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singapore | rome

August 13, 2012
Musings
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you know, when i was (notice the past tense) in rome and people asked of what I liked about rome, I often stuttered and seriously paused, not knowing what to say. the loneliness, the frustrations with transportation and the torrid weather made it tough for me to really discern what was really good about rome.

well, now that i’m back in singapore for a (well-deserved, may i say?) break, the inevitable comparisons start and I start realizing what exactly i miss about rome and what i love about singapore.

for singapore:

1 – fuss-free, smooth and efficient transportation system that’s fully air conditioned, runs pretty much on time and gets to most places.

2 –  weather/infrastructure – whilst humid, singapore rarely ever gets scorching what with considerable cloud cover. also with a much built up infrastructure, air conditioned passageways and the plethora of shopping malls, you can pretty much escape the heat

3 – english, be it the queen’s variant or the mangled singlish one. (thank you)

for rome:

1 – stunning outdoor attractions nearby – yes, im gushing about the beaches once again, but honestly, living in Singapore is kinda like being thirsty whilst stranded on a raft in the middle of an ocean – the irony isn’t lost considering that Singapore is a small island with quite a bit of sea around it, but there’s nary a nice beach or inviting, clean stretch of coast. =(

2 – fresh fruits, right from the market. oh man.. my mom bought cherries today and to my utter horror i noticed the price tag of 17.90sgd for them – something that would be cost barely 4euros in rome. one thing i really love about rome is how the different seasons and times bring about different fruits in season, all which are so juicy, sweet and delicious – be it apricots, peaches, prunes, figs, honey melons, watermelons, grapes, strawberries (the watermelons here look positively shriveled here) and so on. i don’t really get it actually – why is it that the fruits in rome look so vibrant in color, so engorged in size and so appealing, whereas fruits in singapore look kinda sad and shriveled.

3. fresh food, natural and thick with flavor – i think i now understand why italians like to eat so simply, without much thick  overpowering sauces and flavors as compared to alot of singaporean dishes. methinks its because the freshness of the local produce is really something on its own and needs no other enhancements. be it the olive oil, the tomatoes, the meat and vegetables, there is a certain richness and natural flavor that i feel like is missing when i am eating food here in singapore. and that, to me, being a foodie in singapore, is sad news.

so yeah, that’s how i see it currently. given a choice where to stay at, i’ll still pick Singapore though. its ultimately still where all my friends and family are, and that’s really what matters for me. (and here ends my national day plug =))

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iconic x-men

July 31, 2012
Design, Graphics, Musings
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geek post ahead.

chanced upon this blog which really warms my heart seeing such beautiful, simplistic and meaningful designs. part of my dream is really to become such a designer, with razor sharp design POV and the skills to match with it. i mean, to me design’s main purpose serves to communicate – and the less frills it takes to convey a message and meaning, the more visual ‘punch’ it has.

hence, the combination of x-men fan-boyism and like of design in me made it impossible for me not to post this. methinks the depiction of rogue (with gloves) and kitty pryde (though the wall) are incredibly smart.

some gripes though.. would people stop depicting emma frost as though her predominant power is this diamond shaped body crap? it’s not as though she was called white queen for that, she’s a omega-level, skillful psychic mutant that can easily outclass the likes of most x-men. and since when did dark phoenix sprout wings? haha guess im griping already.

the vatican necropolis

July 16, 2012
Italy, Musings, Photography, Travel
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talk about being focused! its been a week since i kick started my bucket list, and already two of the (supposedly more tricky) items are settled!

the vatican necropolis is a paticularly tricky one, owing to the fact that (i) not many people know of it, and (ii) even if you know of it, its quite tough to get tickets, owing to the limited number of tourists they allow in. but you know what, after the experience, methinks its so worth it. it speaks volumes despite being quite humble in appearance, and acts to connect your entire ‘vatican’ experience, tracing the soaring beauty of michelangelo’s dome and bernini’s bronzed sculptures right down to the tomb that started it all.

the place doesn’t allow for photography – but in all honesty, it’s not a place to just merely see – photo’s wouldn’t do it justice. it’s meant to be experienced and felt, as with alot of ancient rome sites. in fact, as a gentle advice to future tourists, do note that alot of ancient rome needs to be recreated in your mind — hence people with bad imaginations might actually find ancient rome stiflingly boring when they stare at piles and piles of rocks and crumbling edifices.

but anyways, part of what makes the necropolis scavi tour so special is that it offers and intimate, close up experience of the vatican and the heart of catholicism/christianity. because of the small size of the group, you don’t get annoyed by the throngs of tourists, camera flashes, inappropriate laughters and such. instead, you focus on what is in front of you and you re-imagine the scenes and the emotions of the past. our tour guide paints a compelling image, telling us of how the circus of augustus (i think), which was on top of vatican hill, used to be the scenes of much christian martyrdom, and where peter was eventually crucified upside-down and martyred.

i think the strongest point of the tour for me was when we were right underneath the papal altar, a position closest to peter’s grave and where we could look up from the grate in the ceiling to glimpse at the basilica built above and at the amazing dome that capped the basilica. it spoke to me in a certain way — that amidst all the grandeur and pomposity of the renaissance basilica, and the adornments of the constantine basilica below, lay a very simple, and humble grave. a grave of a man who was deeply flawed as well – having outright denied Christ three times.

