Gigzilla Posters from JP Cuison

   

JP Cuison, advertising wonder kid, rock star, and and artist extraordinaire has released his gig posters to the wild. So now you can have a piece of his zaniness for you very own. Get it at Secret Fresh at the Ronac Art Center.

I got this Rizal Cyborg silk screen and I consider it one my best art purchases. I'm not going to say for how much but these posters are retailing for P2,500. Not too bad if you've scanned how much some art pieces are going for nowadays. 

What I really like about JP (aside from his killer Robin Padilla impersonations) is that he's managed to make our Filipino jeepney aesthetic cool. The jeepney aesthetic is a fantastically confused artform that's a hodgepodge of anything and everything we like. Look at the side of any jeepney and you'll see what I'm talking about. Filipinos just have this need to put their faith, their love for anime, a portrait of their first born, and anything they fancy in one canvas for all to see. JP's work is about turning over popular symbols by infusing it with unrelated imagery. Sometimes, it turns out ironic. Sometimes, it's just plain strange. Either way, it's electric. 

Oh, they're also selling toys from JP Cuison and other artists.

Mich Dulce Design Talk at Ayala Museum

I'm a huge fan of Mich Dulce. She's always had a quirky distinctive style that's reminiscent of the good old days when women were proper, men smoked cigars, and tailored clothing was the norm. Not to say that her work is vintage because the structure and the cuts are very modern.

Stylish, demure, with a little wacky sewn in. That's Mich Dulce for me. One of my favorite Mich Dulce designs had this detailed print on it. (Btw, that's Bryanboy modeling it.)

Upon closer inspection, you'll see that the women are being very naughty indeed. Lately, Mich Dulce has been experimenting with hats and corsets. Her invite for Ayala defines her as designer, milliner, and corsetiere. (They forgot to put in vocalist and one time reality TV star.)

Award-winning fashion designer, milliner and corsetiere Mich Dulce invites you to her talk at the Ayala Museum this November 6, 2010.Trained at Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Mich Dulce will take you through her design process that has produced critically acclaimed pieces that push the boundaries of creativity.
Admission to the talk is PHP 125 for students, PHP 200 for teachers, senior citizens and Ayala Museum members, and PHP 300 for other adults.

To reserve call 757-7117 local 29 or email education@ayalamuseum.org.

Ingenious Advertising Activation by St. Peter Memorial Chapel

Brave Use of Coffin as Advertisement by St Peter Memorial Chapel

I work in an ad agency where we often pass around ads we think are particularly clever or insightful. Today, our big boss emailed this to us hailing it the "Ad of the Month". He was kidding. I think. Well, it made me laugh because despite its somewhat crude and morbid nature, it encapsulates how Filipinos view death. It's certainly not the end so why be so mopey about it? Most of the wakes I've been too had riotous moments of uncontrollable laughter. Even the most tragic ones had a point when we were all chugging down alcohol and recalling the funny situations we had shared. Filipino wakes are notorious occasions for gambling and karaoke singing. Weddings and deaths are really the big events that bring families together so why not make the most of it?

Our Creative Director for Digital says that St. Peter really does go out of their way to be innovative. They're the first ones to come out with the e-burol (translated to e-wake) so that loved ones from abroad don't have to miss out. Here's their website: St. Peter Memorial Chapel

Tabi Tabi Po: A List of Unusual Filipino Monsters

I'm a collector of Filipino illustrated childrens' books and I was so happy to have stumbled upon this little gem entitled, "Mga Tambay sa Tabi-Tabi: Creature of Philippine Folklore". It's basically a compilation of Philippine mythical creatures and monsters. Each creature is re-imagined by an artist and is brought to life by a poem and a description. On the cover, you can see the more popular creatures like a manananggal, a tiyanak, a vampire, and a white lady to name a few. But just flip through its pages, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that there are more. So much more. 

Take the Alan, which I've never heard of before. It's a winged elf or a disfigured spirit. It can make babies from a drop of menstrual blood. Eeeww! But it can also bring miscarried fetuses back to life.  Another version of the Alan is a winged ogre that feeds on people.

The Bakunawa is a huge sea monster that is somewhat like a fish meshed with a shark. For our Filipino ancestors, it epitomized evil with it's lake-sized mouth, gills,  and coarse whiskers. It is said to be the culprit of eclipses because it sometimes swallows the sun or the moon. 

An Agta is similar to a kapre. It is a giant hairy creature that likes smoking cigars on top of a tree. But the main difference is that he likes to lure beautiful maidens into the woods. The only way to be free is to poke and burn his privates. Teehee.

The Tahamaling is a spirit dweller that protects the forest. Upon entering her domain, you have to say "Makikiraan po" (excuse me) in order not to disturb her. She has reddish skin with long flowing hair and a very moody disposition making her both an ally and an enemy.

I've always been confused by the siyokoy. As a child, I believed that it was the opposite of the sirena.
Instead of having the legs of a fish, the siyokoy has the head of the fish (and the legs of a man). That seems not to be the case in this book where it is described as having a scaly torso. It surfaces during floods so beware this rainy season.

 

The Wakwak is like a manananggal because she can half herself. But she has a preference for eating fetuses and thus drools at the sight of pregnant woman. Her name is derived from the "wakwak" sound her wings make when she flies up to the roof of your house. 

I love this book. I think some children would not dare pick up a real encyclopedia of Filipino monsters because it simply is too frightening. This book elicits more chuckles than screams.  As a child, I was always more afraid of the monsters I saw in, "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" rather than from movies like "the Exorcist" or "Poltergeist". Maybe something in our psyche makes homegrown monsters more sinister. As of writing this, I just saw a friend's FB page saying that she saw something jump from one side of the road to another. It was leathery with flowing white hair. Yikes!

