This might be of interest to some, an article I wrote on Fil-Can talent, Cherylyn Toca, which came out in the last issue of the FF:

“I’m so terribly sorry for not calling back” so Cherylyn Toca profusely apologized on a voicemail she had left me in reply for the Filipino Forum’s request for an interview. I couldn’t possibly hold this against her. The talented young lady’s only “wrong” if one wills, that of simply being a typical energetic, dynamic and gregarious 21-yr-old. Typical perhaps, but by no means ordinary. In fact, Ms. Toca is extraordinary.

Cherylyn certainly hasn’t rested on her laurels after winning the Fil-Can Idol singing competition back in 2006. She has since completed her secondary education at the Fine Arts Core Education (F.A.C.E) which as this school’s name denotes, offers a unique fine arts program that focuses on both instrumental and vocal music, visual arts and drama. Ms. Toca had also attended the Montreal School of Performing arts and had participated in acting workshops and boot camps at the Dynamic Theatre Factory. Furthermore, she studied under the tutelage of renowned American singer and songwriter, Barbara Lewis. All of this training has groomed her to become the performer she is today.

“I’m organizing a concert. You should come!” Cherylyn excitedly announces her new project and brainchild. And that was it, my curiosity and interest was piqued and held from that point of the interview on. “Just how does one go about planning such a feat?” I asked her. “Well, the most important detail is the menu, I mean venue! She laughingly corrected herself. “Once that’s chosen and booked, everything should just fall into place. I’ll put together a band; enlist the help of some of my musician friends. My pianist would have to be exceptionally good, though. As for publicity, it will be by word of mouth. I want to have a modest number in attendance, to keep it intimate and expect even less people, so if we actually have a larger turn out, we’ll be able to say that we’ve “sold out,” you know, marketing strategy!” She winked.

Possessing good business sense and flair, Ms. Toca is in her final year of undergraduate studies at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. “I went into this particularly, because of the constant demand for professionals in this field. It’ll open different options for me. It’s like a safety net. I would love to work as a buyer for let’s say Walmart or Holts. And right away, I understood where she was going with this. “Clothes” I suggested, “Yes!” She beamed. “My parents – my dad especially- think I spend way too much on clothes” Cherylyn contritely reveals. Indeed, quite the fashionista, she arrived at the interview, clad in an ankle grazing maxi dress and simple flat sandals. A Louis Vuitton “Speedy” satchel slung over her forearm. She also sported a beautiful tan, having just come back from a trip to Florida which included visits to the Aventura Mall and an interesting celebrity sighting. “After getting the experience of working for a company, I would definitely, love to start my own business, launch a clothing line, maybe or open a retail store.”

However those plans might have to wait, as Cherylyn continued to explain, immediately after graduation she would like to go on a (well-deserved!) sabbatical of sorts from school and just devote herself to travelling and singing. “I seem to appeal to an older crowd – a more mature audience.” “Everyone says I have a Broadway-calibre voice. It’s funny because people tend to think that Broadway/musical popularized songs are harder to sing than your average pop song. I actually find that the opposite holds true, well, at least, I do! She lists Eva Cassidy, Lara Fabian and Barbara Streisand – all adult contemporary singers, as her favourites.

“So going back to the concert, have you come up with a theme?” I ask. “No, not yet, I would need to see the actually stage first, and then I’ll go with my gut. It won’t be so much, a theme – more a feeling- if you know what I mean! As for her repertoire, it would definitely include both English & French songs, some Italian, and of course, one in Tagalog.

Although, I am thoroughly convinced that she could definitely hold her own against current popular international artists, in fact, eclipse them even, I still asked Cherylyn whether she had ever thought of moving to the Philippines and giving the showbiz there a shot since it would seem like an easier industry to break into, relatively speaking. “Yes, I have considered it, and am not ruling out the idea altogether, not yet. But I’d really like to establish myself here” She replies. “This” she continues, gesturing to her immediate surroundings “is what I know.” Without a doubt, with her family, friends and fans rallying by her side, Cherylyn will be going places.

And all too soon, the interview concluded. She graciously thanked and bade us goodbye and I for myself, couldn’t help but marvel at how many talented individuals there are within the Filipino community that we can truly be proud of.

X-Men: First Class: Compelling!

Faced with a couple of film choices to see at the theater last night, I found myself drawing the conclusion that you know that a man's *whipped* when he's coerced by his girlfriend/wife to watch Bridesmaids. I could never subject my husband to such torture. I honestly believe that an important key to keeping the romance alive in a relationship is to constantly offer choices e.g.Sushi or Steak, Cuba or Mexico, grey or beige, uh, top or bottom - which may require a great deal of compromise, downright relinquishment of personal preference/ forfeiture of rights, concessions, sacrifices but give rise to interesting decisions like "Chinese," "Greige," etc. With Hangover 2 being another movie option and after hearing that its writers relied too heavily on the mass appeal of tasteless, what we will just call, "kinky" "monkey jokes" that they forgot to actually write, to see X-men First class was a no-brainer (and a mutually acceptable choice!)

As it is the case for any movie for that matter, but especially so for prequels of hugely successful sagas and virtual "institutions" such as X-men, Batman or Star Wars, the challenge is to create something compelling. I think X-men was veeerrryy compelling. The incorporation of the mutants' own reality into humankind's true atrocious past and pop culture is seamless and is not just incidental. It's a fine tapestry of fiction "gold."

The casting was impeccable with James McAvoy as mutant adoptive patriarch Xavier whose bluest limpid pools for eyes I had never resurfaced from since The Last King of Scotland! Kevin Bacon as the antagonist Shaw whose smirk you've been wanting to effectively wipe off with a sledgehammer since Riverwild, January Jones as Emma Frost who is the *real* motivation for Kumee's Madmen marathons besides its male cast's classy skinny-tied fashion, of course. German actor Michael Fassbender as the emotionally scarred Magneto, who made my husband feel threatened when I asked him "who's that"??? Academy award nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the young Mystique to whom I give the credit for recalibrating and lifting ideal body image for girls and women back to normal proportions - literally - when she said that she'd rather appear "chubby onscreen than look like a scarecrow in real life" and the rest of her youthful up and coming peers who play other mutant proteges that officially lauched me into midlife crisis....but then again, you kinda know you're pushing mid-thirties and up when you find yourself absolutely giddy with excitement, as I was, as everything came together and I began to understand the inception of the X-men "Freshmen," if you will.

