VIOLET MANILA

Bloodlove Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:24:36 PDT

My favorite sister Raine designed and prepared Halloween goodie bags for Mochiko. They'll be available at the following Mochiko branches on October 31: Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Lucky Chinatown Mall, The Collective, and Shangri-La Mall.

More here: I Paint the Roses Blue | Mochiko's Facebook Page

She also contributed an artwork for Candy Magazine (November 2012 issue).

Her debut illustration for the mag.

She accepts art commissions. Feel free to contact her.

(On Raine being my favorite sister, well, she's the only sister I have, and she's amazing. I'm a proud sister, I know!)

Artwork and Photo by Raine Sarmiento
Posted October 29, 2012

Ode to Our Cebu Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:23:00 PDT

Our official couple peg. (2)

We have the sanctuary to ourselves. Yep, just us two baby!

The prettiest girl in sight. Oh wait, I'm the ONLY girl in sight!

The magic hour -- that short time wherein the natural lights are immaculate, wherein the sky is dramatic;
wherein everything you see is picture-perfect.

My rockstar. (Mine. Not yours. Mine!)

My love, and his buwis-gadget photography.

I can easily be the gawkiest woman there is.

So how I got on and off that steep ladder on my own without tumbling down is a mystery.

Photos shot in Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Olango Island, Cebu).
More here: Ode to Our Cebu Travel I (October 2011)

Photos 1 to 7, Photo 10 & Photo 11 (2011) by Edralin Manila
Photos 8 & 9 (2011) by Violet Manila
Posted August 31, 2012

Ode to Our Cebu Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:24:20 PDT

Our official couple peg. (1)
We plan to do this on our every travel. Sana makarami kami!

Prenup kuno.

Remember Eraserheads' Sticker Happy album cover? P'wede?
No naked bum though, I have a lazy ass that'll hurt your eyes.

My first zipline high won't be my last!

One foot can-can à la bmx trick.

Not your ordinary playground swing.

Photos shot in Cebu Zipline Adventure / Doce Pares Mountain Training Park (Busay Hills, Cebu City).

More here: Ode to Our Cebu Travel II (October 2011)

Photos 1 to 4 & Photo 6 (2011) by Edralin Manila

Photo 5 (2011) by Violet Manila

Posted August 31, 2012

Con-dom... Gun-dam... Gang... What?

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 05:47:02 PDT

K-Pop? It's not for me -- I don't have the patience to decipher the lyrics, and I don't like the melodies. But this particular song, this I just love (momentarily). It's hilarious! This PSY guy is dope! In the great sea of unbelievably gorgeous celebrities, he's like a breath of fresh air.

I absolutely have no idea what in the world I just watched,
but I'm pretty sure I caught the fever -- Gangnam Style!

Pusheen the cat caught it, too! Cuuute!

(Ey, sexy kitty! Op-op-op-op, oppan Pusheen style!)

Let me see, there was YOLO, Swag, Planking, Keep Calm and Carry On, Dougie, Call Me Maybe, and now Gangnam Style. What's next? Gawd this meme thing is too much for a 26-year-old to handle, and I don't even have tweens yet!

I leave you with this crazyass "Misheard" version. Happy almost-weekend!

Posted August 30, 2012

Get Whiter or Die Trying

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 21:51:43 PDT

As part of looking our best, us girls must have whiter, smoother, fairer skin in so-or-so days. Otherwise we're doomed to not charm that one cute guy with the stupid smile on his face. And as extremely infectious advertising has it, we can't do it alone! In the absence of magic wand twirling fairy godmothers that'll bibbidi-bobbidi-boo us to instant perfection, thank goodness there are seemingly magical products we can always turn to. Introducing Lactacyd White Intimate Feminine Wash. The promise? Allowing us girls to wash "that problem" away naturally, and to safely whiten our "intimate area" within four weeks.

Georgina Wilson: "My natural way to intimate fairness and confidence."

