Scout: 2016 April

A PRIL 2016

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boss M ART IN E CAJU COM

S C OU T M AG . P H

FREE M A GAZINE!

I S S U E NO . 1 9

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contents 4 music

6 profile

somedaydream

javi cang

8 art + design

12 essay

derick vinculado

gone to the dogs

#cannedfoodchallenge

taxi wars

the world of classical music

siquijor on scooter

18 food

16 essay

20 essay

14 travel

26 essay

why you need travel insurance

34 on the cover

40 fashion

martine cajucom

play boy!

48 humor

where is my mind?

30 travel

travel diaries

10 travel lyka gonzalez

w w w. sco utmag . ph Group Publisher

BEA J. LEDESMA Editor in Chief

JED GREGORIO C r e a t i ve D i r e c t o r Ni単a Muallam Managing Editor Cai Maroket Art Director Martin Diegor Features Editor Romeo Moran Graphic Artist Grace de Luna Editorial Assistants Nico Pascual Denise Fernandez Cont ribut ing Writers Yna de Leon, Gian Geronimo, Danica Pascua-LeBlanc Contributing Photographers Paolo Crodua, Ralph Mendoza, Cenon Norial III Rennell Salumbre, Abby Magsanoc Contributing Illustrators Julienne Dadivas Interns Edward Joson, Adrian Ubando, Daniella Uichico

Editorial Consultant Ria Francisco-Prieto Board Chairperson Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez Finance Advisor and Treasurer J. Ferdinand De Luzuriaga Legal Advisor Atty. Rudyard Arbolado V P/ G r o u p H R H e a d Raymund Soberano VP and Chief Strategy Officer Imelda Alcantara SVP and Group Sales Head, Inquirer Group of Companies Felipe R. Olarte AV P f o r S a l e s Ma. Katrina Garcia-Dalusong Sales Supervisor Polo Dagdag Key A c c o u n t s S p e c i a l i s t Angelita Tan-Iba単ez Senior Accou nt Execut ives Thea Ordiales, Abby Ginaga Accou nt Execut ives Charm Banzuelo, Andie Zu単iga, Sarah Cabalatungan Sales Support Assistants Rechelle Endozo, Mara Karen Aliasas Marketing Associates Erle Mamawal, Jann Turija Marketing Graphic Artist Janine Dela Cuesta

Business and Distribution Manager Rina Lareza Circulation Supervisor Vince Oliquiano Production Manager Jan Cariquitan Production Assistant Maricel Gavino Final Art Supervisor Dennis Cruz FA A r t i st Kristine Paz

Le tte r fr o m th e E d i to r There is a scene in Michael Haneke’s 1989 film, The Seventh Continent, where one of the characters flushes wads of money down the toilet. To date, I still find it to be one of the simplest yet most evocative images in world cinema. In an interview with film critic Serge Toubiana, Hanake says, “Everywhere I showed the film, that was the main scene people complained about. Because it’s the greatest taboo. It’s a lot less disturbing if parents kill their children and themselves than if they destroy money.”

The film, centered on a middle-class Austrian family who are planning to move to exotic Australia, is largely about the mundane—the silent pervasiveness of the everyday, and the existential desire to escape from life’s rut. (For now I’ll keep mum about what flushing money has to do with that.)

We devoted a chunk of this issue to travel. On p. 16, Gian Geronimo tours you around mythical Siquijor on a motorbike. Meanwhile, you’ll be taken as far as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, New York, and Venice by photographer Jelito de Leon, style blogger Melissa Gatchalian, artist Soleil Ignacio, filmmaker Fold Canela, and model LA Aguinaldo with snippets from their travel diaries (“Get Up and Go” on p. 30).

We’ve also chosen to profile several individuals who have wanderlust flowing through their veins. Read all about the adventures of mountaineer Javi Cang, filmmaker Lyka Gonzalez, and our cover girl Martine Cajucom.

Our fashion editorial (“Play boy!” on p. 40) is also made possible by travel. Before going to university, my German friend Martin is spending his gap year backpacking through Southeast Asia. With Manila being one of the stops, I got him to model for us. We were shooting layouts in between bottles of beer at Cubao X with photographer Paolo Crodua.

Needless to say, we’re a hardworking bunch.

@scou tmagph s coutmag@h i p.ph

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music

Rez Toledo insists that he’s always been Somedaydream even when he wasn’t, and now he’s gearing up for another round as his most famous persona

By YNA DE LEON Photography by CENON NORIAL III

way, I’m there as well. But really, growing as an artist is really not any different from growing as a person. As long as I’m happy with the space and people I’m working with, then I can perform my role as a creative producer.”

Aside from leaning on the lessons he learned from his mentors, Rez draws from his life experiences to inject his music with his desired measure of impact and honesty. Since the brief period that he decided to take a break, a lot of things have changed in the way music is created and consumed.

Now, Rez is gearing up for what he calls the “second stage” of Somedaydream, and while everyone else is trying to speed up their ascent, Rez has now decided to keep everything going at a slow, but more manageable pace.

“I can’t divulge any information yet but there have been major, major adjustments to it as a brand, to it as a music thing, to it as an experience,” he says. “Somedaydream has now been reconfigured to be so much more than what it was before. And we’re taking it slow this time around. I guess before, it kind of rocketed, zoomed out of control. But now, we’re just going to keep it around and work on it as we walk.”

In the next months, we suggest you keep your eye on Somedaydream to know more about his new music and the new people on board for this project.

“Getting to this point in my life is just me taking my own steps forward and back, if I need to,” he says. “I’m really happy now with what I have, what I have been doing. And music has always been a big part of it.”

Given the accessibility that the Internet and digital technology are providing with regards to making music, the producer has advice for those who want to be part of the electronic music revolution. “The Internet has always been saturated with creative people,” he shares. “I want to challenge DJs to become producers first. DJing is a very technical

thing to learn, and so finding the art in it is very hard to explain in terms of putting it out into an audience. It’s so much easier for a creative person to explain a creative process to an audience, so I guess, the challenge for any electronic guy or artist or whoever is to find the connection between them and their work. How to school people into liking your creative process is the thing of 2016. People nowadays, they want to learn stuff, they want to be exposed to what kind of information you can offer them. A lot of walls have already been broken down, so the culture of creativity around is now wide open. As long as that’s activated, then it’s going to be very helpful for everyone.”