A tip I've gotten to improve one's writing is to actually read more than you write...i've been slacking off in this regard. I've so much reading to catch up on, and by reading I don't mean fb gossip fodder! I think this fact is becoming sorely evident in my posts in their increasing lameness...(and parentheticals!). I think I might just go back one day, to what this blog was all about originally, that of handing out one-liners: ok, so what do you call a green Birkin??? A gherkin!!!! Hahahaha (howling with laughter). 'See what I mean????

Yeah, so finding the perfect of shoes: priceless, well, maybe not exactly *price-less*! *Found* myself at Aldo's at lunch today, due to an emergency situation that arose this morning involving my Guess sandals which, when I come to think of it, I had only worn for like the mere third time this season, I mean, talk about shoddy craftmanship, pretty to look at but fall apart just like that, well, I might have subjected the right foot to too much strain by buckling the strap on the first hole so that, not only was it chaffing my ghastly still pale (from underexposure!) ankle raw, but they were impeding my braking and accelerating capabilities. Ok, so I managed not to inadvertently commit suicide or accidently manslay fellow motorists/pedestrians. But at the office, to refresh my eyes from my computer screen, I glanced at my feet to admire my own sandals lol how vain! And upon closer scrutiny and to my horror, I noticed how the strap had ripped within an inch or more accurately, a millimeter of it's life. And so yes, that's how I found myself at Aldo's to rectify my little situation. Well, I know that every self-respecting female keeps a back-up pair at the office, "Because you just never know, right? Contingency plans, they're called, but what you don't understand is that I had my favorite tan belt that I got from H&M for ten bucks a few years back if I may add, to cinch around a pink Zara button down shirt worn over my five bucks forever 21 tights lol, so I specifically needed a tawny tan pair of shoes. The intent really, was for me to get me some cheap ballerina flats, but unfortunately, the size seven's were too snug and the eight's were just humongous...So I just picked up the beckoning slingbacks with a platform sole at the ball and a nice stilletto heel perched on the shelf at my eye-level. Ahhhh, Cinderella moments, got to love them!!! I had been chatting with the dropdead gorgeous salesclerk the whole time, and we got talking about commissions and I had mentioned about kumee's working in retail himself. "We said 70$, eh" I asked her. "Well, I could give you a 10% percent discount" she replied "it's reserved for special customers." I'm telling ya, there seems to be this tacit solidarity between retail folk, in a mall coppy kinda way, and yes, so I scored a small discount by virtue of being kumee's wife lol.

I was skeptical about the inexhaustibility of things you could blog about man-purses, but I was proven wrong, now how much less is running
the risk of reaching the saturation point when it comes to shoes??? My friend Farah has a blog wittingly called "Will Sing for Shoes" cute,
definitely and realistic, too! Really, what lengths would you go to for a pair of shoes???

On Ice Cream Cakes....

So maya coined the portmanteau for a cross between an elephant and a dolphin: a delephin, lol! Speaking of elephants, did I ever mention that Maya has a memory of that of an elephant, I'm not sure whether my analogy is correct, I figure, as the adage goes "they never forget" - I'm not sure either whether this makes her unique among her peers or if sharp memories are characteristic of and common to all kids anyways. Maya's a tad precocious but I don't think that necessarily elevates her to child-prodigy-ish levels lol. Ok, so she never forgot our promise we made that we would buy her an ice cream cake on our next trip to DQ just to appease her after denying the poor child some two weeks ago. And sure enough, after Kumee and I had finished sharing a Banana Royale Blizzard and the kids had polished their sundaes, we headed home with Maya's molded ice cream cake listing around in the trunk of our car as we negotiated Henri Bourassa...(it was intact when we got home, in restrospect, I'm not too sure why I didn't just carry it on my lap!)

And this is the problem with kids, the cake was just visually appealing like eye-candy to them, as it turned out, ice-cream in cake form isn't their cup of tea after all...so what do you do with 14/16th's of a DQ Ice cream cake? Well, you assume another incidental and yet veeerrryy important parental role - that of kid's leftovers finisher-designate!

Anyone who has ever followed me for any length and at any given period of time would likely know that facebook is one of things I keep harping on and on about...it's gotten so old and it's so lame and yet here I am...time and time again I've asked myself why I even bother, I mean just what is the appeal??? Maybe it's how it's proven itself to be an excellent (if second-rate) resource for a quick low down on the world's state of affairs...how did you think I learned of Osama's unceremonious death? From a friend's status update, of course, a news lede summed up into one neat sentence!

Am I addicted? Nah, I'm not enslaved, I can quit anytime I want, I've only like done so some, uh, ten times....

Quick post to give Deb of PIX me Photography, the credit she sooooo deserves, for her wonderful talent as seen in her generous photo contributions e.g. shoe pic above! I really like our unique collabo. Yup, so 52 Weeks got a makeover, because he's vain, and the Inside Skinny got insanely jealous, so I had to give her one, too, I hope you like it! (and that the new color motif won't trigger migraines)

Haven't had the time to write something original and specifically for this blog, so here's something from the other one, 52 Weeks. I know, I know, I'm so lame....sorry!

So I followed a friend's (who happens to be a writer) advice to "find a niche" and so yes, this blog was born out of a need to kinda narrow down the things I write about. And naturally, after winnowing off all the chaff, Kumee/men's fashion is the grain that remained. Now, just when I thought that this was niche enough, I came across a site devoted to satchels and only satchels, lol. Just how much blogging can one do on satchels alone? Plenty...apparently, lol! On that site you'll find anywhere from the latest styles and innovations in satchels (e.g. ones with neat built-in battery chargers!), references to them in the media (e.g. protagonists "Indiana Jones wears one" or more recently "Jack Bauer wears one" (wazzz uppp???) and literature, to sightings of notable people sporting satchels a.k.a the man-purse.

I'm grateful to have stumbled upon that blog because honestly, personally, all I had on them is that Kumee has a handsome Cole Haan one (that I would totally use if only it wasn't such a pain to switch bags and transfer my personal effects each and every time, uh, forget that!!!) which doesn't make for a very interesting blog post, and yet satchels, are a metro staple, that certainly deserves some mention.

