Yesterday, I went to Divisoria to accompany my good friends, Rech and Yen. Our initial intention was only to help Rech find a perfect Filipiniana Dress for her for the upcoming College and University graduations in the University of the Philippines Diliman come April 25-26, 2008. We first visited Tutuban Center Mall. We found out that after a year of not gone there the place has already changed so that we had a hard time in deciphering our usually favorite stalls. Good thing, the mall is not that big and all we had to do was to ask around (as it is the right thing to do).

Finally, we went to a gown stall. The Filipinianas there were intricately designed and each set has its own unique style of elegance and patriotism. Like for example this one:

Custom Made Filipiniana Gown

Above is a beautiful baro at saya. If you attend occasions such as pageants, or graduation ceremonies (like in the case of Rech), the femnine design, elegant embroidery, and a floor length skirt (that is depicted in the above picture) will keep you feeling elegant all day long!

While I mentioned above that our initial intention was only for that Filipiniana Dress, because we still had a whole heck of a time, we hopped from one mall to another and ended up buying in the streets. In the side walks, summer outfits are sold for a very cheap price, way cheaper than those cheap clothes in the Divisoria malls. The three of us were able to buy oh-so-many summer clothes for a budget of a thousand bucks. Now, we are already armed for our Labor Day loooong weekend trip in Puerto Galera!

Long hair isn’t for everyone. Short on patience in the morning? If you are not up for spending extra time washing, conditioning, blow-drying and styling your hair, like me, then stick with above-the-shoulder locks. While ponytails are always an adorable option, long hair can also be a drag for girls who play lots of sports. According to a particular fashion magazine, long hair looks best on girls with oval faces. Square and round face shapes can also pull off long hair, just be sure to add layers to break up the lines. Girls with long and heart-shaped faces look best with shoulder-length hair.

Below are some guides to a healthy hair. Remember, this doesn’t only pertain to ladies with short long hair cuts, but to men as well.

Cut your hair. The secret to long hair? Strong hair. And that means getting rid of all damaged ends. So, believe it or not, your first step is to suck it up and head to the salon for a good snip. How much is enough? Unless your hair is very thick or very curly, have the stylist trim until your hair is all one length, as short as the shortest layer in your hair. All-one-length hair stays healthier and that means you can grow it without having as many trims from here on out. Thick- or curly-haired ladies will want to keep a few long layers to help weigh hair down. You don’t want to look like a mushroom-head as your hair grows out. Of course, for men, it is also, but, necessary to have your hairs cut, primarily to prevent from getting dandruffs.

Eat right. You know that expression “You are what you eat”? Well, it happens to be true. It seems very unbelievable and odd but really true. Hair can only stay long and healthy if you eat well-balanced meals. Foods rich in vitamin A (dairy products, fish, squash), vitamin B (meat, fish, bananas), vitamin C (citrus, melon, tomatoes and potatoes) and vitamin E (nuts, whole grains, broccoli) are essential for truly healthy hair. Feel like eating a steak tonight? Perfect. Red meat is rich in iron and zinc, two nutrients proven to help your hair grow fastest.

Stress less. Studies show that hair actually grows slower when you are stressed to the max. Your hair also needs a good night’s sleep. So, chill out, and get some shut-eye already. Not only good for your body, but unconsciously, for keeping a nice hair to add up to your charms.

Keep your hair clean. Oily roots and product build-up can clog follicles and prevent your hair from growing as quickly as possible – the maximum is about a half-inch per month. So be sure to shampoo daily and give your hairbrush a weekly cleansing so you don’t rebrush in old dirt and oil.

Be kind to your hair. The longer your hair is, the older it is. So treat it with the respect it deserves. When you lather up, use gentle shampoos formulated for your hair type. Conditioners will also help, of course. For men you are into rasta fashion, treat your locks once a week to a leave-on conditioner or hair mask. And try to lay off your blow-dryer, hot curlers and flat iron as much as possible. For ladies, throwing your hair up in a ponytail to disguise growing-out layers? Be careful not to pull too tight – you’ll risk breaking your hair. Yikes!

Get your regular trims. After eight weeks, your hair could be up to an inch longer. The tendency is your hair may result to a type which you really don’t want. So please your hair, treat it the way you treat yourself. We should keep in mind that a healthy hair is also a clear manifestation of a healthy lifestyle; thus, a healthy personality.

Cross-cultural bumps! Whew! Just last night I felt so bad for myself. I felt I didn’t do a good cultural mediator- act. Basically because the persons involved, which include me, lack awareness of conversation topic taboos.

I felt bad for myself because all the while I have been talking about intercultural communication and explaining its concepts and principles to the best of my knowledge, at least from what I learn in class. Yet, I violated it myself; I didn’t even totally apply it. Now I realize that it is harder to play than to plan a game. I realize I was purely theoretical so that still, application would be best. Experience really counts.

This was what happened: a really strange encounter in such a conventional situation.

I have a new friend named Michelle Booth. She is a Filipino-American and is currently studying in one of the campuses of University of California. She is in her final year in college and is working on her thesis, which scopes the Filipino Culture. For her study to be realized, she needs to take up a two-month crash course in the Philippines together with some fifty Fil-Am students who have the same goal as hers. And they took it in UP Diliman. Just before they go back to their respective universities abroad, I thought of treating her somewhere interesting in Manila – to relax, to enjoy, to know each other even better. I just felt it essential because this girl happens to be the daughter of my aunt’s best friend (both their families now live in California, visiting the Philippines once in a while). My aunt entrusted her to me, at least during her stay in UP. So I thought of bringing her with me to Greenhills Shopping Center hoping that she may be interested to purchase cheap products she will bring back home.

And so we went there. Because my phone was broken, I had to have it fixed, so we went to the Cellphones Section. While the technician was about to give me my repaired phone, he spoke in a very “calm” manner to my friend and spill a word to her, “Are you a gay?” And simultaneously I answered a sshhh!!, gave him an odd stare and returned my eyes to my friend hoping that she didn’t noticed it. But she did. She was confused so that all she could say to the technician was “What?”

Honestly, I didn’t know what to do. I was not prepared for that situation to possibly happen to us, but it happened. I was kind of shifting the topic to another, something that popped up to my mind at that time. I felt I had to, to neutralize the scenario. Just before we left, Michelle commented, “It’s my first time to hear that!” I didn’t speak up. Instead, I gestured her not to mind it. Really, I didn’t know what to say, or how to react to it…so all I could say to the technician was “she went to Boracay that’s why she got a tan. And we left!

Whew! What an awful experience. But even though, I didn’t regret it. I shared this to my Speech professor and these were the things she said:

“Filipinos are a curious lot! Many times, we don’t know personal space because “personal” items or topics to foreigners are not personal at all to us. Your technician doesn’t know only a privileged few can ask the question “Are you a gay?” He’s not even anybody to your Fil-Am friend. I think what you did was just apt and smart of you. It’s not your fault anyway.

Cross-cultural bumps. With this experience, it helped me a lot to be aware intercultural communication. I hope that by next time, I can already become an effective cultural mediator. I hope so. I will.