This is Somedaydream’s year as things are slowly shaping up for the young artist. Even though he’s faced with the challenge of setting up his return, Rez comes back strong with new artillery and dreams that have been hidden in his workshop for a long time coming. n

stage

THE MUSIC SCENE—band lineups, careers, styles, direction—evolves at an incredible speed.

A musician’s brand or identity can change either gradually or in a heartbeat. For Rez Toledo, over the past four years that he spent on hiatus, his brand and focus have done just that.

Breaking through the scene in 2011, the young producer skyrocketed to prominence under the moniker Somedaydream, releasing chart-toppers and garnering thousands of instant fans. He created a career that other people his age could only hope for, and since then, Rez has hustled relentlessly, forcing new listeners to take notice.

Rez started making strides in the industry with the release of the Cornetto theme Hey Daydreamer, and his follow-up single Delivery Boys. He may have quickly gained success, but it was not as easy as you think.

And as a musician trying to make yourself known, “it’s not easy” is an understatement. You plant goals in your head—sometimes, too many— that tend to go beyond your control. From landing gigs to creating notable works to claiming your identity as an artist, everything may or may not pay off if you work just as hard as everyone else.

Rez took a break as Somedaydream in 2012 to shift his focus to other things. “I was starting to grow up as a project manager,” he says. “That’s how I see it from my technical side, that I was growing up as an artist. I was like, Somedaydream was big, but it was so much bigger in my head, and I’ve always wanted control over my projects. ‘Whatever I accomplish, I’d still be Somedaydream.’ It was still under my control when I did the hiatus, and I kind of like it as part of my history now.”

During his hiatus, he worked on finishing school, and while that was happening he was building his studio and working with Logiclub, his first post-Somedaydream project. So far, these are the things that dictated his upcoming projects, and as all the things that he’d been working on were for his future plans. Most of the time he spent away from the spotlight saw him ironing out his comeback.

As with any rising artist—or practically anybody with specific goals—it’s a scrupulous climb to get to where you want to go. “The hardest part about growing up as a producer is dealing with the self,” he shares. “Personally, I grew up as a musician playing with bandmates, but as a producer, I’ve always been in solo flight, and as an electronic producer, I have been very aloof with the electronic scene, but I guess, in a

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music

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“I was starting to grow up as a project manager...

Somedaydream was big, but it was so much bigger in my head, and I’ve always wanted control over my projects.”

RIVER ISLAND hoodie and sweater (worn inside), FLY ART x THREAD 365 shirt. Styling by MARTIN DIEGOR.

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profile

“Standing at the crater of Mount Kanlaonthe highest mountain in the Visayas.”

“I prefer long walks on...

Mountain ridges.”

“Exploring the lava flows of the majestic Mayon Volcano.”

Adventurer Javi Cang

“Mornings in the mountains of Benguet.”

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above t he clouds How have your travels affected your urban life? Do you do anything differently when you’re back in the city, after a trip?

It can get pretty hard after a trip to get back into the groove of things. But for some reason, despite the long bus rides, hours of hiking, and lack of sleep, I always seem to feel refreshed. In most ways, I guess, it’s remembering the reason why I hit the grind every morning— and that’s to hit the road again.

What’s the hardest thing about traveling?

Without a doubt, it’s having to go back home!

Mountaineer Javi Cang proves that the world looks better in person than on Instagram Interview by MARTIN DIEGOR

JAVI CANG, 25, is a banker. He also happens to be a professional adventurer. In fact, he was enjoying the beaches of Nasugbu when I messaged him for an interview (from the ergonomic comfort of my office chair).

He once posted a photo of himself standing on the edge of a cliff in Itogon, Benguet. The clouds almost covered the whole scene, making it hazy and quite surreal, and I Javi Cang’s imagined what it would be like waking up to a scene like that after a day’s hike. “The fresh air keeps me pointers sane,” Javy says when I ask him why he travels. And for new explorers I guess that’s what the “investment” in travel is simply all about. I’m quite convinced that the real world is not lived inside walls. “I’ve learned that I’m an extremely tiny speck on this planet. We read about it in books, but to actually feel it is profound beyond words. It gives a renewed appreciation for life.”

Ziploc bags are some of the most inexpensive and handy things you can take along. Use them as organizers, mini-compression sacks or as cheap waterproofing.

The Huffington Post published an article recently that says people who take at least two vacations within a year are less tense and tired. Do you think it’s real?

Most people will probably say that vacations are for disconnecting from the world. I’d actually say that I travel to connect to the world, in a deeper and more intimate way.

It’s easy to fall into narrow-mindedness in the city, where lives are governed by billboards and TV shows.

When you’re out there, be it on a mountain ridge, an island in the sea, or in a remote village, you’ll come to realize that there is more going on than just Aldub and EDSA traffic. Every single second there are volcanoes erupting, cultures blending from all corners of the globe, and oceanic tides drowning and creating new islands. To be witness to these broadens your perspective of what it is to be alive.

You mentioned in another interview that your mom used to take you out for weekend hikes. Which one is the most memorable?

This has got to be a hike we did at Mount Makiling when I was around seven or eight. I was always a restless kid and I loved climbing. While my mom was looking away, I climbed up a tree that was Make new friends! growing beside a ravine. The branch I was If you’re traveling on snapped and it sent me falling 20 feet alone, meeting new down the ravine and into a swamp. I could people will make hear my mom shouting above but when I your travels all emerged from the water, I could only shout the more fruitful. back in excitement! It was so much fun Spontaneously plan but looking back, it probably wasn’t the trips together and smartest idea. save on costs.

Download maps of Solo traveling or soul-searching is very the places you’ll be common among young people these days, traveling to on your some encouraged by the notion that your 20s phone. With the should be dedicated less to financial stability Google Maps app, but rather in creating memorable experiences. you can download As a banker, do you believe in that, or is there the maps for use something millennials should consider before offline. It comes in draining their savings for a trip? handy when you’re in I do not believe in that at all. Understanding your transit and without own personal goals in life should dictate your access to WiFi. own financial planning strategy. Personally, to help fund my trips and expeditions, I invest a chunk of my salary each month. You’d be surprised by how many trips I’ve been able to fund from it.

