wonder | wander | women have never been conformists. We are rebel resisters of coloring within bounds. Choosing to break free of patriarchal misogynistic overlords. Where others opt for “polite” or…
Even before quarantine, I always preferred staying at home to going out and even eating out. It was a good time to discover what my comfort food was, and experiment with whatever was in my fridge. I…
OMG late post. . . . again. . . .for shame. Manhattanhenge Summer Solstice Grand Central Station NYC - July 13 wonder | wander | women had a good reason though. We were in the throes of packing Mahala's stuff for her return back to the UK after a glorious month of togetherness in the US. Last day at our NYC apartment, July 16 OK ok - on with the show then. Let us get on with the next highlight of our lives. Guru Purnima is one of our favorite festival celebrations. It pays homage to the fullness of a summer's moon. Symbolizing the fullness of a disciple's gratitude for their true teacher. July 14 - Bison sculpture outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine As vast as the tides contained within the ocean. So too is the depth of gratitude for the awakened state of being this blessing brings. According to Hindu legend, this was the day when Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati. This day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima. According to Buddhist history, when Buddha formed his first Sangha and gave them his first sermon - called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta - it was given on the full-moon day of Asadha. This day is dedicated to gurus or true teachers. People offer their prayers to their gurus. Thanking them for the knowledge provided to the learner. Spectacular thunder storm back in Edgewater NJ - July 17 Signaling the start of monsoon season and heavy rains, Guru Purnima marks the first day of a three month season from July to September. With my birthday in July and Mahala's in September it is a season that holds special significance for us both. Heavenly Bosies Exhibit, Met Cloisters NYC - July 12 It is a time to quiet down and go within. At home or in temples and monasteries, lay folks and monks switch to a more ascetic pace. Giving up worldly attachments to reinforce and honor their spiritual practice. For 2018, Guru Purnima falls on July 27. It will also be the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st Century. How cool is that? In however way you choose to, we encourage you to set aside some time on this day to honor your Spirit. Connecting and paying homage to the God of your Heart. Sad Gurunath Maharaj Ki Jaya! Times Square NYC - July 15
wonder |wander | women are always eager and excited to honor and celebrate a variety of diverse occasions, traditions or beliefs. We were born and raced in a mixed household. Filipino by birth…
A celebration of returning light, Imbolc is a Gaelic festival that marks the beginning of spring. Also called Candlemas (Christian), New Year (Tibetan, Chinese, Iroquois), Tu Bi-Shevat (Jewish). Goddess festival of Brigit, Brighid, Brigid (Celtic). It is our mid-winter celebration, prophecy, purification, initiation. Our Lady of 10,000 Names, Suzanne Grace Mitchell, 2018 Breathe into emptiness. Stir in the silence that winter gifted you. Touch new skin, the surprise aliveness, the contours winter revealed. There is an echoing silence that precedes every new thing. Imbolc is the insistence of the spring waters, pushing up through cold earth. It is the restlessness of birdsong, the persistence of the sap. It is the dark that folds around all that is stirring, saying: Pace yourself, love. Imbolc calls us to be simple. We have nothing but what winter left us. We have nothing but our own stirring heartbeats and desires. Nothing but the fire in our bellies that warmed us through the deepest darks. It is time to polish ourselves. To clear, clean, hone. To stand in the barest simplicity of our aliveness and promise ourselves to service, to spring. Make a simple promise. To our wholeness, to becoming. Find the seed inside you, swollen with its own longing, that insists, with all the force of life, that it will sprout when the time is right. Simple, naked, clean, fiercely alive. ~ Maeanna Welti © Mother Tongue Ink 2020 Brigid's cross
One of the things wonder | wander | women love about our haven in Union City NJ is its small town barrio ambiance that reminds us of our childhood home town. Being back here in the Philippines after…
The 2024 dates for Lammas | Lughnasadh | Loaf Mass Day are August 1 to 12. Many cultures celebrate Midsummer — this week we also mark…
One autumn day in the 90s wonder | wander | women visited the US for the first time and saw Miss Saigon on Broadway. It was a magnificent, stirring romance, but it left us feeling betrayed. The white…
