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Monthly Archives: June 2012

the lake experience

June 25, 2012
Italy, Musings, Photography, Travel
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bella vista, as the italians call it

the past weekend was a blast for me on many levels – got to experience the weekend lake getaway at nearby lake bracciano, got to pretty much homestay with a really cool italian family and see how things really run on so many fronts, got exposed to so much italian, got time to just relax by the hammock and get all absorbed in the hunger games (book) which honestly is one. good. book. imo.

it’s hard to capture the sensation of tranquil relaxation, of sun-baked freshness on the body and of a callous and carefree disregard for any important in pictures. i mean, it’s really a unique experience – just to relax by the beach, head into the crystal clear waters and swim out as far as you can, go for a canoeing expedition with some adorable kids and see how the respond to everything. its highlights just how different the asian upbringing in singapore has been for me – somewhat of a neutered, conservative and protective approach that still resonates deeply within me.

not that i’m saying that my upbringing was a miserable experience. but it was different and it has made me who I am. and this weekend’s experience made me appreciate how different life could be.

and i learnt alot about myself by the comparisons. of how i do have a fear of exploring the unknown – being genuinely a little fearful of swimming too far out, or just a little squeamish to have seaweeds tangle at my feet. i learnt how i don’t exactly respond well out in the open – what with a sensitive nose that reacts everytime i emerge from the waters and allow the sun to dry me off. i learnt that i really really like kids, enjoy playing with them and i do want to be a dad that plays with my kids, teaching them important lifeskills and to love life and sports. i even learnt that whilst i do like little kittens, my nose doesn’t exactly agree with that at times. =)

and i also learnt how a normal italian family prepares for their meals, interacts and cares for one another.

so honestly, what a great experience. the spectacular view, and the knowledge that I could completely partake in the beauty, instead of just staring at pictures off some photographers lens conjures an incredible feeling.

[shots taken of lake bracciano, in the town of trevignano. much much thanks to enrico and his family for such a great, warm welcome. i can only wish to reciprocate in kind somehow.]

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san carlo al corso

June 22, 2012
Italy, Musings, Photography, Travel
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otherwise titled: things to do when you’re stuck yet again along via del corso/via condotti

one of the demerits of being an expat in rome is that when friends do come visit, all they want to go to are the done-to-death attraction sites like st peter’s cathedral, colosseum and well, shopping along via condotti (for the ladies hankering after luxury brands).

its kind sad, because try as I may to justify in my mind that my friend’s would love a side trip to tivoli, or to explore ostia, or even to venture into seedy san lorenzo for a drink or two, i have to reluctantly agree that well, the done-to-death attractions are worth at least one visit over these other attractions. well, with the exception of via condotti.

mind you, i have an intense dislike for the spanish steps and via condotti, simply because it reeks of utter consumerism and shows the extent of touristic decay (woah i just invented a new term).

for one, i have utterly no clue of what is the allure of sitting on the steps leading to Piazza Spagna besides the fact that the steps are masterfully designed in Baroque style.

for another, the streets of via condotti really do kinda sicken me at times, especially when I see perfectly coiffed, haughty looking young couples tottering around with tons of shopping bags containing LV, Gucci, Ferragamo goods and the likes. i mean, yes, there’s the whole notion that its an utter waste of money (but i can’t comment lest i slap myself with my prada purchase), but what saddens me the most is that i get the sense that alot of the tourists (eh-hem.. from a certain country) coming here to buy these goods are buying it not for the style, or for the assurance of long lasting quality, but just to make a statement and stamp it all over their bodies how rich they are.

ah well, anyways, for the hapless husbands, boyfriends and haha hapless expat that have to accompany people around via condotti and spend an inordinate amount of time there, one might be able to find respite at san carlo al corso, a beautifully decorated church along via del corso, closeby to via condotti.

its not a famous church – but it nevertheless is beautiful, and to be honest, were the church (or any other lesser known churches in rome) in any other city besides rome, it would be hailed as a masterpiece and thronged with tourists. that’s how steeped in art and architectural wonder rome is.

