Santa Claus, Milk and Cookies, Eggnog, Snow, Snowflakes, Cozy weather, leather boots, shopping, Snowman, rudolph, Pine trees, Cinnamon, Bells, Christmas lights, lanterns, family, pets, love, scarfs,waldo, Manila traffic, skylines intoxicated with glitter, prying of Christmas gifts, angels, midnight masses, kids, carolling….

What do you think of, when you think of Christmas? Just thinking about Christmas makes me so excited. It’s that time of the year again, folks!

And since I have this chronic sickness of forgetting people’s birthdays and memories, I’ve decided to share a piece of my heart with everyone. I’ve decided to give away a limited number of hand-drawn, Christmas post cards to friends and family. Simply contact me and provide your name and snail mail address. I’ll be sending you the cards before I leave for the holidays. All of the postcards will be mailed through regular, Sing post mail All i ask from you is to take a picture of the postcard, and email it to me for my follow-up blog post.

This is a purely Creative exercise. If you have any visual suggestions, feel free to let me know too

Cheers!

After a weekend of archery, my now sport of choice ranges from yoga to jogging. I reckon I won’t be working out anytime soon, save for the fact that I can wake up uber early on the weekends to go jog around the neighborhood…sneak in a 30 minute lap or so.

Why is it that I still feel a tad bit chunky, no matter how much I work out? :S Is it really because I’m never destined to slim down like a waif?

Nevertheless, exercise is great – if I don’t get to benefit from losing much weight, at least endorphins make me happier.

.. My mum is visiting me here in Singapore this weekend, so everything has to be spick’ and span. I even arranged for accommodations to make her trip a comfortable one.

This, to me, is a bit bittersweet. In one hand, I do appreciate my mother visiting me – on another hand, I feel like entertaining an extra busy body is very taxing (both on my legs and my wallet, from all the shopping and taxis.). If only my mother can endure the concept of a “budget”, I think we’ll be blissfully content.
This is a very complicated topic which I can’t fully elucidate in this blog entry. I guess, she is what you may call “atas” in Singlish linggo.

I hope the weekend will be a fun and exciting one, despite the holes in my wallet. I’m rather disappointed that I won’t be able to afford more luxurious christmas presents for everyone, since this is a rather huge dent in my allowance.

By the way, I have taken it upon myself to read “Pride and Prejudice” all over again. ( I can’t even remember if I’ve read it.. Thus, this feels like my first time!)

I now wish I hadn’t read the reviews or the cliff notes. Once you read the reviews saying that this piece of literature is one of the most “quoted” and most “reread” books, you tend to put it on a small pedestal, enshrining it with full literary glory. This, then , becomes a basis for your prejudice,(pun intended) and results to a biased appreciation of the piece.

Anyway, I loved the modern adaptation through Bridgette Jones’ Diary so I don’t suppose I won’t like the original. It’s just hard to visualise the engrossing ordeals women had to go through back then – the petticoats, parents offering up their children for “marriage” , the perils and fear of being a spinster — this are anachronistic ideas, yet in the modern day, isn’t this the same challenges that any 30 something year old lady will go through?

On a side note, people may say that thirty is the new twenty. Does it follow that later on in the future, forty will become the new twenty? (and so on and so forth)? Will science catch up with us and enable us to have kids when we’re old and graying? (Hmmm.. will we even turn “gray” to begin with??)

I love how pride and prejudice uses words like “fortnight” and “chuses” – very indicative of old English. Makes me wish to read it in a faux British accent and imagine my characters up front, clad with long dresses and flowered hats.

Anyway.. That’s about all I can say for now. I hope to update again soon.

Great commentary, reposting from ECCP:

****
To all Filipinos Everywhere:

I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippines were
caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn’t true. It is one
thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes, thieves and
murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excuse do these rich,
educated people have that could possibly explain their bizarre behavior?
And to think I was always so relieved when petty snatchers got caught and
locked away in jail because I never fully realized that the big time
thieves were out there, making the laws and running our country. Can it
get any worse than this?

Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my tv to watch the
latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. They are not
men. They are caricatures of men – too unreal to be believable and too bad
to be real. To see these “honorable” crooks lambast each other, call each
one names, look each other in the eye and accuse the other of committing
the very same crimes that they themselves are guilty of, is so comical and
appalling that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainment
at its worst!

I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered and looking
smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strut around with
the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear and awe from the very
citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like “Honorable”, “Senator”,
“Justice”, “General” and worse, “President”. Ironically, these lawless
individuals practice law, make our laws, enforce the law. And we wonder
why our policemen act the way they do! These are their leaders, and the
leaders of this nation – Robin Hoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their
motto? “Rob the poor, moderate the greed of the rich.”

