Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Huffingnton Post: What Filipinos Think of Philippine President Duterte



Huffington Post ran my article "What Filipinos Think of Philippine President Duterte":

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cecilia-brainard/what-filipinos-think-of-p_b_11754316.html


These pictures are part of the article, courtesy of Wikipedia and Cecilia Brainard.




Read also
Mother's Day "Death of a Carnival Queen" 
The Kindness of the French
Are Online Reviews Reliable? (Or Understand Astroturfing)

Tags: Drug war, Filipinos, #Philippines

This is all for now,
Cecilia



Saturday, August 27, 2016

Photo Linda Venis Retirement from UCLA Extension



This photo was taken at the celebration of Linda Venis's retirement from the UCLA Extension last June.  It was a very enjoyable event, showcasing Linda's accomplishments. She will be sorely missed at the office, but I will have gained a companion for lunches and fun expeditions.

Linda Venis is second from the left, and the writer Eve La Salle Caram is to my left.

I have great respect for these two ladies and love them!

Read also:

2nd Brainard Literary Reading or Christmas Party

Writers' Program Hosts 18th Annual Publication Party


More re Reading at Skirball Cultural Center for UCLA Extension's Writers' Program

Sam Dunn Article and Family Tree of the Writers Program, UCLA Extension

UCLA Extension's Publication Party 2011 - Eve Caram and Cecilia Brainard

This is all for now,
Cecilia


Monday, August 22, 2016

Garden: Sunflowers Make Me Smile!

I bought sunflowers at a farmer's market last week, and they're still looking gorgeous. I know they won't last and have taken these pictures to capture their beauty. They look fabulous in my Mexican sunflower vase and have made me smile these past days.
Thank you Sunflowers and Vase!




Read also
Piano Recital - A Memory
Garden Update: How My Orchids and Cannibal Plants Are Doing
Garden: Bees and My Pride of Madeira Bush
Sphagnum Moss Almost Killed my Orchids

Tags: plants, garden, flowers, sunflowers, home, decoration

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Piano Recital - A Memory


 A Sunday afternoon piano recital of Robert and Jeffrey, students of Steven Fuller, reminded me of my own piano recital years ago when I was around seven years old.

My rendition included Skating on the Lake and Volga Boat Song -- and why I remember this, I'll never know.

My sister and I had piano lessons from a man who could play music with his toes. One day I walked into his studio and caught him reclining on a sofa with his toes running on the piano keys.

I was not very good at piano and eventually dropped out.

At their recital Robert and Jeffrey played music by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Stevie Wonder, Woody Guthrie, William Hanna, John Williams, and Richard Rodgers. They are much better than I had been. They will continue studying piano with Steven Fuller, a man who seems to love music and teaching.

The parrot in the last picture was part of the piano recital afternoon. Very cultured, he spoke to us in Spanish and English -- Hola, Hi -- and eyed us very carefully.  I showed him his picture on my Smartphone, and he turned away.






































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Friday, August 19, 2016

Travel: Definition of Jetlag


It's 3:43 a.m. and here's a definition of jetlag:  extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several time zones.

That describes what I'm feeling this early morning.

Give me some time and I should be back to blogging and doing normal stuff.



Read also

     Tags: travel, journey, jetlag

     This is all for now,
      Cecilia


Sunday, August 14, 2016

Philippine Writers: Visiting F. Sionil Jose, Tessie Jose, Melissa Ramos, Nadine Sarreal





As I wind down my trip to the Philippines, I'd like to share these pictues with people dear to me. The photo above shows Philippine National Artist, F. Sionil Jose and his wife Tessie Jose. They had invited me to dinner but because I another engagement, we had a lovely merienda at their iconic bookshop. La Solidaridad. We always have lively discussions and this time we talked about Duterte and Trump among other topics!  We are also planning a book launching at their bookshop in January to celebrate the forthcoming release of two of my books,. Being a bit superstitious, at this point, I will not reveal the titles. Stay tuned to find out what books these are!


On another occasion I had a long lunch with Nadine Sarreal (left) and Melissa Ramos at the Manila Pen. I've had great fun with these women. One time we had a writer's retreat in Tagaytay and on another occasion, a retreat in Palawan. Susan Evangelista, who is part of this small writers group was unfortunately absent. We missed her.

Note the orchid on the table, it plus two other vases were used to surround and insure that our table only had happy creative vibes.

This is all for now, dear Readers. Perhaps the next time you hear from me will be when I'm back at my desk in Santa Monica. Oh, I miss those two cats of mine that hang around me as I work. More, then, God willing ....


Read also
      Tags: Philippine writers, authors, Philippine National Artisst, F. Sionil Jose, Melissa Ramos, Nadine Sarreal, womwn, literature, Filipino

      This is all for now,

      Cecilia


Sunday, August 7, 2016

Lunch at the Tapenade In Makati





I had a lovely leisurely lunch with friends Tillic Lorayes and Guia Lim at the new posh Tapenade.

We had their buffet which included delicious fresh oysters, tapas, salads, etc. I enjoyed it.

It's raining hard in Manila as I write.

This is all for now,
Cecilia

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Trump Aide Paul Manafort worked for Philipine Marcos and other Dictators



Donald Trump's top advisor PAUL MANAFORT worked for Philippine dictator Ferdinand MARCOS (and pro-Russian Viktor YANUKOVYCH) --- please read the article. I quote the first paragraph below"

"When Paul Manafort met Ferdinand Marcos in the 1980s, each had something the other wanted.
Marcos, then in his third decade as leader of the Philippines, had developed a reputation in Washington as a stalwart ally in the fight against communism. But he was facing rising concerns about rampant corruption, plundering of public resources and human rights violations under his increasingly despotic leadership, during which Amnesty International now estimates 34,000 people were tortured and 3,240 killed. Meanwhile, Marcos amassed a fortune estimated at $10 billion, spending big on paintings by Pissarro and Manet, a fleet of private planes and helicopters and Mercedes-Benzes.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-paul-manafort-ferinand-marcos-philippines-1980s-213952#ixzz4GPVJfUeJ