a new high

so i think i've found myself (yet another) hobby.... :D






hihihi. i want to buy a kite!

i shouldn't be alive!

2 and a half weeks plus 2 typhoons after... i'm back! shooting discovery channel's "i shouldn't be alive" series was probably one of the most rewarding work experiences i've had - big challenges, a super art dept team, the sun and the sea, great people to work with :) here are some of the cool memories.... (minus the crew parties!)...

my hero boat, "under construction", with lead UK actors harry and otis on the shore....




and at sea...


on the days when the waters were too choppy (right after the huge storm), we shot a lot of scenes from the pier....


setting up with director James Strong and DOP Rupert Binsley...


Rupert working the kapote on those rainy days....


Manolette, our sound guy, rain or shine!


the boys and their "sunburn"


...in the "cold"


... and in my favorite jellyfish scene (yes we made those jello jellyfish!)


shooting against green screen in a green pool at night...


here are a couple of interior sets we shot in, the church and the church hall....



next episode, the skydivers!!!!




beau, michael and simon...


and my fake parachute!


parting shots of james and charlotte plus rupert in action...



can't wait to see the finished product! i'm glad to be back but i will miss being on this set and working with everyone :)

cool twinpoplolos and twinpoplolas

How cool is this???

Got this via facebook from twinpopniece...

Here are some bits of research I found while trying to build our Family Tree. This info is all about the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents of Lola Aging Sumulong/Lolo Tony Reyes/Lolo Achie Reyes:

- Gervasia de Guzman, the ispiration for Severino Reyes' Lola Basyang series, was actually the mother of his "balae" Crispulo Zamora.

- Crispulo Zamora was an eminent engraver and silversmith and considered a hero for his work in producing insignias for the revolutionary government of General Emilio Aguinaldo.

- Pelagia Mendoza, wife of Crispulo Zamora, a sculptor, was the first female art student of the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura in the 19th century. She won the 1892 Columbus Quadricentennial Art Contest with a bust of Christopher Columbus.

- Severino Reyes was a famous author, recognized as the "Father of the Philippine Zarzuela" and was the first publisher of the weekly literay magazine "Liwayway"

- Lolo Ciso or Narciso Reyes was in the first batch graduates of the UP School of Fine Arts in 1914. The graduating class consisted of Fernando Amorsolo, painting; Tomas Cullel, engraving; Doroteo Abaya, painting, Horacio Reyes, sculpture; Narciso Reyes, painting; Domingo Celis, painting.

The Family Tree is still a work in progress. If you'd like to help contribute and get further updates, do send me a message with your email/contact details.

Is this cool or what?

my big pink headboard

combining inspiration from something i saw in one of our fave spots in harajuku -- a cute and quaint li'l creperie...

and inspiration from my fave design period,

i'm working on my new headboard... right now, it's still a bit plain...

but i plan to add 3 or 5 big buttons across, just like on mid-century modern sofas...

and add a li'l twist by filling a corner up with my brooches...

i was inspired by this screen in that creperie i was talking about...

but right now, i only placed 3 pins... that's all i have.

i know you have lots.  wanna spare me some? :)

president flower

times like these, the messianic complex in me overthinks about what can be done for our country...

so here's my little rant...  if i were president, i would:

1.  switch our political multi-party system to a bi-party system.  just have 1 side leaning towards the left, 1 side leaning towards the right.  i mean really, what do our many parties stand for?  nothing.  right now, our politics is all about personalities.   so, so silly.

2.  switch to parliamentary system -- whichever party wins the election will just choose who will lead the party, and that leader will be our president.  there are too many uneducated swayed-by-money voters here... so let's vote for our ideologies rather than people.

3.  appoint nicky perlas or some other super environmentalist as denr secretary.  in light of our many natural calamities, it's really time we take our eco-responsibility seriously.  let's address pollution, garbage, mining, logging, etc etc etc...

4.  BAN sachets.  i will sanction these uber-profitable multi-nationals to come up with hygienic refilling stations to replace these garbage monsters.

5.  mandate everyone earning above xx amount of income to do xx amount of volunteer work -- whether it's through teaching, professional service, manual labor, managerial service, etc. etc.

6.  hire urban planners (to report directly to me) to redesign and restructure all our cities and city's facilities... oh and to regulate our architecture (hehe).

7.  mandate organic farming.

8.  kill all redundant government offices (there are MANY), and all redundant positions within each office (there are MANY).

9.  mandate all barangays to have their own self-run farms -- if not on land then on their roofs (read:  container gardening... google it).

10.  promote family planning.  condoms, pills, etc...

11.  have only ONE number for emergencies.  so silly when the stations would flash so many numbers during Ondoy.  to think we're the call center capital of the world!

12.  BAN empty-calorie snacks and noodles.  malnutrition makes kids perform poorly in school.  so let's stop allowing big companies to make msg-ridden zero-nutrition snacks.  at least fortify them with the good stuff.

13.  hire industrial engineers to FIX our systems in sec, bir, sss, etc.  do you remember how hard it was to start a company of your own?  do you know in the states it takes half a day to put up your own company?  most of the forms you just fill up online??  and to maintain the businesses... so tough. to think these sme's make up the back bone of our economy.

14.  FIX our public transport system -- color code the buses, make maps, times.  only allow the optimal # of buses, jeeps, etc.
 
that's it for now... sorry this is a bit of a boring post...

but anyway, it's good to get it out of my chest.  i have more to say... but this should be enough... for now...  so will you vote for me?  hehe.

day trip

took a break from repacking to accompany twinpophub on a daytrip up north.

the once-rice-fields-now-lakes are quite disconcerting.

on a lighter note, how cute are these mini pedicabs with motorized li'l pulling person?

it's for kids, yes.  guy on pedicab is the operator of the ride...

notice the public art in the background?

here's more... a bit tacky but better than none...

i'm in the new 'skygarden' in SM north edsa... their answer to trinoma.  (although they're gonna bridge the two together, they say).

chickout the starbucks... pretty cool right?

although ankle-deep water isn't exactly the most relaxing image right now...

yun lang :)  see you soonest. come home na.

the fight continues...

we've put a stop to our volunteer efforts while relief centers are still flooded with student volunteers...

so for now, it's work-work-work to cover for our coming volunteer hours...

we shall resume when school starts.  join?

as we desperately try to get the relief goods packed and delivered, i'm also trying to think of ways to help the communities when the immediate needs are met, and rebuilding begins.

school rebuilding, school resupplying, furniture making, home repair, trash controlling,... the list is endless.

thinking of starting up misis linis in affected communities as a way for them to have a sustained source of income.

rounding up community representatives (got 3 already) to plan and set up starting kits for the communities...  microfinancing, training, etc... lots to do.  

(to our many (5?) readers, send me a message if you're interested in representing your adopted community).

the fight continues...