Always on My Mind

Was surfing channels when my attention got caught by this Burberry ad on Fashion TV. I thought this Pet Shop Boys version could be an upbeat conclusion to February, the Love Month, here on the Sounds section of liwaliw,





"Always on My Mind" by the Pet Shop Boys, released as single in 1987

Maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you, I'm so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind

Goldfish

The Goldfish 1925 by Paul Klee pic.twitter.com/Jn87Ruza60

— @_rt* (@literatura_rte) February 23, 2018

"Goldfish" by Paul Klee from the collection of Kunsthalle Hamburg in Germany.

Someday, hopefully sooner, the message of the "Dilawan" (Yellow) will shine fiercely golden bright again, and help clear the dark murky waters, where many of us are drowned and lost in. Happy 32nd anniversary to the EDSA People Power Revolt.

More about artist Paul Klee in Wikipedia

The Quartet of the Tiger Moon

Good fortune and timing. Bought this #nickjoaquin classic just in time for #EDSA32 #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/I3fAUam6rn

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 26, 2018

R's Bookshelf, a Facebook-based seller of rare second-hand but in excellent condition books, left me a message to say that I chose the right time to buy this classic account of the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 by the late National Artist Nick Joaquin. I received my purchase three days before EDSA Uno's 32nd anniversary.

I randomly flipped the pages, and my eyes landed on this paragraph, on page 91:

As for the now increasingly emphasized claim that Mr. Marcos didn't know that he was fleeing (he thought he was merely being flown to Ilocandia) all that's needed to puncture that claim is Mr. Marcos's own statement that he fled because he didn't want to "shed Filipino blood." And blood is surely what would have been shed if he had been flown to Ilocandia. Yet again and again we now hear that Mr. Marcos never wanted to flee these shores and was unwittingly flown to where he had no desire to be. Mr. Marcos doth protest too much.

See, children, even National Artists fight against the words of our lying politicians, and yes, fake news.

Walang Hanggang Paalam

"Walang Hanggang Paalam," Joey Ayala at ang Bagong Lumad from the album Magkabilaan

Ang pagibig natin ay
Walang hanggang paalam
At habang magkalayo
Papalapit pa rin ang puso
Kahit na magkahiwalay
Tayo ay magkasama
Sa magkabilang dulo ng mundo

The crushing love song that filled the lonelier second half of freshman college in Baguio City. Read somewhere that Joey Ayala's is a later cover of an Inang Laya original. (Note to self: check this out.)

EDSA 31, the #powerofwe

From my Facebook's "On this Day," and what was actually written on the status:

On my way to #peoplepowermonument for #edsa31 #powerofwe, i saw this elderly man and who i guessed was his grandson. The kid was helping out his granddad walk to the monument, and granddad looked already arthritic. In granddad's hand was a small placard with kid-like penmanship: #labanleila.

 At that moment, the world felt alright.

Now, it's EDSA 32, and it's time to go back to the streets again.

Latepost:Arts Month opens, CCP's Pasinaya

Pak! Vavush. #pasinaya2018 at @culturalctrph #manila #2018GAC02

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on Feb 4, 2018 at 1:37am PST

Dateline: 04 February 2018, Manila

That time of the year again when I join the squeeze of half of Manila's youthful humanity, a.k.a. college coeds enrolled in NSTP, at Pasinaya, the Cultural Center of the Philippines' festival of previews of its resident companies.

After this day, my gouty ankle got swollen again. Proof, therefore, that submerging oneself in the youthful crowd does not guarantee transference of energies.

Latepost: Arts Month opens, Biennale previews

#latepost Elnora Ebillo's WatAwat at the Jesuit Mission House #manilabiennale #intramuros #manila #2018GAC02 #goliwaliwph

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on Feb 7, 2018 at 6:46pm PST

Dateline: 03 February 2018, Manila

Preview day of the Manila Biennale in Intramuros, Manila: went around Fort Santiago, the San Ignacio and Jesuit Mission House, Plaza San Luis and Baluarte de San Diego.

Went to Rizal Park after, where different events of the opening weekend of the February Arts Month were ongoing. 

Postscript: Senyor Nino Caviteno

First posted about the Santo Nino caracol in Cavite on 10 February 2018.

