Of trips we didn't take together just yet

Gabriel visited his family in Los Angeles during the last week of October to the first week of November. Two days after he arrived, I departed for a one-week trip to Japan. Amused by the dates we have chosen for our respective trips, we agreed to take souvenir photos that we can merge to signify that although we were not able to take the trips together, we were with each other in spirit. :))

The idea first came to us when we talked about how we would both visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, he in Hollywood, and me in Osaka. I told him the "similar itineraries, different time zones" montage reminded me of the Half & Half series of the Korean artist couple, ShinliArt. I wanted to call our series [Double Trouble], but it did not pass QC. 😂

And so the months of planning for our separate trips included thinking of places and things we would photograph. The priority, though, were photos* in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.

Osaka ❌ Hollywood 

Hufflepuff ❌ Ravenclaw

Day ❌ Night

Dervish and Banges 

Universal City Osaka ❌ Universal City Hollywood

$  ❌ ¥

J. Paul Getty Museum ❌ Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

Breakfast ❌ Dinner

Osaka Science Museum ❌ Hollywood Wax Museum 

Tenryu-ji Temple ❌ J. Paul Getty Museum

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living ❌ Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Burger ❌ Takoyaki

I didn't know it could be quite a challenge not only to take photos of scenes as Gabriel had, but also to find the energy to think through those shots in the middle of sightseeing and endless walking Claire and I did in Osaka and Kyoto. (But more on that on a separate post, haha!) Merging a select few of the photos that matched was quite fun, though. This last one of the skylines is my favorite:

Mojave Desert ❌ Umeda Sky Garden

Gabriel and I first bonded over Harry Potter, back in 2013. We are both huge Potterheads, and we think that's probably one of the biggest reasons why we clicked in the first place. And so we were both so excited about visiting WWHP even if we regret not going together. Taking similar photos kind of consoled us, but we're definitely bent on going to the WWHP in Orlando with each other in tow someday soon.


*Props to Claire for patiently taking photos of me despite our cray cray walkathons. :))

Rage

It is gravely alarming and disheartening how so many Filipinos are disregarding evidence and facts just to confirm their bias. The rampant historical revisionism that perpetrates the national consciousness (or lack thereof) makes me wonder – How did we come to this? What went so terribly, terribly wrong? 

Even while away from the country for a week, I dreaded reading up on the news. Before we departed and right after we arrived, the vitriol and the cult mentality that had gotten so deeply entrenched were too much to handle. I couldn't even get myself post too much of my travel. Because what is my moment of leisure compared to the deep wounds that my country is inflicting on herself? The latter deserves the attention more.

Is anti-intellectualism the root of this? Is the general public too indignant and too resentful of the "educated few," that, in their version of reality, facts and logic do not matter? What matters are just their emotions–their frustrations and anger at the broken promises of bygone eras–that they are refusing to see reason? Can we never go beyond personality politics? Are our leaders so thick and garapal that they don't care about the havoc they are causing just to pursue their self-serving agendas? 

I can't help but feel the remorse from the wasted generation of bright and patriotic youth who would have been our leaders today, but were killed during one of the darkest periods of the country's history. The very same dark period that this cult, this mob, is hailing as a golden era. This divisiveness masking as hyper-nationalism is setting us 30 years backwards.

I don't know the answers. But I join the movement in decrying the treason and crimes perpetrated in the past and here, now, in the present. I am hopeful for our youth who are adding their voice to the calls for justice. 

There is a thin line between alienating the masses, and helping them understand differently from their firmly-held bias. The powers that be now want us to shut up, move on, forget, and let things be. But we must power through–patiently, angrily, creatively, collectively. This country's got no one but us. And we got no other country but this one, either. 

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (x)

A Potter Party

When the organizing group for the Halloween party with our counterparts discussed whether or not to have a theme, I was trying not to make it too obvious that I, in fact, do want to work with a theme. Forgoing the first suggestion to have a masquerade ball because of limited time for preparations, the shortlist consisted of Classic Hollywood, Alice in Wonderland, or Harry Potter.

I wasn't there when they decided on it. But I sure as hell was happy to work on a Potter-themed event. With one week to go, we began planning and working on the decors. I did a lot of Pinterest-ing and blog-hopping for ideas. (I will try my best to list down all the resources I used.)

We first worked on a fun backdrop which people can use for their photos. Originally, we wanted to have Platform 9 3/4 where guests can pose with trunks and owl cages halfway into the brick wall to the train station. But because we didn't have much time nor the right space for the platform, I thought about the announcements and posters throughout the series, to make some sort of a Hogsmeade bulletin board.

