![\"\"](\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/hl_Periquet-for-TOC.jpg\")
\u2018People are casually coughing up money,\u2019 says a social historian.
\n\n
\u201cGreat minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.\u201d If you agree with this quote of disputed origin, then the intimate event held this September in Leon Gallery in Makati was a gathering of minds capacious enough to accommodate two hours of idle talk about the Philippines\u2019 wealthiest.
\nResembling an afternoon gossip session, \u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d was inspired by the book-turned-film Crazy Rich Asians. The thrust of the talk was to affirm that\u2014long before Astrid Leung became the epitome of regal beauty, wealth, strength, and power, or Nick Young was the handsome bachelor with brains, brawn, and big bucks\u2014there were real-life Filipino Astrids and Nicks who owned the same immense wealth, if not more, who threw lavish parties here and there, and whose whims, though out of this world, could be bought\u2014because money can buy anything. The tone of the room was self-congratulatory: \u201cThe Philippines has always been rich, too!\u201d Never mind the 22 million Filipinos living below poverty line according to the latest World Bank report.
\nHolding court was social historian Augusto \u201cToto\u201d Gonzalez III, a member of a wealthy haciendero clan in Pampanga who also runs the blog \u201cRemembrance of Things Awry.\u201d A personal project that began in 2006 as a way of chronicling his family history (\u201chowever trivial and nonsensical\u201d), the blog has mushroomed into a breezy, gossipy repository of the \u201cwell-documented and quite inarguable\u201d pedigree of rich Filipinos, stretching back to the 1800s. Over several posts, Mr. Gonzalez shared his taxonomy of prominent last names, dividing the rich and powerful into \u201cFamilies of Political Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Cojuangcos, the Ejercitos, the Crisologos, the Levistes); \u201cFamilies of Entrepreneurial Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Aboitizes, the Aranetas, the Elizaldes, the Lopezes); and \u201cFamilies of Intellectual Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Paternos, the Teodoros, the Yuchengcos).
\n\u201cOf course, we don\u2019t discount the fact that\u2014yes\u2014there\u2019s staggering difficulty around. But on the other side, there\u2019s never been more money in Manila than today. I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s coming from,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cPeople are casually coughing up money.\u201d Case in point: Mr. Gonzalez\u2019s talk preceded Leon Gallery\u2019s September sale, where paintings by heavyweight artists were auctioned off for tons of cash. On the block were works such as Carlos \u201cBotong\u201d V. Francisco\u2019s The Nose Flute (hammered at Php63 million); Fernando Zobel\u2019s Saeta 52 or Pared Madrile\u00f1a (hammered at Php35 million); Alfonso Ossorio\u2019s Ascension (hammered at Php23.4 million); and Jose Joya\u2019s Carnival (hammered at Php25.7 million).
\nSurrounded by the million-peso opulence of the local art market, Mr. Gonzalez regaled his audience with tales of the rich, both vieux and nouveau. \u201cEverybody was new-rich at some point in their lives. But what\u2019s to be celebrated is they broke ranks,\u201d he said, adding that Php10 million is nothing to spend on a birthday party.
\n\u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d unfolded in reverse chronology and opened with the notorious Janet Lim-Napoles, the \u201cpork barrel queen\u201d accused of cooking up a scam that gypped the Philippine people of an estimated Php10 billion. Nevertheless, Ms. Napoles \u201cwas a great hostess,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez, one who gave her guests splendid giveaways from Herm\u00e8s\u00a0 and Chanel. She gifted people with bling and raffled off cars. \u201cThey were all top-rated things,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez.
\nFrom the accused scammer and money launderer, the talk moved on to ousted President Joseph \u201cErap\u201d Estrada, who postured as a poor man although he was anything but. \u201cHe has great taste in everything. He\u2019s classy,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez of the former president who was widely known to be fond of Chateau Petrus, a wine that costs US$1,500 a bottle. The Center for Public Integrity\u2014a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organization\u2014reported in 2000 that Mr. Estrada, during his presidency\u2014had his mother\u2019s Greenhills home refurbished. It was, according to the piece written by Sheila Coronel, \u201ca major renovation that converted the family matriarch\u2019s large, comfortable quarters into something close to palatial: high ceilings, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a cavernous living room with a grand piano and exorbitantly-priced beige curtains.\u201d
\nStill, Mr. Estrada\u2019s indiscretions pale in comparison to the decadence of another president\u2019s regime. According to Mr. Gonzalez, it was during the Marcos years, from 1965\u20131986, that extreme spending \u201chit the top.\u201d Of the many stories to choose from, Mr. Gonzalez related the time Mrs. Marcos tried her darndest to top the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding when her daughter Irene married Gregorio Benitez Araneta, a scion of the Araneta clan (counted among the \u201cFamilies of Entrepreneurial Tradition\u201d in the social historian\u2019s taxonomy). The ceremony was held in 1983 in Ilocos Norte. While Irene wanted a small gathering, her mother, insisted on ostentation. \u201cIt was a major production and many people were drafted to carry it out,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez, adding that local teachers were drafted to make paper flowers in order to turn Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, into colonial town in bloom. A blog entry titled \u201cSarrat, Ilocos Norte, 1983\u201d contains more details for the curious, including fresh flowers flown in from Hawaii, and diamonds and jewels aplenty. The Los Angeles Times estimated that Mrs. Marcos spent US$1.3 million on her daughter\u2019s wedding. People magazine placed it at a more impressive US$10.3 million. Either number is a paltry sum, one supposes, compared to the Marcos family\u2019s ill-gotten wealth, which the Philippine Commission on Good Government estimates to be in the billions of dollars.
\nMrs. Marcos made headlines this November when she was found guilty of seven counts graft and was sentenced to six to 11 years in prison for each count. The court convicted Mrs. Marcos for putting roughly US$200 million into Swiss foundations when she was the governor of Metro Manila in the 1970s. She used aliases to hide the stolen funds, which she used to purchase an absurd number of shoes, ternos, and accessories.
\nWith time running out, Mr. Gonzalez hastily ended his talk with a roll call of the rich clans of the Philippines: the Legarda-Prieto-Valdeses, the Paternos, the Elizaldes, the Roxases, the Ongpins, the Madrigals, and the Zobel de Ayalas.
\nThose who missed Mr. Gonzalez\u2019s \u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d talk at Leon Gallery can always visit \u201cA Remembrance of Things Awry,\u201d which is a juicy online read. An entry titled \u201cThe Best Blog Posts\u201d is a good starting point. Here, one learns Php26 million does not even a bathroom make and US$2.5 million is peanuts. Meanwhile, in an early post filed under \u201cMistaken Impressions,\u201d Mr. Gonzalez writes that he, Toto Gonzalez, isn\u2019t interested in Manila society at all since he isn\u2019t sure it even exists. \u201cFor how can one truly be \u2018society\u2019 if one has less than US$10 billion these highly inflationary days??? To me, the only \u2018society\u2019 that matters is the fantastically rich international one that shuttles between New York, Paris, London, Hong Kong, and now, Moscow, Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, and Singapore.\u201d It looks like he\u2019s changed his mind. \u2013 NPDG
\n", "content_text": "\u2018People are casually coughing up money,\u2019 says a social historian.\n\n\n\u201cGreat minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.\u201d If you agree with this quote of disputed origin, then the intimate event held this September in Leon Gallery in Makati was a gathering of minds capacious enough to accommodate two hours of idle talk about the Philippines\u2019 wealthiest.\nResembling an afternoon gossip session, \u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d was inspired by the book-turned-film Crazy Rich Asians. The thrust of the talk was to affirm that\u2014long before Astrid Leung became the epitome of regal beauty, wealth, strength, and power, or Nick Young was the handsome bachelor with brains, brawn, and big bucks\u2014there were real-life Filipino Astrids and Nicks who owned the same immense wealth, if not more, who threw lavish parties here and there, and whose whims, though out of this world, could be bought\u2014because money can buy anything. The tone of the room was self-congratulatory: \u201cThe Philippines has always been rich, too!\u201d Never mind the 22 million Filipinos living below poverty line according to the latest World Bank report.\nHolding court was social historian Augusto \u201cToto\u201d Gonzalez III, a member of a wealthy haciendero clan in Pampanga who also runs the blog \u201cRemembrance of Things Awry.\u201d A personal project that began in 2006 as a way of chronicling his family history (\u201chowever trivial and nonsensical\u201d), the blog has mushroomed into a breezy, gossipy repository of the \u201cwell-documented and quite inarguable\u201d pedigree of rich Filipinos, stretching back to the 1800s. Over several posts, Mr. Gonzalez shared his taxonomy of prominent last names, dividing the rich and powerful into \u201cFamilies of Political Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Cojuangcos, the Ejercitos, the Crisologos, the Levistes); \u201cFamilies of Entrepreneurial Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Aboitizes, the Aranetas, the Elizaldes, the Lopezes); and \u201cFamilies of Intellectual Tradition\u201d (e.g. the Paternos, the Teodoros, the Yuchengcos). \n\u201cOf course, we don\u2019t discount the fact that\u2014yes\u2014there\u2019s staggering difficulty around. But on the other side, there\u2019s never been more money in Manila than today. I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s coming from,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cPeople are casually coughing up money.\u201d Case in point: Mr. Gonzalez\u2019s talk preceded Leon Gallery\u2019s September sale, where paintings by heavyweight artists were auctioned off for tons of cash. On the block were works such as Carlos \u201cBotong\u201d V. Francisco\u2019s The Nose Flute (hammered at Php63 million); Fernando Zobel\u2019s Saeta 52 or Pared Madrile\u00f1a (hammered at Php35 million); Alfonso Ossorio\u2019s Ascension (hammered at Php23.4 million); and Jose Joya\u2019s Carnival (hammered at Php25.7 million). \nSurrounded by the million-peso opulence of the local art market, Mr. Gonzalez regaled his audience with tales of the rich, both vieux and nouveau. \u201cEverybody was new-rich at some point in their lives. But what\u2019s to be celebrated is they broke ranks,\u201d he said, adding that Php10 million is nothing to spend on a birthday party.\n\u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d unfolded in reverse chronology and opened with the notorious Janet Lim-Napoles, the \u201cpork barrel queen\u201d accused of cooking up a scam that gypped the Philippine people of an estimated Php10 billion. Nevertheless, Ms. Napoles \u201cwas a great hostess,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez, one who gave her guests splendid giveaways from Herm\u00e8s\u00a0 and Chanel. She gifted people with bling and raffled off cars. \u201cThey were all top-rated things,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez.\nFrom the accused scammer and money launderer, the talk moved on to ousted President Joseph \u201cErap\u201d Estrada, who postured as a poor man although he was anything but. \u201cHe has great taste in everything. He\u2019s classy,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez of the former president who was widely known to be fond of Chateau Petrus, a wine that costs US$1,500 a bottle. The Center for Public Integrity\u2014a nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news organization\u2014reported in 2000 that Mr. Estrada, during his presidency\u2014had his mother\u2019s Greenhills home refurbished. It was, according to the piece written by Sheila Coronel, \u201ca major renovation that converted the family matriarch\u2019s large, comfortable quarters into something close to palatial: high ceilings, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a cavernous living room with a grand piano and exorbitantly-priced beige curtains.\u201d \nStill, Mr. Estrada\u2019s indiscretions pale in comparison to the decadence of another president\u2019s regime. According to Mr. Gonzalez, it was during the Marcos years, from 1965\u20131986, that extreme spending \u201chit the top.\u201d Of the many stories to choose from, Mr. Gonzalez related the time Mrs. Marcos tried her darndest to top the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding when her daughter Irene married Gregorio Benitez Araneta, a scion of the Araneta clan (counted among the \u201cFamilies of Entrepreneurial Tradition\u201d in the social historian\u2019s taxonomy). The ceremony was held in 1983 in Ilocos Norte. While Irene wanted a small gathering, her mother, insisted on ostentation. \u201cIt was a major production and many people were drafted to carry it out,\u201d said Mr. Gonzalez, adding that local teachers were drafted to make paper flowers in order to turn Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, into colonial town in bloom. A blog entry titled \u201cSarrat, Ilocos Norte, 1983\u201d contains more details for the curious, including fresh flowers flown in from Hawaii, and diamonds and jewels aplenty. The Los Angeles Times estimated that Mrs. Marcos spent US$1.3 million on her daughter\u2019s wedding. People magazine placed it at a more impressive US$10.3 million. Either number is a paltry sum, one supposes, compared to the Marcos family\u2019s ill-gotten wealth, which the Philippine Commission on Good Government estimates to be in the billions of dollars.\nMrs. Marcos made headlines this November when she was found guilty of seven counts graft and was sentenced to six to 11 years in prison for each count. The court convicted Mrs. Marcos for putting roughly US$200 million into Swiss foundations when she was the governor of Metro Manila in the 1970s. She used aliases to hide the stolen funds, which she used to purchase an absurd number of shoes, ternos, and accessories.\nWith time running out, Mr. Gonzalez hastily ended his talk with a roll call of the rich clans of the Philippines: the Legarda-Prieto-Valdeses, the Paternos, the Elizaldes, the Roxases, the Ongpins, the Madrigals, and the Zobel de Ayalas. \nThose who missed Mr. Gonzalez\u2019s \u201cCrazy Rich Flips\u201d talk at Leon Gallery can always visit \u201cA Remembrance of Things Awry,\u201d which is a juicy online read. An entry titled \u201cThe Best Blog Posts\u201d is a good starting point. Here, one learns Php26 million does not even a bathroom make and US$2.5 million is peanuts. Meanwhile, in an early post filed under \u201cMistaken Impressions,\u201d Mr. Gonzalez writes that he, Toto Gonzalez, isn\u2019t interested in Manila society at all since he isn\u2019t sure it even exists. \u201cFor how can one truly be \u2018society\u2019 if one has less than US$10 billion these highly inflationary days??? To me, the only \u2018society\u2019 that matters is the fantastically rich international one that shuttles between New York, Paris, London, Hong Kong, and now, Moscow, Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, and Singapore.\u201d It looks like he\u2019s changed his mind. \u2013 NPDG", "date_published": "2018-12-10T19:14:44+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T19:14:44+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Crazy Rich Asians", "Crazy Rich Filipinos", "Lifestyle", "luxury lifestyle", "Nickky Faustine de Guzman", "Features" ], "summary": "\u2018People are casually coughing up money,\u2019 says a social historian." }, { "id": "/?p=202420", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202420/highlife-sidebar-sparks-of-joy-and-swedish-death-cleaning/", "title": "Sidebar | Sparks of Joy and Swedish Death Cleaning", "content_html": "\n
If our world worships stuff, a counterculture has arisen about the opposite: the rejection of stuff.
\nBooks on the subject, serving as bibles for this movement have been written: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.
\nThe two women serve up a philosophy of stuff that is almost like a religion. Ms. Kondo, for example, tours the world to teach this art of decluttering to disciples. The process isn\u2019t so simple: the physical work is relatively minimal (pile all your stuff on the floor, choose the ones you love, and throw out the rest). However, the process of selecting the things you love will be difficult. To know if it is still important to you, touch something and \u201cif it sparks joy,\u201d keep it. If not, throw it out. It is also advised to start with clearing away less-sentimental objects (to avoid getting stuck the whole day with reminiscing instead of decluttering).
\nMs. Kondo\u2019s book also had tips about minimizing the use of space: there are techniques to fold clothes in a certain way so they can be stacked up or rolled away neatly. It\u2019s not just about clearing space for your things, but also for clearing your mind. We guess it\u2019s in line with a talk we heard in October from Japanese brand Muji. Muji\u2019s art director, Kenya Hara, talked about \u201cemptiness\u201d in the Japanese consciousness: \u201cBecause it is empty, \u2026 there\u2019s a possibility to be filled,\u201d he said, referring to Japanese shrines and temples that were designed to be bare so that deities may reside in them.
\nA counterpart in the Western world can be found in Swedish Death Cleaning, which thinks about the world beyond, and the world we leave. Every death leaves in it wake remnants of lives lived, and it\u2019s not always a pleasant trip to sort through the bits and bobs that have been left behind. The book advises a gradual cleaning, thinking the whole time about what would happen when you die and about the people who, if you do not do the decluttering yourself, will have to deal with your stuff once you\u2019re gone.
\nJust like Ms. Kondo\u2019s book, it advises one to declutter the things with most sentimental value last, so you can get on with your task and not be left in a swirl of memories. Documentation is important, and it advises the cleaner to leave behind notes or instructions to return, dispose of, or bequeath certain things\u2014think of it like writing a will, but more personal and proactive. Things that may upset your loved ones should also be thrown away: and doing it now, while you\u2019re still alive, also releases you from the object\u2019s pain. Also, it advises people to do away with things they don\u2019t need or use in this present life, but will be helpful to another. So, why not give your sister who loves entertaining that crystal punchbowl that\u2019s been gathering dust in your cupboard? Why wait till you\u2019re dead? \u2013 JLG
\n", "content_text": "If our world worships stuff, a counterculture has arisen about the opposite: the rejection of stuff.\nBooks on the subject, serving as bibles for this movement have been written: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson, and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.\nThe two women serve up a philosophy of stuff that is almost like a religion. Ms. Kondo, for example, tours the world to teach this art of decluttering to disciples. The process isn\u2019t so simple: the physical work is relatively minimal (pile all your stuff on the floor, choose the ones you love, and throw out the rest). However, the process of selecting the things you love will be difficult. To know if it is still important to you, touch something and \u201cif it sparks joy,\u201d keep it. If not, throw it out. It is also advised to start with clearing away less-sentimental objects (to avoid getting stuck the whole day with reminiscing instead of decluttering).\nMs. Kondo\u2019s book also had tips about minimizing the use of space: there are techniques to fold clothes in a certain way so they can be stacked up or rolled away neatly. It\u2019s not just about clearing space for your things, but also for clearing your mind. We guess it\u2019s in line with a talk we heard in October from Japanese brand Muji. Muji\u2019s art director, Kenya Hara, talked about \u201cemptiness\u201d in the Japanese consciousness: \u201cBecause it is empty, \u2026 there\u2019s a possibility to be filled,\u201d he said, referring to Japanese shrines and temples that were designed to be bare so that deities may reside in them. \nA counterpart in the Western world can be found in Swedish Death Cleaning, which thinks about the world beyond, and the world we leave. Every death leaves in it wake remnants of lives lived, and it\u2019s not always a pleasant trip to sort through the bits and bobs that have been left behind. The book advises a gradual cleaning, thinking the whole time about what would happen when you die and about the people who, if you do not do the decluttering yourself, will have to deal with your stuff once you\u2019re gone.\nJust like Ms. Kondo\u2019s book, it advises one to declutter the things with most sentimental value last, so you can get on with your task and not be left in a swirl of memories. Documentation is important, and it advises the cleaner to leave behind notes or instructions to return, dispose of, or bequeath certain things\u2014think of it like writing a will, but more personal and proactive. Things that may upset your loved ones should also be thrown away: and doing it now, while you\u2019re still alive, also releases you from the object\u2019s pain. Also, it advises people to do away with things they don\u2019t need or use in this present life, but will be helpful to another. So, why not give your sister who loves entertaining that crystal punchbowl that\u2019s been gathering dust in your cupboard? Why wait till you\u2019re dead? \u2013 JLG", "date_published": "2018-12-10T18:00:01+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T18:00:01+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Joseph L. Garcia", "Margareta Magnusson", "Marie Kondo", "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter", "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing", "Features" ] }, { "id": "/?p=202417", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202417/highlife-sidebar-the-best-investment-ever/", "title": "Sidebar | 'The Best Investment Ever'", "content_html": "Love Marie Ongpauco Escudero, otherwise known by her stage name Heart Evangelista, is known for her vast collection of Herm\u00e8s bags. \u201cI have one extremely expensive bag that I\u2019ve always wanted,\u201d she told High Life in an interview. It was her Himalayan crocodile Birkin (similar\u00a0to the one with diamond-studded hardware that was sold at auction at Christie\u2019s for HK$2.94 million). \u201cI buy myself all these Birkins because it\u2019s the best investment ever,\u201d she said.
\nShe has since stopped buying for herself. \u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d she said about collecting bags. But clarified that she still purchases Birkin bags, this time as canvases for her art: Ms. Escudero paints over beat-up and worn-out Birkins she finds, and sells them for more than double the price. \u201cI used to have an emotional attachment to bags. But if you look at it as like money or good investments, then you think about it as a business.\u201d \u2013 JLG
\n", "content_text": "Love Marie Ongpauco Escudero, otherwise known by her stage name Heart Evangelista, is known for her vast collection of Herm\u00e8s bags. \u201cI have one extremely expensive bag that I\u2019ve always wanted,\u201d she told High Life in an interview. It was her Himalayan crocodile Birkin (similar\u00a0to the one with diamond-studded hardware that was sold at auction at Christie\u2019s for HK$2.94 million). \u201cI buy myself all these Birkins because it\u2019s the best investment ever,\u201d she said.\nShe has since stopped buying for herself. \u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d she said about collecting bags. But clarified that she still purchases Birkin bags, this time as canvases for her art: Ms. Escudero paints over beat-up and worn-out Birkins she finds, and sells them for more than double the price. \u201cI used to have an emotional attachment to bags. But if you look at it as like money or good investments, then you think about it as a business.\u201d \u2013 JLG", "date_published": "2018-12-10T16:59:47+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T16:59:47+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Heart Evangelista", "investment", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Features" ] }, { "id": "/?p=202693", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202693/highlife-feature-fragile-bones/", "title": "Fragile bones", "content_html": "What pain taught dancer Anna Periquet.
\n\n
WORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN
\nWhile preparing for a show in February 2016, dancer Anna Periquet noticed that her right foot was swollen. One painful fall later, she decided to go to the hospital to have it checked. \u201cThey did an X-ray, there were multiple fractures. I didn\u2019t know they were building,\u201d she told High Life. \u201cI had bones like that of an 80-year-old woman.\u201d
\nMs. Periquet, whose day job is serving as vice-president for corporate affairs of Metro Retail Stores Group, Inc., hit rock bottom when she was diagnosed with full-blown osteoporosis: her T-Score (one of three values used in evaluating the disease) came back -3; normal values range from -1 and up. \u201cTo say that I was shocked at the news is an understatement. It was a situation that I could not even begin to fathom, could not believe can happen to me. I thought only the elderly and inactive people get osteoporosis. It was only a word to me before I discovered that I\u2014at 50 then\u2014actually had it,\u201d she said. \u201cFour days after my diagnosis, I found myself in a hopeless, helpless, desperate condition\u2014I could not move a single part of my body; even a slight touch sent me screaming, writhing in excruciating pain.\u201d
\nHer long-lasting love affair with dance and its many forms, which made her keenly aware of her corporeal self, compounded her agony. She knew what her flesh and bones were capable of, having been active in DanceSport or competitive ballroom dancing for seven years before retiring in 2013, with several championships under her belt. In the early days of her disease, the most mundane of tasks became a battle. \u201cFrom making that first step out of bed in the morning, I was assaulted with pain in my back, legs, knees, and feet\u2014even my toes and fingers,\u201d she said.
\nMs. Periquet fit the profile of an osteoporotic: slim, small-framed, of Eurasian descent, and menopausal. She went on medical leave and chose to keep her condition to herself.\u00a0 A regular physical therapy program, proper nutrition, and medication helped her get back to a point where she could get out of bed without wanting to burst into tears. \u201cThe amount of work that I needed to do to regain my strength\u2014despite the pain\u2014was not even a fraction of the kind of exercise that my body was used to, and yet I was grateful that slowly, steadily, I was able to do them.\u201d
\nFor the recovering dancer, coping with her illness meant coming to terms with it and keeping a positive outlook. \u201cThe moment I accepted my illness and embraced the pain, everything started to change. I focused on healing myself physically, emotionally, mentally\u2014and I felt the difference,\u201d she said.
\nIn 2017, Ms. Periquet became the first non-doctor member of the Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation, Inc., an organization that aims to disseminate information to the public, and conduct research on prevention and treatment. \u201cAccurate diagnosis and early action can truly save women and men from suffering the physical and emotional pain of this disease,\u201d she said, adding that osteoporosis is not a disease for elderly women; contrary to belief, it is \u201ca disease that can strike us all whether we are men or women, young or old.\u201d
\nThree years since receiving the life-changing news that she was osteoporotic, Ms. Periquet is back on her feet. She\u2019s off therapy, she does acupuncture and yoga, and she\u2019s back to dancing.
\n\u201cFor the first time since I got my diagnosis, I woke up with a big smile on my face. I felt revived, refreshed rebooted, with the pain in my body reduced significantly. I realized life must go on in spite of osteoporosis. Life\u2019s too good to be missing out on it,\u201d she said of that all-important turning point, when she accepted that she would have to live with chronic pain. \u201cI sincerely believe that life is and will always be beautiful, even with this disease.\u201d\u00a0
\n", "content_text": "What pain taught dancer Anna Periquet.\n\n\nWORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN\nWhile preparing for a show in February 2016, dancer Anna Periquet noticed that her right foot was swollen. One painful fall later, she decided to go to the hospital to have it checked. \u201cThey did an X-ray, there were multiple fractures. I didn\u2019t know they were building,\u201d she told High Life. \u201cI had bones like that of an 80-year-old woman.\u201d\nMs. Periquet, whose day job is serving as vice-president for corporate affairs of Metro Retail Stores Group, Inc., hit rock bottom when she was diagnosed with full-blown osteoporosis: her T-Score (one of three values used in evaluating the disease) came back -3; normal values range from -1 and up. \u201cTo say that I was shocked at the news is an understatement. It was a situation that I could not even begin to fathom, could not believe can happen to me. I thought only the elderly and inactive people get osteoporosis. It was only a word to me before I discovered that I\u2014at 50 then\u2014actually had it,\u201d she said. \u201cFour days after my diagnosis, I found myself in a hopeless, helpless, desperate condition\u2014I could not move a single part of my body; even a slight touch sent me screaming, writhing in excruciating pain.\u201d\nAnna Periquet\nHer long-lasting love affair with dance and its many forms, which made her keenly aware of her corporeal self, compounded her agony. She knew what her flesh and bones were capable of, having been active in DanceSport or competitive ballroom dancing for seven years before retiring in 2013, with several championships under her belt. In the early days of her disease, the most mundane of tasks became a battle. \u201cFrom making that first step out of bed in the morning, I was assaulted with pain in my back, legs, knees, and feet\u2014even my toes and fingers,\u201d she said.\nMs. Periquet fit the profile of an osteoporotic: slim, small-framed, of Eurasian descent, and menopausal. She went on medical leave and chose to keep her condition to herself.\u00a0 A regular physical therapy program, proper nutrition, and medication helped her get back to a point where she could get out of bed without wanting to burst into tears. \u201cThe amount of work that I needed to do to regain my strength\u2014despite the pain\u2014was not even a fraction of the kind of exercise that my body was used to, and yet I was grateful that slowly, steadily, I was able to do them.\u201d\nFor the recovering dancer, coping with her illness meant coming to terms with it and keeping a positive outlook. \u201cThe moment I accepted my illness and embraced the pain, everything started to change. I focused on healing myself physically, emotionally, mentally\u2014and I felt the difference,\u201d she said.\nIn 2017, Ms. Periquet became the first non-doctor member of the Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation, Inc., an organization that aims to disseminate information to the public, and conduct research on prevention and treatment. \u201cAccurate diagnosis and early action can truly save women and men from suffering the physical and emotional pain of this disease,\u201d she said, adding that osteoporosis is not a disease for elderly women; contrary to belief, it is \u201ca disease that can strike us all whether we are men or women, young or old.\u201d\nThree years since receiving the life-changing news that she was osteoporotic, Ms. Periquet is back on her feet. She\u2019s off therapy, she does acupuncture and yoga, and she\u2019s back to dancing. \n\u201cFor the first time since I got my diagnosis, I woke up with a big smile on my face. I felt revived, refreshed rebooted, with the pain in my body reduced significantly. I realized life must go on in spite of osteoporosis. Life\u2019s too good to be missing out on it,\u201d she said of that all-important turning point, when she accepted that she would have to live with chronic pain. \u201cI sincerely believe that life is and will always be beautiful, even with this disease.\u201d\u00a0", "date_published": "2018-12-10T09:00:57+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T09:00:57+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Anna Periquet", "dance", "Inc.", "Metro Retail Stores Group", "Features" ], "summary": "What pain taught dancer Anna Periquet." }, { "id": "/?p=202671", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202671/highlife-feature-george-t-yang-lessons-from-a-business-tycoon/", "title": "As told by George T. Yang: lessons from a business tycoon", "content_html": "\u201c\u2026 the beginnings of McDonald\u2019s here in the Philippines was a struggle, mentally and physically. It was not a bed of roses. But McDonald\u2019s is McDonald\u2019s: it\u2019s good and fun.\u201d
\n\n
WORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN\u00a0| ILLUSTRATION TONE\u00a0DA\u00d1AS
\nGeorge T. Yang celebrated his 80th birthday in McDonald\u2019s, naturally. Left on his own to order for the crowd of crew members and friends who gathered in the Greenbelt 1 branch to fete him, the founder of Golden Arches Development Corporation would have probably chosen a mix of his favorites: Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, Quarter Pounder hamburgers, and Chicken McDo meals with rice and fries. This would have triggered a flurry of activity that we take for granted after 37 years of quick service.
\nIt was Mr. Yang who popularized fast food cuisine in the Philippines when he opened the first McDonald\u2019s restaurant in Morayta, Manila, in 1981. It\u2019s still there in its original location, if you fancy a visit. Growing the business from that single franchise to 600 branches nationwide and close to 60,000 employees was a long slog.
\nUbiquitous as the Golden Arches are now, Mr. Yang remembers a time when it was a novelty rather than the norm. \u201cAt that time, the model of serving good food fast was new to the Philippine market and I knew it would be a hit,\u201d he said, referring to the 1970s to the early 1980s.
\nIn 1974, Mr. Yang wrote to McDonald\u2019s headquarters in the US, expressing interest in opening a local franchise. It took seven years of back and forth with American executives, who initially declined Mr. Yang\u2019s request. Despite that first refusal, he persisted and managed to finagle a meeting with McDonald\u2019s decision-makers, who flew to the Philippines to meet with the thirty-something entrepreneur hell-bent on bringing the Golden Arches to Manila.
\nWhile top brass was deliberating, Mr. Yang trained as a McDonald\u2019s staff member in Hong Kong. He prepared and served food, bussed tables and cleaned the restroom, and graduated to managing the restaurant. Every McDonald\u2019s branch operates on a model ultimately based on the Speedee Service System developed in the 1940s by Richard and Maurice McDonald, the brothers who revolutionized the way we eat by applying an assembly line-like discipline to food preparation and standardization. In The Founder (2016), the biographical movie that tells the origin story of McDonald\u2019s, the system is described as a \u201ccrazy burger ballet\u201d and a \u201csymphony of efficiency\u201d where there is \u201cnot a wasted motion.\u201d
\n\u201cThe time I spent in Hong Kong working at the restaurant as part of the crew was very valuable,\u201d said Mr. Yang. \u201cI learned the ropes firsthand and it prepared me for the work that needed to be done when I opened the first store. I believe that in doing business, you need to know it inside out.\u201d
\nSeptember 10, 1981, is a day etched in Mr. Yang\u2019s memory. After the long wait, the Morayta branch of McDonald\u2019s, right in front of Far Eastern University, finally opened and served its first hamburgers to a line of customers that snaked outside the little store, spilled onto the streets, and around the block. \u201cThat day is unforgettable. \u2026 A lot of people came,\u201d said Mr. Yang. And these people, curious of palate and patient of demeanor, waited to be let in since Mr. Yang had to close the store when it reached capacity. Diners came in batches.
\nIt was a real test for the crew who, prior to opening day, trained with simulated ingredients: cardboard cutouts for beef patties and straws for french fries. \u201cWhen we opened, nobody had real experience. It was very chaotic but fun,\u201d he said, remembering further mishaps. At one point, power went out and when it came back on, the exhaust was blowing the wrong way. \u201cMy heart almost stopped,\u201d said Mr. Yang, who had to call maintenance to fix the problem.
\nThat glorious first day, power outage aside, predicted McDonald\u2019s success. Mr. Yang opened his second branch, also in 1981, in Cubao at the New Frontier Theater. It was here in \u201cStore #002\u201d \u2014 which reopened in 2015 as McDonald\u2019s Kia Theatre \u2014 that Mr. Yang\u2019s eldest child, Kenneth, worked as part of the crew (he\u2019s the current president and CEO of Golden Arches). It expanded nationwide in 1992 with branches in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. In 2005, the company concluded its deal with US management and became 100% Filipino-owned. It led to the acceleration of opening new stores, with an average of 50 stores opening yearly.
\nThe Philippine menu, too, has changed since 1981. McDonald\u2019s has always been sensitive to the gustatory peculiarities of its worldwide following \u2014 the Philippines, after all,\u00a0 is only one in around 120 countries and territories with McDonald\u2019s restaurants. Germany has the McN\u00fcrnburger, three pieces of bratwurst on a bun; Colombia has the Pineapple Oreo McFlurry; the Philippines has the Chicken McDo with Spaghetti value meal. It\u2019s still one of the top-sellers here but it flopped when it was offered in the US and consequently pulled.
\nDespite failing to introduce a menu item to the international menu, McDonald\u2019s Philippines is a booming billion-peso business. According to data compiled by 大象传媒 Research, Golden Arches Development Corporation finished 2017 with Php24.757 billion in gross sales, garnering the 98th spot in 大象传媒\u2019s Top 1000 Corporations in the Philippines. In comparison, Jollibee Foods Corporation, McDonald\u2019s direct competitor,\u00a0 is ranked 27th with Php62.425 in gross revenues.
\nNO BED OF ROSES
\nMr. Yang embarked on his McDonald\u2019s journey after realizing that he could not compete with his peers from De La Salle University in an organizational setting. \u201cI\u2019m shy. I don\u2019t like to talk to people,\u201d said Mr. Yang. This confession might ring false to anyone who knows of Mr. Yang\u2019s avocations: he\u2019s an avid fan of classical music who has performed on stage many times, treating audiences to his interpretations of \u201cO Sole Mio,\u201d \u201cTorna A Surriento,\u201d and \u201cNessun Dorma.\u201d
Still, he insists on his shyness. When he ran for vice-president and failed to be elected despite being on top of his class, he vowed to go it alone. \u201cThat told me something: I need to do things myself. At that time, I felt I could not shine in an organization, so I thought I had to do my own business,\u201d he said. \u201cI was young then, when I started McDonald\u2019s. I have seen it grow.\u201d
\nHe added that McDonald\u2019s has served as a stepping stone for a great number of people who eventually moved on to other things. \u201cIt\u2019s really meant to be that way. Many of them have succeeded. I\u2019m proud to say that many of them consider their experience in McDonald\u2019s as very helpful in their careers,\u201d he said. It is an achievement close to his heart: McDonald\u2019s pioneered providing regular and part-time jobs for students in the industry. \u201cWe have never practiced contractualization in our restaurants. The employment opportunities we have given to working students have enabled them to finish their studies and jumpstart their careers,\u201d he said, taking a gentle jab at Jollibee, which landed in the news this year for topping the Department of Labor and Employment\u2019s list of labor-only contracting companies \u2014 a practice prohibited by the current administration. \u201cI always meet people who would introduce themselves as former McDonald\u2019s crew members and are now big shots. They credit working at McDonald\u2019s not only for helping them finance their studies but for the training and discipline they learned. It makes me very happy to hear stories like these,\u201d said Mr. Yang in a subsequent e-mail to High Life.
