Too Nude To Be Crude

By RJ Ledesma

There were two naked people in the middle of the room. And one of them was, unfortunately, male.

I have to say, when I arrived at UP's "100 Nudes, 100 Years" nude sketching session, I felt gypped. I was ready to be overwhelmed by 100 Rubenesque bodies splayed all over the exhibition hall of Mandarin Oriental Suites in Gateway Mall publicly displaying their privates. Alas, the models did not make the quota. Damn. Another adolescent fantasy remains unfulfilled.

Not only did I feel gypped, but I also felt quite uncomfortable because I wasn't sure what constituted appropriate behavior at a nude sketching session. Although my wife thoughtfully etched a couple of reminders onto my forehead on how she thought I should conduct myself during the session: first, do not stare at any R-rated body parts for more than three seconds. Second, do not hyperventilate. And, third and most important, do not touch. Yourself or the model.

So in-between those three-second intervals that I took staring at the nude model (the female one, okay? The female one), I recall my mom telling me that good behavior suggests that you make the people you are with feel more at ease in your presence. And since the models looked a bit tense onstage (it's a bit more obvious that you are tense when you are naked), I though it would be polite to also remove my clothes and make them feel more at ease. However, I also realized that not everybody would be comfortable with my nudity. So I kept my fig leaf on, just in case.

While the female model was being captured in all her Rubenesque-ness, I spoke with nude sketching event organizer and artist Romy Carlos. Tito Romy is a landscape and portraiture artist who has the uncanny, eunuch-like ability to stare at a naked woman without reaction, without hesitation and without his wife present. I swore to myself that, before this session was over, I would find out how he keeps his composure during nude sketching sessions, how I could get him to invite me to future nude painting sessions without fear of reprisal, and how come he wanted me to put my clothes back on.

NUDERED

RJ LEDESMA (a.k.a. Wanna-be Nude): Tito Romy, are you a normal man? Allow me to elaborate on this question before you stab me with your paintbrush. Normal men will find it very difficult to stare at a naked woman without having a physiological reaction that your life would like to beat out of you. So how do you do it? Is it medication? Stapler and rubber bands? Fear of the Lord?

ROMY CARLOS (a.k.a. Nude is Never Enough): For artists, I guess it's different. Basically, you'd like to finish your artwork. But surely, like any other human being, you feel also a sensation before the session starts.

Ah, so you get the sensation before the session starts?

Of course, just like any normal male.

Is it the same sort of sensation that you get when you have a urinary tract infection?

Ahem. But the moment the nude sketching session starts, you can see that everyone is so quiet and focused. You want to finish your work and do a good job.

Tito Romy, aren't you afraid that if you stare at her too long that your eyes might melt? That's what my yaya says.

You don't look at the model continuously anyway. The only time that you really spend looking at the model is at the start of the session because you'd like to choose the angle and lighting of the model that will be best-suited to your sketch.

I discovered that the best way to stare at naked women is by pressing the pause button.

Most of the time, you are looking at your canvas and not at the model. You only glance at her from time to time.

What do you look for when you request a model for a nude sketch? Do you say, 'I'd like a size 36C cup, please'?

Actually, that's a misconception.

A misconception? Why? Is it a D cup? Wow, you artists are demanding.

Normally, when you are looking for a model, the manager often asks you, 'Do you want a beautiful woman?' Actually, we don't. What is important is that the model knows how to pose. And that she is also patient. In fact, the great models are the ones who are already kulubot na. Because they have character lines.

Kulubot na? O, yaya pwede ka pa palang mag-model.

YAYA: Ulol.

We aren't looking for a Miss Universe, you know. What is more important is the interpretation by the artist of the nude model on the canvas. During Renaissance times, the ideal form of beauty was voluptuous. The emphasis was on the breasts. So the breasts had to be full. However, standards of beauty change through the ages.

Tito Romy, I think we should emphasize that some standards should never change.

For me, I like our model over there. Not too fat, not too skinny. She's just right.

The Goldilocks philosophy works well for me, too, Tito Romy.

NEVER TOO NUDE

Which nude is easier to draw? The female nude or the -- God help me -- male nude?

I guess it's easier to draw the male model. Primarily because I am a male.

So that means you know where all the body parts belong.

But for the female, there are a lot of nuances. There is a bit of subconscious that enters the drawing. Because, let's face it, not all the models are generously endowed. Maliit ang kuwan ng model.

Ah, yes, the non-Renaissance kuwan.

Kapag kinopya mo yung kuwan, somehow you feel that something is missing. So usually, you add a little something, to make it more... proportional.

Sigh... If only we could use our subconscious to make things more proportional. So, Tito Romy, let us talk like real men who do not live in fear of their wives. Staring at the nude model doesn't do anything for you at all? It doesn't make you frustrated? Excited? Temporarily insane?

Personally, it does nothing for me. All you want to do while sketching is to capture the essence of the model.

That is also what many D.O.M.s want to capture as well.

