臺ไทย한

Oh how I miss the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia!

Aku ingat namanya dan rasanya. (I remember the name and the feelings) 😌😆

I mean how can I not? Jakarta is forever in my heart. 💛

And this song "Lupa Nama Ingat Rasa" (meaning: forgot the name, (but) remember the feelings) is my favorite from one of my favorite Indonesian bands OKAAY.

The song is about a girl’s wish to stay together after the magic of the two meeting and spending good time together fades into the morning after.

The idea of going to the Java Jazz Festival had long been in my head ever since I heard about the festival, which usually takes place in May or June every year in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesian music is known for its mellow melodies, lively beats and impeccable vocals. You can croon, swoon, melt, dance, jive to the beats, belt out song after song, or simply do all of the above.

Honestly, I just fell in love with the city since I went there in 2014 for the first time. I’ve always said and felt this city is filled with love. Maybe it’s the young population, or rather it’s the passion and energy of the people there that makes Jakarta so vibrant and so full of love and life. If I could, I’d definitely want to write a love story set in Jakarta.

I’m forever thankful to myself for making the decision to attend the festival in Jakarta last year (2023). The change of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara will take effect, starting August 17 this year (2024), which is also Indonesia’s Independence Day. I’m happy that I made the decision and kept the promise of going back to Jakarta AND before it fulfills its grand duty as the great capital of Indonesia.

Love you, Jakarta. Bye for now, but you know it’s also never goodbye. 💛

Event: Java Jazz Festival

Band: OKAAY

Song: Lupa Nama Ingat Rasa

อยากชวนเธอมา I want you to come over

ลอง Quarantine ลองมากักตัวด้วยกัน And be in quarantine together

นอนดูทีวี Netflix and Chill ทั้งวัน Let's watch TV, Netflix and Chill all day

ฟังเพลงดีดี เต้นรำในห้องทั้งวัน Listening to good music, dance in our room all day

🎤 Violette Wautier — กักตัว

2022年才三月多，就發生了一堆事，從得知一位阿富汗朋友在車禍中過世到俄羅斯侵略烏克蘭，再到我很喜歡的一位泰國女演員Tangmo上月底在昭披耶河遭人謀殺溺斃去世... 有很多話想說，但感到的只是無力感重重地壓在身上，非常沮喪。

之前寫了關於阿富汗朋友Jamshid的文章僅為了悼念他璀璨但短暫的一生，但躊躇了沒發文。俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭無情的戰火到現在還在燃燒著，每天動輒就是千百人喪身，但只能無助地看著那些無辜生命遠離人世(當然也包括在轟炸、砲擊似乎無止盡的葉門和敘利亞的無辜人們)...

然後上月很喜歡的一位泰劇女演員Tangmo被人陷害謀殺，溺斃於昭批耶河，大體於事發兩天後被尋獲。他2019年的作品《吹落的樹葉》是我追的第一部on檔的劇(沒錯我的第一部on檔追劇就是獻給我喜愛的泰劇)。想當時剛離職每天都追這部追的很過癮，每集都讓人又哭又笑，一部一直讓人心情洗三溫暖的劇。怎知兩年多後的現今，世界的無常又匆匆地帶走了一條寶貴性命... 她的死讓人非常悲憤，因為看似溺斃但實為謀殺，目前一切都還在偵查中，但從一開始船上其他五人處處說謊，口供不一，一直換說詞，及泰國警方想要以意外草草結案的種種跡象顯示(泰國警方本來就是眾所皆知的貪污嚴重，且泰國政商勾結和涉貪也相當普遍)，這根本是謀殺，當然還有大腿上多道不明傷痕，很多為死前所造成的傷痕，且船上有錄到奇怪的男性聲音和有一影片疑似是她掉進海裡但船上的人全部見死不久(意味著她很有可能是被推下海的)。要不是全世界粉絲尤其是泰國粉絲不再向貪腐低頭，群起包圍曼谷警政大廳，怎麼會有更多的偵查呢。今天又有進一步解剖消息，但有很多還是沒查出來，如泰國媒體和網民所說，真相在尚未水落石出之前只有船上同行那五人心知肚明；我不確定世界上是否真的有靈魂這件事，但如果Tangmo有感知，但願她可以為偵查人員指出一條路，讓真相浮出，及他們的罪行昭然若揭。我很不捨的是她竟是被她信任的人背叛，她的經紀人；經紀人因為是單親媽媽且經濟上有困難，所以Tangmo收養了她的小孩，也把她視為己出，到哪都看得到她們倆出遊的身影，據泰媒報導她意外險的受益人也是這位收養的女兒。但這次事件疑似是經紀人將她騙上船，名義上的飯局實為一場潛規則黑交易，船上是泰國富商大亨們。也很不捨的是看到在她的告別式上她的男友和前夫抱在一起痛哭，那一幕真的爆哭，真的太心碎了。泰國習俗基本上喪禮是盡量不哭的，因為怕哭了往生者會有所掛念，無法放下一切好好地通往極樂世界。她就是這樣活潑開朗正向又善良的女孩呀。

