Portrait of Fernanda De Jesus

Spotted: "Vange Domingo" on Pinterest, after Google Image Search

Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, born 30 May 1892, was the first National Artist proclaimed by the government in 1973. He had a younger brother who also was a painter, Pablo, and his first cousin was another prominent artist, Fabian Dela Rosa. Amorsolo is known to have popularized the ideal Dalagang Pilipina (Filipino maiden):

Of great influence was his ideal feminine type: the smiling young woman of fair complexion and slender figure, wearing a colorful native costume which showed no sign of wear and tear from work and the tropical weather. He idealized the peasant, whom he situated in a rural idyll where nature was ever bountiful and hunger and strife were unknown.

Tried to look for online information regarding the subject of "Portrait of Fernanda De Jesus." I haven't encountered any information about the person, but this work, which was in private collection, was auctioned by Christie's for almost three million Hong Kong dollars. International Hibiscus Society also noted that there were hibiscus included in the bilao (tray) of flowers.

This closes liwaliw Visuals for the month of May 2018 that had a floral theme in relation to Flores de Mayo, and also celebrated birth anniversaries of select Filipino artists.

Reference: Javellana, R.B. and A.G. Guillermo, "Amorsolo, Fernando Cueto," CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume IV, Philippine Visual Arts (Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994), pages 307 to 308.


[This post is antedated]

Shambala

"Shambala" cover performance by Three Dog Night of B.W. Stevenson, included in the band's album Cyan, penned by Daniel Moore, ranked 31st on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 of my birth year.

Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala

On liwaliw Sounds this is the 12th from among the first 31 ranking Hot 100 in 1973. Surely more interesting music onwards to the 100th spot. Gonna go back to this list from time to time to feature other songs for the rest of the year. My parents and other people back in 1973 would have enjoyed these hits had there been freer market for and access to mass media.


[This post is antedated]

Rocky Mountain High

"Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver is the top-selling single of his first Top 10 US album that bears the same name; the single ranked 29th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 of my birth year. The song narrates a story, but I wasn't sure of the references and imagery - this Songfacts article was most insightful.

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Coming home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

On the Hot 100 list, "Love Me Like a Rock" by Paul Simon was 27th, "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern 28th. I remember including the McGovern hit on my "Gurlish Emote" playlist many years ago, a collection of 1970's feminine swoons built with the help of Limewire.

The Morning After

"The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern was a song written for the film the Poseidon Adventure, and was awarded Best Original Song at the 45th Academy Awards. It ranked 28th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 of my birth year.

There's got to be a morning after
We're moving closer to the shore
I know we'll be there by tomorrow
And we'll escape the darkness
We won't be searching anymore

I remember including this as part of my 1970s music playlist I labelled "Gurlish Emote," music files courtesy of Limewire. I first knew of McGovern because of her other hit, "We May Never Love Like This Again," theme song to another disaster-themed movie, The Towering Inferno. (I think I saw this movie on betamax.)

Fun Trivia: Maureen McGovern appeared as a nun named Sister Angelina in the movie Airplane!  which I believe I actually saw in the movies when I was a kid. (Thanks, Wikipedia)

Flowers

Spotted: After Google Image Search, 21 May 2018

Diosdado Lorenzo, born May 25, 1906, is hailed as one of the 13 Moderns of Philippine Art, even though trained in the academic tradition. In 1969, the City of Manila awarded him with Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan.

As realized last month, making an effort to increase posts featuring Filipino visual artists in liwaliw Visuals, starting this month in celebration of National Heritage Month. Lorenzo's "Flowers" as with the floral selection in keeping with the Flores de Mayo theme.

Reference: Guillermo, Alice G., "Lorenzo, Diosdado Magno," CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume IV, Philippine Visual Arts (Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994), page 364.

Lomon

My mom spritzing perfume on Kawit's patroness, Saint Mary Magdalene. Pista ng Lomon, #wakas #kawit #cavite #2018gac05

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 20, 2018 at 7:19am PDT

Dateline: 20 May 2018, Kawit, Cavite

Lomon is what Cavitenos (or maybe just the Kawitenos) call the over-ripe siniguelas fruit. For some reason unknown to the family, the Wakas side of the Kawit municipality has a fiesta dedicated to lomon. The height of the celebrations is always near my birthday, either before or after.