Um, exactly how can a cocktail of mysterious chemicals be natural in the first place?

Oh, the pressure of being whiter! It's not just limited to what we expose now -- our face, teeth, neck, nape, back, armpits, elbows, knees, and groins. It's even invading that one part which hardly ever sees the rays of sunlight!

Be whiter -- to get noticed, to be liked, to be desired. Unless you're whiter, you won't have a life. At least that's what most, if not all, whitening products' ads say. Fuck that! Give us girls a break. We already have a handful of problems to deal with. We deserve to feel comfortable with our own skin forchristsakes! Stop demoralizing us just because we don't fit into your ridiculous definition of cookie-cutter beauty. And please stop adding body parts to include on our "must be white, must be very-very white" list! It’s crazy! What's next? Pinkish-white glowing genitals? Oh, and fuck! This Lactacyd ad can't even use the term vagina!

Oo, whitening product, trespassing ka!

Just so it's clear, I, for one, religiously use cosmetic products -- those bottled mixture of cryptic chemical compounds: some natural (allegedly), mostly synthetic. I have nothing against ritualistic cleansing, moisturizing, sun-blocking, and all those time consuming shit. In fact, I believe I need them to avoid looking like a piece of sundried raisin (I’m actually saving that look for my 60s). What annoy me are the damaging metamessages advertising monsters infuse in their commercials i.e. how women are dismembered into parts, how women are insulted and objectified, and so-on-and-so-fucking-on.

Get whiter or die trying. It's old news. My deranged rants? They're not as old, but who cares? I find most commercials rubbish, and I would love to voice out my extreme hate on them repeatedly!

On a semi-related note, happy mensiversary my love. There are always going to be women prettier, sexier, smarter than me. But I'm happy to have found that one guy who just doesn't give a fuck. At least in his eyes, I am all those adjectives, and more!

Photo (2011) by Edralin Manila
Posted August 25, 2012

Tinig sa Titik

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:03:05 PDT

    I

    Ang tinig ko'y nasa aking suso,
    nililingon ng mga manyakis na tambay sa kanto.

     Ang tinig ko'y nasa aking panulat,
     binabasa ng ilang interesado, ng ilang ususero.

    Ang tinig ko'y nasa aking pagkatao,
    hinuhusgahan ng ilang nagbabanal-banalan, ng ilang nagmamarunong na estranghero.

     Ang tinig ko'y nasa aking pagkatao,
     sinusubukang kilalanain, unawain, mahalin
    nilang marurunong rumespeto.

     II

     Tulad ng kwerdas ng gitarang sintunado, ang tinig ko'y kailangang itono.
    Tulad ng kare-kareng matabang, ang tinig ko'y kailangang timplahan.

    May tinig akong hiram.
    May tinig akong kailangang salain, itapon, palitan.
    May tinig akong kailangang hasain at turuan.
    May tinig akong kailangang maibahagi at mapakinggan,
     gayunding may tinig akong marapat na sarilihin lamang.

     May tinig akong kailangang tubusin.
     Yaong tinig tulad ng sa isang inosenteng bata.
    Batang may kakayahang tumawa ng walang dahilan.
    Batang may sapat na tapang upang umiyak kapag nasaktan.
     Batang may abilidad na maniwala sa mga bagay na tila ba imposible.
     Batang marunong mangarap ng walang pag-aalinlangan.
     Yaong tinig ng sinanlang kamusmusan.

     May tinig akong kailangang pagyamanin.
     Yaong tinig ng kamalayang malaya.
     Hindi.
     Yaong tinig na masidhi ang pagnanais lumaya.
    Yaong tinig ng kamalayang patuloy na pinalalaya.