Long before any arts, crafts or design movements were ever started the skill of hand work was born of necessity as well as creative enterprise. Hands hold, make, do, and express so much. They grasp…
On a recent visit to Canada, wonder | wander | women blogged about the Inuit art featured at the AGO in Toronto. WoaWomen Urra in Stratford, Ontario Before we even set foot at the AGO though, we had fallen in love with much of the First Nations arts and crafts exhibited in Gallery Indigena in Stratford. Gallery Indigena - Stratford, Ontario In Toronto they also have merchandise available at the AGO and in their other outlet located in the Distillery District. Gallery Indigena - Distillery District, Toronto This flagship gallery in Stratford has an extensive collection of Canadian native art as well as Inuit and Iroquois sculpture. Including limited edition prints, paintings, Pacific Coast masks, totems and wood art. Sisterhood - Maxine Noel/Ioyan Mani, Sioux Artist Song of the Mountain The gallery also has a gift shop with many products designed by aboriginal artists. Prints of indigenous art reproductions are available in affordable souvenirs. Issa's birthday card from Mahala Evening Star Woman - Betty Albert Licenz, Cree Artist Including mugs, clothing, jewelry, cards, glass ornaments, books and more. We were hard pressed deciding which ones to purchase for ourselves and as gifts to return home with. Muskox March - Kellypalik Qimirpik, Inuit Artist Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. This is home to the Huron Nation or the Wendat. Embracing the New Dawn - Benjamin Thomas, Iroquois Artist This is territory made famous by misleading historical novels like The Last of the Mohicans whose author, James Fenimore Cooper, tended to side with fellow Euro-Americans. Even when portrayed by a much beloved and multi- awarded actor like Daniel Day-Lewis, the tales told are inaccurate. Totem Charm - Canadian Jewelry Celebration, HCL As fellow colonized folk, we may have been raised on the traditions and history presented by our colonizers, yet our heart strings are hooked more to indigenous creative expressions from other colonized nations. abstract teardrop earrings by Christine Rio, Slate When we come across art of the First Nations, the primordial pull and grip on us is inexplicable yet very tangible. It calls to us and we are in its thrall. Imagining shared joys and sorrows down the annals of lifetimes long gone. No matter how bright, now nothing but ash. free form bowl by Corrine Hunt These fantastical prints and carvings are the closest we come to them - to our ancestral past, to our native pride, to the call of our true nature. Note Cards of Cape Dorset - Kenojuak Ashevak, Inuit Artist We are so blessed to have them still with us today. In all parts of the world. Uniting us in our shared dreams. Then and now. Forever and always. Raven Head - Harvey John, Haida Artist
Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and take action for a healthier planet and brighter future. This year…
The best thing about living in Central London is that so many amazing restaurants are in walking distance. You can walk down to the gastropub after work, take in some amazing Thai food, fill up on vegetarian Japanese, or have a limoncello-ginger cocktail with some handmade pasta carbonara - without having to shell out for a taxi or ride a busy train. Here's a list of our favourites! Favourite vegetarian/vegan: Itadaki Zen, Kings Cross Road. Cozy, delicious, and lots of satisfying food options even if you're not vegetarian. Photo courtesy Itadaki Zen Favourite Italian: Casa Tua, a tiny homey place across from Holy Cross Church on Cromer Street. Real homemade taste - the best fettuccine carbonara I've had in London, and cocktails so yummy I drank half before I remembered to take a picture! Favourite dessert place: Mamason's Dirty Ice Cream, Camden High Street. Totally heals our homesick cravings for halo-halo and ube ice cream, not to mention introducing new adventures like black coconut! Great for lots of friends: Siam Central, Charlotte Street. Delicious Thai food meant for sharing, fresh coconut juice, good service and I especially loved their fried ice cream. (wonder | wander | women love ice cream at any time of the year.) Favourite pizza: ICCO, Charlotte Street and Camden High Street. Super cheap, delicious New York-style pizza served blazing hot, as pizza should be. Guilty pleasure: Wing Wing Korean fried chicken, Tavistock Square. Fried chicken and battered seafood in 3 flavours (our favourite is the soy garlic), seaweed fries, and beer or soft drinks - the superior 'KFC' experience. You can book a karaoke room too! Photo courtesy of Wing Wing Happy eating!
