goings on and the Summer

Oh my gosh, I haven’t blogged for so long I’ve almost forgotten my own password.

Anyhoo, there’s an advantage with having been so out of it for so long as far as the cyber world is concerned– there are tons to blog about, all seemingly to just have happened and in the moment, so here goes…

Manny Paquiao is indestructible. He’s just won his latest fight yesterday and though it wasn’t KO like the rest of his last fights, it’s a win nonetheless and one that made Filipino people forget about the rotating brownouts –that is if they had electricity to watch the fight. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure he’d win this time around mainly because he’d been winning so much so spectacularly against so big a names that it only seemed there’s no way to go but down, but that just goes to show how much I know about boxing. And though I don’t particularly fancy the latest Team Pacquiao flag jacket (I think the one I have is still the nicest one, lol)  here’s a big one to Manny!

As with all greats, and make no mistakes he is one of the boxing greats, the next question is now whether he ought to retire now or push it. Well that’s one question I’d rather not get into. I’m just happy he won and yeah, damn proud that this Filipino boxer is making it, and big, in the world stage. Or ring.

FYI, heard that Ricky Martin’s twit on the day of the fight was: Kamusta ka, Pilipinas? I guess he was watching our Pacman too, huh

And on to another sport. Formula1. Nothing matches F1, not for me, and I suspect, not for a lot of people as well. We’ve got two more teams this season, though its kinda hard to say which team is ‘new’. There are now two Mercedes teams so can’t call that new, can we, and Lotus is as old as F1, so lets just leave it at that: we now have 12 teams instead of the usual 10. Missed the race yesterday night, though I heard Fernando Alonso won. No suprise there, really, after all, he’s a double world champion and he’s now driving a Ferrari so. What I don’t know is if it was an exciting race. I hope it was, and I hope F1 will be exciting as it was in the last years of Schumacher when Kimi and Fernando had been giving such serious run for his money that it was never quite clear until the last race of the season who’d take home the honors and opposing bosses had nothing but praises for contender drivers on air whilst trying to steal them offcam. Lol. Kimi @Ferrari was quite different – he was off getting celebrating wins with tattoos and wild parties which had critics saying it was irresponsible as young people look up to him. Kimi’s reply was his usual ice-cold: it doesnt affect my driving; and Ferrari’s Jean Todt: I’d sooner drop a sponsor than drop Kimi. And on it goes. Now those were fun seasons (though they eventually did drop Kimi, which converted me into being thoroughly anti-Ferrari). But so, alas, my all time fave racer, Kimi Räikkönen, is now off F1 and in rally, which means F1 will never be the same even if Michael is back and Fernando is still there – not for me anyway. Oh, and no offense meant for Hamilton fans.

then F1 newbie Kimi with his ice-cool calm. No one saw this finn coming, except for Ron Dennis and Peter Sauber themselves.

Wildman Kimi @Ferrari; making the history books and shutting critics

Kimi @WRC. Let's see what rally will bring out in notorious F1 badboy Kimi

And off sports we go. Summer is already here though its only mid-March. In fact, it’s too much of a summer in some places like in the Northern region of the Philippines where we’ve had el niño. Thankfully, el niño is now past us, though the extreme heat isn’t yet. Born and raised in the wonderful orient as I am, I’ve no real complaints. Though the word to describe the summer heat nowadays is ‘wow’ (as in ‘wow its sweltering’), it is the summer, and its not so bad when you’re near a body of water or beneath an army of shady trees. Point, people: we live for summer, and take it from me, Miami may have that party everyday vibe and LBC may be the place to driver around in during summer with the top down, there’s no summer like summer in the Philippines. To be more specific, no luxurious Miami or Long Beach Calif beach can compare to Boracay West Cove, which, incidentally, is partly owned by Manny Pacquiao.

The rooms are great (stay in the premiere suit if you can, it’s so worth it), the food fantastic and the beach, well, its Philippine waters – teeming with life, color and in perfect temparature. Service is typically Filipino as well: the best. You can reach the place via water (one of their boats will pick you up and you’ll set foot on their dock) or land (their vehicle will pick you up and you enter the place via a web of underground rock cave going up).

me at the cave-like rock entrance to West Cove

View from our veranda (dont mind the date, I dont think it was set right. shows our priorities, right hahaha)

Either way, your stay coordinator, who’ll cater to all your whims from water sports to tour guide in the party district, will carry your luggage and you’re greeted at Boracay West Cove’s water or land entrance by a staff or two with fresh juice and a long necklace of tiny shells. Now tell me if that isn’t better than bienvenido a Miami or any drive at the LBC.

wearing said seashell necklace

There’s a flat screen with surrond sound system in your room, a lounge, vault for your precious stuff, stocked minibar, veranda where you can eat when you want to and which overlooks famous Boracay waters, the bed is plush, and the bathroom is spacious with that shower from the ceiling that I love. A drawback, and this depends on the person taking a shower and who you’re she, is that the part of the wall in the actual shower stall (which is the most spacious I’ve seen, five-star hotels included, and accessorized with pebbles all around) is made if reinforced glass facing the bed. Lol

If you fancy watersports, they’ve their own kayak and you can snorkel or reef or whatever you fancy, and if they don’t have what you want right there, you’re coordinator will get it for you; if you want to soak up the party scene, your coordinator will get you to the coolest places as well.

