The things I eat for friends...

The past 4 days, I've been gnoshing on Happy Meals day in and day out. The reason is this little dog over here:



My friend is an avid fan of Snoopy, and since i'll be home this weekend, i've decided to give her a surprise and bring her a complete set, (or at least a near complete set) of the Snoopy World Cup toy collection from McDonald's. As of late, I have 6 out of the 8 toys. My mind is telling me to go for the last 2 toys the next 2 days, but my body is saying: "Cut it! I've had enough Chicken McNuggets and Chicken Wings to last me until 2046!"

Well, we'll see if my love for my friend will win over my stomach tomorrow.

They're back!

After months and months of not seeing it on the shelves of Aji Ichiban in Hong Kong, Haw Flakes have staged a comeback! I was so thrilled when I dropped by the Olympia Plaza branch and saw a rack freshly stocked with these yummy babies. During the last month or so, i've been bringing in Haw Flakes from Manila to HK (how weird is that?) but now that they're here again, my importing ways can now stop.

Haw happy I am!

It's so hot!

I'm beginning to develop a rash.

And to think I never get a heat rash in the Philippines.

Liberated

Summer has arrived in Hong Kong and the temperature now equals Manila, Bangkok or Singapore. So, when my friend invited me to their place for an afternoon of swimming this afternoon, I happily obliged.

I've always been used to swimming wearing trunks, even as a child. That's why this has been my swimming outfit of choice. If you go to Repulse Bay, Stanley Beach or any of the swimming pools around HK, you'll also see 90% of the population wearing trunks, so it's no big deal.

So that's what I wore today. We went swimming with my friend, her family, her friends along and their spouses. Considering that most of the girls wore malliots and bikinis, my trunks wouldn't be out of place. Or so I thought.

Half an hour ago, my friend called me up. Our conversation went something like this:

HER: Hey! I'm going to tell you something that's so shallow and so funny. I don't know if I should be telling you this, but I thought, you're going to have a blast after hearing this.

ME: So, what is it?

HER: You were wearing trunks this afternoon, right?

ME: Yes... and...

HER: When we were packing up, and you were taking a shower, Talulah's* husband actually came up to me and said: "Yung kaibigan mo, medyo liberated siya, no?"

ME: WHAT?!?

HER: I know! You wear trunks and suddenly you're the most liberated person in Hong Kong!

Sheesh! It made me check my swimming trunks again. They weren't skimpy or anything of that sort, so I wonder what was it that made him deduce that i'm "liberated."

Hmmm...

Maybe it was the color.

Brief Interlude

Since moving to HK a little over a year ago, I've found myself more open to trying new things out. Modifying my "look" was the first step, changing my lifestyle was another, and yesterday, I have added yet another item in my list of "new things to try."

New underwear.

Briefs have always been my underwear of choice. It's comfortable, offers full coverage, goes well with any type of trouser, and lets me move easily. In the past decade or so, i've actually tried different types of briefs: from the classic white Jockeys, Gap body, H&M, then eventually finding the perfect underwear at Penshoppe.

Penshoppe has excellent hipster briefs. After buying and trying one, I had to rush to the store and buy 10 more, fearing that they might run out of these perfect fitting babies. What I love about it is that it falls perfectly on the 2nd hip which makes it ideal for my favorite low-rise jeans. Right now, Penshoppe accounts for about 60% of my underwear drawer, the other 40% split equally among Gap Kids (yup, their XL fits me perfectly), Bench (I love their printed briefs), and a few Bossini whites thrown in for good measure.

Yesterday - thanks to a friend who bought me these cute world cup themed underwear from abroad - i've tried wearing boxer briefs (or trunks, as they're called in the UK). Boxer briefs are essentially made of the same material as briefs, but they extend all the way down to the upper thigh part. Thus, it has the same length as boxer shorts, using the same material as briefs.

The first time I saw them, my first reaction was: "those must be hot to wear." Summer has kicked in here in HK and it's come to that point that people sweat just standing up. Wearing a piece of underwear with that much coverage must be uncomfortable. Second reaction was: "those must restrict movement." Having been used to briefs which keeps the whole leg free, seeing cloth that aims to cover part of the thigh was a bit ominous.

Despite my reluctance, the urge to try them out was strong, primarily because of the design. One piece had the Brazilian flag in front and a big "BRAZIL" emblazoned on the backside. It was so cute that I told myself: "What the heck, i'll try them on."

Surprise, surprise! They feel very comfortable! It's just like wearing regular briefs, albeit a bit of garter clinging around the thigh area.

My inital fears were unfounded:
1. They weren't too hot, despite the fact that I was wearing them under jeans and 30+ temperature outside.
2. They didn't restrict movement. For a moment, I even forgot that I was wearing boxer briefs. That tells a lot about its level of comfort.

Also, there's one big plus when wearing boxer briefs. It actually makes my legs look a bit leaner. My sister often calls me "thunder thighs" (and I call her "daisy duck butt") because she finds my legs too big. The fabric around the leg area actually streamlines the thigh, so it doesn't look as "thunder-y" as it used to be.

Verdict: I can imagine myself wearing boxer briefs more often now. (Thank goodness she gave me 5). After playing it safe for more than 3 decades, I've expanded my underwear repertoire and have decided to be a bit more open to different types in the future. But of course, I will never, never, NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER be caught wearing thongs. When I saw one on display at Bench, all I could think of was: OUCH!

Too bad these new boxer briefs of mine go inside the trousers. All those funky designs will definitely go to waste since i'm the only one seeing them.



Then again, with "Superman Returns" showing next week, maybe I should start wearing my underwear outside my pants.

