Men's Health

Check out the new cheek bones. The tip is to bite. Hard.

(something I learned on the radio. Don't laugh. It's true)

Photo by Lesley Choa

It's this close to 12 midnight and I am still stuck on research.

Welcome to the life. But it's best to keep doing things before the deadline hits you.

Well, I look like tired wearing a fatigue jacket (that's double tired for you). The rain was mad this morning, but around lunchtime I was sweating like a pig. Philippine weather is really like a prospect lover, you know? One day it's all over you, pleasing you to bits and then it goes mad bipolar and you're scratching your head, asking, what have I done wrong?

They say you'll learn to love it, especially when it's summer and all you think about is getting drunk on the sight of an azure beach, well I say, I've been living here for most of my life and I am still confused. And usually, when I'm almost evaporating under the sun, I curse the weather and the country for being this...odd...Then again, if the weather cursed me, I'd be dead. So I guess I just have to live with it.

Did you know that when you don't get to sleep for some good 8 hours (I think), you're prone to Type 2 diabetes? And that adding cinnamon to your breakfast sort of prevents your sugar from hitting the ceiling? Men's Health reports. People, have this odd reaction whenever I bring up medical stuff taken from magazines, I don't know why (doing a bimbo face). No but seriously, I brought up this Men's Health tidbit I know in class today, discussing beautiful, confessional poetry. The topic was about a divorce and the question was something like, how do you know that the persona's relationship is about to end. The poem read like it was about to end since the writer penned something like "...lost the meaning of we..." Obviously, that answers the question.

So I told the class that according to Men's Health, when your partner starts saying "I want my space, my time, I want to do this on my own, etc." and suddenly you don't seem to fit in her/his picture anymore, it's a sign that it's about to hit rock bottom. You don't need Men's Health for that, right? It is so obvious, but for the sake of it, I mentioned this in class and they all laughed. I just smiled. I also read this article on VOGUE, years back that one cause of vertigo is the loss of fine crystals found in the ears. My friends laughed at me when I brought this up. Probably it's cause they think magazines don't have much use, other than making you look expensive cause magazines are hell expensive. And that reading about, say, dizzy fits on American VOGUE is like a blonde woman saying she knows the cure to cancer. They could think whatever they want, but I believe that sharing information from everywhere helps. And I believe in the power of magazines and their glossy magic. Of course listening to a doctor talk about vertigo is much more credible than VOGUE, but where would VOGUE get the information anyway? I think they're no Shattered Glass.

Anyway, so when I managed to calm them down, they all stared at me when I told them that those were the signs (according to Men's Health) of a soon break-up and most of them agreed. It is funny though, once you think about it, how random it is. But I bring it up cause I know that---after all, we are humanists---such writings come from experience and we, study just that. Plus of course, it makes people laugh at how absurd it is to read poetry and then Men's Health comes in.

So before I went to school, I decided I'd give my jacket a spin, thanks to my confusing partner, the weather. I love it and how you could actually put so much stuff in it cause of all the surprise pockets and compartments. You could even stick a pen on the left sleeve. I'm actually running low on sneakers, or, basically footwear to pair such casual looks with, so I went on to my trusty, 6 year old pair of Adidas Superstars. I couldn't get myself---at times---to wear them cause they're turning dirty yellow at the bottom and I know the Japanese don't like that. I don't too. But I love how easy it is and comfortable it feels. I survived walking 60 blocks from downtown to uptown Manhattan in these last year and all I complained about was not getting that H&M sweater. It's rare to find good shoes and these ones are beyond good. Most obvious reason why it's a classic, anyway. So there...The moment I took it off, stared at it, I had this Carrie Bradshaw moment (where all you could hear is her airy, baby voice), just gazing at the shoes like it was a sleeping lover. See, I am that mad about them. So I decided that I'll wait for them to just fall apart before getting myself brand new ones to love. Scott Schuman said, on his book, that women love to parade around in new purchases, while men take to the streets their oldest and storied pieces. That's some stylish food for thought.

Well, I have to get back to work...or sleep. I had been talking to myself, in my head, hours ago for a spankin' blog entry and now I think I flushed it down the toilet. This is frustrating. If you haven't bought yourself a copy of ROGUE magazine for this month, please do. It is one for keeps (you damn well know why). I especially love BJ Pascual's work with style editor L.A. Consing Lopez on their spread of new fall, classic essentials. Makes me want to buy designer trainers...(if I had the money that is).

P.S. Photographer and friend Lesley Choa's back on track!!!! She's now healthy again and ready to snap some life into Salt.

.Gerard