the season for headbands

A headband is a very practical accessory. It is used by women to keep hair away from the face. Lewis Caroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' wore one, remember? Back in the 80s, Australian singer Olivia Newton-John popularized a variation called the sweatband in her 'Let's Get Physical' video. Today, headbands have become even more fashionable, thanks to trendy girls like Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl, and guys (!) like athlete David Beckham and pop idol Joe of the Jonas Brothers.

The Series 14 'Cute' Bearbrick (above, right) also wears a headband. It is a representation of 'Oden-Kun', a character from a 'picture-book-turned-anime-series' created by Lily Franky (a.k.a. Masaya Nakagawa, a Japanese illustrator, writer, actor, musician, and photographer).

Take note, however, that Oden-Kun's headband isn't really a fashion statement. It's supposed to be a strip of edible gourd, because Oden Kun is actually a 'Mochi-Iri-Kinchaku' (fried tofu skin stuffed with rice paste). In the anime series, Oden-Kun and his friends are different types of 'oden' (hotpot ingredients, above left) living in a village at the bottom of a bowl. They spend their days waiting for people to eat them. Sometimes life gets more exciting as they fight cancer cells inside human bellies. :-)

Meanwhile, in the world of fashion, Miuccia Prada created modern day warriors wearing studded leather headbands for Fall 2009 (left and below).

The theme? "Survival," she said. "And to survive, you have to be strong."

Because of the global economic crisis, life will be one tough fight for survival. Especially for luxury brands like Prada.

So everybody should gear up. I, myself, am already liking this fabulous warrior headband – oops! – how much do you think it will cost? LOL

'Oden' pic from myspace.com / Miuccia Prada quote and runway pics from menstyle.com

creatures of the night

Before you sleep, turn off the lights and stare into the darkness. Chances are, you will see nothing. Yet, you may feel that you're not alone – that unseen beings
watch you as you lie awake in bed.

Prada's recent print ads tried to capture the mysterious allure of night creatures. (Below) Models perched on tree branches, half-hidden in the shadows of the urban jungle. Like owls and other predators – they looked ready to pounce on innocent prey.

Let me tell you a chilling story about one such creature.

One night, my driver, Guido, and his wife, who was then pregnant with their second child, were preparing to go to bed. Suddenly, they heard frantic voices from outside. He rushed to the wide open window and saw his sister and brother-in-law (who lived directly across them in old San Juan) on the ground, their arms pointing wildly towards the roof of their house.

Guido promptly looked up and froze. His face turned white, and his skin crawled as he stared into the glowing red eyes of a tall shadowy figure. It glided over the tin roof towards him, arms outstretched like a skilled tightrope walker. After three horrific seconds of eye contact, the dark figure suddenly leaped off the roof.

No one saw it hit the ground, and certainly no one heard it crash on the pavement. But where did it go? Was it an 'aswang', a bloodthirsty ghoul in Philippine folklore which fed on the innards of unborn babies?

From time to time, Filipino urban legends such as this would surface like night creatures and strike terror in the hearts of believers. Often, they would spread through cheap tabloids, eclipsing public scandals that involved corrupt politicians and other dubious people in power.

Did I believe Guido? Yes. It wasn't hard to imagine that such a creature existed. After all, there are other monsters – humans all – far more evil, destructive, and terrifying. And they walk among us everyday. :-)

(Top left: My Robot Owl Be@rbrick from Series 8.)