Sales Call

The following stores in Hong Kong are now officially on sale:

- Zara
- Mango
- French Connection (FCUK)
- Lane Crawford
- Joyce
- Bossini
- Tough
- http://www.izzue.com

Looks like it's going to be a very busy weekend for me.

5:55:55

On my way to the post office just a while ago, I glanced at the MTR clock. In that precise moment that I was looking at it, what I saw was:

2:22:22

Twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds past two. While the time was inconsequential, it was the fact that there are 5 2s in that split second that amazed me.

This reminded me of my earlier years at Adformatix. Every afternoon, we'd all gather around the MAC classic a few minutes before 6pm. You'd see me, Kuya Ers, Shash, Xtine, Minnie, Jojo, and whoever else is in the room standing there just looking at the screen. We're actually waiting for the digital screensaver clock to say:

5:55:55

Mundane as it may seem, we did that because 5 was the last digit that can appear on screen 5 times. (I haven't been to a country that had sixty-six minutes and sixty-six seconds past 6 or 6:66:66)

Once the clock showed those 5 digits, we'd all clap and howl and cheer. Then, after that split second, we'd all go back to our cubicles to do our own business.

I'm sure the Futura team though we were weird for doing that, and I can't blame them. What we did was totally meaningless and pointless. But like many things in this life, the totally meaningless and pointless things are the exact same things that put smiles on our faces and make life more fun and memorable.

The longest day

It's almost 7pm and it looks like 3pm when I look outside my window.

Apparently, today is the longest day in Hong Kong. They call it the "Midsummer", and its the time when the sun goes down really, really late.

My colleagues are fascinated by this occurence, having gotten used to darkness come 6pm.

I, on the other hand, am not so impressed. After all, I spent a few summers in Amsterdam where the sun is up and the sky is bright even at 10pm.

Suddenly, I miss Europe.

It has begun

With only a few more days leading to July, a lot of the shops in Hong Kong have started bringing out the magic sign with the 4-letter word:

SALE

As early as now, people have been going to shops and marking their territory, scoping out possible bargains and planning out their attack come 1st of July. I went to Zara this lunchtime and they, too, have started segregating their stuff. In fact, TRF already has a rack of shirts worth HK$75, and they're really nice shirts! I had to restrain myself because if I didn't, i'll probably be walking away with another big bag of clothes for my sister.

I can't wait until the feeding frenzy begins.

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

Traveling a lot the past week - and seeing a lot of travelers along the way - reminded me of this beautiful Carole King song about people who leave and those who want them to stay. Somehow, while a lot of people are looking for a way to get out of the country, I find myself simply wanting to go back home.



SO FAR AWAY

So far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're just time away

Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again could only do me good
How I wish I could, but you're so far away

One more song about movin' along the highway
Can't say much of anything that's new
If I could only work this life out my way
I'd rather spend it bein' close to you.

But you're so far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know you're so far away

Yay-uh-ay-eee
Oh, so far away

Travelin' around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothin' else to do but close my mind
I sure hope the road don't come to own me
Yet so many dreams I've yet to fin-ind

But you're so far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're so far away

Yay-uh-ay-eee
Oh, so far away
Yay, you're so faaaaaar away

24

I've been in a studio shooting a commercial for 24 hours now.

It's been a long time since i've last had this experience - the last one being "Venus" which we shot last August.

Days like this reminds me of my first years in advertising when I'd be awake for 24 hours during the entire shooting process and everybody would tell me: "Ang tatag mo!" That was mainly because i'd still be up and about, traipsing and skittering around despite the fact that i haven't had an hour of sleep. It was always fun watching sleepy and sleeping crew people trying to keep their eyes open, and getting into little mishaps in the process.

What kept me up was the excitement and gregariousness of a newly hire. Experiencing everything for the first time has a certain high attached to it. Every commercial was a first time for me, so whether it was a 12 hour or a 36 hour shoot, the adrenaline in my body just kept pumpin' and a pumpin' the whole time.

Just a few minutes ago, our director for this commercial told: "Ang tatag mo!" That's because while most of the people walked around like zombies on the set, I was still up, about, dancing and skittering to and fro - after abour 24 hours of not sleeping.

I guess that means after a decade in the advertising biz, i'm still as gregarious as a newly hire.

Sleeping around

Monday: Slept at the Marriot, Guangzhou
Tuesday: Slept at the New World, Shanghai
Wednesday: Slept at the New World, Shanghai
Thursday: Slept at home, Hong Kong
Friday: Slept at home, Manila
Saturday: Slept at the Discovery Suites, Ortigas
Sunday: Slept at home, Manila
Monday: Slept at the Peninsula, Makati

I'm beginning to feel like a Hotel Hooker.

I went to Shanghai and all I got were...

Potato Chips!

Yup, it's SO unlike me, but I did not shop during my trip to Shanghai. I did visit a lot of stores, though. I looked at the ones along Mao Ming Lu and near People's Square. I went to Raffles City mall where there's a Bench store, went to Hot Wind and found out it isn't as glamorous as people in Manila think it is, and of course, I visited "Needs Supermarket" behind the hotel.

It's amazing how many different variants of Potato Chips they have here. Aside from these:

the first batch I bought last night, I was able to buy a couple more.

They have Pringles in Tomato flavor. Lay's in Mexican Salsa, Italian Red Meat, and the weirdest of them all: Cucumber flavored potato chips. Oh, they also have a Lemon flavored one, though that isn't too weird. So after my supermarket visit, I was lugging 2 big supermarket baskets of potato chips to the surprise of my Chinese colleague.

He remarked: "How can anyone buy so many Potato chips?"

But after seeing my exotic loot, he couldn't help but buy a couple bags for himself.