one thing i love about churches is how one can completely escape the din and bustle of the streets outside and find cool and calm respite within. everyone knows to be quiet and reverent within churches, creating the sense of peace that in essence really is how the church should function as at times. inside the church, you can contemplate on life matters whilst sitting at the pews and be guaranteed not to be bothered by peddlers and gypsies alike. at the lesser known churches like san carlo al corso, time literally stops because of the sparse amount of visitors, and you feel less harassed by tourist groups and so on.

then it’s off to the next bargain/pizza/monument again! =)

on learning italian

June 21, 2012
Food, Italy, Musings, Photography, Travel, Travels
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roadside shot in flaminio area

three months have really just flown past, and now i have with me a crummy certificate telling me that i have ‘graduated’ from the beginner Italian class from my language school, along with a handful of broken italian phrases and a genuine steely determination to speak better italian. =)

i think learning a language is so essentially to understanding another person’s culture, because you start to understand how people think and how they process information. case in point, i was casually commenting to my colleague how i found it interesting they essentially said “take a coffee” and “make a break” because essentially thats how its translated in italian.

language is so powerful because it constrains how one can express oneself — its like how in japanese one becomes ultra polite and starts learning all about kinship and “amae“, or the feeling of contentment one gets when he feels like he is exactly where he needs to be in life. i think in an american context the term would be “underachieving” or “easily contented“.

some other interesting titbits from my 3 months of language course:

- my sis mentioned how certain words are hyper-conscious within one’s culture, citing examples of like freedom and self-expression in an American context. in italy, i seem to be bombarded with words of “lavoro” (work) and “sciopero” (strike), which is a scary reflection of the current sentiments in Italy where unemployment is sky high. and coincidentally, there seems to be a sciopero planned tomorrow. -_-

- ya know how its wierd when you start frequenting a new place because of class and you tell yourself you will start exploring the nearby area after lessons and find some nice food but it somehow never works out? well, true enough, i ended up rushing home everytime after class to eat near my place and it was only today that i chanced upon a (finally!) healthy salads, sandwiches and fruit juice bar that doesn’t burn a whole through my wallet!

called Fa-Bio, it’s at Via Germanico 43 and sandwiches go for 4 euroes whilst fresh fruit juices go for 2.50 euroes! and what’s cool is that whilst i was there, there was a english-speaking tour guide chattering excitedly to the server (i think tour-guides frequented areas counts as a badge of good-food in its own right) and i was soon involved in the discussion as well, talking about.. well.. how rome is like. =) its gonna be such a waste that i won’t be heading back to the area that often anymore. =(

- and incidentally, the discussion was about the difficulties living in Rome. simply put it, my best advice to expats coming to Rome?

learn. the frigging. language.

then go make italian friends and see all the doors unlock for you. rome doesn’t work by accessing online blogs and recommendations (despite me wishing it would be) but rather through recommendations of friends who frequent so-and-so’s store and knows so-and-so.

yup. that’s the way it works.

ponte milvio

June 20, 2012
Italy, Photography, Travel
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nope, the bridge in the shot is not ponte milvio, but rather, this shot was taken from ponte milvio

what’s the significance of a crudy old bridge you might say? well, for one it connects toward a swanky, fun, non-touristy district called Flaminio with cool bars serving aperitivos and nice chill out spots along the river. to be honest, it is probably one of the few places that I felt as though I was not at a touristic location, having to worry about inflated ‘tourist’ prices. part of the reason why this is so is that the flaminio district is quite far off from the centro storico and there ain’t any grandiose monuments or whatsoever in the vicinity to attract the maddening hordes. well, there’s the fascist regime built stadio olympico as well as the architectural beauty of the MAXXI museum around but I guess these don’t draw the mainstream crowds.

