Now even my subconscious is homesick...

Had three different dreams last night. Three different locales and three different cast of characters.

But they all had the same theme: me being homesick and me crying about it.

The tears and anguish felt so real, even in my dream. I could feel how I was trying to catch my breath in between sobs, and how warm the tears felt around my cheek. I was actually expecting myself to be in tears when I woke up, but luckily, I wasn't.

My sadness in the dream was left there.

Time to book another flight home.

Two for the road

Despite having more jeans that i know what to do with, I found myself buying another two pairs today. They just looked so nice and they were begging me to buy them. Because of my innate weakness for poor, helpless jeans that are begging to be bought, these two babies went home with me today.

The Levi's Red Loop


In an effort to further funkify and make their brand more appealing to the young, Levi's launched their new Red Loop series which has a more streamlined fit and a funky detail - a Red Loop on the belt. Duh! That's why it's called Red Loop. I tried the slim fit, and it fits perfectly. It reminds me of my favorite 513s, but this one has a more Japanese colored denim.


The Paint Splash D Squared jeans


Aside from the fit, which D Squared does perfectly, this pair has two details that immediately caught my eye. First, they have paint splotches that are embroidered rather than just painted. (Well, my friend says they look like something obscene, but hey, that's just him.) Plus, the hem has this stepped on effect, and it has a contrasting colored denim inside. It's such a subtle design, which makes me love it even more.



There's this 3rd pair I almost bought, a Paul Smith pair, but I decided to be a good boy and just buy two.

I'm such a jean junkie.

Presents Perfect!

Playing host and tour guide is fun enough as it is, but there are things that make it more enjoyable.

Like presents from the people you showed around!

Some friends were in town this week, and I took time out in the evening to join them for dinner, show them around the Tsim Sha Tsui area (which i've mastered already) and gave them the low down on where to shop. They were particularly taken by Granville and its myriad of outlet shops and funky clothes stores.

The night before they left, we met up for one last drink. And that's when they sprung the surprise!

Knowing that i'm so, SO much into clothes, my 3 friends decided to get an article of clothing each.

First up, I got this really, really nice zip up cardigan from Zara! I love the color. (It's darker when you see it in person.) And the fit is simply, simply great.


Next up, two belts from FCUK. I don't know what possessed them to buy two of the same thing (in different colors, though). But then again, it's a gift, so I have no right to complain. (And besides, who'll complain about getting 2 FCUK belts, eh?)



And the super grand daddy of them all...

CROIX JEANS!

This is a funky brand found at LCX, and I haven't been there in a while. These jeans have got to be the funkiest i've seen in a while. First of all, I love the color. Again, it's darker in real life. (Dang camera flash!) It has this dark denim wash that reminds me of the first generation of Levi's Engineered Jeans. Plus, it has funky details.


There are oversized buttons on the pocket, and the zipper goes all the way up to the waist, and is covered by yet another huge button.


The back is also uber detailed. Of course, the buttons are back, but there's also a zipper and a bit of garter sewn in. The result is a streamlined leg that really hugs and flatters. I tried it once, and it felt like a glove.



So that's why my friends have been asking me those leading questions last Thursday. Questions like: "So, what's your size at Zara? You have the same body type as my friend." And the suspicious: "You're so thin! What's your waist line? Are you a medium or a large?"

Ah yes! Oh happy day!

Face off!

Went to this cool website called heritage.com to check out their "Celebrity Face Recognition" program. What it does is it analyzes your face, and gives you a list of celebrities who share your same facial features and qualities. Oftentimes, people say that I look like Steve Martin, so I was curious to see if the Stevester will appear as my face-sake after subjecting myself to the program.

So I sent a photo of me, then the site went on its way to studying my face. And the results were amusing!

First up, i have the same face as:


JOHN WOO!

Yup, I supposedly look like the king of slam bang action films like Face-off and the earlier Mission Impossible movies. Hmmm... maybe this is also the reason why i'm fascinated by white doves.

Next up, I have the same face as:

CHOW YUN FAT!

Yup! That great Hong Kong Chinese action star who was excellent in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Anna and the King, and totally cool in Bulletproof Monk. I'm actually glad that we look alike because he's one of my favorite Asian actors. And of course, he ain't bad looking, so that means that I ain't that bad looking, too, eh?



