red hot passion

Last March 24, I was at the London Heathrow Airport waiting for my connecting flight to Madrid, Spain. Instead of sitting in the lounge for coffee, pastry and Facebook, I decided to kill time by window shopping.

Okay, I admit that with me, window shopping can turn into panic buying at the sight of a sale sign or a hot new item.

So, yes, I ended up getting the bright red loafers on the left.

Frankly, I had to think hard of where I would wear them before I gave the cashier my Visa card. Probably not to church, like what the vain little girl did in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale entitled "The Red Shoes" – the priest might deny me Holy Communion! I doubt if I would wear them to a bullfight in Madrid, either, unless I wanted the bull to run after me. And I don't think I have a chance of ever wearing it to the beach, but that's not because of its color, right?

Nevertheless, red is awfully attractive. And like red roses, red lips, red hearts, red sportscars, red apples, strawberries and cherries, those shiny red Bally shoes are simply irresistible to me.

(Top pic) The red Jellybean Bearbrick from Series 18. Pic by yours truly / Copyright March 2010.

ho-ho-ho-lidays!

It's holiday season once again! Because I'm too lazy to decorate a tree, I always keep Christmas trimmings to a minimum. Thanks to the Crate and Barrel stuff which I got from NYC years ago, it only takes me ten minutes to spread cheer around the condo.

Since my place has a neutral color palette, the red accents make a huge difference.


Of course, the 2002 Santa & Snowman Bearbricks (top) are on display. These two are my friend Jun's favorite bears. I remember when I was sorting out my collection, I asked him which ones he liked the most. After checking out each of the 440+ pieces, he pointed out the two Christmas Bearbricks you see above. I asked him why. He replied, 'Because for me, they're the happiest Bearbricks of all.'

Merry Christmas, my dear friends! :-D

reinventing love

At JWT Manila, the advertising agency where I used to work back in '97, Art Directors took a test before they were hired. One of the test problems (sort of) went like this:

'The heart has been the symbol of love for as long as we can remember – aren't you bored with it? Go ahead, design a new icon to take its place.'

Interesting exercise, wasn't it?

Just yesterday, we shot a television advertisement where we featured newlyweds. Similarly, the challenge for us was how to portray these clichèd characters in a new way.

Check it out below: we went for a wedding couple with a hipper style. Long hair, canvas shoes and a Vespa for him. A hiked up skirt and a tomboyish straddle on the bike for her. No guests throwing rice. No wedding cake. No white doves.

In my opinion, the principles of advertising are like the laws of love –

One, you simply can't bore the consumer – you have to continually reinvent the product to keep it exciting.

Two, a strategy is mandatory – you must plan to make it work.

And three, creative execution is key – from the setting, to the music, to the script/conversation, to the costumes – everything must be perfect!

(Hmmm, come to think of it, there is life after advertising for me... marriage counseling! :-D)

The 2006 Valentine Be@rbrick (top, right) is one of the few that come with a 50% size bear. The heart symbol on its chest has been modified to include an @ symbol. Why? Here's my take on it.

Models: Century Tuna Superbods Runners-up JC Tiuseco & Mica Tuaño assisted by Make-up Artist Effie Go

blooms & be@rbricks

My brother Tony is a gastroenterologist. He spends his weekdays at the ultra-modern Asian Hospital examining people's intestines and stomach linings with a special camera called the endoscope.

However, his weekends are spent looking through another camera – his Nikon D80.

Just last week, I found out that his photographs are among the most popular in the Flicker community. Each pretty picture elicits up to 140 comments from viewers and admirers all over the globe! His favorite subject? Gerberas – one of the five most bought flowers in the world. Below are four of my favorite photographs from his collection.

Because he is a doctor, he is known on Flicker as Doctony. So if you need a prescription for stress, boredom, sadness, or are simply in need of a floral fix, just drop by his picture clinic here. No need for an appointment. :-)

Top left: The classic Marimekko flower appears on this Be@rbrick produced by Marimekko, the leading textile, fashion, accessories and home furnishings company in Finland. Created by Maija and Kristina Isola, this vintage 60s poppy pattern (called the Unikko) is still featured on many of Marimekko's products today. Check out Marimekko's latest bag collection below.

