A-flutter in Hong Kong

In the spring, a young man's fancy suddenly turns to thoughts of...

Butterflies!

Yup, it looks like butterflies are the recurring theme this season for a lot of Hong Kong retailers and companies. Just tonight, I noticed three different companies using these winged wonders as their main symbol. Earlier today, we saw the new Head and Shoulders shampoo commercial, and it also followed a butterfly theme.

The nice thing about this is that each brand intepreted the butterfly in their own way:

HSBC's new campaign renders the butterfly in its most realistic sense. In fact, they've filled up the MTR Central Station with 3D butterflies, and it makes for an awesome sight.



I've noticed a lot of tourists having their photos taken in this area, and it's understandable. Standing in the middle of this myriad of colors and wings does transport you to a world of fantasy. I guess everyone wants to have that "Thumbelina-moment" once in their lives.



If I understand it correctly, HSBC's campaign talks about catching your dreams. At the station walls, we see the continuation of the campaign which is a group of kids trying to grab a dream or two. It's very clever.

Swarovski, being Swarovski, renders the butterflies in colored stones. I haven't seen these accessories first hand, but if they're as gorgeous as they look like in the photo, i'll ask Tanya (who has a discount at Swarovski, woo-hoo!) to accompany me to the TST store so I can buy my Mom and sisters one each.



Harbour City goes all-graphics on their take on the butterfly. One look and it easily reminds you of Nokia's L'Amour campaign that launched a month back. Solid colors, flowers and vines, bold lines, and a simple finish.



My first thought after seeing these butterflies was "boracay tattoo." It looks like one of those stick-on tattoos, or a pattern that a person draws with Henna on your shoulder while enjoying the sun, sand and sea at Boracay. Nope, i haven't had anything of that sort done on me, but my sister once did, to the chagrin of my parents.



Personally, I love butterflies that's why all these campaigns are a welcome sight for me. Who knows, maybe in a week or so, we'll see Mariah Carey being hoisted up over IFC belting:

"Spread your wings and prepare to fly,
for you have become a butterfly,
oh, oh, spread your wings up high,
BUTTERFLY!"

Blah... Blah... Blah...

Blah # 1: I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep. It was one of those restless evenings.

Blah # 2: No appetite today. Ended up eating muffins and pringles for lunch.

Blah # 3: Kinda irritable today. I don't know why. Want to put up a "please don't talk to me" sign on my door.

The problem with living alone abroad is that the Blahs are harder to control. If I were in Manila, all I need to do is go to Galleria and shop, and the blahs are automatically gone...

Not bad at all...

Andy sent me the list of finalists and winners in the recently concluded Ad Fest in Pattaya. Our Colgate 360 toothbrush campaign made it to finalist in this year's competition.

Not bad for a first time entrant.

But who knows, we might hit it big at the D&AD and the One Show Awards.

PBA Games; Today's object of lust

After more than 5 years, I went to watch another PBA Game. Two teams from the All-Filipino Conference flew in to HK this weekend and played at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Melchor had 2 tickets, and since Tanya was in London, he invited me to join him.



Since the tickets were free, my mind was bracing for the worst - a humungous, unruly crowd trying to get the best seats. Surprisingly, there were no queues and people were walking into the stadium in a very disciplined manner. The place was about 85% occupied, but the 85% who were there were the rowdy, noisy, and fun basketball fan types. They came prepared with banners and streamers with messages such as:

- PBA. I love this game! (agh! an NBA rip-off)
- I (heart) PBA! Welcome to Hong Kong!
- MILLER (who turns out to be Johnny Miller, a player with an amazing 3 point track record)
- Purefoods Forever

Yup, the game was between Purefoods and Talk & Text. Melchor and I noticed that most of the players were really new and neither of us knew who they were. Thankfully, old timers like Zandro Limpot and Vergel Meneses provided still played. Asi Taulava was there, and everyone knows who Asi is. Then there was a guy who the Filipinas called: "Mr. Kris Aquino", and he turned out to be James Yap, who is Kris' boyfriend/supposed husband.

It was fun watching a PBA game again. I kept on cheering for Talk & Text (because they had fewer people cheering for them, and I just love underdogs!) In the end, Talk & Text won by more than 20 points, and it gave me a good vibe.

Oh, the absurd half-time games were also fun to watch. When I stepped out of Queen Elizabeth Stadium, it felt like I was stepping out of Araneta Coliseum with Fiesta, watching a Ginebra game. But it only lasted for a few minutes as the chilly wind reminded me that I was still in Hong Kong at the start of Spring.

After the game, I went on-line to check the Spring/Summer 06 collections of denim companies, and I saw this wonderful pair from True Religion:



It's actually an old pair since i've been seeing it in their website for the past few months. But when I clicked on the larger photo, that's when I appreciated the beauty of this pair. It has a nice dark wash that offsets the varying color of denim patches. The rise is perfectly low, and it still keeps the twisted hem style present in all True Religion Jeans.

Next weekend, i'm going to Seibu and Lane Crawford to look for this pair of jeans. And if they're there, it's going to be Jean # 54 for me! (Let it be there. Let it be there!)

Go anywhere day!

Today is "Go Anywhere Day" which means i'm going to have a ride a bus to a place i've never been before. At the Central Bus Terminus, I hopped on the 6X bus going to Stanley Plaza since it was the one with the shortest queue. It proved to be a very good choice because in less than half an hour, I was at the Stanley Market.

I've been in Hong Kong for almost a year, and have been visiting this country for more than a decade. But today was the first time I ever set foot on Stanley, and it was worth the wait.

Stanley reminds me of Sitges in Spain. It's a quiet beachside community with sidewalk restaurants, wide open spaces, gorgeous views, and of course -- STANLEY MARKET! Yup, it's another treasure trove of export overruns, souvenirs, curios, and original chinese artwork.

I walked around for around 3 hours, just feeling the positive vibe of the whole place. Next week, i'm planning to go back with a camera because a place like this deserves to be photographed!

FAN-tastic lunch!

