lui is in heaven

The Creative Exchange

2012-02-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

There is a time, a place, a being that becomes a part of our lives.
They attach a whole new meaning to who and what we are.

And because I own dogs
and I instinctively 'communicate' to animals
people say they are my substitute to actual children
the same way they attribute my creative work
as my 'creative babies.
As my friends would say
Some people have children, Lui has pets.

I have no earth-shaking denial to that.
I love children. I love animals.
I love people irregardless of age, gender, race or color.
And although I love animals there are those
that I simply can not stand:
crawling things like lizards (Sorry Troy!)
frogs (Sorry Frogsky!), leeches (Yikes, sorry MrLeach!)
flies and mosquitoes (OMD, sorry Mr&Ms Fly!)
not to mention snakes (ah, I'm glad I have no friend snakes!)
rats, bugs, bees, wasp . . .
. . . oh but I'm sure you know what I mean!

What I really mean to say is
I do not NEED to have animals around me
(now you know why I can not simply accept pets as gifts!)
simply because the animals that became my friends
came by way of connection.
Out of the 30 litters of Sumo and Pica
I only chose Bogart and Sweepy
simply because they 'talked' to me.
The same way you have your BFF with you.
You spark a connection and you stay connected.
And BTW I do have human friends ;-)

I happen to be a hyper person that is moody
loud one minute and quiet the next,
can juggle several major projects and events
yet long for that long quiet private moments
that can be taxing for one in a relationship.
I prefer my independence and own space.
All my exes know this now by heart
which is the reason I am friends with all of them!

I had great moments with animals
as I had great moments with people
and nature, and energies,
and anything silly and serious in life.
I can afford to do that because I chose
to have a meaningful relationship with myself!

To enjoy the pace of my walks
my creative hours, my moodiness,
my obnoxious humor and hilarious ideas . . .

. . . and simply enjoy
the simple and the grandeur
the neat and messy episodes
and the bottomline
and epilogues
and chapters that need editing
or stories that needed a sequel.

I buried my dead but not the memories.
I said my goodbyes and also my hellos.
I will keep shedding a tear
as I will keep smiling
at the setting sun
and anticipate its rising.
I am still whole
and I love fiercely
and shamelessly.

haVe.a.haPpy.giDdy.valentiMes

For all my delightful and wacky friends
whether human, animal, plants and make-believe ones
and most especially
for the highly creative Lisa:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

For this week's challenge
I am featuring some of my bags . . .

Facial Feature

Yes, I have a dog bag ;-) given to me years ago which I still use!

Shadow

My small beaded lipstick bag with side mirror for quick touch ups.
Another special gift from a special friend.

Spicy

Hmmm, spicy red woven coin bag ;-)
When my aunt, Tita Genia, gave me this coin purse she left cash inside!

Gold

It is a small gold bag that can only hold my gold ring!

Fabric

Fabric accents in my denim bag.

My Heart Flowers . . .

2012-02-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

The week of hearts is coming.

And the neighbor's red-pink flowers are blooming.
And they seem to block my path!

As they brush past my cheeks as I pass . . .
I should have kissed it instead!

. . . oh, but they sing a haunting melody . . .

. . . as if it knows the haunting in my heart!

. . . of someone once near . . .

. . . but now so far away. . .

You can never really dictate the pace of your grief.
You can pack your sorrows
and remember with joy
and bid your farewell
knowing that at times
saying goodbye is the best thing
and that you will meet again . . . someday.

For all who sent us their love:
Denise, Viola, Kim, January, Joyce, Ria, Lilli,
Pat K, Pat of BaileyRoad, Lisa of CreativeE, Beverly,
Agnes, Hubert, Joey, Patrick, Stephanie & River, Serline,
Connie S, Patches, Finn, Lea, Lorenza, Oskar and Pam
and the friends/fans of the late Sumo:
Tado, DrS, DrG, Let, Cougar, Desmond, Kimberly, Josh, David, PTV, TGC, Umber, Utoy, Ka Undoy, Ka Resty, Ka Pedring, JR, JFK, senor, Ka Pepe, Malinda, AttyC, DrO,
and to all who sent eMails and MMS . . . sorry, but I have to delete messages and can not possibly inquire about your identities and develop our friendship . . . thank you and salamat.
You made us laugh through our tears.
My remaining dog Sweepy and I are OK
and quietly moving on . . .

Have a happy, love-filled Valentines week!

Oh Fly High And Be Free, Sumo!

2012-02-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

My alpha dog Sumo died February 4, 5 PM (Manila time)

I never knew I will sit before my sister's PC typing this.
My own PC went pfft and I never had the chance to have it fix.
My time and energy seemed focus on my dogs lately.

Things happened so fast and I watched this frisky proud dog turn 12 years old just last January 15 and in a week, in a snap, he lost everything (his appetite, sense of smell, sight, movement, energy, etc.) that made him the Alpha and leader of his family.

I will miss that smile on his fierce face
that conveyed some special messages
that only existed between us . . .

I will miss him watching me from the corner
and telling me that it is OK to hear the plants sing . . .
to greet the lizard who jumps to meet me . . .
to stare in awe and wonder at the flock of birds
who watches me from my windows at dawn . . .
to feel the energy of a stone,
the healing power of the sun,
and the energy of the moon when it is full,
the pulse of the dry earth on my palms
and the power of the Divine around us.
Yes, that black dog taught me all that!

I will miss his patient self beside his (also senior!) pup Sweepy.
I will miss his humor (only another animal lover can appreciate this!)
I will miss his bravery and compassion
(he barks to call my attention to crying dogs around us!)
and the fierce loyalty even as he lie sleeping . . .

. . . with one eye keeping watch over me
and that look that told me he wanted to leave already . . .
That he needed to go
and I must let him go . . .

I promised him I will not cry
but I was shamelessly crying beside him every day
making him extend his leaving longer than his body can.

It felt peaceful to see Sumo fly free
on the birthday of my late Papa
to where he will be whole again
to where the spirit does not age
and where he will meet his mate Pica
and his other pup Bogart
on a not-so-distant Heaven
called Rainbow Bridge . . .

For Sumo
January 15, 2000 - February 4, 2012

What Are Old Dogs Made Of?

2012-01-30T00:06:00.000-08:00

Old dogs are made of sterner stuff.

From their tender years
they develop familiarity with their surroundings
and affinity with those near to them.
They grow in leaps and loads of faith.
They remain protective
but in their senior years
they look with faith and trust
that in their twilight years
their loved ones will stay by their side.

My father and son senior dogs Sumo and Sweepy
taught me to develop a stronger sense of belonging
to see and sense beyond the ordinary
to accept and revel in unconditional love.
To laugh at myself and the world.
To enjoy my solitude and creative freedom . . .

But in their weakest moments
their incapability to take their leadership role
their sense of drama and heroic pursuits
will be replaced by their selfless surrender
to pass on the role . . .

But old dogs are not so different from other old creatures.
In their senior years, they lose their sense of self worth.
Yet their insecurities and fears are pacified and comforted
by those who chose to love them
and care for their needs.

People came up to me, sent me eMails, texted and called me on the phone, hugged me and tried to comfort my grieving heart thinking I despair caring for my old dog who might leave soon.
But one does not grieve an ailing creature.
One grieves the tender moments and the helplessness of it.

But in our most relaxed state,
when the sun sets,
and the bodies are warmed with love,
we look at each other's eyes
and knew how lucky we are
to have find each other . . .

For Lisa and her meaningful world:

PS. Sumo has decreased appetite but he still moves around with controlled movements. He is very comfortable and we make sure that somebody is always around him. He seem not to be in pain and we assure him that old age is not the end of his existence. His sense of humor will always inspire me. Thank you all for your concern and love!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

Smile

My clown ring.
I thought I detected a smile there
but on macro it looks like a two-faced clown mask!

Stand Alone

My small chair earring.

Rusty or Something Old

My old diamond ring given by my parents

when I was a teenager on top of my favorite rusty bell!

Artificial

My fake pearl necklace ;-)

Repeating Patterns

My beaded wrist wear.

My Two Hoyas

2012-01-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is a tale of the two Hoyas in Heaven.

I always feature them!

This is the Hoya on the left of my hand.

It looks like small dots bunched together!

And blooms like a mini bouquet!
That turns yellow when the petite petals open:
And fades in a whisper . . .

Now this is the Hoya on the right of my hand
on the first picture above:
The whole length of that brown thing
will repeatedly bloom!
(Sorry but I am really a clueless Keeper
and do not know the name and parts of plants!)
The petals turn yellow too
but it spreads itself out
like a mini fireworks!

Together, their blooming and fading brings moments of joy!
. . . and I forget who is fading or blooming . . .
This one is the Hoya on the left with all petals gone!
And they both whisper energies of love . . .
that keeps me sane, hopeful, and less afraid.
Flowers are 'living' and breathing and 'communicating' with us.
And I am happy to be aware and be part of this magical world!
For Luiz, Sandy, Laerte, Denise, Maia and Beverly:

And the pink is my hand! ;-)

Sepia Moments

2012-01-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

. . . are times in between the light and the dark hours . . .

It is those special moments in between holidays.
Of moments celebratory and happy.
Yet, at the cozy corner something is not right . . .

. . . because it is also the moment in between bliss and nagging fear:

am i happy? am i afraid?

I recently featured my alpha dog Sumo who recently turned 12
(now considered a senior dog).
For such a mean looking face (see sidebar of 'my beast' shot),
Sumo is a happy active dog.
But yesterday he suddenly stopped eating.
A sure sign that something is wrong.
Of course I knew I will say goodbye to him soon.
And I knew I must be prepared to let go when that time comes
so I was on edge every hour, watching him,
and putting myself in a state to be able to harness the power
to make him well, for him to stay a while,
and for me to stop crying . . . .
I went home in dread today.
I was expecting the worst.
But when I got home . . .
Sumo waited for me, hungry and well!

Sepia moments are special times.
They teach you about your weaknesses
but more importantly of your strengths.
To hold on.
And have faith.
And believe.

For Lisa and her creative world:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2012-01-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

A Day In My Life
. . . is one of the works in progress in my studio that revolves around time as moments frozen in our collective memory.

Four

These are four photographs of images that are encapsulated in the mixed media work above. These are circular images found around me: our Hoya plant, architectural accents inside a church, and draft illustration of the painting.

Black and White
This work echoes the works in an art workshop I conducted and featured in my studio.

Colorful
. . . although the palette does not seem to be!

Sunset

I work fast but I stopped when the sun's setting shadows leave little room for natural light.

Not yet done but, like time, will reveal itself at the right moment.

Pink Celebration!

2012-01-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

I always love the Bougainvillea plant!
And to prove this, I featured it several times in the past.

The Bougainvillea is pretty, sturdy, and needs less maintenance.
I was told it thrives on sunshine (lots of it here!)
and need not be watered daily (less cost too!)
When I was doing creative exercises with my 11 year old special student Sam, the Bougainvillea exudes the place with positive energy even on a hot day! Like a cheer dancer cheering us to make it work. . .
So when the usual non-verbal autistic Sam took a pause in the middle of the session to call the attention of his nanny who understood and waited patiently for Sam to express what he wanted in his slow calculated tone: "Sam wants to eat cookies" . . . I almost cried! It seemed like a small victory but as I held back tears of joy to ask Sam if he wanted to resume our session while we waited for his nanny to bring his cookies and he said "Art? yes!" I was totally delirious with happiness! He used to hate art and drawing and coloring but now, even in hunger, he was willing to go on with the session!
And the beautiful Bougainvillea stood as silent witness to the joy of the moment even under the hot humid day. . .
I have a lot of special Bougainvillea moments
and each one is as special as the others.

