I am by no means an expert on the life and times of Ray and Charles Eames. All that I know about them by heart begins and ends with the iconic lounge chair and ottoman, and also the fact that they made movies. I am not an expert, and it’s a shame that I’ve only looked into their lives just now.

“Eames: The Architect and The Artist” came out on November 2011. Having only looked at this short trailer (still cannot find the film!), my heart has been roused into action. Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to be something remarkable—not in the way that people are remarkably famous or notorious of fame, really. Rather, I’ve come to realize that I wanted to be remarkable in the way that Charles and Ray Eames were. I just never quite understood how to do that.

It’s not really something you outright seek to do. I don’t think they did things so that they would be well-known, but that they became illustrious and indispensable because of the things that they did. That’s something I’ve thought about fairly frequently—how the “fame culture” today has been poisonous more than helpful—but that’s another story.

Now, I’m beginning to think that everything great begins with the relentless pursuit of solutions and beauty, without expecting the promise of success. It’s an unwavering desire to make things that make what exists better. I’ve often wondered why I don’t seem to be progressing as much as I thought I ought to, and it’s perhaps because I have been taking so many detours, big and small, but maybe it’s also because I don’t really think of what will propel the action. I do things with this tremendous pressure to have something to be good at, and not really for the purest motives of discovery and solution-making.

Another thing I admire from the Eameses is their partnership. There simply isn’t anything like it. Their lives and philosophies bled into their Venice Beach office, and it was so inspiring to see how the people they’ve worked with still light up when the Eameses come up. I can just imagine their energies being so tremendously contagious.

I was doing my Life Plan for 2012 and paused only to watch this trailer, but ended up being so encouraged by seeing how they were into so many things, were good at them, and did what they did with a genuine interest and spirit. I’m so driven to “excel” even more just because they have proven it possible, being armed with a sense of wonder and an understanding of things that work.

I think I gravitate towards the Eameses because they have imbued their work with a feeling of warmth and perhaps even love, not necessarily in their output but in their approach. They loved design, and so they were good at it. And just thinking about this, there is this weight that is lifted from me, which I got from examining the future and my 2012. My challenges are still there, of course, but it’s nice to see that it’s possible to get through them in a way that won’t destroy me.

Luckily, an alternative is to be found in this vast digital sometimes-wasteland: Deal Grocer! It’s essentially a website that sells you top-notch products at prices you’ll love. I’d like to think of it as getting more for less. Besides saving up to 50% from over 200 Deal Grocer partners (hotels, resorts, restaurants, and stores in the country), you get to save on the time and gas you’d have spent on trying to find the perfect gift. It really is a one-stop destination for the finer things in life—especially if you are stumped!

My mom especially likes buying the food deals on Deal Grocer. We’ve tried a lot of new restaurants, thanks to her. Right now, I have my eye on this deal for Opus, and an overly postponed Borough breakfast with two of my best friends, Isa and Barby.

What’s also great about Deal Grocer is that the deals are of the best quality. My friend Karen is a mainstay, and she swears by their lineup. Dream purchases for the travel bug in me would be an El Nido getaway for 2 or a spa trip with underground river tour. (I’ve never been to Palawan!) I would also love this Illy espresso machine, if only I didn’t already have way too many.

There are tons more holiday-perfect gifts such as a Valrhona chocolate cake from Park Avenue or these dairy free cupcakes from Dairy Free Delights—for the lactose-challenged like myself. These are also great gifts to give to your loved ones, because everyone knows that Christmas excuses us from being gluttonous pigs.

It’s a pretty cool way to pamper and show extra love to the special people in your life, with just a click of the mouse. With Deal Grocer, you can give something you’re sure your friends or family will love, which they can enjoy at their convenience. No shipping fees, awful lines, and wasted wrapping paper (although, I will still wrap you, gifts. I will still wrap you).

Remember your loved ones this holiday season by giving them a gift they’ve always wanted, without hurting your pocket. Sign up on www.dealgrocer.com and commence holiday shopping!

I realize it’s a little late to be releasing holiday gift guides (how in the world is Christmas two Sundays from now?) but I’m still making one. To be released when I am not as frazzled, aka hopefully the day after tomorrow.