It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and what kind of
upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for all the world to
see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they went to, what kind of
teachers they had, what kind of environment would produce such creatures
who can lie, cheat and steal from an already indebted country and from the
impoverished people they had vowed to serve. It makes me wonder what their
children and grandchildren think of them, and if they are breeding a whole
new genera tion of improved Filipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad
more style but equally negligible conscience. Heaven forbid!

I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a job that
pays for my needs and those of my family’s, even though 30% of my earnings
go to the nation’s coffers. Just like others in my lot, I have complained
time and again because our government could not provide enough of the
basic services that I expect and deserve. Rutty roads, poor educational
system, poor social services, poor health services, poor everything. But I
have always thought that was what all third world countries were all
about, and my complaints never amounted to anything more.

And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidents pointing
fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen who accept bribes.
Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Venecia ratting on his boss
only after his interminable term has ended, Enrile inquiring about
someone’s morality! The already filthy rich Abalos and Arroyo wanting more
money than they or their great grandchildren could ever spend in a
lifetime. Joker making a joke of his own “pag bad ka, lagot ka!” slogan.
Defensor rendered defenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security
men providing anything but a sense of security. And it’s all about money,
money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imagine in
his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent and hardworking
citizens are leaving to go work in other countries?

And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungry president
whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle on a rusty ship.
“Love (of power) is blind” takes a whole new meaning when PGMA time and
again turns a blind eye on her husband’s financial deals. And still
blinded with all that is happening, she opts to traipse around the world
with her cohorts in tow while her country is in shambles.

They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippines are no
longer capable of showing disgust. I don’t agree. Many like me feel anger
at the brazenness of men we call our leaders, embarrassment to share the
same nationality with them, frustration for our nation and helplessness at
my own ineffectuality. It is not that I won’t make a stand. It is just
that I am afraid my actions would only be futile. After all, these
monsters are capable of anything. They can hurt me and my family. They
already have, though I may not yet feel it.

But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I need to
let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remain lukewarm to
issues that would later affect me and my children. I want to make it known
that there are also Filipinos who dream of something better for the
Philippines . I want them to know that my country is not filled with
scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that there are citizens left who
believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak, a right to voice out
ideas, a right to tell the people we have trusted to lead us that they
have abused their power and that it is time for them to step down. I
refuse to let this country go to hell because it is the only country I
call mine and it is my responsibility to make sure I have done what I
could for it.

Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs to
battle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power of
good. We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. We can
offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask others to pray,
too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. And we can offer
sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get the message to Him of
our desperation in ridding our nation of these vermin. After all, they
cannot be more powerful than God!

I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way you can.
Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of the material
comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teach them that there
are more important things in this world. I beg all fathers to spend time
with their children, to teach them the virtues of hard work, honesty, fair
play, sharing, dignity and compassion – right from the sandbox till they
are old enough to go on their own. Not just in your homes, but at work, in
school, everywhere you go. Be good role models. Be shining examples for
your children so they will learn to be responsible adults who will carry
and pass on your family name with pride and honor.

I call on educators and teachers – we always underestimate the power of
your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to be aware of
what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them a love of their
country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance in order to gain
real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our children into honorable men
and women. Encourage our graduates, our best and brightest, to do what
they can to lift this country from the mire our traditional politicians
have sunk us into. The youth is our future – and it would be largely
because of you, our educators, that we will be able to repopulate the
seats of power with good leaders, presidents, senators, congressmen,
justices, lawmakers, law enforcers and lawful citizens.

I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhere to
look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let your youth
be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harsh realities
you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because we need your
idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdom of your elders.
YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Do what you can for this
land that gave you your ancestors and your heritage. Use technology and
all available resources at hand to spread good. Text meaningful messages
to awaken social conscience. Try your best to fight moral decay because I
promise you will not regret it when you become parents yourselves. You
will look back at your past misdeeds and pray that your children will do
better than you did.

Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running this
country. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. We are
tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders who will think
of the greater good before anything else. Do your utmost to excel in your
chosen field. Be good lawyers, civil servants, accountants, computer
techs, engineers, doctors, military men so that when you are called to
serve in government, you will have credibility and a record that can speak
for itself.

For love of this country, for the future of our children, for the many who
have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, I urge you to do
what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do much more for the
Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us to perdition. We owe
ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.