Ever since my mom successfully claimed back their ancestral property and rebuilt Casa Abadilla, the Pista ng Lomon and my birthday (and sometimes even Mothers Day) have been a packaged family affair.

The culminating activity is the caracol, where Wakasenos dance with the image of Kawit's patron saint, Mary Magdalene. Community members who have personal intents, just like my mom as pictured, may spritz perfume on, and whisper their prayers to the Magdalene.

Also danced and paraded on the streets is an allegedly miraculous black cross (i.e. Krus na Ligas), which is housed at a chapel (or kubol) within the Casa's block. There's a festival in honor of that black cross, too -- a subject for another time.

- - - - - - - - - -

SHAMELESS PLUGGING: Casa Abadilla rents out a social hall best for meetings and family reunions - visit the Casa Abadila Facebook page to find out more and to post your inquiries.

Lilacs in a Window

Spotted: "Sofia Girasole" on Pinterest, after Google Image Search

"Vase de Lilas a la Fenetre (Lilacs in a Window)" by Mary Cassatt, born 23 May 1844, is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

This month liwaliw Visuals celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous visual artists born on May.  As with the other floral selection, featuring this work is in keeping with the traditional Flores de Mayo theme.

Triumph over trauma

Having been injured by a motorcycle last week, its pretty strange for me to be in a motorbike show at #smxconventioncenter #smmallofasia #pasay. But the kid went all puppy eyed, and we did want to celebrate our birthdays together (which were a day apart). Sigh.

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 19, 2018 at 5:23pm PDT

Dateline: 19 May 2018, SMX Convention Center, Pasay City

I should have mentally closed myself in at the mere suggestion of a motorbike show. But Randy, one of the boys who was once one of my transient residents, pleaded to accompany him at SMX Convention, complete with sad puppy eyes. Oh well, we did make an open promise to celebrate our birthdays together, his one day ahead of mine. While there, I realized I wasn't as traumatized as I thought. And the kid's enthusiasm and wonder somehow rubbed off on me. I would also have had a spring in my steps like him if I wasn't limping due to that first-degree burn on my leg.

Motherly friends

The road to? #tagaytay #cavite #2018gac05

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 11, 2018 at 10:26pm PDT

Dateline: 12 May 2018, Tagaytay City, Cavite

There were many things to be upset about. Days before this, afer I enjoyed several bottles of beer with a new acquaintance on a cool Tagaytay night, gout set in. En route to buying my usual pain meds, I burned my right leg on a motorcycle's oversized exhaust pipe. After the seminar I attended in Tagaytay, I was to meet former officemate-friends for advanced birthday lunch... but the funds I was hoping to come didn't.

But in the end still, one day anticipating Mothers Day, the Tagaytay foodtrip with two great gal pals -- each with one of their grown-up kids -- was swell. In between bites of food, there's friendly banter. The day felt perfect, I almost forgot I had an empty wallet and a raging first-degree burn on my leg.

I have my share of superstitious beliefs. One thing I can't shake off, this week QED, is the belief that one is especially vulnerable or at-risk on the days approaching his own birthday. Unfortunate for me, I only remember my superstitions after the risk delivers. I already celebrated one birthday in the hospital.

Tuklas Sining

Random no. between 1 & 370, page 250 of Tuklas Sining, ed. by Nicanor Tiongson, contains this photo, part of the essay, "Sayaw: An Essay on Philippine Dance." #nationalheritagemonth pic.twitter.com/PGxo24BjYi

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 370, page 250 of Tuklas Sining: Essays on the Philippine Arts, edited by Nicanor Tiongson, is in the middle of the essay, "Sayaw: An Essay on Philippine Dance" by Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz. This photograph with caption appearing on the following page:

"DANCE MENTORS. Luva Adarneit [with a separate photo inset] was a pioneer teacher of ballet who taught the first significant batch of ballet dancers who later became teachers and choreographers, among them Rosalia Merino and Leonor Orosa, here shown with other dancers."

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.

Bouquet de Fleurs

Spotted: After "Roxanne Watson" on Pinterest, after Google Image Search, 21 May 2018

"Bouquet de Fleurs" (Bouquet of Flowers) by Henri Rousseau (who is also known as Le Douanier) is part of the collection of the Tate in the United Kingdom. Rousseau, born 21 May 1844, is more popularly known for his works that portray the jungle and wild animals; he is quoted, "I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream."

