The Class of 2018

A personal class taught and attended by Beyond W. for the year of 2018 only.

[theclassof2018]

September 25th

Today she graduated from her Masters with First Class Honours! Congratulations!

We left for the city first thing in the morning in time for the procession. I could tell it was going to be a full on day with lots of people just from how busy the parking lot was. The march was led by a traditional Scottish bagpipe and drum entourage. As soon as the drums began, I could feel my blood rushing to my head. Regal and proud. It was exciting. In fact, the thing I noticed the most today was how traditional and ceremonial everything was. All the Harry Potter-like cloaks and big hats. How finely divided the different regalia colours and details were. It was a refreshing change to our usual casual everyday Kiwi mentality. I thought about how strange it must all look to aliens. All these procedures and efforts to claim a piece of paper. How odd.

This was my first time attending an actual ceremony as a supporter, and first time truly feeling proud and nervous seeing another person graduate. I looked around the theatre, hundreds upon hundreds of friends and relatives, all feeling the same way. They braved the crazy weather, got the day off work or whatever other responsibilities they may have had. They stood for a long time in the queue, then sat for even longer, trying not to fall asleep through all the proceedings before hearing the one person’s name they were here for. A few seconds on stage and it's over. Was it worth it?

I didn’t really feel like I achieved much when I had my Bachelor’s graduation because I was already doing postgrad studies. And when I finally finished my Masters, I was already overseas. I never really felt the relieve or excitement many of these graduands and their parents felt. Today I got to experience it for her. Congratulations, my dear. You’ve worked hard for this.

[theclassof2018]

September 24th

The day began with my second and final session of colour grading and sound editing with the team at Images and Sound. That's it?! A part of me was very nervous that this was really going to be it. No more adjustments. No more changing my mind. Nearly two years I've been adjusting a second here and there, and going back and forth with some editorial decisions. Now it’s all going to be set in stone, and I’m still not sure I did the right thing. With that said, most of the changes we added either to please the film commission or someone other than myself were eventually removed, and the final film has pretty much gone back to how I've always wanted it to be in the very beginning. Not because I have to have it my way, but because I truly think that they are the better choices. In a way, the 2 year gestation period has been a complete waste of time. I mean, it was never a choice to wait this long anyway, but I’m never going allow myself this much time again. The films you make are supposed to reflect that period of your life anyway. As if the time between writing and filming aren’t long enough as it is. Quicker turn around will allow that flavour to be kept fresh and potent. So, here is a note to future self:

Always complete picture lock within 1 month of production wrap. Try different things and suggestions, but don’t wait too long if they don’t feel right. You’re the one who has to live with the final film.

In the evening, I had dinner with Dad and the step family. 

“Seems like you’ll be on the road for a long time then? Like two months?”

...I guess being on the road for 10 months really is crazy, but the fact that I don’t think it’s crazy makes me feel like it’s definitely the right decision. The more I told them about it, the more I was excited by it. And this turned out to be one of the much more enjoyable dinners I’ve had with them.

[theclassof2018]

September 23rd

Being near the end will always make you appreciate the journey.

Officially back from holiday, it’s time to truly and utter move out of my ghetto dwelling of the past 6 months. I realized I don’t really have a photo of this place, so I decided to snap one as I drink my last cup of coffee here. This was actually the first time I’ve ever sat on these lounge chairs. I felt a bit like a white trash.

I had lunch with L and H in the city, it was nice. As we walked from lunch to dessert, I began to notice all these shops, building and changes that I haven’t noticed before in the CBD. I’ve experienced this phenomenon before, just before I left for Japan. It’s what I call leaver’s syndrome. Knowing I won’t be walking through these streets for much longer is making me take note of them. The key however, is to live in a way that make you notice these streets everyday. I guess for me, the way to achieve that is to keep moving.

