suppose on the rest of the muslim world. I wish them well and thank them for the wonderful reception accorded me in the riad where we stayed and in the souks which I had bravely foraged. 

Trance

Dazed. In the bowels of Heathrow's terminal 5 business class lounge, I took a strategic seat which allowed a panoramic view of a variety of passenger types. All of us were definitely en route and I again went on to while time in an airport by people-watching.

The 'road warriors' always fascinate me. With one hand on the laptop's keyboard and the other tapping away on the Blackberry, they're the quintessential business travellers who feel an entitlement to the place. They're not even looking at either screen while doing all that. Is this awesome display of ambidexterity due to some chase at stock markets opening and closing in some parts of the globe; that a second's miscue could mean quantum financial losses. Or is it just a trend that to divert from it will show a less competent individual. In all cases, they'd look dazed. I have not fallen for this cult (yet?) but the reminder of a laptop in my carry-on is tempting as well as securing one of those public workstations in the lounge if only to check on mails.

Then there's the 'hyperactive' who keeps on commuting from his seat to the food buffet or drinks counter unmindful of other passengers as he skips and hops around. He seems nervous about something -- missing his flight or meeting someone at the end of the flight?  Does he know that only an idiot misses a plane? While moving about, they disturb the relative peace of the lounge and waste the food which they do not even touch after all. More to the point, they're dazed.

The 'TV fan' has eyes eternally glued to the television whatever nonsensical show is going on. Perfectly dazed. Not a word to his nearby companion. Try changing channels and he wouldn't mind as he simply continues to stare.

There are raucous passengers who might have chanced on an acquaintance and are busy catching up with each other. Vocal sound decibels are above what one might expect in a resting spot like this lounge but what caught my attention was that nobody seemed to care about conversations bordering on the noisy. Animated faces of people exchanging news and views sharply contrast against stoic faces of quiet and oftentimes individual lonely travellers.

In airports, we are all caught in a space of time and of place. We are neither here nor there. This is what keeps passengers dazed. With the reality that it is a temporary state and so would be the next one (i.e., inside the aircraft), we might feel lost, anxious, imprisoned, irritated, sick, or oftentimes we don't know what it really is because we do not acknowledge it. Pity the constant traveller who flits from one tentative state to another -- be it airport or hotel. The trance never ends.

Image? Beauty?

Drat! Until now she is considered a high priestess of couture and beauty. Everytime I attend a social gathering there is inevitably a svelte damsel garbed in that famous 'little black dress' proudly faithful to its backless original. Her perfume Number 5 does not fail to impress in high society. Our featured agency for this post is Madame Coco Chanel because of recent discussions about women wanting to make themselves attractive and beautiful with clothes, jewelry, hair styles and coloring, beauty products, and now cosmetic surgery. I asked myself what would Coco think of breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and liposuction. If anyone who has intimacy on her thoughts and philosophy, please post your comments.

More than just profits from it, beauty has been medicalized for sure suggesting that it can be improved or modified. I do not have problems with that as long as women's self-image, self-esteeem, and well-being are made better and therefore their lives changed after the cosmetic surgery. With the improvement in body parts, one's self-image image improves in the short term and I hope in the long-term too. Do their sex lives improve as well? Was the husband or boyfriend a major factor in the pressure to look younger or more beautiful?

Men are not spared. I have been receiving enormous spam emails offering various concoctions of Viagra. A friend informed me (how could I be so ignorant) that some major pharmacies sell tea blends that offer Viagra-like effects but for shorter durations. Better, longer erections! Larger penises! Men are also pursuing to regain lost youth and to increase virility.

I mentioned the word 'profit' earlier which i think has motivated this whole industry. Whether or not the need is there, the landscape of cosmetic surgery has motivated that need or desire to surface -- even if irrational. Or is there a "right to beauty" really? And is cosmetic surgery the answer?

Southern Comforts

Ole! With frequent weekend jaunts to out of town, I realized that I had not written thoughts on recent sports events like the World Cup or the Tour de France. All blogs were headed that way and spiced up by dear Paul the psychic octopus now turned global superstar.

The trips to the country's southern cities though work related and not particularly relaxing were interesting. For one, I have tasted one blueberry cheesecake that's to-die-for along with cafe mocha that somehow did not activate the acidity of my stomach. Just like the designer coffee havens in Manila, this featured cafe is situated along a buzzing strip for nightlife citizens who would as well find here dinner restos, wine bars, and an outdoor live band concert stage. Obviously, nighttime activities have moved to this part of the city. My cherie wondered whether the name of this coffee shop was a take off from a recognizable brand or was already bordering on plagiarism. Perfect chill out setting together with (as usual) netizens blazing away on their Facebook pages. Come and visit this fascinating city known for its unique whitewater rafting adventure. I won't tell you where this cafe could be found -- part of the fun in this blog -- but a prize awaits the first comment with the correct answer.

Cebu is another favorite destination considering the Manila-like comforts that abound from hotels and restos to taxis and shopping malls. It can be quite pricey however especially if you decided to stay in those Mactan resort enclaves. It has been raining at night when I was there this weekend but where doesn't and on occasions it had also rained over there on January (Sinulog festival time). Overall and if you are not going for business, Cebu City is a very safe destination for holiday seekers.

Davao City sprawls and because of that does not pretend to be preoccupied as much as Cebu City or Metro Manila. Despite numerous visits here, I have always wondered where the center of nightlife is located in Davao as it has never been visible to me or to someone around my demographic. They have a recent coffee chain called 'Cafe di Chicco' that serves respectable coffee (varied) and food. Some patrons even take their pets along and that's tolerated by the establishment. I'm sure the alcohol is somewhere.

