Birth Ritual

Beautiful birth ritual for Isabela last night! Isa is so blessed to have such magical Aunties.

— Ligaya Domingo (@mundongmaligaya) January 31, 2014

Birth Tub Practice

Birth Tub

Week 38. Day 4. 

Today is about practicing the set up of our birth tub. We rented this tub from our midwife, Maria. The tub has internallly heated walls that maintain the temperature of the water for an extended period of time. There is also a top cover for the water made of rubber foam that is used for the same reason. It was not hard to set up but it's a little bit more complicated than I thought it would be because of the limited hot water supply in our house. So we needed to boil water off the stove to make the process of filling the tub faster. 

It will probably take an hour and a half to two hours to fill the tub. That's important to know of course, because we don't want to be scrambling trying to get this done and stress out while I'm going through labor pains. 

The recommended water temperature is at 35-38 degrees celsius but you can pretty much choose whatever you feel most comfortable with as long as it doesn't go over 40 degrees. We heated up ours at 39 degrees and it felt very hot for me. Now, I can appreciate how the water and the heat will help with pain and contractions. And why you are not supposed to get in the water until you're very close to delivering as it might stop the contractions. 

Sushi was very intimidated by it, another foreign object in the house. Everything that's new or seemingly unfamiliar makes him nervous.

Here are some good information to have when setting up your birth tub. http://www.waterbirth.org/birth-pool-faq#What_temperature_should_the_water_be_

Waiting Patiently

Birth kit. Swaddle cloths. Cloth diapers. All ready for Isa's arrival.

Week 38. Day 3.

Patiently waiting for Isa. Today is another day of prenatal check-up at Kaiser. Isa's heartbeat is strong and she is measuring perfectly in my belly at 38cm. Everything is pretty much ready at this point. We just have to "rehearse" filling the bath tub with water and how we're gonna be setting it up in our living room. 

We already have our new stoller set up. Car seat is set up too. We got a travel system that is both a stroller and a car seat. Thanks to  my Mom who gifted this. It's now sitting in our living room. Aaron talks to the stoller  imagining Isa is there when he arrives from work. I think the stroller is making him feel like he is more connected to this whole birth process. It's kinda interesting.

Muddy Waters - Tea before prenatal yoga class

This morning, I went to Jane Austin's class at Yoga Tree for my prenatal yoga. It's always nice to go to class. I think more than anything else, going to my class helps me focus on Isa and her arrival. It helps me be in tune with her. I can't help but sometimes feel a slight paranoia if I'm doing enough to take care of her while she is in my belly. Or I'm doing enough to take care of myself. When I go to class, or when I do my yoga practice, I realize that there is really nothing to worry about. Everyday, I set my intention of being really mindful of my pregnancy and visualizing a healthy, happy birth for me and my family. I do the best I can, yoga, exercise, food, etc. There is nothing to worry about.

Belly Cast - Week 35. Day 5

This weekend, I wanna set up a little altar for Isa and the birth with offerings, candles, incense and all sorts of fun things. A friend of mine is gonna help me do this. I wanna start preparing the energy of our home. I am very excited about it. I've already picked some songs that I would like to Innerdance or sing to during my birth. It's gonna be a mix of, Eternal OM, Joey Ayala, Bayang Barrios, Morcheeba, Cynthia Alexander, there's gonna be more. I'm just collecting songs as I go along that speaks to my heart. Ah! I'm excited it's gonna be beautiful. I wanna sing and dance to Isa while she's transitioning. While we are both transitioning!

Maui Home for the Week

Gumamela, reminds me of my childhood. I used to make bubbles out of this beautiful flower.

We arrived in Maui yesterday at noon after missing our flight the day before. It's our first time flying out of Oakland and using long term parking. We left an hour early from our place which I know is too late by itself. I had been up early and ready to go. But I let Aaron's over confidence in timing run the show. We got to the airport at the check in counter 3 minutes before 8am. Boarding was at 7:45am. But Hawaiian Air didn't let us in the plane anymore. Aaron tried to persuade them by showing my big belly and telling them that it was our baby moon to no avail. They graciously got us in another flight the day after. We went back home and our little Sushi-man was happy.

So no driving in this trip. Aaron forgot his US driving permit and only brought his expired Canadian driver's license. I don't have mine yet. Yes, up until now. No license yet. I never really needed it. All good. We're used to not driving anyway. Having a car is something that is recent for us in SF. We've been mostly walking, biking, or taking MUNI pretty much everywhere since just almost 2 months ago.