Carnal desire just doesn't enter the body somehow. But as the model takes off her clothes, siyempre nakakuwan yung senses mo eh.

Ah, so even the kuwan does something for you pala?

Pero, it's another thing altogether when a model takes off her clothes on stage in a beerhouse. But the be-all and end-all of the nude sketching session is that you are able to complete your work.

Tito Romy, I don't really know what its like for a model to take off her clothes in a beerhouse. I have never been to one before.

YAYA: Ulol.

So do you usually sketch the whole body of the nude, or do you leave some parts for the imagination to prevent domestic warfare?

It depends on your mood and on the time available. Normally, if you are pressed for time, then you just choose certain parts of the anatomy.

I often choose certain parts of the anatomy when I have limited time to look at nudes as well.

Tito, there is a question my three female readers have been too sober to ask: What exactly is that fine line between nudity in art and just plain pornography?

Pornography caters to the more primeval sensations of a human being. Pornography arouses your basic instincts. But in art, there is a more sublime reason behind it. In each creation that you make, you always leave a little something of yourself in that particular artwork. That is not only your time, but also your emotional and spiritual self as well.

I see. So I should always leave a little something of myself after I look at nudes. Speaking of which, just how many nudes have you painted in your lifetime?

Um, not very many, actually. About 30, I'd say.

Well, that's 30 more than I'll ever paint. After your 30 nude drawings, can you say what would make a good candidate for a nude model?

There is no hard and fast rule. Whatever model is presented to me, I guess I won't mind. As long as the model is pleasant enough to pose and as long as the proper facilities are available, like the lighting and the background music. Then that's all right with me. I'm not too particular about the looks of the model.

Fantastic! There is still hope for me then. So, please make me happy, Tito Romy: Would I make a good nude model? I took some pictures of myself in the banyo this morning just in case.

Why not? In fact one of our male models was a UP student before. He had no previous experience but he had a fair complexion, just like you.

It's not me, Tito. It's the Glutathione. I've been jockeying for an endorsement, but damn that Gabby Concepcion and his Dorian Gray good looks.

The model adjusted very well. There were first-time jitters. It took him quite a while befoore he could come out of the room and pose. But after coaching him a bit, he finally came out. All's end that ends well, I say.

And I hope that all of his is still well.

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But of course, this little tête-à-tête with Master kuwan Romy Carlos was merely a prologue to the moment that all the No Girlfriends Since Birth (NGSB), Quezon City chapter, have been waiting for: The no-holds and no-clothes-barred interview with the nude model. So, after checking my blood pressure, binding my hands with barbed wire, and placing me behind a wall crowned by broken soft-drink bottles, the interview with our nude female model began under heavy surveillance.

HETO NA, HETO NA, HETO NAAAAHHAAAAA!!!!

RJ (a.k.a. Hubo't Hubad Lumilipad): So, do you, um, come here often?

HUBAD (a.k.a. Hubad): Well, it's my first time here, but I've been modeling for some time already.

What kind of modeling have you been doing?

Ayan. Nude.

Well, yes. I could see that.

Sometimes there are pictorials. But more often they are for nude paintings.

So, how exactly do you become a nude model? There are many ways I can think of how you became one, but they are all illegal.

Actually, I was just recruited.

Oh, that being the case, can we have the number of that recruitment agency, please?

I had a friend who was posing for nude paintings, then she dragged me along to a session one time. Then her manager, Kuya Jonski, liked me. So that's how it all started.

Who is this charismatic Kuya Jonski? Can I meet him personally and give him a certificate of recognition? And how did he know you would be an ideal model for nude modeling? Was he Kryptonian? Did he have X-ray vision?

It was like an audition. There was a pictorial, and if Kuya Jonski liked your body, he would show these pictures to clients. If the cliens like your body, then they will request a session.

Do you check if any of these clients have a record with the NBI? Um, scratch that. (RJ mumbles: "Yaya, inayos mo na ba yung sa NBI?") Let's get back to the interview: How many years have you been nude modeling?

Almost three years now.

Three years!? May I ask how old you are?

I'm turning 20.

Wow. I would like to explore this topic more but I am afraid that the authorities are monitoring this interview. And what exactly are the benefits that you get out nude modeling? Is it the love of art? The exhilaration of being captured on canvas? The recognition you get from being drawn by the country's foremost artists?

Money.

Ah, that is a very rewarding benefit. How much of that rewarding benefit do you get for nude modeling?

It's different. But the compensation is much better during pictorials. The hourly rate there is... ay basta! Secret.

Yes, please do keep it a secret. I could hear some D.O.M.s writing out blank checks.

Taken from The Philippine Star

WANTED: FOR INCOHERENCE

By Scott R. Garceau

There's a hypothetical question posed monthly by Britain's Uncut magazine to its musical interviewees: "A briefcase containing £75 million is placed on a table in a room, and you can walk away with it, under the condition that a man in Peking will fall off his bicycle and die at the same moment. Do you take the briefcase?"