[theclassof2018]

September 22nd

...aaand we’ve travelled back to the future again. Yesterday was Thursday, and we’ve somehow skipped Friday (well, we experienced close to 3 hours of it going through security and waiting to board) and landed on Saturday. So weird how timezone works. I question its value and practicality, but I also know absolutely nothing, so please ignore.

Strangely, after being away for so long, it was really comforting to hear the familiar Kiwi voices of the cabin attendants, an accent that I’m not very fond of generally. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

My return inflight entertainment was the first episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the newest offering from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Paladino. I was so excited when the show won Best TV Musical Comedy Series and Best Actress for Rachel Brosnahan at the Golden Globes, but I wasn’t going to go near it because, and you should know this if you know me, I don’t watch shows that are still ongoing. Daddy needs an ending in sight to make a start. Also, I still haven’t finished the adventures of the Gilmores yet. But the entertainment system only allowed me to watch TV shows and not movies, and this was the only one that I wanted to see, so I guess I had no choice. 

If episode one is anything to go by, this show is every bit as a exciting as I thought it would be. Paladino really has a gift for creating strong interesting humourous female leads. Maisel is one of those perfect wives. She’s 100% supportive of her husband, always knows the right thing to say and do. Yet, somehow, this isn’t enough for him. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. But it’s how her story unfold that makes it an obvious gem. About this thing of “being perfect but not enough” though...is it the husband’s fault? Or is it perhaps that what’s “good” isn’t always what you need?

[theclassof2018]

September 21st

Today was our last day in French Polynesia. Because of our ungodly flight time, it didn’t seem worthy to book another night’s accomodation. Therefore, between the hours of 11 AM and 10 PM (our flight wasn’t till 2:45 AM, but we’re being cautious after the last taxi no-show incident), we’re forced to wander the streets. We were hesitant to leave behind the hot shower, the toilet, the air conditioning, and kitchen. We bought all these fruits to consume last night, but didn’t get to eat most of it. So C hurriedly cut up the fruits and bagged them carefully for us to snack on the street. Fruits in hand, and our other supplies on my back (sunscreen, water, umbrella...) we marched into Papeete.

You know what? Being forced to spend the day out was actually really fun. We discovered a whole other side of Papeete that we didn’t know existed. The beautiful viaduct with wild fishes on display, a main strip that we somehow missed all the previous days, and the public park that was both vibrant and tranquil. Any city with a really nice park is a decent city. I must remember this in the future: as long as you’re prepared, and without luggage, being forced to walk the city can be really fruitful. Speaking of fruit, time to munch on some mangos in the shade of the ferry station. I swear we're not really homeless.

The Robert Wan Pearl Museum was probably the other highlight. Wan is the son of Chinese Immigrants, and the pioneer of pearl cultivation in Tahiti. I realized we shared the same last name when I saw it written in Chinese (his has Cantonese pronunciation). Good job fellow Wen clan member!

Turns out, I knew absolutely nothing about pearls. I had no idea that oysters only created pearls as a defence mechanism around foreign objects that has entered the shell. And when humans figured this out, they began inserting foreign objects purposely to cultivate pearls, and that’s more or less how pearls as we know it today came about. Humans are really something aren’t they!? On the one hand, they’re so clever in figuring out the science of everything and then manipulating it to create a desired outcome: products, services, businesses, industries. On the other hand, they really exploit the shit out of everything under the sun. Even oysters can’t escape the slave chains of human greed. It makes me look at the phrase “pearls of wisdom” with a new perspective. Speaking of animal exploitation, we had amazing foie gra (and other french cuisine) as our final supper on this trip. 

Merci French Polynesia, you’ve been wonderful. Maururuu!

[theclassof2018]

September 20th

We went to the Papeete market again to get groceries for the next couple of days. Then we had a fun swim in the roof top pool. C played with a giant inflatable donut which seems very “in” at the moment. Sadly the donut was leaking air and appeared stale after 20 minutes or so.

Then we stayed in most of the day, taking advantage of being indoors because we know we have no choice but to drift outside for an entire day tomorrow.