If I had concluded on two posts back, that there couldn't be anything else that is the "object of so much scoff from the self-professed "machosexual" (what a ridiculous term, lol!) other than the pink shirt," then, the man-purse definitely takes the cake as the runner up!!!

Source Code Spoiler

Re: Source Code. Think of it as an action movie version of Groundhog Day. Without criticizing Bill Murray himself or his acting (because we like Bill Murray!) whatever luster his character in the movie lacked was definitely compensated for (and more!) in Lost in Translation, and whatever sensory stimuli Groundhog's plot gipped us of, is definitely supplied in Source Code. Protagonist Colter Stevens is the guinea pig for a military project, developed around the existence of the "source code" - the brain's "black box" record of an individual's last minutes. He is made to re-live this eight minute window of an ill-fated Chicago commuter train passenger, over and over again, with the hope that he will recover info as to the identity of the train's bomber. With his photographic memory, everytime, Stevens is able to pick up more and more details and ultimately uses them to devise a plan to alter what happens, "thwarting" the unspeakable tragedy.

* In reply to my fave writer Jessica Zafra's question, "since when did Jake Gyllenhaal get so hot"??? Easy-peasy: since Prince of Persia!

One of my earliest recollections of what has become a life-long love for clothes, clothes, clothes, is of when I received a "Disco" Barbie. She had roller-skates and was dressed in no less than a gold *lamé* bell-bottom jumpsuit lol. I clearly remember wanting an identical outfit for myself soooo bad that in my little girl's mind, I thought, if I willed for it hard enough, my doll's flashy metallic number would by some uncanny superhuman force transform into a kid's size seven! Needless to say, it never happened - disgruntled - I now have a compulsive shopping habit (and a shoe fetish!) as a result. But I also have loads of fun these days dressing up my own daughter!

Once upon a time, little boy outfits were limited to pint-size overalls and the sailor costume, reserved for special occasions. Generation X-ers, though, have so much at their disposal and like to dress their own progeny the very same way they dress themselves, rendering their little ones, tiny mini-me's that it's almost scary! Jaden, the sole heir of Kumee's tie hoard, might be too young to actually want Ken's clothes and "will" for them to fit him, but already, he's being groomed to be dapper like his Daddy.

A few days ago, I was on a grocery run at Maxi's and was standing just short of catatonically in the middle of the toiletries aisle, fruitlessly racking my brain as to the need for what exactly had brought me there...a good five minutes later, I gave up trying, cashed my provisions and took off. Of course I remembered the very minute I got home and stepped through the door, "shavers, d'oh, shavers"!!!!

The next day, Sheryl and I went on one of our whirlwind shopping lunches. I was relating to her that incident from the day before, "Shavers, shavers -that's what I needed" I recounted, a bit loudly as we entered Pharmaprix. Two employees stocking up the shelves had caught the tail-end of our convo, and one of them enthusiastically chimed in: "Yes!!! Shavers!!! Because it's summer"!!! Yup, summer's coming indeed!!!

*note to self: Good Housekeeping says to "make lists in order to increase productivity." Wise words to live by!

I don't think I really look like the typical Led Zeppelin fan let alone a groupie, but I just had to look up the lyrics of this amazing song (which is like the ultimate choice for a first dance!) that our friend Mark C. covered so awesomely at a friend's wedding last Wednesday - yes, you've read correctly, Wednesday - just one of the unconventional details of the occasion, which to describe in one or two (?) words, was sooooo *anti-establishment* and yet soooo cool! Congrats & Best Wishes, Cedric and Becky:

"Thank You"

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more.

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see.

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Ok, so I'm quite relieved that some two weeks after his hair mishap/"Bieber gone disaster"/it's called the one who cut it (who we won't mention here!) lacks the dexterity to cut a straight line/it's jaden's fault for not holding still, Jaden's looking half-decent, with a little help of course from my friend/pro/my very own hairdresser, Lyne, who I heart, heart, heart!!!!

I'm also glad that some three weeks after Jaden's bout of the flu, he has finally beefed up again after having lost all of his chub from going on a self-declared hunger strike for an entire week. Somehow, his doctor's reassurance that "kids won't starve themselves to death" and that "he'll eat at some point" didn't offer me any comfort and did very little to allay my fears. I'd say his "taking up" ice cream at grandma's had a lot to do with his weight gain, though, which is really a typically grandma-ish thing to do: spoil and indulge the grandkids with things they'd never imagine giving their own children back in the day or even now!

I figured I'd allow him a considerable amount of latitude with the whole ice-cream thing, temporarily, that is. And bought us some on the next grocery run. But there's a reason why I don't buy ice cream and keep it in the house: because I will decimate it in no time. And sure enough, we finished the whole tub between the three of us (Maya) within a day. At one point, Jaden od'd on it and was shivering from the cold - I guess that officially makes me an evil evil mom!!!

Profile: Lim Collao, for the FF

As a self-admitted “workaholic,” Lim Collao is not one to lounge around on the couch, wielding the remote control for hours on end like some of his contemporaries. At his ripe age of 69, one might think that by now he had certainly earned the right to relax as he pleases, but Lim chooses otherwise. He presently holds a part-time position at Avis, which satisfies his need for meaningful occupation, the pay, of course, is just an added benefit!

Industry runs in his veins. His late father, Raymundo Collao was a hardworking elementary school teacher. Lim recalls how his father would, day after day, diligently and meticulously prepare lesson plans for the following day late into the wee hours of the morning, after which he would snatch a few winks of sleep, arise, and while still dark, ride his bike almost fifteen kilometers to the neighboring city where he taught.

Raymundo Collao taught his children, both by example and word, the importance of hard work. He also helped them to appreciate the necessity of a good education. The pay off? Limneo and the rest of his siblings completed their studies and were all presented with the opportunity to work abroad. His late sister Adelina Collao Malumbres, a nurse, was the first to leave the Philippines. In the mid-sixties she immigrated to Canada. She worked at a hospital in a little- known-of town called Cupar in Saskatchewan. A few years later she decided to move east and settled in Montreal. It was here that she filed an application for the sponsorship of her brother Lim.

