clear skies, blue waters

My friends and I found out that the best antidote to a week of frenzy is a weekend at The Pearl Farm in Davao, Philippines.

No crowds. No annoying hawkers. No bars with blaring speakers. We were surrounded only by the soothing color blue.

All our rooms had a view. And a price to match!

Everyone could nap and tan in peace. The next group of sun worshippers would be at least ten meters away.

Buffet breakfast. Buffet lunch. Buffet dinner. Had we been a bunch of anorexics, we would have gotten cured.

We slept in suites that hung over the water's edge. The sea breeze was our air conditioning. And the sound of the surf was our lullaby.

It was a perfect place to rejuvenate the weakened, the perfect healing drug for the city's weary and wounded souls.

(Top) The clear and blue Be@rbricks were designed to promote the 2006 Summer Sonic Music Fest in Japan. The 2-day concerts in Tokyo and Osaka featured rock groups such as Linkin Park, Metallica, Hoobastank, Deftones, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Daft Punk, and Scritti Politti. A neo-Woodstock – indeed, a different way to lift one's spirit!

Pics by me. / Info from nunchuckblog.com and the Summer Sonic Website

china in the year of the rat

2008, the Year of the Rat, has so far been unlucky for China.

Last March 10, demonstrations began as Tibetan monks demanded the release of political prisoners. Very quickly, the tension between Tibetan and non-Tibetan ethnic groups escalated. Riots, burning of properties, and looting ensued.

Then last April 28, two trains collided in China’s Shandong province, resulting in the deadliest railway accident in years. 72 fatalities. 416 injuries.

On May 5, another catastrophe occurred. An earthquake that registered 7.8 in the Richter Scale hit the Sichuan province, killing 32,477 helpless men, women and children.

Some Feng Shui experts have offered an intriguing explanation: China’s two leaders, Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao, were both born during the Year of the Horse (1942). According to Chinese astrology, the Rat and the Horse are mortal enemies. Because of this, the Horse is expected to suffer considerable misfortune during the Rat Year.

Well, I hope they find a Feng Shui cure fast!

(Top) Series 15’s China Bearbrick is the most recent Flag Be@rbrick. It was released in January 2008, before the Chinese New Year.

Info: Wikipedia / CNN Interactive

be@rbrick bares it!

The Be@rbrick as underwear model?

Yup. Check out the sexy bear on the left wearing lacy black lingerie and fishnet stockings. This little hottie joins the equally foxy Fergie (below), former vocalist of of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, as underwear model for Peach John, a Japanese mail order company.

Remember when former rapper Marky Mark (now Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg) posed in his undies for Calvin Klein? That sold bundles of boxer briefs. And though I don't think it did anything for his musical career, it gave his abs instant fame.

Like they say, sex sells. But I hope, for Fergie's sake, that it sells songs, too!

palimpsest

My artist friend Christina Quisumbing Ramilo was based in New York City for the longest time. But she returned to Manila two years ago to take care of her ailing mom, bury her father who passed away, and to tear down and rebuild her grandmother's old house which she had inherited.

When I visited her late last year, the house was almost done. Created from the wood of the former dwelling – combined with vintage tiles, colored glass, and other rare and recycled materials – it was quite beautiful. Old remnants came to life in an eclectic structure pieced together by Christina's passion and artistry.

But she had so much 'leftover wood and stuff' that she decided to put them to good use.

The result was 'Palimpsest' (left), an exhibit of sculptures and installations made of leftover lumber, old door knobs, metal locks, cabinet handles, used nails and rusty drain covers.

A palimpsest, figuratively speaking, is something that has been reused and altered, but still bears visible traces of its earlier form. Like the dead reincarnated, its spirit continues to live and evolve.

Below are details of her work.

(Above) Wooden scraps are resurrected as two-legged creatures.

(Above and below) Roughened relics are rearranged as skyline art.

I am happy for Christina. After losing her Dad, she has moved on – built a new home, created a new kind of art, found a new life back here in Manila.

There is life after death. My friend has proven this to be true.

'Palimpsest' will run till May 21, 2008 at the West Gallery, Level 3, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines.

