CRISTY IN THE CITY

Thursday, June 20, 2024

JFF 2024 Film Review: We Made a Beautiful Bouquet (1st of a series)

I discovered Japanese Film Festival Online 2024 while doomscrolling on Facebook. It’s been awhile since I watched a Japanese film, the last being Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering with You” which I watched on the big screen. The film festival has a diverse genre of 20 films available for free streaming from June 5 to June 19. Despite attempting to view the complete lineup, I could only muster watching three and a half films given my erratic life schedule- We Made a Beautiful Bouquet; My Broken Mariko; I am what I am and the half-finished samurai comedy film We’re Broke, My Lord! . The latter is cute and hilarious but I was only able to watch half of the film since piled-up, unwashed dishes on the sink were calling my name. When I resumed watching, streaming was already unavailable for the entire movie catalog. What a bummer. Maybe the JFF organizers can make next year’s online film festival a two-month event? There’s no way I can marathon watch 4-5 films in a weekend. I would have loved to watch all the films in the lineup.

I didn’t regret watching the films I randomly selected, starting with the beautifully color graded “We Made a Beautiful Bouquet” starring Masaki Suda (Mugi) and Kasumi Arimura (Kinu). I particularly like the visual tone and texture of this film- the grainy, deep autumnal filter that evokes a cozy feeling of being in a cafe with wooden interiors.

In this film, two university students find themselves in a late night bar after missing the last Keio train to Tokyo. They hit off right away, fall passionately in love and in true whirlwind fashion decide to move in together in a quaint apartment facing the scenic Tama River. The highlight of this movie would have to be the couple adopting a cute kitten one wintry New Year’s night. The English subtitle hovers on the scene where the new kitten (a grey British Shorthair) is fed and named. “Naming a cat is one of the most sacred things you can do,” the subtitle says.

As twenty-two year olds trying to navigate the adulting life, Mugi and Kinu go through a series of challenges and setbacks that rigorously test their idealistic notions of romantic love and youthful dreams. Their relationship eventually runs its course and unravels in a poignant scene where they mutually decide to part ways in a cafe where they used to date as university students. Despite the tears, Kinu expressed her desire to keep the cat after their split.

After a tight farewell embrace and shedding of copious tears under a streetlight, the scene gently fades into black and a sunlit apartment comes into full view. We see that Mugi and Kinu have consciously uncoupled and have decided to peacefully move on with their separate lives yet remaining to be friends. They trade erstwhile jokes while boxing remnants of memories they have shared for the past five years. They appear comfortably settled with their separation that they even tease each other if anyone of them has ever been unfaithful during the time they were together. I found this scene particularly funny because it looks like a relationship exit interview minus the post-breakup wailing.

To settle who gets custody of the cute cat, they play rock, paper and scissors and the feline officially goes to Mugi. Fast forward to a scene where Kinu waits for her new boyfriend at the entrance of a bakery. They walk off into a street while another couple follows. It's Mugi and his new girlfriend. The two couples go their opposite ways with Mugi and Kinu waving to each other with their backs turned. So long, first love. This scene is bittersweet like your first taste of Cafe Americano.

I enjoyed the warm and cozy visuals of this film despite the predictable plot. The blossoming and unraveling of youthful love confirms the reality that we already know. A starter pack love affair always comes with risks and uncertainty. Young couples outgrow each other while searching for self-identity. Youthful dreams and ambitions may become a priority whilst romantic relationships remain in the sidelines. Whichever romantic side of the coin you are on, you will never know if a relationship will work out or not unless you try. Whatever the outcome whether it ends in marriage or separation, make a beautiful bouquet.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Quick breakfast recipe card

Morning commutes and making it to work on time drastically cuts the time we can spend preparing a healthy, balanced breakfast. If you're on the fly you just grab coffee or a cereal drink on your way out of the door but that would not be enough to power you until lunch. Since I have no time to fuss over Pinoy breakfast preparations I always depend on this quick breakfast recipe to sustain me until lunchtime. Best of all, this meal is also full of antioxidants, nutrients and fiber necessary for good health.