Places for weekend meetings ot trysts. Haul your mysterious date/s out there [meet for the first time over there] and if he picks up on the invitation, that's your cue for some exciting days ahead. Forget about Boracay in the meantime; it's overrated and arduous if you've been going quite frequently. Let's hope your mysterious date is cute -- but you can mitigate that, can't you?

Nearly Khmer

Every now and then my country's embassy in Cambodia sends email notices of various official actions and citizen social gatherings and that's because I have registered with them when I was working there some years past. It was an interesting phase of life as it forced me to behave in ways that I did not intend on doing -- living an expat's life -- and thankfully for only a brief period that went without my even noticing.

Phnom Penh was a pretty contained city but with some parts specifically tailored towards foreigners. Every afternoon from work and as a daily routine, I'd quickly dump my laptop computer and backpack in my hotel room and head to the street corner bars for quick infusions of gin and tonic with incessant chatter from caucasians working as well in the country. Dinner afterwards from a price-reasonable selection of Asian or Western cuisine in specialty restaurants dotting various locations in the City. I was almost a fixture at Comme a la Maison, a restaurant  on Street 51. Certainly, I would not have been doing that on a regular basis if I were home but choices I realized have become quite limited in the absence of immediate family or a permanent home to come home to every night.

I had been forced to keep myself busy and entertained in the process of living away from home. There were limitations to patience in watching the cable TV programs. Without meaning to, I frequented the hot and humid Russian market on weekends purchasing what-nots that I didn't need. At one time, I simply took off one Sunday for the famed Siem Reap, a comfortable hour's flight away, where the world-renowned Angkor Wat temple beckoned. Simply hard stone and challenging to physically traverse -- that was what the huge and magnficent temple was. The City itself feels bohemian and is a worthy holiday destination as it has modern lodging facilities and interesting watering holes along what they aptly called Bar Street. The Hotel de la Paix, the boutique hotel that it is, appears lavish and expensive but there are less pricey alternatives around which are in fact to my estimation better than most hotels in the capital. Food choices are also varied and of excellent taste. I won't forget the Blue Pumpkin restraurant in the centre of town whose eclectic menu and savory bakery offerings would rival even its best parisian counterparts.

The locals were quite trustworthy as they tried their warmest best to please visitors like myself. That in itself was comforting to a stranger.

Despite the comforts, the relaxed (and sometimes luxurious) way of life, the nice people around, the pleasant weather, I had not felt settled. I looked forward to going home. I'm sure anyone who has gone away from home for a while and who knows that all that was temporary would have felt the same anxieties. Why would one want to live outside his country of domicile? What hard choices had to be made? What pressures attend to the individual and to his family?

By Chance or By Design

Nadal hoists the Wimbledon trophy once more

Several years ago, I was walking uphill from a hotel in Barcelona to my school when a small crowd literally cut through my path crossing the road. I noticed that there were television cameras following a youngish guy whom I recognized as one who was then on the fast track to tennis stardom. That was Rafael Nadal coming from a  practice session at the Barcalona tennis club. For someone posturing to superstardom and worldwide prominence, he displayed much attention and affection for the local fans that joined him that day. Had I secured his autograph or photo then, that would have been visible on this post today. Either I was more concerned with making it to class or I had doubts about his chances of rising to fame, I could today only look back on those memories. A chanced encounter with the future.

One grandslam title after another convinced me that he was destined to glory. Last month, he re-acquired the French Open title and today did the same at Wimbledon -- winning in straight sets. I have watched this year both championship matches on television thinking that I have had the chances before of watching both grandslam championships from courtside on various years. I was in both cities during the weeks when the matches took place. Those were as well missed chances.

Winning to me is always by design. The determination to win is always coupled with exceptional skill and unbowed performance. Doing something for yourself is the same thing -- always by design -- not on the wing of chance. A victim of chance will always have the opportunity to later win on the crest of desire and design.

Have a great week ahead.

Read

Subscribers of Amazon surely get mildly annoyed when they receive reminders of new releases, purportedly to motivate purchase decisions. I am not spared. But I admit that shopping for titles that way has been a pleasant and secured experience.

I have been purchasing the books of the featured author in this post through this route -- only because these are not available at local book sellers. Could that be due to the absence of a market or the simple  lack of awareness by book agents but I hope not a reflection of dangerous conservatism. My acquaintance with this writer began years ago as I was rummaging through a second-hand book store. Then my attention was caught by the title and thought that it was a book on food/cooking prompting me to read the teaser on the back cover. 

Anthony Bidulka has since written to my knowledge at least five other books around the same genre taking the reader to oftentimes popular but sometimes esoteric destinations. True, at some point one gets the sense of the author's writing style and then boredom sets in. But that has happened with me in most of the authors I have been following.

I am a sucker for the thriller; thus a big fan of David Baldacci. Never missed any of his books that I could build a library in his honor. I did not part with his latest book -- Deliver Us From Evil -- until I was done with it. It was the same experience I've had with a couple of his other books but could not say the same with others. This is the same observation I have about Grisham and might be the reason why he sometimes departs from law/courtroom drama for heartwarming plots. When in the university, I read Robin Cook who specializes in medical thrillers but have since left him as the language and the narrative echoed from novel to novel. We all need to be refreshed at some point in our choice of literature. However if there's an element that I have not given up in my choices it is the thriller to the extent that I sometimes have been disappointed with some authors. We also know that they may have ghost writers which could be gleaned from the changing styles from one book to another. This, I have noticed in Steve Martini's.

Therefore to all dear readers of this post, I am willing to give away one book of any one of the following (your choice): Bidulka, Baldacci, Martini. My way of sharing (again). Only to the first one who responds and is from the Philippines. Just let me know where to send.

Read. GO.