A similar butterfly-effect question lurks behind Wanted, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov's American debut, as it concerns a secret society of assassins called The Fraternity which receives its kill assignments from a bizarre source: secret binary code woven into ancient fabric.

But this all makes it sound more sensible than it really is. Wanted stars James McAvoy (Atonement) as Wesley Gibson, an office nebbish who suffers what he thinks are panic attacks, but which really mask a genetic ability to accelerate his metabolism to to 400 heartbeats per minute. This is a useful skill for assassins, you see. It allows them to run really fast, grab quick-moving items, and -- don't ask how -- curve the path of bullets.

The first inkling of incoherence arises with the bullet thingy. The idea is that the assassin cah whip his pistol arm out, and mentally "fling" the bullet along whatever path he or she wills. But if your metabolism is that fast, why not wait in a café for your victim, run up and garrot him at blinding speed so no one can spot you, then sit back down and finish your cappuccino?

Such questions troubled me while watching Wanted, which has the gonzo spirit of last year's over-the-top action movie, Shoot 'Em Up, yet lacks the coolness factor of that film's Clive Owen. Thus you're left with McAvoy, who, though a fine actor, is a bit of a runt, and his rubbery face caught in bullet-time contortions is not exactly chick bait.

Still, there's another thing wrong when you cast Angelina Jolie as a mentor assassin called Fox -- and she's no longer that foxy. It seems the director thought the very idea of Jolie playing yet another assassin was finger-scorchingly hot enough. But no one reckoned on Jolie's skeletal frame, which reminds one of starving children of Darfur and lacks the appeal of her earlier Mr. And Mrs. Smith voluptuousness. Tattoos and raccoon eye makeup aside, she is cool as a no-B.S. killer who trains Gibson in the ways of The Fraternity. These episodes include hopping on elevated city trains, playing with knives, getting beaten up repeatedly and swerving bullets around hunks of pork.

But she's also a blank cipher, aside from her exposition on why she became a killer. It seems that her family was murdered by a guy who, it turns out, was scheduled to get assassinated, but the Fraternity killer chickened out.

And here's the whole "£75 million in a briefcase" question plays a role. Gibson's dad, we are led to believe, was killed by a renegade Fraternity member named Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), and Gibson's genetic skills are what's needed to hunt him down. This seems to be the motivation driving most of the Fraternity members: revenge. They're not in it for the money, though they have sizeable bank accounts. More puzzling, they never seem to question that their assignments are handed down by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), an avuncular older assassin who reads woven fabric the way fortunetellers read tea leaves.

You see, The Fraternity is a 1,000-year-old organization that was created to rid the world of evil men, and their front is a textile factory with old-fashioned looms manned by -- you guessed it -- weavers by day, killers by night.

Oh, what a tangled web this plot does weave! You just start to settle in and enjoy the hyperkinetic chase scenes and even the blood-frozen-in-bullet-time hit jobs -- wherein live rounds are shown barreling through various surprised skulls in slow motion -- when the scriptwriters throw in yet another angle, each one more curved than a cylinder from Gibson's gun.

Perhaps most logic-challenged of all is a subplot involving rats made to swallow C4-laced peanut butter. The rats are then strapped with explosion-triggering wristwatches and set loose on The Fraternity's headquarters. It's obvious the director couldn't resist the filmic spectacle of exploding hundreds of rats simultaneously, but since the suicide-bomb rodents do little more than create a diversion before Gibson strides in, guns a-blazing, it all just seems a bit... silly. And yes: O.T.T.

Over the top as well are the self-conscious nods to Fight Club by the Russian director (that plodding voiceover narration, the slow-mo shots of faces reduced to moosh by fists), though none of that movie's control or wit; and the shot-by-shot recreation of the car-chasing-a-train scene from French Connection. If nothing else, Bekmambetov does enjoy delivering his action scenes and movie references.

Of course, no one's really what they seem in Wanted, a curveball also served up in Shoot 'Em Up, though again that movie refused to take itself too seriously, so it was easier to succumb to the dumbness; this one has pretensions of seriousness, metaphysical questions touched on but never really embraced, buried in a hale of bullets and CGI head blasts.

It's curious that none of these skilled assassins ever question that only certain people are allowed to "decipher" the kill assignments contained in the ancient loom cloth. But more to the point, what kind of whacked-out belief system is this? Really, now: "We take our orders from stitches in the cloth." What if the weaver had a bad day? What if she (or he) dropped a few stitches? You could easily end up whacking the wrong dude.

But Wanted takes its convoluted assassin concept from a comic book (naturally), and probably all seems a bit more plausible on the inked page. On film, it's all about gawking at the slowed-down assassinations, blood explosions and iconic gun poses like a 15-year-old playing a video game.

And this, indeed, is probably Bekmambetov's targeted audience: male teen gamers, who probably have more patience for beyond-physics camera moves and ear-crushing explosions of glass, metal and munitions than we seasoned moviegoing geezers do. In short, part of me enjoyed Wanted, but the sheer ridiculousness of the concept stopped me short of taking the full plunge. Maybe it was the part of me that expects movies to make more sense than a Looney Tunes cartoon that had a problem.

