Wedding Essentials July-December 2007 issue out now. My article on the dessert buffets of Sweet Bella appears in it. Take a peek to see how the feature looks like.
His works engulf the narrow, restrained space of the Green Papaya Art Projects’ gallery. From the doorway, you can see two massive pieces welcoming your approach. A couple of steps reveal four slightly smaller ones. “It’s a set of idols,” artist Gaston Damag states about this exhibition, which he has named Wanted. “Wala nang mga idols. Hinahanap na natin. [There are no more idols. We are missing them.]”The huge drawings depict images of the bulol—the carved wooden figurine of the Ifugao rice god. Damag shares, “Most of these are made by my hands, with no brush. I call them ‘digital drawings.’” It is a counter-reference to how modern day development has transformed the use of one’s hand. “I’m so tired of all these ‘digital’ [things]. So I said, okay, I’ll do some digital drawings, the most primitive way.”
He stands next to the bigger pair of paintings and demonstrates, “Dito, parang sinasampal ko. [Here, it's as if I'm slapping the work my hands.]” He extends his arms to show that the width and height of the drawing correspond to the length of his extended arms.
The traditional idol has actually been featured many times in his exhibitions. “It’s idols that I really know,” Damag points out. “I’m from Banaue. It’s part of our heritage.”
Damag, who is of Ifugao descent, is known for his use of ethnographic symbols to create his very contemporary works. His engagement with cultural artifacts—whether bulols, or African idols, or the likes—in his various exhibitions can be traced to a trip where he found himself viewing his heritage in the Museum of National History in the U.S. “The objects were from the Philippines, from Banaue,” Damag relates. “Most of the objects in the showcases were from my family. Inside, you could see pictures of my uncles. It surprised me to see my ancestors, the first generation, in that museum. And there I was, a modern man looking at these things. It’s a question of cultural representation.”
It is this cultural question that has changed the course of this artist’s journey. Damag clarifies, though, that his search is not one of identity but one of comprehension. “Some artists think about pure representation. Some artists are more conceptual. For me, it’s more the search for representation of cultures. How cultures understand other cultures. I analyze about an ideal way to present these things. I am artist, I make suppositions. There’s no reality. All propositions.”
It has been four years since Damag has been in the Philippines. Paris has been home for many years, a move that began quite romantically. “I followed my (then) girlfriend, a Frenchwoman,” he divulged. But it was study that he pursued in Paris, taking up Civilisation Française at Faculté de la Sorbonne (Paris) and earning his Diplôme National d’Expression from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris.
His participation in major exhibitions is a growing list of international shows, his most recent ones included Greece, Germany, and Luxembourg. His return to the Philippines this year is marked not just by Wanted, which echoes his ethnographic objectives, but also by a more special work. Further inside Green Papaya, past a wall that divides the space, is Monument.
“Monument is more personal,” the artist muses. When Damag was in third grade in the ’70s, he and his classmates were summoned from their classrooms by the military. The children were brought to the barracks where they saw a woman lying on a table. The story told was that she was a rebel killed in an encounter. “Palagay ko tinadtad s’ya ng bala. [She was peppered with bullets.] I still remember the brain, the blood falling down on the semento. I made this piece because every time I go back to the Philippines, I would think of her.”
Damag says that while this project was difficult to put together, it was even “harder not to do. It was a release.” He tells us of his plans for it. “I want to see where she came from. And maybe from this big painting, I’ll do a film about this woman [tracing back] to when she’s about 16. [When she was probably happy and went to fiestas.] I need to find her friends, talk to them. Who’s this woman? What was she doing? How did she get involved? How did she become an insurgent?”
The space that Green Papaya houses plays a particular role in this first step. “When I started working with Peewee [Norberto Roldan, the curator], and I saw the space, I thought this is nice here. When you enter, you don’t see it because we have that wall. This is a very personal space. It needs to be personal.”
Damag discloses that he doesn’t expect people to totally understand his ideas, but he would like to get his ideas as close to them as possible. “What I don’t like so much in art is when people come and see and they see what they think, but they do not to see what they’re supposed to look at. They see what they think because they always see the thing as a mirror of themselves. So they make interpretation of what they think. And if they see what they think, the art doesn’t exist. It’s dead. When you create, you have something you want to give to your audience.” [Note: original quote unedited goes, “May ginagwa kang trabaho, may gusto kang ibigay. Eh kung yung tumitingin, tinitingnan lang ang sarili nya, it’s nothing. It’s a massacre.”]