If you’ve been on the Internet a lot, you’ve probably heard about Tiger Translate. Tiger Translate is a worldwide campaign that showcases local creative talents, and they’ve chosen Manila as their next stop! The first leg of this bar tour will happen on November 18, 2011—this Friday—at KYSS. There’s going to be live music from Turbo Goth, as well as a live Graffiti Battle between KST Philippines’ Nuno and Ekis.

For more information about Tiger Translate, head on over to their official website: TigerTranslate.com. You’ll see how amazing and far-reaching this “cross-cultural movement” has been, having gone to places like Beijing, Bangkok, Cambodia, Sydney, and so on.

I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and exercise creativity in a different way. I’m so used to going to galleries and exhibits that are static, so this is a new way for me to get to know how other people perceive art. Taken from their website:

We’re cross-cultural.
We’re multi-disciplinary.
We’re East meets West.
We’re Tiger Translate.

And our mission? To generate the next big bang in creativity through exposure to different cultures and experiences. Fusing visionaries from the ends of the world, we showcase the best of emerging Asian creativity with work that challenges the status quo. And more importantly, work that entertains, engages and inspires you. But don’t take our word for it. Open your mind to new possibilities and see it for yourself here.

If you were interested in seeing the kind of art this movement has produced, you can see them for yourself.

Here’s a link to their teaser video, since I can’t seem to figure out how to embed it. Looks exciting, yes?

I think it’s about time something like this happened, too.

Don’t forget!

Tiger Translate kicks off in Manila with a bang! Watch the Graffiti Showdown between local street artists Nuno and Ekis from KST Philippines as they showcase their creativity live, and around the theme of GOLD.

Be part of the electric atmosphere on 18th November in the Philippines, and enjoy live music from Turbo Goth (http://turbogoth.bandcamp.com/). Drink up on your fill of Tiger Beer, and see which artist will emerge victorious!

Event: Tiger Translate in Manila
Theme: Gold
Date: 18th November 2011
Time: 9p.m.
Location: KYSS Bar

Join us as we bring the vibrancy and creativity of Tiger Translate to Manila.

Hope to see you there!

Let’s be honest: I’ll probably have maybe 2 more posts on Hong Kong, because there are a lot of good photos, and I have an impulse to share. One thing I really wanted to post about, though, was the great type work I saw in Hong Kong Disneyland. Most of these are examples from façades and fake storefronts around Main Street, but just look at the care that went into these things.

I wouldn’t mind living in a city like this!

(OK, maybe I would mind a little, but isn’t it all so very pretty?)

Even the lightbulb packaging got great type treatment!

I also like Nick Zinner’s “Beds” series, where he took photos of beds he’s slept on when he was touring with the rest of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I suspect that this aspect of sameness-but-not is what drew me to the Roberto Chabet show in Galleria Duemila last month. There’s just something satisfyingly whole when it comes to collections and series. You see connections and similarities, and also differences.

A lot of people have also been asking me to share a few of my favorite local blogs, and I figure that this would be a good start! Here’s a list of some of the local projects and series that I enjoy quite a bit.

1. ANIK ANIK LOVE
by Mitch Mauricio • http://anikaniklove.blogspot.com/

Anik Anik Love is a series that I stumbled upon when my friend linked his other friend’s feature on the site. Mitch Mauricio goes around and photographs creatives from all walks of life and their sacred space. I’m kind of a nomad (I share a room with my sister), so I just work wherever, but it’s inspiring to see where beautiful things are made.

Right now, Mitch’s own space is featured in Real Living Magazine (October 2011). She’s a photographer, and I met her about a month or so ago. She’s really nice, on top of being quite talented. Also! Isn’t this one of the best projects? I made a few attempts at it a long time ago, but Mitch captures space in a pretty extraordinary way.

2. SPACES
by Zet Diaz • http://spaces.withstrangers.com/

Newly launched by Zet Diaz, Spaces is a look into “spaces” all over the world. Unlike Anik Anik Love, this isn’t limited to workspaces or living areas, but explores what the personal idea of “space” is.

It’s not simply a show and tell of “this is where I work,” but a telling of the story of these spaces, and what it means to these people. I think her goal is to sort of find a way to make each base in the world covered. So far, she’s gotten pretty awesome people to be a part of the project. I’m so excited for future entries—for one in particular—and this is definitely a project to watch.

3. DISPLAY
by Sarie Cruz • http://vimeo.com/sariecruz/

Sarie Cruz likes making films and looking at art. Merge these two interests together and you have a pretty genius project that I’m surprised no one I’ve heard of has been doing yet. Display is, essentially, a series of films that showcase art shows, exhibits, and events in Manila—in video form.