但同時也很不能接受的是跟她一起拍過吹落的樹葉的演員幾乎都有去她的告別式哀悼，但就是沒看到在戲中演她丈夫的Push，他遭泰國網民撻伐後，出來開直播說明原因，因為他要拍戲，但我想說的是連紅到不行拍戲滿檔的同劇演員平采娜都出席悼念了，你卻不肯送她走完最後一程。看著這些新聞再次提醒自己一. 不要輕易相信人，因為人心詭譎多變 二. 告別式上真的完全見證真友誼(她的一位好閨蜜告別式每天全程參與，打點喪禮現場事宜)，但生前明星們這些彼此追蹤、說說笑笑都活像個假象。

After discovering the Brazilian movie Operações Especiais on Netflix, I always wanted to watch it but never quite finished. Yesterday (Sunday) seeing that it will go off Netflix on Feb. 24th, I finally set out to watch it again and this time finish the rest of it. From the action standpoint, it was okay but not in a highly intense way that it’d leave you on the edge of your seat. Yet, it dives deep into the corruption in politics that covered the local gangs; for instance, you see numerous gun fights and police raids in various slums and how the “favelas” (slums in Brazil) intertwine with one another and the people living in them cover for and protect each other — even though they’re not really a family by blood or even belong to the gangs, they listen to the gangs because they help protect them in place of the government that ever would and protect one another like a family. 

I thought I’d see something new, either well flesh-out storylines or surprises like a good thriller would provide or even just action-packed scenes, but it really only has action, and again not the kind that could really fuel your adrenaline. And the ending is just another disappointment. I know you can’t just uproot all evil and crimes in one go or depose and bring to justice all those corrupt politicians and police officers etc., but even so, it still leaves much to be desired in ending it with people’s perception about justice served being all wrong, which to me isn’t justice really served for the police officer in the movie. If anything, what I really like about this movie is that it empowers our lead role here, which is the only female officer in the film played by Cléo Pires, with a few interesting dialogs that exude girl power but depending on how you'd like to view it could also be seen as clichés just for the sake of featuring girl power in it. It does give me a better idea of the general situation in Brazilian politics and civilian lives in the favelas and how the police and gangs have to coexist sometimes. 

Years ago I saw a list of some of the world’s most breathtaking restaurants with stunning views. Of course, it can’t just be about food, right? A restaurant with tasty food and breathtaking views is obviously a great plus. It was a list of about 50 or so restaurants and I can still recognize most of them if you show me pictures of these restaurants — but the names, not so much, only a rather vague recollection of them. After mentioning the restaurants on the list and the list itself a few times with friends and having some difficulty locating the names, I decided to find the list again. Even though the exact website (the Book A Table website) that posted the list is long gone, I found another website Food Beast that preserved and posted the list, and then also added a few more good restaurants to it I believe (as I don’t remember seeing them on the list before). Am I thankful for this! 

