The Filipiniana in the time of Covid

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos trend on Twitter the  other week  because she was mentioned in the Netflix series, “The crown. Mrs. Marcos’ s popularity or infamousness if you may not only stems from the fact that she was married to a dictator with a regime that spans from 1965 to 1986 and has been an eventful part of the Philippine History.  Imelda Marcos is a legend on her own. A lot has been written and stories alluded to her from music, plays , movies and what not  about her extravagant shopping sprees in New York, Rome and Copenhagen. Her extensive jewelry collection is worthy of a museum and of course her shoe collection. One more thing she is identified with is her “Filipiniana” get up , whatever the occasion . No one is more ubiquitously seen and identified with the traditional outfit than Imelda. She was extravagance personified but to some she was a fashion icon and she feels like a hero to the masses in her own right.

According to her interview with William Langley “

Perched on a Louis XIV sofa, beneath a gilt-framed Picasso, Imelda Marcos is explaining how tough the job used to be. “When I became First Lady, it was very demanding,” she says. “I had to dress up and make myself more beautiful because the poor are always looking for a star in the dark of the night.”

Googling the term Filipiniana can be confusing. Its real meaning can be hard to pin down, but its actual history does reveal several forms: the baro't saya, the terno, the Maria Clara, and the traje de mestiza. You could then say that Filipiniana is an umbrella term that spans different styles of Filipina dress.

I’ve worn the outfit myself on occasions growing up as a costume in some school occasions commemorating important National days, pageants or simple parties with it as the dress code. As an adult as I was part of a young entrepreneur organization such as Jci and we would have occasions such as benefit balls and inductions. 

The pandemic that has started early this year, has been an unprecedented time to say the least, however one of the silver lining to this is that small businesses thrives where the focus is supporting local businesses.   There is a resurgence of wearing Filipiniana with a modern twist. Wearing a blouse with a Terno sleeve with jeans or a coordinating blouse and shorts in Filipiniana material of local cloths such as hablon and some locally made or weaved  cloths  of some indigenous minorities mostly from Mindanao or Luzon. In my province Iloilo or Panay we have the hablon cloth, the sinamay and the Pinya ( pineapple cloth) . Face masks made of this materials sometimes also made to match the dress or top . Some artist and designers have encouraged the use of locally made clothes and coined it as Filipino Fashion Fridays. 

 No Doubt in Asia Filipinas are one of the most fashionable ,  in a different way  with the youth culture of Japan and the labels obsessed China or the k pop fashion of Korea and maybe at par . the Filipina I would say are the most well dressed and always put together. Imelda Marcos may have put Filipinas in the map for some outrageous reasons but yes she was an icon nonetheless, for wearing beautiful filipiniana long dresses that may be her aspiring quality of  maintaining her culture and expression . It is also her redeeming quality of probably showing modesty . But make no mistake behind this feminine demeanor she was also a force behind her husbands regime. 

The appreciation of the traditional Filipino garments and supporting locally made and sourced materials is a proof of the life cycle of fashion, that truly we have to always  go back to our roots.

Quarantine (wfh)

So we have lived to experience the epidemic called Covid 19 in our life time starting early this year , where the nations closed borders, social distancing, wear face mask and  people worked at home. The new normal as we call it. So yes one of the stuff I was doing among others was doing g some minute review of the shows I watched from Apple TV because the telecom I worked for is a partner of apple. 

So : The Banker

The banker stars my crush Anthony Makie  and the formidable Samuel L. Jackson  and the the story is set on the 1960s, USA. It is inspired by true events and it touches on how America was still plague with racism in those years.  It was how 2 black men sail Through a difficult banking and real estate  business when the system did not give black people equal opportunities during those times . because of their grit, intelligence and being street smart they became successful even though it wasn’t all that easy. It also stars Nicholas Hoult as the white guy who helped them realized their ambitions. 

Home Before midnight 

 Is based on a true story about an 11 year old who has a penchant for writing. She considers herself a journalist having been exposed to her fathers job as a journalist himself. In this series she was able to uncover some secrets of the past of her father as well as she has solved a crime. The child actress was brilliant. 

