Interview with a Celebrity

Just the other day there was this big hoo-ha about some celebrity being snobbish or "disconnected" during interviews. Let's take a peek at me appearing on Entertainment Tonight (E!).

E: Hello and welcome to the show

Angel: Thank you, I can't say I'm glad to sacrifice my spare time to be here but my publicity manager forced me to.

E: I'm sorry but we'll try to make this worth your time.

A: Ok, maybe I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry but shall we proceed?

E: Sure, what do you think of your latest role in the upcoming blockbuster?

A: My producers would like me to say that it's a very defining role that they created for me but personally I think the character is pretty messed up with the way he does things.

E: But isn't this role suppose to revive your stagnant career?

A: Yeah it may but then again, at the end of the day it's just a job. I do what my employers tell me to do. I don't ask to be held up for worship, hell I don't even need that much money.

E: Oh dear, is that why you've been playing the philanthropist to many major charities worldwide?

A: I do what I can. Beats having those fakes who pay lip service about doing their bit and encouraging others who earn less than 1% of their own paycheck to chip in.

E: We applaud you for that. Moving on to your personal life and gossips, how do you feel being on the wrong side of 30 and still single? Are you actively looking for a partner?

A: 30 is kind of a bad time when things start to go downhill for you and you feel it. On one hand it sucks to be single because of the stigma and pressure from others. On the other hand, it feels much better to have more control over the things you wanna do. And no, I am not seeing anyone special at the moment, despite what the tabloids have been trying to cook up.

E: But do you have plans to settle down and start a family eventually? Do you have a particular eye out for someone at the moment?

A: Now if I were just some average Joe sitting here, I'd probably go "Mind your own f***in' business" *chuckle* but yeah, it's be great to settle down eventually. I do have some interest in a few names in my black book if that's the juicy bit you were looking for.

E: Last question. Beauty pageants all wish for World Peace, what do you wish for?

A: Hmmm, how bout a gorgeous interviewer instead? But seriously, I wish those a**holes (paparazzis) out there would get a decent job and David (Letterman) not make jokes at my expense. Oh, and an agent with more wit and a brain. MJ, Rest in Peace bro! G'night all you kind folks!

The writer is glad he's not a celebrity though he doesn't mind the obscene paychecks. He just can't stand the flies and vultures that gather around. He aslo wish to state that this is all in jest and should not be taken seriously.

Climax or is it Anti?

Two days after an intensive week that saw me scrambling to do some rescue touch-ups on my model kit en-route to the competition finals site, helping with the packing and unpacking of stores, waking up in the early mornings throughout the weekend.... you get the picture.

So there I was, scheduled to pick up my model kit from the display cabinet of Takashimaya shopping centre and transport it to the site of the finals. Horror of horrors when I inspected the piece and found some cracks in the base! So quietly, I packed it up and good thing the workshop is along the way so I stopped by and some frantic work ensued before I walked over to the convention centre and then spent another 10 to 20 minutes figuring out the best placement with respect to the lighting in the display cabinet. After that, I spent almost the rest of my evening helping out to unpack at a friend's booth nearby.

Day 1 of the Anime Festival Asia 2009. I met up with an old acquaintance of almost a decade now. Kaika would be one of the cosers under my charge that day and of all the characters, had to be one that many of people are familiar with (and young boys drooling after... kekeke) - Souryu Asuka Langley. Kinda big turn off for the day was the crowd and the noise, not to mention the swarm of "flies" that were following Danny around.

Then there was star attraction Shoko-tan (Shoko Nakagawa) walking around in the hall while all the attraction was on the cosers at our booth! I didn't know who she was until I asked someone about the Japanese girl walking around with a few people and a cameraman in tow. Still clueless as to my role? I'm in charge of guarding the cosers at our booth and also limit access through the designated exit. Which worked pretty well when Danny went in to discuss some things with the boss and I take pleasure in shutting out those flies. Ended the day with an aching back and sore feet from standing the whole day!

Day 2 and it was a bad start. Just as I was about to park the car in the lot, my car died and I can't get it to start due to a dead battery. Had to push the car into a parking lot and call up for reinforcements. The crowd wasn't that bad for the day since most of them already snatched most of the hotter shirt designs anyway. Danny's wandering around out of his armour today and surprise surprise, not many flies in sight. A good thing I brought my camera today so before the flies appear, I managed to exchange name cards with him and had a mug shot with him. Then its a group shot of the gang that I never had a chance to capture the day before.

Pretty much more to do today with the car and all. First, had to linger around to wait for the Bandai Action Kit Universal Competition prize presentation and photo taking before rushing back to the parking lot with a friend to jump start the car and pass the keys to my dad. Then back to work. In the midst of everything, along came Mizuki Ichirou aka Aniki. Another famous anime singer doing a walkabout. The thing about Aniki-san is he's super friendly and obliges everyone who asks to be photographed with him. I got my chance and together we struck up his favourite pose for the camera.

