In Korea with absolutely nothing to do! (Updated. Thank you for posting your questions!)
Up bright and early to take videos of the team training, but in the lobby Manager Matt said the coaching staff had an issue with the media being around all the time and would prefer to keep it closed.
Oh goody I still have my cred. Can’t be seen as a publicist.
So I have the day off (the week off, if I only cover the two games)!
Time to catch up on my much-delayed Bahay Bata UK tour reports.
On the radio show whenever we had no guests (which was half the time) Little David and I would invite listeners to ask us anything and we would riff on the questions for the next three hours.
I have free time! Ask me anything.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
May 31st, 2011 at 13:08
Do you eat Kimchi?
Can you at least have a twitter account?
Do you watch Gossip girls?
Movies that you want to watch this year.
May 31st, 2011 at 14:11
jeffwar314: Yes, I love kimchi. No, no facebook or twitter unless I absolutely have the need. No, I don’t watch TV except for Game Of Thrones. I’m looking forward to X-Men First Class and I’m bummed I can’t go to the media preview tomorrow. It opens in Manila Thursday or Friday. I also want to see Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre (Michael Fassbender fan).
May 31st, 2011 at 15:00
what was the last computer/video game you played?
how was high school like?
May 31st, 2011 at 15:26
tu vas au “Rugby World Cup” en Nouvelle-Zélande cette année?
coz i’m definitely going! got the tickets for France vs Tonga. impossible to get a ticket for any of New Zealand’s team’s games, though.
i’m not into rugby, but i’m all for visiting NZ. so… ;)
May 31st, 2011 at 15:29
i just noticed i used “tu” instead of “vous”… feeling close. haha!
May 31st, 2011 at 16:12
Do you think Angelina Jolie is a good actress? Do you have a favorite Angelina Jolie movie?
May 31st, 2011 at 17:35
Can you recommend a place within Metro Manila or nearby provinces where one can spend a long weekend immersed in local art and enjoy local cuisine? Said place must be easily accessible by bus or any land public transport.
May 31st, 2011 at 17:38
Hi Jessica, I just thought about your radio show, the Sunday one, a few days ago. It was one of my treats whenever I was home in the province from university – in UP Baguio, where we couldn’t access the Manila radio stations. I thought to myself then that listening to you was something that should be done on its own. To listen to Twisted (for me) it was best to lie down with a view of the sky from my window and not do anything else. Just three hours of eavesdropping and laughing and enjoying.
Would you consider doing (irregular and informal) podcasts for your listeners all over the globe?
May 31st, 2011 at 18:28
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten outside the Philippines?
If you were to explore your favorite city in the world, who would you choose to go with? And what city would it be?
If given a chance to, is there something from the 80’s or the 90’s that you’d want to bring to this decade?
May 31st, 2011 at 18:29
hi jessica, have you considered getting a kindle?
May 31st, 2011 at 18:45
Would you consider reading on a Kindle?
Who would you cast as Pierre in War and Peace?
Would you be open to lending to your readers your collection of French films?
Which works of art at the Louvre bowled you over? (Was the Mona Lisa a letdown?)
Did you read a novel set in Korea prior to this trip?
May 31st, 2011 at 19:24
Who do you think will win the 2011 French Open? I remember reading about a friend of yours who can’t watch live tennis matches. I am the same way. Any advice? It’s killing me. Oh, and what cat litter brand do you use?
May 31st, 2011 at 19:42
what’s there to see in Korea? if it was going to japan vs going to korea, which would you choose and why? i’ve got this theory that ‘kids’/people our age who grew up in the philippines have this fascination for japan. i still can’t pinpoint the reason, even in terms of my own fascination only.
any sign of the same fascination for korea? what’s interesting there?
May 31st, 2011 at 21:39
Who do you think will win at this year’s Roland Garros?
June 1st, 2011 at 01:05
is this your first time in korea? how are you enjoying it so far?
June 1st, 2011 at 01:18
the shop at ayala museum greenbelt –can anyone go there to hang out in silence? for free?
