the third eye

Last week, I attended the shoot of a television commercial. During dinner break, our conversation drifted to the subject of people with 'third eyes'.

Yup. Mediums. Clairvoyants. People who see dead people.

According to our director, his daughter started to see ghosts when she was very young. Obviously, it was difficult for him at first, having to deal with unseen playmates, psychologists, parapsychologists, mediums with spooky stories, and a host of otherworldly experiences.

But while he initially considered his daughter's paranormal faculties 'scary and alarming', he now has no choice but to accept it as 'useful and practical'.

One summer, he brought his whole family for a vacation at a beautiful beach house. After a quick tour of the place, his daughter told everyone, "Just avoid the small room on the left." And why was that? According to her, it had spirits that were "not very nice." (Experienced mediums will tell you that some ghosts are more malevolent than others. And that they can tell just by how the spirits look or smell.)

Well, it must have been a relief for the family that the house had many other rooms to choose from! LOL

Another medium who has put his gift to good use is a broadcast producer, Mr. D, who I met when I was working at JWT Manila.

One day, he visited the house of his friend whose daughters had been constantly sick for unexplainable reasons. True enough, he discovered a hostile presence hiding in one of the rooms. (According to Mr. D, he could smell the room's stench from outside the door!)

And so he invited the spook to his car, drove it to a farm field far away, and left it there for good. Soon after that, his friend's daughters recovered from their mysterious ailments, and they all lived happily ever after.

I guess having a 'third eye' has its benefits. If you're one of the poor souls who see the spirits among us, think of it this way: in times of trouble, you know you'll never be alone. LOL

(Top) The Eproze Be@rbrick with three eyes was designed to commemorate the online retail store's 7th anniversary. The pic that you see above is from the Eproze website that sells exclusive streetwear labels such as Mack Daddy, Devilock, Revolver, etc. Note the push-button console beside the 'Eames-style' chair and stool – such a sleek representation of online shopping, isn't it?

Info from Wikipedia and Eproze.com / Third eye pic from www.advancedmindpower.com

camo comes out of hiding

The army camouflage, once worn to blend with the background, is now sported to stand out.

'Camo', for short, emerged from the fashion ranks years ago and since then has invaded millions of closets worldwide. Brands like Polo, A/X, Diesel, Bathing Ape and Industrie peddled the pattern in full force. Likewise, Nike, Adidas and Converse fans marched the streets in funky, camo footwear.

Recently, hip designers like Alexander McQueen, Michael Kors, and Jean Paul Gaultier (above, left to right) continued to dress models in combat-inspired gear, years after the pattern first hit the runway. Like stripes and checks, will camo be the next classic? Will it survive next season's trend wars?

Who cares? I love camo – from my Series 2 Pattern Be@rbrick (top, right) to my camo jeans, shorts, shirt, and belt. Going through life is like going to war – I say, better be dressed to kill! :-)

(Camo fashion from men.style.com and ARD.de)

be@rbricks in disguise / part 1

Be@rbricks are so lovable even when they're not being themselves – when designers transform them to other species (from Ape to Zebra) in the most ingenious ways. These are called 'animal' Be@rbricks and there's a one in every series (set of about 18 Be@rbricks) that is released periodically.

One bear cries 'Hoot-hoot-hoot'.
The second sings: 'Tweet-tweet-tweet'.
And the third one croaks, 'Bud-wei-ser'!