Category: Movie

The Day The World Stood Still

Health, Movie, and Positivity Buzz

New York, the current epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas

A few days ago, the movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still” was shown on HBO. It’s probably the nth time I’ve seen it, not so much because I’m a sci-fi fan, but I truly like the message of the movie. Its reruns during these times have made the messaging more relevant, given that we are faced with a similar crisis. In this 2008 film, headlined by Keannu Reeves (popularly known for movies like Matrix trilogy and the more recent John Wick franchise) and Jennifer Connelly (wife of actor Paul Bettany a.k.a Vision and seen recently in Alita: Battle Angel), an alien adapts a human body (Reeves) with the sole intent to decide on whether mankind is worth saving or need to be annihilated (for all its crimes against both nature and humanity). Along with him came a weapon of mass destruction and spheres that will serve as shelter where animals can take refuge while the earth is being ravaged by locust-like alien creatures until no terrestrial being is left standing. Sounds biblical (Noah’s Ark) and its reference to it only shows how fiction imitates life. So scientists were gathered, among which is Connelly’s character, where she ended up helping Reeves escape when authorities tried to contain him. The crisis escalated when authorities tried to employ military solution on an otherwise scientific (and to some degree philosophical) issue. With this current COVID-19 crisis, it’s sort of life imitating fiction.

One of my favorite cities in the world. To New Yorkers, my heart goes out to all of you. Hang in there. This too shall pass.

So why am I talking about this movie during this time? While running from authorities, Reeves alien character started to understand human behavior. Towards the end of the movie, he learned that there is another side to us. While we can be destructive, we are also capable of change. While we can be selfish and always think of our own self-preservation, we can also love unconditionally and possess empathy, concepts that may be vague to aliens as these are not meant to be understood but to be felt. The message of the film is that in spite of our shortcomings, we can still change for the better. That in spite of human frailty, our emotional and sociological make up set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. This is very pertinent and relevant as we are dealing with a health crisis right now. You can look at the alien as the coronavirus trying to annihilate us all, unless we learn how to properly and appropriately deal with it (in the same way that Connelly’s character dealt with Reeves’) and the changes we have to make to survive the crisis.

Global COVID-19 pandemic as of April 22 (Johns Hopkins University)

Knowing how to deal with the crisis and the changes that we have to do will only be meaningful if we acknowledge how this crisis started. I came across the World Health Organization (WHO) timeline in its website (https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/08-04-2020-who-timeline—covid-19) which was last updated on April 12 and also stumbled upon a link that shows a more detailed timeline that fills the gaps in WHO’s account of events. This link directed me to an article published by Hudson Institute in its website (https://www.hudson.org/research/15920-coronavirus-timeline) that was last updated on April 15. Wary of its credibility since it is the first time I’ve heard of this organization, I tried to check its reliability and was able to find a fact check site that rated articles published by this non-profit, conservative right biased U.S. think tank to be highly factual (https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/hudson-institute/). So below are the extracts from both WHO and Hudson Institute timelines (you can check out the sites for the full timelines) that I tried to piece together (verbatim) to get some sense out of what actually transpired these past few months.

Nov. 17: A 55-year-old resident from Hubei province contracts COVID-19, according to data seen by the South China Morning Post, possibly the first coronavirus case. (Hudson) 

Dec. 1: The first coronavirus case now recognized by Chinese authorities is recorded in a Wuhan hospital. The patient was initially suspected to have been infected by an animal (likely a bat) in the Huanan Seafood Market, a narrative now in dispute as researchers propound alternative origins, including that lax security procedures in the Wuhan Institute of Virology led to its escape. (Hudson)

Dec. 8: The first suspected human-to-human transmission is recorded by Wuhan doctors. A patient is observed to have the virus but denies ever visiting the seafood market. (Hudson)

Dec. 25: Wuhan doctors suspect disease transmission from patients to medical staff, further evidence of human-to-human transmission and the first instance of a threat to healthcare workers. Wuhan hospitals have experienced a steady rise in infections since the first cases. (Hudson)

Dec. 27: A Guangzhou-based genomics company sequences most of the virus, showing an “alarming similarity to…SARS.” Samples of the virus are distributed to at least six other genomics companies for testing. (Hudson)

Dec. 31: Taiwanese public health officials warn the World Health Organization (WHO) that the virus is spreading between humans. The WHO never publicizes the warning. (Hudson)

Dec. 31: The same day, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission declares that it has no evidence of human-to-human transmission and informs the WHO of the outbreak. (Hudon). Per WHO, China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified. (WHO)

