furoshiki and a Pinoy Christmas

Yes, I'm feeling Christmasy already. 🎄

Let me tell you about these little furoshiki (cloth-wrapped) gifts, and why I'm doing this in the middle of November. Hint: It's probably because I'm Filipino.

diy: a bouquet of dried (paper) flowers

It seems dried flowers are here to stay, in more ways than one.

This is one of those trends that I wasn't really into at the beginning, but eventually got my interest a full year later. (It's like having an Ariana Grande song in your head: you find yourself singing it right when a different new single tops the charts.)

Lucky for me, dried florals and dried grass are still fresh in 2021, judging by the interior design articles that still call it the year's biggest trend. I guess people are still stuck at home and in need of low-maintenance coziness to fill their void.

So I'm halfway on-board, convinced that I want dead flowers in my home somewhere, but a few major peeves stopped me. First, store-bought dried flower bouquets are pricey, and second, most of them are frickin' imported! Like who spends that much money and burns that much fossil fuel just to transport lifeless plants from Austria?

"Fuck that, I'll make my own," I said, reaching for my stack of old brown paper bags.

Here's how that went.

a plastic-free Christmas!

For Christmas 2020, I challenged myself to decorate minimally and with as little plastic as possible. Some black and white paper here, a little snipping there, and ta-da -- this simple, starry mobile display.

Yes, these are all paper stars and 'baubles' that I just jazzed up with ribbons and lace.

Now adding to my list of things to be grateful for: Pinterest. 😁 Here are links to the DIY tutorials that I used as starting guides and inspiration. Some of these are non-English blogs, but you'll get their instructions with or without Google Translate:

• Eight-pointed paper star tutorial via Urban Comfort
• Another eight-pointed paper star tutorial via Gathering Beauty
• Paper Christmas balls
• Interlocked 2D Christmas tree via ShowHome Netherlands
• 
  

Happy plastic-free holidays!

37 not-quite love stories in film

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hugot. Those trite movie lines, song lyrics, and social media posts, supposedly capturing the many hues of love and despair, have devolved into saccharine ramblings, terrible attempts at wordplay, and superficial sales hooks catering to the Wattpad teen demographic. Instead of expressing profound emotions and deep reflections, hugot now trivializes them. Annoyingly.

So with Valentine's Day now rearing its bright red head, I'm bracing myself for the onslaught of pandering hugot flicks as well as the subsequent Facebook posts quoting lines from such flicks ad nauseam. Or, more likely, I'll be holed up at home with the boyfriend, watching a non-romantic film as our form of protest to the culture of mush.

You with me? Here's my list of films that look like romantic love stories but aren't really. At first glance, they may seem like the usual boy-meets-girl BS, but then they take you somewhere else. They pan out to be masterful works of art, beautiful explorations of the human condition, colored by the many hues of love and despair.

5 Myths About Zero-Waste Living, Debunked

I recently saw a Facebook album showing tips for a zero-waste or low-waste lifestyle. It had a lot of really good ideas, but there were also suggestions in there that didn’t quite sit well with some people.

For instance, the post suggested that to lessen your buying of hygiene products with wasteful packaging, you could make your own toothpaste and deodorant(!). I know a few friends who cringed at that. It’s not that do-it-yourself toothpaste is completely gross; it’s that some of us have non-negotiable hygiene requisites that just can’t be sensibly replaced by homemade stuff.

Ideas like these, while doable for some, are a turn-off for others. They’re misconceptions that prevent people from even considering any waste-reducing change in their lives.

Let’s take a realistic look at some common myths about zero-waste living. Hopefully, the truth behind these misconceptions will change a few minds. :)

Days Like This: scramble some eggs and listen to a song

There are Days Like This: You wake up and the weight of the day rushes on top of you like a flash-flood. The anxieties you've been pushing to the back of your mind, the rent, the bills, the love lost, the pains you thought you've left behind. Sometimes, it's not even that -- sometimes, it's just a heavy nothingness. You wake up and you can't get your body to move.

I've struggled with Days Like This for years, and while they still incapacitate me every now and then, I've learned two important things.

One, I can outlast them. They're just days. Sometimes, just hours. Over and over, I've found that if I hang on, if I let myself survive for just a little longer, I'll open my eyes after a while and the weight will have lifted. I just need to outlast it -- perhaps with a friend, with a book, or yes, with a song.

Two, I can scramble some eggs.

Let me explain the eggs.

70+ movies that messed with my head (or at least made me think)

I absolutely love films that offer some mental exercise. I also love lists. So here, a list of films that offer some mental exercise -- whether they're mystery, sci-fi, romance, or even comedy; whether they're good or bad or ugly. I've added my own amateur comments for fellow amateur viewers. :) Also, despite its length, this list is far from definitive -- Shutter Island isn't even on it. With your recommendations, who knows, I might make a Part 2.

Here goes. My top three:

1. Coherence
• Quick synopsis: A dinner party takes a turn for the bizarre when a comet passes close to Earth.
• Keywords: Schrodinger's Theory, doppelgangers
• Quick review: This neat little low-budget gem is easily one of my favorites in the mind-fuck category. In turns cool and claustrophobic, chilling and exciting, it poses both mind-boggling questions and moral dilemmas that last long after viewing. Supreme goosebumps delivered.
2. Primer
• Quick synopsis: A group of friends invent a time machine but soon face consequences that change their friendship and their lives.
• Keywords: time travel, friendship, secrets
• Quick review: Another low-budget film that has become a personal favorite, mostly for the sweet, sweet complexity of it. I really have a thing for movies that make me want to view it a second or third time (with pen and paper in handy just to make a chart of the plot) – and with this one, a second viewing is definitely required.
3. The Prestige
• Quick synopsis: Two competing magicians try to beat each other with escalating tricks that affect their personal lives.
• Keywords: magic, rivals, love
• Quick review: This is my favorite plot-twist movie so far. Sleek, simple, yet effective story-telling, great acting from a great cast, and refreshing plot devices that are far from overused.
  The rest of these titles are in no particular order.