(Top, right) Joseph Michael Lisner's 'Death' Be@rbrick comes alive. His name is Cernunnos, the god of death, who has reincarnated himself in the form of a mortal named Darrian Ashoka. His lover, Dawn, leads him to his true identity and self discovery.

weepy women

Women and tears.
A powerful combination, they say.

"Oh! Too convincing – dangerously dear – in woman's eye the unanswerable tear!" wrote English bard Lord Byron in 'The Corsair'.

Consider Hillary Clinton's teary-eyed interview after a 'poor third' showing at the Ohio primary (see pic below).

The result was an unexpected turnaround in New Hampshire where voters gave her a much-needed lead against closest male rival Barack Obama.

It's also interesting how a crying scene almost assures a nominated actress of an Oscar. While she was lauded for her performances as a homicidal bitch in 'To Die For' (1995) and a singing goddess in 'Moulin Rouge' (2001), it was only after shedding one fabulously orchestrated tear in 'The Hours' (2002) that the Academy handed Nicole Kidman (below) her first golden statue.

Most powerful of all are tears of the Divine. A statue of the Blessed Virgin (below) that 'wept blood' drove thousand of pious pilgrims to the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church in Sacramento, California. Check out this story and 25 other reports of crying statues and icons in recent years at Crystalinks.com.

I wonder, if men cried more, would people be just as sympathetic? Now that might be a different story. :-)

(Top) The crying Dawn Be@rbrick is based on a character created by American comic book artist Joseph Michael Lisner. Dawn (below), the 'goddess of birth and rebirth', is a young, red-haired woman with three tears running from her left eye.

Lord Byron's 'Corsair' Quote from worldofquotes.com / Hillary pic from dailymail.com.uk / Nicole 'The Hours' pic from allmoviephoto.com / Virgin Mary's pic from crystalinks.com / Cropped Dawn pic from lisner.com

venetian masquerade

Venice is a maze of canals and narrow streets lined with touristy souvenir shops and sidewalk merchants. Of all the items on sale, I was most fascinated by the beautifully-crafted paper mache masks. Adorned with feathers, Swarovski crystals, Venetian lace, gold leaf, rick rack, or enamel, they were artful and unique – I wanted to buy one and attend a masquerade ball!


Masks are big in Venice for they are part of the annual Carnavale, weeks of costumed pageantry and revelry where identity and inhibition are hidden from view. See a video here.

Before I flew back to Manila, I bought one mask with musical notes right above the eyeholes (see bottom, right). At least, if I get invited to a masquerade party, I won't have to wake up the next morning worrying if I made a fool of myself the night before. I won't care.

To be anonymous is to be free. :-)

(Top) The masked Datmo Bearbrick was released in 2005 by DoCoMo's Datmo Project, designers of custom mobile phone covers in Japan. It is also available in yellow.

Info: www.nationalgeographic.com, Wikipedia / Photos by yours truly

the other leaning tower of pisa

During a day trip to Italy's Tuscan region, our group passed by Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. As I had imagined, the slanted erection was an arresting sight. But guess what I saw on my way back to the tourist bus? Check it out below.

It sold for 5 Euros and was available only in L and XL. :-D

(Top) Series 5's Italian Flag Bearbrick.

roma panorama

After seven days in Rome, the Italian capital, what did I take home with me?

2 pairs of shoes, 2 jackets, 2 shirts, 1 belt, 1 pair of sandals, and... 700 (yes!) snapshots of one of Europe's grandest-looking cities. Here, take a look at some of them:

1. A cherub stares out from the inner dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

2. Tourists learn that the best way to see Rome is on foot.

3. Heavenly light shines on the city after a day of rain.

4. Yellow ochre, orange, burnt siena, peach, and raw umber. Who says a metropolis has to be gray?

5. The statue of St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (whose members offered themselves as ransom in order to save others), glows inside the dark interior of St. Peter's Basilica.

6. After an elevator ride, one still needs to climb 320 steps to the tip of the dome to catch this magnificent view of St. Peter's Square.

7. The only way to see the altar from the dome was through a thick wire fence. :-(

8. Thousands of plastic chairs are still lined up on St. Peter's Square the day after Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter mass.