“Most people will probably say that vacations are for disconnecting from the world. I’d actually say that I travel to connect to the world, in a deeper and more intimate way.”

What’s your best travel experience so far?

A couple of years ago, I took a train from China up north to Mongolia and made my way through bus, horseback, and ultimately by foot to the northern mountains of the frigid Eurasian steppe of Mongolia and the Russian border. I met a local farmer and stayed with him in his yurt. Despite our language barrier, he was a wise man and I still hold him dear.

Dream destination?

The summit of Mount Everest. Or the geographic South Pole. n

“Feeling small in the heart of Ifugao.”

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art + design

lost and found Derick Vinculado turns discarded materials into nostalgic fantasies

By NICO PASCUAL

Encanto 24 x 30 in.

“WHAT IS IT LIKE being a Filipino artist trying to make it in the United States?” I ask 29-year-old painter Derick Vinculado. He’s currently back home in Manila preparing his artworks for an upcoming exhibition in Chicago. “It’s tough but I love the challenge of exhibiting in new places. I am currently finalizing preparations for a group show at the Galerie Waterton in Chicago which will open on April 30.”

This upcoming exhibit, as Derick tells me, will be his biggest showcase of work yet. He is excited because it will be the first time he gets to hang his work beside established Asian contemporary artists such as Rudi St. Dharma and Janiz Chan.

“I just finished exhibiting my works in Miami last January and I’m excited to find out how this next exhibit will go. In addition to these new works that I’ve shown you, I still have 10 more paintings to finish before the exhibit is ready.” Working at a rapid pace has always been easy for Derick.

After graduating from UP Diliman with a degree in Studio Arts Painting, he found himself creating ad campaigns for brands such as Bench, Folded & Hung, and Swatch Philippines. He is now setting his sights on becoming a full-time painter abroad.

When asked if he considered this decision when he was younger, he smiles and tells me that it was always his dream to show his works to a worldwide audience. “Growing up, I always wanted to showcase my art around the world and now I am talking to several galleries in the US [to exhibit my work]. When I first flew to Miami last

art + design Roboto 18 x 24 in.

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Playhouse 24 x 30 in.

Convoy 18 x 24 in.

Cubierta 16 x 18 in.

Shanti 16 x 18 in.

year, I literally had to go door-to-door looking for a gallery that would fit my art. I spent six months in the US trying to make it.” Looking back, he tells me that the whole experience for him was humbling because there were some galleries that wouldn’t accept any Asian artworks. But even with his recent success in Miami, he tells me that he won’t stop trying to make a name for himself. “I want to show them that my ‘Filipino’ art can hang beside theirs.”

When he was starting out, Derick found that he enjoyed incorporating ordinary household items in his artworks. “When I was growing up, my parents and my teachers gave me old books to read, and when I was done reading them, I used to draw on them. I didn’t have toys to play with because my parents thought that toys were a waste of money. These books became a venue for me to create art. I’ll never forget that and it wasn’t long before I said to myself, ‘Why not create art using these materials?’ I then began to use old paper, clothing, or anything available in the house to create my own imaginary world through art.”

When looking a Derick Vinculado artwork, you may notice a paper sculpture resting on a wooded canvas. But look closer, he tells me, and that is when I see it: a seemingly random assortment of materials brought together to bring about a sense of home, of belonging.

He tells me that the idea of home is a central theme in his work, “Most of my paintings contain

“Those Chicago paintings were very personal, and they really drained me... I think the most important thing right now is to be fluid with my art.” images of houses, toys, clothing, and other found objects. I’m trying to evoke them in new ways. My Miami exhibit touched on my thoughts while traveling, while my upcoming exhibit in Chicago will be about home.” Even though he says that exhibiting abroad has influenced him and his art, he still feels homesick. “I guess that aspect of longing shows in my recent work.

Those Chicago paintings were very personal, and they really drained me. Sometimes the finished painting turns out differently from what I had planned beforehand, but that’s what’s exciting about it. I feel that the most important thing right now is to be fluid with my artworks. Hopefully that will be enough to accept whatever direction those new works take.”

Were there any negative reactions to his work abroad? He laughs when he tells me that many people think of his work as “cheesy” because of the materials used. But Derick dismisses the thought when he says that even though he has a specific story behind his work, he wants the viewers to create their own personal connection with his art.

Is it similar to the way Mark Rothko exhibited his paintings, where his abstract work is hung in an enclosed room, sometimes with music playing? “Yes, I don't want to control the viewer’s feelings. Rather I want to guide them. I want them to experience and relate to it their own [experiences]. I want my artworks to have an open-ended conversation with viewers.”

When asked about the specific story behind his work, Derick says that his paintings contain the different objects that he feels strongly connected to. “Even though they seem ordinary, these items are all essential to me as a person.

After all, who hasn’t created their own world with an assortment of objects?”

Derick also tells me that the books he read started his fascination with imaginary worlds.

He recalls a time when, like the rest of us, Harry Potter called to him. Other times, he would be drawn to the magical worlds of Narnia. But as his art progressed, Derick began to incorporate his thoughts about the real world. He tells me, “I had phases where I would be scared to continue as an artist. I kept thinking if this would be enough to put food on the table. But I guess doubt is part of being human. I have to be brave, and believe that my passion and hard work will be enough.”

I ask if he thinks that he’s done enough, considering how far he’s come. “Not yet, that’s hard to say. I still have a long way to go. I want to branch out and collaborate with other people.

My dream project would be to collaborate with Ito Kish, a furniture designer, to create an art piece that is functional. If you look at my works now, you can see that they’re all part of a series, a movement. The Surrealists inspired my Chicago series, but I don’t want to box myself in a specific movement or form. Art is about freedom.” n

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“Life is cinema, don’t you think? Caught a cinematic moment between a young lady and her mother in Bhaktapur.”

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unscripted Director Lyka Gonzalez on why she made the pivotal decision to travel alone through Nepal and the Himalayas Interview by NICO PASCUAL

INSIDE AN EMPTY COFFEE SHOP IN MANILA, director Lyka Gonzalez talks to me about her recent solo trip through Nepal. “I was so attracted to the soul of the place. I wanted to capture all the stories there through my photographs. I met so many people and it was just captivating.” I ask if traveling alone has its own special charm and Lyka laughs. “Well, you’re free to do whatever you want. You are free to have whatever schedule you can think of. Most of the time, my plans are all done spontaneously.

