The Network

"M. Butterfly" had its last stage run at the university theater. After an all-out performance, the cheers from the audience brought out big smiles from the cast who made their final bow.

Made up with thick mascara and grinning ear to ear was Juan Salinel, JS to his friends, who played the part of the man clueless about the true gender of his beautiful Chinese lover. JS had his eye on muscle guy Doni Grio, who fleshed out the wildly seductive title role of the play. It's a strange way of life imitating art, only in reality, Doni was the one who had yet to discover JS' true self.
At the climax of "M. Butterfly", the timid Doni disrobed to reveal his manhood to JS. That was the point JS discovered true love may be blind, but he was not about to let the small detail of Doni being endowed with a penis get in the way of their happiness. That was how the play went though JS felt and knew it was not just acting anymore.
Everyone from the cast and the crew was in a mood to celebrate. After all the hard work that went into "M. Butterfly", booze and pot were just rewards. At the end-season party for their theater troupe, Doni was determined to get wasted, and JS was determined to get laid.
Gwen, a stagehand, was oblivious from all the revelry around him, sitting at the corner brooding with his cup of caffe latte. Doni, his bestfriend, went up to him to force him into drinking beer and smoking a little pot but he would have none of it. Gwen could already tell it's going to be a long night. He's used to cleaning up after Doni, and always driving him home when Doni's too drunk to even piss standing straight.
After the party broke up, Gwen was dragging Doni to his car when JS played the Samaritan. JS lived just outside the university campus, and offered his bedroom with two beds in it for Doni and Gwen. It was an offer too good to pass up. Gwen drove straight to JS' place.
Gwen and JS had each of the unconscious Doni's arms slung around their necks, as they carried him to bed. JS removed Doni's shoes and went to his closet to get more blankets and pillows.
It was past 5 in the morning and Gwen can see the first rays of the sun through the bedroom windows. Far from sleepy, he sat on the chair near the opening to see the sunrise. He turned his eyes to his sleeping friend and he was taken aback.
Down on his knees and all over his friend was JS whose tongue was trying to coax the life from Doni's dead dick. No matter how rabidly JS tried to get Doni hard, (expertly, as Gwen observed) the alcohol and the pot smoke just won't let him. JS pulled Doni's string underwear and shorts back to his waist and laid on the other bed.
JS was muttering to himself repeatedly, "Hindi ko siya pababayaan, aalagaan ko siya (I will never neglect him, I will take care of him)". JS drifted off to sleep.
That was a scene Gwen tried so hard to push from his mind. He is pissed at JS for letting him see the whole thing, and pissed at himself for falling for what he thought was JS' trap. Disgusted, he decided to leave immediately, even if it meant leaving Doni with JS.
In his own bed, away from the maddening scene, Gwen was still pissed, and now torn. Should he tell Doni's girlfriend, Happy, who is also a very close friend, about the lick-dick incident? He tried to sleep it all off, but the memory lingered even in his dreams.

(This is a work of fiction.)

Amuyong

You don’t kill your brother.

You don’t torture him. And you don’t leave him for dead.

True brothers never mean or do you harm. They stand by you when you’re down, no matter what. Even when you’re a cold corpse by their own hand.

Twenty year old U.P. Public Administration student Cris Anthony Mendez (http://profiles.friendster.com/5768535) found out the hard way earning the right to call someone “brother” isn’t it all it’s cracked up to be. It cost him his life. He was a seeker of the right connections in the wrong company.

At the University of the Philippines, Greek alphabet societies had not always been the harbingers of death and bloody rumbles.

Fraternities formed a core underground resistance when the university was under the cloud of Martial Law back in the early 1970’s. They kept political discourse alive when the government cracked down on the right to assemble and to organize.

Fear of infiltration from the military forced fraternities to recruit in secrecy. Many adapted elaborate initiation rites, some borrowed from their foreign counterparts and some from military organizations themselves, to ward off potential spies.

That tradition is carried on today. Joining a fraternity is one of the most prestigious and exclusive experiences in university campus life. It’s by strict invitation only, at least for the more reputable societies. The brothers pick you. You don’t pick them.

The invitation is very discreet, though the mere presence of a recruit in a fraternity’s tambayan gives it away. A recruit who has agreed to go through the initiation is not allowed to tell anyone, not his friends, and not even, or specially, his own mother.

