My other sites

I finally attended to my other sites: Weebly and Tumblr. I didn't get enough time until today. Actually, I started doing this last night, now it's already morning.

I posted some samples of my artworks there. Feel free to email me.

My tumblr. avatar done in Illustrator

I created this for the purpose of using it as my tumblr avatar. I'm new to tumblr. but I want to personalize my page as much as I can, just like what I did here.

Sunflower oil: Natural beauty regimen

Since going natural is becoming a trend, I thought to give sunflower oil a try. I heard that it can help lighten your dark spots and scars on your skin.  I suffered a skin breakout on my face recently, so I’m doing my own experiment, to see if it really works if the scars, that my pimples left, will disappear. It was said that it doesn't only help lighten dark spots and scars but it can also lighten your skin (Here in Asia, light skin is the trend). I tried it both on my face and body. It's a good moisturizer, too. For now I feel greasy but it’s alright. Later it will be absorbed by the skin completely, which will make the skin feel supple. By the way, if you have pimples, I don’t think it’s wise to apply any oily substance on your face. Also, if you're conscious to get lighter skin, or maintain your light skin, only use oils like sunflower oil, or olive oil, at night.

The Beautiful Art of Exotic Dance: Pole Dancing

I watched a youtube video, that’s posted by a friend of mine on Facebook, of an exquisite pole-dancer’s performance. Her name is Jenyne Butterfly. It’s actually the first time I heard of her, and the first time I saw her. Surely it will not be the last time I’ll be watching her performance. She performs exquisitely like a feather in the wind; weightless and gracefully floating. Pole-dancing, I heard, is used to be performed by strippers but now it’s accepted as art, and rightfully so. Not everybody can pole-dance. I, myself, can’t, so I admire people who can do it, much more the people who can do it with excellence and sophistication. Even among pole-dancers that I watched on videos, I can say that Jenyne Butterfly is one of the best, if not the best. I’ve seen some pole-dancers perform but a lot of them don’t have Jenyne Butterfly’s grace. She dances so delicately. As she glides the pole with coolness and ease she seems weightless. I’m a fan of exotic dance. When I was small, I’m very fascinated with belly-dancing. The way the belly dancers move parts of their body, as if each part has their own mind, fascinates me. They remind me of serpentine movements of snakes; very graceful and mesmerizing. I like looking at snakes for that reason, and it's why I like watching dances with serpentine movements. I have a documentary about the “Beauty of Snakes” but I will tackle the subject about snakes soon. For now I’ll go back to pole-dancing. I have heard of Pole-dancing just recently, unlike belly-dancing, which I have heard of, and seen, when I was small. Pole-dancing is an art that not all people have the luxury to learn, whether it’s due to lack of time, or simply the lack of dance schools that offer to teach it, at least here in the Philippines. The only dance studio I know that teaches it is the one in The Fort Manila. Hopefully there will be more dance studios willing to offer this art and hopefully it will lose any stigma associated with it. 

What is up with dying at age 27?

It’s strange… it seems like a lot of celebrities die at age 27. It’s morbid. The very first one I heard was about Kurt Cobain’s death. He committed suicide. Second one is Amy Winehouse’s, who may have, or may not have, deliberately committed suicide. Either way, she was slowly leading herself to early death and whether she knew it or not, her demise was expected. Now it’s Rick Rypien, an NHL hockey player, although, it’s not yet confirmed if he committed suicide or not. He’s, apparently, the newest member of the 27 Club. Oh, before I go on, just right after I typed the name “Rick Rypien”, I went to check what’s on the news again, only to find out that another person died. It’s the ex-husband of Taylor Armstrong (one of the stars of the reality TV “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”), Russell Armstrong. Russell Armstrong died at 47… 20 years older compared to the celebrities I mentioned above but, still, his death is as tragic. The police’s conclusion for the meantime is that he, too, committed suicide. It saddens me when someone commits suicide, whether I know the person or not. Suicide seems to be the trend among celebrities. I'm not saying that in a cold-hearted way but, it sure is a mystery why, although, just imagining the things they must have had gone through, as to have pushed them to that decision, is beyond me. Most of us have gone to a suicidal phase, I think, and had gotten over it but, a lot have actually committed suicide. It’s terrible. One of my favorite actresses also committed suicide. Her screen name was Capuccine. She was a very beautiful woman and very talented, too. She jumped from her eighth-floor apartment. I’ve watched some of her movies and she was really a very good singer. It’s a very sad event when things like suicide happen, especially to the people immediately affected by it, and definitely the persons, themselves, who are victims of it. May they rest in peace.

