stormy holiday blues

For the Christmas holidays our sad local state of affairs in this island backwater we grew up in had more to do with no PLDT internet service than the local Typhoon Vinta. 

You can try calling all their hotlines as a guaranteed exercise in futility. Nothing ever works well with this quasi utility.

Madame Tussauds: dream dates

There's a strong flavour of fantasy in any big Christmas celebration. We build little rustic villages covered with fake snow and pine branches, we string 'fairy lights' and sparkly paper around.

fly away home

I seem to have gotten out of New York City just in time.

As the Christmas rush gripped daily commuters in traffic gridlock wonder | wander | women carefully packed our bags with gifts and clothes for an extended tropical vacation back with family.

As sirens blared and blazed to shut down yet another terrorist threat in the Big Apple I breezed through airport TSA checks patiently waiting to board.

As the first pristine puffs of snow dropped down to blanket the city I landed across the world in the muggy sweltering heat of the little island we were born and raised on.

Stay-at-home adventures: book binding

Sometimes the weather keeps you indoors and the impending holiday season means you're a bit too busy preparing to go visit museums. Or maybe the dim winter light dulls all the nice pictures of your daily walks. What to do? Embark on an indoor adventure!

Moleskines don't play well with fountain pen inks.
We can fix that!

whole body listening

Currently on exhibit at The Rubin Museum of Art until 8 January 2018 is The World Is Sound, featuring works of over twenty artists exploring how sound and our sense of hearing shape daily lives, traditions, histories, stories, and all existence.

The exhibition shifts the focus from the visual and explores the power of sound and the practice of listening. Site specific and special installations take over the entire museum with the major part located on the sixth floor.

As we step into the main doors, we are greeted with a recording of people chanting "Om," soothing sounds that initiate us into a serene world.

Christmas at St. Pancras

While the US gears up for this year's Thanksgiving, here in the UK Christmas baubles sparkle from every commercial surface. The Kings Cross and St. Pancras complex is the overland gateway to Europe and the best known stopover in London.

Back on Broadway | M. Butterfly

David Henry Hwang weaves a marvelous tale in M. Butterfly - based on a true story of a French diplomat whose politically ill-advised affair with an androgynous performer in the Chinese opera takes him places he never imagined. Imprisoning them both in the end.

Deftly exploring Western stereotyping of Asians, M. Butterfly won the 1988 Tony Award for best play and ran for an astonishing 777 performances. This revival stars Clive Owen and Jin Ha under the direction of Julie Taymor.

California Dreamin'

For our California folks who have been affected by the recent fires. 

We dedicate this feel good oldie to you all as skies dim and grow dreary here in the East Coast. 

Here are some images to go along with the lyrics. 

Taken on my way to and from our voting center yesterday.  

From our wonder | wander | women hearts - via The Mamas & The Papas - to yours.

Halloween Tarot: The Four Royal Advisors

This year I got a beautiful Tarot card set by one of our favourite artists Yoshitaka Amano for my birthday.

Amano Tarot on Amazon

Halloween is one of the rare nights where traditionally the border between material and spirit world thins, and is the best for seeking guidance to right actions and clear insight in the darkening year. So what better time to do that most Halloween-like activity, the Tarot card reading? Only this one is special: it uses all 78 cards.

Hello Dolly & Our Divine Miss M

"Hello Dolly!" is a golden Broadway oldie that has had a rich history and many memorable revivals.

Made even more iconic by the legendary and gifted stars playing the lead role of the brassy and wonderful Dolly Gallagher Levi - outspoken widow, matchmaker, and revolutionary female.

The latest New York  revival of Hello Dolly! stars the sensational Bette Midler in the lead role.

autumn foraging

The weather is definitely turning murkier and cool, everything washing out into monochrome. Bill Bryson compares the constant overcast to 'living inside Tupperware'.

rewriting history

When history is written by conquerors it most likely is not a factual telling of what actually transpired. 

First Landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World, painting by Dióscoro Puebla(1862)

At best it is skewed from the limited perspective of early arrivals and at its worst it is an all out lie perpetuated to bolster the superiority of the winner and cover the atrocities committed against the loser. 

Time to abolish Columbus Day, blog by Bill Bigelow

Such is the case with Christopher Columbus. Known to the world and throughout misguided history as a great explorer. 

Today it is inconceivable that we are still honoring the father of the slave trade with a national holiday.

missing the sky

It's been grey days and busy times here in the city! Exciting but a little hectic.

Autumn is drawing in with a vengeance.

Rosh Hashanah 2017

Rosh Hashanah means "head [of] the year" and is the Jewish day of new year.

First day of fall. View of Manhattan from Edgewater NJ

In Jewish liturgy, Rosh Hashanah leads to Yom Kippur, which is described as "the day of judgment" (Yom ha-Din) and "the day of remembrance" (Yom ha-Zikkaron).

Festive Challah Bread by Breads Bakery

This year the holidays started with the first day of fall and the autumn equinox on the East Coast. What an auspicious way to celebrate this Season of Change!

the doors of islington

Living near two of the busiest London boroughs can be noisy and disruptive, but we find it endlessly stimulating! Just going about our daily routine we find small surprises, like this Invader artwork outside a busy fast food joint...

Glittery rainbow tiles - maybe Invader was celebrating Pride!

to our well being & health care

wonder | wander | women are great advocates of natural balance and holistic practice.

You can say we arrived at such a state in an unnatural way. Being Filipino from the Visayan province of Negros where sugar has been grown for centuries to supply national consumption and world trade.

