Girlfriend Blog

Go green today!

Being green is something I hope will never go out of style. I really love how people are more aware of the real state of the planet and realize that everything we do, good or bad, affects it. I’m sure we all try to contribute in our own way but if you haven’t taken concrete steps to being “greener,” perhaps the shopper in you will.

I, for one, love eco bags. You do so much just by stuffing it in your main bag everyday and using it for your purchases. They are more than just porma. Plastic bags, as we know, aren’t biodegradable. They photodegrade, which on the net is defined as “[to] break down into smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways.” For a single plastic bag, that means at least 1000 years. The website <reusablebags.com> say that “an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.” Doesn’t it make your jaw drop to read something like that? So it is important to refuse plastic as much as you can.

One brand that really caught my eye is Envirosax. I really admire its founders, Belinda and Mark David-Tooze, not just for their lovely version of an eco bag but for practicing what they preach (or in this case, what they peddle). They and their team live an “ecologically sustainable lifestyle” which means they use as much renewable sources as they can by relying on solar power for hot water and even electricity. I thought I could only buy it Singapore but yay for us, these are now available at The Reading Room, Shop #309 at Cubao Expo for only P375 each. Shown here are the bags in the Floral series which I hope to get my hands on soon. So should you! Well, ok, it doesn’t have to be this particular brand but I hope you find an eco bag that will get you in on the green revolution.

Janis Gopez, beauty editor

Shopping for media (is hard to do?)

I used to have a hard and fast rule when it comes to buying music. Local band or artist? Buy the original CD. You have to support your fellow Pinoy. International stars? Download it. They’re laughing their way to the bank—I’m sure my US$10 (or P450) won’t even make a dent in their royalties of millions.

But that was before. Something happened recently that changed all that. You see, I was listening to the 2003 album of the British alternative rock band Blur called Think Tank when I heard something strangely familiar. It was my first time to hear some of the songs (I am a fan of the band but I missed out on this particular album) but they felt like home to me! I took a more focused listen, and that’s when I found out what’s wrong. Some songs were ripped off by a local band, the self-proclaimed “banda ng bayan.” They were familiar because I have heard them before—tweaked!

Copying hits is nothing new. I am one of those outraged when a song of another favorite band of mine, The Greatest View by Silverchair, was imitated by another local band—although I got over it in no time because I knew the ape band had no talent and therefore resorted to copying. But this big band! Totally unacceptable.

Which goes to show I was wrong with my judgment on who to pay and not to pay for their talent. It’s such a shame that I have been “stealing” from a band that worked their a**es off to come up with a great output, and paying for something that someone else copied from them. Well, I’ve been wrong the whole time—in the first place, I should have been paying for all music that I’ve been getting.

And it brings me to a dilemma: I have free access to unlimited media through the Internet, and I can own them in the same manner. But should I? Nowadays it feels stupid to go out and buy a P600 DVD when the movie is downloadable for free. But where is justice in that? And if I really am a fan of this artist, why do I hesitate to shell out a few hundreds of pesos to buy the product they worked so hard for?

Because it’s free elsewhere and there’s nothing better than that.

Ugh.

Last year, Radiohead released a digital album available only as a download. It’s not free, but you dictate how much you want to pay. You’d expect people to pay fifty cents, thirty, but you know what? Fans paid the amount it would cost if it were in CD form in a record store. Some even paid more. Now what does that tell us?

The good in people want to do what’s right. We want to give what’s fair. But if some things are offered to us for free, an inner struggle ensues, and alas the good side doesn’t always win. Might it be a good idea to apply the Radiohead system in all digital downloads?

Copying other people’s work, that’s another topic altogether. As for downloading, in the meantime, I’d just be here borrowing friends’ records until I make up my mind.

P.S. In this photo is the band Blur—copied but never equaled, if I may say so =)

Nikki Constantino, managing editor

The Clark Air Base Experience in Padre Faura

In my endless pursuit for exotic and unusual drinking places, I found myself on a Sunday afternoon in GPoint along Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila. Not the dive for your usual fab girlfriend, but if you want to gently jolt your friends (especially if they’re visiting from another country) and let them have a taste of old Ermita and/or before the time of the VFA, G-Point’s the place to go.