Last November, I remember waking up in the middle of the night thinking, ‘Okay. I am going to book a ticket to Nepal, and I’m going there for two weeks.” There is a certain lightness to the way she says her words, and later I learned that it applies to how she lives her life.

These whimsical flights of fancy are second nature to Lyka, who last year directed her thesis film by the name of Agos: The Manila Dream and entered it in the Cannes Film Festival last May. The film is set in a rural province, focusing on the ambitions of a mother and her young daughter.

The mother dreamt of moving to the city as a child and recounts to her daughter why she ultimately chose to stay in the province. Instead of the usual straightforward narrative, the film uses flashbacks and daydreams to tell a heartfelt story which touches on dreams and social issues such as urban migration.

After trying other methods during production, Lyka settled on using visual metaphors to advance the story. “That’s how I am as a storyteller.

I’m not straightforward. I resonate more with poetry and fantasy rather than narrative.” She tells me that she entered it in the Cannes Film Festival because she had nothing to lose, and is eternally grateful that it got accepted. “There were times that I had to ask Yumi, my co-producer, to pinch me because everything felt like a dream.”

Her Cannes trip was the first of many bucket list items that she crossed off last year, which culminated in a two-week solo trek of Nepal.

“Traveling to Nepal has always been a dream of mine.” She looks up thoughtfully, “Well actually, it was a dream of ours.” She then tells me that she’s referring to her partner, who passed away two summers ago while they were backpacking in Dumaguete. “I made a choice that I will live the rest of my life honoring the life that he lived. I hope that I’m living up to my intention. It’s love, and it’s the easiest and hardest thing to do. To be moved by love and inspiration, and experiences and places and change.”

12 profile Aboard a local bus in Pokhara, locals wear their most vibrant clothing to welcome good energy.

There is a brief pause after she says this. And we take our time talking about other things before she tells me her favorite stories from Nepal. “I have so many stories and I don’t want to take up so much of your time,” Lyka says excitedly. “But I can start with this one story that happened in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. I checked in one of the hostels there and I met this Indian scriptwriter named Vishnu Nair, who studied in London Film School. He was there in Nepal to finish what he was writing, and I told him all about my story and then he asked me for help. He hasn’t sent me the whole script yet but he wanted me to incorporate a Filipino character into the film, so he asked me to pitch my ideas to him.”

Lyka tells me that these unscripted moments are the best things about traveling, and that everything is a chance encounter. One conversation led to another and new connections were formed through these seemingly random moments. She alludes her whole Nepal experience to the movie Brooklyn (one of her favorite movies) minus the loneliness. “I saw the [Himalayas] from the plane and I was already tearing up and repeating to myself, ‘Okay this is real, this is real.’ I didn’t have any itinerary; every time I travel I don’t have one. One night in Nepal, the manager of the hotel I was staying it, invited me for dinner. So of course I accepted. It’s a free Nepali dinner!” she laughs.

And then what happened after? I ask while finding myself drawn into the conversation. “So we went to a nearby restaurant and there was a local cultural band playing and people were dancing,” Lyka continues.

“There were these highschool girls whom I met that same morning when I was rowing a boat in the lake near my hotel. I saw them again at the bar and then we all started dancing. In the midst of the music we all started laughing and we felt like sisters. I felt like I knew them my whole life. There was also this other moment where I felt that way. It was when I trekked up the Himalayas. Not Everest, but Mardi Himal, one of the lesser treks.

I asked a guide named Min to accompany me and we spent three days hiking the trail. He shared with me his experiences in Malaysia as a factory line worker for a Chinese company. During the trek he confided in me why he quit. He told me that he would rather work closer to home and see his children grow than be “like a machine [for others].” He said that slaving his life away just to make a living was against his values. He didn’t want his life to end that way, so he went back to Nepal and pursued what he loved: climbing the mountains and sharing his love for nature to others. It was moments like these that really opened me to the reality that we are so intimately connected with one another. We just grow up believing that we are not.”

Why do we believe that we are different from each other?

Lyka simply says that the most important thing that she learned while traveling is to keep your mind open to the idea that we are all alike, wherever we go. “The people you see are mirrors of yourself. The places you go to are mirrors of your reality, wherever you are. It’s not like what they say in the media.”

I ask her what the media has been saying about Nepal. “They said it was a dangerous place and I refuse to believe that a country like Nepal is dangerous. I met the kindest, nicest people in Nepal. I realized there that we share the same humanity. No matter the race, the age, the ethnicity, the religion, or sex, we are one and the same. Our background and predispositions lead us to believe that we are all different and separate.

Yes, we experience different realities, but our essence is the same. For me, our essence is light.”

Light and grace, as Lyka tells me, are the driving forces in her life.

She holds on to the belief that traveling is as much an inward journey as it is venturing out in the world. “Everything we put out in the world is from us. I guess light for me is my symbol, a symbol of all of my beliefs and my realities. It is present in all the things I do and capture. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to tell stories of hope.”

Even with this positive outlook, Lyka tells me that it’s never easy putting yourself and your ideas out there. “Yes, it’s never easy facing those fears of failure, because we are made to believe that we are limited as human beings. I tell these stories for the fact that I can be a lot more than what people say I can be. It’s in those moments of great anxiety that I can

overcome those fears and become more. I want to make people feel that these stories that I tell through my photographs or films are real. It is up to you if you want to see them through the lens of love. I don’t want to be cheesy, but it’s true.”

This inclination towards telling stories also extends to Lyka’s social sphere as well. She tells me that she recently learned the value of these platforms when sharing her experiences with others. “Recently, I’ve learned the value of these images, of what you send out in the world.

Because you can influence so many lives, you can inspire other people, you can make a difference in other people’s lives. All of this you can do just by putting a story or yourself out there. It’s never just about the aesthetics, because if it is then it’s just noise. It’s visually stimulating, but will it move people?”

The last thing that moved Lyka was a memoir by Patti Smith called M Train. She told me she felt attached to this book because Patti Smith also lost her partner too early, and that this book recalled Patti’s daily coffee runs and inner conversations after he passed away. Lyka says that what captured her attention was the way the memoir read like poetry.

“The goal of the writer is to show the images and it is up to the viewer to derive his or her own meaning from it. I wouldn’t mind writing a memoir of some sort with the conversations of people that I’ve met.”

