Psychedelic Adventures: Nagsasa Cove, Zambales

My friend Leslie and I were talking about bucket lists one day at work, because we only have 1 year left before turning 30 in 2014. We agreed to seize the moments and not waste any time, go to places we've never been to and during our talk, she mentioned about going to the beach before the year ends. I was up for anything that can be done on a weekend, because  I was reserving my vacation leaves for a week in Bohol to do some volunteer work in January. We agreed on going on a no-fuss, semi-impromptu beach getaway to Nagsasa Cove in Zambales. 

We managed to come up with an itinerary in less than a week thanks to Leslie's friend who gave us a contact person in Pundaquit. The plan was to take a bus from Manila to Iba and then a tricycle to Pundaquit, Zambales. From there, we would be taking a boat ride to Nagsasa Cove which would be our campsite for the weekend.



The group consisting of 3 girls (Leslie, Daday and I) and 3 boys (Ronnie, Lloyd and Jim) met up at around 2:00 AM at the Victory Liner station in Cubao. There weren't any buses going directly to Iba at that hour so we decided to wait for the Olongapo bus which leaves at 3:00 AM. The ticket to Olongapo costs around 200 pesos and it took us around 3.5 hours to get there. From Olongapo, we boarded another bus going to Iba, Zambales which cost us around 56 pesos. The whole trip from Manila to Iba was a long ride (total of 4.5 hours), but I didn't mind because I am exceptionally good at dozing off in moving vehicles. Haha. Finally arriving at San Antonio in Iba, we headed to the market to buy food, drinks and other essentials that we would be needing in our camp site then headed to Pundaquit island via a 20 minute tricycle ride.

The happy campers ready for island hopping!

We met up with Ate Fe, our contact in Pundaquit and she let us rent some cooking utensils and a tent then we bought ice and beer before heading out to our island hopping adventure. We went to Camara and Capones to take photos and goof around. 

Camara and its awesome tides

Girls striking a pose before doing the requisite "on the rocks" photo. 

Boys on the rocks

Our awesome bankeros

The failed pero medyo success jump shot! Haha

The tropa shot with the Jimboyps

Initially, the group was thinking of going to Anawangin, but a few friends mentioned that Anawangin Cove can be too crowded. We chose Nagsasa Cove despite the fact that it's almost twice the distance from Pundaquit because there were less people. When we got there, a few tents were already set up, but we still had a sense of personal space because we were provided with our own nipa hut where we could leave our stuff, eat our meals and cook our food. 

My friend Ronnie who is a seasoned backpacker took care of the food. He brought his own cutting tools and seasoning! We had grilled pork, sinigang and the most perfect kinilaw ever. In his huge ass backpack, he managed to take out a couple of tequila bottles that we ended up consuming in evening during discussions over the state of our country, Janet Lim Napoles and pork barrel and rants about work. We also reminisced good times with our teammates from our old Project and even settled arguments about coffee versus yosi.

Our campsite for the weekend!

Simple things in life. Boy bawang and Clover chips!

We woke up early the next day and thanks to the good effect of tequila on me, I didn't have the slightest hangover. The weather wasn't as sunny and bright the next day, and I was actually worried that we might not be able to leave the island by 9:00 AM because around 3:00 that morning, it started raining really hard and we had only our sturdy tents to thank for the shelter. Thankfully the rain stopped, so I prayed that the sea would be kind to us during our boat ride back to Pundaquit. 

What I loved about this trip is its spontaneity. We didn't really have a plan except to get away. Well, we planned when to leave and how to get to our destination, but when we got there, we simply let things happen. We had our tents, our overnight backpacks, and all the basic needs. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting pampered, room service and fancy staycations, but nothing really beats the outdoors. Being on the island and getting away from the city was already an achieved goal in itself that what was left for us to do was enjoy each other's company. My friends and I embraced these precious hours before plunging back into the fast paced, high pressure yet sometimes mundane office environment that we work in. I am always thrilled at the fact hat even though it's already December, I can still enjoy a lovely weekend at the beach and pretend it's summertime. :) 

Ah, Pilipinas. Mahal talaga kita! 

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Watercolor Weekend: Pinatubo Good Vibes

I went to Mt. Pinatubo early this year and chanced upon two lovely Aeta kids hanging out under a small bush. It was a brief encounter as I was about to leave with my group for our descent from the peak to the drop off point. The dark clouds were looming above the Pinatubo crater and we risked not being able to get back safely. Before finally leaving, I managed to take out my camera and grab a photo of the two pals. They had a curious exuberance about them when they realized that I was taking their picture. They smiled and posed, and seeing the innocence and good vibes in their eyes was so heartwarming. 

