Very seldom do you see a beautiful piece of poetry on a normal day. I am happy to be reminded of one of the first things I sincerely fell in love with.
I haven’t been posting as much as I should have been, and please excuse me. It’s been a rough couple of weeks at work and I’m just taking my time to write my thoughts. I wouldn’t really want to bore you with my rants. :)
Will be back soon! <3
Forgive my Harry Potter madness. It has been over a decade and I never really thought the goodbye would be so emotional. I keep looking for Harry Potter quotes, images, how these young actors grew right before our eyes, how I became so attached to the book, the character, the story.
I just now it’ll take another lifetime to have something like this again. Our generation is so lucky to have witnessed something as magnificent as the magic of Harry Potter. And Jo Rowling is an amazing writer. And she made us all young again.
And it’s so hard to say goodbye.
I am both eager to watch the last installment and hesitant to walk in the movie house knowing that it is the last Harry Potter flick I’ll ever see.
Oh, be still my heart.
Here’s a fantastic way to wake up in the morning!
Edgar Mueller is an artist who has been designing city sidewalks and transforming them into amazing works of art. And it’s not just simple art. It’s 3D art. He copies these breaktaking scenes and paints them on sidewalks, bringing the scenery to the ordinary pedestrian.
I know right! Sheer genius. It’s absolutely sheer genius. If people cannot afford to see these places, Mueller’s work literally brings the scenery at their doorstep. Well, not really doorstep, more like sidewalk, but you get what I mean.
Watch as he transforms this street into waterfalls. WATERFALLS. No joke.
A plaza in Moscow
A spectacular plaza in Moscow!
I wonder if we’ll ever get around to creating something as artsy as this. I guess it would require a lot of people respecting the sidewalk instead of propping up stores and stalls everywhere. But while we wait for our good ol’ country to get there, let us be enthralled by the mad artistry of Edgar Mueller. You have to admit, this is pretty brilliant.
Prepping a street in Ireland
I'd love to "fall" into the deep!
Canadian water edge
The Cave Project (Germany)
Another cave in London
And now, it's in Slovenia!
You have to admit his work is pretty extraordinary. To learn more about Edgar Mueller and his incredible transformation of the most boring pavements created by man (hahahaha I am so dramatic), click here.
I wonder if he can paint the rice terraces in EDSA. I mean, can you imagine how freaked out the drivers would be? LOL.
Jerome invited me and Anj for some cultural bathing at the 6th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in Cultural Center of the Philippines. I remember the first time I went there and digested my first load of indie films. It was quite exhilarating to see everything five years after. It was almost like a commencement of sorts. Like coming to full circle.
And of course, I met the two people who ignited my love for films, Johnathan Rondina (whom I ran into at Mocha Blends by Harbor Square) and our thesis adviser, Flordeliz Abanto, who is know the president of PACE (Philippine Association of Communication Educators). We had quite a chat and she was exactly the same, the passionate teacher who knows the arts can change the way you see the world. It was great to feel the passion I know I’ve lost.
Aldrich was able to join in. We miss the Chinaman what can we say. Adah, having nothing to do, tagged along too. It was quite a spontaneous afternoon. We were dejected though when we didn’t get to see the short films Jerome wanted to see. But we did get to see Mayohan by Dan Villegas, screenplay by Paul Sta. Ana.
Mayohan is led by Lovi Poe and Elijah Castillo and the setting is Infanta, Quezon. Lilibeth (Poe) is a 19-year-old lass of the province, coordinating the May-End Dance. Niño (Castillo) is a 15-year-old binatilyo from Cubao, coming for a visit to his grandmother with his aunt. Amidst the festivities, he becomes the focal point of the town’s Dance.
The film was a good tickler. It had the right mix of comedy and melancholy love affair that happens only to teenagers and only during summer. Even the rain had a sweet, loving touch to the film. It reminded me of Red Shoes, with the sincerity of the boy’s admiration exhibited silently and loudly at the same time till the very last minute.
Poe’s acting is what surprised me the most. It’s not that it was compelling and moving; it was the fact that it was just right. She played the lovely lady in the barrio who didn’t really know or care that she’s the prettiest of them all. She was strong and delicate at the same time, which is why Castillo’s charming young gentleman demeanor always felt the need to protect her and look after her. And Ping Medina?! Let’s just say he coined the next best catch phrase after Joey Tribiani’s “How you doin’?” So, “hel-lo.” :)
The last I’ve heard of Infanta was when it was struck by tragedy. The cinematography managed to capture the beauty of that deluge. The lush greens, the refreshing water… even the brown murky sand seemed to play a vital role in courting Lilibeth. It was almost like the entire production staff coordinated the entire locality to look ordinary and verbose all at the same time.
For the first time in 11 months, I didn’t like the fact that I lived in Quezon City. The festival will run till July 18, and I really want to watch the gala nights for the other films. I guess a part of me want to see if the people we interviewed five years ago are still the same people inspiring the newest breed of writers and directors to change the Philippine film industry standard.
And of course, to see if I made a big enough impact to their lives (like they did in mine) and they remember me too.
For a complete schedule of the festivities, click here.
Photo credits:
Mayohan Facebook page
A lot of times, I regret not taking enough pictures. Even though I have tons of albums in Multiply and Facebook, I still feel that I haven’t captured enough moments. At the same time, I feel bad each time I try to pause a moment just to take a picture.
I guess that’s why I love television. And photo galleries. And photojournalists. And portraits. And paintings. They manage to recreate that fleeting second between an argument and a breathless kiss. Photojournalists capture human emotion with such accuracy and delicate precision, and the emotion never gets lost, in pictures or in translation.
I’d give a lot to have that ability. I’d give a whole lot to learn that skill. There are so many beautiful things that fly by our noses and they are all beautifully disarming and we never frame it. We take a mental picture and as time passes, we forget it. It would be nice to have a reminder hanging on your wall.
the salt of your skin 