Face Cover Fashion

Aside from tourism, airline and restaurant industries, one of the badly hurt industries smacked by the ongoing pandemic, I believe, is the lip-cosmetic industry.  With the mandate (at least in my country) that everyone needs to wear facemask and face shield when in public, only a few people would venture into putting lipstick on.  Also, my poor country being at the end of the queue among the countries where Covid19 vaccine would be made available, a totally different apparel has evolved during this time of contagion. 

The style and fashion of wearing face covering has been born!  Sorry to those who still do not believe the existence of Covid and would aver and persist for their freedom to choose not to wear one, I particularly is in favor of wearing a face covering.  It is not for the mere fact that it prevents the spread and snagging the virus, it is also the thought of having to wear a stylish kind of facemask and face-shield.

Here in my country, in fact, the type or quality of facemasks and face-shields one wear characterizes his and her social status.  The more stylish and expensive it is, the higher that you belong to the social hierarchy! Hahaha!

With the dawn of this new gear and apparel, I have actually amassed quite a quantity already.  These are either personally purchased online, bought from a department store, gifted by a friend/colleague or shipped from (no less) abroad!

got these to choose from! i use a “mask bracket” for easy breathing!

my face shields! i think, it is only here in my country (the Philippines) where face shield is required to be worn aside from the face mask

While I await the available vaccine, which would still be way way far away in the future (no thanks to the slow government bureaucracy here and no thanks too to the President, his security group and his cabinet secretaries who were the first to get injected with illegally smuggled vaccines here), I would rather enjoy the wearing and the flashing of some chic and stylish facemasks and face shields in public! Haha!

Thank You Miss World, Miss Philippines is the New Miss Universe

Yey! Miss Universe 2018 is Philippines!  First of all, I want to say congratulations to everyone in my country.  Catriona Gray, our representative in this year’s edition of Miss Universe was crowned the queen! 

got this photo from catriona;s instagram

Catriona Gray was amazing throughout the Miss Universe pageant show.  She set a new standard of beauty pageant “walk” because of her now viral and infamous slow-mo twirl.  And her red fire gown during the finals night reminded me of Katniss Everdeen in the book Hunger Games!  She was the clear winner and she was indeed a cut above the rest! 

Since joining the elite beauty pageant world, Catriona has been amazing.  She has always been the girl to beat.  She did us proud when she landed top 5 in Ms. World a couple of years ago.  I thought during that contest, she should have won because aside from being so stunning, she gave the best answer.  But though she was robbed in that contest, I am now thankful that she was because she obviously is up for bigger and better things.

The Ms. World organizers must now be scratching their dense and dimwitted heads. So thank you Ms. World for letting us down during that time because otherwise, my country would have not clinched the most coveted pageant title in the universe for the fourth time.

In the past week, I got the chance to view YouTube videos of Catriona’s journey in Ms. Universe.  Her approach was really different as compared to other equally amazing Ms. Philippines representatives in the past.  Catriona chose to put meaning and representations in almost all elements of her joining the Ms. Universe pageant.  She is so in love with the culture and colors of the Philippines, that she made sure these are included in her presentations. 

fun art on catriona;s national costume. got this too from catriona’s instagram

After watching those videos, you would just know how much effort, time, dedication and heart was poured by Catriona in reaching for her ultimate goal of being crowned as the new Miss Universe. Equipped with beauty, charm, sharp thinking and excellent communication skills, Catriona Gray truly deserves to win!

Congratulations Catriona.  Congratulations Philippines!

Pinektusan ang Unibers!

Olay Broadway Lovers/Haters Test

Here’s some silly theory! 

To test if you’re a fan and love Broadway musicals, you would be able to finish watching and listening to this non-sense of a product face-cleanser commercial. 

But if you just stopped and suddenly scrolled down or continue with web surfing while in the middle of this Olay commercial, it only signifies that watching at least 1 Broadway musical will never be or has never been in your bucket list.

I bet you watched the whole thing! I’ve seen the commercial and finished it 3 times.  And I can’t wait to wash my face!

Kaloka! Nan-sens pero tinapos ko tri tayms!

A Rare Retail Experience in Pasay

I grew up in one of the most notorious and crime infested cities of the world, Pasay City.  The gang-infested town of New York, the dynamic human trafficking in Belize and the exploits of crime at the favelas of Brazil seem all so tame and subdued if to be compared to the felonies and transgressions that occur in my home city.

That is why I was so surprised to find out that right in the middle of dangerous Pasay, runs a rare and unusual Honesty Shop.  Honesty stores and shops (unmanned establishments in which the stores cash sales are relied upon the honesty of its patrons) thrives in some of the most nonviolent, remote and/or progressive spots in the world.  In fairness, there are actually 2 stores that I know that runs an honesty shop here in the Philippines, one is at the remote and peaceful province of Batanes while the other one is at the high-end and affluent university here in the Philippines. 

henry hotel

Enough with the topic diversion!  The store in Pasay that I am talking about is Honest Henry, an  honesty shop inside a compound where Henry Hotel is located.  I found this place when I and my family was about to have a hearty lunch inside Henry Hotel. 

nephew luis checking out the stuff inside the store 

proudly philippine made! 

stuff for sale!

this is how you do it!

