Food and art

Posted on January 14, 2023 by admin

I got tired of doing long distance driving every week so I decided to just stay at home today. I’m a simple person and my weekend would have just been equally enjoyable with home cooking and drawing.

And as I promised Twin I, I made bibimbap for brunch. Just as well because I’m trying to get rid of week-old vegetables and left-over beef tapa. I cooked the beef sukiyaki á la gyudon as part of the bibimbap.

*And I made the gojuchang-based sauce that I copied from* *My Korean Kitchen*. *Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*My kids don’t like raw or half-cooked eggs so I just made runny sunny side-up. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*My girls approved. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Then we had the charcuterie board delivered this afternoon so we just grazed until evening. The brie cheese quickly disappeared.

Too bad I no longer have wine at home to go with this because I gave my last bottle to my landlady as Christmas gift. But then it’s easy to go to Uno Cinquenta to drink at Cava wine bar, which I did two weeks ago with a friend. I usually go with QC-based friends in Cava to have craft beer there.

My kids are easy to please so as long they have food, they’re fine. They know mommy is tired. After a late afternoon nap, I started drawing again because I suddenly felt my mojo coming back.

*The infamous tree in my hometown, the Fertility Tree. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.co*m

*Sketch on a tiny board. Art and photo by CallMeC*reation.com

*Was thinking of Winnie the Pooh’s tree. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Making bookmarks is a good way to practice instead of laboring over my sketch pad. I think I’m having an artist’s block because I am terrified of scale. I even find it difficult to finish a 5×7 sketch or watercolor painting because there’s this internal pressure that it has to be good when I’m barely there yet. This is what happens when you let your skills get buried for 25 years. It lay dormant for so long and now I’m starting from scratch. If only I continued with this non-stop from high school, maybe I would be really good by now.

But then, can I have two art forms at the same time? Something’s got to give and writing is my bread and butter so I have to master it. Life also got in the way.

Oh well.

I need to complete my Holbein half-pans before I leave QC for good. I will miss Art Whale, which is just a bike ride away from my apartment.

Luxury is relative

Posted on January 13, 2023 by admin

Pinay teen gets bashed for calling Charles & Keith ‘luxury,’ fashion brand invites her to lunch

Zoe is a Filipina transplant in Singapore. Money is very tight given that Singapore is expensive for families not on expat package. I could understand why her parents don’t want to leave them behind in the Philippines and chose to live an almost hand-to-mouth existence in Singapore. I may have done the same because I cannot be parted from my children; but the difference is that I have a choice and I chose to stay here and live comfortably. Zoe’s father doesn’t. There is not enough employment options for Zoe’s parents in the Philippines as wages remain depressed while cost of living continues to jump.

Zoe impressed many when she replied to the trolls by posting a follow-up video in which she tearily explains her humble background and talks about privilege.

She told ST via e-mail that her family moved to Singapore from the Philippines in 2010. While she declined to say more about her parents, ST understands that her father works as a mechanical engineer.

So when her father gave her an SGD 80 Charles & Keith handbag, she was so happy that she uploaded on Tiktok that finally has her first luxury bag.

“My family didn’t have a lot. We couldn’t buy things as simple as bread from BreadTalk… when we moved to Singapore… Your comment spoke volumes on how ignorant you seem because of your wealth,” said the eldest of four siblings, who is being home-schooled.

The Singaporeans bashed her so much. The luxury brand-obsessed Singaporeans belittled an immigrant because her definition of luxury doesn’t match their own. My colleague told me that they shop so much because there is nothing else to do. In the end, they just throw out stuff with their price tags still attached because they no longer have room for more shopping. She felt Singapore produces so much waste because of this obsession with shopping.

They do not understand the kind of privilege they have and that only a fraction of the world’s population enjoy that kind of privilege. They live in a bubble.

Luxury is relative.

There was a time that C&K was a luxury to me as well and all I could do was just look longingly at the window displays in Rustans as I walked the length of Ayala Ave going to the MRT station wearing my beaten up black loafers from SM department store (Parisian) and blouse and skirt from Surplus Shop. I had to choose the cheapest toiletries and meals to make ends meet because I was just a year off from college and was just earning minimum wage. I had to share a dorm room with four other girls. My worldly possessions were my electric fan, my clothes, and my analog cellphone that I bought second-hand from my brother. I had to be judicious with sending SMS because at that time one SMS costs one peso and I only had PHP 300 budget for airtime load a month. Books and magazines were also luxuries to me. The only way I can indulge myself was to go to Booksale and buy PHP 10 to PHP 30-paperbacks or PHP 100-back issues of Vogue.

