The Sojourner

2010 Shanghai World Expo: Africa

The pavilions from the African continent is sort of quite, except, for South Africa where there was a queue but not that long. Owe that for their football fame that made the Chinese goers curious. Or maybe, Nelson Mandela's huge pic drew them together.

Egypt, too, had a long queue. I could have gone inside had time allow.

One thing that annoys me in the Expo is the people queuing up so their Expo passports will be stamped as an evidence that they've been there to that pavilion. They might keep it and who knows sell it on e-bay?

When we were at the Swiss Pavilion, this Swiss girl was so busy stamping passports when we asked her if we could try doing her job. She agreed and it was fun. The crowd was uncontrollable, noisy and as if they were fighting, pushing for the only food on the table.

Enough.

 

2010 Shanghai World Expo: The Americas

Canada and the USA are the giants in The Americas area. They're the most queued pavilions. Obviously because they have economies that matter in the world.

Surprisingly, The Carribbean, Americas and Africa zones are not as crowded as Europe and Asia zones. Reckon that, except USA and Canada, the rest of the countries are least known to the Chinese people.

Wait..... BRAZIL, of course was a huge hit for their football team fame.

Catch Argentina's Tango show between 6:00 p.m. It's very sensual, passionate and yes, it teases your libidinal energy.


They'll let you in through the VIP area if you are Brazilian. Expect audio-visual footages of football on huge screens.


Cirque de Soliel is Canada's theme inside. Part-magical.


Chile's Pavilion is the best one I've been to in the Americas zone. The use of space and wood are very commendable. Don't forget to have a glass of wine before you exit.


Ewwwww... inside was very disappointing!


Cigar, anyone?


Fabulously colourful. Don't forget to take a glimpse of Frida Kahlua's self portrait.


Hello, Peru, your Pavilion was crap. But the food at the resto was real good. Hmmmm....


Didn't go inside because even at almost 9:00 pm, the queue was still unbearable.


No idea what's in there. Doesn't look inviting. :((

2010 Shanghai World Expo: Asia Pavilions 2

To continue the Asia Pavilions at the ongoing Shanghai World Expo, the next countries are from Nepal - Vietnam.

I think it would be best to visit the Expo area at night to get really nice photos. Don't fret, the expo closes at midnight but admittance will only be until 9:00pm. So, if you are a camwhore , like me, go and pose like a pro cam slut sans the real stars in the sky but with illuminating lights from every pavilions.

Mt. Everest via Nepal. Wanna climb?


New Zealand's Pavilion has a lot of room for air.


Mystical Pakistan.


Representing from the 7,101 islands of The Philippines!!!!!


Hello, Qatar, is there an air-conditioner inside your mansion? :)


The Merlion City. Adele, is that chu? :))


South Korea in full, vibrant colors.


The land of smiles.... Thailand.


Feels like hot in desert.


Their pavilion is made of rattan. Awesome, isn't it?

2010 Shanghai World Expo: Asia Pavilions 1

Before finally leaving China for Canada, I connected my flight here in Shanghai so I could see the grandeur, beauty and pomp of this wondrous event that happens only ONCE in ten years!

Today, I started my camwhoring at the Expo Area in Pudong and it was very, very impressive. I didn't realize how fabulous the event is until I started strolling the Expo Village.

There were massive, impressive and creative architectural designs---showcasing each country's best of the bests.

The queues were long and the searing heat of the sun was impeccably nasty. People didn't seem to mind it. They entered every country's pavilion so they could see a lot more in a short time.

I only went inside to 9 pavilions, mostly less known countries because there wasn't any queue. I only queued up in Philippines, Malaysia and Australia Pavilions.

The rest of the pavilions, I was just taking pictures of the facade. I am a very impatient person and queueing up is NOT my forte.

Also, I can't stand poisonous, ghastly armpit odor.  :)

Very outback-ish, eh? :))


Kingdom of Cambodia


China's Pavilion. It has the longest queue ever. Wrinkles....


Where's the touch of Taj Mahal? :)


Indonesia is BIODIVERSITY city.


It was soooo quiet there at night and the lights were perfect! Very conducive for meditation.


I love Israel. The men. :))


According to Japan, the future is soooo PINK! This Pavilion has the second longest queue (next to China) among Asian countries.


There's only one girl that comes to mind when this country is mentioned: Aizhan. Miss her. :(


Malaysia, truly Asia. Don't you think she's very photogenic at night?


Morocco, I'm wistfully thinking of you. 

More photos of other countries tomorrow.

The Bund: A Photogenic Whore

If I have to judge between the two biggest cities (Beijing and Shanghai) in China, Beijing is more photogenic during the day---and Shanghai is more photogenic at night.

I lived in Beijing for more than 5 years and I never ever got tired of photographing the city---anywhere. I've been here in Shanghai soooo many times that I lost count and what a photogenic whore this city is at night! She's such a camwhore, like me.

When darkness eclipses the sun, Shanghai is the city that seems to say "cheese" everytime someone clicks the shutter.

You will be stunned by its beauty, especially in THE BUND.

These people are just watching the world go by.


This is perhaps the most photographed place in China, next to the Great Wall.

The Bund at Night


The colonial buildings along Zhongshan Lu.


This photo is NOT photoshopped. I took this early evening while the sky was so blue.