Jan. 1: The Wuhan Public Security Bureau summons eight people to its headquarters, including Dr. Li Wenliang, who initially warned the public about the virus, accusing them of spreading “hoaxes.” Dr. Li signs a statement confessing to his “misdemeanor.” The fate of the other seven is unknown. (Hudson)

Jan. 1: An official at the Hubei Provincial Health Commission orders a genomics company to cease “testing samples from Wuhan and to destroy all existing samples.” The company’s labs had sequenced the virus’s genetic code in December with results suggesting a highly infectious virus similar to SARS. (Hudson)

Jan. 1: WHO had set up the IMST (Incident Management Support Team) across the three levels of the organization: headquarters, regional headquarters and country level, putting the organization on an emergency footing for dealing with the outbreak. (WHO)

Jan. 3: China’s National Health Commission (NHC) orders institutions “not to publish any information related to the unknown disease” and orders labs to “transfer any samples they had to designated testing institutions or to destroy them.” The order did not specify any testing institutions. (Hudson)

Jan. 3: U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Robert Redfield receives reports on the novel coronavirus from Chinese colleagues. The chief of staff to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar informs the National Security Council. (Hudson)

Jan. 4: WHO reported on social media that there was a cluster of pneumonia cases – with no deaths – in Wuhan, Hubei province. (WHO)

Jan. 5: WHO published its first Disease Outbreak News on the new virus. This is a flagship technical publication to the scientific and public health community as well as global media. It contained a risk assessment and advice, and reported on what China had told the organization about the status of patients and the public health response on the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. (WHO)

Jan. 5: Six days after its China Country office was “informed of cases of pneumonia with unknown etiology” in Wuhan, the WHO “advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China based on the information available on this event.” (Hudson)

Jan. 9: Chinese authorities announce publicly that a novel coronavirus was behind the recent viral pneumonia outbreak. (Hudson)

Jan. 9: Xinhua News Agency first reports on the outbreak. (Hudson)

Jan. 10: WHO issued a comprehensive package of technical guidance online with advice to all countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases, based on what was known about the virus at the time. This guidance was shared with WHO’s regional emergency directors to share with WHO representatives in countries. 

Based on experience with SARS and MERS and known modes of transmission of respiratory viruses, infection and prevention control guidance were published to protect health workers recommending droplet and contact precautions when caring for patients, and airborne precautions for aerosol generating procedures conducted by health workers. (WHO)

Jan. 11: China reports its first known death due to the virus. (Hudson)

Jan. 12: Chinese authorities share the virus’s genome with the rest of the world. (Hudson)

Jan. 13: The first case outside China is reported Thailand. (Hudson)

Global COVID-19 confirmed cases by country and by city as of April 22 (Johns Hopkins University)

Jan. 14: Nearly six weeks after Wuhan doctors raise the possibility of human-to-human transmission, the WHO issues a statement stressing that Chinese authorities recorded no cases of human-to-human transmission. (Hudson)

Jan. 14: WHO’s technical lead for the response noted in a press briefing there may have been limited human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus (in the 41 confirmed cases), mainly through family members, and that there was a risk of a possible wider outbreak. The lead also said that human-to-human transmission would not be surprising given our experience with SARS, MERS and other respiratory pathogens. (WHO)

Jan. 14: Hubei Provincial officials hold a teleconference with Ma Xiaowei, the head of China’s National Health Commission, who details the threat posed by the new virus. A memo from the teleconference raises the possibility of human-to-human transmission. (Hudson)

Jan. 15: Japan records its first case of coronavirus. (Hudson)

Jan. 15: China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing initiates internally its highest-level emergency response, which includes directions to hospitals to take protective precautions and to begin tracking cases. The directions are marked “not to be publicly disclosed.” (Hudson)

Jan. 18: Wuhan authorities allow nearly 40,000 to gather for the Lunar New Year celebration. (Hudson)

Jan. 20: Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a leading authority on respiratory health who came to attention for his role fighting SARS, confirms that the disease spreads from person-to-person. The head of China’s NHC investigatory team also confirms cases of human-to-human transmission in Guangdong province, indicating spread between provinces. (Hudson)

Jan. 20-21: WHO experts from its China and Western Pacific regional offices conducted a brief field visit to Wuhan. (WHO)

Jan. 21: The CDC confirms the first American case, a Washington resident who had returned from China six days earlier. (Hudson)

Jan. 22: WHO mission to China issued a statement saying that there was evidence of human-to-human transmission in Wuhan but more investigation was needed to understand the full extent of transmission. (WHO)

