Appreciating Art

Not everyone knows that I love art. I trace my interest in the arts to my childhood, where I would spend my free time drawing sketches and playing with colors using my cheap, block water color set. Back then, the subject of my sketches was women's fashion, dresses in different length, patterns, and colors. I would spend time perfecting my model's décolletage, drawing a slender neck that is connected to an angular face and long shoulders, with body shaped almost triangular. The face was devoid of parts, no eyes, no lips, no nose, for I focused on how the dress will look like, the patterns I would draw, and the color I would use. The focus was always on the look of the dress, and not on the person wearing it. 

I would spend another hour or so painting my sketches. This was the challenging part, especially when you use those cheap water color sets. Those who grew up with me in my hometown and country would know these things. They are the ones that come in rectangular yellow plastic cases, where you have to dip its tiny brush in water several times to get the pigment out of each color block. Most of the times, you'll get blotchy patches and the paper will be almost be dripping before you can actually see the color. It was funny and frustrating, but hey, that's the best thing my parents can afford for me back then. So I just had to make the best out of it. 

I kept drawing and painting, with my subjects evolving to nature. I would paint trees, mountains, and skies. I would also draw flowers. No matter what they were, I would always want them in different colors. There was also a time that I would trace drawings. I would find a picture, for example, and try to copy exactly the picture just by drawing. I would be signing my work after, feeling proud of myself for such accomplishment. 

Years passed by and my interest changed. I would no longer draw or paint, but I would still appreciate paintings and sketches whenever I see one. And this is the reason why I like going to art museums. I would look at paintings for hours, the brush strokes, and distinctive marks that each artist make on their piece. I would read the description of each painting and try to imagine what was it like for the artist when s/he is making the art. Each piece has a story that is also worth discovering.

*****

New York City has many museums for art lovers like me. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is one of these museums and I had the chance to visit the museum just recently. (Tip: You can actually visit the museum for free, every Friday, from 4PM to 8PM. This is sponsored by Uniqlo, so if you want to save money, then take advantage of this freebie.) 

The MoMA has five floors of modern art from various artists around the world. You'll find here works of Picasso, van Gogh, Mattisse, and other great artists. I am no expert in art here, just a simple person who happens to like or love art and got to know these artists by reading. You can learn more about their works by doing your own research. Or, if you can, visit the museum. 

Visiting MoMA is worth your trip. A day would not be enough to cover the entire floors, so you might consider coming again, say on another Friday (when entrance is free!)

Here are some of the pictures of my visit to MoMA. Enjoy.  

Welcoming 2017

Happy new year everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful start for the new year. There is always something refreshing and hopeful with every new year. I find it as an opportunity to start fresh, write and set your new goals, dream a new dream, or even continue the plans that you have started the past year. There are so many things that you can do and it is all up to you to make it happen.

I welcomed new year in New York City. It is exciting, daunting, and scary. Starting a new year in a new place or foreign land, in a place that is very far from home, can be scary. There is a lot of uncertainty, but then again, you can view it as one huge adventure filled with limitless opportunities. And I'd like to take the latter point of view.

So yes, I welcomed new year in New York City. No ball drop though as it was so cold and almost everyone I know from here were not at all interested to see it, because, again, it was cold. Haha! Nonetheless, I am (still) excited and hopeful for all the new things that will come my way.

Thank you Lord for the past year. Thank you Lord for this new year. <3

Now it's time for me to set those goals and make them happen! Cheers to a good 2017, everyone!

Oh hi there! | Thank you 2015 and Hello 2016!

So, it has been a while since I have obviously updated my blog, this little space of mine in the internet. My last post was in April 2015, and so many things have already happened to me since then. It has been a good 2015 and I will find the time to post some entries in the coming days. Sure, there may have been a lot of challenges, both in my work and personal life, but hey, these challenges are part of life. Life's not perfect, as what people say. But I am still thankful for these challenges for they have made me appreciate more and be grateful for what I have in my life.