And this I share with special people at:

My Black Beast . . .

2012-01-16T02:22:00.000-08:00

. . . was as dark as midnight.

Today, he has splattering of white . . .

. . . has a bushy black tail
now also splattered with white furs!

. . . has sharp claws
and often it is caked with mud
or with pebbles and dry leaves sticking out
and which I lovingly clean every night!

. . . has a strange nail like thing sticking out precariously on his foot and to which I would hold delicately in my hands, afraid to hurt him. I tell him that should he get lost I will recognize him from this birthmark!

. . . has sharp ears sticking out ready to listen to my woes and patiently leans his black head on my lap, or raise his paws to put on my lap but which sometimes land on my face!

. . . when he looks at me this way, I knew there is something he wanted to tell me. And I learned to listen back and communicate with him. No words are needed. We understand each other perfectly!

Yesterday my beast turned 12 years old (around 84 in human age)
and I saw him run and bark and play and eat with his pup Sweepy.
And I thank God and the heavens
for every single day that he is with me
and the 12 years that flew by so fast . . .

Happy Birthday Sumo!
May the rains kiss your whiskers
and the sun massage your drooly back.
May the wind caress you when I am not around
and constantly assure you that we will always be together . . .

Somebody's Whiskers!

2012-01-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

It is called Cat Whiskers.

I featured this before. Click HERE.

It does not grow in our garden
but it grows profusely in our neighbor's
who told me he uses the leaves
to make his healing tea.
I was cautioned against this tea (taheebo)
because it is a diuretic and for people with kidney problems.
But I don't think I have kidney problems
and I am now careful at anything natural and organic
because some of them may do harm for your health!
Anyway, I prefer leaves from the malunggay (moringa)
because it has proteins and I get it fresh and free!
But I am featuring this taheebo plant again
because I was looking for white flowers
as a tribute to my alpha dog Sumo
who is celebrating his 12th birthday this Sunday!
Sumo was a gift from my Tito Sario (my late Mama's only brother and sibling) in 2000. All the litters were taken except Sumo who was all black. And when it was offered to us I immediately said "yes" justifying the decision to have another dog by saying that our other dog Pica was getting old (she was 9 then) and so were the cats (we were feeding stray ageing cats) . . . And in a year Sumo and Pica became a mate, producing 30 puppies in a span of 4 years which included the adorable Sweepy and the late Bogart!
This is such an interesting whiskers plant
and such a handsome and exotic one
much like my adorable black one with the whiskers!

Happy Birthday, Sumo!

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

2012-01-13T00:22:00.000-08:00

Cute and pretty trinkets!

. . . a wonderful pink castle on their walls!

. . . a pink house with a tower!

. . . pretty Cinderella on a snow globe . . .

. . . a busy work desk that can only produce . . .

. . . beautiful pink butterflies that only 5-year olds can make!

And what are big girls made of?

. . . cute socks resting on cushions . . .

. . . while tinkering with their gadgets!

I should rename this post:

A Morning With The Girls
or
Behind The Scenes of An Art Workshop
or simply
Pink Moments

for Beverly's Pink Saturday

The Creative Exchange

2012-01-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

These are two buds (different varieties) of our Hoya plant. You can hardly see or notice them when you pass because they are so tiny (smaller than my nails!) yet they sing with such shrill bravado that I have no choice but to take a pause and pay them attention.

Two buds, same plant, but different manner of blooming. The one on the right had just shed her petals which I featured last week although I always feature them. That long rough part of the stem will produce buds and gorgeous flowers continuously! The one on the left will produce a globe-like flower bouquet that is just as enchanting!

The Hoya plant is small but extremely showy, gorgeous and only in macro shots (or close up view) can you appreciate the intricate details of it. This reminds me so much of this year. 2012 is year 5 (you add the numbers together) which is a fun year where those who dare pursue their dreams can actually realize it! The mantra is to affirm the best, go for it, and believe in the magic of the moment . . .

For Lisa and her magical world:

Lily At The Mall

2012-01-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

This huge strikingly gorgeous Lily (I'm not sure which variety)
would always greet me at the mall as I wait for the car to fetch me.

And the waiting is made pleasurable watching this showy blooms along the entrance of the mall. I am almost tempted to cut it and bring one home! But I don't. At least not yet. ;-)

I am sure it thrives well outside the mall because of the sunny weather. I noticed that when it rains, the blooms disappear. And they reappear as soon as the sun comes out again, which is the kind of weather we have lately.
One of these days, when I spot the gardener, I will charm my way and ask him to give me a cut of it to bring home.
In my hands they feel as light as a feather!
In the distance they sway as if to call me!
And I raised my hand to wave goodbye
amidst the chuckles of the people watching me talk to a plant.
This Lily is mine
as I am hers.
We share the same sun,
the same hot air,
the same land that houses people
who laugh at some 'silly' woman
who dared 'talk' to a flower. . .

The Creative Exchange

2012-01-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

Favorite Photograph of 2011

I posted this photograph of our Hoya plant at The Creative Exchange on my birthday! I will never tire watching this plant grow because it is so delicate but sturdy and amazingly gorgeous from bud to bloom!

I have a lot of favorite images but let me share with you another unposted image with a happy story. The picture below is our neighbor dog we named Dawgy:

Although Dawgy's owner has the means to feed her well it does not seem to be the case just by looking at Dawgy's condition. Dawgy would call out to us and my dog Sweepy would always call my attention to Dawgy's plight. Dawgy's condition resonate in our subdivision where people own dogs and subject them to abuse. This was the reason I teamed up with my dog Sweepy to bring the plight of animal care and protection to local leaders to take action. It is an ongoing advocacy of ours. And part of our doable project is to feed Dawgy regularly along with other dogs and cats in the neighborhood.

Last December 31, Dawgy's owner left the house presumably to spend new year's eve elsewhere. Dawgy was left alone and went missing afterwards. Dawgy did not come to their gate when we called her name for her meals for two days! I was pretty distraught wondering if something bad had happened to her in her fright and stress over the sound of firecrackers. I worried that she has not eaten and had no water to drink.

At dawn today (January 2), I woke up to the sound of Dawgy barking at 3AM. I hurriedly got up from bed, rushed out and found him inside their property barking at a passing stray cat! I rushed to the kitchen, prepared her meal, and crossed over to Dawgy's house to feed her. Later and back in bed, I found myself crying in both joy and relief. Someday, dogs like Dawgy will not hide for days in fear. But for today, while I can still do something about it, Dawgy is mine, is fed, and is loved. And I know this is one of the best creative exchanges I can muster.

For Lisa and her creative spirit and friendship!
And for all those who care and nurture the helpless and needy, I bless you with the most fulfilling 2012!

Memories, Dreams, Reflections 2011

2012-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

For a change I included Pilipino titles to my prompts.

1. Me (Ako)

Taken in my house Heaven.
I had a quiet but busy 2011 designing and facilitating creative workshops for kids and adults, doing project feasibilities and contributed a lot of creative work for individuals and groups. And I chose to take doable stand for animal welfare, care and protection.

2. I Love You (Mahal Kita)
Nothing happens around Heaven without these two father and son dog tandem of Sumo and Sweepy getting into the act. And they are allowed to do that because I love them to bits!

3. Still Laughing (Nakakatawa)
My sister Luchie and I are always laughing at the dogs antics. Animals are such great stress busters.

4. Winter Wonderland (Taglamig)
We do not have winter but December is the coolest month and where we have several storms visit us like the recent tragedy far south.

5. Birthday (Kaarawan)
As a dessert freak, instead of the usual birthday cake I had ube flavored ice cream cake!

6. Friends (Kaibigan)
My older sister Luchie is my BFF. And desserts come second ;-)

7. I Was Inspired (Napahanga Ako)
My dog Sweepy inspires me because he always notify me of any animals in pain and he wanted me to act on it! So now we have to include feeding some animals in our neighborhood and fighting for their rights. which always get me into trouble.

8. Spring Fever (Tagsibol)
Well, we only have dry and wet season being in a tropical country but spring represents growth and what better image than the Hoya (featured in my last post) deciding to bloom again!

9. Travel or Vacation (Lakbay)
Since I live in the outskirt of the city, I enjoy this scenery every time I travel near or far from home.

10. Summer Days (Tag-init)
Summer mean 36 degrees centigrade HOT in my island and gets super hot from March to May!

11. A Day in my Life (Ang Araw Ko)
My day starts and ends with my dogs because I have to feed and take care of them. Which is why I do most of my creative work in the house and travel 3 times a week only.

12. All Smiles (Puno Ng Ngiti)
One of the many kids passing by our house every December waiting for candy treats and returns with this big smile on her face which melts my heart!

13. Autumn Harvest (Taglagas)
And this is the reason for the big smile above! I start collecting candy treats before December to give to children like the girl above every Christmas. It takes so little for some children to find joy and delight in life.

14. Family or Home (Pamilya/Bahay)
And that's my brother Jojo home for the holidays. Beside him is my sister Loyd. Jojo cooked and brought food enough to feed a community!

15. Celebrate (Magdiwang)
My dog Sweepy whined at me not to use this paper horn that my sister Luchie bought to blow on New year's countdown. Needless to say, I nagged Luchie and everybody including local leaders to speed up the resolution for a total ban on firecrackers.

16. Let's Do It Again (Ulitin Natin!)
These are the poor kids in my community who always find their way to my house. And this holiday they were happy to get their candy treats. And they shouted back "more! More!"

17. I Miss You (Hinahanap Kita)
I miss this stray cat Petrocelli who waits for food on the roof shed in our backyard. Because of the incident this holiday (please read in previous post) Petrocelli has decided to stay out of our property in the meantime. I also miss my brother Joey who resides in San Francisco.

18. Beautiful (Maganda)
I always find something beautiful in our small garden.

19. Dress Up (Bihis na bihis)
These are some of the dogs I met and befriended at the mall. Needless to say, they out-dress Sweepy with these outfits!

20 Macro (Malapitan)
A close up shot of one of our orchids about to bloom.

21. Holidays (Kapaskuhan)
Our Christmas and New Year's celebration is not complete without all the round fruits of the season to bring in luck. I do not really believe in such traditions except Luchie. But I love fruits!

22. My Favorite (Paborito Ko)
I love ube (purple yam) and anything violet. This ube flan was made by our laundry woman Flor who gave it to us and I finished it all! Yum!

23. Don't Ever Change (Huwag Kang Magbabago)
My dogs Sweepy and Sumo are now in their senior years yet they are still active and loveable!

24. Just Because . . . So There (Wala Lang)
And this is what remained on our street this morning after New Years eve: remnants of the used fireworks package. I am joining the campaign for a total ban on firecrackers, a senseless tradition in my country that brings pollution, severe accidents, fires, not to mention the cost and the noise and the trauma to animals whose sense of hearing is very sensitive.

25. Hopes and Dreams (Pangarap)
I hope that our local leaders would be led
to community friendly projects
and for individuals to affirm their creative and artistic self.

Have a happy an meaningful 2012!!!

Hoya in Heaven!

2011-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

. . . like a lover kissed by the morning dew . . .