9. The latest Dolce & Gabbana gladiator sandals walk Rome's stony pavements.

10. One may get a glimpse of the crowded piazza from inside the Pantheon.

11. A fragment of the Colosseum's arena peeks through silhouetted buttresses.

12. The only source of light inside the Pantheon is a hole in the ceiling.

13. The sun outlines the beauty of the trees at the Roman Forum.

14. The monument of Vittorio Emmanuel II (united Italy's first king) stands proudly at the center of Rome.

15. The remains of the temple of Castor and Pollux at the Forum rises against the blue sky.

16. Sculptural Italian pine trees are seen outside one of the Colosseum's scenic windows.

17. Bas relief sculptures adorn the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

18. Inside, one has to walk through the stunning Hall of Maps to reach the Sistine Chapel.

19. A formal balance characterizes most of Roman architecture.

20. The Vatican Museum's spiral staircase provides a most dramatic exit.

Tip for those planning on a Roman holiday: The city's grand proportions should be captured on a wide angle lens. I found it very hard to crop things out of a picture. It felt like tearing pages off a Roman history book! :-)

(Top) I took this pic of Series 5's Italian Flag Bearbrick against the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and the Ponte (bridge) Vittorio Emmanuel II. It was very windy, the bearbrick almost fell into the Tiber River!

british designer be@rbrick

"F___ everybody except us," says the t-shirt on the Be@rbrick you see above.

Such audacity and irreverence can only come from British designer Vivienne Westwood (left), the fashion iconoclast responsible for bringing punk style (bondage gear, razor blades, safety pins, bicycle/lavatory chains, spiked dog collars, wild hair and make-up) into the mainstream. She started to gain fame when the punk band, The Sex Pistols, began to wear her outrageous fashion.

In September 2006, in collaboration with the British civil rights group called "Liberty", she created 'I am not a terrorist, please don't arrest me' t-shirts in support of the writ of habeas corpus.

Notorious for going knickerless, she twirled around to reveal her derriere (and more!) when she collected her OBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1992. In 2006, she was made a dame by the Prince of Wales.

A three-time awardee for British Designer of the Year, Westwood has been influential in launching the careers of other British designers like Patrick Cox. Remember when supermodel Naomi Campbell fell on the runway in 1994? She was wearing Patrick Cox's 9-inch heels for Westwood's 'Clint Eastwood' collection.

Westwood's reputation and successful career in fashion was a result of an unabashed and undying self expression. Clearly, it wasn't about making fashion statements, but rather, about her own life statement coming into fashion.

(Top) This Westwood Be@rbrick is one of a set of three.

Pic of Westwood's London shop on Conduit Street by me / Pics of her 2008 spring-summer men's collection are from the catalogue which I got from her shop / Info from Wikipedia

on every corner of london

In Paris, you'll find a sidewalk cafe on every corner. In Brussels, that will be a chocolatier. In Hong Kong, a Giordano store. In Bangkok, a foot massage clinic. In Amsterdam, a 'coffee shop' (which means a place to smoke pot).

In London, which I recently visited for the second time, bookstores remain as ubiquitous as ever. I'm not talking of big chains such as Borders, but of small specialty bookstores like the ones in Central London.

I find it wonderfully reassuring, in this age of Internet infotainment, that the art of the printed page is alive and well.

To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking."

What a bloody good way to put it! :-)

The 'I London' Bearbrick is one of six from the 'A Round World' series of Colette Paris. Bearbrick pics (by the London Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace gate and Victoria Palace Theater) by moi. Seinfeld quote from booksandbars.com

on turning 1

A little more than a year ago, Socky, my friend and business partner, gave me the idea for this blog. A blogger herself, she told me, 'Why don't you blog about your Be@rbricks, Ariel?'

At first, I thought, 'Who has the time?' I was churning out advertising stuff at the speed of light. 'Three-deadlines-a-day' kind of work. For sure, it was not going to be a 'stream-of-consciousness' kind of blog. I would need to conceptualize, research, write, and post! To make matters worse, half the web info on Bearbricks are in Japanese!

Then I told myself, 'Well, a lot of people have done so much more in their lifetimes. Surely, you can do this.'

That was the beginning.