Taken from The Philippine Star

Wrist Candies

Spending hours gazing at these latest wrist candies is time well spent. The "pop" watches come in cool hues and designs perfect for cheerful, vibrant and design-savvy men and women.

ALESSI KAJ

The KAJ series of Alessi features watches for him and her with acrylic crystal and one-piece polyurethane casing that extends to the straps. Designed by Karim Rashid, the KAJ watch is perfect for the cool and stylish. Available in pink, black, gray, orange, red and brown.

ANDY WARHOL'S DANCESTEP

The Dancestep watch is the most successful series of Warhol watches to date. The featured artwork inspires and captures the imagination of people the world over. Available at MYTYM Watch Hub, Rustan's, and leading department stores.


APPETIME LOLLIPOP

The Appetime Lollipop watches look like candies in shining aluminum colors. Available in five designs and sweet colors such as strawberry yogurt and citrus cool. Check out MYTYM Watch Hub, Rustan's, and all leading department stores.

ELLESSE SKI

The colorful Ellesse watches in silicon straps set the feel of skiing down a snowy mountain hill. The stainless steel case and buckle give added strength to these chronograph watches in orange, white and blue faces. Available in MYTYM Glorietta and all NoCurfew Watch Stores nationwide.

EVERLAST

Strong yet vibrant, Everlast Timing shows how to draw power from colors! These timepieces in rectangular stainless steel case and bracelet are further toughened with sporty indexes and chronograph function. Available in all NoCurfew Watch Stores and leading department stores nationwide.

FOCE

These elegant timepieces are perfect for a walk in the park, a day in the mall, a night at the movies, or a dinner by candle light. Its elegant features exude femininity at its best. Available in MYTYM Glorietta, NoCurfew Watch Stores and leading department stores.

STORM

The highly sculptural Storm watches offer a range of styles from funky edginess to sleek sophistication. Available in MYTYM Watch Hub, Rustan's and all leading department stores.


WIZE & OPE

Customize your watch according to your mood with Wize & Ope. The collection comes in analog and digital. The straps and slides are sold separately. Available in MYTYM Watch Hub, Rustan's, and all leading department stores.


Taken from The Philippine Star

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These

Sleep in style with fun and fab sleepwear from SM.

Beyond basic pajamas or over the top boudoir pieces, today's sleepwear takes off from current fashion trends. They're also great for lounging, snuggling up, or taking it easy with your favorite book or video.

The collection features capri-length pajamas matched with statement tees, pretty night shirts with stripes and ruffles, snappy short sets, light and breezy night dresses in cool prints and candy hues.

The collection is available at the ladies wear department of all SM stores.

Taken from The Philippine Star

The World According to Ma Boyle

On the best thing she learned from her parents:

"(It would be) survival. Sometimes you have a bad day, but there's a good day coming too. You shouldn't delve on 'I should have done this or I should have done that.' You can't do that. You just have to look to the next day. If you didn't do a good job today then you should just do a better job tomorrow because yesterday is never going to come around again."

On her role in product development:

"I probably criticize more than I create. When people ask me what I do, I say, 'Well, I verbally abuse as many people as I can every day.' We pay people a lot of money to go out and come up with new ideas and know what's 'in.'"

On the outdoors:

"The outdoors is wonderful. You shouldn't stay indoors; it makes you a very boring person. The outdoors does you a lot of good. I'm 84 years old and I'm probably in better health than most people. I do water aerobics thrice a week and I try to stay active by chasing after my grandkids."

On raising her kids:

"When my kids were growing up, we didn't have any money. You learn to cook hamburger 10,000 different ways. You learn about leftovers. And I can open up a mean can of tuna."

On the youth:

"It takes young people to come up with innovative ideas. They say inventors are mostly 30 and under."

On growing her business as a woman in a male-dominated industry:

"As long as you have a big mouth... It's become more acceptable for women now but back then, it wasn't. I remember one time, a guy called up and said, 'I want to speak to the president of the company' and I said, 'Speaking.' And he said, 'But you're a woman.' So I just said, 'You know, when I got up this morning, I noticed that.' Women aren't supposed to know anything but then I tell people, 'Who raised you, your father or your mother?'

"I never thought that, just because you were a woman, you shouldn't be given a chance."

Taken from The Philippine Star

LIFESTYLE REPORT FROM OREGON: One Tough Brand

By Ana G. Kalaw

It was sunny the whole time we were in Portland, Oregon. The skies were clear; the weather, calm. It stayed like this the whole four days we were there, partly to enjoy Oregon's verdant greenery and nature appeal, but mostly to see and experience for ourselves how a small hat company back in the late '30s grew into the billion-dollar outer-wear-providing company that it is now.