For fear that the list might once again fall into oblivion, I’d like to post them all here below for my and your reference. After all, good things have to be shared, right?! :D

New York, USA: Asiate St. Lucia, West Indies: Dasheene Puglia, Italy: Ristorante Grotta Palazzese Queenstown, New Zealand: Skyline Restaurant Santorini, Greece: Caldera Rangali Island, Maldives: Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scotsdale, USA: Elements Chamonix, France: Le Panoramic Ubud, Bali: La View California, USA: Sierra Mar Barcelona, Spain: Torre d’Alta Mar Aiguines, France: Le Grand Canyon du Verdon Golden, Canada: Eagles Eye Mürren, Switzerland: Piz Gloria Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: El Farallón Kowloon, Hong Kong: Tosca Phoenix, USA: Different Pointe of View Paris, France: Le Jules Verne West Hollywood, USA: Soho House Krabi, Thailand: The Grotto Bangkok, Thailand: Sirocco Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania: Crater Lodge Santorini, Greece: Andronis Ontario, Canada360: The Restaurant at the CN Tower Diani Beach, Kenya: Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant Seattle, USA: Canlis Eze, France: Le Café du Jardin Sydney, Australia: Sydney Tower Buffet Yichang, China: Fangweng Los Angeles, USA: WP24 by Wolfgang Puck Mauterndorf, Austria: Panorama Alm San Pablo City, Philippines: Labassin Waterfalls Restaurant San Francisco, USA: The View Dubai, UAE: Pierchic London, England: Hutong Istanbul, Turkey: Topaz Mürren, Switzerland: Hotel Edelweiss Tokyo, Japan: Sky Restaurant 634 Dubai, UAE: Al Mahara New York, USA: Robert Phuket, Thailand: Baan Rim Pa Kowloon, Hong Kong: Felix Rome, Italy: La Pergola Istanbul, Turkey: Maiden’s Tower Leipzig, Switzerland: Kuklos Positano, Italy: Ristorante La Sponda Chicago, USA: The Signature Room at the 95th Cape Point, South Africa: Two Oceans London, England: Duck & Waffle Zanzibar, Tanzania: The Rock Sydney, Australia: Altitude at Shangri-La Dubrovnik, Croatia: Nautika Dubai, UAE: at.mosphere

也許還是有遺憾，也許還是會感傷 Maybe there are still regrets, and there are still times I feel sorrowful

也許眼睛還是會不自主地感到一陣酸楚 Maybe I still can’t help but feel the stings in my eyes

也許淚水還是會不時充滿眼眶，模糊了視線 Maybe tears still often find their ways back brimming in my eyes, blurring my vision

也許半夜心頭還是不時會刺痛 Maybe oftentimes my heart still aches in the middle of the night

痛楚從心中最深處釋放出來 The pain released from the deepest end of my heart

也許有時還是須強顏歡笑 Maybe at times I’d still have to put on a smile despite deep pain inside of my heart

所有的過錯希望可以用淚水一筆勾銷 I hope all the mistakes can be erased by tears

希望換取時間、勇氣和那份不變的初心 Hoping in return I/we can get time, courage and that piece of pure & unadulterated intention that I/we had before

已過了這麼久 It’s been so long

記憶卻還是如此猶新 Yet the memories still remain refreshingly new

怎知心靈還是拒絕被撫平 How would I know my heart still refuses to be consoled

原來我只想要和你的那種深刻、真切 I realize in fact I just want that profound and real sense of love with you

有人說時間是最好的療傷工具 Some people say time is the best tool for healing

我說，時間是不饒恕人的 I say, “Time is unforgiving.

藉由記憶不斷地進行懲罰 “It keeps punishing through memories.”

以致—— And as a result—

或許只有說開了才會得到救贖 Maybe only when talking it out will I have redemption

還是還是很想你 I still miss you lots

恭喜Amber (Yichen Kuo)順利地展出畫作，及他的《深夜獨白》畫展圓滿落幕！很開心終於看到你努力已久的作品，非常值得欣賞和了解背後的意涵，雖然只有五幅畫，但經你講解後，抽象畫作後面的意義是如此的深刻。因此與畫家本人做了一個小專訪，如以下。(English Version Below)