A wonderful discovery via twitter (@natsirch)
Here is the write up on the Youtube page:

On the 40th anniversary of the Internet, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tells the story of the effect it is having on our society as seen through the eyes of the greatest Internet pioneer youve never heard of, visionary Josh Harris. Award-winning director, Ondi Timoner (DIG!), documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade, to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives. Please visit the website: www.weliveinpublicthemovie.com for more information.

I swear, the internet is giving me goosebumps.

Thoughts? Opinions?
Hmmmmmmmmmmm……..

Typhoon Ondoy Shmondoy.
Ages have passed since I last updated this blog.  It seems like the older I get, the less time I have to devote on whimsical things like filling the internet void with stuff that preoccupies me. The mere idea of blogging is closely tied to one of entitlement; a feeling which, I do not possess most of the time.

Amongst the various events that have transpired, I’m particularly leaning towards talking about Ondoy (www.typhoonondoy.com) and all of the things that were washed away with it. My heart goes out to my lovely fellow Filipinos who have shown courage in dark times. Adversity and hardship truly glues us together.

Considered as one of the worst tropical depressions in the history of the Philippines, Ondoy has left our country in shackles. Sadly, Metro Manila is one of the worst-hit, leaving thousands of people displaced, dead, hungry, depraved.
Words don’t do justice to these people — Imagine braving the whole stretch of Edsa, crossing the street with your hands gripped on a rope because’ the currents are too strong to fathom. It was  really a courageous feat. Various friends have told me that they have lost loved ones and entire first floors of their homes.  An unbelievable scenario for most people, but a reality that we have to face as Pinoys.

More importantly, Ondoy serves as a wake up call to Pinoys. Most of the time, we have to wait for disasters to strike before we  consider giving importance to things that matter the most to us. Surely, disasters are unforseen — but we can do our best to assuage our psyches when such instances occur.  We can keep the “bayanihan” spirit of helping one another, with or without disasters. We can ……be conscious of our  social conscience, and contribute to good causes all year round.  Tell people we love them, and other mushy stuff like that.

Speaking of social conscience.. Or the lack thereof…. Look at what we have here- yet another testament of the glaring vulnerability associated with the internet. A bystander snaps this image of Mikey Arroyo purchasing a night cap in the height of the typhoons. ( Quite possibly, he was just craving for a drink — But this image was blown out of proportions in Facebook. Sure, he may have had bigger faults than having a ‘drink’ — the timing and the luxury was not apt for the typhoon-ridden metropolis). Shame, shame. A lot of PR work to be done after this, Mister.

That’s pinoy’s intoxication with democracy – yes, let’s finger point, let’s complain, yet we forgive almost in a heartbeat. Listening to the news makes me depressed most of the time.

Stars
Okay, on to another note. Stars. Yes, Stars. I attribute the discovery of this awesome band through my poet friend, Duffy. I came across this other music video while browsing the Facebook page of my friend, Halina – my multi talented ex colleague who looks fabulous in boots.

Their music is depressing at times. They  linger right before the point of self-loathing. Reminds me of other inspiring bands who have shared their beauty with the world. I sometimes wish to meet all of them one day!

Phoenix
Especially Phoenix. Phoenix is love, and more love.  I love how inspiring they are. I love their French accent. It actually makes me melt. Makes me want to marry a French man.

Okay.. On to the next topic. My dream with Piolo .. ( For those of you who do not know who he is, he’s some steamy young man, an ardent leading man in Philippine cinema).

Basically my dream goes like this: I was in a picnic trip with a bunch of friends. Nothing special going on, just a small get together – complete with the plaid coloured table cloths and raffa baskets. We had sandwiches.

A thick wad of money comes flying our way. Almost like birds in flight. A lot of money – think of them spiralling through your direction. It was very surreal.

Then I brush elbows with Piolo. He goes.. “Have you seen my cash? ” and crosses his eye to his companion, Marvin Agustin, who smiles in a nonchalant manner. “Ummm.. It flew all over the place”  was all I can muster.

Soon, the scene closes in on myself- hanging by a wall; a thick stone wall with a harness tied to my waist. It felt like the camera was tilted to one side, and I was experiencing vertigo. After a few moments of side-climbing, tiptoeing my feet onto the rocks, I manage to get to the other side with some leg bruises. The last scene closes in with me, handing over the money to Piolo on the other side. Except that he wasn’t wearing “wall climbing gear” – he looked suave in a polo shirt and formal slacks.

Hmmmmm… Makes me wonder. What is the dream trying to tell me? Is it somehow related to my Ricky Martin dream a few days ago? ( I see Ricky Martin for the first time, I gasp at how gorgeous he looks like in person, then I tell him.. “Umm.. My mother is a great fan of your work!” Blooper moment!!!)

