Havaianas Summer

Me and Junn at the Havaianas Beach Party at Bourbon Street (May 29, 2010)

At last, I finally had a few minutes to jot down a short blog post on my Havaianas Beach Bar experience two weeks ago on a balmy Saturday night. I have never been a fan of branded merchandise, much less a product that I can buy for 50 pesos at any tiangge.

However, it was at that event that I learned how different Havaianas rubber sandals were from the common ones. First of all, they use class A quality rubbers that are durable and can last longer than ordinary rubber slippers. The second factor that made them unique is the variety of colors and designs, which the lowly tsinelas sport in monotone shades.

According to the official Philippines website, HavaianasPhilippines.com, the  collections being sold at authorized outlets were carefully chosen by Terry S.A., the ONLY official distributor of Havaianas flip flops in the Philippines. There is also a list of authorized retailers in the Philippines. If you want to buy a pair, you can check out that list. Prices can range from 400 pesos to 700 pesos (affordable for some) to the highly extravagant a thousand bucks (or more) for high fashion collections.

The pic below looks just like the free pair I got from the organizers. I did not bring home the large floaters though. I’m not really a beach babe, but it doesn’t mean I don’t go to beaches. I rather like the tranquility of water and the crispness of the sea air than the fashionable clothing or the hottest beach bars.

Thank you to Rofel from Robinson’s and Dolly Dalumpines from inTouch Events Network & Promotions.

Tags: Flip-flops, Philippines, Shopping

Politicalarena.com: Newest sociopolitical network for Filipinos

PoliticalArena.com

With the Philippine elections fast approaching, the campaigning done by various candidates have become so competitive and aggressive to the point of desperation. The ads look good and the propaganda look sophisticated. How do we separate the lies from the truth?

Good thing we have Politicalarena.com, a combination of social media network and political news site. All the candidates’ profiles are there, although they have not been updated lately. Some candidates, like NoyNoy Aquino who had submitted his COC for Presidency is still labeled as Undecided.

The forum also looks good and seems one of the active areas of the site, but I was refused entry. I do not why. All in all, it was not a satisfying experience for me.

A few minutes later, I tried again, and I was able to log in to the forum. I wasn’t happy reading the posts. Obviously, many of our voters still choose people based on their popularity. Some members tend to lament forever about the state of our political and social systems.

It is the usual disgustingly political stuff, and most of it is shallow, to my point of view. An example of this baseless and shallow behavior is this forum topic titled “Gs2 nyo ba ng baklang Vice President? Hmmm pede! pede!”

My reply to that essentially scolds the wannabe bigots who lambast Mar Roxas’ reputation.

I also made a comment at the Issues section where I found a JC de los Reyes the most vocal among the candidates. He seems intelligent and well-informed, and has a bit of idealism in him. But I really don’t know the guy so I can’t say how trustworthy he is in keeping promises and being strong-willed enough to do what is right and just.

I do hope they post the platforms of each candidate. The least these people can do is follow through with their promises.

Just because I view the local political scene as hopeless and the general voting public as hopelessly misguided does not mean that you should not visit the site now. As a Filipino of legal voting age, it is your responsibility to educate yourself about the issues surrounding the candidates.

More Information On PoliticalArena.com:

PoliticalArena.com operates under the network of 88DB.com, the Philippines’ first rich media service portal. It aims to enrich voter education and it has a political forum that serves as a virtual arena for discussions on political issues. Registration is free for everyone.

Tags: Philippines, Politicalarena.com, Politics