Jan. 22-23: The WHO Director- General convened an Emergency Committee (EC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) to assess whether the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern. The independent members from around the world could not reach a consensus based on the evidence available at the time. They asked to be reconvened within 10 days after receiving more information. (WHO)

Jan. 23: Chinese authorities announce first steps for their lockdown of the city of Wuhan. Travel from Wuhan to other countries continues uninhibited until group restrictions are put in place on Jan. 27. (Hudson)

Jan. 24: France records Europe’s first and second cases. (Hudson)

Jan. 25: Australia and Canada record their first coronavirus cases. (Hudson)

Jan. 27: The Chinese government suspends group travel to foreign countries (individuals would still travel abroad unencumbered), three days after massive outbound traffic begins for the Lunar New Year. Over those days, travelers journeyed to Japan, South Korea, the United States, Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and South America. (Hudson)

Jan. 28: A senior WHO delegation led by the Director-General travelled to Beijing to meet China’s leadership, learn more about China’s response, and to offer any technical assistance. 

While in Beijing, Dr. Tedros agreed with Chinese government leaders that an international team of leading scientists would travel to China on a mission to better understand the context, the overall response, and exchange information and experience. (WHO)

Jan. 30: The WHO declares the coronavirus a global health emergency, while expressing confidence in “China’s capacity to control the outbreak.” The organization recommends against border closures, visa restrictions, and quarantining of healthy visitors from affected regions. (Hudson)

Jan. 30: Several provinces and cities extend the Lunar New Year holiday until at least February 13 to halt commerce and travel. (Hudson)

Feb. 1: Responding to the prior day’s announcement that the United States would suspend entry of foreign nationals who had visited China, Chinese officials criticize the move as “neither based in fact nor helpful” and “certainly not a gesture of goodwill.” (Hudson)

Feb. 2: The first coronavirus death outside China is reported: a 44-year-old man in the Philippines. (Hudson)

Feb. 3: WHO releases the international community’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to help protect states with weaker health systems. (WHO)

Feb. 5: The Chinese embassy in Canberra criticizes Australia’s travel ban on entries from mainland China. (Hudson)

Feb. 7: Dr. Li Wenliang, considered by the Chinese public to be the foremost champion of spreading information about coronavirus, succumbs to the virus at the age of 33. His death leads to an outpouring of national anger over information suppression. (Hudson)

Global COVID-19 deaths and recovered as of April 22 (Johns Hopkins University)

Feb. 7: Shortly after Dr. Li’s death, the hashtag “#wewantfreedomofspeech” trends on Chinese social media platform, Weibo. The same day, along with other related topics, it is deleted by censors. (Hudson)

Feb. 11-12: WHO convened a Research and Innovation Forum on COVID-19, attended by more than 400 experts and funders from around the world, which included presentations by George Gao, Director General of China CDC, and Zunyou Wu, China CDC’s chief epidemiologist. (WHO)

Feb. 14: France reports the first coronavirus death in Europe: an 80-year-old Chinese tourist. (Hudson)

Feb. 16-24: The WHO-China Joint mission, which included experts from Canada, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore and the US (CDC, NIH) spent time in Beijing and also travelled to Wuhan and two other cities. They spoke with health officials, scientists and health workers in health facilities (maintaining physical distancing). (WHO)

Feb. 19: China expels three Wall Street Journal reporters in response to an op-ed headline. (Hudson)

Feb. 21: Iran reports its first coronavirus cases from an unknown source. (Hudson)

Feb. 23: Italy first reports a major surge in coronavirus cases; Codogno, near Milan, becomes the first Italian town to lock itself down. (Hudson)

Feb. 26: A São Paolo man, recently returned from a trip to Italy, becomes the first coronavirus case in Latin America, according to Brazilian health officials. (Hudson)

Feb. 28: Nigeria confirms the first coronavirus case in Sub-Saharan Africa, a businessman traveling from Milan to Lagos. (Hudson)

Feb. 29: The United States reports its first coronavirus death, a patient near Seattle. (Hudson)

Mar. 11: Deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction, WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. (WHO)

Mar. 12: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian insinuates in a tweet that COVID-19 originated in America and was spread to China by the United States military. (Hudson)

Mar. 14: Friends of Chinese businessman Ren Zhiqiang report that he has disappeared. Ren had authored an essay blasting the CCP for its slow response to the outbreak, blaming its speech restrictions for exacerbating the crisis. (Hudson)

Mar. 16: WHO and partners launch the Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial that aims to generate robust data from around the world to find the most effective treatments for COVID-19. (Hudson)