I document shows with pictures and words all the time, but that doesn’t quite capture the “thereness” one feels when going to an art show. Display is a step closer to that. It’s awesome because it captures part of the feeling of being there, despite the temporariness of exhibits. Because of the fleetingness of these shows, Sarie wanted to make the viewer feel somehow a part of it, despite not having been there or being far away.

There are, so far, only two up right now, but I know that she has a lot of footage she’s working on piecing together.

4. THE GRIM REPAT
by Mara Coson • http://thegrimrepat.wordpress.com/

I don’t know if you guys know this, but I had short-lived dreams of being a vlogger. If I did manage to make that work, I’d have loved it to have been like this. The Grim Repat is Mara Coson’s approach to repatriation, after being away from Manila so long. Three episodes are up now, and all are pretty fun to watch, despite the general vlog rule of “3 minutes and under.”

Part of what makes it interesting is the format. Typically, vloggers just set up their desk with a webcam and sit and talk in front of it. Sometimes, they go outside. Mara puts together videos of her day and her environment, coupling them with other tidbits and clips from films and videos. Then, there’s the good writing. I like that her videos have a theme and a point. It’s just a refreshing change, with a strong, overarching idea to back it up.

5. THE HANDY-DANDY MAP PROJECT
by Kasey Albano • http://kaseyalbano.tumblr.com/

Kasey Albano has always been one of the designers in school that I felt “had it.” The Handy Dandy Map Project is one of her design series that I love. Currently, there are about three entries, and I sincerely hope that she pursues it.

She has another series up called the 30 Day Song x Design Challenge. She is barely halfway, which excites me a lot because it means that I have more to look forward to.

Other local projects I love and enjoy:

• Missed Connections Manila
• Drunken Dispatches
• Daylight by Gabby Cantero
  

  “Cause in the daylight anywhere feels like home.” — Daylight by Matt & Kim

  Portraits on a Saturday. Why? Really, nothing. All for fun. For hanging out with friends under the sun!

I’m just naming some off the top of my head. So, if you have any series or projects, or even blogs, that are dear to your heart, please know that I would love to hear about them.

I’m working on a series right now, with Cat, which I’m hoping will take off by this month. It’s exciting, and we both love it—which is why it is puzzling as to why it’s taking so long for the both of us. We’re both busy, but it’s sort of like a passion project, so we’re pretty excited for it, too. Hope you stay tuned!

So, this Friday, I found myself in two new (and somewhat peculiar) situations, one of which was a shoot for co.lab. The idea behind co.lab is the raising up of a shared space for “freelance professionals, home office workers, startup businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and graduate students.”

Arriane would mention it a lot in her blog, so I knew about co.lab, but it was nice setting foot in the actual place. Here’s her post on the shoot! She has loads of great photos, and is apparently pretty sick right now, so I’m sending her get-well-soon vibes from over the Internet. Will it work? I sure hope so.

I’d first heard of this concept from Swiss Miss, who works in a similar environment called Studio Mates with the likes of Jason Santa Maria and Frank Chimero (!!!). It’s so nice to see a similar place opening up in Metro Manila, so I’m hoping it takes off, and that I somehow find a way to be a part of it when it does. I currently live quite far from this place, so I don’t even know if I will get to, but it’s such a nice space filled with positive energy and great, creative minds.

There were a number of rooms, but we mostly stayed in this one. I met a few interesting people like Chiara, who is a graphic designer, but who is also brilliant at makeup.

They have a well-stocked pantry!

And it seems to be a puppy-friendly place.

Full room! Gabby, Stick (the mind behind Anouck), me, Sarie, and Chiara…

…taken by Bia! She’s making a full-length film now on modern-day heroism. I can’t wait for it to be done, so I can watch it. HEH.

The shoot was done by WYD Manila.

It was a nice change of scenery. I had gotten used to working by myself (with the exception of something pretty collaborative on Wednesdays—which I will talk about soon), it was nice being able to just hang out with people. I’m not so good with offices, but maybe it’s not really the office-environment that is stifling. Maybe it’s the type of work I used to do. With this set-up, I would be able to go to work with great people, on my own projects.

