A Statement of Purpose

It has been an emotional two weeks since my return to the Philippines, and since then the changes have been unprecedented. Not only do I have to adjust physically (humidity, argh) but I also have to adjust mentally and emotionally. Suffice it to say that I can't always expect things back home to stay the same as they were during my last visit, and it's taking a lot more time for me to accept that.

I will say this, though: While I obviously shouldn't, I do care what others think of me, to a certain point. I care enough to wear a bra under my shirts when going out in public, and cover up my cleavage in places where that sort of thing is not welcomed. I care enough not to laugh too loud and not to drink too much. I care enough not to pose any pictures of myself or my family - in this blog, or any other searchable Internet forum - that would be deemed too personal and too intimate for public perusal. I care enough to iron my shirts, brush my hair, even scrub my own bathroom sink when necessary. I care enough to use proper grammar and correct spelling... or at least put my entries through several edits, in case I catch one error too many.

In fact, I obviously care enough to put my own blog entries through the editing process in the first place. Why? Because I don't want to make a mockery of myself. End of story.

****

In moments like these, when my emotions get the best of me, I like to think of the people, things, and places that lift my spirits. I'm obviously surrounded by these in the Hacienda, of course, and I couldn't be happier... but that doesn't mean I don't need anything else.

For the days when I do need the reinforcement, I turn to visualization. And in this case, I envision myself with these shoes...
...wearing this dress...


...with my makeup done like this...


...and (AND!) with THIS GUY as my date.



Watch out, world.

Hometown Glory, Part 2

And now... Adele.



I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque
I love it to see everybody in short skirts, shorts and shades
I like it in the city when two worlds collide
You get the people and the government
Everybody taking different sides

Shows that we ain't gonna stand...
Shows that we are united
Shows that we ain't gonna take it
Shows that we ain't gonna stand...
Shows that we are united

(lyrics from radio edit)

***

On a personal but decidedly ambiguous note: When somebody asks the same question more than once, and gets the same answer more than once, but persists on asking the question again... does this situation say as much about the questioner than the questioned? And does the answer even count any more?

Publication Watch: Preview, July 2009

credit: stylebible.ph

Longtime readers of this blog would know that Preview is my favorite fashion magazine from the Philippines; like Allure, I practically fell in love with Preview at first read - and possibly from the first issue. Any new issue of Preview that comes my way is still a must-read for me, even if I inevitably end up getting annoyed with the articles/ fashion spreads/ skin-whitener ads/ whoever they end up putting on the front cover.

I take it as a good omen that the July 2009 issue of Preview has Maricel Soriano on the cover. Say what you want about the Balmain-ish jacket she's rocking here, but I think this picture captures my favorite things about the Diamond Star herself - it's practically a homage to the roles that have made her an icon in Philippine cinema, from the ice-queen hair and makeup (taray!) to the ripped tomboy jeans. She's also surprisingly at ease with the avant-garde Balenciaga and Jil Sander dresses that she poses with in the accompanying fashion spread, too.

The list of "Best Dressed" women they have inside the magazine is nothing to sneeze at, either - although I'll be the first to admit that I barely even recognize half of the folks they've featured for this list. It's an interesting and eclectic mix of models, socialites, balikbayan hipsters, and fashion-industry insiders - some of whom may not be easily recognizable to regular folk like you and I, and some (like current It Girl Divine Lee, who's basically Manila's answer to Ivanka Trump) may be deemed more quirky than pretty - but totally memorable and stylish all the same. Not to mention the spread devoted to the plain white T-shirt, styled and modeled to the hilt by all ten ladies on the list. My only quibble with this list, however, is that there's not enough attention paid to local retail; name-checks for Topshop and Target may be fine, but I'd think that, in tough times like these, at least somebody on that list would have bought or worn something from a locally grown brand or store, let alone Divisoria or Marikina. I'm sorry, but there's got to be something wrong with the picture if the HK-based boutique franchise On Pedder gets more mentions than Shoemart and Rustan's combined.

That said:

- I have Preview to thank for my current girlcrush on Paula Taylor, who is obviously not Filipino (she's English and Thai) but has that certain breezy quality about her, which is a throwback to the socialite-bred mestiza models that used to populate Filipino print ads and magazine covers back in the '70s and '80s.

I hope BroMei and his friends from high school are reading this, because Paula really looks like the kind of girl they would've crushed on twenty years ago.

- Recurring theme #1: Fil-Am hipsters. Scribey and I spent the good part of 2008 making fun of their American Apparel-shopping, shutter-shade-wearing counterparts in the United States. Now it's 2009, and the Pinoy hipsters who have shown up in this month's Preview... do not annoy me, surprisingly enough. True, they're still singing the praises of neon-colored hightops and granny glasses, but at least our Pinoy hipsters look like they're really having fun - with their clothes and their lives. No wonder hipster icons like Steve Aoki and The Cobrasnake lurve Manila right back.

-Recurring theme #2: So much avant-garde, so little closet space. We're looking at scarves attached to shirts, jumpsuits cut like onesies, deconstructed everything, and the return of Hammer Pants... nice if you're into that sort of thing, but: again, not exactly something you'd wear to a job interview in the middle of a recession, you know?

-Recurring theme #3: Fierce shoes. If I told you that these Givenchy sandal-boots were butt-ugly, I would be lying to your face right now. (Though, after seeing Mary-Kate Olsen's cankles in these boots, I'd have every right to be hesitant about this.) And even if I don't get a hold of these right away, who's to say that I won't be scouring the shoe stores of Manila in search of bondage-inspired sandals and safe-for-work "promote me" pumps any time soon? You just watch, folks. You just watch.

