Letting go...

Whilst i've delayed this decision long enough, today i've decided to face it. Partly because my Mom has been breathing down my neck for the longest time, but also because it's the new year, and this is the best time to let go of old things and usher in the new. 

 This morning, I've decided to let go of old jeans and clothes that have been clogging my closet. Being a major pack rat, throwing away and/or giving away things is always difficult. 

But seeing my jeans have exceeded the 100 pair mark, and my shirts are over 200, today was a good day to finally sort out the "must haves" from the "nice to owns." 

I woke up early for this. By 7am, I was already lining up and spreading out the jeans and shirts for a better view and assessment. Aside from the sentimental reasons, other factors I used in choosing were: jean rise, color, cut and details. 

For the shirts, it was simply if it still fits my personality now. (Once upon a time, I was actually a plaid shirt kinda guy. I shudder at the thought nowadays.) By the time the clock hit 10am, I was able to dispose around 20 pairs of jeans, 40 shirts and about 15 pairs of shoes. 

Mom diligently packed them in brown boxes and will ship them to Bicol today so my relatives there can give it to our less fortunate neighbors and townmates. They're the same folks who got a lot of my old G.I. Joe and He-Man toys, and I'm still smarting over that. So this little exercise is equivalent to rubbing salt on an open wound. Hahaha. 

But really, as much as it hurt me to let go of these clothes, I'm also glad at the thought that somewhere in Albay, someone is strolling around in a fashionable pair of Big Star Jeans, a Pull and Bear shirt and a pair of Nike trainers. 

At least i've done my part in making Bicol a bit more fashionable.

SM stand for Surprise Me!

It's been almost 7 months since I last had a decent stroll around a mall in Manila, and knowing that the turnover of shops here isn't as fast as the ones in Hong Kong, I was pretty confident to see the same old brand occupying the same old stalls. 

Since SM was the most convenient place to visit from where I was staying, I decided to meander around that area eventhough it's common knowledge that SM becomes a bee hive come Christmas.

Being accustomed to the HK crowd, this shouldn't be too hard to handle. SM is becoming an expert in coming up with surprises, so much that it often leaves me in awe after I step out of its hallowed halls.

First surprise was coming up with an excellent advertising campaign with Charlene Gonzalez. As I've told Lyli, her friends in New Directions have done an awesome job in bringing in class and fashion to this often scoffed upon "masa" department store. The art direction, styling, photography and clothes have succeeded in bringing it a notch higher. 

Another surprise greeted me today, and this came in the form of some chic finds that one wouldn't automatically associate with SM. Upon checking out their teens and young adult sections, there was a plethora of trend staples - all nicely executed and ridiculously cheap. 

Among the fab finds were the following items: 

1. Silk gaucho pants in bronze, brown, black and pink. 

2. An embroidered tank (similar to the one I bought for my sister in Zara a couple of months ago.) 

3. Bubble skirts in tweed, with lengths varying from mini to above the knee. 

4. Embellished empire tops with beaded details. 

5. Slides that are a mix of Chinese and Indian. 

What's surprising here is that i'd expect to find these in their Boutique Square section, but it was just in their regular line. Of course, after seeing how they've "upgraded" their teen/young adult section, I was curious to see if there were any additions in their "high end" line. Again, they didn't disappoint. 

SM Makati carries Cesar Gaupo and Avel Bacudio, both very skilled designers in their own fashion realm. Cesar's dainty dresses that channel the 50s and 60s were really nice, particularly the crepe silk shift with a velvet ribbon, plus the shantung dress with a refreshing combination of blue and orange, plus a punch of red. 

On the other hand, Avel's graphic prints would go well with plains to create a look that's both classic yet edgy. Comparing department stores, I think SM is really leading the pack in terms of fashion innovation and really bringing good clothes to the hoi polloi. 

I just hope that the hoi polloi can appreciate good fashion and start dressing well like the Hong Kongers do. 