. . . you never fail to bloom
in whatever and however moody
the weather and times may go . . .

. . . unfurling your sun-kissed pink dainty slender arms . . .

. . . and welcome me home
to your safe loving warmth . . .

Its been a busy crazy holiday week that I missed my blog! There were too many errands and events to do and go to, and like most of you, its all rush-rush-rush. I missed some wonderful events trying to balance some tasks and attended some special ones (my brother Jojo came home for the holidays from the Middle East!), and we spent the whole day catching up on our lives! Oh, I wish my other brother Joey would come home so we can all be together again!

And on a sadder note, last Christmas eve, my dog Sumo was bitten by my adopted stray cat Petrocelli. Sumo jumped at Petrocelli while Petrocelli was walking up the fence. Petrocelli, in defense, bit Sumo's right ear. I ran in panic and separated the two. My heart was broken and divided between my fear for Sumo should Petrocelli have rabies and worry for poor Petrocelli who might be hungry and not being fed elsewhere. Petrocelli decided to stay out of Heaven for a while.

It is a vulnerable time for a senior alpha dog like Sumo. Alpha dogs are leaders of a pack and Sumo's sense of authority and pride got wounded more than the ear bite (a minor wound easily cured and healed) and at a time when dogs in my island are on stress mode because firecrackers are exploding almost on a daily basis all month! Filipinos have this nasty tradition of using firecrackers to celebrate and animals have very sensitive hearing that any loud noise like gunfire and bombs exploding (yes they make fire crackers explode dangerously like these now!) cause severe trauma.

And the weeks leading to it was a hectic one (animals feel the stress of the holiday around them) not only when people deal with the rush of holiday parties but also with the recent disasters. Animals sense natural calamities before people. Almost everyone in my country (rich and poor) were busy sending help to those affected by the flash food in Mindanao (a lot of people forego parties and sent bonus paychecks to donate to the victims of the flood.)
But I am glad that I grew up with another tradition of sharing during the holidays because during this season we had a long list of people and strangers that almost always passes by our home to partake of the holiday spirit. Even with our limited means, we always prepare something for these people: grocery bags, clothes, food, candies for kids. It does not take much to spread the cheer around. Not to mention, feeding other hungry and keeper-less pets roaming (apart from our regular 'animal feeding program' for the likes of Petrocelli and the neighbor's pets who cry out in hunger) . . . Where else indeed if not this season that we can reach out and be part of our community by sharing a part of ourselves.

Someday, Sumo will learn to tolerate cats like Petrocelli again (Sumo grew up with cats before!) and in a week, the firecrackers will be gone. My dogs will not have sleepless nights anymore. . . Someday too, cats and dogs will be treated fairly and not roam around looking for food and shelter. Someday, people will not roam and look for food, for jobs and shelter as well. Someday, our local leaders will exercise the authority to govern well and avoid disasters like the one we had and really develop safer communities. And someday, my brother Jojo and people like him will not have to work overseas and be missed by families. Someday . . . .

In good times and in bad
I thank God for the gift of life . . .
for the chance to live a full and meaningful one
not in the material wealth but the richness of spirit
and to connect with as many wonderful beings
and embrace a lot of special moments
that can only come when we live in love . . .
And my Hoya plant above is my gift to all!
A wonderful, sturdy, dainty beautiful plant
that teaches us resilience, courage
and the will to survive . . .

For Maia and her MacroFlowers and plants,
for Beverly and her Pink Saturday . . .
for Lisa and her CreativeExchange
and for the TodaysFlowers team
Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise . . .

I thank you all
for you are part of my world now
to where I find meaning and joy as well.

May 2012 continue to bless you with more gorgeous images
and wonderful stories shared and cherished.
And most of all for Blogger
for making it all happen!
I zap you all with good cheers and fulfillment!

The Creative Exchange

2011-12-19T00:20:00.000-08:00

Guess what this is.

I featured it in my last post for the 'what is it' prompt.
It just grew out of our compost pit.
Our compost pit is where we throw kitchen waste like vegetable and fruit peelings. We cover it with soil and water and add recycle waste again and repeat the cycle until the whole thing gets mixed well and recycle itself into a healthy mix perfect for our garden soil!
But when this amazing thing came along I was both happy and confused. But the compost is still underway! How can anything grow there?!!
This thing will someday present us with our favorite squash!
Ha! What a pleasant surprise!
And nobody planted it there.
Or maybe the squash seed thrown in decided to grow!
Now will somebody tell MrFly that the squash is not ready for harvest yet!

Weekend Hunt

2011-12-18T03:38:00.000-08:00

What Is It?

It is a detail from the squash plant growing unexpectedly from our compost pit!

Children/Fur Babies Sleeping
This is how I find my dog Sweepy in the morning.
Deep in sleep, snoring and with paws up!
Needless to say, this daily image never fail to brighten my day.

Window
Our holiday window filled with cards sent to us!

Joy
. . . is a plate of my favorite local buchi, a local delight made from sticky rice balls with mongo paste.

Half

And a bite of buchi makes a better half!

And here's a special pink:

My favorite Christmas stocking!
It is not expecting to be filled
yet every year it gets filled
with good cheers and wishes
to keep me full until the next year!

Rosal

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

My sister Luchie refer to this as Rosal.

I found out that it is also called Gardenia.
We lost our Rosal plant months ago and in its stead we had the Camia plant which I featured last week. Both are white, velvety and fragrant.
But alas, this one is fading as I waited for someone along the curb . . .
It curled its petals as the sun sets in the distance . . .
. . . and one faded as the last light hits my curb
and I stayed to wait some more. . . .

As I Wait

2011-12-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

Waiting is such a tedious task. It puts my world into a comatose state. So to calm my restless self I tried to soak in the beauty of my surroundings as I transform them into monochrome where the details stand out. In its stark clear simplicity, my waiting has been transformed into a meditative mode.

For Dragonstar and The Weekend in Black and White.

Petrocelli!

2011-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

His name is Petrocelli.

I featured him before.
I sorta adopted him.
Sorta, because nobody can really adopt a stray cat and make him stay put in the house. Cats like Petrocelli demand the freedom of movement which is fine with me because my sister Loyd is not into anything furry "inside' the house. My dogs Sumo and Sweepy have their own house within our property so Loyd is fine with that. But Petrocelli seem content with a regular meal and a space to laze around . . .
I always save food for Petrocelli and when I see him above the shed in the backyard I serve him his food at once!
. . . He can be shy but when he smells the fish . . .
He grabs a mouthful . . .
. . . and walks out to the neighbor's roof behind us
presumably to finish his meal.
But then he goes back for more:
And I assure him that he should finish the whole thing right there
because I prepared it for him alone.
And like a true wanderer who can not believe his luck
he stays unconvinced and guarded in the distance.
But I would soothe his fears until he finishes the meal . . .
. . . and I would inspect him for any wounds
by running my hand on his rough fur
and I would feel his need for affection
and his gratitude for my feeding him.
Petrocelli has not bitten me at any time.
And Petrocelli stays for a while
to rest on the roof
as I sing to him
of our common spirit
and our restless souls
finding our place
and our home
wherever our wandering bring us . . .

And I will miss Petrocelli for days
and check the roof whenever I can
and store food for him
and reserve a space in my heart
for wanderers like him . . .

The Creative Exchange

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is National Poinsettia Day in the USA. This Christmas flower was introduced in the USA in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, a United States Minister in Mexico. It is known as Euphorbia Pulcherrima or more commonly known as Poinsettia or Noche Buena (which is what we call the Christmas eve meal!)

Here in the Philippines, this wonderful Christmas plant comes from colder areas like Tagaytay or Baguio and sold in the last quarter of the year to decorate homes for Christmas. It cost roughly PhP250 a pot ($1:P43) and they rarely flower again. . . The Poinsettia images above was taken from my student's house where they bought several pots of it!

And we joined Sharing My Holiday card exchange over at Lisa's CreativeExchange. And I would like to share what we received from Jeanne Stone of Texas USA:

My dog Sweepy got the package. Postman Nany, who know my dogs well because Nany always deliver cards and packages for them, called them to the gate to hand them Jeanne's package and other holiday cards! When I opened Jeanne's package I found something wrapped and tied with a ribbon and which turned out to be 12 glossy photographs taken by Jeanne herself of the beautiful images around her and sewn together to hang around the house for the holidays! Thank you so much Jeanne! This is really so special! What awesome images!

This is a perfect gift because every year I display all the cards we received (er, what the dogs received) and visitors love to browse around this display and read all the cute and special cards sent from around the world! We also send our holiday cards to all our friends by eMail so expect to receive ours soon!

Now here's the side story to Jeanne's package: a staff from the post office got Jeanne's package and sent a notice for me to personally pick it up at the post office and so I did. But when I got there, this lady refused to hand me the package because my ID does not say Lui Sumo Sweepy and no amount of explanations could make her surrender it (I asked if I can get the Mayor, Vice Mayor, Village Chief, Community leaders, and other VIPs and authority figures to vouch for us to no avail.) I must mention that my dogs and I have been receiving mails and packages for years!! I decided to gather documents as proof (postdated mails, dog IDs, blog posts with post office employees in it, etc.) Obviously this is a case of a new staff not used to dogs getting mails!

In the end, I located Nany (the postman was always out doing the rounds) and he laughed and claimed the package for us! A happy ending after all. Lesson: Anybody sending anything to my dogs must course it through me: Lui Bacaltos (Sumo & Sweepy)

Fragrant Camia In Heaven

2011-12-10T00:55:00.000-08:00

This is our lovely Camia in Heaven!

We had a very rainy weather this week. In the city, smog gave people allergies and colds. In my place called Heaven, we only had drizzles and colder nights which is perfect weather for my father and son dogs Sumo and Sweepy. So it is such a wonderful delight to smell this fragrant flower Camia just outside my bedroom window surviving the rain and the cold. . .

I love cold weather. I love drizzles. And to avoid colds, I rub virgin coconut oil instead of lotion to moisturize my skin, warm myself, heal and protect me from whatever harm such a wonderful weather does to everybody on this busy holiday season . . .

The Creative Exchange

2011-12-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

We start our Christmas in my islands as early as November and ends sometime in January as soon as the feast of the Three Kings is over. So yes, we do celebrate a very long holiday season in the Philippines!
So when I started sprucing up the house only this week I am quite late since it is already December! Our neighbors lights were twinkling since November! And my family has been nagging me (as the official 'stylist' in the house) to start decorating the house!
And so the advent candle wreath was fashioned again. The old recycled holiday decors were cleaned and assembled again in keeping with tradition . . .
But for me, Christmas is not the whole festive season of mad rushing, shopping, gorging on holiday stuff and all that giddy, glittery, and opulent celebrations . . . although it is the perfect time to gather family again and catch up on busy lives!

But for me, it is really this:
The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mass of Christ. The gathering and remembering of our royal births in humble surroundings that is not ours. To find a "home" amidst the turmoil of the times (that resonates with contemporary society), to spend it among animals and nature and people and strangers instead of rulers and kings. To understand and appreciate our equality in the sphere of life.

To find the beauty and grace to be special and rule with love

and find meaning in our sacrifices and difficulties and
to remember and celebrate this special moment every year
and every moment that we know and own
the basic truth in our hearts!
That we are all special and we all need each other to be whole!
To receive the gifts of serenity and bliss
and hear angels amidst the noise of technology
traffic, fireworks, and sounds posing as music and art . . .
Every Christmas, as is the tradition in our family for years,
I prepare a special house for a special birth every December. . .

