SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: ON WHAT TO PACK AND GETTING THE PERFECT TAN

Packing for the province always isn’t too easy for me especially when it’s sweltering hot down south (yes, double the humidity compared to Manila).



What I have considered packing with me:

1.Espadrilles. Who cares about them being a big trend, I’ve had my pair even before
it became a trend in this part of the world. My Abuelito (grandfather) would
always wear them walking around the terraza and lanai.
2.My pink beach shorts. I’d rather be easily spotted in the middle of the sea than be
bitten by barracudas.
3.Sun tan lotion (yes, not sun block!).
4.Slim shorts in red, khaki, navy and seersucker.
5.My go-to cotton plaid shirts
6.My trusty perfectly beaten-up tan Gucci loafers
7.A pair of white dress shirts in cotton and oxford.
8.And a pair of selvedge denim for than unexpected after party.

It is always important to head down south or whichever destination you’re going for
the holidays with a simple but sophisticated capsule wardrobe. And please, no fur!

I have also been looking forward to the following:

1.An early morning drive to the farm.
2.House-hopping from lunch to dinner ( plus a few
bottles of wine).
3.Afternoon merienda (knickerbocker) at uncle
Greg’s restaurant, Palmeras.
4.The usual Hawaiian dinner at my aunt’s place overlooking the city.
5.Lazy afternoons at our Lanai.
6.A trip to pink sand Santa Cruz Island (yes, I need
to get toasted!)
7.Gift shopping in Barter and Yakan Village.
At the same time, I am also looking forward to getting back on the first of next
year to start working on a big project.

Note to self: have those golf clubs cleaned before hitting the fairway.

HOME

GANT HOME - ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT from NEWNEW by Fashion Tale on Vimeo.

Gant’s home – on special assignment video reminds me of the slow life every time I fly down south for the holidays or at my mom’s hometown in Negros.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

I am back from my 10-day staycation down south with my family – a tradeoff to get everything or nothing done.

STELLA

I found this photo of mum with my aunts Olga, Flora Ledesma and Shirley Lopez-Vito during my recent trip down south.


(Circa 1975, Mum in white oxford top and her sister Olga in blue green top - very CHICA!)

Mum always had really nice clothes and jewelry and would sometimes make them herself. People to this day tell me stories about how chica my mum and her sisters are (pre and post Assumption Convent days)and yes, she still looks great at 58.

PATTERNS, DOODLES AND A BUCKET LIST

I only take advantage of real luxury once a year when I fly home down south for the holidays like waking up late with breakfast still on the table, afternoon siestas, having five shirts tailored in three days and lazy weekends spent at the farm.

I'm finally back at work after two weeks of not doing anything and have decided to do a bucket list to welcome the new year ( Hey Hey to 2010!). Here they are:

•Have more weekend brunches with good friends ( SALA and M Café has always been a favorite ever since Lumiere closed shop a few years back)


(Photo from hybebeast)

•Have more clothes tailored

•Learn pattern making from mom ( which I should have when I was home for the
holidays)

•Draw, doodle and do whatever on my Moleskine

•Reward myself with a new bag – probably a customized Goyard St. Louis in black and tan

•RECYCLE



•Travel abroad more often ( Barcelona, Paris, New York, Melbourne, Tokyo, Hong-Kong,Taipei and Georgetown)

•Fly to Zamboanga twice a year

•Go to small group and attend Sunday Service more often

•Paint more and hopefully an exhibit



•Visit sisters in Florida

•LOSE WEIGHT (Yes, I no longer look like a ball – more like the world now)

•Improve spiritual life and honeymoon with God more often

•SAVE (like really save!)

•Get a promotion, a raise and probably be assigned overseas

•Walk more

(other photos from slightly north)

9 DAYS TO CHRISTMASLAND

Living in the metro, where the weather is fairly humid most of the year and extremely chilly on December, I could wear almost anything.

I have to admit that it was easy to fall into the casualness of shorts, loafers and my basic oxfords. For many years, that was mostly what I wore, adding dark trousers, pullovers, gingham, plaids and crisp white dress shirts to work.

