More glasses/Dressing with confidence

Recently discovered this geeky-chic collection by Luella, because this little stylish bunneh seems to have just recently discovered it also. And coolness is infectious.


For once, huge retro glasses are so cute!

But shallow ravings aside, this has given me some more ideas on dressing, particularly dressing without showing anything that is not meant to be shown. After all, women should pay close attention to what they wear: it defines how men (or everyone around for that matter) will eventually treat them.

That said, I recall a conversation I had with my boss (and friend) Diana--I was thinking too much about dressing to look good/smart/serious for others (so that you attract the people you want to meet) that I forgot the most basic thing, which of course Diana pointed out to me. "You dress for yourself!"

Of course! Before anyone else, one should dress to please oneself. That includes choosing the clothes that reflect your own self-respect. What you want to do is highlight your face--and not any other part of the body--because your face represents you (your whole person-hood) best.

I recall this now because it came up again in an Ex Libris Philippines book session, which happened to be an all-girls' night...just last night actually. We were talking about how, if you are not-so-pretty, you would have an easier time with love because you're sure the guy loves you for who you are, and not for any "prize" you might be able to offer them (provided, of course, that you do find a guy!).

But maybe pretty girls will have it easy too, if they know how to not-show-off....

We had a little discussion on dressing up too: when you get a boyfriend, would you have to keep dressing up for him?

Why, of course not. In the end, the only one to really please is yourself. You dress to look good, feel good, and be at ease about who you really are.

Art imitates...art?

Here's an interesting idea for photography: re-enactment. In Korea, photo artist Yeon Doo Jung re-creates kids' drawings in photography--and the results are very surreal. (Click the link for more images.)

Then there's also the re-enactment of famous old photos in Lego version, though I can't be entirely sure who the photographer is. Maybe there are many of them.

Today's violent reaction

Good ideas are often borne from a previous limitation/handicap, and Hindy Weber Tantoco's new clothing line for kids, Kiddos, is no exception. According to Cheche V. Moral for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Kiddos was born out of [Tantoco's] nine-year-old son’s need for clothing that shouldn’t 'brainwash you into buying the cartoon clothes, shoes, toothbrush,' says the designer and mother of three. Her son attends a school that discourages watching TV."

Though an idea that is by no means new in the market, this line of clothing still gives parents another way to dress their kids. It's good to read about moms dressing their kids like the kids they are...but wait! Moral continues:

While the first collection for girls consists of real little girls’ pieces—dresses and tees with floral patterns and nautical stripes, ballerina flats—the idea of creating clothes that would make the little ones Mini-Me versions of their mommies isn’t unlikely.

“We even see girls wearing shoes with heels. Not yet, but we’ll see,” says Tantoco.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Parents, if you care about your little girls, don't get them heels. Not only are they bad for the growing feet and developing balance of your child, they also make the little ones grow up too soon. Do let kids be kids--there's nothing they'd love more than to run barefoot and dressed in clothing that would allow them to fit through the smallest of corners and climb the highest of trees.

As for Ms. Tantoco, while her line is still new and child-centered, I hope that she realizes Mini-mes aren't as good an idea as she first thought.

The stigma of wearing glasses

Was Ugly Betty only ugly because she had glasses and braces?

I got glasses back in 7th grade because my grades in school were going down, especially in Computer where I had to sit in the back and copy from a white board. I wasn't too happy about it because I thought I was already enough of a loser, and then came the specs to amplify the fact.

All throughout high school, I tried to find reasons to not wear the glasses, but as I got older, I needed them more. I even wore the glasses to my prom because I had to see who was on stage--not to mention the people across the table. And what humiliation it was when a friend cooed about how my date and I looked good together because we were both four-eyed. (Nerds go with nerds I suppose.)

My problem with glasses must have stemmed from watching TV (anime and dubbed soap operas) and reading magazines, which almost always associated glasses with "dorks" and "losers." Nothing could shake off my mindset that wearing glasses made me look ugly. Even when I drew myself, I would discard the specs.

But after a few years, I figured glasses shouldn't make anyone feel bad about how they look. You can be attractive even while wearing glasses. Lisa Loeb, for instance, back in 1994, wore the dorkiest pair but still looked cool. (Must be the talent.)