     III

     Sa panahong 'di hamak na mas madali ang bumulalas ng anumang naisin,
     ang tinig ko ba'y may saysay o pawang nakapeperwisyong ingay lamang?
    Ang tinig ko ba'y hilaw? Mababaw? Manhid? Bastos?
    Ang tinig ko ba'y naiiba? Matapang? Sensitibo? Malaya?
    Bweno, maaari natin iyang pagtalunan
    sa isang komportableng upuan, sa harap ng mesang nilatagan ng serbesa't pulutan.
     (Walang videoke, please lang!)
    Tiyak malayo ang mararating ng ating diskusyon.
    Tiyak mapapahaba ang ating inuman.

May tinig ang rock hard abs ni Derek Ramsay. May tinig ang neck brace ni Former President at ngayo'y Congresswoman Gloria Arroyo. May tinig ang pagiging BB Gandanghari ng dating si Rustom Padilla. May tinig ang pag-upo sa wheelchair ni Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. May tinig ang lumilipad na kamao nina Claudine Barretto at Raymart Santiago. May tinig ang panawagang gawaran ng National Artist Award si Dolphy noong panahong ito'y naka-life support na, kung kailan tila parang huli na.

May tinig ang napakahabang pila sa Lotto outlets. May tinig ang naglalakihang tiyan ng karamihan sa nakikita nating pulis. May tinig ang nangaglipanang botcha sa palengke. May tinig ang mataas na bilang ng mga batang namamatay sa simpleng Diarrhea at Dengue. May tinig ang costumes ng dancers sa programa ni Willie Revillame. May tinig ang debosyon sa Nazareno ng Quiapo. May tinig ang paniniwala sa lihi at sapi. May tinig ang pekpek shorts. May tinig ang K-pop obsession. May tinig ang halik, nakaw man o hindi. May tinig ang pitong taong gulang na batang umuusal na ng malutong na "puke-ng-ina!" May tinig ang masarap at walang katulad na lutong-bahay ni mama.

May tinig ang nice post, ex-link. May tinig ang followed you, follow me back. May tinig ang like at reblog. May tinig ang comments off, permission denied, protected blog, content not found. May tinig ang mga titik, ang mga salita. May tinig ang violetauthoress.blogspot.com ni Violet Manila.

Ang Tinig sa Titik ay hango sa paksang Tinig ng Kamalayang Malaya (KM). Ito ay tugon sa linyang "Anong saloobin ang nais mong ibahagi." Ito ay hindi lahok.

Nakaka-miss din ang gumawa ng sulating may paksang pinili ng iba.
Parang noong mga panahong ako'y buhay-estudyante pa.

Credits: Kayumangging Damdamin | Pusheen the Cat
Posted July 25, 2012

This is the Honey Badger. It's Pretty Badass, Look!

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:26:14 PDT

Thanks to Randall, I now know what a Honey badger is. Have I not known, I could've missed out a lot in life! And thanks TMZ for making Randall mainstream. Ha! As if they'll get to read this shit! Feelingera lang.

Randall on Honey badgers: "Honeybadger don't care. Honeybadger don't give a shit!"

Randall on Honey badger kits: "Soon it will grow-up and really learn how not to care."

Honey badgers are so cute! Honey badgers as pets? Well, that's a different story altogether. Oh, the horror of trying to keep one as a pet! If I manage to bring one honey badger home without me dying in the process, I'll try to domesticate it, um, feed it, litter train it, the works! That honey badger, on the other hand, will most likely destroy all my stuff, tear me apart, and in the end, it still won't give a shit! For that, I'd stick to cats -- they're mean, but not as much!

Here are equally nasty non-Honey badger videos.

Randall on basilisks: "Jesuschrist has returned, as a lizard!"

Randall on bullfrogs: "Bullfrogs eat crazy shit. They eat each other!"

Randall on fainting goats: "Ohmygod! Is it dead?"

It'll be badass if NatGeo or Animal Planet have Randall as narrator. Randall would definitely be an effective educational video narrator (or an ad dubber). The problem in that would be people being foul-mouthed. On second thought, most people today are already lewd, so screw that. Randall is attention-grabbing, and I adore him!