On our wonder | wander | women blog we welcomed a new product for the new year - We'Moon 2020. More than any appointment book - it is a lunar calendar, a handbook in natural rhythms, and a collaboration of international women's cultures - created and designed by we'moon to honor and celebrate wemyn. The ideal tool to fortify us through these trying times. Be it agitated calderas all around the Ring of Fire. Or aggravated tantrums from impeached pretenders. It is a valuable resource of useful information that can support us navigate throughout the year. For a child of the moon, awash in my Cancerian tides, it is already proving itself a godsend. Women of the world can truly unite under its sheltering banner. We'moon signifies, "we of the moon." Defined not in relation to men but by our primary relation to cosmic flow whose cycles run in our blood. We’Moon is sacred space in which to explore and celebrate the diversity of she-ness on Earth. We’Moon is created by, for and about womyn: in our image. Lunar Rhythms. Gaia Rhythms. Eyes of Heaven. Time and Space. Whole Earth Perspective. Whole Sky Perspective. Women of the World Potential. We’Moon culture exists in the diversity and oneness of our experiences as we'moon. The weekend begins under a thoughtful Scorpio Moon. We may need to spend some time alone on Friday and Saturday, then Sunday and Monday, feel the energy shift as the Sun enters Aquarius and the Moon enter Sagittarius. If you’ve been holding on to an old image of community or sense of belonging, new realizations help you let go of what was so you’re more open to what is. You learn much vicariously this year. Walking friends and community through their challenges, and working through some personal inner demons in the process. Out of this work arises the potential for a stronger sense of self, woven into a refreshed and dynamic community. New Moon in Aquarius on January 24. The moon is our inward sense of self, emotions and psyche. Airy Aquarius encourages community, ingenuity, collaboration and idealism. It’s time to honor the philosophy of love and the power of community.
Living in multicultural cities, wonder | wander | women delight in finding all sorts of special cuisine from cultures all over the world. Still, we love to turn to a few comfort foods we’ve come to…
The first is a big ceramic pan for stir-fry. We love fresh vegetables, but we also love it when food cooks fast — then we can eat it as soon as possible! Chinese stir-fry is our favourite comfort…
London churchyards are ancient, beautiful...and mostly empty. The bones are laid to rest in the crypts of the parish church, and the headstones are taken away or moved to the walls and borders if, as in many cases, the churchyard becomes a public park. Many small parks and green squares in London are old churchyards reclaimed for the public. The memorials, many weather-worn or covered with moss, remain in full view even though the occupants are gone, creating a somber, meditative atmosphere. Some of the stones even have a new function as path markers - they're so old you could almost mistake them for the metal utility covers between them. Old tombs still stand, some solid and level, others tipping sideways with the subsidence of hundreds of years. Some of the better-sheltered stones seem fresh-cut, showing hardly any effects of the weather. Others are so worn it's hard to see what was originally carved on them. Some churchyards, like St Andrew's Gardens in Camden, are even laid some distance away from the parish church that owned them and have become visitor spaces in their own right, decorated with flower beds, new plantings and even drinking fountains donated by patrons. Spending quiet time with memorials to bodies that aren't there any more might seem like a strange practice, but it's as valid as visiting a museum to see memento mori paintings. We savour the life we have while we still have it, and spare a kind thought for those who have gone.
Dune by Frank Herbert was a strong influence in our wonder | wander | women lives when we first read it in the early 70s, pregnant with Mahala. Throughout the years, we ardently studied the Bene…
The holidays are officially here. Occasion for wonder | wander | women to eat out and celebrate more. As you can see from our past few blog posts, we are applying ourselves to the task! While our UK…
Memorial Day weekend found us at The Colony in Edgewater, New Jersey - a borough located along the west bank of the Hudson River in Bergen County. It was once called Burdette's Landing where ferries transported agricultural produce from New Jersey across to New York. During the American Revolution it housed General Washington's headquarters and later served as a landing for steamboats that plied the river. Watch the new AMC historical thriller Turn for a visual reenactment of the Revolutionary War in and around this area. It became popular as a sleepy pastoral resort town and quiet residential retreat from industrialized and overcrowded Manhattan. In 1948 the Edgewater Colony, Inc., was founded by its 116 homeowners as a private cooperative. Today its current residents do not hold deeds of property but are instead issued shares at the same 1940 cost of $1,300. Our weekend was spent in a newly refurbished residence on Shore Road, right by the water. We had panoramic views of New York City across the river. We meandered through private lanes peeking at secluded gardens and homes. We hiked a trail that led under the George Washington Bridge. With a view of the Little Red Lighthouse across the water. To fortify ourselves for the weekend, we got groceries at the nearby Mitsuwa Marketplace on River Road. More shopping mall than supermarket, this venue houses a food court, bakery, sushi bar, gift shop, bookstore and video shop. One of the many beautiful dessert displays. These were some of the delights and treats we bought. Prettily wrapped Japanese wagashi jelly. Inside is a loquat embedded in sunshine. Wrapped pancake with sweet bean paste. Inside the lacework bears a lovely jelly blossom. These were the consummate meals we had. Korean style barbecue ribs with red and brown rice and bokchoy. Baked tofu and teriyaki chicken on a bed of rice, ringed with Chinese cabbage. It truly was a memorable weekend for us!