After walking about around North Point in search of a good lunch place, the gang decided to just go our separate ways. Vince and Keat ended up at Maxim's, while the Shigster and I went to good old Mickey-Ds for a dose of American junk food. This was good news for me because i'm really lovin' McDonald's and have been wanting to try their new Rice Burger. Since the branch near the office was packed with students, we decided to take our orders out. Presenting the newest offering from McDonald's Hong Kong. The "Fantastic Chicken Burger" or the new "Rice Burger." In Chinese, "Fan" means "Rice", that's why the product name is actually a play of words: "Fan-tastic" = "Rice-tastic". The Fantastic sandwich comes in beef and chicken, and since I don't eat beef, I ended up with this little baby. Instead of a bun, the fried chicken patty is lodged in between two lumps of bun-shaped rice. The rice/bun is made of glutinuous rice, gravy and mushroom, which gives it a very distinct and very pleasing flavor. It's just like eating machang, with less spices. The sandwich is garnished with 2 types of lettuce, giving it a "healthier" feel. Biting into this little critter is just like eating a complete rice meal rather than munching a sandwich. Imagine your ulam and kanin, sans the kubiertos. It's very, very convenient, very, very tasty, but very, very Atkins unfriendly. Initially, I didn't think i'd like it because i've tried a similar sandwich in Manila in the 90s in a place called "Rice Meal." (Pretty creative name, eh?) It was just awful! It was like eating week-old, coagulated lugaw which is never, never good. But when I tried this sandwich, I LOVE IT! The mix of tastes and textures are just right. And it's really a meal in a sandwich - giving "fast food" a totally new meaning. To wrap the meal up, I tried the Sweet Taro pie, which is pretty much like Kamote Pie. It was ok, nothing spectacular. I'd rather have Choco-Mallow Pie from Jollibee anytime. Thanks Ronald McDonald. I'm Lovin' It again, thanks to your newest burger innovation. I'm told that they plan to roll this out in Manila soo, and I hope they do. It's time to put the ghost of that mid-90s catastrophe called "Rice Meal" to rest, and make way for the new, uber Fan-tastic Rice burger from McDonald's.

Indulging my inner teen

In my book, all these Euro pop groups sound the same. As Gilbert once told me, same Eurotrash, different packaging. So while they may look very different from one another, Aqua, Ace of Base, and even the Vengaboys are all the same to my ears. I can almost hear them now: "the vengabus is coming... and everybody's jumping..."

Then Arnie made me listen to this group called S Club 7, which is like "Mickey Mouse Club meets puberty." Despite their being very Euro bubblegum pop, I did find them nice to listen to. And since yesterday, i've been scouring HMV and Hong Kong records in search of their CD. Unfortunately, they don't have it. (They have S Club 7 kids, though...)

So now, i'm just singing the song acapella, and later i'll go off to another CD store in search of it. I just have to listen to this song!



Everybody's got something
They had to leave behind
One regret from yesterday
That just seems to grow with time
There's no use looking back, oh wondering
How it could been, now oh might've been
All this I know
But, still I can't find ways to let you go

Chorus:
I never had a dream come true
'till the day that I found you
Eventhough I pretend that I moved on
You'll always be my baby
I never found the words to say
You're the one I think about each day
And I know no matter where life takes me to
A part of me will always be with you

Somewhere in my memory
I've lost all sense of time
And tomorrow can never be
Cause yesterday is all that fills my mind
There's no use looking back ,oh wondering
How it should been, now oh might've been
All this I know
But,still I can't find ways to let you go
(Chorus)

You'll always be the dream that fills my head
Yes you will, Say you will, You know you will oh baby
You'll always be the one I know I'll never forget
There's no use looking back, oh wondering
Because love is a strange and funny thing
No matter how hard I try and try
I just can't say goodbye
no no no no
(Chorus)

Had to Bee

Homesickness reached an alarming level. Wanted to log on to cathaypacific.com and get a last flight out of HK to Manila. Got antsy in my chair and just decided to step out of the office, grab some fresh air, walk the stress away and keep my mind lucid for the next few days.

Once outside the building, I was trying to decide whether I should go to Victoria Park, Ikea or HMV. Then I decided to ride the train all the way to Central, and indulge in something that will bring me back "home" even for a few minutes -- JOLLIBEE!

When I was first assigned here, there were 3 Jollibee outlets. Now, they're down to one - a branch in some god foresaken sidestreet in the middle of Central. Compared to all those delightful and vibrant stores in Manila, their store in HK can only be described as "sorry." Space is small, walls are bare, tables and chairs are unbelievably plain. The menu is another thing to rant about. Choices aren't as varied, they have no chicken strips, and not even Choco-Mallow Pie! (sacrilege!) Their palabok tastes odd, the spaghettti is soggy, and their sandwiches are microwaved rather than hot off the grill.

But then again, beggars can't be choosers. No matter how much I rant, this is the only place to go for "Filipino comfort food" that i'm familiar with. Ended up ordering Tuna Sandwich, Chickenjoy Pops and Fries. Thankfully, it was a weekday so the lines weren't that long and seats weren't that hard to come by. In fact, the place was virtually empty, which explains why my fries look like they've been sitting around the bin for the past 20 minutes. Chickenjoy Pops - microwaved and not fresh, Tuna Sandwich - a bit cold.

It ain't the best meal in the world, but hey, it feels like home.

My first housewarming present!

Cool beans! After having my first official guests over at my flat, I received my first housewarming present.

Joey, Jon and Gabbi gave me this funky red mirror from Ikea before they left last Sunday. This will surely be a tres useful gift since there is a conspicuous absence of a big mirror at home. Yup, in 6 months of living here, i've survived with 2 small, desktop mirrors and no full length one. Needless to say, I never get to check my outfits out. Thankfully, my imagination and spatial intelligence is advance enough, so it really isn't needed.

The reason i've held back on buying a large mirror is the fact that it's difficult to transport. Imagine having to bring a 3 feet mirror down the MTR station, inside the MTR train, and up the MTR station again. Just thinking about it is enough deterrent for me. That's why it's funny when Joey and Jon told me that they had the same difficulty bringing the mirror home. But of course, I appreciate the effort, very, very, very much.

So now, I've got a big, red mirror at home. It's cool, it's useful, and it matches the color scheme of my bedroom. Heck, if all guests will be bringing presents like these everytime they visit, i wouldn't mind having visitors every other week!

Not good...

It feels like ages since I was last in Manila. This antsy feeling drove me to look at my desk calendar to count how many days has it been since my last Manila visit.

Lo and behold, it's only been 14 days since I was last there. But if it's been that short a time, how come it feels like i've been here forever. I want to go home this weekend. But I know I shouldn't. The point of being emancipated is to get used to being detatched from everything familiar and comforting.

It doesn't help to know that Melvin is on his way to Manila this Thursday. Envy. Envy. Envy. I'm desperately keeping myself from booking a ticket home this weekend, or next weekend at least.

Two weeks and i'm already homesick. Not good...

Show me the Muppet!

Keat and I were talking about the Muppet Show a couple of days back, then I came across this Blogthing test entitled: "Which Muppet are you." Needless to say, my fingers immediately reached for the mouse and keyboard and started answering. My muppet alter-ego isn't that big a surprise, really...