I guess when you reach a point in your life when you have experienced a lot of things, or life has thrown you lemons that you can actually make a business of selling lemonades, or you have lost a lot and win some, or maybe when you have made peace with yourself, you become more grateful for everything that comes your way. Regardless if they were good or bad, you still thank God for everything.

So thank you God for 2015. And thank you for giving me 2016. I hope I can live up to the challenges that will come my way, live according to Your will, and be more courageous to take risks this year. I accept all the blessings that You will give to me, with an open and thankful heart.

Grateful

On my 'normal' working days, I find myself doing my usual stuff and routine. 

That is, “get up, get dressed, get ready, go to work, do actual work, travel/commute, go home”. 

The past months, or even years, have been filled with a lot of things that have kept me going with my usual routine. There have been some few exciting times when I got to take a break or vacation, whether going home to my beloved hometown for the weekends, or on luckier days, drove around towns, visited some tourist sites, and most recently fly out of the country and travel on my own (which I shall write about it soon). 

Living and working in the metro can actually take up one’s strength, health, patience, and sanity. If you aren't really born in or have lived your entire life in the city, just like the probinsyana that I am, the craziness of the metro can actually get to you. It actually has gotten me - I welcomed 2015 lying in a hospital bed and spending the first two weeks of the New Year inside my hospital room, underwent several tests (I was diagnosed with acute peptic ulcer) and basically just resting and recuperating. It was a good wake up call, and a reminder, again, for me to take better care of my health. 

After my hospitalization, I went back to work and was welcomed with a greeting card and stuffed Minnie Mouse with well-wishes. It was such a nice welcome. 

After months of medication and going on a special diet, I can say I’m back to my normal self. I have to eat and live healthier, exercise more often, and do all those healthy living stuff. I guess I am more cautious now and have actually been preaching people to eat on time (if you find yourself working over lunch, I suggest that you get up, take a short break, and EAT! It will be good for you, believe me!). 

Life has been busy since then. There were good days, and not-so-good days; though this is not to say that the bad ones outweigh the good ones. Life isn’t perfect, but you can make it beautiful! (Naks, cheesy line!)

I find myself appreciating more what I have, taking better care of myself, spending more time with people who matter, doing more sensible things, and thanking God for what and who I have in my life. 

So in this ‘normal’ day, as I was putting on my red lipstick after my lunch break, I thought again about everything that have transpired in the past year, months, weeks, and days. 

My red-stained lips broke into a smile. 

Laundry Tips

One of the things that living away from home taught me is doing my own laundry. Luckily enough, our household help has given me laundry training in my earlier years (way back from my high school). She taught me the basics of handwashing, that is, you have to separate the “whites” from the “colored” ones, soak, rinse, dry, and hang. I may not yet be an expert in doing the laundry, but I’m proud to say that I can wash my own clothes, and actually enjoy doing it. I know some people who do not wash their own clothes for the lack of interest, or perhaps they have the luxury of having other people do their own laundry. I have nothing against this. We all have our own interests, and doing the laundry is one of mine.

So for the interest of laundry, here is an infographic on some cool laundry tips that I found in the internet that I’d like to share with you:

Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/56519/8-brilliant-tricks-make-laundry-day-smarter-and-more-efficient

Happy laundry-ing! :P

Black and White

Chocolate Kiss, UP Diliman. 23022014.

Friends and babies

I'm thankful for life-long friends such as them.

Friends who go back all the way, from a time when we were still in high school, wide eyed, slightly ideal, and not so jaded. ;-)

Some of them chose to go from friends to being more than friends, hubbies/wives/partners, and  to being mommies and daddies.

And today, we celebrated the christening of their second bundle of joy. 

Audrey. 

One of my best friends' pretty baby. 

Welcome to the Christian world, sweetie! :)

(Photos grabbed from Mark Parcia.)