Leaving again

I'll be leaving the third world again tomorrow---for the second time around.

You know that I'm not good at saying goodbye. It doesn't make me cry but it does make me feel sad.

Being a drama queen myself, the act of saying goodbye is too much for me to handle so as much as possible I don't say goodbye to people. A thank you would be appropriate I guess.

And speaking of leaving... I promised a reader to post a pic of a hetero guy posing shirtless with me.

So, J, this one's for you. Now, you don't have to curse my sex life for ten years. Hahahaha...  

Drooling?

Don't you ever think what we did after the shoot. He's so intimately closer to his God. I don't wanna compete.

Promise, we're just FRIENDS.

Really.

Cross my heart.

Filipino Dishes

An Italian reader wanted me to post Filipino dishes I devoured with gusto while vacationing here. I tried to take as many pics I want but these are the only ones presentable and the ones I'd love to eat again and again and again.

As you would see, there's not much meat here. I tried to eat as much fish as I could because it's healthy and so cheap in the third world.

I'm not a foodie person so I won't comment much about the food. I eat whatever is on the table as long as they're not raw. ;) But, there's one raw food I'd love to lick (not really eat)... and u know it. Hahahahahaha...

I don't even know how to cook. There I said it in this blog a million times already.

  I've come to love this food because my ex loved it. He could eat this every meal of the day. Ok, fine, I sound so pathetic now.


This is really spicy. It's Bicol Region's famous dish.


They're like the baby crabs. Softee.


Milkfish is the country's national fish. Who doesn't love it?


Give me fish and I'll devour 'em all.


Boy, when I ordered this one, a guy who was standing behind me said, "You like it? I love this this dish. It's a staple food for me---and I love it more than my GF."
There you go. Imagine how delicious must this be.


Bacolod's pride. Sinfully delicious.


This is my second fave food.


And this is..... my favorite food!

You see, I'm just a simple guy who loves food of the poor. ;))

The Fab Word

My last name is FAB.

Everyone knows it already, I know. It's a word that is sacred and only few people have the right to call themselves FAB.

As I strolled around the narrow street of Adriatico, Malate, Manila, Philippines, I saw this ad:

Who the hell "murder" my last name? It is soooooo used in a freakin' wrong way! For a laundry and dry cleaning business? What's fabulous about it? Hellooooooooo.....

Some people really deserve a bitch slap from a real FAB. Period. :))

Eric Santos: Prince of Pop

In third world Philippines, Eric Santos is the Prince of Pop. I don't know him actually but he seems cool. And yes, he seems gay.

A friend told me that he's the grand winner of the STAR IN A MILLION, an amateur singing contest on TV.

He was a guest in the recent MUTYA HONG BUTUAN Beauty Pageant and he, indeed, wowed the crowd with his soothing voice. While the rest were so gaga over him, I won't do him. I'd rather go for a construction worker. Hahahahaha...

Mutya Hong Butuan 2010 Winners

Two nights ago, a new Mutya Hong Butuan was crowned. Candidate number 2, Soundy Manuel, bested all other candidates---even the crowd's favorite, candidate number 1, Hidie Amor Ignilan, who also grabbed most of the minor awards that night.

Of all the Mutya Hong Butuan Beauty Pageant I have witnessed, last night was the most political.

Can you imagine  a voice-over announcer casting his spiels about Philippine Festivals and ended with, "Please watch the video."

And guess, what appeared on screen? It's the accomplishments of the outgoing mayor of the city to the tune of Dan Seal's, ONE FRIEND. Talk about a farewell song, speech or whatevah. 

Very cheesy. What the fuck?

Then, the judges, the tabulators and the the pageant committee members were asked to sashay their asses on stage which really made it so irrelevant. It was a novel idea but crap. ;)   

Anyway, here are the photos of the fabulous pageant. I don't wanna talk that much about the pageant as a whole but honestly, there were a lot of things that should be marked with big XXXXX!

Best in Cocktail Dress: Candidate number 1
Miss Photogenic: Candidate number 1
Miss Friendship: Candidate number 9
Best in Artistic Performance: Candidate number 7
Best in Summer Wear: Candidate number 1

Best in Evening Gown: Candidate number 1
Best in Oral Communication: Candidate number 7
Miss Belo: Candidate number 6
Miss Nesvita: Candidate number 2
Miss Pretty Face: Candidate number 5
Miss Flawless: Candidate number 3

Special Guest: Marky something.... a finalist of Pinoy Got Talent
Special Guest: Eric Santos, Star in a Million winner and so-called King of Pop in the third world.

(Watch for the blog entry tomorrow. It's Eric's video!)

Miss Natasha Beauty: Candidate number 10
Festival Queen: Candidate number 3
Miss Coke Zero: Candidate number 2
Miss Globe: Candidate number 4
Miss Silky Hair: Candidate number 8
Best in Swimwear: Candidate number 1



From left to right:
Candidate number 2: Mutya Hong Butuan 2010
Candidate number 6: Second Runner Up
Candidate number 3: First Runner up
Candidate number 1: Mutya Hong Butuan-Tourism
Candidate number 10: Third Runner Up

Congratulations, ladies!

P.S.

THANKS TO Lorejane, one of the Artistic Directors, for my complimentary ticket. :))