My Tattoo and I. It’s not about the brand. It’s about Coco - the woman behind the brand. The woman who embraced her independence, success, personality, and style, and set out to imagine a new kind of woman, one who was free from the corseted apparel worn in the 19th century. I’m a bit tired explaining to people why I consider her one of my heroes and as to why her brand is inked on my back, but let me tell you that Coco is not just about fashion and glamour. She’s all about women empowerment and I admire her for it -simple as that.

My little doodle about football’s famous pairings.

Featuring: 

• Gerlonso (Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso) Liverpool; The Heart and The Brain
• Gernando (Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres) Liverpool; The Captain and The Striker
• Becksillas (David Beckham and Iker Casillas) Real Madrid; The Striker and Keeper
• Sernando (Sergio Ramos and Fernando Torres) Under 18 National Youth Team; The Poster boy and The Play boy
• Fabrique (Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas) FC Barcelona; The Best Friends

I’m sorry.

Maybe I just hate seeing myself like this. You’re just too out there and it seems like you are enjoying your life. I know that escapism is a part of you and I envy that. Very much.

It’s just Reality keeps on hitting me. I feel helpless most of the time. It sucks that every time I see you enjoying this and that, I feel left out.

I feel bad that every time I say something.. well never mind.

Maybe I talk in a brutal manner or maybe you’re too sensitive..

or maybe.. I need to get away.

At the young age of 19 years, Bachelor of Fine Arts, David Nebreda, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He lives locked in a flat in Madrid with just two rooms where he has made all of his photographic work, taking no medication, no communication with the outside world without radio, newspapers, books or television. Vegetarian for 20 years, practicing abstinence, and subjected to maintain a state of extreme thinness.

He takes pictures of himself, after flagellation and self-harm. Disturbing and Provacative Art - That is what I describe this Artist but at the same time, I find him courageous and brave for exploring pain and mental illness as a subject of his art.

Being confronted by his art forced me to critically understand his views and thinking. Nebrada may want to represent his physical suffering as a key element in his visual art. My subjective perspective in regards to his harsh art deals with pain and beauty, also, a lot of coffee and cigarettes. I think he struggled to let people see that there is beauty in pain. Pain is what makes us Human and alive. People don’t often see it as a form of endearment and for most, it’s a negative thing but it is part of everyone’s life. The hurting comes and goes but it leave us with strength and courage. 

On the other hand, I also think that Nebrada wants his spectators to see the reality of having Schizophrenia and how disturbing it really is. A lot of people considered this illness scary and they would often avoid talking about it. Nebrada might have wanted the world to see how he deals with his pain and how terrible his suffering is.

Tell me what you think.

If you like to see more of his Art, you can go visit http://goo.gl/0iKX7

Music is a language the entire world can speak. It’s true. One proof of that is Daniel Armand Lee or most commonly known in Asia as Tablo. Tablo is a famous hip hop artist in Korea and the leader of the award wining group, Epik High. 

Now, I know that most of you listen to English music but you do know that there is nothing wrong in listening to foreign music. I, myself, love watching foreign movies so obviously I am very open in listening to their music. I may not understand the lyrics but the power of globalization actually helps me understand by searching for translations using Google. Tablo, who can speak English really well, can actually write good lyrics. If you read his translated lyrics, it gives you chill and shock. His raps are not about sex or violence but it’s about the deeper meaning of pain, love and life. This is what I like about him. He makes you want to listen to good written songs. Also, Epik High is well known for their controversial and censored music. Why? They point out the sensitive topics in their country like Politics, Depression, Violence - things that are taboo in Korea. They want the youths to understand what they feel and thus, encourage them to do something about it.

Tablo has been a long time fan of hip hop music, citing an almost lifelong affair with the culture itself. He concurrently gained recognition as a rhymer. Tablo has claimed to be the first emcee to have used the “rhyming rifle” technique. With the hip hop scene in Korea and Korean emcees being known for their fickle tendencies, Tablo has through the years kept alive his legacy and career through numerous shows, appearances on influential overseas (American most notably) hip hop artists work, such as EPMD. 

Before becoming a Musician, he was a bright student of Stanford University taking both  Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing. He faced controversy when some people claimed that Tablo could not have graduated there which was proven false when Stanford showed his diploma and registration.

Tablo published a book entitled Pieces of You. Although the stories were originally written in English, the book was first published in Korean. As a lyricist, he was extremely gifted in writing poetic raps and songs.

Example:

Do you have wounds, do you have scars, Are you wandering through shadows? Maybe you wake up drenched in sweat at night, Is consciousness crawling on the floor? Are you thinking it’s the end, are you ok? ’cause I understand. I’m a scar on your broken body, I’ll erase the tears you’ve hidden away in your shattered marriage. I’ll grab your hand with my hand and trust you. - One by Epik High

You said everything back then, big or small, was a miracle. If we went for the stars we could whirl the clouds with our hands. If we just went for a walk, the dead ends would stretch to the ends of the earth. Love like that took away my breath and even my dreams. - Girl by Epik High

The heartbreak of my crazy love buried in the cheers of the world . You’re not even listening, you wouldn’t even know if I died. Even in your next life you will live without knowing who I am. - Fan by Epik High

You got someone’s love, that doesn’t mean that you have it. You keep walking, that doesn’t mean time passes. You keep breathing, that doesn’t mean you’re alive - Tomorrow by Tablo

Amazing right? I applaud him for being a music genius. I recommend you all to listen One, Fan and Tomorrow. Enjoy listening.

The Heat and The Sun - My summer playlist.