. . . because in that house lie the special meaning of the holidays,

no matter what religious belief you hold.

For Pagans, it is also the rebirth, not of a savior,

but of the divinity in each of us,
awakening and starting another journey into a material world
that will complete our spiritual fate
if only we will remember who we are
and live special lives even in difficult times!

I have not completed my decorations yet.
But the important one is up
and the rest will follow . . .

A merry, merry Christmas to all!
And most especially to my friend Lisa
and all our special friends at:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-12-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

Portrait

Her name is Snowball. She is a Pomeranian pet dog of the kids in one of my art workshops.

Motion

Snowball is always in motion so it is quite a challenge to take her picture!
Here she sits promptly upon instruction:

Time
Time stands still when she is tucked in my students' arms for a hug!

Full of Light
. . . when set against the light in the attic!

Nostalgic
And this one was taken early this year when we took her out for a walk.
And it seem like a long time ago!

Lantana

2011-12-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

I always love this small bright flower!
It is as small as my little finger!
And it has small folded-like ribbons
that uncurl and reveal more dainty petals!
And together they look like small bouquets . . .
. . . lining down the road!
It comes in a variety of colors too!
And the pinkish ones really stand out!
. . . just like most special people who walk the earth . . .
. . . like my brother Joey who is celebrating his birthday this Sunday!

Happy Birthday, Joey! We miss you a lot!
And we wish you good health, stable work and family life
and we hope you get the loving support and rapport
that you know you will always find at home!

The Creative Exchange

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Caramel Cake is not complete . . .

. . . without a Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream on top!

What can I say?
The picture says it all!

When we ate out for my sister Luchie's birthday I insisted on buying her a cake roll and ice cream when I realized she had no plans of buying a cake! Now this is a cruel joke for a dessert lover and buying it is a selfish move really because I desperately crave desserts!

Now I better stop featuring my sinful indulgence lest my doctor cousin would text to remind me of diabetes in our family blood. Oh spare me, sweet faerytooth!

Ochna Serrulata

2011-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

. . . aka (also known as) the Mickey Mouse plant!
It belongs to our neighbor
but I owned it ever since we met ;-)
and I greet her every single day!
And, in return, this sunny plant
would greet me with sunny flowers
every sunny morning!
And not just sunny yellow
but even some red flowers . .
As if its yellow ones are not enough!
This plant remind me of our eldest sister Luchie
whose 66th birthday we are celebrating today!

An Update: Francisca jokingly inquired why this flower reminds me of Luchie. First, although she is my sister and she considers me more than a younger sis and the baby in the family ('bunso") I really do not "own" her and vice versa. We tend to be possessive of those we love (people, pets, plants, etc.) but we are all independent, yet there for each other. Luchie has sunny yellow disposition, fiery red determination and energy, and like the MickeyMouse plant thrives well and is always a delight! Luchie loves the 'Mickey' song too! Ha!

Thank you to the TodaysFlowers team
Luiz Santilli, Sandy Carlson, Laerte Pupo
and my friend Denise Gullickson
for making me a Guest at TF this weekend!

And for Maia of:

And for Beverly of:
My sister Luchie is like my second Mom
not just to me but for all my other siblings.
(Yes she looks like the late Cory Aquino)
When my parents died in the 90s
she just assumed the role as head of our family
where she heads, not an empire,
but a family of moody younger siblings,
equally moody pets and plants,
and a household that comes and goes!
Luchie learned to toss out petty hurts
humor herself when things get rough
and, like my parents, have assured herself
that all will be well with her world.
And it is!

So my Luchie dearest,
To all our ups and downs and round and whatever
I truly appreciate who you are in my life
and I pray to God that your life
will be blessed with more laughter
good health and patience
for all your moody subjects ;-)
Needless to say,
we all love you
and not just today . . .

Have a happy, hippy bday!

Yummy Time!

2011-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, nothing can beat stress

like a good dessert!

After all
Stressed spelled backwards
is Desserts! Ha!

I indulged in all the five desserts
in a mini cup . . .

. . . and who knows
maybe it helped
beat the restless mood . . .

. . . because after this luscious moment
I finished all my reports!

For Lisa and all the indulgence at:

Cosmos!

2011-11-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

We are like the sunny flowers . . .

. . . that line the main road . . .

. . . not knowing that who we are attracted to . . .

. . . is equally attracted to us!

. . . and like the wind the caresses your cheeks . . .
and the days that pass in a whisper
and the hours that tick like a lost melody
yours will stay forever
in memory
and in real time. . .

. . . are the lovely cosmos found along our streets
for TodaysFlowers team Luiz Santilli, Laerte Pupo,
Sandy Carlson and Denise G.

And for Maia whose gorgeous macro plants
make my week sunny and bright!

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

For Dragonstar's
The Weekend in Black and White

Stick To Me With Thine Eyes . . .

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is MrLeach.
I always feature him.

He comes out only during rainy weather
and every time that he does
he gets nagged like there's no tomorrow!

Now I tell him to say hello to everyone . . .

. . . that's the best wave he can manage for all!

And look!
I think he wants you to tickle his belly!

But I highly advise you not to!

Yes, he is deadly . . . beyond his control!
Yet there are days he walks down our Heaven
as if in search of something . . . or someone . . .

Oh no not my Sweepy!

And not my alpha dog Sumo, Sweepy's father, either!

And poor MrLeach because the changing weather is not good for him and he has to move on and understand that the one he is looking for. . . is not around anymore!

. . . even in my grotesque form
i search for you
only to find you gone
even in our enchanting heaven . . .

For Lisa at:

And in memory of Bogart who is dearly missed.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

For this week's hunt I decided to use some of my black footwear!

Before & After

Edited using my dog's Sweepy's fun distortions ;-)

Which Pair of Shoes Should I Wear?

. . . and in case you wanted to know I chose:

. . . flat and pointed perfect for that long meeting!

Opposing Lines

View from my bike with my favorite sneakers!

Custom Bokeh

Sorry but I can't do a custom bokeh, Ashley!

Little Features

My not so lil' foot!

The Moringa Flower!

2011-11-11T00:38:00.000-08:00

This is the Moringa plant or locally known as 'Malunggay.'

We do not own this plant but it thrives around our subdivision
and every time we needed the healthy leaves
to spice up our chicken soup called "tinola"
we simply go to the neighbors who own the plant
and the neighbors would gladly share by saying
"help yourself and get as many as you need!"

And my sister Luchie would gather a few stalks
just enough to add to our hot soup!

But as you can see the plant is flowering now!
And this one belonged to the house behind ours
and Luchie made some "tsk tsk" noise
because the moringa plant is too tall
and its falling leaves are clogging the drain!

So Luchie scaled our backyard wall (watch out, Tarzan!)
and together (yes, I was the accomplice LOL!)
we chopped portions of the malunggay leaning in our property!
Above, you can see our Alpha dog Sumo in the background.
That makes him an accomplice too! Ha!

And I gathered the leaves to be dried and made into tea!

And I held the tiny buds to share with flower friends . . .

. . . because it has the daintiest but gorgeous flower!

. . . which I am sure will be admired by people
who has not seen a moringa plant
except the leaves sold in supermarkets!

Perfect for Maia and her weekly macro hunts!

And this one for the Todays Flowers team
of Santilli, Pupo, Sandy and my friend Denise:

And for Amy of:

. . . and for all flower lovers everywhere
especially those who love veggie flowers
I hope you have healthy plants
that is also healthy enough to eat
and provide visual feast to your eyes as well!

Chicky!

2011-11-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

. . . is the name of our chico tree.

Chicky is roughly 25 years old. She was planted by my late Mama as soon as we moved in Heaven from the city. Mama was ecstatic to find ample lot to plant trees and flowers in our house I named Heaven!

These are Chicky's flowers which signify the arrival of her fruits!

Chicky's round fruits are sweet and juicy
but lately I rarely get to eat her fruits
because the birds always beat me to it!

. . . when I hold onto Chicky's slender arms
she sways as if she wanted to dance!

. . . and of course I dance with her!

. . . while serenading her lovely lovely leaves
and the shadows that cast enchanting spells
that always make the dogs Sumo and Sweepy bark excitedly!

Chicky knows a lot of my secrets
and she always reach out a branch to caress me
as I absentmindedly go about the daily business
of cleaning the surroundings before I go.

I know your inner spirit
and it knows mine.
I shall forever embrace it
for when I do
I embrace myself as well.

For Lisa and her enchanting images:

SHS

2011-11-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

In Disguise

This is temptation disguise as a harmless thing. But it is actually . . .

Food

It is called Masachi. I don't know what it is made of but it looks like sticky rice balls rolled in crispy coconut flakes and stuffed with sweet gooey something that is worth every bite. And 3 pieces cost only a dollar!

Shape

Killer heels and killer design. Perfect for my killer black dress.

Purple

I love, love, love the color and meticulous stitching of this one!

Photographer's Choice

This is an unedited scene in one of my workshop sessions on site with my special student Samir (with autism) who suddenly stopped and pointed it to me! I was ecstatic. First I love flowers and I already admired the gardens but when my student pointed his fingers at this vase full of orchids for me I stopped and took a quick shot and forgot all about it until I was posting this. Samir's recognition of my fascination for flowers is an indication of his capability to reach out and communicate and it resonates with his new found ability to recognize me (he greets me now and makes eye contact) and enjoy doing art with me. A real blessing indeed!

Not Bitter But Better

2011-11-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

I spotted this cute dainty yellow flower across the churchyard.

My sister Luchie identified it. Her exact words were: "that's the ampalaya (bitter gourd) which you refused to eat" . . . She said it with a wry smile as if to taunt me that I am (AGAIN) appreciating the very flower of the vegetable which I refused to eat. Sigh.

Yes indeed. I must be reminded to eat the bitter gourd because it helps if your family is prone to diabetes like mine. Luchie would serve it like a raw salad marinated with vinegar, ginger, salt and pepper just to make it edible for us. Yet I try to take only a few pieces just to show her that I am trying to eat it. I did say 'trying'.

. . . you are not bitter
for you are the better version
of all things blended and purified
to celebrate the good life . . .

Like the bitter gourd, we have our bitter side.
Mine is the moody, impatient, hyperactive individual
that goes around distracted, absent-minded, and restless.
Yet, this very same trait of mine is what is needed
for my creative work to flourish and be meaningful,
not just for me but also for others.

And I hope this beautiful simple nutritious sturdy plant will keep blooming with its yellow flowers to remind us of the duality in our nature and how this helps create the wonderful individual that we are.

For Maia and Luiz, Laerte, Sandy, and Denise.
And for all flower lovers everywhere!

Blog Blast for Peace 2011

2011-11-04T02:59:00.000-07:00

I said this before

and I will say it again
for in my Heaven
it is not always rosy
the sky opens and closes
with searing heat that makes the dogs pant
or with humid rains after a hot morning
or drizzles all night that floods the city . . .
the mosquitoes breed in numbers
and they get reprimanded . . .
(yes, I take the authority to call them off!)
the lizard Troy gets warned not to jump at me
every chance he gets . . .
the millipede get accidentally trampled
and so are the delicate plants . . .
but then I get kissed and hugged
by plants, animals and people
and this is what makes my world
one of peace . . .

