Esquire Philippines - February 2016

a r e w e h av i n g f u n y e t ?
MAN AT HIS BEST FEBUARY 2016
PHILIPPINES
01
ISSN 2243-8459
01
ISSN 2243-8459
9 772 2 43 845 007
9 772 2 43 845 007
Maine
is on
top
Me n d o z a
a ro l l. C a n she
t h is aCt ?
The issue
in which
we prove
ThaT fun is
wasTed on
The young
Angel Aquino is a woman
of a certain age (and that
age is 42)
p.74
What Rock Stars Do

when they dont die
p.66
Midlife Sentences
from three writers
p.49
T H E P E R F E C T PA I R : S E E W H O W E A R S T H E PA N T S I N T H I S P R E V I E W X E S Q U I R E C O L L A B O R AT I O N
T H E P E R F ECT PA I R
Esquire and Preview partner on yet another style collabthis
time taking sartorial coupling to romantic lengths with real-life
model couple, John James Uy and Jessica Yang. Have a peek at
his-and-hers style featuring Uniqlos assortment of stylish
pantsperfect pairs, indeed.
C o n t e n ts
f e b rua ry 20 1 6
14
ESQ&A
Margarita Fors, Asias
Best Female Chef 2016,
talks about nostalgic
food, Italian mothers,
and women in the
kitchen.
18
MahB: Drinking
The most pleasant way
to end the day is with the
tranquility of scotch and
a cigar.
20
MaHB: Tech
Fitness trackers
are all the rage, but
do you need it?
24
MaHB: Cars
Meet the Jaguar XE, the
baddest cat on the road.
66
The Case For
Fading Away
When the limelight
dims: Tirso Ripoll,
Manuel Legarda, Kevin
Roy, Jett Pangan,
and Zach Lucero find
peace in older age.
C o n t e n ts
f e b rua ry 20 1 6
22
MaHB: Art
The return of artists
Alfredo and Isabel
Aquilizan has the
local art world abuzz
with anticipation.
26
MaHB: Books
This month, fall in love
with four female
heroines (who may be
unlucky in love).
27
Style
Store openings
and expansions
accommodate the
growing tastes of men.
49
Notes & Essays
Francis Joseph
A. Cruz on film,
Clinton Palanca on
friendships, and Kristine
Fonacier on forty.
74
Woman We Love
Angel Aquino talks
about growing up
ugly, aging fearlessly,
and her favorite
four-letter word.
C o n t e n ts
f e b rua ry 20 1 6
60
How Not To Die
Or your money
back. (Kidding.)
80
In Dub We Trust
Maine, her men, and
the phenomenon
that is AlDub defy all
reasonable explanations.
88
Snow
A fictional story about
things that are cold and
lonely, by Sarge Lacuesta.
96
What Ive Learned
With Gregorio Honasan
108
This Way Out
Esquire October 1972
98
Lighten Up
Turn your wardrobe on its
head with of-the-moment
pieces guaranteed to
punch up a lackluster look.
b E FO R E w E b Eg I n
F E b RuA Ry 20 1 6
A LET T ER FROM T HE EDI TOR
Lets save the introductions for next time.

Seems only proper, since Ive arrived in the
middle of everything.
The middle gets such a bad rap, because
its so easy to be entranced by the extremes
on either endlike revolution, the beginning
and the end are both limned in poetry, while
the middle is conducted in the prose of
governance. But if theres anything that all of
us should know from these past few decades,
its that we cant live on either poetry or
revolution alone. Its what we do in the middle
parts that can really show us what were
made of.
Esquire is a magazine that is, in many
ways, made for the man in the middlenot
on the sidelines, but in the middle of things,
right where the action is. The Esquire Man,
we keep getting reminded, is someone who
has achieved a certain status in life, and who,
having done so, can start enjoying life. (Im
avoiding using the term arrived, because it
sounds so definitive, because its in the past
tense. But perhaps its the right word to use,
because an arrival is where all the fun begins
who leaves right after they get there?).
Lest people forget, too, Esquire is itself a
magazine thats arrived, having been launched
in the Philippines in 2011 and in the US since
1933. If that doesnt blow your mind, were
using italics to help you understand the sheer
gravity of that fact. Andheres moreEsquire
is older than rubber tires, M&Ms, canned beer,
Colt revolvers, and instant coffee.
The Philippine edition is much younger,
though at five years, its come into its own
quite well, in a way thats only possible when
youve seen some shit. Pardon my French,
but I mean that as a compliment: Esquire
Philippines has taken some pretty big chances
XXX
8
ESQ
E SUQI RUEI R E F E b
FR
Eb
UR
aU
Ra
y R2y0 2
16
016
over the years, and weathered its fair share of

criticism (some good, some bad; some very
bad), and that kind of thing makes you grow
up, and it gives you character. Its what has
made the magazine you hold in your hands
now a substantive publication that has truly
made a mark in the industry.
Its undeserved luck on my part to have
come into the magazine after its come so far,
and for that we have to pause and give credit
where credit is due: to the editorial team that
has come and gone, headed of course by the
estimable Erwin Romulo, and to his stellar
cadre of writers and editors. Not enough
has been said, however, about those who
came and stayed through the transitions
our masthead is filled with the names of the
incredibly talented editors who continue
to power Esquire Philippines. I wont name
them here, if only to avoid sounding like
every flustered awards-show winner, but they
deserve recognition in one way or another.
Part of my job will be to make sure that they
get the space to keep on doing great work, and
to get them due recognition. Well also save
that for another time.
This is another problem we have with
finding ourselves in medias res. Were in the
middle of it all, but both language and human
nature constantly points us to the end. Its as if,
having been done with the beginning, we only
have the end to look forward to now. But thats
just nuts. The middle is where it all happens.
The middle is where the fun really begins. The
middle is exactly where we want to be.
kRISTINE FoNACIER
PHOTOGRaPH fruHlein econar
In Medias Res
STYLEAGENDA
DATE
NIGHT
FANCY A STAY-AT-HOME DATE? PLAN IT WELL AND

SPRUCE UP YOUR PLACE. IT WONT LOOK LIKE A
LAZY/LAST-MINUTE IDEA WHEN YOU AND YOUR
KITCHEN ARE ALL DECKED OUT. MAKE HER A MEAL,
FIX HER A DRINK, AND TAKE YOUR SWEET TIME.
OPEN DOORS FOR HER

Ladies love it when you hold the doors
open for them. Especially when they
open up to reveal whats cooking.
Sure, chivalry and whats inside
counts, but how you look matters too.
Sub-Zero Integrated Refrigeration
took a page out of the Esquire style
guide. They designed the doors to
disappear into the rooms dcors. Plus,
theyre not just sleek; theyre smart
too. All models are equipped with
superior preservation technology and
a patented Air Purification System
based on NASA technology.
WEAR IT ON
YOUR SLEEVE
HAVE A GROOVY TIME

Best not to be late to your own date. You
know how time flies when youre having fun.
Bringing back the good times isnt as easy as
reviving a 70s retro watch like the Hamilton
Pan Europ. Originally released in 1971, it was
one of the first auto chrono watches that
decorated mens wrists. It comes with both
leather and nato straps to dress you up for
any mood or occasion.
This is not for the feint of heart.

When you do muster up the
confidence to say it, go
for it. Maybe having the
Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss
Mach 9 will help those three
magical words takeoff and land a
little smoother than you imagined.
CUP IT, JOE

When something this handsome greets her in the morning, itll make you
want to keep up. The Wolf Coffee System blends substance and style
as good as it prepares your cup of joe. It meets the standards of even the
most demanding home barista, yet its incredibly easy to use and maintain.
At one touch of a button, it produces professional-quality brewed coffee,
espresso, cappuccino, latte, and macchiato, and perfectly steams and
foams milk. Plus, it comes in different looks and finishes to match your
designer kitchen.
b e fO r e w e b eg I N
f e b rua ry 20 1 6
T HI S MON T HS
Contributors
Francisco Guerrero shoots for numerous

international clients in travel and lifestyle, such
as Cond Nast Traveller, and Travel+Leisure.
Having lived in Spain for a number of years,
he re-explores his country through his own
travel documentary show, What I See, under
CNN Philippines Lifestyle.
Geric Cruz discovered photography by

accident when his uncle gave him a Polaroid
camera in 2006. His hard-hitting personal
work has won him awards in multiple
ASEAN competitions. Gerics unique voice
in photography has placed his pictures in
several exhibitions in the Philippines as well
as art shows in Australia, Denmark, Thailand,
Korea, China, and India.
Sonny Thakur is a travel photographer and

the Photo Editor of GRID Magazine. Family
Ties, his on-going project documenting the
lives of his family in Manila and Ahmedabad,
was featured at the 2nd Singapore International
Photography Festival in 2010, at the New Delhi
Photo Festival in 2011, and most recently at the
World Events Young Artist Festival. Sonny shot
this months story on rock stars in their midlife.
Clinton Palanca has won awards for his

fiction and in 1998, came out with Landscapes,
a book compiling his short stories and earlier
works for children. Today, he ventures into
food writing with his regular column on Inquirer Lifestyle, and with restaurant reviews
for other publications. For this issue, Clinton
wrote about friendship for Notes and Essays.
Lori Baltazar is a food writer, cancer

conqueror and one of the countrys top food
bloggers. Her website Dessert Comes First
also spawned a book of the same title. In this
issue, she interviews Asias Best Female Chef
for 2016, Margarita Fors for ESQ&A.
PJ Caa is a writer at Forbes Philippines.

A big fan of the Before film series, he once
retraced the steps of the characters in Paris
and Vienna, and wrote about it for Rappler.
PJ is a live music geek and writes for other
numerous publications about the biggest
concerts in Manila and abroad.
10 E S Q U I R E F E b R U a R y 2 0 1 6
B E FO R E W E B EG I N
F E B RUA RY 20 1 6
E D ITO R- IN - C H IE F
Managing Editor
kristine
fonacier
Features Editor
Patricia Barcelon
Audrey N. Carpio
Associate Features Editor

Kara Ortiga
ART
Contributing Art Directors
Edric Dela Rosa
Frantz Arno Salvador
FASHION
Fashion Features Editor
Clifford Olanday
EDITORS AT LARGE
Features
Sarge Lacuesta
HEARST MAGAZINES
INTERNATIONAL
President/CEO
Duncan Edwards
Senior Vice President,

CFO and General Manager
WRITERS AT LARGE
Food & Drinks
Erwan Heussaff
Books
Sasha Martinez
Senior Vice President/

Director of Licensing and
Business Development
Colombia
Gautam Ranji

International Publishing
Director
Jeannette Chang

Editorial Director
Kim St. Clair Bodden
Peter Yates
Executive Editor
Alyana Cabral
Writers
Lori Baltazar, Nayna Katigbak,

Jason K. Ang, Devi De Veyra,
Miguel Escobar, Nicole Limos,
Johanna Poblete, PJ Caa, Alyana
Cabral, Francis Joseph A. Cruz,
Clinton Palanca
Photographers
Francisco J. Escobar S.
Czech Republic
Jiri Roth
Greece
Kostas N. Tsitsas
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Dwi Sutarjantono
Kazakhstan
Ildar Khaibullin
Tony Gervino
Korea
Fashion and Entertainment

Director
Latin America
Heesik Min
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ESQUIRE ABOUT THE WEB
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Bulgaria
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International Branding
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de Veyra, Oliver X.A. Reyes,
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ESQUIRE INTERNATIONAL
EDITIONS
Editors-in-chief
Steve Chen
Panu Burusratanapant
Turkey
Togan Noyan
United Kingdom
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Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Nhan
United States
David Granger
ON OUR COVER:
Maine Mendoza, Jose Manalo,
Wally Bayona and Paolo
Ballesteros photographed
exclusively for Esquire by
Francisco Guerrero. Special
thanks to Cinerent for the set.
FEBRUARy 2016 ESQUIRE
11
B E Fo R E W E B EG I N
F E B RUA Ry 20 1 6
P R ES ID EN T AN D
GE N E R AL M A N AG E R
LISA Y.
GOKONGWEICHENG
PUBLISHING
EVENTS
Publisher
Marketing Director
Ramon Manzano III
Calugtong, Edward Caringal,

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assistant Marketing Manager
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Ichi Apostol-Acosta
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associate Publisher
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Printed in the Philippines.
Man at His Best

FEBRUARY 2016
Make the best of every moment. Were not

evolving. Were not going anywhere.
dAvid BowiE, whAt ivE lEARnEd EsqUiRE, MARch 2004
MaHB
ESQ&A
Margarita Fors
It may havE comE aS a Shock to hER, bUt bEIng namEd
aSIaS bESt fEmalE chEf 2016 waS REally thE InEvItablE oUtcomE
of a pRolIfIc caREER, not jUSt aS a REStaURatEUR, bUt aS an
advocatE foR local cUISInE and homEgRown IngREdIEntS.
Lori BaLtazar talkS to maRgaRIta foRS aboUt noStalgIc food,
ItalIan mothERS, and womEn In thE kItchEn.
photographs by sonny thakur
ESQUIRE: How are you feeling a week after

the announcement?
MARGARITA FORS: Im still totally
flustered. My sister called my attention
because she saw my two posts on Instagram
on the second and the third days, and they
were both pictures of me still in shock.
She said, Can you stop with this disbelief
thing? But Im still feeling that way. Maybe
because it really came as such a surprise.
For Antonios to get into the list last year
was really a door opener for us in the
industry. The reason why we havent gotten
into the list any earlier than that is also
because people didnt come to Manila very
much. Breakthroughs in tourism really only
happened in the last two or three years, so
its really been kind of like a steady climb to
get to Philippine cuisine.
ESQ: Since you mentioned it, why do you
think that now is the time that [more]
peoplemaybe the worldare receptive to
Filipino cuisine?
MF: I think that largely its because all of us
Filipinos have decided to just be united in this
whole effort to bring the country forward.
For the longest time, our sense of identity was
always muddled and we all felt very differently.
But I think that consciously we all just decided
to become one, and to feel strongly about
ourselves, about how great our country is,
and about how wonderful we are as a people.
Thats why theres been a turnaround. It has
affected pretty much all aspects.
ESQ: Part of the official description of the
Asias Best Female Chef award states, This
award celebrates and rewards successful
women who have risen to the top of the
gastronomic world. The winners cooking
must impress the worlds toughest critics
and venerated chefs. Thats a very lofty
description but I want to ask you, Margarita:
Why do you think you won?
MF: Apart from just having done quite a
number of successful food concepts and
quite a bit of catering for 30 years, I think
its really partly also the advocacies that
Ive been working on in the last decade.
It also started with my work helping the
Filipino farmer get his products noticed,
get our ingredients more globally known.
And aside from that, I think its also helping
the awareness even just here in our own
country with pushing for organic produce
and sustainability. Its largely that as well,
that got a lot of attention. Maybe my work
also with pushing Filipino cuisine forward
abroad, at global fairs and events. Its pretty
much like going up the ladder with that
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WHAT TO WEAR NOW 40 PAGES OF NECESSARY STYLE
MAN AT HIS BEST DECEMBER 2015 - JANUARY 2016
PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINE
PHILIPPINES
PH
PHILIPPIN
HILIPPINE
ILIP
IILI
LIIPPIN
LIPPINE
LIP
LIPPINES
LIPPIN
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IPPIN
IPPINES
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PPINES
P
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PIIN
P
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IN
NE
ES
MAN AT HIS BEST

ST
S
T OCTOBER
OCTO
TOBER 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST SEPTEMBER 2015
The Case
Against
China
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
Justice Antonio Carpio

and Lourd de Veyra debate
the Scarborough Shoal
His Excellency
Vice President
Jejomar Binay
welcomes you
to our Meaning
of Life issue
NATIVE
TONGUES
Excerpts, Essays,
Et Cetera by
Ricky Lee,
Lualhati Bautista,
Norman Wilwayco,
Jerome Gomez,
and Pete Lacaba
SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION
An Interview with
FEATURING PIOLO PASCUAL

AND STORIES FROM THE DAYS OF DISQUIET
RAISE YOUR GLASS,

ESQUIRE TURNS FOUR!
FRANCIS TOLENTINO ON EDSA
P200
P200
ISSN 2243-8459
ISSN 2243-8459
11
09
JASMINE CURTIS-SMITH
DECLARATION
OF WAR
Pete Lacabas
Prometheus Unbound
08
and of course,
9 772243 845007
ISSN 2243-8459
9
Your Guide to Where to Drink Now
9 772 2 43 845 007
SLEEPING WITH
THE ENEMY
A Martial Law
Love Story
DECADE UNDER
THE INFLUENCE
Disco, Drugs, and the
Dictatorship
9 772243 845007
November 2015
December 2015 January 2016
October 2015
After Almost 50 Years, Its Time to Bring The Beatles Back
MAN AT HIS BEST

August 2015
September 2015
20 Years of Summit Media
MAN AT HIS BEST

June 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST

July 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST

May 2015
FERNANDO POE JR.
August 2015
July 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST

April 2015
ISSN 2243-8459
9 772 2 43 845 007
04
ISSN 2243-8459
Happy Fathers Day!

On the cover: Fernando Poe Jr
9 772243 845 007
ISSN 2243-8459
07
2 2 4 3 845 007
ISSN 2243-8459
SINK YOUR TEETH INTO OUR FOOD AND DRINK ISSUE.
9 772 2 43 845 007
Bite Me.
COLEEN GARCIA SUCCUMBS TO HER GUILTY PLEASURES. JP ANGLO FEASTS ON LOBSTERS IN ISABELA. JEROME GOMEZ DIVES FOR
UNI IN BACOLOD. KARA ORTIGA HUNTS FOR DOG MEAT IN BAGUIO. JOS ANDRS REVEALS THE FUTURE OF FOOD. LUIS KATIGBAK
CARANDANG WHO GUEST EDITS THIS ISSUE, GETS DRUNK ON TEQUILA. BON APPETIT!
SAYS GOODBYE TO FAST FOOD. AND RICKY CARANDANG,
06
Tributes by Erwin Castillo and Lourd De Veyra

featuring rarely seen photographs spanning ve decades on screen
05
We named Karen Davila the Sexiest Woman Alive.
LONG LIVE THE KING
This was her reaction.
June 2015
May 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST

ST
<;8HK7HO(&'+
MAN AT HIS BEST

CWhY^(&'+
MAN AT HIS BEST

December 2014 - January 2015
GENTLEMEN,
THIS IS
02
ISSN 2243-8459
9 772243 845 007
THE
N
TRANSFIGURATIO
OF
JOHN
LLOYD
CRUZ
OTO G R A P H A N D A RT BY G E LOY C O N C E P C I O N
THE LOVE COMMANDOS

OF INDIAS UNDERGROUND
page 92
THE BEST
NEW RESTAURANTS
page 67
HOW TO BE A MAN
'87(57(
IF I WERE PRESIDENT...
ISSN 2243-8459
01
April 2015
March 2015
MAN AT HIS BEST OCTOBER 2014
February 2015
PHILIPPINES
44
CLUSIVE
Q UI R E E X
44A N E S
SSUE:
IN THIS I
ENCLOSED
ONGS
ST NEW S
THEIR FIR
DECADE
IN OVER A
The future, as they say, isnt what it used

to be.
But maybe thats a good thing.
Anythings better than the prospect of things
staying the same.
Welcome to our special Best and Brightest
issue, edited by David Guerrero.
We invited ten of the countrys leading
minds to map out some possibilities for the

QH[WoYH\HDUV
We also received reports from the year
2019 on the future of Advertising, Fashion,
Tech, Sports, and of course, Sex.
We sat down with Senator Grace Poe, who
might just be headed for a bigger role in all
our lives.
Weve become used to the way things

are. But we shouldnt be.
7KH QH[W oYH \HDUV DUH FUXFLDO :H NQRZ
real change has to happen.
Beyond rumors and hype, its up
to us to decide what needs to be
done.
,W
VWLPHWRWKLQNDERXWWKHIXWXUH
December 2014 January 2015
11
ISSN 2243-8459
THE CURSE OF
THE JUAN LUNA PAINTING
page 84
9 7722 43 845 007
03
THE STORY
OF A FOOT FETISH
page 58
9 772 2 43 845 007
ISSN 2243-8459
THE DESIRE ISSUE
MaHB
ESQ&A
advocacy. Im just humbled [by] having had

the opportunity to wave the flag at those
events, and I think that thats really what
helped. I guess the judges take notice. The
judges are from all over Asia. I dont think
that the population of Filipino judges is
very large in the group, so its really quite
overwhelming.
ESQ: Has winning the award proven
something to you? Like, Okay,
Margarita, time to slow down, or Yes!
Mission accomplished!
MF: I guess, mission accomplished. Its
starting out without having had any formal
training. That says a lot about how far my
team and I have reached and that you can
actually take a different path to success. It
doesnt have to be the normal route. Ive
always said that Im not a planner. Things
kind of just fall into place all because I just
follow my passion. From the days that I
was just cooking with one or two assistants,
carrying pots for myself and starting to
cook in peoples homes, starting out that
way, it just says that you can do things in a
very untraditional way and get to the top of
any industry.
ESQ: You are a female and the first Filipino
to win this award, and just winning the
award is a hugely empowering statement
that you make. Is it easier now to be a female
in the kitchen or are there challenges still?
MF: Thirty years after I started, I think that
the playing field for women in the industry
now is [even]. Theyre equally as successful
as the men. And judging from how the
industry is in the Philippines alone, there
are more female culinary students now than
there are male. Thats been a fact in the last
two years. And for women to choose that
industry, its because the doors have opened
for them. Its really the females that allows
us to be successful in this industry. After all,
the industry is about feeding, and this is what
were made of. Were nurturing and thats
what makes us different from men.
ESQ: Why is it that you felt this attraction
to Italian cuisine as opposed to New York,
where you spent a lot of your formative
years, or even Hong Kong? Why not Chinese
cuisine or New York cuisine?
MF: Its really funny, but the time for
me that was most memorable growing
up in New York was the early 80s. It was
just maybe providential that it was the
Italianization of New York. There was a
mushrooming of very nice modern Italian
restaurants that were untraditional. They
were more Milanese in style, no longer the
red and white plaid tablecloths and the
Chianti bottles and the ceiling concepts. And
I think those were the ones that really made an

impression on me. There were little pizzerias
that were very modern. It was the first time
I had a cream-based pasta with truffle and
salmon and it was a very fresh spinach pasta.
It was a very memorable experience trying it
for the first time. This was a restaurant that
my grandfather would take us to almost every
Sunday. It was in midtown and it was that kind
of experience that made me want to go and
learn more about Italian cooking, but from the
parts that were not so known.
And I was also having the best time of
my life in New York. My mother had a really
wonderful circle of friends that made an
impression on me. It was that whole sort of
Studio 54 vibe in the 80s. It made me feel
like this kind of lifestyle was something that
I wanted to bring back home and share with
Manila. I guess going to the root, going to
Italy and really doing an immersion was the
best way to do that. I was in Italy those four
monthsit was a very short time but I was
by myself so it allowed me to be a sponge. I
had no Filipino friends at that time so I was
also forced to learn the language.
ESQ: What made you come back? You
couldve stayed in New York.
MF: It was largely that feeling that I had
where I wanted to bring what I enjoyed
most from my Italian experience and bring
it to the Filipino market. And I remember
when I started Cibo in 1997, putting the
concept together, I was very clear: I wanted
it to be in a mall setting. I wanted it to offer
value for money and I wanted the food to be
really authenticthe way they do it in Italy.
At the same time, I also wanted it to be able
to offer a concept that was homegrown,
created by a Filipino. Because at that time,
in 1997, the TGIFridayses and the Hard
Rock Cafs were making a killing, and
people were paying a premium for these
businesses that were making money in the
Philippines but basically sending out their
franchise fees abroad. So I wanted to be
able to give them a run for their money at
that time. Eighteen years down the road, I
feel that thats mission accomplished.
ESQ: They say that the best restaurants are
the ones that not only offer good food, but
also offer the diner new perspectives and an
education in that regard. In [all your] years
as a restaurateur, how has the Filipino diner
changed, and is there anything else you
wish they could be?
MF: Im glad that I was a purist when I
started, when I was introducing something
new to the Filipino diner. But I think
that, because the Filipino diner is so welltraveled now, the level of sophistication
and expectation of the Filipino diner is