\nEven if he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the company, Mr. Yang puts in his two cents when it comes to setting the company\u2019s vision. \u201cYou know I felt like I did not do enough. All of a sudden, you wake up and think, \u2018I\u2019m already seventy-plus! Where did all the years go?\u2019 You will feel that. Do I want to accomplish more? I want to, but realistically speaking, I should not because I don\u2019t have that kind of energy anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cBut once you are a businessman, you cannot help it\u2014your mind is still working. My mind is working. So, I try to give my ideas to my children. It\u2019s up to them to do it if they want to.\u201d
\nIn a moment of introspection, Mr. Yang laid out the personal cost of building the McDonald\u2019s empire and spreading the glow of the Golden Arches throughout the Philippines: \u201cSometimes, I felt I spent too much time at McDonald\u2019s. It required so much of my attention, that I couldn\u2019t do other things. I didn\u2019t want to fail. It\u2019s a matter of pride. I would say that the beginnings of McDonald\u2019s here in the Philippines was a struggle, mentally and physically. It was not a bed of roses. But McDonald\u2019s is McDonald\u2019s: it\u2019s good and fun.\u201d\u00a0
\nIf he could talk to his younger self\u2014that shy, people-averse George he remembers fondly\u2014he\u2019d tell him two things: \u201cIt is okay to make mistakes, only if you learn from them\u201d and \u201cif you persevere enough, you succeed. If you work hard enough, you succeed\u2014perseverance and determination. If you persevere hard enough, the day will come for you,\u201d he said.\u00a0
\n", "content_text": "\u201c\u2026 the beginnings of McDonald\u2019s here in the Philippines was a struggle, mentally and physically. It was not a bed of roses. But McDonald\u2019s is McDonald\u2019s: it\u2019s good and fun.\u201d\n\n\nWORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN\u00a0| ILLUSTRATION TONE\u00a0DA\u00d1AS\nGeorge T. Yang celebrated his 80th birthday in McDonald\u2019s, naturally. Left on his own to order for the crowd of crew members and friends who gathered in the Greenbelt 1 branch to fete him, the founder of Golden Arches Development Corporation would have probably chosen a mix of his favorites: Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, Quarter Pounder hamburgers, and Chicken McDo meals with rice and fries. This would have triggered a flurry of activity that we take for granted after 37 years of quick service. \nIt was Mr. Yang who popularized fast food cuisine in the Philippines when he opened the first McDonald\u2019s restaurant in Morayta, Manila, in 1981. It\u2019s still there in its original location, if you fancy a visit. Growing the business from that single franchise to 600 branches nationwide and close to 60,000 employees was a long slog.\nUbiquitous as the Golden Arches are now, Mr. Yang remembers a time when it was a novelty rather than the norm. \u201cAt that time, the model of serving good food fast was new to the Philippine market and I knew it would be a hit,\u201d he said, referring to the 1970s to the early 1980s.\nIn 1974, Mr. Yang wrote to McDonald\u2019s headquarters in the US, expressing interest in opening a local franchise. It took seven years of back and forth with American executives, who initially declined Mr. Yang\u2019s request. Despite that first refusal, he persisted and managed to finagle a meeting with McDonald\u2019s decision-makers, who flew to the Philippines to meet with the thirty-something entrepreneur hell-bent on bringing the Golden Arches to Manila.\nWhile top brass was deliberating, Mr. Yang trained as a McDonald\u2019s staff member in Hong Kong. He prepared and served food, bussed tables and cleaned the restroom, and graduated to managing the restaurant. Every McDonald\u2019s branch operates on a model ultimately based on the Speedee Service System developed in the 1940s by Richard and Maurice McDonald, the brothers who revolutionized the way we eat by applying an assembly line-like discipline to food preparation and standardization. In The Founder (2016), the biographical movie that tells the origin story of McDonald\u2019s, the system is described as a \u201ccrazy burger ballet\u201d and a \u201csymphony of efficiency\u201d where there is \u201cnot a wasted motion.\u201d\n\u201cThe time I spent in Hong Kong working at the restaurant as part of the crew was very valuable,\u201d said Mr. Yang. \u201cI learned the ropes firsthand and it prepared me for the work that needed to be done when I opened the first store. I believe that in doing business, you need to know it inside out.\u201d\nSeptember 10, 1981, is a day etched in Mr. Yang\u2019s memory. After the long wait, the Morayta branch of McDonald\u2019s, right in front of Far Eastern University, finally opened and served its first hamburgers to a line of customers that snaked outside the little store, spilled onto the streets, and around the block. \u201cThat day is unforgettable. \u2026 A lot of people came,\u201d said Mr. Yang. And these people, curious of palate and patient of demeanor, waited to be let in since Mr. Yang had to close the store when it reached capacity. Diners came in batches. \nIt was a real test for the crew who, prior to opening day, trained with simulated ingredients: cardboard cutouts for beef patties and straws for french fries. \u201cWhen we opened, nobody had real experience. It was very chaotic but fun,\u201d he said, remembering further mishaps. At one point, power went out and when it came back on, the exhaust was blowing the wrong way. \u201cMy heart almost stopped,\u201d said Mr. Yang, who had to call maintenance to fix the problem.\nThat glorious first day, power outage aside, predicted McDonald\u2019s success. Mr. Yang opened his second branch, also in 1981, in Cubao at the New Frontier Theater. It was here in \u201cStore #002\u201d \u2014 which reopened in 2015 as McDonald\u2019s Kia Theatre \u2014 that Mr. Yang\u2019s eldest child, Kenneth, worked as part of the crew (he\u2019s the current president and CEO of Golden Arches). It expanded nationwide in 1992 with branches in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. In 2005, the company concluded its deal with US management and became 100% Filipino-owned. It led to the acceleration of opening new stores, with an average of 50 stores opening yearly. \nThe Philippine menu, too, has changed since 1981. McDonald\u2019s has always been sensitive to the gustatory peculiarities of its worldwide following \u2014 the Philippines, after all,\u00a0 is only one in around 120 countries and territories with McDonald\u2019s restaurants. Germany has the McN\u00fcrnburger, three pieces of bratwurst on a bun; Colombia has the Pineapple Oreo McFlurry; the Philippines has the Chicken McDo with Spaghetti value meal. It\u2019s still one of the top-sellers here but it flopped when it was offered in the US and consequently pulled. \nDespite failing to introduce a menu item to the international menu, McDonald\u2019s Philippines is a booming billion-peso business. According to data compiled by 大象传媒 Research, Golden Arches Development Corporation finished 2017 with Php24.757 billion in gross sales, garnering the 98th spot in 大象传媒\u2019s Top 1000 Corporations in the Philippines. In comparison, Jollibee Foods Corporation, McDonald\u2019s direct competitor,\u00a0 is ranked 27th with Php62.425 in gross revenues. \nNO BED OF ROSES\nMr. Yang embarked on his McDonald\u2019s journey after realizing that he could not compete with his peers from De La Salle University in an organizational setting. \u201cI\u2019m shy. I don\u2019t like to talk to people,\u201d said Mr. Yang. This confession might ring false to anyone who knows of Mr. Yang\u2019s avocations: he\u2019s an avid fan of classical music who has performed on stage many times, treating audiences to his interpretations of \u201cO Sole Mio,\u201d \u201cTorna A Surriento,\u201d and \u201cNessun Dorma.\u201d\nStill, he insists on his shyness. When he ran for vice-president and failed to be elected despite being on top of his class, he vowed to go it alone. \u201cThat told me something: I need to do things myself. At that time, I felt I could not shine in an organization, so I thought I had to do my own business,\u201d he said. \u201cI was young then, when I started McDonald\u2019s. I have seen it grow.\u201d \nHe added that McDonald\u2019s has served as a stepping stone for a great number of people who eventually moved on to other things. \u201cIt\u2019s really meant to be that way. Many of them have succeeded. I\u2019m proud to say that many of them consider their experience in McDonald\u2019s as very helpful in their careers,\u201d he said. It is an achievement close to his heart: McDonald\u2019s pioneered providing regular and part-time jobs for students in the industry. \u201cWe have never practiced contractualization in our restaurants. The employment opportunities we have given to working students have enabled them to finish their studies and jumpstart their careers,\u201d he said, taking a gentle jab at Jollibee, which landed in the news this year for topping the Department of Labor and Employment\u2019s list of labor-only contracting companies \u2014 a practice prohibited by the current administration. \u201cI always meet people who would introduce themselves as former McDonald\u2019s crew members and are now big shots. They credit working at McDonald\u2019s not only for helping them finance their studies but for the training and discipline they learned. It makes me very happy to hear stories like these,\u201d said Mr. Yang in a subsequent e-mail to High Life. \nEven if he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the company, Mr. Yang puts in his two cents when it comes to setting the company\u2019s vision. \u201cYou know I felt like I did not do enough. All of a sudden, you wake up and think, \u2018I\u2019m already seventy-plus! Where did all the years go?\u2019 You will feel that. Do I want to accomplish more? I want to, but realistically speaking, I should not because I don\u2019t have that kind of energy anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cBut once you are a businessman, you cannot help it\u2014your mind is still working. My mind is working. So, I try to give my ideas to my children. It\u2019s up to them to do it if they want to.\u201d \nIn a moment of introspection, Mr. Yang laid out the personal cost of building the McDonald\u2019s empire and spreading the glow of the Golden Arches throughout the Philippines: \u201cSometimes, I felt I spent too much time at McDonald\u2019s. It required so much of my attention, that I couldn\u2019t do other things. I didn\u2019t want to fail. It\u2019s a matter of pride. I would say that the beginnings of McDonald\u2019s here in the Philippines was a struggle, mentally and physically. It was not a bed of roses. But McDonald\u2019s is McDonald\u2019s: it\u2019s good and fun.\u201d\u00a0\nIf he could talk to his younger self\u2014that shy, people-averse George he remembers fondly\u2014he\u2019d tell him two things: \u201cIt is okay to make mistakes, only if you learn from them\u201d and \u201cif you persevere enough, you succeed. If you work hard enough, you succeed\u2014perseverance and determination. If you persevere hard enough, the day will come for you,\u201d he said.\u00a0", "date_published": "2018-12-10T07:30:21+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T07:30:21+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "George T. Yang", "McDonald's", "Michelle Ann P. Soliman", "Features" ], "summary": "\u201c\u2026 the beginnings of McDonald\u2019s here in the Philippines was a struggle, mentally and physically. It was not a bed of roses. But McDonald\u2019s is McDonald\u2019s: it\u2019s good and fun.\u201d\n" }, { "id": "/?p=202680", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202680/highlife-feature-ryu-goto/", "title": "Burning heart, cool head", "content_html": "What classical music taught violinist Ryu Goto.
\n\n
WORDS NICKKY FAUSTINE P. DE GUZMAN\u00a0|\u00a0PHOTOGRAPHY\u00a0AYAKO YAMAMOTO
\nThe single-mindedness of classical musicians is legendary. Harriette Brower, in the early 1900s, documented the habits of artists at the pinnacle of their careers in books such as Piano Mastery. Ignace Jan Paderewski, the Polish pianist and composer, could lose hours when he was sitting at the keys. A student interviewed by Brower recalls: \u201cPaderewski instructs, as he does everything else, with magnificent generosity. He takes no account of time. I would come to him for the stipulated half-hour, but the lesson would continue indefinitely, until we were both forced to stop from sheer exhaustion.\u201d
\nJapanese-American violinist Ryu Goto, who has been playing professionally since he was seven, probably wouldn\u2019t have thrived under the tutelage of someone like Paderewski. \u201cIt\u2019s absolute bullshit when people say \u2018I love practicing.\u2019 I think that\u2019s the stupidest thing I\u2019ve ever heard,\u201d he said. \u201cYou hate it. You know it, and you hate it.\u201d Proclaiming to love everything about the violin, he continued, is \u201csheer insanity,\u201d \u201cobsession,\u201d and plain old \u201ccrazy.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/hl_Ryu-Goto-AY-2-C-Ayako-Yamamoto-UMLLC-e1543916846555.jpg\")
The outspoken 30-year-old was in the country for a concert with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra held this November at the Manila Cathedral. While he concedes that music is a huge part of who he is, it\u2019s not all he is: Mr. Goto has a physics degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; a black belt in karate; and a business to help run as a partner of an investment firm based in Ghana. \u201cI\u2019ve never really thought of myself as being defined only by music,\u201d he said.
\nTo balance his interests, Mr. Goto\u2014unlike Paderewski\u2014guards his time, always tracing the shortest route between where he is and what he wants to accomplish. He asks himself: \u201cHow can I cut off all the excess stuff and then get there in the most efficient way?\u201d The hours squirreled away are then used for leisure\u2014\u201cto hang out and do stuff,\u201d as the violinist put it. \u201cI think that\u2019s the key to success and the key to having an enjoyable life. You have so much more time to yourself.\u201d
\nBeing a true child of the Internet, he sees YouTube\u2014and similar online resources\u2014as a gold mine that \u201callow us to get better at things so quickly.\u201d There is no need to wait for your teachers to appear. They are already there, one search string away from you. Knowledge awaits those who know how to Google and, more important, how to separate wheat from chaff when it comes to sources. Brower\u2019s books are online. As are Frederick H. Martens, who, inspired by Brower\u2019s work, compiled Violin Mastery. In Martens\u2019 book, we meet Jascha Heifetz (1901\u20131987), hailed as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Heifetz and Mr. Goto are of similar mind when it comes to practice: \u201cIn the first place I have never believed in practicing too much\u2014it is just as bad as practicing too little! And then there are so many other things I like to do. \u2026 I have never believed in grinding,\u201d says Heifetz in Violin Mastery. Unwilling to read? There\u2019s medici.tv, which has the largest catalog of classical music videos in high definition. Unwilling to pay the subscription fee? Warner Classics uploaded Maxim Vengerov\u2019s violin masterclass on YouTube.
\nDo not mistake Mr. Goto\u2019s cavalier attitude for laxness. When he\u2019s on, he\u2019s on. As the great violin teacher Leopold Auer (1845\u20131930) said: \u201cIt is better to play with concentration for two hours than to practice eight without.\u201d
\nAccording to Mr. Goto, anyone with the desire to succeed in the wonderful world of classical music as he has must first ask: \u201cWhat do I have that\u2019s different from anybody else?\u201d The question is meant to be answered seriously. \u201cIt means thinking rationally and figuring out how to get to where you want to get,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s in sports, or music, or anything, your heart has to burn. You have to have a fire in your heart. But your head has to be super cool. It has to be, like, ice cold.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "What classical music taught violinist Ryu Goto.\n\n\nWORDS NICKKY FAUSTINE P. DE GUZMAN\u00a0|\u00a0PHOTOGRAPHY\u00a0AYAKO YAMAMOTO\nThe single-mindedness of classical musicians is legendary. Harriette Brower, in the early 1900s, documented the habits of artists at the pinnacle of their careers in books such as Piano Mastery. Ignace Jan Paderewski, the Polish pianist and composer, could lose hours when he was sitting at the keys. A student interviewed by Brower recalls: \u201cPaderewski instructs, as he does everything else, with magnificent generosity. He takes no account of time. I would come to him for the stipulated half-hour, but the lesson would continue indefinitely, until we were both forced to stop from sheer exhaustion.\u201d\nJapanese-American violinist Ryu Goto, who has been playing professionally since he was seven, probably wouldn\u2019t have thrived under the tutelage of someone like Paderewski. \u201cIt\u2019s absolute bullshit when people say \u2018I love practicing.\u2019 I think that\u2019s the stupidest thing I\u2019ve ever heard,\u201d he said. \u201cYou hate it. You know it, and you hate it.\u201d Proclaiming to love everything about the violin, he continued, is \u201csheer insanity,\u201d \u201cobsession,\u201d and plain old \u201ccrazy.\u201d\nJapanese-American violinist Ryu Goto\nThe outspoken 30-year-old was in the country for a concert with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra held this November at the Manila Cathedral. While he concedes that music is a huge part of who he is, it\u2019s not all he is: Mr. Goto has a physics degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; a black belt in karate; and a business to help run as a partner of an investment firm based in Ghana. \u201cI\u2019ve never really thought of myself as being defined only by music,\u201d he said.\nTo balance his interests, Mr. Goto\u2014unlike Paderewski\u2014guards his time, always tracing the shortest route between where he is and what he wants to accomplish. He asks himself: \u201cHow can I cut off all the excess stuff and then get there in the most efficient way?\u201d The hours squirreled away are then used for leisure\u2014\u201cto hang out and do stuff,\u201d as the violinist put it. \u201cI think that\u2019s the key to success and the key to having an enjoyable life. You have so much more time to yourself.\u201d\nBeing a true child of the Internet, he sees YouTube\u2014and similar online resources\u2014as a gold mine that \u201callow us to get better at things so quickly.\u201d There is no need to wait for your teachers to appear. They are already there, one search string away from you. Knowledge awaits those who know how to Google and, more important, how to separate wheat from chaff when it comes to sources. Brower\u2019s books are online. As are Frederick H. Martens, who, inspired by Brower\u2019s work, compiled Violin Mastery. In Martens\u2019 book, we meet Jascha Heifetz (1901\u20131987), hailed as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Heifetz and Mr. Goto are of similar mind when it comes to practice: \u201cIn the first place I have never believed in practicing too much\u2014it is just as bad as practicing too little! And then there are so many other things I like to do. \u2026 I have never believed in grinding,\u201d says Heifetz in Violin Mastery. Unwilling to read? There\u2019s medici.tv, which has the largest catalog of classical music videos in high definition. Unwilling to pay the subscription fee? Warner Classics uploaded Maxim Vengerov\u2019s violin masterclass on YouTube.\nDo not mistake Mr. Goto\u2019s cavalier attitude for laxness. When he\u2019s on, he\u2019s on. As the great violin teacher Leopold Auer (1845\u20131930) said: \u201cIt is better to play with concentration for two hours than to practice eight without.\u201d\nAccording to Mr. Goto, anyone with the desire to succeed in the wonderful world of classical music as he has must first ask: \u201cWhat do I have that\u2019s different from anybody else?\u201d The question is meant to be answered seriously. \u201cIt means thinking rationally and figuring out how to get to where you want to get,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s in sports, or music, or anything, your heart has to burn. You have to have a fire in your heart. But your head has to be super cool. It has to be, like, ice cold.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-12-10T07:00:17+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T07:00:17+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Music", "Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman", "Ryu Goto", "violinist", "Features" ], "summary": "What classical music taught violinist Ryu Goto. " }, { "id": "/?p=202685", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202685/highlife-feature-tasting-history/", "title": "Tasting history", "content_html": "Understanding who we are by what we eat.
\n\n
WORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN
\nIn 1900, the premier hotel in Manila served a mix of Spanish and American dishes for New Year\u2019s Eve. Four decades later, American soldiers who survived the Second World War feasted on comfort food on Christmas. In Malolos, in 1940, an unidentified event coincidentally held on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception seemed to poke fun at those in power. In the menu cards collected by food historian and author Felice Prudente Sta. Maria lie fascinating stories about historical holiday meals and how the times affected the way people ate.
\nMs. Sta. Maria\u2019s interest in food history began in the 1970s when she occasionally wrote food-related stories for a women\u2019s magazine. \u201cI used to read books about foreign cooking in the 1960s and 1970s. There were no similar articles or books for Philippine food. We had recipe books but that was all,\u201d she told High Life. \u201cThere is material about food history, but nobody had compiled it and figured out the chronology. So that\u2019s what got me interested. Why don\u2019t we have it? We should have what everybody else has and it must be a credible history.\u201d
\nShe began collecting menus, books, and old documents about Filipino food for research. The documents, many of them acquired from local antique dealers, are now archived at the Lopez Museum and Library. \u201cI collect anything and everything that provides primary material for understanding who we are by what we eat.\u201d
\n\nESCRITEAU TO MENU
\nThe concept of menu cards originated in the early 1800s in France, specifically in famous restaurants in the Palais-Royal, which was then the gastronomic heart of Paris. We have the French Revolution to thank for this flowering of the fine-dining scene: aristocrats living in luxury were either chased out of their estates or executed, leaving behind kitchen staff without their masters.
\u201cAll the royals and noblemen had their own cooks. But then, their heads got chopped off,\u201d said Ms. Sta. Maria, giving an abbreviated history lesson that led to the rise of restaurants. \u201cChefs were fleeing for their lives. They started finding other businesses\u2014they would open up restaurants.\u201d
\nAccording to the food historian, it was in these establishments that the escriteau (an old French word for \u201cbill of\u00a0 fare\u201d)\u2014lengthy menus that were used by the kitchen staff of a royal or noble household as a guide to the sequence of dishes to be served\u2014evolved into poster-menus (placed on the front door of a restaurant) and, eventually, smaller menus placed on the table.\u00a0 This origin story, she added, is consistent and remains uncontested to this day.
\nMenu cards are snapshots of history. The New York Public Library, for instance, is transcribing approximately 45,000 menus dating from the 1840s to the present into a searchable digital archive. Once complete, the database will contain \u201cspecific information about dishes, prices, the organization of meals, and all the stories these things tell us about the history of food and culture.\u201d
\nOn a smaller scale, Ms. Sta. Maria\u2019s collection of documents does the same thing. Perusing the menus, for example, shows how food changed in conjunction with historical milestones such as the cessation of the monopolistic Galleon Trade between the Philippines and Mexico in 1815; the end of the closed-door policy of Spain in 1834; and the completion of the Suez Canal, a more direct route between Europe and Asia, in 1869.
\nThese developments opened up the Philippines to the world. \u201cWhen foreigners came, we needed hotels,\u201d Ms. Sta. Maria said. And these hotels needed to provide not just room, but board. The need to import food became especially pronounced during the holidays, a time for feasting.
\nBuilt in 1889 in Plaza Calderon dela Barca in Binondo, Manila, Hotel de Oriente was a popular first-class hotel that featured three stories, an attic, red clay tiles as flooring and roofing. On New Year\u2019s Eve of 1900, the hotel menu offered a mix of Spanish and American dishes that included fresh oyster cocktail, fillet of mullet with parsley sauce, loin of pork and apple sauce, Australian turkey with cranberry sauce, and prime ribs of beef au jus.
\nMenu cards can also tease us with bits of information that hint at a larger narrative. In the 1940s, said Ms. Sta. Maria, it was fashionable to give food funny names. A menu card from an unidentified event dated Dec. 8, 1940, in Malolos, Bulacan, is pointed and political in its humor. The 12-course meal included dishes that were christened Sinigang a lo \u201cCourt of Appeals\u201d (a sign of sour feelings, perhaps?); Pavo Presidencial 1943 (wait, was someone just called a presidential turkey?); Pansit disidente (noodles of the dissident); Enpanadas Imperiales (imperial patties); and Ensalada \u201cAsuntos Terminados\u201d (salad \u201cmatters finished\u201d). Who prepared this menu, one wonders? What did it mean? The fact that the event took place in Malolos, the birthplace of the first constitutional republic in Asia, adds yet another layer of intrigue.\u00a0
\nShifting gears, a Christmas 1945 menu for American soldiers stationed at Sangley Point in Cavite\u2014an area that was severely bombed during the Second World War\u2014included cream of tomato soup, roast turkey, baked spiced ham, buttered green peas, baked kernel corn, sweet pickles, mixed candies, and mixed nuts. In other words, comfort food.
\nA SENSE OF WELL-BEING
\nMs. Sta. Maria noted that people get a sense of well-being and happiness from food. In Filipino culture, there are two words that capture these emotions: ginhawa or comfort; and the Visayan naya-naya spirit, which means \u201cto serve food\u201d and \u201cto be a happy person.\u201d
\u201cThere is a happiness in serving food\u2014that\u2019s probably the basis of our hospitality,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat food is saying is that we are a social people and food is part of that social relationship.\u201d The joy of eating, she added, is derived from satisfying a hunger that is not just physical but emotional as well.
\nGinhawa and naya-naya reflect who we are, she continued. \u201cWhen you put them together, it says really good things about who we are,\u201d Ms. Sta. Maria said. \u201cWe see food from many angles because we are feeding the body, the mind, and the emotion. That is our food and we enjoy it when we are with people.\u201d\u00a0
\n", "content_text": "Understanding who we are by what we eat.\n\n\nWORDS MICHELLE ANN P. SOLIMAN\nIn 1900, the premier hotel in Manila served a mix of Spanish and American dishes for New Year\u2019s Eve. Four decades later, American soldiers who survived the Second World War feasted on comfort food on Christmas. In Malolos, in 1940, an unidentified event coincidentally held on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception seemed to poke fun at those in power. In the menu cards collected by food historian and author Felice Prudente Sta. Maria lie fascinating stories about historical holiday meals and how the times affected the way people ate.\nMs. Sta. Maria\u2019s interest in food history began in the 1970s when she occasionally wrote food-related stories for a women\u2019s magazine. \u201cI used to read books about foreign cooking in the 1960s and 1970s. There were no similar articles or books for Philippine food. We had recipe books but that was all,\u201d she told High Life. \u201cThere is material about food history, but nobody had compiled it and figured out the chronology. So that\u2019s what got me interested. Why don\u2019t we have it? We should have what everybody else has and it must be a credible history.\u201d\nShe began collecting menus, books, and old documents about Filipino food for research. The documents, many of them acquired from local antique dealers, are now archived at the Lopez Museum and Library. \u201cI collect anything and everything that provides primary material for understanding who we are by what we eat.\u201d\n\nESCRITEAU TO MENU\nThe concept of menu cards originated in the early 1800s in France, specifically in famous restaurants in the Palais-Royal, which was then the gastronomic heart of Paris. We have the French Revolution to thank for this flowering of the fine-dining scene: aristocrats living in luxury were either chased out of their estates or executed, leaving behind kitchen staff without their masters.\n\u201cAll the royals and noblemen had their own cooks. But then, their heads got chopped off,\u201d said Ms. Sta. Maria, giving an abbreviated history lesson that led to the rise of restaurants. \u201cChefs were fleeing for their lives. They started finding other businesses\u2014they would open up restaurants.\u201d\nAccording to the food historian, it was in these establishments that the escriteau (an old French word for \u201cbill of\u00a0 fare\u201d)\u2014lengthy menus that were used by the kitchen staff of a royal or noble household as a guide to the sequence of dishes to be served\u2014evolved into poster-menus (placed on the front door of a restaurant) and, eventually, smaller menus placed on the table.\u00a0 This origin story, she added, is consistent and remains uncontested to this day.\nMenu cards are snapshots of history. The New York Public Library, for instance, is transcribing approximately 45,000 menus dating from the 1840s to the present into a searchable digital archive. Once complete, the database will contain \u201cspecific information about dishes, prices, the organization of meals, and all the stories these things tell us about the history of food and culture.\u201d\nOn a smaller scale, Ms. Sta. Maria\u2019s collection of documents does the same thing. Perusing the menus, for example, shows how food changed in conjunction with historical milestones such as the cessation of the monopolistic Galleon Trade between the Philippines and Mexico in 1815; the end of the closed-door policy of Spain in 1834; and the completion of the Suez Canal, a more direct route between Europe and Asia, in 1869.\nThese developments opened up the Philippines to the world. \u201cWhen foreigners came, we needed hotels,\u201d Ms. Sta. Maria said. And these hotels needed to provide not just room, but board. The need to import food became especially pronounced during the holidays, a time for feasting.\nBuilt in 1889 in Plaza Calderon dela Barca in Binondo, Manila, Hotel de Oriente was a popular first-class hotel that featured three stories, an attic, red clay tiles as flooring and roofing. On New Year\u2019s Eve of 1900, the hotel menu offered a mix of Spanish and American dishes that included fresh oyster cocktail, fillet of mullet with parsley sauce, loin of pork and apple sauce, Australian turkey with cranberry sauce, and prime ribs of beef au jus.\nMenu cards can also tease us with bits of information that hint at a larger narrative. In the 1940s, said Ms. Sta. Maria, it was fashionable to give food funny names. A menu card from an unidentified event dated Dec. 8, 1940, in Malolos, Bulacan, is pointed and political in its humor. The 12-course meal included dishes that were christened Sinigang a lo \u201cCourt of Appeals\u201d (a sign of sour feelings, perhaps?); Pavo Presidencial 1943 (wait, was someone just called a presidential turkey?); Pansit disidente (noodles of the dissident); Enpanadas Imperiales (imperial patties); and Ensalada \u201cAsuntos Terminados\u201d (salad \u201cmatters finished\u201d). Who prepared this menu, one wonders? What did it mean? The fact that the event took place in Malolos, the birthplace of the first constitutional republic in Asia, adds yet another layer of intrigue.\u00a0\nShifting gears, a Christmas 1945 menu for American soldiers stationed at Sangley Point in Cavite\u2014an area that was severely bombed during the Second World War\u2014included cream of tomato soup, roast turkey, baked spiced ham, buttered green peas, baked kernel corn, sweet pickles, mixed candies, and mixed nuts. In other words, comfort food.\nA SENSE OF WELL-BEING\nMs. Sta. Maria noted that people get a sense of well-being and happiness from food. In Filipino culture, there are two words that capture these emotions: ginhawa or comfort; and the Visayan naya-naya spirit, which means \u201cto serve food\u201d and \u201cto be a happy person.\u201d\n\u201cThere is a happiness in serving food\u2014that\u2019s probably the basis of our hospitality,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat food is saying is that we are a social people and food is part of that social relationship.\u201d The joy of eating, she added, is derived from satisfying a hunger that is not just physical but emotional as well. \nGinhawa and naya-naya reflect who we are, she continued. \u201cWhen you put them together, it says really good things about who we are,\u201d Ms. Sta. Maria said. \u201cWe see food from many angles because we are feeding the body, the mind, and the emotion. That is our food and we enjoy it when we are with people.\u201d\u00a0", "date_published": "2018-12-10T06:00:34+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T06:00:34+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "christmas", "Christmas menus", "Felice Prudente Sta. Maria", "Michelle Ann P. Soliman", "Features" ], "summary": "Understanding who we are by what we eat." }, { "id": "/?p=202423", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202423/highlife-sidebar-expert-opinions/", "title": "Sidebar | Expert Opinions", "content_html": "Here are some tips that will help you figure out if your great-grandmother\u2019s tea set, your uncle\u2019s maps\u2014or any ageing item hiding in an attic or basement\u2014still holds value.
\nThe best and simplest way is to have your item appraised by experts. One of the Philippines\u2019 auction houses, Casa de Memoria, for instance, has a research specialist who will meticulously do research on an object, and assess its provenance and value.
\n\u201cWe can have it appraised to what the current market value of the piece of that age is\u2014how much it would cost today, what the collectability is, and see how much a collector would want of it,\u201d said Camille Lhuillier, one of the founders of Casa de Memoria who also serves as the house\u2019s marketing manager.
\nThe factors to consider when determining the value of an item is its age, its time period, the artist (if there is one), what the piece represents, and its current condition. Casa de Memoria specializes in antiques and heirloom pieces. For consignments for fine art pieces like paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures, and fashion items like watches and jewelry, meanwhile, you can go to other auction house in the country like Finale Auctions, Leon Gallery, and Salcedo Auctions.
\nFinale Auctions\u2019 owner Evita Sarena affirmed that the best way to know the value of an item is for \u201ccollectors or their heirs to go to experts of those things to have their pieces assessed and appraised.\u201d Once an item is proven of value, you can have your heirloom ring or painting consigned at auction houses. \u2013 NPDG
\n", "content_text": "Here are some tips that will help you figure out if your great-grandmother\u2019s tea set, your uncle\u2019s maps\u2014or any ageing item hiding in an attic or basement\u2014still holds value. \nThe best and simplest way is to have your item appraised by experts. One of the Philippines\u2019 auction houses, Casa de Memoria, for instance, has a research specialist who will meticulously do research on an object, and assess its provenance and value. \n\u201cWe can have it appraised to what the current market value of the piece of that age is\u2014how much it would cost today, what the collectability is, and see how much a collector would want of it,\u201d said Camille Lhuillier, one of the founders of Casa de Memoria who also serves as the house\u2019s marketing manager. \nThe factors to consider when determining the value of an item is its age, its time period, the artist (if there is one), what the piece represents, and its current condition. Casa de Memoria specializes in antiques and heirloom pieces. For consignments for fine art pieces like paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures, and fashion items like watches and jewelry, meanwhile, you can go to other auction house in the country like Finale Auctions, Leon Gallery, and Salcedo Auctions. \nFinale Auctions\u2019 owner Evita Sarena affirmed that the best way to know the value of an item is for \u201ccollectors or their heirs to go to experts of those things to have their pieces assessed and appraised.\u201d Once an item is proven of value, you can have your heirloom ring or painting consigned at auction houses. \u2013 NPDG", "date_published": "2018-12-10T04:45:52+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T04:45:52+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Camille Lhuillier", "Evita Sarenas", "Features" ] }, { "id": "/?p=202380", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202380/highlife-feature-prize-possessions/", "title": "Possessed", "content_html": "Understanding the compulsion to collect.
\nWORDS JOSEPH L. GARCIA
\nThey called her a magpie. It was once believed that magpies were attracted to shine and sheen and picked up anything that reflected a bit of light to place in their nests. Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom, as consort of King George V, was known for her vast collections. It wasn\u2019t enough that as queen, she had control over the contents of various palaces across the nation. She was known to write notes to people who had objects that were once part of the Royal Collection, asking for their return.
\nWhile she inherited a large part of the jewels bequeathed by her grandmother-in-law, Queen Victoria, she was also given use of jewels from her mother-in-law, Alexandra of Denmark. As part of her privileges as queen, she had many bejewelled gifts: pieces from her collection are worn today by her various descendants, including her granddaughter, Elizabeth II. And still, this was not enough. During the Russian Revolution, members of the Russian Imperial Family fled abroad to escape the fate of their many executed relations. Jewelry provided a link to the world they left behind, as well as became a bridge to the new lives they would be forced to live. Queen Mary gleefully bought jewels from these Russian cousins, partly from a desire to help, and partly from a desire to add to her collection. One of the most magnificent pieces from these transactions was the Vladimir Tiara, once owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, and worn today by Elizabeth II.\u00a0
\nIt is understandable that Queen Mary should drape herself in jewels and finery as queen and image-builder for the then-British Empire. But as for people without these tasks, what would cause a person to collect? Collecting as we see here would be the repeated acquisition of objects of the same kind, whether they be fur, jewelry, art, or cars. Some collectors go beyond merely having and seek the rarest, the finest, the best.