But for now, Lyka is still distilling all these experiences that she has had by writing it all down. She also confesses that she will never stop learning, because she doesn’t want to settle for what she has accomplished already. Even though she is young, Lyka feels that she already has a grasp of what she wants to share with the world. “I don’t think that anyone is too young to make anything. It’s really the depth of the experience and the understanding of the person. In the future, I may not make films, I may not shoot photos, but in whatever form that I use—be it a book, an exhibit of some sort, or even a memoir—I want to share stories.

It’s a very emotional process because you have to be real with yourself. It is very fulfilling to create something and be authentic about what you’re telling, and being authentic with yourself at the same time. Creating something out of your soul is an organic process. Everything that you put out in the world is an attempt. Art is an attempt to capture the truth and it’s important to try.” n

“We are so intimately connected with one another. We just grow up believing we are not... The people you see are mirrors of yourself.

The places you go to are mirrors of your reality, wherever you are.”

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Dal Bhat, a traditional Nepali Rice dish which varies in every household.

“My guide Min walking through our forested trail.”

Bhaktapur, Nepal

A Nepali woman in Bhaktapur

Misty morning light blankets the revered Machhapuchhre (“fish tail”) mountain along the Annapurna range.

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essay 15

gone to the dogs ROMEO MORAN looks at the city and wonders why we can’t treat our pets better. Photography by RENNELL SALUMBRE

I HATE WALKING MY DOGS in our neighborhood.

Where our family lives in the south, we’re among the relatively few people who understand that dogs need to be free, and they actually need to be walked. That makes for an environment in which you either can’t go far without setting off neighbors’ leashed and/or caged dogs, or encountering someone who is deathly afraid of your dog—even if he’s just a curious puppy, or a little sausage who isn’t growling at you. Sometimes I wish I lived somewhere better.

It always baffles me when people are afraid of dogs.

Or, at the very least, don’t respect them enough, because they all feed into this vicious cycle where they come out looking like mere beasts. If you don’t treat them well— as souls with physical and psychological needs—and just keep them leashed or caged, they’re going to act out their territorial instincts.

That means they’re going to be fierce and fearsome, barking at and biting anyone who even barely violates the turf they’ve claimed as their own. All that, in turn, feed into people’s natural fears.

(Especially if they’ve been bitten by a dog before, even though one biting incident doesn’t really say much about a dog’s nature.)

But all while is conjecture I’ve come up with walking the streets with my pets. No matter how close I might be, I don’t actually know the real, official reason why we humans are cruel to them. So I went around and asked the people who have a better understanding of man’s best friend.

“Generally speaking, I think people are scared of dogs because they’re a different species which most do not have an understanding of,” says Jennie FajardoPanes, one of the trainers at Pup Culture, a dog behavior school in BGC. “Then they scare themselves even more with stories about horrific dog bites and attacks without understanding why these bite incidents happen in the first place. Dogs do not bite just because. They give out certain warning signals that people do not recognize.

It’s imperative that people understand the language of dogs.”

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which lobbied for RA 8485 and RA 10631—or the Animal Welfare Act—agrees with the assessment that people spread their own fears. “The way Filipino parents teach their kids is more out of fear. That’s the basis,” explains Li-an Ascalon, PAWS education officer. “For example, you don’t want them to go out, so you tell the kids that there’s a ghost or there’s aswang, there’s mumu so they don’t stay out at night and play or they’re going to be safe.”

Although dogs are generally gentle animals, it’s also worth mentioning that there are some reasons to be afraid. The Philippines is still not a rabies-free country— in fact, the World Health Organization has ranked us among the top 10 countries with a rabies problem, with around 200 to 300 Filipinos dying from the virus.

The way we deal with dogs and rabies, however, is a marker of a general, large-scale miseducation we have around here about a whole lot of things. For example, a

lot of us, myself included, grow up with the false notion that dogs are born rabid, and any dog bite is apparently an automatic death sentence via rabies, which could not be any further from the truth. (Go to any doctor and they’ll immediately give you an anti-rabies shot when all you asked for was anti-tetanus, even though you know your dog was just playfully nipping you.)

Going back to my first point, though—does this fear manifest itself as apathy, or worse, cruelty towards dogs? Does it feed into itself, into that vicious cycle?

Fortunately, Fajardo-Panes doesn’t seem to believe so.

“I don’t think fear has something to do with how we treat animals,” she says. “It’s one’s knowledge that will lead him to treat an animal properly. Educating people about proper dog care and handling can make them treat dogs better. And knowing will ultimately lead to reduction of fear, for we only fear things we do not know or understand.”

And thankfully, whatever fears I had about Filipino society being a society that’s generally cruel to dogs, or animals as a whole, isn’t founded on any facts. There is cruelty—stories of people you would not believe could do such things to animals—but we’re not backwards enough that we’re all terrible people.

“I can’t really say that they’re generally cruel. I see both sides, especially in our work,” Ascalon comments. “We’re probably both blessed and cursed. We’re blessed to see so many people who have that compassion and passion in helping animals, having all this here just to help them. And then we also see the bad side of it. I don’t know what’s wrong with these people that they could do these things to innocent animals, sensitive beings who don’t do anything to them.”

If you’ve noticed a major running theme in all of the points they’ve brought up, it’s because the importance of education in these matters can’t be made any clearer.

I mean, with everything else that’s going wrong in the world, it can all be traced back not to a collective sense of malice, but to a lack of information and awareness.

These are things people need to stay woke about, so to speak.

With all these things to remember about owning and treating a dog (they come with just as much baggage as having and raising a human child), where does one begin? If you must know only one thing about keeping a dog, that one seed of truth in your mind from which a pursuit of knowledge will grow, it’s this, care of Ascalon: “Basic respect. Respect for a being, not just human being. Don’t just let it be. I think that if you’re humane, if you’re compassionate to an animal, then your circle of compassion widens.

“So if you’re not fond of pets, that’s fine, just don’t hurt them. That’s it. You just have this basic humanity in you and respect for life and coming to the aid someone in distress. Stay humane. That’s why you call it humane society.”

That’s all there is to it. And maybe one day, I could finally walk my dogs at home in peace. n

It always baffles me when people are afraid of dogs. Or, at the ver y least, don’t respect them enough.