This month liwaliw Visuals celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous visual artists born on May.  as with the other floral selection is in keeping with the traditional Flores de Mayo theme.

Reference: Pye, Harry, "Henri Rousseau," 501 Great Artists (London: Apple Press, 2008), page 248.

Lakbay Sining

Random no. between 1 & 228, page 132 of Lakbay Sining, a commemorative in celebration of the 25th anniv of CCP's outreach and exchange program, begins the article "Encantada was No Fairy Tale" by Agnes Locsin. pic.twitter.com/0A8TSA24k0

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 228, page 132 of Lakbay Sining: Readings on Cultural Development in the Philippines, published by Anvil and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a commemorative book in celebration of the 25th anniversary of CCP's outreach and exchange program, begins the article "Encantada was No Fairy Tale" by Agnes Locsin, 2004 Outreach Pilak Honoree.

At the end of the article, the author is described: "AGNES LOCSIN, a native of Davao City, is one of the country's most progressive choreographers, best known for delving into Philippine tribal practices to find inspirations for her choreographic transformations."

(The former artistic director of Ballet Philippines has already received several awards since this publication - 2012 Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, 2014 Gawad Tanghal ng Lahi by the Ateneo, and 2018 Natatanging Gawad Buhay by PhilStage.)

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.

The Compleat Filipino

Random number between 1 & 274, page 172 of the Compleat Filipino by Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo, published by Anvil, contains an illustration of a table setting for a formal dinner #nationalheritagemonth pic.twitter.com/50gBkOwLHz

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 20, 2018

Random number between 1 and 274, page 172 of the Compleat Filipino by Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo, published by Anvil, contains an illustration of a table setting for a formal dinner, part of the chapter "A Socially Confident You."

On the book's back cover, the author is described: "MA. CONCEPCION 'CONCHITINA' SEVILLA BERNARDO has been credited with having been instrumental in propagating and perfecting the subject of Personality Development."

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.

The Normal Heart

Memory Served: Sometime in 2014, Las Pinas and Angeles City

This is a hard one to post. I almost didn't. I thought after seeing these choice scenes from the Normal Heart, by this time, I'd be immune to its tear-jerking, heart-breaking perfection. I'm glad though that I prove myself wrong on that.

Third Sunday of May the world observes International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. There is a reason why I wanted this post in liwaliw Memories just in time for the world observance. Felix Turner and Ned Weeks kept me from leaving the advocacy (even when I am no longer working on HIV and AIDS). And I'm ever so thankful for Matt Bomer for his excellent performance in portraying Felix Turner.

You have been warned. But I still hope you watch.

Wildflower

"Wildflower" by Skylark, first released as a single on a 45 RPM, then included in Skylark's self-titled album, ranked 25th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 on my birth year. And it was a pleasant coincidence that this is one of my "masterpieces" in karaoke with some colleagues for a time requesting me to perform this at occasional get-togethers.

She's faced the hardest times you could imagineAnd many times her eyes fought back the tearsAnd when her youthful world was about to fall inEach time her slender shoulders bore the weight of all her fearsAnd a sorrow no one hearsStill rings in midnight silence in her ears

Ranked 20th to 24th are "Half-Breed" by Cher, "That Lady" by the Isley Brothers, "Pillow Talk" by Sylvia, "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, and "Right Place Wrong Time" by Dr. John.

You are the Sunshine of My Life

"You are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder from his album Talking Book, ranked 19th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 on my birth year. Realized just now that there are actually three voices in this song; the beginning stanzas were by Wonder's backup vocals, Jim Gilstrap and Lani Groves.

I feel like this is the beginning,Though I've loved you for a million years,And if I thought our love was ending,I'd find myself drowning in my own tears

Other than this song, which won for Wonder a Grammy for best male pop performance, he had two others in the Hot 100: "Superstition" ranking 26th, and "Higher Ground" 62nd.

Common Threads

Memory Served: Sometime between 2004 and 2009, Bangkok, Thailand

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt won Best Documentary at the Oscars in 1990. When I started expanding my contacts and network as an NGO worker on HIV and AIDS, Common Threads was occasionally mentioned, and not so few, with strong personal recommendations. Especially fondly remembered at lotus ceremonies during AIDS Candlelight Memorials, where Filipinos we have lost to AIDS are remembered, their quilt panels bloomed.

