Moods #52

Saddest Quo | Pernice Brothers

                                                    There's a train wreck

                                                    Picking up survivors from a plane crash

Visual Journal Entry #14

 

Upside Down world as it was cut into two halves

In today's entry, we can find some mixing of sobering colors composing this rather angular visual journal. We can find shades of purple, coffee paper, gold, silver, black and some white ones on the rather little space. Finally, a small miniscule space for breathing and freedom of movement. The images are readily identifiable, we have purple roses, a butterfly, upside down jar of purple flower and a young barely adult girl, seemingly wearing a school uniform or study outfit with a small purse held between her timid hands. The entire spread was held together by a very commanding background, a snapshot of a portion of our galaxy with constellations, stars and dusts all rendered in gold. However, a big portion of the background is in black and dark purple, just like the endless darkness of the universe. In the foreground, framed is the upside down image of a globe, with some horizontal and vertical lines, that make up the latitude and longitude lines that cross the entire planet, although imaginary. Also, the middle part, supposed to be the equator is cut, therefore rendering the sphere into two halves: one half circle is on top and the other one, the bottom. Lastly, I invite you to look at the bottom part of the whole visual journal, in the middle bottom is a transparent jar containing a purple rose, growing from the green half circle. This green half circle is a kind of  upside-down horn, which I am comparing to the old astronomical symbol of constellation Taurus, the bull's horn, a place of infinite regeneration, growth and fertility. The purple rose is in state of infinite growth, as it was nourished by the fertile ground of bull's horn, even when the world is in such a mess, in incomprehensible state or in endless state of decay, destruction and death, there is a place beyond it, a place of infinite growth, healing, regeneration and in simple terms, life.

Journal Flip Page ~ Swap Journal

 

September, October and November 2023

Visual Journal Entry #12

As mentioned earlier, this is the 12th one.

I like the easy tone of this visual journal entry, the purple color seems to dominate the elements in this spread. It becomes a pivot for which all colors and images rests. Even the fashion of the woman borrows a lot of color from the purple strip. Upon closer look at that strip, it is like the feathers of peacock, fragile but a feast to the eyes, it has rich colors within its tiny thin streaks. 

Still, the mild coffee color strip of thicker volume looks sturdier and it lends a noticeable background. It supports the two white squares which usually bears the written message in a journal or in a letter. A smiling cat sets the mood. But we can see some jar, time tower, scale and a parcel package scattered across the whole canvas. The flowers are giving some vibrant color in this rather dissolved in white feel spread.

It was originally designed as a get well soon card for someone. And it is in that someone's possession right now. So, this is the first visual journal entry that I gave away. 

Anyways, healing is something that comes in the right time, if we have the right medicines, right frame of (happy and content) mind, if we read and feed our soul with the right healing words and if we let the flowers of life continue to bloom and flourish, then we are in our journey of healing. 

Perhaps, the purple strip is like the water that supplies the healing power.

Have a good day my dear readers.

Treat yourself well

Visual Journal Entry #13

The mysterious, mystical, incomprehensible number 13

Okay, a little back story, I have already done visual journal #12 and upon checking, ooops I haven't posted it in the blog yet, it then reminded me of how busy life has been since -ber months started.

Anyways, I am supposed to post a new visual journal today and upon checking, whoa, it is the 13th visual journal already. So, I will post the 12th visual journal after posting this 13th visual journal. It will become a back to back post for today!

So, here it is the 13th visual journal.

You can see that it is the same woman in visual journal #2, but it was a different surface. In visual journal #2 she was in the A5 notebook spread, but now in visual journal #13 she is in a 13x20 cm card stock, seemingly framed in a transparent oversized postal stamp, somehow lending it the notion that it is for sending, for going away, like a parcel that needs to be sent from a source point to its destination. Our lady holding the flowers deep in thought, showing just a little of her face is journeying again, this time leaving the heavy A5 notebook that housed her before, she is in a single card stock, ready to go with lesser baggage.

