Wednesday, August 29, 2007

As cold as ice

coldasice

I spotted him instantly. He seems to be far removed, like in a trance. I made my presence in plain sight by aiming a shot at him. Just a few feet away from him, he knew I was there. But he barely budged.

He sells dirty ice cream. It’s not actually dirty as the name implies; this ice cream is homemade and sold in pushcart. They are not as creamy as the branded ice cream, but they have this smooth, milky consistency that lingers in the mouth and very flavorful too. My favorite is the cheese flavor.

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I went to see Paris Je t’aime last night with Teresa. Yesterday was the last day of the Cinemanila Film Festival after they’ve extended it, so I tried to catch a few more entries. I was hoping to see Mira Nair’s Namesake but they’ve changed the schedule.

Paris Je t’aime (Paris I love you) is a full length film, chopped into 18 arrondissements (I am not sure about the translation but it’s like the munuicipalities in France, or is it?). So it’s like saying one film, 18 subplots featuring the touristy places in France. Of course Pére Lachaise was featured in the movie, not with Jim Morrison but with Oscar Wilde in it. Surprisingly, Porte de Choisy (Paris’ Chinatown) was also featured in the film, and guess what? Ms. Philippines was there. It was a funny proximity, especially if you knew the context in which such inclusion and reference to the country was made.

I love this movie, only because France is becoming a cliché among Asians and I what I know about this country only came from books and movies and people I knew who've been there. I love this movie because it serves as a guidemap to tourists (and hopefuls) about what to love about this country. I love the movie only because I haven’t been there and I speak awfully in French. The last of the arrondissements (directed by Alexander Payne who I love to death), is a heartbreaker.

9 comments:

Sidney said...

Maybe he was just dreaming about Paris... ;-)

Anonymous said...

My favorite is also Cheese Ice cream, dirty or otherwise.

drei said...

i've only seen 2 films in cinemanila and one of them is paris, je t'aime! i loved it! parang love actually, but better, funnier, more creative, and more endearing :)

Anonymous said...

Buti pa kayo nakakapanood ng sine. Ako, I haven't been to a movie house in months! Arrghh!

As for the photo I think alam nyang me kumukuha sa kanya kaya medyo nag far-away look pose sya. Hehe

The Photo lecture I think isn't for public, sa isang photography club lang ng isang company. Still, am honored to be invited. :P

Anonymous said...

Nice catch!....i guess he knew thats why he was looking away from the camera! Nice commentary too!

Anonymous said...

guston gusto ko yang matamis na apa sa ganyang ice cream, sumunod yung tinapay (buns).

Anonymous said...

i admire your bravery. i would not have daringly walk up to him and take a picture of him...

you know, sometimes, i feel like going to the french arts film festival...i bet there are a lot more good movies there than just rush hour...

pieterbie said...

Cheese flavor, please, no.
I don't know if municipalities is the right interpretation, I would think districts would be more suiting. But I'm not really sure myself. Oscar Wilde's grave is indeed more of a monument that Morrisson's, in the artsy sense.
Love the photo, good colours, good depth.

my gulch said...

Sidney,
could be. or maybe he's dreaming of a better life. how to get rich from selling ice cream.

Mike,
really? as in? okay... dirty cheese ice cream is on the way.

Drei,
onga...but Paris Je t'aime was weaved in a much subtle way. don't you think? parang ang connection lang ay yung mga arrondissements sa Paris.

Ferdz,
wala kase akong magawa kaya ginagawa kong tambayan ang sinehan. kung pwede lang sanang bumili ng sinehan...

Chacha,
thanks for dropping by.

Iskoo,
wow, tinapay at ice cream. ayos.

Tien,
It's nice capturing people's reaction especially during unguarded moments. go ahead watch a movie. don't you have Singapore Filmfest? Here, we have French festival, Chinese festival, Pink festival, Europe filmfest, Japanese festival...and the others.

Peter,
...and so is Honore de Balzac and Marcel Proust, but yea, Oscar Wilde is more artsy not to mention, famous. The Jim Morrison thingie was just me. Most people here don't even know he is.

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