It’s refreshing, because I think I really am starting to experience a bit of cabin fever, and this scheme is something I’d really love to look into. You’re left alone to do your own thing, but when you feel like going crazy, there are people around to keep you from going crazy and/or talking to yourself.

I’m not exactly the most social person, but this seems pretty perfect, if you ask me.

Sarie’s information sheet. We filled these out with crayons!

Sarie.

Stick.

The thing with using film to take photos is that you have to be patient and diligent, and I am neither of those things. These photos were taken with a disposable black & white camera (Rollei Retro400) on March 9th this year. Cat and Macky spun~ at Future in Cubao X. I don’t actually know what made me go to this thing, because aside from being a hermit, I am also kind of wary of new and unfamiliar social situations. Alas, I went and I am glad I did!

Here are some photos. So much has changed since then, but I’d like to think that the switch in velocity was a good one.

About the camera: it’s OK! Some photos looked a bit washed out, but it’s good for what it is. I ordered it from the Lomography online store, which ships to pretty much anywhere. It was easy to use, but there was not a great range of things you can do with it. It really is just a fuss-free, point-and-shoot, black & white camera that you can forget about after you’ve used it. I would get another one if I manage to get another chance to.

More photos under the cut!

Illustration by Kris Atomic.

I’ve been told that my default face is actually a bitchface. I’ve spent most of my formative years being told by good friends that they didn’t think I would be as nice as I was because I “looked scary.” Imagine what wonders that did to my self-esteem. Imagine how many potential friends I might have lost because of my face!

To illustrate, here is the most recent picture of my default face. It is by no means attractive (I mean, clearly), but it shows my point fairly well: my point being that I tend to look pretty menacing, even without meaning to. I did you a favor and resized it to a fraction of its original size.

Does it help that I am also not really naturally friendly? Nope. Does it help that I am also kind of socially awkward? Nope. Do I try to be more genial? Oh, do I ever. At some point, I even practiced my smile in the mirror. How lame is that? Very. Although, I do get complimented on said smile, so I suppose the cost of lame-ness yielded favorable results anyway. I don’t know if it is a good smile in itself, or if it just a welcome change, much like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for some time. Who even knows anymore.

Stranger or friend, please take note of this: if you run into me on some random street or at some event, and I look like this—please don’t think that I will eat you. I can assure you that I won’t. And I am posting this just because I related to this illustration. I do feel like birds are tying my bows, but I apologize in advance if ever I look like I am about to kick a tiny puppy.

That’s really just how my face looks.

However: if you tell me to cheer up, even if I have a song in my heart, and visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I just might find a puppy I can kick.

Just kidding.

Petra & I “spun” (I inwardly cringe when I use this word because it makes me feel like such a poser) at Future in X Thursday night—more on this later, thank you everyone who went, sorry I didn’t get to talk or whatever but I am really, really shy even though it doesn’t really seem like it sometimes—and after recuperating from a horrible hangover, I wormed my way into breakfast plans with Cat, Karen, Liana, and Sarie.

Fun Fact: I met Sarie and Liana maybe a week and a half ago. Another fun fact: I get along with them quite swimmingly. (Or so I’d like to think. HEH.)

Karen.

Me & Liana.

Joyce Jimenez Cat.

Karen & Sarie.

Waffle!

What used to be chicken.

Cath… Hehe joke lang.

This is the mysterious extra Php 100 bill that no one would claim, and everyone kept insisting that I contributed to the bill out of the goodness of my obviously generous heart.

If you can guess whose footwear is whose correctly, you get a free opportunity to mock us for taking such a cheesefest picture. (I quite like shoe-shots, though, so I guess I’ll add that to my list of guilty pleasures. WHATEVER, I still think they are super cute.)

 
I left at around noon because my cousin was getting married in the afternoon. (Yay! :) Hee. More on that later, too.) The rest of their day without me does not exist, because there are no pictures and I was not there. The End.

The best part about trying not to be sad is that I always find pockets of happy in places I least expected to. Sometimes, I feel like all that’s left for me to do is to try.

 
P.S. Marb linked me to a video of Frank O’Hara reading my favorite poem, “Having a Coke With You.” A comment implied that it was used in the Vanessa Hudgens classic, Beastly, so if you are reading this, Karen Ramos, I feel like it’s a sign that we must see this movie immediately.