The Morning Show 

The morning show , boast of power cast such as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell. It’s drama with a hint and f comedy and it’s also very political because it touches on the me too movement in Hollywood. Jennifer Aniston is deserving of her best actress win for this series. 

Also I’ve done some script for my workmates doing report on some apple feature and services : 

For zandro vlogger 

Hey red! Since you have all this travel, nature and food photos which is  understandably you cant let go. Its amazing how you can still be able to save them in your new apple phone. You just need to chose among the variants from. 64 gb memory to 512 gb. From an android pbone you can save it in the google app and move to the itunes of your apple phone, you also will have an option . To save some  of your photos to a laptop or an iphone memory stick or you can even purchase an icloud storage plan for as low a P49 per month for 50 gb icloud storage! And you will never lose a single pic and memories youve collected thru the years!

You can choose from. Iphone 11 to 11 pro pro max for best camera phone. 

Hi grace. You would be amazed to find out that not all applications are with cost in an app store. There are a thousands of applications which are for free for an iphone. Ypu  love cooking theres the apication for it such as tasty, yum, kiychen stores to name a few an these are entirely free of charge. For exercise there are 7minute work out, body space and my fitness pal and many others. And finally for photo editng you may use snapseed, kinemaster for videos and ps express which i am already using! 

So Bernard,, i understand how you are a busy persom and you have  been so used to android as an interface. However yiud be surpized how easy it is to use an apple phone. The apple id that you will create ypu can use it among all. Your apple devices and you can even share it among your family. Plus the assurance of your phone not hacked because apple is very strict when it comes to security  and virus free! And knowing how you need yo contact family overseas! If you are all using iphone you can easily access them thru i messaging and facetime. Or in case they are not using iphobe you can still use apps such as viber, whatsapp or fb messenger to communicate with them. These apps are of course free on your apple devices!

Obituary for an Aunt

(I’ve been tasked to read the obituary of my aunt the sister of my father last January) death is one of the only thing certain in this life we just have to accept it and show our loved ones our love for them while we can because truly tomorrow is never guaranteed. My aunt has lived a full life dying at a ripe age. As my brother said at the time of the planning for the memorial that her life is a celebration instead of mourning because she died in relatively old age of 83, seeing all her kids forged a life of their own,  earn their keep graduate, have kids and  and  meet all her grand kids..  I guess that’s  a life well lived.

Nelda”Andang”Jinoo Alinsangan Joplo 

Born : January 31, 1934

To parents : Consolacion Jinoo Alinsangan of Leganes ILOILO

And Ramon Alinsangan , of Alimodian ILOILO 

She is the 2nd child among her siblings -  hernane, deceased , 

Nestor , Lilia deceased , evenia and Loida deceased 

She was married to Alejandro Joplo of Leganes ILOILO  also deceased 

They have 5 children, and together they lsend their children  to

School and have them graduate

 Ranel Joplo 

Razel joplo Canatoy - recently deceased 

Nimwel

Hector an Aaron Joplo 

She has  15 grand children 

 Auntie Andang is a loving wife , devoted mother and a happy aunt and a doting grandmother to her apos. 

She was a dressmaker ,  she loves hanging around friends and family and her  laughter is. Her essence. She would anticipate her birthday every year. 

On her last  few years she dedicated her life to god going back to church every Saturday and renewed her faith in Christ. 

She would get up great dressed and bring her umbrella and bible to church. 

Recently because of her ailness and due to old age.

She was bed ridden since earlier this year and was hospitalized last September. She became forgetful and have a few lucid moments up to the time she lost her daughter inday razel last October 17 this year. She became sad and lonely when she recalls and that maybe contributed to her frailness and she sometimes refused to eat. Despite that we knew that auntie andang has lived a full

Life being a happy Lola to her apos and a loving mother to her children and nieces and nephews . She has requested prayer and songs before she finally rested last Dec 16 Her favorite songs are bday songs and 

She is 85 years old. 

Auntie andang you will he missed dearly. But your memories will

Live in our hearts. 