Back then (and I'd argue, as even now), documentaries are hard to find in the local market. I found my first copy of Common Threads among hawkers of pirated DVDs in Bangkok when I attended a conference sponsored by development partners.

I remember bawling while watching and listening to the testimony of the Mandell couple, who spoke about their son, David Jr., who was a person with hemophilia.

Third Sunday of May the world observes the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

(Audrey Hepburn)

Spotted: "Parasoli" on Tumblr, after Google Image Search and Pinterest

Richard Avedon, born 15 May 1923, "has worked in a wide range of different areas, but it is for his fashion photography that he is best known."

This caption found in Pinterest -- and this work has been saved and pinned in many, many boards -- I have not so far found further information.

This month liwaliw Visuals celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous visual artists born on May, while also celebrating the traditional Flores de Mayo.

Reference: The Photography Book (New York: Phaidon Press Inc., 1997), page 30

Me and Mrs. Jones

"Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul from his album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul produced in 1972, ranked 15th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 of my birth year.

We gotta be extra careful
That do we don't build our hopes up too high
Because she's got her own obligations
And so, and so, do I

"Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group, "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray, and "Little Willy" by Sweet followed at 16th, 17th and 18th places, respectively.

Delta Dawn

"Delta Dawn" by Helen Reddy from her album Long Hard Climb; ranked 14th on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 on my birth year. (Also performed earlier by Tanya Tucker in 1972.)

Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on?
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?
And did I hear you say he was a-meetin' you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky

Couldn't find any other source online to validate a story shared on Facebook on the origins of "Delta Dawn." A post on Facebook group Classic Country Music Stories told about song co-writer Alexander Harvey creating the Delta Dawn from a mix of his mother's and a certain Molly Deberry's characters.

Pedro Zamora

Memory Served: Sometime between 1993 and 1997, Las Pinas

Pedro Zamora was my model public speaker, educator, advocate. He was my inspiration when I decided to volunteer in HIV and AIDS outreach education work. His life and personal testimony, as they unfolded in the Real World: San Francisco helped me even resolve some very personal demons. I wasn't a screaming fan, but he will always be one of my most admired and respected.

Couldn't find on any excerpt on Youtube that I most fondly remember of Pedro's participation in the reality TV show. But still there are good uploads on Youtube about Pedro, including some tribute videos. But for the moment, this feature from the Daily Beast is best for me:

And it was the season of Pedro Zamora, the young, gay, HIV-positive man, whose living with the disease on camera, humanly, day-to-day with housemates, helped shape a young generation’s more inclusive view of homosexuality and living with HIV and AIDS. Of all the Real World seasons, this remains an engraved pop-cultural memory

Third Sunday of May the world observes the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

Crying prayer

Ipanalangin. (Let us pray.) #tagaytay #2018gac05

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 11, 2018 at 8:02pm PDT

Dateline: 12 May 2018, Tagaytay City, Cavite

Two weekends ago, at a dinner-reunion with friends, we were saddened by our own consensus that it will take generations to repair all the damage done so far to the country. Last weekend, the Supreme Court fell. By the looks of it, the destructive trajectory is still gaining momentum. In my most troubled but silent moments, pictures of a bulldozed mountain, a bitter hag in robes, ugly wigs and slimy baldheads, public funds in greedy pockets, children dead are like a slideshow on continuous loop. I haven't prayed in crying despair again after surviving the 1990 earthquake... could my next one be near?

Venus Verticordia

Spotted: Selected from Google Image Search

"Venus Verticordia" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, born 12 May 1828, co-founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The work is currently part of the collection of Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, England. Considered iconic of Pre-Raphaelite works, and a highlight in the Museum.

This month liwaliw Visuals celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous visual artists (painters and sculptors) born on May, while also celebrating the traditional Flores de Mayo.

Reference: Hodge, Susie and Lucinda Hawksley, "Dante Gabriel Rossetti," 501 Great Artists (London: Apple Press, 2009), pages 216, 217.

Meditative Rose

Spotted: "ArtforSaleDiscount.com" on Pinterest via Google Search, 12 May 2018

Salvador Dali, born 11 May 1904, one of the trailblazers of 20th century art. His artistic style summarized: "Surrealist images exploring the subconscious; extensive use of symbolism; barren and bright landscapes; eroticism; religious and scientific themes."

