In the Philippines, when one thinks of Brazil, she thinks of the Amazon jungle, the carnival, beauty pageants, and Rio! Rio’s popularity has been on the rise since the 1960’s. The Bossanova song “A Girl from Ipanema” invaded the world radio, even winning Record of the Year in the 1965 Grammy Awards, beating American and English…
Tag: Travel
Skogskyrkogården: an Architectural Wonder where the Beauty of Life and Death Meet
On my way to Stockholm in 2016, a friend asked me via Messenger to pass by Skogskyrkogården, especially since he knew my sort of interest with UNESCO World Heritage Sites. “Skogsky what?” I asked. “Thought you were a WHS fanatic? Really, you know nothing about Skogskykogården?” he quipped. I googled (thanks to an easy access…
Gaspar, Baltasar and Melchor or the Three Kings in Kölner Dom/Cologne Cathedral (Part 2 of 2)
It was raining when I arrived in Köln. I was afraid that the bad weather would spoil my first opportunity to pay tribute to the three kings. Rain and cold weather – not a good idea for travel, I know. However, the bad wheater did not spoil my visit. The magnificent giant that is the…
Gaspar, Baltasar and Melchor or the Three Kings in Kölner Dom/Cologne Cathedral (Part 1 of 2)
For a long time, four things come across my mind each time I hear “The Three Kings” or “The Three Wise Men” or in biblical terms “The Three Magi.” First, I think of them as Gaspar, Baltasar, and Melchor because this is how they are called in the Philippines. In relation, I also think of…
Sydney Opera House: Sculptural Marvel and Architectural Wonder
A trip to Sydney is never complete without a visit to the Sydney Opera House. One of the most popular and most visited tourist destinations not only in Australia but arguably also in the entire world, the Opera House is an unusual structure that appears to be a grand sculpture from afar. Just like any…
Gaudi’s Candyland
Oftentimes, we associate Barcelona with its football team, especially the powerful line-up beginning with Lionel Messi, Arthur Melo, and Arturo Vidal. For my friends who have visited Barcelona, they remember the city via Barceloneta (Summer Beach) and the 1.2 km Las Ramblas (the Central Boulevard for many tourists). My other “nerdy” acquaintances think of Placido Domingo…
Hiroshima Means Peace
On 6 August 1945, 8:15 AM – Tokyo Time, Enola Gay released Little Boy and came straight to Shima Hospital in the Prefecture of Hiroshima. Little Boy is a kid but ironically, a powerful young boy whose audacity paved the way for almost 300,000 Japanese casualties. Little Boy’s impact was so huge. Years later, thousands of Japanese continued to…
Jantar Mantar, Jaipur or the Problematization of Science-Culture Divide
Founded in the 18th Century by Majarajah Sawaii Jai Singh II (Jai Singh), Jaipur is the largest city in the Indian province of Rajasthan. As a planned-city (often, it is cited as the country’s example of a well-planned city), Jaipur is called the Pink City in reference to its distinctly colored buildings: painted almost pinkish…
Costa, Niemeyer and Brasília
When my friends learned about my trip to Brazil in 2017, they immediately reminded me about their pasalubong (mementos) from Rio de Janeiro – a ref magnet would do as long as it had the photo of “Christ, the Redeemer” or the Sugarloaf Mountain in it. But my actual destination was Brasília. My friends confused Brazil’s federal capital…
Galerius’ Resting Place in Gamzigrad
During the closing ceremony of the 2017 International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) Annual Conference in São Paulo, Brazil, it was announced that the 2018 conference and world congress would happen in Belgrade, Serbia through the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts Belgrade. I remember the awkwardness I felt about the announcement because the…
Tanghal Kultura 