My imagination was probably going out in full throttle during slumber.

Banana Yoshimoto is probably one of the writers whom I envy the most. She has a very distinct personal style; a voice that is measured and tempered with just the right mixture of melancholy and beauty. Together with Murakami, and old literary greats like Yukio Mishima, they remind me of why I’m so in love with Japanese literature in the first place.

Hard Boiled & Hard Luck seems like a kiddie novel in the beginning, given the short spine of the book and the huge type. Little did I know that it’s content is far beyond ordinary – it is a novel that explores love and loss, grief and happiness. These seasons shift periodically like tides are to the sea; we are bound captive to these ideas until we are emotionally ready to plunge into the next.

They do remind me of Hajime and other Murakami characters I’ve explored in the past. In a way, it was like revisiting old friends and sharing tea – similar characters with a different flavouring. I love Banana Yoshimoto’s depiction of irony – her novels are mostly written in a straightforward manner; measured, yet immensely moving.

If you’re not used to reading Japanese literature, admittedly, it will depress you. However, one has to realize why they choose to write about these depressing things in the first place — They write about it (death, loss of loved ones, departure, ghosts, time warps) because it’s a reflection of our inner struggles; because they can fathom beauty in it’s fleeting moments; because life – in its erudite, transient state is indeed beautiful.

Okay, no more spoilers for now. Go grab a copy of the book and indulge. Believe me, it only took me 2 days to finish, it’s time well spent cuddling up to the characters, dreaming alongside with them.

{Freedom comes with a price Lee. Look at the modern art scene? Can you make sense of any of it? No. Nothing matters when opinions vary so much. When the abstract is left alone, undefined, people lose that shared consciousness about things like love or passion or horror. And yeah, sometimes thats a good thing. Infinite variety in infinite combinations. But then what? I remember a teacher telling me once that art can be anything but that wasn’t true. What he really meant was that anyone can claim to be art but it’s not all good. In fact a lot of it is crap. I can’t blame them for wanting to control only because I’m not one of them..}

I guess all these filters are put in place in the hope to weed out the best.  Filter something down to the purest form. But a cloud is hanging over my head, asking what ifs. What if we need that space between perfection and raw character? What if the raw character itself can be defined as perfectly imperfect – intentionally scarred to prove a point. Humans, after all, are scarred beings, beating ourselves up to perfection when we all know that it doesn’t belong to the realm of possibility. Perhaps, what we see from great artists is NOT indeed perfection, but a version too close to it. I get blind by the realisation that they’re indeed human, too.

{ But the cliche is  true: people achieve greatness.. when greatness is expected of him..}

Again, is it effective? Is it effective in proliferating ideas or does it simply appease the tastes of a few? What ever happened to the big picture.. The awesome moment of glory when one puzzle seems to fit seamlessly into what you’re trying to say — whatever happened to triumphing revolutionary ideas that change the world. Much of what we see now is clutter.. not characterized as “revolutionary”

{ Well.. That’s exactly my point. Relics of the past have been “legendary” by a long history of tenuous classical training. Why do you ask? What are the drawbacks? Well, take this analogy: I like to arrange my crayola pieces back into the box. I yearn for order because I live in a chaotic world. That’s why the world needs designers – to make sense of it all, in a visual rhythm that may be understood, digested, ….It is a defense, a defense for the things that we may unravel if we’re left alone }

Desensitization. Apathy. Monolithic thinking. Its almost like clutching onto a diving board not wanting to take the plunge. It’s like chocking on canon balls without water. Block the chaos and you take out the good things with it. We unravel things that may not be too pretty – but isn’t that the whole point? The point is to reveal parts of yourself that you haven’t discovered before. Redefine a new version. Amalgamate amongst others ..

{ I think you may have misconstrued. Are we still talking about art or design?}

Design. Art. Whatever it is. Sooner or later it will gasp for air. It’s a reflection of the human psyche. Our aspirations, dreams, intentionally or subliminally – we will things to happen.

{ If that’s the case, regardless of chaos or order, we still fall through the same path.. We still break lose despite constraints imposed upon us.. We will still continue to be  inspired.. All the exernal items are immaterial to the output}

So we are ruled by determinism? For real determinism to exist, one should dip their toes into the water. There should be a movement..

{Lee, let’s continue this conversation later. I’m hungry. }

Ok, fine. Let’s roll. Welcome to my world.

I…. *gasp* can’t believe my site is finally LIVE.
I still have some tweaks to do here and there.. But.. It’s 90% done. 10% goes to finetuning some css and images.

Weee. Happy Thursday, folks!!
PS. The word of the day for me  is “leverage”. What’s yours?