I looked at his younger photos, and reckon we have the same eye shape, and maybe a bit of the face.

So after John Woo and Chow Yun Fat, I thought my next face-sake would be another Asian guy. And that would prove my theory that I really do have very Asian features. (Eventhough i'm often mistaken for a Spaniard or Portugese.) The third person who supposedly looks like me simply shocked me:



CONDOLEEZA RICE

Yes! I have the same features as Condi! So that throws the whole Asian argument out of the window, huh.

There were several others, but I just took the first three to post here. So aside from having the same facial features of these three folks, there are other things about them that i'd like to have as well.

I'd like the talent of John Woo, the looks and earning capacity of Chow Yun Fat and the power of Condoleeza Rice.

Now THAT would be awesome.

Pick up sticks

The bamboo scaffoldings in Hong Kong are amazing. I've always been in awe each time I see a multitude of people balancing on a couple of bamboo poles while they're renovating or repainting a building. Imagine, while people in first world countries would use metal and bolts, they use bamboo and plastic string. Imagine, something so basic can perform a task that's so Herculean! And they never break, they never collapse, they never give in.

Because of these traits, I've always been a big fan of these scaffoldings.

Until I saw this:



Just across the building where I live, a scaffolding was erected to fix a broken, plastic signage. The winds were pretty violent, and we just had a bad case of rain a few hours ago. While I was walking near this area, I could already see the scaffolding as it teetered dangerously. Then suddenly, it all just fell down.



Good thing I brought my trusty digital camera, so like a UP trained Journalist, I took photos of the "event." A few minutes after it collapsed, the HK Police were already on the scene, cordoning the area. (Actually, it happened just in front of the TST Police station, thus the prompt response.) They cleaned up the mess in no time, so people who didn't see the accident won't even know it happened, and they'll still have that great amount of faith on bamboo scaffoldings.

But of course, I saw it and I know. And yes, my faith in them has diminished greatly.



Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Things people say...

...when they think you don't understand them.

I'm always amazed at how people will always mistake me for something else other than a Filipino. This is frustrating at times, but amusing as well. Today, I've had about 4 run-ins with Filipinos who had something to say about me, and said it within earshot. Of course, they assume i'm not Pinoy and I can't tell what they're saying.

Well kids, I do! Harharhar.

Here's what I heard today:

1. "Tignan mo yung binti niya, ang puti-puti!" - Said by a woman sitting beside me on tram on my way to Central.
2. "Sige na, tanong mo kung saan niya nabili yung t-shirt niya. Ikaw ang magaling mag-Ingles, diba?" - Said by a lady while I was at Giordano in TST.
3. "Ang suwerte naman ng GF niya, siya pa mismo ang bumibili ng damit para sa kanya." - Heard a woman telling this to her male companion while I was shopping for clothes at Mango)
4. "Ayan... ayan ang tinatawag na low waist." - Remarks by the man sitting behind me -- in church!

If they only knew I understood them.

Then again, maybe next time I should let them know.

The Language of Sales

From June 30 to August 31, Hong Kong is celebrating its annual Sale season. This is a bit of an overkill considering that someone, somewhere in HK is having a sale all year round. Take one of my favorite local brands - http://www.izzue.com - as an example. They have a sale every three months, that's why locals don't buy there until they see the sale sign up front.

There are 3 levels of sales here, and the amount of stuff you buy should depend on which of these 3 signs you see:

1. Sale - This means prices are down 20-30% off. If you're looking at popular brands like Zara, FCUK and Mango, you should buy things that you really, REALLY lust for this early because chances are, someone's going to snap it up if you don't. That's the difference I noticed with shoppers here, when they want something, they buy it immediately.

2. Further Sale - At this point, you can expect a 40-50% discount on items, and you can expect stocks to disappear even faster. That's why you should stand outside the shop early and get first dibs on everything. The downside of Further Sales is that most of the "popular sizes" are already out of stock. Now unfortunately, my waist size (30-31) is popular here, so I lose out on a lot of jeans and trousers. Thankfully, my feet are big by HK standards (10-11), so I can still get the shoes I want!

