CRISTY IN THE CITY

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Ed Sheeran Mathematics Tour MNL 2024: A visual sonic feast

Not really a Swiftie but a Sheerio ;)

All roads led to Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour 2024 at SMDC Festival Grounds last Saturday, March 9, 2024. I missed his Manila concert back in 2018 and this year, I didn’t want to miss it for the world. So without a blink of an eye, I jumped on the earliest available Air Asia flight last Saturday to catch the concert in the evening. My sister treated me to CAT3 reserved seat tickets at the open air venue so I was super thrilled and grateful to see Ed Sheeran a little bit closer than I imagined. Our vantage point allowed us to fully appreciate the monumental stage set-up, a circular LED screen held up by laser sourced Ayrton lighting rigs and a fully automated, TAIT navigated revolving stage that gave the audience a full unobstructed view of the beloved British singer-songwriter. The immersive light and sound technology employed in this concert definitely blurred the lines between live performance and digital art wizardry. Mathematics Tour 2024 is all that it adds up to be and more.

Crowd favorite local indie folk pop band Ben & Ben was the front act for the evening. Bloody excellent choice, Ed! I was doubly stoked as Ben & Ben is my fave local artist and I've always wanted to see and hear them play live. I am a fan of their music genre and it was refreshing to hear the 9-piece band play their popular songs like Leaves, Kathang Isip, etc to an adoring crowd. The highlight of the evening would have to be Ed Sheeran sharing the stage with the B&B twin brothers Miguel Benjamin and Paolo Benjamin Guico (hence Ben & Ben) for a duet of their hit song Maybe the Night. Ed singing the lyrics of Maybe the Night gave us all the warm fuzzies!

Ed Sheeran opened the show with fireworks and an electrifying rendition of Tides, the first song in his 28 song setlist that ended with an equally charged song Bad Habits. A curtain of fireworks closed the stage, a fitting culmination to an unforgettable night. Almost all of my favorite songs were in the setlist- The A Team, Lego House, Shape of You, Galway Girl, Castle on the Hill and Afterglow so I was one happy Sheerio. Perfect is one song I often play on my guitar so I felt really surreal when Ed Sheeran sang it to a gently swaying crowd, their mobile phones lighting up the night like a swarm of fireflies. At the start of the show, Ed assured the audience that everything in the concert is performed live. He emphasized that no single concert of his sounds exactly the same. With guitar in hand and his signature loop pedal, Sheeran was a one-man rock band, his every move amplified and transformed into mesmerizing, almost hypnotic thematic MTV style LED board videos. I've been to many rock concerts (in my youth, hehe) and I can say Sheeran's rotating stage platform is a breakthrough in audience engagement. In whatever seat tier you are, you are given the equal opportunity to see the performer in 360 degree glory.

My favorite part of the concert aside from Ed’s duet with Ben & Ben is his heart stirring rendition of Tenerife Sea, a song which I particularly adore and that never fails to give me goosebumps. The excited crowd fell into a hushed spell when he reached the bridge of the song and softly crooned "Lumiere darling, lumiere over me, lumiere darling, lumiere over me." Ah, my heart slayed by this ginger-haired Brit.

Ed's set started at 8:15 pm and ended at 10:40 pm. Another front-act was Calum Scott, a fellow Brit and alumnus of Britain's Got Talent. We missed his performance since we got entangled in the Pasay City traffic jam (I meant it literally when I said all roads led to SMDC). As expected going home after the concert is another story in itself. Despite the challenging post-concert traffic situation, Pinoy Sheerios went home happy, bathed in a warm concert afterglow.

The cool breeze and pleasant weather (so untypical of summer nights) made the concert more enjoyable and memorable. In the night sky, the new moon shone, the lumiere that Ed Sheeran's music makes us feel.

We can't wait for Ed to come back! Don't make us wait for another 6 years, please!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Forward March

February rolled by so swiftly, a contrast to how painfully long January was. It's my favorite time of the year as the weather is cool and mellow. For two weeks in a year, we get to enjoy below 30C weather which is quite a welcome break from the usual 34C temperature we live with all year long. It’s also a month for planting seeds of hope dreams.