Being home for the holiday is always a good thing. Last year was my first time in 5 years.

(Perfect December : flannel shirts from Gitman vintage, oxford and pullovers from from apc, pea coat from Steven Alan, JS boarskin luggage tug and nano universe tote)

Back home, our family would dress more formally during Christmas dinner and my parents and aunts expect us to always dress nicely.

Mum would always tell us, way back in Negros (Bacolod) where she’ is from, people wore clothes that was not only appropriate to their activities but were also made from the fibers native and appropriate to the place.

I can’t wait to see my family again – counting the days till’ the afternoon of the 18th.

Now, what clothes to bring? I only have 18 kilos.

BOAT RIDES AND ESPADRILLES IN LITTLE SPAIN

Sometimes you don’t really need a passport or a visa to get to one of the most secluded places on earth.

I grew up down south, and to me , el pueblo de Zamboanga was more like Seville in Espana than crazy Tokyo – as far away, secluded, and steeped in nature as any place could possibly be.

There is beauty and calmness in the pueblo that the metropolis has long forgotten, and I adore that.

Why Zamboanga? The hours are definitely longer down south – a dreamy golden hour quality. In that light, you end up having coffee with an older relative and in my case, it’s definitely my mom or my favorite aunt Nela and telling them all my secrets.

It may be a little farther away from everywhere else but the smell down south is what I always think of – a combination of freshly grown grass, the mountains, the sea and of course an 80 percent chance of running into someone you know when you step out of your car.

My favorite food? No surprise : crabs, prawns and curacha, a very popular deep-sea crustacean found only in the waters of Zamboanga, where spectacular seafood abound. I wont eat it anywhere else but in Zamboanga. We buy them right off the boats and have crab bake with mussels, oysters, sausages and tuna belly thrown into a fire pit against the rock. Oh how I miss the luxury down south.

(Don’t forget to bring out your floppy sun hats and espadrilles. See you all next month! Photo from The Sartorialist)

TOASTED ISLAND BOY AND SOME PINK SAND

There was rejoicing last Tuesday discovering a 4 kilometer stretch of pink sand, corals and more, snorkeled along the reef and was doing lots of whacking just 15 minutes away from laidback Zamboanga. I caught myself enjoying the sun and the sand, including the bizarre, but typical, moment at which I went from a happy laughing face to dramatic contortion and fussy grumpiness, for no apparent reason.





Sta. Cruz Islands is approximately six kilometers off the coast south of Zamboanga City, situated within the Basilan Straight. Both islands and its surrounding environs have been declared a national marine sanctuary and both of which are surrounded by coral reefs. The island is known for its pink - colored beach which was formed by the coral bits that were washed ashore.

MY COUSINS WEDDING

ART BUCOY EUSTAQUIO + MARIBEN TAN

Regency Astoria, Zamboanga City Philippines

Photos (Prenup) Lito Sy ,(Wedding) mangoRED and Pat Dy , (Gown) by Frederick Peralta The pictures are devoid of blunt romanticism. Instead there is a touch of somberness, but for all the gloominess, moments of romantic hope darts across the series of photos. The impression it leaves goes much deeper.With every project, comes a new course. We took the step away from the meticulously planned photo shoot to the calculated snapshot. We must have wanted to rebel against the quick-flash shutterbug alacrity of the glossy portrait world, as all of these images show a slow, steady, calm of imperfection. The couple is captured during moments of exhalation, relaxation, set against Zamboanga’s brooding backgrounds with soft, matte lighting that brings to mind the luminescent brush of the Dutch painters.But look for no narrative - we gather an impression solely from what we see. The images are in the tradition of allegory.
Source : http://mangored.com/blog

Too bad I wasn’t able to fly home to attend my cousin Art's wedding…will definitely catch up with you soon - Congratulations! About time, it made me think about my wedding. I’ll definitely go for a preppy weekend wedding country club style.

MY FIRST INTERVIEW – circa 2000

While rummaging through my stuff, I came across this newspaper clipping from a local publication published 8 years ago. I couldn’t believe I still have it.