It all starts with being an amuyong, the fratman’s moniker for a neophyte. The term is rooted in pre-Hispanic Philippine history, when men turn to servitude as peons to pay off debts. In street lingo, amuyong has come to mean a moocher, a low-life who has absolutely no stake in anything. But in today’s frat culture, it means paying homage to the masters, the full fledged members who will determine and will test a novice’s worth before becoming one of them.

The masters have one goal during the whole initiations: to make an amuyong’s life a living hell. No if’s and but’s about it, and no mercy. It’s supposed to be the crucible that separates the men from the boys, and the fire that purifies the man to be worthy of the company of brothers.

Too bad that tradition of nobility is lost on the slayers of Cris Mendez. Fratmen call non-members of Greek alphabet societies “barbarians”, but taking the life of another specially one who will become their own, shows a far worse act of barbarism. It’s abomination.

Cris Mendez was man enough to trust his so-called would-be brothers with what they’re doing. The brothers have to be man enough to own up to their own mistake.

Italy State of Mind

IN THREE years of staying in Manila, Francesco Tornieri has learned to make the most out of his home away from home.

He is from Venice, the Italian city famous for its canals, and he looks up to the 13^th century Italian explorer, Marco Polo, as the inspiration for the fusion of Old World charms and east Asian sensibility in his place.

Francesco’s friend and design consultant, Migs Rosales, helped fix up his place. Migs says Francesco prefers white, which was the predominant color of his place’s walls and ceiling, and the color helps bring contrast to hanging artwork and antique furnitures.

Though his work for an international banking institution based in Manila demands most of his time, that hardly dampened Francesco’s passion for traveling. His spectacular view of the city, with the towering south Luzon mountain ranges in the backdrop, is the perfect backdrop reflecting his wanderlust.

He has traveled widely all over Asia, Africa, and South America, and every time he goes back home in his plush condo unit at the heart of Makati City, he brings bits and pieces of cultural relics with him.

At the foyer, visitors are welcomed by a tabernacle which was used as a depository for the Holy Host. He found the gilded box in Cuzco, Peru.Hanging on the wall beside the tabernacle is a 16^th century reproduction of a Renaissance Italian painting.

“I grew steeped in Catholic tradition so these religious objects remind me of home,” says Francesco.

Also hanging on the wall near the foyer is a painting which was picked out for him by a friend at the Louvre. “It’s one of my favorite artwork.”

At an alcove in his living room, Francesco placed an antique altar table from Bohol where he put on top his favorite travel book on a reading stand and an Italian terra cotta bust.

Across the alcove, past the comfortable white sofa on the living room, is an antique prayer pedestal from Venice, with a dated spyglass sitting on top.
For his dinner table, Francesco got a well worn antique table and benches from Cebu. Francesco says, "It reminds me of Franciscan monasteries in Tuscany and the bench allows a more communal experience to dining."

At the end of the table is another cabinet, with three silver candelabras, a metal fruit bowl from Indonesia and an antique picture frame. But what Francesco is particularly proud of, which he venerates with a flower in a large vase, is a tanka from Tibet with a depicted dual image of the Buddha.

“It’s the best I can do to pay respect to it in this spot.”

On the way to the powder room stands what’s probably the oldest piece of furniture in his place, a dark small cabinet with rare old bound books on top.

Francesco’s love for Filipino antiques is also reflected in his bedroom where a riveted silver-plated carving hangs above his headboard. The guestroom has another carving, a Tampinco woodwork, also hanging above the headboard.

More than any area in his place, Francesco feels he is the master at his modern kitchen, accented by two pieces of ancient vases from Myanmar.

“This is definitely my dream place in the Philippines, hands down. I like it a lot."

For the full story, check out Urban Zone airing over ABS-CBN Channel 2, Sundays 12 midnight.

A Rose for Julia

THE MOMENT I stepped into the newsroom this hot Wednesday afternoon, my heart skipped a beat over the breaking news. Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro was announcing in a live media briefing that the missing U.S. Peace Corps volunteer has been found.
The downer was that her body was found in a shallow grave with an appendage sticking out.

I never knew Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell, but I know foreigners like her who go out on a limb to help improve the lot of this God forsaken country, and appreciate its innate beauty. For Julia, the cost wasn't just a limb but her life.

She reminded me of a good friend, a Princeton-in-Asia fellow and a writer, who wanted to do exactly what Julia did: hike at the Banaue rice terraces. But my friend did not have the time to do that before leaving for an English teaching stint in rural China. Like Ms. Campbell, my friend is brave and full of vitality. She's a moving spirit who scoffs at risks.