The moon is above her while her feet is lightly touching the earth. Aside from a bouquet of flowers, she is holding some kind of document, perhaps a map or perhaps a detailed journal of what she needs to do, who knows? Her eyes are hiding, she is difficult to read but as usual her steps are confident and full of resolve. Note, the jar of flowers on the upper right part, she has preserved some flowers inside a glass jar. The black and white flowers, wildly perched on top, level with the moon looks otherworldly. Where is she going? The mystery remains. Much like the number of this visual journal.

By the way it is full moon, my loves, so keep the light shining.

The lady holding flowers and a document

Let's calm down

...and possibly have some sip of hot tea or hot coffee over some freshly baked bread.

It is a typical -ber weather right now, cool breeze, drizzling, cloudy skies, lovely weather.

To top it all, it is a slow Friday work week.

Weekend is just around the corner.

I want to provide a warm blanket or comforter to anyone who's been out and cold.

Let's try to have a quiet corner, warmed by hot tea and company.

I want you to feel my warm welcome. Like a thick jacket to protect our bodies from unforgiving freezing cold. 

Welcome my loves.

Welcome my darlings.

Sending you all my love and embrace.

Monday the 13th

To avoid the moody and brooding ghost, I am posting my warmest greeting to my one and only SO <3

May this make you happy and remembered and loved ^^

Man in the Mirror | The Philippine Madrigal Singers

Deep Black Mourning

Song to the Siren | This Mortal Coil

Oh my heart

The story of medicine refill day

Today is a good day.

Today is Sunday and it is time for family, for resting longer than usual, time to sleep more soundly, time for faith rituals, time for self-care and time for writing.

Also, this time of the year is the time for personal medicine container refill.

I try to take stock and refill my medicine container cyclically so I can check whether the contents are still usable or whether I need to get new supplies or just let it stay inside my small medicine can.

This is my personal medicine container

Well, the contents are really simple:

paracetamol

vitamin c

cough remedy

antihistamine

chili porous capsicum

adhesive bandage

Potions

You see, it is so simple.

But what I really want to talk about is that I am inspired by this:

So, yes, I am in search of more antidotes because the dark is here again.

Also, the past weeks were full of revelation about health crises, I found myself in the position of bringing a patient to the ER, visiting a patient in a hospital ward, bringing a patient to a dentist, receiving news of death, receiving news of big health crisis and I myself had been under the weather for two full weeks.

The last weeks were full of bodies needing rest, bodies needing remedy, soul needing rest, soul needing healing, mind body and soul needing restoration and cure and rejuvenation.

We are all poisoned and we are living in a badly polluted and poisoned environment.

Our mother earth is really sick right now. She cries. She weeps. She needs help. She is asking us to heal her. We are her children, we need to help her. We need to find healing within us so we can heal her too.

She is waiting for us to heal her.

In this other half of the year, the start of collective going under begins as we welcome the new moon eclipse. I hope we find the light of healing as we go through the following months. 

F13

Persephone | Cocteau Twins

Oh, you are but ever by the jar

Moods #51

I'm Scared | Duffy

The blank pages of my diary
That I haven't touched since you left me

…

Dust gathers on my stereo
'Cause I can't bear to hear the radio

SO_journals_giving you a special privilege to browse through my soul

 

The Mysterious Tea Bag

This is a very crazy story

So, I was given a tea box gift as care package from one of my good friends and it looks very posh, please see the picture below

It is a nice numbered tea bag with description as to which tea one should drink according to moods or day of the week, this picture below can help a lot

Though the letters and numbers are small, you can zoom in to read them easily. Anyways, they are labeled by numbers with corresponding varieties of tea. This is how it looks inside when one opens the tea box

Then of course, we can find the numbered tea bags inside a nicely designed tea bag paper containers

To continue the story, I ran out of my usual genmaicha looseleaf one day which prompted me to bring this tea box to the office. It was okay sitting on the metal cabinet for a long time, untouched by any pests or rats which may want to devour any food items left in our workspace.