At the time, Lim was working as a soundman at the Manila Hilton Hotel, after which he was hired to work abroad, in a similar capacity, as a sound equipment technician/road manager for an entertainment company serving the American bases in Saigon, Vietnam. Upon arrival in Canada in 1974, being the responsible family head he was, Lim did not hesitate to take on odd jobs. “As long as they were a decent and honest way to eke out a living, it was okay with me.” He explained. Eventually, he secured the position as a photocopier service technician for Office Equipment Co. of Canada. In 1975 he accepted an offer as an assistant supervisor of technical services from Saulton Business Machines Co. But his career did not stop there when he made a 180 degree and took a completely different line of work as a seaman in 1978 where his mechanical ability was tapped and put to good use. That career ended in 1987 when he decided to take another job as a general maintenance person for the Baker Textile Co that preceded his final full-time employment in the maintenance department at the Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, in charge of the locksmithing. He retired in 2006.

Over the years, Lim earned himself the reputation of being a dependable and honest employee and all of his employers valued him and held him in high esteem. Every single one of them would be reluctant to accept his resignation, and would assure him that his position would still be waiting for him, “should you change your mind.” But Lim always insisted on never passing up opportunities for growth.

Being a workaholic can carry a somewhat negative connotation, conveying an imbalance, or a failure on one’s part to set their priorities straight. Perhaps, even implying the tendency to relegate the more important things in life such as family to the back burner, so to speak. This hasn’t been the case with Lim. He has always been a devoted family man and an exemplary and very involved member of the Filipino community, of which, he and his wife, Siony have become beloved and well-respected “fixtures.” Lim was at the helm of the FAMAS from 1991 to 1992. He founded and served as the first President of the Bicol Association of Quebec. He also served terms as both Vice President External and Trade and Commerce Director of the FFCAQ. He is currently the President of the Filipino Golden Agers of Quebec.

Lim pursues many hobbies like fishing, hunting and gardening among others. And much to the delight of his better-half, is extremely handy around the house, from doing minor repairs like fixing leaking taps to finishing much more ambitious projects. Not too many years ago he surprised Siony with a deck that he built single-handedly from scratch while she was away on a two-week European tour, and rewarded himself after with a well-deserved brand new barbecue grill!

These days, Lim divides his time between work, the community and most importantly, his only granddaughter, Kaya, age 3 years – the apple of his eye!

Ok, so I have an identity crisis - I'm not quite Filipino and not quite Canadian, but these days I'm kinda leaning more towards the former. I'm a very disgruntled tropical girl, any more of this crappy Montreal weather will impel me to run amok.....

On Three Piece-Suits...

Shortly before I graduated from school, they held the usual annual career week to help place students into jobs and equip them with the necessary job-hunting skills, etc., etc., Instructors would play the role of potential employers and conduct mock interviews where we would have to dress up accordingly. I clearly recall a male Italian (yes, his background is totally relevant!) classmate of mine who showed up in a three-piece suit. Our teacher kindly but not so discreetly pointed out to him within plain sight and earshot of all of us that the "right" to wear such a suit is "earned." Poor Joe (or was it Tony?) never challenged this, and neither did I rebutt - I guess, it is because I silently agreed with her assertion. It kinda made sense to me at the time that one would need to have a title attached to his name to pull off a three-piecer - either that or you would need to be plain metro, like Kumee...or both!

Ok, so any self-respecting, self or otherwise proclaimed "fashionista" must have read Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series or at the very least have seen its screen adaptation. There's a scene in there where our darling protagonist Rebecca Bloomwood, is re-touching in the ladies room right before a function. She notices a thread sticking out of her copiously bead-embellished bolero and with one swift yank, sends the beads a skittering and scattering, leaving the floor strewn with a million of the shiny tiny orbs, rendering the jacket unwearable. She deftly and heroically breaks a middle-aged woman's nasty fall from slipping on the beads that could very well have resulted in a fractured hip requiring a replacement, and yet after all of what had transpired, unfazed, Becky, heads out without her bolero, in a black and white dress which bears a striking resemblance to the banquet servers' uniform, and naturally, in a funny turn of events, gets mistaken for one...

Why did I take pains to relate this to you? Because whenever a man decides to wear a three-piece suit outside of the cold and imposing confines of the boardroom, and especially at a wedding or another formal event or soiree (where cocktails are served!) sans his jacket perhaps feeling too warm after an energetic cha-cha-cha number or two (lol) he is venturing a risk of being mistaken for the hired help. To make this possiblility as remote as, uh, possible, and avoid yourself some needless embarassment, forget the good 'ol white shirt this time, and pair the suit up with a jauntier one and a good-quality (must I even say it??) complementing tie so that at the very least, you'll be known as the "well-dressed maitre d'."

Finding a niche topic for my other blog has considerably narrowed down the subjects that I write about, well, that was kinda like the whole point! Seriously though, whereas before, I would blog about pretty much everthing and anything under the sun from random things like my little rubber thimble thingy at work which really, as I had explained in the past, is quite insignificant in the grander scheme of things, but in the office assistant's paper-filled world, has got to be the next best thing to sliced bread! to my shopping escapades, ok, so I have a compulsive shopping habit, so what? I kinda still do, blog on diverse subjects, that is, here at least, but my other blog is devoted to all things exclusively Metro, with Kumar being the star. It's a good thing especially in this information age, where everyone's just inundated with so much, where there exists real and not just imagined afflictions like writer's (and reader's!) block and people have more reading material at their disposal in a day, than individuals once had in their entire lifetime.

I personally find women's fashion to be quite daunting a realm to navigate, it's vast and "ever-expanding" kinda like the universe itself! Men's fashion on the other hand, is a lot more forgiving with its relatively smaller scope. That works for me! Don't get me wrong, though, there's still so much to learn and explore and it's humbling - between the Donegal, Herringbone and Prince of Wales tweed. French cuffs and single cuffs, spread and military collars. Ties - skinny ones, bowties and ascots, etc, etc. Then there are the different labels and designers, from the younger set like the Fayed brothers behind Bespoken, up and coming ones that I've never even heard of before and whose work I have had the pleasure to (eye-candy!) discover like Ovadia and Sons, etc., to the members of fashion royalty which I could attempt to enumerate but can't possibly exhaust.