It should have been the rain and muggy weather, not the sun, welcoming us -- a small group of local lifestyle press -- to Portland, Oregon, birthplace of outdoor apparel provider Columbia Sportswear Company. After all, it rains nine months out of the year in this coastal state. Though its inhabitants enjoy a warm, dry spell now and then, most of them have gotten used to the damp, cool weather, and have, in fact, built businesses out of it. Columbia, for one, partly credits the rain for its success. Aside from the volume of rain jackets it sells each year, Columbia believes that, without the showers, Oregon wouldn't have all the lush, green flora and thriving ecosystem its residents so enjoy, a landscape and system that, consequentially, has birthed one of the most successful outdoor industries in the United States.

The people of Oregon love to hike their mountains, fish their rivers and ski their snow-capped peaks during the winter, and for more than 60 years, Columbia Sportswear Company, has provided the proper equipment and apparel that each of these outdoor enthusiasts need. And since the appeals of Oregon can also be seen and experienced in other places where nature has a strong presence, Columbia's reputation has grown far beyond Mt. Hood, the snow-capped mountain that towers over Oregon and the Columbia River, the river that borders Oregon on one side and for which the company was named.

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR

At the helm of this internationally renowned outerwear brands is 84-year-old Gertrude Boyle, better known as Gert or Ma Boyle, who now stands as chair of the board. Still sprightly and sharp-witted despite her senior years, Gert, with her full head of white hair and menacing stare, commands attention as soon as she enters a room. Her brisk, no-nonsense manner offers a clue as to how she was able to turn a budding apparel company back in the '60s into the international brand it is now.

Despite her father, Paul Lanfrom (a German man who fled his country, along with his family, in the early stages of World War II), having founded Columbia as a hat company in 1938 in Portland, Gert wasn't exactly groomed to run the family business; it was actually her husband Neal who took over from Lanfrom during the '50s. By this time, Columbia had transferred its interests from hats to manufacturing its own outerwear products, fishing vests and shirts. While Neal ran Columbia, Gert stayed home taking care of their three children -- her input into the company consisted of sewing up prototypes of new and innovative styles for their fishing vests and jackets.

However, Neal died suddenly in 1970, leaving behind an expanding company dependent on bank loans and a widow with close to zero business experience. Neal died on a Friday in December of 1970; by the following Monday, three days after Neal's passing and a day after his funeral, Gert, along with her son Tim, was at the Columbia headquarters trying to assure all of the company's 40 employees that everything was going to be all right.

In the next few years, mother and son had to overcome many hurdles: gender prejudice (back then, many of their suppliers didn't want to put their trust in a woman boss), worried bank managers, preying employees, preying buyers (one local businessman offered to buy Columbia for $1,400 after "newly-discovered objections" to which Gert replied, "For $1,400, I would just as soon as run this business into the ground myself!") and just plain inexperience. Says Gert, "Truth be known, I really didn't know anything. I got thrown into this business only because I had the right genes."

Soon enough, with the help of some sympathetic bankers and advice from local businessmen, and by trimming their inventory and agreeing to manufacture products for other brands, Gert, Tim and the company were able to post a profit and were finally able to say that Columbia Sportswear Company was staying open. In 1977, company's sales were approaching $1.5 million and Columbia was no longer in debt.

Columbia Sportswear's all-weather garments nurtured by one tough mother now get younger and high-tech.

It was in the '80s, however, when Columbia's sales began to skyrocket, due, largely, to a jacket with a funny-sounding name and an unconventional advertising strategy that turned Gert into an instant celebrity. In 1983, Columbia repackaged their innovative Interchange hunting jacket -- a piece that featured a weatherproof outer shell and an insulating inner jacket that could be worn together or separately, so that each parka was really three or four garments in one -- by producing it in brighter color, angling it as a ski parka and naming it Bugaboo after the mountains in British Columbia. Both the jacket and the name were instant hits. Says Gert, "The Bugaboo is my favorite. It put me on the map." But it was something else that made sure she stayed on it. A year later, sales and brand awareness rose even more dramatically when Columbia first came out with its "tough mother" campaign.

A MOTHER'S 'TOUGH' LOVE

Mothers definitely know best and Columbia's ad agency, Borders Perrin Norrander, wanted to capitalize on this bit of wisdom by putting Gert's face and motherly principles on print. Recalls Gert in her autobiography One Tough Mother, "I would be portrayed as the world's most exacting boss -- a tough mother -- who demanded and expected nothing less than the best out of my son and my company, personally inspecting each and every product we manufactured." Despite Gert's apprehensions that their largely male consumer base wouldn't respond to a figure that wasn't exactly supermodel material, the campaign was an instant hit. People loved the ads that featured Gert's raised brow expression alongside Tim's childhood recollections of how it was growing up with a "tough mother." These print ads were quickly followed by video campaigns, which showed mother nonsensically dragging her son through every single weather condition just to test their products. (In one TV spot, Tim, clad in an all-weather parka, is strapped onto the roof of an SUV, while Ma Boyle, at the wheel, drives through rough terrain in gusty winds, pelting rain and snow. In another video, Gert tranquilizes Tim, in the middle of a boardroom meeting, with an aboriginal dart pipe; when he comes to, he realizes that she is about to leave him in the middle of the desert armed with nothing but their Omni-Shade, UPF-enhanced apparel.