Above, a selection of andas and Santo Nino images paraded at the caracol in honor of the Senyor that I posted my Instagram.





Dancing the andas before the procession started, while still inside the churchyard of the Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church.





A group of caracol dancers among the Santo Nino devotees of Barangays Wakas I and II. My mom and I were somewhere behind this group. Later, we treated this group to some refreshments back in Casa Abadilla, our family's maternal ancestral.

(My YouTube channel contain other HereNow liwaliw.)

Latepost: Senyor Nino on the Boulevard

Dateline: 28 January 2018, Pasay City

Going home after a full-day's worth of caracol in Kawit, Cavite to honor the Santo Nino, I ended up in a traffic standstill somewhere between the SM Mall of Asia and World Trade Center in Pasay City. Metro Manila's own procession of hundreds of Santo Nino carrozas and andas were crawling through Roxas Boulevard. Took pictures and videos until my phone lost battery power, then I walked home.

Left is right and I love you

How Do I Love Thee?

Random number between 16 and 233, spread of pages 110 and 111 of Love: A Celebration in Art and Literature, 20th Anniversary Edition pic.twitter.com/aIHGZnIu0Z

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 18, 2018

Postscript: HONY in MNL

First posted about Brandon Stanton's surprise visit to Manila on 07 February 2018.

"The goal is not to go to a place where you don't have to work. The goal is to get to a place where you get to choose the work you do everyday," Brandon, or that lucky, lucky guy who is behind Facebook's phenomenal Humans of New York said at the conclusion of his talk.

Hold On Forever

"Hold On Forever" by Rob Thomas from the album The Great Unknown

Just fall apart if you need to
I'm here and I won't leave you now
Don't look down
Hold on forever

Had a day when I couldn't remember what I wanted to post as Sounds liwaliw... so I Googled trivia on artists born 14 February, maybe hoping on chancing upon singers born on Valentine's Day who has something perfectly mushy. I haven't heard from Rob Thomas in a while, and this one, is a pleasure.

(Belated) Happy birthday, Rob... [BMV]

The Mind is Hung with Cobwebs

Random number between 1 and 256, page 197 of Love Speaks Its Name: Gay and Lesbian Love Poems -- more details: https://t.co/8Usjr3P3q5 pic.twitter.com/AvdPHMFWcP

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 18, 2018

HVD-CNY visual mash-up

Cute😍😍😍 By@ unknown #justpuppyhd

A post shared by 🐈 Dogs and cats pic-video 🐕 (@justpuppyhd) on Feb 16, 2017 at 12:17pm PST

Sometime in 2017, reminded by Facebook's "On This Day"

Untitled (Dance)

#KeithHaring is a famous pop and graffiti artist who worked in New York City during the 1980s. He died of AIDS-related complications at the age of 31 on this day, 16 February 1990. 'Untitled (Dance)' pic.twitter.com/us4wKrJc4E

— Today Is Art Day (@todayisartday) February 16, 2018

The Inaugural

Belated birthday greets to the former bos-tsip/CEO pic.twitter.com/2j9R9swQ7M

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 11, 2018

Just a snapshot of the title page of the former President's "The Inaugural" commemorative coffee table book (published by the former Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office). Got my copy of the book signed by the former CEO himself. Belated happy birthday greets to the boss chief! (Former president Benigno S. Aquino III was born 08 February.)

Senor Nino Caviteno

The lead #stonino of barangays #wakas 1 and 2 contigent at the saint mary magdalene parish #caracol in #kawit #cavite #2018GAC01

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on Feb 1, 2018 at 7:26am PST

Dateline: 28 January 2018, Kawit, Cavite

The family gathered on the last Sunday of January in Casa Abadilla, the maternal ancestral in Kawit, Cavite. for the caracol in honor of the Santo Nino by the Parish of Saint Mary Magdalene. First witnessed the Magdalo blend of the Santo Nino festivities a few years back. Smaller in scale, compared to other places, but much more community.

My mom and I actually joined the procession this year from the grounds of the Parish to the Aguinaldo Shrine. The route set out for this year did not include passing through Wakas, our side of the Kawit municipality.