WHEN PEOPLE STRIKE There are Philippine laws in place that penalize animal cruelty. The problem is not everyone is aware that the Animal Welfare Act gives the police the authority to arrest people who are being assholes to pets.

RA 10631 defines animal cruelty as: Torturing any animal Neglecting to provide adequate care Subjecting any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights Killing Causing, or procuring to be tortured or deprived of adequate care, sustenance or shelter Maltreating or using the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare Abandoning an animal under one’s custody without due cause The penalty can range from six months to two years of imprisonment, depending on the crime.

IMPORTANT: The police have the power to enforce this law, even when they don’t know it. Show them the law’s text if you have to; you don’t have to go to PAWS to file a complaint, although they can help you out. To reach PAWS for help or any service (including veterinary procedures and burial/ cremation) or you just want to volunteer, you can call them at (02) 475-1688 or head over to their rehabilitation center at Aurora Boulevard, Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

16 travel

magical myst e ry tour

Many people learned how to motorcyle on Siquijor’s spacious roads, some of which offer picturesque views of the island-province.

GIAN GERONIMO takes on the mystical isle of Siquijor behind the wheel of a scooter

The writer taking “make your own lunch” to a new level, as he prepares oysters they gathered in a beach in the town of Maria for eating.

I'M ON A ROLL-ON/ROLL-OFF VESSEL, minutes away from docking in Siquijor, baking in the noon heat. I am bleary-eyed and hungry, and also admittedly cranky because the boat I'm on was scheduled to leave Dumaguete at 8:30 in the morning. In typical Filipino fashion, it set sail for Siquijor two hours later.

I am exhausted so early in the morning because the work I was doing the previous day spilled over to the wee hours on the day of my trip. This was followed by last-minute packing, followed by a cab ride that overshot the airport because of an inefficient road barrier system along the Skyway, followed by a 5 am flight to Dumaguete, followed by a trike ride in the city using broken Cebuano to ensure I wouldn’t get charged P100 for a simple trip to the port, followed by waiting in line for a boat ticket, and finally, followed by a delayed boat ride to Siquijor.

But all that is over, and I am now on the boat. We are now docking at the port, located in the town named after the island province. I see turquoise waters sparkling in the brilliant sunlight—and this is just at the port. My frustration ceases immediately.

I am eating a late lunch at a carinderia, an ambiguous dish that’s either sweet and sour fish fillet or pork. I am hungry after a long journey; I'll take what I can get. I have just finished settling in my home for the next five days, a place called Lorna's End of the World. Catchy name; and it seems to work too, because it's known around Siquijor, perhaps also because of the hospitality of Lorna and her husband.

It's a no-frills, two-floor accommodation for backpackers, recently rebuilt after it burned down a few years ago. It has spacious rooms that cost P500 a night, complete with bathrooms and minikitchens, as well as hammocks you can lie on while looking at the sea.

Turquoise waters flow from the threetiered Cambugahay Falls in the town of Lazi, one of Siquijor’s tourist attractions.

I have just contacted my guide, a dude named Alvin whom a friend referred following her own happy trip to the island. A few minutes later, a guy with a semi-hoarse voice gets off his motorcycle and introduces himself. He wastes no time in saying I am bound to love my stay in Siquijor.

"Nindot jud kaayo ang Siquijor (Siquijor is really so beautiful), and it's paradise for travelers who love laidback environments," he says in a mix of Cebuano and Filipino. I share my fondness for unpopulated beaches, and how I hope my trip will give me exactly that. 'Sakto," he says with a smile.

Siquijor is the Philippines' third smallest province in terms of both population and land area, following Camiguin and Batanes. To get around, people usually use motorcycles, scooters, multicabs, or tricycles, although one may pass by an occasional car or two along the road. It has six towns—Larena, Lazi, Enrique Villanueva, Maria, San Juan, and Siquijor—and one can explore the island in less than three hours nonstop while following the circumferential road.

Because I want be adventurous during this trip (read: to cut costs), I opt to learn to ride a scooter. It can be rented for at least P250 for 24 hours, plus P100 for gas money.

A staff member from a guesthouse where I get mine for the next 24 hours teaches me how to use one. To my surprise, I get the hang of it immediately. I learn that any person who knows how to ride a bike will do so.

I take, literally, the road less traveled during my first day of riding a scooter. I drive up to Lugnason Falls in San Juan, a smaller version of Siquijor's famous three-tiered Cambugahay Falls, and bug four kids enjoying their time together to

take photos of me. I then make my way farther up to Siquijor's highest point, Mt. Bandilaan, where the island's healers and herbalists gather during Holy Week to perform their rituals and practices as well as renew their healing powers.

Atop its viewing deck, I get a 360-degree view of the island province. So little, yet so majestic.

Throughout that day, I am on the road with no one else mostly, save for a few travellers whom I would pass by going in the opposite direction once every few hours. I drive along steep, narrow roads surrounded by massive bushes, past rice terraces that the sun's light hits perfectly, basking them in a glow that makes me simultaneously sad and happy for some reason; past paths flanked by massive trees, multicolored vines and leaves and plants, making it seem I am in a jungle by myself.

I am in unfamiliar territory, but I don't feel fear, not one bit. I am only filled with a sense of wonder, amazement, and mindfulness. I am heady with exhilaration.

It is late in the afternoon on my penultimate day in Siquijor, and I am swimming in the turquoise waters of its famed Cambugahay Falls. I am soothed by the staccato splash of the falls on the water, and by the chirping of invisible insects.

I am alone, my default state during my entire trip, except for the hours when Alvin took me around the island. It is December, and I had expected to see swarms of people in the province, given I am traveling during the week of Christmas. Based on data from Siquijor’s tourism board, more and more visitors have been trooping to the island in recent years. However, it seems people are spending their holidays in other places because, aside from the locals, the only ones I have seen are foreigners who've been here for weeks or months already. All of the

travel 17

Alvin plunges into the waters of Paradise Bay, an outof-the-way beach in San Juan town.

It can only be reached through descending perhaps the steepest and most rickety bamboo ladder known to man.

Aside from beaches, Siquijor is also home to numerous lush mangroves, such as these ones located in Guiwanon Spring Park.

beaches and landmarks here I virtually have to myself. It is sublime.