On the TV, 7 or 8 channels, all of which except for 2 are entirely France based, and those 2 still played programmes from France half of the time. It's such a strange phenomenon. People watch TV and they're being addressed as French citizens when the reality is they are French speaking Polynesians. All the news are about France, advertisements, public announcements, game shows, "where are you from contestant number 2?" Normandy, Marseille, Toulon...no one from Papeete or Moorea. How strange must it be for children growing up, learning from television, turning to it for representation and not seeing yourself being reflected. The only time your little island in the Pacific gets a mention is during the weather forecast.

Then I thought about it, this is how I grew up. Neither of my Asian-ness nor Kiwi-nese were really represented on the TV I watched. They were largely American. Set in New York, in Bel-Air, in Malibu, in Seattle. When I was in Primary School I watched kids in "Elementary". They had "Recess", they took out "trash", drank "soda", called "911" instead of our 111. And I grew up fine...or am I fine? 2/3 of my life I've lived in NZ, but somehow I only feel truly Kiwi when I'm overseas. I naturally get on well with North Americans because I’m quickly accepted for who I am with them, but not in NZ amongst Kiwi where I'm suppose to feel most at home. Could this all have been the influence of watching television that didn't necessarily represent me?

[theclassof2018]

September 19th

We waited for our taxi to take us to the ferry to return to the main island. 10:45 was our scheduled pick up time. 10:50...nothing, and it began to rain. 10:53...C called and txted the driver's number, nothing, we're getting wet. We wanted to go back in the house and wait inside, but the padlock somehow won't unlock anymore. Ughhh what a terrible way to end our amazing week in Moorea. 11:03, let's try hitchhiking, although I knew our chances were slim in the rain, but we've had such good luck so far. Not even 2 minutes, a car pulls over. Thank you, you kind souls! We were picked up by a french naval officer and his wife. They're driving around to scout for places to eat, so they'll happily take us all the way to the ferry, even though I knew they really didn't need to come out this far. Amazing. This whole hitchhiking experience in Moorea has made me re-look at the practice, let's all be kinder to strangers. Although it's a bit sad that I had to benefit from the kindness first to really believe it exists.

We arrived back in Papeete and walked in the mild rain to get to our new accomodation. We entered the apartment and...voila. It's like a proper hotel. Hot showers, toiletry, a proper kitchen, condiments, aircon, TV, roof top pool, total privacy. Total luxury. C was over the moon, pulling open every drawer and cupboard to see what's hiding inside. It almost didn’t feel like we’re in Tahiti anymore, until I looked out from the balcony.

[theclassof2018]

September 18th

After almost a week of sunny days, it finally rained last night. A rain that would continue throughout today.

Rain is nature's way of telling us to slow down. "Take the day off! Stay inside! Spend the day with your loved ones!" When you work with corals on a tropical island, like our host M does, you can indeed do that. I thought of all the people who still have to brave the rain, sit even longer than usual in traffic, disobeying the universe's reminder. For what? A better cellphone contract, an extra charm on the bracelet.

C started reading one of the two books I brought on the trip last night and read some more today. That’s huge, because C doesn’t read. After having little success trying to trap one of the many crabs that live near the house with our leftover chicken bones, we used it to tease the giant turtle that lives in the backyard. The turtle came right to life after a whiff of chicken and decided to follow us (the bone) towards the front of the house. Shit! What do we do? I couldn't help but to surrender the bone. The turtle snapped it off me and took it into its pond. Fearing it would choke or the bone would rot in the water, I snatched it back from the snapping jaws of the turtle. We made a dash for it and just prayed that it won't follow us. Luckily it didn't. We ended up feeding all the bones to the crabs in the evening. Thus, our rainy day adventures.

[theclassof2018]

September 17th

Today we went out to sea with our host M, a private tour to revisit the stingrays and sharks, but more importantly, to see some whales if luck is on our side. When we asked him about taking us out a few days ago, he really lit up, it was the first sign of his strong French wall coming down.