Mar. 18: China revokes press credentials from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post reporters. (Hudson)

Mar. 21: Chinese state media outlets circulate reports that “an unexplained strain of pneumonia” may have originated in Italy late in 2019. (Hudson)

Mar. 23: The Hubei Provincial government lifts restrictions on Hubei Province, with the exception of Wuhan. (Hudson)

Mar. 26: Spanish microbiologists report that tests sent to Spain by the CCP detected positive COVID-19 cases only 30% of the time. (Hudson)

Mar. 26: Researchers from University Hospital Ostrava in the Czech Republic report that 80% of the coronavirus antibody test kits received from the Chinese government were defective, likely because antibody tests cannot detect the illness in its early stages. (Hudson)

Mar. 29: The Dutch Health Ministry recalls over 600,000 faulty medical masks received from the Chinese government. (Hudson)

Mar. 31: The Chinese Health Commission admits it has been omitting asymptomatic cases of coronavirus to date and will begin including asymptomatic carriers in its daily counts. (Hudson)

Apr. 14: The Washington Post reports that, in 2018, U.S. Embassy officials sent official warnings to Washington after visiting the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One cable concerned the Institute’s research on bat coronaviruses and warned that their potential transmission “represented a risk of a new SARS-like pandemic.” (Hudson)

Apr. 15: Sources report that the growing consensus among U.S. officials is that the virus originated in a unit studying bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is central to China’s effort to become the global leader in identifying and combating viral outbreaks. (Hudson)

Photo courtesy of Mike Massie

Just like in the movie, the fear of the unknown pervaded the atmosphere, where man’s destructive nature has manifested. Why was the information on the virus and its potential transmission contained from the rest of the world in the early days of contagion? It was not until Jan 14 when WHO technical lead acknowledged that there may be limited transmission. That was more than a month since Chinese doctors first suspected of human-to-human transmission on Dec 8. Those five (5) weeks were crucial, where time is a function of viral transmission and that the spread would definitely have multiplier effect. Why were 40,000 people in Wuhan allowed to gather for the Lunar New Year celebration, six (6) weeks after the first suspected transmission? It reminds me of Philadelphia’s Liberty Loan Parade of September 1918 (featured in National Geographic channel), where more than a week into the Spanish flu virus spread among 600 sailors, the state didn’t cancel the parade and went on with it on September 28 that attracted some 200,000 people (story is also on CNN.com). Philadelphia ended up with more than 12,000 deaths and about 47,000 reported cases in six weeks. A century and a year later, seems like history repeated itself.

Still, the alien (in this case the virus) lives with us. Why did WHO recommended against border closure or travel ban more than two (2) weeks after its technical lead announced that there may be ‘limited transmission’ (a term that, in the context of a flu-like illness, is borderline oxymoron)? How did WHO utilize the information it received from Taiwan on Dec 31 about the potential human-to-human transmission? What did governments of countries with weak health systems do after WHO released the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan on Feb 3?

There are lots of questions which would likely be left unanswered. One bright spot though was Dr. Li Wenliang. Just like Connelly’s character, Dr. Li tried to understand the alien (in this case the virus), defied and went against the foreign secretary (played by Academy award winner Kathy Bates) and the military (in this case the Chinese authorities) and changed the outcome by facing the crisis with courage, conviction, sense of humanity, and a heart. Like Connelly’s character, Dr. Li became a hero to the world. Unlike Connelly’s character who lives in the hands of the alien, Dr. Li died in the hands of the virus.

(Left) Jennifer Connelly, plays the fictional heroine in the movie who saved the world from total annihilation; (right) Dr. Li Wenliang, the real life hero and whistleblower who succumbed to the same virus he tried to protect the world from. Our prayers are with you and your family.

There are lessons to be learned by just simply going through these series of events. Like anything else, information is key. I can find solutions to a problem if I have all the pertinent and relevant information that I need. Censorship may be a norm under authoritarian regimes, but during these health crises, nothing can be achieved if vital information is suppressed or withheld. Time is of the essence, where the sooner we acknowledge the problem and share essential information, the better the likelihood of a positive outcome. We can set aside ideological differences for the sake of international cooperation. Politics has no space in crisis like this, much more disinformation, especially when lives are at stake. We can prove that in spite of our destructive nature, there is still that other side to us, where we can still care for and look after each other. A watershed opportunity for us to change.

