Pacific Ocean has gone nuts

Posted on April 11, 2022 by admin

Who ever heard of two typhoons/tropical depression during summer??? I mean who could even imagine we would be having typhoons in the middle of what NORMALLY is a dry and hot (summer) season?!

The Pacific Ocean has gone nuts, because of climate change, the waters are getting warmer and we have off-season typhoons. Floods in the summer!!! Gee.

Tropical storm Agaton is staying put in the Visayas area because instead of going westward, it’s being sucked by the bigger typhoon that is supposed to head to Japan. So now Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar are experiencing floods in the middle of the supposedly hottest month of the year.

Climate change, people. Typhoons should be coming in August, not April!

Cropping seasons have gone haywire now and the poor farmers are now left in such a quandary . It’s either they have to gamble on off-season planting or normal season planting but risk getting destroyed by weird typhoons.

On a selfish note, this could derail our diving plans. Any disturbance like this makes for choppy seas and difficult diving in Sombrero island and Maricaban island. It’s disappointing if it happens…now that my flippers and free diving ring buoy have arrived today.

*It’s super comfortable! Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The girls exclaimed, Mommy, why is it so long? I said so I can propel myself better underwater.

Twin A: But mommy, you don’t really go deep.

Me: I can now, because you’re already grown up and I don’t have to constantly watch over you. Nanay and Tita S are also with us so I can leave you and do my own diving 😂

*Inner tube and case of the diving donut. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The official diving color of orange was no longer available, also the neon green. I only have pink, blue, and red to choose from so I have to go with the brightest color to serve as an early warning device as well. Having a diving buoy will save us a lot of oxygen when diving infront of the resort. It’s taxing when battling the waves going to your preferred spot.

And of course I needed a bag to house these extra long fins. It’s hard carrying fins without a bag when going up and down Anilao slopes.

*Only Php 300! Wheee! Kimchi is more interested in the plastic bag. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I’m so excited. I missed the sea so much. It used to be that every year we go to the beach at least once, even when the girls were still babies. Thank you, Covid, for delaying us. 😑

Meanwhile, there were unsubstantiated reports about tampered ballots in overseas Filipino voting.

I’ve asked SG-based Filipino friends if they have experienced this and most of them have yet to cast their votes. We’re still looking for Filipinos who have personally experienced this and evidence of tampered ballots as some members of local media are working on the story. The Marcoses are pulling all the stops. They’re getting worried about Leni.

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines — Within a week, Vice President Leni Robredo managed to stage massive shows of force in her supposed weak spots as a presidential candidate: Davao del Norte, a stronghold of the Dutertes; Pangasinan, a known Marcos bailiwick, and here in Pampanga, Arroyo country.
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1580787/robredo-completes-show-of-force-vs-rivals-in-pampanga#ixzz7Q80XmMnp
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

#NotoMarcos

I’m supposed to do research and follow leads by reading news and now I’m caught in this fascinating story of Yohji Yamamoto, this avant garde fashion designer whose clothes I couldn’t understand but was considered tres chic. Vogue raved about him all the time. He is favored by a fashion journalist that I followed (Kitty Go). Whenever Commes des Garcons (Rei Kawakubo and eventually Junya Watanabe) are mentioned, not far behind is Yohiji Yamamoto, or vice versa.

I’m supposed to be sending emails now but here I am, buried in his story.

Top Gun

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

It was every boy’s fantasy to be part of Top Gun after it was shown some thirty-plus years ago—my brother included. The aerial dog fights and anything about flying jet planes tickled their imagination. So I guess my brother is looking forward to watching Top Gun: Maverick. I also remember a poster of Top Gun Tom Cruise in the old house I grew up in…I asked my older sister why she put that up and she said she can’t remember why 😂 I’m thinking twice if I should brave watching this movie in theaters but this kind of movie should be watched on the big screen. I’m wary of being in enclosed spaces because Covid is still very much with us. One of the reporters in my bureau was reinfected with Covid, two months after of getting it in February. I don’t want to get bogged down by Covid again. It was just a nasty experience.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb55eZZBCw4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

THIS!!! Louder for the people at the back!!!

This is the reason why it’s better to completely heal first instead of using another person to “heal”/forget. To basically rebound. You’re still being toxic yourself so it’s gonna be hard to have a healthy relationship with anybody who still carries a lot of baggage.

Some friends don’t understand. It’s not me just holding on to the past; it’s me trying to be healthy first before anything else. I need to learn to completely love myself first before I love another person outside my immediate circle. But I’m not doing this with the goal of meeting a new person. I’m doing this for myself because I OWE it to myself. I’ve been through so much shit and it’s about time I prioritize me.