Same thing with an Australian hiker, Daniel, who I met after he scoured Palawan on his own. He was working for the International Labor Organization to improve worker standards in the Philippines. He fearlessly hiked the devastation left by Mt. Pinatubo in Pampanga.

Ms. Campbell possessed the same drive. Her decision "to step out of the rat race of New York, join the Peace Corps and board a plane for Manila" commands respect. (Quote from Ms. Campbell's blog)

After the initial breaking news, ANC ran this sort of tribute to Campbell.

JULIA CAMPBELL KEPT an online journal of her experiences as a United States Peace Corps volunteer, a blog with the simple title, “Julia in the Philippines” (http://juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com/).

It was a humorous record of her adjustment to Philippine life and the hardships that came with working in poor provincial communities.

In her very first blog entry dated April 12, 2005, Julia wrote

"Today is the fourth day of living with my host family, the Alcasids. After the initial shock, we are getting along fine. They are happy to have me and to cook for me -- even though i'm a vegetarian! (Filipinos don't like to eat vegetables!!) I've learned all over again how to take a bath and go to the bathroom, Filipino-style. Bathing consists of cold water, a big dipper and a bar of soap and squatting. And let's just say the toilet doesn't flush by itself. It needs a little help from a bucket of water! :) oh, and did i mention, no toilet paper?”

Back in 2005, Julia wrote about her host brother, Jason, then seventeen years old.
Julia narrated how Jason's hopes of being the first in his family to attend college were ruined when the company managing his college savings fund went bankrupt.

"This somehow seems so unfair. A right of passage many Americans take for granted is so elusive to kids like Jason. Yet, it was within his grasp and a government plagued by corruption and debt snatched it away. And yet i'm sure i will encounter many more stories like Jason's along my way here, each one as heartbreaking as the other. Perhaps someday it will make some sense."

In what may have been her last blog entry, on January 2007, Julia wrote from Legazpi, Albay about the aftermath of typhoon Reming. It was Julia's first brush with death. After surviving it, all Julia could say at the beginning of her blog entry was:

“Buhay pa tayo (we're still alive)”

Living in Black and White

He is a celebrated interior designer who has been tapped for the interiors of popular high-rise condominiums, hotels, restaurants and residences.

Anton Mendoza is known for his faithfulness to black and white and painstaking detail to lighting. He is also a devotee of Filipino antiques.

Those are reflected in his own personal space at a plush condominium building in Makati’s central district. An intricate wood carving taken from an old Jesuit church adorns the foyer.

Anton is focused on his work. So focused, in fact, that he refused to appear on television so he will not take away the attention from the design of his place.

Anton himself designed a lot of pieces at his pad. He made sure all the wires and other electrical clutter are out of sight for that clean and streamlined look.

A big sofa dominates his living room, but it’s his choice antiques that give a sense of religious history to the place.

His design philosophy is reflected in his most private quarter – the bedroom.

Black and white Zobel paintings add to the aura of an eleagant light and dark.

Unique, low hanging lamps; a huge crucifix; and an indigenous leather rug are some of the best highlights of Anton’s sleeping quarters.

His bath and vanity area also tend to be monochromatic and so does his mess quarters.

His use of eye-catching and uncommon technological pieces like his Bang and Olufsen phone, study light,and wall-mounted flat television,all come together for a modern chic vibe.

Looking back, to get the look of Anton Mendoza’s place: consistently stick to black and white; use religious antiques with intricate wood carving; get contemporary designer pieces; and use acrylic stands for accents.

Check out the full story on Urban Zone, Sunday 12 MN, ABS-CBN Channel 2 =)

Butch In The Sky

Typhoon Milenyo’s fury left critic and television host Butch Francisco’s penthouse home in Greenhills in tatters. The roof dropped and a third of the ceiling in the living room collapsed.

He saw a silver lining from all the damage. Though his insurer won’t cover it, Butch thought he might as well work on the interiors he wants. He immediately started work on repairs and asked an old friend to help him draw up a “pure” traditional Filipino interior to his pad.

Butch said he started work on his place a day after the storm. In three days, after the damage, he had Tats Manahan, Johnny Manahan’s wife, come in for the interiors.

From the doors, a long walkway with a spectacular view of the city, leads to the rest of the unit.

He describes his interiors as that of typical Filipino home in Vigan, Ilocos Sur in the 1950’s. He used broad hardwood floors, old glass chandeliers, wood mesh balustrades and he had contractors build a higher ceiling.

Butch made sure the details are right and that cost him three months of stress. He said he had to move everything to make way for the changes.