absolutely world-class. So its a great time to
be in the industry and it has also forced me
to re-engineer my whole way of thinking.
I remember when I started with Cibo, the
menu had a notation in the bottom that
said, No substitutions please, for the
ingredients that were put together in every
[dish]. Nowadays, all the more the diner is
so educated. Do whatever you want! Ive had
to rebrief the staff in Cibo. Its been 30 years
from when I started working, and then 18
years with my first restaurant. And the way
the industry has boomed in the last decade
Im proud that Im part of the industry and
that I was part of it from 30 years ago.
And if you think about it, the most
celebrated chefs from 30 years ago are
mostly female. The famous chefs are
[people like] Tita Glenda Barretto, or food
personalities that influenced our thinking
thenpeople like Tita Nora Daza, and
Doreen [Fernandez] with her writing. Maybe
if Filipino cuisine had a gender, she
would be female. Its the nanays and the
lolas cooking that encapsulates what
Filipino cuisine is all about. Its home
cooking, much in the same way that
Italian cooking is. I remember when
I started, the first opportunities I had
to cook in Malacaang, at that time
the side vegetables were carrots, green
beans, and frozen peas. Because those
were the vegetables that appeared in
every plate that came out of a hotel
restaurant. So Filipino restaurants took
the cue. You would never find heirloom
rice for that matter, or sigarilyas, or
bulaklak ng kalabasa, or our native talong
ESQ: I think we might even accuse you of
being bakya back then if you used those things.
MF: Exactly. And it dawned on me that
maybe that appreciation came after my
Italian experience. Because then, you have
this newfound awareness that, Hey, our
vegetables are exotic for a foreign palate.
ESQ: And even to some Filipinos as well.
MF: Exactly. As a matter of fact, I think
that thats whats also driving the new
discoveries in the ingredients side for all
of us Filipino chefs. You know, the alugbati
flowers, the pansit-pansitan, the wood sorrel
that Noma used to use a lot, we realize it
grows like weeds in our garden! I think
that is also partly what has caused this
newfound attention that Filipino cuisine and
Philippine produce is getting.
ESQ: Margarita, how has your being a
mighty two-time cancer conqueror reflected
on your food, particularly at Grace Park?
MF: Its really the newfound respect for
clean ingredients, finding the purveyors and

the farmers who have chosen to take a path
thats a little bit more difficult. I mean, its
more costly, your product comes out more
expensive than others, but I think choosing
to promote those ingredients very early
on I started it actually in Cibo 10 years
ago, soon after my thyroid cancer episode
and it was really the choice to go that path
even if it affected the bottom line because
I always felt that success and the benefits
from the business dont always have to come
in the form of peso signs. The goodwill that
Cibo received through the years when we
started first doing our squash soup with
organic squash from Negros. We would
have it brought in by boat and really take a
stand and say, Okay, were gonna use the
clean squash. And we are now at 80 percent
organic greens, organic herbs, and organic
vegetables whenever we can at Cibo. It was
hard to defend that with my co-owners and
family in the beginning, because they knew
I think that consciously we all

just decided to become one,
and to feel strongly about
ourselves, about how great
our country is, and about how
wonderful we are as a people.
that the food cost jumped a little bit because

of it, but it was worth sticking our necks
out and being pioneers with that kind of
movement. Because nowadays, everybodys
doing it and its great because it also helped
the farmer sustain their businesses and at
the same time, allowed the prices to come
down a bit.
ESQ: Okay, Im gonna put you on the hot
seat for a while by asking, what is your
favorite region in Italy?
MF: Oh boy. Oh dear Although I started
my love affair in Tuscany, I think that its the
work that I do with Emilia-Romagna that is
closest to my heart at the moment. Because
I guess that they have the monopoly on the
best ingredients and the iconic products that
Italy is known for are from that region. And
Artusi hails from there.
ESQ: Okay, lets jump the fence. What is
your favorite province in the Philippines?
MF: I guess it would have to be my home.
It would have to be Negros... Being able to

give homage to our heritage and to really be
proud of that part of me, it says a lot. Negros
has always been the pioneer for pushing
organic produce. Not only do other regions
in the Philippines look up to them for what
theyve done in that aspect, but even other
Asian countries have taken notice of what
Negros has done.
ESQ: How would you describe yourself as an
eater? What kind of food do you like to eat?
MF: Im actually a creature of habit. I really
love good Chinese food. Apart from a good
bowl of pasta, Id always have to say that
my most favorite dish is still buttered rice
and talangka. I appreciate that as much
as a perfectly executed pasta. But maybe
Chinese cuisine [also], because its such
an old culture. What I know of it mostly
is Cantonese food and Shanghainese food
but I guess, just like Italy and just like the
Philippines, there are also so many other
parts of China that would be nice to discover
food-wise. What else? A good burger! I
love a good burger patty.
ESQ: Is there anything that you dont
eat? Or dont like to eat?
MF: Umm, abalone, maybe? A little bit.
I guess I eat pretty much everything but
maybe that and sea cucumber.
ESQ: What about what Margarita wants
to do next? Not the female chef who just
won an accolade. What do you want to
do? Do you want to just rest?
MF: Yes! (laughs) That too. Maybe go
on an eating trip with my son. We havent
done my one-on-one trip with him to
Italy yet. I had to put that on hold when
I got sick. The most wonderful thing was
that he just wanted to come home and be
with me so that I could get well as quickly as
possible. So thats what I wanna do. Thats
really what I want to do this year with
him. And one more dream: open a Filipino
restaurant abroad.
ESQ: When you cook, what is the creative
process for you like?
MF: Its in my mind. I create the flavors in
my head. I imagine the tastes in my head
and then I have the team help me execute it.
Because Im not a technician in the kitchen.
I dont even measure. That was very difficult
when I started Cibo, because in the end
its a business. When I cook, Im like that.
It all starts in the head. I always say this,
maybe the eurekas, its like God whispers
them to me. Because the combinations of
the ingredients, you try to think, how could
you have thought of that without some help
from the heavens? When you imagine the
flavors together, it can blow your mind.
february 2016 eSQuIre
17
MaHB
Drinking
The
Pleasurable
Quaff and
Draw
fInE bRown SpIRItS, fRagRant
cIgaRS, and chEERy nIbblES.
tImE SlowS down at 1824.
by NayNa katigbak
photographs by tammy david
A good lick of fire and ice down ones

throat. The ineffable tranquility of a
good smoke. Once the sun dips low
enough, its a fine time to hunker
down for a treat.
Barely two months old, Discovery
Primeas cigar and whisky bar,
1824 (named after the year the first
license for single malt distilleries was
purchased), offers itself as a lush,
discreet haven to down the water of
life, and a choice cigar or two.
There is nothing stodgy about the
place; theyve done away with the Old
Boys Club atmosphere. Youll find a
lot less leather, but the exclusive feel
remainscool interiors are softly lit,
warmed with wood details, and there
are great seats at the bar and plush
little coves to lose hours in. Relaxed
elegance comes to mind, untouched
by current trends and outside noise. It
feels like a place where decisions are
mulled over and made.
1824 IS a fIne place for a wee dram or two. pIck your drInk and cIgar
and SIt back for a SpecIal coze.
a plump fIneS de claIre oySter wIth Shaved, frozen vInaIgrette reStS on

a bed of Ice.
not Sure where to Start? flIghtS are a great way to enjoy 1824S wIde
whISky SelectIon. tour the beSt of the ISleS, one pour at a tIme.
a cuStom-made humIdor houSeS a wIde SelectIon of cuban and

phIlIppIne hand-rolled cIgarS.
there is nothing stodgy about

the place; theyve done away with
the old boys club atmosphere.
1824 offers well over a hundred

varieties of single malts and
whiskiesSpeyside, Islay, Lowland,
and Highland, along with an array of
fine wines and liquors. Whisky flights
are on the menu, should you be in an
explorative mood. A mix of Cuban
and local cigars housed in a custom
humidor are offered tableside, cut and
lit to your specificationswhether
you prefer an efficient butane torch
for a quick light, or one of their
specially made cedar spills. Salted
nuts and mixed chocolate nibs are
served with your order, but try their
small bites: chilled, plump Fines de
Claire oysters in a tangy vinaigrette;
or a rich, toasty grilled black truffle
sandwich with dressed greens on the
side. For something sweet, try the
warm chocolate trufflesdusted with
vanilla sugar, crunchy on the outside
and with oozing dark chocolate on the
inside. It hits a bliss point, excellent
with your whisky.
1824 invites you to sip, smoke,
and savor, whether youve come
for contemplation or spirited
conversation; the reasonable prices
are a good reason to keep coming
back. The celebrated pairing of cigars
and a good dram of scotch work very
well in making time slow down when
you need it to, which is not such a bad
idea at the end of the day.
1824 IS open from 4 p.m. to
mIdnIght, mondayS to SaturdayS.
dIScoveryprImea.com
19
MaHB
tech
BOOTY CAMP
Do wE REally nEED fItnESS tRackERS?
by K ara Ortiga
illustratiOn by jaO san pedrO
On Christmas day, after having two bowls of

beef bone marrow soup, I finally unboxed some
fitness trackers from their mint packaging
and fiddled with them in confusion. The
overwhelming thought bubble in my head
being, how the hell does this work?
Ive never used a fitness tracker before.
Ive never even been successful enough to
integrate a legit fitness regime into my life.
But my god, believe me, I have tried. Im a
serial polygamist when it gets to sticking
to one (exercise): going from dormant, to
Bikram yoga, to Crossfit, to boxing, and then
back to square one. But once in a while, Ill
be in a good place. Ill adopt a fitness routine
with my game face on. And this was exactly
my mood on Christmas morning.
I tested three brands: Jawbone UP 24 [1],
Garmin Vivosmart [2], and the Misfit Shine [3].
First thing I noticed was how nice they looked.
Sleek and trendy. The Jawbone UP is the most
masculine, just a thick rubber bracelet that wraps
around your wrist. The Garmin Vivosmart looks
more like a digital watch with an LED screen

protruding on the top, lighting up when you
prompt it to give you an update. I like most the
Misfit Shine, a circular tracking device that lets
you choose how you want to wear it, whether
you pop it on a rubber band as a bracelet, or a
necklace, or a keychain.
In choosing your fitness tracker, you
decide based on two things: how it looks
as an accessory, and how the application
interface looks on your phone. The way the
data is designed and disseminated varies.
Some apps are easier to digest (I like Misfits
simple graphs and easy-to-use interface),
while others have too much going on.
On that note, I find it odd that these
modern-day trackers wont really let you
track anything without a smart phone. While
the bracelets do their job in taking note of
your movements, you cant actually see any
of these details until youve downloaded the
app, connect via Bluetooth, and sync the
data with your phone. Seems like a lot of
steps to get your number of steps. Something

which, I have found quite by accident, your
regular iPhone can do too.
But one thing the fitness trackers do is
get you hooked on numbers. Because this
wearable tech can now quantify how much
activity (or inactivity) youve been doing,
you really have no excuse. A quick look at
the app before you sleep gives you an idea:
Wow. I only clocked in a pathetic 432 steps
today, compared to yesterdays 1,060 steps.
Pretty shitty. Point is, if youve got no one
else to rah-rah you to booty camp, your fitness
tracker is bound to do that for you. Its like
the more mobile, quieter, non-judgmental,
fitter version of yourself. If you need
a friendly reminder to get rid of the
beer belly, get a fitness tracker. If you
need someone to encourage you not
be such a slob, get a fitness tracker.
If youve been on a diet since age 13, get a
fitness tracker. Almost everyone is wearing
one, it looks decent too. Otherwise, if youve
actually grown accustomed to a decent
fitness routine, you have a good sense of
discipline, and you are able to juggle a
balanced diet, I really dont see the need
for one. Your iPhone can do the same. Its
just a fancy bracelet and a subtle way of
saying: Hey people! Im making an effort
to be sexy! Which I guess isnt such a bad
thing either.
MaHB
ART
Rules of Engagement
aftER bEIng away foR yEaRS, aRtIStS alfREdo and ISabEl aQUIlIzan
aRE REady to Show US thEIR nEw woRkand wERE ExcItEd.
by devi de veyra
photographs by jl javier
I m ag e S A RT FA I R p h I l I p p I n e s
Artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan (a

husband-and-wife tandem known in the art
sphere as The Aquilizans) have been away for
10 years, and their participation in Art Fair
Philippines 2016 is highly anticipated. The
couple has kept busy with exhibitions all over
the world, and both look forward to this major
outingtheir first in four years.
Engagement is a key element in our
work, Alfredo Aquilizan says, and his
statement resonates poignantly in their
practice. For an installation titled Dream
Blanket Project, blankets were gathered
and reassembled in neatly folded stacks,
accompanied by registrations of their former
owners dreams. Each piece brought with
it individual stories as rich and colorful as
the materials themselves, creating powerful
experiences for the viewer as well as the
participants of the project. In most of our
installations, communities and the audience
are invited to engage proactively in the
production of the artwork, Isabel explains.
Their inclusive art form resonates
with a wide audience due in part to their
concepts presenting familiar experiences
that everyone goes through in their everyday
lives. Perhaps we can say that it just came
forth unaffectedly and in a natural manner
as we have been working as husband and
wife and at the same time raising our five
children, it compels us to work on the idea
of our domestic concerns and everyday
experiences within our community and
translate these into an art form, Isabel says.
The couples choice of materials is also
a key component to their art with Alfredo
saying that, we tend to use everyday
materials as a strategy for the audience to
relate and interact with the artwork as the
material itself and the object becomes the
signifier of meaning.
For this years Art Fair Philippines, Alfredo
and Isabel will be presenting a project that
theyve been working on for the past seven
years, this time collaborating with an artist
whom Isabel says was often overlooked and
regarded as inferior to many. Their work
also delves into a sticky subjectthe state
of the local contemporary art scene. While
its never been as vibrant in so many years,
there are mumblings about the art scenes
commercial slant. Isabel admits that it is an
interesting phase, adding that there is so
much going on and in a very fast pace that
we have to react in one way or another, and
because of this, we feel that there is a need
for us to sift through it.
Alfredo sees the situation as nothing new,
citing historical parallels when artists created
commissioned work for their patrons, such
the mabini art project IS an exhIbItIon that attemptS

to manIpulate our perceptIon of mabInI Street art by
reconfIgurIng thoSe paIntIngS In thIS InStallatIon.
edIfIce IS a work of 500 pIeceS of mabInI oIl paIntIngS
mounted on wood.
In most of our installations,

communities and the audience are
invited to engage proactively in
the production of the artwork.
as royalty and religious institutions. Our

interest lies in the fact that this matter will
always be a part of the deal and the dynamics
of art-making, and it is important for us
artists to make sense of what its all about for
us to be able to question and respond to the
system, perhaps through the work that we
produce, Alfredo explains.
Apart from their preparations for their
exhibition, Alfredo and Isabel have been
traveling back to the Philippines for a special
reason. The couple is laying the groundwork
for The Fruit Juice Factory, a place basically
for engagement, as Isabel puts it. The space
provides the opportunity to rekindle ties, and
to continue with their collaborative practice.
Our reason for involving communities and
audience members to participate in artistic
projects is to create communal experiences
and thereby formulate meaning.
23
MaHB
CARS
Taming
the beast
Jaguar Xe IS determIned
to be a bad cat
by Jason K. ang
24 e S Q u I r e f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6
The Jaguar XE sedan is a dangerous car. We

found this out the hard way, as it first gave
us a hard conk on the head, then carved
out a little bit of our shin. The first was
courtesy of its low, coupe-like roofline, the
second by way of an angular air vent oddly
sticking out of the dashboard. Thinking
back the following day, I couldnt accept that
it was my fault. I regularly get in and out of
different cars and dont get a scratch. Now
its two in one day.
It had to be the Jag. It certainly looks
the part, all Darth Vader evil especially
in the dark gray paint scheme. The

face that Jaguar prefers now is a beady-eyed
scowl. The headlamps are tucked low, with
a furrowed brow courtesy of the swooping
hood. The grille is an understated black
rectangle framed in chrome. Embedded
within is a grinning cat surrounded by
red. That red badge and an engine vent in
the front fender that reads R-Sportthose
are overt clues that this XE is tuned for driving.
Those, and the sedans long-slung stance,
with large 18-inch wheels poking out from
the fenders, are a firm invitation to party.
by far the greatest source of entertainment in the Xe

is in the driving. the engine emits a subtle growl at
idle. It grows louder quickly and disproportionately
with each small prod of the accelerator.
Theres a small rear spoiler, and aluminum
tread plates on the doorsill. The front
bumper, side sills, and side power vents are
all specific to the R-Sport.
Park yourself in the Jaguars cockpit
mind the roof and the air vent on the way
inand you feel like you are integrated
into the car itself. The starter button
flashes red, like a pulse. Push it and the
rotary shifter, to use a bad James Bond
pun, rises to the occasion.
All the expected creature comforts are
standard in the XE. These include automatic
dual-zone climate control, parking sensors on
all corners of the car, and backup camera. The
audio system is controlled by touchscreen,
and it can integrate phone and streaming
functions via Bluetooth. The leather sport
seats are firm and supportive. Theyre
trimmed with a combination of leather
and mesh fabric.
By far the greatest source of entertainment

in the XE is in the driving. The engine emits
a subtle growl at idle. It grows louder quickly
and disproportionately with each small prod
of the accelerator. The turbocharger spools
up quickly and provides instant gratification,
even outside sport mode. Engage sport and
the 2.0-liter turbo revs more quickly.
That responsiveness is baked into the
Jaguar XE, and not just grafted on. Rather
than use an existing design, the XE uses a
newly-developed monocoque chassis. That
frame makes intensive use of aluminum,
which is lighter than steel, building on
Jaguars experience with aluminum. Its
flagship XJ is also built on an aluminum
frame, making it lighter than some rivals.
In the XE, 75 percent of the chassis is
constructed from aluminum.
The payback is that the XE has the
acceleration feel and agility of a sports car.
The steering is quick and responsive, thanks

to the tuned electric power steering system
and sports suspension.
The Jaguar XE is the companys bid
to take a healthy chunk of the premium
compact sedan segment. The default choices
in this segment are all German: solid in
both construction and perceived value. The
XE provides a healthy challenge by using
a lighter chassis, and a more responsive
driving feel.
Jaguar seems to relish its antagonistic
image, first proclaiming that its good to
be bad with a trio of British actors in its
Superbowl ad, then providing a prototype car
to the latest Bond villain. The XE continues
that theme, all anger and tension.
Which provides quite an entertaining
experience for the driver. The XE may have
been a pain to get into, but once youre
behind the wheel, you wont want to stop.
25
MaHB
BOOKS
Femme Fatale
a look at foUR fEmalE hERoInES and thEIR UnUSUal boUtS wIth lovE.
by SaSha martinez
illuStrationS by alySSe aSilo
Th e Pu M Pki n e aTe r
The LasT Lover
Penelope Mortimer
Can Xue
The vividness ascribed to

the unnamed heroinewith
her diagnosed hysteria, her
series of marriages (her
latest husband is a successful
playwright, carelessly
callous with her emotions,
casually unfaithful with
nannies and starlets), and
her ever-growing brood of
offspringall make for dark
comedy. But only until our
nameless narrator turns
the tables on the reader and
goes right for emotional
rawness. This novel was the
basis of a 1964 film of the
same name.
Winner of the 2015 Best

Translated Book Award,
this novel takes the reader
into a lyrical, psychedelic,
fractal-ridden trip through
the messy and all-toointertwined relationships
of wives and husbands and
mistresses and sometimeparamours. The prose
is fraught with fantasy,
and the plot energetically
meanders with the
characters hapless but
always vivid journeys
toward love. The Last Lover
has been translated from
the Chinese by Annelise
Finegan Wasmoen.
haLf a LifeLong
roManCe
Meike Zier vogel
Magda
The steady publication

of the English-language
translations of Eileen
Changs oeuvre has been
bringing her lushly romantic
and politically subversive
brand of literature to more
and more readers. In Half
a Lifelong Romance, we
once again meet a cast of
characters caught in love
affairs rendered forbidden
by duty to ones family,
to ones social caste, to
the revolving uprisings in
ones country. The quiet
language brings to the fore
impressions of Ang Lees
Lust, Caution.
Meike Ziervogelfounder
of the independent
Peirene Press, which
specializes in short fiction
in translationhas written
her own novel, about the life
of Magda Goebbels. Blending
historical fact and poetic
license, we meet the wife of
the Nazi propaganda minister
Joseph Goebbels first as an
illegitimate child, then as a
woman desperate for home
and security, and then as a
woman prided as the Nazi
ideal of womanhoodwhose
fanatic devotion for the
Fhrer compels her to usher
her children into the bunker
for certain death.
eileen Chang
You learn nothing by hurting

others; you only learn by being
hurt. Where I had been viable,
ignorant, rash and loving I
was now an accomplished
bitch, creating and emptiness
in which my own emptiness
might survive.
She burned with desire,

walking back and forth
under the sun like a beast.
all bookS avaIlablE at natIonal bookStoRE
longing for this storm

to arrive, hoping that she
will be tossed aside by it,
overwhelmed, so that
she no longer needs to
think for herself and
can thus be released from
all responsibility.
The world was suddenly

bathed in light that made
everything transparent, all
of it real and precise.
M O D E L C A R L O K AT R E C O M O D E L S G R O O M I N G M U R I E L V E G A P E R E Z
G R O O M I N G A S S I S TA N T J E F F D E G U Z M A N I N T E R N A LYA N A C A B R A L
Style
FEBRUARY 2016
IN THIS SKIN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PIA PUNO
ST YLING BY CLIFFORD OLANDAY
Make your way to the recently opened second level of Herms, where, amid the now-available furniture and homeware
(get your leather-trimmed portable lamp here), is a wider selection of clothing and accessories for men, including
various applications of leather; from loafers to briefcases, jackets to bracelets. The manipulation of animal hide is
the French houses expertise, so much so that if they could make everything with leather, they probably would. In
fact, they already do. A sweatshirt in croc? Did it. A double-zip hoodie in watersnake? Done that. A bicycle? A pink
elephant? A ball cap in buttery-soft lambskin? Yes, yes (its a decorative objective), and yes! Anything is possible in the
hands of their artisans, and now, you can start building a life surrounded by the most beautiful skins right here.
Lambskin leather cap, silk button-down shirt, and cotton crepe shorts. Jardin dOsier wallpaper.
Second floor, Herms, Greenbelt 4, Makati City.
Style
Its all in the details:

At Herms, fasten
your shirt with a
lambskin clasp and
secure your watch
with a scratchresistant barenia
leather strap.
Cotton shirt with
lambskin leather collar
tab, cotton jersey
T-shirt, and Arceau
Chrono watch with
barenia calfskin strap.
Perspectives Cavalieres
wallpaper.
28 E S Q U I R E F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6
When a leather jacket

is crazy soft and
crazy lightwhich is
what sets an Herms
piece apart from
the restit makes it
possible to wear in
whatever weather,
including ours.
Reversible lambskin
leather jacket, cotton
button-down shirt, cotton
gabardine trousers with
zip details. Pantongraphe
reading floor lamp and
Lanterne dHermes
FEBRUARY 2016 ESQUIRE
29
Style
Herms indulges its fans with the expansion

of its flagship store in Greenbelt 3. The new
160-square-meter extension, found above the
original store, features (apart from mens wear)
its fabulous Maison collection, a covetable
line of immaculately crafted furnishings and
accessories that bear the French hyper-luxury
brands impeccable cachet.
A fabulous collection needs a spectacular
home infused with the Herms spirit. The
French brand commissioned Paris-based
Rena Dumas Architecture Interieur for its
interior design. Details were considered to
give Herms clients an enjoyable experience.
Huge windows allow for ample light, while
Brazilian teak wood floors give the space a
luxurious yet cozy ambience where guests can
leisurely examine and appreciate the Maison
collections exquisite offerings.
Stepping inside the boutique is pretty
much like walking into a well-appointed and
tastefully decorated home. The dining area
features tables and chairs by Jean-Michel
Franka prestigious re-edition coveted by
serious collectors from all over the world. Fine
china and tableware accompany the quaint
setting. A baby section is filled with things for
the stylish junior set, while an office vignette
seems like the perfect work station for the
design-conscious executive.
Over at the living area, Antonio Citterios
grayed oak-and-leather sofa faces Jean-Michel
Franks parchment leather-covered coffee
table. A storage coffer in canaleto wood, lined

with bull leather draws the eyeit features
hidden compartments that slide languidly
with a gentle push. Lights by Michele de
Lucchi and crystal and porcelain decor from
the La Table Herms collection are scattered
about for easy viewing.
A sweep of the interior space would reveal
a striking wall installation designed by
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. News of his
collaboration with Herms caused ripples in
the design world, and with good reason. Ban, the
2015 Pritzker Prize awardee, created a series of
panels that can be customized for walls or used
as dividers. Its holding structure is made from
aluminum and features a grid of H-shaped
forms on which various panels upholstered in
exquisite skins can be attached. Herms offers
a range of materials for the panels covers,
including crocodile skin, cowhide, luxurious
silk-and-linen blends, cotton and abaca, and
pure cotton. Shelving and drawers are also an
option, giving customers the freedom to craft
interior architectural details unique to their
personal spaces.
Herms isnt just about design or prestige; its
more about a rarefied lifestyle. With the Maison
collection, they invite you to take that delicate
and special experience home. DEVI DE VEYRA
Natural calfskin leather jacket, poplin cotton shirt,
cotton gabardine trousers, and Etriviere barenia
calfskin bracelet.
There is a good
possibility that with
care and a bit of
luck, a leather jacket
will outlive you,
your children, and
even your childrens
children. And when
made of calfskin,
which wears no
protective coating,
the garment will look
even better with use
as it gains patina
over time.
Natural calfskin leather
jacket, cotton jersey
T-shirt, flannel-and-wool
cashmere trousers, and
Steve bag. Sellier chair.
31
TAKING STOCK
Three new shops accommodate the
expanding tastes of men.
BY MIGUEL ESCOBAR
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGIC LIWANAG
You dont often allow yourself to admit it, but you like to shop. Its easily half the fun of dressing well.
Theres the thrill of the chasein the quest for a sport coat, a white shirt, or a pair of shoes that no one
else has and which took ages to find. Thats what men look for in a retail establishmenta shop where
they can discover pieces that are difficult to come across or unlike most others. And because of this
thirst for shopping, options are expanding. More and more stores are keen to provide men with what
they seek, and youd be damned if you said you didnt enjoy it.
M O D E L C R I ST I A N D AT R E C O M O D E L S G R O O M I N G J OA N T E OT I C O H A I R M A I CY G U T I E R R E Z
Style
CALVIN KLEIN PLATINUM
Youd be hard-pressed to name brands that are as globally

iconic as American fashion and retail titan Calvin Klein.
While CK is better known for its underwear and jeans (not
to mention its famously risqu advertising campaigns),
the house has long branched out into several sub-labels.
Among the newest is Calvin Klein Platinuma label
launched by creative director Kevin Carrigan in 2014 as
the part of a reorganization of the companys portfolio.
Platinum identifies itself as a younger, more modern side of
the classic brand. With clear influences from high fashions
present infatuation with sportswear and athleisure, the
mens wear collection offers timeless silhouettes in
contemporary cuts and luxurious Italian fabrics like alpaca
wool, merino wool, cashmere, and silk. Black, white, and
shades of gray are the dominant colors across their current
offerings (with occasional blues). The brand stays true to
Calvin Kleins proclivity for the traditional, the essential,
and the classic, while at once being current and decidedly
urban. Expect to find clothes that are simple yet exquisite
on your visit.
SM Aura, Taguig City
From top right: Sport coat (P32,385), T-shirt (P10,985),

and pants (P14,985). Leather jacket (P64,485) and shirt
(P14,685). Opposite: Cardigan (P23,985), shirt (P12,985),
and pants (P17,685).
33
Style
TRYST STUDIO
People have never taken to travel as much as they do now,

and one noteworthy effect of all this exploration is retail
inspiration. Consider Michele Chan, the food retailer who
was so captivated by Europe and European style that she
decided to bring brands from Italy, Spain, Germany, and
France to the Philippines through the new multi-brand
lifestyle shop Tryst Studio. I feel that European fashion
is more classic, less flashy, and has better workmanship.
[Europeans] value these things, she says in praise of the
culture and clothing she brings to Manila. Her selections
do give that impression: Incotex is an Italian label that
specializes in trousers with impeccable fit; Barcelona-based
Koike carries shirts in playful, original prints; and Robert
Friedman is another Italian shirt company that combines
Italian elegance with American style (these are their three
most popular mens brands).
The priorities that tie Trysts brands together are clear:
theyre all relatively hard-to-find specialty brands, priced
above the High Street range but well below the popular
luxury brandsjust right, with a premium on quality and
uniqueness. The brands that we chose all specialize in a
particular item. Its all they do. In a way, theyve mastered
it, Michelle explains.
Since their early pop-ups and residence in Myth in Greenbelt 5,
Tryst has been quietly building a following, and is now expecting
to bring in more brands in the new year. Their fearless selection
of quality-first brands has done well to bridge Europe to Manila.
Greenbelt 4, Makati City
Right, clockwise from top left: Shoes

(P6,995) by Castaer, bowtie (P2,695)
by Altea, shirt (P8,595) by Robert
Friedman, hat (P3,095) by Bailey,
scarf (P4,995) by Altea, and pants
(P12,595) by Incotex.
Right: Shirt (P7,595) by Koike, pants (P11,995) by Incotex,

shoes (P6,995) by Castaer, and hat (P3,495) by Bailey.
Opposite: Shirt (P8,295) by Robert Friedman and hat
(P2,495) by Bailey.
35
Style
From top: Backpack (P10,000) by Archival, messenger

bag (14,900) by Gnome and Bow, and backpack
(P16,400) by Gnome and Bow.
URBAN TRAVELLER & CO
Ours is an age defined by the Internet. And while the Filipino

man has only recently grown accustomed to buying things
online, web-based stores have been gaining ground against
their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Take Urban Traveller &
Co, the web-only store that carries bags and accessories
you wont easily find anywhere else. It started with Venque,
a Canadian brand of bags that entrepreneur and frequent
traveler Hans Fernandez decided to peddle locally. Once the
demand made itself clear, Hans took in more brands of the
same kind of goods: all utilitarian essentials of high quality
and design. Today, their product mix seems straight out of
an explorers wet dream: backpacks made of superstrong
quanta fabric from Venque (ideal for adventurers), slim
wallets with hidden flaps (for large bills) from Bellroy, and
weather-resistant, military-grade duffel bags from Bomber &
Company. Hans puts durability and longevity on a pedestal
when selecting his brands. The Filipino man is becoming
more and more discerning about the items he carries every
day. Were all looking for products that are of high quality,
durability, and function, he says.
And because theres no one to assist you right away in a
virtual store, the site has put together a Lifestyle Curator,
which narrows down products based on what you need.
Choose minimalist from the menu, and you will be faced
with a forest green portfolio, among others. Hans notes, We
understand that people have different needs, and we want
to help match our customers with the perfect carry items.
urbantravellerco.com
PHOTOGRAPHS (PRODUCTS) PAUL DEL ROSARIO
Laptop folio (P16,500) by This is Ground and wallet

(P1,250 on notebook) by Natsu.
AND NOW, ONE

(OR FIVE) FOR THE ROAD
For brand-new threads (including a custom suit thats made in a few days),
consider these style destinations.
BY NICOLE LIMOS
Hong Kong: InItIal

Steampunk
meets Asian dandy.
The brand has turned a
subculture into a fashion
empire in Hong Kong,
where it was founded over
15 years ago.
BesT BeTs The layering
pieces in subdued palettes.
Everything echoes a
vintage feel that makes
the most polished guy
look even cooler.
exTras Hatsthere is one
for every look. Theyve
expanded into homeware
and a dining concept, too.
Shop and eat.
532 Jaffe Road, Causeway
Bay; +852 2442 1433.
The lowdown
BangKoK: SSaP
Born in
New York and now based
in Bangkok, this cult brand
incorporates camo patterns
and Thai techniques in
fabric dying to create
streetwear, from graphic tees
to hoodies to track pants,
offered at friendly prices.
BesT BeTs The reversible
jacketcamo on one side
and black or olive on
the otheris on its way
to cult status.
exTras Denim track
pants, anyone?
Gin and Milk, Siam
Center; +66 2 658 1000.
The lowdown
Hong Kong:
new CreatIonS
CuStom taIlorS
The lowdown Its sartorial
staples with impeccable
fit will make it hard for
you to return to the world

of ready-to-wear. Here,
orders (bespoke shirts,
suits, jackets) with all your
requested details, from
monogramming to collar
and lapel rolls, can be
finished in a few days. Tip:
Drop by the shop on your
first day in the city and have
yourself measured by the
owner, Ramesh Bhojwani
(hes been making madeto-measure pieces for men
around the world for over
40 years), and then pick
up your orders before your
flight back to Manila. He
can also have them shipped
right to your door for a
minimal fee.
BesT BeTs Dress shirts in
a wide array of fabrics and
prints will please your
inner preppy.
exTras Boardroom
neckties to go with
workwear button-down
shirts.
Holiday Inn Shopping
Arc, Tsim Sha Tsui;
+852 2721 6061.
Singapore:
BenjamIn Barker
The lowdown Founded
by an Australia-based
Singaporean, this mens
wear label, with boutiques
scattered around the plush
shopping districts of the
city-state, offers an ultradapper wardrobe.
BesT BeTs An eclectic
but elegant suit will make
you believe in the power
of clothes to make things
happenwhether in the
office or on a night out.

exTras Variations of
coats, shirts, and pants can
be embellished with an
equally deep collection of
accessories: pocket squares,
suspenders, lapel pins,
ties, and leather footwear.
Avail of custom-fitting,
embroidery, and other
swanky finishes, as well.
benjaminbarker.co.
ToKyo: VISVIm
The lowdown This
premium mens label is

known for mixing Native
American elements
with modern Japanese
sensibilities in traditionally
crafted and detail-focused
garments, earning it a
cult-like status in global
streetwear. Each piece
boasts of the brands unique
construction and vintage
craftsmanship, which even
utilizes natural dyes or Sea
Island cotton thats known
for exceptional softness.
BesT BeTs If we can say
everything, we would,
but its premium price point
dictates otherwise. Invest in
outerwear, luxe sport coats,
jackets, or cardigans that
are sure to last a lifetime or
its famous, sneaker-soled
FBT moccasin, a modern
rendition of the Native
American leather shoe.
exTras The brand is available
locally, but nothing beats the
mothership in Omotesando,
which also houses their first
caf, Little Cloud Coffee.
Gyre, Jingumae Shibuya-ku;
+81 3 5468 5424.
Prints Please
You can never say that Riccardo Tisci
of Givenchy is afraid of prints when
much his work has been powered
by iconography, whether it was a
snarling Rottweiler, a collage of
Bambi and a nude female form, or
the passion of Jesus imprinted like a
ghost on the sweatshirts and overalls
in his latest spring collection. More
than just a punch of graphic, these
visuals are statements of whatever
question Tisci may be exploring. Can
you be provocative? Are you a sinner
or a saint? Are we all prisoners (like
JC)? Heavy, right?
For men who might not be ready to
wear such statements emblazoned on
their chests, Tisci extends a helping
hand, releasing a one-off collection
inspired by the more elegant jacquard
motif of a club tie. Tisci reworked
the idea into something more
abstract and applied it on wearable
pieces like, for example, a reversible
bomber jacket, with the micro pattern
on its wool side and a clean wash
of black on its nylon half, plus
accompanying accessories.
If you are still on the fence about
putting on a print, even with such
a quiet design (from afar, it would
appear that you are covered in a
flourish of dots), we fully support
the compromise of breaking the suit.
Wear just the jacket or just the trouser.
Or wear your workday uniform but
carry the printed briefcase.
And what does this pattern say
about you? That you are playful,
adventurous, whimsical, or funto an
extent? Or that you are just trying this
for now? Whatever it may be, this is a
fine way to dive into the fearlessness
of prints.
Greenbelt 4, Makati City and ShangriLa Plaza East Wing, Mandaluyong City.
37
Style
TO INFINITY
More than the mere measurement of the
hours, Vacheron Constantin is in the
practice of sculpting time.
By Johanna PoBlete
These days, timepieces are no longer purchased

simply for their practical function of keeping
time, but more for their artistry, and the
collective effortdriven by extreme, nearobsessive perfectionismthat it took to create
such a thing of beauty and precision. Why else
would you spend the equivalent of a cool car or a
cushy condo on a wearable accessory?
There is a very absurd dedication to the
highest level of quality that sets apart a certain
brand, because its unnecessary to spend
so much time laboring over a watch, says
Ellen Sorensen, regional managing director
for Vacheron Constantin, the worlds oldest
watch manufacturer engaged in uninterrupted
activity since 1755. Its very artistic in the
way that an artist will work hard to search for
something beautiful, and more beautiful, and
more beautiful and make something that the
world will like, and thats what would really
make it turn on its head.
It took seven years to create and launch the
Harmony collection, which is composed of seven
limited edition watches meant to celebrate the
260 years since Vacheron Constatins founding

by Genevan master watchmaker Jean-Marc
Vacheron. Apart from presenting dual-time
watches (including a smaller version in 18k
white or pink gold set with 88 diamonds), and
a chronograph (also with a smaller version in
18k pink gold set with 84 diamondsthe first
ladies chronograph for the brand), Vacheron
also created the worlds thinnest self-winding
split-seconds chronograph (only 10 individually
numbered watches, each sporting a caliber
measuring just 5.20 mm thick) and a tourbillon
monopusher chronograph (only 26 watches
exist), the last two in platinum.
The Harmony collection deviates from the
popular round shape by adopting an alternative
cushion shape for the case, in a reinterpretation
of one of Vacheron Constantins earliest
wristwatches, the monopusher chronograph
with pulsometric scale from 1928. Originally a
medical instrument, the pulsometer chronograph
enabled doctors and nurses to take fast readings
thanks to the chronograph hand showing the
pulse rate after 30 beats on a graduated scale.
Nonetheless, each detail, each line, each curve,

each characteristic, and each reflection has been
rethought so as to offer a contemporary projection
of Vacheron Constantins ancestral expertise,
says Sorensen. When we talk about design, and
that whole process, of course we look to the past,
but we also think about the future.
All seven watches in the Harmony collection
follow the form of the 1928 wristwatch;
the generous lines of its cushion-shaped
case accommodate medium complication
and grande complication calibers with
differentiated time measurement, whether
sequenced (the chronograph and split-seconds
chronograph); simplified at a single press
(monopusher); precise (tourbillon); heartlinked (pulsometer); or offset (dual-time).
These new calibers are naturally adorned
with various finishes: mirror polishing,
bevelling, circular graining, and the Ctes
de Genve stamp. Color-coded watch hands
are reminiscent of a vintage watch, although
the hand-designed numerals are all original
fonts. The new models also bear a dedicated
From top: Vacheron Constantin has been engaged

in uninterrupted activity since 1755. An early model
from 1928a monopusher chronograph with a
pulsometric scaleserved as the inspiration for
the Harmony collection. Today, they create only
28,000 watches every year. Opposite: The seven
limited-edition watches of the Harmony collection
celebrates the 260 years of Vacheron Constantin.
scrolling pattern, a motif known as fleurisanne

engraving, inspired by the arabesques adorning
the balance-cock of the oldest pocket watch
signed by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. (The
engraving is found on the oscillating weight,
the chronograph bridge or the balance-cock of
these models.) Other special aesthetic touches
include the column wheel screw and the
chronograph gear shaped into a Maltese cross,
the brands emblem, never mind if the detail
is hidden from view. Finally, engraved on the
caseback is a commemorative inscription.
Vacheron Constantin crafts only 28,000
watches annually; their refined design makes
it more a practice of sculpting time than mere
measurement or timekeeping. Its really to
showcase their watchmaking skills that they
can produce this kind of uniquefew pieces
onlywatches, says Emerson Yao, managing
director of Lucerne, the local distributor of
Vacheron Constantin, among other luxury
watch brands. He cites the new-generation
monopusher as an example. The first
chronograph in the world is a monopusher,
because it came from the pocket watch
chronographbut that watch is easier to make
because its a bigger case, whereas this one is
miniaturized, he points out.
Lucerne and Vacheron are currently
discussing a collaboration on a limited edition
watch exclusively for the Philippine market, in
time for the formers 35th year anniversary in

2017. Previously, Lucerne had partnered with
other brands to commemorate their 25th and
30th anniversaries. Limited edition watches
are always interesting for the market but
we dont do it every year, we want to keep it
special, says Yao. There will be some unique
features in the watch, like the color of the dial,
were trying to find a way to highlight the 35
it might be a bit tough. In the past two editions
that we had, we had the Philippine map at the
back, so well probably continue on with that
tradition. Maybe a unique case?
For the discerning few, bespoke pieces
that are literally works of art can also be
commissioned via Vacheron Constantins
Ateliers Cabinotiers special order service.
A bespoke piece costs quite a lot, thats why
most people would buy limited edition pieces,
because thats the closest you can get, says
Yao. Theres roughly a 50-percent markup
depending on how complicated the project
will be, and a panel will have to approve
your design. From experience, Sorensen says
its either a specific technical tweak to the
complication or a type of Mtiers dArt, like
a picture that you want to have incorporated.
Either way, its a unique keepsake to be
handed down the line. When buying a
watch like Vacheron Constantin, youre really
buying a piece of history, something that you
can hand on to the next generation, something
thats alive. It has no battery, it works from
the motion of your hand, and it will last
forever, for hundreds and hundreds of years,
says Yao. In fact youre creating your own
history, your own tradition with that watch,
because it marks all the significant occasions
and memories in your life so you want it to be
marked by a very, very good brand. It doesnt
have to go all the way to a Vacheron, but some
people would use a Vacheron.
Lucerne, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong
39
Style
The Art of Bulgari: 130 Years of Italian
Masterpieces is staged at the Tokyo
National Museum. With approximately
250 pieces on exhibit, it is the first
retrospective of this scale to be held
in the country.
LET THERE BE ROCKS

What she really wants is a piece of happinesspreferably shiny.
By CLIFFORD OLANDAy
What is jewelry but a pleasure directed

toward women?
Consider the push present. It is the token
that husbands offer to their wives as a thank
you for, well, pushing out a baby into the world.
Notable examples include the bright blue rock
Jay Z gave to Beyonc for the birth of Blue Ivy,
the engraved earrings Marc Anthony presented
to Jennifer Lopez to celebrate the arrival of
their twins, and the stack of gold bracelets
Kanye West gave to Mrs. West for delivering
North West.
The mommyverses reception to the growing
trend has been mixed. Those who object argue
that it is overindulgent, another excuse for
extravagance, while those who have no problem
receiving a post-delivery surprise figure that,
while a bouncing baby is reward enough, VVS

stones are pretty sweet, too. In the future, when
they look at their glittering baubles, they will
remember the occasion of birth with fondness
(instead of just pain).
If mankind had one great social media
account, its feed would be littered with all
sorts of jewels shining a light on the happy
faces of women. After all, it is tradition to mark
the passage into a new stage of life, from birth
to motherhood and beyond, with some sort of
token. For a woman, that can mean anything
from a delicate necklace with a pendant of
her birthstone on her 18th birthday to a gold
watch inlaid with a smattering of diamonds
for Christmas or Valentines (this monthdo
not forget). For the man at the giving end of
this spectrum, it usually means the ring, that

ultimate token a woman must accept in order
to accept him. Then comes marriage. Then
comes the baby. Then comes the push present.
And so throughout history men have been
honoring women with the gift of jewelry. At the
Tokyo National Museum, The Art of Bulgari:
130 Years of Italian Masterpieces chronicles
the evolution of the legendary jeweler through
approximately 250 pieces, which have been
gathered from the companys archives as well
as private collections. While the retrospective
is a gem-encrusted biography of the luxury
titan, it also tells little stories about men
and women.
CONtINueD
Observe Elizabeth Taylors sautoir

with a Burmese sapphire (center),
the spring-mounted floral brooch
that quivers at every movement
(top center), the Diva necklace
inspired by a Japanese kimono
(top right), the serpent-shaped
necklace (bottom right), or the
cosmic Buddha pendant (leftmost).
In whatever form, Bulgari pieces
exhibit daring experimentation,
generous volume, and a unique
combination of colors.
A Note on Emotion
It is all about feelings. at least, thats what Lucia Silvestri looks for when figuring out what to do with each and every stone she encounters as the creative director of bulgari
Jewellery. Its something that you have to feel. It has to have great passion inside, she muses. and so Silvestri spends hours and hours playing with gems, often talking
to them (I ask, What are you doing here?), until, say, a 125-carat sapphire inspires her to mount it on a geometric garland that moves like a waters cascade. Sometimes
the gem speaks. Other times it is unclear. I can see that the gem is talking to me, but its not in the right way, and so we re-cut it. It is something like a love affair, she explains.
I hope you can feel that behind the jewelry is a passion for our gems. We do.
41
Style
continued
Like how, in 1932, during the epoch of Art

Deco, Giorgio Bulgari, son of founder Sotirio,
presented a Trombino ring to his wife Leonilde
for their engagement. The trumpet-shaped,
iced-out piece, with its characteristic central
stone flanked by baguette diamonds, appears as
if it was made of light. It remains one of Bulgaris
most successful creations. Noted jewelry
collector Elizabeth Taylor had one.
And how, in 1949, Hollywood movie star
Tyrone Power and actress Linda Christian
(dubbed the Anatomic Bomb) arrived in
Rome, drawing thousands of admirers, for the
occasion of their wedding. Of course, the couple
chose their rings from a shop of great renown,
the Via Condotti flagship store of Bulgari. Her
wedding dress, designed by Sorelle Fontana, is
also part of the exhibit.
Then there is the violet-eyed beauty herself.
Taylors personal collection, which is said to
be one of the greatest in the world, cannot be
discussed without mentioning her torrential
love story with Richard Burton. The man knew
of her appetite for jewels and thus spoiled her
with trinkets from Bulgari every chance he
could. For their engagement, there was a ring
with a Colombian emerald, which Taylor later
described in a letter addressed to its new owners
(it was auctioned to benefit the Elizabeth Taylor

AIDS Foundation) as the first piece of jewelry
that I received from Richard Burton. At the
bottom of the page, in an elegant scrawl, she
wrote: Wear it with love!
For their wedding in 1964, there was a
necklace of emeralds and diamonds. To
celebrate her 40th birthday, Burton chose a
sautoir with a 65-carat Burmese sapphire. It
reminded him of Taylors vivid eyes. There
were more and more. And if they had children,
well, were sure this would be a longer list filled
with spectacular pieces of thank-you jewelry.
But not even all the diamonds in the world
could hold a stormy relationship such as theirs
together. The couple first divorced in 1974, got
back together for a second shot at marriage in
1975, and then divorced for a second time in 1976.
It didnt work out. She kept the presents.
We imagine they made her happy. [D]iamonds
wont keep you warm at night, but theyre sure
fun when the sun shines, Taylor famously said.
Maybe she thought about Burton every time
she wore them. Maybe she just felt giddy about
having a monster-size sapphire hanging from her
neck. And therein lies the real worth of jewelry:
Its not how much they cost, but how they make
you feel.
Greenbelt 4, Makati City
Throughout their tempestuous love affair, Richard Burton lavished Bulgari jewelry upon Elizabeth Taylor. The
actress wore this yellow chiffon dress, together with a brooch of emeralds and diamonds, on her wedding
day in 1964. Top right: A limited edition digital watch, inscribed with Bulgari Roma on its bezel, was a
Christmas gift to the jewelers top 100 clients in 1975.
A Note on Luxury
a bulgari watch is a luxury watch,
points out fabrizio buonamassa
Stigliani, director of the bulgari
Watches Design Center, and for this
very reason, it must be timeless. you
have to manage in a very careful way
all the details in terms of materials and
design, he says. Exhibit Number One:
bulgari Octo Mono Retrogradi. Though
its elements are unconventionala
single hand that sweeps across the
minutes in a 210-degree arc and a tiny
aperture that reveals the hourthe
watch remains very much elegant
and, maybe most important, not
at all confusing to read. I love this
watch because it recalls a dashboard,
Stigliani adds. I am a former car
designer so I have these elements in
my mind. It would be interesting to
develop these kinds of things.
These kinds of things also
include Exhibit Number Two: bulgari
Magnesium, the intelligent watch
that keeps sensitive information safe
in an underground bunker somewhere
in the Swiss alps. Pretty cool. but
if youre not interested in data
management, you still have ...a beautiful
mechanical watchunique with the
bulgari taste [and] bulgari materials.
and if you prefer something
stripped down, here is Exhibit Number
Three: bulgari Roma finissimo.
The commemorative edition, which
celebrates the 40th anniversary of the
original Roma, translates the mastery
of volume inherent in all bulgari jewelry
into a dizzying slenderness. Well let
Stigliani describe this, his favorite
watch, in his own words: Works very
well. Perfect on the wrist. and its for
me. That, my friend, is a true luxury.
Style
The culture that has been
established in the basketball world
in the last five years has been the
love for sneakers, says former PBA
player Jeffrey Cariaso.
ALL DAY I DREAM

ABOUT SNEAKERS
P h o t o g R A P h S ARTU NEPOMUCENO (CARAISO) ANd FRUHLEIN ECONAR (ALCARAZ)
Why do men love their kicks? Blame it on Jordan.