26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe Statue: A Work of Art

The unveiling of the 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe statue both wowed and displeased people. If you ask me, I would say, “WOW”! After the controversy, here in the Philippines, involving CCP with their garbage of an exhibit called “Kulo”, made by a certain Mideo Cruz, the larger-than-life Marilyn Monroe statue is a sight for sore eyes (no pun intended). To me, it’s very artistic. I have a very deep appreciation for artworks, especially those of a human form. The Marilyn Monroe statue is very beautifully made. It’s a classic pose; many women, since Marilyn did it, have tried to imitate this iconic film moment. Yes, I understand that it may be less than appropriate; it’s being displayed in public, especially since many consider Marilyn Monroe as a sexy symbol. The obvious purpose of the original cinematic pose was to be seductive; in this re-enactment, in sculpture, it’s supposed to bring tourism; I hope that it does. I like it. I don’t think it's scandalous. It may not be classy but… it surely is remarkable. People all over the world know who Marilyn Monroe is and that particular pose is simply memorable. It will surely attract tourists. I, myself, want to go to Chicago and see it in real life. I’m not a Marilyn Monroe fan but the way the statue was made; the details, the engineering skills, it’s a masterpiece. An artwork like this would be wasted if kept hidden away. To me, it’s not vulgar. Maybe I’m not scandalized by it as some people are because I appreciate the human form, plus, I find the details amazing; the folds and the flow of the dress, it really seems that the material is made of light fabric and that the wind is actually blowing at it, and the knee caps… they really did a good job with the body; it’s well-proportioned, everything is detailed. The human form is my favorite subject to draw. The underwear is not an issue for me, personally, because nowadays, people have seen bikinis that are far more revealing than this statue’s. Don’t get me wrong, though, I don’t blame the people who are offended by it, I see where they’re coming from and I honestly sympathize with them but, at the same time, I couldn’t help but appreciate the statue, besides that, I have recently seen one of the most despicable eyesores done by that mediocre, Mideo Cruz; an attempt at fame by a pseudo artist via creating a controversy. At least the 26-foot-tall statue of Marilyn Monroe was done from scratch and wasn’t made using the works of other artists and vandalized them by putting phallic-shaped objects, like what that mediocre Mideo Cruz did. The news said that the materials used in the making of the 26-ft Marilyn Monroe statue are stainless steel and aluminum. It will be displayed until spring of 2012. It’s available for all tourists to see until then. So, to all tourists going there, bon voyage! 

Vandalism vs. Art

The CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) is involved in a controversy with regards to the exhibit called “Kulo” that they have allowed to be exhibited in their gallery. This controversy revolves around the provocative and inflammatory works of Mideo Cruz that depict Christian religious symbols and figures, defaced with phallic objects. This defacement has caused violent reactions from both camps; Christians who are horrified at seeing sacred objects defiled and, on the other side, secularists whose lack of Faith leaves them, apparently, incapable of understanding how seriously this defacement hurts the Faithful. If the secularists do, in fact, want to hurt the faithful, they’ve done a good job. If they do indeed know that this is so hurtful then why should they call it art? Why don’t they just call it Cultural War? The Philippine Government, with taxpayer’s money and the trust of the 90% Christian electorate, should not sponsor cultural and religious warfare under the sheep’s clothing of “art”.

