Wednesday, October 1, 2008

praise the red lantern

A not-so-short distraction before we go on to our regular programming. I just have to share this with you guys or I am going to burst.

'In Raise the Red Lantern, the red lantern, an invented icon here (and one accused of being a fake cultural signifier used merely for sensational purposes), is the film's central symbol and most important metaphor. The colour red is a symbol of sexuality and eroticism, but no longer of passion. More importantly, it turns out to be associated with patriarchal and political power. To get the lantern lit refers to the victory of one woman over all the others, but at the same time it still represents failure for all the women because the woman who gains the lit lantern must be totally exposed, under the red light, before the gaze and under the control of the man.' - from elliemok

OK. I have to admit this post may have very little to do with the movie. I thought I would put some counter consciousness to all that anti-East (particularly China) sentiment right now. I love babies as much as the next guy, but hey, I'm currently loving my Asian roots more. So can you pleaaaase just cut me some slack? I can almost hear my friend Chevon say -

"You ching-chong-china man!"

Last Sunday I had to fly to Ulaan Bataar in Mongolia via Hong Kong and Beijing. HK was uneventful as usual (sorry Kiks and Jericho!), but Beijing, my god, Beijing Airport was f-ing awesome.

I'm not like Gibo who's good at cameras so let me just show you some pics i stole from the web.







Apparently, it is the world’s largest and most advanced airport building - not only technologically, but also in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and sustainability – Beijing Airport is welcoming and uplifting. A symbol of place, its soaring aerodynamic roof and dragon-like form celebrates the thrill of flight and evokes traditional Chinese colours and symbols.

Whatever it is they aimed to do, they achieved it! Sold. It's like one gargantuan functional art. The pics just don't do it justice.

Funny thing is, I had an overnight lay-over in Beijing and was hoping to spend the night in that fantastic building. (Just maybe find a nice, comfy lounge chair somewhere - which was there in abundance!) But no! The ground staff ushered me to immigration and they told me to get out (OK, maybe the experience was not that perfect.)

So there was I, first time in mainland China, looking for a hotel in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the tourist desk was very helpful. I was shuttled into a hotel in no time. Driving to the hotel... Beijing was foreign, mysterious. And that got me thinking about the red lantern, my favourite Chinese film. (Finally, the connection is made)

Nobody can speak English in the hotel. The bellhop (with the help of sign language) offered to get me a girl to massage me and god-knows-what-else.

I was Scarlet Johhansen and Bill Murray rolled in one jet-lagged package.

I called my friend Stav. (He's the only one I can reach. My friends must not like me as much as I thought they do.) I shared with him my Sofia Coppola-esque predicament. He told me he is about to test his monitoring and evaluation instruments for home-based care services for PLWAs. Frustrated, I took a walk and went to a bar.

***

Fast forward to tonight when we were treated by the host organisation to a show of the Mongolian National Song and Dance Academic Ensemble. It was like being transported to another world!

Mariah has nothing on this throat singers, I tell you. Men and women can sing by vibrating their throat eliciting this sound that has low and high notes. It's like they're their own one person choir. Ugh. I'm bungling up the description. (Suffice to say, in my late night, slightly obscene chat with Jericho tonight, we wondered if they can sing like that - imagine what their blowjobs must be like.)

Here's a pic I got from the internet (it costs 4 dollars per pic to take and I'd much rather buy a CD for JP.) But the guy who sang tonight was wayyyy hotter.



To the fashionistas, I know Asian style was sooo last year (or was it the year before that?), but I'm going retro.

I realised, I love JP and will probably be a potato queen for the rest of my life. But in my next life, I'm cumming back to my Asian roots. I promise to be a good and faithful rice queen!

I am no woman but I am totally exposed, under the red light, before the gaze and under the control of the man.

Praise the red lantern.

13 comments:

Boying Opaw said...

red is blood.
blood is love.
love is life.

kiel-san is where?
kiel-san, you home yet?
san ka na?

kawadjan said...

kainis! talagang mongolia ha? those vibrating throats make that place worth visiting. paki-explore mo naman ning and tell us about it.

jericho said...

aba... at nakapag-blog pa. ito ba ang "proposal" na ginagawa. mwahaha

kiel estrella said...

@boying-san - therefore, red is life? ang labo...kiel-san is in his hotel room in ulaan bataar. kiel-san is far away from home. kiel-san is coming back tommorow only to leave again the next day! huhuhu

@kawadjan - anokavah?! i'm am a respectable, happily soon to be married man. i can fantasize - but that's all! wag kang maniwala sa prop ni jericho!

@jericho - hayup ka talaga. how can you lab me when you don't even trust me? sulat ka man kay tj, he will confirm that i sent the proposal at 3 AM! karir! and about that pagba%*te... hindi sya nangyari. nag-blog na lang ako. nawala ang elya ko sa post mo eh! hmpf!

A.Dimaano said...

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na maganda airport ng Beijing ha. Buti nakita mo pa sa kapal ng smog (read: Zero visibility) sa China.

Anyways, I've always wanted to see Raise The Red Lantern and Lost in Translation. I just don't have time. Haaay =(

kiel estrella said...

@mr. scheez - time? it's like less than 2 hours each! are you that busy? grabe. i can lend you the DVD ng lost in translation nxt meeting ng RBP

A.Dimaano said...

Cge! Cge itay! =)

the spool artist said...

the subway ride from one terminal to another in beijing's airport blew me away! it's vastness and design language is on a league of its own. sayang naman you had a short stay in beijing...

Kris Canimo said...

exchange links tayo kiel! i already added your blog :)

Kris Canimo said...

SHAMELESS PLUGGING!

kung ikaw ay natuwa, nahilo, nagulat, naiyak (o kahit ano na lang), sa entry ko para sa e[kwento]mo na pinamagatang Sanlaksang Katanungan, lubos kong ikagagalak kung iboboto niyo ito. Paano ba 'ka mo?

1. "pumunta lamang dito sa link na ito.

2. mag-iwan ng isang komentong nagsasabi na binoboto niyo ngang talaga ang Sanlaksang Katanungan ko haha.

pwedeng ganito:

(a) yeah, im making boto for Sanlaksang Katanungan, because it was like, you know, nakaka-cry.
(b) kahit hindi naman maganda at puno ng typo, sige iboboto ko na rin ang Sanlaksang Katanungan kasi ang kapal ng mukha nung author na magpromote ng sarili niyang entry,
(c) i vote for sanlaksang katanungan. period.

3. at para i-confirm ang boto, mag-eemail sila sa email address na gagamitin niyo sa pagboto, kaya naman please regularly check your inbox ;)

hindi ipinagbabawal ang pagbabasa ng ibang entry. basahin niyo na rin baka sakaling magbago isip niyo :)

maraming salamat! ;)

-prosetitute

Anonymous said...

da best pa din ang PAL!!!!
hahaha! ;)

Kris Canimo said...

the second picture was... superbly amazing. hay. sana ganyan din ang pilipinas. i shall believe.

kiel estrella said...

@ prosetitute - x link done!

@ pugadmaya - you mean NAIA? i don't mean to be unpatriotic pero ang layo eh

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