It's Christmas!

Haven't been in front of the computer much since I got back from Boracay, but I didn't want to miss sending out my holiday greetings. My Christmas wish for all of you: good health, prosperity, peace, and of course, great style.

Have a beautiful Christmas, everyone!

And I'm Off...

Going to Boracay in the morning to attend my friend Annette's wedding on Thursday. I haven't seen Annette for years since our La Salle days, so I'm looking forward to catching up with her. And to get to know her about-to-be husband, whom I've never met.

It's my second time to attend a beach wedding in Boracay (last year it was also in December for my friends Criscy and Migs), but I still have no idea what to wear...

All I Want for Christmas...

... is a medium-sized tool bag from The Gentlemen's League, designed by Seth Stevens and illustrated by Adam Rezak. US Vogue doesn't say, so I'm wondering how much a bespoke bag with personalized drawing will cost.

(Click on the photo to read the article and a have a clearer view of the bag.)

The Gift of Party

These are the receipts I got from Astoria Plaza, The BlueFrog Wines, Rustan's Supermarket, High Top Supermarket and the friendly neighborhood beer distributor, Oliveros, for the following:

a 2-bedroom suite
16 bottles of wine
3 cases of beer
grocery items that went into the making of spaghetti in tomato sauce with meatballs and smoked cheese, calamari with garlic mayonnaise dip

Friendly neighborhood barbecuer Mang Greg delivered 100 sticks, but gave no receipt.

Anyway. Giving a party is so much easier for me than buying individual gifts for my friends. (Even if it means staying up late to chop tomatoes, squids and cheese... and taking several trips to buy ice from MiniStop to buy enough ice to cover a bathtubful of drinks.) Since I still cannot wrap my mind around the idea that "it's the thought that counts," I'm always mortified that I'll give the wrong gift. (Personally, I'm more offended by an unconsidered gift than receiving no gift at all.) Thus, I always tell friends instead of material things, I'm giving them the gifts of togetherness and merrymaking--two things we can never have enough of.

Fewer than expected went last Friday, but those who couldn't go had valid reasons, so it's fine. Those who came had a good time, by all indications. 'Til next year, friends. Thank you and merry Christmas!

New Stripes

My third cardigan in a single week. Time to move on to other clothing items.

Striped cardigan from Tyler.

Party Music

I've been asked to provide the music for tomorrow's company party, an easy task now that I've decided that I'd simply play the entire discography of Girl Talk aka the mashup DJ Gregg Gillis.

I was introduced to Girl Talk only this year, with the release of his CD Feed the Animals, a sonic collage that seamlessly samples over 300 songs in 15 amazingly fun tracks. I've since enjoyed all his others albums. And tomorrow, all my officemates will, too.

Today

Because I'm almost always in monochrome, piling on three patterns is a personal breakthrough.

Table for One

Cibo has become a default lunch place when I can't decide where to eat. And I no longer look at their menu because I always order the crabmeat pasta in tomato sauce.

Having defaults like this is great for when your date is just your own self. Just like in relationships with other people, you want to have little traditions with yourself.

Today's Lunch

Pasta with tomato sauce and Italian sausage from Cafe Enzo: simple, tasty, filling and affordable.

The doggie bag: No, I didn't eat it for lunch, but I have a certain attachment to them (I think they're oddly romantic), and this one is particularly well-designed and made.

From the Grapevine

'Tis the season for wine and merrymaking, so I thought it was timely when I read this email from my friend Chinkee today. I thought of putting it here for anyone interested. (I won't include the price lists, which can be requested from her email, below.)

Hello everyone! My friend and I are selling both reasonably-priced and premium wines for the holidays. (Selections include those below P455 and those below P1000.)

The minimum order per kind is 1 case (12 bottles), except for those priced at P700 and up, wherein you can order per bottle. FREE DELIVERY to the Makati-Bonifacio Global City-Ortigas Center-Greenhills area.

If you wish to see our full list, including our premium vintages, please let me know so I can e-mail it to you. E-mail me at chinkee_clemente@yahoo.com

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Chinkee

Steak at 145º F

This I always say: Nothing stands between me and a good piece of steak. Which is why I took a break from burrowing in the house during the three-day weekend to have dinner at 145ºF last Sunday.

If you're from the north and love steak (or seafood, which I also love), I urge you to try this place out. It's a very welcome addition to the restaurants in the area, and is in fact a standout. You'd normally go to some of the restaurants in Morato just for the food. But you can go to 145ºF and have fine food and a pleasurable dining experience.