The even rarer fact about this store is that it is not just selling cheap snacks and knickknacks.  It is selling locally-made pricey-looking crafts and souvenirs.  I was so surprised when I was checking all the merchandise!  Those were not cheap, shoddy and substandard! 

Honesty Shop at Henry Hotel was something so pleasing and refreshing for Pasay City.  It gives me the positive feeling and perspective that there still exists some glimmer of hope to the city where I grew up.

Anesti is the best palisi…

The Misfits, Redundant & Useless

Let me be brief about this post. I was stuck in Manila during the 4-day no-work Catholic Holy Week. There was basically nowhere to go to nor do anything in Manila during the holy observance of holy week.
Out of boredom, I decided to clean, clear and organize my dresser cabinet. For the record, people who may wonder how big my dresser cabinet is, well, it is basically the size of my whole condo unit. I consider my whole apartment as my dresser cabinet because (except for the space inside my ref) you will basically find a piece of apparel, vestment and clothing everywhere.
The 4-day no-work Holy Week holiday has concluded but I have yet to finish with my dresser’s clearing operation. I was not surprise to find out that there has been eight humongous grocery bags that I was able to fill with old, used and outdated pieces of clothing.

So as to get rid of these bags full of misfits, redundant and useless articles, I went on Easter to the nearest H&M store and took part in their Close the Loop Project. I was just super glad that H&M got such a super worthy program. I am at least confident and assured that my old apparels will not end up in a noxious landfill.
Thanks H&M! Now my dresser can breathe…
Aleluya! May speys ulet!

An Inimitable After-Wedding-Party of Alexis & Thatcher

I’m a proud uncle I must say.  Up until now I can’t seem to overcome the genial feeling at how the wedding ceremony and after-wedding-party of Alexis & Thatcher has turned out.  All elements of a fun party was there.  The wedding reception in particular was a well thought-off kind of a revelry.

The set-up was grand, the live music was impeccable and the host was entertaining!  Elements of Alexis and Thatcher’s personalities were present in all corners of the venue, from geeky/techy toys and designs to youthful books and journals.  I never realized that chic elegance and non-mainstream geeky-ness can jive well and would be such an exciting type of a wedding party concept.

grand!

nengkoy with the couple…

blue label…

ninong duties

Another impressive aspect of the party were the food and drinks.  When I saw the menu, I immediately concluded that the line-up of these exciting dishes were well-scrutinized.  The dinner was absolutely lovely!

I am not a wine connoisseur but my having three glasses of the red wine that night would signify how good the wine was.  But the most impressive of all in terms of drinks was the serving of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.  There was nothing geeky about it, but the serving of this rare Scottish whisky – a freakin’ bottle on every table – was sheer elegance!

But all these were topped by the dance number that Alexis and Thatcher has performed that night.  My family knows that the couple (both seem to possess considerable levels of geeky-ness) shall be the last to dance in any of our family’s occasion.  Seeing both strutting a swanky and ritzy dance number was such a treasure to behold.  Alexis and Thatcher’s romantic dancing made me super cheery, my emotional equilibrium went berserk that it made me cry for joy.

Here’s how grand the event was… watch it…

Awtstanding…

Best Venue for a Miss Universe Pageant

Like the rest of the Filipinos, I’m excited and anxious towards the result of the annual Miss Universe pageant.  There must really be something in the waters of the Philippines that makes almost all of the Filipinos become so eccentric and loony about this pageant.

And what is so weird is that we only get so thrilled and so tempestuous only for the Miss Universe title.  We are not as crazy and as zany towards the results of other international beauty pageants like Miss World, Miss International, Miss Supranational and other out-of-this-world beauty titles.  For us Filipinos, Miss Universe is the ultimate beauty contest.  Miss Universe for the Philippines is like the SuperBowl of USA, the FIFA World Cup of Latin Americas or the Eurovision Song Contest of Europe.

But unlike the previous years, my being anxious, excited and prayerful that Miss Philippines makes it to the top 3 spots this year is a little bland, vapid and nondescript.  It is because this year’s pageant was held here in the Philippines.

miss universe (from france)

I agree with the opinion of the very opinionated Gloria Diaz, the 1969 Miss Universe.  She believes that except for USA (who owns the Miss Universe franchise and where the pageant is usually held), no host country should win the title.  I am actually a little glad this year that Miss Philippines just landed in the top 6.  At least no nation who joined this year’s contest would accuse the Philippines for holding a rigged pageant.