Visit Randall's Wild Wild World of Animals for more videos.
Like Randall's Facebook Page for updates.

See the photo inscription? That's by my love comparing me to a honey badger -- that doesn't care!

That says a lot babe, that says a lot!

Today’s Friday the 13th. You think I care? Like a honey badger, I don’t give a shit!

Photo (2011) by Edralin Manila
Posted July 13, 2012

Why the World won't End, Allegedly

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:09:40 PST

To hell with the December 2012 apocalypse! I'm watching this!

Death by cuteness! I need an army of ruthless minions!

If the videos above don't quite satisfy your doomsday fix, try reading the following articles instead:
NASA's | Forbes' | The Washington Post's

Being able to witness (failed) doomsday scares firsthand is among the interesting perks of being born in the 1980s. That Y2K scare was effin once in a lifetime!

For my part, I don't think it's a matter of when the world we nastyasses know of will end. The hype is quite amusing, yes. But I prefer putting greater emphasis in living a worthwhile life, a life lived to its fullest, like that of sedated rockstars, like that of the overused aphorism "as if the world is to end tomorrow, as if you are to die tomorrow."

Fact is, I don't know when this lovely fucked up world will end, I won't know! And to fill that void, that grey area of not knowing, I say my prayers, my personal cussword. To wake-up each day like it’s my birthday, only better. To willfully try my damn hardest to do only the superlatives -- big dreams, hard work, endless travels, limitless learning, great laughs, grand love, bear hugs, thousand kisses, sexy whispers, million words, gazillion fine stories - written, photographed and spoken... etcetera, etcetera. Because life should be lived like that, and nothing less.

Note: Remind thyself daily... so holy heavens help me. (Insert long overdue bucket list here.)

With a Dutch Mill in my hand, I put my warface on. Bitchfest? Bring it! (Chos!)

Photo (2011) by Edralin Manila
Posted June 23, 2012

Our Ultra Electro Magnetic Prenup Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:20:49 PDT

There’s no other place more fitting to have our prenup shoot than in the now defunct Camp Xtreme. This skatepark in Cubao was once our sanctuary. The ledges, park ramps, pool and vert were tightlipped witnesses to our weekly lambingan. Saturdays and Sundays of 2004 were reserved for each other, for Cubao. Sure, it’s a skatepark no more, but the memories remain.

More than a schedule for our prenup shoot, December 15, 2011 was the perfect excuse to revisit memories of our juvenile love, our rebellious youth. It’s a reminder of the earlier chapters of Edralin and Violet’s love and life story together.

Photos 1 to 5 (2011) by Medard Salmorin
Photo 6 (2011) by Edralin Manila
Photos 7 to 9 (2011) by Violet Manila
Posted June 22, 2012

Vans Go Skate 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:11:38 PDT

I'm posting this ad in the spirit of "I'm such a proud wife, Imma brag about it!"

I'm posting this photo in the spirit of "I'm such an overtly in love wife, Imma brag about him!"

Edralin Manila is among the event's official photogs. Enter Garbage: go baby, go go! Congrats my love, you sure are making me really proud! And, um, alcoholic?

Visit Vans Go Skateboarding Day 2012 for details.

Poster from facebook.com/vansphmanila

Photo (2011) by Micky Alvarez

Posted June 21, 2012

1 Small Act for the Philippines Photo Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:55:21 PDT

Click poster to enlarge. Visit Talktv Philippines for details.

Poster from facebook.com/TALKtvPhilippines
Posted June 20, 2012

No Videoke Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:30:38 PDT

If I'm asked to name a form of entertainment I don't enjoy, if I'm asked to name a thing I don't need, I'll say karaoke/videoke in a heartbeat! I have always not, and will always never (ever)! I'm sure as hell to survive without it. I don't have one at home, and I don't rent one out on generic occasions. So hate me, call me un-Pinoy, I don't care! I have nothing against a videoke machine though, or those who like-slash-love videoke for that matter. It's just not for me. Yeah, I cannot fathom the supposed rapture there is in singing along a notoriously popular song, belting it all out with a microphone, with an audience. And I must mention the tacky music videos. Mindboggling!