So right now I’m trying to start my week with good vibes. Like this, a clean workspace to motivate me to be productive on Mondays.

*I bought a new desk mat because I’m tired of my mouse pad moving around my table. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Watering and pruning my plants everyday to keep them healthy. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

These are the little things I regularly do to love myself and appreciate life again.

Tomorrow I may go to Marikina to look around a pottery maker’s showroom for reasonably priced decorative clay pots and pedestals.

*Pink is the color of tomorrow! Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

My big roses have started to bloom again. Lots of patience and moving around of pots to learn the optimal sun exposure and watering frequency of these flowering plants. Good things come with patience. You can’t just rush things.

While the world is busy with Ukraine and its effect on each region, Myanmar has been largely ignored these days. The Myanmar central bank suddenly came out with a directive regarding forex:

A Myanmar resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, expressed concern about being able to access their deposited savings and how much could be withdrawn.
“If we can’t withdraw, everything we earn will be stuck in the bank,” the resident said.
The official central bank exchange rate for the kyat is currently 1,850 per dollar, but this tends to be well below the unofficial black market rate.
Myanmar central bank says FX deposits must be converted into kyat, Nikkei Asia

The country’s economy is spiraling down further. It’s hard to do my reportage remotely when nobody is willing to talk to me, even anonymously.

silhouette of hot air balloons — *Balloons over Bagan, Myanmar. Photo by Boris Ulzibat on Pexels.com*

Looking forward to the Holy days next week. Metro Manila will be empty of people eager to go to the provinces as they do their revenge travel. The beaches will be teeming with people. As for me, I’m staying put since I know the provincial roads will be super clogged with SUVs. Maybe the girls and I can go to the Intramuros churches to do visita iglesia and at the same time I can do sketching. We can bring our bikes. We can also bike along Roxas Boulevard, along Manila Bay.

light city art street — *Manila Cathedral. Photo by Gerald Escamos on Pexels.com*

Before that, I still need to help them review for their upcoming tests and I’m giving them some pointers for their music lessons.

*My drawing for my girls’ music lesson. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Now I know why I had to go through those rigorous piano lessons and rondalla practices all those years: so I can teach my children music down the road. 🤔 I even had to teach them how to properly write a G clef. One day they will learn how to transcribe music notation on music staff, the least favorite of my duties as a music student 🎹 and glee club member.

After the first batch of their final exams, we will be celebrating the girls’ 11th birthday. I need to order food before everything closes down for the Holy Week.

Karl

Posted on March 29, 2022 by admin

If there’s a larger than life I personality I want to be friends with, it would be Karl Lagerfeld or Rajiv Surendra.

Karl’s life is interesting—not because of money that came with his life but it doesn’t hurt, no?—but he lived beautifully and he chased intellectualism not just for the sake of it but because he was very curious. Of course he was sort of a snob and he was raised by a ruthless mother but for some reason he loved her dearly. From his stories (published in Vogue and other interviews), his mother sounds like Elton John’s mother (gleaned from the movie Rocketman).

Anyway, I remember one article in Vogue (when I was still a devoted reader) that he spoke several languages and read in French, German, and English. He loved books. He was one of the biggest bibliophiles there is. He collected books and read them all. He was interested in so many things, especially history. His library is one of my dream libraries and I could happily pass my days in there. We can talk about politics, history, philosophy, art—so many things—over tea and biscuits (he eliminated sweets from his diet).

I also remember his love for wearing Hedi Slimane suits. There was an article in Vogue where he discussed his weariness of flying/airports post 9/11 (how strictly insane and tedious flying became right after 9/11) so he had outfitted several SUVs to be luxurious cabins so he can cross countries in Europe without having to suffer the indignities of stripping your clothes/shoes just authorities can scan you for possible deadly weapons or bombs.

I wish I have his discipline of sketching all the time. He wanted to be a cartoonist, not a fashion designer at first. He figured he could make a better living out of sketching clothes.

I could feel his frustration of wanting to play the piano but this desire to learn it was stamped out by his incorrigible mother. I figured those who leaned towards the arts sometimes find themselves drawn to other art forms as a way to express themselves.

Hmm, the two persons I mentioned above have another thing in common: they’re both gay. I’m good friends with gay men and as I told one gay man in Singapore, I am a fairy princess. I like the company of gay men because they’re interesting and they like my friendship. I had been to gay bars in Manila with K and his friends are fun to be with; we were dancing on the ledge of a bar until the wee hours (this was before I got married).