Search for the location and/or ownership of "Meditative Rose" (in some places, "Rose Meditative") was pretty tough online; a Google Answers page came out of search, and it contained false URLs. Other sites talk more about (read: interpret) the work but not much on its provenance. Though scant, I rather appreciated reading from WikiArt, and a news article from New York Daily News.

According to Dali Foundation, it is in private collection, with provenance to Mr. and Mrs. Arnold M. Grant, New York. Tried to find Mr. Arnold M. Grant and got information of a noted lawyer and alumnus of Syracuse University, who donated to an auditorium built to his name.

For the month of May, liwaliw Visuals will celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous artists (of the visual arts, i.e. painters and sculptors), while also celebrating Flores de Mayo.

Reference: Gray, Simon, "Salvador Dali," 501 Great Artists, (London: Apple Press, 2009), pages 408, 409.

And the Band Played On

Memory Served: Sometime between 1995 and 1999, Las Pinas

The other side of dramatic presentation of HIV and AIDS in the 90s was anger. And for me at the time none was angrier than the big screen adaptation of And the Band Played On, based on true events with a familiar story arc of humans destroying humanity (or, tayo ang may dala ng sarili nating sumpa).

Here's one of the most remembered scenes from the movie, and I got the actual lines of Dr. Don Francis, played by Matthew Modine, from Quotes.net:

How many people have to die before it'll be cost effective for you people to do something about it? A hundred? A thousand? Give us a number so we won't annoy you until the amount of money you start losing on LAWSUITS makes it PROFITABLE for you to save people than to kill them!

When I saw this in a second-run movie house a few blocks from home, I was a mixed bag of anger, sadness and excitement. The excitement due to the stellar cast -- so many Hollywood A-listers in one movie (sulit ang 20 pesos na pang-sine).

(This rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer)

Third Sunday of May the world observes the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

It's My Party

Memory Served: Sometime between 1995 and 1999, Manila

In the days before ARV -- and way, way before HAART -- the death sentence stigma of HIV diagnosis was a suffocating blanket. The most uplifting in the narrative of dying of AIDS is acceptance of the certainty of death and reconciliations before the inevitable final departure.

"It's My Party" was one of the first films I saw that dealt with AIDS and death, and I saw it at the drop-in center of The Library Foundation in Malate, Manila. After an initial visit and letting my young insecure self lurk during a Friday night group discussion, I returned to sample the Saturday movie night.

(Read about what Roger Ebert said about this movie)

The third Sunday of May the world observes the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

Filipino Heritage

Random number between 1965 & 2240, page 2083 of Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Filipino Nation, (Volume 8) pic.twitter.com/3PJ00uq8LY

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 14, 2018

Random number between 1,965 and 2,240, page 2,083 of Filipino Heritage: The Making of the Filipino Nation, Volume 8, "The Period of Armed Struggle (1896 - 1900), Night of Heroes," contains three photographs attributed to Harper's History of the War in the Philippines, published in 1900. Note the captions, at how this source on the Filipino-American War characterized the Government of the First Republic of the Philippines as insurgent.

These photos are part of the chapter "The Banner Unfurls" with the lead "The Malolos National Assembly enhances the image and diplomatic leverage of the emerging Filipino nation." Contributed by Nicolas Zafra; on the Contributor's list described as the former chair of the Department of History, University of the Philippines, and recipient of the 1969 Cultural Heritage Award.

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.


[This post is antedated]

Kasaysayan

Random number between 1 & 302, page 282 of Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, Volume 3, The Spanish Conquest by Jose S. Arcilla, SJ pic.twitter.com/RQV9Chp09H

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 14, 2018

Random number between 1 and 302, page 282 of Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, Volume 3, The Spanish Conquest by Jose S. Arcilla, S.J. serves as content separator to introduce Chapter 12, "Expansion and Stability."

The page contains a full-page image of a stone fortress in Sabtang Island in Batanes province, its caption appears on the opposite page, and reads "The Savidug ijang in Batanes, stone ruins in elevated land possibly used by the people for defense."

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.


[This post is antedated]

CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art

Random number between 1 & 48, page 11 of CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume VIII, Philippine Film pic.twitter.com/uYiTH69d2b

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 14, 2018

Random number between 1 and 48, page 11 of the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume VIII, Philippine Film is part of an album of images in between the volume's Introduction and the section on Historical Essays.

The two pictures on this page, or the fifth and sixth of 16 pictures in the album are related to the 1950s golden age of the Filipino film industry, when film producers of neighboring countries enter into joint ventures with ours.