However, come one weekend, the rats might have gotten too hungry because it was a long weekend, when I got to the office and opened my cabinet, lo and behold the tea box was torn apart with such small teethmarks on all the edges and the tea bags were spread all over, looking like it suffered a blow of ravenous scoundrel. It was indeed a shocking mess.

But remember, the teabags were numbered and I only drank one tea bag the previous week so I made a quick accounting of the tea bags that were lying messily on the cabinet, fortunately some remained untouched so I still recovered them but some were desperately torn apart, so I just decided to trash them into the garbage can.

This story gets exciting, as I was counting all the tea bag numbers, all 24 of them were accounted for, except for one tea bag, you have a guess which number is missing?

Of course, what else, the tea bag number 13!

I derisively laughed at myself, why oh why does this number keep bugging me.

Will the tea bag number 13 please show up? But no, the world will not listen. It didn't show any signs that it will come up any time soon. So, work started and on I went with my day.

However, today in the office (which is actually yesterday afternoon, because I am typing now in my house around 5:20AM) I saw a very weird thing, please take a look my dears:

Wedged between the folders, I saw a familiar looking paper bag. Upon closer inspection, it was a tea bag and yes, of course, when I checked the number, it turned out to be that missing tea bag. Finally found after 2 weeks of being missing. 

You can see the teethmarks at the bottom of the tea bag, but why did the scoundrel hid this tea bag from me?

Well, maybe the office rat has a fondness for this number haha!

Okay end of story, I need to prepare for work.

Laters again my dears.

Sound Bites: Lorelai and Rory talking (GG, 2000)

Rory: I just snapped and I got sick of everything, I wanted to go anywhere.

Lorelai: So you picked hell?

Rory: Was the first place that came to mind.

Lorelai: I respect you.

#somuchfeels #cannotagreemore #metoo

PS

Moon is fuller on the 16th lunar month, have a bright illuminating day <3

Time Flies, they were so little before, but now!!!

 

I used to be 'ate' but now I am 'tita' !!!

okay okay, I guess I am really getting older

why are they so tall now?

#bigfamilylunch

Moods #50

Kapit

Armi Millare

Pilit sa putik aking pupulutin nang isa isa

Mga pangarap kong nabasag tila bubog sa paa

Journal Flip Page June to July 2023

Morning to all

Today I am posting my June to July journal <3

I know the video is a bit in a wrong orientation, I have no idea how to flip the video around without using a decent video editing app.

In one of my careers, I used to be a video editor and I loved the job, but I have not been editing for a long time now so I don't know if there is a free version of adobe to use.

But the simple answer is that just flip this video around in your device so you can see it well.

Okay, so yay, finally done a kind of nice job in designing my June-July journal, but I have more to do.

Laters.

A purr-y visitor

I have a visitor in the office today.

A purring visitor.

I am not entirely sure if the purr-y one is a boy or a girl cat.

Maybe it is a boy.

Let's meet Tiger Lily!

Moods #49

Welcome to the full moon, how is everyone doing?

My schedule and routine have been in a limbo lately, so I am not sure anymore if I will be able to give you a very sane and cohesive post about my full moon devotion, just I want to remind everyone that full moons are time for appreciating fullness, completeness and perfection of the cycle of life, love and fate.

Also, please remember, the moon is fuller on its 16th lunar day.

This video below is a very beautiful natural music, created by the wind blowing through the Aeolian Harp.

It is also interesting to note that Aeolian Harp is part of Classical Greek Mythology, I am still researching it but it is basically about oracles and announcements.

Have a blessed full moon everyone <3

PS

Hugs and kisses, always.

Journal Flip-Page

So, this is my Journal in 2020, wow, was I busy writing?

I want to do this again in 2023, but whew, it is already half of the year.

But anyways, see how I was so dedicated to journaling :)

Visual Journal Entry #11

Turning inward

 

May this reach the other side

Little Drop of Poison | Tom Waits

another long goodbye

Manuls

Pallas's cats Zelenogorsk and Mia: spring passion!