Wrong move to right

People have been calling and messaging me  this past days as if I’m a valid source of news or gossip do that matter.. I do love gossip especially when it’s about celebs and I sometimes do get affected by it (like  when Miley and Liam separated, again for the nth time) I would tell it to my boyfriend as if they’re like people amongst my own. Like I know them on a personal level. My boyfriend would always say that, you don’t know the real reason and you don’t know Maybe  they’re really horrible people in real life. That just him not really oblivious about celebrities but  also  don’t like them. He has a way of persuading you and making you look at the other side of them sometimes I teased him about being such a hater. He would know about how Oprah was good friends with Harvey Weinstein, How Ellen is a Democrat supporter or that Mother Theresa was not all that saintly or that he doesn’t like the royals and he hated Trump especially.  (Well  hating Trump is not debatable) but that just him and his biases and his opinions which were based on facts he said.  While me being always  wanting to be on the know basis about issues whether it be sometimes political, events and  knowing for more on the entertainment value. I boast my self at work about knowing the latest celebrity  gossips by following some entertainment bloggers here or abroad. My workmates tease me being Manay Lolit . But just to be fair and to be on the safe side I don’t discuss politics or maybe religion because it can get very tricky sometimes. However having been educated at  UP (State university) the influence  of a liberal education is always at the core. You knowing the issue, making a stand, talk when you are asked about your opinions without necessarily pushing it on anyone’s throat. And always have that open mindedness and critical thinking . 

Anyways the reason why some people were messaging me was that in my city a certain VIP was able to fly in via a chartered chopper from Manila and turning out Covid positive.  Flying in via private plane because commercial

flights were all banned. So most flights that contains medical PPEs and transports medical people are military planes. My brother is with the PAF and I once ask him if he could transport my best friend from Manila to Cebu because of the lock down extension she needs to be at home with her family. My brother said it’s not anymore permitted to fly out civilians in military planes. 

 So it was later revealed in the news anyway that this person is a high ranking management  officer of Globe Telecom, the company I worked for.  She is an Ilonga, has been our boss in the store and risen from ranks to become one of the top executives of the company.  I am very much in awe of Miss Tans as we call  her because she has been a UP professor then became a store head in a Globe store in Iloilo before becoming a top executive of Globe based in Manila. I think she is one smart, feisty Ilonga.. (praying for her full recovery soonest). 

 I was hush hush because even if  I was privy to the fact that our boss needs to come home because her mother died and she is the only daughter she needs to be home for her funeral, I did not have the proper details of the incident and also because of some privacy issues . So at first some friends were asking if indeed it was true, I couldn’t comment but eventually I said yes it’s in the news.  Globe chartered that flight and in that flight carried some test kits to be used in Iloilo.  I couldn’t emphasize how amazing our company has been in this crisis of course. (Supporting employees,  partners and subsidiaries,    Substantial donations to fight Covid 19)  

The news link : https://dailyguardian.com.ph/special-treatment-two-new-covid-19-cases-in-iloilo-bacolod-cities/

According to the news, protocol was followed  upon knowing Miss Tania was positive and proper handling was done at the airport. The crew  on this flight tested negative and that she is as-symptomatic and at home quarantine . 

 Even so people were reacting negatively how the mayor was giving VIP treatment because  the father of the patient is one of his Legal counsel and that he denied entry of OFWs wanting to go home to the city when they were stranded for weeks now in Manila . Some people joked how Iloilo is not anymore #wakandaforever because of this slight oversight. Along with the premature lifting of the liquor ban a day before. 

He was actually quick to admit slightly dimmed foresight  on that one and declaring liquor ban again after a day or two. 

 Nevertheless, Iloilo was still a model how the city has responded to the crisis. How the city mayor was lauded and how the people of Iloilo were good at cooperating with the governments effort. There was an evident  public and private sector cooperation. Hence they say Iloilo is another country of its own where there was less support from the national government yet was able to stand on its own hence  - Wakanda 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/04/03/20/in-iloilo-city-frontliners-are-first-priority

My best friend Congresswoman, Jam Baronda of the lone district of Iloilo has been working with OWWA and other government agencies to help these distressed OFWs stranded in Manila.  someone who seek my help in including their  OFW relatives knowing I was a close  confidant of Jams. I coordinated with Jams staff and they were included on that list. However, this was placed on hold  because there was an incident prior where some OFW tested positive for Covid upon arrival in the city. And Mayor Jerry Trenas has to hold the plans of bringing them to Iloilo. 