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

I've always liked Fozzie Bear. Though I'd rather be one of the 2 old guys sitting on the balcony and complaining how bad the acts are. Then again, it would also be cool to be Beaker or Bunsen. And Keat, he likes the Swedish Chef.

Go figure!

I'm getting FAT!

Another reason why it's good to eat out in Hong Kong is the presence of Fat Angelo's Restaurant. This place feels like a hybrid of Italianni's, Friday's, Denny's with a sprinkling of my Tito's very own Los Caracoles. My former colleague introduced me to Fat Angelo's a few years ago, and this lunch time was the first time i've been back in years!

It's good to know that while the country changes every so often, this restaurant was able to keep its food and ambience consistent through the years. The Chicken Parmesan is as cheezy as ever, the Calamari is still tender and the tomato sauce is equally flavorful, and the Vodka Penne still makes my taste buds do the dance of joy.

Fat Angelo's has excellent complimentary bread, too, and it's so much better than what Italianni's serves in Manila. Theirs is this huge, crusty bun that's so soft inside! Dipped in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and parmesan cheese combo, heck, it's good enough for a meal. Add the free salad, and it's reason enough to visit every so often. Plus, i'm getting the hang of HK's "make your own iced lemon tea" tradition, and this'll make it difficult for me to return to Nestea back home.

As expected, our Fat Angelo's lunch is extremely fillling. We had 2 kinds of pasta, chicken and calamari, aside from the bread and salad. If we didn't catch a cab going back to the office, i'd probably roll my way back.

I'm going to bring Ninette and Tita to this place when they visit HK this weekend!

The Dudung Complex

Since i'm having my first, honest-to-goodness guests in my flat this weekend, I had to do some honest-to-goodness cleaning tonight. The past few months were all about sweeping and dusting, and that was enough since i'm not too nit-picky about cleanliness. But since these are new people, and I have to appear like I'm actually good at keeping house and living alone, the flat should be spankingly clean when they arrive.

Tonight, I left the office early to do some major cleaning at home. First, I had to dress up for the job:

- Ratty, white t-shirt
- Old boxer shorts
- Fuzzy slippers

Then, I had to get the tools of the trade

- Small pail of water
- Rag for table top surfaces
- Rag for floor
- Rag for kitchen
- Pledge
- Rag for polishing

And then of course, I can't start cleaning without the right background music. So I quickly compiled some funky tunes in my iTunes so I can work with this rhythm and vibe:

- "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind and Fire
- "Sweet Soul Revue" by Pizzicato Five
- "So Hot" by Touch and Go
- "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce
- "I'm a Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears
- "You're so Vain" by Carole King
- "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire
- "Ladies Night" by Kool and the Gang
- "Since you've been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
- "Chocolate" by Kylie Minogue
- "Hand in your Heart" by Kylie Minogue
- "It's like that" by Mariah Carey

With all these set, I went about doing my chores with precision and enthusiasm. I was so in character that I felt like a houseboy going about my daily grind. It was a scene that would have made my Momma proud. There I was, down on my knees, wiping the floor with a rag. And while I was, I was singing "Oh yes it's ladies night, and the feeling's right, oh yeah it's ladies night, oh what a night! (ohhh.... what a night....). This scene reminded me of our old maid who used to sing "I'll never go far away from you" each time she did a house chore.

Before the last track ended, I was done with cleaning my entire apartment. Except for the bathroom since i'm reserving that for tomorrow night. Now I know why our maids and houseboys crank up the music each time they do chores at home, it really does get a person in the right cleaning groove.

I should do this more often.

Happy Birthday, Lolo!

Today would have been Lolo Iking's 96th birthday if he didn't pass on more than a decade ago. Eventhough he's been gone for quite some time, the family still misses him a lot. He taught us so many things: generosity, dignity, honesty, uprightness, love for family, love for spouse, love for children, love for grandchildren, and living life to the fullest with no regrets.

Some of my best childhood memories would be going with Lolo to Unimart and going grocery shopping. Or going to the Camp Aguinaldo commissary and getting groceries there as well. We'd sometimes go to Harbour View and have early dinner with the entire family while watching the famous Manila Bay Sunset. Summers in Bicol and he'd ask that we be served food "army style" with aluminum, partitioned plates like soldiers use. Sometimes we'd have breakfast by the beach, with the table set on the shallow part of the lake so that we'd be eating with our feet in the water. Then if we wanted fresh Buco juice, Lolo would ask one of his tauhans to go climb a Coconut tree so we'd get it really fresh.

Lolo loved it when my Tita and cousins from Barcelona would visit the Philippines and everyday would be like a big party. I remember hanging out with them in Tito Pocholo's house in San Juan or Tito Vic's place in Greenhills. Lolo was happy when the whole family was together.

Even when we were adults, Lolo never got tired of taking care of us and making us feel like little grandkids. Almost every week, he'd take us to Tropical Hut in Quezon Avenue where he'd often order spaghetti then I'd order Hawaiian Glee. Then we'd pass by the grocery to buy Lola's Blue Bonnet Margarine, and Grapefruit, and honey.

One thing I can't forget about him is how much he loved Lola. When Lola passed away, he was distraught almost everyday. At the mere mention of Lola's name, he'd just cry and say how much he missed her. I remember how Lola Talen and Lola Nining would try to comfort him, sometimes even scolding him saying that he shouldn't cry like that. But the sense of love and loss was just too great that he wouldn't listen to his siblings, and continue to mourn.

Lolo loved Lola so much that a few months after Lola died, Lolo eventually followed her. We were told that he was calling for Lola a few moments before he passed on. It's one of those stories that tell me that true love does exist and true love does prevail.

My Lolo was a really great man. A General. A Gentleman. A Patriot. A man who stood by his principles even if it meant giving up a position he held so close to his heart. My Lolo is a person who's absence will always be felt and who's presence will always be remembered with fondness. They don't make men as great like Lolo Iking anymore. That's why I miss him so much.

Weird...

I woke up with the bedside lamp on. What makes it strange is that I never recall turning it on anytime last night.

My subconscious must have been really hyper-active last night.

Koyo Cool

Koyo Jeans is a brand that i've seen a couple of times at LCX, and they also have a store near Senado Square in Macau. If memory serves me right, they also had Koyo jeans at People are People a couple of years back. Everytime Melvin and I would pass by LCX (where he loves checking out the Crumper Bags), i'd occasionally check out the Koyo section, but more often than not, they didn't' have anything remarkable. It's either their designs are too blah, or the quality of their denim wouldn't be too nice.

Then we decided to pass by today, and it gave me the chance to check out their Fall/Winter 2005 and Spring/Summer 2006. I'm sure glad that we decided to, because they've got a fabulous collection of jeans this season. And even if I promised myself not to buy jeans this week (yup, just this week), I ended up walking away with two beauties from Koyo.



