45 today.

todays marks another year of my being well into 40s.
i am forty-five today.
so many things has changed.
physically: crows feet on eye area sets in and are visible much when i smile, double chin from i cant explain where it came from (haha)hangs well, and the insistent thickening of waist and back,
the stubborn bulge on my tummy that i battle with for many many years now.
on taste for food:
i suspect some people who are well in their 40s are experiencing something in their mouth and saliva--that makes them go for the great hunt to satisfy some cravings.
lifestyle, views, philosophy, what i value the most, altered. 
i am further at refining many more parts and aspects in my ways and system in dealing with things,happenstance, and decisions,i very wish my character and temperament issues tops the process; but the responsibilities that i have to face and carry at some haul impedes (it seems) my progress.
well, at this point finer or unrefined will have to be -- just fine.
as long as my kids are healthy and in school,
i have a boss that is not from the pit of the hell,
my life is more manageable now in many ways,
i know the basics of adobe cs3 photoshop
you are a friend to the students,
some heartaches tho from the past worms in to my emotions, conciousness once in the while
and i can just say--muck it! muck them!
i laugh now with whole lotsa confidence
and continues to be a jesus freak.
i can add to the noise in the blogosphere--for free, but with a price one day--whatever that is...
i am are responsible.

and somehow finally, things make sense now...
happy birthday to me!

new works...

recently done.

the

embellishments are all sewn by hand

as in needle and thread. my middle finger on right

hand is still sore. so they're made with love ;-)

price, details are on: annquirky.etsy.com

low maintenance and grace

another yet 

$2.00 plastic flat sandals made in china you bet

on a mundane thursday

self portrait--thursday that was

a tartan tunic

with a 5 year old knit pants

$2.00 plastic flats

(made in p.r.o.c you can bet your life)

at the art park

while having

the still life class

a five hour drawing lab class

brooklynism paperback

whipped canned fruits cherry on top

black coffee

specs that many 40 y.0 plus people cant do without

a gadget to connect you to the blogosphere

and you're ok.

(for the time being)

tuesdays and thursdays

are my favourite days in the week this semester. 

because drawing lab classes (5 hour class)are being held at the art park!

your agendas can be done here while you monitor your class, and get to be at one with nature. (you can actually add that to the millions of perks in this instructing career)sigh... i mean,yay!

you can paint away your 3 remaining hours (since the other 2 are for lecture and demos..awwww!) and so you won't get stuck with the talks -- you walk your talks.

a work here in progress as part of the upcoming group exhibition with the senior students: Fantasmagoria. details to follow.

(mark isaac williams skull drawing with orchid--the inspiration for that mixed media art above. a skull found by an anthropologist in the 1800s and an orchid grew from the inside )

ahhhh brooklyn...

we'll be together one day...

(even if it takes a heist)

poor i may be...

dreams i have.

(it's free. silly.)

tying a yellow ribbon!

many pinoy boomers like me will never forget that edsa people power revolt. (even tho' i am not exactly a very huge fan of the clan)

and the icon for that--has passed away(august 1, 2009). felt some pangs of sadness when several local airwaves played the anthem for that unforgettable day(s). and the whole sunday, every two hours there were two fm stations that played it on air simultaneously. reliving the edsa memories through the lyrics, beautiful melody and the moving voices behind that song by the local entertainers and singers--i googled for (yeah the power of google...and the photos above)its title and the lyrics, the composer, here it is:

handog ng pilipino sa mundo

jim paredes, apo hiking soceity

'Di na 'ko papayag mawala ka muli.
'Di na 'ko papayag na muli mabawi,
Ating kalayaan kay tagal natin mithi.
'Di na papayagang mabawi muli.

Magkakapit-bisig libo-libong tao.
Kay sarap palang maging Pilipino.
Sama-sama iisa ang adhikain.
Kelan man 'di na paalipin.

Ref:
Handog ng Pilipino sa mundo,
Mapayapang paraang pagbabago.
Katotohanan, kalayaan, katarungan
Ay kayang makamit na walang dahas.
Basta't magkaisa tayong lahat.

Masdan ang nagaganap sa aming bayan.
Nagkasama ng mahirap at mayaman.
Kapit-bisig madre, pari, at sundalo.
Naging Langit itong bahagi ng mundo.