I used my Prang watercolor set on Canson Paper for this drawing. I still need to practice painting skin! Funny how I love painting portraits and people but my biggest weakness is actually figure drawing and painting my subjects' skin! Oh but it's always wonderful to capture brief encounters and fleeting moments with these nameless people. Even if we hadn't exchanged words, painting them makes me feel like we're friends. :)

Hope you had a lovely Monday!

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Weekend Artsy Fartsy Afternoon!

Hello all! Hope you had an awesome weekend! This is long overdue post, but here are a few photos from my artsy fartsy watercolor-rubber stamping-calligraphy afternoon with my cousins and my super artsy niece at Cafe Boheme in B.F. Homes, one of the local cafes in Aguirre Avenue. I absolutely love this place. They play great music, they have amazing desserts, the staff are really nice and it's one of the cafes in B.F. that has good coffee. 

A few weeks ago, I promised my niece that we'd have an artsy afternoon together. My sister was telling me how excited Sofia was about our artsy date,  so I freed up one of my Sundays and spent a cozy afternoon teaching her some watercolor tips and tricks and introducing my cousins Venisse, Via and Bea to calligraphy. 

The artsy fartsy crew!

Sofia trying out the white oil pastel masking tip that I taught her. Basically, you can use a crayon or oil pastel to mask a white space and draw an image, then paint watercolor over it to show the lines. Since crayon/oil pastel is resistant to watercolor, you can make tons of neat stuff using this technique. In this photo, Sofia wrote her name and drew a couple of cute little flowers. :)

Sofia was on a roll that afternoon, filling index cards one after the other with drawings and paintings. I could really see a lot of my younger self in her--she just has more fashion sense that I never really had (or will ever have). She was wearing funky knee high boots that weekend! OOTD worthy, I must say!

 My cousin Venisse, trying her hand at calligraphy, writing her name and a bunch of lyrics. I taught her how to use the oblique holder, and how to use the nib holder at an angle. 

 Bea, using the straight holder and practicing her capital letters.

 Via making a watercolor greeting card!

I never had anyone teach me calligraphy so I only taught my cousins the things that I learned from experience. It wasn't really a methodical step 1, step 2, step 3 session but more of a get-a-feel-of-what-it's-like-and-i'll-teach-you-how-i-do-it session. The most important thing for me is to let them experience what it's like to write with a dip pen and hopefully they get more interested in calligraphy.



I also did a bunch of Christmas cards that I can give out together with my gifts for the holiday season. Ever since I learned calligraphy, I've been doing handmade Christmas cards every year. Anything handmade makes the gift extra special and I've been having a ball with watercolor blending and making wreaths for my holiday card collection.

It was such a super fun afternoon and I especially enjoyed teaching the girls what I knew. We started at 3 pm and adjourned at 6:30 but we didn't notice the time at all! Sofia was actually still very eager to continue well after dinner but called it a day because she has school on the following day.  We agreed to make this a regular bonding session and I can't wait for our next artsy fartsy afternoon session!

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Designer Feature: Oh Hello Dy!

It's funny how I chance upon so many awesome stuff on the blogosphere and end up connecting and reconnecting with people. I was ogling all the pretty and neat stuff from Katha Magazine's first issue when my interest was piqued by this article about a designer who spread good vibes through her work. Her name is Diana Jacinto, a designer from Manila working in Singapore. At first glance, readers will be immediately uplifted by her use of typography and colors, and her way of putting design elements together are absolutely something I'm jealous of. So I checked out her blog and loooooved her typographic pep talks and friendly reminders. The messages are really simple. While some these messages are nothing new, it's nice to be reminded--with nice fonts to boot. 

I am usually a quiet blog reader. I hardly leave comments on the blogs that I visit, but I that day I was feeling so positive so I wanted to give a shout out to the designer on this particular blog entry. 

All photos from ohhellody

And what do you know! She replied to my comment via email in which she reminded me that we actually met in person before! And what blew me away is the fact that SHE KNOWS MY BAND! She was really such a darling, telling me that she loved my band's music. Here I was, gushing at her work, only to be told that she loves mine as well. Mutual fan girling, anyone?

Anyway, aside from showcasing her design chops, her blog has tons of great content to keep anybody inspired. From curating things that she likes from all over the cloud to providing color inspirations or even just sharing photographs from her lomography collection, Oh Hello Dy blog is filled with amazing designs, inspiration and overall awesomeness. 

Check out her blog here (as if I haven't linked her enough no?)

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#YolandaPh

Over the past three days, I've been receiving emails from my colleagues in different countries, asking how my family is and how badly affected I am by the storm. I'm really thankful that Manila was spared, but I didn't realize how bad the damage was until I tuned into CNN on Sunday evening. Apart from the loss of power in B.F. on Friday evening, no damage has been done. I was on weekend mode, doing arts and crafts with my cousins and working on a promo material for the cupcake business on Sunday. After the news had sunk in, I was feeling restless on Monday because I had to go to the office and felt quite guilty that I was breezing through with the same conveniences and privileges of everyday life, while others are going through the worst time of theirs. But guilt won't make things better. The most immediate help that we can provide if we cannot be physically present in repacking goods is monetary assistance. I was spreading links to my onshore counterparts on how they can donate online. For us here in Manila, the easiest way to donate is through SMS. At this day and age, everyone has a cellphone after all. 