The clientele is mostly (let’s say 95%) American or whitey, with their “exotic-looking” partners. Don’t get me wrong, though: signs with “Drugs and prostitution are prohibited in this place” strategically dot the bar—and I believe it.

G-Point is brightly-lit, its music turned up just so (so you don’t have to yell in each other’s ears just to get yourselves heard, except when there’s a live band playing, I suppose), and serves tasty, hefty servings of western dishes with quality ingredients (its franks and sausages are from Santis, at only P89 a frank!). A bucket of six San Mig Lights is P299; a bottle of pale pilsen is P55. Happy Hour is from 5-8PM Mondays to Fridays, when beer is half the price. There’s free Wifi for customers (just ask the waitresses for the password), and even if smoking is allowed, the atmosphere is virtually smoke-free, thanks to its good ventilation and air purifiers. If you play billiards, there’s a pool table where you can hustle for P20 a game.

The best thing about this place though? The regular tolling of the Bell—a practice which means everyone (and I mean everyone) gets a free round of whatever they’re drinking at the moment. If you’re as a regular pub-goer as I am, believe me, this can make your night.

GPoint is located at 510 Padre Faura St cor Adriatico St, Ermita, Manila. Tel no. (2) 536 7160.

Gina Abuyuan, editor in chief

Sulit Spa!

For a massage experience that’s truly out of this world, go to Happy Wealthy Foot Spa (Unit 131-133 J. Vargas Square No. 1, J. Vargas cor. Meralco Ave, Pasig City, tel nos. (2) 9105168). No namby-pamby massages here. Just straight-up, no-fuss treatments from therapists who will knead, stroke, pound, and hammer (yes, they use tiny hammers on your feet) you until you feel like a contented mass of Jell-O.

A one hour massage costs only P350; a one hour 20 minute one, P400. There’s a two-hour massage, but believe me, the one hour variant is enough. It’s a massage that seems to go on and on—and, even if it’s called a “foot massage,” the therapists attend to everything else: your head, your back, your butt, your legs. You don’t even have to strip so you save the hassle of having to undress, put your clothes in a locker, and dressing up again. Whatever oil is used is also wiped off with a hot towel, so you don’t walk out feeling all greasy and sliding in and out of your shoes. It’s an experience so awesome that I was still raving about it three days after.

The place has a promo on weekdays between 1-6pm, when you can get a one hour-20 minute massage for only P350. I’m so tempted to play hookey.

Gina Abuyuan, editor in chief

Bazaar, Bazaar

Last week, I had the opportunity of meeting some ladies from Australia who are about to launch their brands here in the market. Distributing these lines to various countries all over South East Asia, it was good to hear an outsider’s perspective on how the Filipino fashion industry is doing compared to our Asian counterparts. In her opinion, Manila is only behind Singapore when it comes to fashion, and that she loves how we are embracing local talent more and more.

From how I see it, the local fashion boom can be pinpointed to the online Multiply stores and smaller designer stores set up at 50th Avenue in Robinson’s Galleria and Archaeology in Powerplant Mall. However, another great channel to promote local brands has slowly crept up on us and that’s through bazaars. Even though Christmas is still three months away, bazaars are becoming a regular event to showcase Filipino talent. It was just this weekend that I attended the Global Pinoy Bazaar sponsored by Yabang Pinoy that featured over 30 stalls of goodies, from graphic tees, maxi dresses and accessories to bottled sago gulaman.

But the great thing is that Filipino fashion is not just making waves here but it is also making a name for itself abroad. In the October 2008 issue of US teen magazine Cosmo Girl, our very own Her Bench is featured in a section called JSYK (Just So You Know), where a model dons a pair of Her Bench shorts. Its great to see local mall brands that all of us can afford to frequent match other foreign brands in style and quality. So I look forward to the day when seeing a local brand used in foreign fashion features become a regular thing.

But for the mean time, take a first hand glance at what Filipino talent can produce at the following bazaars, because it’s never too early to start shopping for Christmas!