Huwag muling payagang umiral ang dilim.
Tinig ng bawat tao'y bigyan ng pansin.
Magkakapatid lahat sa Panginoon.
Ito'y lagi nating tatandaan.
(repeat refrain two times)

Coda:
Mapayapang paraang pagbabago.
Katotohanan, kalayaan, katarungan.
Ay kayang makamit na walang dahas.
Basta't magkaisa tayong lahat!

paying my last respect to the late former president corazon cojuangco aquino.

she will be finally laid to rest tomorrow at the manila memorial park, paranaque city. no classes, nationwide.

there are already hundreds of yellow ribbons along the paranaque roads since yesterday, and i too---will tie a yellow ribbon.

my educated guess....

3 new books in a week, and another 2, and 3 zines the following week, there's 4 furthermore, plus the occasional bliiings and blooongs..... 
is this why i'm poor?

why artists are poor?

the title of the book is so intriguing that i checked it out immediately upon seeing this at the university library.

its their new acquisition. i saw the price

(ha!) there was yet the receipt inserted--its php 2,700.00 about $34.on amazon.

--ahhh one of few the perks of being in the business of molding minds, is that--you can get to borrow books i.e, new acquisitions for three weeks and renew it again for several more times,aint that greyyyt? and then its a noble job-- thats the other perks. darn!hahaha...

notice the the title--it ends with a question mark.not a statement, but more likely a probability. because not all artists are poor--uhh count me out--i'm poor. and scroll up again, there's my educated guess...meanwhile, this book is presented in an erudite manner. social science effect. the author is a social scientist, economist, and a visual artist. and i think he's not poor (anymore). hey ho! this/his book is expensive.(according to my wallet)

here's some excerpts from the book--for i know you too are intrigued... here it goes:

table 1. the mythology of the arts

1. art is sacred

2. through art,artists and art consumers relate to a sacred world

3. art is remote and superfluous

4. art is a gift

5. artists are gifted

6. art serves the general interest

7. art is good for people

8. artists are autonomous; other professionals are not autonomous

9. there is freedom of expression in the arts

10.the work of art is authentic and the artist is the unique creator

11.creating authentic works gives one endless private satisfaction

12.artists are selfless

ly devoted to art

13.artists are only intrinsically motivated

14.money and commerce devalue art

15.artistic quality can only exist if it is independent of costs and demand

16.artists have to suffer

17.talent is natural or God-given

18.everybody has the same chance of being gifted or talented

19.certain talents in the arts only appear later in someone's career

20.because extraordinary talent is rare, only in large pool of artists can provide society with a few extremely talented artists

21.success in the arts depend on talent and commitment exclusively

22.the arts are free. the barriers that exists in other professions are absent in the arts

23.successful artists are often self-taught

24.given the talent and commitment, equal chances exists in the arts;the best is the victorious

25.because the best win,the arts are democratic and righteous

26.the high incomes earned by the artists are fair

"the myths or persistent beliefs about art and artists make the economy of the arts exceptional"

and here's some

more..

"the most striking aspect in these pattern is the 2 faced character economy of the arts. the contrast is visible from outward signs.

-the world of splendor, of magnificent opera houses, chic openings, of artist earning very high incomes and of rich donors whose status is enhanced by their association with the arts. on the other hand there is the large majority of artists earning little or nothing; often they lose money by working in the arts and make up for the losses by working in second jobs or accepting support from their partners. moreover large sums of social security and other allowances not intended for the arts flow in it.

the contrast also shows from attitudes in the arts that are intrinsically 2 faced. on the other hand money and commerce are rejected. on the other hand trade is very present in the temple of sacred art, as it was in the temple of the Jews. the temple of art cannot exist without trade. moreover, the trade in art profits from the belief that art is sacred and beyond commerce. for art dealers denying the economy is profitable: it is commercial to be anti-commercial. such denial and simultaneous embrace of money is present

in almost any transactions in the arts. does this double moral standard contribute to the strong contrast

between wealth and poverty in the arts?"

brothers and sisters :-) if you still want to continue with the readings,heres the info about the book:

why artists are poor?

the exceptional economy of the arts

by: hans abbing

amsterdam university press

or to the amazon.com

lumpia--a.k.a deep fried spring rolls, philippine style

one of the best loved pinoy dish--the lumpia. made up of mung bean springs,

sauted in garlic and onions and some other veggies like carrots, and cabbage.rolled into thin edible wrapper (flour and egg) then deep fried in vegetable oil. if you want it heart friendly, canola or olive oil :-)and that is a sudden upgrade of this very affordable snack i love to have once in a while. it goes yummy with rice too, a good treat for the vegans.

there is the version that i love all the more in this humble food--instead of using carrots and cabbage, the sweet potato works perfectly with the mung bean sprouts. simultaneous with the crisp and the crunch there is these burst of soft and sweet cubes or thinly sliced sweet potatoes. the hint of sweetness adds flavour to this staple pinoy snack.

