Friday, December 28, 2018

good vibes

Meditation

You’ve read the studies and downloaded the apps, but for those of us married to keyboards and smartphones, slipping into that mind-clearing state is easier said than done. 


Sound therapy may sound far-fetched, but an increasing number of urbanites are seeking out its restorative powers. 

Friday, December 21, 2018

origins of the Pinoy queso de bola

Holland shop with assorted Edam cheeses

What’s shiny, red, and almost always bound to make an appearance around the holiday season? Not Rudolph’s nose, but queso de bola - a cheese hailing from Holland, where it is known as Edam - named after its city of origin. 


In the Philippines, though the labels on balls of Edam still tout the marker “Imported from Holland,” queso de bola is inseparable from Noche Buena, and Noche Buena is just Filipino tradition - though it came from the Spanish, Filipinos have made it our own. 


Though the story of queso de bola is part of a much larger history, at face value, queso de bola is definitely distinctly Filipino

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Sylvia Plath | stripped bare

Reading Sylvia Plath was very much part of our rites of passage growing up.

wonder | wander | world greatly anticipates the recent release of two volumes of her letters published by Harper Collins.


Between February 18, 1960, and February 4, 1963, a week before Sylvia Plath committed suicide, at the age of thirty.

She sent a series of candid letters to her close friend and former psychiatrist, Ruth Beuscher. What has happened to these documents in the intervening years is a case study in Plath’s legacy.


The fiftieth anniversary of Plath’s death came and went in 2013. Almost all the major players in this story are now dead.

[F]or most of Plath’s readers a vexed affinity endures. When I discovered Plath in high school (as many still do), I remember the feeling of being an interloper in a totally absorbing story.

Much of Plath’s letter-writing is consumed with a day-by-day account of rents, leases, meals, of diaper-changing, bicycle-hawking, bill-paying.

These onerous preconditions for writing and mothering and being a wife had to be brokered all by herself, all for herself.

Plath had none of the leisure for contemplation that we associate with male writers. Her muses were economy, thrift, and the clock.

[W]e see Plath stripped of the mythos that her creativity has accrued, and more astonishing without it.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Mahala's art

This week wonder | wander | world is proud to present Mahala's latest art. 

Posted on her Peregrinalia blog and Aspect2Aspect illustration page. 

'Tis the season. . . .to wrap up! And be snug as a bug! Enjoy! 


Other people dress up for winter, I dress for a space flight to an ice planet. This is the regular version; the snow day version adds a coat that looks like a duvet Slanket, an interstitial fleece layer and polar boots with ice grips.

Created with layers in Photoshop and animated in Clip Studio Paint Pro.

Friday, November 30, 2018

Frida Kahlo: jewellery a la mexicana

In a biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera, fellow artist Lucienne Bloch describes jewellery shopping with Frida as going through markets and thrift stores 'like a tornado...she'd find cheap costume jewellery and she'd make it look fantastic'. This is because Frida Kahlo had a powerful vision of her self in mind.

From Frida: Making Her Self Up,
Victoria and Albert exhibition catalogue

Sunday, November 25, 2018

giving thanks

From both Mahala and Issa at wonder | wander | world = as we celebrate Thanksgiving weekend from our own corners of the Earth - we wish you all the best.


We appreciate your presence in our life. We are blessed to be in this together.

Warm hugs and our love always!

Friday, November 16, 2018

Stan Lee | our hero

On the 12th of November, beloved iconic comic book writer and publisher, Stan Lee, passed away. wonder | wander | world pays tribute along with all the rest of his fans.

Lee was the mind behind superheroes Spider-Man, Black Panther, Silver Surfer, The Avengers and the X-Men, among many other pop-culture touchstones.


Marvel's video focuses on the person and the personality behind those superheroes. and many more.

Stan Lee, whose eternally hopeful attitude and forever a fan outlook, leaves behind a legacy that will be remembered by many for generations to come.


Fans all over the world are already sharing tribute art in honor of this legendary man, expressing their condolences.

The superheroes Stan Lee created were a huge part of our childhood and his warm memory and kindness will forever be with us.

Friday, November 9, 2018

Nov 18 | Lenape Pow Wow on Manhattan Island

Join us for the first large-scale Lenape Pow Wow on Manhattan Island, transpiring on land that once belonged to the Lenape and marking the first congregation of dispersed Lenape elders in the area since their forced migrations in the early 1700s. The Pow Wow has been a traditional gathering by Native Americans for centuries as a way to congregate, celebrate, and share cultural traditions and heritage. Presented in partnership with members of the Lenape community, this event provides an opportunity for members of the Lenape to gather, while also inviting the New York City community to learn about the Lenape’s historical and cultural ties to New York in a fun and interactive day of presentations.


