Rediscovering Shibuya, Deciphering Me.

One of my favorite music videos of Brooke Fraser is titled "Deciphering Me." It is a video shot in Tokyo, with flickering lights and charming rain.

I came to love this video without knowing much about Tokyo at that time. I had not been to Tokyo then, but somehow the pretty lights fascinated me.

***

Fast forward to 2015, and another birthday in my thirties.

The aging seems to dictate my pace--my worst nightmare is exploring Shibuya in Tokyo, though it is probably the area with the most lights, even until late night. There's just too many people, restless wanderers, noisemakers, and untamable chaos.

The thing that once captured me has become a burden, simply because there's too much hustle-and-bustle around me, too many voices screaming and conforming to the taxing patterns of this world.

But because of a need to buy a birthday gift for a friend, I come to Shibuya. I visit the pricier side of the area that "exhausts" me, smelling the relaxing scent in spacious shops such as Beams, Ships, United Arrows, etc.

There I find the quaint coffee shops like Roasted Coffee Laboratory, Jinnan Cafe, Gorilla Cafe, Analog Cafe, Tea Mousse Hammock, Dolci Cafe Silkream, among others. There are also interesting tapas restaurants, pizza parlors, and places that scream "good food here," minus the maddening crowd.

Gift-buying later prompts me to window-shopping at one of my favorite shops, Jumble Store.

This trip of rediscovering Shibuya prompts me a visit to the same area, the next day, to grab an ensemble for my own birthday. (OOTD post soon!) Along the road, I see everyone enthralled by the virtual reality screen, with the Ghostbusters soundtrack playing, with the screen showing ghosts in the area.

And then, I enjoy a quiet date with myself, deciphering me.
And I tell myself, "I actually like you, Shibuya."

***

My favorite lines from the song:

We've been sat here beneath these flickering neons for hours
while I am cracking their code, you are deciphering me
for i am a mystery, I am a locked room in a tall tower

Oh can you feel the gravity falling, calling us home?
Oh, did you see the stars colliding, shining just to show we belong?
We belong.

***

Reflections:

Walking on the same streets twice, passing by the same things on two consecutive days, maybe redundant for some. But for one like me who is not easily impressed by flashy flaunting and attention-grabbing, I like it when things and people slowly grow on me. My second visit in two days, allowed me to confirm what captured me the first time.

My love for certain things, my passion and my calling, operate the same way, I realize. Whenever I feel drowned by different voices--a voice that tells me to find something "more real for now" (a.k.a. practicality), and a voice that says, "you cannot do it," and a voice that says, "you got disappointed once... not again," I simply dismiss them. I avoid the noise. I don't go into battle with the maddening crowd. I stay away from these moments where I have to go face-to-face with chaos. Whenever I do this, I forget what I really love. I trade convenience for that pulsing heartbeat. Each time I choose my comfort zone outside of a noisy battle zone, I stay safe, but I do not feel alive.

While isolation works and could be good for a time of recharging and strengthening resolve, I came to realize, that we can find peace even in chaos. We can search for solitude amidst a war zone, when we choose to be still, and commune with our ultimate source of peace.

Some find it in yoga, some find it in the mountains, some find it under the deep blue sea. I've tried them all, and they do work for a time, but in the absence of capacity to do these things, what do we do?

The problem with doing these things to keep our minds off other things, is that it's the same thing. Doing these things still needs our attention. It is still a form of getting ourselves pre-occupied and engaged. These things simply become an alternative way to keep ourselves "busy with something to do."

Peace is not the absence of noise at the cost of abandoning reality. Peace is finding rest amid a noisy reality. And, I only find this each time I pray.

How do I pray? While I do believe in quiet time and corporate prayer, my own prayers don't involve rituals and formality.

In Shibuya, I prayed as I was walking.

I prayed for these beat-boxing teens who were drawing the crowd, under the tree outside L'Occitane. I prayed that they would find their identity and confidence in Christ, and turn the world upside down using their gift of music, inspiring others to live passionately.

I prayed for these touring families, making memories with their young children. I prayed that when these kids grow up, they will not forget that their parents had made every effort to let them experience the world.

I prayed for these young ladies in high heels. I prayed that they would one day be in high positions in this nation, influencing people toward change that matters.

