That Short Season of Youth

BEAUTIFUL WORDS TO ACCOMPANY BEAUTIFUL PICTURES. I could try to write something about Vincent Bakkum's elegant old-world style but there is no way I can express his vision and inspiration as romantically as he does.

So I leave it to the master himself to talk about his work, as quoted from his artist statement:

"I'm in love with the 'object' woman, her graphic qualities. I fall for her outlines, her bone structure, the shadows under nose and lips, the knuckles of long slender fingers, the lightfall on her calves, pitchblack, cheek brushing eyelashes.

The beauty of a woman to me is closely connected to the fruit, dead fish and stuffed birds I also enjoy painting; death and decay is another undeniable source of inspiration. Beauty doomed to rot, colours bound to fade.

Although there's no thin line between flourishing and decaying, I still try to catch that moment. I'm desperately trying to save what there's left to save. Life is short and nothing is more transitory than the short season of youth. She is the mirror in which I see myself decaying."

I imagine him saying this to me over coffee in Helsinki. Accent thick and voice dry. To which I would artlessly reply:

"That's beautiful.

So, I'm really liking that painting with the Teen Joy shoes."


Paintings by Vincent Bakkum, www.saintjustine.com

That Aqueous Transmission

SOMEONE WAS PLAYING INCUBUS' AQUEOUS TRANSMISSION AT WORK YESTERDAY and it took me back to 2002, when I had first heard the song, playing from a CD my friend Lara received from one of her then suitors.

Hearing it again on a slow, hot weekday afternoon brings to mind images of water. Warm. Asia, maybe India. Spicy, wanton winds. A golden sky mirrored by muddy waters.

Just as I had pictured, the river Ganges as photographed by Mike Wright.

Considered sacred by the Hindus, the river is personified as a goddess, Ganga. Bathing in the river is believed to bring one remission of sins, as well as liberation from the cycle of life and death. Upon death of a kin, scattering of the ashes in the Ganges is also common practice as it is believed that in doing so, the ashes will go to heaven.

The national river of India, central to its history and culture from ages past, is now also one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, having been dubbed by The Economist as a "brown soup of excrement and industrial effluents."

Like many things that have lived to see a people's story unfold, throughout the flourishing of civilization, the diffusion of spiritual veneration, the rise and fall of empires great and small, the story of the Ganges is a beautiful tragedy. Especially because I will never in my lifetime see it as it was in its breathtaking glory.

The visual invites me, but I fear for my poor little extra-sensitive nose!

Ganges River, Varnasi India in 1983 from Mike Wright's Flickr Photostream, www.flickr.com/photos/trota

That Fitness

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SKINNY. PETITE. But that doesn't automatically make me fit, and it most definitely doesn't automatically make me healthy.

So while I do my best to eat right -bye bye fast food- and -save for late nights at work or weekend parties- do my best to sleep right, this frail little body is in dire need of exercise.

I did some ballet in my youth, as well as gymnastics, which I wasn't very good at but enjoyed anyway. I started fire dancing -though I never reached the fire part- and belly dancing some time ago but never pursued them either.

I've done yoga and Tai-chi which sort of bored me. Been to the gym once in my life which SUPER bored me. School P.E. just didn't agree with me and swimming, the only sport I ever liked, dried out my skin and hair.

That's my entire lifetime's fitness history right there.

So I come to the conclusion that dance is the best form of exercise I can possibly maintain, simply because it's the only form of exercise I can manage to enjoy.

Except I'm so rusty now... maybe I should just swim?


Or does walking to the mall count?

Illustrations by Cristóbal Schmal, www.artnomono.com

That Shearer Chic

EASILY, I CAN NAME AT LEAST FIVE ILLUSTRATORS WHO DO THIS SORT OF THING. Drawings of pretty girls wearing pretty outfits, painted in pretty colors.

But so what right? Truth is, we can't get enough of them! I myself used to draw my own Labanda-inspired girls back in high school when class got boring.

And class always got boring. Except maybe Philosophy. And English. And Spanish.

What I like very much about Caitlin Shearer's painted ladies is how well they're styled. Whether in dainty dresses or boudoir attire, the clothing is impeccable; well designed and well thought-out, down to the last tuft, trim or bow.

Shuch lovely polka dots and ribbons, damn it I should've bought that top I tried on yesterday...

Art by Caitlin Shearer, caitlinquiet.blogspot.com

That Sultry, Summery Spring

CARELESS STROKES AND SUMPTUOUS SUMMER ELEMENTS IN SWEET SHADES OF FAIRY FLOSS give Chloe Early's paintings a certain lazy, reckless sex appeal while still keeping a somewhat springtime feel.

It sets the mood for all the things I wanna do right now and all the clothes I wanna wear; pretty but messed up a bit with splatters, scratches and drips here and there. So sexy!

Thank you Chloe for letting me feature your fantastic work in my blog!

Paintings by Chloe Early, www.chloeearly.com

That Vision

SAW AN EYE DOCTOR YESTERDAY TO GET MY EYES CHECKED. And while the good news is that I have 20/20 vision and do not actually have conjunctivitis, the bad news is that I have CVS.

It's not really bad news and it sounds a bit like a joke as CVS stands for Computer Vision Syndrome, an eye irritation and sensitivity acquired through too much computer usage.

Yes, there is such a thing!

There is no cure to CVS as it is an ailment of lifestyle. Better habits, however, can reduce the recurrence of irritation. Better habits such as taking breaks every couple of hours from staring at the screen, as well as relieving dryness with natural tear drops.

Doc, wearing sunglasses is good for my eyes too right? Can I get a prescription for some Karen Walker retro shades?

Eyewear by Karen Walker, www.karenwalkereyewear.com

That Paradise

ONE GLORIOUS KISS AFTER ANOTHER. I'm late in the game, having watched Cinema Paradiso only last night, a good 22 years after its release. And boy do I despise it for filling me with so much emotion, grown constantly and exponentially and uncontrollably over a 3-hour run time, culminating in the most poignant montage of kisses that turned me into the soppiest mush of all.

If there is a movie heaven, this must be it. Oh the wonderful feelings it makes one feel.

If you haven't already seen it, be ready to pluck your heart out of your chest and offer it up on a platter to Giuseppe Tornatore for 155 minutes. He will do things to it like few filmmakers can.


Screenshots from Cinema Paradiso, 1988. Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

This Monday

WORKING FROM HOME ON A MONDAY. I woke up today with a very unwelcome sore eye but I'm quite glad it came after and not during the weekend. It was a very eventful weekend for me, kicking off with my Dad's 60-something-eth birthday dinner on Friday, followed by my gay best friends Mike and Karlo's joint birthday surprise which we held on the midnight of our annual summer pool party slash binge fest, and ending with my friend Chin's law school graduation party.

Congratulations Chin for winning best in thesis and graduating with honors! And thanks for letting me wear your medal all night.

Another highlight of my weekend was having found this charming little desk fan at a very unlikely appliance store. Yes it's a highlight. Jaime and I have been scouting for vintage-looking fans for the house since we moved and this is the first one we've found that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. In fact it's really cheap, I wonder if it'll even last a year.

Nonetheless it's a good find and a good buy and a good thing to have in the summer when you want to keep the electricity bill sane. We really should get one for every room.

No Sunny. Go away.


Pop Art Metallic Fans from SM Appliance Center, www.smappliance.com