Congratulations and Best Wishes

My great friends Nico and Corinne (both in Joey Samson) had a beautiful, romantic wedding last Saturday. It was not dampened one bit even though there was a blackout midway through the reception, and the generator could only restore the lights.

My friend Angie (also in Joey Samson) was candle sponsor; I wore Ivar, and placed the cord on the newlyweds.

Cheer Up

Life being the pits these days, I decided to wear the most cheerful things I have.

(Candy-colored stripes from Tyler and Randy Ortiz bowtie from Myth.)

Atrocity

You'd think the shirt-and-belt combination was groan-inducing enough. And yet, and yet, he was also clutching a Burberry wallet in his hand. Oh, and he was attending a wedding in this outfit.

Lavazza Coffee

Between Starbucks and Mister Donut, I chose Mister Donut. But now, I have no choice. A coffee shop just opened around the corner, a few steps away from the office. Called Servito de Cafe Enzo, it serves the best coffee I know: Lavazza.

Never mind that a cup costs fifty bucks more than the humble Mister Donut coffee. It's worth it.

The Fix

Feeling the onset of a bad day and in need of a fast fix yesterday, I made a quick trip to the nearest National Bookstore, where I found the paperback edition of Alice Munro's The View From Castle Rock. Munro happens to be one of my favorite writers of all time.

It gave me an instant lift. Books never fail. Nothing else is so cheap but also so essential.

Can't Complain

You can't complain about lunch when lunch is...

1) at Fely J's in Greenbelt 5, which, like its sister restaurants, serve consistently excellent food
2) with officemates and bosses who are also good friends
3) less than P600 a person for this much delicious stuff



2 orders Ensalada ni Nanay (with bagoong dressing)



2 orders Dilis-cious Rice


2 orders Kangkong sa Gata

1 Stir-fried Clams in Garlic Chili Sauce

2 orders Lola Ising's Adobo

and 1 Crispy Pata

Some Sublime Tennis

So Federer lost to Andy Murray in the Shanghai Masters Cup, but only barely--and while playing with an injured back. All this says is that if he recovers his health next year, the form will be scary. I believe he will break Sampras' Grand Slam record in 2009. I believe.

Breakfast Fare

Breakfast for me every day consists of three strips of bacon, two breakfast sausages, three pieces of toast, a poached egg and a glass of milk. (I take coffee in the office.)

Usually, I watch some news during breakfast. But today, I mulled over this challenge in Alphabetical, which was to come up with a super edited wardrobe consisting of 12 pieces. It wasn't easy, and I had to repeat to myself this Australian aboriginal saying which serve as the epigrpah of those useful Chic Simple books that I used to collect: "The more you know, the less you need." This is what I came up with.

1-2 Black and white shirts

3-5 Black, white and khaki trousers

6 Slim dark denim

7 Cream cardigan

8 Gray vest

9-11 Black, white and navy blazers

12 A black two-button suit

And if I could have only three pairs of shoes and just one bag, they will be:

Black John Lobb in Hemby

Brown John Lobb boots in Woburn

White multi-lace John Varvatos for Converse Chuck Taylors

and of course, the Louis Vuitton DAmier Icare carryall

Next time, I'll think about what will go inside my super-edited accessories drawers.

Friday Lunch

No, I didn't eat a bear for lunch. What I had instead was a bowl of really tasty shrimp and pork wanton noodles and an order of delicious pork gyoza in East, the eatery inside Rustan's Makati.

My officemate, S, fumed a bit from having our Friday lunch plans--Nanbantei, and a quick browsing detour in LV, after--scuttled. She was placated with a slice of really good chocolate cake in the end.

Anyway, I find East to be a great sanctuary, an oasis of unfussy, flavorful and well-priced food amidst the crazy sea of merchandise. If like me you get frustrated by too much wants and too little cash inside the department store, this place provides excellent respite.

The bear, meanwhile, stands sentry by the entrance of Rustan's, which explains the picture above.

Thursday Lunch

Grilled Seafood with Curry Sauce at M Cafe.

I didn't know the curry would be so strong; I would have requested it served in a separate bowl. Cumin is such an overpowering spice; it really just drowns out most everything else.

Dream: LV Icare

I've been visiting this bag in Greenbelt for a few weeks now. I go the LV store just to say hi to it, and dream of the day it would become mine, mine, miiiiine.

The only reason I can restrain myself from getting it already is that I still can't afford it. But when I manage to put together the cash (all 81K of it), it's goodbye liquidity, hello bag.

Next year it is.

--Morx

Black Magic

A truly insipring image, this, from the The SartoriaList: that gaze; how light falls on the face and is absorbed by the dark clothing; the all-black outfit; the accessories; and how all these together is rescued from becoming too contrived by the obtruding shadow of a person on the right, as well as by the casually tucked pages of a notebook in the man's hand.