To live, rule and let go.
To snap and hug and throw worries in the wind
only to repeat the same day in day out.
Everything is forgiven.
Everything harmful is forgotten
and allowed to pass.

I am in a topsy-turvy world
and I am at peace.

For Mimi Lenox
Blog Blast for Peace

and for Beverly of

The Creative Exchange

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday there was a Halloween Trick or Treat event at the mall for dogs and I enjoyed going around holding the cute canines in costumes. (I am not the one above and I forgot the names of the dogs!) I was also lugging a huge heavy bag (filled with art materials for the art workshops I facilitated that weekend) so it was pretty difficult to take lots of photos! At least I was able to coo and hold most of the dogs' paws. (Warning to Kids: Please do not hold animals like dogs without permission from owners because some dogs might bite in confusion!)

This is Edge. He reminds me of my late dog Bogart.
He is so handsome and huge!
Needless to say I adore him to bits!

I found this dog sitting without its owner waiting for, would you believe, paw reading? Haha!

And this is my student Andi's dog whose name I forgot.

. . . and there goes my dog Sweepy. The poor thing waited for me at home in his Halloween costume. And since I got home late that day I was not able to bring him at the mall. Sorry Sweepypie!

And for Lisa and the new TCE's site
here's good wishes for a new place
and more photographs from the heart at:

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-10-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

Macro
The dreaded mosquito getting a stern warning and reprimand ;-)

Found Texture
I love this plant but I forgot its name :-(

Home
My favorite moments at home are spent with my dogs!

Cover
Found this in the bushes of my students home
a scary hand covered with blood! :-0

The Tree
I love this tree and I love the cute house
which some kids installed up there for the birds!

Samhain Flower

2011-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

. . . and so we end at the beginning . . .

. . . as the bud slowly unfurls . . .

"This the night when the veil is thin that divides the worlds.
It is the New Year in the time of the year's death,
when the harvest is gathered and fields lie fallow.
For tonight the King of the Waning Year
has sailed over the sunless sea
that is the womb of the Mother,
and steps ashore on the Shining Isle,
the luminous world egg,
becoming the seed of his own rebirth."
- Starhawk

Our Bird of Paradise plant gives birth to a new bud
on the week of the Halloween.

It is both magical and eternal
because at the moment
the plants bud, blooming flower and fading one
seem to represent the Samhain (Halloween) Triple Goddess:
the maiden, the mother, the crone . . .
. . . repeating the natural pattern . . .
over and over . . .

And as people scare themselves silly
me and my hounds in heaven
celebrate the beauty of life and death
in the never-ending cycle
of regeneration . . .

Our lovely Birds of Paradise plant I dedicate heartily to
Maia, Beverly, Denise, Luiz, Laerte, and Sandy
and all flower and plant lovers.

SHS and CSS in Heaven!

2011-10-23T12:49:00.007-07:00

Since I work with my hands a lot (design, research, arts & crafts, cleaning, dog do etc.) . . . I am using my hands (and fingers) for Ashley's ScavengerHuntSunday this week:

Words
Hmmm, I read labels a lot and to be honest, although I support organic producers, some of their products are not so effective. Like the 'citronelle' which I buy to spray on myself (I live in a mosquito island) and which is bad for dogs does not seem to repel flies and bugs not unless you keep applying every hour I guess. But I am digressing. Now where was I?

Fly
There. The dreaded MrFly. Aesthetically striking but can really be pesky.

Under
My hands (and feet and face and my body in general!) are constantly battered by my playful senior dogs (yes they are still frisky in their senior years, thank God!) and it is not uncommon to get trampled, drooled on, jumped at, and constantly squeezed and hugged by my loveable father and son Sumo and Sweepy. Hey, but who's complaining?

Orange
. . . taken last Saturday while facilitating a workshop for kids. Some of their works at my studio blog ;-)

Always Look On The Bright Side
The ever changing skies not knowing whether to shine or rain but yes, if you look at the bright side, the heat is balanced by the cool air and there's a certain warmth in the afternoon after the rain and amazing plant life thrives even with the storms!

. . . and for Amy at ColorSplashSunday:
(sorry no bokeh this week)
. . . is MrFly sleeping during a lull in the afternoon when the dogs are taking a nap.

Have a fun, challenging and productive week ahead!

Dancing In The City

2011-10-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

. . . and she dance and sway. . .
and swirl and prance
like in a hypnotic trance
of a never-ending melody
of hissing winds, and humming trees,
of feral cats mumbling half awake,
of dogs whining in curiosity,
and a keeper peering close by . . .

we dance in the heat of the noonday sun
and swirl slowly in the cool sunset
as the sky darkens as early as 5:30 PM

. . . soon
the lights will flicker
and the moon will snicker
at all the mad dancing
in an old dying world . . .

Dreamy thoughts for Maia, Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise:

Mandevilla

2011-10-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Mandevilla plant against the erratic sunny-stormy skies in Heaven.

Taken from midday to end of day.
For Dragonstar's The Weekend in Black and White.

NOTE: To see the colored version about this plant in my previous post click here.

Mushy

2011-10-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

. . . . as time zooms by

my heaven is frozen
locked in its own mini world
breathing and singing
melodies that heal
bind and seal.

i am in heaven.
and heaven is in me.

. . . and for Lisa and Kitty at:

. . . and for Amy who loves bokeh:

These are fungi growing on Chicky's arm (our chico tree).

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

2011-10-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

Seeing Faces in Strange Unexpected Places
This is the home of one of the critters in Heaven. They made it just outside my bedroom window's frame. The fun part is you see faces upside down too!

Stars
This is our plant Hoya. I got this from my archive. The Hoya flower is small and composed of several star-shaped flowers and when the petals unfurl . . .

Round
The Hoya flower in full bloom from my archives because they are not blooming well at this time.

Fire
I normally collect and recycle paper for creative work but this particular letter I burned which made me cry for 3 reasons: I did not like the contents, I hate burning, I hate wasting paper. Sigh.

Abstract
I should show one of my paintings but I decided to just go natural and show the fungi after the rain. It looks like an abstract flower. Ha!

The Singing White Diva!

2011-10-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

My sister Luchie refer to her as Camia but I was not sure because Luchie can sometimes get the names wrong so I checked it out. I found out Luchie was right all along. This beauty is indeed called Camia and is also known as White Ginger.

They said Camia is a fragrant flower and I tried to sniff its scent but its shrilling voice is distracting me. Yes I hear the sounds of plants because my dogs taught me to hear sounds in nature. Obviously, Camia is a soprano and the dogs, pretty sensitive about sounds, rush past her every time she sings! I kissed Camia goodbye as I rolled my eyes from her shrill music amused that this is probably how my dogs feel when I sing to them too. Sigh.
Luchie planted Camia on the east side of our small property with very little sun blocked by the two huge trees Chicky (chico tree) and Yvon (avocado tree) and pretty much cuddled by other plants to protect her from playful and clumsy dogs, the neighbor's cats and curious keeper (me!)
Camia is a delicate plant. It grows long and tall and showy. Luchie said it needs plenty of water and since we had rains almost every day this must be the reason it is blooming now. A tropical depression 'Ramon' threatened to pass but weakened as it hit our islands and should be out by this weekend.
Camia is my tribute to my cousin Elle who lives in San Francisco, USA. Elle is actually a niece but since I grew up with her brood who are also my age (they spent summers in our Makati house from Cebu) that we felt more like cousins and refer to each other as one. Elle's late mom Norma was more of Luchie's age. And Norma's mom Tiya Menchiang is my Papa's sister. Tiya Menchiang is now in her 90s and still enjoying herself abroad together with my other relatives.

. . . the scent of summers past. . .
the lovely letters and photographs . . .
memories that cling like the dew on Camia
. . . forever etched in my memory . . .
Happy Birthday Elle!

Memories connect us to the wonders of the past. I recently reminded somebody to learn the real meaning of attachment. You see he collects stuff as souvenirs to remind him of the people who gave it to him. Although there is nothing wrong about doing that I told him that special memories are stored in our mind and heart which can never be deleted except probably by forgetfulness in old age. This is a helpful reminder especially when we attach and accumulate so much stuff which now pose grave danger when we are experiencing storm surges and flash floods that can easily wipe out objects and properties not to mention human lives.
And since I have a huge collection of junks (empty bottles, used papers, cartons, stones, etc.) which I use for creative work I have this urgent need to use them now . . . to create and fashion them into functional pieces of art so I can let go of brewing ideas and share them with others . . .
. . . to do the things that must be done before time and nature dictate the phase in my creative life. Before they demand I let go too . . . and keep in my heart the lasting things that really matters. . . At sunset yesterday I had a quiet time with Camia and finally breathed her giddy fragrant scent!

I wish you all have a special, safe and fun weekend everybody!

For Maia, Luiz, Laerte, Sandy, and Denise:

The Creative Exchange

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Hoya hosting MrSpidey during the storms. . .

The Mandevilla fading but new buds are sprouting . . .

The changing and the constants in my Heaven signify the passing of time. Some have changed. Others are renewing. Some are adapting beautifully while I hover in the extreme. Accepting some and denying some. I see my active senior sisters and marvel at the way they reinvented themselves and adapted beautifully to the changes in their lives. On the other hand, I still deny that my dogs are getting older even with their young and playful ways. I find myself crying hysterically when I chance upon one of the dogs prostrate somewhere only to realize they are either sunbathing or cooling themselves from the heat by sleeping on unexpected places like under the trees where they are bound to get worms from the soil!

Malunggay (Sajina or Moringa) planted by the birds in our rough garden patch and which I try to eat fresh.

I try to walk my talk but always catch myself on extreme ends every so often. When a five-year-old kid in one of my art workshops tinkered fast in her PC tablet (yes kids get to be techie early) to show me her collection of games, I have to challenge her enthusiasm by bringing her back to the basic, the whole brain skills, the one that uses her fingers to do things not just clicking on demand but actually creating something inspired by an idea in her mind (brain) and polished with her heart. So we took her dog for a walk and later made a paper crown from a discarded board!

This prolific orchid blooms even in bad weather!

The birds sing, my dog Sweepy's phone rings (yes he owns one!), MrWormsy clings, and I look at the sunny skies threatening to rain and I linger for a moment, taking it all in and offering a silent prayer of thanks for making all these things possible. . .

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-10-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

For this week's SHS challenge, I decided to share what's inside my demo sketchpad:

Blank Space
. . . a blank page of a notebook or sketchpad excites me because this is my diary in visual form! I started drawing since I was 3 years old and sharing my techniques with others! I did not expect that years after, in whatever I do, I am always requested to design and facilitate workshops for kids and adults which is now my passion!

Complementary/Triadic
I try to spike up the boring color wheel routine by making students do a mandala type of design and integrating the primary colors and blending them to create other colors! A fun way to learn and understand how colors work . . . and discovering another person's creative circle!

Black and White
I love the strength of monochromes. And some of the best works I've seen are those in neutral shades which was the reason I mounted annual exhibitions of works in black and white from sculptural pieces, paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, objects and installations.

Landscape
I designed this easy one-hour session on landscape painting which was everybody's favorite. A dot in the middle situates the distance and where all the elements find their balance. A great easy and fun way to understand perspective, tonal values, and the harmonies in the cool tones.

Food
The best way to teach primary colors using acrylic paints in less than 2 hours. All the colors here were blended using red, yellow and blue and white!

Flowers in Heaven . . .

2011-10-08T13:20:00.002-07:00

You can be as pure as a fresh bud . . .