We do get some insight on how to navigate our way to this artist’s ideas. “Most artists have this concept of windows. They like to zoom [an idea closer] to them. I prefer the contrary. These images,” he waves his hand at his works on the wall, “masyadong malapit sa akin [sic]. It’s what I really know.”
Wanted/Monument was presented in cooperation with Alliance Francaise de Manille at the Green Papaya Art Projects. Green Papaya Art Projects is located at 124a Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village East, Diliman, QC, tel. (02)9262096. Thanks to curator Norberto Roldan.
published in Mega, October 2007
Kate Torralba not only designs some of today’s hottest clothes and accessories, she also rocks on the keyboard.
Upon her arrival at the quaint Bar42, Kate Torralba saunters in and amicably chats up the producer. Known for her cheery and colorful dresses as much as for her gracious and pleasant personality, she takes to the keyboard and begins to shock those unfamiliar with the other side of Kate. She renders and emphatic version of “Black Hole Sun” by grunge rock band Sound Garden.
Piano first
Even at four years old, Kate didn’t allow obstacles to deter her foray into music. It was at that time that her mom and the rest of her family were taking piano lessons. Everyone except her, that is. “I wanted to take lessons,” recalls Kate. “But they said, ‘You’re a baby.’” To her family’s amazement one day, the young Kate started playing the notes of the song “Moon River”—the tune that everyone was studying she had learned to play by ear.
Formal piano lessons began at age 7. “I was really advanced,” Kate shares. It was said that she was at prodigy level, with a skill so natural and superior for her age. A scholarship in the US was offered, but being the eldest daughter, her family declined. Kate was to stay at home. At age 9, however, Kate made it to the US, this time to perform for a recital in Los Angeles.
Kate’s love affair with the piano soon encountered a rocky patch. Classical music became too tiring. The “discipline was too much,” states Kate, who in grade school became intrigued with rock music. By high school, Kate was finding piano uncool, and even went so far as to trade it for the guitar, teaching herself a new skill.
“I called myself Mrs. Kurt Cobain,” Kate giddily reveals, alluding to the late Nirvana lead singer.
In her native Cebu, Kate became the vocalist for HardCandy, a band playing female pop alternative. An erstwhile self-confessed The Corrs fan, Kate took to the role of violinist as well, but didn’t fare as well as her other endeavors. “I sucked,” she laughs. The band earned a modest amount of success. In 2000, it garnered 5 awards at the first San Miguel Cebu Music Awards, including Band of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.
Tonight, tonight!
Tonight, as she reaches emotional intensity, she gives us a hint of the serious, introspective woman behind the animated character many take for granted.
Kate is playing without a setlist, drawing requests from the crowds and playing her favorites: Sarah McLachlan, Everything but the Girl, and of course Tori Amos—the artist “who makes piano cool.” Whether it is Pearl Jam or Radiohead, The Cure or Massive Attack, Kate deftly recreates a musical experience that shuts out the rest of the world.
Kate admits that her two personas—fashion designer and musician—are alter egos of each other. “The clothes are the happy [side]. The music reveals my darker side.” The darkness she speaks of points to the complexities her music unveils to her audience.
Fans have pinned their hopes on an album from Kate. She divulges that the idea is not too far-fetched. “One of my goals is to release an album before I turn 29 in December,” Kate shares. “An EP [extended play] at least.” As she bids her goodbye, we do leave knowing that when she’s ready, we can expect an invitation into a whole new realm of Kate’s musical exploration.
published in Mega, October 2007
Protecting your kids from that everyday nuisance: germs.
How do you wage a battle against the unseen culprit behind children’s colds, flu, common infections, and all things that make kids sick? How do you wage a battle against germs?
Read the entire feature in the October 2007 issue of Smart Parenting.
It seems that, for some time, there have been disagreements as to what constitutes a perfect set of legs. But a quick search on the internet on who has the best legs leads to many, many sites bestowing the title on a whole lot of people.