Towards the end, with camera in hand, I prowled around the area taking shots of various cosers and even had the opportunity to take a group shot with some maids from the Moe moe Kyun Maid Cafe who were wandering around. It's all good folks. Last shot was of a neko-chan before its back to frantic packing up for the end of the event, collect my model and prize before heading back for dinner with the group.

Then along came Monday.... and a bout of common cold.... tchoo!

The writer was tire out from the 2 days and had a good time with his group of friends. Monday was a drag and Tuesday was a bore because of the illness. Thank goodness its a 4 day week....

Back to work

How is everybody? Coming back from a 2 month hiatus (Read: AWOL!! - Ed), the traveller fatigue is somewhat gone although I could always use more breaks. My mind's somewhat cleared by now and I'm just about ready to give up chasing shadows.

Ever since my last entry, I have been piling in a fair bit of energy into completing my piece for the (somewhat) gala competition for the year. The annual Bandai Asia Universal Kit Competition (BAKUC for short) and managed to complete it to a somewhat satisfactory level just before the submission deadline. The bad news is, the worse is yet to come. The stress was simply too much to handle as the piece is placed on display among so many other nicely done pieces. The stress is not in the expectation of my own but rather the feeling of inadequacy among so many pros. This should be the first and last time I'm going to be doing something like this again.

Work-wise, managed to settle some heavyweight issues, really heavy one at that. Although the weather does seem to get on my nerves. If it isn't one thing, it's usually the other. Then there's the disparaging remarks from some friends of my colleagues about me being an otaku. He had been trying to introduce me to some of his Japanese friends (females of course) ever since he knew I was into their culture and all. From what I heard, the first question out of their mouths when my colleague mentioned I do models was, yup: OTAKU? As if it's a disease or illness. Fine. I could do without company that shows such disdain for a largely misunderstood hobby. Try turning $50 worth of plastic into something worth over $200. Would you even pay over $500 for a "TOY"?

Anyway, I finally got my hands on the CD I was hunting for. Apparently only HMV carries it and they had been out of stock for the last 3 to 4 times I was down to ask for it. It may just be a soundtrack for a movie but the instrumental scores are really phenomenal and I'll certainly be playing this for my car rides.

The writer is still trying to ease the tension within his body as he quietly awaits the year-end break that is to come.

Welcome to Taiwan (Pt 3) - Rumble in the (Concrete) Jungle

Amidst the wake of the devastation, we kept on moving as we headed back to the capital...

Day 7 Another early day as we checked out of the "Surf and Shack", headed to the bus terminal only to learn there wasn't any buses to and from Kaoshiung. We were forced to take a cab. It was with some disappointment that I leave Kenting without revisiting many of the places. Back in Kaoshiung, its another zip down the MTR to Zhuoying before hopping on the train bound for Taipei. The ticket we paid through the automatic dispenser was quite a fair bit and we only found out it was an express train with only 2 stops along the way. We reached Taipei before noon and after a brief confusion, managed to locate our hostel, settled our bags and be on our way again.

We first headed out for lunch at yet another Maid Cafe, the Fatimaid. The place wasn't all that great but it was a decent setting so no complaints though. A quick lunch and its off to check out the underground mall before heading to the Presidential Building and the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, where we witnessed the retiring of the guards for the day. We then made our way to the Shihda Night Market (师大夜市), which failing to impress, saw us moving off to another part of the city for some okonomiyaki. Then a short trip to take in the Taipei 101 building at night.

Day 8 Morning saw us setting off to Jiantan (剑潭) to catch a bus to the Yangmingshan (阳明山) National Park. We had absolutely no idea how huge the place was and no idea where to start, so we ended up taking a coach and stopped at a spot, which name I forgot, and did some hiking trying to make it up a peak of something. Instead, it brought us to some scenic spots but not to any peaks. Still, the air was fresh with the only complaint being the heat and the humidity. By midday, we were on our way back to the hostel for a shower before heading to a restaurant nearby that specialises in Unagi dishes for lunch. By the time we finished, it started raining so we caught a cab to the local equivalent of our Sim Lim Square for some shopping (comics and games galore!) before heading back to the underground mall (still raining so its the cab again) for some exploration. That was where we had tea at the Maiden Diner, a train station-themed Maid cafe. After which we made our way to the Shilin Night market (士林夜市), which was bustling with activity and the stench of Fermented Beancurds... It was here that we both got into a little argument over some misunderstanding.

