The Sympathizer

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An anonymous narrator writes a confession about his time in exile in America. As a North Vietnamese mole embedded in the South Vietnamese military, he is there to experience the fall of Saigon himself before being airlifted to Guam and continuing his journey as a refugee to the United States. With him is his best friend Bon who has lost all will to live after his wife and son fail to make it out of Vietnam alive. The two become roommates in a tiny room, living the “American Dream” while maintaining a double life as immigrants and covert military men, carrying out assassinations of other refugees suspected as northern spies by whatever is left of the exiled South Vietnamese government. Being a son of a French priest and a Vietnamese mother, the narrator reflects on the duality of his existence, his job, as well as his relationship with the West and the East as a half-half who never seems to be ever given a chance to become whole.

The Merchant of Venice

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A young member of the Venetian nobility named Bassanio desires marriage to a young wealthy heiress called Portia who resides in Belmont. Not wise with his spending and with no ducats left to fund his courtship of her, he turns to his friend Antonio, a merchant, who agrees to become his guarantor should he manage to secure a loan from a willing party. Bassanio ends up borrowing the required amount from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who is furious because his daughter Jessica has converted to Christianity and marries Lorenzo, a friend of Antonio and Bassanio. When Shylock fails to collect the amount he has lent to Bassanio due to Antonio’s ships where his wealth is locked in being stranded at sea, he brings the matter to the Venetian court and demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh in lieu of his monetary debt. Conniving to rescue their friends, Portia hatches a plan to outwit the Jew.

[KANSAI] Budget and Itinerary (3)

THURSDAY: August 8, 2024

Cebu Pacific (Manila - Osaka - Manila) - 12,220.00

Kansai-Kuko (Kansai Airport - Namba) - 970.00

White Hostel Shinsaibashi (7 Nights) - 20,540.00

McDonalds (5 pcs Nuggets w/ Fries & Coke) - 550.00

Lawson (Groceries) - 400.00

JPY34,680.00

[SHIGA] Beach Day at Lake Biwa

Looking at my prefecture map of Japan yet again, I noticed another prefecture in Kansai that hasn’t been visited yet. What’s a bit interesting about Shiga is that the entire prefecture is almost made up by a land area embracing Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, as if the prefecture’s sole purpose is to surround the lake on all sides. The lake is said to be 4 million years old and serves as the prefecture’s main tourist attraction. Lake, huh? Okay, we can beach there, after a good mix of mountain Buddhism, a castle, and deer. A big body of water should be the best way to wrap up our visit to Kansai. But where should we go?

[NARA] A Deer for Everyone and Everyone for a Deer

The plan was to diversify the kinds of attraction to visit for each prefecture. The obvious choice for Nara would have been temples since it did serve as the capital of the country during the Nara period between 710 and 794 AD and, thus, has its own fair share of worship places. But who are we kidding here? Nara is more popular nowadays for its deer population. Doe, a deer, a female deer. The male ones with big antlers. They are all here. Everywhere you go, actually. But first, how do we get here in the first place? Nara is part of the region of Kansai, often dwarfed by the grandeur of its more popular neighbors Osaka and Kyoto.

[HYOGO] Himeji Castle

Just how many Japanese castles do you need? When is enough enough? It’s NEVER enough. It was decided early on that Kobe will be the representative of Hyogo prefecture. A simple cityscape tour along the bay. I wasn’t aware that a train ride to Kobe from Osaka won’t even take an hour. And then I consulted Wikitravel and suddenly there was a contender. Himeji. It has a castle and it’s not that far from Kobe. After some serious deliberation, a compromise was reached to visit Himeji Castle in the morning and then go on a side trip to Kobe’s Nunobiki Falls on the way back. Only the castle trip materialized because I was out of time.

[WAKAYAMA] The Koyasan Daytrip

I looked at my prefecture map of Kansai and noticed that there are prefectures quite accessible to and from Osaka that haven’t been visited yet. I don’t blame myself, though, because this whole “visit every prefecture” is a new thing, fuelled by my intention to maximize my multiple entry Japan visa before it expires in March next year. One of those prefectures was Wakayama. I usually just visit the namesake city when there isn’t much to see, but Wakayama offered an alternative in the form of a Buddhist mountain retreat called Koyasan. Ok, then. Let’s go there instead for some soul searching and relaxation!

Things Fall Apart

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Ibo tribe leader Okonkwo is known in his clan of Umuofia as a ruthless warrior. His fame is brought about by one of his historic fights as the local wrestling champion, etching his strength and skill into the psyche of his tribesmen. Coming from nothing due to a deadbeat father, Okonkwo strives tirelessly and manages to establish a reputable life of his own, with a yam farm, three wives, and several children to succeed him. When an unfortunate incident tarnishes his honor, he and his family are forced to flee back to his motherland as dictated by local customs. There, they remain in exile for seven years, everybody yearning for the life they had back in Umuofia. Once they are done serving their sentence, Okonkwo aims for a big comeback, but his fatherland is no longer the home he left now that it has been subjected to the colonial rule of white men.

Klara and the Sun

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A solar powered artificial friend or AF, Klara boasts unusually impeccable observational skills that could trump even those which the newer B3 models are known to possess. Regularly moved everywhere from the window to the middle section of the store, she and another B2 AF called Rosa are spending more and more time at the back due to their impending obsolescence. As Rosa is purchased and finds a new home, Klara counts on the promise of a young girl named Josie who has come back a few times to take a look at her saying that she would buy her once she convinces her mother. When that day finally comes, Klara is introduced to a new household far from the city with wide fields and just one close neighbor nearby, Klara’s friend Rick and his mother. As Josie’s fragile health condition is revealed, Klara makes a bargain with the sun which she worships to improve the condition of her new owner, even if it means sacrificing something of hers in return.