New art projects, opening an online store, and more!
Dear Friends and Family,
Happy Monday! I know I’ve been quiet on this blog for a long time, but I promise it’s been for a good reason! I am excited to share with you all that I have been hard at work on a few art projects the past few weeks. In time for the holidays I’ll be launching a new online store (!!!) that will have some new items, and will also be bringing back old goodies and other prints. Look forward to calendars, t-shirts, the return of the popular Tagalog alphabet cards, and posters. Here’s a sneak peak below!
Items will be limited to 10 each, so keep on the look out for the official opening of the store! If you’d like to be kept in the loop for future art-related emails, please send an email to lainerz (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll add you to a new mailing list I’m creating. Otherwise, I promise to stop harassing you (hehe).
Maraming salamat for all the support so far, and happy holidays!
-elaine.
ps. feel free to forward to friends that may be interested!
Kim Kardashian Butt X-ray….REALLY?!
I was flipping through channels on the tv today, and happened to land upon an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, a reality show following the lives of celebutantes Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, and the rest of their wacky family. Now I’m sure that most of you out there are familiar with the Kardashian sisters and their antics, so I’ll spare you the intro. The current episode that was playing centered around the supposed “controversy” that has come up regarding Kim’s butt, and whether or not she’s had implants put in.
Now I don’t even want to get started on the state of our media and entertainment industry, but really America? Is this what we’ve come to? That the most relevant “controversy” making our headlines is whether or not someones ass is real? Nevermind the controversy surrounding the police shooting of an armed 19 year old young man over a $2 Muni fare in the Bayview in San Francisco last week, or the attacks that killed 91 people in Norway. Kim’s butt takes precedence. Here’s a snip of the episode:
Kim Kardashian is sick and tired of defending her famous derriere.
Fed up with constant chatter that her Armenian behind is enhanced with an implant, the reality star seeks the advice of her family doctor to help prove her booty is legit.
As the hilarious clip above from Sunday’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians shows, the engaged star, 30, is willing to spare no expense to end the rumors.
“My sisters have dared me to get a butt X-ray,” Kim tells the doc, as Kourtney and Khloe look on. “I really just want to get [it] so I can show the whole world.”
You can even watch the video here: http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/kim-kardashian-gets-a-butt-x-ray-2011236.
I’m just a little ticked off. This whole thing is so absurd to me in so many levels.
1. What a woman puts in, around, on top, or through her body is none of your business. If she’s not hurting herself or anyone else, it’s really not of your concern.
2. And because of that, it certainly shouldn’t warrant national “news” coverage or resources.
3. There are over 50 million Americans living without basic health coverage, which means access to doctor visits or basic medical care. That’s likely not including legal residents or undocumented immigrants, so the number is probably higher. The fact that the Kardashians just go and waste precious medical resources just to disprove an unfounded rumor (instead of, you know, maybe going to the doctor for a real medical need?) really shows how unfair and biased this system is to the rich (and famous). That as long as you have the money, you can pay any doctor to run whatever tests, access whatever medical devices, and spend whatever amount of time entertaining your requests, regardless of how ridiculous it may be.
4. And all of that will be televised. Because you know, that’s the lifestyle we should really all be emulating.
UGH.
/end rant.
Where’ve you been?!
Oh interwebz, I’ve neglected you.
Life has been full of transitions as of late, and it’s swept your girl right off her feet. Between a death in the family, packing and moving to a new home, heavy political work, sickness, and a lot of (work-related) traveling, I’m almost ashamed to say that I haven’t made one sketch, painting, or design since DECEMBER! Yikes! It’s definitely taken it’s toll on me, leaving me feeling restless and needing a creative outlet. My dreams of opening an Etsy store has not been realized, and I am way overdue for a new creative project to manifest itself.
Luckily for me, Diwang Pinay is just around the corner and gave me the motivation I needed to at least get something done!
I hustled to get at least one painting churned out for auction, along with a painted mirror. I’ll also be vending again this year, so I’ve been busy printing posters, and more of those tagalog alphabet cards for the babies and kids at heart.
Hoping to make a few button magnets, and maybe another painting. Ambitious, I know! But considering I’m making up for almost 4 months worth of a hiatus, I think it’s only appropriate to step it up. More updates soon!
My favorite fruit
Para kay Lola, habang siya ay nasa ospital.
–
Suha.
That’s what we call it in the Philippines,
that sweet citrus fruit
that bursts with a cool tropical flavor
the moment that it meets your lips.
I saw some in Costco today, with the unfamiliar term Pomelo in big bold letters.
It made me think of you, Lola.
It’s been over a decade and nearly two
since the last time I’ve had some suha.
And although this wasn’t the first time I’ve seen it at an American supermarket
It was the first time I was compelled to buy it.
I thought about your hands
and the delicate way they peeled
through the thick skin,
The fluffy white rind
of the suha,
Matching the cotton-candy like texture
of your light grey hair.
I ran a finger down the length of the rind
and they were soft
like your curls.
I cut into the pink flesh and they matched perfectly
the color of your rosy cheeks
on a humid day.
I remember how you would sit at the table
for what seemed like hours,
peeling one suha after another,
humming Bible hymns to pass the time,
until you had a mountain
of perfectly shaped little pink wedges.
So I did the same, Lola,
and I thought about you the whole time.
I wondered how many pomelos you’ve peeled
in the 95 years of your life?
I wondered if you dream about their sweet tartness,
or miss the feel of its smooth peel,
or remember the name of the shade of rouge
that matches perfectly, the color of the fruit?
I sprinkled salt on the side,
dipped each piece into the white mound,
and as each wave of delight filled
every taste bud in my mouth,
I remembered why suha
was my favorite fruit.
It has always been because it reminded me of you.
Love and Accomplishing Difficult Things
A good friend of mine got married yesterday and I was fortunate enough to be able to witness her beautiful ceremony at the Mission at Santa Clara University. During the mass the priest said some things about love that really resonated with me. See, my friend K and her partner S have been together for several years, but have spent the past year or two living in opposite coasts of the country. K went to NYC to pursue her dream career while S stayed in the Bay in order to maintain some economic stability for the two of them. Many of us know that it is already a beautiful struggle within itself to nurture a relationship when both partners are close in proximity, so a distance of thousands of miles only heightens those struggles.
The priest commended K and S, and said “You are people who know how to accomplish difficult things because you have had to learn how to love over many many miles.”
He is right. K and S are truly committed to one another, and I was happy to share such a special day with them.
–
The reality of the priest’s statement rings so true for many Filipinos who make the difficult decision every day to leave their country, leave their families and loved ones in order to find livelihood abroad. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are women and men who are forced to learn how to love from a great distance, nurture a family that they cannot see, and sacrifice years, sometimes decades of loneliness and hard struggle.
The cost of this reality is often great, one that we might not anticipate when making the decision to leave. An aunt of mine had to leave her young toddler, and he didn’t recognize her when she was finally able to return after several years. He wept when she tried to hug him, and he reached for “mommy” — the aunt who had been raising him while his mother was away providing for him. My own parents had to relearn how to rebuild a marriage tested by years of separation. The mannerisms that had become unfamiliar, the distance between them created by time and not space, the promises made from what felt like a lifetime ago.
We are a people that know how to do difficult things because we must.
So this weekend, I celebrate K and S for forging a love that withstands the distance that is often between them. And I dedicate my work to the OFWs who’s own story may not have as sweet an ending.