BY ALYANA CABRAL
They say it all started with basketball. It

all started with discovering local barangay
courts, playing with grade school friends after
classes, joining high school varsity teams, and
watching Michael Jordan soar through the air
like a god.
This is what most sneaker lovers would say.
The history of their passion starts with playing
ball in tsinelas or black leather school shoes
before getting their first pair of Jordans or
Chuck Taylors. And just like the professions
they would grow up to pursuewhether as a
basketball prodigy or a gifted musician or an
artist extraordinairethe passion for sneakers
begins with the hobby of collecting before it
ultimately becomes a way of life.
The history books would say that the sneaker
culture really did start with basketball. The first
trainers that went on to inspire many sneaker
silhouettes were made for the sport. That was

when coach Chuck Taylor joined the Converse
company in the 1920s. It was the earliest case
of sports star endorsement for sneakers, which
also started the high-top All Stars journey
toward becoming a court staple. This carried
on in the following decades as new names came
along, bringing with them the now ubiquitous
swoosh and three stripes.
Former PBA player Jeffrey The Jet Caraiso
was one of those 80s kids who used to rock
Chucks on the court. At the time, he was an
eager grade-schooler who wore a green-andwhite St. Peters jersey and very short shorts.
His childhood days of growing up in San
Francisco ended gracefully after playing college
ball in Sonoma State University. His rise to
basketball stardom began when he got drafted
by the Alaska Aces in 1995, where he was named
Rookie of the Year and won all championships

in a Grand Slam during his sophomore season.
The shoes I wore to play in during that time
were the Nike Air Max Penny, Nike Air More
Uptempo, and the Nike Air Swoopes, to name
a few, Jeffrey recalls, but insists that he wasnt
really picky about his shoes. I just wanted to get
on the court and play.
Filipinos eh, so halos lahat ng bata naglalaro
naman talaga, says Mong Alcaraz, lead guitarist
of the bands Sandwich and Chicosci. As a kid, he
played on makeshift courts with his friends by
attaching hoops to trees or electric posts. Later
on in his college days, he had a skating phase
and donned Etnies. Today, he plays basketball
again in his village with his neighbors.
Another sneaker geek who started with the
same passion is Erick Goto, a designer for Nike
who is based in Los Angeles. As a Filipino,
43
Style
basketball was the sport I grew up loving, and
shoes were just part of that culture, he says.
I still remember my visit to local courts as a
young kid. I experienced all of that. Basketball
isnt just a game for Filipinos. Its something
that galvanizes a community. Erick used his
childhood experience as inspiration for his
designs. He is responsible for the Philippine
flag-inspired Lebron 12 Low, as well as the
Kobe 9 EM Philippines idiosyncratic elements,
which were influenced by hand-painted local
courts, banig weaving, and the tsinelas.
But back to Jordan: when His Airness shook
the basketball world as an unparalleled player
(and starred in an animated Looney Tunes film
to boot), Nike jumped at the opportunity to etch
his silhouette onto a pair of kicks.
Kids looked up to him like a superhero, and
religiously kept up with new releases every year.
Mong Alcaraz, lead guitarist of

Sandwich and Chicosci, owns over
600 pairs of sneakers, including a Nike
Hyperdunk Marty McFly, his favorite.
Whenever the latest Jordans came out, it was

always a big deal. I remember teammates and
friends rushing to the nearest Foot Locker to
make sure they copped their pairs. At the time,
it was bought by people because they wanted to
wear the latest Jordan out there, says Jeffrey.
Growing up, Erick was also one of these kids
who always pined for the latest Jordans. On the
other hand, Mongs parents bought him Jordans
when he was younger, every time he got good
grades in school.
The Jordan wave in the 90s was a phenomenon
that was a blessing for then-rookie players like
Jeffrey. Nike expanded their repertoire to include
more athletes, and began to give out sponsorships,
which served him well since his second year in
the league.
It wasnt long before the brand and its
competitors extended their relationships to
hip-hop artists and celebrities. More sneakers

named after popular celebrities were being
made, and the kicks that once dwelled on
the courts now ruled the streets and even
the runway. Consequently, superstars were
being immortalized by footwear giants, and
the fanaticism surrounding their personas
were carried over to the shoe itself. Hence,
the frenzy reflective of the sneaker community
becoming more and more deeply ingrained
into our culture.
But before sneakers became the epitome
of cool, rap group Run DMC were just getting
ready to release their hit single My Adidas,
which fostered the connection between hiphop and sneakers throughout the rest of history.
Ever since then, music and fashion have never
been more strongly intertwined. Sonic Youth
were always in Chucks, Kurt Cobain was
always in Jack Purcells, the Beastie Boys were
in Adidas, Run DMC were in Adidas, Pearl Jam
came out in the MTV Awards in Air Huarache
Mowabbs, Eddie Vedder was in Jordan 6s, Flea
was in Jordan 4s... Mong goes on about how
he remembers the little things about his idols.
Because they look cool. And I wanna be cool.
Now, everybody wants to be cool. Everybody
wants to be seen wearing the latest of the latest.
People rush to the shoe stores and fall in line
early to make sure they get their hands on the
latest Yeezys, and the price was inconsequential
because theres only a hundred pairs available.
Besides the superstar endorsement tactic and
the exclusivity of shoe models with different
colorways, there is a big hype machine
[nowadays], as Mong put it. Technological
advancements meant the proliferation of designs
and the improvement of the shoe, as well as the
rise of sneakers social media fame. Thus, the
sneaker collectors were born. Some would collect
for pure passion, while others for the hype. There
is even a rock-and-stock phenomenon where
people [would buy] two pairsone to play in,
and the other to collect. For Jeffrey, this was the
extreme of shoe collecting.
Be authentic, Erick advises about sneaker
design. The same can be said about shoe
collecting in this white noise age of overhyped
designs. The superheroes that have christened
sneakers with their own names are slowly
becoming myths whose personas we either
worship or forget. It helps to be aware of how
we fall victim to certain sneaker trends and
whatnot. Like all other kinds of collectibles,
its more about building a relationship with a
pair of shoes than worrying about the colorway
release you just missed last year. Its really
about what you like, Mong says. And after all,
these things last us for years. Might as well pour
your heart into it.
Grooming
FEBRUARY 2016
The split-level space

of a former bar has
been converted into
the second location of
Felipe and Sons.
THE NEW WAVE

Theres more room to grow in the world of barbery
as evident in the expansion of Felipe and Sons.
BY MANICA C. TIGLAO
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL DEL ROSARIO
There isnt a dictionary entry for barberdashery, a term that describes the barber shop-slash-haberdashery that is
Felipe and Sons. And perhaps thats a good thing, as its given the partners behind the grooming establishment the
freedom to run free with their idea of what a barbershop should be.
Opened in 2013, Felipe and Sons kickstarted a renewed interest in revolutionizing grooming for men, elevating the
no-frills cut and shave to an art form. Gone are the days when the definition of the modern gentleman equaled offhand
selections of hairstyles and clothing as the grooming industry continues to thrive and in turn fuel an appreciation
for better services in more refined surroundings. Dark and masculine, Felipe and Sons feels luxurious and inviting at
once, a comfortable place to linger with a cup of freshly brewed coffeeor a glass of whisky, wine, or beer, if you
pleasewhile waiting for your appointment.
Buoyed by the success of their first store, located along a side street in Makati, partners Marco Katigbak, Paolo
Canivel, and Martin Warner recently set up shop in Ortigas. We never knew that we would open a barbershop,
shares Katigbak. It was just always a topic of conversation. Small details like just having updated magazines in
the storethese were things we noticed and talked about. I guess we always thought [barbershops] could be done
differently. Canivel suggested integrating a haberdashery into the concept after they had found the space. It was
big, so we thought about what else we could do with it that would work with a barbershop. Tailoring had potential,
CONTINUED
so we spent about a year ingraining that idea in our minds.
45
Grooming
cONTINuED
Their remarkable foresight and attention

to detail have wrought a beautifully thoughtout space in their second location, a two-story
establishment that concurrently serves as their
office headquarters. Most of the action happens
on the first floor, where the barbershop is
located, and where Felipe and Sons services
from haircuts to luxurious shaves, alcoholic
accompaniments optionalare offered. But the
second floor will also draw you in: Here, rows
of tailored shirts are on display alongside suites
that double as a fitting room and a private space
for VIP clients as well as visiting barbers from
around the world. The haberdashery is a onestop shop for those keen on building a bespoke
wardrobe, with tailors and consultants on hand
to create custom button-down shirts, suits,
pants, and other clothing pieces. We remain
flexible in case customers want something
off the beaten path, like if they have a unique
fabric they want to use, we can accommodate
that, Katigbak says.
Inspired by other barberdasheries abroad
including Baxter Finley in West Hollywood,
a barbershop and retail space fashioned with
brick walls and vintage cast iron chairsFelipe
and Sons puts as much a premium on great
design as it does on its range of offerings.
Part of the allure, after all, is the transportive
experience that sets apart the establishment
from your neighborhood barber.
Our focus has always been the customer
experience. The brands that have inspired
us ever since are Starbucks and Applehow
theyve evolved their industries and how they
interact with customersthats always been
part of our DNA, Katigbak says. We take it
very seriously when customers arent satisfied,
or when we feel like we didnt reach their
Buzz or Snip?
A barber and a stylist weigh in on
the techniques and trends in the
art of cutting hair.
EARL DADO, BARBER

Dados fascination with barbery
dates back to his monthly trips
to the barber as a child. His
grandmother eventually picked
up on Dados attentiveness
and remarked, Grandson, one
day you should open your own
barbershop. Dado says, It stuck
in my mind as a kid, and thats
how it all started.
The Guam-based, U.S.trained barber, who was in the
expectations. Beyond aesthetics or services,

when you come to the shop, we want the total
experience to be the notable difference.
To accomplish that, Felipe and Sons
empowers both barber and client. Katigbak
compares local barbers to rock star barbers
like New Yorks Rich Mendoza, barber to a
bevy of NBA players and hip-hop A-listers.
We tell our employees not to see themselves
as laborers. Theyre professional barbers and
tailors who are experts at what they do, he
says. In urban barbershops overseas, the ones
making the name for the shop are the barbers
themselves. You have to give your clients hope
that they will look good after visiting you. A
good haircut gives men confidence.
El Pueblo Real de Manila, J. Vargas Avenue
corner ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center.
felipeandsons.com.
From top: Maintain your shave and haircut at home with specialized grooming tools and products.
The second floor is dedicated to Felipes made-to-measure tailoring service.
Philippines for all of January

to showcase his linework and
creative takes on fades at Felipe
and Sons, says, Every barber has
a different technique. I combine
different styles and techniques
that Im inspired by. Dado
specializes in razor and clipper
cuts, particularly in using a tool
called the T-liner. Best for sharp
fades seen on the likes of David
Beckham and Michael B. Jordan,
the T-liner gives the neck and
sidebar that extra crisp look.
Dado notes that trends in
mens hairstyling come and go,
but there are also others that
have the potential to stick around
for a long time: There are many
right now, but two of the hardest
hitting trends that have given the
industry a boost are the 4am fade
created by Scott Ramos and the

highborn by Diego Elizarraras.
LESLIE ESPINOSA, STYLIST
Espinosas path to hairstyling
began in performing arts school,
where she trained to be a dancer.
I found my way to the hair and
makeup department because I
wanted to be involved somehow,
and that led to this journey, she
says. Eventually she moved to
Hollywood, before making her
way to New York working on and
off Broadway. These days she is
back in Manila as the resident
stylist at Felipe and Sons. My
market eventually became
those with curls, she says. The
challenge is that each curl has a
mind of its own, and you can do
a technically correct haircut, but
with curls, you have a chance to

sculpt and shape hair.
Well-versed in various types
of scissor work, Espinosa is
meticulous about consultations
prior to cutting hair, taking into
consideration her clients lifestyle,
overall style, and use of hair
products. The general consensus
is that curly hair types are best
maintained with scissors, as it
allows the stylist to treat each
curl individually. Thinning shears
should be used at the stylists
discretion, because while it takes
weight off curly hair, theres a risk
of making hair more frizzy, she
says. Point cutting is another
technique for curly hair. Its in the
detailsin this sense, it cant be
done with clippers, you have to get
in there with your hands to sculpt.
Grooming
GOOD VIBES
the glory of the sun calls for scents
that lift you up.
PhotogRAPhS Dairy Darilag
With the rise of temperature comes an upward shift: to citrus and herb-y notes that offer relief in the day
and complex florals or woods that set the stage for (maybe) lucky nights. Thats the magic of perfume.
While it allows you to smell good, it also makes you feel better. And those that are composed particularly
well can event transport you to a specific moment. The kiss of a cool breeze on the beach. Running down a
mountain trail. The sunset. Its time to shut the door on the doldrums of months past. Here are the scents
that can lead you in the right direction.
RefReshed
Imagine walking through a
hiking trail surrounded by
evergreens or rolling on a bed
covered in pine leaves and
citrus peels. Now, imagine that
in a bottle.
givenchy gentlemen only

Casual Chic
eneRgized
One pump delivers a blast of
squeaky-clean freshness that
later on develops into a smooth
aromatic scent (lavender and
orange blossom punched up by
vetiver). Expect a lot
of compliments.
Salvatore Ferragamo Acqua
Essenziale Colonia (P4,750 for 100ml
and P3,750 for 50ml)
ChaRismatiC
Is it really surprising that the
shoe company responsible for
setting off a womans shapely
legs would create a seductive
scent such as thisfor men?
Hondeydew melon, pineapple
leaf, and suede make for a
potion that turns heads. This is
a crowd-pleaser.
Jimmy Choo Man
inspiRed
Its the smell of your hands
after tearing up a bunch of
green things, more specifically
neroli and mate leaves. It is
also apparently the smell of
the Silk Road, which was the
inspiration for the unusual
fragrance. One more thing to
like: This comes with a blessing
of longevity and wealth.
Shanghai tang Mandarin tea
(P5,850 for 100ml)
continued
47
continued
Playful
This will give you a toothache
in a good waylike a plate of
milk cake with fresh cream
(coconut and vanilla bookend
the scent) served on the
beach. Enjoy.
Calvin Klein Eternity Now For Men
Pleasant
If we consider The Scent as the
spirit of Hugo Boss (that name
is a lot to live up to), then you
could say that Boss, together
with its suits and ties plus this
fragrance, is a dependable,
everyday staple. Nothing
wrong with that.
Boss The Scent (P5,950 for 100ml
and P4,350 for 50ml)
Irreverent
At the core of Paul Smith
is spontaneity, so naturally
his fragrance blurs the line
between sweet and spicy. This
was built for cooler months,
but whos to say you cant
enjoy it now?
Paul Smith The Essential (P4,258 for
100ml and P3,038 for 50ml)
Bold
The limited edition celebrates
the number one rugby team
in the world, the All Blacks
of New Zealand. Which is a
fitting tribute since the juice
embodies a most virile man,
someone who can strike down
a tree with the single swing of
his ax.
Bulgari Man All Blacks Limited Edition

(P6,040 for 100ml)
february 2016
NOTES &
ESSAYS
FRANCIS JOSEPH A. CRUZ
ON FILM
CLINTON PALANCA
ON FRIENDSHIPS
KRISTINE FONACIER
ON FORTY
arTWOrK by edric gO
images cOurTesy Of WesT gallery
49
Notes &
essays
Of MOvIes and
MIdlIves: 2015
fIlMs wIth
CharaCters
In CrIsIs
Cinema, our last bastion for hope, is intent
on celebrating youth and depicting old age
as a grave misfortune.
fraNcis joseph a. cruz

Pain is temporary, but a film is forever,
exclaimed Alejandro Iarritu when he won
a Golden Globe for directing The Revenant
(2015). Of course, the Mexican director, famed
for making films where rabid dogs fight each
other and has-beens roam the cold streets of
Manhattan in their undies, is referring to the
extreme hardships he and his films reliable
cast had to endure to come up with something
that would visually and aurally represent
the grave dangers of the wild. However, he
is also referring to the quality of cinema to
immortalize stories, to keep them caged within
the few hours, to have its characters achieve
a semblance of eternal youth. That was the
illusion, at least, an illusion that is slowly being
eradicated by the markets curious desire for
sequels and continuations.
The reality is we grow old. Our movie
heroes remain young, strong, and bursting
with the verve that got us hooked on them
in the first place. The karate kid who taught
us the value of persistence and discipline
50 E S Q u I r E f E b r u a r y 2 0 1 6
through household chores veiled as martial

arts mantras remains to be the same
prepubescent boy no matter how many
pimples have come and gone. Spider-man
will remain limber enough to jump from
one building to another no matter how
treacherous our limbs and knees are going
to treat us as years go by. This is escapism.
As films serve as time capsules that dutifully
remind us of yesterday, we become drugged
with nostalgia, oblivious to the reality of
our failing bodies as we are allowed for a
few hours to indulge in childish fantasies.
On the other hand, to the cynic, the films
that we enjoyed during the best years of
our lives become potent reminders of
everything we lost to the inevitable.
We however live in a world where
realism is capital. Blockbusters are now
laced with subtly shrouded truths. While
Ryan Cooglers Creed (2015) repeated the
undeniable joys of a young sportsmans
journey to the top, it also exposed the
inevitability of growing old and frail, even
for someone like Rocky Balboa whose entire
life is dedicated to athleticism. Even a film
as overtly and reprehensibly repetitive as
J.J. Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2015) is forced to reveal Han Solo and his
Princess Leia as artifacts of the past, all
too ready to give way to younger heroes
and heroines whose blossoming romance
might have a better result than theirs. Sam
Mendes Spectre (2015), the latest in the
decades old series that center on the worlds
most famous spy, has the debonair agent
thinking twice about leaving his vocation
for a life that better fits a man of his age.
In fact, we do not have to move too far
from our shores. The Philippines highest
grossing film is actually a somber sequel
of a romance that got its imaginative fans
wondering about a fictional future. Cathy
Garcia-Molinas A Second Chance (2015) sees
two lovers whose only problem preventing
them from forgiving each other is a
ridiculous three-month rule as disgruntled
partners, both in bed and business.
Belatedly reuniting after several torturous
months of them spouting accusations and
invectives in One More Chance (2007),
Popoy and Basha, still played by John
Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, tie the knot
in a ceremony that is not unlike whatever
weve seen before. Their married lives also
turn out to be something that is not unlike
whatever weve seen before, except that
Popoy has riddled their relationship with
machismo-related immaturity, which has
Basha on the brink of giving up. In other
words, growing up can be a bitch, as what
weve come to witness with the countrys
most relatable exes. Lovers we love to
emulate turn out to be married couples we
try our best to avoid becoming.
Lets move a little bit further in the
timeline, say a few more decades more,
Ernesto (2014)
fEbruary 2016 ESQuIrE
51
Nonong (2014) and Max (2014)
and what we have is the pitiful couple in

the middle of Nuel Navals The Love Affair
(2015). The film, which capitalizes on the
reignited interest in the erstwhile love team
of Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta, has
the two seasoned movie stars play Vince
and Trisha, whose invaluable marriage
is threatened by the entry of a hopelessly
romantic lady-lawyer who befriends
and later on establishes the titular illicit
affair with Vince. What is most intriguing
about Navals film is how it reiterates
the stereotypical impression of what the
midlife crisis should look like. Trisha is the
wife who is bored out of her wits, leading
her to discover the pleasures of liberating
herself from the clutches of an overbearing

husband by putting up her own craftsreliant business; while Vince, a successful
doctor, busies himself with parasailing and
teasing young professionals with a life of
gratifying abandon.
Unfortunately, The Love Affair is all
lurid fluff. Its impressions of marital
strife is ridden with the conveniences of
lowbrow morality, the type that does not
give characters any room for plausible
personality because everything is dictated
by obvious events that automatically dictate
decisions. Everything that the film exposes
about Vince and Trisha, who are both in
the cusp of age-related frustration, is skin-
deep and far from novel. Middle-aged men

are the likely targets by unimaginative
filmmakers to commit sins against their
marital vows simply because that is what
is expected of men who are still capable
of copulating, when their wives are more
interested in advancing their careers or
saving money for their childrens tuition
fees. Theres Olivia Lamasans The Mistress
(2012), where Ronaldo Valdez plays the
wealthy benefactor of a lovely seamstress.
Theres Joel Lamangans Mister Mo,
Lover Ko (1999), where Eddie Gutierrez is
enamored by a gold-digging lass, played by
Glydel Mercado. Theres also Lino Brockas
Gumapang Ka sa Lusak (1990), where Eddie
Garcias influential mayor traps Dina

Bonnevies character.
Now that we are on the topic of infidelity,
there is one film about mistresses that
exhausts most age groups in terms of
insecurities and self-delegated duties. I
am of course talking about Chito Roos
Etiquette for Mistresses (2015), a film that
finds its inspiration from Jullie YapDazas collection of funny anecdotes
about mistresses. The film has two notable
charactersGeorgia Torres, played by
Kris Aquino; and Chloe Zamora, played by
Claudine Barretto. Lets put this interest in
just another mistress movie in some sort
of perspective. Aquino and Barretto, first
and foremost, are actresses we have seen

grow up on the silver screen. From being
the spritely girlfriend of Rene Requiestas
in Tony Cruz Pido Dida series (1990-1993),
Aquino is now playing the mentor to Kim
Chius Ina del Prado, a young lady who has
been spirited away from her native Cebu
to be the kept partner of the husband of a
promising politician. Barretto, who used to
be the poster girl for true love with films
like Rory B. Quintos Mangarap Ka (1995)
and Olivia Lamasans Got 2 Believe (2002),
is now taking on the role of a woman who
worries that her aging body can no longer
compare with other girls who are itching to
take her place.
More than both the comic and dramatic
expositions that the film has in droves,
Etiquette for Mistresses explores how
women, especially those whose parts of
their lives are dependent on the men they
choose to fall in love with, become subject
to the tyranny of growing old. Actually,
there is another character in the film
whose unfortunate descent to inutility, at
least as regards sexual value, is notable
that is Pilar Pilapils Eliza Castronuevo,
the doting wife whose husband was quietly
stolen by Barrettos Chloe. In placing the
depicted lives of the three women against
each other, the film seems to say that as
soon as these womens bodies betray their
purpose, they are led to either occupying a
role that they did not originally expect or to
completely surrender to the fact that their
business with their men is complete. It is a
sad proposition, one that owes largely to a
culture that edifies men and gives women
paltry excuses for simply living with what
is provided for by fate.
Yes, growing old is a nasty bit of business.
Cinema, our last bastion of hope, is intent
on celebrating youth and depicting old age
as a grave misfortune. There are a few gems
that fetishize the few pleasures of aging,
sure, but the general consensus is that it is
better to be young than to be middle-aged,
and it is better to be middle-aged, than it
is to be old. Rocky succumbs to sickness,
keeping his sagging muscles hidden with
thick layers of clothing. Popoy and Basha
argue about 70-million peso loans, a far
cry from the cute jealousies that used to
intimidate them. As we can see from the
unhealthy parade of mistress movies, men
remain sexually insatiable even in their old
age, forcing them to recruit other women
to keep their desires at bay. Those women
however have bodies with expiration
dates, which urge them to either reinvent
themselves or just accept the fact that they
would have to share their partners out of
sheer biology.
Thankfully, Kidlat Tahimik comes to the
rescue. His final film, Balikbayan #1 Memories
of Overdevelopment Redux III (2015), is
staunchly about aging, and giving up, and
surprisingly, about celebrating it. The seed

of the film is an unfinished business, a
project about the story of Enrique, the first
person to have circumnavigated the globe.
The project was shelved, with only a short
film titled Memories of Overdevelopment
which showcases clips from the planned
film with Kidlat Tahimik narrating what
is supposed to have happened if the film
was actually shot, as evidence. Decades
later and seemingly without any chance
of completing the film as originally
envisioned, Kidlat Tahimik closes the
chapter with a programmed miracle. He
uses whatever he has and films episodes
from the present. The result is a film
that juxtaposes himself, as an optimistic
and promising artist who has an entire
future to explore, and himself, now as an
accomplished artist who has an entire
past to present. Its truly an exhilarating
experience, one that restores, even for a
short period of time, a hope that there can
be happiness still even if our skin ends up
wrinkled, our eyes give up on us, and all
our memories fade.
Truly, film is forever, and pain is
temporary. All it takes is for us to grow
old gracefully when even the films that
are supposed to provide us comfort have
betrayed us for those who are next in line.
Oggs Cruz Is A
FIlm CrItIC And lAwyer
II
On FrIendshIp
The best of friends are those who trade

in memories of a common past as well as
a joint present and a promise to hobble
together into an arthritic future.
clinton palanca
In the year 44 BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero
wrote a portmanteau treatise on Friendship
and Old Age. When the time comes, I will
be able to address the topic of old age, but
for the moment I can comfortably write
about friendship and middle age, especially
how middle age changes our friendships.
Cicero addressed the two topics separately
in his conversation; but there is a reason
why the two topics are bound together.
Friendships, like bones, grow more fragile
as one grows older, when they are brittle
as old china, just as friendships are elastic
and pliant in ones youth. In middle age
they are somewhere in the middle, like a
doughy pizza crust that has been left in the
box overnight.
Forty is the great pivot point. Its the year
53
That Awkward Moment Between Birth and Death (2014)
when things that were cool during ones