and oh, the dip! its a sin to serve this lumpia aside from being cold and sloppy, without the flavoured vinegar. here's so far the best concoction: 

(as experienced from my long time love affair with local vinegars. i used to drink them straight from the bottle, hiding )

          fermented coconut juice (the murky it looks the 

                 better)

                 crushed garlic

                 chopped or sliced native onions (the violet)

                 pepper

                 a bit of iodized salt

                 a pinch of sugar

          and here's the killer... 

                 osterized ginger

                 and squeeze in drops of Philippine Lemon,

                 yes, the humble kalamansi

                 put it all together in a bottle

                 and shake well, and shout, yaayyy!

             

                 

                  

robin's nest amidst the frangipani lush

this yet another flat pouch. multi-purpose for storing everyday life,s essentials.

- made in japan flat pouch

(surplus) making it my canvas

for this theme.

- the backdrop is printed cloth with

an oilcloth backing(interior)

- industrial zipper

- permanent paint and sealed with protection

thus, hand washable

sold at:

annquirky.etsy.com

quirky happy smiling skulls

this pura seta wide square vintage scarf is soooo smoooth and functional. this is a new listing over at: annquirky.etsy.com

(just cut and paste that url pleeaase...i'm having a hard time working out this thingy :0( of directing you all t0 the seller's site. its suppose to appear --the shop somewhere either on left side or right side corner of this blog's layout, but alas i dont know how to do it-or maybe just too busy with this day job--i'll work that out in time...)

aesthetically primitive

i am finally done with this project. i still love working on manual artworks/paintings as this one. inspite of the surge of prints and tarps (tarpaulin)or vinyl, which our department is always involve with, it is yet refreshing to touch base with this almost primitive style to achieve some effect i am trying to get sans the aid of technology. an opportunity to exercise skills and not get drowned in theories.

(this work is a request by a fellow etsian--bitandbee, graphic illustration supplied by the way)

To achieve the vintage look and appeal--on artworks:

-it should be manually done, painted (biased here, silly hahaha!)

-capture the simple,forms and its primitive style

-use coffee, or tea. apply it liberally over the work.

caution: coffee is washable unless you use emulsion instead of

water. tea, stains. that is my experience here.(and oh,

the sun shines so good here, that you cant see the

aged effect. a bit over exposed.and oh, should have adjusted the contrast in photoshop-i forgot!) but in person---the feel and the looks are all there.

-crackling paints are good too--only if you dont move the painting a lot, because they really crack too much when dried. use illusion instead, paint cracks.

new theme

every year i cover my class record in different themes. so manual. and even with laptops, excels, electronic recordings around, i still gravitate at keeping manual records beside me. its more handy, no heavy load and bulks to carry. just like many seasoned writers, they still have their vintage typewriters with them, even though they have "apples" beside them.

the theme is--" forever commuting". thats me. that is in celebration of my almost 45th year of commuting experience, ever since i can remember--from school to work to even dating (sigh...)

there are joys and lamentations that goes with it.

and since i am in a "low maintenance" mode, and in fact promoting it, it'll have to be that way...maybe 'til my feet carries me (?).

uhh.. i almost did buy one, a second hand car...some years ago, but the wanderlust in me won, and instead i went to see some part of the globe. i never regretted that move.

"a day job--" the old adage

life is a--day job, is a day job, is a day job, a day job that is--- cant give it up for full time passion because we have other needs---the bliiings and the blooooooongs. and you cant live on your full time passion unless you have other resources. dirty old moneyed corrupt politcian(s),rich ancestors,forever bursaries,deal with drugs,win in a lottery, work to death then retire (still conditional tho--if you will have a good retirement benefit) or else---cling on to your day job, is a day job, a day job that is and be passionate about it.even if you flip burgers, or peel potatoes!

new pouch--and as usual, no bulk!

i have revamped this new pouch. you can store your dg cam, ipod, bills, change, cards, lovers letters, fotos, even your life.... will be on:

annquirky.etsy.com

a timely installation on dreary days

this is an installation through collaborative ideas by the nursing students i think. because its their capping ceremony here in aup-adventist university of the philippines. its rainy season now.

dreary and hazy days are on. welcome rain! you'll make the farmers happy. and i could do my crying in the rain....

the philly love inspiration

done. and will soon be available on:

annquirky.etsy.com

quilt artists beaches too you know

...and one last hurrahhh for the summer!

hep! hep!

HOOOORRRRAAAYYYYY!!!!!!