Being Josh Aviñante

Lately, the skinny bitch seems to have retaken the limelight from the geek. This with Sony positioning its cameras for Manila’s high society. In the posh Creole district of Rockwell, Sony Cybershot held a fabulous party attended by Manila’s hottest showbiz items. The party began an hour after its announced starting time, probably anticipating the socialite’s penchant for being late. Guests were greeted by elegantly dressed journalists gave interviews that made one feel like a star. I should have worn something more sophisticated! Kudos to that guy! Food was excellent with Friday’s serving my favourite – the Mozzarella Balls! Sony made no mistake in choosing KC Concepcion to provide a face for the brand. Possessing the marks of genuine nobility, she complimented her noble stature with noble deeds – helping fund the United Nations World Food Program in Mindanao. This she did by auctioning three of her used Sony Cybershots to the highest bidders beginning at PHP11,000 with the proceeds go...

(published in Yehey! Lifestyle) Folded and Hung celebrates their 10th year anniversary by once again paying tribute to street style with Streetcast Act 2, a showcase of the clothing brand’s Holiday 2008 Street collection that, in a reversal of tradition, brings the streets to the runway. The anniversary was celebrated with an astounding fashion show at A-venue which gathered some of the country’s designers, fashion journalists and some of the country’s most idolized showbiz personalities including Claudine Barretto. The Folded and Hung Holiday 2008 Street Collection combines the practical and urban aspects of street style with the richness and flair of party-appropriate ensembles. Taking inspiration from the Renaissance era, the Holiday collection is romantically somber in blues, browns, and blacks, but it gets a festive punch from crystal embroideries and from shiny, metallic fabrics. Expect figure-flattering—and easy-to-wear—toga dresses and draped frocks made of lightweight jersey a...

The definition (of real men) is a debatable issue between the male and female species. This is what I hear during those lost moments among skinny bitches during fashion events. Anyways, in our own world (us men), away from the destructive allure of their lingerie and bitchy craving for sweets, we have our own civil war – the BOYS versus the MEN! And in this quiet town of dungeons, dragons and kid’s fantasies, real men have invaded with their tanks of war travelling at the speed of lightning or challenging the forces of torque! This August, the Enchanted Kingdom held its annual SPEEDWEEK@EK featuring three national races – the 2008 National Slalom Series which was organized by the Race Motorsports Club (RMSC), the 2008 Shell Super Karting Series, and the 2008 San Mig Coffee Philippine Underbone King Championships. Spectators were lucky enough not to dance in the rain and the event fortunate to have beautiful Laguna sunshine all day. Enchanted Kingdom indeed! Rivera, Mendiola and Gerochi...

You must be crazy to be driving home, sloshed from too much Black Russian, and coming from a chic-laden party. Home is not where you should be driving your girl to. You should be drivinger her somewhere else romantic. Tee! Hee! But seriously, driving home plastered is quite normal for the party animal. What is not normal is taking a long drive out of town without SLEEP! Well, that’s how crazy the racers were at the City Kart Race Track, which included celebrities, Issa Litton, Victor Basa and Philippine racing icon Pia Boren. In the first week of July, City Kart Racing announced the holding of the Manila 701 dubbed as “The Crazy Race Second Edition”. Race drivers were to compete in teams with the first to complete 701 laps of the City Kart’s indoor race track, which is close to the distance of driving out of town. So what’s crazy about it? Race drivers would complete the lap from evening until past noon of the following day without sleep! Well, race drivers get some relief time by bei...

Simple trouble like flat tire or batteries running dry are not remote and they could be a nightmare if caught in a wrong situation such as in the middle of an important date. Our automobiles may come with a basic set of tools but roadside emergencies need not require the muscles that go with the dirty ugly image of a Neanderthal. Road trips should be safe, fun and in style. Here are some tips to keep your automobile (and yourself) hassle-free: Hydraulic wheel jacks are mechanically designed to make lifting a side of your car light and with a lot lesser effort than those stock wheel jacks that came with the vehicle upon purchase. They might just save your brand new Saint Michael’s shirt from unsightly sweat. They are very affordable and available in Ace Hardware or any similar specialty store. Extension rod for the wrench . The bolts that keep your set of wheels in place may have grown attached to its apparatus. Probably having been there for months or even a year, they may be...