I’m looking forward to the day that the world would stand still and reflect on what we have done (sin of commission) and haven’t done (sin of omission). That day when we accept our mistakes and missteps, that we are our own worst enemy (and not the virus). That day when we start to believe that we can potentially become the virus of future past. Not until we own up to and be held accountable for our sins and frailties that we can truly move on and heal as one.

A Tale of Two Pattayas

Travel Buzz

Pattaya, Thailand

I would normally hie off to beaches during the Christmas season. That has been my yearly practice, not so much because of the cooler weather this time of the year but to just get out of the Philippines where this season can be very stressful. To those who haven’t been to the Philippines this time of the year, this is the worst place to be in given that almost everyone is outside of their homes either to be somewhere to have endless Christmas lunches and dinners. or to do piece meal shopping for gifts and groceries, or to see the Christmas displays and lights in malls and parks. These create the most horrific traffic in the metropolis, worse than any given day (traffic is already horrible on normal days), especially where I live (Makati City which is the central business district) where getting from point A to point B would be an epic journey. Cases in point: just driving to Rockwell Center where I would normally go to watch a movie, dine out, or do my shopping would already take me about an hour when it’s just 1.7km from where I live; getting to see my orthopedic surgeon for my post surgery consult will take me about the same time when it’s only about 2.9km from my place. Not to mention that you have to contend with reckless drivers, both in cars and on motorcycles. So you can imagine my stress and frustrations during this time of the year when you cannot do your usual routine without having to go thru this road ordeal.

Stress-free holiday (Pattaya Beach)

That’s why I have created by own tradition and I am unapologetic about it. I may sound like a Christmas grinch, but I already have so much Christmas memories from the old tradition that I’d rather make a new one that is stress-free. And what better way to stay free from being stressed than the soothing effect of the sun, sea, and sands. This is where Thailand comes to mind, which is one of my favorite Southeast Asian destinations. I have discovered Pattaya for the first time last year, and I thought why not go there again to see the other side.

Dongtan Beach

Yes, there are two sides of Pattaya. Just like Bali (where you have the main beach Kuta and the quiet side that is Nusa Dua), Pattaya has main beach called Pattaya, and the quiet side that are Jomtien and Dongtan beaches. Same as last year, I booked a flight via Bangkok using my Krisflyer miles (Singapore Airlines frequent flyer program). For 40,000 miles, I got a roundtrip business class ticket for Thai Airways (member of Star Alliance along with Singapore Airlines) and only paid about $70 for taxes and surcharges. Not bad given that this is a direct flight, compared last year where one leg of my flight was with Singapore Airlines where I have to spend a few hours layover in Singapore airport. I arrived in Bangkok late in the night, which is fine given that I don’t have to contend with bad traffic if I have arrived earlier in the day.

My hotel room in Bangkok (Novotel Bangkok Silom Road)

Same as last year, I booked a room at Novotel Bangkok Silom Road using my Accor card. What I liked about this hotel is that aside from its location, it offers a value-for-money buffet. For 299 bht and 700 bht for lunch and dinner respectively, I can eat as much fresh shrimps and mussels as I want along with other fares such as salmon and kani sashimi, kebab, pasta dishes, pastries, and fruits. The only difference is that dinner offers unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and frozen desserts. I love the fresh shrimps (red shrimps and river shrimps) that are so delicious (the red shrimps have that sweet taste that makes it different from the ordinary shrimps here in the Philippines; the only time I have tasted shrimps this good in it’s fresh form was in Lisbon, Portugal). So for the price it was worth it. Not only the food was good, but the room was also value for money. For less than a $100 a night, I got a spacious room that came with the basic amenities. My only complaint is that it didn’t come with bathrobes and slippers, the only stuff that I would love to have in a hotel room (I can do without the other amenities as I bring my own bath essentials when I travel).

Eat-all-you-can buffet (river shrimps, red shrimps, mussels, & squid)

I used Klook for the first time for my airport transfers as well as city transfers (Bangkok to/from Pattaya). I find their prices reasonable and it was actually very efficient. Unlike last year where I have to queue outside of the airport arrival area to get a taxi ticket number and wait again for my turn to get a cab (that could take a while especially if there aren’t as much cabs as passengers), with my pre-arranged airport transfer, all I did was to look for the Klook kiosk inside the airport arrival area and the rep called my designated driver and ushered me out of the airport when the car is already on its way to pick me up. So it was less hassle than before, plus the fact that you have to wait inside the airport instead of outside, where you can avoid the heat and the pollution outside.