Today, the elegant, calm interiors are a stark contrast to his penthouse view of the city’s hustle and bustle. His place lined with books and work from gifted artists and friends,and it is full of gifts from family and friends that fit his interiors.

The bell at the entrance is a gift from Rosa Rosal. The “Joker” painting is from Joey de Leon and one other item is from Sharon Cuneta.

Butch’s love affair with antiques started with a mirror which he bartered from his aunt. He hid all hints of modern-day conveniences like the TV and roll-down blinds from view. He used capri windows to hide his air-conditioning unit.

All-glass walls give the viewer the feeling of floating above the city.

Hanging above his couch are several paintings of nude women, one of them a Manansala work of art.

An antique-looking wall phone hangs by the wall beside his bedroom door.

Inside Butch’s bedroom, the first thing you’ll notice about it is a dominant statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He has a leather couch beside his old wood bed with a wooden coffee table.

It’s a place that is a blast from the past at the top of the city.

For more home design stories, catch Urban Zone on Channel 2 every Sundays, right after the Sunday movie =)

Celestial Selections from Celestina

From the foyer alone, the mistress of the house comes across as a sophisticated, creative lady. This is the home of former fashion model and style icon, TINA MARISTELA OCAMPO.

It’s an old house that was renovated to look retro-modern, but it’s not her chic home that has everyone talking lately.

Check out Charlie’s Angel gal, Drew Barrymore at the recent Golden Globe Awards. She’s holding one of Tina’s now trendsetting Celestina bag.

Here’s Oscar-winning actress Halley Berry at the People’s Choice Awards, holding a Celestina.

Tina and her husband Ricco Ocampo are Manila'smost successful fashion entrepreneurs. They’ve established brands like sari sari, i2i, black shop and mix.

They made world-class design and service available to the average Pinoy.

Now with Celestina, they’re bringing the finest Philippine products to the world.

Tina got idea from home accessories that Ricco was designing.

When Tina had 25 prototype bags, she went to New York . RafeTotengco, the established Filipino bag designer, introduced her to the accessories editor of Vogue magazine.

The Barney’s CEO personally chose the Celestina bags. The Vogue article came out in December and the rest as they say is history. Celestina is now being sold in luxury boutiques around the world.

Celestina is sold in Barneys across the USA, Jeffrey in New York, Joyce in Hong Kong, Browns in London and in Paris. Also available in luxury online shop www.vivre.com.

This is the bag that the Vogue editors went crazy over. It’s also similar to what Halley Berry used. It is made of handwoven silver, inspired by the humble coin purse.

It’s the combination of traditional materials and modern styling that makes the Celestina more than just the usual Filipino handicraft.

This is the Maricel Soriano bag, made of abalone shell.

Tina says it is more chic to have the luxury inside. so she keeps her shell bags un lined and un embellished.

The most popular one is the Paqcquiao. It’s the bag that every store abroad has ordered.

Tina’s personal favorite is the Masbate,named after her parents’ hometown. It is made of penshell, but resembles tortoise shell.

Then there's the bag called Emilio Aguilar Cruz. It is made of shagreen, the skin of a sting ray.

Tina’s bags are priced from six hundred dollars up and up can mean six thousand dollars for a crocodile skin bag.

Celestina’s next line is jewelry made of ivory, jade, and gold with Tina’s modern aesthetic.

All of this happened in less than a year. In that short span of time she made it to Vogue Magazine; she made it to Barneys, and to Hollywood.

Check out Urban Zone for more details, airing Sundays, 12 MN, over ABS-CBN Channel 2 =)

Designer's Dream Home

Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.

(Orson Welles)

DESIGNER Ito Curata brought out the grand and regal through his work. Just ask two of his most prominent patrons, actress Sharon Stone and President Gloria Arroyo. They'd agree: his creations convey class and dignity.

Ito recalled his fashion foray into Hollywood started when he met a guy from Miramax Pictures, who ignited a chain of connection to the stars. After meeting key people, he was asked to send several of his gowns to Stone, and pretty soon, he found himself being flown in to the actress' mansion for a fitting.

Upon his return to the Philipines, his amazing eye for detail caught the attention of Jo Ann Zapanta, who handled President Arroyo's fashion and wardrobe makeover. Before her most recent State of the Nation Address, Ito was again asked to dress the president.

"The president just arrived from Italy and I only had 3 days to work on the gown. I worked day and night to finish it in time for the State of the Nation Address," he recalls with a laugh.

