The Anthem Philatelist

Catch the One Man Show Exhibit of Cesar Cabase Castillo , Bulawanong Pagtuo , (Golden Faith), his  humble way of offering, honoring and thanking the Child Jesus during the Sinulog festival in Cebu .  Opening and blessing on Jan 7 at 3pm at the Golden Prince Hotel and Suites lobby. The exhibit runs from January 7-15, 2023.

I t is always a source of joy and pride for artists to exhibit their work globally and to personally interact and showcase their art pieces with people who are interested.  Such an opportunity came to a prominent 46 year old visual artist from Punta Princesa, Cebu City, Marlowe Toledo Villagonzalo . Together with master Cebuano cubist Celso Duazo Pepito , his equally talented wife Fe Madrid Pepito , and notable US based Filipino artists, Luis Caraos , Romeo Cortes Jr . and Bobby T. Yalong, they will present Shared Vision, an art exhibit in New York City USA, from September 17-30, 2022. As a distinguished mid career artist who has been carving a name to become an established artist in Cebu and the Philippines, Marlowe needed a platform to elevate his artistry and present his talent to the world.  "New York is one of the places where dreams can become reality. This is a memorable one for me and marks a milestone in my art journey.  My artwork is my life, it is my expressio...

These paintings of Cebu's 14 Churches by renowned visual artist Cesar Castillo were inspired by the 14 Stations of the Cross on Holy Week during the grueling pandemic when churches and other places of worship were closed.   His fervent wish and prayer was for the whole collection to be sold as a set because disposing them individually would destroy the message of unity among the Catholic , Churches of Christ in times of crisis and upheaval.    Can you identity the 14? He also created other church paintings in sets (some in 7- the Holy Number of God. ex: 7 days and nights, 7 miracles of Jesus , 7 Last Words , 7 " I Am ") which were quickly snapped by collectors.    

I've been road running for the past 3 years. A few days ago however, I ventured into a different running adventure-  trail running.  Earlier on, I always wanted to run in varied off-road terrain, but friends warned me that injuries are higher in these types of run .    A colleague of mine, dislocated his knee and another had bruises in his shins and foot courtesy of the rocky terrain. My witty, humorous, fitness loving travelmate  Dr. Clifford "Ipyok" Aranas almost collapsed due to anaphylaxis after being bitten by a bee. Some even got lost (due to absence of signs) and became severely dehydrated (due to lack of water stations).  So, I told myself: "I'll have to prepare for this event"- the first ROX (Recreational Outdoor Xchange) Trail run in Liloan , Cebu sponsored by Salomon .    After much reading from various books and frequent site visits to Runner's World , I came up with these strategies, which I call the ABCDE strategy, for a successf...

After a 2 hour ride through the wide and smooth highways of Selangor , we arrive at the St Paul ’s Church in Malacca , a breezy sanctuary reached after a steep flight of stairs. Originally built by a Portuguese captain in 1521, the church offers views over Malacca from the summit of Bukit St. Paul.    Inside the decaying stone interior are intricately engraved tombstones of the Dutch nobility that are buried here. The church was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier , and following his death in China the saint’s body was temporarily interred here for nine months before being transferred to Goa , where it remains today. Visitors can look into his ancient tomb, which is surrounded by a wire fence, in the center of the church and a marble statue of the saint gazes wistfully over the city.    When the Dutch completed their own Christ Church in 1590 at the base of the hill, St Paul fell into disuse. Under the British a lighthouse was built and the church eventually ...

Cesar Castillo was born and raised in Cebu City . Though he had shown interest in arts, he ended up taking Mechanical Engineering course in the University of the Visayas in 1986 just to fulfill the request of his parents. After graduation, he worked as a quality controller in the glass plant department of San Miguel Corporation , Cebu branch situated in Mandaue City   Though busy with his works, he always found time to develop his artistic skills, turning his free time into opportunities for learning.    As his artistic quest evolved, he started to find self-confidence in every painting he created thus giving him the privilege to slowly expose his art to Cebu's art patron and enthusiast. His first art teacher was Cebuano master cubist , Celso Duazo Pepito but he was personally mentored by Jose Kimsoy Yap Jr. , who taught him the notion of "less is more" and "not all has to be seen".   Giving in to the clamor for artistic expression, Cesar  Castillo ...