As for keeping in touch with the otuside world, and I never do much of this when @West Cove as its just so perfect and set apart from the noisy part of Bora, they have wi-fi paviollions which you can use whenever you want to. You can opt to have your meals in the beautiful pavillions as well – its sturdy shiny wood with a low wooden table, colorful pillows to sit on, nipa over your head and flimsy white curtains showing you which direction the wind is blowing – I know, so perfect, right.

The food isn’t particularly great, more of the basic food high-end hotels serve, but maybe this is good as you’d want that swimsuit to fit you not burst. If you dont remember passing by West Cove on your Bora, trips thats because its in a secluded part of the island:

map of bora from the West Cove site

Bottom line, West Cove is gorgeous by day and breathtaking at night, and there are few places I’d call those.

And to those who are stuck far from the beach, its only mid-March and there’s still hope. However, for those who are positive they wont get out of the city, you can always do summer via clothes, shoes and general look. I strongly recommend wedges from Sapato Manila (they’re at Rockwell) which you can wear during summer and beyond as they absolutely rock, my absolute faves when it comes to casual footwear; and clothes, hey, with a good piece of linen, imagination is the limit. It works to our advantage that we’re Asianas – we can get away with sarongs and the like. Not only do they look positively lovely and ultra feminine, they’re about as comfortable as your birthday suit!

When we talk of summer nail polish, generally you can wear what you can get away with especially if you’re at the beach as sand goes with anything. I opt to store my deep reds during most of the summer and paint on some creams and pearl whites. Top with trusted Sally Hansen high gloss (costs a bit if you’re Manila like me, but put it this way, if your toenails were cars, SH high gloss would give it that showroom shine).

But for a few select occasions, the red lipsticks also generally take a backseat during this season. Stick to nudes and light brown lipstick, top with matching gloss (I swear by mac nudes topped with mac lipglass) and use bronzer as blush (my top choice is from body shop, applied with a huge brush; modelCo is makes for a nice second choice). If you accidentally get burnt beyond recognition, after burying the idiot who told you spf 15 is enough, you have to get on with life and pile on the bronzer without further delay. Whenever stepping from beneath your wide-brimmed hat, house or umbrella, remember that the aim in tanning is to be able to channel a tropical goddess at the end of the day, not a burnt tiki. So yes, the more prone you are to burning and the hotter the sun, the higher the spf, and yes, sunblock is essential until shops sell instant replacement to old/burnt skin. I should probably take my advice here, but I’m not much for sunblock unless its on the face; elsewhere, especially when on the beach, I just spritz on tons of dry olive oil mist from body shop. You glisten, you smell gorgeous – and don’t forget the hair.

Spritz some on your locks as well, you don’t want them coming out like twisted strips of metal wire. For those not gifted with waves and swirls like mine (hey, if you have it flaunt it gloat, or does it stop at flaunt it? Hmmm…), summer is the perfect time to try curls! No, don’t pour on the chemicals; stick with the iron barrel (mind you, use good quality ones unless you want your crowning glory to be peacock-like head dress), spritz some of the said dry olive oil mist, et viola! You should probably come with an advance party warning guys of your entrance, preferably hunky ones with bull horns and great tans…

Of course , as with every diva, background music is crucial. I find that Santana and Rob Thomas’ Smooth never fails. Ever. But as you can’t play it in loop without people staring (not in a good way), I’d say now is the time to blare out the beach beats; reggae, baby. Here are some suggestions, not strictly reggae but they all have that unmistakable carefree summer flavor: Escape (better known as Piñacolada), Come over by Estelle, and of course, This Kiss by Faith Hill, Summer Sunshine by the Corrs, Shy Guy by the queen Diana King, Follow Me by Uncle Cracker, Love.Sex.Magic by Ciara and JT, Nothing in the This World and Stars are Blind by Paris Hilton, most of the tracks in No Doubt’s Rocksteady album, and of course, reggae classic Red Red Wine by UB40. Actually, most UB40 re-makes are quite perfect for the beach.

So. That covers sports and everything summer, and now I have to see to my own summer look. Ta-ta!