This election season in the US there is deep voter distress over the state of the nation, the highest inflation in four decades, and economic uncertainty — as well as concerns about abortion access…
“Philippine food was shaped by the land in which it was born, and so were its cooking processes, ingredients, meal patterns, flavor principles, ways of serving and social functions…land, history and…
Living near two of the busiest London boroughs can be noisy and disruptive, but we find it endlessly stimulating! Just going about our daily routine we find small surprises, like this Invader artwork outside a busy fast food joint... Glittery rainbow tiles - maybe Invader was celebrating Pride! ...or a beautiful wallpaper shop with a whimsical name that happens to be selected for the London Design Festival. Timorous Beasties This time we went looking for our favourite neighbourhood subject: doors! Islington was a famous borough of wealthy Londoners since medieval times, and really flourished in the 17th and 18th century. These days it's much more diverse and still a lovely neighbourhood, with most of its old houses and the Gothic church not only preserved but in daily use. St. Mark's Church London doors exemplify antique glamour, and Islington has some of the most classic. Beautiful glass and metalwork, and unusual doorknockers, catch the eye. We like to joke that if you keep your eyes open, inspiration might not only be right outside your front door, it might even be your front door!
The runic alphabet — similar to hieroglyphics, pictographs, and Native American petroglyphs — represent specific elements, animals, or gods. Runes had specialized purposes and were used to write…
It's May and we can finally celebrate spring on May Day! With temperatures soaring in the high 70s here in the East Coast it feels like we've bypassed spring and gone straight to summer. Although May Day originated as a pagan practice it has long been Christianized with various May devotions dedicated to Mary the mother of Christ. Most secular practices include dancing around a May pole and crowning a May queen. It's too bad that the practice of anonymously leaving May baskets of treats and flowers among neighbors' door fronts has faded away. We suppose in this day of "if you see something strange, report it," a covert run to ring the bell and steal away before being discovered could just be too dodgy or dangerous. What a shame that is indeed. Some cities still celebrate the tradition with parades and festivities. We hope you find one nearby and have some fun on this clear bright day. May Day is also International Workers' Day or Labour Day, celebrating labourers and the working classes. In 1904, all Social Democratic Party organisations and trade unions of all countries were called upon to celebrate the legal establishment of the eight hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace. wonder | wander | women are proud and happy to celebrate our immigrant roots and heritage on this day. We give thanks in gratitude for our ancestors who risked life and limb to give up all they knew for adventurous journeys to strange lands. We are grateful to carry on this tradition for our future generations. Immigrants, we get the job done! Especially in regards to Maydays of distress and disruption. We stand together and we stand strong.