I know for a fact that videoke is not my thing because I have surrendered to the pressures of heavy kant’yaw twice -- you read right, (enter Susan Roces) not once, but twice! Thanks to my videoke loving in-laws! My first was a duet with my love in a now defunct videoke hub in SM Valenzuela -- those rented room types. We did Ika'y Mahal Pa Rin by Rockstar2 in front of his chortling family (and we had the highest score, mind you). My second, and absolutely my last, was in my love's family home during a gathering (a birthday perhaps, I can’t remember). I went solo with Parokya ni Edgar's Mang Jose. My father-in-law thought it was his preschool granddaughter singing. My song choices clearly reflect me not taking the videoke hullabaloo seriously. Why would I when I have a horrid singing voice to begin with? Plus pop songs aren't my cup of coffee.

No Manila family gathering is ever complete without a microphone. That's my father-in-law, all smiles on his 60th.

His grandkids surprise him with, what else, a song number.

My karaoke/videoke views wouldn't probably be the same had I been gifted with a singing voice worthy of Save Ferris, which I'm not. If I have that Monique Powell voice, videoke will surely be desirable, which obviously isn't the case.

Kunwari I'm a songstress. To arrogantly exhibit my golden voice, what song will I sing along to? Goldfinger's 99 Red Balloons! I'd do the German part with swagger! And to raise the difficulty level, I'd do it habang lasing!

99 Kriegsminister

Streichholz und Benzinkanister

Hielten sich für schlaue Leute

Witterten schon fette Beute

Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht

Mann, wer haette das gedacht

Dass es einmal soweit kommt

Wegen 99 Luftballons

Read Wikipedia's Karaoke entry here. It has meaty stuff like "My Way by Frank Sinatra is the deadliest song in the Philippines." The word 'Philippines' popped up fifteen times, and 'Filipino', eleven (I counted).

Today's father's day, sure enough marami ang magbi-videoke!

Photo (2012) by Edralin Manila
Posted June 17, 2012

Urge Ride Rules! Tour 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:47:49 PDT

I'm posting this ad in the spirit of "I'm such a proud wife, Imma brag about it!"

I'm posting this photo in the spirit of "I'm such an overtly in love wife, Imma brag about him!"

Congratulations Edralin Manila for being among the event's "official" photographers! You're going pro babe, nail it! And yeah, thanks for giving me something to blog and brag about. An even bigger thanks for giving me the perfect excuse to pop some congratulatory booze. We are getting drunk this weekend!

Visit Urge Ride Rules! Tour 2012 for details.

Poster from padyak.ph
Photo (2011) by Micky Alvarez
Posted June 07, 2012

My nth Attempt on Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Violet Manila) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:43:03 PDT

A lot has happened since I last blogged. I got legally married to Edralin Manila.

Mr. and Mrs., finally!

We've ventured on a business together.

Part of what we do.

And we've been traveling quite a lot, which meant tons of written and photographed stories to share!

Our first pair of Chuck Taylors -- matchy-matchy for our 7th anniversary.

His had retired early. Mine's just dirty!

It's been a looong while since I last blogged, and fuck, a lot has changed! I've abandoned this site for so long, and I'm pretty sure it needs some love (and more writing)!

This is my nth attempt on blogging, and I'm trying to be optimistic about it. With "attempt" as the operative word, and this as the operative song, I'm doing this! Err, I'm finally doing this, again!

Photo 1 (2011) by Leo Pacalda
Photo 2 (2012) & Photo 3 (2011) by Edralin Manila
Posted June 04, 2012