SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS ignited the internet for an inauguration image that showed him seated in thick mittens, a parka, and a totally chilled out mood. Memes broke out in hundreds and flooded social networks. The images became a hilarious sideshow to the Biden inauguration, and punctuated the global community's sense of joy at the start of a new presidency.
MUSIC HAS always helped in blocking out work distractions. Working from home has one big perk: playing music the way you want it, without having to worry about distracting your officemates. Spotify is my music service preference: Pandora isn't available in India, and YouTube Music's dashboard is too clumsy to use on my gadgets. Back in the office days, I listened to Spotify through earphones. Now, at home, I have Spotify filling the room with its gloriousness through my sound system.
WE FIRST met in October 1984 as interior design students at the University of the Philippines. Through the next three years, we assisted each other with our class assignments, projects, and semestral theses. After college, we had each other's back through the struggles and triumphs of building careers and families. Last weekend, we were old friends getting together again, reminiscing on those many years of friendship.
CHRISTMAS IN Midtown Manhattan is always more than just a holiday shopping tradition. It becomes the world's preeminent showcase of visual merchandising at its grandest and most enchanting form. For decades now, beginning in mid-November, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other department stores on and around Fifth Avenue outdo each other in transforming their windows into elaborate, magical wonderlands. It's the stuff that visual merchandisers dream of.
THE FRENCH won over the Croatians in one of the most surprise-laden tournaments ever, the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Congratulations to the people of France and their followers! To further sweeten their victory, let me offer a now-trending, limited-edition variation of one of my favorite childhood snacks.
WHILE LISTENING to “One Note Samba” (1974) by Michel Legrand, I thought of putting together dance scenes in Western movies into the song. So I did.
Of the hundreds of Western movies that showcased a dance sequence in the last 100 years, the selections I made for the video are the most memorable to me. These scenes illustrate the evolution of contemporary dance as a medium for social reflection. Legrand's remarkable dexterity on “One Note Samba” matches the gusto and gracefulness of these dances. Together, they're perfect partners.
If you're unable to view the video on YouTube, check it out on Vimeo.
GLAMOR WAS probably in the visual merchandiser's mind while creating a look for this mannequin at a saree store in Express Avenue Mall, Chennai. Unfortunately, the person had to manage a wig that is neither here nor there. From what could have been an homage to the late Amy Winehouse, the enterprise ended with Amy Sareehouse. Rated C for Confused.
BARBRA STREISAND decided to write me this Valentine card.
Naturally, I wrote her back. However, I wasn't too happy with the picture she sent. Moreover, the rose wilted by the time it reached me. So here's my letter.
Image source: Okkerr
DRIVING TWO friends home, I was curious about the brown-eyed one whose name means "blue eyes".
Me: "Nilakshi, why were you named after blue eyes? You don't have blue eyes."
Mojgan (eavesdropping): "For the same reason you're named after a saint, Paul."
Zap!
Facebook at 10
Source: Paul Ancheta on Vimeo.
FACEBOOK CELEBRATES its tenth anniversary with "Look Back", a personalized video summary of the Facebook user's photographic moments. The production is stunning for its automated ability to sync the best-liked posts and photos in one minute. Some of the videos I've seen look a bit too cheesy, but they're nevertheless very interesting to view.
That's my "Look Back" above, with some of the mostest and bestest of the six years networking with people I love, like, and dislike. Enjoy the video.
And happy birthday, Facebook.
DURING END-OF-SEASON sales, create a sign like this and get even with cranky and spiteful store managers. But make sure you have a new job tomorrow.
No money, no clothes
Image source: Desigual Blog
FOR CASH-STRAPPED Spaniards, Desigual’s end-of-season sales give them the chance to shed their fashion inhibitions . . . by shedding their clothes. Yesterday, the flamboyant clothing brand from Spain opened their summer sale in Madrid with the nakedly daring “Come In Undressed and Go Out Dressed” campaign, where 100 people strip down to their undergarments to avail of free shopping. Undressing may be a ploy to ensure that those shoppers really have no money on them. Or have the most perfectly imperfect bodies to fit into those broken-sized end-of-season markdowns.
THE CHINESE restaurant played American pop ballads non-stop tonight. While trying to eat masala-drenched mushroom rolls, I wished that Leon Lai's "爱你/不爱你" was playing instead of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". And that's because I'd rather not pay attention to lyrics I don't understand, than try to understand lyrics I'm forced to pay attention to. Like "My Heart Will Go On". Think about it: what on earth does that line really mean?
WHEN PHILIP Belarmino messaged me on Labor Day (5 September) about changing the evening’s dinner venue, I realized the adeptness of my high school batch mates in organizing such gatherings in the Bay Area. Bong (now Bhoc) Chavez and Mel Favila had advised Philip about the closure of Intramuros restaurant in San Francisco that night, so the venue shifted to Kuya’s in San Bruno.
WE'VE ALL heard about Mick Jagger's enormous ego, so it's fascinating to read the following story by Keith Richards about Mr. Jagger's brush with Charlie Watts, legendary Rolling Stones drummer, in October 1984.
I had taken Mick out for a drink in Amsterdam, so at 5 in the morning, he came back to my room. He's drunk by now, Mick drunk is a sight to behold. Charlie was fast asleep. Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here? Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me "your drummer" again. You're my fucking singer.
You can beat your own drum, but never beat the drummer lest he beats the drum out of you!
. . . ARE THE luckiest people in the whole wide world. Here's one heartwarming story of a New Yorker who got to meet and greet THE Barbra Streisand in person. He also answered HER questions, hummed HER song to her, and posed next to her for a photograph which he will probably insure for ten million dollars. Oh, he also made Miss Streisand laugh at his jokes. I would've frozen speechless in the presence of such a legend.
THE FILIPINOS of Kolkata got together today at Roger and Lori Calvo's warm, spacious residence in south Kolkata to celebrate Christmas togetherness. As expected, there’s the exchange of gifts and tons of food. The first to go was sisig, a much-beloved Filipino delicacy consisting of chopped pig head—sounds detestable but truly delectable. I packed two full plates of leftover pansit (Filipino-styled rice noodles) and pork afritada for dinner back home.
Snickers "Road Trip"TV commercial
Link reference: YouTube.com
SNICKERS® HAS unveiled a cute TV commercial that shows the prima-donna side of men. Starring real-life divas Aretha Franklin and Liza Minnelli, the commercial pokes fun at what makes a man turn womanly. Or a woman turn manly. Gender exclusivities are truly blurring lately in Hollywood!