\nCOVETABLE AND COLLECTIBLE
\nThe gavel wielded by Salcedo Auctions director Richie Lerma usually decides where rare pieces find a home. Mr. Lerma\u2019s auction house may be famous for selling art, but Salcedo has also sold baubles that can only mean something to a collector: say a S\u00e8vres vase, or else an hourglass made of diamonds. Through Mr. Lerma\u2019s hands pass some of the country\u2019s most covetable\u2014and collectible\u2014objects.\u00a0
\u201cPeople collect because they derive joy from it: both the act of acquiring and possessing,\u201d said Mr. Lerma in an interview. \u201cThe joy of hunting for a piece comes with the pleasure of learning, of being able to apply one\u2019s knowledge and gaining new knowledge along the way, whether it\u2019s through reading the auction catalogue, or speaking with a specialist, not to mention doing one\u2019s independent research to verify or even enhance whatever information is gleaned.\u201d
\n\u201cPossession brings with it the joy of constancy and immediacy\u2014knowing that the object of one\u2019s desires is readily at hand to be savored, to derive aesthetic and intellectual pleasure from,\u201d he said.
\nThere are, of course, different kinds of collectors. There are those who are in it for the game, who flip their acquisitions for profit. And there are also those who attach emotional value to the objects they possess.
\n\u201cNot all people collect because of monetary value\u2014that is its perceived current worth or its potential for growth,\u201d said Mr. Lerma. \u201cEmotion and yes, sentimentality, are also involved in collecting\u2014all of these of course connected to passions and the importance of memory, of being able to hold on to something both physically and in one\u2019s mind that brings joy.\u201d
\nMr. Lerma believes that collecting is an investment in the self\u2014more so than buying up things and using them as actual financial investments. \u201cBy collecting similar objects over time, one shows a serious interest in a subject. Acquiring iterations of an object can display a deepening connoisseurship, learning about and acquiring the full breadth of knowledge.\u201d
\nCHASING THE HIGH
\nDr. Ernest Francis Nora, a practitioner of general psychiatry who specializes in addiction and its related disorders, said: \u201cPeople collect for different reasons. Some do it for money, they collect and sell it later once the price of the collected item goes up. Some do it for science, to look back and study the past. While some will do it for psychological reasons meaning they don\u2019t really know why they do it. Those who collect for emotional or psychological gain cannot totally explain the need or the high they get when collecting things.\u201d
He continued that some experts in the field still cite Freud and trace these compulsions back to a person\u2019s nurturing and toilet training days; collecting is seen as a means of taking back control that they didn\u2019t have when they were young. \u201cThe \u2018high\u2019 of a conquest or acquisition though will be stimulating the reward system in our brain the same way drugs stimulate them,\u201d Dr. Nora said.
\nA question posed in The Rise and Fall of Imelda Marcos by its author, Carmen Navarro Pedrosa, touches on the shoe obsession of the former First Lady: \u201cWhy this fetish? What pinched, what hurt, what would not fit in her life of luxury and compelled her to ransack the shoe boutiques of Fifth Avenue, Rue Faubourg St. Honore, and Via Condotti?\u201d
\nMrs. Marcos, recently convicted by the Sandiganbayan for seven counts of graft, is known throughout the world for the thousands upon thousands of shoes found in the presidential palace after her exile, bought with money allegedly from the government\u2019s coffers. So outlandish was her reputation that her name entered the lexicon via the adjective \u201cImeldific,\u201d which is defined as \u201costentatiously extravagant, sometimes to the point of vulgarity.\u201d The same biography written by Ms. Pedrosa, points out that Mrs. Marcos, before marrying Ferdinand Marcos and hitching her wagon to his star, lived a hard, scrabbling life as a poorer relation of the political Romualdez family.
\nAccording to Dr. Nora, the \u201chighs\u201d of collecting can be addictive and hard to get rid of. Once the habit spirals out of control, it can be pathological or harmful. \u201cThe reason for collecting is usually set: a boy who felt deprived because he grew up without having a family car while all of his friends did, can end up collecting vintage cars,\u201d said Dr. Nora. \u201cBut once the high kicks in, they cannot stop collecting things even if they are no longer needed. \u2026 Once it causes dysfunction in your personal, social, or financial life it is already considered harmful.\u201d
\nSalcedo Auctions\u2019 Mr. Lerma, too,\u00a0 is aware of the dark side of collecting: \u201cCollecting can be unhealthy both physically and emotionally.\u201d He cites hoarding, the collection of things at volumes far from normal, usually of objects with little to no value; and the point at which compulsive, obsessive behavior leads to anti-social, unethical behavior: \u201cCollecting is sinister when it becomes greed.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "Understanding the compulsion to collect.\n\nWORDS JOSEPH L. GARCIA\nThey called her a magpie. It was once believed that magpies were attracted to shine and sheen and picked up anything that reflected a bit of light to place in their nests. Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom, as consort of King George V, was known for her vast collections. It wasn\u2019t enough that as queen, she had control over the contents of various palaces across the nation. She was known to write notes to people who had objects that were once part of the Royal Collection, asking for their return. \nWhile she inherited a large part of the jewels bequeathed by her grandmother-in-law, Queen Victoria, she was also given use of jewels from her mother-in-law, Alexandra of Denmark. As part of her privileges as queen, she had many bejewelled gifts: pieces from her collection are worn today by her various descendants, including her granddaughter, Elizabeth II. And still, this was not enough. During the Russian Revolution, members of the Russian Imperial Family fled abroad to escape the fate of their many executed relations. Jewelry provided a link to the world they left behind, as well as became a bridge to the new lives they would be forced to live. Queen Mary gleefully bought jewels from these Russian cousins, partly from a desire to help, and partly from a desire to add to her collection. One of the most magnificent pieces from these transactions was the Vladimir Tiara, once owned by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, and worn today by Elizabeth II.\u00a0\nIt is understandable that Queen Mary should drape herself in jewels and finery as queen and image-builder for the then-British Empire. But as for people without these tasks, what would cause a person to collect? Collecting as we see here would be the repeated acquisition of objects of the same kind, whether they be fur, jewelry, art, or cars. Some collectors go beyond merely having and seek the rarest, the finest, the best. \nCOVETABLE AND COLLECTIBLE\nThe gavel wielded by Salcedo Auctions director Richie Lerma usually decides where rare pieces find a home. Mr. Lerma\u2019s auction house may be famous for selling art, but Salcedo has also sold baubles that can only mean something to a collector: say a S\u00e8vres vase, or else an hourglass made of diamonds. Through Mr. Lerma\u2019s hands pass some of the country\u2019s most covetable\u2014and collectible\u2014objects.\u00a0\n\u201cPeople collect because they derive joy from it: both the act of acquiring and possessing,\u201d said Mr. Lerma in an interview. \u201cThe joy of hunting for a piece comes with the pleasure of learning, of being able to apply one\u2019s knowledge and gaining new knowledge along the way, whether it\u2019s through reading the auction catalogue, or speaking with a specialist, not to mention doing one\u2019s independent research to verify or even enhance whatever information is gleaned.\u201d\n\u201cPossession brings with it the joy of constancy and immediacy\u2014knowing that the object of one\u2019s desires is readily at hand to be savored, to derive aesthetic and intellectual pleasure from,\u201d he said. \nThere are, of course, different kinds of collectors. There are those who are in it for the game, who flip their acquisitions for profit. And there are also those who attach emotional value to the objects they possess.\n\u201cNot all people collect because of monetary value\u2014that is its perceived current worth or its potential for growth,\u201d said Mr. Lerma. \u201cEmotion and yes, sentimentality, are also involved in collecting\u2014all of these of course connected to passions and the importance of memory, of being able to hold on to something both physically and in one\u2019s mind that brings joy.\u201d\nMr. Lerma believes that collecting is an investment in the self\u2014more so than buying up things and using them as actual financial investments. \u201cBy collecting similar objects over time, one shows a serious interest in a subject. Acquiring iterations of an object can display a deepening connoisseurship, learning about and acquiring the full breadth of knowledge.\u201d\nCHASING THE HIGH\nDr. Ernest Francis Nora, a practitioner of general psychiatry who specializes in addiction and its related disorders, said: \u201cPeople collect for different reasons. Some do it for money, they collect and sell it later once the price of the collected item goes up. Some do it for science, to look back and study the past. While some will do it for psychological reasons meaning they don\u2019t really know why they do it. Those who collect for emotional or psychological gain cannot totally explain the need or the high they get when collecting things.\u201d\nHe continued that some experts in the field still cite Freud and trace these compulsions back to a person\u2019s nurturing and toilet training days; collecting is seen as a means of taking back control that they didn\u2019t have when they were young. \u201cThe \u2018high\u2019 of a conquest or acquisition though will be stimulating the reward system in our brain the same way drugs stimulate them,\u201d Dr. Nora said. \nA question posed in The Rise and Fall of Imelda Marcos by its author, Carmen Navarro Pedrosa, touches on the shoe obsession of the former First Lady: \u201cWhy this fetish? What pinched, what hurt, what would not fit in her life of luxury and compelled her to ransack the shoe boutiques of Fifth Avenue, Rue Faubourg St. Honore, and Via Condotti?\u201d\nMrs. Marcos, recently convicted by the Sandiganbayan for seven counts of graft, is known throughout the world for the thousands upon thousands of shoes found in the presidential palace after her exile, bought with money allegedly from the government\u2019s coffers. So outlandish was her reputation that her name entered the lexicon via the adjective \u201cImeldific,\u201d which is defined as \u201costentatiously extravagant, sometimes to the point of vulgarity.\u201d The same biography written by Ms. Pedrosa, points out that Mrs. Marcos, before marrying Ferdinand Marcos and hitching her wagon to his star, lived a hard, scrabbling life as a poorer relation of the political Romualdez family. \nAccording to Dr. Nora, the \u201chighs\u201d of collecting can be addictive and hard to get rid of. Once the habit spirals out of control, it can be pathological or harmful. \u201cThe reason for collecting is usually set: a boy who felt deprived because he grew up without having a family car while all of his friends did, can end up collecting vintage cars,\u201d said Dr. Nora. \u201cBut once the high kicks in, they cannot stop collecting things even if they are no longer needed. \u2026 Once it causes dysfunction in your personal, social, or financial life it is already considered harmful.\u201d \nSalcedo Auctions\u2019 Mr. Lerma, too,\u00a0 is aware of the dark side of collecting: \u201cCollecting can be unhealthy both physically and emotionally.\u201d He cites hoarding, the collection of things at volumes far from normal, usually of objects with little to no value; and the point at which compulsive, obsessive behavior leads to anti-social, unethical behavior: \u201cCollecting is sinister when it becomes greed.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-12-10T04:00:00+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T04:00:00+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "collecting", "collection", "Dr. Ernest Francis Nora", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Luxury", "possessions", "Richie Lerma", "salcedo auctions", "Features" ], "summary": "Understanding the compulsion to collect." }, { "id": "/?p=202640", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/12/10/202640/highlife-feature-david-hwang-tale-of-two-butterflies/", "title": "Metamorphosis", "content_html": "A tale of two Butterflies.
\n\n
WORDS ZSARLENE B. CHUA
\nPlaywright David Henry Hwang is smoking a cigarette he bummed from a crew member of this year\u2019s Philippine restaging of M. Butterfly\u2014the play that made him a Tony Award winner in 1988\u2014and reminiscing about a career that has spanned almost 40 years. He wants to be remembered as someone who acknowledges \u201cthe importance of the many different types of people and culture and stories,\u201d he said in an interview with High Life in September.
\nThe themes that interest the California-born Mr. Hwang\u2014and made him the \u201cmost important and the most successful Chinese-American playwright this country [America] has produced\u201d (per the New Yorker)\u2014were apparent from the get-go. His early writing credits include a trio of plays (what he likes to call \u201cThe Trilogy of Chinese America\u201d), all of them staged in the early 1980s, that revolve around identity and the Asian-American immigrant experience: Fresh Off the Boat, The Dance and The Railroad, and Family Devotions.
\nToward the end of the same decade, Mr. Hwang\u2019s M. Butterfly premiered on Broadway and became a bona fide hit that was nominated for a slew of awards, including seven Tonys (it took home Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, and Best Direction). A gender-bending love story based on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Peking opera singer Shi Pei Pu, M. Butterfly, during its original run, surprised audiences with its plot twist (spoiler alert: Song Liling is a man!). After a movie adaptation starring Jeremy Irons (1993) and a Julie Taymor-directed Broadway revival with Clive Owen (2017), the big reveal of M. Butterfly isn\u2019t so much a reveal as it is a certainty. And yet, the resulting conversation about gender and race remains as potent as ever.
\n![\"\"](\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/butterfly.jpg\")
\u201cWe still have a long way to go,\u201d Mr. Hwang lamented, especially with the political climate in America. Immigration is a hot-button issue, as is gender (see the #MeToo movement and, more recently, #WeWontBeErased) and race (see #BlackLivesMatter). \u201cEven in the Hamilton year, 70% of the actors on Broadway are white,\u201d Mr. Hwang said, referring to the Pulitzer Prize-winning rap-musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda that debuted in 2015. The critically acclaimed production based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was hailed as groundbreaking for featuring mostly Black and Latino actors.
\nMr. Hwang is now in a position to change things in the Great White Way. He chairs the American Theatre Wing, the New York City organization that created the Tony Awards and provides grants and scholarships to aspiring theater artists. He\u2019s made it his mission to \u201cmove the needle in diversity\u201d by creating more programs and opportunities for actors and playwrights of color on Broadway.
\n![\"\"](\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/butterfly-2.jpg\")
He has his eye on Qui Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American playwright who staged Vietgone in 2016 in New York. Loosely based on the story of how Mr. Nguyen\u2019s parents met, the comedy is about Vietnamese refugees who came to the US after fleeing the Vietnam War. \u201cI think [Vietgone] should be in Broadway,\u201d Mr. Hwang said. \u201cThere\u2019s actually a great deal of diversity out there in terms Asian-American theater right now and a lot of young Asian-American writers\u2026[the challenge] is how we can get more of these [plays] on Broadway and how to get more plays to Broadway, in general.\u201d
\nMr. Hwang believes that 2018 is an \u201can important moment for inclusion.\u201d He pointed to the release of films like Ryan Coogler\u2019s Black Panther, which featured predominantly black actors, and Jon M. Chu\u2019s Crazy Rich Asians, which had an almost all-Asian cast. The playwright, who saw Crazy Rich Asians during its opening weekend, said that representation in film, theater, or any form of art is vital: \u201cYou don\u2019t even see how much you needed it until you see it.\u201d
\nFilmed on a production budget of US$30 million, Crazy Rich Asians \u2014 which was based on a book by American-Singaporean novelist Kevin Kwan \u2014 has made US$236 million worldwide, according to the latest data from The Numbers, a movie industry website. Its financial success proves that there is an appetite for stories from and about minority voices. \u201cI\u2019m generally a very optimistic person,\u201d said Mr. Hwang, after being asked if he sees these developments as flukes or signs of real progress.
\nBEGINNINGS AND BUTTERFLIES
\nIn a 2017 interview with the New York Times, Mr. Hwang summed up his career as a playwright as a crusade against damaging cliches: \u201cI find that much of my work has involved a search for authenticity; if I could discover more truthful images to replace the stereotypical ones of my youth, perhaps I could also understand my own identity.\u201d
Mr. Hwang, now 61, spent his formative years at Stanford University. As an English major, he saw productions of Thornton Wilder\u2019s The Matchmaker, a slapstick farce about a busybody matchmaker, which, in turn, inspired Hello, Dolly!; and Shakespeare\u2019s The Winter\u2019s Tale, which has all the good stuff: jealousy, madness, and redemption. \u201cThe earlier shows made me begin to understand what theater could do and made me think, \u2018Oh, I want to do something like that,\u2019\u201d he told High Life.
\n\nBut it wasn\u2019t until he started studying under American playwright Sam Shepard, whose 1979 play Buried Child won Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Cuban-American avant-garde playwright Mar\u00eda Irene Forn\u00e9s, whose notable works include Fefu and Her Friends (1977) and Sarita (1984), that Mr. Hwang realized that theater was what he was meant to do. Add to that list Arthur Lee Kopit\u2019s Indians (1968), a highly political play that destroyed stereotypes surrounding cowboys and Native Americans, and you have a snapshot of Mr. Hwang\u2019s beginnings.
\nAsked to explain the metamorphosis of M. Butterfly, and how, for the 2017 revival helmed by Ms. Taymor, he tinkered with the story that put him on the map 30 years ago, Mr. Hwang took a drag from his cigarette and replied: \u201cThere are always things that, as a writer, make you kind of go, \u2018Oh, I wish I\u2019d done that better.\u2019\u201d
\nThe updated version of M. Butterfly keeps the themes, the characters, the structure, and \u201cthe bones of the show\u201d\u2014Renee Gallimard still unknowingly embarks on a two-decade affair with a male Peking opera singer and spy, Song Liling\u2014and delves deeper into Song Liling\u2019s experience in the relationship. The refreshed script also touches on the concept of intersectionality, a term coined in 1989 (a year after M. Butterfly premiered) to describe, as Merriam-Webster puts it, \u201cthe complex and cumulative way that the effects of different forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, and yes, intersect\u2014especially in the experiences of marginalized people or groups.\u201d
\nWhile Mr. Hwang regrets that the new Butterfly didn\u2019t live as long as the original\u2014it closed six weeks ahead of schedule\u2014he finds satisfaction in the retooling process. In a 2017 conversation organized by Asia Society, which also featured Ms. Taymor, the playwright shared that it was interesting to revisit the material given \u201cparticular things that are different.\u201d He ticked off two major shifts: how we are more conscious of the range of gender expression and non-conforming gender expression; and how the power balance between East and West has changed.
\nIt\u2019s not the first time Mr. Hwang has edited and the honed the ideas of his younger self: In 2012, he rewrote several scenes in Golden Child, which ran off-Broadway in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998. Partly set in Cebu, where Mr. Hwang\u2019s mother grew up, it is the story of an early 20th century Chinese family facing Westernization.
\nIncidentally, the version of M. Butterfly that made its way to Manila this September was a restaging of the 1988 production. And it is also this version that will tour in January and February 2019 in Iloilo, Davao, Cebu, Dumaguete, and Baguio. Mr. Hwang has no qualms about his decision to revisit and transform the play. He has given the world two versions to choose from. It is, after all, the nature of butterflies to metamorphose. \u201cWhat we\u2019re always concerned about was how we managed to have a great impact and engagement with the culture 30 years ago \u2014 and how you do that again, particularly when the culture has changed a lot.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "A tale of two Butterflies.\n\n\nWORDS ZSARLENE B. CHUA\nPlaywright David Henry Hwang is smoking a cigarette he bummed from a crew member of this year\u2019s Philippine restaging of M. Butterfly\u2014the play that made him a Tony Award winner in 1988\u2014and reminiscing about a career that has spanned almost 40 years. He wants to be remembered as someone who acknowledges \u201cthe importance of the many different types of people and culture and stories,\u201d he said in an interview with High Life in September.\nThe themes that interest the California-born Mr. Hwang\u2014and made him the \u201cmost important and the most successful Chinese-American playwright this country [America] has produced\u201d (per the New Yorker)\u2014were apparent from the get-go. His early writing credits include a trio of plays (what he likes to call \u201cThe Trilogy of Chinese America\u201d), all of them staged in the early 1980s, that revolve around identity and the Asian-American immigrant experience: Fresh Off the Boat, The Dance and The Railroad, and Family Devotions.\nToward the end of the same decade, Mr. Hwang\u2019s M. Butterfly premiered on Broadway and became a bona fide hit that was nominated for a slew of awards, including seven Tonys (it took home Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, and Best Direction). A gender-bending love story based on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Peking opera singer Shi Pei Pu, M. Butterfly, during its original run, surprised audiences with its plot twist (spoiler alert: Song Liling is a man!). After a movie adaptation starring Jeremy Irons (1993) and a Julie Taymor-directed Broadway revival with Clive Owen (2017), the big reveal of M. Butterfly isn\u2019t so much a reveal as it is a certainty. And yet, the resulting conversation about gender and race remains as potent as ever.\nThe September restaging of David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly was accompanied by a photography exhibition that featured interpretations of “the perfect woman” by top Filipino photographers including Wig Tysmans and Jun De Leon. Pictured:\u00a0The Chrysalis\u00a0by Wig Tysmans.\u00a0\n\u201cWe still have a long way to go,\u201d Mr. Hwang lamented, especially with the political climate in America. Immigration is a hot-button issue, as is gender (see the #MeToo movement and, more recently, #WeWontBeErased) and race (see #BlackLivesMatter). \u201cEven in the Hamilton year, 70% of the actors on Broadway are white,\u201d Mr. Hwang said, referring to the Pulitzer Prize-winning rap-musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda that debuted in 2015. The critically acclaimed production based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was hailed as groundbreaking for featuring mostly Black and Latino actors. \nMr. Hwang is now in a position to change things in the Great White Way. He chairs the American Theatre Wing, the New York City organization that created the Tony Awards and provides grants and scholarships to aspiring theater artists. He\u2019s made it his mission to \u201cmove the needle in diversity\u201d by creating more programs and opportunities for actors and playwrights of color on Broadway.\nRhapsody in Blue by Jun De Leon\nHe has his eye on Qui Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American playwright who staged Vietgone in 2016 in New York. Loosely based on the story of how Mr. Nguyen\u2019s parents met, the comedy is about Vietnamese refugees who came to the US after fleeing the Vietnam War. \u201cI think [Vietgone] should be in Broadway,\u201d Mr. Hwang said. \u201cThere\u2019s actually a great deal of diversity out there in terms Asian-American theater right now and a lot of young Asian-American writers\u2026[the challenge] is how we can get more of these [plays] on Broadway and how to get more plays to Broadway, in general.\u201d\nMr. Hwang believes that 2018 is an \u201can important moment for inclusion.\u201d He pointed to the release of films like Ryan Coogler\u2019s Black Panther, which featured predominantly black actors, and Jon M. Chu\u2019s Crazy Rich Asians, which had an almost all-Asian cast. The playwright, who saw Crazy Rich Asians during its opening weekend, said that representation in film, theater, or any form of art is vital: \u201cYou don\u2019t even see how much you needed it until you see it.\u201d \nFilmed on a production budget of US$30 million, Crazy Rich Asians \u2014 which was based on a book by American-Singaporean novelist Kevin Kwan \u2014 has made US$236 million worldwide, according to the latest data from The Numbers, a movie industry website. Its financial success proves that there is an appetite for stories from and about minority voices. \u201cI\u2019m generally a very optimistic person,\u201d said Mr. Hwang, after being asked if he sees these developments as flukes or signs of real progress. \nBEGINNINGS AND BUTTERFLIES\nIn a 2017 interview with the New York Times, Mr. Hwang summed up his career as a playwright as a crusade against damaging cliches: \u201cI find that much of my work has involved a search for authenticity; if I could discover more truthful images to replace the stereotypical ones of my youth, perhaps I could also understand my own identity.\u201d\nMr. Hwang, now 61, spent his formative years at Stanford University. As an English major, he saw productions of Thornton Wilder\u2019s The Matchmaker, a slapstick farce about a busybody matchmaker, which, in turn, inspired Hello, Dolly!; and Shakespeare\u2019s The Winter\u2019s Tale, which has all the good stuff: jealousy, madness, and redemption. \u201cThe earlier shows made me begin to understand what theater could do and made me think, \u2018Oh, I want to do something like that,\u2019\u201d he told High Life.\n\nBut it wasn\u2019t until he started studying under American playwright Sam Shepard, whose 1979 play Buried Child won Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Cuban-American avant-garde playwright Mar\u00eda Irene Forn\u00e9s, whose notable works include Fefu and Her Friends (1977) and Sarita (1984), that Mr. Hwang realized that theater was what he was meant to do. Add to that list Arthur Lee Kopit\u2019s Indians (1968), a highly political play that destroyed stereotypes surrounding cowboys and Native Americans, and you have a snapshot of Mr. Hwang\u2019s beginnings.\nAsked to explain the metamorphosis of M. Butterfly, and how, for the 2017 revival helmed by Ms. Taymor, he tinkered with the story that put him on the map 30 years ago, Mr. Hwang took a drag from his cigarette and replied: \u201cThere are always things that, as a writer, make you kind of go, \u2018Oh, I wish I\u2019d done that better.\u2019\u201d\nThe updated version of M. Butterfly keeps the themes, the characters, the structure, and \u201cthe bones of the show\u201d\u2014Renee Gallimard still unknowingly embarks on a two-decade affair with a male Peking opera singer and spy, Song Liling\u2014and delves deeper into Song Liling\u2019s experience in the relationship. The refreshed script also touches on the concept of intersectionality, a term coined in 1989 (a year after M. Butterfly premiered) to describe, as Merriam-Webster puts it, \u201cthe complex and cumulative way that the effects of different forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, and yes, intersect\u2014especially in the experiences of marginalized people or groups.\u201d \nWhile Mr. Hwang regrets that the new Butterfly didn\u2019t live as long as the original\u2014it closed six weeks ahead of schedule\u2014he finds satisfaction in the retooling process. In a 2017 conversation organized by Asia Society, which also featured Ms. Taymor, the playwright shared that it was interesting to revisit the material given \u201cparticular things that are different.\u201d He ticked off two major shifts: how we are more conscious of the range of gender expression and non-conforming gender expression; and how the power balance between East and West has changed.\nIt\u2019s not the first time Mr. Hwang has edited and the honed the ideas of his younger self: In 2012, he rewrote several scenes in Golden Child, which ran off-Broadway in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998. Partly set in Cebu, where Mr. Hwang\u2019s mother grew up, it is the story of an early 20th century Chinese family facing Westernization.\nIncidentally, the version of M. Butterfly that made its way to Manila this September was a restaging of the 1988 production. And it is also this version that will tour in January and February 2019 in Iloilo, Davao, Cebu, Dumaguete, and Baguio. Mr. Hwang has no qualms about his decision to revisit and transform the play. He has given the world two versions to choose from. It is, after all, the nature of butterflies to metamorphose. \u201cWhat we\u2019re always concerned about was how we managed to have a great impact and engagement with the culture 30 years ago \u2014 and how you do that again, particularly when the culture has changed a lot.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-12-10T02:30:49+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-12-10T02:30:49+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "David Henry Hwang", "M. Butterfly", "Theater", "Zsarlene B. Chua", "Features" ], "summary": "A tale of two Butterflies." }, { "id": "/?p=190633", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/10/06/190633/highlife-ethical-consumerism/", "title": "Ethical consumerism", "content_html": "When is shopping considered a good deed?
\nWORDS\u00a0MICHELLE ANNE P. SOLIMAN
\nSupporting local industries that hire local artisans as designers, using cruelty-free cosmetics, shopping with reusable bags, drinking with a metal straw, or carrying a tumbler to reduce plastic waste\u2014consumers now think about the ethical supply chain.
\nAccording to Dr. Reynaldo A. Bautista, Jr., associate professor at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University, ethical consumerism considers the moral aspects of a commodity\u2019s production and delivery.
\n\u201cThe concept of green consumption, i.e. using recyclable materials, is already established in the field of consumer behavior. The ethical consumption concept broadens this view by including the ethical and moral aspects present in production and delivery of goods,\u201d he wrote in an e-mail to High Life, citing considerations on the practice of child labor, suppression or prevention of labor unions, and animal testing.
\nContinued Dr. Bautista: \u201cEthical consumer practices aim at the fulfilment of the objectives of socially responsible trade. Thus, in the global context ethical consumerism deals with the ethical and moral aspects of product value chain from production, i.e. sourcing of materials, down to retailing of the products. The ethical consumer ideal implies that individual consumers can have a significant role, through their daily purchasing decisions, in promoting ethical corporate practices.
\n\u201cCorrespondingly, ethical trade refers to international trade that aims at preventing the injustices of global trade, such as child and low-paid labor, pollution of the environment, infringement of human rights and the inequalities in development caused by globalization.
\n\u201cProducts that make sure that all the stakeholders in the value chain are treated fairly constitute whether a product is considered ethical.\u201d
\nHere, High Life takes a look at two brands and their efforts at making ethical products.
\nA NEW LEASE ON LIFE
\nIn 2015, bag manufacturer Tali Handmade opened job opportunities to former female inmates from Davao after an eye-opening experience with a women\u2019s penitentiary by co-founders Liza Crespo and Marielle de Leon-Lazaro. Tali, which means \u201cto tie\u201d or \u201cbind\u201d in Filipino, is \u201cfirmly committed to its vision of empowering women\u2019s lives and connecting communities.\u201d
\u201cTali Handmade trains and employs skilled women who live in marginalized rural communities in the Philippines, some of whom live with disabilities and have limited opportunities to work. Through the Tali Handmade enterprise, they have been given a new lease on life,\u201d Tali Handmade co-founder Liza Crespo told High Life in an e-mail.
\n\u201cOnce the female inmates have served their sentence and are free women, they have the option to continue working for us. We have a halfway house to help them transition to their new lives and also to have a means of livelihood by helping us train the new inmates. This will help ensure that they won\u2019t go back to their old ways. We also try to employ stay-at-home moms, who can continue to work from the confines of their own homes while caring for their young children,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote.
\nThe one-of-a-kind handbags are made with unconventional raw materials, such as twine straw and leather from local suppliers in Marikina, using traditional crochet techniques.
\n\u201cOur creative process is quite organic. We never really know how the finished product will look until it\u2019s done. It is a collaborative process between the designers and the women artisans who make the bags. We explore different crochet patterns, experiment with different mediums based on what could be sourced locally,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote of their creative process.
\nAt present, Tali Handmade has more than 75 women who work with them and are able to support their own families. \u201c[The] income has allowed them to send their kids to school, breaking a vicious cycle of having to engage in criminal activities to make a living. What we\u2019ve learned is that it only takes a spark to fuel change. No good gesture is too big or too small. Every bit helps,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote.
\nENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
\nDr. Bautista, in his e-mail, explained that ethical consumerism is by no means a new concept: \u201cWhile ethical consumerism has been in existence for centuries, it gained greater traction in the last few decades because of environmental issues such as global warming, flooding, landslides etc. Along with it, we see communities struggling to survive and become easy targets of some companies to make their products more affordable. Ethical consumerism is a system aimed to address these issues,\u201d he wrote.
Computer company Dell, for example, sought to recycle ocean plastics for the tray packaging of the XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop in 2017.
\n\u201cIn 2015, Dell became aware of the challenges facing our oceans, i.e. plastics in the oceans poses not only a threat to vital ocean ecosystems, including critical fish nurseries and coral reefs, but also adversely affects the health and longevity of marine species and humans. Dell believes we can make a meaningful contribution to tackle the issue having spent a decade experimenting with a variety of sustainable materials both in our products and packaging, e.g. we have used PCS [polymer-clad silica] plastics in our products since 2008, closed-loop plastics from e-waste since 2014 and reclaimed carbon fiber since 2015,\u201d Dell EMC Philippines country general manager Ronnie Latinazo told High Life in an e-mail.
\nAccording to Mr. Latinazo, Dell developed a strategy\u2014based on ongoing consultation with the likes of Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia professor recognized for her research on plastic waste in the ocean, and 5 Gyres, a non-profit organization that addresses the global health crisis of plastic pollution\u2014to intercept ocean-bound plastics in areas with the highest concentration of the material.
\nIn April 2017, after 18 months of feasibility testing, Dell launched the industry\u2019s first ocean plastics packaging in the XPS 13 2-in-1, its consumer laptop. To make these trays, plastics are collected from beaches, waterways, and other coastal areas, and molded into the final design which bears an illustration of a whale. These packaging trays contain 25% ocean-bound plastics and 75% other recycled plastics.
\nMr. Latinazo shared that in the Philippines, Dell did a coastal clean-up drive as part of the company\u2019s global Shore Up campaign. It was in 2017 when the Dell EMC Philippines team volunteered their time to clear garbage on Freedom Island, a two-kilometer stretch of the Las Pi\u00f1as-Para\u00f1aque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area along Manila Bay. The area is considered among the last remaining wetland ecosystems in Metro Manila and considered an important marine sanctuary that must be protected against the effects of rapid urbanization.
\n\u201cDell is fully aware that social and environmental issues are increasingly important to consumers and our enterprise customers\u2019 operations, employees, brands, and bottom lines,\u201d Mr. Latinazo wrote. To date, Dell has used 16,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastics and wants to increase usage by 10 times by 2025.
\nA KEY ASPECT OF BUSINESS
\nEthical consumerism isn\u2019t just a voguish label and businesses are recognizing that consumers care about how the products they buy are manufactured. Citing the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Dr. Bautista said that \u201cin the past decade consumers\u2019 attitudes towards ethical issues have become of increasing relevance to businesses, so much so that they are now considered a key aspect of business strategy.
\u201cConsumers and businesses alike are beginning to realize the importance of customer values and how meeting demands is critical if they wish to gain competitive advantage.
\n\u201cThe developing focus on ethical issues in consumption has seen a response from brands in portraying themselves as \u2018clean, green, and socially responsible,\u2019\u201d Dr. Bautista wrote, pointing to the research of sociologist and organizational theorist Stewart Clegg.
\n\u201cConsequently, there are more brands that claim to be ethical,\u201d he added, offering examples listed by Joanna Doonar in \u201cEthical Marketing: A question of ethics\u201d: there are brands that use ethical practices in their supply chain (American Apparel); brands that offer ethical or environmentally friendly products in their portfolio (Toyota); and brands that invest in social causes (Pret a Manger).
\nTaking a look at demographics, Dr. Bautista said that the Philippines tracks with the rest of the world in terms of recognizing the value of ethical consumption, and pointed out an important detail: \u201cIn the Philippines, while the younger generation are aware, they have limited buying power to purchase these products since socially responsible products are generally more expensive. The older generation has the buying power but has the lesser propensity to buy ethical products. \u2026\u00a0 A sound strategy is to cultivate awareness among the younger generation which they will bring with them when they become the main consumers in the future.\u201d
\nOne nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical consumerism is Fairtrade International, which, on its website, defines \u201cfair trade\u201d as \u201can alternative approach to conventional trade based on a partnership between producers and traders, businesses, and consumers.\u201d Furthermore, when a product carries the Fairtrade Mark, \u201cit means it was produced according to international Fairtrade standards. These standards ensure Fairtrade products are socially and economically fair and environmentally responsible. Key standards include the payment of a minimum price and a premium.\u201d In the Philippines, one can find Fairtrade in Cebu City.
\n\u201cFairtrade has been in the Philippines for several decades, unfortunately, it is not as popular as in other parts of the world. [The] major contributing factor is the high cost of becoming a full-fledged Fairtrade organization since the organization has to undergo certification. This is also the reason why there are limited marketing efforts to create awareness about fair trade in the country,\u201d Dr. Bautista wrote.