You can donate to the Philippine Red Cross through text.

Type in RED and send to:

4143 for SMART

2899 for GLOBE

You can donate the following denominations:

Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Other ways to help:

  1.     In-Kind Donations

Donations can be dropped off in Accenture offices in Manila and Cebu. Please see the Accenture offices below. If you happen to be in this area, you can drop off your donations to these offices. 

Mckinley Hill, Taguig

Mckinley Bldg A, Campus Ave, Taguig City

Ayala Ave, Makati

MSE Building, Ayala Avenue 1200, Makati City

Pioneer, Mandaluyong

Cybergate Center Tower 1 (Pioneer St), Mandaluyong City

Eastwood, QC

Eastwood City Cyberpark (E-Commerce Ave), Quezon City

LBC Branches also accept donations in kind

 The following items are urgently needed:

·         Rice

·         Canned goods

·         Biscuits

·         Blankets

·         Sleeping mats

·         Over the counter medicines for children and adults (cough, cold, fever, etc.)

·         Water

2.     Cash Donations

You may directly remit your cash donations through bank deposit or wire transfer through any of the following Philippine Red Cross bank accounts: 

Banco De Oro
Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482

Swift code: BNORPHMM

Metrobank
Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2

Swift code: MBTCPHMM

Philippine National Bank
Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042

Swift code: PNBMPHMM

Unionbank of the Philippines
Peso: 1015 4000 0201
Dollar: 1315 4000 0090

Swift code: UBPHPHMM

3. Relief Goods Pre-packing efforts

You may also volunteer on your own with the following organizations doing relief work.  Please pre-register to ensure your slot in the activity.
 

NAME OF ORGANIZATION	VENUE	PHONE NO.
ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya	13 Examiner St., West Triangle, Quezon City	4152272 local 3765, 4114995
DSWD-National Relief Operations Center	Ninoy Aquino Ave., Cor. Chapel Road, Pasay City (behind Air Transporation Office)	852 8081, 851 2681

I've always been proud of Filipino resilience, hospitality and bayanihan. Despite the hardships and trials that our nation is going through, I still believe that we can rise again and recover from the damages of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, all in God's grace.  Bangon Pilipinas! Kaya natin ito!

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Watercolor Weekend: Sugar Lily Cupcakes

Hello everyone, here's a quick post for my Watercolor weekend series! I made a Christmas Ad for Sugar Lily Cupcakes and Pastries since the holiday season is just around the corner. I made these cupcakes individually on canson paper then stitched them together with Photoshop. I used two of my favorite fonts, Pompiere and Hero Light, discovered via thefozzybook's Oh Hello Friday Font Series.

This year, I've been practicing with watercolor and I feel more comfortable with the medium already. I still have a lot to learn, but next year's plan is to get digital and learn more advanced Photoshop skills and really get a good grip of illustrator. I also spent Sunday afternoon with my niece Sofia and my cousins Bea, Venisse and Via for some artsy fartsy bonding time. More on that in a different post!

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Artist Life Peg: Joni Mitchell

I mentioned Joni Mitchell in my last entry when I used her lyrics for my most recent drawing. Jim and I were talking about her the other day and I shared to him something that I read before about Joni considering herself primarily a painter, and being a musician was secondary and was just brought about by circumstance. Jim was curious and asked what sort of art she made, all I could remember was her self portraits for her albums. She actually studied art in Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary before she became the highly acclaimed folk singer songwriter that she is today. 

While Joni (oo first name basis kami) is more known for her heartfelt lyrics and musical genius, her art deserves equal recognition. I'd like to share this video from a recent CBC interview about her artistic process and her attitude towards creating art and music. She has mastered both languages, but explains that the process for each is quite different--music requires more logic and analysis to her, while painting, as she puts it, is meditative. She candidly speaks about her hatred for fame and attention, but at the same time is grateful for the tributes given in her honor because of the incredible work and influence that she has contributed to the music industry. She is very frank about topics being discussed in the interview and this has led to much controversy.  At age 70, perhaps this is the least of her concerns, and mentions that she is used to being misunderstood. Personally, I really don't give a rat's ass on what people think of her because she is one of the most talented people out there. Having achieved so much in her life, she still shows signs of unwavering passion towards art and creating and it manifests in the way she talks about her art and her music. 

