Skylines

Despite being semi-packed days ago, it took me awhile to decide what to leave behind yesterday. Its incredulous to have separation anxiety with my desk. I wanted to pack my reading pile too hoping that I'll finish them all this summer. When I realized that I would have to give up non negotiable accessory space in my suitcase, that idea quickly went out the window. Suddenly, the thought of a Kindle appealed to me for the first time but I'm still old school when it comes to holding a book in my hand and dog-earring pages.

The lunar eclipse also did a surprise number on me. I couldn't find my camera and a jewel box with precious contents which really got me all worked up.

I'm fervently hoping that the blue crocodile box will surface sometime soon.

It was hard to leave Charlotte not knowing where it is but the warm send off and profusion of tight hugs consoled me some.

My NYC layover was harried as I ran around to get a couple of things and dropped by Tenpenny for a quick meal before heading to JFK. Recently reviewed by Sam Sifton of the New York Times, the tables on my row all came after reading it.

We compared notes and each bite packed a lovely flavorful punch. The couple who sat next to me went twice within 4 days.

Perhaps it was Tenpenny's signature cocktail unforgettably called, The Unstrung Harp, with a chaser of prosecco, I was ready to melt into my seat by the time I boarded.

7 hours later, I woke refreshed after days of mad rushing.

Cathay Pacific's entertainment selection has always been topnotch. Normally so restless,  I can only do movie marathons on long haul flights.

 film 1: An Education - a coming-of-age film I've been wanting to see 

film 2: Love and Other Impossible Pursuits - heartwarming family drama

film 3: Incendies - a brusque and riveting tale about war and family

read the Sagittarius chapter on Susan Miller The Year Ahead 2011

Finally used up all my 15 hours and landed in Hong Kong, 

my favorite airport. 

very user friendly and great duty free shopping

showered, bought a Father's Day present, lounged

3 hours later, I boarded for my 2.5 hr flight to Cebu

I remember an exchange with my dear friend, Cornel Chiriac, 

while we were on the way to 

Santiago de Compostela last Sept 20, 2007.

Buckled up on Ryan Air's sardine seats,  he said, 

this is my favorite part as the plane ascended to meet the sunrise 

and Frankfurt-Hahn grew small beneath us.

I, on the other hand, have always loved the landings, 

the speed rush before the grounding halt. 

Just how I would run to a loved one and stop at a hug.

 Plane to plane. City to city 

Just like the first time.

flight soundtrack: So Far Out to Sea and Barefoot

The latest album, Giants by Chicane, has its signature ambient hits and some cheesy trance. Still love it tho and brings back memories of wild abandon in many sunny shores and seeing them live in Manila.

*photos are from personal archives*

Bookworm Weekend: The World of Gloria Vanderbilt

One of the highlights from our Withit Design Tour in NYC 

was meeting Wendy Goodman, 

the author of  The World of Gloria Vanderbilt

 

Before reading this book, I didn't know much about Gloria Vanderbilt  except for a mishmash of fashion spreads and tabloid stories. Withit gave all the design tour attendees our books but I would have bought it after the discussion with Wendy Goodman.

"My mom is a survivor, but she has none of the toughness that term often implies. She has strength, great stores of it, but she has refused to develop a layer of thick skin to protect herself. She remains vulnerable. It is a difficult and sometimes painful choice. She wants to remain open---open eyes, open mind, open heart. It's cost her, but she has succeeded. There is no one I know who is so open to the new: new experiences, new opportunities, new love, even if it means loss. She truly believes the best is yet to come, that great adventures are out there, just around the corner. She may have been born into a world that no longer exists, but she lives in a place about to happen." ---- excerpt from the special foreword, by Anderson Cooper, a fitting tribute to his mother.

Annie Leibovitz, 2006

Vanity Fair

my signed copy

Gloria driving a pedal car in Paris. Her mother had moved the family to Paris in 1926 after Reginald's (her husband) death. Gloria led a nomadic life in Europe until she returned to America in 1932.

photo by Horst P. Horst

At 17, in Beverly Hills wearing a tabletop dress by Howard Greer. Tabletop dresses looked good from the waist up when stars were photographed sitting in restaurants and nightclubs.

Richard Avedon, 1956

10 Gracie Square

 

Richard Avedon, 1960

outfit by Mainbocher 

February 1969 cover 

Town and Country

Francesco Scavullo

Horst P. Horst, 1970

outfit by Adolfo

Gloria portrayed the gyspet style early on. Her bedroom with Wyatt Cooper at 45 east Sixty-seventh Street was one of the most famous rooms in modern decoration. Gloria covered every surface of the room with a collage of quilt pieces, including the lacquered floor.

Growing up, nanny Dodo and grandmother Naney made up what Gloria called "the Caravan". The Caravan was home to three--Dodo, Naney, and me. It was steamer trunks, packing and unpacking on ocean liners, in hotels, on trains, on rented houses in Paris, Cannes, England. It mattered not where as long as we three were together."

Juliana Force, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's assistant and the first museum director of Whitney Museum of American Art, influenced Gloria's style. The floral pattern on the floor, accomplished with many coats of lacquer over fabric inspired the patchwork quilt room.

Wyatt and Gloria Cooper with sons Carter and Anderson

Jack Robinson, 1972

Summertime

Jack Robinson, 1972

gingham on gingham

Summertime, Long Island  

Gloria Vanderbilt, 1976

the original designer jeans 

Beekman Place

Woven into these beautiful and glamourous photos are lovely stories and lessons well told by the author.  Here's Gloria's thoughts after surviving the tragedy of her son, Carter's, suicide: 

"Don't give up, don't ever give up, because without pain there cannot be joy, and both are what make us know we are alive. You have the courage to let the pain you feel possess you, the courage not to deny it, and if you do this, the day will come when you wake and know that you are working through it, and because you are, there is a hope, small though it may be, a hope you can trust, and the more you allow yourself to trust it, the more it will tell you that although nothing will ever be the same, and the suffering you are working through will be with you always---you will come through, and when you do you'll know who you really are, and someday there will be moments when you will be able to love again, and laugh again, and live again. I hope this will come true for you as it has for me."

Gloria and Anderson with the portrait of 

Gloria's mother by Dana Pond in Paris, 1923

Gloria Vanderbilt book signing

at Ralph Lauren's 888 Madison Ave store

Wendy Goodman, Ralph Lauren, GV, Anderson Cooper

 Wendy Goodman

She also co-wrote another must have tome for the design library, 
Tony Duquette 

and is the editor of Home Design Guide, New York Magazine

Ms. Goodman's take away lesson: "But the one thing that is evident in Gloria Vanderbilt's life is that her strength and resolve and invincible warrior spirit didn't come from the wasteland of imagining "what if." Her incredible journey has been built on dealing with "what is," and the hard work and courage it takes to transform the uncontrollable in life into something positive and enriching. Andre Breton's observation that "childhood is the only reality" is the mountain that has to be scaled in life. Some make it over and others do not. "

These powerful words resonated with me. I have never let my not so rosy childhood or any circumstances thereafter deter me from living life to the fullest. Anything is possible.

I have always been a fan of Wendy Goodman's Home Design Guide features in New York Magazine. Meeting her was a real delight and honor.

 here with Betty Lyn Eller, Regenia Payne, Amy Huff

Do you have any practical advice for creative individuals, or anyone, in fact?

I think you trust yourself, love yourself, and all will be well. I think it’s important to have an image of what you’re striving for and what you’re working towards—what you’re hoping to be. I want to be the best I can be for as long as I can.

--taken from Psychoanalyzing Gloria Vanderbilt on Vanity Fair

Easter Chronicles|Fish Tales: Day 7&8

Day 7: April 15, 2006

We trolled back to Pilar from Pansukian amidst these deliriously gigantic waves. I took these photos while sitting on edge as these waves came up to the side.  Siargao Island's Pacific-facing reefs are situated on the edge of the Philippine Trench or Philippine Deep which makes it popular for ocean fishing and surfing.

 

The world's second deepest spot underwater is in the Philippines. 
This is about 34,440 feet (10,497 meters) below the sea level.

Along the way, the FBF caught a wahoo which provided a welcome distraction amidst scary thoughts of the deep. 

We circled the rocks slowly hoping to catch more fish before heading back to Pilar, the fishing village but didn't catch any more.

 

 

Lunch was at the home (which is also a no frills bed and breakfast) of Junior  Gonzales, the local living fishing legend.  His better half, Jean, is famous for her seafood fare and banana bread. This crustacean bounty was served for lunch with a vinegar, soy sauce, lemon, and garlic dip.

It was a lazy afternoon so we spent some time with the children in the neighborhood. The bicycle bell of the ice cream man came a calling and we treated the kids to a round of sorbetes. 

Day 8: April 16, 2006

Bong and Hyde, our hosts, saw us off as we left Pilar with light hearts and easy smiles.

 We saw many gorgeous vistas along the way.

 A rainbow archway welcomed us as we approached Leyte. Oh, It was magical.

Leyte is most famous for its role in the reconquest of the Philippines during World War II. General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore on Leyte, saying "I have returned", on October 20, 1944. However, the Japanese did not give up so easily. The four-day Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history.

MacArthur Landing statues

We stopped by the fabled isle of Limasawa and feasted on the steamed crab Jean sent with us for lunch. Limasawa is where they say, the first mass in the Philippines was celebrated on March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday. The Magellan's Cross shrine is located on the highest point of the island.

 

Magellan contented himself with having them do reverence to the cross which is erected upon a hillock as a sign to future generations of their alliance.The solemnity with which the cross was erected and the deep piety shown by the Spaniards, and by the natives following the example of the Spaniards, engendered great respect for the cross. “Not finding in Butuan the facilities required by the ships, they returned to Limasawa to seek further advice in planning their future route. The Prince of Limasawa told them of the three most powerful nations among the Pintados [Visayans], namely those of Caraga, Samar, and Zebu. The nearness of Zebu, the facilities of its port, and the more developed social structure (being more monarchial) aroused everyone’s desire to go thither. Thus, guided by the chief of Limasawa, passing between Bohol and Leyte and close to the Camotes Islands, they entered the harbor of Cebu by the Mandawe entrance on the 7th of April 1521, having departed from Limasawa on the first day of that month.” Translation of Spanish text by Fr. Miguel A. Bernad

After earning my golden jojoba crisp sea legs on this trip, I now look at my thunder thighs with more love and respect. Those extra kilojoules stored in my cellulite do have a purpose, after all. I may have added years to my weather beaten forehead but it was worth it. The best things in life are truly free. As cliche as that sounds...

I asked myself again the question that a few people asked me. Was this true love or delirium? There was true love but neither love nor delirium made me want to go on this trip. It was the willingness to live a full life without missing a beat.

I learned from this particular trip that it was important to feel each sensation to the marrow, smell the tendrils of existence, grasp every morsel in my small hands, and taste the underbelly of raw textures.

Such earthiness propels me to max it out as it keeps me grounded. The intricacies of the jaded world I'm treading on has never been experienced with more clarity and appreciation. At the end of the day, a full life is the only way to prepare for a good death. 

We made it to Cebu just before sunset where the soft rays collided with the jagged shadows of the hills. A friend once said that there's something deeply spiritual about watching the sun rise and set because it's the comfort of the inevitable. I concur and joyously bask in its shades of light and darkness, adding more hues to my already colorful canvas.