Spitfire Stories

Buhay Buhay Bagong Buhay is now Spitfire Stories.

10 Must-Haves

3. Apple iPod Touch (or iPhone)
I do not have an iPhone. Probably would consider it in the future, but as many of you know, I don't adapt early and quickly to technology. Until then, the iPod Touch should do. I do not listen to an enormous variety of songs—matter of fact, if I count the songs I enjoy listening to over and over again, the number would probably not even go beyond 100. (And when I get to that number, I'm really trying.) Regardless, it's a handy piece of gadgetry that goes well with my digital life.

Photograph from Apple.com

10 Must-Haves

2. Kiehl's Stylist Series Malleable Moulding Paste
I've been sporting what many call a faux-hawk. (Click here for an idea what it looks.) A small amount of this paste is all you need to have a non-sticky (boo-ya, wax!), non-shiny, and non-crispy (sorry, hair gel!) hold that you can easily restyle by just running your fingers over your hair. (A little water helps, too, but it isn't necessary.)

Photo from Kiehls.com

Dude the Bargain Shopper: Jared Leto

Easy, breezy summer style for guys. I would even argue that two layers (even though one of them is a tank) is a bit much for 85-degree days. But that's just me.

Shirt ($39.50) from American Eagle Outfitters.
Jeans ($29.90) from Heritage 1981.
Sunglasses ($89.95) from DKNY / Sunglass Hut.
Tank ($19) from American Apparel.
Top cuff ($9.50) from American Eagle Outfitters.
Bottom cuff ($245) from D&G / Neiman Marcus.

Photo from AKM/X17online.com which ran in men.style.com.

10 Must-Haves

(Edited for grammar and clarity. Man I'm such a finnicky editor.)

In the tradition of men.style.com's 10 Essential Things featurette, I decided to make my own. (Partly, I also needed to get into the routine of posting at my blog! It's been neglected for way too long a time.) Note that this is not a 10 Must-Haves list, instead it's a compilation of things, fashion-wise that I personally like.

1. Dior Punk Sunglasses
This fantastic pair of sunglasses were my first (and currently, only) eBay purchase. Unveiled in the Spring 2003 Womenswear collection (yeah, women's—will elaborate in a second), it's a wraparound-style sunglass with a severe rectangular shape. But curiously, it complemented my round face perfectly—matter of fact, no one else on my circle of friends wore it with the same, shall we say, stylin' attitude that I do to it. And I also get compliments. I got the basic black one, just so I'm safe. Had I been extra flush then, I would've bought the red-framed one too.

My thing with sunglasses is, if it fits you, look past the gender it's meant for. Many men's sunglasses are aviator-style, and they look horrible on me. And I mean horrible. Just be careful not to get a pair that's too small for your face—a common style with women's sunglasses—or you'll look even more plump.
Purchased for $99 on eBay.

Photos from a Google Images search with "Dior Punk Sunglasses" as search term.

The Good Parent Handbook

Whenever someone I know gets to a fight (or a disagreement) with their parents and confide with me how annoyed they are about how their parents are "immature about it," that is, the parents don't take the apology that their child gives too quickly, I tell them one of my most favorite canned responses: You have to understand, they never got the "How to be a Good Parent" handbook.

Silly sounding, yes, but think about it. It makes total sense.

Last week, a good friend of mine was, in his words, bummed out over a disagreement he had with his father. According to him, they haven't talked for two days and he's a little more than pissed off that his dad's giving him the cold shoulder (or silent treatment, forgot which is the correct one). I came up to him and told him the whole HTBAGP deal, and that this is compounded by the fact that you're talking about your father, another man.

You see, it's a very unfortunate fact that our fathers were raised in a society where showing any kind of emotion—or in the case of my friend, humility to forgive and acknowledge pride—makes them less of a man. When my grandfather died, my dad only cried for a good 30 seconds—no kidding—before he basically pulled himself together and said "I'm okay." I think me and my brothers' eyes weren't even welling up at this point. We were just absorbing the shock of the news, and already my dad's all composed. I didn't get it at first, but it made more sense to me once I've put some more thought into the whole thing. He probably didn't want to be seen as weak in front of his kids—and just break down and cry—because I would think that if he did that back in those days, he would've gotten a slap in the face, with whoever doing the slapping yelling at him "Real men don't cry!"

Long story short, I told my friend that things would be okay. Just let his dad's pride mellow out a bit, and it'll be better.


(there's more I wanna talk about the HTBAGP, but for another post. Happy Father's day)

TV Watch: Running in Heels

I'll say it first: Any show that gives other people a glimpse of how it is like to work in my industry will get my attention—the first couple of episodes at least. Running in Heels is a reality show (not competition) that chronicles the day-to-day operations of Hearst's Marie Claire, seen through the eyes of all levels of staff: From Joanna Coles—the French publication's Editor-in-Chief—down to the 3 interns: Talita, Samantha, and Ashley. Of course the focus is on the interns, and how they just do a crappy job at it—treating the entire thing like Marie Claire should be kissing their toes whenever they enter the Hearst towers. (Maybe it's just the editing, but geez do these girls complain way too much, be fucking happy that you're still able to get an internship and get clips that would help you get an edge the moment you leave school—and this economy gets on the road to recovery.)

I've been watching the 30-minute show since its debut the first week of March, and think it's a good show. It's definitely better than that joke Stylista. (Damn, did that cast Elle in a ridiculously bad light.) I really honest to goodness care not one iota for the random bitchings and frustrations of the interns—because truly, it makes me wanna smack Ashley every time she schemes. But I stick around because it gives a realistic view of how it's like to put a monthly glossy together. Last week's episode had the magazine's Senior Fashion Editor, Zanna Roberts, put together a run-through (magazine-speak for a meeting where the clothes that will be used for a fashion editorial shoot are previewed by the EIC and the fashion team) for a story in the April issue. She wanted to do a story on investment pieces (everyone's doing this nowadays if you haven't noticed yet). When she told Ms. Coles the price of a pink skirt, she was, shall we say ripped to shreds over justifying a $1995 skirt and calling it an investment piece. Same thing happened when she tried to hawk a $25,000 crocodile bag. Joanna basically said something to the effect of "Are you kidding me? We can't even put those in as a joke."

Situations like these are what keep me glued to my TV screens. Sure we editors get a lot of free stuff—and at times even pricey clothes and toiletries—but it's no excuse to forget that not everyone has a "Press" badge that they can flash to get discounts, designer garb, and even exotic vacations.

There's another scene in an even earlier episode where the interns were given the task of photographing women on the streets of NYC to illustrate a trend. They had a week to work on it, and when they handed their stories in, I couldn't laugh hard enough at the level of crap that the three displayed. Talita's had a spelling error, Ashley's was obviously rushed, and Samantha's was just drab-looking.

Because of this, Joanna basically tore them. They deserved it. They're no longer in college where they can wing every single assignment given to them. This is the real world, girls. Step it up!

It's situations like these that make Running in Heels a curious show to watch, and I'm more than okay to stick around until it concludes.