The Lion King

Ten years ago in New York City, I passed by The Lion King marquee in bustling Broadway and I told myself that I will watch it someday. So when I learned that the musical is being staged at Marina Bay Sands Theater until July of this year, I knew I had to watch it.

The musical was everything I imagined it to be. When the red curtains were raised to reveal the Serengeti, I was like a little kid with startled eyes and a smile that stretched from ear to ear. When the puppet animals started to traipse on stage to the tune of The Circle of Life, I was already at the edge of my seat soaking the whole experience. I've waited for ten years to watch this musical and it's so overwhelming to finally be able to witness it before my eyes!

For me, The Lion King is like art in motion. The whole musical was such a visual treat and I truly admire the creative geniuses behind the production.

Thailand

It was a Monday morning and I was still reeling from the late night flight back to Singapore from Manila. I was groggy and experiencing post-holiday blues. My mind says, my three-day Manila visit wasn't enough. Then I hear the deep voice of my boss, "Brian, you have to pack your bags". His welcome-back-to-work greeting jolted me. I was trying to make sense of everything, "Did I forget to do something before leaving for Manila last week??"

"You are going to Thailand on Thursday". Confusion suddenly turned to excitement -- I will finally have my first fieldwork assignment. And I actually never expected to be entrusted to do fieldwork until after my first year in the job.

In a workplace where everyone is constantly in transit from one city to the next, I patiently wait for the day when I can also travel for work. This is why April 28, 2011 is a personal/professional milestone. It was like ticking a box on my yuppie bucket list. Suddenly, that somber post-holiday morning felt like a Christmas morning.

The trip to Thailand was a trip of firsts. Apart from it being my first work trip, it actually was my first trip to Thailand. While I am a self-proclaimed lover of travel, it's funny how I have never been to Thailand even if it's near to the Philippines. For me, Thailand is just like Manila. Why bother?

My short, 3-day trip to Thailand validated my opinion. The pollution, traffic, heat and dirty roads are all reminiscent of Manila and if not for the temples (and pink taxis), you can actually forget you are in Bangkok. Even the people deceptively look like Filipinos. But then, I reminded myself that traveling is about going beyond surface-level impressions - just like when meeting a new stranger. Bangkok was a stranger, and I wanted to get to know more of him.

I tried to immerse myself in their culture as much as I can (in what little time I had after work). I ate street food, slipped into their BTS train system, offered two hundred coins at a Buddhist temple, ate in a dirty wet market (which I wouldn't normally do), aimlessly walked at the dimly-lit streets at night, started conversations with locals.

Oh, Bangkok.