After this little visit, my belief in the SM jingle is slowly being solidified. Indeed, "we've got it all for you."

My new travel buddy

Melvin and I headed off to Festival Walk today after mass and it was surprising that this was his first time to visit the mall. He goes down at the Kowloon Tong KCR station each time he travels from Shenzhen to HK, but he always takes the subway so he missed seeing one of my favorite malls in HK. One reason why I love Festival Walk is because of its humungous Page One branch. Long before Page Once came (and gone) to Manila, i've seen it in HK when Chris brought Maricar and me to the mall way back in 2001. That time, it was still pretty new and people came in droves to check out the myriad of book choices the store offered. Today, I picked up this book which will be my new travel buddy as of tonight. Entitled "1,000 places to see before you die," it features the 1,000 top travel destinations from all around the world. And man! Do they have every part of the world covered. From usual tourist traps like Europe, to relatively unknown islands like Bonaire, - they have it in their review. What's great about this book is that it avoids the tourist cliches and the oft-beaten paths. In contrast, it visits nice restaurants, unknown museums, houses with historical significance, and other must-see attractions. I leafed through the pages quickly and found out that a lot of the places I visited are listed there, but at the same time, an equal number of my favorite spots aren't even mentioned. Most of my favorite places in Mexico, like San Luis Potosi didn't even appear in the book, to my dismay. From my quick 30 minute scan of the book, here are some things i've learned: 1. I've been to all the "must visit" spots in Prague 2. The author and I feel exactly the same way about San Miguel de Allende 3. The Philippines has 3 entries in the book: Tagaytay, Banaue and Amanpulo 4. I've been to Amsterdam a couple of times, and there's this "must visit" place behind the flat I was staying in, and I didn't even notice it. 5. There are more Carribean Islands than we could have imagined. 6. I MUST VISIT BRAZIL! This book is a good buy, plus a must read, considering i'm off to Spain again next year. After looking at the "Spain" section, my resolve to take a train from Barcelona to Madrid to Bilbao to Santiago has further been heightened. At least now, I have an idea where to go. Ah, the travel bug bites once more.

Feeling so low...

I'm wearing the low rise jeans I got from Zara in Singapore last March. They must be the lowest pair i have. I'm trying not to sneeze, because if I do, I have a feeling they'll fall right off. (I exaggerate not...)

Lookie who's playing hooky?

It's a slow day today, so i'm planning to re-live my Makati and Ortigas days. 

Back in my previous agencies, whenever work would be scarce and there's nothing to do, i'd play hooky and head for the nearest mall. I would either do some shopping, watch a movie, or just meander aimlessly around. 

During my Adformatix days, our lunchtimes would be spent in Greenbelt at Triple V, coupled with some serious shopping along Greenbelt Plaza. Erwin, Xtine and I had lunch at Triple V, then hung out at National Book Store checking out magazines and books. 

Another option would be Makati Cinema Square where we'd check out Angela's for super surplus stuff. Or go to Plaza Fair to buy groceries for our pantry. 

By 1996, I transferred to San Miguel Corporation, and our office was behind SM Megamall. Everday, i'd be at Megamall, either having lunch, buying props, or simply being there. There was even a joke about how our office was connected to the mall. Megmall was divided into two major areas - SM-A and SM-B, and we were SM-C. This was to the chagrin of the management since productivity was really suffering because of our Mega-excursions. 

 My favorite working years were between 2001 to 2003 when DYR was still in Wynsum building along Emerald Avenue. Robinsons Galleria - once and forever my favorite mall - was just 5 minutes away by foot. That alone was reason enough for me to consider the office as paradise on earth. Aside from the fact that it was just 15 minutes away from home, it was also within arms distance from 4 major malls - Galleria, Podium, Megamall and Shangri-La! Needless to say, i'd spend most of my time out of the office rather than in. 