Rockwell’s Urban Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent (9am-9pm):
October 24-25, November 28-30, and December 12-14

Cubao Expo ’08:
October 3 (6pm-12mn)
October 4 (3pm-12mn)
October 5 (10am-6pm)

The Cubao Expo Flea Market Fiesta (10am-6pm):
October 11-22, 18-19, and 25-26

The Cubao Expo Holiday Bazaar:
November 8, 15, 22, and 29 (2pm-11pm)
December 6 and 14 (3pm-11pm)
December 7 and 14 (10am-6pm)
December 18-24 (2pm-10pm)

Angela, Fashion Associate

Movie Magic

My affair with movies reached a point of no return when, as a freshman film major in UP, it wasn’t enough that I had the honor of having the exceptionally gifted Roland Tolentino as my introduction to film professor, I was also exposed to an infinity of tastefully done foreign films that shocked, disturbed, amazed, and inspired our class to be the future of the Pinoy film industry (Sir, if you’re reading this, it entirely wasn’t your fault that I shifted to and finished journalism instead. “It’s not you, it’s me.”). I’ve instantly became hooked on Spanish, Chinese, and French cinemas in particular and spent nights at the UP Film Center entertaining the possibility that a person as brilliant as Pedro Almodovar could might as well be a mutant.

I’m yet again entering (actually re-entering would be more fitting) one of the constant phases of my existence—making time for my own self, hibernation, vanity for thy sanity. So off I went to Shangri-La Plaza Friday and Saturday for a movie marathon date with myself (which only lasted just for one movie, since I let my friends Janis and Karla know that they could cut my “date” short anytime they wanted to). It’s that time for the annual Cine Europa again, now on its 11th year of showcasing European movies, an event I’ve been attending since the moment I decided Wong Kar-Wai is my god. I saw Claes Olsson’s Colorado Avenue (Finland), Carlos Iglesias’ Un Franco, 14 Pesetas (Spain), Antonio Bocola and Paolo Vari’s Chemical Hunger (Italy), and Bettina Oberli’s Late Bloomers (Switzerland). Nothing has moved me intensely as the ones I’ve watched in the previous years yet; nevertheless, the main purpose of the festival is still fulfilled: to entertain the audience while educating them of the melting pot of cultures that is Europe.
Enrich your awareness of cultural diversity, heighten your appreciation for film as art, escape from reality into another, simply pass time. Relax and see, this time, a European movie!

Diona Valdez, assistant editor

Cine Europa 11 runs until September 21, 2008 at the Shang Cineplex. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are released two hours before the screening time. For a complete list of the movies including the synopses and schedule, visit www.ambafrance-ph.org.

Colin Firth and Gina McKee stars as Blake and Kathy Morrison in “And When Did You Last See Your Father?” (United Kingdom)

‘Ber months already?? :D

Can you believe the –BER months are here already? I go into a bit of a panic knowing that the few months of the year will go breezing by and I will end up not doing anything significant this year. But well, that’s another story. What you all can probably relate to is the nearing holidays and the shopping that goes with it that we all have to deal with.

This week though, my priority is to find a gift for my cousin who is having her baby shower on Saturday. Well, a fast solution would be to go check out their registry at X baby store. But what if I can’t afford anything there? Or what if I want a cuter gift for my future pamangkin (first on my dad’s side)? And since pay day isn’t until next week, I also want to find a gift that’s within my budget.

Enter Funky Feet.

Oh my goodness! These shoes-like socks are so adorable! I know it sounds strange but this is the kind of baby item that makes you want to have a baby. Haha. Okay, moving on. You get five pairs for P500 and it comes in a matching cute box so you don’t have to wrap it (great especially for those eco-friendly peeps out there). They only fit babies, 0-12 months though. I wish there was something like this for toddlers too so I would definitely have my other inaanaks covered. Well, at least I can cross out the babies in my Christmas list.

Janis, beauty editor

P.S

Make your Christmas list as early as now so you have an idea on how much you have to set aside. This way, when you are out on a random mall day, you can buy affordable stuff that has a lot of gift potential. Before you know it, you’ve bought gifts for most of the people on your list.

P.S. again.

I hope you all got to enjoy Girlfriend’s new look! If you haven’t, please, please do check out our September issue. Then email us your comments at girlfriend.magazine@gmail.com. We’d love to know how you think about our own makeover!

Bili na, suki!

Whenever I am in the province for the weekend, I hit the local palengke to buy food for the household for the coming week. It’s common for me to have a cooler in the trunk of my car during these out-of-town trips—empty until it’s time to head back home. I just get blown away by the huge savings I get, compared to supermarket shopping here in Manila! On these Sundays, I wear the cheapest, most worn-out flip-flops I have, fold up the edges of my jeans (it’s not called the wet market for nothing) and leave my maarte self in the car. Hard times call for going out of my comfort zone!