Back in 2003, when I still read Vogue, there was Behnaz Sarafpour to show that glasses-you-need-to-see and fashion do go together. She's a designer, not a model--which was perfectly fine with me, because back then I had wanted to make clothes too.
It takes some getting used to, but glasses can be glamorous. Especially when you forget that you're wearing them because you're too busy doing what you love.

The Remedy

Today marks the last day of documentary photographer Cristina Luisa Sevilla's photo exhibit, "Batang Ina," in the Legislative building of the Quezon City Hall. I read about it in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.

The exhibit is a photo-documentary on--you guessed it--young moms, or women (rather, girls) who've borne kids in their teens. Sevilla says of her work: "As a documentary photographer, I am drawn to the complex lives that these young mothers lead. These children wake up one day to find that they are no longer children. Their childhood, the time of their lives when they should play and enjoy their youth, is suddenly altered by pregnancy. They are catapulted to adulthood with tremendous force, and they must endure it to lead bearable lives.”

Such exhibits should serve as a call for many of us to take action. However, the photographer proposes one that isn't exactly what I had in mind: "While doing this documentary, what I learned is that reality is even more astounding. You can walk into any poor community and find an overabundance of child mothers. Most of these girls have never seen a condom or know what it is for. Most girls are unaware of protecting themselves. Once pregnant, most will give up their studies, work and worse—any hope that they will ever get out of poverty. Most will bear another child and another and another.”

Contraceptives, again? It seems to be the easy answer to everything. But if it were, there wouldn't be this. The people who sell contraceptives always do a word dance, because that's how they sell.

Here's a fact: Contraceptives don't work 100%.
Here's a fact that follows: Sex education centered on "how to protect yourself" is a waste of time.

The fault in this sex education system is not its purpose to educate the youth--which is actually a good cause--but the approach. Do teach the kids about modesty, abstinence and chastity...you can even do a spillover lesson on marriage and family while you're at it. But don't teach them how to use condoms, pills and Baby Killing 101. It's not so much that the youth should remain ignorant of these things; it's the underlying message you give them when you provide them with these options. It's like saying it's okay to do it as long as you don't "suffer the consequences."

More than sex ed, we need "love ed"--formation of the youth through the loving guidance of parents, relatives and mentors on matters of the body and matters of the heart.

Congratulations to Ex Libris Philippines Scholars!

For the first semester AY2008-2009, Ex Libris Philippines, a non-stock, non-profit organization of book lovers and enthusiasts, sent 5 scholars to school. These scholars are UP students who need and deserve the award.

Last June 5, the heads of our scholarship committee, Tata Francisco and Gabi Francisco, awarded the hardworking students with PhP 7,000.oo, which covers tuition and lab fees for one whole semester.

Congratulations to the scholars:

Mikael Angelo S. Francisco, B.A. Communication Research
Vincent B. Parrenas, B.A. Philosophy
Maricar F. Verano, B.A. History
Jessa Chryzl R. Orosco, B.S. Statistics
John David G. Capule, D.C.P.M.A. Piano

May you all have a fruitful semester ahead!


To read more about (and see pictures of) the event, visit Ex Libris Philippines' Multiply site.

Raising your babies in a high-tech world

Cover baby: Boston Ryan Phillips

Because it seems that neither Mommy nor Daddy could be caught without a mobile phone anywhere nowadays, how does one raise the babies using technology as a tool instead of a handicap?

Baby Magazine’s June issue offers interesting reads on living in a technology-conscious world where TV, video games, the Internet and nifty gadgets are marketed as ‘must-haves’ when in fact just a few decades earlier, our own parents did quite well without any of them.

Take a look at the toys that have entertained kids through the years—toy guns among them—which brings to mind the question, “Are toy guns really as harmless as they look?” Be a wise consumer regarding what enters your own home—meet a family that has decided to unplug the television—and has never been happier since.

And because June is the month of Father’s day, Baby features a step-by-step (and illustrated!) diaper-changing guide for the newbie daddies, as well as baby-care topics like identifying UTI in infants, how to dress your newborn, how to soothe a crying spell, and other practical tips for future experts at fatherhood.

Baby Magazine is published by Marathon Publishing and is available nationwide at National Bookstore, SM Department Store baby section, Baby & Co., Babyland, Power Books, Bufini, Havin’ a Baby, Procreation and selected mag:net plus outlets. For subscription and other inquiries, please call 728-3655/56.