In COTTON and In SILK, an art exhibit

BE ONE!

Yes, be one of those few who will try to save the art scene of San Carlos by just being one or all of the following:

1. Artist who is a native of the City and believes in the word “GROWTH”;
2. A Lover of Art who believes in the talents of San Carlos:
3. A Curious Individual who consider art as a subject worth talking about;
4. A Collector of One-of-A-Kind Pieces by different unknown artists.

This is just a testing ground for us artists of San Carlos City who always have different visions and opinions. We have taken part of our time from the busy schedules doing costumes and props for the fiesta just to give the visitors of San Carlos Pintaflores Festival ’07 and the general public a part of our devotion to art and the City.

Should you want to be a part of this small exhibit, please contact me at 7293019 and 09155529645.

When Life was Simplier

Got this mail from my friend Christine and I loved it. Maybe it can make you realize too how simple life was then when everything wasn’t touched by the culprit called advertising. But that culprit is a good one, I have taken advertising arts for 8 years and it was worth it anyway. For those who do not belong to this age bracket, read and imagine how your parents lived their lives.

The photos attached were taken by my father in the fifties of my brother, Bingkoy and sister, Alma.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and
70's!!


First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank
while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can,
and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in
baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets
and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks
we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats,
booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a
special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and
NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid
made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as
we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and
then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After
running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video
games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no
surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no
Internet or chat rooms....... .

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there
were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not
live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with
sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen,
we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the
door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those
who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was
unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new
ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we
learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck
to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so
much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors,
doesn't it?!

The Second Trip to January

The last of the passengers to the January 5 Wedding.

MidNIGHT CREW

The skies have turned from blue, to orange and then black, gray, and light yellow and then blue again yet our hands and eyes haven’t rested throughout nature’s transitions. Tired yet awake, we continued till the last invitation has been folded. It was 7 am. And we greeted each other the sweetest “Good Morning” we could utter and again laugh like we did a few hours before. The session of joking, followed by a burst of laughter and silence always keep coming back. This is the drug that keeps us going – the ease with the co-workers, the voluntary gesture of serving coffee or cooking pancit canton when some of us start to look worn-out and lethargic and the effort to crack a joke even if it would sound banal.

One cannot feel the exhaustion when under pressure and it was only when the super hot and spicy beef noodle soup settled in our stomachs that we realize it was time to park and let our over used organs to rest. And I came up with the perfect blueprint for a wedding vigil or any job that would require a group to work like the world is ending.

1. High in everything food! High in salt and pepper Pancit Canton.
2. High in quantity of cigarette puffs to break the monotony of picking up each molecular bead.
3. High bpm mixed soundtrack especially created by Jay Broce to dance to as one struggles keep sleep from over throwing him
4. Low calorie Diet coke that I discovered more potent than the regular one
5. High dosage of jokes and sarcasm
6. Vigil candles to keep away the mosquitoes
7. A working team that works with passion (and with a goal! From earning more for the son’s education to working to buy a new pair of slippers or just plainly for a cell phone load

The list may vary each time depending on the kind of work the group is cramming but one thing for sure, all of us are working for our own reasons and needs.

My reasons? The continuous greed for beautiful results, the reactions of the excited clients - more positive than awful, and the end point when our creations are worn and used with much pride. And nothing can stop us from doing another day to night to another day work.

The January Weddings (part 2)

Frantic and very drowsy ( I catch myself yawning every two minutes), the crew of five wanted to occupy their waiting beds before the clock would strike 4 am. The neighbor’s chickens were practicing their wake up rituals every now and then, drug buyers and peddlers have passed our gates in uncountable times already and the bags are nearly full, covers open looking like crocodiles waiting for a catch.

After months of preparation, the first batch of wedding essentials for January have taken form, 36 hours later, they will be flying to the cool place called California. The “buri” bags have already been dyed and beribboned, the last bead of the wood and crystal bead wedding “cord” has been stranded, the end of our vigil is near.

After ironing each dress Aljhun would hold the purple cloth behind my 12 year old and ever useful fitting form who I had christened “Emma” as I ready my camera for Emma’s photo shoot. After the shots, each dress is escorted to the anxious carriage that bears the logo of the Samsonite, each dress went through the same routine until the queen arrived.

Dressed in white, the queen looked radiant and pure amongst the fluorescent lights. After saying our goodbyes, the queen in white gracefully hop in to the Samsonite carriage and mingled with the others who wore lilac, champagne, tangerine and magenta. Seeing that they have already sat comfortably in the carriage, I put on their elastic seatbelts to ensure that they will arrive safely and crease free.

After reviewing the checklist for the first flight passengers, we closed the second carriage

containing the brown skinned wedding essentials, the “sugong” tokens and the embroidered bamboo fans and their bags. With all the bags packed, the time has finally come for us to say goodnight and goodbye. The two carriages will be traveling thousands of miles and I will be traveling another thousand dreams.

The tension has ebbed and the sleepiness has risen. It is time to park after a long trip and it is 4:26 am.