John Galliano/The Sartorialist

Dior's decision to suspend iconic designer John Galliano from his post as creative director of the French fashion powerhouse for passing anti-Semitic remarks which they have zero-tolerance of has sent shockwaves through the fashion industy and has sparked quite the debate as seen by the differing reactions to the Sartorialist's recent post on his thoughts on what had transpired.

I don't think the Sartorialist rigged his post to display only the comments subscribing to his position on the matter as one person alluded he might. In fact, there were many comments of those scoffing at Schuman's suggestion to the fashion world to perhaps take a cue from the sports industry in how they tend to loyally support anyone of their own who find themselves in hot water, steeped in controversy over allegations until they are proven guilty or otherwise.

Although, I agree to a certain extent that such a display of (self-serving?) solidarity is commendable, serious crimes as rape as in the case of Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers are things that definitely shouldn't be glossed over! In the same vein, Galliano's action and resulting suspension from Dior raised the issue of freedom of speech and put into question the fairness of Dior's corporate policy in this regard, but I think that the weightier matter here is the ugly ugly racist streak it revealed....uh, seriously!

My Saturday's Loooowwwdown!

Lesson learned: When somebody either feigns or shows genuine interest in wanting to know how your weekend was like, never shrug and non-committaly respond "Aah, uneventful." This week's been a total write-off and I have absolutely nothing even remotely exciting to talk about other than the lowdown of my day: the highlight? There are no highlights! lol. So Jaden's condition has now reached this plateau where he's neither getting better nor worse, he'd run a fever, and I'd get him to take his Tylenol (after much coaxing and exaggerating!) it'd go down, the fever, that is, but after four hours would elaspse, he'd burn up again. Therefore, I figured this warranted a trip to the clinic, (the second time this week) and so this morning, with Maya in tow, the three of us set out to St. Mary's. Yup, so we enjoyed some Spring-like weather the past few days and it was awesome while it lasted but, the temperatures had since plummeted back to a more seasonal cold which made for some very black icy roads today - it's aptly called darn black 'coz you can't see it on the pavement especially under that lovely seemingly innocuous overnight dusting of snow (cough!). So, some punk tries to cut me off, I instinctively hit the brakes on a patch of ice and go careening dangerously close onto the opposite lane, I swear, I see my whole life flash before my eyes! And to think, too that we got set back a couple a hundred, getting our fender fixed just last week!!!

Unnerved and a bit shaky, I have no choice but to carry on, and drop Maya at Grandma's, I figure, I'll take advantage, and leave Jaden there, too, while I head downtown to get his medicare card which, I had just remembered (d'oh!) had forgotten to ask back from Kumar when he took the baby to the doctor last Wednesday. On the way, I pick up my complimentary copy of the FF, am amused to see that my last article is actually on the Editorial page this time and that my name is also included on its list of 'writers,' ok, I'll take that! Because that's really the main reason I had decided to write for them: to get published, lol and maybe to offset, too, the big hit I took, purchasing that fake CG jacket online, lol, no, not the one I wear - that one's real! But wait I actually got a refund for the first jacket after sending it back, yesss waaayyy!!! Ok, so going back, I negotiate the Decarie and arrive downtown, but Kumar's still in a meeting, so I pick up a pastry and coffee at Pain Dore and savor ten blissful minutes of 'me' time. OK, the ten minutes is up, I meet Kumar who's looking all spiffy, take the card, and drive to get Jaden.

I get there, and Grandma's quite pleased that she had managed to get him to eat, among other things, soup and drink, uh, tea, ok, you know you're Sri Lankan, when....lol, anyways, I'm actually quite impressed, as I haven't been nearly as successful in getting food into him this past week, and he's lost all of his chub :( So, I decide to just leave Maya there for the entire weekend, take Jaden and finally proceed to the hospital, negotiate more potholes on the way, find parking, and twenty million years later, walk into St. Mary's!!! After roughly an hour and a half in the waiting room full of sick people, Jaden gets seen by the doctor, we head home the usual way, but the Junction off the 40 onto the 15 North is closed so traffic's being redirected to Acadie rendering it a parking lot. I spend a good fifteen minutes there bumper to bumper during which, I notice a funky smell, emanating from the backseat, I sit bolt upright, turn around and to my horror, Jaden's covered in Grandma's soup and tea...it's all over his $15 H&M "Moncler" jacket, and his new Zara rugby shirt!!! and it's beginning to seep down onto his carseat...never complain that you have no life because it will turn on you...lol!

Ahhh Jaden, stop hurling already!!! Is it really so unreasonable to blame it on Kumar for getting us all sick??? ("We were all fine until you gave this to us!!!" "What, haven't you been washing your hands??? Don't you know that it's the single most effective way of preventing the spread of disease"??? "Yes, I realize that some germs are air-borne....still...auugghhh!!!!") Little boys (and big ones, too!) just demand a little more attention and TLC especially when they're sick. I don't remember Maya ever being this needy. Poor thing, though, it's like a quadruple whammy, Jaden's got it all, all at once - miss invincible spoke too soon! Me, smug-face/big-mouth, hasn't been feeling too hot either, but when you're a mom, you're simply not allowed to get sick, so I popped a pill (or two!) and sucked it up...(I miss shopping!)

Ok, I need a drink, OMG between mopping up the poop and barf and changing and washing bedsheets all day and not too mention coaxing a certain stubborn little boy to take his medicine, I'm beyond exhausted and beside myself with worry...Farah says "it's five somewhere." Well, I'll remember that when I have one well before noon tomorrow, too!!!

Oh, also please check out the latest post on 52 Weeks...thanks for passing by:)

Unshakable slothdom, unshakable slothdom, what else can I say, it's not easy to maintain two blogs. Here's where I've been spending a bit more of my time lately.

The Sartorialist's Two-Cents on Half-Inch (or more!) of Shirt-Cuff....

I truly love and look forward to my daily Scott Schuman/The Sartorialist pic "fix" so you could imagine how I relished actually reading his insightful two-cents on the subject of sleeve-length and how he tactfully addressed the obvious lack of consensus among his followers as to how much shirt-cuff should really show beneath a suit or peek out of outerwear.

This is the second time since I've recently began following Schuman's blog, that I observed how he had silenced his critics with such modesty and diplomacy, the first incident, involving a picture of a "duct taped boot" that raised quite the controversy which he settled by simply directing everyone's attention to and having them watch "A Visual Life" - a beautiful mini-docu on the creative process behind The Sartorialist and conclusively rest his case.