*hand-stitching again. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I’m back to sewing again as a form of procrastination. I can’t finish the poppy sketch yet since it’s complicated for my bleeding brain (I just finished an article today). I think the curtain panels will be up in the girls’ room by the end of this week.

I’m also teaching a colleague how to survive the China lockdown because he doesn’t know how to cook. His initial lockdowns were in Kuala Lumpur and he was privileged enough not to worry about supplies when he was there. I told him to grab lots of Indomee instant noodles (he’s Chinese Malaysian) and do this:

*Lucky Me Pancit Canton by Monde Nissin. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Teaching him what to buy and what to do with them. Gah! I wonder how these people survive all these years by just eating out.

This zero-Covid policy of China has seen a lot of businesses wanting to flee HK. My former APAC boss is now in Manila to escape the draconian policies of HK and give her toddlers a respite from being locked up indoors.

In contrast, Singapore is now allowing people to be maskless if outdoors. My friend-colleague said it’s such a relief especially if she’s taking her walks for her daily exercise. Our new APAC head, who’s based in Seoul, said most people there have been getting Covid that it doesn’t make sense to control movement. So the rest of the world has adopted the living-with-Covid policy and is now opening up borders.

I’m raring to go to the sea.

*Maricaban, Batangas. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This photo was taken when we took the boat from Eagle Point Resort to Maricaban island. The diving was not good but the winds were violent in Sombrero island so we were taken here. Some of these boats took novice scuba divers where we were freediving.

Ahhhh, diving. I really, really missed you.

You should have done this, Mommy

Posted on March 28, 2022 by admin

Twin I sent this to me and went up my room to tell me I should have done this. “You should have sold his gaming rig, Mommy.”

Huh?

“Tito J,” she said.

Awww. This girl is very sore about Tito J. Can’t blame her. She’s really hurt.

I should have done to J what Will Smith did to Chris Rock today at the Oscars for disrespecting me.

As for her dad? “Mommy, do you know you can sue a father who doesn’t send financial support to his children?”

“Yes I know,” I said. “Do you want me to sue him when he doesn’t have money?”

“Well he says he is stand to inherit xxx million from Lolo,” she said. Gee, that idiot is really not exerting effort to improve his lot and is just waiting for his father to die.

“Tell him to give you money for college tuition,” I said.

Losers.

Meanwhile, in satirical news that I wish they’re true:

This. If only my teachers in elementary and high school could be sent back to be re-educated 😣 The level of cognitive dissonance is unbelievable. And to think these are the same people that tried to shape our world view. 😥

The new plants that I will strive to keep alive during this season of intense heat.

There should be a better way of arranging these plants. They don’t make sense anymore. I need risers. Even if my world doesn’t make sense now, at least my container garden should.

I’ve told my new APAC boss that I need to be in Singapore for 8 days in July for our annual conference, which will be held face to face for the first time since the pandemic began. I just submitted to London HQ my request for travel to SG. But I think I need to be in Singapore even before July, probably May. I need to arrange a lot of admin work. *Le sigh*. The hiring process for new reporters is taking a loooooong time.

Himeji Castle Garden

Posted on March 19, 2022 by admin

This is the one of my two favorite views at Himeji Castle Garden. I tried the wet-on-wet technique and it’s hard reining in the colors running down the paper. It doesn’t help that I’m only working on a 5×7 watercolor paper.

*Sketch and wash. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Wet-on-wet. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Almost done. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I’ll let this dry and I’ll see later today if I need to fix some parts.

I still can’t sleep. 😩

We’re baaaaccccccckkkkk!

Posted on March 15, 2022 by admin

*Quezon Ave morning traffic. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

It took me an hour and 15 mins to reach my destination today using Skyway 3. I like that infrastructure although it means at least PHP 400 of toll fee roundtrip. It does cut my trip to Manila or Makati by half. I also like driving on that newly opened elevated highway because the view makes you think Metro Manila is sane. The views of the buildings in Makati, Ortigas and BGC are pretty, especially in the afternoon when the sun turns orange. Since I’m driving, I couldn’t stop and take a picture.

*Ambush interviews are back as well. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Here we are, back to our old ways but with a bit of a distance. This is an ambush interview of the newly appointed president of a company that I’ve been covering for 15 years now. I got two stories from this coverage. The leads were ok, but not that great. At least my diesel and effort were not wasted.

I still have it…charming execs into telling me stuff that they shouldn’t and the next day they would be receiving calls from my readers after my article had dropped into their inboxes. Hahaha! Oh well, dressing up and putting on make-up does wonders.