I printed various Potter wanted posters (both official and fanmade, hehe) on plain paper. I varied their sizes to keep them from being too uniform. Afterwards, we brushed the sheets with coffee and let them dry to give them the antique and worn-out look. 

Someone had a little too much fun working on these posters. 

I kept some of the posters after the event and put them on the wall of my corner in the office. (Too bad my phone camera couldn't capture how the color really is.)

For our table piece, we took inspiration from this setting, which featured Hogwarts textbooks, a large candle, and a chalkboard where the designated Hogwarts subject is written.

For me, the most tedious part of the entire decor-making process was making all the books needed for the 16 tables. We rummaged the whole office for books, eyeing those that are on the older side of the spectrum, with yellow pages and crumbling leather covers. There weren't enough of them, so I figured I could also put in some "modern" wizarding literature.

We found various covers and spines, both used in the movies and made by fans. We also made some of our own, since it was really tough matching the sizes of the books we have and the printables available. (We needed more titles than what's available. Haha.) It was also kinda fun to play with fonts and bring to (semi-) reality the book titles from the Wizarding World.

Some of the books for the tables. Our conference room became an assembly line of Hogwarts textbooks. Haha.

Don't ask me where these bottles came from. :))

To keep the table from being too bare with just the books in the center and since we couldn't put big candles on the tables because of fire hazard, we opted to add bottles painted in gold and silver to add height. The bottles also held the mini House banners we made as well as short (heh) descriptions of the subjects.

Our mini Hogwarts library!

These descriptions were printed again on plain paper, cut and brushed with coffee. We then pasted them on cardboard, whose edges we burned to come up with the old parchment look. We then stuck these inside the bottles and put them on top of the books. One office mate did the lettering on the chalkboards, and we added a couple of tea lights on each table to finish the look.

 

Perhaps one of the earliest ideas for this party was pulling off the floating candles of the Great Hall. Unfortunately, we weren't able to execute it well as we found (and bought) the tea lights we needed a little too late. :( In addition, there weren't many available in the stores anymore to make for an impressive enchanted ceiling, so we opted to put the tea lights to illuminate the table decors instead. 

We asked for gold table cloths and black napkins to inspire some medieval ambiance to the venue. To add some more House pride, we had the four crests printed on tarps and displayed them in front. (It was really fortunate that the size and division of the stage was just right for the four banners. :)))

And, here's our finished product:

And here's how the photo wall looked like:

We printed some props for the photo wall and pasted them on the sticks.

Guests to the party weren't required to be in Harry Potter costumes. Any old Halloween costume was fine. I was planning to go as a character from some other franchise universe, because I didn't want to go as a Ravenclaw student without the right scarf or even tie. Unfortunately, laziness got the better of me and I just went as a Ravenclaw student after all. The costume was easy, anyway. And, well... sayang naman kung hindi ako belong sa decor! :))

Aside: If I were being nitpicky about these posters, I would insist on sticking to just using posters from a specific period in the Potter series. (I know that Harry and Sirius and the Death Eaters weren't wanted all at the same time by the Ministry. :))) It was all very anachronistic. 😂 But I found it so fun to just print everything I could get my hands on and mounted them on a single wall. 

Later, I would learn that the guests also liked taking photos with the wall as their backdrop, even those who were obviously not fans of Harry Potter. So, yay! Mischief managed.

Harry and Hermione! Awww. :3

Fun with the photo wall! 😄

🙈

There are a lot of stuff that I wish we could have done to make the party look more epic. But overall, it was a really fun event. And I really did enjoy decorating. 

---

Resources

Idea prompts:

• Wanted posters photo wall
• Hogwarts textbooks table piece
• Floating candles

Printables: 

• Wanted/Undesirable posters
• Hogwarts Quidditch team posters
• Quidditch World Cup 1994 poster
• Gryffindor tryout poster
• Hogsmeade poster
• Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
• Hogwarts textbook covers (official/movie version) and other props printables (MoM miscellany, food packaging, Quibbler, Undesirable posters, etc.)
• Hogwarts textbook spines
• Butterbeer ad
• Daily Prophet front pages
• Daily Prophet product ads
• Weasley is Our King poster
• Quibbler Free Spectrespecs edition
• Hogwarts House logos via Pottermore

Here are some of the book spines I made, using free fonts and textures:

