How I do the Arm Party

You have no idea how much effort I had to exert just to take decent photos of my arm.

I've seen a lot of fashion and style bloggers do their take on the Arm Party, which is basically piling up bracelets and other accessories possible on your, well, arms. While I admit of not being fashown enough for fashion and style blogging, I still think that my arm accessories speak a lot of who or what am I as a person. Chos! Being superstitious as a kid (I'm still a little bit superstitious now actually), I used to hoard on charm bracelets and thingamabobs. Let it be those chinese jade ornaments or even those bracelets that they sell outside of the Catholic church. Haha!

Anyway, the ornaments that I'm wearing above are gifts from different people. Even my watch is! I'm a huge fan of Kiko Rustia's charms or anyone who has an extensive collection of given bracelets and accessories, so I'm still looking forward for more gifts from people. Muahaha. The best thing about having too much bracelets is that it's a good conversation starter. Some people ask me things like, "why do you wear so much accessories?" or "where did you get this?" and so on. 

Let's all do the Arm Party!

☮,

Kyra

On the top of the World

All of us, in one way or another, want to break free from the hussle and bustle that the city life brings us. To live, even just for a day, away from the harsh winds of the much-industrialized city and to experience breathing some fresh, misty air. Growing up in the city made me think that being up there is totally uncomfortable and out of my league, but Tops proved me wrong. 

I don't know how they did it, but the people behind Tops totally brought the city life feel up to the mountain. I can recall going there years ago, when it was still untouched and pure -- though I'm not sure if it's the exact same location as Tops' -- and although it had the same majestic view, I still felt that there was something missing (i.e. chairs and tables, shops, restaurants). I think developing a part of a mountainous area into a tourist attraction is good; it would not only enhance tourism, but it would also inspire people to take part in taking care of our suffering Mother Nature.

Now, there are mini bars and restos, souvenir shops, and even good comfort rooms. Now, people can actually enjoy devouring their favorite drinks and foods while seeing the majestic view of the entire Cebu (or 'til Danao City at least) or worrying about a place to sit down to and relax. Although I felt a little bit obnoxious because of the 100Php entrance fee (side note: I suggest they should at least give discounts to non-foreign visitors), the good vibes that the place gave me certainly made-up for it. 

I still haven't tried eating or drinking in any of their mini bars or restos, because we were in a hurry and almost-broke when we went there. I feel bad and good at the same time. Bad because I wasn't able to take a drink on "top of the world", and good because it's another good reason to come back. ;)

☮,

Kyra

Sit & Play at Café Maru

(Photos by Wuv San)

There's no denying that we live in a place that's greatly influenced by the Korean Pop Culture; from K-Pop to Koreanovelas to Cutesy Korean Fashion, everything that we see around us seem to be Korean-ized more often than not. Aside from the Korean television shows that we religiously watch and the K-Pop bands that most of us admiringly follow, there are also another breed of Korean trend going around... what is it? Korean Coffee Shops!  

I don't really know what or where Cafe Maru is until a friend of mine told me to check it out. Being an internet geek, I quickly searched for it on Google and voila, I found a ton of blog posts dedicated to how awesome Cafe Maru is. Truth be told, I even became a "fan" of their Facebook page before I  even visited the place. Anyway, moving on, what normally entices me to visit a coffee shop, aside from the great coffee, is the nature of the people serving you. And Cafe Maru didn't fail at all. They have really friendly servers and the owner, Miss Paul, is such a sweetheart to the visitors. Rarely do I see someone who is so hands-on and dedicated to her business. As a matter of fact, she instantly greets someone who comes in with a warm smile. That's for keeps!

