Supranational and supernatural

I was feeling unwell, nauseous last Wednesday that I had to miss the day's lecture-training on dyeing and had to bed-rest in my room. From my bed, I could hear that they're watching Kris TV and the guests were the latest winners of the top beauty tilt, Bb. Pilipinas Gold. Supranational was the buzzword.

And hours later, as I would find out, something supernatural was what induced my sickness, that later Nanay Lumen, one of the weavers, would hilot me with buyo leaves. Apparently, I was nausog.

Hi, I'm back!

Photo taken from where I stayed -- Mr. Kengkoy weaving community in Bañadero, Daraga, Albay (a barangay which is part of the Extended Danger Zone -- for 5 days.

Breaking Free

This happened last Tuesday. I was the doing the usual scroll up and down my Twitter feed when I saw a Rappler.com tweet, asking, "Will a gay athlete ever 'come out' in the Philippines?" with a photo attachment of a Sports Illustrated cover blaring the caption 'The Gay Athlete'.

Initially, it looked like I saw the cover before, at sometime, somewhere. Not to be prophetic, but it's like I had it in a dream, it's like a deja vu. 

Then I read the tweet again, this time with right dose of comprehension -- though I didn't anymore bother to click the link for more.

While there are gays in sports like swimming (Matthew Mitcham), as I would tweet, I actually didn't know any outed gay actively playing in 'manly' team sports like rugby or football before Jason Collins. But once I would found out through the late night news that he plays as an active pro in one of the most machismo sports there is that is basketball and his coming-out is very much a defining moment in the history of popular American team sports, all I can be was to be happy for this one guy who has broken free.

(To be continued)

Here's a not-raucous song with a watch-worthy narrative to go by from Macklemore and two collaborators that I would like to dedicate to all the out and confused alike out there:



And I can't change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to.

#Shallow

(Reposted from my tumblog*) 

(Top photo) Fair enough. Mind you, I got the first and second questions right without Googling -- just pure wild guessing power. I didn't put my designers know-how to shame, either.

(Bottom) Oh, shame for not remembering the answer to that What year? question!
Take the 'Are You PUNK Enough?' quiz here.


P.S. Check out my Cropping Photos skill (see: Dimensions)!

*In case you've been living on the kangkongan, a tumblog is a blog on microblogging site Tumblr.

'Flattery's the food of fools'

(Reposted from my with-147-followers tumblog)

I get giddy when I sometimes get student discount on public transportation. A peso saved is a peso earned, they'd say.

Fact: I finished college two years ago.

While I'm young enough to say 'this is old-school'

With 9 more days till the campaign period ends, the jingles-induced noise pollution is becoming quite unbearable. Whatever happened to old-school house-to-house campaigning by local candidates and their supporters? It has become, well, old-school; it's a good way to reach out and at the same time lower CO2 emissions, isn't it?

In which I suggest who will cover Preview for the rest of 2013

Any Preview fanatic (which includes myself and my friend K) should know that 2013 is the country's Style Bible's 18th Birthday -- a metaphor that the magazine is mature enough for the world to start noticing

No word yet as to who will grace the anniversary cover. (I'm predicting Twitter-trending girl-of-the-moment Julia Barreto is on it, probably alongside other girls.) But with a few more days for them to start on their July issue -- mags are working at least two months ahead -- here are the ladies who could possibly cover Preview:


Loren Legarda. She's a Senatorial candidate and she's constantly ranked number one in election surveys so that means she's IT and will likely get her last term in the Senate. She's also a notable patroness of indigenous arts and culture, often seen incorporating native threads with her classy style. #PreviewBestDressed

Sunshine Cruz. Well, she's comebacking and recently embroiled in a domestic drama with hubby actor Cesar Montano, and she's still looking like a vamp in every way.


Double September Covers: Team Kim Chiu or Team Maja Salvador. Preview Poll-style: readers will pick either the Kim or the Maja cover. Each purchase counts as a vote for either parties.Let's take sides! This idea is just crazy. But because their on- and off-cam spat is topical, an issue featuring the two is well-timed.

Karylle. She's talented -- can really (operative word: really) act, dance and sing. A shoe-in for the Creative Issue.


November is Beauty Issue, so why not put together the diversity of Filipina beauty: three stars respectively representing morena, mestiza and chinita? Oh, for morena: Bianca Gonzalez. It's been years since she was on the cover. Um, but isn't she editor-at-large of a magazine from rival publishing company? If that is so, would it be ever possible?


For the December ish,  to balance this list which is heavy on Kapamilya stars, someone Kapuso with enough star power. There is Jennylyn Mercado, or Lovi Poe, or both.