The Anthem Philatelist

  Tatz Lee  (Maria Carmen Lee) is a rapidly rising contemporary Filipino visual artist celebrated for her luminous landscapes and deeply spiritual paintings that serve as visual prayers. Balancing an early passion for music with fine art, she took up drawing in 2017 before transitionally adopting wet mediums like oil and acrylic by 2021. Today, her name is closely tied to evocative, soul-stirring oil, mixed media, and watercolor works that explore the themes of faith, hope, and divine creation - these contextualizes her artistic journey, signature themes, and growing legacy in the contemporary art world. In a frantic and heavily digitized world, art often serves as the final frontier for silence and reflection. Among the rising voices in contemporary Philippine art who masterfully cultivate this space is Tatz Lee . A painter who explicitly views her practice as an offering of gratitude to her faith, Lee has established a unique niche through landscapes that transcend physical...

 Her artworks embodies a profound sense of optimism, inspiring viewers to persevere through life's challenges and discover their purpose.  Her paintings aim to motivate and guide us in overcoming adversity, offering a sense of serenity and stability in turbulent times. By tapping into her divine connection, Lee's work reminds us of the importance of faith and strong relationship with God, which sustains her creative journey and infuses her art with meaning. Lee views her artistry as a gift from God, believing that her talents are not solely her own, but a trust to be used for a greater purpose.  She finds inspiration of Matt Gottessman, "When God gives you something to build, it is not for applause...it is for impact." This mindset drives Lee's artistic vision, as she sets to create works that solves problems, bring healing, and fill the world's gaps. Through her art, Lee captures the breathtaking beauty of clouds and sunsets, conveying a message of hope and p...

  What is " featherless" , can't fly and loves to poop and swim ?                   A) marine mammal                   B) reptile                   C) amphibian                    D) fish                   E) bird   Answer ?      Not likely a bird, but it is a bird 🐦  Answer ?    Penguin   Penguins are flightless seabirds that live almost exclusively below the equator. Some island-dwellers can be found in warmer climates, but most—including emperor , adélie , chinstrap , and gentoo penguins—reside in and around icy A...

I've on occasion been asked, how do you remain fit? Now, I'm going to reveal my secret- Hormesis. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This is the basic layman concept of hormesis.  Our body responds to transient, acute physiologic stress or discomfort by triggering the adaptive stress response pathways. This reaction makes  our cells - especially the mitochondria, (the powerhouse of the cell) work better, making our body more efficient machines. The stress should be acute; chronic stress leads to debility and disease. One of the most common hormetic activity is exercise.  We stress our heart and muscle  to a certain degree and our body responds by making our muscles stronger, bigger and more adaptive to stamina. As in life and hormesis, too much of anything, including exercise is bad. I ran too much in my 40's and I injured myself then. So now in my 50's, running has become an occasional activity. Fasting is another hormetic activity. I have always skipped bre...

Did you know that some anthem lyrics were taken from the actual words of Jesus Christ ? An example of this is the local anthem now in use on Norfolk Island (under Australian administration), Come Ye Blessed , also referred to as the "Pitcairn Anthem". This hymn was brought to the island by the Pitcairn settlers, suggesting that this anthem was in use on Pitcairn Island at that time. It's lyrics are directly quoted from the New Testament of the Bible ( Matthew 25:34-36, 40 ).   My favorite bible verse is taken from Galations 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   The other one is from Matthew 6:3-4, But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”   Also, ...

"Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era" is a 276-page coffee table book of nearly 600 of the best photographs, postcards , stereoviews and lantern glass slides of Cebu and its many towns taken between 1870-1945. More than just a mere showcasing of rare, never-before-seen images, the book also provides a treasure trove of information accompanying nearly every picture. The author, Lucy Urgello Miller has been collecting vintage Philippine postcards and photographs for over 20 years, the thrust of her collection being Cebu . She acquired 90% of her Cebu collection in the United States where she is living with her husband Richard "Rick" Miller. Most of the collection was bought at antique postcards shows. Lucy has about 1,000 pictures and postcards on Cebu but she selected only the best and most interesting for this book. Mommy Gingging, Lucy and my wife Grace A blue-blooded Theresian, Lucy spent her entire education from kinder...

The Pitcairn Islands are a remote British colony in the South Pacific, famous for being the site where the mutineers from the HMS Bounty landed. The islands' population have always been very small (currently numbering around 50), yet, aside from the official anthem of God Save the Queen (which is not heard often on the islands), there have been, and continue to be, many unofficial anthems in use in the colony.  In Diana Jolliffe Belcher's 1871 book "The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Decendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Island" it is reported that a local poem by Rev. G. H. Nobbs was set to the tune "Rousseau's Dream" and was considered by Pitcairners to be their anthem at the time. It is not known for how long this was considered as their anthem, however. Also, in 1856, several Pitcairners resettled on Norfolk Island as Pitcairn had become too small.    T he local anthem now in use on Norfolk Island (under Australian administration), Come Ye Ble...