Day 9 We split up with me heading to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall early in the morning and then to the Taipei 101. It was too early and only the offices were starting to open so I went off to the Martyr's Shrine across the city and was just in time to catch a change of guard ceremony take place. Then a quick trip to the Chiang Kai Shek Residence (士林宫邸) and the Taipei Astronomical Museum before going back to the Maiden Diner for lunch (I like the ambiance there). Can you believe it that I actually got the same seat as the day before even though the place was quite packed?

Afternoon saw me up the Taipei 101 at last but just what is it with me, tall towers and rain? The scenery was not that great but at least the rain wasn't over me (yet) as I crossed over to the WTC exhibition hall where they happened to be having the Taipei Comics Convention! Lucky me as I got some comics, 2 posters and some nice shots of the cosplayers manning the booths. It's nice that most of them are friendly and obliging whenever anyone asks for a photoshoot.

Day 10 Another day on my own as Ximending (西门町) turned out to open late as well. As soon as it opened, I was checking out the 5 floors of Animate, buying some comics and then its off to the Cosplay Cafe next door (Cafe Cosic) for some lunch. After dropping off my purchases in the room, I tried navigating to the computer mall to make some more purchases (some comics and a H-game too) before ending the day packing up the bags.

Day 11 A quick excursion in the morning trying to find some mangoes (don't ask) at the nearby distributor market and then its off to the airport. I had mixed feelings about leaving the place and coming back home. It's been quite nice being disconnected from the world I was living in before and I sure didn't feel like reconnecting. Perhaps its the travellers' fatigue as I ended up having the couldn't-care-less feeling for quite a while (even now I still feel vestiges of it). My carefree world came crashing down when the workweek started...

The writer is slowly recovering from the crash and the depression. He still feels the urge to uproot and leave this place and disappear for an extended period. Donations are most welcomed.

Welcome to Taiwan (Pt 2) - Nature's Wrath

Day 3 The approach of Typhoon Morakot was felt throughout the day with strong erratic winds, short bursts of rainfall and clouds all going in one direction. We practically spent the entire day in our room watching cable TV.

Day 4 The typhoon made landfall sometime in the pre-dawn hours and we found ourselves in ankle-deep of water as the drainage at our hostel got clogged. We got it good since many places either had landslides, waist-high floods or houses flattened by the strong winds. Must be a blessing to have planned our itinerary to make the most of what would have been a disastrous trip.

Day 5 The slowing of the typhoon overland eventually saw it leaving the island in the early morning. The skies still bore the dark clouds but we started out to the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. I had been here previously during our RnR 9 years back and the place was just completed then. As there were no bus services running, we decided to try walking to take in the view of the countryside as well as the devastation caused. Somewhere a few clicks North of Town, a driver offered to drive us further up the road to where he was going and we hitched a ride. Along the way, when he learnt of our destination, he was aghast and warned us of the distance, and then proceeded to offer to drive us there. It was all good and we paid him NT$400 for his trouble. The Aquarium had undergone an expansion with a new building housing samples from around the world. The winds were still strong and the surf was terrible (the museum was near the coast) and we spotted a marooned ship on the shoreline as we made our way to the new annex. I could hardly remember what was inside back then but looking at the fish and animals in the tanks filled me with joy and wonder (sorry but I have never been to the local Underwater World yet). When it was time for us to return, we found ourselves slightly stranded since the fella from earlier was too busy to come pick us up (we were gonna pay of course...) so I dragged my buddy along the route and tried to hitch a ride while walking down. We got lucky when a car picked us up and he was on his way to Hengchun as well. All's well that ends well with the rest of the day mucking around the room minus some cable channels due to the lost transmissions.

Day 6 We were originally scheduled to leave for Alishan (阿里山) but our plans literally got washed out due to the extent of damage caused to the mountainous regions so we tried picking up the places in Kenting we were not able to visit due to the typhoon. Our first stop in the morning was the east coast area of Jialeshui (佳乐水). A coastal area with many strange rock formations. Initially we tried looking for a waterfall that was supposedly there but couldn't find it. Instead we spotted yet another marooned ship on our walk northwards along the track strewn with mud and debris. We spent slightly less than 2 hours there, wandering among the rocks and taking photos before we head back to town for lunch and then another bus direct for Oluanpi (鹅銮鼻), the Southernmost tip of the island. Unfortunately, the place was still closed due to the typhoon in spite of the hot sun. I ended up buying some souvenirs before taking the bus to see the famous sail rock (船帆石). From a certain angle, the damn rock really did look like Richard Nixon. Then, in the stifling humidity, we made our way to Kenting town, missed the bus (when it refused to stop after we tried flagging it down) and caught a cab back to town where we spent the night packing up. It was disappointing that we had to miss out visiting Oluanpi and Maobitou (猫鼻头) but I think it had been a nice experience to be back for a visit to the places and fulfilling that desire.

The writer is still sorting through the photos so please be patient.