Formula Backstage

Okay, so maybe I’m going a bit crazy with F1 these days – come on, it’s a great sport! The best race car drivers the world has to offer, the fastest cars ever built, the shiniest, glitziest sport on the face of the Earth… well, you get my drift. 

Anyway, I found these videos (cartoons, really), and I nearly fell off my chair laughing as I watched them. Basically they exaggerate the characters of the more famous people in F1. True, a couple makes fun of my World Champion, Kimi, but they’re funny videos nonetheless. Don’t fall off your chair!

This one’s called ‘Ferrari’s Secret’. For those who need it: the one tied up is Kimi (2007 World Champion with Ferrari), the old Italian guy is Flavio Briatore (Renault boss and owner), the one in the blue cap is Nick Heidfeld (BMW driver), the black guy is Lewis Hamilton (2008 World Champion with McLaren), the blonde one in the white shirt is Nico Rosberg (son of a World Champion, which basically means he gets a race seat, underserved or not) the other one in the red race suit is Schumacher (you can’t not know this guy; but just in case: 7-time World Champion, retired since 2007), the tiny old man isF1 supremo  Bernie Ecclestone, the one in the fisherman’s hat is Norber Haug (McLaren). 

For some reason this one’s called ‘Ferrari – No Samba, but real Brasilian blood !’ Again, to those who need it: the Spanish McLaren guy is Fernando Alonso (he and Lewis didn’t exactly get along. Kudos to Fernando for holding his ground, he’s a Double World Champion – 2005 & 2006 -, after all), the one with the blonde woman is Ralf Schumacher (Schumi’s baby brother whose in retirement ‘cos he’s got no raceseat anymore), the blonde woman is Cora (his wife whose been said to have her nose in everything), the man in the black jacket is Norbert Haug (McLaren) This one’s had me in stitches

‘In the narrow strrets and challenges of Monaco’. Hint: Ralf’s wife got a much publicized boob job years ago.

‘Karaoke in Japan’. Basically this makes fun of Ralf, stressing how Schumi looks after his baby bro but not really – and how he always calls his wife.

‘Under the hot sun of spain or the cold fever of a winner?’. This just makes fun of Kimi, but to be fair I posted it here anyway.

‘Belgium waffels are not meant for a cool race at F1′. (the owners of Formula Backstage are  obviously Schumi fans…)

‘Is it Raining Again in GB’. This one captures Schumi’s character, I think so (smirk).

‘Max Mosley’s Whip’. This refers to Mosley’s sex scandal. (har, har!) 

‘The Mercedes Penalty’. This is funny ‘cos is this is about the only place where McLaren gets penalty – and that’s not even taking into account this season so far!

‘Hamilton’s Accidental Camping’. Note: Nico Rosberg is German like the Schumacher boys, Nick Heidfeld and Norbert Haug.

‘Doping for Alonso – at Ferrari?’. I think this is due to Fernando just showing why he was Double World Champion – even in a basically broken down Renault, you can see he’s a world class racer.

Hats off to Formula Backstage @ youtube!

McLaren adverts

The McLaren group does really good work of using their famous drivers in their adverts – and with F1 car unveiling like theirs, really, did we expect anything less of McLaren?. Here are a couple, starring my favorite F1 driver, Kimi.

This is for Nescafe. Note the pitcrew in the background, clad in Ferrari scarlet – hahaha!

 

I’m not quite sure if this had been filmed while he’d still been in McLaren, but I find it nice nonetheless – Kimi, as Taxi driver, is absolutely cute in this one.   

 

This one’s pretty upfront, for Mercedes:

I’d say the McLaren Group makes really nice adverts – and not just of Kimi, though my faved are definitely those of him. Here’s a really amusing one starred in by two F1 World Champions (like Kimi) but put together was a disastrous pair for McLaren:

The song perfectly described the relationship between them as team mates, don’t you think?

Kimi Räikkönen: Real Wild Child

Saw this video of Kimi Räikkönen posted on youtube – it’s adorable! – called Real Wild Child. That’s the title of the track that’s playing as well, performed by Josie and the Pussycats.

Monaco GP

Kimi finished third at the recently concluded Monaco GP. I suppose I couldn’t have expected more, not with Brawn GP having that trick diffuser of theirs, but Kimi was named honorary Prince of Monaco only a few years ago when he impressively dominated this tight, street circuit, so yes, I had been hoping against hope for more than just a podium finish – I wanted a top step finish! Sigh.

I’m so dreaming about a three-way title fight between Kimi, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, which isn’t likely to happen this season as Jenson Button’s way ahead of anyone in the points, but I can dream, right? Oh well. I just wish we’d see real racing back in F1 soon…

My World Champion

Have been feeling off for a while now, oddly enough though, it isn’t really affecting my moods, which isn’t really saying a lot (hahaha!). Anyway, have been occuppied with a handful of different things for quite a while now that I hadn’t even notice that the 2009 Formula1 season had already started!