20s and reprehensible during ones 30s
becomes unacceptable. Its the year when
one can no longer convincingly pretend to
be what one isnt: more cultured or more
educated or more sophisticated than one
actually is. My copy of Marcel Proust in the
original French is actually just decorative.
By the time one turns 40 one is convinced
that the friends one has will be more or less
the set of friends one will keep for the rest
of ones life.
This is not true, of course. No one has
ever folded up their arms and proclaimed
that they were no long open to making new
friends, like a country declaring a quota
on immigrants. But just as ones likes and
dislikes in food become more static (I will
still give Gorgonzola, durian, and stinky
tofu a chance once in a while, though it
is unlikely my taste buds will suddenly
reverse their verdict), we feel that no new
friend will be able to match the comfortable
companionship that we enjoy with the ones
we have now.
54 E S Q U I R E f E B R U A R y 2 0 1 6
One reason is the sheer length of time

for shared experiences. Friends from
elementary and high school I will have
known for 36 years; we remember who used
to throw up their oatmeal during recess
or who refused to share their pad paper
during quiz time. These are unlikely to be
the basis of firm friendships though, at least
in my case. Its the friends I made during
my time at university that I consider to be
the ones who know me best: depending on
what year I met them in college, well have
known each other for about 20-odd years.
Ive had friends who were straight when I
met them, then turned bisexual, and then
straight again. Some men I knew are now
women. Today, if I were to meet someone
that I really got along with, to equal 20
years worth of shared history wed be in
our 60s, and we could hang out at the taichi class.
We never make friends quite like the
ones we make in our years at university and
our first few years at work, not just because
of the crazy things we did back then but
because its a time in our lives when friends

mean everything to us. This is around the
time we fight with our parents, move out of
the house, take poetry courses rather than
social sciences, wear black, smoke pot, and
denounce God; and we are in search of
family, community, church, creed. We need
someone to listen to death metal or Alanis
Morissette with or light scented candles
and slash our wrists to Sarah McLachlan
with. We need to crash on someones couch
rather than creep back into our parents
house at four in the morning.
More of these friendships than I
am willing to admit were based on
attraction. I speak on behalf of the club
of the forever friendzoned, and every
friend was a potential crush; while from
the point of view of the other side, for
every crush I was a potential friend. Now
gnarled, saggy, amnesiac, the only people
who see fortysomethings as the tight, fit,
clever, attractive young things they were
are the other fortysomethings for whom
first impressions linger on, decades later.
Nothing sounds the death knell

on friendships like the twin embrace
of family and responsibility; the two
generally come on the same train,
though it is perfectly likely that one can
come without the other, or alight at the
same time but from different platforms.
Its difficult to explain to people without
children the tyrannical nature of life on
a school schedule, and why we have to
have dinner at six o clock. Who the hell
eats at six o clock? I used to complain.
Now I know. And I know Im very lucky,
because I have friends without children,
some of whom are my age, some of whom
are a little younger, who might not totally
understand the draconian and relentless
schedule of parenthood but have the
patience to humor me.
In a recent poll, people were asked what
the greatest invention of mankind is. Some
said, predictably, the wheel. Others said the
knife or blade. But a surprising number of
people said it was the Internet. As someone
born before the Internet really existed, its
exciting to think that we were among the
first people to participate in something
that changed human history as much (at
least according to some people) as the
wheel, the knife, or the discovery of fire.
By the Internet I actually mean Facebook,
which has changed forever the nature of
friendship. Its perfectly natural to go to
university, make friends, join a company,
and make friends there, date and have
flings, and then promise to keep in touch,
and so on; but in the past the friends you
made there would be then hidden from
view, fading into the background until
a reunion or unexpected death brings
them back into your life. Facebook means
that friends from all parts of my life get
squished up against each other in weird
ways. And why on earth is my grandmother
a Facebook friend of my pot dealer?
There are friends who weather well
and change with you, both hewn by
circumstance and the passage of time, but
who still fit together, jaggedly so perhaps
but always yet a lock of mind and step. And
there are friends who fall by the wayside,
who go on different paths, and become
people that we would if we met as strangers
hate, but are bound together by memory
and the pull of sentiment; a shared past
but not a shared present. Some friends
turn out to be traitors or absent in time of
need, while others who hitherto remained
in the corner of ones eye come front and
center and are stalwart in ones darkest
hour. The best of friends are those who
trade in memories of a common past as well
as a joint present and a promise to hobble
together into an arthritic future.
The most unexpected of gifts must surely
be the autumn friend, the one you didnt
know you needed. Not to be confused with
the nymphet who comes along to defrost a

frozen soul, the May-September girl, the
aging mans folly; these are quite common.
Far more uncommon is making new
friends when one feels ones life is far too
full, replete with tasks and to-dos, school
runs and aging parents, but slot into life not
as nagging chores but welcome reprieves:
like the chocolate souffle that you didnt
know you wanted. At this age most of the
friends we make are actually contacts:
either people with whom a relationship is
mutually beneficial, or are stepping-stones
to a career goal or social aspiration. My
daughter, who just turned six, only sees
other children as friends or not friends,
although among her friends there is a
hierarchy, of course, of her best friend,
whose slot is already taken, but the position
of second-best friend is up for grabs.
Old people can be silly. They send their
life savings to Nigerian bankers, they video
chat for hours with the camera pointed
at a spot on the wall behind them, they
buy weird gadgets off the home shopping
network. But in the other half of their life
between 40 and old age theyve learned
to unlearn all the defenses we build up,
making 40 such a lonely, paranoid, trepid
age: theyve learned to make friends the
way that children do, without heed to
whether they will be deleterious to social
standing or useful for work down the line.
Trust is a luxury that children and the aged
have in common, that is scarce in middle
age, and the lack of which is the greatest
impediment to new friendships.
Trust is not a commodity that middle
age encourages. This is the time that we
must protect our young against predators,
and are entrusted with the care of our
aged, unlike children who have everything
to gain and the old who have nothing left
to lose. It tests existing friendships and
makes new ones fraught and limited to
the functional. Even good conversation
becomes just another commodity in the
market of interpersonal exchange; gone are
the soul sisters and spiritual brothers
we deemed our friends when we were in
our 20s, although those who had earned
that moniker might still retain the title
and a coveted place in our hearts, even if,
of late, they sometimes disappoint. But
membership to that club of closeness has
been suspended.
What a bleak time for friendship is
middle age, if we let this be true. The time
when we reject new friends is a time when
we need them the most. The time will soon
come to write my own treatise on friendship
and old age, when old friendships will be
brittle and newly made ones, necessarily,
ephemeral and temporary. What a shame
it would be if the intervening years were
bereft of fresh ones, or we let the intensity
of those made in youth and the inertia of
their camaraderie occlude the possibility

of the new.
Clinton PalanCa is a Writer
and CritiC
III
In the MIddle
But perhaps thats part of the reason for

all this anxiety surrounding midlife
its that our expectations are set by our
younger selves.
Kristine Fonacier
1. F*ck Forty
The dread of the big four-oh set in just a
few years after I passed the big three-oh.
I began counting down to 40 on my 34th
birthday, mainly because I was so far away
from home (I was literally in the jungle, in
the deep rainforests of South America) and
because the lovely Amerindian people who
were our hosts decided to celebrate the
foreigners birthday with a cake upon which
they placed as many candles as they could
findwhich, surprisingly considering our
remote location, was a lot of candles. If I
could pinpoint a time when it dawned on me
that I could no longer qualified as young,
being in the middle of nowhere and blowing
out the worlds best-lit birthday cake was it.
And so there began the terrifying
countdown to midlife, which seemed like a
second, and far less fun, adolescence, as my
body began to undergo sudden and alarming
changes that I didnt understand. Like the
growth spurts and body odor of our teens,
the body likes to surprise you with overnight
changes as you approach your 40s: you
wake up one morning to notice that your
temples are graying, that your gums have
receded, that your face has begun to migrate
towards the floor. Or at least youd notice it
if you hadnt also become half-blind between
bedtime and breakfast. (No ones exempt:
See, for example, Leonardo DiCaprio, who
had kept the face and figure of his 12-yearold self for three decades, take on a midlife
bloat these past couple of years.)
There are a couple of things you should
know about the loss of your youth, an older
friend had once cautioned me. The first thing
is that you dont feel any different inside, she
said, which really sucks when you recognize
the way that your brain is still happily
hovering around age 27, but your body has
kept marching militantly towards the future.
The second thing, she said, is how fast it all
happens. You kind of think of age as something
that creeps up stealthily and clumsily on you,
like traditional zombies; when its more like
the new-model rage zombies that appear one
day on the far horizon and then bear down
55
on you in a matter of minutes. Its a tsunami,

not a plague.
And, as in any natural disasters, theres
no time to pack up your things, no time
to strategize. There is no time: no time to
make an accounting of whats important,
no time to change, no time to do the things
you didnt do. As one of my peers realized
one day: You know, Im never going to be
an astronaut. (Hell, we dont even have
time to become doctors.)
You had better like where you are now,
because thats what youre stuck with, buddy.
2. In Defense of Contentment
The initial panic passes.
Is that panic what they call the midlife
crisis? When you get over it, you may
realize that the banality of it all is perhaps
the most difficult thing to take about the
so-called crisis. Everything is survivable.
The classic midlife-crisis epiphany is that
half your life has passed, and that you have
more yesterdays than tomorrows (midlife
is a great time for clichs); its the catalyst
for all that panic. But that epiphany soon
enough turns on its head.
I was thinking back over the mess
that my life had been so far, counting the
lost decades, the lost friends, the broken
relationships; I was taking inventory of all
the mistakes Id made that had led me so far
astray from the path I thought I was going
to take. Where the hell had I ended up?
How could I have gotten so lost?
And then I looked around and thought:
Thank god.
Life is the sum total of all your choices,
and by the time you hit 40, youve made most
of the big ones: career, marriage and children
(or not), where to live, where to entrust your
loyalties, who to be. Not all of these choices
are painless or wise, which to a younger self
may feel like failure. But perhaps thats part
of the reason for all this anxiety surrounding
midlifeits that our expectations are set by
our younger selves. We look into the future
as nave apprentice humans, and we have
certain ideas about where were going to end
up and how were going to get there. But, as
creatures who only know pain as an abstract
concept, we actively thought to avoid any
real experience of pain.
Time ticks by; we grow older. Before
we know it, too much time has passed and
weve missed the chance to have other
people hurt us, wrote Douglas Coupland,
who remains my favorite Gen-X chronicler,
20 years after he popularized the term. To
a younger me this sounded like luck; to an
older me this sounds like quite a tragedy.
The singular kind of contentment that can
only come from age is born partly out of
being able to look back into a long and notparticularly-well-lived life; to think about
how youve managed to create a glorious
mess, and how youve survived it.
Hilda (2014)
I reconnected with an old friend whom

I hadnt seen since high school (and here I
put the word in quotation marks not to be
sly, but because I find it especially amusing
that we talk about friendships in the same
manner we address networks; its especially
funny in this case because this friendship
existed solely on Instagram), who, in a
moment of vulnerability, confessed that
she had fallen out of touch with all of us
because shed had a child early. Her life had
been swallowed up by responsibility since
thenby marriage, by the corporate career,
by family, by all the mundane matters that
take over our lives. How lucky I was, she
said, comparing: Id gotten to do things,
like celebrate birthdays with the local tribes
of the South American jungle.
One of the defining characteristics
of Gen X is supposedly that we value
having options more than we value the
decisions themselves, which means that
our generation may always view the grass
as being especially greener wherever were
not. So, from where I stand, her life looks

like something to envy. I see the children
I didnt have, the relationships Id left, the
safety nets I didnt get to build. Why would
you trade having all those things for a
birthday with strangers, I asked? Especially
strangers who like to overestimate your age
and load your birthday cake with candles.
I think the time comes when you make
peace with your choices and realize that
most choices arent good or bad; theyre just
choices. When youre younger, pain comes
as a surprise, and the choices that have led
to it are deemed bad. When youre older
and have the worst behind you, nothing
ever quite takes you by surprise again, and
youre less likely to judge, and more willing
to accept the consequences of your lifes
choices and the person it has made you.
Kristine Fonacier is the
editor-in-chieF oF
esquire PhiliPPines
BREW CODE
YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK, DOWN TO THE

BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE. WHICH OF SAN
MIGUELS LIFESTYLE BREWS BEST REFLECTS YOUR
TASTES AND SENSIBILITIES?
THE TASTEMAKER
There is no greater power than
inuenceand this man has it in spades.
Hes imbued with an inexplicable charisma
and an uncanny knack for foresight for
trends and culture. Hes sharp, intelligent,
and magnetic. He is a man of ideas, of
concepts, of creativitya connoissseur of
everything. Hes your popular friend, who
right now is across the bar, talking to a
beautiful woman. Hes the guy with more
followers on Instagram than anyone else
you know personallyand yet who doesnt
seem to care about social media at all. Hes
the tastemaker: an inuencer, an opinion
leader who always nishes his bottle of
San Miguel Super Dry before discretely
excusing himself from the party.
They say you can tell a lot about a man

by his choice of drink. These days, it could
pass as an element of a rst impression.
Step into a bar and youre more than likely
to be greeted by any number of different
drinks: beer, cocktails, shots, and whatever
else kids get creative with these days. But
there remains wisdom in the notion: the
drink in your hand can, to an extent, reveal
something of your character, dene a part
of who you are.
Is your palate partial to full, strong
avors? Perhaps it speaks to an assertive
nature about you. Do you opt for the exotic

drinks that push the boundaries of avor?
It could mean that youre the adventurous
type in more ways than one. Or do you
prefer to indulge in sweeter, smoother
drinks with a fruity after taste, as someone
with a pleasant personality and a creative
mind would? Every drink is different,
just as every drinker is; and the brews
and mixes are endless. Take some time to
examine what youre drinking, and you just
might learn more about yourself and your
friends than you would expect.
EXAMINE WHAT
YOURE DRINKING,
AND YOU MIGHT
LEARN MORE
ABOUT YOURSELF
THAN YOU WOULD
EXPECT
A special drying process
makes San Miguel Super Dry a
brilliant light amber lager with
strong, aromatic hop notes and
avors that give off a dry taste
and an elegant, quick nish.
Its clean, crisp hoppy avors
instantly make this brew the
absolute beer of choice for beer
connoisseurs and those who
simply want to sit back and
relax after a fullling day.
THE VOYAGER
Cerveza Negra is
a full-bodied dark
lager with rich
caramel tones made
from roasted pilsen
malt and other top
quality ingredients.
The right balance
of bitterness and
sweetness, and a
creamy, frothy head
entice drinkers to
bask in its unique
avors. This bold,
dark brew brims
with the sweet taste
of roasted malt, and
invites only those
who are as bold
and daring.
Ever in pursuit of more, of greater,

and of further, this man is cursed with
an insatiable lust for life. He is a man
of the world; bold, more than anything,
adventurous beyond reason. He is the
voyager: the well-traveled explorer whose
middle name is probably danger, if it isnt
fun. His exploits are borderline hedonistic;
his tastes can err on the eccentric. He is the
explorer that we all want to be, but whose
life we arent ready to live.
The voyager is all about pushing
boundaries and exploring uncharted
territories. His choice of drinkof anything,
reallyis often unique and unconventional.
Thats why he chooses Cerveza Negra.
THE PURIST
Dont fix what isnt broken. It isnt a
new addage, but it holds true for many
things. No one knows this better than
the Purist. Hes the kind of man who
puts tradition, heritage, and originality
on a pedestal. He is driven not by an
aversion to the contemporary, but
rather a resistance to mediocrity. His
tastes are keen to distill everything
down to its purest form, its original
formwhether its his preference for
vinyl over streaming, his distaste for
quartz movements, or his penchant for
selvedge denim. While he is certainly
prone to sentiment and nostalgia, the
Purist is always on vigilant watch for
quality and true value. He nds that in
Kirin Ichiban.
Kirin Ichiban is made

from 100% malt and is
brewed using the Ichiban
shibori processa unique
method of brewing
that uses only the most
avorful portion of the
nest ingredients.
THE SHOT CALLER

The view from the top is glorious, so
you climb with indomitable passion. The
world is yours for the taking; your life is
yours to determine. Youre a born leader
not just of others, but of yourselfand
lead you will. You call the shots.
Men with a taste for the ner things in
life are shot callers by necessity. They are
men who live by standards of themselves
and of the world around them. Their
penchant for luxury must be matched by
decisiveness and uncompromising will;
by success, and nothing less. Every extra
hour spent hard at work, every leap of
faith, and every sacrice is, without a
doubt, worth the reward.
They are the men who go on to become
the executives of the world, the statesmen,
the calculating achievers, the captains
that pick a direction and steer. But for
the weighty cross they bear, they are
rewarded with wealth, with opulence, and
most importantly, with accomplishment.
For the accomplished shot caller, a bottle
of San Miguel Premium All Malt awaits at
home after a hard day at work.
SAN MIGUEL LIFESTYLE BREWS ARE SAN MIGUELS FINEST BEERS, CRAFTED
WITH THE FINEST INGREDIENTS AND BREWED IN SMALL BATCHES.
San Miguel Premium

All Malt has a malty
aroma and pleasant
hop notes, which come
from a harmonious
blend of hops and
carefully selected
pilsen malt. The
result is a smooth,
full-avored, slightly
sweetish, golden,
premium lager with
balanced bitterness
and an elegant after
taste. This brew is
truly meant for those
who enjoy the ner
things in life.
How
Not to
Fun fact number one: Half of all men who die in this country this year
will be killed by heart disease, stroke, or cancer.
Fun fact number two: Half of all doctors seem to have different ideas
about how to prevent the biggest killers of men. We spoke to the best of
them, and over the following pages, we simplify, clarify, and prioritize
their advice on minimizing the risks of dying before your time.
illustration by paul sahre
anD IntroDuCInG: the esquIre antI-Death panel

Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness
officer at the Cleveland Clinic and
author of This Is Your Do-Over: The
7 Secrets to Losing Weight, Living
Longer, and Getting a Second Chance
at the Life You Want
Dr. Steven Kaplan, director of benign

urologic disease at Mount sinai
health system
Dr. Donald Hensrud, director of

the healthy living program at the
Mayo Clinic
Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, assistant

professor of medicine at Johns
hopkins school of Medicine
Dr. Mark Litwin, chair of the

department of urology at the David
Geffen school of Medicine at uCla
*or your money back, guaranteed! (Kidding.)