Check out the health benefits you can get from the ingredients:

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Ang Panindahan: A Weekend Pop-Up Collective

Let me just say I'm a Gen-X getting in touch with my inner Gen-Z! Ang Panindahan, a weekend pop-up market with a very Gen-Z stylized flair was just the perfect distraction on a boring Saturday afternoon. Saturday mornings are reserved for serious garden and yard work so afternoons are free for fancy strolls and carefree me-time activities. With a dearth of weekend markets this time of the year, the youthful bazaar was a lovely event to visit. I am a fan of some of the merchants so I dragged my perimenopausal bones to check-out the goodies, fancy drinks and grub.

I have always been intrigued with the interiors of the event venue Balay Sueno so the weekend market was the perfect opportunity to legally peek inside the house and see the splendid restoration work done on the property. Decades ago, the house was the local version of the Tower of Pisa, the structure perilously held together by poles and pillars. Today, it a stunning landmark near the Tabuc Suba Bridge.It is beautifully lit up at night during privately catered parties and celebrations.

The bazaar had candle and ceramic workshop stations, curated thrifted vintage apparel, flower shop, pet gifts and treats, local artisan artworks, snacks, pastry and coffee. It's a pet-friendly event as well. There is a garden enclosure on the east side of the property for guests to drink and dine. A very lovely set-up for Ilonggo youngsters to enjoy themselves. I look forward to more of this kind of weekend markets in the future as this is a great way to showcase the city's heritage buildings and homegrown brands.

I hope they come up with a Gen-X (30s-40s age group) version of Panindahan next time as I realized the marketing come-on attracts a very young niche market. Kidding aside, you know it's awkward mingling with very young shoppers because you feel so old if not archaic. What do you say Titos and Titas of Iloilo?

Friday, June 7, 2024

Art and Archetypes: A camera story

My first camera was a Fujifilm Finepix point and shoot type that my uncle from the States gave me. The nifty little thing started my love of taking photos of everything and anything, saving the decent ones for my scrapbook (printing photos into 4R was a thing back then) and for my fledgling first blog on on Pyra Labs (now Blogger). My Finepix camera had a good run and one day it just decided to conk out due to overuse. Nowadays I own a Fujifilm X-T100, a mirrorless model that takes the best features of a DSLR and a point and shoot camera. It's not as complicated as a DSLR but allows you to get as creative as you want.

I love images and I love thought provoking quotes. I hate the idea of flooding Instagram and Facebook with photos and cheesy quotations so I started this photoblog eons ago to indulge my predilection for introspection and reflection. I could get seriously spaced out on a beautiful scenery.

It's only recently that I revived this photoblog as I have too many photos to filter and throw away. The better ones will make it here.

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Our perfume making experience at La Luz Essence

Perfume is magic. It's mystery. We recreate the smell of a flower. Of wood. Of grass. We capture the essence of life. Liquefy it. We store memories. We make dreams.
-M.J. Rose

Fragrance is evocative and powerful in distilling old, buried memories, feelings and sensations. It could remind you of a favorite person, place or moment you hold close to your heart.

I spent a friend's (a kindred soul) belated birthday celebration with a perfume making session at La Luz Essence, a homegrown artisan business specializing in hand poured scented soy candles and small batch customized fragrances.

I already had a fragrance concept in mind before walking into the cute and cozy craft studio of Miss Eva. I recently returned from a trip to Kyoto/Osaka and I was inspired by the fresh, invigorating atmosphere of Kyoto's zen gardens. Think yuzu citrus, green tea, hinoki, azalea and cedarwood. I gravitate towards woodsy, citrusy scents so voila, Kyoto in Late Spring is born! Kyoto has bergamot as top note, Japanese honeysuckle as mid note and cedarwood blanc as base note. The sillage (or drydown) evokes a walk through a cedarwood forest on the cusp of late spring and early summer.

Miss Eva introduced us to the fragrance pyramid as well as the fragrance profile associated with top, mid and base notes. I love singular scents like pine, vanilla and rose but it is the alchemy of notes that makes a scent complex, memorable, and unique. We loved how our perfume creations turned out! After mixing our concoction with a glass stirrer, we distilled the perfume into a Chanel No. 5 inspired perfume bottle. We also designed our own label sticker to make our creation truly ours! We enjoyed our perfume making class and we hope to come back again soon to concoct a new personal scent and try La Luz Essence's candle making workshop!