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.


[This post is antedated]

Flower Vendor

Norma Belleza, born 03 May 1939, spouse to another prominent Filipino visual artist Angelito Antonio. "Flower Vendor", oil on canvas, 18 in. x 24 in. exhibited in Colors of Summer in 2015 at Charlie's Art Gallery in Bacolod City, Philippines.

As realized last month, making an effort to increase posts featuring Filipino visual artists in liwaliw Visuals, starting this month in celebration of National Heritage Month as well as Flores de Mayo.

Reference: Guillermo, A.G., "Belleza, Norma Jaciledo," CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume IV, Philippine Visual Arts (Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994), page 320.


[This post is antedated]

Flower Vendor

Spotted: From Google Image Search, 13 May 2018

Nunelucio Alvarado, born 05 May 1950, a CCP Thirteen Artists Awardee in 1992. "Flower Vendor," oil on canvas, 24 in. x 18 in. exhibited in Kabuhi in 2010 at Charlie's Art Gallery in Bacolod City, Philippines.

As realized last month, making an effort to increase posts featuring Filipino visual artists in liwaliw Visuals, starting this month in celebration of National Heritage Month as well as Flores de Mayo.

Reference: Guillermo, A.G. and R. Galang, "Alvarado, Nunelucio Pagubayan," CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, Volume IV, Philippine Visual Arts (Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994), page 306.


[This post is antedated]

HIV advocacy under my skin

Memory Served: Sometime between 1990 and 1995, Las Pinas

"I've Got You Under My Skin" by Cole Porter for the musical Red, Hot and Blue, performed by Neneh Cherry for the album Red, Hot + Blue

I've got you under my skin
I've got you deep in the heart of me
Down so deep in any part of me

For most of my career I was involved in non-profit HIV and AIDS work - first as a learner, then a volunteer educator, then volunteer trainer, then project worker, and then a trustee and manager for a community-based organization. Many travels I did inside and outside the country involved my work on HIV and AIDS.

I'm part of the generation that "woke up" to AIDS as a global scourge. Even if the Philippines detected its first cases in the early 80s, HIV and AIDS awareness were largely absent then. My earliest memory of substantial mass media exposure on the issue was the MTV special "Red, Hot + Blue" in the 90s.

May is by birth month, and on the third Sunday of May, the world also observes the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial. In liwaliw Memories this month, I will post some of the things that got HIV and AIDS advocacy under my skin.


[This post is antedated]

Philippine Heritage Homes

Random no. between 1 & 135, page 92 of Philippine Heritage Homes - A Guidebook, published by Anvil, contains part of article on Casa Segunda in Lipa City, Batangas. #goliwaliwph #pages pic.twitter.com/H1IInZVyVe

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 12, 2018

Random number between 1 and 135, page 92 of Philippine Heritage Homes: A Guidebook, published by Anvil, is in the middle of an article on Casa Segunda in Lipa City, Batangas, written by Ma. Cristina Turalba. The master bedroom of Casa Segunda is pictured and described as "finely carved narra bed with delicately crocheted bed fineries."

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.


[This post is antedated]

Culture and History

Random no. between 1 & 411, page 389 of Nick Joaquin's Culture and History, published by Anvil #nationalheritagemonth #goliwaliwph pic.twitter.com/wuElxeGViw

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 11, 2018

Random number between 1 and 411, page 389 of National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin's Culture and History, published by Anvil, contains an in-betweener illustration separating Chapter 14, "Junking the Heritage," and the concluding Chapter 15, "Culture and History."

Featured books in liwaliw Pages this month have been pre-selected from my personal library in celebration of National Heritage Month.

Touch Me in the Morning

"Touch Me in the Morning" is the carrier single of Diana Ross' album that was released on 03 May 1973, and ranked number 10 on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100.

Let me watch you go with the sun in my eyes
We've seen how love can grow
Now we'll see how it dies

Several live performances are on Youtube, but I chose Diana Ross' 1973 performance in the Royal Albert Hall in London.

"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence, "Playground in My Mind" by Clint Holmes, and "Brother Louie" by Stories were 11th, 12th and 13th on the Hot 100 list respectively.


[This post is antedated]

You're So Vain

"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon from her album No Secrets released in 1972, ranked ninth on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 of my birth year.

Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still naive
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee

Ever since I've heard of that last line, I've always wondered what "clouds in my coffee" really meant (doesn't help that I'm only an occasional coffee drinker). Songfacts has an explanation though to dispel the mystery.


[This post is antedated]

In the Land of Giants

Oh puny me. In the Land of Giants. #worldsstrongestman #updiliman #quezoncity #2018gac05

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 6, 2018 at 7:18am PDT

Dateline: 06 May 2018, University of the Philippines, Quezon City

I thought I missed the whole thing, the Philippines' hosting of the 2018 World's Strongest Man. After the despedida dinner for the BFF, who will be out of the country for this and the next three years to accomplish his Ph.D., I reached out to some acquaintances online, whom I knew faithfully followed the tournament's events since the last weekend of April.

The BFF and I were in luck; the concluding finals events were to happen Sunday after the despedida dinner. I gave BFF some going-away gifts (i.e., belated birthday and advanced Christmas gifts), and after our impromptu visit to UP Diliman's amphitheater (behind the Administration Building), seems that I also gave him an additional going-away gift of sunburn.

(Congratulations to the "Mountain" of Game of Thrones fame, Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson, from Iceland, who was awarded first place overall.)


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Latepost: Save vaccines, vaccines save

Stakeholders forum on vaccines at the PCP convention #smxconventioncenter #smmallofasia #pasay #2018gac05

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 2, 2018 at 4:00am PDT

Dateline: 02 May 2018, SMX Convention Center, Pasay City

Vaccines: The Science, the Policy and the Way Forward, a Multi-Stakeholder Forum, "How can we restore confidence in vaccination?" Held as a breakout session of the Philippine College of Physicians Convention, organized by the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, Inc.

Dr. Edsel Salvana silhouetted by his presentation, as part of the first panel, "The Science: Why We Vaccinate," moderated by Dr. Rontgene Solante.

Not my usual liwaliw - but when I read about this on Facebook, evening of May first, I knew immediately that I wanted to be there.

Latepost: Shariff Aguak in Aliwan

Most impressive, from #shariffaguak #aliwanfiesta #ccpcomplex #roxasboulevard #manila #2018gac04

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on Apr 28, 2018 at 9:29am PDT

Dateline: 28 April 2018, Roxas Boulevard, Manila

It was a bust. Almost. I wanted to catch the last of the Aliwan Fiesta activities, experience first hand what this was all about. I waited for the day to start cooling down before heading to the bleachers in front of the Aliw Theater. Hundreds of like-minded people were ahead of me. The bleachers were filled by people who seemed to have sacrificed themselves to the punishing heat of the day just to secure seats for the early evening closing program.

But before night time really fell, as I was about to cross Roxas Boulevard in surrender and headed for dinner, the first of the Aliwan parades started to pour in. While not in full performance mode, I still got a good sampling of the carnivalesque. This one from Shariff Aguak I considered to be the most impressive float amongst. A bit darkened when I took this picture; they were having electrical problems at the time, but still very impressive.

Final thoughts: Aliwan is a Manila Broadcasting Company brand intended for sponsorship marketing opportunities. Too "commercial" for my taste.


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Head of a Woman Facing the Sunflowers

Spotted: "ArtEx" on Pinterest via Google Search, 12 May 2018

"Head of Woman Facing the Sunflowers" by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who was born on 06 May 1880. References Muzeo and WikiArt titled this work slightly differently.

For the month of May, liwaliw Visuals will celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous artists (of the visual arts, i.e. painters and sculptors), while also celebrating Flores de Mayo.


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My Love

"My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings, from their album Red Rose Speedway, ranked number five on the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, my birth year.

Don't ever ask me why
I never say goodbye to my love
It's understood
It's everywhere with my love
And my love does it good

Ranking sixth, seventh and eighth were "Why Me" by Kris Kristofferson, "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John, and "Will It Go Around in Circles" by Billy Preston, respectively.


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Latepost: The Selfish Giant

Memory Served: Sometime between 1980 and 1985, Makati and Las Pinas

Programmed as Readers Digest animated feature, and often replayed on television. Based on Oscar Wilde's writing, the Selfish Giant is a fond memory of television as a surrogate nanny in my childhood, and liwaliw Memories' belated Easter feature. This endearing story was penned by someone now considered one of the world's greatest literary minds, but who was once vilified and condemned by a predominantly Christian conservative society.