61
tHe
Supplemented life
There are the 65,000 vitamins and supplements that cost Americans billions of dollars
every year, most of which science tells us we dont really need. Then there are these eight pills, which,
if taken every day, help combat the biggest killers of men.
the
kiLLerS
heart disease
stroke
Lung cancer
p r o s tat e c a n c e r
tHe
multivitamin
CalCium
and magnesium
Why: Its been shown to reduce the risk of
Why: Optimize colon function.

daily dose: One pill of each, for 600 mg of cal-
cancer in men over the age of 50. For men

under 50, it enhances organ function and
optimizes cell repair.
daily dose: One pill, half with breakfast and half
with dinner, to optimize absorption and maintain steady levels in your bloodstream. For maximum effect, an older-guy make like Centrum
Silver has higher amounts of the most impactful vitamins and minerals.
coLon cancer
some Fiber
Why: Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, low-
cium and 400 of magnesium.
ers risk of heart disease.

daily dose: Ten grams, however you get it.
prevents:
prevents:
W h at
to
Skip
prevents:
vitamin d 3
Why: Twenty to 50 percent of Americans have
baby
aspirin
Why: Thins the blood, prevents clotting, and
protects against arterial disease and strokes.
Also decreases risk of six cancers, including
colon and prostate.
daily dose: Two tablets, at night, with warm
water. There can be risksaspirin can affect the
bodys platelet function, making your bleeding
time longer; it can also irritate your stomach
so as an alternative, consider lumbrokinase,
an all-natural supplement that prevents clots
without many of aspirins side effects.
prevents:
suboptimal levels of vitamin D, with those deficiencies linked to increased overall mortality.
daily dose: One pill that contains 1,000 IUs.
prevents:
C o M M o nS e n S e L i f e S av e r
More sex.
The more orgasms a man
hasthrough either
intercourse or masturbationthe lower his risk
of prostate cancer,
says Roizen.
Heavy-dose
antioxidant
supplements
Vitamin E in large doses may be associated
with increased cardiovascular mortality, says
Hensrud. Beta-carotene in large doses is tied
to an increased risk of lung cancer. The trick is
that foods that contain these antioxidants are
beneficial, but not large-dose supplements.
FisH-oil pills
New data on fish-oil and omega-3 supplements
show they dont give any substantial benefits
to health, says Hensrud. To get omega-3 fatty acids and help protect against heart disease,
add two servings a week of fish to your diet.
You cant just pop a pill to get what you need.
25/25/50:
The Just-Enough
Guide to
Death-Defying
Fitness
exeRCISe pROTeCTS AgAInST
CARdIOvASCulAR dISeASe, SAYS
HenSRud. IT HelpS lOWeR YOuR
BlOOd pReSSuRe, WHICH IS RelATed
TO STROke. And STudIeS HAve SHOWn
peOple WHO exeRCISe HAve A lOWeR
RATe Of COlOn CAnCeR. HeReS THe
BARe MInIMuM TO ReAp THe BenefITS.
25%
25%
Resistance
traininganything
from push-ups to
free weights to
bands. Twenty
minutes, twice
a week.
Cardioranging
from sports
(basketball, racket
sports) to running,
biking, etc. Twenty
minutes, three
times a week.
whAT To e AT
The AnTi-inflAmmATion DieT

Eat less food, eat better food, eat like a caveman:
There are all different kinds of ways to lose weight. This one
is about preventing disease.
t h i s pa g e : i l l u s t r at i o n b y pa u l s a h r e ; o p p o s i t e : i l l u s t r at i o n s b y h o l ly e x l e y
F i r s t, a d e F i n i t i o n: inflammation is the result of your own immune system attacking
50%
Half of the health benefits from exercise
come from doing any physical activity,
says Roizen. Walk 10,000 steps daily8,000
doesnt give as many good benefits, while
12,000 doesnt give any more benefits.
Plus: Forty jumps a day, which can be jump
rope or jumping jacks.
your tissues, usually in hopes of getting rid of a foreign invader, explains roizen. it diverts
your immune system from dealing with serious invaders like cancer, and inflammation in your
existing arterial plaque can lead to a stroke or heart attack. inflammation is the enemy, and
when you eat to prevent inflammation, youre eating to restore your bodys natural diseasefighting mechanisms.
an anti-inflammation diet is basically veganno milk, no eggs, no butter or cheeseexcept
youre allowed salmon, ocean trout, and a little chicken a few times a week. (red meat is
especially prohibited because it alters the bacteria in your body to produce inflammation, says
roizen.) its heavy on fruits and vegetables, as much and as often as you can, with bonus points
for colorful ones (greens, reds, yellows) that are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants;
a couple servings a day of whole grains like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal;
and a handful of nuts, for an afternoon snack, since they decrease the risk of heart disease.
Eat Less, Live Longer. Maybe.
ouve probably heard of the calorie-restriction diet:

You eat at least 30 percent fewer calories than normal
humans, about 1,750 instead of 2,500 for an adult
male. If you keep yourself on the verge of starvation,
CR devotees claim, you can extend your life span past 100
years, perhaps 120. (The theory is that the body switches into
an emergency defensive state and slows your metabolism,
producing fewer cell-damaging free radicals.)
A few years ago, I tried the CR diet for a book I was writing
about health. I spent hours a week filling in spreadsheets with
apple calories, weighing food, and watching friends eat. I was
perpetually hangry, though CR fans say that you get used to it.
In fact, you start to love it. You feel energized. I literally get high
from it, said one CR expert I visited.
So does CR work? Well, Im still alive, so I guess thats one

data point. And there actually is some science to support it.
In a Cornell study back in 1934, researchers doubled the life
spans of mice with extremely low-calorie diets. Similar studies
have postponed death in worms and spiders. But in primates,
the evidence is far from conclusive. Monkey studies have been
contradictory. There have been promising studies in humans
that show a reduction in diabetes and clogged arteries among
practitioners. But so far, we lack rigorous long-term studies about
extended life span.
The general idea is right. Its probably good to eat less than
we do now. American portions are embarrassingly big. But as
for radical measures? I prefer to risk dying before a hundred and
splurge on the sporadic curly cheese fry.
A.J. JACOBS
feBRuARY 2016 eSQuIRe
63
The
Streamlined
Checkup
5
2
4
Men in their 30s

should go to the
doctor for a
physical three tiMes
a decade; in their
forties, four tiMes a
decade; fifties, five
tiMes a decade. these
are the tests that
need running.
recommended
daily
allowances
We know, we know: everything
in moderation.
But how much of the below can we have
without causing damage?
1
BuTTer
RDA: About one tablespoon (or an eighth of a stick) a

day. Even though recent studies found no evidence linking butter to higher incidence of heart disease, most
doctors still advise moderation.
2
eggS
Cholesterol
Why: heart attacks and

strokes. you want to see
your hdl over 50; anything
lower could be a red flag.
for both triglycerides and
ldl, you want to keep
things under 100.
When to check it: every
five years.
Blood pressure
Why: heart attacks and

strokes. Keep it around
115/75.
time.
Blood glucose
Why: diabetes, which

is one of the major risk
factors for heart disease.
three years, starting when

youre 45.
Colonoscopy
Why: colon cancer.

When to do it: every
10 years, starting when
youre 50. (unless you
have parent or sibling
family history, in which
case start at 40.) after an
initial colonoscopy, you
may be able to skip future
ones and instead get a
prescription for
noninvasive cologuard
every three years. its
an fda-approved coloncancer screening test
where you collect your
stool at home and it looks for
dna changes and blood,
says hensrud.
PSA
(prostate-specific
antigen) and DRE
(digital rectal
exam)
Why: prostate cancer is

the most common cancer
in men in the u.s, says
litwin, and anything
above four on your
psa might be cause for
concern. about that
might: psa tests are
increasingly considered
unreliable because
of their rates of false
positives and negatives.
however, they remain
the best and most widely
RDA: About one a day (but no more than six a week).

Also: Poached and boiled eggs are better for you than
scrambled and fried.
3
Marijuana
RDA: One joint a day; studies show anything more

could lead to respiratory problems.
4
red MeaT
RDA: You shouldnt be eating red meat every day; instead, limit yourself to 18 ounces of lean, unprocessed
red meat a week. (Processed meats like sausage, bacon,
and salami have been linked to all kinds of ailments and
should be avoided.)
5
C o m m o nS E n S E L i f E S Av E R
Chill the f*ck out.
Unmanaged stress increases your
risk of heart disease, stroke, all
cancers, and type-two diabetes,
says Roizen. Ten minutes of
meditation every day via apps like
Headspace and Calm; acupuncture;
sex. Anything that clears your head
and takes the edge off will help lower
your blood pressure and reduce
inflammation.
Coffee
RDA: Five 8-ounce cups of filtered coffee a day. (Thats

filtered. Unfiltered coffees like espresso are oilier and
have been associated with raising cholesterol.)
The Thing We All Worry About But Probably Wont Die From
he brain aneurysm has a reputation as lethal, stealthy, and ubiquitous, and yet it is not really any
of those things. only 30,000 americans each year have a brain aneurysm rupture (compare that
with 735,000 heart attacks each year), and 35 percent of them survive it beyond six months. a
brain aneurysm is caused by an abnormality in a blood vessel that someone may have had since birth,
says gudzune. and since doctors cant really prevent them from originating, they can only diagnose
and treat them. if you have a connective-tissue disorder, circulatory problems, or a history of head
trauma, talk to your doctor about whether you should be screened. otherwise, worry not.
64 e s Q u i r e f e B r u a r y 2 0 1 6
accessible method for

early cancer detection,
so until a replacement is
available to the masses,
the psa (and the good
old-fashioned finger
exam) it is.
When to do them: every
five years, starting at
50. (unless you have
parent or sibling family
history, in which case
start at 40.)
W h At
to
SKiP
EKG
an eKg is a very, very

poor screening test
for heart disease, says
hensrud. instead, you
could ask your doctor
for a stress test, which
involves intense exercise
under supervision. But
according to hensrud,
its only recommended
if someone is starting an
exercise program and
has a lot of risk factors for
heart disease: overweight,
in his fifties or sixties, with
high cholesterol and high
blood pressure.
At-home
genetic testing
it seems like a pretty great

tool: spit in a tube, send it
away to a lab, and in four
to six weeks youll know
what potential diseases
lurk in your genetic
makeup. however, genes
are only half the picture,
if that. right now theres
not a great genetic test
out there to tell someone
their risk for these top
killers, says amber
volk, a certified genetic
counselor in Minneapolis.
the direct-to-consumer
genetic tests say what
your genetic factors
are, and we can further
predict if someone has an
increased or decreased
risk for a certain health
problem. But there is no
genetic testing that will
tell you a yes or no answer
about whether you will
get a disease or not, since
lifestyle factors like diet
and exercise can also play
a role.
THE SOPHISTICATED MANS HANDBOOK

TO MATTERS OF SOCIETY, STYLE
& CULTURE.
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App now!
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the Case
FOr
FaDInG
Arent rock stArs supposed

to live fAst And burn out
spectAculArly? these guys did
not get the memo.
By kristine fonacier
photographs By sonny thakur
It wa sn t
j ust t h e
music .
I t wa s n e v e r j u s t t h e m u s I C .
away
Well, it was partly about the music: the songs

spoke to our collective hopes and our secret
fears; they played in the background to the most
significant moments of our lives. What we listened
to also taught us how to behave, how to dress, how
to move, what to believe. Our music places us in time
and marks us as part of a generationwe think of
our music, made by our bands, even if rock might
touch on the same larger themes of subversion and
rebellion throughout the years.
And so it was always as much about the musician
as it was about the music. They were the gods of
the stage who represented our aspirations about
ourselves even as they embodied our overweening
id. Confident, brash, sexy, cool, they were all that
we hoped we could be, all that we knew we werent
capable of becoming. We watched Karl Roy, all
thinness and tattoos, strut across a crowded stage
and hold a crowd entranced. We smelled of the smoke
of furtively lit cigarettes when we came home from
the bars where we watched Wolfgang and Razorback
hold giggling college girls and rebellious young men
equally in thrall. We cheered on the Eraserheads
as the impossibly talented boys-next-door as they
became celebrities without having to change out of
their T-shirts.
It wasnt just that they were making the music
that played during our youth; it isnt even that the
music defined our youth. Its that they were our
youth. Musicians have always stood as avatars for
our youthful selves, and so we count on our rock
stars to stay young, to keep on being our lifeline
to youthfulness.
67
Th e in ev iTa ble
h a p p e n s
a n d e v e ry b ody, e v e n ou r ic ons ,
grow u p a n d
grow ol der .
(What does that mean for the rest of us?) Bowie died still cool and still making music,
but he was one of the lucky ones. The classic rock-star trajectory always just seemed to
end in flaming out early (Cobain) or aging ungracefully (Axl Rose).
But somewhere along the way, a third option: even as each of its members got
haircuts, Pearl Jam became the elder statesmen of rock. Anthony Kiedis allowed
himself to be photographed horsing around with his children, and it was good. The
singular contentment that comes from being able to look back at a long career suits
rock stars, it turns out. Having families, settling down, finding day jobs: Sometimes its
good for music. Its certainly good for some musicians.
This is where we found them, in the peaceful plateau of midlife. Marriage and
children are a recurring theme; the coincident downturn of the music industry after
the early 2000s might have also forced their hand, as even rock stars found that there
was no shame in a sensible day job.
It may not sounded so rock n roll of them to settle down, but being grounded has turned out
to be surprisingly liberating. When you dont depend on the music to make a living, youre
free to do what you want, says Tirso Ripoll with a small laugh.
As it happens, with age comes settling down, coming to terms with demons, making
peace with oneself, finding compromise and balance: Sometimes getting older isnt
such a bad thing.
Tirso ripoll,
guItarISt for
razorback and
general manager
for tabaQuerIa
de PIlIPInaS, Inc.;
the band IS In
the ProceSS of
releaSIng an
acouStIc album
to mark theIr 25 th
annIverSary
69
Manuel legarda, guItarISt for Wolfgang and

razorback, compoSer, Sound engIneer, and
co-founder of loudbox StudIoS; Kevin roy, vocalISt
for razorback, gap, and the currently InactIve loQuy;
currently playIng regularly In clubS In metro manIla
71
[oppoSIte page] Zach Lucero, guItarISt for Imago, drummer for humanfolk, programmIng dIrector of radIo republIc.
Jett Pangan, vocalISt for the dawn, Stage and televISIon actor, hoSt of myxlIve (photographed wIth hIS daughter, erIka)
73
P l a i n
A n g e l
Sarge Lacuesta talks to Angel Aquino
about growing up ugly, aging fearlessly,
and her favorite four-letter word.
PhotograPhs by josePh Pascual
february 2016 ESQUIRE
75
At seventeen, Angel Aquino was discovered by a production

designer while she was loitering at an out-of-the-way mall. No
one goes there, she said. Youve never heard of it. She tells me
the name of the mall and I pretend to have heard of it, and that the
story of her discovery is unique.
She tells me that she grew up an ugly girl, a plain Jane. I was the
dark-skinned one. I had unruly hair. Bata pa lang ako, I was always
toldyoure not that pretty. The ugly duckling-turned-swanits
not an uncommon backstory, either. And neither is the label so
often lazily attached to her, along with the kind of posed headshot
models like her were famous for in the 90s. Model-turned-actress:
the epithet invoking some form of split, of struggle, external
and internal, from one end of the crazy celebrity-slash-society
spectrum to another.
Today she is at both ends. In the morning she was at a Shengen
visa interview at the German Embassy in preparation for an
upcoming trip to represent Ang Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, her latest
film, which screens in competition at the Berlinale. And then,
while waiting for our appointment, she killed time at her favorite
hairdresser, coming out of it looking remarkably untouched, and
untouchable, so that the mothers and matrons at the mall cant
help but look at herhair achingly perfect, cheekbones improbably
high, cheeks flush with impossibly youthful metabolism.
She remembers her first film, Butch Perezs Mumbaki. The first
time Butch Perez spoke to me about it, I was pregnant with my
second child. When they started filming, Thea was almost a year
old already. It was a small role but it was also close to my heart
because it was in the mountains. I was so scared that I would be
sent hometheyd find out I couldnt act.
At that time, she was living in Baguio with her husband and
two children. She had gotten married while attending college, the
consequence of a teenage pregnancy. The marriage ended 10 years
later. She singlehandedly brought up two daughters with modeling
money and showbiz money.
I never make long-term plans, she saysits a de rigeur
statement in these parts and just as wellbut she has dreams: one
of them is to live in Europe, to go to market on a bike, in a summer
dress. Perhaps this is a connection to her youth, and at the same
time an escape from itwhen she was young she tagged along to
Farmers Market every Sunday with her father, where he would
pick the ingredients for the weekend family meal. He would
choose the chickens with eggs inside thempregnant chickens!
Both are ordinary instances, to be sure, but look at her: picture
this particular woman pedalling hard in a dress, imagine the
threateningly beautiful gamine in the kitchen, degutting an animal.
She is 42 now, and perches comfortably in the middle of
effortless and composed, accomplished and promising. She looks
easily 20 years younger, but wears a grownup luxury watch on her
wrist; shes won serious awards for her acting, but wont say no to
non-studio films.
By now shes unguarded enough to confide a particularly
hair-raising personal tragedy. She gives gravid detailsparang
comics, na horror story, na parang pelikula!and attempts to give
the episode some perspective, as though shed been watching a
teleserye herself, with its own kontrabida, and is thankful for the
time that has passed that now allows her to make light of it.
Theres no trace of darkness in her humor, no remorse coming
from her end of the table. She is 42, after all. What comes is the
St y l I n g r i a c a s c o H a I r c at s d e l r o s a r i o m a k e u p a p p l e fa r ao n S H ot o n lo c at I o n at a r t e d e a z i lo n
jumpsuit, miss selfridge ;

headscarf, st ylists own
77
oversized knit sweater, H&M
bra , Marks & spencer; leatHer skirt, topsHop;

patent sandals, cHarles & keitH
kind of authenticity and fullness of manner that comes with having

everything a real person should have by a certain age: celebrated
accomplishments, tantalizing secrets, brief dark episodes, and a
sense of humor: If I didnt have to go through all that, ang baduy
naman!
Do you feel like youre in midlife?
Im starting to feel it, she answers, after some thought. She
laments the self-consciousness and the necessary vanity. She
confesses stretch marks and unsightly breasts.
The candor, of course, is part of the entitlement that comes with
her age. Of course it gives you a sense of authority, she admits.
Now everyone is younger than me.
But Angel was always more comfortable being with someone
younger. Ive never been with an older person. For some reason I
feel theyre going to control me.
She adds: Im not with anyone now. I enjoy hanging out more
than going out on a date, she says. Shes unattached again, and the
idea of going to Europe thrills her.
Maybe Ill meet a man, she says, half-jokingly. Or a woman!
That excitement, borne on a midlife recklessness, is genuine, but
shes never really hooked up with anyone the way younger people
do today. At most, a kiss: Kissing! Its something I can recklessly
give away!
The disclaimer quickly follows, unnecessary but emphatic: to
people I want to give it to.
Its part of this age, too, the embrace of ones own authority and
the rejection of it in others, the give-and-take-back, the open secret
kept secret.
I enjoy being a woman. I enjoy my body. You know what word I
find great? Cunt.
I keep my silence, but the word spells itself out in my head.
Isnt it? she exclaims. Its strong, bold, unapologetic!
She claps a hand on her mouthmaybe too much has been said.
Theres playful remorse now, and embarrassment, which she also
attaches to certain memories: filching money from her fathers
wallet when she was a child, buying porn at one of her modeling
trips to Tokyoit was animeat least dito walang na-e-exploit!
Embarrassed over being embarrassed, remorseful over the most
unremarkable thingsa generational quirk, I offer. She offers
to pay the bill. Times uptheres still the rest of the living day,
and were almost past the middle of it. Shes neither model nor
actress now, just another mother picking up a daughter at school,
the head of a household, the family decision-maker, the common
homemaker. Just dont look at her.
79
in dub
we
trust
How a split-screen love story aroused a nation, broke global
social media records, and beat Manny Pacquiaos TV ratings
heres our attempt at a cogent explanation of the indelible force
that is AlDub.
by kara ortiga
PhotograPhs by francisco guerrero
St yling for maine by liz uy and danae

diPon of st ylized studio (on maine ) top
by balenciaga , trouSerS by reiSS,
ShoeS by alexander wang
81
(on maine ) dress by patt y ang,

jewelry from denovo
ts a balmy January noon when

a bouncer leads me through the
Eat Bulaga studio in Broadway
Centrum, pulling a chair out for me in the
front row next to five matrons pouting in
their best shades of ruby lipstick, a chatty
23-year-old with her sister, and a group of
girls from an AlDub (Bicol Chapter) fan
club. Anak ni Vic Sotto, the bouncer jokes
to the ladies, some of whom were in line
since 6 a.m. to get in, so I can understand
why no one seems overtly amused. The
show begins with a spectacle of lights,
blaring music, and gymnastics; dancers in
midriffs and short skirts with their partner
mestizo pretty boys coerce us to dance.
Kung andito ka, kailangan energy talaga,
screams the jumping, enthused girl, beside
me. Fans frantically wave their AlDub

tarpaulins, hoping the cameraman decides
to pan left. And when Alden Richards
hops onstage in all his perfect snowy
white complexion and deep-dimpled (not
pimpled) glory, he is hailed like a demigod.
When Maine Mendoza arrives at our

shoot, she is three hours late, scurrying
in with her entourage of about half a dozen
people, and thereafter shuffling quickly to
the dressing room to get made up by her
choice glam team. Were sorry were late,
says Maines handler. Do you have a vodka
Sprite? asks Maines floor director when I
offer a drink. Shes a little uncomfortable
in the dress, says Maines stylist. Im given
ample time to talk to everyone associated

with Maine, except Maine herself. And
when she finally steps out to the studio
floor where we hurriedly beckon her
because times a-tickin, she hardly says
anything at all. Her smile cannot hide
exhaustion, and her face shows the most
signs of iteyes droopy, skin sagging in
some places, the result of the wear and tear
from early call times, overdone makeup,
and late night wrap-ups.
The phenomenon blindsided us all.

Before all this, Maine was a 20-year-old
waiting for a spot as a flight attendant to
open up. In her downtime, she noodled
around with Dubsmash, an app that allows
st yling for jose , wally and paolo by

anton miranda aSSIStEd by
dominique dy and johana que
(on jose and paolo) suit by ring jacket,
shirt by avino, necktie by tie your tie ,
pocket square by simonot-goddard,
shoes by carmina shoemaker ; (on
wally) suit by tio, shirt by dolce &
gabbana , necktie by drakes at signet,
pocket square by simonot-goddard,
shoes by carmina shoemaker
users to record themselves lip-syncing

to popular soundbites: she could do an
uncanny impersonation of Kris Aquino, it
turned out. So much so that her Dubsmash
compilations garnered a million views
within 24 hours.
It was viral, sure, but not unusual. The
realm of viral videos nowadays is vast: cats
scared shitless by cucumbers, talented
commoners belting karaoke songs at
the mall. Lots of other people made the
social media rounds with their own Kris
Aquino Dubsmashes. But it was obvious
that there was a stunning quality to Maine
Mendozas understated beauty; there was
an undeniable star quality to the girl.
When Eat Bulaga thought of tapping her
to be on the show, senior vice president
for creatives and operations, Jenny Ferre,

discovered one glitchMaine could
lip-sync, all rightbut that was about all
she could do. In a YES! Magazine article
published last October, Jenny recalls their
interview:
JENNY: Do you dance?
MAINE: Hindi po.
JENNY: Do you sing?
MAINE: Hindi po.
JENNY: Ano yung ginagawa mo?
MAINE: Dubsmash.
But Eat Bulaga only needed a bit player
anyway, a fresh element to play off the
veteran comedians Jose Manalo, Wally
Bayona, and Paolo Ballesteros, who had
fEbRUaRy 2016 ESQUIRE
83
top by balenciaga , trousers by

sinequanone , shoes by
alexander wang
already aced the Sugod Bahay segment of

the show, so the execs decided to create Yaya
Dub: a non-speaking, lip-syncing nanny. On
July 4, Maine gets her on-air debut on
national television in the countrys longestrunning noontime variety show.
Twelve days later, the directors decide to
ride on a tip that Maine has a real-life crush
on Alden Richards, a C-list actor who was
still awaiting his break. They invite Alden
to the studio, and when the opportunity
arises, the cameras linger on the two:
camera one on Alden at the studio, camera
two on Maine on location in a barangay.
We see them side-by-side for the first time
on split screen: Alden feigning amorous
intentions for a girl he doesnt know, and
Maine breaking out of character when she
sees him watching her. The studio host,
comedian Allan K, picks up on the nonverbal cues. Hala! Si yaya naco-conscious
kay Alden, he exclaims. Hala, yaya,
nagpapacute ka, he repeats, amused. Joey
de Leon notices for the first time, si yaya
magandamaganda eh, no? And then just
like that, the audience catches on. It is this
kind of powerful suggestion that would
shake the showbiz industry for the next
few months.
The accidental chemistry snowballs
into an all-out storyline on Kalyeserye, a
soap opera parody within the show; it is a
split-screen love story of almost-but-neverreally-meeting, leaving mommies watching
at home in titillating suspense. People

on social media started talking, united
under the #aldub hashtag. And suddenly,
everyone was watching:
shrieking
teenagers, tired yuppies, faraway OFWs,
policemen in the Makati Precinct, my
50-year-old father. As the narrative grew,
so did its ratings.
have you
ever heard of
a love team
who could
dictate
the
storyboards
of
advertisers?
In the episode where the two come
face-to-face in the studio, Eat Bulagas
Mega Manila TV ratings would surge from
20 percent to 39.5 percent, according
to AGB Nielsen. When Alden and Yaya