When you wanted to hide but you keep getting found.

Watch til the end, poor Mia some of her hair got stuck in Zelenogorsk's lips.

Wild!!!

Moods #48

Paagi | UDD

Ang nakaraan, nasa harapan

Ang kasalukuya'y ilusyon lamang

PS, eclipse, new moon, another roller coaster cycle for all of us

Moods #47

Toxic | Pitch Perfect

It's getting late to give you up
I took a sip from my devil's cup
Slowly, it's taking over me

Crossing to the other side

I am hopelessly restless as I am writing this journal entry right now. Thinking maybe it is the full moon or maybe something else entirely. Also, maybe my mood is affected by my period, maybe hormones, maybe just deeply worried about something I can feel, just this nameless feeling, that has been making me unfocused and uncentered lately.

I have been quiet for a few months actually, because the last few months felt like years ~ long long relentless years that brought about a lot of new faces, old wounds, new routines, endless adjustments, old forgotten problematic emotions, new challenges, new issues, new problematic emotions, old ways of evading problems, new ways of evading problems, endless worrying and procrastinating. Day after day of these bouts of attack into my psyche, my daily routine, my overall emotional and psychological health (if there is still health left there) my physical body, I don't even remember how I survived.

But here I am.

Writing.

Still writing. Still trying to make sense of the last few months or desperately trying to just forget and move on and life live as it happens. 

Plans failed, but still here I am picking up the pieces. Not really knowing if I should just let the pieces fly away, just let them scatter on the ground, not to bother at all. And just keep walking forward.

Methods failed. I used to think I had a good layout of strategies for facing the challenges that might come in life, at work, in my family, with friends, but all just fell into pieces and crumbled. My best laid plans, it just couldn't handle the flood. The waters that can drown. The ocean. The heavy downpour. All swept into the force of the stream, the tidal wave.

The Flood

I would like to describe the flood but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I would like to describe the flood the way Russian novelists can spend entire book chapters just to describe a beloved sitting down, opening a book in a library ~ as the lover stands there ruptured at the sight of this marvelous scene, describing the lighting effect of early morning sun against an open window in a misty Saturday morning, with soft rays coming through the window slats. The soft golden rays hitting the hair of the beloved as she innocently flips through the pages of the book, how it touches the heart of the lover, every single nano-second tattooed in his mind, soul and being. The sound of the pages of the book as she touches it and thoughtfully checks the pages of the book, while absentmindedly sipping tea from a favorite teacup. The Russian novelist might both describe the lover and the beloved ~ intimately, with details ever elusive but somehow touching the eternity in this very mundane scenario, reading a book on a Saturday morning. The simplicity hiding the marvelous mysteries and magic beyond the physical mis-en-scene. 

This, I would love to do this. Describing the flood like this. But I cannot. Yet.

But instead I listened to it. 

Oh boy, did I listen to a lot of music during the past months! Lots and lots of music.

Yes, I might be crazy, but I feel there should be a connection between the flood of my life and the music I listen to. I have been listening almost religiously to the usual classics: The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Tom Jobim (as interpreted and rendered by Daniel Jobim), Caetano Veloso, Caesaria Evora, etc ~ because somehow they capture the flood in their music. But yes, Jim Morrison, you are such a revelation to me. Jim, how could you both drown into the flood and be the flood itself? How could you sing while you drown? You should have lived longer to guide us all! But of course, there will be no Jim without the whole band, but wow, I mean how could their music capture such emotions? 

Pure magic, how could they communicate directly to a throbbing, sad, pained soul? Maybe they have a map of pain, grief? Is someone brave enough to keep on going through pain again and again to be familiar with it so much so that he/she can draw a map out of it?

The Mess after the flood

Needless to say, after the flood, there will be a universe of mess again.

Yes, that's maybe why I am restless and full of worries because I have to clean up. Cannot help it. 

Have a deep reflective full moon everyone.