Flower V

#latepost but I will always remember: Happy birthday, #keithharing (May 4); "Flower V" from https://t.co/oahY0olMIv pic.twitter.com/LBiBDVS3JO

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 12, 2018

"Flower V" by Keith Haring, in the collection of the Guy Hepner contemporary art gallery in New York. Haring, who I have admired and will always respect for his contributions in art and HIV and AIDS work, was born 04 May 1958.

For the month of May, liwaliw Visuals will celebrate the birth anniversaries of famous artists (of the visual arts, i.e. painters and sculptors), while also celebrating Flores de Mayo.


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Killing Me Softly With His Song

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Roberta Flack from her album Killing Me Softly; ranked number three in the Year-End Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, my birth year. This video informs that the song was a tribute to the musical work of Don McLean.

He sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there
But he just came to singing, singing clear and strong

On the Billboard Hot 100, number two was Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and number four was Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." (Yes, millennials, there was such a song.)

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World Press Freedom Day

What’s wrong with this picture? Are you getting just one side of the story? RT if you support a free and independent press on #WorldPressFreedomDay! #WPFD #PressFreedom @mariaressa @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/0btFtNGVwA

— IFEX (@IFEX) May 2, 2018

Spotted: 03 May 2018, "IFEX" on Twitter

IFEX is the global human rights network of organisations defending the right to freedom of expression and informatiion

"What's wrong with this picture?" is the 2018 IFEX campaign for World Press Freedom Day.

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No regrets

Anong oras na? #laborday #nationalmuseum #manila

A post shared by Glenn Cruz (@glenncruz_ph) on May 1, 2016 at 8:08am PDT

Down Memory Lane: 01 May 2016, National Museum, Manila

Two years ago this day, I finalized my political choice inside the National Museum. It was to be my fifth time to make that decision, who for me was best to lead the country.

There was this important message from the distant past that helped me firm up with my decision:

I assume in all humbleness the complex responsibilities, which you have chosen to give me. I pledge my effort and my life to discharge them with whatever talent, strength, and energy I can muster. 

I still am sure why that quote from the inaugural address of the late President Manuel Roxas resonated with me. It made me smile, feel warmer and lighter somehow, and I left the Museum sure of myself that I will not regret making that decision. And really, I have none. 

Taureau I

Taureau I by Le Corbusier pic.twitter.com/HHXC1bnm4z

— Art Pics Channel (@ArtPicsChannel) May 1, 2018

Spotted: 01 May 2018, "Art Pics Channel" on Twitter

"Taureau I" (The Bull I) by Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret) was exhibited at The Salon: Art+Design, Park Avenue Armory in New York City in 2012. That was the best information I've gotten for this work after a simple Google Image search.

(Also found out that there's a "Taureau III" at the Tate in the United Kingdom.)

Taurus is the zodiac sign associated with people born on a day from 21 April to 21 May; this post is part of some sort of birth month celebration series on liwaliw.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando and Dawn from their album I Can't Believe How Much I Love You was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, my birth year.

Now the whole damned bus is cheerin'
And I can't believe I see
A hundred yellow ribbons round the ole oak tree
I'm comin' home

The most popular song when I was born -- no wonder, I don't easily get offended when I'm name-called "dilawan." And I do get teary eyed at times when I imagine how an old oak tree full of yellow ribbons would come into view of a window of a bus full of people cheering on your behalf.

Taurus symbolism

Non-random selection. pages 62-65 of Sun & Moon Signs by Julia and Derek Parker. pic.twitter.com/B9arP1V0aP

— glenncruz (@glenncruz) May 1, 2018

Non-random selection from my home library. Pages 62 to 65 of Sun and Moon Signs: An Indisposable Illustrated Guide to Astrological Characteristics, by Julia and Derek Parker, and published by DK Publishing, features symbolism associated with the zodiac Taurus, the sign of the bull, assigned to people born a day from 21 April to 21 May.

• Flowers: primrose, columbine, daisy, foxglove, poppy, violet
• Trees: ash, cypress, vine, almond, fig, apple, pear
• Herbs: spearmint
• Spices: all, particularly, cloves
• Metal: copper
• Gems: emerald and moss agate (because green is the Taurean color)
• Animal: all types of cattle (no surprise there)

In different sections this month, will post stuff I find related to the month of May, or the zodiac sign Taurus, or maybe even the Year of the Ox (my birth year in Chinese astrology).