Art & Culture

Let me introduce my friend to you. Carrie Griggs is an expat here in Manila, from Adelaide, South Australia. A very talented artist, Carrie is actually a tattoo artist by trade, but has been drawing since she was a child. About four years ago she did a watercolour painting course and fell in love with the medium, and I am so glad she did. Her botanic style watercolours of animals and plants are just stunning and if you would like her to paint for you, just send her an email to carriegriggsart@gmail.com Be sure to follow her on Instagram @carriegriggsart

Literature

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

‘Exit West’ by Mohsin Hamid is on Obama’s list of top ten books for 2017, and it is a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, not to mention being on pretty much every best seller book list around the place. I started to read it and have not been able to put it down. 

Exit West is the story of Saeed and Nadia, two people who meet, fall in love and try to keep their love together through civil unrest. It questions the notion of what it means to be a refugee and challenges our thoughts on immigration. The narrative is sublime. It is like creamy velvet. The story hits hard, it is thought-provoking and heartbreaking. It is stunning. If you are looking for a book – read this. Then listen to Mohamid Hamid speak on B&N Podcast.

My favourite passage so far made tears fall from my eyes and my chest burst as though it were breaking:

‘…and so by making the promise he demanded she make she was in a sense killing him, but that is the way of things, for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind.’

Taste

Farmer’s Artisan Vinegar, Wildberry Bignay Aged Vinegar by Uban Island. Yum.

I do love a good flavoured vinegar. I use them for so many things. Mostly for my salads. So when I came across this locally made product I had to try. It is sharp with a touch of sweetness, rich in berry flavour. It is lovely on salads but I think it would be great over steak as well. 

Made by Urban Island, an offshoot of DeMetrio’s Artisan Craft Wines, you will need to contact them for stockists, as I found this in a little organic store in the heart of Quezon. Over the road from Quriocity actually. 

Explore

Outlet shopping at Pottery Barn

Outlet shopping in Paseo de Sta Rosa, just next to Nuvali. You will find most big names here. Be ready to sift through shelves, piles of stuff, and push through a few crowds too, but you never know what you may find.

Enjoy brands such as Bambi, Pottery Barn, American Eagle, Old Navy, West Elm, Nine West, Marks and Spencer plus more.

Make a day of it, have a meander around Nuvali nature park while you are out that way.

Hear

THR Awards Chatter Podcast

I love my music and podcasts. Here are three of my favourite podcasts at the moment:

‘THR Awards Chatter’, available on Spotify and Itunes. This is interviews with actors and Hollywood executives about movie making and the industry. I know, it seems so shallow but we all need our guilty pleasures and this one is currently mine.

One Part Podcast

‘One Part Podcast’ with Jessica Murnane, available on Itunes. ‘A conversation with some of the most interesting and inspiring minds in wellness, music, food, fashion, and design’. Jessica is into wellness in a big way due to her own severe health issues. This podcast has led me to so many amazing resources and helped me understand so much more about my own personal wellness journey. I cannot tell you the number of books I have brought from hearing the author’s speak, and how many questions I have had answered that I didn’t realise I had asked. Check out her website for great recipe ideas as well.

Bon Appetit Foodcast

‘Bon Appetit Foodcast’ is from the American Bon Appetit magazine. It features interviews with chefs, food writers and anyone who is into food. I drool when I listen and I can say with authority that their mac n cheese is one of the best. Also, Dorie Greenspans World Peace Cookies really could bring about world peace.