well, the second reason why ponte milvio is cool, is that this is the origin where the whole business of couples hanging locks along the bridge and throwing the key behind them into the river (Tiber in this case) started, apparently thanks to the book by Frederico Moccia called “I want you”. and this phenomenon has spread to multiple countries (i spotted locks in Paris and London), to the dismay of officials in those cities, because the locks create quite a bit of an eyesore to them, and well, cause some form of trouble, like causing a lamppost thronged with locks to partially collapse.

i think some locks (if not most) will last longer than the relationships that put them there, sadly

but still, it’s kind of a cool tradition, and roman officials have since given up dissuading people from placing locks on the bridge, but have allowed them to do so on custom made steel bars along the sides of the bridge. and some crafty business-minded people have also somewhat started a business of selling locks along the bridge. lol.

but still, ponte milvio is a nice place to chill. i’ll probably head back sometime soon.

lake bracciano

June 18, 2012
Italy, Photography, Travel
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what do you do when it’s unbearably hot?

temperatures are soaring crazily over here in Rome what with the african winds, and what’s on the minds of every one on the streets (yes, besides the fact that Italy is through the qualifying rounds of the Euro Cup) is when they can tear themselves away from work and head down to the lake/beach.

one such destination would be lake bracciano, though to a lil’ city boy like me, this lake seems much more like an ocean, what with really choppy waves, windsurfers and sailboats aplenty. in my mind, all lakes ought to be as calm and serene as mirror lake. =)

climbing up the slope for a great view and to explore the ruins of a deserted fort. anyone remember the famous five series by enid blyton? i devoured all those books when i was young, frequently imagining myself exploring demon’s cove or some underground ruins of a castle. this pretty much rekindled those memories.

see what i mean?

more ruins.

flowers grow rampant on these hillsides 

restaurants around the lake serve (of course) deliciously fresh fish from the river, cooked simply with olive oil and pachino tomatoes but tastes amazingly good. seriously. i never eat a whole fish right off like that – usually i prefer a classy salmon steak or something that rids the hassle of digging out the bones but this fish was so good i didn’t mind working through the bones and all that crap to savour the goodness. =) ahh italian food is so simple yet so good…

but so so bad for losing weight. -_-

the african winds bloweth

June 17, 2012
Photography, Travel
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its. so. hot. here.

its so hot that i step right back into my apartment when i take one step out into the mega-bright street and wince at the cheery temperature display showing an ugly 35 degrees celsius.

its so hot that i have had a gelato for THREE consecutive days and have proceeded to weep inconsolably as i think of the massive calorie intake from those evil icicles. (my favorite flavors of summer are yoghurt naturale, mango e pesca (peach) and miele e sesame (honey & sesame))

its so hot that you feel a hot wind blowing at you as you try to sit outside to enjoy your lunch.

and its scary because it only heralds the beginning of summer. egads.

the ‘W’ curve

June 16, 2012
Italy, Musings, Photography, Travel
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ya know, it has been roughly 3 months since i landed on the unfamiliar shores of rome and started integrating myself at work and with the people in the city. and by all accounts, it hasn’t been a walk in the park – truth is that you need the language skills, and you need the opportunities to get to know some italian friends well enough and comfortably enough so that you don’t mind hanging out with them and their friends. and you need to have enough diversity of friends so you don’t seem too clingy to one.

but whilst you struggle and attempt to integrate yourself, a time soon comes when you start feeling fatigued, and wonder whether it really is worth it. it is a time when you go on facebook (my friend and i called it “compare-your-life-with-other-friends.com” and see your friends happily living the life you left behind. and you start feeling awfully homesick.

my friend mentioned that his other friend who worked for a year here said that her emotions in the first year formed a sort of a ‘W’ curve – where the initially few months are a high of discovering new places, with a certain adrenaline that comes from new explorations and trying to just find your local grocer/hairdresser etc. then comes the crash – typically 3 – 4 months in, when things are semi-settled in, but still sorely lacking from what life was back home. and it’s also sufficient time that your friends back home have sufficiently moved on. =(

truth be told, i think i’m in that dip as well. i’m homesick. =(

i miss kaykayla to bits – seeing photos of her going to the zoo and kissing her mom. i see pictures of my cellmates heading to hong kong and so so wish I was there as well – not for the food (well, partially) but mainly for the company and camaraderie that amplifies the fun of travelling. i look at check-ins at my favorite watering holes and pictures of a ridiculous amount of wine bottles and i reminisce the crazy wine parties we had. i see familiar food stalls we went to after every tuesday dragonboat land training and think about the fun and pain training.