The first one is a pair of jeans made of light, grayish denim. Instead of the usual metal buttons, it had a hook and eye for its waist closure. This alone upped its funky factor by 100 points. As Melvin said, it looked like something that came out of a fireman's jacket. Instead of the usual pockets, this pair had slanted ones, and it's secured by zippers. This gives the pair a very straight silhouette which is excellent because it makes me look taller.

Another big plus for this pair is that it had charms sewn onto the right side pocket. It ranges from crosses, airplanes, skulls, even a Versace-esque medusa head. This automatically sets this pair apart from anything I presently own. Also, it's a good departure from the patch/embroidery combination that's slowly filling up my closet.



The second pair is a stud! Literally. This pair of jeans had studs from the side all the way to the hem. And it travels across the twisted hem, which makes it visually interesting as it is visually flattering. And like a lot of my current favorite pairs, it has some little tucks and folds that add dimension to the material, and the wearer as well.



The waist is low enough to create the illusion of a longer torso, but it's high enough so as not to show any signs of the butt crack. I have a couple of low rise jeans that do just that (moon the audience) so i'm happy that this one won't add to that pile.



It has an interesting zip up pocket, aside from the traditional ones near the belt loop area. It feels like cargo pants, but it eschews the usual huge, flappy pockets. This pair gives me extra pockets without sacrificing the elongated shape of the jeans. And of course, the studs! The bronze studs just go on and on. It starts from the side, and reaches all the way down to the end of the hem. It gives it a bad-ass, rock star vibe without being too costume-y. I love, love, LOVE it!



These 2 pairs made me appreciate Koyo and see them in a totally different light in an instant! If they're going to come up with more jeans like this in the next few seasons, well then, i'll be expecting a lot more Koyo Jeans in my jean pool this year. I just hope my Energies and DSquareds won't be too jealous.

Cool Chucks!

An unscheduled trip to Kwun Tong yielded one of the most fabulous finds ever! Metallic Chuck Taylors! I actually saw someone wearing a pair of Gold Chucks here in HK, and I was so tempted to walk up to him and ask where he got it. But that was rush hour and people were running about to and fro, so he skittered off without me being able to ask him. So it was a truly, truly pleasant surprise when I saw these bronze colored ones in one of my favorite haunts. The moment it caught my eye, there was no choice but to run to them, grab them and cling to them for dear life. Thankfully, they had it in my size! My only dillema was the fact that they were available in low cut and high cut styles. The sales clerk must have thought me insane because I was trying one on, then the other, then the other, then the other. It took me 5 tries and 5 trips to the mirror before finally deciding on the low cut ones. Aside from the fact that they're comfier, low cut Chucks are more versatile and looks better on jeans. After the bronze one, my eyes were suddenly fixed on this old style converse sneakers in deep red mesh. Again, it screamed retro, and brought me back to the days when Jack Purcell's were uber cool. I love red shoes, and when you combine the color red with a retro style, then i'm sold! And these babies are just so, SO sold! I can imagine wearing them with jeans or chinos, and they'll still look good. It has that laid back ease to it that reminds me of tennis games in the 70s. These will blend in well with all those Penguin shirts I bought. After Adidas and Zara, my shoe cabinet is now being invaded by a lot of Chuck Taylors. I now have them in 7 colors (and I have another 5 or so back in Manila.) I even have the black, leather Chuck's that were featured in "I, Robot." And if they keep on coming up with cool colors and designs, I wouldn't mind being a Chuck's man myself.

That's what love can do...

My friend from Manila is back! He's been here 3 times since November because his "soul mate" is based here in Hong Kong. So what does this guy do? He spends for his ticket from MNL-HKG just to establish contact and try to build a relationship.

Now who says Money can't buy you love?

My sentiments exactly, part 2...

Ako ay isang middle class Pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking korporasyon at may asawa...dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko kasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class....trabaho 9-5, inom konti tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na, pag wala na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay at naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys ang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito. Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham ko sa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:

Diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo makuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

Hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon, pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya sana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno at malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman naman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.

Saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007, tignan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo, resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power laban sayo. Try mo lang.........

Sa Oposisyon:

Di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa inyo....isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate.

Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon, pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon. Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos. Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa likod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng
galing bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo....para kayong batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan.....GROW UP naman...sa isip sa salita at sa gawa.

Please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga bayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga rallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung People Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.

Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang mga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan. Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo....pero pagod na kami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo ba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo.....yan dapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di kayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military ng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo. Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility".....kaya maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoo lang natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa e, may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman silang email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo kaya ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa nito at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,

Isang Middle-Class Pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!

My sentiments exactly...

I read this in another blog, and thought of putting it here because it mirrors what I feel about this entire mess that people with bad intentions have gotten us into again:

Open Letter to Our Leaders

Dear Tita Cory, Senators, Congressmen, Businessmen, Media people, Leftists, and all Bleeding Hearts Out There:

I am angry. And I know that there are many out there who are angrier than I am for the same reason. And that reason is simple. I am sick and tired of all you guys claiming to speak for me and many Filipinos. I feel like screaming every time you mouth words about fighting for my freedom and my rights, when you obviously are just thinking about yours. You tell me that the essence of democracy is providing every citizen the right to speak his or her mind and make his or her own informed judgments, but you yourselves do not respect my silence and the choices I and many others have made. In other words, your concept of democracy is limited to having your rights and your freedoms respected, at the expense of ours.


I am utterly flabbergasted that you still do not get it: we already responded to your calls, and our response has been very clear - we chose not to heed your calls to go to EDSA or to Fort Bonifacio not because we do not love our country or our freedoms or our rights, but precisely because we love our country even more. Because quite frankly, we are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward. You may think that is not correct, you can tell me all the dire warnings about the evils of authoritarian rule, but quite frankly all we see is your pathetic efforts to prop up your cause. You tell me that you are simply protecting my freedoms and my rights, but who told you to do that? I assure you that when I feel that my rights and my freedoms are at a peril, I will stand up and fight for them myself.

You tell us that GMA is not the right person to lead this country because she has done immoral acts. As someone who sees immorality being committed wantonly in many ways every day and by everyone (yes, including the ones you do), I may have become jaded. But you have not been able to offer me any viable alternative, while GMA has bent over backwards many times to accommodate you while continuing to work hard despite all the obstacles and the brickbats you have thrown her way. From where I sit, she is the one who has been working really hard to move this country forward while all of you have been so busy with one and only one thing: to make sure she does not succeed. So forgive me if I do not want to join you in your moral pissing contest. Forgive me if I have chosen to see things from another perspective. You say she is the problem. I say, we are the problem, more to the point, I think you are a bigger problem than she is. Taking her out may solve part of the problem, but that leaves us with a bigger problem: you. That is right, YOU!

