Happy Birthday, Faith Hill!

It's a week late, but I wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to Faith Hill. My wife has been a fan of her music for years, and honestly, who can blame her?

On the zillion-to-one chance that Mrs. McGraw ever sees this blog, I'd like to remind her that the world abounds in people who know her songs by heart, and can and will sing them at the slightest provocation.

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A Symphony of Color

I first found Bethram Dacuma Alegado's work on my Facebook feed – a painting of an astronaut surfing on vibrant water. I clicked on her profile and fell down the rabbit hole. Beth is a self-taught artist from Toledo City, Cebu. Five years ago, she got into a freak motorcycle accident. During her recovery, she started playing around with a paintbrush, and discovered art’s therapeutic power. Beth's inspiration comes from everyday moments and nature, and her portfolio is a delightful mix of hues and emotions. However, she doesn’t let the vibrancy overwhelm the detail. Instead, the colors serve to amplify the realism, drawing you in and making you appreciate the details you might otherwise overlook. In some of her paintings, Beth pays homage to old masters, like Vermeer and da Vinci, by recreating their artworks that feature bubble wrap effect. The bubble wrap isn't a saboteur of art, but a lens that makes us look at it differently. Her work is a direct rebuttal to the grim ...

Something I Felt Like Writing This Morning…

Before fatherhood found me, I edited videos for television stations and various companies. It's about digitizing clips, unearthing the perfect sequence, picking the right music, and finding the one line in a two-hour interview that the producer wants to include. On a Thursday morning during my stint at TV 5, I paid a heavy toll. It was 4 AM, and to keep up, I’d become a connoisseur of the free kapeng barako from the pantry. Piles of half-eaten fast food take out boxes, empty cans of Coke and energy drink, and abandoned coffee cups covered our desks. A single cup turned into three, then six, then eight. I had a deadline and that liberica was the only thing keeping me awake. In the corner, hunched over a pair of white headphones, was Neil, the master editor. On the other side of the room, gfx artist Ronald was silently polishing his After Effects animation. The room started to spin. I gripped the edge of my seat. Neil walked over, his eyes wide with concern, and put his hand on my s...

In Memory of Laura

So sad this morning to hear of the unexpected death of Laura, an old fiend and former dentist. I will always remember her bizarre taste in music, her dark humor, and her unwavering belief that a person’s worth is tied to their oral care routine. Last year, we wanted to meet and work together again on something and I am very, very sorry that will never happen. I've mentioned her in a 2015 blog post , and today I will rerun the tale... Not So Happy Ending Not so long ago, I went for a drink in a pub in Ortigas. I had second thoughts about entering the establishment when I noticed there were so many people inside. There were men with ironic beard and pretentious hairstyles dressed in rolled up chinos and check shirts; women in vintage sundresses, skinny jeans, and acid wash denim cutoff shorts; actors and models trying to look hip; and a bunch of call center agents who wanted to get drunk before they start their graveyard shifts. There was this famous guitarist at one table, with sho...

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