3. Final Sale - That's 70% off on the retail price, while some can even go down to 80%. Expect mayhem at this stage and expect Zara Man to have just a few pieces left on their racks. People snap up Zara here like they buy pancit canton at the Jolli-jeep in Makati. But for local brands, you can still wait until it reaches 70% because they'll have a lot of styles and sizes on stock anyway. For ladies stuff, wait until final sale because you get more for your money and yet still have more to choose from.

At this stage, most of the the stores here are on "FINAL SALE" mode. Makes me wonder how much they'll have left in August, considering that the sale should be until August 31. The people who'll go in August will probably be disappointed because of the lack of choices - but then again, if they're looking for good and cheap clothes, they can always go to Shenzhen.

Hair Suit

Amazing how a hair cut can drastically change the way people look at you.

Since my cropped mane made its debut this week, i've had 4 comments that came up every so often.

1. You look like a college boy.
2. You look like a surfer.
3. You look Portugese.
4. You look chiseled.

If I were to take these comments seriously, then I can conclude that hair does have an amazing transforming power.

From an untidy guy last Saturday, i'm not a Chiseled, Portugese College Surfer boy.

I'm going to have this haircut set in gold...

Realization while walking through Victoria Park

I want to go back to the Philippines.

I want to go back to my life.

This is SO fly!

This was a pleasant surprise. I guess homesickness has its benefits.





Now I can fly a bit more comfortably.

Hair raising part deux

I asked Ron if there's a Filipino Barber shop in HK where I can go. I need an honest to goodness Filipino barber because the stylists here want to give my hair the Japanese anime treatment.

He asked me to go to Li Yuen street or what locals call "alley-alley" or "ale-ale". It's called as such because aside from it being an alley, there are a lot of ales who offer different beauty services such as manicures, facials, and yes, hair cuts!

I walked past a sign that said "Filipinas Barber Shop" and thought, *BINGO!*

Or so I thought.

The "barber shop" was actually a beauty parlor and the "barber" turned out to be a woman. When I asked the guy if they had male barbers, he assured me that the women there can cut as well as a guy barber. So he asked me to sit down for a few minutes because all the "female barbers" were busy.

Once seated, i looked around the parlor and it was really a disturbing sight. There were 8 chairs - all occupied, there was a karaoke machine with some shrilly voiced girl singing some tagalog song, there was a pot simmering and it smells like sinigang, and overall, it was like a bad salon in Tondo.

Therefore, I left. I'd rather keep my hair long than have it cut in a place like this.

But that isn't where the story ended.

While walking along Nathan Road, I saw someone familiar. It was Ness - one of the hairstylists I worked with in Manila. It turns out he's (yup, Ness is a (s)he) here on an editorial project and today was his day off. So I gathered all the courage I could muster and asked: "did you bring your things? can you cut my hair?"

And now, I am happy to announce, that I have nice, short hair again. Thanks, Ness! This is the first time i'm having a haircut in Hong Kong by a Manila stylist (in a hotel, at that.)

Ahhh... Happy day.

Hair raising

I need a haircut.

I wasn't able to get one in Manila 2 weeks ago because I was too busy.

I wasn't able to get one in Bangkok last week because the stylist and I couldn't get what each other wanted to say.

I wasn't able to get one in Hong Kong this afternoon because the stylist insisted that I have the sides of my hair shaved and have it colored brown. (I will never have my hair colored to preserve its "virginity." A hairstylist told me that i'm one of the .0001% of people he knows who has "virgin hair" or hair that has never been colored or treated or anything of that sort.)

I won't be able to get one in Shenzhen because Melvin is Guangzhou.

Now I feel unkempt and disorganized and just plain icky.

I need a hair cut.

Going Down

Zara just marked down its items some more today.

The $319.00 shirts are down to $129.00. The jeans are now within the $189.00 vicinity. There are blazers that go for $379.00. Unfortunately, the shoes are still the same price, and that's what i've been eyeing since I got back last Tuesday. Hopefully in a few weeks or so, even the shoes will get more markdowns, and hopefully again, they'll still have sizes for me.

But in the meantime, I have to be content with 3 new pairs of jeans and 2 cable knit sweaters that I can use for my trip to Europe next year.

Fancy Pants

Got these Taverniti So jeans at Sheung Wan a week back. The moment I laid eyes on it, I knew it was mine. And anyone's eyes will definitely be locked in because of the wonderfully intricate detail this pair has.