We rented a place off of VRBO and found a very nice one in Kihei whose owner turns out to be someone Aaron knew from his Calgary skateboarding days. It's a sign! This is where we're supposed to be in Maui! So here you go, our Maui home for the week. Who needs a hotel when you can have a place like this?!

A full kitchen. I love that this place has most everything that you need to cook.

We didn't have any crazy plans for this trip. I know for sure that I want to spend as much time in the water as I can. Go snorkeling. Spend as much time in the sun by the beach. Discover the island and watch the Maui sunrise and sunset. Make offerings and prayers to the ocean. Ok, maybe that's a lot already. Maybe I do have an idea what I want to do here.

A TV, that we barely use. Why? When you can enjoy all the sunshine.

Today's pretty windy so no snorkeling today. But I already did my lapses on the pool so I'm just happy being in the water.

Our living room. It's nice. Only thing is. I can't hop on the couch when I just come back from the pool or the beach. 

There's a pool in this property. I've been taking advantage of the it. Swimming is supposed to be good for the baby and I. I do find myself having shortness of breath more as Isa grows in my belly. So it's nice to exercise my lungs. I know for sure Isa's loving the water.

We've been taking advantage of being out here for eating and reading.

Sushi's Bed

So proud of my Sushi-man. We bought this bed for him at least 4/5 months ago.

He didn't give any interest and still insisted on sleeping on the bed with Aaron and I inspite of us moving so much. He'd get squished with the pillow or the comforter or our legs but didn't care. 

We've relentlessly trained him by giving treats on this bed to no avail. Today, for the first time. We wake up to the Sushi sleeping on his own bed! Woohoo! I don't know what happened but Isabela is gonna need Sushi's spot on the bed in a few months.  

Roast of James Franco - Time Travel and the Secret to Being Straight - U...

Hooray for Aziz for calling out racism and homophobia in  The Roast of James Franco!!!

A Wonderful Reminder of What LOVE means

As around the sun the earth knows she's revolving 
And the rosebuds know to bloom in early May 
Just as hate knows love's the cure 
You can rest your mind assure 
That I'll be loving you always 
As now can't reveal the mystery of tomorrow 
But in passing will grow older every day 
Just as all is born is new 
Do know what I say is true 
That I'll be loving you always 

Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky---ALWAYS 
Until the ocean covers every mountain high---ALWAYS 
Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea---ALWAYS 
Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream 

Did you know that true love asks for nothing 
Her acceptance is the way we pay 
Did you know that life has given love a guarantee 
To last through forever and another day 
Just as time knew to move on since the beginning 
And the seasons know exactly when to change 
Just as kindness knows no shame 
Know through all your joy and pain 
That I'll be loving you always 
As today I know I'm living but tomorrow 
Could make me the past but that I mustn't fear 
For I'll know deep in my mind 
The love of me I've left behind Cause I'll be loving you always 

Until the day is night and night becomes the day---ALWAYS 
Until the trees and seas just up and fly away---ALWAYS 
Until the day that 8x8x8 is 4---ALWAYS 
Until the day that is the day that are no more 
Did you know that you're loved by somebody? 
Until the day the earth starts turning right to left---ALWAYS 
Until the earth just for the sun denies itself 
I'll be loving you forever 
Until dear Mother Nature says her work is through---ALWAYS 
Until the day that you are me and I am you---AL~~~~~~WA~~ 
~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~ 
Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky~~~~~AA~~~~ 
~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~YS~~ALWAYS 

We all know sometimes lifes hates and troubles 
Can make you wish you were born in another time and space 
But you can bet you life times that and twice its double 
That God knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed 
so make sure when you say you're in it but not of it 
You're not helping to make this earth a place sometimes called Hell 
Change your words into truths and then change that truth into love 
And maybe our children's grandchildren 
And their great-great grandchildren will tell 
I'll be loving you 

Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky--Loving you 
Until the ocean covers every mountain high--Loving you 
Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea--Loving you 
Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream--Be loving you 
Until the day is night and night becomes the day--Loving you 
Until the trees and seas up, up and fly away--Loving you 
Until the day that 8x8x8x8 is 4--Loving you 
Until the day that is the day that are no more--Loving you 
Until the day the earth starts turning right to left--Be loving you 
Until the earth just for the sun denies itself--Loving you 
Until dear Mother Nature says her work is through--Loving you 
Until the day that you are me and I am you-- 
Now ain't that loving you 
Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky 
Ain't that loving you 
Until the ocean covers every mountain high 
And I've got to say always 
Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea~~AL~~~WA~~~AYS 
Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream-Um AL~~WA~~AYS 
Until the day is night and night becomes the day-AL~~~~WA~~AYS 
Until the trees and seas just up and fly away-AL~~WA~~~AA~~~~~ 
Until the day that 8x8x8 is 4~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA~~~~~~~AA 
Until the day that is the day that are no more-AA~~~~AA~~AA~~~AYS 
Until the day the earth starts turning right to left-AL~~~WA~~~A~~~AA 
Until the earth just for the sun denies itself-~~AA~~~AA~~~AA~~~AYS 
Until dear Mother Nature says her work is through-AL~~~WAYS 
Until the day that you are me and I am you 
Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky 
Until the ocean covers every mountain high 
Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea 
Until we dream of life and life becomes a dream 
Until the day is night and night becomes the day 
Until the trees and seas just up and fly away 
Until the day that 8x8x8 is 4 
Until the day that is the day that are no more 
Until the day the earth starts turning right to left 
Until the earth just for the sun denies itself 
Until dear Mother Nature says her work is through 
Until the day that you are me and I am you

Sushi Sleeper Face

This how my beloved puppy face spends his day, on the couch or the bed sleeping the day light away. So he's up late night trying to play with me or his Dad.

He likes eating his meals at night while we're having dinner and in the middle of the night. I love my little odd baby boy.

Sushi and Calgary blue skies

We're at Deer Ridge, Aaron's hometown in Calgary. 

Sushi's loving his walks here. Everywhere that we walk him to has grass. His little paws loves walking around on soft moist grass. There's just so much open space here to see the sky!

 You can see it so big and wide, clouds are just popping out of the blue sky. It's such a refreshing site from the San Francisco fog. I'm trying to take all these wonderfulness in. Hmm...

Photos by AG

Found this photo of me from 2007 (I think) while travelling with Pi and the Innerdance peeps in the PI. It was one amazing journey. I can't believe that it's already been 5 years since then. I can still vividly remember the texture of the Durian we ate in the back of the truck to Cotabato, the space ship house near Mt. Apo, the non-stop Innerdancing, the double rainbow in Makilala, the sacred sites, the river. Didn't realize it then, but this trip was the beginning of an unbelievable magical journey called, "the rest of my life."

I am very grateful for being here with everyone.

Venice Beach Sunset

It's my first time ever in LA. A city that's not really at the top of my list to explore. I do have my preconceived notions of this place
Although, this beautiful Venice Beach sunset is beginning to change my mind.

Many say that LA is a rough city. I've been living in SF for almost 2 years now and I'm so used to being super chill about my pace in life in general (or maybe I'm just getting older...) Everything seems to move slower there compared to other cities. Maybe, I move slower.

Anyway, don't you just love sunsets in whatever part of the world?!

Bay Area Love

I've been out of the loop for a while  and have been living in SF for over a year now. I remember coming here thinking that this place is a great opportunity to freely create art and healing. Learn and be inspired.

Set up my canvass, pop some paint tubes And have a glass of wine and just lose myself. Then on other days just keep learning. Learning more about my body and spirit and learn about others so I can stand as an advocate for others' learning and healing as well.

I guess I never got over my romantic artistic visions and dreams.  Perhaps it will always be like this for me in one degree or another. I am constantly yearning for inspiration for my busy little brains cells and heart that never seem to get enough of the stimulation this life and this world provide.

I am overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of inspiration here. From movements and mini revolutions happening in every single corner of the Bay. I'm not sure what to make of it yet. More questions come to me more than ever. Some things more confusing than clarifying. I've been evolving and is constanly being inspired and I'm grateful.

Re-freshing Bodies

Last March 1, Monday, ten artists; Aj Tolentino, Aza Mazon-Camps, Benay Reyes, Ivy Universe Baldoza, Joana De Leon-Hoffman, Ligaya Domingo, Lydia Cabasco, Maan De Loyola, Tif Guevara and Rimaq Palma showed up with their works at the exhibit in celebration of the Womyn's Month.

It's very interesting to gather womyn for an exhibit because there's always something new to find. The artists used a rich variation of media, wood, plaster, fabric, oil and acrylic paints, pencils and ink. All unified by the theme of the exhibit: sexuality, sensuality and womynhood inspired by the book, Women Who Run with the Wolves written by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes. All in contemplation of what it means to be in a womyn's body.