June 1st, 2011 at 02:29
Hi Jessica, a few questions (some of which may be more appropriate for Aunty Janey):
1. Have you ever felt your life was going nowhere? If so, how did you deal with that situation?
2. What are your aspirations at the moment?
3. Of the things you’ve done in the past (columnist on Today, radio personality, TV host, cable channel movie critique, author, podcast-er) which did you enjoy the most and why?
4. What’s your most prized material possesion?
5. What’s your ultimate favorite comfort food (or beverage) of all time?
6. What are the first 3 websites you go to when you click open a browser?
yun lang. kamsamida!
June 1st, 2011 at 06:32
Nothing to do in Seoul? Then you should skip across the DMZ and visit North Korea. Plenty of things to look at there, if you let their Dear Leader be your guide:
http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/
June 1st, 2011 at 09:12
atomic_bum: I haven’t played video games in years. I get addicted so I just don’t start. So when I need to do something rote and repetitive I do laundry.
It’s What was high school like. Unhappy, but no more unhappy than other people’s. I did get a lot of story material out of it. Conclusion: If I did not endure that, I would not sound like this.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:24
roseriver: “Tu” away. I would love to go to RWC and I love New Zealand. However I find that planning generally does not work for me (which is terrible because I overthink everything). What works is just assuming that I’m going to a specific place. Then, mysteriously, the trip arranges itself.
I know! My life is weird. So I’m always ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Always have a bag packed with basic stuff (which I need to do anyway because if my cats see me packing they attack my luggage).
June 1st, 2011 at 09:27
tigerstalker: Yes, I’m a fan. Many actresses have attempted to become action stars but only she is a convincing killer. I really enjoyed Salt, more so because it was written for Tom Cruise originally and it’s painful to see him trying so hard. Angelina’s roles have been dwarfed by her personality—maybe she should work with a French director.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:33
the chronicler of boredom: Here’s a place for you: Antipolo. You can visit the Pinto Art Museum—between the art and the beautiful grounds that should take half a day. You can go to Benji Reyes’s studio and look at furniture. Then you can eat at Vieux Chalet or Crescent Moon. I think you can take the bus up to Antipolo and take buses, jeeps and taxis to get around.
If you want to go farther out, there’s Quezon. Good places to eat longganisang Lucban and pancit habhab, and you can check out Ugu Bigyan’s workshop.
Even farther out: Baguio. BenCab Museum. The refurbished Vallejo Inn, which now has a bookstore run by Padma and Fifi Perez. Cafe by the Ruins.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:36
deckshoes: Thanks! Good to know there were people listening; sometimes I thought we were talking into the void haha. Yes, I will do podcasts regularly. I just need my schedule to calm down a little. (But not so calm that I end up doing nothing. Which is what happens.)
June 1st, 2011 at 09:45
Oh my! Do a podcast with the Volcanoes! :)
When I was there, I never got a taste of Korean barbeque, or any meat for that matter. I was with the International Vaccine Institute people and they served us nothing but vegetables and fish. The fish was basically boneless tinapa, but the veggies were either kimchi or kimchi-based. Which brings me to my actual question: Have you tried cold, kimchi soup for breakfast? It’s everything my former yaya would say is bad for you in the morning: cold, sour, and spicy.
Korea is nice, don’t you think? Since so many Koreans are migrating to Manila, I intend to propose a switch. Let’s just move there and they can take Manila.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:48
bella_luna: I have the palate of a stevedore so I have no major complaints about foreign cuisine. No, wait, American mall food courts. The selection: Bleeeccch.
My favorite city at the moment is Venice and I usually go alone. I really like being alone in strange cities and talking to myself (silently, not like people using bluetooth phones). Though it would be fun to travel with my sister again, we always have odd adventures.
I’ve been listening to Jeff Buckley a lot, so the answer is 90s music. (He’d have to be brought back from the other side.)
June 1st, 2011 at 09:49
bomberman: Yes, when my arm started to ache from lifting War and Peace.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:54
avignon: Jason Segel or Seth Rogen as Pierre (Seth will have to put the weight back on.) No need, the films are on the net if people really want them. Winged Victory because she looks alive (though headless).