I am at a beach somewhere in the town of Maria, wearing snorkeling gear and diving for oysters with Alvin in waters filled with tall seaweed. Earlier this morning, he picked me up from Lorna's, and I requested an all-day tour of his favorite beaches. I had just finished swimming in Maite Marine Sanctuary, one of the many such places found throughout Siquijor where one can admire the island's marine biodiversity, when Alvin picked me up.

"Let's go have an adventure," he said. Alvin started by bringing me to a beach called Paradise Bay in the town of San Juan, where I promptly got my shorts ripped by the numerous sharp rocks that you have to step and hop on before you reach the water for balance. The rickety bamboo ladder to get to those rocks, probably one of the steepest I've used so far, is another endeavor altogether. After swimming in the deep and blue waters of Paradise Bay, we then drove to the beach where I am swimming now.

We are having for lunch the oysters we have just finished getting from the depths of the sea.

Alvin makes a fire and places the oysters snugly within the twigs and leaves. These are thinner and longer than the ones people normally think of. Alvin tells me how the people here pluck these oysters from the sea from time to time, and there are always some available whenever they dive for them.

We make a beeline towards the nearest sari-sari store to wash down our late lunch with a pitcher of tuba (coconut wine), and I practice my broken Cebuano with the people there watching a soap opera. It's the stuff Alvin tells me a lazy afternoon in Siquijor is made of, but the day isn't

Bacong Beach, an out-of-theway destination where visitors can sometimes expect to see wild monkeys frolicking around.

over yet, and so we go to two more beaches.

Kagusuan has powder-fine white sand as well as humongous rocks lined up throughout the shore. We then head towards Bacong, which takes some effort to reach. "When I was driving a foreigner here a few months ago, he asked me if I was kidnapping him. I don't think he was joking," Alvin tells me as we drive along dense woodland to reach the beach.

I am in unfamiliar territor y, but I don’t feel fear, not one bit. I am only filled with a sense of wonder, amazement, and mindfulness.

I am heady with exhilaration.

The zigzagging path opens into secluded Bacong Beach, which is surrounded by trees and has a rocky shore. There are strong waves today, which means I cannot snorkel. I have to be content instead with feasting my eyes on the scenery and on fresh coconut Alvin gets from one of the many trees surrounding the beach area. I wait a while to check if I can catch a glimpse of the wild monkeys that apparently romp along the shore and among the surrounding trees. I don't.

We leave the beach as the sun is beginning

to set. In the middle of our exit, Alvin realizes he forgot his goggles, and promptly leaves me in the middle of the woods for almost half an hour. As if I haven't had enough solitary time in Siquijor already. It's comforting to be left there temporarily, actually. I listen to the chirping of insects and birds, to the rustling of the leaves, to the quiet whistling of the wind. I close my eyes. I am a living thing surrounded by other living things.

Alvin returns. "Anong ginagawa mo? (What are you doing?)" he says, laughing at me. I grin sheepishly.

I am writing in my journal in the dining area of a resort called U-Story. While Siquijor boasts majestic sunsets that I look forward to when each day draws to a close, the sun goes down way too early for my liking. I can't complain, because it's December. I compensate by waking up at around 5 am every morning, and take walks by the beach, where I watch the fishermen set up their nets and prepare for a day's work, and gaze at the tide slowly making its way up the shore.

I had also begun writing daily journal entries four months prior to my trip, and while here, I recollect each day's activities while having dinner at some of the more tastefully designed places on the island, such as Baha Bar and U-Story. The former draws visitors with its Hawaiian/bohemian vibe, and a stage where local musicians perform on some days of the week. I am more drawn to U-Story's Bali vibe, though, with its highly ornamented interiors, Buddha statues, rattan lamps and all.

The early sunsets, the sparsely populated beaches and other destinations, my pockets of evening silence—this trip, I realize, has inadvertently become a retreat of sorts.

There are no aswangs or engkantos here, but I may as well be enchanted. n

18 essay

last rides Ride-sharing services like Uber and Grab have been forcing traditional operators to take a hard look at how brashly they’ve been playing the game. Will they get with the program?

By ROMEO MORAN Illustration by MARTIN DIEGOR

MANILA IS CURRENTLY AT WAR. It’s a simmering conflict in the streets, and as with every war, there are at least two sides.

In one corner, its inhabitants who need to get around the concrete labyrinth. They are the ones who must brave rage and disrespect and the occasional brandishing of a katana (really) by the very same people they entrust with their money and their lives for passage around the maze.

On the opposite side, there are the veterans who ply these routes. These shrewd taxi drivers likely see passengers as walking stacks of money, not anxious people with their own destinations. This justifies their blatant disrespect toward them whenever they turn down a customer or mouth off on them out of inconvenience. Thankfully, not all of them are like this. It’s unfortunate, however, that the bad apples spoil the game for those who remain honorable. It’s not something the best of them deserve.

There’s a third side to the mess, though. A new pantheon of heroes who want to change the game. Or at least, the masses see them as the

essay 19

It’s baffling, then, why a lot of the drivers in the established system still refuse to wake up and change the behaviors that are mucking up their reputation. heroes—the drivers either despise them or defect to them.

This is who’s fighting for control of Manila’s streets. It’s a war of ideals and virtues, of policies and orders. It isn’t a war that needs to involve gunpowder or swordplay or any sort of violence at all.

For some strange reason, however, it does.

It seems that one can no longer ride a taxi, the most convenient form of transportation over a considerable distance, without being on the defensive. You’ll have to brace for the possibility that a taxi will refuse to take you where you need to go, or worse, the driver will become hostile after you make a seemingly innocuous request at some point during the ride. There are ridiculous viral stories from last year of drivers going postal on their passengers after they refuse the infamous “kontrata” and of drivers brandishing a freaking katana on a passenger and his kid, among others. The concrete jungle is a real jungle.

This is where services like Uber and Grab (formerly known as GrabTaxi) come in. Who they are and what they do need no introduction by now—everyone already knows, through experience, what gaps they fill and that they fill those gaps well—but they deserve it, anyway.

Uber started out as a ride-sharing service, or a way for people with cars to make a little extra money on the side by giving other people rides.

Grab began as a way for people to flag taxis down without the risk of rejection, but soon also moved into Uber’s territory of ride-sharing, eventually expanding into a motorcycle taxi service, a courier delivery service, and a helicopter service (which Uber now has, too). Both companies have seen an influx of partners (operators/drivers making up the backbone of the service) partly due to some of them treating it as a glorified taxi service, buying fleets of cars and conscripting rosters of drivers to work under them.