Synchronicity (or part of it), this past week, came in the form of some of the books I’ve finished reading, namely: Light Boxes by Shane Jones and Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert. These aren’t reviews; they’re just tiny ruminations on what I’ve been reading and the unexpected weight they bore on recent events.

(I realize I should post this on my book blog, but it seems as though it became more of a burden than a motivation for me to post, so I’m probably shutting it down and relegating all future book posts over here, under a tag. Also, this is kind of long, so it’s mostly for my sake more than for yours. But you are very welcome to read & comment & share your thoughts. I know it’s wordy, but I hope you read it.)

I brought Jones’ novel on my trip because it was short enough to read on the plane. I had always been curious about it, and although it was difficult to get into at first (atypical format, especially since it’s classified as a novel), I quickly drew parallels to my life. It tells the story about a town that has been forced to endure hundreds of days of February. Funnily enough, my February had started out pretty horribly. Reading it, I feel, instigated a sort of Existential Standoff, where I found that I could choose from many different ways of looking at my then decidedly crappy situation. In Light Boxes, February meant a lot of things, but it stood for a bleakness, a desolation and unending sadness that could be fought relentlessly against, but was hard to escape from. Not to give too much away, but Jones, in his last few pages, allowed me to see that there is a way out of February, but that I would have to make my own light boxes, to invent ways to see myself out of the dark. The final pages do not depict a soaring victory, but a resolute finality—a sigh of relief instead of masses of loud cheering.

This tiny book gave me hope that things will definitely get better, that even though the shortest month sometimes feels like the longest, it will come to an end.

It is in reading Gilbert’s collection of poetry, though, that I began to understand what it meant to make peace with loss, and that it was possible. I had been on the look-out for Gilbert’s collections (any, really) for months, and I found two in Kinokuniya. I started with his earlier one—out of respect for chronology than anything else—and found, quite serendipitously, that it brought me to a place where I needed to be.

Line after line came blow after blow. Gilbert was telling me about the temporariness of things, that the state of things is always going to be uncertain and precarious—but also, that it was OK. Not to speak of every poem in the collection, but I came to the understanding that some things were meant to come to an end. This used to terrify me and in some ways, it still does, but Gilbert reminded me that endings also mark new beginnings. And that endings don’t negate the things that came before it. “Thinking love is not refuted because it comes to an end,” he ends “Elegy for Bob (Jean McLean).”

I know it’s not the central, all-encompassing theme of this surprisingly dense (90 pages!) collection, but it really helped me get through a lot of stuff, and let go of a lot of attachments. I have been welcoming the idea of momentary things, and being at peace with the reality that they might go. I know it sounds kind of bad and dismissive and defeatist, but this idea comes from a good place. For example, in “The Lost Hotels of Paris,” he writes: “But it’s the having not the keeping that is the treasure.” There is an awareness of the fleetingness of things, and I think I’m slowly understanding what it means to be OK with that. He puts it brilliantly in “The Manger of Incidentals“:

We are blessed
with powerful love and it goes away. We can mourn.
We live the strangeness of being momentary,
and still we are exalted by being temporary.
The grand Italy of meanwhile. It is the fact of being brief,
being small and slight that is the source of out beauty.
We are a singularity that makes music out of noise
because we must hurry. We make a harvest of loneliness
and desiring in the blank wasteland of the cosmos.

And also in “Burma”:

Used, misled, cheated. Our time is always shortening.
What we cherish is always temporary. What we love
is, sooner or later, changed. But for a while we can
visit our other life. Can rejoice in its being there
in its absence. Giving thanks for what we are allowed
to think about it, grateful for it for even as it wanes.
For knowing it is there.

He talks about the endurance of the human spirit, despite everything, and that is comforting to me. (“Until all the world is overcome / by what goes up and up in us, singing and dancing / and throwing down flowers nevertheless.” — A Kind of Courage; “Our spirit persists like a man struggling / through the frozen valley / who suddenly smells flowers / and realizes the snow is melting / out of sight on top of the mountain, / knows that spring has begun.” — Horses at Midnight Without a Moon; “We must admit there will be music despite everything.” — A Brief for the Defense; “But the air stills, the heat comes back / and I think I am all right again.” — A Close Call )

One of my favorite Gilbert poems is “Failing and Flying,” which I read way before I got the book. I was glad that it was part of Refusing Heaven, because I got to “own” it—whatever that means.

“Failing and Flying” by Jack Gilbert

Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It's the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.