\nTo conclude his email, Dr. Bautista emphasized that ethical consumerism is crucial: \u201cIt will not just impact the environment which provides for our needs such as food, shelter\u2014but also, it is crucial in restoring human decency for all the people in the world.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "When is shopping considered a good deed?\n\nWORDS\u00a0MICHELLE ANNE P. SOLIMAN\nSupporting local industries that hire local artisans as designers, using cruelty-free cosmetics, shopping with reusable bags, drinking with a metal straw, or carrying a tumbler to reduce plastic waste\u2014consumers now think about the ethical supply chain.\nAccording to Dr. Reynaldo A. Bautista, Jr., associate professor at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University, ethical consumerism considers the moral aspects of a commodity\u2019s production and delivery.\n\u201cThe concept of green consumption, i.e. using recyclable materials, is already established in the field of consumer behavior. The ethical consumption concept broadens this view by including the ethical and moral aspects present in production and delivery of goods,\u201d he wrote in an e-mail to High Life, citing considerations on the practice of child labor, suppression or prevention of labor unions, and animal testing.\nContinued Dr. Bautista: \u201cEthical consumer practices aim at the fulfilment of the objectives of socially responsible trade. Thus, in the global context ethical consumerism deals with the ethical and moral aspects of product value chain from production, i.e. sourcing of materials, down to retailing of the products. The ethical consumer ideal implies that individual consumers can have a significant role, through their daily purchasing decisions, in promoting ethical corporate practices.\n\u201cCorrespondingly, ethical trade refers to international trade that aims at preventing the injustices of global trade, such as child and low-paid labor, pollution of the environment, infringement of human rights and the inequalities in development caused by globalization.\n\u201cProducts that make sure that all the stakeholders in the value chain are treated fairly constitute whether a product is considered ethical.\u201d\nHere, High Life takes a look at two brands and their efforts at making ethical products.\nA NEW LEASE ON LIFE\nIn 2015, bag manufacturer Tali Handmade opened job opportunities to former female inmates from Davao after an eye-opening experience with a women\u2019s penitentiary by co-founders Liza Crespo and Marielle de Leon-Lazaro. Tali, which means \u201cto tie\u201d or \u201cbind\u201d in Filipino, is \u201cfirmly committed to its vision of empowering women\u2019s lives and connecting communities.\u201d\n\u201cTali Handmade trains and employs skilled women who live in marginalized rural communities in the Philippines, some of whom live with disabilities and have limited opportunities to work. Through the Tali Handmade enterprise, they have been given a new lease on life,\u201d Tali Handmade co-founder Liza Crespo told High Life in an e-mail.\n\u201cOnce the female inmates have served their sentence and are free women, they have the option to continue working for us. We have a halfway house to help them transition to their new lives and also to have a means of livelihood by helping us train the new inmates. This will help ensure that they won\u2019t go back to their old ways. We also try to employ stay-at-home moms, who can continue to work from the confines of their own homes while caring for their young children,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote.\nThe one-of-a-kind handbags are made with unconventional raw materials, such as twine straw and leather from local suppliers in Marikina, using traditional crochet techniques.\n\u201cOur creative process is quite organic. We never really know how the finished product will look until it\u2019s done. It is a collaborative process between the designers and the women artisans who make the bags. We explore different crochet patterns, experiment with different mediums based on what could be sourced locally,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote of their creative process.\nAt present, Tali Handmade has more than 75 women who work with them and are able to support their own families. \u201c[The] income has allowed them to send their kids to school, breaking a vicious cycle of having to engage in criminal activities to make a living. What we\u2019ve learned is that it only takes a spark to fuel change. No good gesture is too big or too small. Every bit helps,\u201d Ms. Crespo wrote.\nENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES\nDr. Bautista, in his e-mail, explained that ethical consumerism is by no means a new concept: \u201cWhile ethical consumerism has been in existence for centuries, it gained greater traction in the last few decades because of environmental issues such as global warming, flooding, landslides etc. Along with it, we see communities struggling to survive and become easy targets of some companies to make their products more affordable. Ethical consumerism is a system aimed to address these issues,\u201d he wrote.\nComputer company Dell, for example, sought to recycle ocean plastics for the tray packaging of the XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop in 2017.\n\u201cIn 2015, Dell became aware of the challenges facing our oceans, i.e. plastics in the oceans poses not only a threat to vital ocean ecosystems, including critical fish nurseries and coral reefs, but also adversely affects the health and longevity of marine species and humans. Dell believes we can make a meaningful contribution to tackle the issue having spent a decade experimenting with a variety of sustainable materials both in our products and packaging, e.g. we have used PCS [polymer-clad silica] plastics in our products since 2008, closed-loop plastics from e-waste since 2014 and reclaimed carbon fiber since 2015,\u201d Dell EMC Philippines country general manager Ronnie Latinazo told High Life in an e-mail.\nAccording to Mr. Latinazo, Dell developed a strategy\u2014based on ongoing consultation with the likes of Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia professor recognized for her research on plastic waste in the ocean, and 5 Gyres, a non-profit organization that addresses the global health crisis of plastic pollution\u2014to intercept ocean-bound plastics in areas with the highest concentration of the material. \nIn April 2017, after 18 months of feasibility testing, Dell launched the industry\u2019s first ocean plastics packaging in the XPS 13 2-in-1, its consumer laptop. To make these trays, plastics are collected from beaches, waterways, and other coastal areas, and molded into the final design which bears an illustration of a whale. These packaging trays contain 25% ocean-bound plastics and 75% other recycled plastics.\nMr. Latinazo shared that in the Philippines, Dell did a coastal clean-up drive as part of the company\u2019s global Shore Up campaign. It was in 2017 when the Dell EMC Philippines team volunteered their time to clear garbage on Freedom Island, a two-kilometer stretch of the Las Pi\u00f1as-Para\u00f1aque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area along Manila Bay. The area is considered among the last remaining wetland ecosystems in Metro Manila and considered an important marine sanctuary that must be protected against the effects of rapid urbanization. \n\u201cDell is fully aware that social and environmental issues are increasingly important to consumers and our enterprise customers\u2019 operations, employees, brands, and bottom lines,\u201d Mr. Latinazo wrote. To date, Dell has used 16,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastics and wants to increase usage by 10 times by 2025.\nA KEY ASPECT OF BUSINESS\nEthical consumerism isn\u2019t just a voguish label and businesses are recognizing that consumers care about how the products they buy are manufactured. Citing the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Dr. Bautista said that \u201cin the past decade consumers\u2019 attitudes towards ethical issues have become of increasing relevance to businesses, so much so that they are now considered a key aspect of business strategy.\n\u201cConsumers and businesses alike are beginning to realize the importance of customer values and how meeting demands is critical if they wish to gain competitive advantage.\n\u201cThe developing focus on ethical issues in consumption has seen a response from brands in portraying themselves as \u2018clean, green, and socially responsible,\u2019\u201d Dr. Bautista wrote, pointing to the research of sociologist and organizational theorist Stewart Clegg. \n\u201cConsequently, there are more brands that claim to be ethical,\u201d he added, offering examples listed by Joanna Doonar in \u201cEthical Marketing: A question of ethics\u201d: there are brands that use ethical practices in their supply chain (American Apparel); brands that offer ethical or environmentally friendly products in their portfolio (Toyota); and brands that invest in social causes (Pret a Manger).\nTaking a look at demographics, Dr. Bautista said that the Philippines tracks with the rest of the world in terms of recognizing the value of ethical consumption, and pointed out an important detail: \u201cIn the Philippines, while the younger generation are aware, they have limited buying power to purchase these products since socially responsible products are generally more expensive. The older generation has the buying power but has the lesser propensity to buy ethical products. \u2026\u00a0 A sound strategy is to cultivate awareness among the younger generation which they will bring with them when they become the main consumers in the future.\u201d\nOne nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical consumerism is Fairtrade International, which, on its website, defines \u201cfair trade\u201d as \u201can alternative approach to conventional trade based on a partnership between producers and traders, businesses, and consumers.\u201d Furthermore, when a product carries the Fairtrade Mark, \u201cit means it was produced according to international Fairtrade standards. These standards ensure Fairtrade products are socially and economically fair and environmentally responsible. Key standards include the payment of a minimum price and a premium.\u201d In the Philippines, one can find Fairtrade in Cebu City.\n \u201cFairtrade has been in the Philippines for several decades, unfortunately, it is not as popular as in other parts of the world. [The] major contributing factor is the high cost of becoming a full-fledged Fairtrade organization since the organization has to undergo certification. This is also the reason why there are limited marketing efforts to create awareness about fair trade in the country,\u201d Dr. Bautista wrote. \nTo conclude his email, Dr. Bautista emphasized that ethical consumerism is crucial: \u201cIt will not just impact the environment which provides for our needs such as food, shelter\u2014but also, it is crucial in restoring human decency for all the people in the world.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-10-06T08:15:42+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-10-06T08:15:42+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Dell", "ethical consumerism", "Reynaldo A. Bautista", "Tali Handmade", "Features" ], "summary": "When is shopping considered a good deed?" }, { "id": "/?p=190616", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/10/06/190616/its-a-mall-world-after-all/", "title": "It\u2019s a mall world, after all", "content_html": "A mall isn\u2019t just a mall. It\u2019s also a lifestyle destination with a waterpark, a football field, an open-air amphitheater, a botanical garden, and many other things.
\n
WORDS\u00a0ZSARLENE B. CHUA\u00a0|\u00a0ILLUSTRATION\u00a0TONE V. DA\u00d1AS
\nAs early as 2015, The New York Times sounded the death knell for malls and the rise of online retail in the US saying that while \u201cpremature obituaries for the shopping mall have been appearing since the late 1990s, but the reality today is more nuanced, reflecting broader trends remaking the American economy.\u201d
\nThe January article quoted the Co Star Group, a Washington-based provider of data for the real estate industry, saying that 80% of the 1,200 malls in the US are considered \u201chealthy\u201d (those with vacancy rates of 10% or less) but comparing it to the numbers nine years before when 94% of malls were considered healthy.
\nNearly 15% of the stores in US are 10%\u201340% vacant, up from 5% in 2006, said the article. Now, malls in Europe and the US are taking an even bigger hit and chains like Macy\u2019s, a department store in the US, announced in 2016 that it will close 100 of its 728 shops while The Economist reported in 2017 that nearly 10,000 stores in the US are to close that same year according to Fung Global Retail & Technology, a consultancy firm with offices in London, New York, and Hong Kong. \u201cAnd there will be more to come,\u201d the article said ominously.
\nAnd many would blame online shopping as one of the main culprits of the decline of physical malls with Amazon, considered one of the largest e-commerce sites in the world, posting US$178 billion dollars in 2017 in net revenue according to statistics portal, Statista. This number is set to grow to US$201 billion in 2018 and US$356 billion by 2022 homing in the point that more and more people are gravitating towards the convenience of shopping using their mobile devices and waiting for it to be delivered to their homes or offices.
\nWhile malls and physical retail stores might be faltering in other parts of the world, the same is not the case in the Philippines according to two of its largest mall operators\u2014SM Supermalls with more than 70 malls nationwide, and Robinsons Malls with 50.
\nOf note: SM Mall of Asia enjoys 97% occupancy. \u201cBusiness remains bustling,\u201d said Steven T. Tan, chief operating officer of SM Supermalls, in an e-mail interview with High Life in September.
\nBoth mall operators noted that the definition of malls is changing from merely shopping spaces to social spaces, said Arlene G. Magtibay, senior vice-president and general manager of the commercial centers division of Robinsons Land Corp.
\n\u201cToday, a mall is not just a place to shop but a place to watch people, relax, connect, rejuvenate. It is a place where you can get your errands done, attend religious services, a place for multi-generational families. Shopping centers now strive to be more entertaining and engaging. We [now] view them more as social spaces rather than just places to purchase goods,\u201d Ms. Magtibay said in another e-mail interview with High Life in September.
\n\u2018FOOD IS THE NEW FASHION\u2019
\nAnd one of the more prominent changes malls have seen in recent years is the proliferation of dining options with Ms. Magtibay noting \u201cfood is the new fashion.\u201d
\u201cIn the 1990s, food establishments accounted for roughly 10% of the total number of shops in a mall. Today, depending on the mall\u2019s positioning, the number has increased to around 20% with some malls having as high as 30% of their spaces allocated to food,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cFilipinos, in general, are a very social people. We like to gather as families, or as a group of friends, officemates or org-mates, etc. and food is usually at the center of such gatherings. Given the convenience that restaurants offer and the increasingly hectic pace of modern life, it is not surprising that more people now prefer to dine out rather than host dinners at home,\u201d she added.
\nRestaurants also function as an \u201caccessible luxury,\u201d said Mr. Tan.
\n\u201cFood is no longer just for sustenance or celebration, but an experience for the taste buds that reflects your personality and can be shared digitally. By sampling different cuisines, you can travel vicariously. There is so much renewed interest in food. It\u2019s accessible luxury. People now go to the malls principally to eat out. It is their impetus to go malling,\u201d he said.
\nAccording to both Ms. Magtibay and Mr. Tan, malls have become lifestyle destinations that should provide more than just shopping experiences.
\nRobinsons Land opened its third mall in Iloilo (and 49th mall in all) in Pavia. Its signature feature: its own waterpark. Meanwhile, SM Mall of Asia is set to introduce a roof deck with a FIFA-grade football field, an open-air amphitheater, and a botanical garden \u201cto complement the Manila Bay sunset,\u201d said Mr. Tan. (SM is no stranger to introducing these amenities. Remember when SM Megamall opened the country\u2019s first skating rink?)
\nMr. Tan also noted that there is now a new trend of introducing hybrid retail where \u201cstrict formats are giving way to hybrids for a seamless lifestyle experience.\u201d
\n\u201cPeople now are expecting products and experience. So you have stores that have caf\u00e9 components, barber shops serving cocktails, themed restaurants like DC Caf\u00e9 that serves DC Comics-branded limited-edition collectibles, and vinyl record stores that serve coffee,\u201d he explained.
\n\u2018OMNI-CHANNEL RETAIL\u2019
\nThe evolving definition of what constitutes a mall also prompted both mall operators to introduce new experiences in their respective spaces. SM Mall of Asia\u2014a sprawling 406,000-square-meter space in Pasay City\u2014is, according to Mr. Tan, undergoing a \u201credevelopment more than just a renovation\u201d until 2022. This includes the construction of a third level to accommodate even more brands that wish to open boutiques in the said mall.
On the other hand, Robinsons\u2019 flagship mall, Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, is undergoing a multi-year renovation as a response to the market\u2019s changing tastes and preferences. The expansion includes more dining establishments, a VIP theater, and PlayLab (described by Ms. Magtibay as \u201cthe country\u2019s first digital playground\u201d).
\nShe also observed that more and more retailers will offer experiences that leverage technology (virtual reality content and immersive experiences) while restaurateurs will create \u201cexperimental dining [options] such as farm-to-table courtyards, gourmet food halls and cook-your-own-food facilities.\u201d
\n\u201cThere will be a lot more interface between online and offline shopping as retailers move towards omni-channel retailing. People will be able to research online and buy offline, or browse offline and buy online, or buy online and pick up at the store,\u201d Ms. Magtibay added.
\nMeanwhile, in a 2017 interview with 大象传媒, Lazada\u2019s then-CEO Inanc Balci, said that the goal of the Southeast Asian e-commerce site was never to replace malls in the Philippines because they recognize that malls for Filipinos are more than just places for people to shop. He said that the company is only looking to get a percentage of the Php60-65 billion retail industry into e-commerce.
\n", "content_text": "A mall isn\u2019t just a mall. It\u2019s also a lifestyle destination with a waterpark, a football field, an open-air amphitheater, a botanical garden, and many other things.\n\n\nWORDS\u00a0ZSARLENE B. CHUA\u00a0|\u00a0ILLUSTRATION\u00a0TONE V. DA\u00d1AS\nAs early as 2015, The New York Times sounded the death knell for malls and the rise of online retail in the US saying that while \u201cpremature obituaries for the shopping mall have been appearing since the late 1990s, but the reality today is more nuanced, reflecting broader trends remaking the American economy.\u201d\nThe January article quoted the Co Star Group, a Washington-based provider of data for the real estate industry, saying that 80% of the 1,200 malls in the US are considered \u201chealthy\u201d (those with vacancy rates of 10% or less) but comparing it to the numbers nine years before when 94% of malls were considered healthy.\nNearly 15% of the stores in US are 10%\u201340% vacant, up from 5% in 2006, said the article. Now, malls in Europe and the US are taking an even bigger hit and chains like Macy\u2019s, a department store in the US, announced in 2016 that it will close 100 of its 728 shops while The Economist reported in 2017 that nearly 10,000 stores in the US are to close that same year according to Fung Global Retail & Technology, a consultancy firm with offices in London, New York, and Hong Kong. \u201cAnd there will be more to come,\u201d the article said ominously.\nAnd many would blame online shopping as one of the main culprits of the decline of physical malls with Amazon, considered one of the largest e-commerce sites in the world, posting US$178 billion dollars in 2017 in net revenue according to statistics portal, Statista. This number is set to grow to US$201 billion in 2018 and US$356 billion by 2022 homing in the point that more and more people are gravitating towards the convenience of shopping using their mobile devices and waiting for it to be delivered to their homes or offices.\nWhile malls and physical retail stores might be faltering in other parts of the world, the same is not the case in the Philippines according to two of its largest mall operators\u2014SM Supermalls with more than 70 malls nationwide, and Robinsons Malls with 50. \nOf note: SM Mall of Asia enjoys 97% occupancy. \u201cBusiness remains bustling,\u201d said Steven T. Tan, chief operating officer of SM Supermalls, in an e-mail interview with High Life in September.\nBoth mall operators noted that the definition of malls is changing from merely shopping spaces to social spaces, said Arlene G. Magtibay, senior vice-president and general manager of the commercial centers division of Robinsons Land Corp.\n\u201cToday, a mall is not just a place to shop but a place to watch people, relax, connect, rejuvenate. It is a place where you can get your errands done, attend religious services, a place for multi-generational families. Shopping centers now strive to be more entertaining and engaging. We [now] view them more as social spaces rather than just places to purchase goods,\u201d Ms. Magtibay said in another e-mail interview with High Life in September.\n\u2018FOOD IS THE NEW FASHION\u2019\nAnd one of the more prominent changes malls have seen in recent years is the proliferation of dining options with Ms. Magtibay noting \u201cfood is the new fashion.\u201d\n\u201cIn the 1990s, food establishments accounted for roughly 10% of the total number of shops in a mall. Today, depending on the mall\u2019s positioning, the number has increased to around 20% with some malls having as high as 30% of their spaces allocated to food,\u201d she said.\n\u201cFilipinos, in general, are a very social people. We like to gather as families, or as a group of friends, officemates or org-mates, etc. and food is usually at the center of such gatherings. Given the convenience that restaurants offer and the increasingly hectic pace of modern life, it is not surprising that more people now prefer to dine out rather than host dinners at home,\u201d she added.\nRestaurants also function as an \u201caccessible luxury,\u201d said Mr. Tan.\n\u201cFood is no longer just for sustenance or celebration, but an experience for the taste buds that reflects your personality and can be shared digitally. By sampling different cuisines, you can travel vicariously. There is so much renewed interest in food. It\u2019s accessible luxury. People now go to the malls principally to eat out. It is their impetus to go malling,\u201d he said.\nAccording to both Ms. Magtibay and Mr. Tan, malls have become lifestyle destinations that should provide more than just shopping experiences.\nRobinsons Land opened its third mall in Iloilo (and 49th mall in all) in Pavia. Its signature feature: its own waterpark. Meanwhile, SM Mall of Asia is set to introduce a roof deck with a FIFA-grade football field, an open-air amphitheater, and a botanical garden \u201cto complement the Manila Bay sunset,\u201d said Mr. Tan. (SM is no stranger to introducing these amenities. Remember when SM Megamall opened the country\u2019s first skating rink?)\nMr. Tan also noted that there is now a new trend of introducing hybrid retail where \u201cstrict formats are giving way to hybrids for a seamless lifestyle experience.\u201d \n\u201cPeople now are expecting products and experience. So you have stores that have caf\u00e9 components, barber shops serving cocktails, themed restaurants like DC Caf\u00e9 that serves DC Comics-branded limited-edition collectibles, and vinyl record stores that serve coffee,\u201d he explained.\n\u2018OMNI-CHANNEL RETAIL\u2019\nThe evolving definition of what constitutes a mall also prompted both mall operators to introduce new experiences in their respective spaces. SM Mall of Asia\u2014a sprawling 406,000-square-meter space in Pasay City\u2014is, according to Mr. Tan, undergoing a \u201credevelopment more than just a renovation\u201d until 2022. This includes the construction of a third level to accommodate even more brands that wish to open boutiques in the said mall.\n On the other hand, Robinsons\u2019 flagship mall, Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, is undergoing a multi-year renovation as a response to the market\u2019s changing tastes and preferences. The expansion includes more dining establishments, a VIP theater, and PlayLab (described by Ms. Magtibay as \u201cthe country\u2019s first digital playground\u201d).\nShe also observed that more and more retailers will offer experiences that leverage technology (virtual reality content and immersive experiences) while restaurateurs will create \u201cexperimental dining [options] such as farm-to-table courtyards, gourmet food halls and cook-your-own-food facilities.\u201d\n\u201cThere will be a lot more interface between online and offline shopping as retailers move towards omni-channel retailing. People will be able to research online and buy offline, or browse offline and buy online, or buy online and pick up at the store,\u201d Ms. Magtibay added.\nMeanwhile, in a 2017 interview with 大象传媒, Lazada\u2019s then-CEO Inanc Balci, said that the goal of the Southeast Asian e-commerce site was never to replace malls in the Philippines because they recognize that malls for Filipinos are more than just places for people to shop. He said that the company is only looking to get a percentage of the Php60-65 billion retail industry into e-commerce.", "date_published": "2018-10-06T08:00:12+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-10-06T08:00:12+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Lazada", "mall", "retail", "Robinsons", "SM Supermalls", "Zsarlene B. Chua", "Features" ], "summary": "A mall isn\u2019t just a mall. It\u2019s also a lifestyle destination with a waterpark, a football field, an open-air amphitheater, a botanical garden, and many other things.\n" }, { "id": "/?p=190576", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/10/06/190576/highlife-ceo-of-home-inc/", "title": "CEO of Home, Inc.", "content_html": "A traditional butler is someone who devotes his life to supporting another.
\n
WORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA | ILLUSTRATION\u00a0JOY D. DAGUN
\nAre you sure you have everything in the world when you\u2019re missing someone in your life? We\u2019re not talking about a lover; we\u2019re talking about a butler.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s devoted his life to supporting someone, which is what you do as a butler,\u201d said Steven Ferry, founder of The International Association of Traditional Butlers, the first organization of its kind. Mr. Ferry was speaking about Stevens, the main character in Kazuo Ishiguro\u2019s Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Remains of the Day, eventually made into a film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.
\nTo Mr. Ferry, Stevens is the most accurate depiction of a butler in fiction: not Alfred from Batman, nor Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey. \u201cHe\u2019s the old-fashioned butler, but he embodies everything that is good about the butler, but he also has the bad things about the butler,\u201d said Mr. Ferry, describing Stevens. \u201cHis attitude, his devotion to duty\u2014that is really the epitome of what a butler should be.\u201d Stevens is a butler who serve Lord Darlington, who unfortunately sympathized with the Nazi cause in the years leading up to and during the Second World War. Mr. Ferry points out, that in the end, Stevens devotes his life to \u201csomebody who isn\u2019t worth devoting your life to.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/butler1.jpg\")
In any case, Mr. Ferry\u2019s career began in the \u201980s, after attending the Ivor Spencer International School for Butlers and the Professional School for Toastmasters, taught by Sir Ivor Spencer himself (Spencer, who passed away in 2009, received his MBE for his service to the Royal family). Mr. Ferry then went on, armed with this education, to serve as a butler in domestic settings and then moved on to consultancy work. Mr. Ferry has authored various books on the subject, such as The British Butler\u2019s Bible: The Key to Private Service in the British Tradition, the two-volume Serving the Wealthy, Hotel Butlers, and The Great Service Differentiators.
\nHigh Life spoke with Mr. Ferry when he visited Manila this August to teach a basic butler service course at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
\nMost butlers usually come from a long line of butlers, so if judged on this metric, Mr. Ferry wouldn\u2019t have been a butler. His father was a lawyer, and his brothers were doctors. He said that his mother was \u201cjolly sure\u201d he\u2019d become a doctor too, but Mr. Ferry was not interested in the profession. Instead, he went into education, then counseling, and along the way, jumped from job to job. He spent a period in Hollywood doing\u2014of all things\u2014intelligence work. \u201cIf I told you before, I\u2019d have to kill you,\u201d he said while laughing. His wife was involved in the launch of a yacht, and, in her efforts for the event to run seamlessly, came upon Sir Ivor Spencer\u2019s butler academy. \u201cI learned to be a butler from him; the basics of it.\u201d
\n\u201cTo become a butler,\u201d he continued, \u201cyou really have to either go up the ranks, which doesn\u2019t really happen anymore.\u201d
\nRUNNING THE HOUSEHOLD
\nIn the old days, at least starting from the Victorian Era, a young boy entered domestic service to a great household by applying as a lower-ranked employee, say, a footman or a valet, and was supervised by a butler already in place. In time, if he worked well, he would come to replace the butler himself. Mr. Ferry compares the former life of the butler to an apprentice program, and said that knowledge of buttling was usually passed through word of mouth.
The butler\u2019s role has expanded in the thousand years since the profession\u2019s inception. Originally, the butler was in charge of wines and bottled beverages in a household (the word shares its etymology with \u201cbottle\u201d), but the role of the butler as we see today really came about in the Victorian Era. The butler was in charge of the household staff and the way it ran, and, in a manner, also influenced the life of the house\u2019s master from the time he woke to the time he slept.
\nThe way of the butler suffered a decline after the First World War, the flaming sunset that closed most of the doors of Europe\u2019s great houses and the age of the aristocracy. Taxation and political reform in England lessened the power and prestige of the great houses which needed armies of staff to run it. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t afford it so much,\u201d said Mr. Ferry. Furthermore, while the social reforms and the carnage of the war changed the lifestyles of the lords and ladies who employed them, the War also brought a change in the mindset of the household staff. \u201cThey saw a wider world out there. They were paid more, they had more respect, perhaps, and those who survived the war didn\u2019t want to go back to the drudgery of household work.\u201d
\nFor a period, only the wealthiest of the wealthiest could afford a butler, but financial booms in the \u201980s brought the butler back in fashion. Continuing financial booms in Asian countries such as China fuel the demand for British-trained butlers. Speaking about the modern butler\u2019s role in the modern world, he said, \u201cYou really are CEO of Home, Inc., meaning that you run the household,\u201d he said, citing duties such as the effective management of staff, and, in some cases, even managing funds.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got, maybe, ten companies, and you\u2019ve got people running each of the companies for you. You don\u2019t run them yourself necessarily; you\u2019re maybe Chair of the Board,\u201d he said, profiling what sort of person would require the services of a butler. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got everything in the world, you must be wasting an awful lot of time managing it all.\u201d
\nHE SMALLEST THINGS MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT
\nAs in any profession, one must have the proper traits and character to handle the position for as long a time as possible. He says that as a butler, being invisible is one. \u201cYou\u2019ll want to be invisible because you\u2019ll get up the boss\u2019s nose if you\u2019re in his face the whole time.\u201d Another important trait: discretion. \u201cIf you have someone in your house, you don\u2019t want all your secrets or private matters appearing in The Times of London.\u201d One such person who arguably broke this rule was the butler of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2003, he-who-shall-not-be-named released a memoir titled A Royal Duty, where he wrote about his career in royal service in great detail. He also served as a witness during the government\u2019s inquest in the death of the Princess of Wales, saying things that could have painted him as an unreliable witness. \u201cWe don\u2019t mention his name around here,\u201d said Mr. Ferry, laughing.
As in any type of service or work, while one is expected to do one\u2019s duty, it\u2019s always the smallest things that make the greatest impact. \u201cHelping with their mother,\u201d he said, when prompted to recall an occasion where his employer thanked him for something. \u201cIt\u2019s a stupid little thing,\u201d he says modestly. \u201cThe mother wasn\u2019t in good shape, so I helped her.\u201d
\nOn another occasion, he was working under a Russian magnate who had a fabulous estate hidden near the Urals. \u201cHe could\u2019ve bought anything he wanted, but he was eating slop.\u201d He said that he wasn\u2019t there to handle the cook, but he was there to train the Russian magnate\u2019s butler. Going to the kitchens to investigate, he found out that the cook had given up on life after her husband killed himself in the garage. Relying on his counseling skills from his previous life and vocation, he helped the cook find her footing again. \u201cShe came back the next day with lipstick on,\u201d he recalled. \u201cShe cracked open a cookbook, and started cooking fantastic food.\u201d
\nOur lives never run truly smoothly. What would compel a person to devote their life to making sure that another one\u2019s life goes on smoothly, when a whole world runs inside you already? He said, \u201cYou take joy in helping others. You could do that as a nurse. You could do that as a minister. As many things\u2014as a mother, even. But you have the additional benefit of working with very high-end possessions and properties, and so forth, in a beautiful environment where money is no object.\u201d
\nIn the end, however, what matters most is a quality that Mr. Ferry describes as \u201csolicitousness.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re really caring about another person. You really care about the boss, all the guests, all of the family,\u201d he said. \u201cYou really make sure that there\u2019s a smile on their face as much as possible. Their life just really rolls along smoothly. And that\u2019s really what you\u2019re there for.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "A traditional butler is someone who devotes his life to supporting another.\n\n\nWORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA | ILLUSTRATION\u00a0JOY D. DAGUN\nAre you sure you have everything in the world when you\u2019re missing someone in your life? We\u2019re not talking about a lover; we\u2019re talking about a butler.\n\u201cHe\u2019s devoted his life to supporting someone, which is what you do as a butler,\u201d said Steven Ferry, founder of The International Association of Traditional Butlers, the first organization of its kind. Mr. Ferry was speaking about Stevens, the main character in Kazuo Ishiguro\u2019s Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Remains of the Day, eventually made into a film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins. \nTo Mr. Ferry, Stevens is the most accurate depiction of a butler in fiction: not Alfred from Batman, nor Mr. Carson from Downton Abbey. \u201cHe\u2019s the old-fashioned butler, but he embodies everything that is good about the butler, but he also has the bad things about the butler,\u201d said Mr. Ferry, describing Stevens. \u201cHis attitude, his devotion to duty\u2014that is really the epitome of what a butler should be.\u201d Stevens is a butler who serve Lord Darlington, who unfortunately sympathized with the Nazi cause in the years leading up to and during the Second World War. Mr. Ferry points out, that in the end, Stevens devotes his life to \u201csomebody who isn\u2019t worth devoting your life to.\u201d\n\nIn any case, Mr. Ferry\u2019s career began in the \u201980s, after attending the Ivor Spencer International School for Butlers and the Professional School for Toastmasters, taught by Sir Ivor Spencer himself (Spencer, who passed away in 2009, received his MBE for his service to the Royal family). Mr. Ferry then went on, armed with this education, to serve as a butler in domestic settings and then moved on to consultancy work. Mr. Ferry has authored various books on the subject, such as The British Butler\u2019s Bible: The Key to Private Service in the British Tradition, the two-volume Serving the Wealthy, Hotel Butlers, and The Great Service Differentiators. \nHigh Life spoke with Mr. Ferry when he visited Manila this August to teach a basic butler service course at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.\nMost butlers usually come from a long line of butlers, so if judged on this metric, Mr. Ferry wouldn\u2019t have been a butler. His father was a lawyer, and his brothers were doctors. He said that his mother was \u201cjolly sure\u201d he\u2019d become a doctor too, but Mr. Ferry was not interested in the profession. Instead, he went into education, then counseling, and along the way, jumped from job to job. He spent a period in Hollywood doing\u2014of all things\u2014intelligence work. \u201cIf I told you before, I\u2019d have to kill you,\u201d he said while laughing. His wife was involved in the launch of a yacht, and, in her efforts for the event to run seamlessly, came upon Sir Ivor Spencer\u2019s butler academy. \u201cI learned to be a butler from him; the basics of it.\u201d \n\u201cTo become a butler,\u201d he continued, \u201cyou really have to either go up the ranks, which doesn\u2019t really happen anymore.\u201d\nRUNNING THE HOUSEHOLD\nIn the old days, at least starting from the Victorian Era, a young boy entered domestic service to a great household by applying as a lower-ranked employee, say, a footman or a valet, and was supervised by a butler already in place. In time, if he worked well, he would come to replace the butler himself. Mr. Ferry compares the former life of the butler to an apprentice program, and said that knowledge of buttling was usually passed through word of mouth. \nThe butler\u2019s role has expanded in the thousand years since the profession\u2019s inception. Originally, the butler was in charge of wines and bottled beverages in a household (the word shares its etymology with \u201cbottle\u201d), but the role of the butler as we see today really came about in the Victorian Era. The butler was in charge of the household staff and the way it ran, and, in a manner, also influenced the life of the house\u2019s master from the time he woke to the time he slept. \nThe way of the butler suffered a decline after the First World War, the flaming sunset that closed most of the doors of Europe\u2019s great houses and the age of the aristocracy. Taxation and political reform in England lessened the power and prestige of the great houses which needed armies of staff to run it. \u201cThey couldn\u2019t afford it so much,\u201d said Mr. Ferry. Furthermore, while the social reforms and the carnage of the war changed the lifestyles of the lords and ladies who employed them, the War also brought a change in the mindset of the household staff. \u201cThey saw a wider world out there. They were paid more, they had more respect, perhaps, and those who survived the war didn\u2019t want to go back to the drudgery of household work.\u201d\nFor a period, only the wealthiest of the wealthiest could afford a butler, but financial booms in the \u201980s brought the butler back in fashion. Continuing financial booms in Asian countries such as China fuel the demand for British-trained butlers. Speaking about the modern butler\u2019s role in the modern world, he said, \u201cYou really are CEO of Home, Inc., meaning that you run the household,\u201d he said, citing duties such as the effective management of staff, and, in some cases, even managing funds.\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got, maybe, ten companies, and you\u2019ve got people running each of the companies for you. You don\u2019t run them yourself necessarily; you\u2019re maybe Chair of the Board,\u201d he said, profiling what sort of person would require the services of a butler. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got everything in the world, you must be wasting an awful lot of time managing it all.\u201d\nHE SMALLEST THINGS MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT\nAs in any profession, one must have the proper traits and character to handle the position for as long a time as possible. He says that as a butler, being invisible is one. \u201cYou\u2019ll want to be invisible because you\u2019ll get up the boss\u2019s nose if you\u2019re in his face the whole time.\u201d Another important trait: discretion. \u201cIf you have someone in your house, you don\u2019t want all your secrets or private matters appearing in The Times of London.\u201d One such person who arguably broke this rule was the butler of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2003, he-who-shall-not-be-named released a memoir titled A Royal Duty, where he wrote about his career in royal service in great detail. He also served as a witness during the government\u2019s inquest in the death of the Princess of Wales, saying things that could have painted him as an unreliable witness. \u201cWe don\u2019t mention his name around here,\u201d said Mr. Ferry, laughing.\nAs in any type of service or work, while one is expected to do one\u2019s duty, it\u2019s always the smallest things that make the greatest impact. \u201cHelping with their mother,\u201d he said, when prompted to recall an occasion where his employer thanked him for something. \u201cIt\u2019s a stupid little thing,\u201d he says modestly. \u201cThe mother wasn\u2019t in good shape, so I helped her.\u201d \nOn another occasion, he was working under a Russian magnate who had a fabulous estate hidden near the Urals. \u201cHe could\u2019ve bought anything he wanted, but he was eating slop.\u201d He said that he wasn\u2019t there to handle the cook, but he was there to train the Russian magnate\u2019s butler. Going to the kitchens to investigate, he found out that the cook had given up on life after her husband killed himself in the garage. Relying on his counseling skills from his previous life and vocation, he helped the cook find her footing again. \u201cShe came back the next day with lipstick on,\u201d he recalled. \u201cShe cracked open a cookbook, and started cooking fantastic food.\u201d\nOur lives never run truly smoothly. What would compel a person to devote their life to making sure that another one\u2019s life goes on smoothly, when a whole world runs inside you already? He said, \u201cYou take joy in helping others. You could do that as a nurse. You could do that as a minister. As many things\u2014as a mother, even. But you have the additional benefit of working with very high-end possessions and properties, and so forth, in a beautiful environment where money is no object.\u201d\nIn the end, however, what matters most is a quality that Mr. Ferry describes as \u201csolicitousness.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re really caring about another person. You really care about the boss, all the guests, all of the family,\u201d he said. \u201cYou really make sure that there\u2019s a smile on their face as much as possible. Their life just really rolls along smoothly. And that\u2019s really what you\u2019re there for.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-10-06T06:00:18+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-10-06T06:00:18+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Joseph L. Garcia", "Steven Ferry", "The International Association of Traditional Butlers", "Features" ], "summary": "A traditional butler is someone who devotes his life to supporting another." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=182692", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/24/182692/highlife-sight-ray-ban-icons-reinvented-collection/", "title": "Revamped eyewear", "content_html": "Ray-Ban, creator of iconic eyewear shapes, mixes up its heritage its #IconsReinvented collection.