Happy Halloween everyone!

This Halloween Weekend!

So many things to do! So many parties to go to! 

Yet, why do I feel the urge to just stay home and blog...

Musamanila to Appear as a Zombie on Flow Magazine

Aside from creating mind altering messages for advertising, writing for blogs, and tour guiding, I can also add modeling for graphic short stories to my list of odd jobs. I landed my first role as "fashionista zombie" in Yvette Tan's story. It's illustrated by my ex-friend Chris Costello. Ex-friend because he made me pose as a decapitated head for his art. But I may just forgive him because he fed his models pizza and made this lovely sketch of me.

The story will appear as a 7 page graphic short for the November issue of FLOW Magazine that Quark Henares is curating. He got a lot of his friends to contribute different things. There are three comic stories in it and tons on about the local scene. I can't wait to get a copy. 

Btw, it's Quarks birthday today so Happy Birthday!

Scariest Filipino Monsters for Halloween.

There's a Halloween party going on in our office today and so I found it apt that I stumbled upon this post about the scariest Filipino monsters. Now, I'm inspired to go out and look for costume inspirations. Enough of fairies, and ghouls, and vampires. Take a look at some of our mythical creatures. I found these from Deviant Art:

 

Musa's Longest Running Christmas Gift List: No. 6 Dean & Trent Men's Clothing

I’ve been looking at photos from Dean & Trent for a while and I just assumed that it was a foreign brand. Everything about their image has an understated elegance, from their logo to their styling to their photos. This is helpful for girls shopping for their boyfriends who usually have a very different idea of what’s fashionable (or wearable) and what is not. I tend to buy my boyf clothes that are too colorful and too trendy. But Dean & Trent’s clothes tend to be on the classic side, nothing edgy and frilly. Basic colors and designs that any guy can pull off. Also a good idea for guys who want to complete their list of wardrobe staples.

 

The creator of the brand, Timmy Ang, who I heard was originally based in Cebu proclaims that Dean & Trent is proudly Filipino made. His mission is to help the Filipino man dress better one piece of clothing at a time. I'm happy that this one time bazaar brand is now being sold at Crossings in SM Trinoma, Shangri-la Mall, Glorieta, Backstage at Serendra (The Fort) and at Anthology in Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. Check them out here: Facebook page.

And they're having a WINDFALL SALE! From now until the end of October! 

You Are Not Here Exhbit at Pablo the Fort

I saw these photos from Brendan Goco's facebook album and I was enthralled. I had to see this exhibit for myself.Jamie Oscar Salazar explains what this collection is about: The displacement involves dis-location and dis-ease, which is to say thought out of joint and feeling out of key (as well as reverse). Living as we do, however, in a world that is a flux, a world that is every time and everywhere contested, displacement can also be liberative and transformational, invigorating the imagination toward the creation of a different future: a reality that is not limited tot he price of tomatoes and eggs. The result of which is, "You Are Not Here" works of art by Zeus Basco, Jigger Cruz, Mica Cabildo, Marcus Nada, AJ Omandac, Katwo Peurtollano, Nico Puertollano, and Bernie Sim. 

Window Displace by Marcushiro 

Kiss with A Fist by Katwo Puertollano

The Last Defense by Bru

Soft Chess Set by Mica Cabildo 

Miss Memory by AJ Omandac 

Structure of Ironies by Zeus Bascon 

The works are lovely but what jumped out for me was the Soft Chess Set.  Chess is a game that symbolizes power and strategy and yet here, it is made from the same material used for a  baby's bonnet and socks. That for me evokes displacement, a feeling of disjointedness and wonder. When you shake up a person's mind, it's bound to think different and instigating all sorts of questions. Notice how the pawns are facing towards the king and the queen in a bowed position- in mock subservience of the equally soft rulers. This is something that may not have been intended by the artist but it sparked my interest. The Goodbye cross-stitch was also very fascinating. It made me think of how we always see one side of a farewell, but fail to realize that parting is also a chance for a new beginning. So there is merit in being able to see what's ahead. 

I love going to galleries and having thoughts like these pop up. 

Check it out at Pablo Gallery 

from Oct. c16- Nov. 14

Unit C-11, South of the Market Condominium

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Thanks to the talented Brendan for the photos. Only 1, 7, and 8 were by me.

Subic Musa Styled

Right now, I'm plopped up in a bed in a cozy room in Panglao, Bohol. I can't muster up the strength to blog about anything that requires too much effort. Dare I say it, I'm on vacation! So, I thought I'd post some old photos my boyf and I took early this year when we went on an out of town trip to Subic! This was when I was toying around with starting a purely Filipino fashion blog, but alas it's difficult to dress head to toe in Filipino brands. What I try to do to support the Filipino fashion industry is to wear at least one Filipino branded item for every outfit. Also, I try my bestest to buy local. For these looks, I was able to get not one, but three Filipino things. Have a look see what they are: 

If you guessed Ifugao bead necklace and hat then you got two correct. But since you can't see my slippers, I posted a close-up. I love these slippers! They're comfy plus they have loads of cute detail. I got these three items from Kultura- a Filipino souvenir shop that a lot of locals tend to pass up on when doing their shopping. Each of these items cost from P100- P150. 

Dress from H&M.

Awesome Things to Do This Long Weekend: October 22-25

I love Heima and their candy-colored home creations.

Check out what they've whipped up for your house. 

We Filipinos really ought to travel more to help our tourism industry.

Check out this exhibit for your next great local destination. 

Halloween comes early as Planet Zips dresses up and spins the night away.

Don't wear anything flammable and prepare for a wild night.