such emotions drove home two points to me – christianity was never intended to be about grandeur and riches – and this is an uncomfortable truth, but one we ought to take heed especially in light of all the brouhaha that has emerged what with the city harvest mismanagement saga in singapore. christianity is a personal relationship with God, one who understood our flaws, never left us and uses each flawed individual to accomplish great things as long as we let Him.

so yeah, call it a pilgrimage of sorts, but this tour certainly was an emotional and special one for me. and to be honest, as we emerged from the lower levels and re-entered the main basilica, my mood instantly dipped when i got hit with throngs of tourists talking ridiculously loud in this special place and just obstructing and preventing any form of reverence and worship. and to be honest, i also didn’t feel as inspired in the renaissance basilica – if there was ever a time something could be too impossibly big, or too impossibly grand, then st peter’s basilica definitely could be considered as such. and what with the maddening sounds of the tourists who didn’t seem to have much understanding of the significance of the place and were chattering excitedly about their previous day’s prada purchase, there wasn’t a greater contrast to the experience i just had.

and that’s sad.

to access the vatican necropolis, you need to send a special email indicating the number of people and preferred dates well in advance to the vatican excavations office online. and hope that they have space for you. it costs 12.50 euro for entry and a guided tour of roughly an hour or so.

[photos are from my previous visits of the vatican compound, including the st peter's square and the vatican museums]

half way point

July 9, 2012
Musings
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we’re now heading toward the mid of summer in Rome, what with unbearably stuffy and smelly bus rides and days that feel like you’re being cooked in a furnace.

and on a quick reflection, I’ve suddenly realized that i’ve reached the half-way point of my stay in Rome. literally. 4 months have gone by, with less than 4 to go. and by all counts, that was a bittersweet reflection. to be honest, i wish alot of things happened – i wish i was more outgoing, i wish i could have connected with my italian colleagues better, i thought that i would have had more friends to spend the stuffy summer nights with and to head to isola tiberina for some summer aperitivo and snacks.

but yeah, none of it has really occurred. =( i think on hindsight, part of the reason lies in the fact that this isn’t student life, where you have a bunch of fellow sojourners of the same age and somewhat same interests as you, wading together in a foreign land. it isn’t going to be presented on a platter to you. welcome to the scary depths of adult work life, frank.

and yeah, i was kind of depressed the past week. lamenting that fact that i have spoken to like no one from my gym, have made really few friends and wonder if i am seriously just utterly introverted to begin with, or have some sort of social aspergers defect (lol).

but it can only go up right? in a fit of trying to make things right, i signed up for multiple expat events and i will grin and bare it and go out there and try my best to

(1) not think bad of myself as being the solo asian in the group of expats

(2) be disarmingly genuine and attempt to talk to others

and to be honest, the past events i have gone for have been surprisingly very pleasant, though initially tough. i mean, i realize that i really do get the kick out of meeting new people and learning about new experiences and new perspective, regardless of how tiring and daunting it might seem initially.

ah well. half-way point. let’s work hard to make things better.

viva italia!

July 5, 2012
Musings, Photography, Travel
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piazza del popolo during italy’s eurocup match against germany

the atmosphere was electric. fans were cheering and hooting at every italy offense and gasping in concert at every german counterattack. bottles were strewn all across the piazza and ubiquitous red/white/green flags were fluttering sky high. then, at the last few tense seconds, you could hear everyone count down, quattro, tre, due, uno…

and then it was a mess.

vuvuzuelas were sounded throughout the piazza, along with smoke-spewing sparklers thrown in for the good measure. people close to the fountain started frolicking in the fountain and there were hugs galore. ignorant bystanders might have thought this was some massive riot of some sorts. and indeed it looked it one.

but it was truly a night to remember eh? feels nice to be in the winning country watching a winning watch.

that night, the cheers of “viva italia!” never seemed louder or more resonant in my mind.

quartiere coppede

July 3, 2012
Italy, Musings, Travel
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sorry for the dearth of updates, but the past long weekend was well spent with a bunch of my university mates, just hanging out, visiting sites in rome and florence, complaining about the incredibly h0t and sapping weather and just having helluva’ fun. and i’m really starting to understand that the most important factor of travelling really isn’t the sites and sounds of a place, but who you are making the travel with – a mundane 3-hour train ride can be really pleasant what with multiple bouts of monopoly deal and long conversations to catch up on the missed months.

more on that with later posts, but thanks once again guys for come over to rome – life can get pretty lonely and tough at times so it’s a huge comfort to have close friends whom you do not have to put on any form of pretense, and whom you can talk shit about easily to accompany you for a few days. =)

anyways, the picture above shows a picturesque alley within the quartiere coppede, a quaint, architecturally interesting district that was largely designed by Florentian architect gino coppede. its not well known at all, considering that its not found in any guide books, and that i got to know about this only through a local colleague who casually mentioned that if i was interested in art deco-style architecture, i might want to walk toward this quartiere, which is barely 15 minutes away from my house.

gino coppede’s style is one of exuberant decorations – filling the facades of condominiums with playful putti, moorish arches, tuscan turrets and a whole mish mash of architectural adornments. the end result is a quaint, beautiful and playful piazza (piazza mincio) that is surrounded by these unique condominiums that is one of its kind.

fontana delle rane (fountain of the frogs) within piazza mincio

romans lament that the cultural progression in rome died off after the renaissance, effectively rendering rome as a city frozen culturally in time

well, methinks it’s not exactly the case, what with the occasional bursts of design and creativity in different pockets of the city. there’s still hope. =)

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.]

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.

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.