There is reason for the sophisticated to seek a dining experience away from the glamour of top business districts after all. An unusual encounter with a hidden sanctuary of flavors provides us some answer. We are surprised that a restaurant somewhere at the edge of the San Juan-New Manila area would be filled nightly come dinner time. On certain evenings, guests may overflow to the nearby function rooms which can accommodate up to 50 persons. An adjacent garden makes the place delightful for celebrations like prom or a debut. The entrance to Lemuria is beautifully landscaped. A pond of pebbles and fishes greets our team. The interior transports the diner to the Provencal of France with its simplistic designs of dark wood, stone slabs and draperies. This very European atmosphere is designed by no other than Architect Jose Mañosa. A splendid meal and conversation with executive chef Golda May Ranada gave us an experience of liberated flavor and passion. “What gives me delight in managing...

Tights, leggings and opagues are must haves for the season. This November, renowned Filipina designer Kate Torralba and City Lady Stockings collaborates to showcase their leg apparel collection with an astounding fashion show that left the Manila Peninsula Hotel Conservatory dancing with pastel colors of irresistible chicdom. There was delight and excitement in the eyes of their audience while compliments for the Kate’s creation filled the room after the last model faded away signalling the end of the show. Some guests even forgot about their food and drinks as they watched the show in awe. No kidding. The last of this stockings craze was seen in Manila towards the end of the previous millennium with corporate Makati and Ortigas sprawling with female yuppies sporting opaque black leggings that for a time gave the business district a very European face like that of France. This season, they are back but in more elaborate and chic colors and City Lady has come out with hipper and ultr...

Finally, I am able to transfer these pointers from my phone notebook. They were shared to me by no other than my motoring editor Eric Soriano of Manual Magazine. By the way, the test ride series conducted by the Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) was a sensation. The slalom tracks temporarily set up in Clark, Pampanga plus the open roads for sprinting my favorite vehicles fed my fantasies of a tuner lifestyle like that of Fast and the Furious . You see, style cannot be complete without wheels. Just imagine a DIVA commuting her way to the Paris fashion week. Of course, the final look of the vehicle, both exterior and interior, is all that matters but performance counts. I'd laugh at that feelingera of a former officemate of mine bragging about her brand new bug that runs 40 km per hour and takes forever to accelerate! Hah! So what if its the only mustard yellow? In my previous entry, I featured my favorite from the test drive series which was the Red Kia Sportage. So preppy, so stylish. I...

(Published in Yehey! Lifestyle) Let’s face it, the word “Kia” was introduced to the Philippines as the “People’s Car”. Their first model introduced to the market (Kia Pride) earned the nastiest of sarcasm from motor heads and laymen alike. They had no sense of aerodynamics and was simply a balikbayan box with tiny wheels. In the next coming years, the term “people’s car” would be forgotten but the trying-hard-to-be-cool-with-a-car image of the Kia will remain to haunt the brand. That was then, it is now 2008. For the whole month of October this year, the Car Awards Group, Inc. or more popularly known as CAGI, conducted a series of test drives of the latest vehicles in the Philippine market. During weekends, some 9 to 15 cars would be driven through obstacles and simulated road conditions to test their performance. These obstacles would include two off-road tracks that tested the monster trucks ability to surpass flood, mud, landslides and elevated terrain. Other road conditions incl...

Featured on Yahoo Philippines, October 31, 2008, Manila; "An obese flight steward for national flag carrier Philippine Airlines has been grounded for good by the Supreme Court after a 20-year legal battle, court records released Friday said. In a 28-page ruling, the Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision by a lower court that found merit in the termination of Armanda Yrasuegi's contract. The 217-pound Yrasuegi was dismissed by Philippine Airlines (PAL) after he failed to lose weight as specified under his contract in 1989. Yrasuegi challenged the dismissal arguing that his weight had nothing to do with the airworthiness of PAL's airplanes in a legal battle that would stretch for 19 years. He argued that his being fat was a "sickness and a physical abnormality" that was beyond his control. But the Supreme Court noted that Yrasuegi repeatedly refused offers of medical assistance to lose weight and ignored weight checks. It said Yrasuegi ignored suggestions to ...