Did I mention the outfit? If style could be bought--wholesale and off the rack--this guy's would be the one I'd shell out money for. I really wouldn't mind looking this sharp every day.

--Morx

Song and Dance as Transport

High School Musical 3 is a sublime piece of entertainment. To judge it by normal movie standards is, I think, cynical. That it bears no resemblance to actual high school life is not only beside the point, it is the point. The entire movie's premise is an innocent dream, a fantasy. And I think that for a film meant for a generation of kids and teens that these days is growing up too soon, the film's steadfast hold at wholesomeness is not only a good thing, it almost feels like a political statement.

The songs may be mediocre (indeed, the music may be the movie's most cynical element, so eager to please only the average ear), but the set pieces and the choreography are honestly awesome. And the eager performance of the entire cast is infectious.

By the end of the movie, the cast actually sang the exact thought in my mind: I wish life were like a musical. And that is what I mean by transport: to be caught up in the wish/dream despite willingness or inclination.

--Morx

Oscar Wow

This is quite possibly the best book I've read this year. That's all.

--Morx

Optimism

Bright colors say optimism, and in these days of economic gloom, we all need a bit of color. Cardigan from Topman.

-- Morx

"torn leaves, crushed twigs, flowing sap, fallen branches, old leaves, green moss, fir, pine and tiny mushrooms"

I love how enumeration can sometimes produce poetry inadvertently, as the title of this post does. Imagine a bottle that contains the scents of these poetic-sounding and -smelling things, and you get a variant of CB I Hate Perfume perfume.

Read about Christopher Brosius, his peculiar sense of smell and the scents he sells here.

-- Morx

Huamin Health Massage Socks

7/11 is not where you'd ordinarily buy your socks. But when you get cold feet from walking in the rain and getting your socks soaked, well, thank God they sell them. And not only do they sell socks, they sell the health massage kind.

What, you ask, in heaven's name are health massage socks. The beautiful nugget of wisdom on the tag says it all:



I don't know about my feet's "sympathetic spots," but reading the English labels on Chinese products always has a stimulating effect on my brain. Plus I'm just happy my feet are warm and dry.

Thank you, 7/11! And thank you, Huamin! Haha.

--Morx

Solitary Lunch October 10, 2008

Went out to eat lunch alone, as all my lunch mates from the office are in Boracay. I don't mind eating by myself when in public. But eating alone in the office means I have a personality problem, which I'm not saying I don't. Haha.

--Morx

Simple Times by Joshua Radin

It's Joshua Radin weather outside, gray and rainy. Which means it's the perfect time to listen to his new CD, Simple Times. There's always an ineffable sadness to Radin's songs, even the upbeat ones, that makes me feel like I'm about to cry. And times like this, it helps to delude yourself that the sky's commiserating with you.

--Morx

Toni & Guy Haircut

For years now, nobody has touched my hair but the wonderful, talented Cherry Reyes, who is the managing director of the Toni and Guy franchise in the country, and wife of Talk n Text coach, Chot Reyes.

She's known my hair from the time it was waaaay fuller and she could style it any which way she wanted (sometimes, almost too funky) until now that it's grown sparser. She cuts hair with an almost fanatical meticulousness, which makes the price seem cheap. That's why although etiquette tells me not to tip a stylist who's also the salon owner, I still do. I just don't give it to her directly, but leave it with the receptionist.

To make the money and the trip worth it, I make it a point to grow my hair to an uncomfortable length before having a haircut, as shown in this photo taken at Chicane. I feel queasy looking at myself looking like this, really.




And this is me after the haircut. What a relief.





See what a haircut can do? Lots.

--Morx

Chicane September 27, 2008

This was my third Chicane gig so far. The first one, held years ago at Casino Filipino in Paranaque, was very fun and memorable. Last year was unbearable, because of the extreme heat at World Trade.

The ticket was courtesy of Corinne, who got it as sponsor at Nokia. Here she is with fiance, Nico.

Hyc in "these days de rigeuer for her" headband came with her fiance Nino. Such is life these days; I'm surrounded by affianced couples.

Thank God the always-sleepy Che, here in her beautiful gold ves,t allowed herself to be forced to go that night, and so even out the number.

The first few songs were mostly blah, and the sound system conked out in the third song, I think. I hear it conked out again a few songs after, but we weren't there anymore.

The night's highlight for me was bumping into the gang I haven't seen in months: Kate, Chinkee and Matt (who I just heard are also engaged to be married next year) and pareng Jezer. I miss those guys.

--Morx