These campaigns would run for the next 20-plus years and would even be translated into different languages; the latest one, featuring the summer '08 collection (shot in California's Death Valley and involving a "Range Rover that had a beard, it was so old") was launched just recently. The message is clear and can be understood by everyone across the globe: even if she's a bit brazen about it, mom -- particularly this tough mom -- is looking out for you.

COLUMBIA ACROSS THE GLOBE

For their next collection, however (fall-winter 2008), despite the two-decade success of Ma Boyle's constant marketing involvement, Columbia Sportswear is leaving behind the "tough mother" campaign and moving into a new direction. Mark Shea, the brand's international marketing manager, stresses that Columbia is now targeting a younger mindset and, because of its huge presence across the globe, is now aiming for a campaign that is "universally acceptable" and can cut across different cultures and climate settings. Aside from changing the logo colors from a neutral brown to a more lively cool blue, Columbia has switched ad agencies and is introducing a new video campaign that effectively illustrates how the brand's products can be worn in all outdoor settings all across the globe. The new video, a montage of stirring images, portrays the brand as exactly what it is: one that is committed to providing apparel and footwear in different aspects of the outdoors, from the playground to the campfire to the hiking trail, all the way up Mt. Everest.

This new marketing slant also allows the brand to show off its expertise in each of the patented technologies they have infused into their products. From the start, Columbia has tried to produce apparel that makes life ultimately easier and more comfortable for the outdoor sports enthusiast. There was the fishing jacket back in the '60s (the prototype was sewed by Gert herself) that had magnets for attaching flies and lures, and a hook that would hold the fishing rod. There were those Interchange parkas that allowed skiers to go from cold weather to toasty ski lodge fireplace atmosphere with just one unzip.

These days, Columbia's apparels are described in more technically impressive terms: Omni-Dry, Omni-Tech, Techlite and more recently, Omni-Shade.

Omni-Dry is what Columbia calls its moisture-wicking technology. Columbia apparel featuring this product technology can mop up sweat, moisture and liquid like a sponge. This patented wicking/evaporating technology keeps every hiker or trail walker cool and his clothing dry.

Omni-Tech is an advanced technology used in outerwear and footwear that has waterproof qualities and a durable water-resistant finish. Despite these proofing layers, fabric is still extremely breathable and comfortable.

Techlite is a lightweight cushioning technology reserved for Columbia's footwear, be it hiking boot or casual sandal. Aside from being extremely comfortable, these shoes provide support with an injection-molded sole and also have anti-microbial features.

Columbia's latest innovation is Omni-Shade, a technology that infuses clothing and headwear with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) ranging from 15 to 50 (think clothing with built-in sunblock but without the sticky feeling). These clothing are "specifically designed and tested to be comfortable while offering protection from the sun in the hottest conditions." What makes them UPF? A tight weave, for one, blocks damaging UV rays from passing through the fabric (the UPF feature even gets better with every wash as threads tighten up). Omni-Shade clothing also has UV reflectors to reflect the sun's rays from the skin. This innovative technology has earned the brand an endorsement and a seal of recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation. Anna Sanford, who handles Columbia PR, says that about 140 styles from the recent spring-summer collection bear the seal of recommendation. By next summer, Columbia is hoping that 330 styles, about 80 percent of their inventory, will pass the standard.

Omni-Shade technology is particularly important these days and is being stressed as a year-round necessity rather than just a summer luxury -- not too many people realize that the sun's rays can still reach and damage even when the sky is overcast. UPF is especially important for kids, who spend a lot of time playing outdoors unprotected from the sun. In some of America's southern states and in some parts of Australia, the government has actually mandated parents to dress their kids in UPF clothing when outdoors. In the Philippines, the need for UPF is still a growing awareness and is something that the local Columbia distributors hope to permeate. Omni-Shade for men and women are now available in the local stores but, according to Columbia Philippines brand manager Dino de Leon, Columbia's local distributors are hoping to bring in Columbia for kids by the end of this year.

FASHION VS. FASHIONABLE

When you look at Columbia's pieces, trendy is not something that would come to mind. Comfortable, practical and classic would be more apt. "We are not a fashion brand," says Shea, "but we are fashionable." Though Columbia prioritizes aesthetic appeal only second to comfort, technology and functionality, the brand still manages to inject a bit of the recent trend into their products. We were given a sneak peek of the summer collection for 2009, a set that collectively raised excitement amongst the Philippine press present. For women, Columbia plans to serve up a bevy of prints for their activewear, from bright florals to exotic batik. They're also channeling the stylish traveler by offering crease-resistant, lounge-friendly clothing made of ultra-soft cotton and in the most sophisticated neutral shades (black, white, dove grays). Designers are also injecting a bit of tailoring into peacoat-style jackets and outerwear. Expect cowl-neck details, water-resistant shorts that can double as surf shorts (especially in our beach-loving culture) and lovely sheer rain jackets as well. Needless to say, Omni-Shade, Omni-Tech and Omni-Dry technologies are all present in these pieces.