Lots of shutterbugging, and lots of fun in the company of Wakasenos. We treated the community with afternoon refreshments in front of the Casa after the procession. More photos of the brightly colored caracol on Instagram, and videos too in YouTube.

(Casa Abadilla has a hall rental suitable for family and social gatherings, check it out on Facebook.)

Love Will Tear Us Apart

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, single then included in Les Bains Douches 18 December 1979 (released 2001)

When routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And resentment rides high
But emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads

First released in 1980, after death of Joy Division's lead, Ian Curtis. Heard this first in 1986, freshman high school, by then already a classic. The remaining members will later on form New Order. More about Joy Division in Wikipedia.

Contrasts

Contrasts https://t.co/aUxOFVW7Km via @googlearts

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 8, 2018

 "Contrasts" by Ekrem Yalcindag, from the collection of the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art.

Rainbow in winter

Facebook's "On This Day" reminded of the intrigue riddled 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. There was speculation that Germany intended the rainbow themed uniforms as a form of silent protest to Russia's anti-gay propaganda policy. Of course, officially, Germany denied this.

Postscript: Borlongan at the Met

In the next few days, I most likely will be continuously posting some materials related to previous posts on the HereNow. This one a photo montage of the opening of Elmer Borlongan's solo exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila last January.

(Other liwaliw uploads on my YouTube channel.)

Snap in memory

Shared on FB someone else's memory, for sure, more vivid than mine was. I was twelve, and knew so little of what really was happening (and the adults didn't have time for my questions). FB friend's memory of 07 February 1986, or the Snap Elections was soundtracked by Arcadia's "Election Day." Mine was with "Mambo Magsaysay" a campaign jingle from the 1950's, which was revived by the political opposition (to Marcos Sr.).

A few things were very novel to me that time: one, that the government actually has a position for Vice-President (not a Prime Minister, or First Lady), and two, that the people could actually choose a President to lead the country.

Happy HONY day

@glenncruz_ph having his book signed

A post shared by Hendri Go 吳華順 (@hendri_go) on Feb 2, 2018 at 7:25pm PST

My weekend liwaliw plan was already set, but happening on a random tweet wrecked it. Brandon Stanton of the Facebook sensation Humans of New York (HONY) was to speak in Manila just for a day, Saturday, 03 February at the UP Film Center. But the world does give more than just one surprise. Pleasant ones, sometimes. Met a friend from way back, who was also queued up at the Film Center for Stanton's talk. This is his IG post of me getting my book signed, and yes, the Mr. Happy shirt was a deliberate decision on my part.

Red Poppies

Kiyoshi Saito, Red Poppies, 1948 pic.twitter.com/abWdi1JI2p

— Art Pics Channel (@ArtPicsChannel) February 6, 2018

Some information about Kiyoshi Saito in Wikipedia.

Only information I got regarding this work, "Red Poppies" (most likely a woodblock print) is from this announcement of an exhibition in the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. For me, this work is best for its simple but unsettling beauty... like a monster that is not threatening at the outset. Japan!

Love, eyes disclosed

Random number between 1 and 256. Page 91 of the Secret Language of Love by Megan Tresidder pic.twitter.com/5a2mWmxltU

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) February 7, 2018

Random number between one and 256, page 91 of the Secret Language of Love: A Visual Treasury of Love Through the Ages (by Megan Tresidder, with paintings by Emma Turpin, published by Chronicle Books) is an English translation of "Meslanges, 2, VI" by Pierre de Ronsard.

Caravan of Love

"Caravan of Love" by the Housemartins from their album London 0 Hull 4

From the highest mountain, valley low
We'll all join together with hearts of gold
Now the children of the world can see
There's a better place for us to be
The place in which we were born
So neglected and torn apart

Turns out that this 1986 UK hit is an a capella version of an earlier slow R&B by Isley Jasper Isley (Listen here, if you wish.) Preferred the a capella, and was for a short time a fan of the Housemartins... and later on, a fan for a much longer time of its former member, Norman Cook, or Fatboy Slim for those of you who didn't know.