The hope of seeing whales kept me up at night. How amazing it would be to see such creatures, especially if we could swim with them, but the idea of swimming in such deep waters also made me a bit anxious. We didn't end up having any luck spotting whales, so all that anxiety wasn't really necessary in the end. We did however see a school of bottlenose dolphins, if only briefly.

I wonder how often they take the boat out, maybe petrol is expensive, but M really made the most of this excursion by inviting his friend C, a guy who came to the house one night when the hosts were out. He literally couldn't speak a word of English, so after a few seconds, he just left. C brought M, a girl new to the island from France. And rounding off the group is our host's daughter L, an adorable little girl who collected 20 or so beautiful shells just before we sailed off. While we struggled to get into the boat, L flew in like she was born to do it and found her place on the head of the boat, like in The Piano ballet, and stayed there like a true kid that grew up by the sea. There's something so endearing about seeing a kid this small unafraid of the roaring waves. I wonder if it was her dad that told her to go and sit there the very first time, or did she simply climb around the boat until she found a spot she liked and made it her place. Once I saw her sitting there, her hair in the wind, it felt like: this is how all kids who grew up by the sea should be. Just like a kid who grew up in grassland shouldn't be afraid of lions. What's something equivalent us city kids have? How much we're a wizard on the computer? How fast we can send txt messages? Urban living give kids a lot of luxury, but does it give them character? In so many ways, city kids are like ants, and L is like this seashell.

[theclassof2018]

September 16th

Today was our sunburn-recovery day. The only real activity we did was go to the grocery store, to which we hitchhiked with three separate cars to get to and back to our place, making our total now fives times. Unbelievable.

On the way there was with A, an Italian-Frenchman who has been living in Tahiti for 30 years or so (I got that number because he said he came to the island with his father around age 14, and he is now the father of two boys in their 20s) he looks really young, I would have thought maybe mid-30s. We talked about different schooling styles, French vs German vs Japanese. He dropped us right to the door of the market and told us he might see us again on the way back. We would be lucky to see him again.

After our shopping, another kind man, this time a proper Tahitian picked us up. He was fully covered in tattoos, including a Tahitian hairline style tattoo around his temple which I saw for the first time yesterday on a girl. He had a difficult name, so I can't recall anymore. But he told me his temple tattoo saved his life. One year ago, he had an aneurysm and went into a coma, he was technically dead for 5 minutes, but he saw the ink of the tattoo from the corner of his eyes and that's what woke him up again. His stop was at the tattoo festival, we said goodbye here and continued hitchhiking.

Then we were picked up by our third and final kind driver. This time a businessman and his wife, also on holiday. They live in the Easter Islands, he said, but also said Papua New Guinea. I asked how different Easter Island is to Moorea, he said it's much cheaper there, more in line with most of the pacific islands. Or did he mean Papua New Guinea? I would learn later that those two areas have no connection with each other and I probably just misheard him. I hope to visit the Easter Islands one day, those giant statues are out of this world. Anyway, thanks to these strangers, we now have lots to eat tonight!

[theclassof2018]

September 15th

Today we went transparent-kayaking with 4 other couples. When there's some sort of sporting and placement is involved, your inner winning spirit can't help but to come out. "We can't come last!" Sadly we were the slowest, so that winning spirit was quickly replaced by a shameful "don't make others wait too long" spirit.

The highlight of today was definitely swimming with stingrays and sharks. We even got to touch the rays. They're such strange creatures. Their alien-like appearance makes me wonder if they really understand that we come in peace or could they turn on their killer instinct any second and attack us.

They come to this specific sandy spot everyday and swim with tourists because the tour guides feed them. By the sheer number of boats around this spot, it's easy to see how much tourism is generated just by these creatures. Funny how humans have such a fascination with wildlife, yet our every action is leading to their demise. If we belong on this Earth, then why can't we live at peace with mother nature? Maybe we're the aliens.

