The Anthem Philatelist

  Michael , also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel in Judaism , Christianity , Islam , and the Baha'i faith. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in 3rd and 2nd-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels, and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of Israel.  Christianity adopted nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him, and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12 , where he does battle with Satan, and in the Epistle of Jude , where the author denounces heretics by contrasting them with Michael.

  Vintage Piece 2, Oil on Canvas 2005   Antonio Vidal's artistic journey began at an early age.  He has shown and discovered his penchant for art even before entering his elementary education.  Born and raised in Puerto Princesa, Cebu , he used to go to his mother to church and got fascinated with the Cherubim , decorating the house of God.  His exposure to religious processions , especially during fiesta celebration, has added up to his intention to draw angels and other spiritually-enriching images.  As he continually joins his mother attending church activities, his strong interest in ecclesiastical arts gradually manifested. With much encouragement and support from his father, Tony decided to enroll in an art workshop in Gallery 90 in Cebu .  With positive guidance and motivation from his mentors, he learned the basic of doing portraiture in black and white providing comfort and ease in this medium.  This led him enrolling at the UP Cebu F...

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...