Silver buttons!

There are about a hundred silver buttons sewed onto the pockets and waist of this pair. The buttons vary in size and design, creating a merry mix-up that just begs to be noticed. Even the belt loops have buttons, which makes me want to tuck my shirt in for added impact. Unfortunately, this type of jeans shouldn't be worn with a shirt, ergo, I just chose to wear my plain Giordano tee that's short enough to expose the loops.



While I was in MBK, a group of caucasians, 2 boys and a girl actually came up to me and asked if they can look at my jeans. When I said yes, the guy actually lifted up my shirt to get a better view. The girl had to slap his hand and told him not to look at it THAT closely. Hahaha. Then they asked where I bought it, and wheh I said Hong Kong, they offered to buy the pair of jeans I'm wearing. (The guy and I were both size 30.)



The only setback of this pair is that it's difficult to sit down, especially on fiberglass seats like the ones on the MTR and BTS. Aside from the fact that it's hard on the butt, it also makes a crinkly noise everytime I shift seats.

But hey, that's a small price to pay for a fashion item as big as this.

I went to Bangkok and all I bought was...

... an international phone card.

Yes, it's strange but true. But after 4 days in the land of shopping and cheap stuff, I found myself taking out my wallet only once, and it was to buy this phone card so that I could call my parents in the U.S. and Mark in Japan.

This will make a great dent on my reputation as a serial shopper.

That's Suite

Whenever i'm in Bangkok, I usually prefer to stay at the Pathumwan Princess due to its proximity to the mecca of all things cheap and funky, Mahboongkrong or MBK. With an elevator that goes directly from the hotel to the heart of the mall, it's enough reason for serial shoppers to make treat this hotel as if it were an Aman resort.

For this trip, we were booked in another hotel: The Emporium Suites. Actually, it's a serviced apartment rather than a hotel. The place is connected to The Emporium, Bangkok's posh mall, and that's a plus. The lobby was very modern - with Philippe Starck looking chairs, and that's another plus. But once I got out of the elevator en route to my room, it was one plus sign after another.

First, the lobby was very imposing. They used dark wood and cream walls which gave the whole place a spa feel. One nice touch is that every floor has a different lobby configuration. I was on the 26th floor last Friday, and on the 29th floor today. The 26th floor lobby was T-shaped, while the one on the 29th was more of a complicated fork.


My floor has a foyer leading to the room. It was a nice balinese painting framed in between two glasses. It reminded me of the painting I bought in Mexico and framed the same way. So immediately, it felt like home.



Here's my room. Number 2904, which is at the end of the corridor. Being the only room, it assured me of a quiet evening. That's exactly what I need after 5 days of sleep deprivation.



Once inside, the first thing that greeted me was a full service kitchen. It also followed the dark wood theme of the lobby which made it look tres classy.



Then it was my work area. A dinner table for two. A work table. A flat screen TV, DVD player and CD player. There are speakers all around the room for that Dolby feel. Good thing I brought the Sergio Mendez CD that Alfie lent me, i'll be listening to that as I go to bed tonight.



And i'm going to sleep in this large, comfy bed. I love the fact that it didn't have a headboard. It gave it a very modern loft aura. The pillows are fluffy but firm, and the comforter is warm but not too bulky. Yes! The ideal sleeping combo.



The shower was nice. (Although the one in Discovery Suites is much better.) What caught my attention was the shower head which was the same one in my hotel in Shanghai. The nice thing about it is it makes me feel like i'm taking a bath under the rain because the water is light and diffused. Looks like i'm in for another long bath the next 2 days.



The view from my window further emphasizes my observation that Bangkok looks exactly like Makati, albeit with cursive letters rather than your usual ABCs.



There's a pool downstairs which I won't check out since I left my trunks at home. It has a nice design, but then again, people can easily watch you swim. Not cool.



Then, near the exit, there's this nice Balinese sculpture. This theme is predominant in the whole Emporium Suites property, and i'm getting the hang of it. My colleague - an avid collector of Balinese inspired art - will love this. I wonder if I should stash it in my bag and bring it to him.



...Maybe not.