Finally, I prayed as I was eating my scrumptious dinner alone.
A pumpkin salad with blue cheese, carbonara with steak bacon, and a glass of house sangria at Sizzle Gazzle, in Shibuya Hikarie (a place with toilets I absolutely love!).

What did I pray for? I thanked God for another upcoming birthday in Tokyo. I thanked and talked to Him quietly as I realized, He was deciphering me.

What was 08-08-08 for me?

Apart from the expected influx of weddings on the said lucky August 08, 2008, I also heard of many engagements happening on this date. This I think is the more practical choice given that getting married hastily, “binding a relationship” permanently yet abruptly, just to fall on the said lucky date, may actually later bring bad luck due to disagreements arising from being unprepared for the life-long commitment.

I did not get married or get engaged on the said date, though. I did not even choose to get a date on the said date (thinking it would be lucky and that I would finally be the “lucky girl” to meet my perfect match on the historical “08-08-08”).

The “lucky date” started off pretty bad for me, actually. Once more, I clocked-in the office “late”, my second in a row for the month, considering there is still more than half a month to battle, and that we are only allowed to have four times late in a month.

Anyway, my day progressed – a meeting with our joint venture partners in Makati… a meeting with Gruppo Barbero for a potential expansion at our Fort property… and a weekly progress report meeting later in the afternoon.

All meetings were stressful and full of pressure and tension. By 6pm, the end of the day for most working people, I was definite that the day definitely did not bring any luck to me.

Thankfully, even if I was already thinking twice in attending our regular small group fellowship, God gave me grace to just have enough energy to just get out of the office and head to Galleria, instead of directly go home, sapped of energy and enthusiasm.

We read 2 Peter 1:1-14. In essence, the passage mentioned of the necessity of Christians to grow in Christ-like attitudes continually. For some Christians, “faith in Christ”, “perfect church attendance”, “participation in major gatherings”, and perhaps “leading this and that organization” are the end of it all.

The Bible says, “No, it does not end there.” Christians are expected to “grow perpetually and in increasing measure, in their godliness, perseverance, knowledge of God and in their manifestation of brotherly love to people.”

Each of us shared what we would like God to strengthen in us most. All of us agreed that we all need an increasing measure of manifestation of all traits. Most highlighted on asking God to teach them more perseverance in order for them to shrug off their tendencies to be impatient and restless.

I specifically asked God to increase in me the sharing of “brotherly love.” Ironically, despite the nature of my job (very interpersonal), I choose people “to build relationships with.” I am not nice to all. I would like to think I am not mean to anyone. Actually, one of the things I often argued about with someone from my past, is how I am not comfortable about him acting up and being so demanding to those of lower stature than he is – like waiters, janitors, drivers, security guards, etc. I was raised in a family who treats “workers” as part of family. When I said I am not nice to all, I do not mean about not being nice to these kinds of people. I tend not to be nice to people who have values and habits “irreconcilable with mine.” I tend to flock only with people I share something in common with. No, we do no dress the same, watch the same movies, or have the same family backgrounds. But I only relate to people who share with me the same train of thought.

“Workers” set aside…. Let’s put it this way, I am more discriminating to people of stature (or those who reiterate their “position in life”) or people who say they are educated. I expect a lot from these people. I expect them to know what they’re doing and for them to be able to understand what other people are trying to explain. I also expect them to be trustworthy and not power-trippers. In short, I expect their supposed to be brilliant minds to be put to “real work” and concrete output. I hate fancy-talkers who produce nothing. I hate people who lack finesse and breeding (Again, “workers” excluded. I don’t use a measure stick to those who lack and are underprivileged. I only use my strict measure stick to those who “claim to be someone” or to those who “claim to have accomplished something”). I hate people who are slow and who lack creativity and resourcefulness. I hate people who can’t translate their talking into thinking and producing.

Furthermore, it’s hard for me to be nice or show “brotherly love” to people who broke my trust or to people who’ve hurt me. I may be civil and forget what he or she has done, but once “trust” and “respect” are lost, it’s hard for me to show love again.

Reality check…. I am engulfed by many people that I “hate” or “cannot love.” My parents included. My brother included. For at one point in their lives, they’ve hurt me as I have hurt them too.