When we think of legs we think of Tina Turner’s iconic and insured pair of legs which, even when she was already nearing her 60s, was engaged in promoting the Hanes hosiery line. We conjure images of models sashaying down a catwalk on slim and slender legs that seem to sprout from their armpits. Late last year, Braun went all over the United Kingdom to look for the country’s best set of gams—based on a complicated formula that took into account the calf-to-thigh ratio and the skin’s texture and sheen.
Whatever the verdict is, most would agree that shapely, toned, smooth and unblemished are the top characteristics for desirable legs. While the genetic lottery may play a role in what we are born with, modern-day treatments and research can, thankfully, help us improve our leggy qualities.
Dark Troubles
The darkening of skin areas is usually caused by friction and trauma. Spending too much time on your knees, for example, can blacken them. A nasty mosquito bite can also leave an unsightly dark mark on your legs. While some emerge from their weekly devotion to the Baclaran church altar with nary a blotch on their skin, it’s quite possible that genetics, and not answered prayers, play a factor in this shadowy situation. “Sometimes it’s a matter of skin type,” says Dr. Camille Angeles of Beverly Hills 6750. She explains that Caucasians, and subsequently the mestizos, are less likely to suffer from hyper-pigmentation. Filipinos though, specifically the moreno type, have to be more wary; unfortunately, the darker-skinned folks are more prone to it. Dr. Sheila Acosta of Belo Medical Group clarifies that discolored skin may also be caused by a bad reaction to certain creams or peeling agents.
Whitening treatments are recommended options to treat the discoloration. At Beverly Hills 6750, the procedure involves the application of specially-formulated whitening creams to the problem spots. For the knees, in particular, chemical peels are also given to renew the. Side effects would include mild peeling between and after the sessions. Both treatments are usually recommended for five sessions, spaced one week apart. Belo Medical offers the option of a body scrub coupled with natural bleaching agents, which may be localized to the particular areas. Two to three sessions per week is suggested, which would last for about five weeks. It is imperative though, for both procedures, to follow the maintenance regimen prescribed that comes with their respective take-home kits. Beware of over-the-counter alternatives that may interfere with the effects, and most certainly, avoid sun exposure for the period of the treatments.
The Diamond Peel Treatment is recommended at Facial Care Center. This involves the use of a machine with a diamond-crust applicator tip with a suction mechanism that is administered over the skin to exfoliate it. Dr. Isabelita Joya explains that the procedure “renews skin to lessen the pigmentation.” For those who are need more intense results, boost the effects of the treatment with the Diamond Ultra Peel which infuses vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin A, and glycolic acid in the procedure.
A Scarry Sight
Besides the dark, discolored kind, scars can also be hypo-pigmented—a lightening of skin color. While an option is to undergo the whitening procedures to match the light scar, Belo Medical also recommends a procedure to color the area. With Multiclear, a probe is used to emit UVA and UVB rays to trigger the production of melanin cells. After five to ten weeks of weekly treatments, the skin tone should even out considerably.
Keloid scars are a little more complicated to treat. These are raised scars, sometimes reddish, that are a result of an overly aggressive way healing process of the skin after wounding or trauma. The use of silicone gel sheets can be effective in lessening the thickening of the skin. It is best to ask a dermatologist for help in securing them, as they aren’t readily available in local drugstores. To address the problem of keloid directly, Beverly Hills 6750 offers a new procedure that combines the practice of injecting intralesional steroids with the use of IPL and botolinum toxin. Intralesional steroid injections are administered to depress the height of the scar. Botolinium toxin enforces immobilization, and hence prevents the scar from rising, while IPL lessens the redness. This is done every two weeks, until desired results are seen. The injections can be quite painful, though.
Hair, hair, everywhere!
Unless you plan to wear long pants forever and bar anyone from touching and seeing your legs, the habit of shaving or waxing must have become a time-consuming routine. Don’t we wish to be rid of leg hairs forever! But until some genius comes up with such a lifelong solution, modern technology gives us the option of permanent hair reduction. Laser procedures over time effectively lessen the thickness of the hair, slows down hair regrowth, until the hair that grows back is practically negligible (some maintenance may be required, but this time, treatments will be far in between). One of the best things about laser treatments is that it is relatively painless compared to earlier options of hair removal, like electrolysis. There would be some sort of stinging to be felt, something akin to a rubber band snapping on the skin. The pain is mostly manageable, but some may need anesthetics if their tolerance for pain is quite low.