- And in the category of "Preview Recommends, Meimei Approves": LUSH Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo, which I purchased in Honolulu but am currently using at Hacienda de Meimei. Believe me when I say that this shampoo has not only kept my hair clean, but has also given my flat hair amazing Farrah Fawcett-y volume. Just plain gorgeous.

Hometown Glory

Hometown Glory by meimei96

What you are looking at here, right now, is a close approximation of the trends I've been seeing out and about since I came home from the Philippines. Again, let us not mind the price tags or sizing schemes; let's talk about the components.

- I've always found that Manila girls are totally into their shoes and bags, but not in an "OMG DESIGNER!!!111!!!!" kind of way. Since we do have a lot of talented artisans working with high quality materials in this country, it's pretty normal out here to get yourself all kitted out with both a nice bag and a hot pair of shoes for as low as US$30. (Just make sure they're not scuffed, though - maintenance is definitely key!) That said, the town where Hacienda de Meimei is located has a more laid-back aesthetic than Metro Manila, so a bohemian approach to accessories is in order - thus, the Rafe New York bag with the rattan frame and woven-leather detail (designed by former Manila boy Rafe Totengco - yep, that's Rah-fay to you, and not to be confused with this guy), and the brown Aldo slides for showing off a well-done pedicure.

- Over the last two weeks that I've been here, I've noticed a lot of girls wearing tiny, tiny bolero jackets with sleek, streamlined tops in bright colors - which I can't exactly explain, other than to assume that this must be something that got picked up from haute couture in Japan or Korea. Some of these tiny, shrug-like jackets have ruffles and embellished details that would look cute on most petite Asian women, but I chose the H&M bolero for its airy feel and clean lines - perfect for playing down wide shoulders and heavy arms. The yellow T-shirt is definitely a statement - political, of course (in honor of Corazon Aquino, who's still battling cancer), and fashion-wise, as a way of fighting off the rainy-season blahs. This jacket-and-tee combination can practically go anywhere... though, if I was wearing this to work or to church, I'd look for a similar top that shows enough skin around the neck and clavicle area, without going for full-on deep cleavage.

- The girls I've seen rocking the above tiny jacket/sleek top combo tend to pair their outfits with skinny jeans or pencil skirts. In this case, however, I decided to go with basic dark brown khakis instead, to go with the warm neutral palette we've established with the bag, shoes, and jacket. Black would've made this whole look too severe and bumblebee-ish.

- Since we're working with a Pacific Rim-inspired look, I thought I'd keep the makeup as simple as possible; thus, the pink Sephora gloss. Depending on how formal we're going with this look, I'd also go with some mascara, black (or brown) eyeliner paired with a metallic-gold wash over the lid, a warm bronzer or highlighter to bring color to the cheeks, and tousled waves or a low ponytail; anything that's too "styled" would only look way too severe.

This Is Going to Be The Last Michael Jackson Tribute Entry From Me, I Swear

I've been trying my darndest best to avoid writing about MJ - not because I don't love him, but because I'm up to my ears with tributes to the guy. How many days has it been since the memorial, anyway? And the papers here in Manila are still flooded with one tribute after another to you-know-who.

It's sad, because copyright restrictions have prevented me from posting one tribute that does matter: the full version of the number performed by the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, complete with "We Are the World" flag-waving sequence. We'll have to settle for the news footage instead.



Speaking of Jacko, and the Philippines: I just picked up the July issue of Preview the other day (more on that in the next few entries) and nearly every page kept talking about "the Balmain jacket." Being someone who lives in the literal boondocks, I had no idea what on earth they were talking about... until I did some Googling.





Well, well, well: wanna be startin' somethin', indeed. Not that I would want US$11,000+ worth of epaulets on my own person... but if style warriors like Beyonce and Rihanna can make it work for them, I'm sure The King of Pop won't mind at all.

Scenes From an Airport

A little placeholder post (of sorts) while Meimei is still in recovery mode at the old Hacienda in the Tagalog region.The Duty Free Store Galleria at this particular section of Honolulu International Airport is the next best thing that I could get to a last-minute run at Sephora. A number of great brands are here: Chanel, Lancome, Clinique, Benefit, Bobbi Brown, Anna Sui, Dior, MAC, Estee Lauder, L'Occitane... and the list goes on and on.

This was the song that was playing while I was eyeballing the Style Warriors collection at the MAC counter.


Because I was still in a post-move haze, I took too much of my sweet time browsing through all the travel exclusives at the DFS. (Juicy Tubes! Glossimers! EEEEEE!!!) Eventually, though, I settled on this sweet little set...


Since I'm the kind of person who takes forever to finish a single tube of lip gloss, I think that this set of Clinique's Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 glosses in tiny tubes are perfect for me. From left to right: Sunset (bronze/gold shimmer), Air Kiss (pink with gold shimmer), Kissyfit (bluish pink with shimmer), Mystic (purple with silver shimmer), and Fireberry (bluish red with gold shimmer - basically MAC "O" as a gloss). Haven't worn them yet, but can't wait to take them out for a test drive!

And If I Never See You Again...

First of all, a thumbnail of yours truly, mid-move. The Old Glory tank is a "vintage" one from Old Navy that I got from a clothes swap over the weekend; the lipstick is Dare You from MAC. Not much makeup on the rest of the face, though.

Second of all, one last moving tip:

The case that used to hold my Sephora mini-tweezers finally broke today, so I jerry-rigged a new carrying case by stuffing an old prescription-pill container with cotton balls before putting my tweezers in. My tiny pair was able to fit into a child-proof prescription container from CVS (okay, it's still technically Longs, but they *are* using CVS materials post-merger), but you can also use this with an old-school lipstick case, a shampoo bottle, or any cylindrical container long enough to accommodate a pair of tweezers; the padding is there to prevent the tips of your tweezers from getting blunt.

See you in a few days! :)