Visual Journal Entry #10

Gising na!

 

Moods #46

Okay, I know we don't have Spring here in the Ph, but can't you hear it in the wind, smell in the air, see the sky and find that all the signs are there, it is finally time for Spring/Summer!

The nights are still cold here, but not as cold as the past months, where I was forced to wear two layers of top and no electric fan! There were a number of nights when I had to get up in the middle of the night because of chills. Oh those incredibly cold nights!

But now, it is finally here.

The change in temperature, the weather is now adjusting, the trees, the grass, the flowers. The colors are coming back, the leaves are getting greener, the smell of bloom is here.

So, my playlists my friends are also changing haha, here let me share one of my favorite ladies of music, Stacey Kent.

One note samba | Stacy Kent

So I come back

To my first note

As I must

Come back to you

I will pour

Into that one note

All the love

I feel for you

PS, have a good new moon to all of us

Visual Journal Entry #9

 

Shadow

Moods #45.1

Time and Tide | Basia

We got time, oh baby,
There's no rush
Gonna be a better
Day for us

Visual Journal Entry #8

 Full moon 20230307

Babaylan at ang Paghihilom

Visual Journal Entry #7

 

Thursday/Friday

20230302-0303

Underground plants, jarred plants, a volcano and three 'kittens' intently observing

Visual Journal Entry #6

 Wednesday night, 20230301

Persephone getting some letters/mails/messages from Hades

clue: don't forget to look for the pomegranates 💜

Visual Journal Entry #5

20230227

Visual Journal Entry #4

 

Dear diary,

Tonight I want to talk about this lady in yellow dress. While I was creating my visual journal tonight, this lady kept on disappearing, in a number of other stickers of fish, other ladies and flowers. She just kept on walking! Can you believe that! It was so hard to capture her, she was just so intent to keep on walking, of course her back turned to me.

This lady muse is hard to decipher so I had to concentrate on her for a long while, where could she be going? I kept asking her, I kept asking my journal tools, I kept asking myself.

Where is this lady going?

Don't you see, she keeps on walking and walking and walking.

Leaving me alone.

I was so helpless, so I figured, I have to scatter stardust on her path because she is so stubborn, she kept walking even though her path is still unsure and uncertain. She is a bit snobbish too. She doesn't cooperate with me. 

So I gave her fish, octopus and flowers and stars and a pearl in the other side of her path. And of course music.

Can you believe her? She kept walking with her bag containing flowers, not even bothering to look at me. 

I also gave her the magic of golden stardust, it could help her light her path.

She likes smelling good, so she has giant perfumes in the foreground. 

Oh well, I even chose some bird and a kind of wildberries for her, just to keep her company, but she kept walking and walking and walking. She is a very quiet lady.

Anyways, this is my visual journal for tonight.

I hope she finds her way and she finds that golden pearl on the other side.

Good night everyone.

PS, look at the moon together with other planets, they are majestic.

hugs to all

💜

Visual Journal Entry #3

New Moon

Let the water drown us into the unknown deeper world of magical fishes and mysterious sea life

New

Empty

Alive

Living

Visual Journal Entry #2

 

Let's continue walking the universe of grief

💜

Visual Journal Entry #1

Dear readers,

Sharing with you one of my initial visual journal entry

Been through so much these past months.

The past months felt like years, each day was more challenging than the last, but life moves on and we must move on with life and with the times.

In the middle of all these chaos, don't forget to dream.

Also, we have to use our time wisely.

Hugs to all

Moods #45

'daig pa ang telenobela kung ako ay magdrama'

damang-dama kita Ebe

...yun na nga...

Padayon!

🐳

New moon mood (sige na nga ely)

Moods #44

Venus as a boy | Bjork

He's exploring the taste of her

Moods #43 (late post)

Nakapagtataka | Performed by Sponge Cola

Hindi ka ba napapagod O di kaya'y nagsasawa Sa ating mga tampuhang, Walang hanggang katapusan