Gerbera pics from Doctony / Info and bag pics from www.marimekko.com

the asuka be@rbrick & other anime babes

This Series 13 Be@rbrick on the left was based on the character of Asuka Langley Soryu, an emotionally scarred child prodigy who became the pilot of the giant robot '02' in the anime and manga series entitled Evangelion.

With a curvaceous figure, fiery red hair and a temper to match, Asuka's popularity brought the character to sex symbol status. She has been portrayed as a sex object in several media – photos, illustrations, toys, and collectible figurines. Check out her provocative poses and outfits below!






















Fans of anime and manga are not limited to kids. In fact, many of them are teenage and adult males. That's why in countries like Japan, sexy anime figurines – plaster or plastic playmates with sweet faces, swinging hair, and cup D breasts (below) – sell like anything!

I guess men like to play with dolls, too. LOL














(Sexy figurines available at tokyotoys.com)

be@rbrick @ love

@ love.

If I were to make sense of that statement on the bear's chest (left), it would be this:

Being '@ love', to me, suggests an extrinsic geographical position: at the center of romance, but not necessarily being truly involved in it; being 'in love', however, describes an intrinsic feeling, heartfelt and genuine. In short, '@ love' may be the same as 'being in love with love', a condition that plagues most incurable romantics. Tell me what you think. :-)

The said Bear is one of two '07 Valentine Be@rbricks' that I acquired last February. I photographed it against the sheet music of 'Romance' Opus 44, No. 1 by Anton Rubinstein (right), Jewish/Russian pianist, composer and conductor born in 1829. As a pianist, Rubinstein was considered the closest rival of Hungarian Franz Liszt. Amongst Rubinstein's more famous works are the opera The Demon, his Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Symphony No. 2, entitled The Ocean.

He died in Peterhof in 1894, after years of suffering a heart disease. How heartbreaking!

(Rubinstein pic from Wikipedia.)

jelly bears, anyone?

These are called Jelly Bean Be@rbricks. Colorful, translucent,
and yummy-looking!

While most of these are uniformly plain like gummy bears and jelly beans, there are slight differences in the surface quality (some are matte, others are shiny). There is also a series that has the Jelly Belly logo on them. A particularly interesting 'jelly' bear is the Thermo Bearbrick, which changes color according to temperature. (Someone I know actually placed it in the freezer just to test the claim. See archives: Profile of a Be@rbrick Collector.)

Warning: These are not edible. Please keep out of reach of children! :-)

eames by design

Furniture geeks will love this Be@rbrick. It's based on a signature textile pattern by Charles Eames, an American furniture designer, architect and filmmaker, who, together with his wife, Ray, is responsible for many iconic designs of the 20th century.

Eames is known for pioneering the use of moulded plywood, plastic resin, fiberglass, and wire mesh for furniture. While most of his designs were conceptualized in the 50s, they're still being produced and sold in a number of high end furniture showrooms worldwide.

Should you be so obsessed with the mod-futuristic patterns on this bear and would just die to upholster your sofa with the exact same design, you may! Just visit www.eamesfabric.com

(Photo of wire mesh chair from eamesfabric.com)

the daruma be@rbrick's mystique

The Japanese Daruma doll's eyes are completely white because the doll's owner is supposed to color it in himself, while making a wish. Should the wish come true, only then is he allowed to color the other eye. Traditionally, one is supposed to burn it in a bonfire after completion, but most owners keep it as a reminder of their accomplishment.

To the Japanese, the doll is a popular symbol of luck and the completion of goals.

The Daruma Be@rbrick (right) is quite beautiful, and that is why it is sought after by most collectors. it belongs to Series 2, and is considered a 'secret' or a 'chase' Be@rbrick – a surprise bonus design that is rare and unadvertised.

I first saw this Be@rbrick years ago at a shop in Mongkok, Hong Kong.
I was immediately attracted to it but the owner wouldn't sell. 'Personal collection,' he said despite my pleading. Well, last November 2006, an eBay seller simply sold his last Daruma Be@rbrick to me. Painless! Talk about good luck!