Numerology and Grammatica, Chadwick's Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Magical Theory, Death Omens, Unfogging the Future, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Wizarding Genealogy, Magical Water Plants, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Transfiguration, The Book of Charms and Spells, Charm Your Cheese, The Standard Book of Spells, Unforgivable Curses and Their Legal Implications, Wizards are from Neptune, Witches are from Saturn

Did I say I enjoyed preparing for this Halloween party? 😂 #sorrynotsorry #potter5ever

ghosts

i.

they say the unexplained sensation from phantom limbs can be quite excruciating. like the ghost of the missing body part, the hacked nerve endings give off confusing signals to the brain, signaling danger. signaling pain.

but how do you handle the danger from a part of you that isn't there anymore? trying to shake it off with involuntary twitches. attempting to use the missing limb. numbing the mind and body with morphine. scratching the itch. denying the loss.

ii.

funny how he puts a ring on another's hand and you take off what's on yours.

iii.

do you call a ghost what should have been there but isn't (wasn't any longer)?

subsisting on digital crumbs, you try to trace the path back to the promise from a decade ago. but the crumbs are sparse and the path almost gone. do you still try to find what refuses to be found?

iv.

Burning bright right 'til the end
Now you'll be missing from the photographs,
missing from the photographs (x)

v.

you never had encounters of the supernatural kind, whereas everybody seems to have a ghostly experience or two. sometimes, you wonder if it's because you have shut your consciousness from the unexplainable. maybe it's your cynicism. maybe it's your unwillingness to concede to what you can't understand, let alone control.

in these experiences, people have different ways to cope. some cry. some scream. some run. some can't wait to tell others. some pray to the divine. some close their eyes and will the bad away.

maybe, some choose to forget, erasing everything from their minds, leaving no trace.

vi.

the phantom limb hurts because the brain is having trouble coping with the loss. the void hurts, but the opposite can also be quite true: suffocating, unnerving. grasping, clutching, hanging by a thread. reaching out for that sliver of rationality–why, why, why?

vii.

without the ring, lighter is the hand. but heavy is the heart.

Untitled [19]

The night of poetry and music was a tribute for la lune. The muse, however, was shy that night.

I am blessed beyond measure with the people I have in my life. The (secondhand) emotional turmoil of the past week made me appreciate how constant family is. How harmony at home is such a huge factor in my daily peace of mind. Conversely, a little domestic dissonance impacts me hugely even as I try to separate the personal from the grind at work.

I am also amazed with the quality of friends I have. Extended friendships are awesome. I feel wonderful to have been able to bring together people from different phases of my life, and who are just as comfortable with one another as they are with me. Time and space make no difference in the joy to be had when we get together every now and then.

Sometimes, though, a gust of cold wind hits you and you double over. Friends and family can't see the storm, and you only have yourself as you brave through the tempest, plodding on through. The brightest of days ends up being gloomiest after all. You just never know with other people sometimes. Or the moon. Or your mind–it's fickle. But then again, it's yours.

Like the mantra I have chosen for this year, I am reminded to be kind to myself first and foremost. I am reminded that I am my longest commitment. I could only ever bank on what I have promised myself that I would do or become, because people are fallible and no contract will ever be as binding as it purports to be. In the grander scheme of things, you can only do so much for people. And they can only do so much for you.

The moon was the reason we were there that night. It drizzled instead. The moon hid behind the clouds, barely casting its light. And so we left. 

broke down / nothing else left

Get up, get up, pressure, pressure
Run away as fast as you can go
Every day our friends and lovers
Give the answers everybody knows 

– Bastille, Lethargy

Weddings and Wonder

Hashtag Destination Weddings: Bicol, Subic, and Batangas

Gabriel and I attended another wedding last Saturday, our third invitation for the year. And they aren't just typical weddings in the city, but destination weddings that needed whole weekends to attend. I have to say, they are a perfect excuse for weekend out-of-town trips! :))

All of the weddings are from Gabriel's side–a relative, a college friend, and a colleague. Each of them unique in their aesthetics, execution, even audience. Without fail, I catch myself wondering how my own wedding will look like, and feel like.

It's true, the way some people dismiss a person's musings of "I'm not going to get married" to "You just haven't found the right person yet." While I disagree with how, well, dismissive, of a person's own self-analysis this can be, I also find it true that you can't really predict everything that is going to happen in your life. Somewhere, somehow, something will change and steer you to a direction you never thought you'd choose.

