art & empire on our shores

"What are the categories in which people imagine nature, history, place, war that make these two wars, nuclear and Native, so invisible?" ~ Rebecca Solnit, Savage Dreams

Election season in my two homelands bring to the forefront two wars - between colonizer trauma and human bias. 

an exploration of two landscapes

Our political foundation was built on the Marcos declared dictatorship - a historical event that took place in the Philippines, where we grew up and where hundreds of students and unarmed civilians were disappeared, tormented, and tortured during the decades long, power hungry, thievery of the conjugal couple Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos under Martial Law from September 1972 to January 1981. 

Relocating and living in the USA its been over two decades since 9/11 from September 2001 until now. A badly shaken nation came together, however briefly - in a spirit of sadness and patriotism. Americans initially rallied behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - though support waned and factions grew contentious over time. Most Americans viewed the threat of terrorism at home surreal and government's steps to combat it were predictably over the top. 

In seeking to give voice to the victims of history, we confront this episodes with brutal actualization in witness literature. Which the Marcos dynasty aggressively tries to erase or revise from our memories and all documentation. In the US we haven't gotten over our PTSD over being attacked on home ground - hell to pay, we are after all the self-professed saviors of the world. 

Margaret Atwood - when advised to just find a good man, replied, 'You're an idiot'

Our nations needs a Han Kang of our own as valiant vanguard visionary to permit the souls of our dearly departed and living survivors to witness our own annihilation and national demise into greed and corruption. 

The unidentifiable unburied corpses and blatant coverup lying hark back to Sophocles’ Antigone’. The harshest punishment of his time was leaving a rebel brother's body unsanctified by holy rites - letting it lie unburied on the battlefield as carrion prey. 

Today, instead of steadfastly working on peace - we have developed even more sacrilegious torments for ourselves and other. When will humanity shift away from harm? 

big bad wolf book fair in bacolod

Big Bad Wolf was in SM City Bacolod on September 20 to 29 for another one of their popular book fairs. This was part of their ongoing campaign to raise a million new readers. 

Launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2009, BBW is the brainchild of BookXcess' founders, Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng. Their primary mission is to cultivate reading habits, increase English literacy worldwide, and build a new generation of readers by making books more affordable and accessible to everyone. 

promotional event announcement

Yoko Ono: kindred spirit

wonder | wander | women love birthdays, especially our own. Crossing the threshold of every year gives new cause for celebration, reflection, and inspiration. And as we toast ourselves and prepare for the year ahead, we look back on our collective experiences, absorbing them and creating our new, future selves.

Entrance and Wish Trees

Virgo is a verb!

wonder | wander | women have never been conformists. We are rebel resisters of coloring within bounds. Choosing to break free of patriarchal misogynistic overlords. Where others opt for "polite" or "polished" we revolt over as restrictive and binding. 

M&I - Mother's Day 2024

Parenting styles around us were not ideal or a good fit - too authoritarian and domineering, yet lacking definition or boundaries - in our opinion. We gave up, broke free, and created our own personal option. 

Danjugan Island: precious aqua marine

During our long-awaited vacation in Punta Bulata, wonder | wander | women also took the chance to visit the nature sanctuary of Danjugan Island. We booked an outrigger trip; due to the heat, only one of us could go, but we made the most of the trip!

The island was a popular diving spot for decades but gradually became overfished and its ecosystem threatened. When it came out that one of its trees was home to a rare nesting pair of white-bellied sea eagles, a group of divers banded together to buy the island and turn it into a wildlife preserve. They founded the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, which manages and stewards Danjugan till today.