My room in Pattaya last year (Rabbit Resort Pattaya)

It would take about 2 hours to get to Pattaya from Bangkok by car. That’s why I arranged for a premium car (Klook provided me with Toyota Fortuner) for a smoother ride given that I just had spinal surgery and I wanted to have a more comfortable road trip. Last year, I stayed at Jomtien/Dongtan area, where I booked a room at Rabbit Resort Pattaya. The reason why I chose this non-Accor hotel was because it is one of the few hotels in Pattaya that offers a resort vibe. The rooms are villa-like, where the interiors look like a traditional Thai house. So it’s not your typical hotel room that looks tired and dated. The hotel is owned by a Thai husband and an American wife whom were introduced to me during my stay. If my memory serves me right, the name of the hotel actually came from their surname, and not from that Easter bunny. The wife is actually the one who was around most of the time, meeting and entertaining guests, so the service and hospitality were more personal than casual (similar to my accommodation in Santorini). Since I also booked the Christmas eve dinner in the hotel, she invited me to join her and her husband, along with her two nephews from the US who were visiting Pattaya for the first time, in their dinner table, knowing that I was travelling alone. It was a sweet gesture, but I didn’t want to intrude in a private family affair, so I politely declined.

Jomtien Beach

The reason why this is the quiet side of Pattaya is because the area is less crowded with lesser commercial establishments than the main beach. There is a restaurant row in the commercial center where I reckon the food was good, as well as convenience stores and shops, but other than that, there are no malls or attractions that will keep the crowd in except for the beaches. But the perceived serenity and privacy of the area also attract the wrong kind of people. Not the petty thieves but the sexually obsessed ones. Not sure if it’s because I look like a local, but that doesn’t give foreigners the right to treat locals like sex objects or commodities, particularly in public (unless if you are in sexually charged streets or establishments which are not uncommon in this country). Maybe such behavior is tolerated in this country’s culture (hence the choice of word “obsessed” rather than “perverted” cause that behavior towards locals could be the new normal). Just to give you an idea. I was having lunch al fresco along the beach road when this burly white guy stopped on his track, stood across my table, and made sexual gestures (it seems like he wanted to get off al fresco with matching tongue action). Rather than get offended (I’m already used to guys making sexual and non-sexual overtures in my travels), I actually found it amusing and awkward coz I’m not sure if he was trying to seduce me, harass me, buy/hire me, or just trying to be sexy. Good thing I was wearing shades (so no direct eye contact), so I stared back and gave a smirk (like ‘eh’ or ‘meh’). He just eventually walked away, licking his bruised ego. That incident didn’t happen once, but I have mastered the art of fending off unnecessary attention from these type of guys.

Temple of Truth

On my way back to the resort from Temple of Truth last year, my cab passed by this area that I thought didn’t exist. It was along the promenade of the main beach where there are these hotel and restaurant rows as well as malls and shops. The area reminds me of Gold Coast in Australia (where I spent the Christmas season a couple of years earlier) that has that Miami vibe. That’s why this year, I decided to go back to Pattaya and stay in this area, to experience what this side of Pattaya has to offer. Here, it’s like a melting pot of the world (like NY), where tourists from all corners abound. You know that your city has arrived (from a tourism perspective) when hordes of mainland Chinese tourists are dropped off and picked up by tourist buses. This is true across all popular cities around the world that I have been to lately. Though I try to avoid crowds like this, but I also cannot give up a place that has the right balance that I’m looking for, where you can have the sand and the sea and soak in the sun on one side of the road and the convenience of the malls and your hotel where you can cool off from all the sweating and enjoy some good food, cold drinks, and even movies on the other side of the road.

Relaxing on the lounge by the poolside (Hotel Baraquda Pattaya MGallery by Sofitel)

I booked a room at Hotel Baraquda, which counts among the M Gallery collection of Accor hotels around the world. It’s a boutique hotel, so it’s not massive like other 5-star hotels in the area. But in spite of its smaller scale, the room is spacious with its own balcony that has pool view. It came with bathrobes and slippers among other amenities (as should be) and what makes this room different from the other hotel rooms that I have stayed in was the lighting control that you can set depending on your mood. But just like any hotel room, it looks and feels tired and dated. Even the towels need to go (rough and worn out like those in Novotel Bangkok Silom Road) and should be replaced with new, fluffy sets.