As a kid, I marveled at wedding dresses. How pretty they make the wearer seem. I wondered what it would be like if I were in those bridal shoes. I even tried drawing some designs of what I wanted mine to look like. Everything seemed to be made of lace and light and love.

As I grew older, I realized I didn't care much for weddings, that I couldn't care less either if I get married. In fact, I didn't think I would. But now, weddings and marriage are just some of those things in my future that I feel are certain, definite. More than the ceremony, it's the promise of a life together that looms largely in the distance. And yet, it's become something that just seemed unconditionally natural to think about, to want, to plan for.

There are still a number of weddings we have to attend to before our time comes. A handful more of chances to pick up useful tricks and pointers. :)) Until then, I will always be filled with wonder at how such moments come together to celebrate the union of two people who have chosen each other to spend the rest of their lives with. 

Australia: Week Two

Sydney, NSW and Canberra, ACT
29 April to 6 May 2016

The people I talked to and who had been to Australia kept dismissing Canberra as "boring." And cold. Boring and cold. Maybe the country's meticulously planned capital could be quite dull when you've been there for a while. For me, though, a week in this spic-and-span city is bitin. Mostly because most of my weekdays there were spent for the course proper. We barely had time to go out to the business district before the shops closed, never mind the many museums and parks that are one or two bus rides away.

We stayed in Braddon, a suburb adjacent to the Canberra CBD. When we got there, the autumn foliage in the city was in its full splendor. Those trees could just be talisay, you know. :)) But damn, is the city pretty during this season!

After settling in our hotel, my companion and I went around for a walk to look for the station of the bus we would take for our weekend Sydney trip. Just across the CBD is this park dedicated to ANZAC. It really amazes me how much honor the people of Australia give to that part of their country's history. Lest We Forget markers seem to be a staple in most cities, if not all. (Meanwhile, Filipinos are welcoming the opportunity to revise history. But that's another post.)

Pose, how do :))

Is it winter yet? 🍁🍂🍃 #AryaLakwatsera 😂

A photo posted by Riza Atienza (@_rizaatienza) on Apr 29, 2016 at 12:08am PDT

Caught the boys of Merlin on Canberra TV. That's season 3, Gwaine's intro! That git. Haha.

Because we had the weekend free before the course started the following Monday, my batch mates and I decided to take on our respective solo trips to Sydney, where we all have friends and families to host us. I met with my friend who's currently studying at the University of New South Wales, and he took it upon himself to tour me around Sydney.

Sydney's Central Station. Not as iconic and as lively as Flinders, in my opinion. But still pretty.

Sydney is a bustling metropolis, but it's coastal and conducive for long walks. So from the Coogee suburb, we walked and people-watched towards Coogee Beach. I love how how accessible the beach is from the suburb. People thereabouts are so chill. Maybe because it was a Saturday. On our way, I even saw people not wearing any footwear. To each town its own quirks. :)

We had lunch at this Mediterranean-themed place near the beach. Super chill! Ahh, First World life. :))

After some catching up, my friend and I headed downtown so I could look around for pasalubong. With the Opal card, buses and trains are so easy to use. *insert heart-wrenching envy again here*

Paddy's Market

Sydney, like Melbourne is a multi-cultural city with people minding their own businesses. Basically, people are warm but you can do whatever you please, too. It's less intimate than Melbourne, if that makes any sense, but just as vibrant and engaging. The sprawl of the city and all the tall buildings can be quite intimidating, but afternoon strolls like the one I had at Darling Harbour could really make visitors feel quite at home.

We chanced upon this installation of quirky road signs from around the world.

Oh yeah? :))

#AryaLakwatsera in the coastal city of Braavos! Haha.

A view of the Australian Maritime Museum

From Darling Harbour, we took a ferry to Circular Quay. My tour guide (haha) said that it's more epic if I had my first encounter with the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from the middle of the bay. True enough, it was really a good view.

Luna Park! Someday, I will be able to enter one. :))

How pretty is it at night!

That one time Arya was in Highgarden. 🌸🌷🌺🌹 Chos. #AryaLakwatsera

A photo posted by Riza Atienza (@_rizaatienza) on Jun 18, 2016 at 5:35pm PDT

After my final chance to shop in Sydney (at the DFO in Stratford) (the plaza near the train station is so cute!), I hurriedly tried to go back to Central Station to catch my bus back to Canberra. (I actually missed my scheduled trip. Luckily, my student ID gave me the privilege to change my ticket for free. Otherwise, that's AUD80 down the drain! Haha. Nawili kasi sa DFO at Woolworth's! :)))