\n\nA pioneering full-metal line called Blaze introduces a flat lens-over-frame construction, dark mirror shades in contemporary colors, and textural contrasts. The overall effect redefines some of the brand\u2019s classic styles, including the Round, the Clubmaster, the Shooter, as well as a new feminine cat-eye shape. The Blaze collection is available on ray-ban.com for PHP10,990 to PHP12,990.\u00a0 \u00a0
\n\n", "content_text": "Ray-Ban, creator of iconic eyewear shapes, mixes up its heritage its #IconsReinvented collection.\n\nA pioneering full-metal line called Blaze introduces a flat lens-over-frame construction, dark mirror shades in contemporary colors, and textural contrasts. The overall effect redefines some of the brand\u2019s classic styles, including the Round, the Clubmaster, the Shooter, as well as a new feminine cat-eye shape. The Blaze collection is available on ray-ban.com for PHP10,990 to PHP12,990.\u00a0 \u00a0", "date_published": "2018-08-24T16:08:42+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-24T16:08:42+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "eyewear", "IconsReinvented Collection", "ray-ban", "Features" ], "summary": "Ray-Ban, creator of iconic eyewear shapes, mixes up its heritage its #IconsReinvented collection." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175490", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175490/highlife-makeup-laura-mercier-nars/", "title": "Put down the contour, pick up the blush", "content_html": "\n
\u2018It\u2019s all about the glow, not the glitter.\u2019
\nWORDS\u00a0ZSARLENE B. CHUA
\nA\u00a0flawless base and a pop of color, these are the two beauty trends carrying 2018 according to Laura Mercier and NARS, two of the world\u2019s most recognizable cosmetic brands. While these brands embody different signature looks\u2014Laura Mercier is always about a flawless face while NARS is all about having no rules and being bold\u2014both brands insist that a good look always starts with a good base, and taking care of one\u2019s skin is non-negotiable.
\n\u201cAside from makeup, we really teach our clients to take care of their skin. Prepping their skin properly makes the makeup adhere better and look seamless,\u201d Mayel S. Bautista, brand manager for Laura Mercier Philippines, told High Life in an interview in July. Even if products might offer skin care benefits, she added, they are not substitutes for a good skin care routine.
\nIn recent years, the Philippines has been taking cues from its Asian neighbors\u2014namely Japan and South Korea\u2014when it comes to cosmetics and especially skin care. \u201cBecause of the Eastern influence, we learned about the importance of skin care,\u201d she explains. Both South Korea and Japan are known for their multi-step skin care routines, which include toners, serums, and moisturizers, among other products.
\nDEWY, GLOSSY, HIGH-SHINE
\nLiving in a tropical country and having to deal with issues such as dryness and excessive oiliness have led Filipinos to becoming more adventurous when it comes to makeup.
\u201cIn the Philippines, we\u2019re into trying new looks now and we\u2019re not afraid of experimenting,\u201d Marla Velez, brand manager of NARS, told High Life in the same July interview.
\nPreviously, Filipinos shied away from anything that was not matte. When the dewy look and highlighters caught fire in other countries, the Philippines\u2014with its newfound love for skin care\u2014 managed to get on the said train and make it work.
\nThe dewy look has been around since 2017 and both NARS and Laura Mercier see it continuing through 2018, with the added detail of glossy lips.
\n![\"hl-inside-makeup-laura-mercier-nars\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MakeUp.jpg\")
NARS is a brand founded by and named after Francois Nars, the no-rules, boundary-pushing French makeup artist who created what is arguably the world\u2019s most titillating blush: Orgasm, a peachy, golden pink shade that\u2019s universally flattering.
\n\u201cI love color, but I have moments when I hate colors and like to draw makeup in black and white, like black eyeliner or black smoky eye. I always try to find interesting colors because I think a makeup line should have both these sides\u2014tons of colors and neutrals. I am against lines of makeup that only use neutrals or makeup colors. I think that\u2019s a total bore. It\u2019s like going to a jewelry store and there\u2019s only one color of stone,\u201d said Mr. Nars in a 2016 interview with The Cut.
\n\nThe brand sees 2018 as a bold year bathed in gloss and full brows. \u201cFor the lips, it\u2019s more about dimension and it\u2019s all about glossy lips while the brows are all about being textured, brushed up full brows,\u201d said Ms. Velez. \u201cFilipinos tend to go more natural but are not afraid to be bold.\u201d
\nCelebrity makeup artists are also seeing the comeback of the glosses. Mario Dedivanovic, the Laura Mercier brand ambassador who made his name creating Kim Kardashian-West\u2019s signature look, told Into the Gloss in 2017 that the beauty community is \u201cmoving away from the matte lip.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve always loved a true creamy lipstick or a gloss and I think that look is definitely about to make a comeback,\u201d he said.
\nOne of the brand\u2019s newest releases, the Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer, exemplifies this glossy, high-shine lip trend. Described as a having a \u201cpatent shine and high-octane color,\u201d this line of lip products has a smooth, creamy formula that \u201cdrenches lips with intense color and mirror-like shine,\u201d and is available in 10 shades.
\nMAKEUP AS SECOND SKIN
\nLaura Mercier, established by another French makeup artist, is all about a flawless base for women of all ages and skin types\u2014something Ms. Mercier has built her career on having worked with the likes of Madonna, Celine Dion, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Julia Roberts.
Laura Mercier is pushing a \u201cglassy\u201d look\u2014the term was first used last year to describe skin that\u2019s clear, luminous and almost transparent. It was first brought to global attention after Korean beauty companies promoted a multi-step routine, sometimes going as far as 11 steps, promising this kind of complexion.
\n\u201cWhen we talk about flawless face, what we\u2019re trying to do is trying to make makeup look like second skin: it\u2019s all about the glow, not the glitter. A more dewy look,\u201d said Ms Bautista.
\nThe glitter of yesteryear has been replaced by highlighters that give a \u201cwet\u201d shine, emulating runway-flushed cheeks. \u201cBefore, the focus was more on the brows but now we have learned to appreciate the cheeks and blushes. It\u2019s all about looking natural, less focus on contour and more on highlight,\u201d Ms. Bautista said, adding that she uses blush to highlight her face and a bronzer for light contouring. \u201cThe focal point is the skin: to make it look glowy and healthy.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "\u2018It\u2019s all about the glow, not the glitter.\u2019\n\nWORDS\u00a0ZSARLENE B. CHUA\nA\u00a0flawless base and a pop of color, these are the two beauty trends carrying 2018 according to Laura Mercier and NARS, two of the world\u2019s most recognizable cosmetic brands. While these brands embody different signature looks\u2014Laura Mercier is always about a flawless face while NARS is all about having no rules and being bold\u2014both brands insist that a good look always starts with a good base, and taking care of one\u2019s skin is non-negotiable.\n\u201cAside from makeup, we really teach our clients to take care of their skin. Prepping their skin properly makes the makeup adhere better and look seamless,\u201d Mayel S. Bautista, brand manager for Laura Mercier Philippines, told High Life in an interview in July. Even if products might offer skin care benefits, she added, they are not substitutes for a good skin care routine.\nIn recent years, the Philippines has been taking cues from its Asian neighbors\u2014namely Japan and South Korea\u2014when it comes to cosmetics and especially skin care. \u201cBecause of the Eastern influence, we learned about the importance of skin care,\u201d she explains. Both South Korea and Japan are known for their multi-step skin care routines, which include toners, serums, and moisturizers, among other products.\nDEWY, GLOSSY, HIGH-SHINE\nLiving in a tropical country and having to deal with issues such as dryness and excessive oiliness have led Filipinos to becoming more adventurous when it comes to makeup.\n\u201cIn the Philippines, we\u2019re into trying new looks now and we\u2019re not afraid of experimenting,\u201d Marla Velez, brand manager of NARS, told High Life in the same July interview.\nPreviously, Filipinos shied away from anything that was not matte. When the dewy look and highlighters caught fire in other countries, the Philippines\u2014with its newfound love for skin care\u2014 managed to get on the said train and make it work.\nThe dewy look has been around since 2017 and both NARS and Laura Mercier see it continuing through 2018, with the added detail of glossy lips.\n\nNARS is a brand founded by and named after Francois Nars, the no-rules, boundary-pushing French makeup artist who created what is arguably the world\u2019s most titillating blush: Orgasm, a peachy, golden pink shade that\u2019s universally flattering.\n\u201cI love color, but I have moments when I hate colors and like to draw makeup in black and white, like black eyeliner or black smoky eye. I always try to find interesting colors because I think a makeup line should have both these sides\u2014tons of colors and neutrals. I am against lines of makeup that only use neutrals or makeup colors. I think that\u2019s a total bore. It\u2019s like going to a jewelry store and there\u2019s only one color of stone,\u201d said Mr. Nars in a 2016 interview with The Cut.\n\nThe brand sees 2018 as a bold year bathed in gloss and full brows. \u201cFor the lips, it\u2019s more about dimension and it\u2019s all about glossy lips while the brows are all about being textured, brushed up full brows,\u201d said Ms. Velez. \u201cFilipinos tend to go more natural but are not afraid to be bold.\u201d\nCelebrity makeup artists are also seeing the comeback of the glosses. Mario Dedivanovic, the Laura Mercier brand ambassador who made his name creating Kim Kardashian-West\u2019s signature look, told Into the Gloss in 2017 that the beauty community is \u201cmoving away from the matte lip.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve always loved a true creamy lipstick or a gloss and I think that look is definitely about to make a comeback,\u201d he said.\nOne of the brand\u2019s newest releases, the Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer, exemplifies this glossy, high-shine lip trend. Described as a having a \u201cpatent shine and high-octane color,\u201d this line of lip products has a smooth, creamy formula that \u201cdrenches lips with intense color and mirror-like shine,\u201d and is available in 10 shades.\nMAKEUP AS SECOND SKIN\nLaura Mercier, established by another French makeup artist, is all about a flawless base for women of all ages and skin types\u2014something Ms. Mercier has built her career on having worked with the likes of Madonna, Celine Dion, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Julia Roberts.\n\nLaura Mercier is pushing a \u201cglassy\u201d look\u2014the term was first used last year to describe skin that\u2019s clear, luminous and almost transparent. It was first brought to global attention after Korean beauty companies promoted a multi-step routine, sometimes going as far as 11 steps, promising this kind of complexion.\n\u201cWhen we talk about flawless face, what we\u2019re trying to do is trying to make makeup look like second skin: it\u2019s all about the glow, not the glitter. A more dewy look,\u201d said Ms Bautista.\nThe glitter of yesteryear has been replaced by highlighters that give a \u201cwet\u201d shine, emulating runway-flushed cheeks. \u201cBefore, the focus was more on the brows but now we have learned to appreciate the cheeks and blushes. It\u2019s all about looking natural, less focus on contour and more on highlight,\u201d Ms. Bautista said, adding that she uses blush to highlight her face and a bronzer for light contouring. \u201cThe focal point is the skin: to make it look glowy and healthy.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-08-03T05:04:27+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T05:04:27+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "beauty", "cosmetics", "Laura Mercier", "makeup", "NARS", "Zsarlene B. Chua", "Features" ], "summary": "\u2018It\u2019s all about the glow, not the glitter.\u2019" }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175826", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175826/highlife-beauty-routines-self-care/", "title": "Beauty routines of women with many roles", "content_html": "\n
Tips from women on the go.
\nWORDS HIGH LIFE STAFF | ILLUSTRATION\u00a0TONE DA\u00d1AS
\nJane Cruz-Walker, VP of SEA, Country Operations, HOOQ
\n![\"hl-inside-one-walker\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hl-inside-one-walker.jpg\")
Enjoying a mojito after a tennis match\u2014or several laps in the pool\u2014will make you right as rain, according to Jane Cruz-Walker, who manages Southeast Asia for HOOQ, a streaming service. \u201cThis is something I do every week with a few friends,\u201d she said. The 50-year-old added that sweating every single day and moisturizing are nonnegotiable.
\nMove your body
\n\u201cHave a regular sport or anything that can make you sweat\u2014like dancing, I love dancing. You need to sweat every single day. Your body needs it. Sweating releases toxins from your body. Our skin glows after. Of course, it\u2019s important that you choose something you really enjoy. Endorphins released in our blood stream have a euphoric effect on our disposition so frequent doses is very good for us.\u201d
Cleanse and moisturize
\n\u201cIn the morning, after gentle cleansing I let a cube of ice glide through my face. It feels really good and closes my pores. It\u2019s a good pre-makeup routine. At night, it\u2019s good to have boosts of collagen\u2014frankincense, lavender\u2014before I go to bed.\u201d
Always have beauty oil handy
\n\u201cArgan or Moroccan oil. I use it for my hair, skin, nails, and lips. This oil is high in antioxidants and has healing properties. You will always find a small bottle in my bag. I prefer using dry oil since I apply any time of the day and it doesn\u2019t feel greasy and has the same moisturizing effect.\u201d
In her handbag, you will find\u2026
\nM Moroccan Oil, cleansing wipes, Shiseido UV protector SPF 50, Mac Liptensity Smoked Almond, YL Frankincense and Lavender oil mixture, and Urban Decay liquid eyeliner. \u2014 NFPG
Elizabeth Durado Clenci, Miss Grand International 2017 2nd runner-up
\n![\"hl-inside-one-clenci\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hl-inside-one-clenci.jpg\")
Prior to joining a beauty pageant, Elizabeth Durado Clenci suffered from eczema, a skin condition that causes redness and itching. After shifting to products with natural ingredients, her skin cleared up, allowing her to finish in the top five of Miss Grand International 2017.\u00a0
\nMs. Clenci credits her mom as her beauty role model for teaching her the benefits of organic products. \u201cEver since I had an issue with my skin and my health changed, I turned my lifestyle around. It\u2019s always been my mom since day one who instilled that \u2018natural\u2019 way of life,\u201d she said.
\nMoisture first
\n\u201cI like to keep things quite natural. It really depends on what\u2019s going on in my life. When I was busy with the pageantry and putting makeup on every day, I always had to prepare my face for makeup. I wash my face, moisturize with coconut oil, and then put makeup on.\u201d
Use natural oils as makeup remover
\n\u201cIn the evening, I make my own makeup remover\u2014it\u2019s made from a combination of oils that I get from health food stores. I remove my makeup before bed. I try to never leave it on.\u201d
Catch up on sleep
\n\u201cEvery time I\u2019m stuck in traffic or at a shoot and there\u2019s down time, I\u2019ll take a nap and squeeze in as much sleep as I can. If my eyes are puffy in the morning, I freeze some tea bags. That\u2019s how I reduce the puffiness.\u201d \u2014 MAPS
Daphne Ose\u00f1a-Paez, TV host and UNICEF Special Advocate for Children
\n![\"hl-inside-one-paez\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hl-inside-one-paez.jpg\")
Multi-hyphenate personality Daphne Ose\u00f1a-Paez is a fan of staying fuss-free when it comes to makeup looks. \u201cIf you find something that works for you, keep it. If it\u2019s not broken, don\u2019t fix it. Just keep it simple. Less is more,\u201d she said. Her routine includes one-on-one Pilates sessions twice a week, regular visits to the dermatologist, and basking in the early morning sun for a dose of vitamin D.
\nCenter your body and mind
\n\u201cI am obsessed with Pilates. It has centered my body and mind\u2014literally and figuratively. Spine health is important for us, especially in our 40s. If you let go and abuse your spine, it may get back at you in your older years. A lot of us abuse our bodies just with the wrong posture, wrong breathing. Pilates has helped me get rid of my upper neck pain. And I\u2019ve never had the lower back pains that I thought came with being a mother. Since Pilates, I can stand, sit, and walk long distances by using my core.\u201d
Keep makeup natural or go barefaced
\n\u201cMy TV makeup is done professionally. Even if I have to put my game face on, I ask my makeup artist to keep it simple and natural, with emphasis on the eyes. I do not wear make up on non-TV or non-work days. I go about my day completely barefaced. I work out with zero makeup, not even concealer. I try to keep my skin well cared for, so I don\u2019t need to cover it up. After Pilates, if I have to meet people for work or social reasons, I put on a little concealer, powder, blush, fix my eyebrows, a little lipstick, and I\u2019m good to go.\u201d
Visit a dermatologist
\n\u201cI get regular facials and Power Peel at Belo Medical Group, I am able to do without creams and skincare products. I am also able to go out completely free of makeup or powder. Power Peel is amazing. It keeps your face poreless, smooth, and exfoliated. It\u2019s important that I keep my face clean.\u201d
Get good sun for vitamin D
\n\u201cFor daytime, I start by washing my face with soap\u2014a soap with a detergent like Acne Aid. It was once recommended by a derma about 15 years ago when I had oily skin. And I just kept it as a habit. And that\u2019s it. I don\u2019t wear sunscreen or any creams. I go out of the house with bare skin. I do keep away from the sun by wearing big dark sunglasses or hats. And if I must walk for field work, I either wear baseball cap or use an umbrella. The past couple of years though, I deliberately try to get sun, as long as it\u2019s good sun. I sit in my veranda for about 20 minutes before 8 a.m. That\u2019s for vitamin D.\u201d
Pamper your eyes
\n\u201cAt night, I just remove traces of makeup with BioDerma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water. You can opt to not rinse it off. However, I still rinse it off using my face soap. I sleep with no creams or moisturizers. However, if I find that the areas under my eye needs a boost, I use eye cream. I alternate with Neal\u2019s Yard Frankincense Intense Eye Cream, Est\u00e9e Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery Cream, or Dermalogica MultiVitamin Power Firm. I also make my own serum using essential oils like frankincense, lavender, and rose. I use them only for the under-eye area.\u201d
Wear SPF when traveling
\n\u201cWhen I travel and need sun protection and moisture, I use either Belo sunscreen for beach trips or just use a BB cream base with SPF 30 or 50. Here are my tried and tested ones: MAC Lightful C Tinted Cream with SPF 30 PA+++ with Radiance Booster; Shiseido\u2019s Maquillage Perfect Multi Base BB SPF 30 PA++; and Esprique Pore Cover Perfect Base CC by Kose.\u201d \u2014 MAPS
Shiela Valderrama-Martinez, theater actress
\n![\"hl-inside-one-martinez\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hl-inside-one-martinez.jpg\")
Stage makeup is notoriously heavy and thick, projecting\u2014as it were\u2014to the back of the theater.\u00a0 To help her skin recover from performance-level makeup, Ms. Martinez has regular facials and prefers a basic, less dramatic daily look (in accordance with her beauty motto: \u201cPositivity is my youth elixir, and less is always better.\u201d)
\nKnow when to keep it light or heavy
\n\u201cMy everyday makeup is just BB cream with SPF, light blush because I\u2019m so pale, and lipstick. My stage and show make up is heavier. I use eye makeup, concealer, and contour. But I go light on foundation, or none at all.\u201d
Skincare over makeup
\n\u201cI\u2019m obsessed with skincare. I do the same ritual: makeup remover at night, facial wash, toner, moisturizer, eye cream, and sunblock. Then, I make regular visits to Facial Care Center for my skin maintenance.\u201d
Keep mom\u2019s advice
\n\u201cNever sleep with makeup and always use sunblock.\u201d \u2014 MAPS
Alice Dixson, actress\u00a0
\n![\"hl-inside-one-dixson\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hl-inside-one-dixson.jpg\")
At age 44, film star Alice Dixson became an FHM Cover Girl, to the confusion, then admiration, of several men and women. The beauty titlist was once a commercial model, and a star of movies and television. When High Life asked her about her beauty routine, she answered in jest, \u201cWhat beauty routine?\u201d
\nRoutine facials
\nActually, that answer wasn\u2019t too far from the truth. Ms. Dixson sticks to a simple routine of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, with some routine facials at the Belo clinic for good measure. \u201cThat\u2019s about it,\u201d she said.
Confidence is better than any cream
\nAs for her products, Ms. Dixson uses a cleanser from Zein Obagi, which costs about US$150 on Amazon. Her toner is a custom blend from her dermatologist, and she moisturizes with a variety of brands, but most recently gave one from Origins a shot. When asked about the most expensive item in her beauty arsenal, she admits to buying a toner that cost Php35,000 when she was younger. She has since stopped using it, saying in the vernacular, \u201cThat was just a luxury. I didn\u2019t really need it.\u201d
She added, \u201cI\u2019m more frugal now that I\u2019m older\u2026 I think that creams are all the same. If they contain the right moisturizing ingredient, even if it\u2019s made of gold, or priced like gold, it\u2019s still going to do the same.\u201d When asked what her rather simple beauty routine says about her, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t look to expensive things to define who I am. I\u2019m not insecure about myself.\u201d \u2014 JLG
\n", "content_text": "Tips from women on the go.\n\nWORDS HIGH LIFE STAFF | ILLUSTRATION\u00a0TONE DA\u00d1AS\nJane Cruz-Walker, VP of SEA, Country Operations, HOOQ\n\nEnjoying a mojito after a tennis match\u2014or several laps in the pool\u2014will make you right as rain, according to Jane Cruz-Walker, who manages Southeast Asia for HOOQ, a streaming service. \u201cThis is something I do every week with a few friends,\u201d she said. The 50-year-old added that sweating every single day and moisturizing are nonnegotiable.\nMove your body\n\u201cHave a regular sport or anything that can make you sweat\u2014like dancing, I love dancing. You need to sweat every single day. Your body needs it. Sweating releases toxins from your body. Our skin glows after. Of course, it\u2019s important that you choose something you really enjoy. Endorphins released in our blood stream have a euphoric effect on our disposition so frequent doses is very good for us.\u201d \n Cleanse and moisturize\n\u201cIn the morning, after gentle cleansing I let a cube of ice glide through my face. It feels really good and closes my pores. It\u2019s a good pre-makeup routine. At night, it\u2019s good to have boosts of collagen\u2014frankincense, lavender\u2014before I go to bed.\u201d\nAlways have beauty oil handy\n\u201cArgan or Moroccan oil. I use it for my hair, skin, nails, and lips. This oil is high in antioxidants and has healing properties. You will always find a small bottle in my bag. I prefer using dry oil since I apply any time of the day and it doesn\u2019t feel greasy and has the same moisturizing effect.\u201d\nIn her handbag, you will find\u2026\nM Moroccan Oil, cleansing wipes, Shiseido UV protector SPF 50, Mac Liptensity Smoked Almond, YL Frankincense and Lavender oil mixture, and Urban Decay liquid eyeliner. \u2014 NFPG\n\nElizabeth Durado Clenci, Miss Grand International 2017 2nd runner-up\n\nPrior to joining a beauty pageant, Elizabeth Durado Clenci suffered from eczema, a skin condition that causes redness and itching. After shifting to products with natural ingredients, her skin cleared up, allowing her to finish in the top five of Miss Grand International 2017.\u00a0\nMs. Clenci credits her mom as her beauty role model for teaching her the benefits of organic products. \u201cEver since I had an issue with my skin and my health changed, I turned my lifestyle around. It\u2019s always been my mom since day one who instilled that \u2018natural\u2019 way of life,\u201d she said.\nMoisture first\n\u201cI like to keep things quite natural. It really depends on what\u2019s going on in my life. When I was busy with the pageantry and putting makeup on every day, I always had to prepare my face for makeup. I wash my face, moisturize with coconut oil, and then put makeup on.\u201d\nUse natural oils as makeup remover\n\u201cIn the evening, I make my own makeup remover\u2014it\u2019s made from a combination of oils that I get from health food stores. I remove my makeup before bed. I try to never leave it on.\u201d\nCatch up on sleep\n\u201cEvery time I\u2019m stuck in traffic or at a shoot and there\u2019s down time, I\u2019ll take a nap and squeeze in as much sleep as I can. If my eyes are puffy in the morning, I freeze some tea bags. That\u2019s how I reduce the puffiness.\u201d \u2014 MAPS\n\nDaphne Ose\u00f1a-Paez, TV host and UNICEF Special Advocate for Children\n\nMulti-hyphenate personality Daphne Ose\u00f1a-Paez is a fan of staying fuss-free when it comes to makeup looks. \u201cIf you find something that works for you, keep it. If it\u2019s not broken, don\u2019t fix it. Just keep it simple. Less is more,\u201d she said. Her routine includes one-on-one Pilates sessions twice a week, regular visits to the dermatologist, and basking in the early morning sun for a dose of vitamin D.\nCenter your body and mind\n\u201cI am obsessed with Pilates. It has centered my body and mind\u2014literally and figuratively. Spine health is important for us, especially in our 40s. If you let go and abuse your spine, it may get back at you in your older years. A lot of us abuse our bodies just with the wrong posture, wrong breathing. Pilates has helped me get rid of my upper neck pain. And I\u2019ve never had the lower back pains that I thought came with being a mother. Since Pilates, I can stand, sit, and walk long distances by using my core.\u201d\nKeep makeup natural or go barefaced\n\u201cMy TV makeup is done professionally. Even if I have to put my game face on, I ask my makeup artist to keep it simple and natural, with emphasis on the eyes. I do not wear make up on non-TV or non-work days. I go about my day completely barefaced. I work out with zero makeup, not even concealer. I try to keep my skin well cared for, so I don\u2019t need to cover it up. After Pilates, if I have to meet people for work or social reasons, I put on a little concealer, powder, blush, fix my eyebrows, a little lipstick, and I\u2019m good to go.\u201d\nVisit a dermatologist\n\u201cI get regular facials and Power Peel at Belo Medical Group, I am able to do without creams and skincare products. I am also able to go out completely free of makeup or powder. Power Peel is amazing. It keeps your face poreless, smooth, and exfoliated. It\u2019s important that I keep my face clean.\u201d\nGet good sun for vitamin D\n\u201cFor daytime, I start by washing my face with soap\u2014a soap with a detergent like Acne Aid. It was once recommended by a derma about 15 years ago when I had oily skin. And I just kept it as a habit. And that\u2019s it. I don\u2019t wear sunscreen or any creams. I go out of the house with bare skin. I do keep away from the sun by wearing big dark sunglasses or hats. And if I must walk for field work, I either wear baseball cap or use an umbrella. The past couple of years though, I deliberately try to get sun, as long as it\u2019s good sun. I sit in my veranda for about 20 minutes before 8 a.m. That\u2019s for vitamin D.\u201d\nPamper your eyes\n\u201cAt night, I just remove traces of makeup with BioDerma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water. You can opt to not rinse it off. However, I still rinse it off using my face soap. I sleep with no creams or moisturizers. However, if I find that the areas under my eye needs a boost, I use eye cream. I alternate with Neal\u2019s Yard Frankincense Intense Eye Cream, Est\u00e9e Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery Cream, or Dermalogica MultiVitamin Power Firm. I also make my own serum using essential oils like frankincense, lavender, and rose. I use them only for the under-eye area.\u201d\nWear SPF when traveling\n\u201cWhen I travel and need sun protection and moisture, I use either Belo sunscreen for beach trips or just use a BB cream base with SPF 30 or 50. Here are my tried and tested ones: MAC Lightful C Tinted Cream with SPF 30 PA+++ with Radiance Booster; Shiseido\u2019s Maquillage Perfect Multi Base BB SPF 30 PA++; and Esprique Pore Cover Perfect Base CC by Kose.\u201d \u2014 MAPS\n\nShiela Valderrama-Martinez, theater actress\n\nStage makeup is notoriously heavy and thick, projecting\u2014as it were\u2014to the back of the theater.\u00a0 To help her skin recover from performance-level makeup, Ms. Martinez has regular facials and prefers a basic, less dramatic daily look (in accordance with her beauty motto: \u201cPositivity is my youth elixir, and less is always better.\u201d)\nKnow when to keep it light or heavy\n\u201cMy everyday makeup is just BB cream with SPF, light blush because I\u2019m so pale, and lipstick. My stage and show make up is heavier. I use eye makeup, concealer, and contour. But I go light on foundation, or none at all.\u201d\nSkincare over makeup\n\u201cI\u2019m obsessed with skincare. I do the same ritual: makeup remover at night, facial wash, toner, moisturizer, eye cream, and sunblock. Then, I make regular visits to Facial Care Center for my skin maintenance.\u201d\nKeep mom\u2019s advice\n\u201cNever sleep with makeup and always use sunblock.\u201d \u2014 MAPS\n\nAlice Dixson, actress\u00a0\n\nAt age 44, film star Alice Dixson became an FHM Cover Girl, to the confusion, then admiration, of several men and women. The beauty titlist was once a commercial model, and a star of movies and television. When High Life asked her about her beauty routine, she answered in jest, \u201cWhat beauty routine?\u201d\nRoutine facials\nActually, that answer wasn\u2019t too far from the truth. Ms. Dixson sticks to a simple routine of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, with some routine facials at the Belo clinic for good measure. \u201cThat\u2019s about it,\u201d she said.\nConfidence is better than any cream\nAs for her products, Ms. Dixson uses a cleanser from Zein Obagi, which costs about US$150 on Amazon. Her toner is a custom blend from her dermatologist, and she moisturizes with a variety of brands, but most recently gave one from Origins a shot. When asked about the most expensive item in her beauty arsenal, she admits to buying a toner that cost Php35,000 when she was younger. She has since stopped using it, saying in the vernacular, \u201cThat was just a luxury. I didn\u2019t really need it.\u201d \nShe added, \u201cI\u2019m more frugal now that I\u2019m older\u2026 I think that creams are all the same. If they contain the right moisturizing ingredient, even if it\u2019s made of gold, or priced like gold, it\u2019s still going to do the same.\u201d When asked what her rather simple beauty routine says about her, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t look to expensive things to define who I am. I\u2019m not insecure about myself.\u201d \u2014 JLG", "date_published": "2018-08-03T05:02:12+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T05:02:12+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Alice Dixson", "Daphne Ose\u00f1a-Paez", "Elizabeth Durado Clenci", "HOOQ", "Jane Cruz-Walker", "Shiela Valderrama-Martinez", "Features" ], "summary": "Tips from women on the go." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175508", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175508/highlife-local-alternatives-logomania/", "title": "Local alternatives to instantly recognizable logomania", "content_html": "\n
When the lady sitting next to you has the exact same bag, the exact same shoe, can you call something truly your own?
\nWORDS JOSEPH L. GARCIA
\nYour closets could be full of the world\u2019s most expensive shoes, bags, and jackets. But when the lady sitting next to you has the exact same bag, the exact same shoe, can you call something truly your own? Instead of looking at brands under global luxury conglomerates, why not consider these local purveyors of high style.
\nSHOPPING AS PRIVATE PLEASURE
\nThe story of Id\u00e9e Clothing Store starts with the last cigarette Rica Lorenzo, CEO and Chairman of Lapanday Foods Corp., smoked. She picked up the habit at 14 and decided that decades of nicotine and tar was enough. Quit, she did. \u201cI never knew I could do it and I didn\u2019t expect to, but I felt it was time. Otherwise, I\u2019d die of lung cancer,\u201d said Ms. Lorenzo, who is in her 50s.
Initially, Id\u00e9e, located in a space in her family\u2019s Lapanday Center in Makati, was a hobby, something to keep her mind off cigarettes. \u201cI guess it was a way to cope with the sudden change,\u201d she said.
\nThe boutique, which carries items from local designers, has outgrown the ephemera of smoke and burning embers that gave birth to it. \u201cIt\u2019s way beyond that now. It has a life of its own. It\u2019s more than just simply a crutch for me. It\u2019s a full-fledged store with its own reason for being.\u201d
\nToday, her daughter handles most of the store\u2019s operations since Ms. Lorenzo\u2019s day job, as she calls it\u2014heading Lapanday Foods (one of the country\u2019s largest exporters of fruit, specifically bananas and pineapples)\u2014keeps her busy.\u00a0 \u201cI can live without Id\u00e9e, for sure. But it can live without me, too.\u201d
\n![\"hl-inside-idee-clothing\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lux1.jpg\")
Still, her presence is very much felt in Id\u00e9e since Ms. Lorenzo\u2019s impeccable taste is the measure by which all things are judged. Items designed by talents like Mai-Mai Cojuangco, Bea Valdes, Sofia Borromeo, and Carmina de Dios stock its shelves and racks. \u201cThat\u2019s the only requirement: that I like them,\u201d she said, explaining how things pass muster.
\nEach style that Id\u00e9e pops out will only have about three items in stock, made in three different sizes: small, medium, and large; and after they\u2019ve been snapped up, you\u2019ll be the only one wearing it.
\nWith just three of anything around the whole world (and sometimes as in the case of Misses Cojuangco and Valdes, only one of each item), you\u2019ll be sure never to be caught wearing the same thing as anyone else. And because the store is still relatively a secret, shopping becomes an individual activity. \u201cThis is precisely why people would go to my store: because no one knows about it,\u201d she said. \u201cThe experience of shopping becomes a private pleasure.\u201d
\nWhen asked what sort of person shops at Id\u00e9e, she answered: \u201cSomebody who knows what she wants. That\u2019s why she goes out of her way to go to the store. You don\u2019t just chance upon Id\u00e9e. You go there on purpose.\u201d
\nCHAMPION OF THE INDIGENOUS
\nWhile it shares a name with a Spanish fast-fashion brand, Zarah Juan is a Filipino brand whose products are handmade; not hurried. It also champions local fabrics like T\u2019nalak, Binakul, Inabel, and Pinilian in its shoes and bags.
In 2017, Zarah Juan, the woman behind the eponymous brand, participated in the first-ever ArteFino Fair, an artisanal market for Filipino artist-entrepreneurs, and sold every pair of her Bagobo-Tagabawa-made beaded mules.
\n![\"hl-inside-zarah-juan\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lux2.jpg\")
Zarah Juan\u2019s brand is exclusive and her business philosophy, inclusive. She works with indigenous artists like the Bagobo-Tagabawa in Davao. A survey of her Instagram page (@zarahjuan) also shows handcrafted products by the T\u2019boli community, the burdaderas of Bulacan, and the sapateros of Marikina, among others.
\nBefore finding retail success, Ms. Juan was a flight attendant whose travels in Japan piqued her interest in making and designing eco tote bags. In 2006, after securing a business partnership with a retail giant, she left her job and started a manufacturing company called GreenLeaf Eco Bags, which creates recyclable bags. Her eco bag designing and making required her to visit Marikina. There, she met the shoemakers who sparked her interest in shoes, prompting her to create her own designer label.