My room in Pattaya this year (Hotel Baraquda Pattaya MGallery by Sofitel)

The area is a far cry from the side of Pattaya that I stayed in last year. One thing I’ve noticed is that there seems to be as much massage parlors as restaurants in the area. Like for every two restaurants, there would be a massage parlor in between, I wonder whether these establishments actually make money given the competition. Then there are the big and small malls. The one I would frequent to was the Central Festival mall, which was not only close to my hotel (there were at least two smaller malls that were nearer), but it has everything that I look for in a mall. I was glad to find an Ippudo branch there (for my favorite Akamaru ramen) as well as new finds such as the Shabu Shi by Oishi, an eat-all-you-can shabu shabu place with a buffet of sushi, sashimi, and tempura, a drink buffet (different soda and green tea variants), and your choice of ice cream and sherbet, all for 419 bht. When you enter the place, they would ask you to choose among the four broths (chicken, tom yum, a black broth that was on the sweet side, and a milky broth that I didn’t try). Then they will usher you to a seat facing a moving belt of raw proteins (the ones I liked were pork belly sliced thinly like bacon, crystal shrimps, clams, and fish fillet) and vegetables for you to pick up and dip into the boiling broth of your choice. It takes about a minute or two for the protein to get cooked (you know when they’re ready once they started floating) and once drained of the excess broth and into the plate, I would dip my chopsticks on the chili sauce provided separately and tap the meat to give it a thin spread of the sauce, just enough not to overpower the taste and heat of the cooked meat. I enjoyed it so much that I went back almost every lunch and had dinner once as well (I would suggest lunch though since it looks like lunch leftovers were the ones being served for dinner). The mall also has cinemas where I got to catch the latest Star Wars franchise (The Rise of Skywalker).

Eat-all-you-can shabu shabu (Shabu Shi by Oishi, Central Festival Mall, Pattaya)

Another thing that I loved about Thailand is the Japanese influence on its food and consumer goods. Aside from those Japanese restos that I have mentioned, a lot of other Japanese restos abound both in Bangkok and Pattaya, There is even a level in Central Festival where Japanese restos mostly occupy the whole floor, aside from the predominantly Japanese kiosks at the basement food court. The supermarket in the mall carries Japanese products (like those in Isetan store in Central World Bangkok which is a specialty department store carrying Japanese products level after level), so if you are fond of anything Japanese or Thai, you only need to be in Bangkok and/or Pattaya to enjoy the best of both worlds.

(Left): Akamaru ramen and spicy gyoza (Ippudo, Central Festival Mall, Pattaya); (Right): Sushi & sashimi (Shabu Shi by Oishi, Central Festival Mall, Pattaya)

The Pattaya that I know now is different from the Pattaya I knew then. The place that I knew then may be quiet and peaceful, even sweet, but has some unexpected dark side to it. The place that I know now is lively, noisy, crowded, and sexually charged environment, yet no surprises, knowing fully well what to expect given its seedy reputation. This is where it gets interesting, where even the sexual undertones of Walking Street hasn’t prevented it from becoming a family destination just like Amsterdam’s Red Light District which has become a major tourist spot in that part of the world. In contrast, the Pattaya I knew last year has become a shadow of the Pattaya that I know now, where from my vantage point, this year’s Pattaya looked wholesome and harmless, in spite of popular belief.

Walking Street (Pattaya)

On my flight back to Manila, the stewardess gave me a local Thai paper (in English) where my horoscope for the day reads something like “Turn away from the old ways…create new traditions…” I thought this is exactly what I have been doing the past few years, and I don’t believe I’d even consider turning back to the old ways anytime soon, unless Christmas season becomes less stressful in my country.

Creating my own Christmas tradition (thru stress-free stuff that I love to do)

Nevertheless, wherever you are, whatever tradition you follow, whenever you’d feel like taking an escape, Christmas is still worth celebrating your own way (and that’s ok). So I’m sending Christmas cheers to everyone. Coz we all deserve it.

Merry Christmas!

“Knives Out” at “Downton Abbey”

Movie Buzz

Poster courtesy of Wikipedia

One of the things that I love to do is going to the movies. I go to the movies once or twice a week (sometimes even more if a few good ones are screening on the same week) so you can say I’m a movie fan. Sorry, no Filipino films for me, unless the occasional, once in a blue moon, critically acclaimed ones. That’s why I always dread this time of the year when all Metro Manila theaters will only screen Filipino films (thru the so-called Metro Manila Film Festival) for the whole two weeks starting Christmas day, coz that means nothing that I could see and enjoy during the holiday break. Whatever foreign movie out there that I could see before then I’d already watch before leaving the country and travel to places where I can catch new Hollywood releases (which will only be shown in the Philippines in the new year after the filmfest run). I haven’t written a movie review yet so having one is sort of a breather from all the travel, food, health, and positivity articles in this blog.