This quiet dignity resonated with me, reminding me of Kumar's own forebearance in the face of skepticism over his elevated sartorial taste. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory, but rising above it with such class is so gentlemanly!

The Green Hornet

So I think Seth Rogen nailed his Britt Reid/the Green Hornet character. Well, one would hope so especially since he co-wrote the movie, which I think makes the guy just short of genius - he's hyper and hilarious and I totally dig him and found myself (mentally) finishing all of the punchlines the way sweethearts end each other's sentences - or at least, are supposed to!

I read a review criticizing the "body count" in the movie, hmmm, true, there were some very fleeting graphic scenes/images of comic-book violence where you should really get your (older) kids to avert their eyes but again, really comes as no surprise in this sad time and age when Obama's sick puppy-streaker's antic aroused more sympathy than outrage (lol). But that's my personal point of view. As much as the movie is supposed to be an action-comedy, to me it was actually quite sobering and served as a poignant reminder of the role and responsibility of media in today's world. I, of course liked how it legitimized blogging as a serious form of communication (wazzz uppp!!!) Well, ok, it might have been a bit misleading because no editor-in-chief will ever amass as much wealth as Britt's mogul dad, James Reid did in his abruptly abbreviated lifetime (especially working for a Canwest outfit) but, the movie drove home the point that the pen is in fact, a weapon, and how no sum of hush money or amount of terrorizing to silence will ever extinguish the fire within an ardent writer (even of one just starting in her "twilight," ok, that was from the movie, too, which kind of hit a bit too close to home lol!). Just watch the movie and you'll see!!!

Garde-Manger

Ok, so I'm not a hundred percent sure, although, I will venture a guess, that Garde-Manger's obscure whole-in-the-wall (no sign!), Old Montreal location is part-owner, celebrity-chef Chuck Hughes's way of holding onto a measure of anonymity - our good friends, Candice & Irvin's text message to let us know that we will spot Garde-Manger by a "pink neon light," couldn't have come at the better time as Kumar and I scaled St-Francois-Xavier in search of the place last night in sub-zero temperatures. Inside, though, is invitingly warm and cozy owing a lot to its modest floor area and design that retains much of the space's original old charm and character.

The reservations that ensure a table at the minimum, a week later (and can go up to a month or longer!), only means that you'll be treated as an esteemed guest. The longish waiting time for the amazing food to arrive at your table on the other hand, is a sure-fire indication that the chefs aren't just churning out plates one after the other, carelessly slapping food onto them. Our friendly waiter took pains to explain the entire menu to us (which includes things like lobster poutine to start, copious amounts of seafood piled up on three-tier platters, bavette and the much-feted deep-fried Mars bar for dessert!) and was attentive to our needs for the rest of the evening but not to the point of smothering.

Needless to say, Garde-Manger has supplanted every single restaurant I've ever been to in its scale city-wide. If you're going to stain your crisp white Boss shirt, do it in metro class by dribbling bisque or carrot butter down it at Garde-Manger! (you can enlist the dry-cleaning services of Bellingham's after!)

A rental, a toddler, a pre-schooler, completely coffee-logged, donut overload and -20+ degrees out: the fixings of one insane whirlwind roadtrip to visit Kumar's family in Toronto. And oh, not to forget, the Tragically Hip!!!

"Tangled" could also be a fitting title for a movie about me on the weekend trying to get into a saree: epic fail! On a much more serious note, though, Kumar's family is absolutely lovely...

Ok, so through this blog I've let you into the deepest recesses of my brain and now through my other one, into my home wherein the crevices of which, lurk menacing dust-bunnies! To anyone who's lumped me into that silly Filipina stereotype, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not quite domesticated. I'm clean but not to pathological extremes. Now what could possibly be next? Perhaps, like Farah, will sing for shoes???

ROTFL

Is it just me, or has my new blog already eclipsed this one in "popularity?" (lol) So while people still have to mind their behavior around me, they also have to be wary of what they wear, especially if they're male, slobbiness totally unacceptable! But that's not why I'm rotfl. Again, I know it's kind of too late now to retract my words, but I shouldn't have said that 52 Weeks of Metro was going to be a "photo-blog" because it really isn't a photography blog per se, it's just a fashion blog with photographs as visual aids, the text still being an integral part of it, I'm still Kumar's not necessarily invisible ghost-writer.

Apparently, as it had been brought to my attention, I've made almost every mistake conceivable, photographically-speaking - from taking pictures of objects on glass, to a really, really poor one of my hapless husband - well, not that he looks horrible, it was just really, really badly taken and hardly did the guy justice! And I haven't quite figured out how to work the Image-Stabilizer, either. I think (basic) photography courses really are in order, but considering my circumstances, "Photography for Dummies" will just have to do. Back to the drawing board!

52 Weeks of Metro

As promised, my new blog has arrived! Please check out my other (bratty) brainchild again born out of an urgent need for some serious cathartic diversion, and inspired by all of you and life with its wack dips and bends! As it has already been explained on a previous post, my new blog will cater to the visual-learner, particularly the slightly more-evolved than average male ages 15 and up with a heightened sense of style and elevated fashion taste albeit with a short attention span, too! This blog, however, as always, will remain text-based and will continue to serve anyone literate, from your average reader (bathroom, speed, etc.) to the literary-elite (lol), the curious or downright nosy folk who always pay rapt attention to the goings-on within and without our household and to the inner workings of my mind! A gazillion thanks guys for your support! I sooo love you all!!!

Elenor Diaz

Th following is my second (lol) article and first feature (the first one was more like "straight-news") to appear in this month's issue of the Filipino Forum:

"Elenor Diaz" has certainly become a household name both within (and without!) the Filipino community of Montreal, if not of all of Canada, owing to the media attention her phenomenal story has received over the holidays - her story of being a hard-working and devoted mother who had left her beloved family behind in the Philippines to go ahead and pave the way for a better life for them in Canada, braving cold, loneliness, and enduring many other hardships, and finally after years of separation, eagerly anticipating a joyful reunion with her family having made all the necessary arrangements and preparations for their arrival just in time for Christmas, but only to find out that they had been defrauded by the unscrupulous travel agency in Manila from which they purchased their one-way tickets to Canada. But her story doesn't end there as it takes a turn for the better, after her sympathetic and kind employer, Lissa Matyas, takes the initiative to write to the Montreal Gazette, hoping to get Elenor's predicament published. Elenor's story elicits an overwhelming response, with people from across the country coming through, offering to help in whatever capacity, and ultimately, a benefactor generously shoulders the cost of new tickets for her entire family, allowing them to arrive for the holidays as originally planned.