After a month and 28 posts (I wrote so much back then), Bearbrick Love was nominated in the 1st Philippines Blog Awards. What a really cool start it was! :-D

Lately, my 'three-deadlines-a-day' workload seems more like 'five-deadlines-a-day'. But I'm still here. Photographing Be@rbricks. Researching on Be@rbricks. And writing Be@rbrick stuff.

I figured, if readers like you find the time to come here to read about these lovable, little creatures, then – hell, yes – I'm going to find time to tell you about them :-)

It's been a great 1st year – thanks, everyone!

(Top) The Series 11 Artist Be@rbrick with the number '1' on its face was designed by Taroshooten of Japan. Taroshooten designs and sells hand painted robot figures, self destruct buttons, funky silver rings and toy explosive kits. You can check out the Japanese site here.

the third eye

Last week, I attended the shoot of a television commercial. During dinner break, our conversation drifted to the subject of people with 'third eyes'.

Yup. Mediums. Clairvoyants. People who see dead people.

According to our director, his daughter started to see ghosts when she was very young. Obviously, it was difficult for him at first, having to deal with unseen playmates, psychologists, parapsychologists, mediums with spooky stories, and a host of otherworldly experiences.

But while he initially considered his daughter's paranormal faculties 'scary and alarming', he now has no choice but to accept it as 'useful and practical'.

One summer, he brought his whole family for a vacation at a beautiful beach house. After a quick tour of the place, his daughter told everyone, "Just avoid the small room on the left." And why was that? According to her, it had spirits that were "not very nice." (Experienced mediums will tell you that some ghosts are more malevolent than others. And that they can tell just by how the spirits look or smell.)

Well, it must have been a relief for the family that the house had many other rooms to choose from! LOL

Another medium who has put his gift to good use is a broadcast producer, Mr. D, who I met when I was working at JWT Manila.

One day, he visited the house of his friend whose daughters had been constantly sick for unexplainable reasons. True enough, he discovered a hostile presence hiding in one of the rooms. (According to Mr. D, he could smell the room's stench from outside the door!)

And so he invited the spook to his car, drove it to a farm field far away, and left it there for good. Soon after that, his friend's daughters recovered from their mysterious ailments, and they all lived happily ever after.

I guess having a 'third eye' has its benefits. If you're one of the poor souls who see the spirits among us, think of it this way: in times of trouble, you know you'll never be alone. LOL

(Top) The Eproze Be@rbrick with three eyes was designed to commemorate the online retail store's 7th anniversary. The pic that you see above is from the Eproze website that sells exclusive streetwear labels such as Mack Daddy, Devilock, Revolver, etc. Note the push-button console beside the 'Eames-style' chair and stool – such a sleek representation of online shopping, isn't it?

Info from Wikipedia and Eproze.com / Third eye pic from www.advancedmindpower.com

li'l known stories 'bout li'l red riding hood

Remember Little Red Riding Hood, the Grimm brothers' tale about a girl and her grandma who were eaten by a wolf but saved by a huntsman?

1. In the oldest version, told by peasants in 14th century France, the wolf was a bzou (werewolf) who served the little girl her grandmother for dinner, prompting the house cat to lament, "For shame! The slut is eating her grandmother's flesh and drinking her grandmother's blood."

After this, the bzou asked her to take her clothes off and come to bed with him! When she finally wised up, she told the bzou that she needed to go out to relieve herself. Once outside, she untied the string around her ankle, attached it to a plum tree so her captor will think she was still restrained, and escaped to her freedom.

2. The first published version (1697) by Charles Perrault, however, was a tragedy – no huntsman came to the rescue. It was not a 'fairy' tale, but a cautionary one with a 'moral' at the end:

"Children, especially attractive, well-bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf.'

'I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of all."

3. James Finn Garner's politically correct version, first published in 1994, was hilarious! Imagine Little Red Riding Hood telling the wolf, "Grandma, what a big nose you have, only relatively, of course, and certainly attractive in its own way," and "Oh, I forgot you are as optically challenged as a bat. Grandma, what big eyes you have!"

In the end, when the 'woodchopper person' burst into the cottage to save her, Little Red Riding Hood exclaimed, "Sexist! Speciesist! How dare you assume that women and wolves can't solve their own problems without a man's help!" LOL

Guess who died in the end?