You remember the thing about reading a novel set in the country you’re visiting! I’m reading The Hunters by the great James Salter, who was a fighter pilot in the Korean War. It’s about a fighter pilot in the Korean War. If there were justice Salter would the most famous writer in existence.
June 1st, 2011 at 09:59
greatcornholio: It looks to be Djokovic’s year, but tonight I’ll be watching (or more likely following the live scores on tennis.com) the Federer-Djokovic semifinal and rooting for Roger.
Yes, Tennis Mike cannot watch matches live. Best to watch matches with friends who will scream, eat their cuticles, and shred the tablecloth with you.
My cats can’t be picky about kitty litter—we’re just happy there’s litter in supermarkets. Any non-clumping unscented kitty litter will do.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:04
sunflowii: In Seoul, architecture, food and night markets. I’d like to go to Japan because I find their culture intriguing. Also love their design. I think Japanophilia is global and not limited to Filipino kids.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:06
ved: No, it’s not my first visit. I’d enjoy it more if I were let in the loop instead of having to get my producer in Manila to ask for access on my behalf.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:07
medy: There is no charge for going into the Ayala Museum shop.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:14
greeneggsnham: That’s a lot of questions.
1. Everyone gets dispirited at some point. I go to the movies, it always cheers me up.
2. I’d like to go to Saint Petersburg, Russia.
3. I think of them all as writing jobs. As long as I’m writing I’m fine.
4. My notebooks, passport, Mac.
5. Bikolano food: laing and pinangat. Although last Sunday I forced my friends to wait in line with me for a table at Abe’s. I had to have the sinuteng baby squid.
6. My email (because I refuse to access it on my phone), 3 Quarks Daily, The Guardian.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:31
Thanks for the answer Ms Z! Angelina is my favorite actress, her and Nicole Kidman. I also loved the fact Salt was made for Cruise but Jolie pulled it off extremely well. I’m hoping for a part 2 :) I just wish she’d do more dramas so she can get her best actress Oscar.
Another question, have you been to Australia?
June 1st, 2011 at 10:38
listbonne: I’m not much of a breakfast person, but if I were to have breakfast it would be a stack of pancakes and bacon.
Korea has lovely weather and so much greenery. In Ansan the landscape gardening is by Edward Scissorhands apparently. Wouldn’t want to switch locations with the Philippines though. Crazy neighbor with nuclear warheads.
June 1st, 2011 at 10:39
What would be your answer to the question posed by this site, Ms. J?
http://therumpus.net/2011/02/funny-women-45-one-handed-reading/
June 1st, 2011 at 10:40
tigerstalker: Yes I’ve been to Australia, and I have eaten kangaroo, emu, alligator, various marsupials.
June 1st, 2011 at 13:18
ooh podcast! please guest sir teddy boy locsin too!
June 1st, 2011 at 15:45
Yay! Podcast! :)) Please make a podcast version of Jock With a Book too! I’d love to hear them athletes discuss the book they read with you.
June 2nd, 2011 at 01:50
“I thought we were talking into the void” — you most definitely weren’t! You had listeners aplenty, a clever bunch, too :)
I would even take notes, don my banana earrings, and do a recap of an episode
(freak ampucha hahaha). Followed you on POV (even though Dong Puno bored me & find Moe rather vacuous) as faithfully as I did Takeshi’s Castle.
Yes to podcasts!!!
June 2nd, 2011 at 08:28
polaris: Thanks! Years after POV ended people would tell me that they watched it every week. How?? Were they watching the delayed telecast on another solar system?
June 2nd, 2011 at 15:08
Perhaps they taped their favorite episodes and replayed it every week? Not that i ever did such a thing :D
June 2nd, 2011 at 16:43
@jessica, @polaris: Those were the times when it was not easy (tech-wise) for readers/listeners to interact, that’s why.
I liked the regulars such as the twins, the astrologer guy (though you always took the mickey out of him haha)…My friend and I once went to the Megamall basement just to check if he was really there. We passed a few times, sneaking glances. He must have thought we were strange.
Thanks again, J. I’ll look forward to the podcasts, though a part of me fears I will become nostalgic for those Sunday afternoons more.