And now since Ms Tans being declared the #7 Covid positive in the city, Mayor Jerry soften his stand on bringing back the stranded OFW following proper protocol of course. I was just texting Jam a while back about the Mayors decision. Maybe everything just works for the best. And hopefully I’ll see my kababayan or Kasimanwa being with their families soon. 

Quarantine diaries

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.

Orson Welles

The first few days of the quarantine,  we could agree that people were insecure about the future,  And that we grabbed everything we thought we needed. we were told to stay at home  so we stock up on essentials- food even all the  sanitizers , face mask and toilet paper.  hoarding which is entirely a different topic of its own. But let me just focus on food. 

If you’re like me who is food motivated then the lockdown provided opportunity to hone skills in cooking and making food for ones consumption, to share with the neighbors and more importantly to post in social media. Almost all of the fashion bloggers confined in their homes  turned to cooking to maintain the gram. We have seen the influx of new hashtags such as #quarantini for drinks and the highly popular #dalgona - (look it up) replacing milk tea as the trend and #lockdownmeals and what not. My office chat groups has been filled with food creations shared by everyone everyday and nobody took offense or get annoyed. It was just a coping mechanism everyone understood.  Although as weeks went on people on social media became more conscious about food posting because some people especially the marginalized and poor comprising the majority of the population in my country were just depending on government aid and relief it became not cool and insensitive to post your lockdown meals and gourmet cooking, so I’ve posted on stories instead. 

While food provided by relief and of course we have all this canned goods. People also got creative with their way of cooking item such as canned sardines. 

 Food indeed provides comfort and maybe have us a sense of security at this most confusing times. 

The first 2 weeks of quarantine parents were complaining how a week food supply were consumed in a few days. How we are only allowed to go out to the grocery and that’s the only time we can get out wear a bra and put on something that won’t let us look homeless. 

Who would have thought that in staying inside your home you are actually contributing to a greater good. So we turned to cooking and learning some new ways of making food and just enjoy and recreate food from scratch, oftentimes depending on the internet to learn the recipes. 

Another challenge for me was controlling my oldies not to go out. they like to go on the markets to buy food for themselves, my father likes to cook himself . I have to seek the help of my eldest brother who is based in China  to call my father and tell him about staying in the house and wearing a mask.  My father likes to socialize and play chess with his friends in the town plaza he is the president of his chess club aside from going into the public market to meet some friends 

 So going back to food : I have since learned how to make , chicken Machboos, deviled eggs, I’ve made lots of coffee drinks in different ways. 

Observed how to make bread and cake by seeing my cousin do it.  She was able to make pan Desal to give out to our towns frontliners and baked a cake for our niece who celebrated her birthday on day during the quarantine. 

 Kudos to concerned organizations and individuals who made food for hospital personnels  and other frontliners.  Most cities created kitchens where food donated were being cooked to be distributed to the frontliners.   

Indeed the first week we dealt with the quarantine by becoming  cooks or bakers and turn to food for comfort. I’ve gone all out and just eat and make food not caring about the weight gain. 

On the third week, I’ve begin to see how my face bloated on zoom video calls with my colleagues . Haven’t had an exercise regimen so I tried to avoid snacking and just stick to breakfast, lunch and early dinner...  and the occasional drinks in between. A girl needs not feel deprived especially of this unprecedented times.  Next on the list of food to make - pain au Chocolat... I kinda miss breakfast in Paris.  

Fur Parents Association

The work from home set up of my company requires us to do zoom meetings with everyone from the office 5 days in a week. Last week one officemate was missing and we learn Jae was in distress as his dog died. It reminded me about my own loss. We were both fur parents and at work we would always make fun of it treating our dogs like they are real children. Like we would joke how we send our dogs to the same exclusive schools and that Jae is the PTA president and I’m the Vice President of the PTA and that they are classmates with the real kids of our boss. And him being the president of the PTA puts him in a superior position with our boss if only for the school set up of our kids.  Our office mates would often join along asking us about our dogs activities and we would invent replies such as we are sending them after school at ballets and soccer practice. Jae’s mom recently  passed away last year and she is very dear to him, they live together. And since then he is just left with two dogs to accompany him at home. I could only imagine how this loss would affect him once again. And reaching out to comfort him I’m also confronted with my own loss. Last February I’ve lost 2 dogs. So when I say that this past months of 2020 has been brutal its an understatement. 