4. The most shocking and gruesome version is a short film entitled BlackXXXmas, produced by Stryker Films, directed by Belgian Pieter Van Hees, and posted at atomfilms.com, the entertainment portal for original short films and web shows. If you think you can handle it, you may view it here.

People, be careful which version you tell the kids, ok? :-D

(Top, right) The 'Cute' Bearbrick of Series 13, released in December 2006, was based on Little Red Riding Hood.

(Above, left) Cristophe Coppens red hood from citylifeantwerp.com (Above, right) Fairy tale illustration from encarta.msn.com

Info from Wikipedia, www.pitt.edu, philip.greenspun.com, www.northern.edu, scoop.diamondgalleries.com, januarymagazine.com, atomfilms.com

an unlikely love story

My grandmother was a beauty queen. Miss Batangas, she was named – after the town where she spent most of her youth.

She once told me and my siblings, "I never really had to study hard in school because my male professors were also my suitors and they gave me very high grades."

When we asked her about Grandpa, she sighed and said, "I had so many suitors back then. Doctors, professors, public officials... But I ended up with – of all people – your grandfather, the town playboy.'

'One day, my suitors were all lined up in our living room sofa. At a corner table, I sat with the handsome Dr. M, whose turn it was to propose. By accident, I dropped my lace handkerchief. The doctor made a move to retrieve it but your grandfather, faster than a bullet, had already jumped from his seat and snatched the hanky from the floor.'

'As I leaned towards him to get it back, he suddenly planted a kiss on my right cheek! God, I was so terrified that I would get pregnant – yes, I was that ignorant and stupid – and cried my eyes out for days.'

'During those times, for an unmarried woman to be kissed in public was a disgrace, so my parents demanded that your grandfather marry me at once. Of course, he so willingly said yes!"

And that was how she ended up with Grandpa.

When I visited my grandparents' tombs in Batangas City last January 6, I reminisced about their life together. They lived through a war, produced nine children (even outlived some of them), and managed to stay happily married till they were old, gray, and could hardly see.

But did she ever really love him? I guess, in the same way that I learned through the years how much Grandpa loved Grandma, she also learned to love him in return.

Happy Valentine's Day to all! :-)

(Top) Thank you so much, Kat, for the 2008 Valentine Bearbricks! Such a sweet birthday gift!

tattooed & troubled

Every summer, heavenly bodies sashay along the shoreline of Boracay, my country's most famous beach.

They wear very little textile... but a lot of ink. Yes, a washable henna tattoo is the most ubiquitous – and affordable – accessory around the island.

For as low as $5, you can have an bold tribal symbol emblazoned on your biceps or buns. It's quite effective if you want to emphasize your... uhm... assets.

Today, self-esteem or self-expression are the usual reasons for getting a tattoo (permanent or otherwise), but 2400 years ago, Pazyryk nomads wore them to show their status as individuals.

Early Polynesians who displayed bravery in battle were distinguished by tattoos.

Such body marks were part of religious rituals in ancient Egypt.

During the Roman empire, they were a means to identify slaves, criminals, and outcasts.

And in more recent times, a tattoo became a man's way to pledge his love for a woman.

A year ago, I photographed a male model (NOT the one in the pic above) who had three tribal tattoos on his body. One was on his right bicep, the other around his navel, and the third on his left wrist.

When I was finally 'photoshopping' his pics on my laptop, I noticed that the tattoo on his wrist appeared less sharp, muddier than the others. I zoomed in and saw why: it overlapped with two slash-like scars – thin jagged lines that ran parallel to each other, and cross the bluish and reddish veins of his wrist. The type that are usually self-inflicted. :-(

The telltale marks were out of character, I thought. Earlier during the shoot, he appeared lighthearted and outgoing. Who would have thought...?

Oh, well.

I guess that's what a tattoo is for sometimes: to hide an emotional scar or a painful past. In such a case, it's ink, not ointment, that helps the wound to heal.

(Top, left) Series 11's Pattern Bearbrick, released in December 2005. (Above, right) Pic of DJ John Joe Joseph by yours truly / Info from Wikipedia, tattoosymbol.com, designboom.com

(Above) Free tribal tattoo designs from tribalshapes.com