Well, it’s not like I missed much anyway – Kimi hasn’t been winning, in fact, five races in and he’s got three measly points on the board! It’s such a shameful season so far, especially as he was last year’s world champion, as he’s on Ferrari, that he had been McLaren’s number one man over a much experienced and utterfly famous precision driver David Coulthard before that, that as early as 2003 when he’d been just on his second full year in F1 racing Michael Schumacher had said that he was a world champion in the making.

Reminder: this is my blog, thus my bias, and my bias is Kimiäikkönen, period.

This guy is my favorite racer because one, he’s absolutely awe-some behind the wheel, two he’d risk losing all to finish first over securing the sure second (that’s how it should be, it’s not just racing after all, it’s F1), three when they say he’s ‘ice cool’ and has ‘nonchalant confidence’ you’d be blind to miss it, and four he’s absolutely, positively so secure with himself that he just doesn’t give a rat’s ass what people say about him, his personal life or his driving. And of course he’s gorgeous. I suppose he’s the typical Nordic guy and though I generally prefer my guys tall, dark skinned and brunette, Kimi would have to be the one exception. If you don’t believe me that he’s absolutely dreamy, all you have to do is watch one of his handful of adverts (yes, an F1 racer who actually has adverts for the McLaren group – there are a lot for Mercedes, Siemens, Hugo Boss,  Nescafe, etc., oh, and there’s a hilarious one of him and Montoya when they’d been team mates). My favorite was taken when he’d stilll been in McLaren where he had been (surprise, surprise) their poster boy, it’s called Dogfight, for Johnny Walker. They actually reshot this one, featuring Fernano Alonso the year that he took over Kimi’s race seat when Kimi moved to Ferrari, but it’s just not the same, no one has Kimi’s ice cool, effortlessly kick ass feel.

Here’s a hilarious one, Kimi with Juan Pablo, the advert for Johhny Walker’s Best Job in the World campaign. You have to keep your ears open near the end part, when Kimi asks ‘what is a photocopier?’ (wait, wait that’s not the end of it) and Juan Pablo replies ‘I dunno’. You’ll get what I mean about this being funny after watching the advert:

He also has several with Ferrari, but I still prefer the McLaren ones. Oh, and you have got to see that mag spread of him and his then team mate Juan Pablo Montoya, titled Fire & Ice (of course ‘Fire’ was Montoya, symbolizing his open hot headedness – believe it or not he  said ‘shit happens’ on an interview after a race – , and ‘Ice’ was Kimi, of course – they actually made an ice carving of an F1 car for him, full scale, at glitzy Monaco. To demonstrate a point, ten minutes before his maiden race in F1, he was taking a nap; asked how it feels to finally be world Champion, he says ‘good’; asked where he was while Schumi (whom he was going to replace in Ferrari) was receiving his award just before a race, Kimi says ‘I was having a shit’. I know, I know, not exactly a role model, but there you go, just because everyone else worships the ground Schumi walked one doesn’t mean the Iceman would – oh by the way, that’s his nickname, whic refers to his ice-like silver-blue eyes which basically shows just two emotions (nonchalance and intensity), and his ice-cold cool at 300 miles per hour – and just because people do doesn’t mean Kimi would. 

As you have probably guessed by now, my favorite F1 guy is the ultimate nonconventional racer: F1 drivers generally start with karting at around 6 years old, Kimi started in his late teens (bikes being his first love, while his brother was already a rally car racer) and with next to zero experience with a power engine so it had caused a big stir when Sauber made it known they were going to let this young, inexperienced Finn behind the wheel of an F1 car; Kimi participates in tons of other fun sports like pocket bike, snowboarding, snow ski racing, motocross, etc)., even just before and during the racing season; he also sports two sprawling tattoos on each arm, which no other F1 drivers have – I dislike about 95% of all the tattoos I’ve ever seen basically because they’re mostly just ink to me, vandalism on skin. Kimi’s, however, belong to the 5% which I like, the kind that succesfull self expressions. Here’s a pic where both of his tatoos are visible, though not by much, but you’ll get the idea.

 

On his crash helmet…

He got both tattoos when he’d already been in Ferrari, though he had a small smiley one on his wrist even before F1 which the new tattoo now covers. The one on the right arm he got after a Malaysian win (I think), the tribal design is his and is mimicked on his crash helmet, the one of the left inner arm says ‘Iceman’, his monicker, and is duplicated exactly on the same crash helmet. Yeah, he’s crash helmet is bursting with his personality unlike the others’ which are basically adverts moving at 300 miles per hour.