Pupunta ako sa Manila

I'm visiting the Philippines from 24 to 30 Jan. And through some absurd turn of events, I've been invited as a speaker at the University of Manila.

A PERFORMANCE BY RUNAR MAGNUSSON – Icelandic sound artist

January 23, Wednesday

1-2.30 pm, Production Design Class

College of Mass Communications Auditorium

U.P. Diliman

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A CONVERSATION WITH NG YI-SHENG – Singaporean writer & queer activist

January 25, Friday

1-2.30 pm, Youth Culture and Cinema Class

A-107-B, Film Institute

U.P. Diliman

THE BWISITOR SERIES FEATURES INVITED GUESTS FROM VARIOUS DISCIPLINES - ARTISTS, FILMMAKERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, DESIGNERS, CURATORS, WRITERS - WHO WILL BE SHARING THEIR IDEAS, WORKS AND EXPERIENCES WITHIN AN INTIMATE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. THE SERIES IS FACILITATED BY YASON BANAL.

PAST BWISITORS INCLUDE MANUEL OCAMPO, RAYMOND LEE, RINGO BUNOAN, MAY DATUIN, NICCOLO COSME, MERVIN ESPINA, KHAVN DELACRUZ, LAV DIAZ, TEDDY CO, TAD ERMITANO, JOHNNY ALCAZAREN, STEVE TIRONA, KIKO ESCORA, EILEEN LEGASPI-RAMIREZ, ALEXIS TIOSECO, EDWARD BASSE, RAYA MARTIN, MADS ADRIAS, QUARK HENARES, RICO ILARDE , POKLONG ANADING, CONRADO VELASCO, SANDRA PALOMAR, MARIA TANIGUCHI, NONA GARCIA, MARTIN MASADAO, MARTA LOVINA, KIKO SOEDER, GEOLETTE ESGUERRA, TRINKA LAT AND CHRISTINA DY.

ADMISSION IS FREE.

The reason behind all of this oddness is that I once met Filipino artist Yason Banal at the Singapore Biennale, almost participated into a performance art event by him, and ultimately ended up interviewing him for Fridae.com.

Actually, my life is just odd. Very odd. After a Sunday night burning the midnight oil playing Weboggle and attempting to write song lyrics, I called the Filipino embassy, found out that if I wanted a visa it'd only be ready in two working days so I'd have to go down that morning before 12noon, started filling in the application form but found out I needed a photo, rode down to the Clementi MRT Konica shop, found that the Konica shop's passport photo camera was kaput, rode to Lavender to get a passport photo taken and as the escalator reached the top a dead bird flew into my feet.

I'm not kidding! A beautiful, orange-throated dead bird, still warm to the touch but with its eyes all wonky, a circle of feathers all around my sandals and the escalator works.

HOW THE HELL DOES A DEAD BIRD FLY INTO SOMEONE'S FEET????

I'm kinda pantang about the trip now, really.

And when I got my photo taken and got to the embassy, it turned out there's been a miscommunication and I didn't need a visa anyway. And in the cab home I realised I'd dropped my passport in the embassy. Turned the taxi round and thank god an official picked it up and had it ready for me.

Scared already! The universe is telling me I shouldn't go! But I pay my ticket already, so how?

I'm just gonna pray extra hard to Kuan Yin that I don't get run over by a mutated tarsier on steroids.