So for Zoe, it was a big deal to be given a Charles & Keith bag because her parents could barely afford it. People just 🤦‍♀️ love to hurt others.

Meanwhile, my quest to make nice bookmarks is not yet through.

*This one was just an excuse to use my new Holbein watercolors. It doesn’t have to be pretty and correct. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Trying my hand at children’s book illustration. It’s a book mark so it doesn’t have to be correct or pretty. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*This one was an experiment. I just washed the entire paper and let the color bleed. My big mistake was lining it with a marker. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I need to go to a museum. I’m losing my spark again. 😑

Queen of procrastination 2

Posted on January 13, 2023 by admin

I was stuck. It took me a while but I started chipping away at the things I must do to get through this week. I’m almost done…

To get back my mojo and extricate myself from this rut, I started making bookmarks.

*With gold flecks. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*I couldn’t resist lining it with my sepia Copic marker after I signed it. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Chinese style braised beef. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I bought various beef cuts to vary our menu for this week. I’m now slow cooking this Chinese style braised beef for 10 hrs. On Saturday I plan to make bibimbap (with sukiyaki cut beef) because my daughters started liking it. Yes, with gochuchang-based bibimbap sauce.

I’m cheering myself up today by cooking and painting because I’m PHP 52k poorer. I picked up my car from Ishimoto this afternoon and it felt like I was hit by a football on my diaphragm (you have no idea how painful it is to be winded out by a flying football). That amount is already equivalent to my trip to Seoul. 😑

But then, my car is running smoothly now, better than ever. The diesel mechanic said he overhauled my engine fuel system. He saw that my engine’s settings were high so he brought it down to standard levels. No wonder fuel consumption was so bad. He replaced a lot of parts because they were broken since gunk corrodes fuel injectors, etc.

Why the gunk? Well, he said that I may have unknowingly loaded my car with diesel from fuel stations that are prone to flooding. Flood = fuel contamination. That causes gunk, destroys your engine’s fuel system.

Now I have zero black smoke. The mechanic said my engine feels like it’s good as new.

True.

He also said my car’s engine is very dependable that’s why it’s still running well despite the age. CRDi diesel engines today are not as tough and long-lasting as the one that I have, which is a turbo diesel (TDI). CRDi, however, are more fuel efficient than TDI.

But basically, diesel engines last longer than gasoline counterparts, whether CRDi or TDI, because there is less wear. Diesel is a slow burning fuel; the acceleration is slower but that keeps the engine from wearing down quickly. These are engines for hauling and for long distance drives–things that I use my car for.

Day-long meeting

Posted on December 21, 2022 by admin

*Lighted up acacia tree in front of the Student Union building. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I met with our water concessionaire’s shareholder (company AVP) and the OIC GM of our water concessionaire today. Because of my advocacy and continuous fight, the shareholder company was forced to change the management and suspended the 🤬 top officials until investigations are finished and proper charges are filed.

We met before 10 am at their corporate office and then I toured them around to show them the areas that are experiencing low pressure, mud coming out of their faucets, etc.

I told them that they have a reputational issue with the customers that’s why they’re still coming to me for complaints and are not going straight to them. Even though they are now fixing the shit left by previous management, the people still don’t know about it and thus they need a proper comms person to fill that gap–a proper community relations manager.

I recommened to them the steps that they should do, how to tap the local government units (barangay officials and their facilities) to conduct focus group discussions and needs assessment from these engagements. Monitoring and evaluation of information campaigns. I said that people should be properly informed and the knowledge is correct so that when the time comes the water concessionaire files a petition for tariff adjustment to help finance the network upgrade and other capex needs, we the customers will not be up in arms. I also told them they should take advantage of the local media in their information campaign by engaging with them.

They asked me to help in looking for a comms consultant to help them with that. I’m waiting now for a text message from a schoolmate so I can discuss with her this headhunting chore.

We parted ways at 3 pm. It was a long day.

My kids, on the other hand, went to a nearby city in the south to have early dinner in a bed and breakfast/art gallery with my sister and their cousin Kuya P. They sent me lots of photos.

Meanwhile, I went to the semester ender Christmas bazaar inside our university campus.

*Students are up and about before they go back home for the holidays. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I have all windows open right now to feel the cool December provincial breeze. I will leave tomorrow evening to be with my cats.