When our office moved to RCBC in Makati, getting to a mall was a bit of a challenge. After all, we were at the far end of Ayala, so Greenbelt would be a good 15 minutes by foot. A daunting task, but I was never one to chicken out. So every lunchtime, or whenever I felt bored, or if my groupmates irritated the *h*t out of me, i'd play hooky and go all the way to Glorietta to de-stress and have fun. 

Playing hooky was one thing I knew I'd be giving up when I moved to Hong Kong. For one, our office area isn't conducive to "playing hooky." There's nothing around us but residential buidlings, offices and a few supermarkets. The nearest meander area here would be Provident World, and all you can see there is the Adidas Outlet store and a couple of clothes surplus places. Slim pickings, I know, but beggars can't be choosers. 

Today, though, i've decided to go all out and all the way. I'm going to HMV to look for new magazines and DVD, then head off to the Cinema-Art where they show nice art films. It's not as exciting as going to Greenbelt or Glorietta, but it's a start. 

Again, we have to make the most of what's given to us. This is all I have at this point. Strange as it may seem, I think this little act is something that gives a sense a normalcy to my life. And normal is good.

Cold Rush

And the temperature continues to drop in Hong Kong. 

Today, it's said to be 11 degrees, which would qualify as "a tad bit too chilly." 

There are certain signs that tell you that the weather is too cold, and some of them i've observed the past few days. You know it's too cold when: 

 - People don't drink their Starbucks coffee, rather they use the cup to warm their hands. 

- Women wear socks with their pumps. (And I do mean socks and not stockings.) 

- The upper part of my jaws hurt. 

- I keep the water in shower running even when I soap because I immediately feel cold when it's turned off. 

- I run around the house from room to room in search of a warm spot. 

- My hands turn blue when it's exposed for more than 5 minutes. 

- You'd rather stay inside the office during lunchtime. 

- Staying outdoors for more than 10 minutes makes your nose run. 

Another setback of the cold weather for me is the fact that I can't wear my distressed jeans as often. Today, i'm wearing my Abercrombie and Fitch jeans with a lot of holes, and I must say that it feels like somebody poured 5 bags of ice in my jeans, and let them stay there. I can also imagine an air-conditioning unit attached to the interior of my jeans - and I mean that in a bad way. 

 Now I know why polar bears just hibernate during times like these. A few more weeks of this and i wouldn't mind hibernating myself.

Sunday Funday

Spencer held a seminar on creativity today, and some of us at the office were asked to help out in the event. Immediately, I signed up because not only do I get to see the boss work his creative magic outside the office, it was also a chance to get together with some colleagues in a "non-corporate" environment. By 1;30pm, the gang gathered at the Wan Chai art center. Everyone was visibly relaxed and had that "Let's just have fun" vibe along with them. Of course, so did I. Preparing for the event felt like preparing for a school play back in High School. Everyone was scurrying about doing some menial task, like mixing paints, inflating a pool mattress, wrapping a kung-fu "punching bag" in canvas, and arranging props. The seminar was conducted in Cantonese, so I couldn't understand anything they were saying, or planning to do. But I took this as a challenge to broaden my creative horizons, and try to figure out something just by looking at whatever is happening. Unlike most of the seminars I've attended, this one had no one talking! Yup, it was a silent seminar, with only cue cards telling everyone what they should do. But with the aid of music and a few scribbles on a white board, everyone got into the spirit of the event. It was totally a non-traditional seminar. There was a kung-fu man who used his moves to paint a canvas, there was an exercise where you had to take an object and put it into close contact with a person inside an acrylic container, there was a body painting session where the person's body was the paint brush, and an acting workshop. Even if I didn't understand what was being said, I could see that everyone was enjoying the seminar. And even if I couldn't read Cantonese, I got what they were doing, and what Spencer wanted to do. He was encouraging everyone to think out of the box, and use creativity to do something ordinary. In essence, he was asking everyone to find extraordinary solutions to ordinary problems. Upon further thought, I realized that was the essence of creativity. After the seminar, we started cleaning up and talking about the seminar that finished. Everyone was laughing at the highlights and sidelights, and in between mopping and biting into sandwiches, we began discovering that there is more to creativity than just finding a clever way to make an ad, or making an award winning story, or painting a masterpiece on canvas. Creativity is really opening your mind and finding new ways of doing things - whether that thing is art related, or as ordinary as folding a plastic grocery bag. Personally, i've been so obsessed with equating creativity to my job that i've forgotten to be creative in my everyday undertakings. This seminar, though i really wasn't in it, awakened my want and need to be write letters, draw pictures, make collages and just rediscover the creative spirit I had as a child. To find fun and personal fulfillment is really what creativity is meant to do. Spencer - and participating in is seminar - was successful in teaching me that. And I didn't even have to pay the seminar fee!