Friday, November 2, 2018

Global Nomad feature | broken Boracay dreams & promises

wonder | wonder | world is pleased to crow about our beloved relative's achievement. Global Nomad CEO and travel genie extraordinaire - Lorenzo Urra. Our beloved brother/uncle.

Conde' Nast recently published an article on Boracay's over developed and unsustainable mismanagement of its local tourism which has this once pristine island paradise shut down for rehabilitation.


The article cited valuable perspectives that growing up locally provided. How being the top sought after destination has led to its demise. Quantum growth is not always a good thing after all.

Boracay is the poster child for paradise lost in the Philippines. How to kill a golden goose. What happens when perfection is overplayed. Especially when commercial greed over reaches decent bounds.

The good news is the Philippines actually has more than 7,107 islands - it's more like 7,641 now. A lot as that sounds, it is still a limited if rich resource that absolutely needs protection and preservation.

Friday, October 26, 2018

grand galaxy


These astro photographs of Grey Chow are mesmerizing peeks into the vast beauty of our cosmos.


Enjoy his awe inspiring images of the Milky Way taken across South East Asia.


Grey Chow: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube


My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Grey Chow.

Friday, October 19, 2018

2018 Philippine Harvest | travel & food fair

wonder | wander | world shout out for this week is the gastronomical delight, Philippine Harvest: Sabores de España.


Visit their four-day travel and food fair highlighting Philippine-Spanish food influences and century-long shared culinary tradition - 18 to 21 October 2018 at the Central Square Mall, Bonifacio Global City in Makati.









*Photo Credit: Rambie Lim [She took much better images than what's featured in the DOT posts.]

Saturday, October 13, 2018

girrRRrrl powerrRRrr

October 11 is International Girls Day.

wonder | wander | world celebrates and honors all the females who have brightened our lives through the years.

Art by Karen Hallion

Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

The theme this year is With Her: A Skilled GirlForce.

"On this International Day of the Girl, let us recommit to supporting every girl to develop her skills, enter the workforce on equal terms and reach her full potential." ~ UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Kids Play in Vietnam

Friday, October 5, 2018

Monica Ramos | grand pipe dreams

Together in the blistering New York City summer heat wonder | wander | women popped into a chic little salon to get our warm weather haircuts.


Picking up one of their magazines, we flipped through the pages in a lazy stupor. Until we came across these pages of vibrant illustrations by Monica Ramos.


Better yet, she's a fellow Pinay and New York transplant! These perked us up and brightened our already sunshiny day.

Monday, September 24, 2018

Friday, September 14, 2018

GRIS explores a surreal watercolor landscape

Featured on This Is Colossal


GRIS is the first video game by the Barcelona-based Nomada studio, and will be released this December for both Nintendo Switch and PC. You can watch a demo of the indie game in the video by IGN below. (via Creative Review)

Friday, September 7, 2018

Philippine trials & tribulations

Given the recent spate of bad news coming from our homeland, wonder | wander | world proudly presents this week's pick.

6 books that will help make sense of the Philippines now

"If there’s one thing Trevor Noah and I agree on, it’s that we now live in a world where nuance is in short supply. The economy of ideas that runs on a currency of likes and shares forces us to make quick calls on issues, and the social nature of our networks can sometimes feel like quiet contemplation is tantamount to apathy."


These are places to start when you want to learn more about the Philippines and the issues the country currently faces:
  1. Bakwit: The Power of the Displaced” by Jose Jowel Canuday (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2009)
  2. “Tradition and Transformation: Studies on Cordillera Indigenous Culture” by June Prill-Brett, edited by Delfin Tolentino, Jr. (Cordillera Studies Center, 2015)
  3. “Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self” by Alex Tizon (First Mariner Books, 2018)
  4. The Embarrassment of Slavery: Controversies Over Bondage and Nationalism in the American Colonial Philippines” by Michael Salman (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2001)
  5. Barangay” by William Henry Scott (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994)
  6. Puki-Usap” by Liv Strömquist, translated to Filipino by Beverly W. Siy (Pride Press, Anvil Publishing, 2018)

More recommended reading from Nash: 6 books to help you understand Mindanao better.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

double happiness

September 1 is Mahala's birthday and my labor day.

Twin celebrations that have brought us a world of joy that expands and deepens with each unfolding year.


My one and only truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Read the full blog at Change Warrior.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

longhand journaling

wonder | wander | women are addicted to journaling. We posted a few of our projects on both our blogs. Including some commissioned work as well.


