what the fuck am i doing in saigon

i want to fall in love with the city. will i?

having not-quite-lost-in-translation moments here. vietnamese english is another hurdle. work had been slow for the first day–isn’t that always the case?

the reason for feeling the blues here in saigon might be attributed to the lack of sunlight in my hotel room. it. sucks.

aleks commented on my location change on facebook: “what are you doing in vietnam?” my answer: “shifting from print media to digital.”

but then i wrote to her personally. “honestly, i don’t know what i’m doing in vietnam.”

 

 

agitated

it’s 2:49 and i’m listless. i guess this feeling always comes along every time i have to leave for a place for an indefinite period. now it’s ho chi minh i’m headed to. yes, i got the job that i was excited about in my previous post. gonna be a new media art director. after five years in the publishing industry, i am going digital. let’s see what happens to me here. i have a positive feeling about this.

been meeting a lot of friends lately. almost every day i have been going out. it’s all good. i can’t write about everything in detail but maybe i will make a list so at least i won’t forget. i enjoyed myself all the while.

1. Lunch with Marian at Ms. B

2. Coffee at Starbucks with Paolo

3. Pho 24 dinner and Adamson Center drinks with LM

4. Zombadings and coffee with Paolo

5. Dance practice at MR’s house with Mar, Marian and Ianne (nasingit lang siya ahehe)

6. Dinner at Crazy Katsu with Enna, Kat, Larie, Prech and Ada

7. Wine at Barcino with Paco

8. Sound tripping in Meetle with Paco (syempre separate pa kahit same night)

then tomorrow, it’s garage’s party at republiq (what to wear? the theme is 80′s bboy –what the hell does that mean for a girl?) thursday may be yoga. friday, i dunno. YES FRIDAY I’M FREE! saturday, probably meet up with reza. sunday, it’s gonna be spent with chiara, et al.

 

trying to squeeze in everyone in this 2 week sched. i feel like a typewriter now.

 

 

 

In-betweener

There’s nothing else to do but type my ramblings here while waiting for something, anything to happen in my career. Earlier today, I happened to get intrigued by this job posting of a company looking for a New Media Art Director. The company is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet yeah Nam! So I decided to write (or rather, custom fit a template) cover letter to the creative director, whose name sounded French. Wasn’t expecting any reply from him anyway, given my experience in applying to jobs here in Singapore. I got a bit excited though, since it’s one of those moments that make you feel a bit hopeful to get a nod from the CD, because it’s the CD you’re already talking to.

However, in a matter of minutes, Mr. Creative Director asked for more typography-driven work from me! Unfortunately, my work with Cosmo SG hasn’t been properly uploaded yet in my new book, so I had to send some of my old magazine work and zine “experiments” . Let’s see how that turns out, if ever he decides to become more interested in my work.

…

It’s so strange how suddenly I’m in the mood to apply for full time jobs. This really goes against my way of thinking last year, that gap-year of artistic and geographic freedom. Is it a perspective shift, trying to find that niche that will require my utmost commitment? Commitment?! What the? The last time I checked, I was enjoying being a stranger. Or writing about flings. Or just wanting to be out there.

Anyway, all these jobs I’ve been hunting for are not in my home country anyway. Have I grown to become a stranger?

Packing Up

10 days left until I go back to Manila. I don’t know if it’s an act of submission to my fate in Singapore. But I do know that I only have 30 days to remain here beginning August 1. I didn’t maximize the allowable time frame for me as it would only mean spending more money in the country. Food and socializing can get very expensive.

I have moved out of my flat at Bukit Merah View and now bunking over at Chiara’s apartment down the road at Henderson Crescent. Six people live in her flat– all Pinoy, but in all aspects they are Filipino. (Like how my former roommie Alex describes them: hardcore Pinoy.) None of the American accent of my former flatmates. TFC is mostly on the tube. Menudo is on their dining table.

Menudo?! I mean, we don’t even cook menudo that often back at my house in Marikina. That’s how Pinoy this household is. Somehow I miss the westernized, fake American-ness of my old apartment. In a way, it did  like being out of the Philippines.

And now, settling here at Henderson Crescent perhaps makes the transition of going back home faster. Not that I need any proper transition.

It’s just so fast, going here and the leaving part. Just when I was starting to get accustomed to the lifestyle! Maybe Singapore is not for me. Well, I haven’t really said anything great about my host country in the few months I have lived here.