[theclassof2018]

September 14th

A relaxing day where we snorkled in our private beach, played with the row boat, cooked like we're at camp, stargazed on hammocks. C hadn't poo-d in 2 days so she made up a "Where is the poo?" song, it goes:

大便在哪里呀

大便在哪里

大便在哪里呀

我要拉大便

In life, I'm constantly looking for that child-like wonder in seeing the world, and here she is, a genuine child, or just a nutcase.

[theclassof2018]

September 13th

Today we had our first real activity: scuba diving! C's first time and my second. For me, it felt surprisingly easier this time. I could balance myself and control directions with much ease. C however was like a dead fish. She had difficulty breathing and then moving. The poor diving guide had to drag her the entire time. We saw a turtle, a stonefish, and a million other fishes. The ocean here is so abundant of beautiful creatures. The guide's wife D who picked us up was super lovely, we had a long chat about education and differences in French culture versus others. The guide himself, S, was nice, but not super warm. It's the same with our AirBnb hosts, S is super talkative and animated, her partner M smiles and greets us too, but feels rather distant. I guess this is how French men are versus the women, actually, now that I think about it, it's how men and women are in most cultures in the world, any of the opposite are an anomaly.

After we got back, I had a headache, and felt woozy, possibly because of the lack of oxygen to the brain from diving. After a nap, we went grocery shopping. We took a chance and just walked to see if we can get to a store, and came across a lady that told us it was probably still a 30 minute walk away (we had already been walking for 15 minute) and suggest we hitchhike.

It was our first time trying to hitchhike and our thumbs were low and shy. We got harassed by a dirty dog, C started talking to herself to pass the time. We just walked with our thumbs up heads down and hoped for a miracle. And it happened! A car stopped outside a house full of dogs, so it made me even more hesitant to approach the car. We weren't sure if they stopped for us or if it was already there. I looked inside, a young boy, and his father behind the wheel. "Hello?" "Hey! Come on!" He gestured, I couldn't believe it, C jumped for joy. Thank you, kind father and son. Well, mostly the father, the son had headphones on and was playing a game the whole time. They dropped us off at a different store than the one we went to on day one. We bought all this food. After the first ever hitchhiking success, we decided to try our luck again getting back. Within minutes, a super nice lady who works at a restaurant in the Hilton picked us up and gave us a quick Tahitian lesson: iorana for hello, mauruuru for thank you. We couldn't believe how easily hitchhiking works around here. The people are so kind. It gave me hope for humans, and made me want to pass the kindness forward.

[theclassof2018]

September 12th

Lazed around until the afternoon and took the ferry to Moorea, a real island. Our new accommodation is significantly less comfortable, there doesn't seem to be a lot of privacy from the hosts, and the set up is very simple (our last place was just too nice and spoilt us), but the place has its own character. There is a private beach right on the door steps, and a hammock under a few coconut trees which we relaxed in and stargazed tonight. This is the kind of seaside house you see in movies. It's hard to adjust from the luxury our previous place offered so quickly, but I feel like we'll learn to be more like a local here, an islander.

We went for an evening stroll to the public beach which was actually right next to the house. On our way back, I saw a huge crab and its smaller partner in the darkness. I wanted crab for tea. But with no tools, I tried to grab the crab with my towel, it quickly ran into the middle of the road and got hit by a car. Poor crab, but lucky for us. Fresh crab meat was yum. Might catch your partner next time. We felt a bit cruel boiling it still alive, but the meat was worth it. Welcome to island life!

[theclassof2018]

September 11th

Today's our first proper day to explore Papeete. We had the huge breakfast prepared by our host around 7 am, which was way too early for both of us to get up on vacation. The meal consisted of: papaya with lime, fresh coffee, mango marmalade, guava jam, and every kind of bread imaginable. It was beautiful. We ate, and then went back to sleep.

In the afternoon, we set off to explore the town. First, we found the market which by the time we got there was already half over. We were just in time to grab a cheap lunch. Then we went to the cathedral, saw school kids being let out, went to a book store, stopped by a graffiti museum and realised all the big murals in the city are part of a street art collective. Then we kept walking, half looking for those pictures.