Every Summer, I always have this urge to ran away and live like a complete hippie in some far away place. These songs celebrates my rebel side and describes my crazy urges in a poetic manner this season. By the way, I am not crazy… the heat is making me crazy.

Enjoy.

                                                             BEWARE OF ZOMBIES

My friends and I participated in this crazy marathon called Outbreak Manila. This is not just any ordinary lame marathon because there are Zombies waiting to eat you alive. Okay, I’m exaggerating. They’re actually very friendly. They just want your flags. (Flags represent your life in the Marathon)

                                                       CHICAS - WHO WILL SURVIVE?

I was exhausted before and after the Marathon. The truth is, the day before the run, I didn’t sleep at all. Not because I’m excited but because I was trying to finish this funny Korean Drama where my Rock Star crush is in. I didn’t noticed that I was watching it for more than 6 hours… and the next thing I know, it’s already morning. 

So when my friend Elise came, I was the first one to be ready. Obviously. After being ready, I decided to wake the others so they’ll cram and I’ll look responsible in Elise’s eyes. HAHA

                                                                   ELISE SOGO ENTERPRISE

Oh and we decided to wear funny costumes because… we thought it’ll be fun. Yeah, we’re that kind of friends that wants to be notice and wouldn’t care what others think of us.

The trip to Nuvalli, where the marathon is located at, was 2 hours ride but we wasted it in singing, laughing and joking around. It was traffic. We told ourselves that it’ll be a smooth and fast ride. We’re not good at math so we didn’t really calculate every single obstacles that we might meet along the way - like the freaking traffic. But no worries, it was a fun road trip. We were a bit late in the orientation but fortunately, we were early for the race itself. So in other words, we got there on time.

The first phase was crazy. There were 2 retarded zombies waiting for us in the middle and when we started running they ran straight to us. So our group was divided in to two. Just when we thought that we were safe (we started to swarm into one group) they started chasing us from behind and then again we were divided again in to two. It was crazy. CRAZY. There were people getting pushed, smacked down, fell off, bruised, ducked, tripped, and flopped. Watching all these chaos made me think, “Oh this is what Apocalypse is like. No dignity at all. Like a bunch of chicken running away from the fire.” No one wants to be a hero and help those injured people. Everyone is literally running for their lives.

                                                        THE FIRST PHASE

Well except for two, my friend Diana and I.

Nope, we’re not cowards. We’re there to have fun. We don’t care about the stupid medal or the prize or the reputation. We care about ourselves and how we’re going to enjoy this crazy experience. We want it memorable. Something that we can still laugh about while we’re drinking beer two years after.

I remember running with Die, when this one girl roll in front of me and to avoid her, I jumped. Just like in a Hong Kong Movie, I did a ninja jump to avoid tripping over. I’m so proud of myself. 

IT LOOKS SCARY BUT WHEN YOU’RE WITH A CRAZY FRIEND, IT LOOKS LIKE A NICE BACKGROUND FOR OUR NEW FUNNY PICTURE

                                                          DIE AND THE DEADLY TRAIL

                                                          WASTING OUR PRECIOUS TIME

We’re not competitive and from our understanding the marathon is simply a game and we are there to have fun. (Plus, she got injured. A bit. And the sun was painfully angry at us. IT WAS FREAKING HOT.) So we took our time and we decided to be the swindler survivors. 

                    THE GUY POURED ALCOHOL ON DIE’S CUT AND SPREAD IT WITH HIS HAND

Swindler Survivors eh? It’s a kind of survivor that accepts that they have no physical strength and super human abilities; that even if they run they will still end up being eaten. Swindler survivors uses their mental strength and basic Law knowledge to reason out with the Zombies in order to survive.

                                            TINKERBELL AND SNOW WHITE AKA RHEA AND TIFF

So while everybody is running with all their might, we were just chilling. We started attacking the Zombies with words like, Sexual Harrasment, “I’m bruised sir”, “I’m out of breath”, “i might pass out”, “I want to survive, don’t take that dream away”, “You’re so handsome”, “If you let me pass, I’ll give you my number”; in order to survive. It worked. SEE, ZOMBIES WERE ONCE HUMANS TOO. The road to survival was a bit long and tiring but in the end, we had fun.

                                                  DIE AND ERIN - WE WILL NEVER WALK ALONE

We even took pictures and video with the zombies so they’ll leave us alone. It was funny because they were actually cooperating. They would even pretend to scare us so that the video would turn out good. Outbreak Manila was an interesting experience and you’ll see your worth as to what kind of human being are you after taking it. If you want to know my worth, well, I’m probably one of those loud girls that survives in a Zombie Movie by leaching to the main characters. In other words, If I keep using this evil head of mine I will survive the apocalypse.

                                                               THE WEB MAZE

                                                        AS I ENTER, OOPS! THERE’S A ZOMBIE.

                                                        NEVER MIND, LET’S TAKE A PICTURE.

And another, I found out that I can never leave a friend of mine. Injured or not. That’s just who I am.

Like my good Friend Die told me - “we will never walk alone.”

I know we have different experiences and crazy stories regarding this marathon. This is mine. This is what I had with my Die in our pre-Apocalypse training. But in the end, it got me thinking - What would I do when that day comes? Will I die without a fight? Will I forsake my friends in order to survive? Would it fun? Would I be able to reason out with the nasty zombies? Would I be able to survive alone?

Too many questions but then again, I think too much. Till that day comes but for now I shall…  not think and enjoy myself while watching this asian variety show. So long.

                                                            CHICAS 2012. WE SURVIVED.