For an exhibition that was only organized within a month, the turn out of the works were amazing. Considering that there are three working mommies in the group. While everyone else, although without children are perpetually busy with something anyway.

People who came to see the exhibit, or who just happened to be in the Philam Life and looked at the exhibit, expressed their fascination, "an all-womyn exhibit. What is this about?" I guess exhibitions like these, as far as we thought feminist revolution has progressed still doesn't come as easy these days and still strike some kind of exotic fascination to certain people. Especially when you bring womyn to talk about words like sensuality or sexuality.

I find womyns' reflections of their own bodies very distinctive from that of men. I guess I refer to male artists painting womyn's bodies who has spent too much time looking at FHM or Playboy. There is always more depth or more inquiry that is much more familiar, much more real and genuine. I am not saying that all womyn paint like this. I refer to the works of Joana, AJ, Maan and Benay here. It's a very refreshing feeling.

Unearthing the hearth of the feminine

Unearthing: Womynist Bones and Sexuality-Unearthing the hearth of the feminine. When the river does not run,rest awhile, rip through reality, rake up the rust, embrace what you’ll find. Reclaim and from there, a hope to redeem radiance.

Ten artists run and rhyme with one another as they uncover and recover the feminine in “Unearthing:Womynist Bones and Sexuality”, an exhibit of paintings, sketches and installations on March 1-14 at the Philam Life Center for the Arts, United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila.

Unearthing: Womynist Bones and Sexuality features the works of AJ Tolentino, Azalea Mazon-Camps, Benay Reyes, Ivy Universe Baldoza, Joana De Leon-Hoffmann, Ligaya Domingo, Lydia Cabasco, Maan De Loyola, Rimaq Joaquin Palma and Tif Guevara- a group of artists from and of different backgrounds prime a range of works to provoke and evoke the woman within.

A celebration of International Women’s Month, the exhibit aims to commune with the woman in each one in order to facilitate dialogue on women’s realities- unearthed in the eyes of these ten artists. A take-off from Clarissa Pinkola- Estes’ book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, these artists procure arresting sections as they translate their own visual and tactile narratives. The works in turn, aspire to stir and spur awareness from the audience and elicit response to the different issues and archetypes associated with the woman, her processes, truths and ideals.

Benay Reyes

Unearthing: Womynist Bones and Sexuality

UNEARTHING
Womynist Bones and Sexuality

Buried under the dark crevices of our time’s hegemonies are yet tender fossils – muted, maimed, and mutilated – muffled in their screaming silence, cocooned within the gravels of subjugated worldings. But not for long…

Ten womyn womynists piece together a fearless, undulated bellowing; an eloquent kind of unearthing, to unravel bones of feminine beauty and pain, to reconstitute their place in time and space, both real and virtual. To unearth is to reveal quieted identities in a more gaping dimension to which their osseous seeds could be nourished into fertile germs – progenitors, potent and sexual so that the once faint diffusion of voices could reverberate into a piercing chorus, lyric and erotic, vivid and provocative.

This spirited collective choreography gathers in a wall’s span and in a sweeping gaze a cross-section of ideas that could somehow begin to articulate, but not to frame, the womyn’s emancipation into the breathing space of expression, unstruggling, ungasping and basking in the free air.

In their concoction of old and new media, the ten artists may have come from different milieus and cultivate different modes of artistic engagement. Yet they speak in unison as they spark this provocation to take a focal look at the feminine from her periphery. Through the poignant womynly expression, Benay Reyes bares a subtle, primordial injustice that seems to have haunted the womyn during the expanse of HIStory. She invites us to go back, look back and re-align our gaze at HERstory. Ligaya Domingo and Maan de Loyola project contrasting styles of abstractions to show a single theme: societal imbalance, the longing for human rights and social justice. AJ Tolentino makes use of both arcane myths and mass-produced pop cultural hegemonies to position the womyn in both the ancient and the current. Tif Guevara and Ivy Universe Baldoza works with every conceivable medium and form to attack the feminist subject, creating rich juxtapositions of metaphors pertaining to the feminine’s “universe” of concepts. Joan de Leon Hoffman paints it dark and real to intimate what to her are her womynist realities. Lydia Cabasco ventures into 3D spaciality through installation and collaborates with Tif Guevara as they render subliminal connections between art and the subconscious. They draw inspiration from myths and the archetype of the “skeleton woman” to explore the cycle of life, death and life. Aza Camps and Rimaq Palma complete this initial performance of unearthing with works challenged and stirred by the womyn’s sexual politics.