While I felt outraged that she called a Comelec official during the elections and that she may have rigged the elections, I have since then taken the higher moral ground and forgiven her. Yes my dear bishops, I have done what you have told me to do since I was a child, which you say is the Christian and moral thing to do: forgive. Especially since she has asked for forgiveness and has tried to make amends for it. Erap certainly has not apologized and continues to be defiant, continuing to insult us everyday with his protestations. Cory has not apologized for her incompetence but we have forgiven her just the same because like GMA, she has worked hard after all.

I know you do not think that GMA's apology was not enough, or that she was insincere, or that that apology should not be the end of it, but please spare me the hypocrisy of telling me that you do so for the sake of protecting the moral fiber of society. The real reason is because you smell blood and wants to go for the kill.

Well, I have news for you. I do not like her too. I did not even vote for her. I voted for Raul Roco. But as much as I do not like her, I do not like you even more. I may not trust her, but guess what; I do not trust you even more.

You know why? Because all you do is whine and sabotage this country. You belittle every little progress we make; conveniently forgetting that it is not just GMA who has been working so hard to achieve them. Every single day, we keep the faith burning in our hearts that this country will finally pull itself out of the mess and we work so hard to do that. Every little progress is the result of our collective effort, we who toil hard everyday in our jobs. Yet, you persist in one and only thing: making GMA look bad in the eyes of the world and making sure that this country continues to suffer to prove your sorry point. In the process, you continue to destroy what we painstakingly try to build. So please do not be surprised that I do not share your cause. Do not be surprised that we have become contemptuous of your antics. You have moved heaven and earth to destroy her credibility, you have convened all kinds of fora and hearings and all you have done is test our patience to the core. For all your effort, you have only succeeded in dragging us further down. I say enough.

Don't get me wrong. I am not asking that we take immorality lying down, or that we let the President get away with anything illegal. But you have tried to prove your accusations all these time and you have not succeeded, so it is time to let things be. Besides, you are doing something immoral as well if not utterly unforgivable. The Magdalo soldiers are consorting with the communists - the same people who have been trying to kill democracy for years. Cory has been consorting with Erap and the Marcoses.

So please wake up and take a reality check. In the absence of true and genuine moral leadership, many of us have decided to cast our lot with the President, even if we do not like her. A flawed leader is better than scheming power hungry fools who can not even stand up for their convictions in the face of an impending arrest.

Your coup attempts and the denials that you have consequently made only underscore what we think is true: you are spineless and unreliable people whose only defense is to cry suppression when your ruse do not work. You are like bullies who taunt and provoke, but cry oppression when taken to task for your cruelty.

I would have respected you if you took the consequences of your actions like real heroes: calmly and responsibly instead of kicking and screaming and making lame excuses. You say you are willing to die for us, that you do all these things for the country and the Filipino, but you are not even willing to go to jail for us.

Come on, you really think we believe that you did not want to bring down the government when that is the one and only thing you have been trying to do in the last many months?

We love this country and we want peace and progress. Many among us do not give a f*&k who sits at Malacanang because we will work hard and do our share to make things work. If you only do your jobs, the ones that we elected you to do, things would be a lot simpler and easier for every one.

The events during the weekend only proved one thing. You are more dangerous and a serious threat to this country than GMA is. We have seen what you are capable of doing - you are ready to burn this country and reduce everything to ashes just to prove your point. If there is something that we need protection from, it is protection from you.

ManiLag*

* ManiLag - The same effect as jetlag, but only occurs during my MNL-HKG trips.

This is strange since i've always been immune to jetlag.

My friends from Europe, Mexico and the US have always been amazed at how my body is never caught up in that funk. Surprisingly, my body adapts automatically to my surroundings - whether here or there. One time, I flew about 22 hours from Mexico, arrived in Manila at 1am, then reported to work at 7am. Everyone was amazed at how "Energizer Bunny-ish" I still was the whole day, and they said that the jetlag will kick in after a day or so. But it never did.

But whenever I come back to Hong Kong from Manila, there's this feeling of exhaustion that hangs around for a day or two. This afternoon, Kath came into my room and asked: "Are you alright? You look absolutely tired." My reply was: "I flew in from Manila this morning." She gave that knowing smile and said: "That figures. You're all partied out."

That's partly true. Since my move here, I've noticed that every Manila trip is a race to make every minute of the day count. Everyday is spent trying to see as many friends, go to as many places, watch as many movies, and spend as much quality time with my family. And this usually requires me to wake up very early in the morning, and sleep so late at night. It's as if my system wants to take in as much Manila as it can so it'll survive the next 3 or 4 weeks of seeing nothing but HK.

On a typical homecoming weekend, I wake up at around 6:30am to hang out with my folks, siblings and the little ones. When 10am strikes, and the malls are open, I quickly hie off to my favorite haunts to do some serious window shopping. Must-not miss places include Robinson's Galleria, Ayala Center, Megamall and Greenhills - in that order. Somewhere in between, there's a schedule to meet up with former colleagues, classmates, friends, the Melrose gang, and of course, D' Frendz. Then in the evening, it's movie time. I prefer watching movies here because my eyes don't have to be distracted and contend with the ubiquitous Chinese subtitles. If there are a lot of good movies, I find myself watching 2 to 3 a day, but if not, 1 will suffice, and that's usually during the last full show.

Given this packed schedule, I go home past midnight. That is unless friends still want to meet up for coffee, and that will require me to come home around 2am. The result, an average of 4 hours of sleep a day for the whole weekend. Now, it's no wonder why i'm this exhausted. But of course, I don't mind because there's really no experience like being home. No matter how sophisticated, how modern, or how first world the cities I go to are, there's really no place like Manila.

I feel a song coming...

"Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila, ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga.
Mga jeepney nagliliparan, Mga babae mong nag-gagandahan,
take me back in your arms, Manila.
And promise me you'll never let go. Promise me you'll never let go.
Manila. Manila."

Whilst ManiLag leaves me feeling so tired for 2 days, I definitely don't mind subjecting myself to this every week. Feeling tired is one thing, but feeling tired because you spent so many wonderful hours seeing wonderful people and places back home is well worth the exhaustion.

During my trip to Manila 2 weeks ago, I was so ManiLagged that upon arriving home after work, the only thing I was able to do was put down my bag, then it was off to dreamland. That evening, I fell asleep wearing the exact same clothes worn on the trip from MNL to HKG, and the exact same clothes worn to work. That means, that night's sleepwear consisted of a shirt, pullover, jacket, jeans, and hi-cut Chuck Taylors.