Facial Care Center uses the Laser Light, a diode laser. The applicator, called a chill tip, is glided over the legs, and dissipates heat to from inside the hair root to outside, progressively destroying it, without spilling over to the skin. Beverly Hills 6750 recommends the Comet. It combines bi-polar radio frequency and a diode laser to isolate the treatment area and leave the surrounding skin free from potentially harmful side effects.
Since different people may react differently to certain procedures, Belo Medical provides the use of three kinds of laser: the Aurora laser, the Light Sheer Diode Laser, and the Cool Glide Nd:Yag laser. The Light Sheer Diode laser emits light that is well-absorbed by the pigment located in the hair follicles. The Aurora emits controlled intense pulsed light (IPL) with radiofrequency. Radiofrequency does not target pigment and therefore is effective in treating lighter hair. The Cool Glide Nd:Yag laser’s wide beam causes less scattering and therefore more effective skin penetration. The cooling head stays in contact with the skin, effectively protecting it by preventing the laser energy from causing permanent damage to the skin tissue.
The Fight Against Fat
Sometimes, even after the most devoted diet and exercise efforts, getting a perfectly toned body looms to be impossible. Belo Medical’s Lipo-dissolve procedure targets those last stubborn five pounds that decided to settle on your thights. Lipo-dissolve injects agents directly onto the fat to melt it. After injecting the medication into the target areas, the Starvac (an ultrasound machine) is used to massage and spread it into the body area. For those with a low threshold for pain, a topical anesthetic is applied 30 to 45 minutes before the procedure. After the treatment, painkillers may be taken to relieve any ensuing discomfort or pain. The treatment is repeated after two weeks to four weeks, and it takes about four sessions to see some results. It is recommended to supplement the Lipo-dissolve with Lipolite to contour and shape the area as well. Lipolite combines a bi-polar radiofrequency and infrared light energies with the added feature of tissue mobilization to ensue a deep tissue massage. It allows heat to be delivered deep into the fat layer to help soften and eliminate hardened fat as well as contract the collagen fibers which result in skin tightening.
Belo Medical suggests the liposuction combined with Smartlipo for more redundant fats. Smartlipo uses the Nd:Yag laser which acts directly on the fat cells by destroying the membrane and liquefying the fats to make suction easier after. The procedure is done under sedation, which should take roughly two hours. There is a two-hour recovery period after as well. After surgery, one can expect some oozing of anesthetic and blood to occur. Pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication is prescribed after, and the patient is advised to wear a binder that will initiate skin contraction. Significant change can be seen in a few days, but it takes some six weeks for the swelling to really go down.
Sometimes, genetics is the unfair culprit. A predilection to big thighs and legs may be programmed in the DNA since birth that makes any kind of weight gain more significantly seen in those areas. Dr. Ariel Torres of Marie-France suggests the use of their cold wraps for those who are generally overweight. The 25-minute procedure involves a literal wrap of medicated elastic bandage, bound comfortably around the body which makes one look like a mummy—a freezing one, that is. The wrap itself isn’t cold, but the medication draws heat away from the body, lowering body temperature, which makes the body compensate by working overtime to burn energy, and most likely about two inches off the thighs within a month. While the bandage is only tight enough to cling on the body, allowing for mobility during the entire session, the initial cold may take some getting used to. First treatments usually just cover the torso and thighs, to get one acclimated to the temperature change. By the fourth, the entire body is wrapped. Scheduling treatments may be considered as workouts; 2 to 3 times a week is ideal.
Marie-France offers a more localized alternative, the Vara Pulse. It targets the fats specifically on the legs by agitating the fat cells. After a dry brushing of the area to make the skin more receptive and sensitive, a gel is applied. The applicator head is placed directly on the area for fifteen minutes allowing ultrasound waves to stimulate fat cells and drain them through the lymphatic system. After 4 to 7 treatments, a fraction of an inch can be expected to be lost.
For best results, take time to have a consultation before undergoing any of the featured treatments and procedures.For more information, log on to http://www.belomed.com or http://www.mariefrance.com.ph or call Beverly Hills 6750 at (02) 893-8888.
published in Metro, May 2007