Watch her interview here:

Check out her other works at her Official Website

PhotoCredit: American Gallery Wordpress || www.CBC.ca

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Ink Drawing: Lady Sunflower

Hello everyone! Just wanted to quickly share this piece I did yesterday. I was in the mood for some inking and digital coloring after all that watercolor practice. So I digitized one of my drawings and played around with the good ol' Photoshop.

The lyrics were taken from my favorite song by Joni Mitchell coz of the flowers-in-your-hair-hippie-kinda-vibe. 

Have a lovely start of week! :)

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Watercolor Weekend: Wrapping Paper Doodle

November Day 1 and I'm off to a good start with my creative sparks. My family and I drove to Batangas last night, and I made a couple of drawings while I was there. Our home in Batangas is such a nice place to get creative. I disconnect myself for a while because there's no internet and the television only has limited channels. I didn't mind, because I was really looking forward to getting some sketching and painting done. More on those in my next post!

I did this drawing a while back, but I haven't had a chance to post it in full color. I used my Prang watercolor set and limited my self in using just a handful of pigments, unlike my usual psychedelic take on colors for my paintings. This drawing actually started out as a doodle, and I can't remember where exactly I got this paper, but it was really a wrapping paper that came with an appliance of some sort. You can really tell up close that it's not for watercoloring, let alone for drawing because it's so thin! But I didn't want it to be put to waste, so I thought, might as well draw on it. Reduce, reuse, recycle, yo!

My 8 year old niece Sofia was watching me at work earlier and we bonded over art and painting topics. She told me she's the vice president of her visual arts club in school, which made me so proud! She's really creative, so I encouraged her to continue practicing and keep on drawing even if sometimes she doesn't know what she's going to draw. I told her that this piece started out as a mindless doodle and that she doesn't have to over analyze things to come up with an interesting drawing. I gave this piece to her today and hopefully she becomes motivated and inspired to pursue art and remain creative. :)

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Psychedelic Sightings: SM North Skywalk Murals

It's the last day of October! 2 months to go and it's 2000-fureakin-14 already!

On my way to work this morning, I was contemplating on the little triumphs and failures of the past year. I think the little victories outweigh the setbacks, so I'm really really thankful. There are a lot of things that I still need to work on, but the pursuit for growth is still pretty much on track. Travel, work, cupcake business and creativity take the biggest portion of the achievement pie this year, while running and the band's album/EP has taken a back seat. Ah, so much to do and so much to learn still! I can't wait to reach new milestones this coming year.

Anyway, before you guys go out and proceed with your trick or treating, let me share a bunch of photos from an impromptu trip earlier this week to the North--as in SM North. Haha. I was walking along the skywalk when I chanced upon this awesome set of murals.

I was trying to figure out who the artist is, because I've seen the same style in one of the walls in Bonifacio High Street. Sadly, my world class stalking and google searching skills didn't serve me well this time, so I'll leave it up to you to check it out for yourself and admire the work.

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Watercolor Weekend: Mother Gypsy and the Wrinkled Folks

Finally, another painting! It's been a while since I had a proper sit down but things have been looking up with work and life in general, so I have more time for watercolor practice. I spent the entire afternoon yesterday at Cafe Mary Grace to get some sketching done. Whenever I feel like I need serious uninterrupted time for drawing/crafting, I go to a coffee shop and just spend the hours in solitude.

I've always wanted to draw this gypsy lady ever since I came across her in Paris. I've read stories of really aggressive beggars who take advantage of tourists in Paris, but I didn't get that vibe from her. The kindness in her face was just so beautiful, I wanted to draw a portrait of her.

I was walking outside the Notre Dame when I came across her. She was looking at me as I walked past and I just had the urge to drop a coin in her cup. She clasped her hands together as if to give thanks to an answered prayer. I didn't understand what she said but her eyes showed so much gratitude, and were welling up with tears. As I took out my camera, she gave me the warmest smile I've seen from a stranger that day. I took a photo of her and I headed off. That brief moment with her was remarkable.

I tried my best to copy her face and her features, but I always end up straying away from my original subject and just skew some things here and there. Usually when I do the pencil sketch, I  try to be as exact as possible, but when I start coloring, I refrain from looking at the photo reference so that I can make my own changes to the drawing. It's like getting lost in translation, only on paper.

Mother Gypsy
Watercolor on Paper

The most challenging part of this drawing is coloring her jacket. I've learned that mixing black with another dark hue is a good way of putting some dimension to the color. My own technique with watercolor is just really self taught, but I always just start with the skin and the lighter colors the follow with the darker shades. There's still so much to learn and I loved the challenge of doing this painting because of the creases of the subject's face and the draping of her shawl as well as the stitching of her jacket. I've never really mentioned it before, but I love to draw aging people. Their faces are more interesting to paint because their features help me to look into the details and allow me to practice seeing better. 

Here's a collection of past drawings of the beautiful, wrinkled folks:

Hope you had a great weekend!

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