all these emotions are making me feel really compelled to buy a ticket home this august for a break. i don’t know.

parting takes: alhambra

June 15, 2012
Photography, Spain, Travel
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a smorgasbord of colors, details and shapes

alhambra was the last stop for our spain trip. what made it really special for me was that it was just me and my sister’s family – meaning I got to play with kaykayla for a much bigger proportion of time, which was awesome stuff. and honestly, you can’t go to spain without visiting alhambra. it’s simply magnificent and so unique – a veritable gem created from a mish-mash of so many unique and talented cultures and inhabited in the lands in the past.

alhambra is also special in one sense — from afar, one doesn’t really understand the beauty and intelligence of the place. the brilliance is literally contained within, and does not elude any hint as to what is within from its simple exterior. the splendour and beauty is very inward, intended for the therapeutic pleasure of the inhabitants (and hence the most beautiful places were the courtyards) instead of for the bypasses. and what a refreshing idea this is – not to flaunt one’s wealth but to cultivate an inner beauty.

hi everyone, i’m kayla! today, i’m your guide to alhambra!

 ya know, i rarely have a chance to snap people in my shots, so I really treasure having this cute littler gem of a model to be in my photos and interact with the surroundings. furthermore, the fact is that alhambra, to me, is a really difficult place to take pictures, because firstly, the devil is in the details and you really need to be there to absorb the magnificence of the place – my photos only capture albeit a smidgen of this splendor. and secondly, alhambra is filled with tourist, making dramatic, non-touristy shots difficult.

the combination of intricate carvings and beautifully colored tilings create a unique space

i am in awe.

this shot took me forever to take — i was aiming for a completely empty passageway to look out into one of the iconic courtyards of alhambra. but alas, the crowds just kept coming and it took me like a full 5mins of waiting at the door to snap something that looked a little more meaningful.

kayla looking out at the windows on the upper floors. the entire place gives off an understated elegance and luxury, as though one is in the cool, shade premises of a luxury spa resort.

more motifs.

i took kayla to knock on one of the wooden doors and try to get in. =)

a mixture of architectures – this came much later, as though the later christian spanish kings were trying to claim alhambra for their own.

the sun sets of beautiful alhambra

retrospect

June 10, 2012
Musings, Travel
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this will be one of those few posts sans pictures.

i was just musing about how things have been so far 3 months into my posting in rome, italy.

do i like rome? i wish i could like it more to be honest – i wish i could approach it just as easily as navigating NYC was, where i could find my cafe joints easily and find the best food, get my footing and start to really enjoy the place and space. and breathe. with rome, i think on retrospect, the life of rome within centro storico and trastevere has been entirely sucked out of life by tourism and tourists. its so crowded with tourists you can’t breathe — you can’t slow down and relax and enjoy the place somehow. its only when i am writing about places like segovia, barcelona and stuff do i realise how different these places are compared to rome. in those places, there are times when you can forget you are a tourist (despite the fact that you are) — i think you get that feeling because there’s enough space and there’s a sense of local people actually living there and enjoying their daily activities.

i don’t get that in rome most of the times. its tourist bus after tourist bus, hordes of people holding maps, shops with tourist prices, restaurants with tourist menus, the ubiquitous and utterly annoying rose stalk peddlers and the like. but perhaps it takes knowing the language, and it takes time to finally get to know people and places that allow you to dust off the tourist feeling.

but if you think of it.. it’s really sad — that tourism can actually have the counter-effect of sucking an entire city’s energy and vibe dry, replacing it with meaningless, anachronistic tourist materiel.