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jay. the boy behind the blog. most recent zygote of estelita and florencio. has been around the sun 26 times. likes hip hop, funk & jazz, lonely planet guidebooks, orwell novels, spike lee films, steamed jasmine rice, backpacking, mom's porkchops, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, independent film and music, sunshine and lime jello. has an affinity for jet-black haired asian girls with brown almond eyes and gleaming smiles, german dogs and old skool sneakers. rocks hard and fresh - day and night 'till kingdom come.
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Saturday, January 21, 2006

i just finished watching "bangkok girl" - a documentary by a vancouver island based director named jordan clark. the doc was on cbc newsworld's 'the hour' and featured life in thailand, specifically in bangkok in and around its sex districts. jordan starts off his journey meeting this 19 year old bar girl named pla. throughout the feature, pla's smile and laughter merely mask her vulnerability and shady past as a peasant girl. from her dad taking off, to her stepmom putting her hand in scolding hot water to having to work as a bar girl, pla's life ain't nuttin' nice. jordan does a really good job of capturing the character of pla and her city. watching the film, i quickly realized that this doc really gets to the nitty gritty of life "over there" - because certainly, that wasn't canadian life that i just watched. "bangkok girl" illustrates the turmoil and bullshit that a lot of thai girls go through. it shows the drugs and alcohol, it shows how european and american, canadian and australian men exploit the sex trade there, how the corrupt police support these sick fuckers and how the girls either end up dead or....??.....yea, that's about it, they end up dead (sadly).

this film is important because it gets to the heart and core of exactly why i want to and need to take my se asian backpacking trip this fall. at first, when i came up with the idea, i wanted to check out india, tibet and thailand for spiritual aspects. i really wanted to visit the monestaries or even check out one or two hindu festivals. unfortunately, being that the three are spread apart distance-wise, i shifted my eyes toward thailand, cambodia, vietnam and possibly the philippines (briefly). it only makes sense. these places will open up my eyes...my spoiled and ignorant westernized eyes.

i've been asked "why do you need to visit the place to appreciate your own life, can't you appreciate life without doing that?"

that's a good question, and i can but being there and seeing the sights, smelling the rotten air and meeting the people...there's something about all of that that just can't be staged in my head, alone. this is something i have to check out. posh, resort-type trips are nice..and partying with other tourists is fine, but not for this trip. fuck the holiday inn, white sands and curfews. forget about the gourmet cuisine and stage shows - all i need are 3 squares and a cot.

people ask me why?

why, jay, why?

why not europe?
the art, the culture, the food, the people, the sights, the sounds, the history.

i ask why not asia?
why not southeast asia?

those are my people; my comrades; my reality.

how about asia's culture, food, people, sights, sounds and history? why not backpack the cities...the villages...the mountains..the jungles?

no doubt that if this trip falls through, it'll be a hard one -- but that's exactly why i wanna go. on top of that, i ain't a follower, im a leader; a trailblazer.

i know, without a doubt, this trip will affect my reality. now is the time to do so. whenever i get up each morning and walk out of my door, everything is just so routine for me. it's overkill and repetitive. i go to school, come back home and sleep. then the day repeats...for weeks, months and years. i can't help but realize that this world expands far beyond my block and further than the realms of the 40 minute bus ride to my university. there's so much to see in this world; places to go and people to meet. i have to get out there and now's my chance.

i could do europe...or south america but first, i have to do asia. at this point in time, it's a must for me. it'll affect my reality and set up how i plan on shaping myself, not just as a man, but a human.

getting back to the documentary, if you get the chance to watch "bangkok girl", check it out, please.
it'll repeat again tonite at 2am so if you read this, you have a good 1.5 hrs to prep.

see you soon, world.

- jay

[bangkok girl synopsis]

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jay d [ 12:02 AM ]

5 Comments:

  • a-men!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:55 PM  

  • word is bond.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:09 AM  

  • "that's a good question, and i can but being there and seeing the sights, smelling the rotten air and meeting the people...there's something about all of that that just can't be staged in my head, alone. this is something i have to check out. posh, resort-type trips are nice..and partying with other tourists is fine, but not for this trip. fuck the holiday inn, white sands and curfews. forget about the gourmet cuisine and stage shows - all i need are 3 squares and a cot."

    i could quote your whole post but yeah.

    i've been second guessing myself on that philippine trip i've been dying to do since last year or a year and a half ago. mannn... i thought i settled it all already, had myself convinced that i can do it at a later time, when life is "all set" [gotta wonder when that'll be]. but it's true, "at this point in time, it's a must for me. it'll affect my reality and set up how i plan on shaping myself, not just as a [wo]man, but a human."

    i don't know, man. passion is so contagious; now i feel like i can't just ignore the islands' call.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:20 PM  

  • you gotta go, jo...gotta!

    glad that post could be of use. thanks for the input.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:48 PM  

  • Hi I saw that show to, when I went to Thailand though I realised that it just wasn't accurate.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:11 AM  

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