To further promote the rugged appeal of the brand, Columbia's menswear is going with the now-popular "organic" look. A lot of distressed, "sun-washed" finishes will be seen on brand's summer '09 men's collection, just to give off the "lived-in outdoor appeal." New takes on plaid and the colors blue and orange are also to be expected.

Columbia is also in the process of going full-force with their golf collection, coinciding with their heavy promotion of Omni-Shade. Pieces in this collection include waterproof and breathable, yet lightweight, jackets and shirts with venting systems in the back to allow for a more flexible, and dryer, swing.

Ma Boyle sat with us during the entire presentation, also viewing next summer's collection for the first time. For two hours, she was constantly shooting questions, giving approval and generally providing encouragement to her team of designers and merchandisers. By the latter's response to Gert, you can see that, as far as the Columbia employees are concerned and despite her "tough" exterior, this extraordinary octogenarian is the real sunshine amidst all of Oregon's rain.

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Columbia is distributed in the Philippines by Primer Intl. and has stores in Mall of Asia, Megamall and TriNoma.

Taken from The Philippine Star

Get Rid Of Fat Without Surgery

Dr. Vicki Belo, a.k.a. "the Fat Buster" in social circles, has a brand-new weapon in her fight against fat. Brought over all the way from Switzerland, this new technology has the ability to emit sound waves that resonate perfectly with fat cells, causing them to alternately compress and expand until they implode and then burst. The fat is then excreted by the body as waste over the next few days, with no suction required.

Dr. Belo, who is known best for her expertise in liposuction, has for years been looking for an effective, non-surgical alternative to remove fat. This new procedure, called the BeloShape, is the perfect solution to banish those unwanted bulges instantly, without surgery!

Tintin Bersola, who has had a difficult time losing her post-pregnancy bulges since she gave birth to Antonia, swears to the amazing effects of BeloShape. "Three years after giving birth, I got my old figure back! Right after my first BeloShape session, my waist area became more shapely -- even better than when I was in high school! I'm so happy now because for the first time in my life, I am able to wear a bikini. It's amazing that I even have a better body now than before. And BeloShape is just the perfect treatment for women like me who are not yet ready for invasive procedures."

Actress Bea Alonzo, an endorser for BeloShape, underwent procedure and loved it. In only one session done to her abdominal area, she lost four inches. "I'm really happy I tried it. When Dr. Vicki told me it's non-surgical, I was immediately convinced. And four inches in one session -- it was unbelievable. But it sure worked! They also did BeloShape on my arms and now I'm also having my thighs done. And another thing I like about BeloShape is that it's painless, and it didn't interfere with my schedule at all. I was up and about right after the session."

The procedure takes about three hours, and it may be performed on practically any part of your body. Since BeloShape is non-surgical, there is no downtime and patients may go back to work immediately. The patient has to wear a girdle after the procedure, and will experience minor bruising for the first week. Final results become obvious after three weeks. Most patients undergo two to three sessions, spaced three weeks apart.

The BeloShape treatment has been designed to help average to overweight men and women achieve an improved body contour -- without surgery, and without downtime. Only Belo Medical Group has this technology in the Philippines and BeloShape is exclusively available at their clinic at Medical Plaza Makati. Contact Belo Medical Group at 844-2939.

Taken from The Philippine Star

Greek and Romans

A Greek and an Italian were arguing over who had the superior culture.

The Greek says, "We have the Parthenon."

Arching his eyebrows, the Italian replies, "We have the Coliseum."

The Greek retorts, "We Greeks gave birth to advanced mathematics"

The Italian, nodding agreement, says, "But we built the Roman Empire."

And so on and so on until the Greek comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion. With a flourish of finality he says, "We invented sex!"

The Italian replies, "That is true, but it was the Italians who introduced it to women."

Taken from The Philippine Star

Hyundai + "proper fuel diet" = healthy motoring lifestyle

There are so many weight management programs to choose from, each promising that you'll be able to get into shape within a given period of time. But we're not here to talk about some new diet strategy for the body; we're talking about a different kind of diet--the fuel management kind--that will benefit your car and your pocket. So this is one diet proposition you might want to strongly consider or face the consequences of bulging fuel expenses amid the fuel crisis.

Fuel Costs: On the Heavy Side

You've read the headlines. You've seen the numbers on the digital price boards of gas stations. Oil prices are skyrocketing at such an alarming rate, that they have registered record-breaking highs since the start of the year, even soaring outrageously to $130 to $140 per barrel. With the tremendous increase in world oil prices, local oil prices followed suit as well, bringing staple fuel choices like unleaded gasoline way up the charts at P55 to P60 per liter. Experts warn that this scenario may just be a dry run of things to come; sooner or later, they predict, we might have to deal with the possibility of $200 per barrel of oil and P65 per liter of fuel.

