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. 

Musa's Longest Running Christmas Gift List: No. 5 Art Book

The Artist's Foundation Inc. has compiled works of art from our recent history. It'll definitely be interesting to see who and what made it into the book. I'm also wondering why they called it, "First Fifty Years". 1948 does not seem like a significant year for Philippine art. I'm eager to find out and to flip through these pages. A fantastic gift for any art- enthusiast. 


If you're not busy, drop by the book launch. Details here: 


Artists' Association of the Philippines
Foundation, Inc.
in cooperation with
Ayala Museum

cordially request the pleasure
of your company to the
book launching of

ARTWORKS
FIRST FIFTY YEARS
1948 - 1998
Art Association of the Philippines

Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 6:00 pm
AYALA MUSEUM
Makati Avenue corner dela Rosa Street,
Makati City

Dress code: Smart Casual
Books will be sold at Ayala Museum
and Filipinas Heritage Library
Rsvp: Mhalou +632-7815918 / 7496439

One Last Look at Dia Del Galeon Manila 2010

I managed to get these shots from my friend Dennis's facebook. He's a Mabuhay Guide and a former ballet dancer for the CCP. Luckily, he was able to board it and he snapped some great photos.

A message from Dia Del Galeon posted on my Facebook page: 

Friends, we thank you for your comments and suggestions and we do hope to make the registration as seamless as possible for the next time it arrives. We really wanted people to see the galleon and that is why we chose to give it to the people for free. And as this was the first run, we now know the issues that we can work on--booths for water, lines for disabled and seniors, tents, more ushers and staff, weekend run, longer run etc. You comments are very well noted for the next run of the galleon.  And please feel free to send us more comments at diadelgaleon@yahoo.com. We might not get back to your right away, but we will get back to you.

The whole galleon business was not an easy task.  All the pier's in Manila are not suitable for galleons anymore so we had to work with a private pier and it was still not suitable. We had to rent extra fenders and other items so that the galleon could fit in Pier 13. The cost was enormous not only to bring this galleon in, but for it to even stay in Manila. The pier had many restrictions such as load capacity and visitor registration. Actually that pier cannot hold a lot of people at one time, it is not stable and could cave in. Further the boat could only accommodate 300-400 in an hour.  At one point, about 5000 people arrived even before registration opened, so the safest thing to do was to turn people away. As much as we wanted to accommodate everyone, if we did, the pier would cave in and the boat would be destroyed, and alot of people would have gotten hurt. And to top it off, it rained. So all the things that could have happened did happen.

Also, we wanted the entire country to see the galleon, that is why we worked with other provinces, so that the people in other parts of the country could see the galleon. And it seems like the pier's everywhere else are more suitable for a galleon than the pier in Manila. Isnt that such an irony?
Again, thank you for your comments and support. And we are so glad that people are interested in our history. If you were inconvenienced, we do apologize. The Filipinos were an important part of the Galleon Trade. We built the Galleons, and almost 80% of the crew on the Galleons were Filipino.

Thank you again!
Sincerely,

Dia Del Galeon

Musa's Longest Running Christmas Gift List: No. 4 Larry Alcala Clothing from Solo

These ensembles from Solo are looking pretty nifty. I've never bought anything from that store but their Larry Alcala    "Slice of Life" Collection is just my taste. It's quirky, modern, and it has a patriotic flair. Solo is even is even doing a model search to accompany it. So you have not one, but two reasons to drop by for Christmas shopping: cute clothes and a chance to be a supah mowdel. Hurry, the model search ends this month. Click here for details.

A View of the Galleon

Can you spot the Galleon Andalucia?

This was as near as I could get to the famed galleon replica. I was hoping to board it last Saturday along with my friends so we dragged ourselves out of bed to be there as early as 8am. We got to the pier an hour late and we were met with a crowd of thousands. Apparently, even people who got there at 7am were no longer being let in because there were just too many people. It was quite sad because I had wanted to write about the experience for PDI. We consoled ourselves with some halo-halo and putobumbong at the nearby hotel. It was there where I managed to sneak in to catch a glimpse of the galleon.

A lot of people left annoyed and disappointed that day.  A friend of mine was willing to check out other piers or even rent a boat to be able to see it.  I could hear the familiar rumblings of, "Only in da Philippines!" One photographer angrily snap, "Kaya maraming umaalis sa Pilipinas eh" as he was leaving the venue. I think that's uncalled for because this could have happened anywhere. However, I do believe in not letting it happen again so I'm offering some constructive criticism to the organizers.

1. Charge an entrance fee. Students should be free but no one is going to mind paying P50 or even P100 to take part in this. This would have helped manage the crowd and provided some basic amenities like a shady area to wait in.
2.  There should have been other activities near the boat that could have kept people busy. A tent with an exhibit would've done wonders to calm people's nerves and would've gotten their minds off the wait. An exhibit would have also helped to educate people about the galleon trade.
3.  Most people (including myself) are constricted by a 9 to 5 job. So I have no choice to go except on Saturday. It defeats the purpose of Dia del Galeon to sail a galleon all the way here and have it closed off on a Saturday- the day that was sure to attract the most visitors. It should have docked for a full weekend.
4. Lastly, they should have allowed people to line up on the pier so that at least, everyone could have seen the galleon. It can be explained to the crowds that boarding will no longer be feasible due to time constraints. But everyone who made the effort to come should have gone home with a picture of the galleon safely tucked in their mind but better yet, stored in their digicams. No one can be sour when they're posing for a picture!

So for those like me who were shut out, here's a peek from high up and far far away.

I hope that they sort it all out because I for one am looking forward 

to boarding the galleon next year.