Q: 我們先讓讀者了解一下每幅畫所代表的含意好了，可以稍微講解一下嗎？

A: 第一幅和第二幅畫（圖一中的左上和右上）中的影像都曾在我夢境中出現過，其中第一幅中是座高塔，曾夢到獨自一人在高塔內的那種孤獨感；第二幅則是一座湖，從棕和綠色所代表的陸地，到中間部分的湖面，以及最後的高山。其中兩幅畫當中的每個方塊都代表了社會綑綁下的規則和期待，例如小時候可能就是考試要考一百分，長大後也不外乎是在哪工作、年收入多少，是否出人頭地了、成家立業了等等讓人喘不過氣的問題。圖裡面的三角形、正方形、圓形則代表者每一個別人為我貼上的不同標籤，方塊上佈滿的細線條到延伸於外的較粗線條，都是每一道束縛的綑綁，以及與我自我的掙扎。外面粗線條所連接起來的形狀也代表著碎片，一種支離破碎的感覺。第一幅塔旁的鏡子，是我希望可用鏡面反射出左上方的太陽，來抓住光芒和希望。黑洞這幅畫，則是把各種不同的標籤和枷鎖都吸進去，其中黑洞左邊這幅（圖一中的左下）看似黑暗，但當中帶了點光明，光亮之處代表著希望，即便在黑暗中還是會有希望出現；右邊這幅（圖一中的右下）則是光明過後黑暗可能隨之到來，一種希望破滅的感覺。利用這兩幅的一體兩面，我希望呈現事情並沒有絕對，並不是非黑即白，以及我們所看到、聽到的或所認知的黑就真的是黑的嗎，反之亦然。

Q: 為何會將這次的畫展取名為《深夜獨白》的？

A: 這些畫作的靈感很多是取自於我的夢境，例如我曾夢到過畫中的高塔和湖水，也多想法也是深夜時分有感而發的感受和啟發。

Q: 在某些畫中你有命名M52，這是什麼意思呢？

A: 因為我個人是個天文迷，天文學都會用M來命名星星，而後面的52則是我的生日啦。（笑）

Q: 你是怎麼開始繪畫的呢？

A: 其實小時候一直都有在學畫畫，但因升學因素，便放棄了走藝術這條路。出來工作後，工作庸碌和忙碌讓我不禁時常自問這一切到底是為了什麼，一切的意義何在，為何一直在這樣忙於瑣事和惱人的事中循環？我想找尋生活的意義和那種純粹感，於是我便重拾了畫筆。

Q: 知道你是在上一份工作離職之前不久開始進畫室重新作畫的，也就是約莫2016年時，為何目前才想到要展出畫作呢？

A: 其實這次的畫展也是一個因緣際會，剛好畫室的前輩們有在討論可以來聯辦一場畫展，展出畫室藝術家們的作品，於是我便也加入了這次的聯展，一起共襄盛舉。

Q: 你有提到高塔圖〈Reflection: Tower〉中的方塊顏色剛開始畫時是隨機選色，但到後面越畫越有不同的想法，於是作畫期間換了很多次不同方塊的顏色。在油畫中，雖然可以以新顏色蓋掉舊顏色，但這次和下次如想要使用相同顏色時，會不會有調色無法調到與前次一致顏色的問題呢？

A: 調色部分的確是有些人會遇到的難題，不過因為我還算善於調色，所以是可以調出想要使用的顏色，以及維持顏色的一致性。

❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

Congrats to Amber (Yichen Kuo) on successfully holding and wrapping up her exhibition “Nighttime Soliloquies”! I’m very happy & proud to finally see your paintings that you’d been working so hard on for so long! Despite there being only 5 paintings, the meaning behind each abstract painting is heartfelt and profound after you explained about them. Here’s a little interview I did with the artist Yichen Kuo as a result of this. 

Q: Let’s give our readers an overview of each painting and their meanings. Can you talk a little bit about them?

A: The first and second paintings (top left and top right in the first picture) both appeared in my dreams. I once dreamed of standing in a high tower all alone, with the feelings of loneliness overwhelming me. The second one features a land (represented in green and brown), a lake and a mountain from outside in. The colorful cubes in these two paintings represent every rule and expectation the society imposes on me, e.g. parents would want you to get 100 in the grade when you were little, and now people are asking where you work, how much you earn, if you’ve made a name for yourself, if you’re married, and other such distressing questions. As for the triangles, square and circles, they stand for the various tags people pin on me. Enmeshed around the cubes are thin wires and thicker threads extending to the edges, which indicate all the shackles binding me and internal struggles with myself. The thicker threads connect one another to form numerous shards that look like broken glass and embody the feelings of being torn apart. The mirror beside the tower is intended to reflect the light from the sunbeams above in the paintings for me to grab hold of the light and hopes. The painting “The Black Hole” is here to suck in all these tags and shackles. The one to the left of it looks dark yet contains traces of light, and light is hope; therefore, there’s hope even in the dark. The one to the right, on the contrary, indicates the dark could come on the heels of light, shattering all hopes. I’d like to convey the idea that there’s no absoluteness in things — it’s not black or white — by juxtaposing these two paintings. With this, I’d like people to think if what we see, hear or understand as black is really black or white is really white.