Filipinos I believe has the same sentiment as that of Ms. Diaz but with the exemption of course for the Philippines as the venue.  Since Miss Universe is the most prestigious title that any Filipina would want to have, we Filipinos would want our girl to win the title may it be held in the Philippines or not.  But if the candidate of a different host country where the pageant is held wins, then we Filipinos would construe that the pageant was doctored.

Can you just imagine a Miss Universe pageant held in Beijing and the crowned winner is Miss China or Miss Colombia winning the title when the pageant is held in Bogota?  Except for the Philippines as the venue, we Filipinos would most probably dub that year’s pageant as the best “cooking” show in the universe “with 3 Michelin stars”!

And because I agree with the opinion of Ms. Diaz. I just hope that this is the last time Philippines hosts the pageant.  I am saying this because I want our candidate to win fair and square.  We know that it is more pleasing, magnificent and majestic if Filipino brings home an accolade that was gained and bestowed from different country.

miss philippines maxine medina

And because we are known to be the craziest fanatics of this pageant and we can seriously mock a country for being fraud, cheats and deceitful, no country then would dare host it and have their candidate win.  And since all participating countries wants to win, no country then would want to host it.  This results to a predicament of the Miss Universe Organization on where to hold the next pageant.

My suggestion? Try holding the contest in a neutral country.  A nation that does not participate in the pageant for reasons their country would only know.  Countries like Syria, Yemen or Iran could have been great neutral places but due to some folks with their radical Muslim beliefs, holding the pageant in these countries may be life threatening for the ladies and the organizers.

I guess the best venue for Miss Universe then would be the Vatican City.  A city state that has diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world, a country that does not have a prison system, and a tiny government run and enriched by some of the most religious people in the universe, Vatican City would be the most neutral, most friendly and most appropriate venue for the next Miss Universe pageant.  I would like to believe that a lot of people including Gloria Diaz would agree with me on this.

Kongrats sa nanalo…

A Retro Party Video That Deserves 680 Views

Does a person who signed-in or owns a YouTube account can already be considered a YouTuber or does it take a certain degree before someone be considered as one?  I for one owns a YouTube account and I have signed-in my account for more than 5 years already, but still, I don’t consider myself as a legit YouTuber.  For me, a rightful YouTuber is someone who has at least a couple of hundreds of subscribers, posts videos on a regular basis and the number of views of their videos are in thousands (if not in millions).

I have high regard and admiration to these group of internet geniuses.  I am continuously boggled by the fact that these YouTubers were able to tap and has been consistent in tickling the interests of the video viewing public. I have yet to grasp and discover their seemingly elusive formula.  And I’m clueless on how the hell they do it!  Like a pathetic old fool, I have been doing YouTube but one video has yet to reach a thousand views!

Anyway, let me post the latest YouTube video that I did with the help of my officemate (Rey Ferrer) who introduced me to a new world of video editing.  This video is about the recent company party that I organized.  With the hardships and challenges of organizing a company party attended by 680 people, this video I suppose deserves to reach at least 680 views.  Enjoy…

peace!

Kapag ang bidyong ito naging bayral, maanlilibre ako ng miryenda! 

Channeling a Retro Fashion Passion

As soon as it was agreed that the theme of the company that I worked with was Retro 60s & 70s, I channeled on the personas of Billy Preston, the Jackson 5, Angela Davis, Jimmy Hendrix and the Supremes.  I plumped into the idea of donning into the so called afro fashion which became a fad during the 70s.

Fortified with a deep thought as funneled by these iconic 70s Afro-American icons that “with right fashion passion everything would be aflame” this is how my retro-party-look ended up:

with malou domingo…

your clothes should be as important as your skin…

i#bighair

It was super fun dressing up for a retro party!

Ang sarap pumorpa mga repapips! Bukas susuotin ko ulit yan pag-pasok ko sa opis!

Retro 60s and 70s Party Teaser

In the company that I am working for, Employees’ Night Party is held yearly.  Instead of the annual Christmas Party as observed by other companies, we prefer to hold the party after the season has simmered down.  It is because during the Santa Holiday Season out group of restaurants are the busiest entities in the metro.  We are actually the servers in others’ Christmas Parties!

And after the busy service during Christmas season, we seem to be ready for a Halloween Party because everybody looks like a zombie by the end of the season.  Nevertheless, during the kris kringle season, I would publish posters counting down the number of days prior to the day of the Employees’ Night so as to build up some excitement.

a collage of “countdown” posters i published in the office

Employees’ Night is held usually on the second or third week of January.  And every year, a theme is appointed.   This year’s theme is Retro 60s and 70s.  The styles, fashion and music of the 60s and 70s era.

Every year my co-employees looks forward to our Employees’ Night.  Almost all of employees would participate in donning in an outfit based on the party theme.  I am just as excited as the rest of them.  And to add more excitement, I created a cute video which features some of my co-employees who has lived during the cool 60s and awesome 70s…

Thank you peeps for submitting your cute cool retro photos! I love them all.  Let show everyone how an awesome party should be done.  See you at the party!

Eksayted na ko…