My workmates included. My past lovers included. My friends included. Given my measure, I have many reasons “not to love them.” But as a Christian, the Bible has constantly reiterated how it is important that we learn to “extend brotherly love.” How it is pertinent that we manifest kindness and care even to those we cannot love. Why? For this is the concrete evidence of God’s work in our lives. And for Christians to say they are really growing in Christ, an effective and productive witness would be the ability to really show “love.”

This I pray to God – that He grants me grace to really share His “love” to everybody. That I may learn to forgive and to appreciate others who are not like me. That I may learn to be tolerant of others.

08-08-08 ended with lessons being revealed to me….

I attended Joel Ramos’ birthday celebration at a music bar at Ortigas Home Depot. I have not known Joel for a long time but given the night of “honoring God” and “honoring him given what God has enabled him to do”, I am reminded of how God can create a masterpiece out of a seemingly “broken life.” I learned during that celebration night that Joel’s parents parted ways when he was younger. Yet I am blessed and challenged in the way he responded to this life situation he was exposed to. According to his mom, during the time that his father left, Joel said, “Don’t worry Ma, I’ll take care of you.”

Later in life, when the girlfriend of his father left, Joel offered to take care of his father – making an effort to visit him regularly and bring him medicine and healthy food.

Joel is also working his ass off now just to make sure he takes care of his mother’s and his brother’s needs. As a matter of fact, he jokingly remarked, “Bro, kahit magtrabaho ako forever, kahit ako na magtrabaho para sa yo… Basta, tutuparin natin yung pangarap mong mag-franchise ng Chowking… Na kahit pag tinanong, sino mag-fa-franchise… si kuya… sino mag-ma-manage… si kuya… gagawan natin ng paraan yan.”

I had no clue Joel had gone through a lot given his very sunny disposition. Actually, I thought, he was one of the usual happy-go-lucky privileged guys, who drives his father’s car, and spends his family’s earnings with nothing to worry about. On the past two small group sessions though, I found out that their family business is actually on his shoulders. I also just recently found out he had quotas to meet, targets to hit and business problems to solve. Yet, God had granted him grace to allow him to prosper their business. God has blessed him tremendously because he is a giver (very generous at that, I heard) and because he is always ever-excited to honor God through his tithing and through his sharing to other people. Most importantly, his being selfless is not just evident to people who will praise him (people at church or charity) but even to people who “have hurt him” – his mom (who accordingly is very hard on him) and his father who left them. Even to people who have no voice to honor him - like children with scars on their bodies he bumps with, which he chooses to nurse; or new fellows at church who he hardly knows, but when hospitalized, he brings a daily ration of orange juice in the hospital.

Before that night, the only thing I know about Joel is that he is a “light who brightens up a dull room” because he is like an Energizer buddy who always laughs and kids around. But as the night ended, God has reminded me of the fact that He creates glorious lives for people who earnestly seek Him.

Joel’s mother and stepfather belong to a different religious affiliation. Yet, his parents have been very supportive of his being active at church (even encouraging him to pursue church leadership classes) because of one thing – his evident testimony of God’s love, care and compassion shared to his family and to others. Furthermore, his love, devotion and time for his family are non-negotiable despite the fact that he works full-time and is very active in church work. Wow, talk about efficient time-management (Teach me this, dear God).

Indeed, God blesses us with “real people” to inspire our walk with Him. Joel is an epitome of a growing Christian –an effective witness and concrete proof of God’s awesome workmanship.

Through God’s grace, I am confident He would also mold my life into something which would also inspire other people. Through Him, I pray I would be more loving, forgiving and giving to every person He would bring my way. Most importantly, may He grant me a “giving heart” to people who matter most – my father, my mother and my brother. I look forward to the day that would also confidently say, “Don’t worry, through God’s grace, I would take care of you.”

Day Three: Bargain and the Best

After the cruise, a lengthy shower capped off our day. As we were in a relaxed mode for most of the day, it was easy to cool down to sleep.

Our alarm sounded at 5am and we were able to leave our room dressed up by 615am for breakfast. By 645am we took a cab and headed to the infamous Chatuchak Weekend Market.

The ride going here (140 baht) from our hotel is the most expensive we’ve spent on to reach a destination. Hence, taxi riding to navigate Bangkok is fine for those who are not so very good on train rides and walking distances. (Although most malls are directly linked to train stations).

