My mom just returned from Davao with the top three espadrille colors I ordered (there are of course more, but they can wait). Got another navy blue pair, plus two basics, since the one I have will be giving way soon. Right now I'm in the process of breaking them in. Strange that for me, things happen in reverse: the espadrilles are initially loose, then my feet get used to filling out the fabric.
I am aware that Tommy Ton's amazing blog, Jak & Jil, does My Favorite Things posts for fashion people. I suppose my version is different, since I think only half of my favorite things can be worn, and not a lot of them can be categorized into "lifestyle" items.
These three leather notebooks have been collected over time (their many predecessors are tucked inside a drawer). The top one in checkered suede was a gift from a friend, the one with leaves and butterflies I bought from an artisan in Beijing, and the large, chocolate brown notebook is the latest acquisition. Inside them are doodles and mostly poems and drafts and snippets of poems, my thoughts, and impressions from different periods in my life.
Literature is my first love, and much of the form and content of this blog, believe it or not, has been influenced by what I have read. Here, the row of books looks just like something from a store shelf. You can only see colors, titles, and names. Nothing is surrendered as instantly as clothes surrender shape and texture to both our eyes and our hands. But inside these pages are stories of generations that span continents and many wars, people stranded in forests of sighs, not to mention Chinese silks, exquisite kimonos, and all the finery of the Colonial era.
The sun shines through words as it pierces gossamer, honey, amber, diamonds, or simply: salt.
So what do espadrilles, notebooks, and books have in common? They have all taken me on journeys, whether points A and B are places, people, stories, or the destinations that only silence can reach.
I have relatives coming to Manila from Davao in August. For those interested to buy espadrilles, kindly drop a word.