And since I was already out—on the other side of Metro Manila to be precise—I might as well take advantage and make the most of my fuel expense. I went to Ikea to buy more frames. Yes, frames. Because they’re cheap and they make my drawings look ok. That’s my form of self-love: a belief in my ability even if it’s not really good 😂🤣 and not be the first one to diss myself.

*A little bit of frame shopping. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Why didn’t I just order online? Well I have a low EQ and I don’t want to wait for my shipment. But I think after today’s exhaustion, I would have to learn how to wait.

My reporter-friend M who covered the event with me this morning told me he really can’t do watercolors because he lacks the patience because they’re delicate. He says acrylics are easier for him. And for that alone, he would gladly pay for my cherry blossoms if I sell because of my effort, he said.

Well, he is right; doing those cherry blossoms really tested my patience and brush control. I didn’t go beyond brush #4. That’s how small it is.

Speaking of brush control, I really needed a #1 watercolor brush for delicate coloring so I went to Art Bar in SM Mall of Asia. Unfortunately, that branch already closed. So on the way home, I dropped by Art Bar Q. Ave and searched for that elusive brush. Errr, it was like PHP 300. No way because I could buy that online for 1/3 of the price. So I just bought some 5×7 watercolor papers (200 gsm) for my botanicals series and called it a day. I would just have to order online.

I also searched for Kuretake Gansai Tambi set because they’re almost on a par with Winsor & Newton artist’s line for a fraction of the price, according to the artists I follow online. Art Bar is already out of stock since last month so I have to search online. I’m excited to use this one.

When I go back to Japan, I would again be spending hours choosing art materials and stationery in Maruzen. The last time I went to their big Osaka branch, I was there for three hours, choosing pens and notebooks. Like they have gazillions of Pilot Fixion pens and Dr. Grip. I had been going around Tokyo and Osaka looking for art materials or stationery because the Japanese really make good stuff (like the Sakura Pigma Micron pens, Uni Pin [Mitsubishi] and Pilot). Maruzen and Loft are safe bets and you’ll be buying more stuff than planned—my credit card can tell you that. I bought my Travelers Notebook from Loft. That’s why if I’m not scheduled to go to Japan, I get my art and stationery fix at Takashimaya (specifically at Kinokuniya) in Singapore several times a year. Now that Nomura Real Estate and GT Capital (Federal Land) have a JV partnership to build a Mitsukoshi Department Store in BGC, I hopefully don’t have to fly to be able to buy these stuff abroad. The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Taipei was a downer though. I don’t like that department store.

Speaking of traveling, my Singapore colleague and I were talking about trips to Europe. She asked me what my first destination would be, I said Spain would be first because of the food, art, and the language. First stop is Madrid, then Barcelona, then Granada (because of architecture). Some friends hiked in Spain but since I would be traveling solo, it’s not recommended for me. Before the war in Ukraine, I would have liked to visit Prague, Czech Republic because of the architecture and museums. I’m a boring traveler, I know. However, a friend who visited Prague told me it might not be safe for me being alone there. Let’s see.

But before that, I need to make sure the workload is ok when we do our transition by next month or in May. I don’t want to be gallivanting in Europe while the team is left hanging. Maybe I should limit my trips to Asia this year and wait for things to settle down first. So in that case, I would be going to S. Korea and Japan for non-work-related trips. The rest of Southeast Asia would be work-related.

Oh. I still don’t have my passport yet. 🙄

On a related note, my friend M (the one who told me he wants to buy my sakura) and I talked about not leaving the Philippines and stuff. Because I told him that I would be transferring to my home province after I turned down the relocation to Singapore and he said, yeah, you really don’t need to be there. He said he likes to travel quite a lot (and we follow each other’s travel IGs and it was his IG that propelled me to have that instant trip to Hitachi). But he’s not really hot about migrating since all he needed are here in this country. I guess I can see where he’s coming from since he’s one of those reporters who really didn’t need to work as a reporter. Meaning he’s rich and he’s just living off his investments and family money/business. Journalism is more of a hobby to him. He said it looks weird that he’s one of the few Filipinos who doesn’t want to migrate. I said, it’s not weird. If your heart is really not into it, why follow the trend? Those who want to migrate want a better life and your life is already comfortable here so why rock the boat and just suffer homesickness? Maybe he felt pressured by others to do so that’s why he’s telling me this while he gave me a lift in his car to my parking area (which was very far from our venue today).

I said, don’t worry; there’s two of us who feel the same way.

Kr asked me if I could sketch her Baguio pine trees as seen from Camp John Hay. Lucky that I took a lot of photos of CJH when we spent Christmas there in 2017 and 2018.

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