\nZarah Juan has since then become synonymous with colorful and catchy designs. It has a small showroom at Champaca Building Columns, Legaspi Village in Makati. The brand, which regularly participates in fashion fairs, also has an online presence via Zalora, where one can find select mules, flats, and espadrilles.
\nUNIFORM DRESSING
\nWhen repeating clothes is a fashion no-no, Harlan + Holden, on the other hand, says yes to being brave enough to wear the same pants and tops again and again. Harlan + Holden\u2019s slogan is \u201cuniform dressing\u201d: repeated use of items while allowing mixing and matching with what\u2019s already in your wardrobe.
![\"hl-inside-harlan-holden\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lux3.jpg\")
The brand\u2019s style philosophy is classic and wearable. This outlook isn\u2019t simply a style of dressing, but rather, an approach to the way we dress.
\nDeceptively simple, the garments\u2014mostly structured pants, relaxed dresses, and loose tops\u2014are designed and constructed to be a blank canvas: you can wear them as they are, or dress them up or down and accessorize.
\nThe brand caters to men and women who are well-traveled and perpetually on-the-go. The fabrics are thoughtfully selected: there are no special laundry instructions (toss them in the washing machine and voila, you\u2019re done, minimal ironing required). The clothes are foldable, durable, and easily packed.
\nHarlan + Holden has branches in Shangri-La Plaza, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Malls The 30th, and Power Plant Mall. \u2014 with Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
\n", "content_text": "When the lady sitting next to you has the exact same bag, the exact same shoe, can you call something truly your own?\n\nWORDS JOSEPH L. GARCIA\nYour closets could be full of the world\u2019s most expensive shoes, bags, and jackets. But when the lady sitting next to you has the exact same bag, the exact same shoe, can you call something truly your own? Instead of looking at brands under global luxury conglomerates, why not consider these local purveyors of high style.\nSHOPPING AS PRIVATE PLEASURE\nThe story of Id\u00e9e Clothing Store starts with the last cigarette Rica Lorenzo, CEO and Chairman of Lapanday Foods Corp., smoked. She picked up the habit at 14 and decided that decades of nicotine and tar was enough. Quit, she did. \u201cI never knew I could do it and I didn\u2019t expect to, but I felt it was time. Otherwise, I\u2019d die of lung cancer,\u201d said Ms. Lorenzo, who is in her 50s. \nInitially, Id\u00e9e, located in a space in her family\u2019s Lapanday Center in Makati, was a hobby, something to keep her mind off cigarettes. \u201cI guess it was a way to cope with the sudden change,\u201d she said. \nThe boutique, which carries items from local designers, has outgrown the ephemera of smoke and burning embers that gave birth to it. \u201cIt\u2019s way beyond that now. It has a life of its own. It\u2019s more than just simply a crutch for me. It\u2019s a full-fledged store with its own reason for being.\u201d \nToday, her daughter handles most of the store\u2019s operations since Ms. Lorenzo\u2019s day job, as she calls it\u2014heading Lapanday Foods (one of the country\u2019s largest exporters of fruit, specifically bananas and pineapples)\u2014keeps her busy.\u00a0 \u201cI can live without Id\u00e9e, for sure. But it can live without me, too.\u201d\nId\u00e9e specializes in one-of-a-kind designs and limited runs. Photo courtesy of\u00a0Id\u00e9e.\u00a0\nStill, her presence is very much felt in Id\u00e9e since Ms. Lorenzo\u2019s impeccable taste is the measure by which all things are judged. Items designed by talents like Mai-Mai Cojuangco, Bea Valdes, Sofia Borromeo, and Carmina de Dios stock its shelves and racks. \u201cThat\u2019s the only requirement: that I like them,\u201d she said, explaining how things pass muster. \nEach style that Id\u00e9e pops out will only have about three items in stock, made in three different sizes: small, medium, and large; and after they\u2019ve been snapped up, you\u2019ll be the only one wearing it.\nWith just three of anything around the whole world (and sometimes as in the case of Misses Cojuangco and Valdes, only one of each item), you\u2019ll be sure never to be caught wearing the same thing as anyone else. And because the store is still relatively a secret, shopping becomes an individual activity. \u201cThis is precisely why people would go to my store: because no one knows about it,\u201d she said. \u201cThe experience of shopping becomes a private pleasure.\u201d\nWhen asked what sort of person shops at Id\u00e9e, she answered: \u201cSomebody who knows what she wants. That\u2019s why she goes out of her way to go to the store. You don\u2019t just chance upon Id\u00e9e. You go there on purpose.\u201d\nCHAMPION OF THE INDIGENOUS\nWhile it shares a name with a Spanish fast-fashion brand, Zarah Juan is a Filipino brand whose products are handmade; not hurried. It also champions local fabrics like T\u2019nalak, Binakul, Inabel, and Pinilian in its shoes and bags. \nIn 2017, Zarah Juan, the woman behind the eponymous brand, participated in the first-ever ArteFino Fair, an artisanal market for Filipino artist-entrepreneurs, and sold every pair of her Bagobo-Tagabawa-made beaded mules.\nZarah Juan makes shoes and bags from local fabrics such as T\u2019nalak, Binakul, Inabel, and Pinilian. Shown here: a Burdaderas Market Tote by the burdaderas of Bulacan. Photo courtesy of Zarah Juan.\nZarah Juan\u2019s brand is exclusive and her business philosophy, inclusive. She works with indigenous artists like the Bagobo-Tagabawa in Davao. A survey of her Instagram page (@zarahjuan) also shows handcrafted products by the T\u2019boli community, the burdaderas of Bulacan, and the sapateros of Marikina, among others. \nBefore finding retail success, Ms. Juan was a flight attendant whose travels in Japan piqued her interest in making and designing eco tote bags. In 2006, after securing a business partnership with a retail giant, she left her job and started a manufacturing company called GreenLeaf Eco Bags, which creates recyclable bags. Her eco bag designing and making required her to visit Marikina. There, she met the shoemakers who sparked her interest in shoes, prompting her to create her own designer label.\nZarah Juan has since then become synonymous with colorful and catchy designs. It has a small showroom at Champaca Building Columns, Legaspi Village in Makati. The brand, which regularly participates in fashion fairs, also has an online presence via Zalora, where one can find select mules, flats, and espadrilles. \nUNIFORM DRESSING\nWhen repeating clothes is a fashion no-no, Harlan + Holden, on the other hand, says yes to being brave enough to wear the same pants and tops again and again. Harlan + Holden\u2019s slogan is \u201cuniform dressing\u201d: repeated use of items while allowing mixing and matching with what\u2019s already in your wardrobe.\nHarlan + Holden is an advocate for \u201cuniform dressing\u201d: repeated use of classic items that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Photo courtesy of Harlan + Holden.\nThe brand\u2019s style philosophy is classic and wearable. This outlook isn\u2019t simply a style of dressing, but rather, an approach to the way we dress.\nDeceptively simple, the garments\u2014mostly structured pants, relaxed dresses, and loose tops\u2014are designed and constructed to be a blank canvas: you can wear them as they are, or dress them up or down and accessorize. \nThe brand caters to men and women who are well-traveled and perpetually on-the-go. The fabrics are thoughtfully selected: there are no special laundry instructions (toss them in the washing machine and voila, you\u2019re done, minimal ironing required). The clothes are foldable, durable, and easily packed. \nHarlan + Holden has branches in Shangri-La Plaza, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Malls The 30th, and Power Plant Mall. \u2014 with Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman", "date_published": "2018-08-03T05:00:06+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T05:00:06+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "clothing", "design", "fashion", "Harlan + Holden", "Id\u00e9e Clothing Store", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman", "Zarah Juan", "Features" ], "summary": "When the lady sitting next to you has the exact same bag, the exact same shoe, can you call something truly your own?" }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175495", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175495/highlife-rosa-clara-spanish-fashion-designer/", "title": "Making a living from love", "content_html": "\n
Talking with fashion designer Rosa Clara, the \u201cVera Wang of Spain.\u201d
\nWORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA
\nA\u00a0large emerald gleamed on the finger of Rosa Clara. The ancients believed that the emerald was the stone of love. Unlike the red of rubies that ignited carnal passion, emeralds were believed to soothe the soul and provide harmony for a love that would go beyond the wedding and would go on to the grave. It seems appropriate that Ms. Clara should adopt the stone as one of her talismans, as she makes a living from love. Ms. Clara is one of Spain\u2019s eminent fashion designers, best known for her dreamy bridal gowns. Her label has won several awards in her native Spain and in the US. Her stores are located in many corners of the world: North America and Latin America, continental Europe, even here, in the Philippines.
\n\u201cI started at home. I was very much inspired by my mother: she dressed very nicely; she was very fashionable. So at the very start\u2014I think I was seven, or eight years old\u2014I was doing drawings,\u201d she told High Life through an interpreter.
\nMs. Clara found her footing in Barcelona in 1995. Since then, she\u2019s been called the \u201cVera Wang of Spain,\u201d as if her dresses were de rigueur for a bride, much like the North American designer\u2019s. Barcelona is a city of romance\u2014its passionate, expressive, and unique buildings providing the perfect backdrop for meeting the love of your life, or else a love affair to keep as a lifelong secret. Perhaps this setting provides the romance for Ms. Clara\u2019s designs, but Ms. Clara said with some laughter, \u201cI don\u2019t know if the Spaniards are more romantic or not. I just do know that weddings are very important social events that gather the family.\u201d
\n\u201cThere are many, many weddings held in Spain. I must say, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the most important day in the life of a woman, but definitely, it\u2019s one of the most important days of her life,\u201d she added.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/rc2.jpg\")
FINDING THE DRESS OF YOUR DREAMS
\nRosa Clara dresses are displayed in a shop, and a bride seeks out her favorite. Brides-to-be can come in to the store as walk-ins, or they may set an appointment. After the bride has selected a dress, her measurements are taken and then the dress is ordered from the main office in Spain.
The whole process takes four to six months. Brides may also choose one of the dresses off the rack and an in-house tailoring team, trained by their counterparts in Spain, can tailor-fit the off-the-rack dress on the brides, and even add extra details like beading and embroidery, or make minor changes to lengths and necklines.
\nWhen asked if using an off-the-rack dress as a template somehow diminishes the fairy tale-like quality of a wedding wherein the bride is the only star, Ms. Clara disagreed: \u201cI don\u2019t think that by wearing an off-the-rack dress, you\u2019re living someone else\u2019s wedding.\u201d
\n\u201cI think that the women of today have less time, are very discerning, and are used to trying things and saying if they like them or not, if it suits them or not. So why not wedding dresses?\u201d The process, she continued, isn\u2019t as simple as snatching several dresses off the rack and purchasing the first one that fits. Rather, an entire team\u2014composed of a bridal consultant, and a seamstress, among other people\u2014guides the bride-to-be and helps her make an informed choice. \u201cThey will walk with her. They will enlighten her. They will extract what is in her,\u201d she said. The final dress, she said with confidence, \u201cwill actually be the one she was dreaming of all her life.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/rc3.jpg\")
ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
\nA gown displayed on a form or a mannequin, will, of course, drape differently on a living, breathing woman. What should happen if the dress of your dreams turns you into a bit of a nightmare? Ms. Clara declared this an impossibility. \u201cThe bride will be as pretty as she is with a dress that she\u2019s compatible with, and she\u2019s happy with. If she\u2019s happy and she\u2019s confident, she\u2019ll be the best possible bride.\u201d She added, \u201cWe must remember: ultimately, it\u2019s her wedding, it\u2019s her dress. She chooses.\u201d
Ms. Clara became a bride herself in 2013\u2014sometime in her 50s. A design based on her wedding dress, a mature long-sleeved confection inspired by the Art Deco movement, is a staple in Rosa Clara\u2019s catalogue. When asked if her romantic life influences any of her work in fashion, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t think that my personal life, whether single or married, was an important factor. I think what makes me creative is working with a very young and passion-driven team.\u201d
\nThe meaning of marriage has changed for the times. The brand, since its founding in 1995, has seen the global incidence of marriage decrease and the average age of marriage increase. In Ms. Clara\u2019s native Spain, the average age at first marriage has increased by eight years from 1981 to 2013, going from 25.2 to 33.2 years, according to data from the Spanish Statistical Office. Spain, too, was among the first nations to legalize same-sex marriage in 2005 in a law characterized by the New York Times as \u201camong the most liberal.\u201d
\nFor anyone who wishes to get married in a wedding gown, Rosa Clara is there, ready to make the bride the dress of her dreams. \u201cWorking as we work in the whole planet, with all types and definitions of marriage and family\u2026 I think that what really matters in this case is that it\u2019s a special day. And for the special occasion, you have to be at your best.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "Talking with fashion designer Rosa Clara, the \u201cVera Wang of Spain.\u201d\n\nWORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA\nA\u00a0large emerald gleamed on the finger of Rosa Clara. The ancients believed that the emerald was the stone of love. Unlike the red of rubies that ignited carnal passion, emeralds were believed to soothe the soul and provide harmony for a love that would go beyond the wedding and would go on to the grave. It seems appropriate that Ms. Clara should adopt the stone as one of her talismans, as she makes a living from love. Ms. Clara is one of Spain\u2019s eminent fashion designers, best known for her dreamy bridal gowns. Her label has won several awards in her native Spain and in the US. Her stores are located in many corners of the world: North America and Latin America, continental Europe, even here, in the Philippines.\n\u201cI started at home. I was very much inspired by my mother: she dressed very nicely; she was very fashionable. So at the very start\u2014I think I was seven, or eight years old\u2014I was doing drawings,\u201d she told High Life through an interpreter. \nMs. Clara found her footing in Barcelona in 1995. Since then, she\u2019s been called the \u201cVera Wang of Spain,\u201d as if her dresses were de rigueur for a bride, much like the North American designer\u2019s. Barcelona is a city of romance\u2014its passionate, expressive, and unique buildings providing the perfect backdrop for meeting the love of your life, or else a love affair to keep as a lifelong secret. Perhaps this setting provides the romance for Ms. Clara\u2019s designs, but Ms. Clara said with some laughter, \u201cI don\u2019t know if the Spaniards are more romantic or not. I just do know that weddings are very important social events that gather the family.\u201d\n\u201cThere are many, many weddings held in Spain. I must say, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the most important day in the life of a woman, but definitely, it\u2019s one of the most important days of her life,\u201d she added.\nLong beaded cocktail dress with low back, in nude, silver and sand. Photo courtesy of Rosa Clara.\nFINDING THE DRESS OF YOUR DREAMS\nRosa Clara dresses are displayed in a shop, and a bride seeks out her favorite. Brides-to-be can come in to the store as walk-ins, or they may set an appointment. After the bride has selected a dress, her measurements are taken and then the dress is ordered from the main office in Spain.\nThe whole process takes four to six months. Brides may also choose one of the dresses off the rack and an in-house tailoring team, trained by their counterparts in Spain, can tailor-fit the off-the-rack dress on the brides, and even add extra details like beading and embroidery, or make minor changes to lengths and necklines.\nWhen asked if using an off-the-rack dress as a template somehow diminishes the fairy tale-like quality of a wedding wherein the bride is the only star, Ms. Clara disagreed: \u201cI don\u2019t think that by wearing an off-the-rack dress, you\u2019re living someone else\u2019s wedding.\u201d\n\u201cI think that the women of today have less time, are very discerning, and are used to trying things and saying if they like them or not, if it suits them or not. So why not wedding dresses?\u201d The process, she continued, isn\u2019t as simple as snatching several dresses off the rack and purchasing the first one that fits. Rather, an entire team\u2014composed of a bridal consultant, and a seamstress, among other people\u2014guides the bride-to-be and helps her make an informed choice. \u201cThey will walk with her. They will enlighten her. They will extract what is in her,\u201d she said. The final dress, she said with confidence, \u201cwill actually be the one she was dreaming of all her life.\u201d\nBeaded chiffon and lace dress, in natural. Photo courtesy of Rosa Clara.\nALL SHAPES AND SIZES\nA gown displayed on a form or a mannequin, will, of course, drape differently on a living, breathing woman. What should happen if the dress of your dreams turns you into a bit of a nightmare? Ms. Clara declared this an impossibility. \u201cThe bride will be as pretty as she is with a dress that she\u2019s compatible with, and she\u2019s happy with. If she\u2019s happy and she\u2019s confident, she\u2019ll be the best possible bride.\u201d She added, \u201cWe must remember: ultimately, it\u2019s her wedding, it\u2019s her dress. She chooses.\u201d\nMs. Clara became a bride herself in 2013\u2014sometime in her 50s. A design based on her wedding dress, a mature long-sleeved confection inspired by the Art Deco movement, is a staple in Rosa Clara\u2019s catalogue. When asked if her romantic life influences any of her work in fashion, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t think that my personal life, whether single or married, was an important factor. I think what makes me creative is working with a very young and passion-driven team.\u201d\nThe meaning of marriage has changed for the times. The brand, since its founding in 1995, has seen the global incidence of marriage decrease and the average age of marriage increase. In Ms. Clara\u2019s native Spain, the average age at first marriage has increased by eight years from 1981 to 2013, going from 25.2 to 33.2 years, according to data from the Spanish Statistical Office. Spain, too, was among the first nations to legalize same-sex marriage in 2005 in a law characterized by the New York Times as \u201camong the most liberal.\u201d \nFor anyone who wishes to get married in a wedding gown, Rosa Clara is there, ready to make the bride the dress of her dreams. \u201cWorking as we work in the whole planet, with all types and definitions of marriage and family\u2026 I think that what really matters in this case is that it\u2019s a special day. And for the special occasion, you have to be at your best.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-08-03T04:00:08+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T04:00:08+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "fashion", "fashion designer", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Rosa Clara", "Features" ], "summary": "Talking with fashion designer Rosa Clara, the \u201cVera Wang of Spain.\u201d" }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175474", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175474/highlife-lulu-tan-gan-fashion/", "title": "Fashion forward", "content_html": "\n
The Queen of Knits on staying relevant in the fashion industry.
\nWORDS\u00a0NICKKY FAUSTINE P.\u00a0DE GUZMAN
\nLulu Tan-Gan\u2019s\u00a0 staying power in the fashion industry is as sturdy as the knits she\u2019s created and popularized. Hailed as the Queen of Knits, she joined the College of St. Benilde-School of Design and Arts\u2019 (CSB-SDA) Fashion and Merchandising program as a consultant in 2013.
\n\u201cThe study of fashion entails lots of research and mood boards, which express your identity, and later on, your voice as a designer. There\u2019s a process that you go through. Of course, copying is forbidden\u2014meaning, there should be no reference to another clothing brand. And that is really what innovation is,\u201d she said in the vernacular.
\nHigh Life sat down with Ms. Tan-Gan and talked about fashion, how to stay relevant in the business, and many other things.
\nWhy does fashion matter?
\nIt is an industry. It provides jobs. Our crafts people, the retailers, suppliers\u2026 it is a big business. Overall, fashion has become a peg for other industries, say cars. The car industry usually only has one or two models in a year, but now they are coming up with more car models. The cycle is faster.\u00a0 Now everything has trends, because fashion means trends also. Fashion is that influential.
How easy is it to break into the fashion industry?
\nA lot of people think that fashion is easy to attain, but it depends on how you want to see yourself in the future. Those who think that fashion is easy are more interested in producing garments but not in becoming designers. At the end of the day, garment-producing is just creating, not innovating. A fashion designer designs something that is relevant, with function. There\u2019s a need for formal education, which includes understanding materials and knowing fabric design and creation, which go through a process.
![\"hl-inside-lulu-tan-gan-fashion-2\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lulu3.jpg\")
But what is originality, anyways?
\nHow do you define originality if you haven\u2019t seen it, right? *Laughs.* Many times you change a form, a new way of using materials. That\u2019s totally innovating. I personally don\u2019t go through the fashion pages. Once in a while I do, but only to see the global trend. We cannot get away from that, which is one of our references. But for you to be original, you need to start with your own materials. Our program at CSB-SDA has fabric design courses for three terms. Our students do surface designs, or working with materials first by dying, printing, embellishing, manipulating texture, and using of crafts, as in handwork. It is timely because we are non-competitive with fast fashion.
What do they aspire for when they leave the school?
\nWe want them to be able to find their tracks. They can do designing, merchandising, styling\u2014it\u2019s a vast world. To be able to compete, you have to know beyond the surface. It\u2019s three things: research, exposure, and experience. Research includes a lot of reading. You may end up being a skilled craftsman, but your creation has no meaning, no story behind it. Understand the creative process and you\u2019ll be able to sustain it through the years.
![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lulu2.jpg\")
If you were to pick a single item of clothing that defines Filipino fashion, what would it be?
\nFilipino design is diverse, again we go back to references like baro\u2019t saya that started our costumes. If you go back further, we have our tribes, our [original] references. The technique used in our tribal wear is weaving, which is very Asian. Baro\u2019t saya, on the other hand, is European. This generation has the awareness of the diversity of our fashion history. At the end of the day, anything could be Filipino as long as you have the references for images, materials, and forms so we don\u2019t go stale.
The fashion industry has always been criticized because it sends messages that thin is in and beautiful. Care to comment?
\nI don\u2019t agree. That became an impression because, in the normal way of presenting collection, it is easier to present with one uniform size. It\u2019s for the convenience of standardization. You don\u2019t call it small, medium large, but very specific: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. The models have to fit in the standard. It\u2019s hard to present a collection where your models vary in height and weight.
But with this being said, how do you teach the students that customers are not runway models?
\nAs designers, we have to learn how to translate vital statistics to patterns. We teach them what is called grading, or knowing how to spread sizes. You have to learn grading because if you don\u2019t you cannot understand ready-to-wear, which is where the volume of manufacturing comes. If you want to get into business, you have to be ready to do RTW.
\n
Donatela, a resort in Bohol, rejuvenates all of the five senses and even awakens a secret sense of imagination. Meandering through the 7.5-hectare property, one finds surprises like Paprika, a fine-dining restaurant located by a cliff near the sea. The restaurant has a varied menu of Filipino classics and grand international fare: don\u2019t leave the restaurant without ordering the fresh seafood, or the Tomahawk, a grilled prime rib clocking in at 1.7 kilograms. Other surprises include the statuary that includes a four-ton reclining Buddha, found in Bali, displayed by a pond near the villas.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Paradise-Found3.jpg\")
Birds chirp above the generous canopy of trees and tropical flowers planted along paths located near the sea. The scent of grass, flowers, and sea spray cleans away the smoke and smog of the city.
\nThe resort, which reopened in 2018 following a rebranding (from Tarsier Botanika), is managed by Enderun Hospitality Management. In addition to all that nature offers is the relative absence of man-made noise, for the resort\u2014equipped with a stable, a zoo, pools and a spa\u2014will only have 31 guests at full capacity.
\nTo maximize the Bohol experience, the hotel can organize activities such as whale-watching and a firefly-lit night cruise.
\nThe resort accommodations boast of a numerical lock system, which opens with a password given to guests, ensuring complete and total privacy.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Paradise-Found4.jpg\")
The Pool Villa\u2014Donatela\u2019s biggest, measuring 120 square meters\u2014has, as its name suggests, its own pool along with its own balcony. It\u2019s decorated in a style reminiscent of colonial Kenya, with paintings of lions and elephants, steamer trunks for furniture, and a bamboo headboard inspired by a Chippendale design. \u201cI want you to miss your alarm,\u201d said Herve Martin, the resort\u2019s General Manager, of the utter relaxation guests should allow themselves while in Donatela.
\nHigh Life stayed in Donatela\u2019s Garden Villa. From the outside, the villa appears like a luxurious hut, inspired by dwellings in the Cordillera mountains. Inside, the 56-square meter space has a terrace with table and chairs, a king-size bed, a sofa, a Bluetooth music system, and WiFi. The bathroom has a rainshower-head, and is attached to a walk-in closet and dressing room. One wakes up to the tittering of birds and the sight of wooden beams illuminated by the sun peeping through a small skylight. \u201cThis to them is like the Garden of Eden.\u201d said Mr. Martin.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Paradise-Found5.jpg\")
Rates range from Php16,000 per night for a Garden Villa, to Php37,500 per night for a Pool Villa. \u2014 Joseph L. Garcia
\n", "content_text": "Donatela, a resort in Bohol, rejuvenates all of the five senses and even awakens a secret sense of imagination. Meandering through the 7.5-hectare property, one finds surprises like Paprika, a fine-dining restaurant located by a cliff near the sea. The restaurant has a varied menu of Filipino classics and grand international fare: don\u2019t leave the restaurant without ordering the fresh seafood, or the Tomahawk, a grilled prime rib clocking in at 1.7 kilograms. Other surprises include the statuary that includes a four-ton reclining Buddha, found in Bali, displayed by a pond near the villas.\nPaprika\nBirds chirp above the generous canopy of trees and tropical flowers planted along paths located near the sea. The scent of grass, flowers, and sea spray cleans away the smoke and smog of the city.\nThe resort, which reopened in 2018 following a rebranding (from Tarsier Botanika), is managed by Enderun Hospitality Management. In addition to all that nature offers is the relative absence of man-made noise, for the resort\u2014equipped with a stable, a zoo, pools and a spa\u2014will only have 31 guests at full capacity.\nTo maximize the Bohol experience, the hotel can organize activities such as whale-watching and a firefly-lit night cruise.\nThe resort accommodations boast of a numerical lock system, which opens with a password given to guests, ensuring complete and total privacy.\nThe Pool Villa\nThe Pool Villa\u2014Donatela\u2019s biggest, measuring 120 square meters\u2014has, as its name suggests, its own pool along with its own balcony. It\u2019s decorated in a style reminiscent of colonial Kenya, with paintings of lions and elephants, steamer trunks for furniture, and a bamboo headboard inspired by a Chippendale design. \u201cI want you to miss your alarm,\u201d said Herve Martin, the resort\u2019s General Manager, of the utter relaxation guests should allow themselves while in Donatela.\nHigh Life stayed in Donatela\u2019s Garden Villa. From the outside, the villa appears like a luxurious hut, inspired by dwellings in the Cordillera mountains. Inside, the 56-square meter space has a terrace with table and chairs, a king-size bed, a sofa, a Bluetooth music system, and WiFi. The bathroom has a rainshower-head, and is attached to a walk-in closet and dressing room. One wakes up to the tittering of birds and the sight of wooden beams illuminated by the sun peeping through a small skylight. \u201cThis to them is like the Garden of Eden.\u201d said Mr. Martin.\nThe Garden Villa\nRates range from Php16,000 per night for a Garden Villa, to Php37,500 per night for a Pool Villa. \u2014 Joseph L. Garcia", "date_published": "2018-08-03T02:00:19+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T02:00:19+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Bohol", "Donatela", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Features" ], "summary": "There is a resort in Bohol that rejuvenates all of the five senses and even awakens a secret sense of imagination." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=177793", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/177793/taste-small-batch-spirits/", "title": "Taste | Small batch spirits", "content_html": "\n
Apotheke Craft Spirits, a Makati-based company that imports and distributes quality spirits from boutique distilleries, advocates for better drinking through education and better understanding of each spirit category.
\nAccording to Simon C\u00f4t\u00e9, Apotheke managing partner, the brands carried by the company share the same philosophy of quality over quantity, and a family-driven approach to producing spirits. \u201cCraft spirits involve the owner of the brand directly supervising the entire process of fabrication with tender love and care. Craft spirits are unique in opposition to industrial-made spirits, which are made in millions of bottles in manufacturing style of production,\u201d he said.
\nApotheke\u2019s inventory includes Michter\u2019s 20 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Php98,000), a limited release with intense notes of black cherry, rich molasses, roasted pecans, and toasted charred oak. Meanwhile, Michter\u2019s US*1 range (Php3,150) is a more accessible line composed of bottles of sour mash, Kentucky straight bourbon, and Kentucky straight rye.
\nMr. C\u00f4t\u00e9 can arrange a private tasting around different spirit categories based on a client\u2019s preferences. Gin, he noticed, is “popular”. These events consist of \u201csipping together\u201d the different gins and discussing their taste profiles after introducing the story of each distillery. Various botanicals are made available for clients who want to make their own concoctions based on the taste profile of each gin. Apotheke prefers private tastings to consist of groups 12-14 people for better interaction but the company has done tastings for parties of 35. Clients are charged for the bottles at their regular retail price, plus a Php15,000 fee for Mr. Cote\u2019s services and knowledge.
\nFor more information, look for @apothekecraftspirits on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0
\n", "content_text": "Apotheke Craft Spirits, a Makati-based company that imports and distributes quality spirits from boutique distilleries, advocates for better drinking through education and better understanding of each spirit category. \nAccording to Simon C\u00f4t\u00e9, Apotheke managing partner, the brands carried by the company share the same philosophy of quality over quantity, and a family-driven approach to producing spirits. \u201cCraft spirits involve the owner of the brand directly supervising the entire process of fabrication with tender love and care. Craft spirits are unique in opposition to industrial-made spirits, which are made in millions of bottles in manufacturing style of production,\u201d he said.\nApotheke\u2019s inventory includes Michter\u2019s 20 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Php98,000), a limited release with intense notes of black cherry, rich molasses, roasted pecans, and toasted charred oak. Meanwhile, Michter\u2019s US*1 range (Php3,150) is a more accessible line composed of bottles of sour mash, Kentucky straight bourbon, and Kentucky straight rye. \nMr. C\u00f4t\u00e9 can arrange a private tasting around different spirit categories based on a client\u2019s preferences. Gin, he noticed, is “popular”. These events consist of \u201csipping together\u201d the different gins and discussing their taste profiles after introducing the story of each distillery. Various botanicals are made available for clients who want to make their own concoctions based on the taste profile of each gin. Apotheke prefers private tastings to consist of groups 12-14 people for better interaction but the company has done tastings for parties of 35. Clients are charged for the bottles at their regular retail price, plus a Php15,000 fee for Mr. Cote\u2019s services and knowledge. \nFor more information, look for @apothekecraftspirits on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0", "date_published": "2018-08-03T01:36:20+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T01:36:20+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "alcohol", "Apotheke Craft Spirits", "Michter\u2019s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey", "Simon C\u00f4t\u00e9", "spirits", "Features" ], "summary": "Apotheke Craft Spirits, a Makati-based company that imports and distributes quality spirits from boutique distilleries, advocates for better drinking through education and better understanding of each spirit category." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=175943", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/08/03/175943/highlife-senses-sight-sideshow-kayla-rivera-gab-pangilinan/", "title": "Sight, sound | More than a freak show", "content_html": "\n\n
A heartwarming tale with an epic playlist from the same composer behind Dreamgirls, Side Show is a musical based on the true-to-life story of conjoined twins with big talents and simple dreams.
\nPresented by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, Side Show runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 23 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.
\nA musical about acceptance, love, and embracing our own idiosyncrasies, Side Show revolves around\u00a0 Violet and Daisy Hilton, who became famous entertainers in 1930s. Played respectively by Gab Pangilinan and Kayla Rivera,\u00a0Daisy and Violet\u00a0started out as the starring acts of a sideshow at the Orpheum Circuit helmed by the menacing ringmaster, Sir, played by Wency Cornejo.
\n![\"hl-inside-sideshow\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Freak-Show.jpg\")
It seems that the twins have everything they want but the satisfaction of their hearts\u2019 desires: Violet yearns for a normal life, a husband, and a home; Daisy wants popularity. And when an offer to be vaudeville stars landed on the twins\u2019 laps, the two are excited to accept the offer, which comes with what they want: fame, fortune, and a possible romance with Terry (Markki Stroem), a talent scout, and Buddy (David Ezra), a budding musician.
\nWith music written by Henry Krieger, Side Show features soulful tunes with beautiful lyrics like \u201cCome Look at the Freaks,\u201d \u201cLike Everyone Else,\u201d and \u201cI Will Never Leave You.\u201d Although desiring different things in life, Daisy and Violet share the same questions in their popular duet, \u201cWho Will Love Me as I Am?\u201d with lyrics that go: \u201cLike an odd exotic creature on display inside a zoo, hearing children asking questions makes me ask some questions, too. Who could see beyond this surface? Who will love me as I am?\u201d
\n\u201cSide Show is more than just a story about \u2018freaks\u2019 or one that celebrates uniqueness,\u201d director Steven Conde told High Life. \u201cIt is a story about connections that prove stronger than any physical bond. It is about the importance of family and relationships. It shows us how our most valued relationships can outweigh wealth, fame, and even romance,\u201d he said.
\nSide Show is Mr. Conde\u2019s directorial debut for the Atlantis group, where he heads the workshop division. Previous directing credits include Wit, My Name is Asher Lev, Suicide Incorporated, and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.
\nHe added: \u201cSide Show is the perfect example of a musical that can change lives. I am more than excited to direct this gem of a musical and share it with audiences, especially those who might feel weighed down by their own peculiarities.\u201d
\nJoining the cast are Arman Ferrer as Jake; Christine Flores as the Bearded Lady; Chesko Rodriguez as the Three-legged Man; Alex Reyes as the Tattooed Girl; Luis Marcelo as the Geek; Juancho Escoto as the Lizard Man; Vien King as Half Man, Half Woman; Juancho Escoto as Lizard Man; Timmy Pavino as Dog Boy; Jill Pe\u00f1a as Venus the Milo, Mica Fajardo as Albino Lady; and Ring Antonio as the Fortune Teller.
\nSide Show, despite its positive reviews, had short Broadway runs in 1998 and in 2014, when it was revived. It received four nominations at the Tony Awards in 1998, including one for Best Musical. \u201cIt continues to be one of the most produced musicals globally. Add to that, the musical\u2019s show-stopping music and powerful message of celebrating our uniqueness, it was only a matter of time before we brought Side Show to Manila,\u201d said Bobby Garcia, Atlantis Theatrical\u2019s producing-director.
\nFor tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph.