EcoDeo held a sound healing session at a new venue in our home island back in the Philippines on April 14. Hosted by Silent Sage Yoga Center in the heart of Bacolod City. It was a treat to conduct…
David Henry Hwang weaves a marvelous tale in M. Butterfly - based on a true story of a French diplomat whose politically ill-advised affair with an androgynous performer in the Chinese opera takes him places he never imagined. Imprisoning them both in the end. Deftly exploring Western stereotyping of Asians, M. Butterfly won the 1988 Tony Award for best play and ran for an astonishing 777 performances. This revival stars Clive Owen and Jin Ha under the direction of Julie Taymor. The action of the play is built on a series of opposites - western and eastern, man and woman, life and art, experience and innocence, love and lust. Hwang’s script is intent on showing how easily these dualities attract and repel, centering and blurring together. Focused bluntly on the body of Song, who dominates Gallimard even while seeming to submit to him. Taymor's sets and staging manage to be both bare and busy - yet another study in sameness and difference. Opening each scene, eight panels rotate in and out - forming offices, homes, the stage of a Beijing opera house, a stark solitary cell. At times offering too much detail and other times too little. Where two people create a secret intimate world for themselves that work only for them being puppets to others. This original and unusual fantasy world blows up in a public scandal for which they are both vilified and condemned. A truly tragic tale of epic proportions. In telling its unique tale, M Butterfly is a theatrical feast that exploits numerous entertaining devices. Using all aspects of theater - dance, opera, live music - that sweeps its audience along with its visceral power. Entertained by its theatricality and given much to think and discourse on. It is a human story centering on love. An outstanding drama of loss and betrayal. Taking us on a wild roller coaster ride in this erotic relationship. The play pulls you along its many twists and turns. Leaving us to wonder til the last where it will end up. It is a full and rich experience.
It’s April 1st! The flowers are growing, the trees are in various stages of bud, and the clock has flipped forward so we can have more hours of daylight — to work and play. For those shut indoors, we…
Guess who's landed in NYC!!! Yup, the wonder | wander | women are finally in the same city! I set out from a very grey London on a cool day. The breeze was blowing, the clouds were encroaching...it was a good day to think of summer sun gleaming off glass towers in Manhattan. The belly of the beast, aka Heathrow Terminal 5 We shut the plane doors ten minutes early...then spent another hour and a half sitting on the tarmac because one of the boarding passengers had dropped their live phone down a ventilation shaft, and airport engineers had to be called to hunt for it in the fuselage. A cramped but quiet flight followed, and then a long shuffling through Immigration...but at last, at long last, we were together. Together in New York!!! The very first thing we did was head out to the awesome Hudson Market to stuff our faces with rice bowls and edamame-tofu poppers. The second thing...was the last thing on the agenda for that day. But we look forward to being out and about in the following weeks! Watch this space.
It’s summer reading list time! Bookworms and nerdy story lovers wonder |wander | women share this Longreads list with you - Questioning the Stories We Hold: A Reading List Inspired by Annie Ernaux…
During our long-awaited vacation in Punta Bulata, wonder | wander | women also visited the nature sanctuary of Danjugan Island. We booked an outrigger trip and had a blast! Basking in nature’s glory…
Yule is the pagan — ancient, ageless, and new — holiday that celebrates the return of longer days. Many cultures celebrate Yule — from ancient Germanic peoples to Celtic Druids. This turning of the…
High school classmates gathered recently to celebrate our May celebrants. Being seniors and elders, the talk quickly turned to the state of our wellbeing. While we were enjoying the gift of our good…
wonder | wander | women love the kind of food that you can have as a meal or a snack. They’re great for eating at the movies, refueling while working, or watching TV together at home. Yaki onigiri…
Ancient cradles of civilization worshipped powerful female deities and revered women who practiced the holiest of rituals. Trained in the sacred arts, these priestesses became known as wise women and…
London is a city of parks, gardens and little squares of green. In spring and summer, there are flowers everywhere. Every neighbourhood walk is a little botanical adventure. It reminds me of when I…
For last year’s Epiphany post, wonder | wander | women had yet to absorb the full impact of the January 6 riot at the Capitol by Republican cronies and Donald Trump supporters. On today’s Feast of…
Renee Baribeau and Sandra Ingerman released a new episode on the Shamans Cave, Keeping Pace with the Seasons — how we can align our energetic phases with nature to be in natures’ flow instead of…
wonder | wander | women love the beauty of well applied language — painting vivid images, evoking deep sentiments, capturing the subtlest nuances — the eloquence of a story well told. Mahala is more…
wonder | wander | women are on a month long indulgence of our happy feet after years of not traveling much at all. This last week in the Philippines has been a dizzying whirlwind of errands and…
It’s been a wild and walk-filled autumn! This year wonder | wander | women have been exploring again — fully vaccinated, we’re happy to be safely outdoors (with masks and distancing)- to catch the…
In 2013 the iconic London landmark, the Battersea Power Station, was finally about to begin redevelopment after decades of abandonment…
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is more than just an annual lunar event. It is an important celebration that brings together families, rekindles friendships, and unites…
