“Irie” is Jamaican for great. 

According to a friend, I have a serious addiction of traveling. It’s never been said that way but that is true. I’m sorry for missing a week of school, I’m sorry for being a terrible Quidditch captain and missing three practices in a row, and I’m sorry for not being in Boston but I’m chilling with my mum and relatives in Jamaica. Everyone has different priorities in life and traveling is mine. 

Jamaica’s weather is not as hot as I wish it could be but I guess it is winter here at the moment still. It’s pretty chilly and windy, especially at night. I’m still getting my tan on as the sun comes and goes during the day. I’m being careful as to not burn myself too terribly unlike every other time I’m on a trip to a resort. The food is surprisingly really good, with a variety of choices at every meal. Jamaican rum is fantastic. I can’t get enough rum and coke. 

Speaking of drinking, I’ve been drinking my fair share every day and even my mum’s share. She’s sick so can’t consume too much alcohol, though she has had a few drinks even while taking medicine. I’m proud of her. Maybe the alcohol will be the cure. Drinking this whole week starts at 11 in the morning after a morning gym session and doesn’t end till 2am when I go to sleep. I’m building up my tolerance pretty well. 

Credits to my mum for this photo. It’s so incredibly calming and peaceful. Being here with family, listening to the sounds of the ocean and all the tourists having a good time with each other reminds me that life is more than school, work and all the things we stress over. Its God’s reminder of his creation, of Adam and Eve and how important family is. I haven’t seen my mum since last summer and it’s been fantastic seeing her the last few weeks. I’m really looking forward to this summer when my brother and I will both be home with my mum and dad. 

Oh, I’ve got to run. It’s dinner and wine time. 

First of all, did wordpress have an update? I like the fact that the new post just appears on the top as a frame while I can still look at the rest of my blog! Cool.

Secondly, I can’t believe it’s March. I guess it’s not so hard to believe since we didn’t start this semester until almost mid January, but still… in about 2 and a half months, I’ll be home in Hong Kong starting my internship and enjoying the HK lifestyle again. The last month have been really busy, as you can see from my previous post (and if you haven’t read it, you SHOULD), I went to New York for a night, and went to see my brother in Philadelphia for a long weekend. My mum and aunt just arrived to Boston for the weekend so I’ll be showing them around and spending some time with them. It’s quite exciting having my mum finally see my house and life here, although I am pretty sad there aren’t any Quidditch things this weekend. I wish she could watch me play.

Enough about me, here are a few photos my good friend took of me for her photo project. They’re brilliant and represent my life pretty accurately. She’s a great photographer, great work out buddy, and a great friend all in all. This semester would not have been the same without her. (and here’s my subtle plug to get her to come visit me in HK this summer)

and while you’re at it, check out her new website!

http://fisherliz.wordpress.com/

 

“Let’s all go to NYC together!”
“We better book it tonight if we want to or else we’ll never do it.”
“Okay lets do it.”
(30 minutes later, the bus ticket is booked!)

My friends and I decided to go to New York on a whim for a quick one night getaway. Unfortunately, three of us booked the tickets but only two of us could go. Early Friday morning last week, we got on a 6 AM bus to New York. We didn’t have much planned, we simply wanted to walk around, perhaps sight see a bit and spend time in fellowship with each other. We ended up doing exactly that, and more.

We ate at the Peanut Butter Sandwich Company for a late lunch as soon as we got settled into the hostel. I ordered a sandwich with cinnamon raison peanut butter, honey, banana and the cherry on the cake: bacon. It was one of the heaviest but greatest sandwich I’ve had. I wouldn’t eat there on a daily basis but it was worth the visit.

I’m not a big shopping fanatic but I did enjoy the few hours of shopping that followed lunch. I bought two dresses and some accessories from Forever 21, plus a jacket from Uniqlo. For those who know me, you’ll know that’s a big deal… the dresses of course. We then proceded to Central Park for a stroll which ended up being a fun-but-frustrating tour of the forrest. Another friend had once warned me not to wander in Central Park but clearly my mind had decided not to accumulate that piece of information. About an hour after we stepped foot into the park, we finally saw a clear path to an exit- and we were pretty darn happy. It was dinner time and had gotten cold by then.

We had a nice date at an Italian restaurant by our hostel for dinner that night and was pretty tired by the time we got back. With a nap in mind, we sat in the lounge to rest up- we ended up watching Tropic Thunder- always a good choice. The events that happened for the rest of the day could be said to be one of the most memorable times since I’ve been in the United States.

I got in touch with a friend who is a model in New York and he had invited me to a party with free vodka all night. Unfortunately, he could not make it himself to the party but he had mentioned to the host of the table in the club that my friend and I would be dropping by. This is what I was told me to do:

“…All you have to do is walk past line and tell the door guy/girl that you’re here with Frankie. When you get in look for the tatted up dude with a bandana, he’s like 70 feet tall and super sweet.”

How would you react if you were in my position? I had never partied in NYC before and obviously I did not know anyone that was going to be at this club. But hey- I was only going to be there for a night and if I had stayed in and slept early at the hostel, I probably would’ve never forgiven myself. We made our way to the club just before midnight only to see the huge line at the door. My nervousness had kicked in full gear by now and I refused to be THAT person to skip the line and go to the bouncer so I simply waited in line- until my friend said “hey look, I think that’s Frankie… he has a bandana on.”