Q: Why did you name the exhibition “Nighttime Soliloquies”?

A: A lot of the inspiration behind the paintings were derived from my own dreams. For instance, I once dreamed about the high tower and the lake. A lot of thoughts and inspiration also went off in my head like a light bulb in the nighttime. 

Q: You named some of your paintings with M52. What does it mean? 

A: Oh, because I’m a fan of astronomy, and astronomers normally use M to name the constellations. As for 52, it’s my birthday. [Laughs]

Q: How did you start your journey of painting? 

A: I used to learn to paint when I was little, but due to the environment of fierce academic competition, I had to give up on pursuing arts as a career path. After starting to work, all this mundanity and triviality made me constantly ask myself, “Why am I doing this? What’s the meaning behind all this mundanity? Why am I stuck in this rut of busying myself with all these trivialities and nuisances?” I want to find the meaning of life — that pure sense of living a “life.” That’s when I took up my paintbrush again. 

Q: I know that you’d started to paint in this studio not long before quitting your last job, which is around 2016. Why did it take you so long to hold an exhibition? 

A: Actually this exhibition could materialize all thanks to all the artists in this studio, who were talking about holding a joint exhibition of all the artists’ work in the studio. I then gladly joined in and am proud to share this space with them. 

Q: You mentioned that you randomly selected the colors in painting the cubes in “Reflection: Tower” but changed the colors of the cubes many times by repainting them as you went along with different ideas popping in your head. In oil painting, although we can replace the old colors with new ones by painting over them, when we’d like to use the same color as last time, do problems of not being able to blend the colors in consistency between both times occur? 

This is a historic and breathtaking city in Southeastern Turkey: Mardin. It’s a city on the border of Turkey and Syria, and thus naturally you can hear Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic spoken on the streets everywhere. Everybody blends in just so beautifully there. ☺️

Me and my friends went there in November, 2011. I still remember vividly that when we strolled around, chatting about everything on the streets, we heard “Bam. Bang. Ka-pow.” from seemingly a gunfight around a red truck full of people and a couple guys toting guns, firing and dodging shots, which turned out to be a movie scene from Bollywood blockbuster “Ek Tha Tiger” (एक था टाइगर) starring strong cast Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. And it has come to be one of my fondest memories to date. It’s just so fascinating to witness the whole thing and their filming.

Even though the movie crew shot the opening scene in Mardin and proudly said so in their interviews, they did not bill it as such — they billed it as Zakho, Iraq, a city on the Iraq-Turkey border (and pretty near Syria too) in the opening scene. So I thought to set the record straight and share this beautiful scene with everyone.

Time for another throwback! (What else can you do besides posting throwbacks during the pandemic, right?)

I met this little Iranian girl who was sitting beside me in the Istanbul Airport. She was watching music videos by Blackpink back to back; being a K-pop fan, I naturally struck up a conversation with her, telling her that I like Blackpink too. Then we went on to talk about BTS, Twice etc. Interestingly, when I asked her if she’d ever been to a Blackpink concert, she told me that they didn’t have such concerts in Iran so they had to go to other countries, say Turkey, for it. Her mom even half-jokingly made a throat-cutting gesture. As young as she was, we managed to talk about K-pop in English with her mom acting as sort of an interpreter, sitting across from us. 😂 When we parted ways, I bade them farewell with what little Farsi I still remember: خداحافظ.

Have you ever met people somewhere (in your own country or a foreign country) whom you found effortlessly easy to talk to and perhaps connected to but weren’t able to keep in touch because you didn’t ask for their contact info? And you just can’t help but wonder what if you were besties in the making?

What do you do if you ever find yourself in this kind of situation? That is, when you really want to be friends with them. Because this happened to me a lot...

A friend of mine kindly pointed out that I should perhaps start printing my own contact info cards and hand them out whenever there’s someone I feel like making friends with.

