Uno: Fully Articulated "We are created from music, photography, literature and the almighty source code."

Dreaming of a white Christmas.

Christmas in the Philippines is never white. It never snows here. We don’t have snowmen, snowboarding or snowball fights. There is also no need for us to spend our Christmas bonus on the latest winter collection, much to Joey’s regret. Joey insists on wearing her boots and scarves to work as soon as the temperature falls to 20 degrees Celsius (much aided by hardworking air conditioners).

But while it never becomes Winter Wonderland here, Christmas is the merriest time in the Philippines. The Filipinos enjoy it so much it lasts until the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6. Christmas is when families are reunited, old friends are remembered, and pounds are gained eating native treats prepared especially for the occassion. The Christmas spirit so fills the air here, it makes me feel alive.

New Orleans Blues: Part Deux

I wonder if New Orleans really teems with the decadence Poppy Z. Brite and her goth cohorts flavor their novels so richly. I have never been a big fan of their blood-and-sex-starved vampires (I prefer werewolves), and will not miss them if they aren’t tangibly there. But I am intrigued about the infamous absinthe Van Gogh, Verlaine and Wilde went crazy about. What is this strange spirit that could drive one to high art and then, madness?

Around the turn of the century, after observing a subset of alcoholism referred to as “absinthism”, and noting that heavy absinthe users had a propensity toward madness and suicide, by the second decade of this century it became banned in the Western world, unfairly lumped in with opiates, cocaine, and marijuana when it is, in fact, just another alcoholic beverage (although one with unique properties).

-Chuck Taggart, from “What is Absinthe? And What does it have to do with New Orleans?”

Evidence for the mind-altering effects of absinthe is largely anecdotal and the frequently quoted first-hand descriptions have come from artists and poets who would perhaps be expected to be fanciful in their descriptions.

-Ian Hutton, from “Myth, Reality and Absinthe”

But sometimes, people can get drunk purely on a city’s wild beauty. One day, I will leave all my inhibitions behind and lose myself to the intoxication that is New Orleans.

New Orleans Blues: Part Une

Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin Kiernan have painted an enthralling picture of New Orleans for us. After poring through a thousand pages of their novels, we conceived New Orleans to be a place full of sex and absinthe, photogenic gothic cemeteries, voodoo swamps with floating balls of light, kudzu-covered houses haunted by wickedly handsome ghosts, angsty androgynous vampires and beautiful suicidal gay rockstars. Because of this, New Orleans is third on Joey’s list of places she dreams to visit – the first being Greece, because she believes in gods, and second, Scotland, because she also believes in Nessie.

To date, New Orleans remains unchecked on our wishlist. We are fortunate, however, to have friends visit the place and send us lovely souvenirs. Our good friend, Jhoann, went with her family a few months ago and sent us a pasalubong box full of Mardi Gras beads. Joey, after flaunting the beads to all of her friends (who thought they were not from New Orleans but from some ill-fated Christmas tree, the ignoramuses), took these shots to prepare for the real Mardi Gras that we might party in someday.

Sent by angels.

It never fails to surprise Joey that friends would send us gifts for no particular occasion or reason. Mia, who owns some of the rarest and most coveted Super Dollfies in the planet, sent us a note a month before my birthday, and it left us slack-jawed, and then misty-eyed.

I wanted to let you know that the package from Japan arrived,
and we just shipped out the stuff on Tuesday morning to you ……..

That time, Mia does not even have a clue that my birthday was forthcoming. She simply remembered an entry I have posted on the Phlog, and got inspired to send the band “a little something”.

Heeee-heeeee…hoooo-hoooo-haaaaaa-haaaa…..

Adam, Mia’s dreamy F-16 by the famous Avvelenato, also makes a surprise appearance. Joey stared at this picture for hours just to make sure she’s not imagining things:

Mia and Adam had gifts for each of us. Joey tried to keep the dazzling pendant for herself, as she has a fetish for crosses, and received a death threat from Lugosi.