Here at wonder | wander | world we approach longhand journal writing as the ideal tool for the creative mind. As you put pen to paper, a mystifying interior world of hazy or fantastic ideas are made manifest and tangible as words spill onto the page.


Friday, August 17, 2018

anthems of a soul queen | Aretha Franklin

Yesterday the world bid a sad goodbye to the legendary Aretha Franklin,


“The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin was an artist of passion, sophistication and command, whose recordings remain anthems that defined soul music. Long live the Queen.” ~ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

With heavy hearts, wonder | wander | world hopes to soothe our grief and raise our spirits with these selection of signature Aretha anthems.



Friday, August 10, 2018

August stellar events

Look up! Watch the skies! August is full of stellar events.

Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks August 11 & 12

Here are some links to sites and schedules with great tips for where to watch them best.

NASA's blog

SPACE's skywatching

EarthSky cosmos updates

Hope you are where the skies are clear!

Friday, August 3, 2018

dangerous living

The Years Project is a TV and Internet Emmy Award winning program on the impacts of and solutions to climate change. Building a global force to reduce carbon emissions.


WATCH Season One on YouTube and Season Two on demand on NatGeo, Hulu, iTunes and Amazon.

LEARN more and ACT on Facebook or go to their website to learn more.

#YEARSproject #kidssueTRUMPadmin #solveclimatechange

Meet the kids who are suing the Trump administration on climate change. These children truly are a brighter and better future.

Saturday, July 28, 2018

joy to the world

We are happily in the lap of a family that chooses to be creative in many diverse ways.

One of three “vagina knot” women designed & sewn by Joy Dabao Akeley

This week's pick at wonder | wander | world is some fine embroidery work of our cousin, Joy Dabao Akeley. Fellow wonder woman, master home maker, embroidery queen.

Friday, July 20, 2018

bejeweled & bedazzled

This week's pick at wonder | wander | world is Jay Strongwater - creator of beautiful gems for the home.

At home at the feet of the Buddha

On a recent birthday we received this adorable hand crafted monkey holding a tiny picture frame. The full metal forged figurine measures four inches in height and is three and a half inches wide. It is painted with enamels and finely hand-set with stones.

close up of monkey frame

Sunday, July 15, 2018

postcards from the edge

wonder | wander | women are together in the US and having way too much fun.

Zipping and zagging all over the place.

We tender our abject apologies for being so delinquent on posting to our wonder | wander | world blog.

At the Roman Gallery, Met Museum

Missing last week and being late the previous weeks.

Here is Issa's birthday blog on Change Warrior for our post for this week.

Happy days ahead y'all!

Monday, July 2, 2018

AGO: Toronto, Canada

This week's pick is a new find for wonder | wander | world.

On a recent visit to Toronto, Canada wonder | wonder | women had a great experience at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Swimming Bear - Tim Pitsuilik, 2016

This summer the AGO celebrates the power of Inuit art by bringing together two extraordinary artists – Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Timootee (Tim) Pitsiulak.

Two generations of Inuit artists who have challenged viewers to respond to their art and the Inuit world view in new ways.

Mahala and I wish our island heritage were as alive and thriving. We dream of having the opportunity to resurrect and contribute to our home island art as well.


Luminous Char - Kenojuack Ashevak, 2008

Friday, June 22, 2018

grand tale in the Big Apple

With wonder | wander | women reunited after four years in New York City, we are rediscover all the wonderful reasons we so love being here.


This week's pick on wonder | wander | world is Gotham Writers - a NYC institution celebrating their 25th year in the business of creative writing.

Gotham Writers Workshop is a creative home in New York City and Online where writers develop their craft and come together in the spirit of discovery and fellowship. We’ve been teaching creative writing and business writing since 1993.

Happy New York City exploring with us!

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Saturday, June 9, 2018

collaborative art

wonder | wander | world is currently working on a project close to our hearts and our homeland roots - the long lost mystical babaylans of Negros Island


Mahala's Art

wonder | wander | women are collaborating on a joint project we are thrilled to be venturing into. Issa is writing the story and Mahala is illustrating it.


Monday, June 4, 2018

best & worst dads of all time

With the advent of Father's Day this June 17 wonder | wander | world shares this list of famous fathers throughout history.

Roman emperor Constantine, 306 A.D. to 337 A.D.

These compilation of personalities throughout the ages depict a father's role in the best and worst ways.

Hope you can count your blessings from a "normal" family life with good old dad!

Saturday, May 26, 2018

fleet week NYC

It's the 30th anniversary of Fleet Week and New York City is stoked!

Parade of ships sailing through New York Harbor

wonder | wander | world is proud to celebrate our Navy and all our brave service men and women!


Happy Memorial Day weekend folks!