From Shanghai to the Classical Gardens of Suzhou (Part 1)

A one and a half hour westward drive from Shanghai is the city of Suzhou in the province of Jiangsu. The city is home to kunqu, the oldest form of Chinese Opera and listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2001. The city is also known for…

Drottningholm: Palace, Garden and Theatre? It’s history!

One of my favorite European cities is Stockholm. The reason: Drottninghom Palace Complex. It was summer of 2016 – conference season for academics like me. The International Federation for Theatre Research awarded the hosting of the federation’s annual conference to Stockholm University on the occasion of the 250th year anniversary of the complex’s theatre. As…

Paris, moi aussi, je t’aime, mon amour (Part 2 of 2)

And so the flaneur in me started to walk. It is something I don’t usually do (or more so, I cannot do) in Manila. But then, my friend Oscar, who accompanied me in Paris, informed me that I should be taking care of my belongings. He even remarked: “You’re in Paris!” Me musing: “huh?” Then,…

Paris, moi aussi, je t’aime, mon amour (Part 1 of 2).

When we think of Paris today, we often think of it as the most romantic city (read here as lovers posing before the Eiffel Tower and smooching as they pose before the camera) and one of the most picture-perfect colossal pieces of architecture (also read here as posing before the Eiffel Tower). Several people I…