The lean, mean diesel machine

Yes, high fuel costs are here to stay--for how long is still a million-dollar question. But instead of agonizing over this looming adversity, why not try going on a diet from fuel expenses that burn really large holes on your pocket? We don't mean totally giving up driving; we mean wising up in terms of your choices of automobiles. Go for leaner choices, like cars that run on less costly fuel but let you cover miles without scrimping on power, even at just-right consumption. Simply put, go for diesel-powered automobiles, like Hyundai with CRDi VGT.

Could it be possible to have a diesel engine that incorporates the important qualities that make for a satisfying drive, like power, environmentally-sound operation, and most importantly, fuel-efficiency? Well, Hyundai answered that a long time ago, with a resounding yes, when it introduced the breakthrough CRDi, or Common Rail Direct Injection diesel engine technology. That answer remains unchanged today, with Hyundai's introduction of the CRDi with VGT.

VGT, or Variable Geometry Turbocharger, reinforces the best qualities delivered by the CRDi by optimizing air intake to yield better combustion for enhanced power delivery and engine efficiency.

By employing variable vanes to direct exhaust flow into the turbo-charger turbine, VGT maximizes the use of exhaust gas by contacting vanes at the right angle, thereby optimizing their position to suit a particular engine condition. At low rpm, the VGT's vane geometry is slightly closed to increase exhaust velocity, which imparts maximum energy in the turbine. This action causes the turbocharger to spin faster, forcing air into the combustion chamber to provide a quick spool up of power, thus, providing better acceleration even at low rpm. While at high speeds, the variable vanes of the VGT become fully open to regulate exhaust velocity, unleashing the engine's maximum power for demanding road conditions.

With the VGT, the CRDi makes full use of the fuel injected into the engine, resulting to optimal engine performance throughout the rp, range at lesser fuel consumption. And because CRDi VGT runs on diesel, a less costly alternative, you're rewarded with better mileage in your journeys. So you can save up more money to burn for more important purchases in these hard times.

Particulate emissions and toxic or NOX (nitrogen oxides) emissions are also reduced in a CRDi VGT operation due to better combustion of fuel supported by optimum air intake, making the car cleaner on the inside and safer for the environment outside. No wonder Hyundai defines VGT as Very Green Technology too!

Among Hyundai's vehicles equipped with the CRDi VGT technology are the Grand Starex 2.5-liter DOHC 16V, Santa Fe 2.2-liter in 2WD or 4WD versions, Getz 1.5-liter, Accent 1.5-liter, and Veracruz 3.0-liter. Another reliably fuel-efficient road companion is Hyundai's flagship SUV, the CRDi-equipped Tucson 2.0-liter, with Wastegate Turbo-charger technology. Each is definitive of Hyundai's brand of engineering integrity to power whatever lifestyle you lead.

Save up, shape up!

And speaking of lifestyle, here are more helpful tips on how to manage that "proper diet" in fuel consumption and keep your motoring life in great shape:

1) Anticipate stops to avoid sudden braking. Ease up on gas pedal when approaching the stop sign.

2) Avoid unnecessary high speeds during idling and in motion during shifting.

3) Ensure the vehicle is well maintained with regular servicing in accordance with manufacturer's specifications to keep your car's peak efficiency.

4) Ensure your air filters are clean. Dirty air filters restrict the flow of air into the engine and therefore impede your vehicle's performance and economy.

5) Use only genuine parts for your car, like Hyundai's. Genuine Hyundai Parts are specifically designed for each Hyundai vehicle to provide original quality for your car every time. Choose genuine for your peace of mind; not only will you be able to save in the long run, but you can feel secure knowing that your safety, as well as your loved-ones', will not be compromised.

6) Do not modify engine specification by yourself. Only allow authorized centers to check and adjust system.

7) Do not increase the size of Mag wheels against those specified by the manufacturer; this contributes to the weight factor. Also, wider wheels than the size of your stock tires create more rolling resistance and decrease fuel economy.

8) If you have two or more cars, select the most fuel efficient car for the intended purpose. Say for example, you're planning to go on a long trip. Would you go for a luxurious car loaded with all the comforts and conveniences but would entail relatively bigger fuel consumption, or would you rather go for a car that may not be as excessive in terms of luxury or convenience but is still able to deliver and at a more cost-efficient performance at that? Whichever you choose, just remember, in these trying times, a little sacrifice may help you save more in the long run.

9) Check the condition of your old vehicle versus the new one. It might be better to use the new vehicle since it is equipped with the latest technology, maximizing engine performance.

10) Last but not the least, get yourself a fuel-efficient car, if you don't own one yet.

High fuel costs weighing you down? Better avoid cars that go on a frequent fuel binge. Choose cars powered with fuel that's light on the budget and equipped with an engine that helps you save those extra pesos. Lighten up with Hyundai, powered with the latest equation in optimal performance and fuel efficiency--CRDi VGT.

Taken from The Philippine Star