So here’s one of the many stories of such “painful” experiences: I met a girl from Zambia when I was traveling in Kuşadası, Turkey last September (2019). Her name is Miriam and she was working as a waitress in the hotel where I was staying while studying in Turkey. We talked for a bit and clicked right away. But I just felt it awkward to ask for a stranger’s contact info — even though by then I already really wanted to be friends with her. She’s a knowledgeable and ambitious person. I think I saw her on two other occasions but again was too shy to ask for her info.

I remember checking with her about the official language(s) of Zambia. After making sure that it’s English, I told her I was wondering about that because I know its neighboring country Mozambique is a lusophone country. We then exchanged some more ideas.

To mark the end of Pride Month (6/30), I feel like sharing this snippet of the music video of Hayley Kiyoko’s song “Girls Like Girls” by reposting it from her IG. (The full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/I0MT8SwNa_U)

Pride Month has almost ended but pride never ends — always be proud of who you are. Oh gosh, this song is so liberating and feels so good! On the surface, it has a playful tone, but it actually has a lot of meaning to it and can help people with the process of coming to terms with, accepting and loving themselves — ya know, the whole shebang that a lot of LGBT people face and need to process.

Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of role models from the LGBT community who I could look up to and see myself in and who inspired me in terms of who I was (and am). It took me a lot of time and figuring out to finally accept myself and be who I am today. Movies, TV series, the people I’ve met, their stories, books and YouTube couples have all helped me in this regard. But there was almost no such music depicting LGBT relationships and feelings towards the same sex; okay, you may say musicians like k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge, but they were really not as much on the scene while I was growing up — and really how many songs had a same-sex pronoun when talking about one’s lover?

So, needless to say, I’m really thankful that Hayley’s “Girls Like Girls” and Halsey & Lauren Jauregui’s “Strangers” came along, which are groundbreaking and I’m sure are gonna inspire and help lots of people. So thank you @kiyoko11! You are amazing! ❤️😘 And did I mention how literally @kelseyasbille and @stefaniescott are gorgeous and baes?! 😍

This is my post on “How Glaiza de Castro Has Influenced or Inspired Me” for the #CoolKidsMonthsaryChallenge contest on Glaizynthesis’ Instagram account @glaizynthesis (https://instagram.com/glaizynthesis/):

I don’t know if I’ll be able to put out a creative post about it (trying trying…) but I know I’ll write an honest (and personal?) one from the bottom of my heart.

There are many ways that Glaiza inspires, but here I would like to point out 3 things about her in particular that have inspired me and left a deep impression on me.

I first heard about the show The Rich Man’s Daughter from an Instagram account that features couples from shows like Orange Is the New Black, Jane the Virgin etc. The sight of #Jathea in one of the pictures immediately caught my attention, which led me to start searching for more information about it, and then I found out about the show and its mention on several websites including AfterEllen. Right then and there, I knew it was going to be something big and groundbreaking and make a huge difference. Needless to say, not only am I excited about the prospect of what messages and impact the show can help bring to the masses in the Philippines, hopefully changing perceptions and raising awareness of LGBT rights and equality, I’m also very happy for the Filipino people and grateful to GMA for taking such a huge step forward, which a friend of mine called a risk, in producing the show that represents and tells the stories of the LGBT community following My Husband’s Lover and getting the message out there. A huge step forward for the LGBT community in the Philippines is a huge step forward for every Filipino and others living there. And my friend may be right about it being a risk, in that Philippines is a conservative Catholic-majority country in many people’s minds—but then I thought if Ireland, another conservative Catholic country, could pass the marriage equality law by popular vote, then why not the Philippines in the future. Indeed, dreams are never too big to be fulfilled and—dreams never end. A point I want to drive home is that this show is life-saving, through the outstanding, real and honest portrayals of the actors, especially Glaiza and Rhian, a really good and solid script of believable and relevant storylines that strikes a chord, and with the help of the whole crew. I know it’s going to save lives and change lives for the better because a movie once did that for me. I had been in self-denial and struggling with my sexuality for a long time—until I chanced upon the movie I Can’t Think Straight and my whole perception and world took a steep upturn. It wasn’t overnight, but because of that movie, I was able to flee that miserable and dark place that is a closet and to come to terms with my sexual orientation. It was freeing. It was liberating. And it was relieving. I’d rather be free and happy being myself, living my truth than shackled and conditioned living a miserable lie. And I’m sure this show is doing the same for many people out there, changing lives and opening minds. Just like the lyrics to Glaiza’s song “Country Tree” suggest, “Come alive/Hold your head up high/Listen to your voice/Rising through the noise/It’s been too long since we’ve locked ourselves in here/Step out of that fear and play again,” I hope people who are still struggling eventually can do as the lyrics say for themselves—unlock/free themselves from the closet, step out of that fear, be themselves and play again, just as I have. (This song is one of my favorites and I find it can apply to so many situations. Hence, I use it here in the sense of coming out.) And I hope everyone on this show/project knows that they are making a difference every day. I also truly hope that the Philippines and every other nation will be advancing towards an inclusive society where everyone can live in harmony regardless of sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity etc. with understanding, acceptance, and love. The power of a movie/TV show, of acting, is immeasurable. With Glaiza’s impeccable and genuine portrayals, she gives strength to people who are still struggling with their sexuality like I was before. Glaiza is formidable. That’s reason number one.