Typing this just breaks my heart. I’ve lost two dogs in just a matter of weeks apart. First was my baby puppy shitzu named Giambatista, aka Giamba a baby girl. She was hit by a car. She’s almost 5 months  with me. She stole the heart of everyone in my family and all the relatives in our compound. I have 3 dogs actually they were four, but had the other one adopted by the family of my helper. She was a chihuahua with a mixed - she is slightly bigger than the usual. I had her so our male chihuahua can have company but she turned out to grow bigger than him and also quite very playful that having 4 dogs at our puny space just got a little too much to handle. For the longest time I only had Dolce, he’s a male terrier sold to me by a neighbor named Dulce. But his name is based on the Italian Designer. A cousin of mine suggested that I raise a dog since I don’t have a child of my own and so I did.  I raised Dolce and shortly became part of our family for 7 years. An addition came when a friend gave me a chihuahua we named Gabanna nicknamed Gab or Gabi. We almost gave him to my maid when she returned home to her province because she also became attached to the dog but my father won’t give him up. Soon another addition was added a shitzu, this time a girl we named Giamba who would be Dolce partner when she became of age. Until we lost her one day last February. I did not talk about it because it’s too painful, alas that was not the end of it. Two weeks past and Dolce was gone. As in lost with no trace. For weeks on end we search for him in neighboring villages and subdivisions calling out his name. I also posted in my social media as well as joining pet groups in Facebook. My mother went to the police in my town to report also but to no avail. Most of the townspeople in my town knows Dolce because if I’m at home I would always walk him and all the dogs to the park or he would accompany me or my mom in going to the public market . My boyfriend suggested I would look for him in a pound. Unfortunately we don’t have that here. At first we just suspect that he probably just went to some female dog who is having the fertility stage you know pheromones. But a week past and he never was home. He was probably was taken randomly and brought to another town and was caged or tied. Breaks my heart imagining it. Dogs love their freedom and all the more Dolce because he never experienced being caged or isolated .  Like what of tiger king said ,You know why animals die in cages ? Their soul dies. I felt that. What if dolce is crying and being stressed out looking for me. It would be even acceptable if he forgets about me because he’s being treated well than him being depressed and longing to be freed. My dolce has  always been treated like he’s one of us. He would demand food while we are eating our meals and he would just sit and stay when I’m at my room doing nothing or he would just follow me around the house or outside. But he is also smart enough to know if I’m leaving for work.He can cross the street and knows the proper timing always looking out for passing vehicles.  Sometimes I thought dogs don’t deserve us. They’re just too smart, loving and fiercely loyal. I hope who ever took him would just love him too much And wanted him because why else they have to steal the dog.  I sometimes still have lucid dreams about him. I have tears when I wake up.  

And so last week upon learning about Kendra . (Jae’s dog- a female cross breed Labrador - chow)   Reminded me about the fact that Dolce is also  not around anymore. No body to have a proper burial or a proper grieving for me but Kendra was gone due to sickness.  She is 5 years old. I comforted Jae  by saying that just go through the proper grieving because unlike me I haven’t really grieve the loss of my dolce.  the hope of still finding him still hovers over me. I told him about what my fengshui friend said about me losing 2 dogs in a month that my dogs absorb all the negative energy that was supposedly intended for me it’s hard to accept that they have been some sort of shock absorber. Again that just some ways where we attribute and make sense some things we don’t understand happening. I joked him about me assuming the presidential position of our PTA  because of what happened but then at least he’s got another kid, an Askal dog named Boyboy.. and me I still have Gab, not as clingy and entitled as Dolce but quite independent .And since the lockdown I also adopted one of the dogs of my neighbor , they have to be temporarily move to another town. I also took it upon me to feed the remaining dog left at their compound. I hope wherever Dolce is he’s not in a cage and just still being a boss. He would have been eight this coming June 20. 

Giamba







This is Dolce