Dub had their first date, it grew to
43.1 percent. When Alden visited Yaya Dub
in the mansion of Lola Nidora, the ratings
rose to 45.7 percentsurpassing the
number of viewers who sat down to watch
Pacquiaos fight against Floyd Mayweather.
People talked about the show even when
it wasnt on TV, and executives wrought
to make sure the suspense was sustained
off-screen too. Production meetings
were logistically planned so that the
two would never bump into each other.
And when brands maniacally jumped on
the bandwagon and realigned all their
campaigns to tailor-suit the love team,
advertisements had to duly cater to the
rules of the network. Yaya Dub limited her
endorsersshe never had any speaking
lines, and if they wanted to cast the love
team, they werent shot together. As Anna
Mangipol of YES! Magazine points out,
think about it: have you ever heard of a love
team who could dictate the storyboards
of advertisers? They had grown to
such influential heights that competing
networks only allowed approved edits
of AlDub-endorsed commercials, so that
the commercials didnt, well, promote too
much AlDub on their networks (apparently,
this is allowed, according to the rival TV
companys guidelines written in 2008).
And then time was finally ripe for the two
to have their moment. The tryst was staged
85
shes the
most wanted
girl in the
philippines,
the
lonesome
antithesis
to the
formulaic
it-girl.
in a massive event called Tamang Panahon,
which filled the Philippine Arena with
55,000 paying audiences, and aired live on
TV via a three-hour nonstop telecastno
commercial breaks. Even Manny Pacquiao
couldnt offer such a thing to us without
pay-per-view. Tamang Panahon would
break Twitter world records by reaping
41 million tweets, beating the 2014 World
Cup buzz of Brazil versus Germany, and
it would earn the highest Mega Manila
TV rating for 2015 with 50.80 percent,
trampling
Pacquiaos
highest-viewed
match (versus Timothy Bradley), and
earn 10 times more viewers than their
competitor, Its Showtime, which clocked
in a mere 5.4 percent. It was the climax to
their love story, and that of Maines as well.
On this day, the nameless, voiceless girl
was finally allowed to speak.
Her first word was: Alden But
this was all it took to fill the arena with
shrieking, tearful, hands-over-mouthswith-disbelief hysteria. The air filled with
unexplained adulation. On stage, even
the characters themselves couldnt escape
the overwhelming cult-like nature of it
all: Wally Bayona would get sentimental.
Alden would cry. And Maine stammered
in disbelief and gratitude. This event
earned 14 million pesos, all of it donated to

humanitarian projects.
To date, AlDubs combined number
of commercial endorsements include
17 brands (and counting). Their faces
dominate newsstands. The cast has been
honored by a number of awarding bodies
including the first Catholic Social Media
Awards, for imparting Filipino values and
chastity (what?). The late Kuya Germs
has had their names embellished in the
local version of the Hollywood Stars Walk
of Fame.
Their fan base, comprising around 30 to
40 unofficial but active fan clubs online,
each amassing up to half a million followers
from all over the world, would take it upon
themselves to unify as a fandom, organize
intro groups, and explicitly make sure
that AlDub is always trending on Twitter
(AlDubs social media success isnt a
phenomenon completely masterminded by
marketing groups, it turns out).
As with everything so big, were left
to imagine its true scope, picking out its
shadowy outlines from rumors. Is it true
that magazine offices were forced to open
their doors to fans clamoring to buy copies
that were sold out on newsstands? How
about this story that employees from a rival
TV station are absolutely prohibited from
even whispering the name AlDub, never
mind tweeting it (a fireable offense)?
It is a phenomenon largely because it is
peerless. The show is distinctive: a semifictional love story that unfolded on live
television through a noontime variety show

that was grounded on good ol Filipino
values. For a culture of viewers obsessed
with showbiz love teams, the verisimilitude
of AlDub deserved a standing ovation.
At a time when media is filled with Sex
Bomb dancers, twerking, and nudies being
leaked, the shows didactic morals struck a
chord with traditional sensibilities. AlDub
had hit jackpot.
When we position Maine for the last

layout, our photographer, Paco, asks her to
strike a pose. In her five-inch heels, after a
full days work, thats not easy. In between
flashes, I catch her wobbling. A stylist steps
in to fix the creases on her clothes, and
she holds on to his arms lightly, steadying
herself to keep from being caught
off-balance. I search for the spark in her
eyes, but cant find it, and Im actually
afraid she might just faint on the set (which
actually happened on live TV during one
Eat Bulaga episode). At the moment, shes
the most wanted girl in the Philippines,
the lonesome antithesis to the formulaic
It-Girl. Its sad that our only encounter is a
short e-mail exchange:
ESQUIRE: What are the most
surprising things that youve learned
about this industry?
MAINE MENDOZA: That its not as
easy as it seems. I used to think that show
business was one of the simplest jobs one
hair for maine by celeste tuviera

makeup for maine by juan sarte
GroominG for jose , wally, and paolo
by muriel vega perez
could have. But now I realized how much

hard work every production requires.
ESQ: What brings you most fear?
MM: Fear of not being good enough. The
struggle is real in trying your hardest to do
your best in what you do, and yet you get this
feeling like something is holding you back. I
know there is and will always be room for
improvement. Talk about the drawbacks of
an introvert.
ESQ: How do you stay sane when you seem
to have a packed schedule?
MM: I am also a normal human being, just
like everyone else, I get physically tired
when theres too much work. But the thing
is, I love what I do; and thats the main
reason why I am able to keep my sanity
despite my packed schedule. If you love

what you do, you wouldnt feel jaded after
all. I am just lucky, rather, blessed to do
what I love.
ESQ: What would you like to know about
men?
MM: Kinikilig din ba sila? Kung oo, paano
sila kiligin? And how do they know that they
are already in love?
Maine is continuously shaped to become
the celebrity that everyone wants her to be.
In moments when no one else is looking,
I will catch her quietly sigh. But in true
showbiz fashion, as soon as the cameras
start rolling, she beams almost immediately.
What a trooper.
fEbRUaRy 2016 ESQUIRE
87
by A n g e lo R . l Ac u e s tA
A R t by M i c A e l A b e n e d i c to
M y father lov ed to tell Me of how he couldnt help it

a nd felt this Mighty unstoppa ble crush on this gir l
w hen he saw the pa le pink backs of her legs as she
wa lk ed past hiM as he paused, stuMped by a question
in one of his big ex a Ms in gr a duate school .
He never did finish graduate school, he loved to tell me, or anyone
he knew, but he did finish that exam, and he was glad he was there
on that day that girl proctored the exam in a miniskirt. He had no
memory about the clothes she wore but he remembered to tell me,
many times, of how she had left her pumps under the teachers
desk, one red and upright on its sharp heel, the other fallen so that
it showed a pale, unblemished sole. She had slipped them off her
feet with no effort at all, dropped the papers and things on the desk
and draped her cumbersome jackettoo large across her shoulders
anyway, and they all recognized it as their professorsacross that
same professors chair.
But still, it made no one in their class want to be a teacher, even
if their teachers were mostly all PhDs and many of them were great
big thinkers and compelling talkers. Everyone knew they were
poor, from the threadbare clothes they wore too often and their
cheap Japanese watches and their shoes, all worn and shapeless and
designed to soundlessly shuffle as they lectured their hours away.
That was how my father had felt, poor as a teacher, on his first
Christmas in his boarding house in Manila, with only a handful of
things to his name and a fried half-chicken and a plate of pancit
canton from the caf downstairs for Noche Buena. He had saved
enough for three good meals on the next day, Christmas Day, and
enough for a short phone call to his mother.
My father is fifteen years in his grave now, resting and rotting in
a coffin that took so long for us to choose because we knew he didnt
want angels or the last supper, or any of those molded eternal figures
on it. But our mother did, and that was the cause of some trouble,
until we found out that the plain copper-colored one my sister and I
had chosen was more expensive than the one with the two hosts of
amateurly sculpted expressionless angelsmirror images, in fact
praying for him. It was like you had to pay people to leave things the
hell alone.
Ugly wildflowers have overrun his lonely gravesite. Lonely
because his starry black stone lies quite a distance from the older
graves that look like theyve formed own little apartment rows and
subdivisions. But mostly because we hardly have the time to visit,
and no one has formed a concrete idea about paying one of those
wandering caretakers to keep the grass cut low and the weeds and
those ugly flowers at bay. Besides, were too busy doing the things
that the living do. My mother retreated to the province with my
sister and decided they would make something of themselves there.
And anyway I left a nice pen in there and we bought him a new pair
of shoes he would never wear. And there was some ballet trophy from
my sister and my college diploma, all those things we wanted him to
have, you know. But I cant really admit to myself how reluctant I was
to put all that stuff in there, knowing I would never see it again. At
the burial someone tried to comfort me with the idea that it would
all probably be there longer than he would.
Over the last All Saints and Souls weekend we were all somewhere
else again, somewhere else but there, and we all probably separately
shuddered and thought that nobody again, for another year, had
bothered to clean out the flowers and the weeds. Or for that matter
and for another interesting factrepaired the letters on his marker.
Someone had stolen the first letter of his last nameand so every
one of our last names, come to think of itso that he became, at his
most permanent place on earth, Ariston L. etrero.
So it still works, and its a bit funny. Whats funnier is I dont
know how someone could have needed that letter L so badly. So his
name, or more appropriately, this name, this chop-chop version of
it, remains, and strangely enough remains true to the flesh that lies
beneath, validated by our highly infrequent, often meandering visits,
through the confusing layout of roads and gardens of tranquility
spread across the vast memorial park, to his grave.
There is something that my mother calls benign neglect, proudly,
and again and again, to describe a kind of situation, as though she
herself had come up with the term, and had first thought up of
such an elegant measure, or, as it were, half-measure, instead of the
quasi-political policy it really was, as it was taught in my classes in
history and economics. It became sort of our domestic policy. Dust
gathered. Fruit was allowed to turn overripe. Pets died from parasitic
infestations, only to be quickly replaced by new dogs and cats coming
in from the street attracted by the smell of uneaten scraps of food.
There was also that yellow pickup in the garage that none of us
could remember moving an inch since the day my father bought it
third-hand and parked it in its parking spot, vowing one day to drive
itadding the terrifying promise that we would be stowed in the
rearall the way from Luzon to Mindanao, thereby transforming
our archipelago into a single seamless landmass through the
employment of chartered ferries and the network of underutilized
bridges accumulated throughout the just-ended Marcos regime.
That thing had stayed parked there so long that we did not even
feel the relief over my father having forgotten the mission. Plus, we
heard that many of the bridges had gone into disrepair. My father
had finally been prevailed upon to let go of the thing, and he came
home one day with an old friend who had a thing about old trucks
and who had apparently purchased ours that eveningfor a song,
we all realized, because when he boarded it and tried to start it, the
engine turned over with little coaxing and revved with startling
briskness, and the next thing we knew we were watching the yellow
thing drive off with its new master, toward points unknown.
They were hard times, as you can imagine, even with my father
around. Everyone knows the story about how hed given up a
promising corporate career for a suicide mission writing movie
scripts. With only one battered means of transportation left in the
garage and little hope of any financial windfall, there really was only
one thing left to happen, and that was his death, from his first and
only stroke, in the summer of 1992.
We were too old to ride a pickup but too young to know exactly
what a stroke really was. After we buried him we took my mother
back to the province, the old hometown, and my sister and I gave
the old gate and the old yard that wed only really ever seen once or
twice a kind of wary look as we ushered her into her folks home,
kind of holding her up by both arms and walking her slow. Not her
folks home anymore reallycousins and other old-timers now lived
there. Someone had actually thought to take photos of my dead
father in his coffin at the funeral and passed them around, and all
of them acted like they recognized or even knew him in some way,
this poor man with his head on the pillow, who took my mother away
from the town, who returned her many years later, looking spiffy and
citified in her black dress and her new shoes.
Superstitious relatives helpfully supplied stories of graver
deaths. There was one of our grand-uncles suddenly expiring upon
bottoming-up a refreshing glass of water right after a thirty-minute
bicycle ride in the heat of noon. Another unclewhat was it about
uncles, anyway?was pinned to death as he was trying to replace
the flat tire on his delivery truck. There were more unfortunate
ones, and by the end of the visit we were thankful enough that my
fathers death had joined the ranks of the other kind, the quiet, dyingpeacefully-in-their-sleep kind, a death so wished for that it became
something magical: nobody could have witnessed it, and his body was
presumed to exhale his spirit right up into heaven.
I was quite grown then, but those death stories and the unsullied
Mindanao sky made me imagine any two random starsout of
clusters of millionsclose enough together as eyes, and I dreamt
about them that night and began to imagine other things as eyesthe
twin headlights of the bus narrowly missing us on the dark road back
to Davao City, the reading lights on the overhead console on the plane
ride back to Manila.
I really saw Kate only when she crossed the University Avenue one
late night after exams. I really didnt know her because we were from
different sections. I only knew her by name, and maybe by glimpses
of her face in the school crowd. But as she passed that night under
the yellow flares of two streetlamps I saw her face, and her body, lit
quickly and fully from two sides.
The world was already well into the Internet age when I finally
took her to my apartment. We had gone on to the same college, and
I wondered for the longest time whether we had done it separately
on purpose. She took a business course and I chose something called
Interdisciplinary Studies, which many jokingly called Interplanetary
Studies, which is really a way of saying I didnt know what to do with
my life.
We both didnt know what to do then, that night, either. There were
four hours of fumbling and two hours of sleep, which commenced
right when my roommates arrived. I couldnt afford the kind of place
she had, which was a one-bedroom unit all to herself, with a balcony
and a maids quarters, except her mother came in at odd hours to
deliver fresh groceries, clean clothes and back-issues of Hollywood
magazines. The maids quarters would have come in handy as a
temporary hiding place, except that was where her mother liked to
deposit all her canned goods and fresh laundry.
Kate asked me about my mother on one of our early dates and I
didnt know what to tell her because I honestly didnt know what my
mother was doing, or in fact where she was. I just gave her the answer
I always gave those who asked, that she had decided to stay firmly
behind in the province, and to me there was always some residual
truth to this.
And this is where my sister figures because though I was never
really in touch with her we had met once, in my early college days,
quite by accident. I was walking the mall looking for something to eat
and I saw her, quite grown since I had last seen her what, two or three
years before? I didnt know how I recognized her so quickly and from
without even seeing her face, but of course you shake off that initial
feeling and settle in quite comfortably. We found ourselves, weirdly
enough, at a Jollibee, ordering the same thing we always got when
we were in a kind of limbo after my father died but hated to order
because it was Jollibee Chicken Joy and you cant really say that out
loud if theres nothing much to be happy about.
It turned out there was no Jollibee and nothing to be happy about
where my mother was either, and come to think of it, it did make us
realize that the city is really good for bumping into people you know.
We found ourselves unconsciously doing the same things with our
bodies and our hands, the weird things you never notice when youre
around each other all the time. It was as if we were mimicking each
other, shrugging our shoulders too much when we laughed, uttering
the same non-words on the way to saying something crucial, even
having to pee before leaving the restaurant.
The next time I bumped into my sister I was already about to
graduate and was thinking about what to do for a living. But I did
something brash and told her about Kate and how I didnt really
know what would happen between us. But I described Kate to her,
about what she was like and what she liked. My sister told me about
her apartment and her work and then we talked about what we really
wanted to not talk about but what we also wanted to talk about,
which was our mother.
At first I was full of pity and remorse and then I realized that I
had actually hated her from the very beginning. That was a strong
word but it felt right to hear it repeated by my sister. It was my
mother whom I had heard complain one day about that one old car
out of many that was left in the garage, that my father had not even
bothered to insure, or register at the Land Transportation Office.
It was she who had forced my father to give up that yellow pickup
and his dream of driving us to Mindanao. Whats in Mindanao,
anyway? she would say. That paint job, I suddenly remembered, was
so that the New Peoples Army wouldnt mistake us for a military
vehicle and fire at us as we passed through Samar or Leyte, or
wherever, because my father told me they were everywhere and we
must be careful on the ride.
So where was mother now, I asked my sister, and she said she
probably was where she had always been since we last talked about
her. It was easy to imagine how anyone can make a home of it in
Davaobut no, it wasnt even Davao, which has malls and movie
theatres and five-star hotels and discos now, just like any big city in
the Philippinesit was one of those small dark towns on the fringes,
lining the sides of the national highway, houses shoulder-to-shoulder
with karaoke joints, sari-sari stores, cockfighting pits, interrupted
only by unpaved farm-to-market roads and god knows what.
Directly after graduating, Kate left for the United States for her
masters degree. That had been the plan anyway, and my sister, who
had kept in touch enough for a while, treated us to the last Filipino
meal she would be having for a long time.
Kate asked us again about our mother, if she even knew about my
graduating. I suspected that if my mother knew she would come,
whether or not I was the one who let her know or not, but before I
could say anything my sister saved usor just me, perhapsby saying
things were most likely not good on the home front and it would have
been a bit of a drain on resources if she had booked a flight. That
was a good save, I suppose, and made very little difference anyway
to Kate, who had never met my mother or my father or never even
knew what either looked like.
My sister had just picked up a subcompact Toyota under her firms
car plan and she dutifully drove us to the airport, where I hugged
Kate goodbye and gave her a peck on the lips before she entered the
gate beyond which only ticketed passengers were allowed, her fall
coat slung like a stiff dark weight over her shoulder bag, her jeans as
carefully pressed as dress pants.
After Kate disappeared my sister dropped me off at my apartment
building. She had never gone in, and it wasnt really a good time then
because it was five in the morning and she would have to park and
my unit was all the way up on the 12th floor. So we said our goodbyes
and I really havent seen her since, and theres really been quite a bit
to talk about the next time we bump into each other.
It might be a good time to talk about money now, since I had
gotten a job shortly after and that was a reason to rejoice. Money
was something I always almost had quite a bit of, thanks to the odd
writing or blogging jobs I accepted, except something would always

come up. Kate and I took care to only Skype and we texted only when
it was about something important. So the thing that always came up
never did come up for me for a while and so there was the faint idea
of a visit. I had never gone to the US and had never even applied for a
visa, but the last two or three friends I knew who did all got rejected
precisely for money. There was either too much of it in their bank
account or too little of it, or something like that. I had never been
brave enough to ask what the matter really was.
Id thought up schemes, about applying for a grant somewhere,
something easy and obscure enough for someone like me with
nothing but a degree in interdisciplinary studies to make it. But
then I thought, why not go for it and be honest about it. That was
something my father would have told me to do. But I dont know if
its something he would actually do himself.
So Kate and I Skyped in between and I never mentioned my
far-fetched plan. We noted our timezones so that my lunch breaks
connected with her bedtime and vice versa. My line was almost
always bad so we switched off our cameras most of the time and just
talked or kept the line open while we did our work.
On one of those camera-less times it was three in the morning in
Manila. She told me she had come home after her morning classes
to take a nap. I had just come home from another work crisis so it
all worked out. Kate described everything around her to me in great
detail, beginning with her arrival at the stone porch of her apartment
building and the furry thing on it that she wiped her boots on and
the heavy key she used that had Do Not Duplicate engraved on it.
The key was heavier than the keyring, which had a tiny guitar made
out of pinewood with her name on it on one side and on the other
side, Baguio City.
That wasnt a trip she took with me. That was with her friends back
in the summer right after college. As usual I didnt have the money
to go with them, though I cant remember being invited anyway, but
I do remember she told me everything in detail too, so that I could
compare the Baguio she knew with the Baguio I knewyears and
years beforewhen my father took us up there.
Kate took me up the carpeted stairs, through a doorway into her
room, big enough for a double bed, a bookshelf, a desk and a chair.
There was a small window that looked out into an empty apartment
in the building right across. There was a small table and an electric
heater at her bedside and she took me through her things, her
schoolbooks, a pair of gloves, her vitamins, her headache pills and
her birth control pills. That made me wonder, with a flash of jealousy,
but then she described to me her aching limbs, taking care to explain
how the way the ache really felt, as though all her blood had pooled
in her calves and it was all threatening to burst out. And she poked
them out from the covers so she could tell me what they looked like
aching, and they had swollen like a pregnant womans legs. She
described her chapped feet and her untended toenails, telling me
they were not like I was used to seeing them. She took me through
the bright patterns on her comforter, the ridges and the folds her
flannel pajama top made between the comforter and her belly, and
the colors of her skin, blotched by schoolwork and weather. She was
fair-skinned to begin with but her stay in Chicago had made her skin
positively pale, especially the skin of her belly.
She told me about how a faint line of hair had startlingly begun
to form below her navel, how fine it was and how stiff it was, and
that she had never noticed this before. She told me how she was idly
sweeping up the strands with a thumb and forefinger as she told me
about other things, the WASPs and the Jewish American Princesses
and the guys she met, mostly Fil-Ams, and some guys she knew back
in high school who she had bumped into on-campus. Of course I
wondered what else was there and who was there and what she was
we found ourselves
unconsciously doing the saMe
things with our bodies and our
hands, the weird things you never
notice when youre around each
other all the tiMe.
not telling me about, but it was an abstract anxiety and I could not
pinpoint what it was that I really wanted to hear.
Has it snowed yet? I asked her.
No, she said, and she reminded me about how much she couldnt
wait, and neither could her other friends, the new friends she had
made, from Thailand and Vietnam and Korea, and she told me what
they were like, and I might have fallen asleep if she hadnt asked me
to describe myself. I looked around me and thought about where to
start and I made the room a bit bigger than it really was. I added
a few details and I surprised myself with the non-existent things I
could deliver so easily: a new suit hanging from a closet handle that
I was planning to wear to work that morning, a coffee maker from
the day earlier whose coffee I could smell all the way from my bed, a
box full of calling cards I had obtained from all the contacts Id been
making in my work.
She then asked me to described myself like she did, and that proved
more difficult, as if I were making myself up for her out of thin air. I
described the texture of my unshaven cheek to her, knowing it was
something she told me she always liked to feel against her skin. But
I was cheatingit was something to feel her with, not something the
skin of her hands could touch and remember, or remark about how
different it was now, how she had never realized how rough whatever
it was really was, or how wrinkled, or how round. I offered the back
of my hands, my hairline, the protuberance of my kneecap. But I
knew it was all the same old me she had known before she left.
I tried hard to tell her something new or something fresh, but it
was taking me a long time to think because I was getting sleepy. I
looked at my curtains and they were yellow, so I told her about our
yellow pickup, wondering at the same time why Id never told her
about it. I told her about our trip from Luzon to Mindanao and It
would have taken all of 24 hours, give or take, and my father had
planned out all that we would need to bring: two spare tires, an extra
battery, one of those long-range floodlights from the surplus shop, a
five gallon container of gas, ice chests, sleeping bags, folding chairs,
a camping cooker and a map, not any old map that you can get at
National Bookstore, but a map of the entire Philippines that you can
fold out large enough, with enough detail to show the major roads.
The stops we would be making and the points of interest circled
clearly. We never discussed how we would fit into the rear with all
that cargo.
That was when I thought about paying a visit to my mother.
Maybe that weekend or the next, unannounced. How hard could it
be? Id always known she never moved, and it shouldnt be an ordeal
to find out how to get to her town. But it was also difficult to do at the
same time. I mean, do you bring money, do you bring photos, do

you bring souvenirs?
Shed be home when I got there, with cousins and aunts, watching
a noontime variety show turned up to a disturbing volume. Theyd
be turning deaf and slow, down to my mother, and I would hate
the sound of her voice when she spoke to me because it would be
loud and I would have turned gruff, and shed be speaking more
Visayan than Tagalog now and I took it to mean she had turned
her back on her old ways.
Afternoons were for HBO and Cinemax and then it was one
dubbed soap after another, and I couldnt imagine this kind of
life even if I tried my hardest. When dinnertime came someone
finally switched off the TV but you could still follow what was
happening because the other TVs in the neighborhood were on
the same program. For dinner someone would do something to
a chicken and we would all smell it hanging in the air long after
it was all gone. Id try to feign fatigue but my mother would have
already taken her place on the sofa, her hands scratching against
the leatherette cushions, ready with a photo album. There would
be photos of me, in kindergarten, in grade school. One of me in a
clip-on tie carrying a bible. Maybe my first communion. If I had
it now in my hands, if I leafed through it now, there would be big
jumps in the albumnothing on my college years, nothing on my
working years, except maybe a couple of me with my sister that
she might have taken the trouble to print and send over, plus some
photos of her, maybe happily dining with friends, or one of her at
her workdesk, working on whatever it was she was working on. I
dont know if my sister would do that, but she might.
My father took a lot of odd jobs. For example, he knew someone
who knew someone who knew a Japanese guy who needed
someone to do something really quick and simple. It was going to
be in-and-out, collect-the-check and get out, and it was going to
have to be yes or no, right then and there. He had just met him,
and he was surprised by how dark he was for a Japanese man, dark
like a Pinoy. He asked him if hed been living in the country a long
time and the guy said it was his first time in the Philippines and
hed been there two, three days. In and out. That was the end of the
small talk. So he said yes because he needed the tie-rod replaced
and the mechanic had warned him that if something happened it
would happen very quickly and they wouldnt know where to find
him or how to put him together if they did.
So he shows up as instructed at this warehouse where theres
a refrigerated container van parked right up front. The engines
running and the big compressor stuck to the back of the drivers
cab is running high and water is dripping down to the pavement.