Ito kept the his signature panuelo over the president's gown. Instead of blue, the president's appointed color in 2005, she addressed Congress and the nation in fiery red. Ito also modified her necklace, from a single round piece, to three.

The president personally signed a "thank you" message for Ito on the gown's sketch spread.

GLEANING from his evening wear pieces, it's no wonder that from the outside, Ito's home is also the picture of regality and grand proportion. Inside, Doric columns and

wide spaces paint a breath-taking vista.

Ito said what started as a strictly "Tuscan" design for his home has been modified to accommodate pieces he shipped from his crib in San Francisco.

A combination of select French and Italian pieces lend an "eclectic" Mediterranean feel, as he would describe it, to his home.

Ito designed his space himself. He drew his inspiration from unforgettable houses he found in his travels. His walls are full of authentic paintings, sketches and lithographs of honored painters like Picasso and Salvador Dali.

Particularly eye-catching are Picasso's lithographs hanging by his washroom on the ground floor. Freshening up at the washroom also meant communing with the bold, eccentric painter.

Ito said he won his art pieces in auctions, including a handwritten executive order from the president of the first Philippine Republic, Emilio Aguinaldo.

Going into the kitchen, nostrils are filled with the appetizing smell of sandwiches and cold lemonade. Ito loves to cook, and prides himself on baking his own biscotti.

Leading to the second floor is a grand staircase, with a replica of a classical painting midway.

Ito's taste for the grand is also reflected in his bedroom. A large bed with two bed posts
reigns over a room with a view to a golf range.

When asked if this is his dream home, "Yes! This is it. I set out to build my dream house in the Philippines because I can't afford to build something like this in San Francisco," said Ito.

A modest quip from a grand designer.

(The full story appears on Urban Zone, 12 midnight, December 10, over ABS-CBN Channel 2 =)

A Stormy Beginning

It’s what Bruce Wayne’s father said to him after a traumatic event: "Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. The winners pick themselves up and learn from their mistakes. It’s what you do after you make a mistake that shows character.

I came in from the cold, wet and lightless. "Milenyo" unleashed powerful winds and rain that left Manila's streets a virtual no man's land. There was no escape from its fury. I didn't feel any safer inside my building. The storm was beating down the glass walls and windows. The floor was trembling from the sheer might of the elements. Emergency light flickered while an uneasy dampness slowly blanketed the place.

There was no stopping the storm. Walls and windows fell down from their frames and carpeted the floor with glass shards. Navigating the halls meant skipping one spot to another to avoid sharp edges. The elevators were useless. I looked up the flights of stairs, twenty four sets of them, before I could reach my place. The climb to the top, without light and broken glass everywhere, was risky but a better prospect than staying with strangers in a dark, rain-drenched lobby.

Lightning lit the the angry skies. Amid the blue capillaries of light, one step at a time, I slowly made my way up. On the seventh floor, my thighs were aching but there was no rest. I pushed myself forward. Being alone and in the middle of a storm gave me pause, a fleeting reflection of my own worst fears, and triggered a fight-or-flight response.

In this case, I was fleeing. Looking around, I am reminded of a scene straight out of Batman Begins. A young Bruce Wayne fell into a deep hole, and opened his eyes to disturbed, gruesome, winged creatures that became his greatest fear. They inhabited his nightmares. We all know worst things had yet to come, like losing your parents in one night, murdered in cold blood, and abandoned with their lifeless bodies.

Same scenes of dark halls and stormy skies surrounded me when I got a knock on my dormitory door at a Church compound, back when I'm attending university in Manila. Hours before dawn, I was roused from my sleep, and I was surprised to see my uncle allowed to go as far as my room. He was crying when he laboriously told me my father passed on during the night, and he was taking me home. I did not believe him, until I saw my father in a coffin at a chapel near home.

On Sunday afternoon, I was playing hoops with him. He was alive and kicking. Monday morning before dawn, he's gone. From this point on, like Wayne's first blows with towering fear and death, I knew life would never be the same. There was no turning back.

Back in my ascent to my place, driven by the crashing sound and gloomy lights of powerful "Milenyo", I snapped out of my reverie. More glass windows came tumbling down the floors, and I could see tree leaves and trunks whirling around outside. A few more steps, a struggle to my door, a frantic search for the light, and cocooning in my bed, lifted my spirits.

My aching thighs and numb feet didn't matter anymore. The blood from cuts I received during my climb had dried. The pallor in my room was still a welcome a sight. Through it all, and though the experience indelibly changed me, I'm good. I'm home.