Tonight, i'll make sure I change to my boxers and white shirt before I go anwhere near the bed.

Say Cheese

This conversation could very well been an excerpt from a ultra-cheezy Tagalog, Korean or even American teeny-bopper movie:

CHARACTERS:

C1 - Character 1
C2 - Character 2 (but of course!)

SCENE: C1 and C2 just finished watching a film and decided to eat dinner. While at the restaurant, they decide to talk about the film:

C1: How did you find the film?

C2: It was great!

C1: Which part is your favorite?

C2: The part when I was holding your hand...

*insert mushy music here. my suggestion: "Getting to Know Each Other."

Drawn

When we were planning for Joannah's Filipiniana wedding, we looked at photos from different florists on how they interpreted the theme. There were a couple of nice arrangements, but then I thought: "if you've seen it in photos, that means it's been done." My creative instinct didn't want a rehashed arrangement on my friend's wedding, so I did something that I haven't done in a while.

I drew something.

Admittedly, my drawing skills are - pardon the pun - sketchy. But one has to be intrepid in a situation like Jo's wedding. After all, she's the last wedding in her family, and I organized both her siblings' weddings. This had to be the proverbial coup de grace, the pinnacle of creation, the big bang, yadda yadda. So I quickly grabbed my Pilot Hi Techpoint V5 and sketched away.

Since the wedding was Filipiniana, I was inspired by some of the indigenous local materials that we often take for granted. Some of the guests are from Singapore, India, the US, and some other part of the globe, so it would be nice to introduce these materials to them. Instead of one centerpiece, I decided we should have 4: abaca, bamboo, banig and capiz. Each arrangment would have a touch of the chosen material, as well as flowers.

After sketching, and throwing the sketch away, to sketching again, I made 4 sketches that made me stop and smile. It definitely wasn't a Degas, Van Gogh or Gauguin, but if the florist understood what I was trying to express, heck, that's fine by me. And after showing it to my favorite florist in Dangwa, she said those magic words: "Kayang-kaya 'yan."

Today, I saw the final product, and it was everything I imagined it to be. While they were fixing the tables and the ballroom, I felt all happy and giddy seeing my vision turning into reality. Even the florist told me that this is probably the best arrangement she's done in years. This inspired me to drag the photographer up to the ballroom and have the arrangements photographed before the guests come in and start bringing them home.

During the reception, one of our friends remarked at how beautiful the centerpieces are. And she also noticed that each table had a different centerpiece. She even went as far as asking the waiter to enumerate how many centerpieces there are, and she'd sneak around to see how each one looked. Of course, I was silently smiling at the knowledge that my work was appreciated.

The fact that the florist understood my drawing and was able to execute it the way I envisioned it must mean that my drawing skills aren't that bad. This, of course, has inspired me to draw some more. Now all I need to do is find another friend who's planning to get married.

"May state of emergency... tara, nuod tayong movie!"

I flew in this morning for a meeting, but upon arriving at our Makati office, it was noticeable that only a handful of employees were there. Apparently, a "State of Emergency" was called because of an impending coup. Our local office, which has always been a model for paranoia, hit the panic button and sent everyone home. There was even an email that asked all employees to bring all important files home in case Makati would be reduced to rubble and a make-shift office has to be rebuilt. (Told you they were paranoid.)

Needless to say, my meeting was cancelled, and I found myself at the office doing nothing. My computer won't connect to the local server, so there was no point working. Hanging out at the secretaries' area, I could hear them planning an afternoon shindig since there wasn't any work. Same thing happened when I called my friends who work in Makati, they were all saying:

"May state of emergency, so pinag-half day kami. Gimmick tayo! Tara, nuod tayong movie tapos dinner sa Casa Armas, tapos Absinth."

After EDSA 1 and 2, this is how seriously people take these "revolutions." We've made it an excuse to go home early and party hearty! This is good, because it shows how resilient the Filipinos are, and it just reinforces the fact that we can laugh and enjoy in the face of adversity.

A few friends from Singapore also flew in today because a friend of ours is getting married tomorrow. Out of the 6, 5 were first time visitors to the Philippines. Ergo, my worry was they'd freak out given the country's situation upon their arrival. Surprisingly, they were totally cool about it. And why? It's because they see that everything is functioning normally despite this "state of emergency." Malls are packed. Restaurants are full. Everyone's partying like it was a weekend (which it was), so they were oblivious to this supposed turmoil.

While having dinner, they said that their relatives and friends from Singapore started calling them up to ask how they were, and their replies ranged from "we're ok," "we're shopping," and "this is such a cool country!" The most interesting and candid remark was: "hey, if this is how a state of emergency looks like, i wonder how much fun it is when everything's normal."

Shirt Tale

This shirt has been long sitting on the shelf of Structure - my favorite shirt and jean haunt in Glorietta and Greenhills. In fact, it's been more than a year since I first saw it. For some strange reason, it didn't attract me that much - then, at least. And I do remember trying it out, along with a couple of Abercrombie & Fitch shirts, and needless to say, it was A&F that joined me home.

Around December last year, Keat and I came across a similar shirt at Lane Crawford. Same brand, same adorable penguin stitched on the upper left hand pocket, but again, it didn't strike me as a must have. Whilst Keat was going all gaga over it, (too bad they didn't have his size) my reaction was simply, "it's ok."



Last Sunday, I dropped by Structure Glorietta. Because of the lack of nice A&F shirts this season, I toyed with the idea of fitting one of the Munsinwear shirts. Took one in small and another in medium, head off to the dressing room and tried it on.

It was perfect! The fit was perfect. The fabric was light yet able to give enough coverage. It skimmed the body without hugging it. The fall of the sleeve was just right. And the whole design had this retro-cool fit to it. (Which I believe is the look they're gunning for.)

I ended up trying another color:


Until I ended up buying all of these. (Some colors I had to get at the Greenhills shop!)



I love this shirt!

Simple Joyce

The Joyce store in Central never fails to come up with window displays that are eye-catchingly elegant while being so unassumingly simple. They usually have one focal point and just play with colors and textures. This is such a welcome change from the usual bling-bling cluttered and high concept windows that I usually see in Lane Crawford or Harvey Nichols.



This season's window display is a hand painted canvas, draped around a mannequin free-hand, creating a Monique Lhuillier-esque gown. The color of the cloth is off white, with gray and light brown prints, and this matches perfectly with Joyce's stark off-white and peach walls.