Phenomenal indeed, but to recount the exact details after having been already covered extensively by the media, would just be redundant and superfluous. So we at the Filipino Forum wanted to do a different "take" on the story, and sit down and chat with the generous benefactor who came to Elenor's aid, Mr. Larry Modafferi, president of Ria Canada. Mr. Modafferi graciously accommodated our request for an interview.

Filipino Forum: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Mr. Modafferi: I'm an Italian - a son of Italian immigrants. I founded a check cashing business that has now become Ria Financial.

Filipino Forum: How did you hear of Eleanor's Story?

Mr. Modafferi: My wife and I read the Montreal Gazette story about Elenor's predicament.

Filipino Forum: What compelled you to help Eleanor?

Mr. Modafferi: After reading the article, we looked at each other and lamented "not again!" Being in the cash remittances industry, we see all too many similar incidents like these where innocent people get scammed. We just had to do something to repair or rectify at least one problem. The Filipino community is very dear to us on a professional level. We deal with them on a daily basis. Moreover, as I had mentioned, I'm a son of Italian immigrants whose parents - my grandparents - worked hard to provide for and ultimately bring to Canada. So, Elenor's situation struck a personal chord, it resonated with my wife and myself.

Filipino Forum: To who or to what would you ascribe the credit for helping you to become the person you are now, the generous and kind person - "a good Samaritan" -willing to help a complete stranger in a bind?

Mr. Modafferi: First, you are far too complimentary, I believe there are many Montrealers that would have stepped in had I waited just 10
minutes more before calling Lissa. Montrealers seem to always pitch in when necessary. To your question: My upbringing, after all, we are the products, of our parents' patience in instilling values us. Also, my wife has always been a wonderful influence.

Filipino Forum: Describe what your company does.

Mr. Modafferi: Ria Financial Services provides cash remittance services to families worldwide, Philippines included! I wanted to take the time to sound this warning. When making such remittances or other business transactions like buying airline tickets, etc. always choose to deal with larger, recognized, and reputable companies to avoid pitfalls like that of what the Diaz family encountered.


As for Elenor, I asked her over the phone whether there was anything else, anything at all, that she might want to tell everyone and especially Mr. Modafferi who had helped her and her family out. She told me, that just as she had expressed before on previous media reports, she is certainly grateful from the "bottom-of-her heart" to everyone, and that her experience strengthened her faith in God. "These people are God's instruments” she recognized. It certainly made for a joyous Christmas and New Year for her and her family and makes her “hopeful” for 2011.

However, Eleanor wanted to know whether this paper is also published in the Philippines. She expressed concern similar to that of Mr. Modafferi, over the corruption and proliferation of shady businesses there. She was hoping that her story might somehow serve as alesson for others to exercise caution and discretion when it comes to the businesses they choose to deal with as well as an incentive for the Philippine government to enforce measures to protect innocent patrons, considering how Canadians put them to shame, in coming together to turn what would otherwise have been another unfortunate scam story into a heartwarming one that, sharing Eleanor's sentiment, "strengthens" one's faith in God and humanity.

Old Habits Die Hard!

Old habits die hard, so I've relapsed into the shopping thing...no, actually, all of the new pieces I have gotten so far this year, I've received as gifts, the latest being a pair of (verryyy) skinny Seven's from Kumar, of course. Seven Jeans are another one of those things that Kumar gets dirt cheap for himself courtesy of Harry Rosen as one of their employees, which is great for him, but kinda sucks for me. But then again, I never really cared too too much for Seven's anyways inspite of all of the hype around them, which is a good thing, otherwise I would have sunk into a deep depression a long time ago! Surprisingly, though, Kumar's Seven's aren't even his best pair of jeans, in my opinion, at least. I honestly prefer his tapered dark wash American Eagle Apparel jeans, that he got for a whopping $30.00 Cad. They look awesome dressed up with one of his shirts, sports jackets, dress shoes, perhaps a scarf, and a day's worth (max!) of stubble!!!

But Kumar still wanted me to have my own pair of Seven's, and with the January sales going on, there couldn't have been a better time to get them, so he asked me my waist size out of the blue the other day. "Uh, 24" I replied, I then overheard him talk to the shop owner, and then relayed over to me, "they're out...the next size is 25." "25 should be ok, huns..." I assured him. So he got them, and when he arrived home later that evening, I tried them on, lol: I had to lie on my back on the bed just to button them (and I wanted a size 24!) that's how tight they were! I'm still not sure whether they're just made really really small or if the problem lies with me and my burgeoning belly and backside?(hmmm...) "Break them in, wear them around the house, go to Adonis in them, walk around, they'll stretch, you'll see" Kumar insisted. So I wore them last Monday, and felt physically ill by the end of the day:( Yes, the lengths we women will go to in order to look good! And today? Well, today I totally ignored the little voice in my head begging me not to subject myself to more pain, but this time, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the jeans have stretched somewhat as Kumar promised they would, which really made all the difference in the world! They're starting to grow (literally!) on me and I think Kumar is right this time when he predicted that "they're going to be your next favorite pair of jeans!" We really dig each other, Kumar and I!

Always Laughing at My Own Expense

So last week's revelry (lol) at my brother's basement which lumped everyone into one sweaty shuffling, heaving mass, kinda rekindled my interest in Latin Dance, and prompted me to take down my (professional!) ballroom dancing shoes (lol) that I thought I had hung up indefinitely a few years back, pre-babies:) Those of you who know me from high school, probably remember that I couldn't dance to save my life -(that was epic!) well, yahh, pit me against Caryl and Vivian, where the heck was I supposed to stand???? But in my defense, a horrible dancer by Filipino standards is surpisingly a pretty good (italics mine, oh, the whole post is mine!) one by arthritic North American ones (no offense, my "white" friends!) - good enough, in fact, to have even impressed none less than my Russian (Bolchoi!) instructor (lol) so I've broken out the old Aventura CD and have been Bachata-ing away (much to Maya & Jaden's and especially Kumar's amazeee..musement!) these past few days: Spanish is definitely the language of love, not Tamil, nor Tagalog...heck, no! Spanish is muuyyy romantiko....swoon, swoon....("Cuban Motion" gyrating hip movement lol!) Have a "muuyy romantiko" week everyone!