As I dig deeper into interviews and articles about her, I have come to be inspired even more and admire her as a person and appreciate her talent as well as the inspiration that she has been to people who know her. In the episode “Magpakailanman: The Glaiza de Castro Story,” I learned something about the past struggles she and her family had to go through, even though I don’t understand Tagalog, but the scenes from the episode and some interviews gave me an idea about those struggles. Despite all the difficulties and hardships, she chose to hold on, grit her teeth and persevere instead of giving up. She worked extra hard; she went the extra mile. All that hard work she put in has paid off, and she has succeeded and prevails. I couldn’t be happier for her. I am so proud of her and all her success. Her words, “Dreams never end” and “They break me now but I’m still here; this light inside won’t disappear; believe that my love is meant for something real” still ring in my ears—they are truly an embodiment of her success story. Lest we forget, I’d like to add that we always have a choice and can always choose to succeed in our own ways in spite of temporary setbacks, as so well demonstrated in her songs (on her latest album Synthesis) and the music video of “Dusk ’til Dawn.” Glaiza is tenacious. That’s reason number two.

With various movie and TV credits, musical works and performances (including those on Sunday All Stars) as well as enterprises (Galura Studio, Runner’s Kitchen & Run 365) under her belt, she has proven time and again what a versatile and consummate actor/musician/performer/entertainer/entrepreneur she is. Her talent readily radiates. What equally readily radiates is her modesty. I’ve never met her in person, but from all the interaction she’s had with her fans (#CoolKids, #RastroRebels) and what the fans who have met her have been saying, I can tell she’s a down-to-earth person. (Did I even mention that she has an unmistakably beaming smile that can dazzle anyone that crosses her path?!) Not only that, she’s a person who gives back: She has empowered many with her Babae Power events that feature inspiring talks and live musical performances that inspire, empower and give musicians a chance to share their craft with others. The event is truly a celebration of woman empowerment and achievement. Furthermore, she is a grown woman who not only embraces her sexuality but values it at the same time: You can see her effortlessly and confidently perform all the sexy numbers on Sunday All Stars yet she has turned down offers to pose for men’s magazines. Again, there’s nothing wrong with posing for a men’s magazine (respect to everyone’s choices). My point is, that she chose to turn them down says something about her, something special. She definitely isn’t just a pretty face. Glaiza is multi-talented, intelligent, humble, enterprising, successful, inspiring, radiant, loving and just so special! She is the embodiment of and a testament to Babae Power. That’s reason number three. But never the final one.

There are many more ways that Glaiza has inspired me. Since I’m running out of space for this #CoolKidsMonthsaryChallenge contest, I’m done for now. Only for now though hah. But as usual, if I could have a whole hour to tell her in person the many ways that she has inspired me and just how special she is to many including me, I would make good use of every moment of it. And I know I will go to the Philippines to see her live one day. As always, keep rockin’, girl! xoxo

— Esther, a #RastroRebel & #CoolKid from Taiwan

Found this pic recently on Instagram under the account @thestinkymimi (http://instagram.com/thestinkymimi/), which is so heart-meltingly cute that I have to share it!

It’s Mimi the Maltese and her friend that is a Wheaten Terrier. They are both just too cute for words!! Such happy and sweet pups! :D <3

Picture Link on Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/reuZAzzeH8/?modal=true