Longing for tender caresses, these painful yet beautiful “bones” resuscitate in these walls, their nursery beds; with the intimate light as their sun and your thoughtful gaze as their consummate lovers, sensually stroking with the eye, afflicting and loving.

In indigenous lore, women priestesses danced and stomped the earth’s virginal orifices amidst sacred chants and prayers, to awaken the soil and welcome the seeds that soon may grow into life. Now, bones become seeds of intention. Such skeletal undertakings begin the nurturing process of interrogation to amplify the actualities of the womyn, unearthed.

Behold, here unfolds a resurrection.

JOSEPH MICHAEL T. PATRICIO
kupityo@gmail.com

Old Rubbles for New Inspirations

Was going through my old dusty boxes of loads of shit inside the house doing some spring cleaning (actually more of a rainy day cleaning) and I came across a bunch of ultrasound prints that I had done from years ago. I got diagnosed for myoma and for a bunch of other reasons women take ultrasounds. I just suddenly thought a connection to some old photograms that I also found below.

I am definitely doing something with this ultrasound films pretty soon. I am still figuring out what to do for Benay and I's exhibit on March given the financial constraints that we have. So I've been thinking about exploring existing materials that I already have that I can use for the art works.

Production Design

Photos from the Indio Nacional, 2005
Director: Raya Martin
Country: Philippines

Indio Nacional is one of the films I worked as a production for. I still need to collect photos for the other films. It's a little bit difficult to do all of this once.

Other films that I will need to include in this page are the following:

• Ayme (Work in Progress), Directed by Ivy Universe Baldoza
• Indio Nacional, 2005, Directed by Raya Martin
• Pamilyang Kumakain ng Lupa (The Family that Eats Soil), 2005, Directed by Khavn Dela Cruz
• Simula (Beginning), Art Direction, 2005, Directed by Ruello Lozendo
• Shaman, 2003, Directed by Ruello Lozendo
• In Loving Memory, 2003, Directed by Ruello Lozendo
• Katok (Knock), 2003, Directed by Ivy Universe Baldoza
• Piping Panahon (Flattened Season), 2003, Directed by Pia Roxas

KA-BUWAN-AN, 2008

KA-BUWAN-AN, a group exhibition by KASIBULAN was opened by Brenda Fajardo March 7, Friday and was attended by KASIBULAN members, friends, families and art enthusiasts. The exhibition was a collection art works done by members fo the group after 2004 .

In this exhibition, I presented photograms in four panels, A Portrait of Woman (4 pc 8'x10" b&w gelatin silver prints.)


KA-BUWAN-AN
March 7, Friday, 6pm
GSIS Museum
Financial Center
Reclamation Area Roxas Blvd.
Pasay City
*Exhibit runs until March 28, 2008

Babae (Womyn), 2004

Kasal-kasalan, 2004, 8"x10" gelatin silver print


Takusa Sari-sari, 2004, 9 8"x10" gelatin silver prints

Sa Tatlong Taong Ningning, 2004, 3 8"x10" gelatin silver prints

Para sa Alingawngaw ni Ningning 2004, 15 8"x10" gelatin silver prints

Alitaptap Sari-sari, 2004, 15 8"x10" gelatin silver prints

For where the woman speaks and where the woman soars and where the woman roars.

In 2004, these pieces were exhibited in a solo show entitled Babae (Womyn) at the now defunct Siwang Gallery in E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City. Babae is the artist's exploration of a woman through her body. The woman in her body and how society impose her realities as she experienced and witnessed it. Here, Ligaya does this by using Barbie dolls to create the metaphor of the body as the deliberate use of the archetype of a woman in different spheres of society; the home, the media, the work place. Drawing from her memories of playing with Barbie dolls from her childhood. She uses its images to tell the story of women she witnessed in her life, a friend, her mother, an suspecting stranger she encounters in a street corner.


[Post is taken from Fly Fire Women Unite]

Collage Series 2008

Three Hearts 2008, 8x10

Blue Heart 2008, 8x10

Collage Series 2008

This is a series of collage that I worked on this December intended to be gifts for very special friends. I turned them to Christmas cards.

I was inspired by creating minimalist abstractions here, just making room for a lot of spaces and just adding a few elements. I played with various pastel colors mainly because this was the only available palette to me at the time I was making them when I got the set of construction paper from National Bookstore and added some newspapers.