. . . or be as pure and grand like the bud that opens!

You can be magnificent just being you.
For in your lifetime you carried the best
and maybe, on some days, not the best of you
but surely for many days it was always your best.

I would know because I saw you bloom along the road . . .

And at times I saw you bloom in your simplicity . . .
. . . and delightful humor, and grace under pressure,
and the temperance and patience,
and the energy to bring forth
the best in everyone
including me.

This week we celebrated Elderly Week. In my community it is a week for all Senior citizens who are 60 and above. My sister Loyd is presently heading one of the many senior citizens groups in my small community. This week they had a full range of activities: tree planting, sports, entertainment (they went to watch a noontime show live in Manila!), music (they are busy rehearsing for a choir competition this month), meetings and planning, etc. Looking at them makes everyone feel that being senior does not mean dull years!
My sisters Loyd (left) and Luchie (our eldest) are the best icons for what being 'senior' is all about. They both handled managerial positions: Loyd in government service and before that in the university where she graduated and spent all her school years. Luchie set up her own management consultancy firm and both of them spent years after serving non-profit organizations. They resonate what every member of my family has done in their professional life and in the community which is to serve selflessly and with passion. And now in their retirement years, they are both enjoying and relaxing their pace. In the photograph above, they are on their way to practice for their bowling tournament (on a rainy day but who cares about the weather!) and to keep themselves fit.

People who dedicate themselves to the things that are important to them (family, career/vocations, etc.) are like beautiful flowers that inspire others. They are like macro delights that will never fade . . . just like the dedicated team of TodaysFlowers: Luiz Santilli, Laerte Pupo, Sandy Carlson and Denise G and the unstoppable Maia who is celebrating her birthday this week! I wish you good health, great flower finds to share, and the energy and commitment to sustain everybody's need for flower stories . . .

Two storms Pedring and Quiel brought rains which prompted authorities to open several dams which flooded several cities in Northern Luzon. I live in Southern Luzon and was thus spared from that ordeal. Although we experienced rains and powerful winds we were quite safe in our little Heaven. Thank you for all your prayers. It mean the world to me . . .

The Story of the Pink Bud

2011-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

My sister Luchie planted this last July in the midst of the renovation work going around Heaven. She said it will creep around our fence and will produce magenta flowers that will look like a cross between Yellow Bells and Hibiscus flowers . . .

So I waited and watered.
I nagged everybody and everybeing to behave around it.
The leaves grew fast and tall and crept along the fence even with the dogs constant sniffing and their territorial 'marks'. Even with the construction workers rough handling. Even with the extreme weather changes. And finally on September 21 something did came out:
Several buds came out which left me excited . . .
And the buds grew fast and stood proudly among its peers in victory:
And in the midst of a cloudy day the flower opened:
. . . but kept her clear beauty for all to see. It is that magical moment for a clueless keeper who is constantly in awe of nature and its many surprises.

. . . greeting everybody passing by my Heaven which I hoped would help diminish whatever worries they have for the stormy week . . .
Yes we had a stormy week.
Storm Pedring lashed out winds and rains
which flooded several cities
and made a lot of people homeless
and destroyed crops and properties.
In Heaven, we have to secure the trees and remove all hanging and delicate plants out of harm's way, secure the dogs home with tarp covers to replace the flimsy curtains (yes the doghouses have curtains because my dogs prefer to nap in a dim place) . . . and in the midst of keeping everything safe and secure from the storm, when I looked to check, the pink flower was gone!
The wind blew it out of its place and it landed on the palm plants. But its unopened buds remain hanging on the stem. And on the other side of this plant was another bunch of buds surviving the strong winds, rains and sunless days (the storm was miles away from us but we felt the gusty winds!)
And not just one but two finally greeting the sun after a week of rains.
Flower stories inspire beauty and love. They evoke fond memories of people who are equally strong, persevering, trustful, loving and everything flowery and beautiful and great survivors. I am sure we all have stories like that stashed in our special memory bank . . . Many thanks to all flower lovers Maia and the TodaysFlowers team Luiz Santilli Jr., Laerte Pupo, Sandy Carlson and the english girl and my friend Denise. And for pink lover Beverly and Amy who loves to challenge us with color amidst monochrome. Thank you all for keeping me sane . . .

And for all grandparents and the senior citizens (notice I did not say 'elderly' because I met a lot of 'youthful' and energetic seniors, including my two senior sisters), September is dedicated to you all and all your loving and special memories.
We have two more typhoons coming our way this weekend. I pray and hope it will not create more damage to my battered island. Please include us in your prayers . . .
And in loving memory of Mamita Rosario
September 20, 1920 - September 18, 2010
one of my oldest students and a loving friend

UPDATED October 3! EG Wow identified this flower as a Mandevilla. Thanks EG!

The Creative Exchange

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

This was my breakfast plate on Sunday morning. But this is not right. Not right at all. I may not look it but I'm a big breakfast eater. I usually have my fruits first with chitchat (I talk at high-speed non-stop for 10 minutes with my non complaining audience Luchie my sis ;-)), then I have 2 cups of rice with main dish (chicken or fish and eggs), black coffee and later some sweet munchies (whatever leftover desserts from the previous night's dinner) . . .

But we all woke up late and Loyd left for church early and I was too lazy to cook. Luchie said she only has energy to do eggs. I looked at my plate sadly and gobbled everything in minutes. I was restless so I attacked all the breads and cookies in the house . . .

Wafers and cookies with cheese spread and coconut jam. This brings happy memories but I'm still restless . . .

Hmmmm, yummy cinnamon raisin loaf!
Now this required another cup of coffee.

Yeah, well, I ate the whole thing.
And now I think I am fine.
Luchie looked at me in disgust and boredom.

So okay I am pathetically sick. I probably inherited my late Mama's diabetes and my late Papa's hyperactive hormones. But when I do not have a heavy breakfast, my day is not complete! Besides I am super active and super slim so I can afford to eat a lot. ;-) I also have irregular hours than most people but hey, I am not making excuses.

I know this may not sound creative, Lisa, but I hope the macro shots made everybody drool with envy.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

2011-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Low Key

Angels in all sizes, design, colors, materials are scattered all over my house Heaven. But of course! Where else but in Heaven . . .

Monochromatic/Analogous Color

My favorite palette this week is actually a non-color which is the neutral shade of sepia and brown made vibrant with red!

Circle

My sister Luchie's "batibot" chair!

Scarf

Come to think of it, my dog Sweepy has practically 'owned' most, if not all, of my scarves except this one. Wait, he does use this as well. Hmmm . . .

Phone

Remember the old rotary big black bulky thing? It does not work anymore but I keep it for possible use (for mixed media work, installation, performance, etc.) plus they make perfect conversation piece anytime!

Have a great weekend!

Look Again!

2011-09-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Our new small and pink orchids blooming for the first time! The buds came out on my sister Loyd's birthday (flowers bloom on our birthdays!) on September 12 on this small hanging vase:

A friend who dropped by
totally missed it!

Beauty does not 'shout out' in macro all the time.
Most of the time it simply grows naturally.
In its small unique way.
Just like most people.
Just like most of nature . . .
And for most of us who are so used to the fast, the loud,
and the montage of images and words and sounds
flashing wildly in and around us like mad,
. . . a lot of small yet significant things
just pass us by . . . .

My friend will text me about how gorgeous this plant that I posted. And I will text back that it is the same plant I pointed out to him when he visited. And he will whine about not having a good camera and I will assure him that my small digital camera is nothing compared to the one he owns. You somehow miss the power of technology in your hands . . .

It is not really about the camera (although it helps if you're working with the best) but it is also about having a clear vision (and I'm myopic! But vision is not concentrated on sight alone) and the energy (I have to shoot fast and in all angles that defy gravity and logic and I'm totally clumsy at that!) and enthusiasm (I am totally in awe of my subjects!) and the need to move on and do other work. . .

I shoot to capture all the lovable and special scenes around me so I can rewind and recapture the moments over and over again. Just like most people in the blogosphere. And yes, just like most animals as well . . .
The colors does not matter as well if the subject comes out strong, crisp and clear even in monochrome . . .
And at the end of the day, as I took my meditative walk around Heaven, a new bud (from the same pot!) greets and serenades my walk and I knew the image was caught in full macro and in full harmony with all the special images in my mind and heart where it stays safe from spam, mindless stalkers, internet image thieves, and fading.
This orchid grew alongside another orchid which I featured last week and to which I promised to share this week. A special gift for all who will take the time to walk, to bike instead of taking the car, to move beyond fossil fuels to a 350ppm world, to enjoy the simple pleasures and bask in the basic necessities without feeling deprived. If I am not commuting in two cities in changing weather this Saturday I will opt to walk and join the legions for the MovingPlanet hike.

And for special people who make things happen: Maia, Beverly, Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise at:

Money Plant

2011-09-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not

but yes this is a money plant.
I get extremely sad when I see cut branches like this.

I was pretty devastated because, not being an expert on plants and gardening, I thought my sister Luchie trimmed them unnecessarily. We often get into arguments when she does this. Luchie said that it was so huge and wild that she cut them into three parts and replanted them into several pots. Luchie assured me that it will grow back. And look how fast it healed since August 30 when I took the picture above:

I kept running excitedly to update Luchie and she kept saying "I told you" and this week Luchie eyed the plant, shook her head and did this:

Luchie said this is really how this plant is managed. You twist the plants as it grows! This way you manage its growth since it has a tendency to spread wide in our small space.

Oh what a prolific plant!

I love its texture.
I love its huge shiny leaves.
I love that it shades a part of Heaven's garden.
I love how it tickles me when I pass.
I love it for its strange name.
I love it to bits.

Now I wonder if and when it will ever bloom with money?

For Lisa and her creative world:

Ratsky

2011-09-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

. . . is my wooden paperweight. It is also my dog Sweepy's favorite. When Sweepy sees Ratsky on the table and I am nowhere in sight, Sweepy will immediately run off with Ratsky! Now of course I have to make Sweepy understand why I am using Ratsky for all of Ashley's SHS this week!

Behind

. . . the cutest butt ever.

Street Photography

Well, I can not bring Ratsky out in the streets because the weather goes from rainy to windy to sunny hot all within the day! But Ratsky gets his street-like scenes somehow ;-) Obviously somebody 'black' is so not into toys . . .

Liquid

I can not give Ratsky a bath either but surely Ratsky will enjoy watching a shower on a hot day! ;-)

Sunday

Ratsky enjoys the sun even if it is not on a Sunday. Ha!

From A Distance

Even from afar Ratsky is still a cutey!

Flowers For All Seasons

2011-09-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Our weather has been changing abruptly for years now. Rainy yesterday sunny today. But lately the changes are so sudden as within the day: sunny this hour, rainy windy in 10 minutes, super hot sunny for another hour, drizzles for 5 minutes, sunny again for three hours, etc. The drizzles are like passing clouds creating restless energies around our Heaven!

In the midst of the restless weather our orchids kept sprouting new growths!

And it has 'weathered' the changes in the climate.
I documented this growth from September 4 to 10.
The leaves have burnt spots from the sudden heat and sudden drizzles!
Even with the rains I have to water some of the plants like this orchid regularly or the buds will dry up and not open magnificently like this:

Oh, what a beautiful tale of survival!