We told ourselves to just limit our shopping to one small plastic bag of pasalubong since we felt we have already committed shopping gluttony just on our first day at Bangkok. Although, since we were at our last day and I had still not accomplished my goal (to find a crisp dressy tops, a cocktail dress with an umph and at least three pairs of stunning cheap shoes), I bargained with my friend and pleaded to be allowed to have more shopping bags to bring home from the market.

The Bargain:

For only two thousand baht, I was able to accomplish my goal with extra bonus buys such as socks for my badminton club pals and cutesy Thailand pens for my friends at work. I was also able to buy three girly skirts and handcrafted statement shirts. I also brought home some cheap-priced rosemary herb and Pad Thai spices for mom’s cooking. Had there not been a baggage limit, I would have also bought lots of the very affordable home pieces especially the brass electric fans. Had quarantine not been an issue and had I been ready to enter into another relationship with a pup, I would have brought home the cheap-priced cutesy puppies with papers. My friend and I lost sight of each other and I was not able to locate our agreed upon meeting place so we ended up meeting at the hotel instead.

In the next few days, you’ll be seeing me donning my Bangkok buys. (Watch out for my blog posts!) Let’s put it this way… my Bangkok clothing purchases can last me a month of non-duplicating get-up.

I used to think that Florida outlet store shopping… Marshall bargain-shopping… and TJ Maxx shopping were overwhelming. Chatuchak shopping is crazily overwhelming. Although, I was never able to find authentic Kenneth Cole, Coach, Liz Claiborne or MAC Cosmetics at Chatuchak while in the US Bargain Centers, I did.

The Best:

Siam Paragon is the best mall I’ve ever seen (Top # 1 on my list… Central World being Top # 2 and Gaysorn being Top # 3). It’s definitely better than anything we have in the Philippines, and no match to the huge US Malls I’ve been to. It’s lie the very elegant high-ceiling Serendra shops we have at Fort Bonifacio are placed inside a very spacious mall.

It has a collection of fine brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Swarovski, even as it has fast food outlets at the ground floor. The stores have outstanding window displays, the department store has brilliant and creative center ceiling display and there is an extensive selection of cafes and restaurants where one can hang-out. The one which caught our eye because it displayed an affordable menu even if its interiors and offerings were at par (or even better) with our local Bizu Patiserrie, is Lenotre Paris. The tiramisu is very heavenly for something a little above 100 baht (not more than 150 pesos).

Siam Center is something like a teen fashion hub with concept and mall interiors attuned to the teen market. The mall is small and not high-ceiling compared to the very grandiose Siam Paragon, but it is very interestingly creative and unique with its lighted ad boxes with witty fashion statements and escalators with wacky graphic designs. This wins the prize for most creative and most interesting mall for me.

Siam Square is the oldest and the most dilapidated amongst the three Siam sister malls. It has a variety of very cheap start-up retail shops though. This would remind you of Greenhills Theatre Mall.

The best part: Siam Discovery Center which is comparable to Hong Kong’s Ocean Park water tunnel. It’s found under the Siam Paragon.

The best buys: The Triumph and Wacoal sale underwear inside the Siam Paragon department store.

The bummer part: The long taxi line we had to endure on our way back to the hotel.

Anyway, since we already checked out before we even left for the Siam malls (we just left our bags at the hotel lobby), our taxi going back to the hotel was also the taxi which brought us to the airport.

We had our dinner at the airport at the Sex and the City-inspired Tate Café. I tried their best seller, Breaded Chicken in curry sauce. Very unique and tasty, yet the serving was not too generous. It was filling though. My friend’s dish is mediocre though (Roast Pork Strips). I’d have to disagree with my friend – this café serves the Best Pad Thai.

Our flight was delayed as usual (Cebu Pacific) so we ended up sleeping at the cold steel chairs of Bangkok’s airport (no couches or padded seats like those in California or JFK).

The best part: We had a peaceful, good-smelling seatmate on our flight back to Manila.

The bummer part: The new NAIA Terminal Three operations suck. The Duty Free shop still not opened… Announcements were on tarpaulin… Signage billboards were handwritten… No banks or functional ATMs. The supposedly billion-peso airport had dysfunctional baggage rollers, not so sparkly tiles and small mediocre restrooms (the restrooms at this SLEX Gas Station are way better).