Viva las Reinas

In my continuing quest to learn more Spanish, I've decided to catch this film at the Broadway Cinematheque - one of the theaters that show art films. Entitled "Reinas" or "Queens", his movie is dubbed as a "Spanish Art House favorite" since it was directed by one of Spain's bad/bright boys of cinema - Manuel Gomez Perreira.

Judging by the film's synopsis - the story of 3 gay couples getting married, and their mothers weighing in on the celebration - you'd think that "Queens" would refer to the gay guys in the story. Once you watch the film, though, you realize that the title refers to their mothers.

The 5 mothers, each from different socio-economic and political backgrounds, try to cope with their sons' homosexuality and marriage in their own quirky ways. In an "art imitating life" twist, we see that the different mothers have a different level of acceptance. Some of them are fag-hags, others are homophobic, while some others are just oblivious to the entire thing.

The most accepting would be Ofelia, who doesn't give an R.A. whether his son Oscar is macking his boyfriend Miguel in her presence. She's also the one who eggs the two guys to try and resolve their differences each time they fight. Magda, Miguel's mom, is a kick-ass chick in a power suit who's more concerned about her business rather than her son. Ergo, her apathy doubles as acceptance in this case. Nuria, the mother of Narciso, is a historian who gladly embraces her son's homosexuality. She even preaches how the greatest men in history had homosexual affairs, which are known and accepted by their wives. Among those she rattles off are: Alexander the Great, Ramses, Attila the Hun and Julius Ceasar. In the middle would be Carmen, the actress who has accepted the fact that her unico hijo - Rafa - is gay. What she's worried about is his future after getting married to Jonas - the son of their gardener. At the back of her mind, Carmen feels that Jonas is only after Rafa's money. And finishing up the list as the most homophobic of them all is Helena - a judge who is more devoted to her job than her family. Mother to Hugo, she was the only one who was very vocal about her disgust with regards to the gay marriages.

These 5 sub-stories are neatly and tightly packed into one big film that's well-paced, neatly narrated, and interestingly arranged. The 5 mothers, though run into each other throughout the film. Interestingly enough. they don't know each other personally, and this continues until the end of the film. Of course, their lives converge in the big gay wedding that punctuates the film - they're all there, but they still don't know one another.

What I like about the film is the fact that it doesn't try too hard to tie up all loose ends. While the ending is a positive one, it's not the "deliriously happy ending" that a lot of Hollywood films wrap up their films with. It's the kind of film that makes you think a step beyond - once the credits start rolling, you begin to wonder what will happen after that last scene. This happens because you know there are still a number of unresolved issues after the finale.

What I like about watching the film is that I realized how much I missed studying the Spanish language. Upon hearing the dialogues, it made me realize that I should really learn more Spanish, because if I just put my heart and attention into it, my command of the language will be better. At times, I didn't even need to look at the subtitles to understand what they were saying. In one scene, there were no English subtitles, but I got the joke and laughed. And according to my anfitrion in Mexico, if you can tell and understand a joke in Spanish, that means you're good with that language. I've done both, so I'll take that as a good sign.

I can't wait 'til they show another Spanish film in Hong Kong. Heck, I can't wait 'til I go back to Spain next year!