People who give their full support to CCP and the “Kulo” exhibit threatened to create more blasphemous pieces but, can those pieces be called art? Is that how they define art? If it is, then Philippine art has become a mediocrity that only uses shock value as its medium.

When you go to museums all over the world, admiring beautiful artworks, study the broad spectrum of religious themes. There are so many to choose from: Christian, Hebrew, Islamic, Hindu, Egyptian, American Indian and so many others. These themes span thousands of years of human Belief and Wonder. They include some of the most beautiful pieces of art in the world. Now, compare these fine works to the artistic attempts of secularists that aim, solely, to ferment public reaction by defacing religious themes, icons and artifacts. There is an inherent difference in the quality of these two artistic approaches.

Religious art is not always “easy” to look at. The themes are sometimes painful, such as the stoning of people, the Crusades, the Inquisition, even torture and martyrdom. These themes have historical perspective but the art came after these events; excluding depictions that are mythological in nature and/or those that foreshadow the end of the world.

Lately, Pop Culture artists have fused socio-political/religious commentary into their creations to incite and provoke a historical event. This seems to be the cart leading the horse.

Do religious and cultural provocateurs have such a restricted vocabulary and have so little bravery, self-respect and self-esteem that they cannot ply their trade and pronounce their ideas in the streets? Do they seek the solace and contemplative galleries that are built, sponsored and visited by the Culture that these “artists” target to “enlighten”?

The legislation and regulation of Free Speech is never, and will never be, unlimited, unrestricted and, otherwise, open-ended. This is because words and expressions have power and there is no legislative, religious or cultural entity that can stand and prosper without a satisfactory amount of decorum. This may be sad, this may be unfortunate, yet it is true. Anarchy and utopia simply don’t prosper.

Where the lines of decorum should be drawn is in heated debate, but let’s be clear: Let’s call it Debate, not Art.

We should all aspire to tolerance, even when we are deeply hurt. This controversy at CCP is not, and should not, be about freedom of speech and expression; this controversy should be focused on whether our government should be in the business of offering their museums and galleries as a soapbox for these cultural and religious battles. A government that takes freedom of speech and expression seriously should provide its constituents with policies and avenues of dissent. Art galleries should not be over-restricted, yet an accountable, well-educated and culturally-aware jury or committee should promote an open-dialogue with the community and its artists as to the use and exhibition of art, within its walls and environs.

Provocative Pop Culture art can, and has been, inspired, promoted, forged and tempered in the streets through human history. Some of these art forms have eventually become recognized as iconic new standards of art. The private sector and its galleries are the perfect, decent and rightful laboratories and nurseries for this type of artistic evolution. National galleries should be reserved for the finest examples of the People’s Arts.

With government-assured freedom of speech and expression, all disenfranchised artists should exercise their trade within the social and legal guidelines that the overwhelming majority of citizens support and legislate. Dissent should always be possible, while not unlimited in scope. The majority becomes the majority by simple means, its numerical advantage. This makes dissent historically difficult but it should not make it impossible.

The creative soul and artistic vision can be imperiled by manufacturing editorial artworks and installations. This is what I mean when I suggest this warning: It’s easy to start a fire; it’s easy to start a riot, it takes no skill, one simply provokes nature or human emotion and allows things to take their course. The conflagration and mob’s destructive forces are not artistic; they don’t come from art. They come as calculated and predictable results of revolutionary dissent. The question here is whether an artistic artifact or quasi/pseudo art object can withstand its tumultuous impact. Few works of malicious art survive unconsumed by the firestorm that they create. It is possible to shock people artistically and have the art, itself, survive as a reminder of a certain sort of emotional transition but this is rare. So here we have the current dilemma: Should graphic, provocative and probably inflammatory art be supported and promoted by the Philippine Government using taxpayers’ and donors’ money? I don’t think so. Street art is best left in the streets where it can be tempered and forged by the people who produce it, view it and comment on it. At this point, and only after this refining process, should it be entered into an appropriately juried process to be displayed in this national museum; a museum founded to support and display traditional Filipino arts, crafts and culture.