Draped around the mannequin's waist is a peacock-blue sash that's thicker than a belt but slimmer than an obi. The fact that it's tied around 3 or 4 times before it's ribboned is what gives it a lot of flair. Added zing is brought about by the beading on the edges of the sash, and peacock feathers hanging on the end. Monique had a gown with this similar effect, but her's was in bronze and green.

I'm going to show this pic to my sister and our modista. This would make a great inspirational piece when they collaborate for another evening dress.

In today's Philippine Daily Inquirer

Uh oh. Looks like the proof reader was a bit sleepy last night. He missed a letter, and a very important letter at that. Now, I'm imagining that they're either "math wizards" or "math lizards." Hey, they both can be true.

Reminds me of that time that my art director misspelled "airconditioner" to "airconditoner." If the wrong spelling flub wasn't bad enough, he had to misspell the product name!

Give the proofreader some coffee!

Wonderful weekend

After 3 days and 3 nights in Manila, I was able to:

- Spend quality time with my siblings
- Hear them "oooh" and "aaah" after seeing all the goodies I brought them. (Thank heavens for the Zara and Mango sales!)
- Carry my 8 year old nephew and use him as a barbell
- Eat Go Nuts with my sister and nephews
- See my nephews' eyes widen with excitement as I bought them WWE shirts. (Plus, I got a free poster!)
- Find out who Rick Flair, Mysterio and Triple H are. And to think they were just names I read whenever I'd buy them wrestling DVDs in HK.
- Have breakfast, lunch and dinner with my friends
- Watch 3 movies
- Meander around Glorietta, Greenbelt, Gateway, Galleria, Podium and Megamall. (Dang! I missed doing Rockwell and Market! Market!)
- Visit St. Scholastica's, hang out with my co-professors, eat that quail egg covered in orange flour concoction, chat with my former students and see my former student who openly told me that she had a big crush on me.
- Go to Quiapo Ilalim and buy props for Joannah's wedding
- Go to Dangwa to visit Gemma and order flowers
- Eat at McDonald's, Jollibee and Wendy's
- Buy 5 new shirts in Greenhills
- Wear my Antik Denim jeans and have strangers come up to me and say how much they liked it
- Plan a summer trip to Europe
- Make my sister feel like Sharon Stone
- Check out new stuff at SM and Rustan's
- Ride the LRT-1, MRT and LRT-3
- Ride a jeep (eventhough I've forgotten how much it cost, thereby creating a mini-scene)

Amazing how much you can cram in a day! This is fun, albeit way, way exhausting. Let's see what I can do next weekend:

- Attend Joannah's wedding
- Go to Araneta Coliseum with my sisters as their kids and hubbies watch WWE Raw Live...

You know you've been gone too long when...

This happended while riding a jeep going to the LRT-3 station in Anonas.

Me: Manong, bayad po. (gives him the money)

Driver: (pauses) Ser, P7.50 po.

Me: (aghast) Pero sa Anonas lang po ako.

Driver: (miffed) P7.50 nga.

Me: (grumbling)

Seatmate: (looks at me) Ah, P7.50 na ang pamasahe ngayon.

Me: ...oh...

I paid the driver P4.50, which was the fare I paid the last time I rode a jeepney. Obviously, I haven't been reading all these articles on the rising prices of oil and fares.

P.A.L.U.S.O.T.

Philippine
Air
Lines
Unusually,
Surprisingly
On
Time

I'm surprised at how the PAL flights are efficient and on-time these days. Most of my flights with them leave on-time, whether i'm coming from HK or MNL. While I love flying CX because of their entertainment system, (and prettier flight attendants), flying PAL has a lot of perks, too. The most obvious is that the airport is more convenient. From experience, it takes less time for me to check-in and check-out of the airport when i'm flying with the national carrier. After all, I have the airport all to myself, as opposed to the old NAIA where you have more than 3 flights arriving at the same time.

Note to myself: tell friends who always bash PAL for being Plane Always Late to try flying it these days. They're bound for a PALeasant surprise. (Yes, Sir Conrad doesn't like puns and wordplay, but hey, I can't resist. Hahaha!)

So sew me!

After searching for a sewing kit for the past few weeks, I finally found one in Japan Home Center.

It's about time! My sleep shirts have gone from bad to worst these past few weeks. What started out as a little tear has extended across the shoulder area, making my white hanes shirts look like Dolman sleeved tops with shoulder slits to pump up the sexy factor. If this happened to a girl, it would actually be a good thing.

It's been ages since I last sew. My last project were a couple of throw pillow cases, and I was still living in Morato that time. That makes it more than a decade since my last thread and needle project. But hopefully, this will be just like riding a bike, and once I know it, i'll never unlearn it.

And true enough, my two shirts were mended in less than half an hour, and now, they look like shirts again. Thank goodness I listened to my home economics teacher way back in grade school. You'll never know when those skills will come in handy.

Star Blazer!

I found a great looking blazer at Granville tonight!

It was made of a pseudo-corduroy material similar to G-Star's cargo pants and Mango's cropped pants that I bought my sister. From afar, it looks like it's made of a fine, pinstripe material, but upon closer inspection, you'll see that it's actually a 3-dimensional pattern.

Two details that make this blazer totally cool.

1. It has gold buttons that channel "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band." So it feels like an epaulet, but more classic.
2. The edges of the entire blazer are fitted with wire. Ergo, the blazer has this very solid shape that conforms well to the body.

The moment I saw these babies, it was sold. But I didn't buy one though.

I bought two!

I love...

Mr. Softee Ice Cream - If you walk around Tsim Sha Tsui or Star Ferry Terminal in Central, you'll see these vans that sell one of the best soft serve ice creams in Hong Kong. The consistency is light and creamy, but the flavor is thick. It tastes like real vanilla ice cream that was mashed and put on your cone. I love it, especially with the chocolate waffle cone.


My U2 pullover - I bought it early last year, and considering it was cheap, i'd say this pull over is way worth the money I spent. It's navy blue, so it goes well with jeans and chinos, it's ribbed, which means it cuts close to the body, it's just the right thickness, so I can use it in winter (under a jacket) or spring (alone.) Plus, the ribbing is vertical, so it makes me look thinner. This is actually my default top whenever I can't decide what to wear.


Red Chuck Taylors - I've had this pair for more than 5 years, and it's still up and running. That's the beauty of buying originals! These babies are what I call "classics with a twist." I've worn it with jeans, cords, slacks, yup, even a suit, and they look at home with any of those outfits. Just gotta love it!


My H&M Belt - I bought these in Amsterdam 3 years ago, and i thought it'd just be one of those trendy things that i'd forget about after a few months. But it grew on me, and i find myself carrying it with me wherever I travel. It adds an extra oomph to my jeans whenever it feels boring and blah. Plus, it helps that a stylist, and more than 10 shop owners have actually stopped to ask where I bought them, then tell me that it's gorgeous.