\n\u2014 Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
\n", "content_text": "A heartwarming tale with an epic playlist from the same composer behind Dreamgirls, Side Show is a musical based on the true-to-life story of conjoined twins with big talents and simple dreams.\nPresented by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, Side Show runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 23 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.\nA musical about acceptance, love, and embracing our own idiosyncrasies, Side Show revolves around\u00a0 Violet and Daisy Hilton, who became famous entertainers in 1930s. Played respectively by Gab Pangilinan and Kayla Rivera,\u00a0Daisy and Violet\u00a0started out as the starring acts of a sideshow at the Orpheum Circuit helmed by the menacing ringmaster, Sir, played by Wency Cornejo.\nGab Pangilinan and Kayla Rivera play conjoined twins in Side Show.\nIt seems that the twins have everything they want but the satisfaction of their hearts\u2019 desires: Violet yearns for a normal life, a husband, and a home; Daisy wants popularity. And when an offer to be vaudeville stars landed on the twins\u2019 laps, the two are excited to accept the offer, which comes with what they want: fame, fortune, and a possible romance with Terry (Markki Stroem), a talent scout, and Buddy (David Ezra), a budding musician.\nWith music written by Henry Krieger, Side Show features soulful tunes with beautiful lyrics like \u201cCome Look at the Freaks,\u201d \u201cLike Everyone Else,\u201d and \u201cI Will Never Leave You.\u201d Although desiring different things in life, Daisy and Violet share the same questions in their popular duet, \u201cWho Will Love Me as I Am?\u201d with lyrics that go: \u201cLike an odd exotic creature on display inside a zoo, hearing children asking questions makes me ask some questions, too. Who could see beyond this surface? Who will love me as I am?\u201d\n\u201cSide Show is more than just a story about \u2018freaks\u2019 or one that celebrates uniqueness,\u201d director Steven Conde told High Life. \u201cIt is a story about connections that prove stronger than any physical bond. It is about the importance of family and relationships. It shows us how our most valued relationships can outweigh wealth, fame, and even romance,\u201d he said.\nSide Show is Mr. Conde\u2019s directorial debut for the Atlantis group, where he heads the workshop division. Previous directing credits include Wit, My Name is Asher Lev, Suicide Incorporated, and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.\nHe added: \u201cSide Show is the perfect example of a musical that can change lives. I am more than excited to direct this gem of a musical and share it with audiences, especially those who might feel weighed down by their own peculiarities.\u201d\nJoining the cast are Arman Ferrer as Jake; Christine Flores as the Bearded Lady; Chesko Rodriguez as the Three-legged Man; Alex Reyes as the Tattooed Girl; Luis Marcelo as the Geek; Juancho Escoto as the Lizard Man; Vien King as Half Man, Half Woman; Juancho Escoto as Lizard Man; Timmy Pavino as Dog Boy; Jill Pe\u00f1a as Venus the Milo, Mica Fajardo as Albino Lady; and Ring Antonio as the Fortune Teller.\nSide Show, despite its positive reviews, had short Broadway runs in 1998 and in 2014, when it was revived. It received four nominations at the Tony Awards in 1998, including one for Best Musical. \u201cIt continues to be one of the most produced musicals globally. Add to that, the musical\u2019s show-stopping music and powerful message of celebrating our uniqueness, it was only a matter of time before we brought Side Show to Manila,\u201d said Bobby Garcia, Atlantis Theatrical\u2019s producing-director.\nFor tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph. \n\u2014 Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman", "date_published": "2018-08-03T00:01:30+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-03T00:01:30+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Features" ], "summary": "Side Show is a musical based on the true-to-life story of conjoined twins with big talents and simple dreams." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=161939", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/161939/highlife-magazine-younghusband-brothers/", "title": "The beautiful game | The Younghusband brothers", "content_html": "The Younghusband brothers and their unfaltering foray into placing the Philippines on the map of international football scene.
\nWORDS MICHAEL ANGELO MURILLO | PHOTOGRAPHY RXANDY CAPINPIN
\nIn local football, the brothers Phil and James Younghusband marked a sea change in fan appreciation and interest in the sport. Members of the national team since 2005, the Younghusband brothers, born to English father Philip Younghusband, Sr. and Filipino mother Susan Placer, have seen Philippine football grow exponentially since they first arrived.
\nIt is something that brings a lot of pride and honor on their part, they shared, seeing how their sacrifices and hard work as part of a group of football stakeholders have translated to great strides for the sport in the country.
\n![\"inside-james-phil-1\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/inside-james-phil-1.jpg\")
From the Philippines finding its way back in the overall football scheme in the region, to the \u201cMiracle of Hanoi\u201d in 2010 that had the football community noticing, to the recent victory of the Philippine Azkals over Tajikistan in the qualifiers that booked for the country a first-ever AFC Asian Cup spot, the Younghusbands were part and parcel of moving Philippine football forward.
\n\n\u201cMe and my brother are very proud to be part of this development of Philippine football. A lot has progressed. When we first came here, we had a 50-year plan. It\u2019s gone faster than what we expected,\u201d said James, 31, the elder of the Younghusband brothers.
\nPhil, 30, pointed out that in the decade or so since they joined the national team, the Azkals have climbed in the rankings from around 191-192 to 111. \u201cWe have come a long way\u2026 to be among the best 24 teams in the biggest continent in the world, in the biggest sport, shows how far we have come,\u201d said the younger Younghusband, referring to the Asian Cup happening in 2019.
\nTheir success is accompanied by other positive developments, among them the growth of the football community and the establishment of a professional league.
\nWhile the brothers are excited about booking a spot in the Asian Cup and helping the Azkals show off their skills on a bigger stage, they recognize that they are up against stiff competition as they are grouped with South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan in the initial phase of the quadrennial Asian Cup happening from January to February 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.
\n![\"inside-hl-phil-younghusband\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/inside-hl-phil-younghusband.jpg\")
\u201cIt\u2019s a tough draw but it could have been worse. If we want to progress and be a better team, we need to play in this sort of tournament against the best teams. We are looking forward to the challenge. South Korea will be a tough game because they have been a staple in the World Cup. China and Kyrgyzstan\u2014we have played them before and we have an idea how they play. We are aiming to be second in the group or one of the four third-place teams with the best record,\u201d said Phil, who is the lone Filipino football player in history who has scored 50 international goals.
\nFor James, doing well in the Asian Cup could potentially be \u201cmassive\u201d in relation to their larger football goals: \u201cI think it will be massive. With these milestones we hope more people get to pick up the sport and see the benefits of playing it. And more sponsors to come in and help the growth of the sport by building facilities and supporting teams locally,\u201d he said.
\n![\"inside-hl-james-younghusband\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/inside-hl-james-younghusband.jpg\")
The Younghusbands would also like to see the gains that Philippine football has made to be sustained by, among other things, having more football games shown on television. Media coverage, they explained, goes a long way in promoting the sport, as does local leadership focusing on grassroots development. On a personal level, the brothers shared that while they still have a lot left in their tanks, they hope their contributions to the sport won\u2019t be forgotten when their playing days are over.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/HL-quote-card-JAMES-on-FIFA.jpg\")
\u201cWe just want to be remembered for ourselves. Me and Phil, we have done things together both on and off the field. We work together and we are family. We want our legacy to be one of providing opportunities and inspiration for others as well to live their dreams,\u201d said James.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/HL-quote-card-Phil-on-FIFA.jpg\")
Phil, on the other hand, said: \u201cFirst off, we want to be remembered as good people. We want them to say that we were nice people, polite and well-mannered\u2014that\u2019s what our mom and dad want us to be. In football, we want to be remembered as passionate about the sport and passionate about wanting the sport in the country to improve more than anything else. We laid some of the foundation and hopefully others can build on it. It\u2019s not only me and James but the entire team.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "The Younghusband brothers and their unfaltering foray into placing the Philippines on the map of international football scene.\n\nWORDS MICHAEL ANGELO MURILLO | PHOTOGRAPHY RXANDY CAPINPIN\nIn local football, the brothers Phil and James Younghusband marked a sea change in fan appreciation and interest in the sport. Members of the national team since 2005, the Younghusband brothers, born to English father Philip Younghusband, Sr. and Filipino mother Susan Placer, have seen Philippine football grow exponentially since they first arrived.\nIt is something that brings a lot of pride and honor on their part, they shared, seeing how their sacrifices and hard work as part of a group of football stakeholders have translated to great strides for the sport in the country.\n\nFrom the Philippines finding its way back in the overall football scheme in the region, to the \u201cMiracle of Hanoi\u201d in 2010 that had the football community noticing, to the recent victory of the Philippine Azkals over Tajikistan in the qualifiers that booked for the country a first-ever AFC Asian Cup spot, the Younghusbands were part and parcel of moving Philippine football forward.\n\n\u201cMe and my brother are very proud to be part of this development of Philippine football. A lot has progressed. When we first came here, we had a 50-year plan. It\u2019s gone faster than what we expected,\u201d said James, 31, the elder of the Younghusband brothers.\nPhil, 30, pointed out that in the decade or so since they joined the national team, the Azkals have climbed in the rankings from around 191-192 to 111. \u201cWe have come a long way\u2026 to be among the best 24 teams in the biggest continent in the world, in the biggest sport, shows how far we have come,\u201d said the younger Younghusband, referring to the Asian Cup happening in 2019.\nTheir success is accompanied by other positive developments, among them the growth of the football community and the establishment of a professional league. \nWhile the brothers are excited about booking a spot in the Asian Cup and helping the Azkals show off their skills on a bigger stage, they recognize that they are up against stiff competition as they are grouped with South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan in the initial phase of the quadrennial Asian Cup happening from January to February 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a tough draw but it could have been worse. If we want to progress and be a better team, we need to play in this sort of tournament against the best teams. We are looking forward to the challenge. South Korea will be a tough game because they have been a staple in the World Cup. China and Kyrgyzstan\u2014we have played them before and we have an idea how they play. We are aiming to be second in the group or one of the four third-place teams with the best record,\u201d said Phil, who is the lone Filipino football player in history who has scored 50 international goals.\nFor James, doing well in the Asian Cup could potentially be \u201cmassive\u201d in relation to their larger football goals: \u201cI think it will be massive. With these milestones we hope more people get to pick up the sport and see the benefits of playing it. And more sponsors to come in and help the growth of the sport by building facilities and supporting teams locally,\u201d he said.\n\nThe Younghusbands would also like to see the gains that Philippine football has made to be sustained by, among other things, having more football games shown on television. Media coverage, they explained, goes a long way in promoting the sport, as does local leadership focusing on grassroots development. On a personal level, the brothers shared that while they still have a lot left in their tanks, they hope their contributions to the sport won\u2019t be forgotten when their playing days are over.\n\n\u201cWe just want to be remembered for ourselves. Me and Phil, we have done things together both on and off the field. We work together and we are family. We want our legacy to be one of providing opportunities and inspiration for others as well to live their dreams,\u201d said James.\n\nPhil, on the other hand, said: \u201cFirst off, we want to be remembered as good people. We want them to say that we were nice people, polite and well-mannered\u2014that\u2019s what our mom and dad want us to be. In football, we want to be remembered as passionate about the sport and passionate about wanting the sport in the country to improve more than anything else. We laid some of the foundation and hopefully others can build on it. It\u2019s not only me and James but the entire team.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-06-04T11:00:02+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-06-04T11:00:02+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "James Younghusband", "Mike Murillo", "Phil Younghusband", "Rxandy Capinpin", "Features", "The Cover" ], "summary": "The Younghusband brothers and their unfaltering foray into placing the Philippines on the map of international football scene." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=164854", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/164854/highlife-senses-sight-crystal-skye/", "title": "Sight | Luxury long-range jet", "content_html": "
\nTake a look at the world’s largest and most luxurious private charter jet.
Take luxury cruising to new heights\u2014literally\u2014as Genting Hong Kong\u2019s Crystal Air- Cruises introduces its flagship aircraft, Crystal Skye, to the Philippines and the world.
\n\u201cThe vision was to expand the portfolio of products of Crystal Cruises. [Crystal Skye] complements the growing luxury life- style portfolio of Crystal Cruises,\u201d Thatcher Brown, president of Crystal AirCruises and Dream Cruises told High Life during the jet\u2019s introduction to Manila on April 30.
\nCrystal Skye, a large-body Boeing 777-200 long-range jet is a welcome addition to Crystal Cruises\u2019 myriad of offerings for the luxury set (Crystal Cruises, the American luxury cruise line of Genting Hong Kong, has two ocean liners\u2014Symphony and Serenity, the latter of which ported in Manila in March\u2014five river boats in Europe, and a yacht).
\nWhat\u2019s inside a plane touted as the largest privately owned aircraft in the world? A lounge/dining area which seats 25 and has its own bar with food prepared by an onboard executive chef, South African Francois Van Zyl; 88 plush cream-colored seats made from English hand-sewn leather (each seat has a massage function and can turn into a full flatbed; it comes with US$500 Italian pillows, a cashmere blanket, a 24-inch entertainment system, Bose noise-cancelling headphones, and free wi-fi); and opulent lavatories (while they don\u2019t have showers, they\u2019re almost the size of a hotel bathroom).
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hl-HORIZONTAL-CS2.jpg\")
\nAnd since the plane comes with its own chef, dining at 40,000 feet (or more) is an experience as chef Van Zyl offers specialized wine pairing menus and destination-focused meals with locally sourced ingredients. Every effort is also made to fulfill guests\u2019 culinary requests, whether a Chinese breakfast or a feast to celebrate a birthday.
![\"inside-cystal-skye-2\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hl-VERTICAL-CS3.jpg\")
The story of shoe collecting in the Philippines.
\nWORDS MICHAEL ANGELO S. MURILLO\u00a0| PHOTOGRAPHY\u00a0JONATHAN BALDONADO
\nIn a country as basketball-crazy as the Philippines, it\u2019s unsurprising that sneaker collecting is a \u201cthing.\u201d As a kid in the 1990s, Antonio Aguirre, Jr. remembers Cash & Carry in Makati City as the go-to place for copping the signature shoes worn by NBA players like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Anfernee \u201cPenny\u201d Hardaway, and Scottie Pippen. In the early aughts, Vince Carter and his Nike Shox caught fire. \u201cNot many would line up though. Weeks would pass and the shoes would still be there,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre, who is also known as Mr. Sole Slam, an influential sneakerhead who founded the brand Sole Slam and ran the largest sneaker convention in the country, credited with further cultivating the local sneaker scene.
\nPeople started queueing around 2009-2010, when Kobe Bryant was winning championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V. It was also around this time that LeBron James was in the news for his very public breakup with the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2014remember \u201cThe Decision\u201d?\u2014in favor of the Miami Heat. The controversy added to the desirability of the LeBron 8 \u201cSouth Beach,\u201d which, with its pink-and-teal colorway, screamed Florida.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0
\nWhile basketball was the takeoff-point for sneaker culture in the Philippines, Mr. Aguirre witnessed a shift around 2014, which he attributed to Europeans and their love for running shoes. \u201cThey aren\u2019t really into basketball shoes like the Americans,\u201d he said, adding that the Japanese preference for big, chunky, colorful shoes has also made inroads among Filipino collectors.\u00a0 \u00a0
\nBONDED BY PASSION
\nThe sneakerhead community, according to Mr. Sole Slam himself, is bonded by the thrill for searching and acquiring coveted shoes. \u201cI started collecting seriously when I was 28 years old,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cWhat got me into the sneaker scene was the Jordan IX OG. It was a white pair of shoes that Jordan did not wear due to his retirement from basketball in 1993.\u201d
Mr. Aguirre met up with an online seller who was willing to part with a pair for Php9,000. \u201cI saw he had other stocks of shoes,\u201d he said of the moment he was bitten by the shoe-collecting bug. \u201cTwo days after I ended up buying 17 pairs of shoes from him in one go and it opened a can of worms.\u201d
\n![\"inside-anton-aguirre-sole-slam\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aguirre2.jpg\")
In a futile attempt to curb his initial appetite for kicks, he told himself that he would limit his collection to Air Jordans (I to XXIII). \u201cJust to satisfy the itch,\u201d he said. Then a friend asked him if he wanted a Kobe, a LeBron, maybe Asics running shoes? At its peak, Mr. Aguirre\u2019s collection was composed of 1,257 pairs of shoes. That Imeldific number has since been whittled down, with great effort, to under 400 pairs.
\nWhile Manila is the hotbed of the collecting scene, as it is the site for releases, there are also collectors in Baguio, Pampanga, Bacolod, Davao, and Cebu. \u201cIt\u2019s basically everyone and anyone. Some people may be in suits all day but come the weekend they love to wear their sneakers,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cPeople who work in offices, from entry-level to top-management people, they are into sneakers. It bridges the gap among Filipinos. I have a friend who sells fish in the market who, because of sneakers, became friends with a guy who is part owner of one of the biggest construction companies in the Philippines.\u201d
\nTITAN, SOLE SLAM, AND SOCIAL MEDIA
\nFueling the growth of the sneaker scene was the establishment of concept stores dedicated to catering to the needs of sneakerheads, foremost of which was Titan 22. Founded by a group of basketball practitioners and aficionados led by former Philippine Basketball Association player and now coach Jeffrey Cariaso, Titan 22 opened shop in 2010.
\u201cTitan created the scene for basketball shoes through its exclusive releases,\u201d said Alf Co, 30, who started with a pair of Jordan XI \u201cConcord\u201d and worked his way up to more than a hundred pairs of shoes and counting.
\nA year after Titan 22 opened came another key development in Philippine sneaker culture: the inaugural Sole Slam convention in 2011. \u201cSole Slam was inspired by an event that I saw in the States called Dunkxchange. It was in downtown San Francisco and it really opened my eyes,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. Dunkxchange or DxC is a buy, sell, and trade sneaker show that incorporates elements of hip-hop music, fashion/streetwear, and art.
\nMr. Aguirre took what he learned from DxC and brought it to the Philippines. The first Sole Slam convention was a huge success. \u201cIt garnered so many eyeballs. We were expecting 500 people but we had 2,500. The crazy line of people caught the eye of the media\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cOur mission was to cultivate the culture, which is why I brought big names from abroad as well for the event because I wanted knowledge on, and passion for, sneakers to spread and be shared,\u201d he added.
\nSole Slam\u2019s run lasted until 2016. After nine editions, Mr. Aguirre felt that the convention accomplished what it had set out to do. The spirit of Sole Slam lives on in social media, where collectors both old and new can congregate (you can find him on Instagram at @mrsoleslam). Said Mr. Co: \u201cSocial media, be it Facebook, Instagram and others, has done a lot to spread the culture in the country. From 2010 to 2012 a lot of sneaker groups came into existence and it all started to move forward. They were helping each other to grow the scene. Since then it has become easier to collect.\u201d
\nCOLLABS
\nThe sneaker game has evolved beyond the basketball court, embracing big names in entertainment and fashion. In 2018, people are talking about Yeezys, the shoes of Kanye West; and Virgil Abloh\u2019s Off-White collab with Nike. Every major shoe brand seems to have a partnership with a rapper: Nike has Drake; Adidas, Kanye; Under Armour, A$AP Rocky; Puma, The Weeknd and Rihanna. \u201cIt\u2019s music partnering with the shoes. Collectors in the Philippines are taking note of that,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre.
![\"inside-virgil-abloh-nike\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/virgil-abloh.jpg\")
These exclusive drops\u2014although there are levels of exclusivity\u2014do find their way to the Philippines, eventually. \u201cAfter Japan, I think the Philippines is a close second in terms of sneakers. But being a developing country we don\u2019t get special treatment when it comes to the really rare ones. They call it \u2018Tier 0,\u2019 those are like 100 pieces released in Japan, Hong Kong, sometimes Korea and Singapore. But we have resellers here and they find ways to get those shoes from Europe and the United States,\u201d Mr. Aguirre said, adding that the Philippines has a strong secondary market. \u201cResellers are doing big business. Resale makes the scene expensive but people still turn to it for the rarity of the sneakers. This is apart from the fact that resellers do pre-order as well which makes it more convenient.\u201d
\nMr. Co, who used to be a reseller, agreed: \u201cFor collectors, retail is the first choice but, if for one reason or another, they can\u2019t get what they want, they turn to resellers even if the price is higher.\u201d
\nFor both men, shoe collecting goes hand-in-hand with knowing the stories behind said shoes. \u201cBefore, it was quantity over quality; now, it\u2019s the other way around,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about how many pairs of shoes you have but how passionate you are about sneaker knowledge. It\u2019s like collecting comics, you should know the history.\u201d
\n![\"inside-anton-aguirre-sole-slam-2\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aguirre1.jpg\")
To neophytes who want to get into the scene, he advised: \u201cBuy what you want. Don\u2019t buy what the other person wants. Buying what the other person wants means that you\u2019re a headless chicken. You don\u2019t want to be like that. You want to have your own cultivated taste that represents you. \u201cAnd, yes, buy at your own pace,\u201d Mr. Aguirre said, adding: \u201cOnce a sneakerhead always a sneakerhead.\u201d\u00a0
\n\n", "content_text": "The story of shoe collecting in the Philippines.\n\nWORDS MICHAEL ANGELO S. MURILLO\u00a0| PHOTOGRAPHY\u00a0JONATHAN BALDONADO\nIn a country as basketball-crazy as the Philippines, it\u2019s unsurprising that sneaker collecting is a \u201cthing.\u201d As a kid in the 1990s, Antonio Aguirre, Jr. remembers Cash & Carry in Makati City as the go-to place for copping the signature shoes worn by NBA players like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Anfernee \u201cPenny\u201d Hardaway, and Scottie Pippen. In the early aughts, Vince Carter and his Nike Shox caught fire. \u201cNot many would line up though. Weeks would pass and the shoes would still be there,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre, who is also known as Mr. Sole Slam, an influential sneakerhead who founded the brand Sole Slam and ran the largest sneaker convention in the country, credited with further cultivating the local sneaker scene.\nPeople started queueing around 2009-2010, when Kobe Bryant was winning championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V. It was also around this time that LeBron James was in the news for his very public breakup with the Cleveland Cavaliers\u2014remember \u201cThe Decision\u201d?\u2014in favor of the Miami Heat. The controversy added to the desirability of the LeBron 8 \u201cSouth Beach,\u201d which, with its pink-and-teal colorway, screamed Florida.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\nWhile basketball was the takeoff-point for sneaker culture in the Philippines, Mr. Aguirre witnessed a shift around 2014, which he attributed to Europeans and their love for running shoes. \u201cThey aren\u2019t really into basketball shoes like the Americans,\u201d he said, adding that the Japanese preference for big, chunky, colorful shoes has also made inroads among Filipino collectors.\u00a0 \u00a0\nBONDED BY PASSION\nThe sneakerhead community, according to Mr. Sole Slam himself, is bonded by the thrill for searching and acquiring coveted shoes. \u201cI started collecting seriously when I was 28 years old,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cWhat got me into the sneaker scene was the Jordan IX OG. It was a white pair of shoes that Jordan did not wear due to his retirement from basketball in 1993.\u201d\nMr. Aguirre met up with an online seller who was willing to part with a pair for Php9,000. \u201cI saw he had other stocks of shoes,\u201d he said of the moment he was bitten by the shoe-collecting bug. \u201cTwo days after I ended up buying 17 pairs of shoes from him in one go and it opened a can of worms.\u201d\n\nIn a futile attempt to curb his initial appetite for kicks, he told himself that he would limit his collection to Air Jordans (I to XXIII). \u201cJust to satisfy the itch,\u201d he said. Then a friend asked him if he wanted a Kobe, a LeBron, maybe Asics running shoes? At its peak, Mr. Aguirre\u2019s collection was composed of 1,257 pairs of shoes. That Imeldific number has since been whittled down, with great effort, to under 400 pairs.\nWhile Manila is the hotbed of the collecting scene, as it is the site for releases, there are also collectors in Baguio, Pampanga, Bacolod, Davao, and Cebu. \u201cIt\u2019s basically everyone and anyone. Some people may be in suits all day but come the weekend they love to wear their sneakers,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cPeople who work in offices, from entry-level to top-management people, they are into sneakers. It bridges the gap among Filipinos. I have a friend who sells fish in the market who, because of sneakers, became friends with a guy who is part owner of one of the biggest construction companies in the Philippines.\u201d\nTITAN, SOLE SLAM, AND SOCIAL MEDIA\nFueling the growth of the sneaker scene was the establishment of concept stores dedicated to catering to the needs of sneakerheads, foremost of which was Titan 22. Founded by a group of basketball practitioners and aficionados led by former Philippine Basketball Association player and now coach Jeffrey Cariaso, Titan 22 opened shop in 2010.\n\u201cTitan created the scene for basketball shoes through its exclusive releases,\u201d said Alf Co, 30, who started with a pair of Jordan XI \u201cConcord\u201d and worked his way up to more than a hundred pairs of shoes and counting.\nA year after Titan 22 opened came another key development in Philippine sneaker culture: the inaugural Sole Slam convention in 2011. \u201cSole Slam was inspired by an event that I saw in the States called Dunkxchange. It was in downtown San Francisco and it really opened my eyes,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. Dunkxchange or DxC is a buy, sell, and trade sneaker show that incorporates elements of hip-hop music, fashion/streetwear, and art.\nMr. Aguirre took what he learned from DxC and brought it to the Philippines. The first Sole Slam convention was a huge success. \u201cIt garnered so many eyeballs. We were expecting 500 people but we had 2,500. The crazy line of people caught the eye of the media\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cOur mission was to cultivate the culture, which is why I brought big names from abroad as well for the event because I wanted knowledge on, and passion for, sneakers to spread and be shared,\u201d he added.\nSole Slam\u2019s run lasted until 2016. After nine editions, Mr. Aguirre felt that the convention accomplished what it had set out to do. The spirit of Sole Slam lives on in social media, where collectors both old and new can congregate (you can find him on Instagram at @mrsoleslam). Said Mr. Co: \u201cSocial media, be it Facebook, Instagram and others, has done a lot to spread the culture in the country. From 2010 to 2012 a lot of sneaker groups came into existence and it all started to move forward. They were helping each other to grow the scene. Since then it has become easier to collect.\u201d\nCOLLABS\nThe sneaker game has evolved beyond the basketball court, embracing big names in entertainment and fashion. In 2018, people are talking about Yeezys, the shoes of Kanye West; and Virgil Abloh\u2019s Off-White collab with Nike. Every major shoe brand seems to have a partnership with a rapper: Nike has Drake; Adidas, Kanye; Under Armour, A$AP Rocky; Puma, The Weeknd and Rihanna. \u201cIt\u2019s music partnering with the shoes. Collectors in the Philippines are taking note of that,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre.\nVirgil Abloh x Nike\nThese exclusive drops\u2014although there are levels of exclusivity\u2014do find their way to the Philippines, eventually. \u201cAfter Japan, I think the Philippines is a close second in terms of sneakers. But being a developing country we don\u2019t get special treatment when it comes to the really rare ones. They call it \u2018Tier 0,\u2019 those are like 100 pieces released in Japan, Hong Kong, sometimes Korea and Singapore. But we have resellers here and they find ways to get those shoes from Europe and the United States,\u201d Mr. Aguirre said, adding that the Philippines has a strong secondary market. \u201cResellers are doing big business. Resale makes the scene expensive but people still turn to it for the rarity of the sneakers. This is apart from the fact that resellers do pre-order as well which makes it more convenient.\u201d\nMr. Co, who used to be a reseller, agreed: \u201cFor collectors, retail is the first choice but, if for one reason or another, they can\u2019t get what they want, they turn to resellers even if the price is higher.\u201d\nFor both men, shoe collecting goes hand-in-hand with knowing the stories behind said shoes. \u201cBefore, it was quantity over quality; now, it\u2019s the other way around,\u201d said Mr. Aguirre. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about how many pairs of shoes you have but how passionate you are about sneaker knowledge. It\u2019s like collecting comics, you should know the history.\u201d\n\nTo neophytes who want to get into the scene, he advised: \u201cBuy what you want. Don\u2019t buy what the other person wants. Buying what the other person wants means that you\u2019re a headless chicken. You don\u2019t want to be like that. You want to have your own cultivated taste that represents you. \u201cAnd, yes, buy at your own pace,\u201d Mr. Aguirre said, adding: \u201cOnce a sneakerhead always a sneakerhead.\u201d\u00a0", "date_published": "2018-06-04T09:00:34+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-06-04T09:00:34+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Antonio Aguirre Jr.", "Jonathan D. Baldonado", "Mike Murillo", "sneakers", "Sole Slam Manila", "Features" ], "summary": "The story of shoe collecting in the Philippines." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=161459", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/161459/highlife-magazine-super-bikes/", "title": "Why buying a super bicycle worth more than a million makes perfect sense", "content_html": "Meet the MAMIL (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra).
\nWORDS\u00a0 ROME JORGE
\nSuper bicycles. That\u2019s the name for them. They\u2019re the equivalent of super cars by manufacturers such as Lamborghini and Ferrari in the automotive world. They are vehicles finely engineered with aerodynamics and aerospace materials such as carbon-fiber composites and titanium for speed and performance. They have been tested, honed, and vindicated in the world\u2019s most prestigious and grueling races. They are machines that have passed muster with the world\u2019s best professionals.
\nBut unlike with super cars, the vast majority of the very select few men and women who ride super bicycles are not laughably corpulent middle-aged men compensating for lost virility with powerful motors and sleek car bodies. Unlike horsepower, you can\u2019t buy pedal power. Lycra doesn\u2019t lie. And bicycles aren\u2019t for picking up chicks; they are serious racing machines for serious racers.
\nThe men and women who ride super bikes are focused on performance. Cyclists who ride super bikes earn it through arduous training and determination undaunted by the world\u2019s toughest Ironman triathlons, giros, and tours. When you are the engine, you take every bit of unnecessary weight, every bit of unnecessary wind resistance, and every bit of unnecessary discomfort personally. The race is tough enough without adding to it a bicycle that weighs you down on the climbs, holds you back in the wind, and rubs you the wrong way causing sores and numbness. You want the very best your money can buy. Being one with the bike\u2014it truly is an extension of your body.
\nTriathlons are the new golf\u2014the sport of today\u2019s executive class, with the likes of Fernando Zobel and Fred Uytengsu leading the way. Any seasoned triathlete will tell you that: a.) It\u2019s all about the time management, and b.) it\u2019s age-groupers 40 and above that are most competitive. Only those in leadership roles wherein they can delegate responsibilities have the time to train in three different sports.
\nThe Tour de France and other famed road cycling events have also inspired a new breed of men who have embraced the media\u2019s moniker for them: MAMIL or Middle-Aged Men In Lycra. And unlike those that deal with midlife crisis by purchasing super cars and super motorbikes, MAMILs have earned their rides with sinew worthy of their steeds.
\n\u2018MAMIL\u2019 PUSHER
\nThe men who supply the Philippines\u2019 elite cyclists with the world\u2019s very best bicycles\u2014some worth over a million\u2014shared with High Life who buys their bikes, what they ride, and why. They know what they are talking about; they are avid cyclists themselves who earned their success with their passion and involvement as with their customer service and premium brands.
Glenn Colendrino, a stockbroker by profession, cofounded Primo Cycles at Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle, Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio after he had his own midlife transformation. \u201cI got into cycling through mountain biking way back in 2000 when my son and daughter were born. After that, I felt that I had to get in shape. I was a party guy, as I would go home at six in the morning and stuff like that, so I needed a drastic change of lifestyle. Me, I\u2019m guilty of that. I\u2019m a MAMIL.\u201d
\n![\"highlife-inside-panarello-super-bike\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bike-two.jpg\")
In 2008, Mr. Colendrino decided that he wanted to train for triathlons and shift from mountain bikes to road bikes. \u201cBut when we went around there were only a few choices carrying decent products and shops that were actually covering warranties the same way western businesses would really uphold warranties and provide after-sales service and the whole customer service experience,\u201d he recalled.
\nHe and his partners, John Clogg and David Almendral, opened Primo Cycles in 2011 to fill this gap. \u201cWe wanted to change the whole industry by offering honest-to-goodness service and parts.\u201d When it opened, Primo Cycles carried brands such as Pinarello, Cervelo, and Felt. The shop\u2019s clientele\u2014guys who already own bikes and want to progress to the next level\u2014know that they can get more choices and customization when they visit Primo.
\nToday, clients include celebrities, sports icons, and executives. One regular patron, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, passed on a Porsche from his mother and asked for a bike instead. \u201cTrue story,\u201d said Mr. Colendrino, \u201cthe thing is, the guy could afford to buy the car on his own, but it\u2019s the thought that counts.\u201d
\nPrimo Cycles pays it forward by supporting Filipino athletes. \u201cWe\u2019ve been helping so many cyclists and triathletes, from your age-groupers, to some pros, to some of our national team athletes. When the Triathlon Association of the Philippines sends their triathletes to me, I don\u2019t charge them.\u201d
\n\u2018WINNINGEST\u2019 BRANDS
\nPrimo Cycles sells the Cervelo P5X Lamborghini Edition carbon-fiber composite triathlon bike, which is the top-of-the-line P5X in a gorgeous Lamborghini yellow pattern. Price tag: Php1.1 million. Mr. Colendrino revealed that out of the 25 bikes produced, two are heading to the Philippines. \u201cI\u2019m not at liberty to tell you who\u2019s buying, but one bike is going to Manila and the other one is going to Mindanao.\u201d
According to Mr. Colendrino, the reason the P5X is so expensive is that each and every frame is hand-built in Minnesota. And yet, despite the cost, the P5X is popular among triathletes who are doing the full Ironman: Cervelo Bicycles dominate the bike count at the Kona Ironman\u2014the world\u2019s toughest triathlon, with more ironmen and ironwomen using Cervelo than any other bike brand.
\n![\"highlife-inside-pinarello-dogma-super-bike\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bike-three.jpg\")
Another much sought after bicycle is the Pinarello Dogma\u2014one of the most esteemed road bikes in the world. The frame set alone costs Php340,000. More Tour de France races have been won with Pinarello than with any other bicycle. Another bicycle from Pinarello, the Bolide, specifically designed for time trial races, costs a million.
\nITALIAN COLLECTION
\nOn the other side of the Metro is Paul Laurence Tan, owner and CEO of Mega Ideal Enterprises. He is better known as the man who is bringing to the Philippines Bianchi bicycles\u2014a vaunted Italian heritage brand founded in 1885 made all the more iconic because of its patented shade of green known as \u201cCeleste\u201d\u2014as well as some 30 other renowned cycling brands, many of which are Italian such as ITM components, Astute Italia saddles, Challenge handmade tires, and Suomy bike helmets.
Mr. Tan is poised to make his presence better known to high-end bicycle enthusiasts with Celeste Cycles shops. Already in operation along Congressional Road is Celeste Cycles, a Hong Kong-style shop that\u2019s chock-full of bicycles and parts. Opening soon is the Celeste Caf\u00e9 and Cycles, a retro-style bicycle concept store in Circulo Verde Mall, Pasig, which will open its doors in time for the launching of the Escuderia Ferrari bicycles jointly developed with Bianchi.
\n![\"highlife-inside-bianchi-oltre-super-bike\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bike-one.jpg\")
The affinity for cycling is in Mr. Tan\u2019s blood. His father was a mechanic who tinkered with bikes and motorcycles in a small shop in Daraga, Albay. In 1996, the elder Tan came to Manila and, with the help of his brother\u2014who owned a metal factory\u2014opened a bicycle manufacturing business called Megabikes in Valenzuela. \u201cThose bikes were steel frames, mostly commuter bikes, and bicycles for kids. In 2001, with the boom in the Chinese economy, we realized it was cheaper to buy bicycles from China. We shut down the factory in Valenzuela and became a trading company,\u201d he recalled.
\nAn avid cyclist himself, Mr. Tan has joined executive tours. But it was his passion for bike collecting\u2014he owns about 70\u2014that led him to distribute the very best European brands. The authentic parts he needed for his bicycle collection are the same brands that Celeste Cycles carries today. \u201cI really love bikes, it\u2019s addictive\u2014like drugs,\u201d he said.