More projects

Posted on December 11, 2022 by admin

*Recycled grocery paper bags. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

My hands became restless so I wrapped some gifts for family and friends that I will be bringing to my hometown tomorrow.

I didn’t want to waste paper that will just add to our humongous trash problem so I’ve been recycling things. Aside from paper bags, I’ve been recycling my old business cards from a decade ago and use them as backing for the gift tags that I printed out.

Then I tried my hand again at painting sakura closeups.

*I chucked this one because it didn’t turn out well. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Tried again. Still waiting for it to dry. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

But it seems like I’m losing my mojo again.

It’s the end of the year and there are still a ton of things I must do like staff evaluation and self-reviews. That’s the most annoying part about my job: the admin work. Even though I’m already technically on leave, there’s this nagging voice at the back of my brain that says I must work on this now. But my body says I should relax and leave stress behind.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe that dinner with my best friend tomorrow night will improve my state of mind.

Since my mom’s house is still on a lockdown, I booked an Airbnb in my hometown (which sounds absurd to me now) so I can spend the night there because the next day I have a dinner party with a listed company at Hilton, near the airport. So might as well be efficient with my trips and it will be easier to drive to Hilton from south then continue to drive to QC instead of driving from QC to Hilton then to QC again. <<<< This sounds horrific these days.

After my lunch meeting tomorrow, I will drive to hometown, check my house construction and bring my pendant lights and kitchen utensil railings that will be drilled underneath the overhead kitchen cabinets. I will also distribute the food baskets that I bought for the construction workers…something to augment their noche buena meal on Christmas Eve. Times are tough; a little blessing goes a long way for such workers.

You see, I’ve been very blessed, despite the shit I’ve been through the past 2 years. It’s my way of giving back to the universe that has been kind to me in some ways. I don’t forget the privilege that I have. I’m a single parent who can still afford to send my children to school, clothe and feed them, and have just enough to spend for our needs and wants. A lot of people are not in that position. Many struggle and find partners so that they would have somebody to share that financial burden with. Many get stuck in bad relationships because it’s hard to go solo financially.

I don’t have to, thank God.

Besides I’m not the type who will find a partner because of financial reasons. The thought just makes me nauseous. And I don’t think anyone would bother with me because I’m already old; relationship for convenience applies only to younger women and fuckbois.

Oh fuck bois. 🙄

How I hate thee.

And it’s done

Posted on December 10, 2022 by admin

*Ceiling lamps on 50% off. This one is for my bathroom. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*.

Yes. Finally bought ceiling lamps. And they’re a lot cheaper than what I initially planned. I let my kids choose the lamps. These lamps above would go to my bathroom.

The other one, albeit another variant of the one pictured below which has pendants that are hanging at same level, would go to my dining area.

*This one is meant for a corner so the one we chose is similar to this but they are on a track and at the same level. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I changed the bulbs from the inefficient 40-watt Edison bulb to the power saving 7-watt daylight LED bulbs.

I paid PHP 6,000+ for the two sets plus LED bulbs, which was already a very good price for the lot.

The other candidates that my kids initially chose were:

*It just had too many bulbs for a four-seater dining table. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*This also has too many bulbs. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*These look nice but would be better for a 6 or an 8-seater dining table. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The girls initially wanted something like this in the kitchen area but I shot it down because I want track lights so each bulb can be a spotlight on the kitchen counter. It’s easier to cook when there’s a dedicated task light for that.

My contractor sent me this photo of my fusebox and the pantry shelves below it.

They’re installing insulators before they seal the ceiling so that I won’t be roasting in my bedroom by summer. My room faces east and it receives direct sunlight.

Because I’m in the mood to spend, I indulged again and went to ArtWhale. Before I leave QC, I think I must complete my Holbein half-pans.

*Each tiny pan is as expensive as a 15ml tube of gouache or oil*. *Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Meanwhile, I was feeling a little bit creative tonight…

*It’s beginning to look like a close-up of a sakura blossom. Art and photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*It’s messy but it is still a work in progress. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This is what’s difficult with watercolor: once it’s there, it’s there. You can’t erase a spill if it’s already set on paper and you’re too slow in catching it while it’s still wet. You only have a few seconds then it’s forever there. Unlike in oil you can use thinning agents or paint it over with white. Same with gouache. With watercolor… You’re doomed with your mistakes.

So I have to be creative with how I can disguise this bleeding (which came from my fingers because the new shadow green Holbein pan bled all over my hand). 😒

UPDATE

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