Acca Kappa Muschio Blanco - Thanks to Arnie who introduced the magic of Acca Kappa to me. This is somewhere between a cologne and a perfume. It's got a very light scent that almost feels like shower gel or lotion, but it stays for a time and even heightens under the sun. It has that "just showered" scent that you usually get with baby cologne.


Sleeping in Spring - This is the time of the year when you wish you could just stay in bed and hide under the comforter. The air isn't as cold as winter, but it still has this coolness to it. Think "low cool" on your airconditioner. It's during this season that I welcome the weekend because it means i can just laze in bed for 10 hours straight, have breakfast, then go back to bed for a few hours more.

Happy day of Love!

My latest portrait

Since it has been more than 6 weeks since my last haircut, I now look like a Lego man. Yup, that helmet-looking tuft of hair that's rigidly put on his head, that would be how my hair looks like. Heck, if you draw a goatee on this toy, and change his clothes from a waiter's uniform to blue jeans, a t-shirt and a track jacket, it would definitely be me.

I need to go back to Manila and get a hair cut really, really soon.

I JOINED THE HONG KONG MARATHON!

6:00 am, Sunday. I was roused from my sleep by the sound of a collective “WOOOHOOO” from downstairs. Looking out my window, I discovered that the sound came from hundreds and hundreds of runners turning from Nathan Road to Austin Road.
Runners on the bend...

Thanks to all those “nose for news” lessons from Prof. Teodoro, Prof. Domingo and Ma’am Tessa, I quickly washed up, jumped in my jeans, grabbed Deegee, and made my way downstairs. The stream of runners continuously flooded the streets, further piquing my curiosity as to what was happening in Tsim Sha Tsui this quiet Sunday morning.

The answer was in between Granville and Cameron road (the fashion holy ground), and it was lime green and sky blue.

As it turns out, the 10th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon was happening not too far away from my doorstep. The streamers and transit ads for the event were all over HK the past month or so, but not knowing how to read pin-yin, the date of the event wasn’t too clear to me. Until today, at least.

I quickly made my way to the starting line where another set of marathoners were preparing to run. Two hosts’ voices were blaring on the speakers, and my journalist’s instincts tuned in to the 5Ws and 1 H. There were more than 5,000 runners from HK and other countries, including Nairobi, Kenya, and other African countries who are known to dominate competitions like these.

My attention was quickly diverted at the sight of a lady wearing a Standard Chartered vest with the Philippine flag sewed on to the upper right area of her garment. As much as my congenial side wanted to say “Hey there, Kababayan,” I feared that she might scream “weirdo stalker with bed hair!” Ergo, I chose to just focus my attention on the cute buggy with the clock on the roof.

The time buggy...

It said: “5:00”, meaning, in less than 300 seconds, the marathon was set to begin. At this point, I stood on top of the flower box for a good view of the runners. Suddenly, this nice Chinese lady gives me a plastic with “pong-bongs.” Intrigued by what a “pong-bong” was, it turned out to be an inflatable thingamajiggy that made a “pong-bong” sound when you hit them. Coolness!

The hosts then called the audience’s attention to the stage where HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang was welcoming the runners. In my stay in HK, I’ve actually seen Mr. Tsang about 5 times already, some up close, others – like today – from about 50 feet away.

Yup, Donald Tsang is somewhere there...

After all the niceties, the token dragon dance, and two eerily cute ant mascots appearing on stage, the marathon was about to begin. The clock began counting down, 30…29…28…27… and everybody was pong-bonging like mad! Suddenly, a pistol shot, fireworks, and the runners were off!

Running...
Running...
And more running...

Noticeably leading the pack were the Africans, then I saw a guy wearing a jersey with the Philippine flag! A Pinoy front runner! That made me go Wooohooo myself. Shots of the runners came out blurred since these people were really zip-zap-zooming away like anything. This is the reason why I didn’t get a good shot of the Pinoy runner.

Wanting to get into the pong-bong spirit, I started pong-bonging my pong-bongs. Instinctively, instead of a random pong-bong, mine was the DLSU cheer:

ORIGINAL: Go-La Salle-Go-Go-La Salle-La Salle
MY VERSION: Pong-Pong Bong-Pong-Pong Bong-Pong Bong

This was strange considering my alma mater is UP Diliman. But heck, I don’t even know UP Naming Mahal, so don’t expect me to know what our school cheer for the UAAP is. Better just play something familiar to me.

Then surprise of surprises! The girl beside me taps on my shoulder and asks: “Are you a La Sallite?” Of course, my reply was “No” and she continued by saying: “Oh, I just noticed that you were playing the La Salle chant, so I thought you were a La Sallite. Anyway, are you Filipino?”

Me and my pong-bongs...

Ah, yes. The proverbial question.

After some small talk with the Filipina, I decided to finish my instant “participation” in the Hong Kong Marathon. The arc was being deflated and transported to Wan Chai (site of the finish line), and the crowds were quickly thinning out. It was time to go home.

Time to move...

Now, like a journalist trained by CMC, I’m writing my account of the event that just passed me – literally! And it’s about time this article is put to bed. In a few minutes, I’m off to have breakfast with Joey in Causeway Bay. That should be another newsworthy event.

Drool...

Abercrombie & Fitch's Spring/Summer 06 catalogue is out! My friend once said that this catalogue to me is the equivalent of a porn magazine to every average joe. After all, both A&F catalogues and Playboy have centerfolds and they're both eye candy.

Last season's catalogue were all about bulky jackets and long sleeved henleys, which was nice but not so appropriate for tropical countries like the Philippines. Yup, they'd work in Hong Kong, but you can only wear them for 2 months a year. That, fashion-wise, isn't very versatile. So it's so nice to see the short sleeved shirts and polos back on the pages, plus the noticeable return of shorts and sandals.

The shorts this season are divided into cargos and board shorts. The cargos are made of canvas and twill, with the signature padded pockets and drawstrings. The colors are all earthen, which makes pairing easier. The board shorts are cool, if you're a beach bum and/or live in Boracay. But wearing these in the city will be so off-putting.



The polo shirts are drool-worthy, as expected. Having a few of these babies in my closet, I know how great they fit, how comfortable the fabric is, and how eye-catching the colors and destroyed details are. On record, my red A&F polo shirt must be the most used shirt in my closet!

I'm so glad that there aren't any A&F stores in Manila or around Asia. If they had, i'll probably blow all my money there. After all, if their catalogue alone is enough to get my adrenaline pumping, what more if I could actually see, feel and fit the entire thing.