Normally, it takes only one to two days for the leaves to unfurl but this has taken a week. But I am not complaining. Instead I tell MsOrchid to hang on and take its sweet time . . .
As I also patiently take my own time adjusting and slowly watching all of Heaven . . . the restless dogs, the lizards, the bees looking dizzy, the doves flying too low for comfort, the ants marching along the walls like crazy, the flies and mosquitoes coming in droves (there are dengue cases but luckily not in my subdivision) but the birds remain cheery and content in the surroundings and peaceful as they continue to sing as I nap and when I do my work.

The climate change action has taken an urgent stand. It is time we heal our space. This week I joined the live stream of voices and actions taken to address this matter at my studio blog. Next week I am joining a group that will take a hike/bike program that will discuss ways for community involvement.

In my Heaven, we have long segregated our wastes, composted peelings and animal manure to recycle back to our soil and feed our plants (we do not use chemical fertilizers), our used discarded papers, plastic bottles, cartons, cans are either sold or are transformed into my artworks. When we buy new stuff we let go of the old one. When I buy new shoes, I take one pair out. Ha! This will avoid excess stuff in my closet again.

How do you respond to the changing times?

And look! Another orchid is blooming in another pot perfect for next week!

I share our blooming orchids with Maia of MacroFlowersSaturday, Beverly of PinkSaturday and for TodaysFlowers of Luiz Santilli, Laerte Pupo, Sandy Carlson and Denise Gullickson.

Another Keeper

2011-09-11T20:10:00.002-07:00

Loyd's coffee mug on our dining table!

That is my sister Loyd's 'other' title in Heaven. It is 8PM September 11 in other countries but it is 11AM September 12 in mine. And today is my older sister Loyd's 63rd birthday! Loyd is younger than my other older sister Luchie by 3 years. Yeah, I live with senior citizens and senior dogs in Heaven! ;-) And since we are three single women living in one house (the males are married and live abroad) we are either viewed with suspicion, curiosity, pity, ridicule, and for those who know us, as fun smart empowered women.

Loyd's stuff in her room. On top right Loyd is greeted by Sumo. Sweepy is quite afraid of Loyd and rarely greet her when she enters the house!

I rarely talk about Loyd because for one she is not into most of the things I like, like animals. To prove this, she refers to my father and son dogs Sumo and Sweepy as "Hey animals, go to your house!" which makes the two dogs growl in protest. When you communicate in a regular manner with dogs they kindda know if you are speaking to them in an insulting manner. On some days, Loyd would coo to them "Fifi" or "Shumoh" and rub their coats because I'm sure she can not resist it. People always wanted to hug my dogs in vain. The dogs bark or ran away when they see strangers. But I'm digressing . . . Sigh.

Loyd is now retired from working years in an international convention center. She now handles community and advocacy work for senior citizens in my subdivision. I used to wonder when I was a kid of how my older siblings would look when they get older and how I would take care of them in their senior years. But looking at Loyd and Luchie now who are agile and energetic and look twenty years younger made me realized that age and looks are really dependent on one's outlook and lifestyle. I am more tired and less energetic than them! ;-(

So what are old girls made of? They are made of smart and stronger stuff that helps nurture and empower communities. Gone are the days when women are just great homemakers because apart from keeping our house in order, my two senior sisters are passionate and humorous and compassionate which are perfect attributes when one does advocacy work for the community (plan, implement, and sustain visions and programs) . . . Someday when I get old like them I will look back and know that the real meaning of life was brought by strong people who inspired and created passion and meaning . . . Happy Birthday Loyd!

"A Modern Landscape"

a collaborative work with 8-year-old Crickett
for all fun seniors and their modern landscapes.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-09-10T10:35:00.003-07:00

Remember

Remember Pug? MrWormsy aka millipede. I always feature Pug simply because he loves to steal the scene around Heaven and because he whines a lot! :-)

Flying High

Pug loves to crawl anywhere and when he gets to the top he gets antsy because he can not crawl under. Ha!

Statues
Pug makes a perfect statue except that he gets stressed out when he freezes in a spot because some big clumsy paw might land down on him!

Process of Elimination
Yeah. Well. When Pug gets stressed out something gets eliminated. Ooopsy. Not exactly a good scenario but Ashley asked for it!

Bokeh
And since Pug is as small as a ring he creates one of the best bokeh shots on zoom!

Flowers In My Path

2011-09-10T09:05:00.004-07:00

I stumbled upon Perfection.
And I realized to my delight
that it comes in two!

I stumbled upon pods of delight . . .

. . . and it bursts into tiny flares of awesome-ness.

I love meeting Gorgeous.
And to realized that it remains that way
even past the end of the day!

Flowers I met along the way this week for Maia at MacroFlowersSaturday, Beverly of Pink Saturday, and for TodaysFlowers of Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise.

A Creepy Tale by a Creepy Keeper

2011-09-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

This is MrWormsy.

On dreary days I call him Pug.
On sunny days I call him Thug.
He does look like a thug chugging down Heaven's path.

And this is my alpha dog Sumo.
On dreary days I call him Sumopie which he probably hates.

Pug loves Sumopie.
After all, Pug helps his friend MrLeach interpret Sumo's blog for non Filipino readers. Pug and MrLeach are on the same team. The team of Crawlers and Stickies. But lately, the duo are not seen on Sumo's blog and I ain't tellin' why simply because I am digressing from my tale.

. . . now to go back to my tale . . .

Sumo is not fond of Pug and to show his displeasure, Sumo growls.
And when Sumo does this, Pug curls into a ball!

Pug does this as a form of self defense. Some people I know immediately build walls around them for defense. But defense from what, I wonder?

When things don't look good and Sumo's breathing turns hot and his growling becomes too audible for comfort, Pug simply crawls away. . .
People do the same in tricky situations. They rather walk out rather than confront any sticky situations. I guess you call that an easy way out. But I am again digressing. Yawn.

Now MrWormsy comes to me and air his concerns. He is harmless. He is lovable. He is everything and anything opposite his scary looks. And of course, I understand him. The Keeper knows her flock and her flock flock to her. Whatever.

MrWormsy aka Pug glides down my flipflops like a ballerina in complete harmony.
MrWormsy will meet hostilities, ridicule, curiosity, and possibly violence because of his looks. And as much as I sympathize with him, his fate in a confused and cruel world is not too rosy. But of what use are you to the community, Pug?

I help clean the soil. I eat pests that eat the leaves in your garden. I kiss the SuperdogSweepy even if he drools at me. Heck, I kiss de Sumo even if he growls or when he accidentally tramples down on me when he's running. My very presence in Heaven is a sign that the environment is OK.
When I'm gone it is because your soil, water, air and whatnot are unlivable and that should worry you. When I'm gone, all of you will be gone as well . . .

Well, I didn't say this will end happily.
But you see stories that don't,
do continue to be happy after. Ever.
And to be honest, Pug did not say it exactly like that. Pug said it like this: meeh help clean urt, 8 pests . 8 leavs, kiz drly SdSwpy, uck kiz Shumoh 2 wen grwls or craz meeh yikes, meeh sez ol s wel wd ur urt. wen i go so wl u. babu.

For Lisa and her creative world:

Weekend Images

2011-09-03T11:47:00.001-07:00

I stumbled on this small beautiful plant on the week that we were renovating the back of Heaven. This plant looked tough and sprayed out like a flower on small plots in our subdivision's garden. "I want to have one like that in our garden" I told my sister Luchie and she laughed: "Oh but we have that somewhere . . . probably hidden behind some of the bigger plants!"

I was surprised. I mean we do not really live in a big lot. Our garden is much like a series of small plots around our small property. And our style of gardening is pretty wild since we prefer to plant whatever will thrive with minimum supervision with the other plants and the dogs! So to realize that there is more for me to discover hidden behind our small garden made me excited!

This was the same excitement I had when we finished the renovation and we had to unpack and move stuff from huge storage spaces into usable rooms and unearth years of stuff stored. It's amazing how much we tend to keep and hold on to things that use so much space in our house and memory bank. Letting go made things light for the heart and mind. And while Luchie moved out of her old small room to occupy a bigger room at the back of Heaven, I now have to move my art materials to Luchie's former room to convert into my studio.

Friends laugh when they see me produce artworks in "alternative spaces" lugging my materials tray to any available spaces in the garden, kitchen, storeroom, and most of the time beside the doghouse! Now I have a specific place to store my art materials!

And once again I got excited categorizing my 'junks' (I work with stuff that people normally throw like used boxes, old newspapers and any used paper, plastic bottles, old pins, etc.) and working on them in a new creative space! Which is also perfect for hunting images for Ashley's meme!

Stairs

A work in progress. The 'stairs' was cut out from the small box that held anti-mosquito coils. I keep the box to cut and make accessories to wear and to make small sculptural forms perfect for a mixed media painting!

Macro

I cut this crown from the same box (I was able to make around fifty small objects from a small box!) and the scale of the crown can be compared to the size of my pencil!

Abstract

The stairs and crown are painted and embellished together with the others to appear like metal parts in a work aptly called 'Heaven'

Smile

And there goes my smile of satisfaction and delight amidst another mixed media work!

Clouds

And all these excitement amidst the changing weather just outside my window! (We had abrupt changes from sunny hot to cloudy to rainy to windy to sunny again in one day for two weeks now!)

Huge thanks to Ashley, Maia, Denise, Luiz, Laerte, and Sandy

Henrietta!

2011-09-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

That's her name. She is 85 years old. I always see her walking down the street and I always smile at her. This morning I heard Henrietta call out softly "suman" (a sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leaves) so I called her and she showed me her basket full of suman:

Henrietta stopped at our gate and introduced herself. She told me she makes the suman herself! "I wake up at 1 in the morning to prepare and cook the suman" Henrietta explained. I do get wary about buying food from strangers but how can I resist not buying a cake that an 85-year-old woman made at dawn and peddled on the streets from the next subdivision (she said she walked to and around our subdivision because she gets regular buyers here) and it takes her the whole morning to finish her basket of sumans. A package of wrapped suman with sauce cost P15 (2 sumans in one package) so I bought three packages. Roughly only $1 for the 3 packages!
And the still warm suman poured with home-made sauce made of thickened coconut juice tasted heavenly! It tasted the way my late Mama made sticky rice cake with coconut. Henrietta's suman taste of love! The next time I see Henrietta I will tell her that she got herself another regular customer!

Btw, I asked Manang Henrietta's permission if I can take a picture of her and share her inspiring story and she shyly said yes. This reminds me that I have to print out this post for her! ;-)

For Beverly and her pink lovers this weekend:

Postcard Swap as a Creative Exchange

2011-08-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

Was it three months ago that someone asked me to join Kat Sloma's postcard swap? Now I can not remember who told me about it but the event got listed in my 'pedofile" (short for pending file, haha!) and while the other projects were taken out of the list (done or canceled or something, ha!) the 'Liberate Your Art' project stayed on the list. Some of you who finds it funny that I actually work with animals would want to know that yes, Sweepy barked endlessly about it (he knows when there are pending creatives and he hates it especially if he is not included, tsk tsk!) so I finally got everybeing in Heaven and assembled everybody into a postcard mode and voila!