A few seconds later, I pulled up the courage to go talk to him. After all, my friends know me as one of the most outgoing human beings out there. Randy was right, he was super sweet. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing My friend and I were exhausted but as soon as we stepped into the club, found Frankie’s table, got a drink and looked around- a burst of excitement and energy hit us. Everyone around us were models, tall, gorgeous and clearly knew each other already. We stood there in awkwardness as we whispered to each other about the hotness of everyone else in the club and how out of place we were.

Give it maybe 30 minutes, maybe it was shorter but it sure felt like an hour- we were finally socializing. We were drinking, dancing, and talking to models all at the cost of zero. The rest of that night, or should I say morning, went by very quickly. We didn’t get to sleep until about 6 or 7 in the morning, and had to wake up an hour or two later.

—–

I walked around New York for the rest of that day in exhaustion but with a big smile on my face knowing that I’ve made the most out of my trip in NY, made new friends and once again created a story in my life that I’ll never forget- and hopefully, won’t be my last experience of the sort. So thank you to all those who made those 30 hours a memorable one.

I think you’ll believe me when I say, I fell asleep that late afternoon as soon as Megabus pulled off the station in New York and woke up as the bus was pulling into South Station in Boston. It was the greatest sleep and the smoothest bus ride I’ve ever riden.

This was a busy weekend, real good but very mentally exhausting. I volunteered at a film forum hosted by The Boston Initiative to Advance Human Rights discussing human trafficking all over the world. “Fighting Trafficking through Film” showed a total of 8 films and had experts of the subject, lawyers, directors of unique organizations in for panel discussions after every film. The films and documentaries were fantastic but incredibly difficult to watch. The panel discussions were all filled with great knowledge and suggestions. I wish more students and people around Boston knew about this film forum, I was really quite shocked that Emerson students didn’t know anything about this because we are known to be a film school after all.

Anyway, this film forum got me thinking all weekend about these issues, what my role is, what I can do and how I can promote these films to others to attempt to make a difference. One of the main thoughts I had through out the weekend was about my trip to Thailand during my Sophomore year of high school. I, along with 15 other girls, went to spend a week at New Life Center Foundation with girls who have been exploited and trafficked through various ways including slavery, sex, etc. We were partnered up with one of them and lived life with them for a week, doing what they do, getting to know them, etc. It is amazing to think back and remember that time the girl I was partnered up with started bawling the day before I left leaving me in a state of confusion. Not till that night did I find out from a translator that she was really sad because I was going to leave. I have a slight recollection of their stories, but I really wish I had been able to get to know her more, or any of the girls.

I wish I had more knowledge about the issue and what was happening around the world during that time. If I was to turn back time, or better yet, if I could do something now as a response to my thoughts, I’d prepare a presentation/lecture on the issue of human trafficking to prepare the team that will go on this interim to Thailand. Unfortunately, the interim no longer exists- perhaps in the long run, I’ll have to bring it back. (Just a thought)

I learnt so much over the weekend that each piece of information is hard to digest. It was very interesting to learn where human trafficking fits in from all different angles, from a law perspective, from a business perspective, supply and demand, psychologically, etc. Most importantly, remember that this issue is a repercussion from poverty and in the end, we have to tackle the root cause of poverty and not simply “rescue” the victims of the problem.

The issue of human trafficking involves every one around us and we can all do something to spread awareness and help. It’s sad to know that in certain countries, the biggest problem is trafficking is part of organized crime which means government officials are involved, hotel businesses are involved and gaining profit, etc. It’s easy to read and learn about it, then brush it off saying “it’s never going to end and trafficking will always be present” but as one of the panelists mentioned, “look at Domestic Violence in the states and see how far we’ve gone. There is a zero tolerance for Domestic Violence and as long as we keep working for the cause and keep spreading awareness, there will be an end for human trafficking.”

 

I can keep writing for a long time…. but I leave you with this.

Lina Nealon: “What we need is a broad cultural shift, and we can do it” to combat sex trafficking BITAHR#2012

 

I haven’t seen a broadway musical in a long time which is unfortunate. I guess I never really spend the time looking for musicals to go to in Boston even though I am right in the middle of theater district but when I heard that American Idiot was coming to Boston, I knew I had to go see it. I’ve seen Green Day live in concert and it’s phenomenal. Billie Joe is absolutely brilliant and the concert atmosphere is something to die for.

I’ve heard good things about this musical and I was very intrigued in how they were going to make these green day songs into a show with a plot. After paying an arm and a leg for a ticket to the musical tonight, I have to say I am impressed and it was well worth it. The cast is fantastic, brilliant singers, dancers and has a great stage presence. The plot also went beyond my expectations, granted I didn’t have too much to start off with.

It was almost like a concert, there was not too many dialogues in the show which makes is very unique and different from other musicals. It makes it harder because the cast has to not only use the song but also their performance on stage to bring out the characters and the story. It was just over 2 hours and they sang 21 songs in total. Some newer, some older, some songs mashed together brilliantly as well.

The interview and video clip above touches upon some of the thoughts I have about the show and explains quite clearly the impact the production for this musical has on different types of audiences. It’s quite incredible how they turned a rock punk band into a unique performance. As Toronto Star calls it, this is “the first great musical of the 21st century!”

With that being said, it still has no comparison to the Green Day concert I had the opportunity to go to a few years ago in Hong Kong’s Asia World Expo. That concert left my ears ringing for days.