Another good thing about Cafe Maru is their homey interior. Decorated with books, instax photos, doodle notebooks and random toys (that you can actually play with!), you'll feel like you're inside your childhood's paradise. When it comes to their serving and pricing, Cafe Maru doesn't fail as well. Their serving is generous enough to make the price reasonable and fit for everyone's budget. ♥

Power of Art: Mark Rothko

Have you seen Simon Schama's Power of Art series? If yes, then good for you. If not, well, you really should! Anyway, in our Humanities: Survey of the Visual Arts course, we have meetings specially dedicated to watching Simon Schama's videos. We have seen Caravaggio's, Bernini's, Picasso's, and lastly, Rothko's. I'm personally planning to watch the rest of the videos that we weren't able to watch. (See the full list of the videos here.) We watched Rothko's video earlier and having seen most of Simon Schama's videos, I can say that Simon became personal and emotional when he talked about Rothko. Probably because he met Rothko's --correct me if I'm mistaken--Red on Maroon through an "accident" which occurred when he mistakenly took the wrong turn at London Tate Gallery? Or maybe because Rothko's work is an emotion itself. I personally don't know anything about art and such, however I can say that I'm can appreciate art, no matter what that means. I can appreciate art, but I, for the love of the heavens above, can't produce a "decent artwork."

Anyway, I should be talking about Rothko's artwork. I can name a handful of self-proclaimed artists who'll say that Abstraction or Abstract Expressionism is nonsense or created without effort, thus it has no meaning; it's just scribbles mounted unto each other, they would say. I always, always try to explain why I disagree on such shallow interpretation of that kind of art. Rothko is one proof that Abstract Expressionism means so much more than what our eyes can deceive.

Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit, and the only means of making concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness. ~Mark Rothko

 What I adore about Rothko's work is that he created them for the message that he wanted to provoke, not because of the audience that he wanted to please. As a matter of fact, he never cared whether or not people would be pleased or not.What he wanted to happen is for the people to see the meaning, to make minds think, and to leave a mark on his viewer forever. That's probably the reason why he always wanted to have his works displayed in height of the person viewing it. Did I say that right? If not, see photo below for reference. Also, he always answered that the right distance to view his work is "oh, 18 inches." In that way, I guess, the person will have the clearer view and in depth analysis of what Rothko is trying to say through his art. After all, he's the man who thought that art could change the world, right?

Photo from POUL WEBB ART BLOG

Mark Rothko is also one of the few artists who did art for the message and not for the profit. I mean, who would back-out from a then $38,000 (that would be like a staggering $2,000,000 right now) deal with the Seagram Building's Four Seasons Restaurant just because he thought that "anyone who would pay this price for food will never take a look at my art"*?

I am not an abstractionist. ... I am not interested in the relationship of colour or form or anything else. ... I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions — tragedy, ecstasy, doom and so on — and the fact that a lot of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures show that I communicate those basic human emotions. ... The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you, as you say, are moved only by their color relationships, then you miss the point!

 I am not an authority, but I really believe that art should be free from should's**. If done with the help of restriction and rules, then where's the essence of using art as a medium to connect the relationship between what's present and what the artists want to evoke? I guess what made Rothko an art legend is not the "beauty" of his art, but the message that he wanted to tell to the whole world. And I guess that alone is more than enough.

*Not the exact sentence that Rothko said.

**See what I did there? Shenanigan.

Feast and Rest at Kukuk's Nest

Quirky, artsy, and homey. These three words best describe the wonder that's Kukuk's Nest. With its superb dishes (their Adobong Kangkong is a personal favorite) and eclectic ambiance, you'll surely satisfy both your visual and food appetite.

Aside from serving as a Pension House and Restaurant, Kukuk's Nest also serves as an art exhibit and workshop location from time to time. Commonly visited by artists and art-lovers, you won't only be able to try out their dishes, but you'll also be able to meet people from the field of art. And even if you're not the artsy type, you'll still find yourself daydreaming of being there just to chill and relax. Their I-want-to-live-here-forever vibe is a steal, after all.

They have a wide variation of dishes raging from Asian to Western, and a selection of liquors and spirits. Their friendly staffs and affordable prices will also make your stay happier.