Rough Groove

estanli.net

I’ve just uploaded the main page for my new website: estanli.net as well as pages for salagubang.

:-(

Love is complicated if

- your in a long distance relationship
- your other half always assumes your doing something bad even if its not true
- you do this thing and your other half interprets it negatively
- etc.

I don’t know what to do. Sometimes it gets unreasonable and just replays again and again and again. I’m getting tired of all this stuff. Right now, I just want to have my space and not think about it. Or not talk and cool off.

Darn! I can’t sleep.

Gaudi. a photo exhibit

One of Ayala Museum’s current exhibit is a showcase of Gaudi’s work as seen through Marc Llimarga’s lens.

I have always been fascinated by Gaudi. The deft use of color, texture and movement, full of symbolisms, never been seen before in art and architecture is really impressive! One cannot forget the soaring towers of the unfinished Sagrada Familia or the wrought iron dragon of Pavellons Guell or the colorful facade of Casa Batllo or the amanita muscaria that crowns one of the pavilions of Park Guell or the curves and outlines of “Silla”, a wooden chair, that is both voluptuous and sensual at the same time?

If I can go to Spain, I’ll surely visit Gaudi’s works.

Ayala Museum. New

It was more than 10 years since I last went to the Ayala Museum in Makati. I was surprised and quite proud that the museum, still at the same location, but, man, with a new building, is really very beautiful, squeeky clean, and, shall I say, world class.

Entrance is 150 pesos (roughly $3) and its worth it. 4 floors of exhibit space devoted to:

1/F - arts (at the time of my visit)

- Marc Llimargas’ photo exhibit on Gaudi’s works entitled “Gaudi” as part of Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish Festival for Culture and the Arts
- an exhibit of Alexander Charriol’s paintings which were quite impressive and at the same time funny.

2/F - the dioramas that the museum is famed for which traces the history of the country from the prehistoric peopling of the Philippines, trade with other Asian nations, colonization by the Spaniards, eventual war and colonization with the Americans and Japanese, the birth of the republic to Ferdinand Marcos’ draconian clutches. It has scale models of maritime vessels like the galleon, caravel, chinese junk, and other water transport. Also notable are the various Philippine heroes and presidents, the foreign colonizers as well as Aetas (natives) shown lifesize indicating their height.

3/F - painting exhibit of Zobels, Amorsolos and Lunas

4/F - various exhibits

- Philippine costumes from the 19th century. Interesting pieces include the men’s trousers and hat made from carabao horn, shawls made of pineapple fiber and silk)

- prints of 19th century Filipino costumes attibuted to Damian Domingo from the New York Public Library and the museums’ collections

- Philippine art expressed in ivory from religious icons to family heirlooms. the exhibit also highlight the Philippines as the world’s major producer of Christian images in ivory from the 16th - 19th centuries.

This museum should be in every visitors’ as well as Filipinos’ must go to site.

P Burgos, Makati City

Cuddles. Jungle. Ivory. The Matrix. Stardust. Montana. High Heels. Billboard Club.

Flower girls. Flower boys. Fake watch and sunglass hawkers. Taxi drivers.

Bouncers. Pimps. Prostitutes. Comfort Girls. Young. Old. Beautiful. Not beautiful. Dressed to the nines. Full make up. Plain looking.

Japanese. Koreans. Caucasians. White. Black. Yellow. Brown. Fat. Thin. Balding. Dashing…

…and other life forms line the streets of P. Burgos, the red light district of Makati. No, I’m not here to gawk at these people or watch the dancing lights running through the marquee’s edges (but I do admit, it is interesting to watch them not for the pity-you-lucky-me thinking but more on the kaleidescope of forms, color and features of these denizens to the haughtiness of the foreigners that take their pickings from the vurnerable if not desperate ladies sashaying on the hard concrete earth littered with candy wrappers and other plastics). Or heaven forbids, taste its poisoned fruits.

I was just passing by on my way to the hotel where I’m staying.