The price of a kilo of pork in Tarlac and Bulacan is P170. One hundred seventy! They chop the meat according to what you’ll need it for—adobo, sinigang, or giniling—at no extra cost. In Hi-top Supermarket in Quezon City where I go sometimes, a kilo of pork can go as high as P210 depending on how it’s cut. Imagine that!

A kilo of tilapia in the provinces costs P85. And there you see them in their live states still—guaranteed fresh. A kilo of chicken is at P130 and they’re all choice cuts, none of the parts that you don’t need (unless you’re a fan of street food—which I’m not).

Here’s the best part yet: the vegetables. You can buy by the piece (or tingi) so you can get as many (or as few) as your budget allows. In the supermarket, veggies are pre-packed, more expensive and oftentimes grouped together with a bad one (three good potatoes along with one rotting, small one). In Tarlac, an old lady tindera even handed me complimentary siling green (lots!) once as a bonus for buying most of my vegetables from her. Aawww. They don’t do that in Shopwise.

I usually spend around P2500 for food shopping weekly in a supermarket (that’s excluding all the other things I buy: milk, toiletries, diapers, condiments, etc.). But when it’s an out-of-town weekend and I get to visit the pamilihang bayan, I shell out only P1100. It always makes me want to cry for joy! Haha! More »

Much Ado About Krama

I first began to notice it around three months ago: more and more people were donning them around their neck, affecting the romantic, war-weary demeanor of the photojournalists who originally started wearing them for reasons that don’t have anything to do with fashion or style.

HANDY DANDY. A krama, worn here in the photo as head scarf, can also be used as a sling to carry children, as a mini-sarong, a towel, pillow covers, or according to Wikipedia, “to tow broken-down motorcycles and as stuffing inside motorcycle tires when punctured in a remote area…Krama has become very much a symbol of Cambodia and for many Khmers, wearing one is an affirmation of their identity.” (Image lifted from Wikipedia)

Ugh, I shuddered. The krama has gone the way of Che Guevara’s image and the Mao Zedong cap. It has been fashion-victimized, taken by trend-hungry lemmings and twisted to become a mere fashion accessory. My silent condolences went out to all the photojournalists who unwittingly lent a part of their counter-culture culture and their non-style style (show me a photojournalist who’s into fashion and I’ll show you a fashion editor who’d rather spend a night in the Riau archipelago than in Paris) to the hordes of jologs roaming around malls. More »

Nailed down! :P

It’s funny how things change when you grow older. Call it maturity or just an overdue need to change for the better.

When I was younger, I was a habitual nail biter. My mom loathed the annoying habit. And I thought that the application of that bitter tasting nail polish would stop me from chomping away. At some point, I hated putting on some polish. I’d rather have my nails undone, so they’d be “tasteless” each time the urge would come along.

Hah! But surprise, surprise… as I hit my 20s, the bad habit of my childhood drew to an end! Today, I have turned a full 360 degrees and can be found fretting over chipped or broken nails. And spending my hard earned cash on regular manicure and pedicures is now a must, not just a luxury. My choice place to lounge around and pamper my hands and toes is the Nail Loft , a quaint little salon that’s is really cozy! It is filled with draped curtains and lots of comfy cushions. And, good thing about the place? It doesn’t have this headache-triggering nail polish smell. For just P290, you can avail of the Nail Loft Glamorize Me package that includes a moisture soak, exfoliating scrub, massage, heated hand wrap and a long-lasting manicure and pedicure. You can choose from high-quality nail polish brands like Essie, Orly, China Glaze, Opi and L’Oreal and if you’re lucky, you can lay back and doze off while wearing a complimentary cucumber mask. I would recommend calling in advance and making an appointment as the place can become jam-packed, especially on weekends.

The Nail Loft has salons located at 140-A Scout Gandia Street, corner Scout Ybardolaza Street, Diliman, QC (926 0900); Diliman Commercial Center, Commonwealth Avenue, QC (428 6423); Carmel Avenue, Project 6, QC (453 6600); Cititower Bldg, Jose Abad Santos Street, San Juan (723 9445)

Angela Robinson, fashion associate