The back door opens and vapor comes out and a couple of heavies
come out, all smoky in their heavy black jumpsuits and wave at him
and tell him to enter. But this guy doesnt, hes waiting for his suit,
too. He starts getting scared to death, of the cold and the guys and
of whats in the container van, but hes also scared to death of taking
even a couple of steps closer to take a look. But the guys are waving at
him and waving him in and he realizes theyre Filipinos too so that
thaws out his fear a little bit. He takes the couple of steps and its just
all vapor he sees at the container van door because all that humidity
is hitting all that cold in the van.
Never trust the Japanese, his father had told him. I never met
my grandfather, but he survived the death march. Papa plants his
feet on the pavement and rolls his hands into fists because his father
had also told him how to prepare for a fight: stand your ground and
never look at his eyes, look at the space between them, hell never be
able to tell.
So these heaviesand he starts recognizing that they only
look heavy because their jumpsuits are thick as pillowsstart
getting really hot and uncomfortable right in between those two
temperature zones.
One of them starts trying to explain whats in there to him and
the other has gone half in and is now pulling something out of the
van and its a big white furry thing that looks like a cross between
Hello Kitty and the cutest, most harmless looking polar bear you
could ever have an ad agency art director make who has never seen
a single hair of a real polar bear, which averages about 3,000 pounds
of pure muscle.
Packed in the rest of the available space in the van that wasnt for
the suit or the two heavies were crates of Japanese ice cream. So the
only way they could all fit was for him to put on his costume so they
could bring them to where they were supposed to launch the product
and where all those kids and their schoolteachers were waiting for
them, all hot and uncomfortable, too, because it was summer, the
perfect time for launching imported ice cream.
They help my father put on the suit and he practices a few moves.
He cant see his feet out of his eyeholes. His hands only have three
fingers. He can smell his own stale breath blowing back into his face.
Something tugs at his arm and he turns his whole body to see Mr.
Toshi, also in a white jumpsuit, looking smaller and darker than
when he last saw him.
Mr. Toshi tells him the mascot rules in admirable English. He
probably studied in America.
You dont have to smile, but if you do, it comes out better, so
please smile. Put your hands to your mouth and wiggle your head
back to demonstrate that you are laughing. Draw a heart in the air
to say I love you. Use these hand signals to tell your guideshe
gestures to the two men in jumpsuitsif you need to rest, or if you
need help. Most importantly, dont speak.
My father and the two men enter the container and his sweat
freezes and its the only time he realizes he is sweating. All he can
see is cold vapor and crates of ice cream. He feels the van move and
his handlers grip his arms and prop him up.
The van stops fifteen minutes later and he hears music from
outside. The beats are coming through the walls of the van and the
crates of ice cream and the layers of his costume. The song is Ice Ice
Baby. The song is cut by a voice making an excited announcement
through the PA system. Someone bangs on the van again and they
turn him around and shout in his ear to stay close to them.
After his baptism of fire stepping out of the van right into the big
pan of heat that was that yard full of sweating kids, it was nothing
to him to trampoline or bungee jump in that suit. They raised his
pay, of course, every time he did something risky like that. It was all
good. And the suit itself, well, it felt shockproof. He did not put it on
as much as enter it, like it was an airplane or a submarine.
He wore it like a second skin. Sometimes he felt himself smiling
as he waved and did his little dance, and he knew he couldnt help it
that way. He sort of knew, he told me, that when he wasnt smiling
his wave was slightly different and he felt the difference in the
cheers and waves of the children in front of him. And though he
couldnt speak, he had soon devised a language with what he could
do with an arm and a hand, a pair of flapping eyelids, his feet and
his big fat white hairy body.
The door opens and white fluffy clouds appear in front of his
eyes. Somewhere 12,500 feet below theyre playing Ice Ice Baby
again. His lifts his left hand so he can see it, a white paw thrust into
the wind. His right hand is firmly hooked around the parachute
strap dangling from his shoulder.
He walks forward a few steps and waits for his handlers to give
him a push. He steps out into the air and falls face down into the
city. He can see the roads and the mountains and the sea. He sees
the buildings and the parking lots and finds the schoolyard where
hundreds of kids are waiting for him.
The cold lets go and the costume starts filling up with heat. He
lands with a roll and a tumble, and his handlers on the ground take
his parachute away and stand him up on two legs. Hes right on target.
He hears the kids shouting his name: Polly! Polly! Polly! He
lifts a heavy hand and waves to the exultant crowd and they wave
back, their skinny arms matching him beat for beat. He feels himself
smiling. The music seems louder now, and faster. Maybe its because
his arm is tired. He lets his right arm drop and he lifts his left arm
and waves it. He sees the crowd do the same. He swings his hips and
the crowd does the same. So its left arm, left arm, left arm, right
arm with a swing to make one bar. Where are his handlers? Theyre
probably back in the van opening up the crates and getting out all
the ice cream. Theyre probably going to toss all those icedrops at
the crowd. The crowd roars. Hes so close to them it feels like hes
at the edge of the stage. He feels himself settling back against the
frame of his costume and he feels himself dropping back. He knows
he is fainting but he is still smiling, because fainting is better than
the heat.
My grandfather survived the death march by filling his pockets
with salt. It was one of those stories they like to tell whenever we
go to the province. When I was a kid I wondered why he didnt fill
his pocket with sandwiches or bananas instead. Anyway he survived,
but thankfully, not long enough to see his own son suffer under the
same masters.
Papa spent a weekend in a nice hospital room and got a little bonus
on his paycheck. They never hired him again, though we would go
on to see Polly the Polar Bear breakdance, do cartwheels and skydive
again and again into school fairs.
I borrowed a friends Rolex to wear to the visa interview. It was
heavier than I thought. Now I am in a coat, a scarf and boots. Ive
never worn any of these things before and they look so strange
on me that I wanted to describe what I am wearing to myself.
Everything is just as she described it to me. Lake Michigan looks
like its an ocean. The big smooth metal buses have scrolling LED
displays that clearly tell you where youre going.
I stop before I ring the doorbell because I know she isnt there. A
friend of hers would have called as soon as the first flurries showed.
Maybe it was that guy friend Ive always been jealous about, trying
to hide the excitement in his voice, simply saying Well? and she
would have known exactly what he meant. They would have run
out their rooms, scrambled down their steps, flung open the doors
and rushed out into the air, wearing whatever they were wearing in
the freezing cold, and I wouldnt hold it against them.
What Ive Learned
Gregorio Honasan
Senator, vice-presidential candidate
IntERvIEw PJ Caa
PhotogRaPh JosePh PasCual
Ive jumped from perfectly good airplanes

about 4,000 times in my life. My parachute has
malfunctioned seven times. And the first word
I utter is God.
First i wanted to become a priest.

So if fate decided otherwise, you would have
been interviewing a bishop.
its a clich, but at the
[philippine military academy] i
learned to be a man For others.
To deal with issues that are bigger than all
of us combined. To define your career in
terms of God, country, and familyit has to
be all or nothing. Everything else has to be
incorporated into that defining character.
you practically sign a contract where
the job description requires your willingness
to give up your life, to do what is necessary to
accomplish your mission.
ive been a soldier For 17 years,
with the battle scars to prove
it. But please dont ask me to take off my shirt.
I have bullet wounds and grenade scars. Add
to that seven years as a military rebel.
when i was underground, they
raided one oF the houses where
we were having a meeting. I had to
leave fast and scramble over a fence. My ring
finger got caught in a barbed wire and broken
bottles. I had to look for the finger and the
ring, because my wife would not forgive me if
I lost it.
in the battleField, you are on the
threshold of playing god. You decide who lives
and who dies. And you rationalize that with a
higher objective.
i have held dying men in my arms,
telling me before their last breath that they would
give me half a years salary so we could rent a
helicopter to pick him and the other casualties up,
and evacuate them to the nearest hospital. This is
embedded in my brain and in my heart forever.
Thats why I know how it is to be on both sides, to
be on the receiving end of any conflict.
[my] relationship with senator
[Juan ponce] enrile has lasted
more than some marriages, because
we never interfered with each others core

judgment calls. I can deal with the perceptions
that Im his shadow, and hes my surrogate
father. But I have no regrets. I have learned so
much from him, including how to prioritize
our objectives and our limited resources. That
reflects the highest level of statesmanship.
them. We teach them discipline so they can be

dependable. Our job, since theyre our most
precious and strategic resource, is to help make
them smarter, healthier, happier, and safer.
ive been accused oF being a coup

plotter. But the figures vary. The point is,
when certain groups and interests benefit, the
vocabulary is kinder: youre called a military
rebel, a revolutionary, an ingredient that
completes the People Power in the streets. But
if the same interest groups, vested as they are,
do not benefit, and they become consistently
the target of your affections, you are called
a power-grabber, a self-appointed messiah, a
coup plotter. The vocabulary doesnt bother
me because Im only after my consistency.
iF you try to destroy my name

and get in the way of my going home without
my legacy intact, then we fight. My history
should tell you that I have the credentials
to back that up. Ive stood on the grounds of
Malacaang Palace three times in full combat
gear without an invitation, aside from the one
from my conscience.
consistency deFines me. Ive never

wavered from what I thought was my purpose
in life.
ive never aligned myselF with a
political party because first, we dont
have a functioning political party system.
You name me a party and I will tell you how
fragmented it is.
we have to learn to build. Before,
we had these romantic notions of an overnight
revolution, but you realize, over time, that
these things take time. You have to build
sustainability and predictability.
organized hypocrisy annoys me. You
cannot give what you do not have.
ive been shot so many times. Its
not really a painful experience. Some initial
shock and pain, then numbness. But I dont tell
everybody that because its part of the deterrent
to criminals. I dont tell them its not painful.
i dont agree with this platitude
that the youth are our future. They are their
own future. By the time they hit their future, we
wont be around. So all we can do is to prepare
sometimes we become victims of

limited information.
im a light sleeper between two and four

in the morning. Ang tawag diyan oras de peligro.
This is a habit from a previous lifetime; this is
when the enemy attacks, or when we attack. In
fact, sometimes I hear bugles, and I tense up and
start palpitating, and by force of habit, I grab a
firearm, which is not there. Then, I look at my
wife, this slightly snoring senior citizen beside
me. And I pray quietly to God, that ideally, we
should go together. If You are to take either one
of us, You have to take me first. Because with
all my shortcomings, my imperfections, my
indiscretions and infirmities, I cannot imagine
living a life without this person.
i tell that to newly married
couples. Sabi ko, use that line so that you
can gain points.
im aFraid every second oF my
liFe. Being afraid is different from willing to
fight even when youre afraid. And that, in my
terms, is probably what courage means: youre
afraid, but you fight because you have to.
religion is a word to me. I believe in a
power, a force that is greater than all of us. Ive
jumped from perfectly good airplanes about 4,000
times in my life. My parachute has malfunctioned
seven times. And the first word I utter is God.
winning is gods worK, cheating is
mans design.
februar 2016 eSQuIre
97
Lighten Up
ThERE IS a TUg-o-waR bETwEEn bEIng TImElESS
anD bEIng TImEly. anD whIlE IT may SEEm ThaT
SUbScRIbIng To ThE claSSIc IS ThE bEST coURSE
of acTIon, IT woUlD bE caRElESS To IgnoRE whaT
IS of ThE momEnT. ThESE may noT bE ThE cloThES

yoU wEaR To ThE boaRDRoom, bUT ThESE of-akInD pIEcES wIll gRoUnD yoU In ThE pRESEnT.
yoU DonT havE To wEaR ThEm all aT oncE,
bUT wE SUggEST ThaT yoU TRy ThEm (wITh yoUR
collEcTIon of ElEganT pIEcES, of coURSE) anD
go fRom ThERE.
PHOTOGRAPHS GERIC CRUZ
STYLING CLIFFORD OLANDAY
ART DIRECTION EDRIC DELA ROSA
XXX E S Q U I R E D E c E m b E R 2 0 1 5
December 2015 ESQUIRE
XXX
look to the streets, where the

tide is slowly moving toward
fits that are looser (and yes,
more comfortable).
Jacket (P10,990) and short-sleeved shirt (P1,690),
both by H&M Studio, jeans (P14,400) by 7 For All
Mankind, and boots (P3,490) by H&M.
razor-sharp proportions and

sculptural shapes have made
what were once athletic-only
pieces (like the jogger pants)
more acceptable.
Jacket (P51,685) and pants (P13,685), both by CK
Platinum, T-shirt with hood (P1,490) by H&M Studio, and trainers (P2,290) by H&M.
December 2015 eSQUIre
XXX
An eAsy updAte:
considered print.
the
well-
Sweater (P15,985) by CK Platinum, pants (P2,290)

by H&M Studio, sneakers (P1,190) by H&M, and cap
(P1,780) by AC+632.
103
No Need to go to the extreme

with a raiNbow-colored coat.
aN overdyed jeaN jacket will do
just fiNe.
Jacket (P6,992.50) and pants (P9,485), both by
Joseph, and T-shirt (P1,950) by Penguin.
sport plus suit? aNother easy

update.
Sport coat (P5,950) and T-shirt (P1,950), both by
Penguin, pants (P2,290) by H&M Studio, and cap
(P980) by Firma.
105
XXX E S Q U I R E D E c E m b E R 2 0 1 5
CK Platinum and Joseph, both at SM Aura. Penguin, 7 For

All Mankind, Firma, and AC+632, all at Greenbelt.
H&M at SM Mega Fashion Hall.
MODEL Peter at im agenCy
GROOMING muriel vega PereZ
INTERN alyana CaBral
Shot on location at 88 Hotspring Resort,
88hotspring.com.
Whats Wrong
little fun?
With
having
Parka (P5,490) and T-shirt (P899), both by

H&M Studio.
sometimes its just a matter of

Wearing the things you have in
a different Way.
Shirt (P10,985) and sweater (P6,492.50), both by
Joseph, and pants (P15,985, with belt) by
CK Platinum.
107
This Way Out
OCTOBER 1972
BY AudreY N. CArpio
Previously on esquire...
Impotencecommonly
known as limp dick,
whisky dick, the old
Flacido Domingois now
nothing a couple of Cialises
cant handle. Back in 1972
however, it was a scourge on
the rise. Has it hit you yet?
the Esquire cover headline asks
a generation of men too young
to be turned off by sex with
middle-aged partners, arousing
a deep fear that its not them,
its us. Sexually liberated women
were coming into their own (and
perhaps on their own) during
this era, and the pressure was
on. No one else personified ubermasculinity than Burt Reynolds,
who only four months earlier,
posed nude for Cosmopolitans

centerfold, the first of its kind in
what would forever be an iconic
image (two words: bearskin rug).
The womens magazine sold a
record-breaking 1.6 million copies
and also spawned the creation
of Playgirl magazine when
Douglas Lambert, owner of the
Playgirl Club, saw the centerfold
and realized that women were
horny visual creatures, too. The
spread catapulted Reynolds
into superstar territory, turning
him into the hirsute sex symbol
we remember him as today. By
the time he was asked to be the
face of impotence for Esquire,
he got the joke right away. He
told Esquire some four decades
later, I think the best thing

you can do when your
masculinity is being brought
up constantly is just to have
fun with it.
Incidentally, the October
cover was originally meant
for a nude Jack Nicholson,
whom art director George
Lois had photographed
sitting by a poolside in
nothing but a sunhat and
woven sandals with the cover
headline Jack Nicholson
is right! Los Angeles is the best
suburb in America. But the cover
was canned at the last minute due
to Nicholsons agent threatening
to sue. Male nudity, it appears,
was deemed unacceptable.
Burt Reynolds later admitted
in his 2015 memoir But Enough
About Me that he deeply regrets
doing the Cosmo centerfold and
claimed it was not the Viagra
for his career that everyone
made it out to be. Still, he
wouldnt be the Burt Reynolds
he became if he wasnt young
and foolish enough to entertain
Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief
Helen Gurley Browns wild
taboo-breaking fantasy. Viva la
sexual revolution.
MAN AT HIS BEST

February 2016
PHILIPPINES
BEFORE WE BEGIN
A L E T T E R F RO M T H E FAS H I O N E D I TO R
Bottoms Up
We got to admit: There are days when trying to dress well can be trying, and thats why were all for
pieces that are uncomplicated, dependable, and, dare we say it, easy. These are the things that you reach
for on most days, the things that make you feel good, your most favorite pieces. Fun fact: You only wear
as little as 13 percent of the clothes in your closet.
So heres a proposition for the new year: How about we increase the odds of looking and
feeling good by stocking up on these fail-safe pieces? And how about we start from the bottom upas in
your pants? You know, the things that cover half of your body, that tricky region where shapes get weird.
Observe the pairs of pants in these pages. They get two crucial points right: the fit (pants should streamline your shape) and length (those ribbed cuffs provide a cleaner break). But the real magic of these
things is how they combine the world of suiting and sport so effortlessly. Check out the belt loops on the
elastic waistband. The idea sounds crazy and yet, in these pieces, it works. You get style and comfort in a
neat little package. Wear a belt and itll be your little secret. Its gonna be a good day.
CLIFFORD OLANDAY
Fashion Features Editor
Photographed by JEANNE YOUNG Creative Direction VINCE UY Words CHICA VILLARTA Stylist LORIS PEA
Art Direction POW SANTILLAN
Managing Editor ROANA CAPAQUE Copy Editor JAE DE VEYRA PICKRELL
Producer PEARL BACASMAS Makeup DON DE JESUS Hair RHOY CERVANTES Models JOHN JAMES UY and JESSICA YANG
PANTS ON FIRE
I T A I N T N O L I E M O D E L J O H N JA M E S U Y K N OWS H I S U N I Q LO B OT TO M S A L L TO O
W E L L . B U T T H I S T I M E , W E S H A K E T H I N G S U P BY AS K I N G H I S L A DY LOV E J E SS I CA
YA N G TO ST Y L E H E R M A N S DA P P E R T RO U S E RS.
O U T FO R A J O G
Waffle Henley Neck Long-Sleeved T-Shirt, P990; Jogger Pants, P1490; Comfort Jacket, P2990
GET IN HIS PANTS

R E A L LY, H OW D O WO M E N WA N T T H E I R M A N TO D R E SS? J E SS I CA YA N G G E TS TO
T H E B OT TO M O F T H E I SS U E : I N A C LOS E T TA K EOV E R, T H I S TA I WA N E S E ST U N N E R
TA K E S O N B OY F R I E N D ST Y L I N G D U T I E S FO R H E R B E AU J O H N JA M E S U Y.
Heres a hoodie
I wouldnt
mind stealing
from him.
Military prints
always scream
man to me.
Love it when
even his socks
are on point.
DAT E N I G H T:
P R I N T T H E TOW N R E D
G O N E T R AV E L I N G :
E ASY D O E S I T
City slickers do date night with dapper

essentials with a patterned twist.
Leisurewear can be had without a discount on

style. Wander around in somber neutrals.
Easy Care Stretch Slim Fit Oxford Long-Sleeved

Shirt, P1490; Ultra Stretch Chino Flat-Front Pants,
P1990; Narrow Belt, P990; Socks, P197
Packaged Dry Color Crew-Neck T-Shirt, Php 290; Jogger

Pants, P1490; Sweat Long-Sleeved Full-Zip Hoodie, P1490;
Stretch Mesh Belt, P990; Folding Sunglasses, P790
JESSICA SAYS: John James is a stylish guy all on his ownthats one of the things that drew me to him.
But I wouldnt mind wearing the pants and dressing him up this time. How would I style him? I would
just build on the style hes used to, but add on some pieces Id want him to wear, or those I know Id like
seeing on him when were together. It should be a cinch.
Blue buttondowns are

a stylish
no-brainer.
When my boy
is in the crispest
white, I just cant
look away.
B OYS N I G H T O U T:
WHERE THE GOOD MEN ARE
ST R A I G H T O U T O F T H E GY M :
FRESH AND CLEAN
A girlfriends choice for BNO: screaming

good boy from head to toe.
Don athleisure staples that make you

look even better post-workout.
EFC Broadcloth Long-Sleeved Shirt, P1290; Ultra

Stretch Chino Flat-Front Pants, P1990
Monster Hunter Graphic T-Shirt, P790; Jogger Pants, P1490
STARTED FROM
THE BOTTOM
U N I Q LO T RO U S E RS K I C K O F F C O U P L E D R E SS I N G I N T H I S ST Y L E STO RY. F RO M S I N G L E
B L E SS E D N E SS TO PA RT N E R E D B L I SS, T H I S PA I R S G OT T H E I R PA N T GA M E D OW N PAT.
Left: Pullover Sweatshirt,

P1290; Ultra Stretch Chino FlatFront Pants, P1990; Blocktech
Parka, P3990; Belt, P990.
Right: Oxford Long Sleeve
Shirt, P1290; Jogger Pants,
P1490; Light Pocketable
Parka, P3990; Belt, P990
Dry Pique Striped Polo Shirt,

P990; Ultra Stretch Chino
Flat-Front Pants, P1990; Sweat
Long-Sleeved Shirt, P1290
E D S
N O T E
Fashions concocted so many new pant
styles to try and its no surprise that
this months fashion collaboration with
Uniqlo is centered on the Japanese
brands broad selection of trousers.
Our go-to pairs at Preview HQ include
basics that taper at the ankle, whether
in a staid gray or a printed weave.
Worn with a button-down for polish
or a light sweatshirt and sneakers on
more casual days, it has a versatility
that makes restyling a cinch. Then
there are those culottes weve come to
love both for its hip silhouette and the
breathing room it gives.
Consider this a little nudge for
you to step into a fresh pair
(or two) from Uniqlo and
style it your own way.
Isha Andaya-Valls,
Executive Editor
Photographed by JEANNE YOUNG

Managing Editor ROANA CAPAQUE
Creative Direction VINCE UY Words CHICA VILLARTA Fashion Editor LORIS PEA Art Direction KATRINA VELOSO
Copy Editor JAE DE VEYRA PICKRELL Producer PEARL BACASMAS Makeup DON DE JESUS Hair RHOY CERVANTES
Models JESSICA YANG and JOHN JAMES UY
T R O U S E R
T R I P P I N G
Crisp trousers are a must-check on your travel packing list.
Color coordination
always nails
easy travel chic.
HE
SAYS:
h
I love it when my
girl looks effortless
and stylish when we
travel.
Premium Linen Long-Sleeved Blouse, P1490;

Rayon Stand Collar Long-Sleeved Blouse, P1290;
IDLF Basket Bag, P1490; Cotton Feel
Ankle-Length Pants, P1490
*Product and color availability may vary per store.
Youre Coming
With
Make sure your luggage
is stacked with versatile
sweaters and knitwear
for sudden changes in
temperature (or a really
cold airplane).
THEYRE HIS
Soft Jersey Jacket, P2990
Middle
Gauge Cable
Crew Neck
Sweater,
P1290
When traveling
with the beau,
save luggage space
by borrowing his
trousers! Boyfriend
jeans, indeed.
Ultra Stretch
Chino Flat Front
Pants, P1990
A L L F O R
R OM A N C E
Oh, finally: date-night wear for fashion girls.
Rayon LongSleeved Blouse,

P1290; Drape
Wide-Leg
Cropped Pants,
P1490
How to wear wide-leg

pants without repelling men:
partner with a shirt
buttoned just halfway.
Compromise, check!
*Product
and color
availability may
vary per store.
HE
h
When she steps out
for date night wearing
something unexpected,
that always gets me.
Fight That Cold

Aside from your mans arm, snuggle
up to these cozy comforts on a
breezy lovers evening.
Cotton Cashmere Long
Cardigan, P1490; IDLF Stole,
P790; Drape Gaucho Pants, P1490
SAYS:
T H I S G I R L S
O F F D U T Y
On blissful days when nothing matters,
wear casual pieces in tomboy chic.
Drape Gaucho Pants, P1490; Stretch
Pique Polo, P990; Canvas Tote Bag, P1490
*Product and color availability
may vary per store.
Throw on pinstripes
and structured polos
together to make your
two-minute outfit still
look put-together.
HE
SAYS:
h
Not gonna lie: When she
looks like she borrowed
from my closet instead of
being full-on girlythat
excites me!
Like I Care
Update off-duty staples,
such as a tank top and
gaucho pants, with pieces
that make it look like
you cared to dress up: a
statement hat and prepschool socks.
IDLF Hat, P990; AIRism Camisole,

P590; Short Socks, 3 for P590;
Denim Wide-Leg Pants, P1990
S TA R T E D
F R OM
T H E
B OT TOM
Uniqlo trousers kick off couple dressing in
this style story: From single blessedness to
partnered bliss, this pairs got their pant
game down pat.
LEFT: Denim Long Sleeve,

P1690; Denim Gaucho
Pants, P1490; Collarless
Jacket, P2990
RIGHT: Extra Fine Cotton
Long-Sleeved Shirt, P1490;
Ankle-Length Pants, P1490;
IDLF Stole, P790
*Product and color availability
may vary per store.
AIRism Camisole,
P590; Drape WideLeg Cropped Pants
P1490; Soft Jersey
Jacket, P2990

Esquire Philippines - February 2016

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