At the risk of sounding like a brochure, The Emporium Suites is luxurious without costing that much. They've got fabulous suites (Grace has photos of my other suite, and I should post that once she sends it to me) which is ideal for resting, working and partying. It's near a mall, near a BTS station, near the Philippine Embassy, near Queen Sirikit Park and near a McDonald's. (Always a plus!)

And with that, it's official. Emporium Suites is now my new favorite place to live in.

Post from the lobby of a creepy hotel

Sawasdee Krup!

Today we arrived at Pakchong, Thailand. This is about 3 hours away by land from Bangkok, and it's past Pattaya. Considering that i've always found Pattaya a bit far, that can only mean this place is in the middle of nowhere.

Pakchong feels like Tagaytay with a little bit of Escolta thrown in for good measure. The area is surrounded by mountains and a lot of greenery. There are resorts and spas all over the place, but most of them look a bit run down and reminds me of all those "accommodations" in Los Banos. The buildings are a bit old and run down, and majority are low to mid-rise buildings. Stalls scatter the streets and there is no McDonald's store anywhere in sight. (This, in my opinion, is the true sign of how non-progressive this city is. Heh.)

Right now, i've just checked in my hotel which is supposedly the best hotel in Pakchong. "Best" is a relative term, of course. My room is old and has that musty carpet smell. The TV only has 4 Thai channels (no HBO, the horror!). The bathroom has mold and mildew all over. The mini bar has two cans of beer. And the building looks haunted.

The lobby looks like Manila Hotel's lobby 20 years ago. High ceiling, old furniture, white walls - it's supposed to channel grandeur but fails miserably. I feel as if i'm at the lobby of the haunted film center in CCP. (This is a major let down considering I just came from an excellent suite last night.) The hotel restaurant feels like CASAA in UP, and the corridors feel very "The Grudge."

And yes, there's no in-room internet. Since I had to check my email, I asked where there business center was. Alas, there isn't one. But they were kind enough to let me use their office computer for a few minutes. And because they were nice enough to do that, i'll stop ranting about this place and be thankful that they let me go on-line.

Country Confusion

I've spent 3 different times of the day in three different countries today.

I woke up in Manila after spending 5 days for a shoot. And no matter where in the world i've been, nothing compares to waking up in your own country. It's so nice to look out the window and watch the early morning rush at Ayala.

Then I had to fly out before lunch back to Hong Kong. The reason being I had to go back to the office to pick up some documents and my ticket that would take me to Bangkok with later this afternoon. So my afternoon was spent running from the airport to the airport express station to the MTR to the flat to the airport express station to the airport. Made it on time, actually I arrived a bit earlier so I was able to send more emails.

Now, it's almost 11 in the evening and I'm in my room in Bangkok. (Nay, it's not a room, it's a gorgeous suite! Must take photos and post them for posterity.) I'll be ending my evening here, and have to get up at 4:00am to go to Pakchong for more work.

One day, three airports, three countries. I should really be getting used to this because i've been living this life for the longest time. But somehow, I still get disoriented each time.

And of course, it makes me miss home so much more.

Kate and Kamiseta

Passed through Guadalupe on my way to Greenhills today and saw a billboard that made my eyes pop, jaws drop, heart stop, belly flop, mind bop... oh, that should sum up how excited I felt.

Kamiseta has a new endorser. She's no other than America's RomCom princess, Kate Hudson.

That's right:

KATE HUDSON IS THE NEW KAMISETA GIRL!

Wow. Wow. WOW!

I thought Alicia Silverstone and Natalie Portman were tough acts to follow, but this very much does the job. I was so excited after finding out that I went mental and started talking to everyone about it. First, my officemates from Hong Kong, then our producer, then when I got back to the studio, I proceeded to tell the production designer, director, assistant director, choreographer... the whole lot!

Then I called whoever was in my mobile phonebook who knows about fashion, and they all shared my enthusiasm. This was definitely my high for the day. Seeing one of my favorite actresses endorse a local clothing brand.

Working in advertising, i'm often jaded by celebrity endorsers and they never affect my purchasing decisions. But let me just say that Kate and Kamiseta will change that just this instance. In fact, i'm off to Kamiseta tomorrow morning to buy stuff for my sister. (And hopefully see more of Kate in the process.)