Another New Endeavor

I wanted to share a mini-documentary of Scott Schuman "The Sartorialist" which I found to be very inspiring. In reading some of the comments made by people on the documentary, I came across one saying how watching it made the person "feel happy" - a sentiment that I share! This is exactly the push I needed to convince myself to seriously consider and finally bring to fruition, an idea that I had been toying with for sometime now.

No, it's not like I'm going to wander around Montreal streets, camera on hand, in search of willing fashionable subjects (although, I know there is no shortage of them in these parts!) It won't be necessary, I have my subject: none other than Kumar. I don't think that it's presumptuousness or vanity on our part to believe that Kumar is camera-worthy, although I might be a bit partial! The process is not completely new nor foreign to him, having been asked already a few years back to pose for a Canadian photo-blogger, paralleling the work that of Schuman, as well as by the Montreal Gazette.

This photoblog will cater to visual learners, I say learners because it's going to be a guide to better dressing for gentlemen (with short attention spans!) Watch out for its launch!

First order of business: nothing exciting to report, oh, except that I got socked in the eye (again), by Kumar. Haha, no, it's not a case of conjugal violence, not in our household, here we just name-call (cough). Actually, it's an infection, which I must've caught from Jaden who picked it up from one of his pint-sized buddies at the daycare around two weeks ago. We didn't have any other choice than to just let the condition run its course. Jaden wouldn't let us anywhere near his eyes again, after the first time we tried to treat them with drops, when we had to pin him down and pry his eyes open, the poor thing. It's either I got it from him, or I've slacked off on my scrupulous borderline OCD eyecare regimen, or both. They're both surefire ways to get pinkeye, ickk, don't you just hate that name??? Now I've inherited the drops and have the pleasure of using them (they're sterile, ok?) - it's loads of fun. I'm stuck too with my beer-bottom glasses, it's like high school all over again (sob) and I've also had to relinquish the eye-kohl for the past two days - it sucks when you're practically legally blind because of a genetic predisposition towards really bad eyesight as an Asian, but I won't sweat something that was beyond my control, besides it's manageable. What's really funny, is how Kumar's got me and my towel quarantined, God forbid he catches it too. I'm really feeling the love. He might be in trouble, though. Old-wives' tales have it that you can get it by merely looking at someone with it, sounds logical, hahahaha - ah, me and my first world problems...zzzz....

So, I'm getting a real kick out of my article being published in the Filipino Forum, a relatively small-time paper serving the Filipino community of Canada with a readership of...OK, I will shut up now, one knows better than to bite the hand that feeds you, even if it's just your boss from your part-time/freelance job.

Well, I'm just very grateful to have been given the opportunity and never expected for this to be, uh, actual paid work, and get remunerated, lol, in fact, when my editor said he was cutting me a check, my altruistic side prompted me to refuse it and tell him that it wasn't necessary, after all it was my first article, and I really just wanted to help, he was swamped, but he insisted, and so I conceded:)

Filipino Ka Ba?

So you know you're Filipino when you feel that your time is more important than other people's and purposely try to arrive *fashionably* late unawares that your gracious host/brother outsmarted you this time by telling you to come two hours before the party actually started to have you *in house* at the right time (hah!). You single-handedly decimated the "lumpia" which were also meant for the nineteen other guests besides yourself, ooops! Cutlery is optional. Belching is ok - I promise you, no one will so much as bat an eyelash if you did! Ever prolific as a people, there's always a sizable representation from the 0-5 age-group (two of which are yours) at every gathering such as at this one. Your Tita whose thick *Pilipino* accent hasn't diminished one bit from the day she left the old country to live in Canada only some thirty years or so ago, coaxes/cajoles/commands you to eat some more of her special "pish" and "leche plan." Sometime during the course of the evening, when dancing finally gets old after some (very energetic and spasmodic???) cha-cha-cha, salsa, boogie, and swing numbers, someone by the name of either Jojo, Jun-Jun, Boboy or Nonoy conveniently breaks out the karaoke he literally had on his person and of course, after having imbibed a nice drink or two you feign reluctance at first but then after shamelessly hog the microphone for the rest of the night paying no regard to *unwritten* karaoke etiquette, kicking off the show with your excruciatingly shreiky, emotional, earnest and off-key rendition of Avril Lavigne's circa 2003 "I'm With You" - driving even your poor hard of hearing Tito almost to the brink of hara-kiri and the dog skittering up the stairs with its tail tightly tucked between its hindlegs. And finally after downing another drink "for the road" and saying your overly drawn-out melodramatic goodbyes to each and everyone, you embark on your journey home across the bridge, laden with Ziploc baggies filled with more lumpia and sticky-rice desserts that will keep you constipated for no less than a week after you've eaten them and on the verge of tears, whiningly demand from your hapless non-Filipino husband what better be a plausible reason for his non-support of what you insist is your very promising singing (and dancing!) career. Now, how was your (mandatory) end-of-the-year family time???? Peace! We love you guys sooooo much! And, no, Babes, we weren't secretly plotting your *mysterious* disappearance all evening, although, you might want to sleep with one eye open tonight ;)

Hello Kitty Syndrome

Rest assured that you're at the right place, well, not that you're too too worried, yup, it's still the same blog, just with different "skin." I'm sorry, my blog should really have come with a disclaimer of sorts that reads "subject to change without prior notice" or something. I apologize for not giving you guys a heads up, but once I realized that I needed to make some minor adjustments, it couldn't wait, not even just until the new year which would've been apt, I guess.

The reason is still in keeping with my previous post. Although I had explained before the whole significance and rationale behind Jessica Alba, or her as Sue Storm, that is, I still didn't want the prominent display of her face like that to be miscontrued by some, as some idolatric tendency on my part - hence, the change to the little temporary japanimation thingy which I myself find, if anything, is even more distracting and detractive and is probably even downright annoying to some....I promise to change it...eventually - blame it on that unshakable slothdom of mine!