\nAmong his most prized possessions is one of several Bianchi Specialissima bicycles specifically tailored for the late legendary Tour de France and the Giro d\u2019Italia champion Marco Pantani. Other bicycles of note are the vintage Bianchi L\u2019Eroica and the Bianchi Oltre XR4 \u201cLeon\u201d aero road bike with a custom paint job (it\u2019s emblazoned with the Philippine flag). The latter was gifted to Mr. Tan by none other than Bianchi CEO Bob Ippolito. \u201cHe gave it to me as a token of friendship,\u201d he said, adding that it\u2019s valued at around Php700,000. \u201cBut for me it\u2019s priceless. It\u2019s unique. It\u2019s the only one in the world.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "Meet the MAMIL (Middle-Aged Men In Lycra).\n\nWORDS\u00a0 ROME JORGE\nSuper bicycles. That\u2019s the name for them. They\u2019re the equivalent of super cars by manufacturers such as Lamborghini and Ferrari in the automotive world. They are vehicles finely engineered with aerodynamics and aerospace materials such as carbon-fiber composites and titanium for speed and performance. They have been tested, honed, and vindicated in the world\u2019s most prestigious and grueling races. They are machines that have passed muster with the world\u2019s best professionals.\nBut unlike with super cars, the vast majority of the very select few men and women who ride super bicycles are not laughably corpulent middle-aged men compensating for lost virility with powerful motors and sleek car bodies. Unlike horsepower, you can\u2019t buy pedal power. Lycra doesn\u2019t lie. And bicycles aren\u2019t for picking up chicks; they are serious racing machines for serious racers.\nThe men and women who ride super bikes are focused on performance. Cyclists who ride super bikes earn it through arduous training and determination undaunted by the world\u2019s toughest Ironman triathlons, giros, and tours. When you are the engine, you take every bit of unnecessary weight, every bit of unnecessary wind resistance, and every bit of unnecessary discomfort personally. The race is tough enough without adding to it a bicycle that weighs you down on the climbs, holds you back in the wind, and rubs you the wrong way causing sores and numbness. You want the very best your money can buy. Being one with the bike\u2014it truly is an extension of your body.\nTriathlons are the new golf\u2014the sport of today\u2019s executive class, with the likes of Fernando Zobel and Fred Uytengsu leading the way. Any seasoned triathlete will tell you that: a.) It\u2019s all about the time management, and b.) it\u2019s age-groupers 40 and above that are most competitive. Only those in leadership roles wherein they can delegate responsibilities have the time to train in three different sports.\nThe Tour de France and other famed road cycling events have also inspired a new breed of men who have embraced the media\u2019s moniker for them: MAMIL or Middle-Aged Men In Lycra. And unlike those that deal with midlife crisis by purchasing super cars and super motorbikes, MAMILs have earned their rides with sinew worthy of their steeds.\n\u2018MAMIL\u2019 PUSHER\nThe men who supply the Philippines\u2019 elite cyclists with the world\u2019s very best bicycles\u2014some worth over a million\u2014shared with High Life who buys their bikes, what they ride, and why. They know what they are talking about; they are avid cyclists themselves who earned their success with their passion and involvement as with their customer service and premium brands. \nGlenn Colendrino, a stockbroker by profession, cofounded Primo Cycles at Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle, Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio after he had his own midlife transformation. \u201cI got into cycling through mountain biking way back in 2000 when my son and daughter were born. After that, I felt that I had to get in shape. I was a party guy, as I would go home at six in the morning and stuff like that, so I needed a drastic change of lifestyle. Me, I\u2019m guilty of that. I\u2019m a MAMIL.\u201d\nPinarello Bolide\nIn 2008, Mr. Colendrino decided that he wanted to train for triathlons and shift from mountain bikes to road bikes. \u201cBut when we went around there were only a few choices carrying decent products and shops that were actually covering warranties the same way western businesses would really uphold warranties and provide after-sales service and the whole customer service experience,\u201d he recalled. \n He and his partners, John Clogg and David Almendral, opened Primo Cycles in 2011 to fill this gap. \u201cWe wanted to change the whole industry by offering honest-to-goodness service and parts.\u201d When it opened, Primo Cycles carried brands such as Pinarello, Cervelo, and Felt. The shop\u2019s clientele\u2014guys who already own bikes and want to progress to the next level\u2014know that they can get more choices and customization when they visit Primo.\nToday, clients include celebrities, sports icons, and executives. One regular patron, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, passed on a Porsche from his mother and asked for a bike instead. \u201cTrue story,\u201d said Mr. Colendrino, \u201cthe thing is, the guy could afford to buy the car on his own, but it\u2019s the thought that counts.\u201d \nPrimo Cycles pays it forward by supporting Filipino athletes. \u201cWe\u2019ve been helping so many cyclists and triathletes, from your age-groupers, to some pros, to some of our national team athletes. When the Triathlon Association of the Philippines sends their triathletes to me, I don\u2019t charge them.\u201d\n\u2018WINNINGEST\u2019 BRANDS\nPrimo Cycles sells the Cervelo P5X Lamborghini Edition carbon-fiber composite triathlon bike, which is the top-of-the-line P5X in a gorgeous Lamborghini yellow pattern. Price tag: Php1.1 million. Mr. Colendrino revealed that out of the 25 bikes produced, two are heading to the Philippines. \u201cI\u2019m not at liberty to tell you who\u2019s buying, but one bike is going to Manila and the other one is going to Mindanao.\u201d\nAccording to Mr. Colendrino, the reason the P5X is so expensive is that each and every frame is hand-built in Minnesota. And yet, despite the cost, the P5X is popular among triathletes who are doing the full Ironman: Cervelo Bicycles dominate the bike count at the Kona Ironman\u2014the world\u2019s toughest triathlon, with more ironmen and ironwomen using Cervelo than any other bike brand. \nPinarello Dogma\nAnother much sought after bicycle is the Pinarello Dogma\u2014one of the most esteemed road bikes in the world. The frame set alone costs Php340,000. More Tour de France races have been won with Pinarello than with any other bicycle. Another bicycle from Pinarello, the Bolide, specifically designed for time trial races, costs a million. \nITALIAN COLLECTION\nOn the other side of the Metro is Paul Laurence Tan, owner and CEO of Mega Ideal Enterprises. He is better known as the man who is bringing to the Philippines Bianchi bicycles\u2014a vaunted Italian heritage brand founded in 1885 made all the more iconic because of its patented shade of green known as \u201cCeleste\u201d\u2014as well as some 30 other renowned cycling brands, many of which are Italian such as ITM components, Astute Italia saddles, Challenge handmade tires, and Suomy bike helmets. \nMr. Tan is poised to make his presence better known to high-end bicycle enthusiasts with Celeste Cycles shops. Already in operation along Congressional Road is Celeste Cycles, a Hong Kong-style shop that\u2019s chock-full of bicycles and parts. Opening soon is the Celeste Caf\u00e9 and Cycles, a retro-style bicycle concept store in Circulo Verde Mall, Pasig, which will open its doors in time for the launching of the Escuderia Ferrari bicycles jointly developed with Bianchi.\nBianchi Oltre XR4\nThe affinity for cycling is in Mr. Tan\u2019s blood. His father was a mechanic who tinkered with bikes and motorcycles in a small shop in Daraga, Albay. In 1996, the elder Tan came to Manila and, with the help of his brother\u2014who owned a metal factory\u2014opened a bicycle manufacturing business called Megabikes in Valenzuela. \u201cThose bikes were steel frames, mostly commuter bikes, and bicycles for kids. In 2001, with the boom in the Chinese economy, we realized it was cheaper to buy bicycles from China. We shut down the factory in Valenzuela and became a trading company,\u201d he recalled. \nAn avid cyclist himself, Mr. Tan has joined executive tours. But it was his passion for bike collecting\u2014he owns about 70\u2014that led him to distribute the very best European brands. The authentic parts he needed for his bicycle collection are the same brands that Celeste Cycles carries today. \u201cI really love bikes, it\u2019s addictive\u2014like drugs,\u201d he said.\nAmong his most prized possessions is one of several Bianchi Specialissima bicycles specifically tailored for the late legendary Tour de France and the Giro d\u2019Italia champion Marco Pantani. Other bicycles of note are the vintage Bianchi L\u2019Eroica and the Bianchi Oltre XR4 \u201cLeon\u201d aero road bike with a custom paint job (it\u2019s emblazoned with the Philippine flag). The latter was gifted to Mr. Tan by none other than Bianchi CEO Bob Ippolito. \u201cHe gave it to me as a token of friendship,\u201d he said, adding that it\u2019s valued at around Php700,000. \u201cBut for me it\u2019s priceless. It\u2019s unique. It\u2019s the only one in the world.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-06-04T08:00:29+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-06-04T08:00:29+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Glenn Colendrino", "Paul Laurence Tan", "Rome Jorge", "super bikes", "Features" ], "summary": "Why buying a super bicycle worth more than a million makes perfect sense." }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=161685", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/161685/highlife-stem-cell-vietura-zen-institute-beauty/", "title": "Restarting your body, resetting your metabolism", "content_html": "Benefits of stem cell therapy include better organ function, better metabolism, and less muscular and joint pains.
\nWORDS\u00a0ZSARLENE B. CHUA\u00a0| ILLUSTRATION JOY DELA CRUZ DAGUN
\nAging might not be inevitable after all\u2014that is, if one is inclined to undergo Vietura\u2019s Regenerative Cell Therapy procedure, which involves getting stem cells from one\u2019s own adipose tissue before processing it and reintroducing it to the body to help it heal. Or, in the words of Vietura\u2019s medical director, the procedure is meant to \u201crestart the body.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s resetting your body metabolism. It\u2019s really amazing because I did the procedure three years before we introduced it,\u201d Dr. Mary Jane Torres, medical director of Vietura and Zen Institute, told High Life during an interview in May.
\nStem cells by definition are \u201cundifferentiated cells present in multicellular organisms capable of giving rise to more cells of the same type from which other kinds of cells can arise by differentiation.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/hl-inside-stem-cell-injection.jpg\")
Prior to the procedure, Dr. Torres suffered from persistent knee pain that made it difficult for her to work out for long stretches of time. Benefits of stem cell therapy include better organ function, better metabolism, and less muscular and joint pains.
\nWhile most people over the age of 35 can undergo stem cell therapy, there are certain precautions: prospective patients must be cleared by the doctors, who must evaluate the health of their immune systems. Stem cell therapy isn\u2019t recommended for people with active cancer, for example, since their immune systems are compromised. The same goes for those with HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Patients on anticoagulant therapy should also think twice.
\nA person must also be psychologically ready to undergo treatment. The procedure needs to extract fat from the patient via liposuction, which requires local anesthesia. The payoff of stem cell therapy versus \u201centry-level\u201d procedures such as colonics, said Dr. Torres, is that the former\u2019s effects are \u201clonger and deeper\u201d: \u201cStem cell therapy can really prevent degenerative diseases and delay the aging process because cells are given more time to divide and live. It can boost the immune system and regenerate cells.\u201d
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/hl-inside-stem-cell.jpg\")
Those who have been cleared to undergo the procedure will then be taken into a sterile room (Vietura will open its sterile room this June while Zen Institute in Quezon City already has an operational one). It is here that the patient undergoes manual liposuction under local anesthesia: 150 ml of fat is aspirated and centrifuged to separate the fat/lipid component from the stromal vascular fraction that contains stem cells.
\nAfter the separation, the stem cells are counted to ensure adequacy\u2014there should be no less than six million cells\u2014if the count is high enough, the cells are then injected back into the patient.
\nThe process doesn\u2019t stop there as results largely depend on the body\u2019s own regenerative healing ability and it may take time\u2014usually between four to six weeks\u2014to see improvement. In the meantime, Dr. Torres recommended that patients get immune booster shots.
\nRegenerative cell therapy, which is not a treatment but a preventive procedure, was offered by Vietura in March 2017. \u201cI do recommend doing it every five years because, in that time, your body has aged,\u201d Dr. Torres said. The ambulatory procedure only takes a day but the beauty of being in a hotel, she explained, is that people can stay overnight to rest and enjoy\u2014that is included in Vietura\u2019s Php800,000++ package.
\nINCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE
\nVietura Aesthetic Center is located at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. Zen Institute has a branch in 69 Scout Rallos, Diliman, Quezon City. Visit vietura.com and zeninstitute.com.
A lot of people think that living life to the fullest means doing everything under the sun, but did it ever occur to you that life can be enjoyed during its pauses?
\nWORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA
\nBreathe in, breathe out. Life is a long, often troubling ride, and we might as well make the most of it by picking up all the good that might come across our way. A lot of people think that living life to the fullest means doing everything under the sun, but did it ever occur to you that life can be enjoyed during its pauses?
\nSome people live their lives around yoga, the ancient Indian philosophy tied to exercise and meditation, that might be summed up as assuming poses and practicing correct breathing techniques. The world of yoga is incredibly diverse, its imprint spreading across Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. This writer apologizes in advance for the awfully simplistic definition, because based on this writer\u2019s experience, yoga means making the mind, body, and soul work together for one to be in communion with the universe. Perhaps it\u2019s fitting that the Sanskrit word translates to English as \u201cyoke,\u201d thereby implying that one becomes attached to a force greater than one\u2019s own.
\nHigh Life talked to Urban Ashram Yoga instructor Carlo Ordo\u00f1ez, who goes by Janaka, a name given to him by the monks in Sivananda, a yoga center where he trained in Val Morin, Quebec. After his stint in Canada, he moved to California, living an ascetic lifestyle centered on meditation and physical work. \u201cAlmost as a monk,\u201d he told High Life. \u201cIt was a joyful time there where I met truly light beings of Mahatma status changing the collective vibration through silent service.\u201d
\nHe began his yoga practice in college in the early 2000s, where he described himself as \u201cmentally, physically broken down.\u201d He believes that his practice began his healing process.
\nHigh Life asked Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez about yoga routines for executives and people in positions of power, whom we termed as \u201cextra-busy\u201d people. Yoga was brought to the West in the 20th century, and was embraced by people as diverse as Madonna to former US Vice-President Al Gore. Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez said that \u201cextra-busy\u201d people like executives are drawn to it because it\u2019s simply effective and practical. \u201cNobody is too busy to do yoga really,\u201d said Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez. \u201cThat is just an excuse because yoga can be practiced anywhere, any time by everyone regardless of fitness or background. You can squeeze in a five-minute practice in your office if you\u2019re determined to practice.\u201d
\nWhile there are many yoga classes offered in the country, ranging from free classes to thousands of pesos per session, there\u2019s a certain advantage to hiring your own yoga instructor. Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez said: \u201cYoga, meaning union, is finding your own individual connection to the Self. Firstly, you will have a personalized design to your sessions, tailor-fit to your specific needs whether physical, mental or spiritual. Secondly, you learn to build a solid foundation and relationship to your own mind and body with your guide in a more in-depth process. Thirdly, you have the advantage of creating your own discipline and expression of the practice in a more focused trajectory.\u201d
\n![\"inside-urban-ashram-janaka\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/janaka-2.jpg\")
CLEAN, SIMPLE, AND FREE OF DISTRACTIONS
\nIf you\u2019re getting your own yoga instructor, why not build your own meditation room\u2014everybody needs a sanctuary from this world. According to Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez, a person\u2019s yoga or meditation room (or corner) should be clean, simple, and free of distractions: \u201cAs much as possible everything you\u2019re surrounded by in the space should be related to your practice and promote a sense of wholeness and inwardness/interiorization\u2014it is a time you devote for yourself.\u201d
The space should have basics such as a mat, a bolster or chair to sit on for meditation, and a shelf or altar containing symbols of inspiration.
\nEven without a meditation room, however, one can still tap into the energies and knowledge of yoga. A person really, really pressed for time can, ironically, start the day right by staying in bed for a few more moments. \u201cTake a minute in the morning before jumping out of bed to mindfully take a deep breath in and take a breath out while scanning the length of the body and each part, then add another minute working your way up to five minutes if you can, then sit in stillness. Add this practice at intervals throughout the day,\u201d said Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez. \u201cBreath is a person\u2019s first mantra coming into the world but we forget and get distracted from it by societal conditioning and \u2018busyness.\u2019\u201d
\nLIVING IN THE PRESENT
\nYoga can help you become more efficient at work. \u201cPractitioners generally find that they\u2019re more calm, productive and efficient in any of their pursuits. If the mind is clear and focused, the body can move and breathe healthfully\u2014then, it\u2019s manageable to navigate around one\u2019s environment. One finds that tackling activities are done by being present.\u201d
If one lives in the present, then one can forget about worrying about the past and panicking about the future. The goal is inner freedom, liberation, or moksha in Sanskrit yoga terminology, a state described by Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez as an \u201ceternal now-timeless, in-the-zone, flow-state.\u201d \u201cYoga,\u201d he continued, is \u201ca hack, so to speak, to free oneself from limitations, challenges, and illusions on all levels.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "A lot of people think that living life to the fullest means doing everything under the sun, but did it ever occur to you that life can be enjoyed during its pauses?\n\nWORDS\u00a0JOSEPH L. GARCIA\nBreathe in, breathe out. Life is a long, often troubling ride, and we might as well make the most of it by picking up all the good that might come across our way. A lot of people think that living life to the fullest means doing everything under the sun, but did it ever occur to you that life can be enjoyed during its pauses?\nSome people live their lives around yoga, the ancient Indian philosophy tied to exercise and meditation, that might be summed up as assuming poses and practicing correct breathing techniques. The world of yoga is incredibly diverse, its imprint spreading across Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. This writer apologizes in advance for the awfully simplistic definition, because based on this writer\u2019s experience, yoga means making the mind, body, and soul work together for one to be in communion with the universe. Perhaps it\u2019s fitting that the Sanskrit word translates to English as \u201cyoke,\u201d thereby implying that one becomes attached to a force greater than one\u2019s own.\nHigh Life talked to Urban Ashram Yoga instructor Carlo Ordo\u00f1ez, who goes by Janaka, a name given to him by the monks in Sivananda, a yoga center where he trained in Val Morin, Quebec. After his stint in Canada, he moved to California, living an ascetic lifestyle centered on meditation and physical work. \u201cAlmost as a monk,\u201d he told High Life. \u201cIt was a joyful time there where I met truly light beings of Mahatma status changing the collective vibration through silent service.\u201d\nHe began his yoga practice in college in the early 2000s, where he described himself as \u201cmentally, physically broken down.\u201d He believes that his practice began his healing process.\nHigh Life asked Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez about yoga routines for executives and people in positions of power, whom we termed as \u201cextra-busy\u201d people. Yoga was brought to the West in the 20th century, and was embraced by people as diverse as Madonna to former US Vice-President Al Gore. Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez said that \u201cextra-busy\u201d people like executives are drawn to it because it\u2019s simply effective and practical. \u201cNobody is too busy to do yoga really,\u201d said Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez. \u201cThat is just an excuse because yoga can be practiced anywhere, any time by everyone regardless of fitness or background. You can squeeze in a five-minute practice in your office if you\u2019re determined to practice.\u201d\nWhile there are many yoga classes offered in the country, ranging from free classes to thousands of pesos per session, there\u2019s a certain advantage to hiring your own yoga instructor. Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez said: \u201cYoga, meaning union, is finding your own individual connection to the Self. Firstly, you will have a personalized design to your sessions, tailor-fit to your specific needs whether physical, mental or spiritual. Secondly, you learn to build a solid foundation and relationship to your own mind and body with your guide in a more in-depth process. Thirdly, you have the advantage of creating your own discipline and expression of the practice in a more focused trajectory.\u201d\nUrban Ashram Yoga instructor Carlo Ordo\u00f1ez (who goes by the name Janaka) says that yoga can be practiced anywhere, any time by everyone regardless of fitness or backgrounds. Photo courtesy of Urban Ashram Manila\nCLEAN, SIMPLE, AND FREE OF DISTRACTIONS\nIf you\u2019re getting your own yoga instructor, why not build your own meditation room\u2014everybody needs a sanctuary from this world. According to Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez, a person\u2019s yoga or meditation room (or corner) should be clean, simple, and free of distractions: \u201cAs much as possible everything you\u2019re surrounded by in the space should be related to your practice and promote a sense of wholeness and inwardness/interiorization\u2014it is a time you devote for yourself.\u201d\nThe space should have basics such as a mat, a bolster or chair to sit on for meditation, and a shelf or altar containing symbols of inspiration.\nEven without a meditation room, however, one can still tap into the energies and knowledge of yoga. A person really, really pressed for time can, ironically, start the day right by staying in bed for a few more moments. \u201cTake a minute in the morning before jumping out of bed to mindfully take a deep breath in and take a breath out while scanning the length of the body and each part, then add another minute working your way up to five minutes if you can, then sit in stillness. Add this practice at intervals throughout the day,\u201d said Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez. \u201cBreath is a person\u2019s first mantra coming into the world but we forget and get distracted from it by societal conditioning and \u2018busyness.\u2019\u201d \nLIVING IN THE PRESENT\nYoga can help you become more efficient at work. \u201cPractitioners generally find that they\u2019re more calm, productive and efficient in any of their pursuits. If the mind is clear and focused, the body can move and breathe healthfully\u2014then, it\u2019s manageable to navigate around one\u2019s environment. One finds that tackling activities are done by being present.\u201d\nIf one lives in the present, then one can forget about worrying about the past and panicking about the future. The goal is inner freedom, liberation, or moksha in Sanskrit yoga terminology, a state described by Mr. Ordo\u00f1ez as an \u201ceternal now-timeless, in-the-zone, flow-state.\u201d \u201cYoga,\u201d he continued, is \u201ca hack, so to speak, to free oneself from limitations, challenges, and illusions on all levels.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-06-04T06:00:23+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-06-04T06:00:23+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Carlo Ordo\u00f1ez", "health", "Janaka", "Joseph L. Garcia", "Urban Ashram", "wellness", "yoga", "Features" ], "summary": "A lot of people think that living life to the fullest means doing everything under the sun, but did it ever occur to you that life can be enjoyed during its pauses?" }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=163090", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/163090/sidebar-a-word-from-officer-safety/", "title": "Sidebar | A word from officer safety", "content_html": "Meet the Cruiserheads, a group of guys who ride their bikes in search of good food and good coffee.
\nThere always are dangers on the road and it pays to always play safe. Ely Buendia thinks those who don\u2019t go to driving school endanger not only themselves, but others. A lot of accidents happen because riders don\u2019t know what to look out for when they ride. There are things to do to keep a rider and people/vehicles on the road safe. Mr. Buendia enumerates the following basic rules:
\nFollow traffic rules and regulations
\nWatch out for signs and warnings which tell you when there\u2019s danger looming ahead
\nControl your bike; don\u2019t let your bike control you
\nMr. Buendia thus recommends the Honda Safety Driving School in Bicutan, Para\u00f1aque, \u201cwhere they teach you how to ride bikes, scooters, and cars.\u201d He took all seven modules, from beginner to intermediate and he says it was \u201cvery affordable and worth it.\u201d
\n![\"HL_Ely_motor2\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/HL_Ely_motor2.jpg\")
\u201cWe are always mindful of each other\u2019s comfort level in riding. The group at the front will always be more aggressive, and faster; they will always wait for the back group, especially before any major turn,\u201d added Bernie Ledesma, manager of the Shangri-La at the Fort branch of Harley-Davidson. \u201cOf course, someone who knows the route will keep everyone at bay.\u201d
\n\u201cMost wives become supportive when they realize that cruising is a more docile adventure,\u201d volunteered Mr. Ledesma. \u201cIt\u2019s relatively safer going at cruising speeds. Most wives in fact\u2014or some\u2014appreciate riding at the back; it is what you call the back ride.\u201d
\nIs it a comfortable ride with a backrider? \u201cIt depends on your setup. There are comfortable seats and a back resting pack. And sometimes\u2014in rarer cases\u2014they tend to fall asleep riding the back,\u201d Mr. Ledesma said.
\nWhile there are risks, Mr. Buendia said that if he had a choice, he would commute on a bike every day. \u201cIt\u2019s not just it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s practical. You save on gasoline and you get to places faster.\u201d
\n", "content_text": "Meet the Cruiserheads, a group of guys who ride their bikes in search of good food and good coffee.\n\nThere always are dangers on the road and it pays to always play safe. Ely Buendia thinks those who don\u2019t go to driving school endanger not only themselves, but others. A lot of accidents happen because riders don\u2019t know what to look out for when they ride. There are things to do to keep a rider and people/vehicles on the road safe. Mr. Buendia enumerates the following basic rules: \nFollow traffic rules and regulations\nWatch out for signs and warnings which tell you when there\u2019s danger looming ahead\nControl your bike; don\u2019t let your bike control you\nMr. Buendia thus recommends the Honda Safety Driving School in Bicutan, Para\u00f1aque, \u201cwhere they teach you how to ride bikes, scooters, and cars.\u201d He took all seven modules, from beginner to intermediate and he says it was \u201cvery affordable and worth it.\u201d\nPhoto courtesy of Ely Buendia\n\u201cWe are always mindful of each other\u2019s comfort level in riding. The group at the front will always be more aggressive, and faster; they will always wait for the back group, especially before any major turn,\u201d added Bernie Ledesma, manager of the Shangri-La at the Fort branch of Harley-Davidson. \u201cOf course, someone who knows the route will keep everyone at bay.\u201d\n\u201cMost wives become supportive when they realize that cruising is a more docile adventure,\u201d volunteered Mr. Ledesma. \u201cIt\u2019s relatively safer going at cruising speeds. Most wives in fact\u2014or some\u2014appreciate riding at the back; it is what you call the back ride.\u201d\nIs it a comfortable ride with a backrider? \u201cIt depends on your setup. There are comfortable seats and a back resting pack. And sometimes\u2014in rarer cases\u2014they tend to fall asleep riding the back,\u201d Mr. Ledesma said. \nWhile there are risks, Mr. Buendia said that if he had a choice, he would commute on a bike every day. \u201cIt\u2019s not just it\u2019s fun, it\u2019s practical. You save on gasoline and you get to places faster.\u201d", "date_published": "2018-06-04T05:00:04+08:00", "date_modified": "2018-06-04T05:00:04+08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "大象传媒", "url": "/author/blexticauldulack/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1311207d4ac1996cb586666fe3d56418ca9f007d735b74eb19d3fa440df5c8b4?s=512&d=mm&r=g" }, "tags": [ "Cruiserheads", "Ely Buendia", "Motorcycles", "riders", "Features" ] }, { "id": "http://www.bworldonline.com/?p=162023", "url": "/features-high-life/2018/06/04/162023/highlife-ceo-fitness-everyday-grind/", "title": "Everyday grind: How C-Suite executives keep in shape", "content_html": "The many ways executives keep in shape.
\nWORDS HIGH LIFE STAFF | ILLUSTRATION TONE DA\u00d1AS
\nMaintaining a sound body is necessary when you\u2019re responsible for an entire company. How can you make tough decisions when you\u2019re distracted by health problems? Four executives share how they take care of themselves (there\u2019s something for everyone, even the gym-averse).
\nGerwyn See, founder and CEO of MASE Investments, Inc.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/gerwyn-see.jpg\")
As the chief executive officer of a holding company and business consultancy firm that specializes in business development, corporate, planning, and governance, Mr. See sees to it that he gets pumped up every day. His secret? Staying active. \u201cMy primary motivation for working out is to stay fit and to stay in shape. But beyond these goals, my fitness regime has already evolved to be part of my lifestyle. I lead a very challenging life balancing the demands of both career and family.\u00a0 Fitness has been my regular outlet to recharge and collect myself\u2014and perhaps to stay sane,\u201d he said.
Work out every day.
\n\u201cI normally start my day with a morning run on a treadmill while watching Bloomberg. But every now and then, I like taking my jog outside just to keep things interesting. I guess what\u2019s important is doing my cardio in a fasted state (fasted cardio), which helps me keep fat loss at a very optimum level as I\u2019m not getting any younger. I\u2019m 38, if you wish to know. Then, I do my weight training in the evenings after work.\u00a0 I train about an hour and a half, four times a week. I\u2019ve got a fitness coach who keeps me on track. We mix up exercises and routines depending on our goal at that specific time. It is always good to have professional advice to keep you motivated and get proper results.\u201d
But it\u2019s okay to cheat, sometimes.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not machines, of course we go through our lazy days. We all go through our own ups and downs. And I would say that a tolerable level of \u2018unhealthy cheat\u2019 is acceptable.
\u201cSo go, don\u2019t deprive yourself from that craving. Just don\u2019t do it every day. I\u2019ve always believed that taking one bad meal will not make you fat, just as having one good meal will not automatically slim you down. You have to invest in it. And it takes some time to see results, months or even years.\u201d
\nGym or village, it doesn\u2019t matter.
\n\u201cI always do my cardio at home and my jogging around our village, which lasts for about 30 minutes every morning. For weight training, we hold our sessions either at Treston Health Club in BGC or The Rockwell Club in Makati City. My work and family life revolves around these areas, so I train where ever it would be convenient.\u201d
Work-life balance.
\n\u201cI run on a very tight schedule, but I can\u2019t say it\u2019s perfect all the time. As much as I can, I try to organize my week and allocate specific times and routines for both work and play. My weekdays are normally packed with meetings and trips as I juggle my week between several companies and projects, but for my weekends, they are always dedicated to family. I guess I\u2019m a creature of habit. And I work well having that consistent schedule for my daily and weekly regime.\u201d
Ariel G. Cantos, Philam Life CEO
\n![\"inside-ariel-cantos\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ariel.jpg\")
His day starts in silence: prayer and reflection. In the middle of the day, meanwhile, a quiet time is observed to manage stress. For Mr. Cantos, it is not necessary to go the extra mile when it comes to wellness. Rather, it is about the simple things: incorporating a routine into your daily life. \u201cWellness is not just about being physically fit. It is in finding balance in the different aspects of our life that we find holistic wellness,\u201d he said.
Despite his hectic schedule, he is committed to fitness. \u201cThere are so many reasons that will keep us from achieving our fitness and wellness goal, but with discipline and commitment, it can be done,\u201d he said.
\n Be active in your youth.
\n\u201cI used to be very active when I was much younger. I played football, basketball, volleyball, badminton, went to the gym regularly, and was even into mountain climbing as I love nature.\u201d
Walk 12,500 steps a day.
\n\u201cDuring the day, I make an effort to accumulate as many steps as possible to get close to my goal of 12,500 steps a day. Doing at least 10,000 steps a day, I learned, is good for the heart. I consciously incorporate the steps into my day to make it easier to achieve my goal.\u201d
Walk to reduce stress.
\n\u201cOn normal days, I would have tallied about 4,500 steps by the time I leave the office. I complete my 12,500 steps by walking around our village at night. These evening walks along tree-lined streets while listening to relaxing music frees the mind of distractions, and also helps remove any stress built during the day\u2026 Domestic and foreign travels are part of my job. I take these trips as an opportunity to relax and do my 12,500 daily steps which is equivalent to about 10 kilometers a day.\u201d
Exercise no matter what.
\n\u201cOnce, I completed my steps just inside my room when the hotel did not have a gym and the weather was bad. Another time, I requested a hotel to open the gym so I could use the treadmill when I checked in at 10 p.m.\u201d
Make room for a small gym at home.
\n\u201cI removed my lame excuse for skipping exercise when it rains. I bought a treadmill and converted my attic into a small gym, so I can work on my steps even when it is raining.\u201d
Dan Torres, head of digital for Samsung Electronics Philippines
\n![\"inside-dan-torres\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dan.jpg\")
Cellphones and the Internet have bad reps: they make us screen-addicted couch potatoes endlessly scrolling through cat pictures. In reality, smartphones have built-in health tracking systems that can monitor your heart rate and the number of steps you\u2019ve taken. You can also keep tabs on your physical activity, diet, and sleep. Your smartphone can help you record your progress and share your gains on social media. Just ask Dan Torres, head of digital for Samsung Electronics Philippines.
A triathlete, he pursued the multisport after he almost drowned during a beach trip with friends in 2008. To conquer his fear of open water, he joined as many competitions as he could.
\n\u201cMy ultimate goal is to be able to qualify to race in the Ironman World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii (4 -km swim, 180-km bike and 42-km run). What I love about this sport is that you are training for three disciplines. It doesn\u2019t get boring,\u201d said the triathlete, who is training for the Ironman 70.3 Cebu (2-km swim, 90-km bike, 21-km run) in August and Ironman Western Australia (4-km swim, 180-km bike and 42-km run) in December.
\nTrain to conquer fears.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always feared the open water. To conquer this fear, I enrolled in Coach Norman Pascual\u2019s learn-to-swim program in 2015. The opportunity opened up when an ex-Samsung colleague invited me to join the said program. When I started swim training, I initially had no intentions of swimming in open water. In February 2017, my coach opened the idea of me joining one of his open water workshops in Subic. I gave it a shot. His instructions and tips definitely gave me a confidence boost.\u201d
It\u2019s now or never.
\n\u201cMy coach, Norman, is very hands on. A lot of his students come from zero background in triathlons and after just a few months are able to change to healthier lifestyles. He helped a lot in showing me that there really is no time limit for people to get fit. People of any age and of any background can do triathlons for as long as they commit themselves to it. I definitely think that this is something more people should engage in. I myself did not believe in this kind of lifestyle when I was younger. I was totally not a sporty type. When I discovered the benefits that come with living such a lifestyle, I immediately got hooked.\u201d
Bye-bye late nights.
\n\u201cOne should be fully committed to it. I had to fully change my lifestyle just to be able to cope. I gave up the late nights and oily food, and disciplined myself to sleep early and eat healthy. I feel more alert and energetic on days when I have training. On days I don\u2019t train, I feel sluggish. This is one of the main factors why I decided to do a full triathlon training. I love how I felt coming to work after training in the morning. It was hard in the first two weeks, but when your body has adjusted to the demands of the training, it becomes a easier. Eventually, your body will even start looking for it.\u201d
Go hard, or go home.
\n\u201cI train, on average, for 10 hours per week, which includes biking for at least an hour and a half\u2014an average of 40 kilometers\u2014on Mondays at the Mall of Asia Grounds. I also do endurance biking sessions on Saturdays for three hours to Nuvali, Laguna, or Guagua, Pampanga; then an hour of swimming\u2014an average of two kilometers\u2014at the Makati Aqua Sports Arena on Tuesdays and Fridays; a short high-intensity run for one-and-a-half hours\u2014an average of seven kilometers\u2014at the University of Makati on Thursdays, and finally, a long high-intensity run on Sundays for two hours at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig or at the UP Oval in Quezon City.\u201d
Olivia Limpe-Aw, president of Destileria Limtuaco & Co.,Inc.
\n![\"\"](\"http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/olivia.jpg\")
For Olivia Limpe-Aw, health and wellness is not about the pursuit of a gold medal, but an exercise in moderation. Ms. Limpe-Aw is the president of Destileria Limtuaco & Co., Inc., established in 1852. Held by the family\u2019s fifth generation, the distillery is behind spirits such as Manille Liqueur de Calamansi, White Castle Whisky, Napoleon VSOP brandy, El Hombre tequila, and Toska vodka. One would think that an heiress to a liquor fortune would be a tippler, but Ms. Limpe-Aw is far from being one. As the adage of any good trader goes: \u201cDon\u2019t get high on your own supply.\u201d She said, \u201cIt\u2019s there all the time\u2014there\u2019s no need for me to indulge.\u201d Finally, a page from her book to the company\u2019s patrons: \u201cDrink only what you can take.\u201d
\nSleep is not for the weak.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t smoke. I drink for work, not for socials. I also make sure that I get enough sleep.\u201d
Moderation is key.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t really deprive myself. My diet consists of vegetables and seafood, with some meat mixed in, and very small allowances for sweets. Thanks to my diet and moderate lifestyle I can work long hours; I have a lot of energy. I can concentrate well. I feel good\u2014if\u00a0 you feel good, you can work well.\u201d\u00a0