The title of this review seems to be misleading coz it’s actually titles of two movies that I have seen recently and really liked. Figuratively speaking though, “knives out” bear semblance to the theme of Downton Abbey, a period film that came on the heels of a successful TV series run (which I haven’t watched a single episode, so going into the movie I wasn’t really sure if I would be able to appreciate it given the lack of familiarity). That theme refers to the actions of the Downton Abbey household helpers (particularly the kitchen staff) when they staged some sort of a coup after they have been relegated to almost nothing during the very important visit and stay of the King and Queen of UK. It’s not often that his and her royal majesties stay in your own house, so I could only sympathize with the household staff when they have been pushed aside by the royal staff (which Buckingham Palace sent as advance party) in their own house. In their eagerness to leave a good impression to their royal guests and to show their kind of hospitality in this once in a lifetime opportunity, they plotted against the snotty minions and came out victorious in the end. This of course is without the absence of comical situations along the way.

There were other themes explored by the movie with the purpose of getting that message of tolerance and inclusivity across. This is a period film, so the prevalence of intolerance against LGBT and women rights have been put into proper context. The movie, by itself, has successfully manifested the fact that in this day and age, humanity has gone a long way in accepting LGBT community and independent women, without the need to hide one’s truth. Pride and prejudice (like that other period film with the same title) run in the veins of this movie, and placed carefully not to offend the senses but to categorically make a statement of what human nature is about. Our propensity to please, hide our truth afraid of its consequences (isn’t it that truth should actually set us free?), varying degrees of jealousy, and self-preservation are all shown in a simple, clear, no frill manner but presented as situational comedy. This is where I believe the film succeeded the most.

Poster courtesy of Wikipedia

It helped that the ensemble cast was a delight to watch. Maggie Smith (of the Harry Potter series and First Wives Club) was the perfect choice for the role of the household matriarch who has this long standing feud with a distant cousin played by Imelda Staunton (of Maleficent) who is now part of the royal entourage and for the longest time guarding her own truth. The characters Tom Branson (played by Allen Leech) and Thomas Barrow (played by Rob James-Collier) have their own impact-filled stories to tell amidst the drama and already chaotic household. Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery who was nominated 3 consecutive times in the Emmys for her performance in the TV series) raised that question which most of us would have asked at least once in our lifetime: “Is it all worth it?” There are times in our lives where everything seems to be a struggle, so it is a valid and reasonable question to ask even just at the back of our minds.

Another movie that explored the varying facets of human nature (and how these manifest in different shapes and form) as well as the human psyche is Knives Out. It is another whodunnit film along the same genre as 2017’s Murder On The Orient Express (where Kenneth Branagh’s character seems to live parallel lives with that of Daniel Craig’s character) but served two, three, four ways. The protagonists in both films were commissioned to investigate a murder and went thru a roller coaster of a ride to find the truth (truth can be evasive nowadays) but unlike its predecessor, the new film stands out because of its wicked screenplay and storytelling that keeps you second guessing yourself. Never a dull moment. In Knives Out, a wealthy family patriarch (played by Christopher Plummer who seems to be typecasted in these roles such as in 2017’s All The Money In The World) was found dead in his den and an investigator was brought in (played by the prolific Daniel Craig who is popularly known as the recent reincarnation of James Bond) to determine whether the cause of death was murder or suicide. Of course everyone is a suspect (or person of interest), and this is where it gets interesting, when each family member, all of whom have a stake on the family fortune and automatically gave each a motive to kill, has other reasons why he or she wants him dead. Secrets, lies, murder (or suicide?). Essential elements that were placed like Easter eggs which Detective Blanc (Daniel’s character) has to hunt.

It’s a delicious and sexy movie that Rian Johnson (director known for 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi) has put together with the help of a splendid screenplay. Shout out to the writer of the screenplay. Well played. Like Downton Abbey, the cast was a delight to watch. Ana de Armas’ (of 2017’s Blade Runner 2049) performance resonated well with me (no wonder she was just recently nominated for a Golden Globes Best Actress Award). She is the Tom Branson in this movie. Michael Shannon still gives me the creeps, even if he isn’t playing a mean guy in this movie (like in 2017’s The Shape of Water and 2012’s Premium Rush), or is he? If you miss Don Johnson (millennials would probably know him as Dakota Johnson’s dad), you’ll surely get a hell of a comeback in this movie. You’ll also find out what’s the big fuss over Chris Evans’ sweater. Of course, Daniel Craig gave another polished performance, just like almost everything else in his body of work.

Go catch these movies while you can. If you ask “is it all worth it?” then I say, yes, it is.