Constitution Day

Original signed copies of the English and Filipino versions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution at the Library of the Supreme Court pic.twitter.com/20mAE9zoQI

— Supreme Court PIO (@SCPh_PIO) February 2, 2017

I'm labeling this under "Memories" because earlier today (i.e. yesterday) I was reminded that on February 2, 1987 the country ratified a new Constitution, and considering the current buzz of what's a-happenin' this should be a very, very important time in our history to remember. The Official Gazette has a good write-up on the observance of Constitution Day. (And thank you, Madam Vice President for the reminder.)

Searching around, I also encountered this from the Supreme Court's Public Information Office's Twitter. Now, I'm itching for a selfie inside the SC Library.

I had a glimpse of the work of the Constitutional Convention; when I was 13, I joined a school field trip to the Batasang Pambansa. The ConCon delegate representing the youth was Chito Gascon (who is currently the beleaguered chair of the Commission on Human Rights), who happily greeted us and briefly described how a new constitution is drafted. I remember I was slightly distracted by another delegate, Jaime Tadeo, who was on a podium addressing the body very passionately (and loudly).

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers from their album Sunshine on Leith. (This music video updated with scenes from Benny and Joon)

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Spotted and shared a tweet from "You Had One Job" that I was totally sold -- the 80s kid inside was kicking and screaming fiercely. Then a comment from a former schoolmate blaming me for LSS triggered the same back to me. February is the month of Valentines, so might as well...

Shadow V

Ending today: artnet Auctions' "Contemporary Editions" includes work from major artists like Anish Kapoor. For his "Shadow" series, the artist overlaid colors to create a vibrant, almost holographic effect, as if the works themselves were sources of light https://t.co/kveGUJYr31 pic.twitter.com/R4f9HmtAoq

— artnet (@artnet) January 31, 2018

Can't help compare the feeling of this Anish Kapoor color etching with any of Rothko's color fields. Auctioned and bought estimated between 6,000 and 8,000 US dollars (over 300,000 pesos). More about Anish Kapoor in his own website and in Wikipedia.

Resibo. Ni Pinoy Ako Blog

Mabuhay ka Jover Laurio. #resibo #TayoSiPAB pic.twitter.com/yupiwVWs4Y

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) January 31, 2018

I've come to admire the blogger behind Pinoy Ako Blog, who now people know as Jover N. Laurio, who was pushed into the limelight after that backfiring expose made by the unnecessary/non-essential propagandists. Was excited to learn last year that she got support to get published in print. Through pictures shared on FB, I would later find out that some of my friends had the opportunity to attend the book launch, to meet and greet the author herself. (Color me inggit.)

And through friends I got the opportunity to buy my own copy of Resibo. Ni Pinoy Ako Blog. (Signed by the author!)

I bought two, actually, and thought one of my BFFs, a fellow book-lover, would want one as well. He's currently living under a rock, a very heavy one apparently: I almost didn't believe him when he said that he doesn't know what Pinoy Ako Blog or PAB or who Jover Laurio was. (Posible pa pala yun this day and age.) And he didn't seem even mildly curious, so the extra copy is still with me.

I tried to pass it on to an office mate, whom I was sure would appreciate the gesture, and surely agrees with PAB's perspective on the state of our affairs. She had two issues: one, she admitted to be not into reading as much, and two, she was sure that her daughter dearest will protest for having subversive material in their household (my take on her words, "yang ganyang mga klase ng babasahin").

Goodness! Suddenly, I remembered my college freshman days, how some family members got concerned when they learned that I have a copy of the PSR, or Philippine Society and Revolution by Amado Guerrero.

www.glenncruz.com, one month

New year, new blog (or back anew to old blogging grounds), first month done, 16 posts. Wished could have done more, but it took me some time to get used again to the WYSIWYG-to-HTML vice versa style of publishing on the net.

I do miss the drag-and-drop ease of the new Google Sites, even if I'd stumbled on some inflexibilities here and there. Liwaliw in Google Sites had a prettier interface across devices. But truly disappointing that nothing happened after almost a year of waiting for developments that would favor personal bloggers like me.

First week of February in, so let's start again with another piece of popular Internet fluff. Going back to blogging away from SocMed has brought back some peace and sanity in my virtual world. Thanks to the almost non-existent readership.