I brought this image to the nearest print shop to be made into a 4"x6" postcard. They were able to rush the order in 3 days and I assembled everything into a packet and mailed pronto. Since I have no paypal account :-( I have to ask my nephew to pay my postage by paypal which I reimbursed. Then, I mailed the whole stuff and finally removed this task from my pedofile.
That would have been the end of it except that I had another postcard swap with another group abroad and I was informed that they were not able to receive it after a month! So I checked all packages I sent by courier and inquired from the others including Kat. Kat has not received my cards as well. So off I rushed to the print shop again but this time I was able to print only a small 3.5"x5" because I wanted to rush all postcards in one day!. And since I was running on deadline mode, I re-sent all postcards by express courier and crossed my fingers. And since Kat has not received my nephew's paypal either (somebody received a shout out as well ;-) I have to scout for another paypal friend and Sunshine (bless her!) agreed which took some time because everybody was in a busy mode. In short, Kat got my cards and I received five beautiful ones as well! I have yet to received from the other postcard swap though ;-( Paging Kyle!
From Kat's "LiberateYourArt" swap: Clockwise from top: Ms. Margie Wachter from California, Juju of The2Buds, Suzie Puetz from Oregon, April Cole, and Kate Daniel. I have yet to visit them and thank them for such creative works which most of my kids in my graphics workshop enjoyed and will surely get inspired. I am late in posting for the blog hop this weekend but I'll just visit the other participants soon. You can see the whole thing at Kat's blog! And I'm also sharing this creative exchange with Lisa:

"The world of reality has its limits;
the world of imagination is boundless."
- Jean Jacques Rousseau

UPDATED: August 31, 2PM. I just received Kat Sloma's (the swap organizer) postcard thanking us for our participation. Thanks Kat! I found Kat's postcard on Sweepy's paws just this minute! The mailman knows my dog Sweepy because Sweepy gets snail mails and packages a lot! The mailman knows Sweepy more than me and must have given Sweepy the postcard! Sigh.

She Who Walks The Path . . .

2011-08-26T19:49:00.003-07:00

. . . has found her home . . .

. . . and lost it
and felt the pain,
and faced sadness,
fears, silence,
and of being alone
and understood the meaning of it all.

. . . has seen the light
has embraced joy,
empowerment,
awakening,
and reaped the full meaning of it.

I met them in the Path.
I met them out of the Path as well.
I met them and they shared with me their walks.

And now I walk with faith.

For all the senior citizens of the world.
For all those I met and left the world
as well as for those who stayed
and for those who add meaning and joy in my life.
Your path paves mine.

I featured this beautiful orchid in previous post. They are now fading beautifully amidst the threat of storm "Mina" that is passing my country now and bringing rains and winds. Yet as I hugged my dogs and hugged myself as well, I am reminded of those who walked my path with courage, faith and joy, and gave me the strength to hold on and hang on. The storms will pass, another beautiful orchid will grow, my dogs will dance and play in their senior years, and my two senior Manangs (an endearment we use to refer to older sisters) has remained helpful, funny, healthy and wise. . .

They who walk the path walks with a joyful heart . . .

And I share this with Maia, Beverly, Amy, Denise (we are praying for you in the USA as Hurricane Irene lands today) and the TodaysFlowers team Luiz, Laerte, and Sandy. We have a long weekend holiday ahead. On Monday we celebrate Heroes day and on Tuesday our Muslim countrymen will end their Ramadan and we will celebrate with them!

Moth, Mother, Matter

2011-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that the creepy crawling Ms Higad will morph into another creature after hibernation?

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it" - Somerset Maugham

And there she goes trying to flip her wings right at my dog Sumo's bewildered eyes! I did not see Ms Higad at first but I found Sumo watching the wall intently and unmoving for minutes and when I investigated, there was Ms Higad!

Today is my late Mama's birthday. In my weekend post I talked about my mother and my mother's mother (my grandma) and now I remember one of the lessons that she taught me was to be innovative as a creative way of approaching dilemmas. Mama would not allow any blockage or problems sitting down. She would sift through it with a prayer of confidence and let her imagination rule overtime. And this she shared with everyone.

Thus, at a young age, I was a walking creative think tank like her. I would solve space saving problems easily, design projects fast, style other people homes or spaces on site, write stories fast, do research work enthusiastically . . . I was practically tagged at meetings and parties or made to help with spaces and design which require creative work. The fee was not important. The satisfaction was in the ability to achieve the desired results fast and efficiently.

While sifting through piles of stuff from years of storage (we recently renovated a room in the back of the house that was used as a store room for years!) I have to segregate things I can recycle and use to those that I have to discard or give away. Now I have a huge stash of stuff piling for possible mixed media work, stuff from the past that not only brought memories but amazing objects that can be recycled into beautiful functional works.

Ms Higad has transformed into a moth. She whispers about confusion and noise in the air which I hushed with mellow singing. The critters feel the tension around us and for those of us who can communicate and creatively heal and change our spaces and energies, we must harness them now! The time to take stock, to use gadgets less (a lot of friends who are gadget dependent are actually less productive and less efficient), to use our hands and minds more, to connect with nature and everything natural (use salt as a natural cleaner, water as a good source of oxygen, etc.) and to link with beings that were created equally like us. Animals are not the lesser beings and plants are breathing living beings that are as important as our electronic gadgets.

Oh, Ms Higad, learn to flex your wings and listen close to the whispers of the leaves. Do not be distracted by the noisy hurtful energies of wireless connections. The moon has waned and in time it will wax to full. The cycle continues and we all move with it . . .

. . . and happy bday, Mama. May your new spaces be bright, airy and cheery and filled with your loving touch . . . until we meet again . . .

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

2011-08-21T13:54:00.004-07:00

Geometry

My favorite chess set has all the lines, points . . . and chess movements require math and logic to win! ;-)

Brush Strokes
Restoring an old mirror which I painted with acrylic paints. My dog Sweepy loves to look at himself in the mirror and now I need to clean the paw marks and repaint it ;-)

Hanging by a Thread
Parts of an old terracotta wind chime made and given to me by my clay artist-friend Baidy!

Collage
Pieces of colored textured cloths sewn together to form a bag which is a gift from my student Gopi!

On The Dotted Line
Details from one of my sketching sessions focusing on trinkets.

It is always so much fun to participate in Ashley's SHS and take a much-needed break from a busy schedule.

Ochna Kirkii

2011-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Or Ochna Serrulata. Or Birds Eye Bush. Or Mickey Mouse plant which is my favorite and preferred label for this plant. This bush is just across our house and I greet it every time I have to cross the street to feed our neighbor and dog friend Dawgy. Yes, we still feed Dawgy regularly. Sometimes the bush looks so inviting that I get distracted and watch it first before delivering Dawgy's food which makes Dawgy howl in protest. I can almost hear her growl "bring me the food first and stop gawking at the plants!" It does not help that my father and son dogs Sumo and Sweepy will join Dawgy in barking at me. My, these dogs do rally together!

Today was my late mother's registered birthdate although she celebrated on the 22nd which was the date she thought was her birth date until she later found out that it was the wrong date! My eldest sister Luchie recalled how my Mama got upset when she realized she was celebrating her birthday on the wrong day since childhood! Now, years after her death, we still celebrate Mama's birthday on the 22nd by lighting a candle and saying a prayer for her, eat her favorite mango cake and ice cream and possibly listen to her favorite crooner Sinatra . . .

August is special because it was also the birth month of Mama's mother and my late grandmother Lola Fina. Lola Fina was already in her 90s when I was born (Mama was menopausal when I was born) and Lola Fina lived with us and took care of me.

I remember Lola Fina so well because of her small laughing eyes, her long snow white hair which she tied in a bun at the top of her head, her soft gnarled hands clasped in mine as I joined her in prayers at noon and at Angelus while facing the church in the distance. . . . When I reached school age we moved to Makati (a city in Manila) and Lola Fina stayed with us but she became weak and bedridden and I spent my free time near her and found her laughing eyes watching me all the time. On the day before she died, Lola Fina struggled to get up from bed and went down the stairs to take a bath! My Mama got hysterical and in tears helped Lola Fina wash before she climbed back in bed. By dawn the next day Lola Fina died smiling in her sleep, freshly washed, as if in preparation for a great event . . .

August brings back happy memories of these two strong and special women in my life. Oh I'm sure they are back in each other's arms, the mother and daughter, Mama and my Lola Fina, somewhere where days are longer and spent laughing, cooking, and talking endlessly. Someday I will join them and, like them, I will also be pain-free in my sick bed and, like them I will die smiling. People wondered why my mother and grandma were smiling in death. But there is no secret. They both lived a full life which they shared with everyone including strangers and they both knew that death is not the end of their world! And I believe them . . .

Just like these Mickey Mouse plant, Mama and Lola Fina made August a special 'oh-ghost' month for me. Oh, go ahead, our friendly ghost, roam my heaven! ;-)

For special flower people like Maia, Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise. For happy pink lover Beverly too (I will have my pinks next week!):

And for Amy who will march down the aisle (er, nave?) soon:

Bloom Like No Other!

2011-08-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

You can choose to bloom magnificently!

Or you can bloom together with the rest . . .

You can choose to remain like tiny buds in my hands . . .

Or you can be one of the best looking bud in town!

For however you wanted to stand out . . .

. . . you have to make your presence count
and be a significant part of the whole.
Our advance best wishes for your coming wedding, Amy!

This weekend, Beverly of Pink Saturday chose to take a meaningful stand to call attention to an inspiring story and to raise funds for it. And Beverly invites everybody to share their own meaningful story this week. Mine would focus on some of the great inspiring canine stories that I regularly receive on our emails. One of these amazing stories is the remarkable the 7-year-old Border Collie Chaser who can identify 1,000 objects and distinguish between nouns and verbs. Kudos to her trainer John Pilley! But the best one is that of Bella, a 6-year old Terrier German Shepherd cross breed, who scared off a burglar in Cape Town but was stabbed in her face. Bella's keeper Vernont Swart rushed her to the clinic where the veterinarian was able to remove the knife under anaesthetics and Bella miraculously survived the attack without any damage to her brain and other vital parts except for a few stitches! My dogs and I take comfort and rejoice in news like these because half of what we received are cruel stories about animal abuses that needed rescue and support.

May everyone remain safe in their homes and in erratic weather, political and economic conditions. May these wildflowers that grow wild in our earth inspire us to take bold steps to protect ourselves and the world we live in.

And my wildflowers I share with Maia and the team of Luiz, Laerte, Sandy and Denise:

Orchids Again In Macro View!

2011-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I can't have enough of them. This is the same orchid in my previous post. They make my day sunny, cool and bright. Never mind the humid weather, exhausting heat, sudden drizzles that create sudden mini storms (it is so hard to explain the weather changes in one day!) and the rest of Heaven coping. I dread to think how the skies will behave next week on a full moon.

It is August and for some it is a quiet month: no celebrations, no parties, no major events which they felt might unduly disturb the passing of spirits on earth. The "oh-Ghost" month. The busiest month in our vets office where all sorts of sicknesses visit my animal friends. However, for some of my friends who are not aware of this, life goes on. They celebrate birthdays, have parties, open their exhibits, schedule film screenings and no ghost seem to be disturbed and no ghost seem to disturb them!

We live our fears if we allow it, I guess. I check my schedule and saw a full calendar of activities. August is also my late Mama and Lola (grandma) birth month which we celebrate with a mass and a feast for good cheers.

The ghost are not bad angry spirits out to attack our physical world. After all, we are part spirits and we are destined to live eternally just as the ones roaming our earth now. Just like my dogs, I bade them good wishes and 'sssh, please don't slam the doors for fun' . . . ;-)

For Lisa and her 'quiet' world in August: