bed weather

Don't you wish you could just stay in bed the whole day today?

Well, thankfully, he can!

Photos from heritage and stopandpicture. Diane Kruger by Matt Jones. Justin Timberlake by Terry Richardson.

some polka dots i spotted...

I call days like these Plueys days because I get to wear my pretty Plueys! Ever since I got them 2 years ago, I feel invincible in the rain - unperturbed by any downpour. It's a liberating feeling for someone who used to hate the rain. Now, I look forward to rainy, er-Plueys days!

Of course, floods are a different story. Wishing you a flood-free Plueys night!

Get your own Plueys and celebrate the rain via Plueysmanila. Photo from greenweddingshoes.

tips from the dinner table

Setting the table is a chore that preschool kids can do. These dinnertable guides help make it fun and educational. You can go for an online-store-bought one like the get-set placemats, or the cute DIY-templates from Martha Stewart, or really do it yourself with manila paper and some markers. The USDA plate guide (which replaced the old food pyramid guide) is also interesting to guide us when preparing our kids' (and even our own) food portions. My all-time-favorite dinnertable guide though is the hand sign. "b" is for bread plate and "d" is for drink. I still use this today (of course, I keep my hands concealed under the table or on my lap) so I don't end up drinking from my seatmate's glass or using his bread plate.

Enjoy your dinner!

Photo credits: hands, placemat, placemat, placemat, placemat, my old Martha Stewart Kids magazines

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving these square bangles and bands. Wouldn't it be an interesting angular twist on one's wrist and finger?

Photos from everythingfab.

Whimsical Wednesday!

For some reason, this photo reminds me of Tangled, Disney's 50th animated feature film. It's not just that the cascading train reminds me of Rapunzel's long hair. Or that the woman in the photo looks like she's in Rapunzel's tower. It's also because there's something so ethereal and romantic and whimsical about this photo that it reminds me of a fairytale like Rapunzel.

And isn't the middle of the workweek so apt for this Tangled song? After all, by Wednesday, it would be the usual morning - and afternoon - lineup at work, right?

7 AM, the usual morning lineup:
Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean
Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up
Sweep again, and by then it's like 7:15.

And so I'll read a book
Or maybe two or three
I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery
I'll play guitar and knit
And cook and basically
Just wonder when will my life begin?

Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking
Paper mache, a bit of ballet and chess
Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making
Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb,
Sew a dress!

And I'll reread the books
If I have time to spare
I'll paint the walls some more,
I'm sure there's room somewhere.
And then I'll brush and brush,
and brush and brush my hair
Stuck in the same place I've always been.

And I'll keep wonderin' and wonderin'
And wonderin' and wonderin'
When will my life begin?

Hope your workday isn't as "full" as Rapunzel's! And in case you're feeling stuck like her, play this song. I absolutely looove the melody. Singing it in my head instantly makes me happy.

Doesn't it make your day light, happy and fanciful? Have a whimsical Wednesday!

peace in bustling new york

Yes, I've shown you this photo before. But, how can I not include the magnificent NY skyline in this post about New York?

The subtle movement in these photos from From Me To You give a certain calmness to the bustling activity that is typical of New York City. I feel like I'm watching New York in a silent movie. With movement limited to just one element - the passing taxi, the train, the man reading the paper amid a motionless backdrop, New York is graced with a serene quietness that is so uncharacteristic, yet quite fascinating.

Truly, Jamie of From Me To You is an exceptional artist, not only because of her fabulous photography, but also because she has turned animated gif into wondrous art that evokes profound new meaning versus a still photograph or even a full-fledged video. Incredibly remarkable! 

My favorite is the train which Jamie has aptly dubbed, "The Neverending Commute". What about you? What's your favorite?

of books & authors

"Become Someone Else" is a print ad campaign of Mint Vinetu bookstore. "When one reads books, he starts living it and identifies (or not) with the main hero." These print ads provoke people to try on different personas by reading more.

Truly, a book transports its readers to a different world, maybe a different time. This post honors writers I know from the past, present and future.

Past. Today, on Dr. Jose Rizal's 150th birth anniversary, isn't it just fitting to start with his...

Present. I am so proud of Filipina Samantha Sotto who wrote Before Ever After, a novel that is soon to be released internationally! She just recently came home from Random House Publishing in New York with a photo of her novel's hardcover mock-up...

Before Every After follows the story of Shelley, a young widow who discovers that her dead husband may in fact be very much alive - which would be wonderful if the bearer of this news wasn't her 32-year-old husband's 32-year-old grandson. Shelley's search for answers takes her from revolutionary Paris to medieval Prussia to ancient Venice, and finally to a place where she discovers whether love is truly everlasting. Follow Samantha Sotto in her countdown to her debut novel's release via www.theslightdetour.blogspot.com.

Future? My then 12-year-old daughter wrote this short story for her Literacy class last year. This was her very first draft and yet, I was so moved...

DEPRESSION

I'm walking through a long corridor. I've been walking for hours. Finally, I see a door. When I open it, I see a girl crouched down, hugging herself. She stands up. Her back is to me now. A voice fills the room. "Have you ever been depressed?", it says. I answer in a meek voice, "Yes." The voice comes again. I listen to it intently and realized something. "Are you sure?", it says. I realize that the voice isn't just sad. It's dead. No emotion. I can't answer. The girl in the middle of the room starts shaking. I hear a laugh. An evil laugh. Like metal, or nails scratching on a chalk board. Yet, this sound, this laugh, is lifeless. Like it was just put on, not real, fake. The room turns red. Red as blood. The girl slowly turns. As she does, the voice says again, "I have been very depressed. Depressed enough to hurt myself." The girl is now facing me, but her head is tilted down. I can't see her face. I notice her black hair like mine. She seems old enough to be my age. I wonder who she is. "Do you remember what I said? I was depressed enough to hurt myself." I didn't understand. She lifted her head. She had scratches all over her face. They looked like nail marks. She was bleeding. This wasn't the worst part though. After studying the marks on her face, I looked at her eyes, only to realize she had none. She had gouged her own eyes out! I couldn't speak. I lifted my arm to touch her and she did the same.  Perfect synchronization!  But when I touched her hand, I realized, I was looking at a  mirror...  

I WOKE UP SCREAMING.

Photos from blackeiffel, Wikipedia and slightdetour.