Our Ilonggo Desserts

Negros Occidental - our side of the island - has mastered the art of burnt sugar delicacies. We take grand pride and are world-renowned and multi-awarded for them.

local seafood pala pala

Eating with friends: a birthday celebration!

Every birthday marks a new year, so why not treat it like a true New Year's celebration? Some years it's good to spend the day alone in contemplation. Some years we might throw a huge party, or have family dinner on top of the world. This year I wanted some quiet time, but also a touch of sparkle, and the company of a dear friend.

Image courtesy of Jamie Kurihara

Chihuly : far from gray

The New York Botanical Garden has scheduled a series of evening openings called Chihuly Nights that runs from April 22 to October 29.

Meander leisurely through the Conservatory Lawn where blown glass art works by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly are now on view and let world-class musicians serenade you at this live jazz concert series.

journal adventures

There's a secret side to all the adventures we have as wonder | wander | women. We love to share our pictures and mementoes of the places we've travelled as well as records of changing seasons in our neighbourhoods. At the same time we kept a more personal record - our journals.

celebrating Anya

Today is Anya's birthday. Our families are truly grateful and blessed to have her in our lives!

window shopping - more museum shops!

Ever since our field trip last year we've gotten into the habit of checking out other museum shops whenever we stumble on them. We've never been able to resist a cute bookshop...and now we have a great excuse to linger.

summer wear from 188 Galerie NYC

wonder | wander | women are distinctly blessed with our own personal shopper and fashionista extraordinaire - Greg Urra of Vintage Black Label and 188 Galerie.

This summer I started documenting my Sunday trips to the store and the feel good high lights of my days in New York City.

Science Fiction classics at the Barbican Library

This week we have added more to our Into the Unknown post: the Barbican Library is having its own little exhibit of classic science fiction memorabilia!

blatant BHAKTI birthday

wonder | wander | women are great adherents of celebrating occasions well - especially birthdays.

When our birthday came up recently, we chose to celebrate with gusto - declaring to be blatantly Bhakti - we toasted the day with a specially rendered calligraphy by Mahala. 

Issa's declaration & Mahala's rendition

The words come alive in the bold brash strokes, matched by the bright festive colors that magnified our thrill and joy.

Into the Unknown: Science Fiction at the Barbican Centre

From June 3 to September 1, our favourite retrofuturistic wonderland the Barbican Centre is holding a Science Fiction retrospective!

Into the Unknown explores the ability of science fiction to investigate 'the mysteries of what is still to be discovered, and the power of human ingenuity to unravel them."

Happy 4th! to all our immigrants & First Nations

Let America be America - now and forever more - let freedom ring!

Even when truth is a lot messier than the idealized version eventually presented in our history, the Declaration of Independence was a good start for this nation and remains our strong foundation.

In June 1776, a little over a year after the start of the American Revolutionary War, the US Continental Congress huddled together in a hot room in Philadelphia to talk independence.

Island afterlife: San Michele

The island of San Michele has served as a haven for fishermen and travellers, a monastery, a prison, and finally since 1807, a cemetery.

magical manifestations

Tracing our trajectory through the years, wonder | wander | women have much to be grateful for and feel light years away from where we were when we first started this blog.

We have been to many wondrous places.

over the Philippines

Who is Wonder Woman?

In a world enamored with the mystery and magic of creation myths, the origin and history of Wonder Woman stands out.

The iconic character of Wonder Woman has inspired and impacted many of us for many generations.

As idol and hero, she is the ideal symbol of womanhood, protector of truth, and upholder of good.

Confident and determined, she is a warrior of heart and soul.

Venice: floating fantasy

It's like a personality quiz question. What do you do when you only have 6 hours in Venice? Apparently the answer was 'ride the water bus and take pictures until your camera runs out of space'.

more blooms

wonder | wander | women spent Memorial Day taking photos of the last of our spring blooms in and around the old neighborhood of Edgewater, New Jersey known as The Colony.

Even for a world getting used to wild weather, May 2017 seems stuck on strange.

The Florentine Versailles: the Boboli Gardens

Visitors to Florence usually go to the galleries and palazzos before anything else. There is so much amazing art to see, we want to study at the feet of the masters. There is astonishing classical architecture, spanning thousands of years. But often we forget that other man made accomplishment: the gardens.

inside out

This has been the craziest Spring season yet here in the East Coast. It seems like the weather has gotten as unpredictable as our current political state.

For starters we are in the middle of May people [!?!] and it is only now starting to warm up enough to finally shut off our heaters.

Since the last blizzard in March it seems like we have only had either wintry days or summer days but no spring days whatsoever. 

Florence, part 1: Florence at night!

wonder | wander | women were incredibly lucky and got to visit a dear family friend in Florence for a few days! We took so many pictures our camera ran out of space, so we have to document our trip in a few installments. Part 1 presents Florence at night, a side the daily crowds of tourists don't always see.

May Day celebrations

Engraved on the Haymarket Monument:

"THE DAY WILL COME WHEN OUR SILENCE WILL BE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE VOICES YOU ARE THROTTLING TODAY."

Flowering Hawthorn, a symbol of May Day

May Day or workers day, pagan or anglicized, cultural or commercialized, historical or statutory - May 1 has symbolic significance for many. 

sticking to facts

President Barack Obama made his first public appearance since the end of his White House tenure on April 24, speaking at the University of Chicago on the subjects of fostering civic engagement and developing young leaders.

Watching him on stage - so natural and gracious - made us miss those glory days when he was our president and we were secure in our world no matter what we faced because this was the man who had our backs.