Seems like there really isn't much going on here. Not a lot in the way of culture or food, all the products seem to be leftovers from France, and everything is expensive. We bought ticket for tomorrow to go to Moorea and a little bit of me can't wait. What are we even gonna do for those 2 other days in Papeete at the end of the trip? Don't get me wrong, I still had fun walking around and taking pictures of my beautiful girlfriend, but I realized that when I'm in a foreign land, I crave foreignness. Things that seem odd, ways of doing things that are different, signs, rituals, architecture, food. I guess Tahiti is very similar to NZ, just in French. Let's see if I feel different at the end of the journey.

[theclassof2018]

September 10th

We traveled back in time! Today is September 9th Tahitian time, but in order to not lose myself in a time warp, I’ll keep this blog in NZ time. I mad a dry crack about how I’ve already seen everything we’re gonna see today, because it already happened. Aaaanyway... I wanted to squeeze in 2 airplane movies, but only managed one. Game Night was surprisingly good! Can’t believe it was directed by the nerdy kid from Freaks and Geeks! Well done, kid.

First night in Papeete, Tahiti. We landed around 4 in the afternoon. The warm air felt nice. Our host C, greeted us with leis (known as heis here). Such a nice touch! She has 4 dogs, 2 huge German Shepherds, 1 big Dobermann, and 1 Asian Shepherd or something like that. After we settled in, we went wandering. There's surprisingly little food options or sign of life on this main island by 6 PM. All the roads are super straight, and cars are abundant, but we were the only people walking. We walked for a good 10 minutes toward what was supposed to be town center before finally coming across an eatery - pizza. No, thanks. Every business either has the hours of opening to 4 PM or is shut infinitely. Other than the lack of choices, the feel of island country felt pretty similar to that of Taiwan or Okinawa. There were more bars by the waterfront, most of which seemed too western for my liking. Where's all the restaurants? No wonder our host told us to go eat at the food trucks, there really wasn't any other option. We ate at a truck ran by some fierce looking ladies, they were petit and lean, Asian features, I'm assuming they're Tahitian. One had 5 or 6 pens plucked into her hair bun for easy note-keeping. No one seemed to be in a hurry to take our business, and the waiter that did eventually come seemed to be filling in for someone else, but he was nice. No beer or any alcohol on the menu, I realized how much I associate eating outdoors with drinking beer. I wonder if there's strict drinking laws around here. A visit to the supermarket told me that no alcohol were allowed to be sold today (Sunday) after 12 noon. Better luck tomorrow. Everything in the supermarket felt expensive, most things costed more than in Auckland, I guess this is technically part of Europe, so we're on European prices? I wonder how the locals live. Are they paid very well? What industries are here other than tourism? Did we bring enough money to last us 10 days?

[theclassof2018]

September 9th

For a few nights in a row now, I've been waking up way too early, like an hour before my alarm. This morning, I used that time wisely by discovering Awkwafina's My Vag. I'm sorry I thought she was a Youtuber that made awkward videos. This song is legit. It took me 6 years to discover it, and it's 50 times better than most of the rap songs that came out in that time. When the people at Awkwafina’s day job discovered this video they fired her. Speaking of which, it's my last day at work! Good link aye? I enjoyed talking to B the new girl, but otherwise it wasn't a particularly sentimental ending, in fact I had to deal with an annoying situation that another staff member left, which was not exactly the last thing I wanted to do at work, but hey, at least I managed to persuade the customers to leave happily. Could've been a lot worse. I went home and began the real packing for the move while watching Trevor Noah's Netflix special Afraid of the Dark. It was really good! He had this bit about how it makes no sense to call people "pussy" to suggest that they're weak. Humans come out of vaginas and it still function as intended. On the other hand, if you sit on a penis wrong once, it might break. What an powering day for vaginas. French Polynesia vacay begins tomorrow!