With God’s blessings, I am up to travel Hollywood, Europe, Singapore and Malaysia within the next 24 months. Stay tuned.

Day Two: As I insisted on a cultural flair…

No. We still did not pay for temple tours or snake farm trips and safari rides. No. We still did not go to museums or watch Thai dances or Muay Thai boxing at a coliseum. I would have but my friend would kill me. She agreed on a compromise though – a visit to the famed China Town, a trip to the legendary Kao San road (where Leonardo Di Caprio filmed “The Beach”) and a dinner cruise at the renowned Chao Phraya River.

CHINA TOWN

Best Food: Having missed breakfast, we ate a very hearty lunch at a Chinese restaurant, less than 30 strides away from the Watson’s shop anchoring the China Town road. We paid about 700 baht for very scrumptious food normally good for four people.

Best Buys: Tekken, Ben Tai etc. play cards at wholesale (80 baht for a dozen) at the China town inner streets, great for pasalubong. Pokey Boxes at wholesale (100 baht for a dozen). Pasalubong (Cookies with cashew on top, mini crispy crepe which looked like small tacos, salted fish crisp chips and pandan candies) at this Chinese deli shop with a Big Pig signage visible by the street. Had to pay only around 300 baht for pasalubong to share with family, officemates and friends. Gold jewelry is also abundant here.

The bummer part: We’ve already been having no luck in finding successful conversations with Thais on our first day at the city. But at least, plain instructions or questions were understood. But in Chinatown, it was Thai, Chinese or hand signal. Luckily, the store where be bought our pasalubong had a very fluent English speaker store owner.

KAO SAN ROAD

Best Hang-out Place: Starbucks set at an old mansion.

Best Convenience Store: 711 with wooden frames as interiors, warm but bright lighting and a section for fresh bread to choose from (ala Bread Talk).

Best Buys: Summer dresses at 150 baht. Fitted shirts and Thailand shirts at 80-100 baht. Havaianas at 150 baht/pair. Funky earrings at 50 baht for three pairs.

THE CHAO PHRAYA DINNER CRUISE THRU RIVER CITY PORT

The traffic from Kao San to our hotel was very bad. According to the taxi driver, traffic is worst at Bangkok during Friday nights. Anyway, we left Kao San at around 4pm. We arrived at around 6pm with our pick-up service (which will bring us to the River City pier) already waiting for us at the hotel lobby.

After another “No air” one and a half hour ride, with Indians (I have a very nice high school friend who was Indian. He’s really kind. I’m stating reality we experienced) and Arabs (My mom, dad and lolo had fostered lots of great friendships with these people working at Riyadh before. We have nothing against them. It’s just a nose-sensitivity reality.) inside the coaster transporting us to the pier, we finally reached the best part of our Bangkok trip.

For only 1,200 baht per person (about Php 1,400) our prepaid cruise was booked through the internet through Oriental Escape. This was inclusive of a two-way transportation from our hotel and the River City Pier, a two-hour cruise with live jazz and country music (local popular songs native to each country like Spain, Saudi Arabia, etc.), complimentary welcome drinks, a scrumptious buffet dinner and a cruise at the famous Chao Phraya River. Indeed, it’s Thailand for a night because we’ve seen most temples and the best hotels and Bangkok structures fully and beautifully-lit during that evening of perfect weather at the deck of the cruise yacht.

Best Experience: The night of dancing to folk tunes (even if I’m not familiar with them) of other countries at the upper deck of the yacht as our cruise was about to end… plus, the fireworks to cap the night off.

Worst Experience: The coaster ride on the way to the River City.

Best Food: The very big oysters and the baked mussels. The “Thai ginataan” (which looked like green seaweeds cooked in coconut milk) was unforgettable.

Worst food: The colorful cake. It’s the worst cake/pastry I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. Our small village bakery offers better cake.

The pleasant surprise: A picture with a Thai transvestite placed in a nice picture frame (with Adobe graphics of famous Bangkok structures) sold to me at 200 baht towards the end of the cruise. The spectacular fireworks.

Indeed, the three destinations encapsulated Thailand in a nutshell.