I finally had a potting shed built to house all my garden tools and garden related curios. The neighborhood cat visits once in a while to bask in warm sunshine or climb our giant Bushida tree. He gets to hang out in the tiny garden shed which is delightful.This year,I vow to spend more time outdoors so creating an enjoyable outdoor space is a priority. The next project would have to be a corner vegetable garden to grow edible crops. Since I cook on my own, having my own vegetable/herbal garden would be a first step towards sustainability. Now onward to March!

In the meantime here are some random weekend projects...

Weekends are awesome for sunset chasing. Once in a while, a beautiful lavender hued sunset makes a grand display. It reminds me of Taylor Swift’s song Lavender Haze.

After extending my Photobook voucher three times, I finally got to finish my photobook of an autumn trip to Tokyo last November.

Built a doll house cat house "Snow White and the Seven Cats"

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Maneki Neko's Temple in Autumn

Sanju-no-to (3 storied pagoda) which enshrines statues of Shakanyorai, Kasho-sonzya, Anan-sonzya and Manekineko-kannon

Today, February 22 is National Cat Day Japan or Neko no Hi (猫の日), a day fittingly chosen as 2-22 sounds like nyan nyan nyan in Japanese or meow, meow, meow for the rest of us. Japan is home to the most cat loving culture in the world with felines being an integral part of the annals of Japanese history Today I take you to Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya, a special ward in the Tokyo metropolis.

Late November last year, me and best travel buddy Cathy explored Tokyo in the peak of its autumnal beauty. Gotokuji Temple is a must-visit cultural landmark to view and enjoy the serene, fiery beauty of momiji (Japanese maple leaves) and make a wish at the temple that enshrines the manekineko or the lucky cat that brings good fortune. We did not arrive on time to make a wish at the temple since it took us quite a while to walk through the charmingly offbeat Setagaya neighborhood. We sauntered leisurely through the narrow streets distracted and hypnotized by every shop that had a waving manekineko. Quaint bakery and cake shops, coffee stalls, whimsical gift shops, as well as hole in the wall ramen joints line the streets en route to the temple. Once in a while, the sound of bicycle bells from a mamachari Japanese bike or the rumbling of train tracks from a nearby distance creates an ASMR soundscape that feels very comforting to a jaded urban soul. The neighborhood streets leading to the temple are typically narrow allowing only foot, bicycle or small car traffic. Parallel to the streets runs the Tokyu-Setagaya tram line, a delightful sight reminiscent of an anime suburban daydream.

Google Maps tells you Gotokuji Temple is about a 13 minute walk from Gotokuji Station. In reality, it's a 30-45 minute walk if you want to soak in the sights or stop for a manekineko-themed baby castella cake and hot/iced matcha latte at Rarasand. Of course, you'd want to stop for some roasted sweet potatoes at Baked Sweet Potato Fuji along the way.

Towering pine trees rustle in the wind amidst the sound of birdsong as one approaches the stone gate leading to the main temple gate. I expected to see those mystical temple cats loitering near the gate but instead we saw a native Japanese dog (probably a Shikoku) guarding the gates.

It was a delightfully windy, chilly day when we visited Gotokuji Temple. Tall maple trees in deepening shades of red glistened in the sunlight, blanketing the temple grounds in soft, filtered light. Melodious waves of crisp autumn breeze caressed the trees, sending maple leaves fluttering through the air, wistfully resting on the pinecone adorned graves of Edo Period feudal lords.

One feels a sense of peace walking around the temple grounds. Each temple, shrine or hall is framed by trees changing colors in the four seasons. Perhaps the most striking area of Gotokuji Temple is the Shofuku-den where you can see an overwhelming number of Manekineko dolls in all sizes. The lucky cats are left by visitors after offering prayers for good luck and prosperity, family happiness, health and healing as well as blessings for pet or companion animals. Manekineko souvenirs and amulets are available to buy at the temple office from 8am to 3 pm. Too bad we didn't get to buy any as the temple shop closes at 12nn. However, we got some manekineko pins at the Japanese castella cake shop on the way home.

Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the temple grounds in its entirety due to time constraints hence no sighting of any real, live temple cat. I would have loved to see one! Gotokuji temple cats are considered sacred and therefore cannot be adopted. Maybe in my next visit to the lovely Setagaya neighborhood, I might chance upon seeing one. Gotokuji Temple is worth visiting over and over again in all the four seasons.

On this note, I say Happy National Cat Day! May Manekineko luck be with us!