The two ride-sharing services and everyone who’s signed up to work for them (Grab has at least 75,000 drivers nationwide, as of March 2015) are raking in millions of pesos simply because of an overall better customer experience.

“I have noticed that it’s easier for people to get a ride with us. It’s true that [some taxi drivers are choosy and unfriendly],” says Eduardo Godeloson, a GrabCar driver who used to drive a taxi. Grab’s GrabCar service places a fixed fare depending on distance and whether or not it’s currently a peak hour, unlike Uber, which relies on a metered fare with additional Surge multipliers depending on traffic and peak conditions.

No matter what they choose, passengers are guaranteed a ride, unlike regular taxis, whose drivers can be choosy. “Not that I’m bashing other drivers because I know that there are also drivers who aren’t like that, but what about the passenger’s needs? They just want to go to their destination. That’s what I’ve observed.”

It’s this silent backlash against traditional taxi (and their drivers, mostly) that’s allowing Uber and Grab to creep more and more up into the public transportation market. And it only makes sense—

why should any denizen of the city, already Even though Uber and Grab are the most bogged down by all sorts of urban stress, have to ideal choices we have right now, a regular taxi is, suffer dealing with shady cabbies who don’t want in theory, still a more practical choice for those to take you where you want to go when you can who can’t afford the former’s comforts. Uber easily book an Uber? Why risk riding with a guy fares are prone to skyrocketing thanks to Surge who might turn angry and belligerent the moment and the way it brutally applies the laws of supply you stand up to him, when both Grab and Uber and demand. Grab is slightly cheaper, but an strictly hold all their drivers accountable? Why added booking fee on top of the metered fare waste time with a driver who doesn’t know might be too much for some people’s budgets. where to go when you can be in vehicles that are Whether commuters like it or not, the humble taxi obligated to have smartphones is still important. with Waze?

It’s baffling, then, why a lot This gradual loss of of the drivers in the established market share is why the longsystem still refuse to wake up established system is trying and change the behaviors that to fight back. The LTFRB was are mucking up their reputation. arresting Uber drivers for not It’s literally the only thing driving having a franchise as recently customers away from them— as October 2014. It eventually doesn’t it say something that Ride services by stopped after it decided to try people would always rather the numbers to figure out a way to make the pay more for what they think is services legal. Back in August better service?

2015, traditional taxi operators “I think LTFRB needs to protested to the LTFRB, tighten up their rules and resulting in an attempt to arrest regulations so that everyone Uber and Grab operators if follows them,” says Bande. “The Uber they were not able to properly LTFRB should monitor all the register themselves by a certain drivers. And then there should date. Uber and Grab were able be fitting punishments. I have Grab to get it done. As late as last a feeling they’re having a hard APP DOWNLOADS December, however, a Quezon time monitoring drivers because Google Play, as of March City court slapped a TRO on the of a lack of manpower.” Bande companies, suspending new also believes that the LTFRB is driver applications after a local at fault for being corrupt enough transport group complained; to grant permits to units that are as of February, the court has really old.

TO decided to not extend the TRO. Perhaps at the end of “I believe that as long the day, even though the two as the government allows systems can exist side by Grab to operate and deems side, the real reason Manila’s TYPICAL TAXI BOUNDARY [them] legal, it should be citizens still flock to Grab and FOR 24 HOURS okay,” comments Pedro Uber is symbolic. The two Bande, a GrabTaxi driver. Taxi services are an intelligent, yet drivers are free to sign up for most importantly, hopeful and GrabTaxi, even without having sincere solution not only to the to go through their operators. problems we have with traffic GRAB’S CUT GrabTaxi actually ends up being and transportation, but also a For GrabTaxi more beneficial to cabbies, who dark and corrupt system. still have to make their 24-hour Even though they’re not fully boundaries for their operators, pure (both here and abroad) you by sending more passengers worry less about an Uber driver UBER’S CUT their way. “Some operators are possibly knocking you out with sketchy; they’ll still put old cars chemicals. When you key in your out there just to make a profit. destination, you can be sure a It’s good that the LTFRB made GrabTaxi won’t shake his head Grab [and Uber] legal, because at you and speed away. We’re these services use brand assured that our voices will be new cars. What the LTFRB is heard when we rate a driver.

TOTAL UBER TRIPS approving are brand new cars.”

We’re tired of the old system AS OF DECEMBER 2015 “I don’t think taxi drivers that lets impunity slide, so we Source: Uber and operators have the right embrace the new way and hold to get mad at Grab and Uber,” on to it as best as we can. The says Godeloson. “We became more the old men continue to legal and everything. We’re all ignore this and refuse to adapt just making a living.” to it, the more they’ll lose the But is there a way these important war on the streets. n GRAB DRIVERS sides can coexist?

ticket to ride

50M 5M

P1,000 P1,500 P40

20%

1B

141k IN THE NETWORK AS OF OCTOBER 2015 Source: Tech in Asia

20 food

going gourmet Two chefs get creative for Scout’s #CannedFoodChallenge

By CAI MAROKET and MARTIN DIEGOR Photography by ABBY MAGSANOC

CANNED FOOD gets a bad rap for being the last resort for hunger pangs.

Mostly recognized as the food of choice for the lazy or the broke (or both), it’s usually slated for breakfast, the time of day where people really can’t be bothered to make any effort, and taken exactly as it is—straight from the can.

What people don’t realize is that like all food staples, the possibilities are endless. Enter chefs Jino Pedro and Mat Tanjuakio, who will show you how to get your creativity cracking, with each canned food dish costing no more than P500. Time to elevate your #FoodPorn game.

black risotto with spam

BY CHEF JINO PEDRO

250 g Arborio rice Squid ink 1 can Spam Lite 1 cup white wine 100 g white onions 1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated) 4 tbsp. butter 4 tbsp. pure olive oil 1 L chicken stock Parsley Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté white onions in olive oil until translucent.

2. Add Arborio rice. Stir until covered with olive oil.

3. Add white wine. Stir until rice has absorbed the liquid.

4. Add chicken stock a ladle at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid each time you add a ladleful, then add squid ink.

5. After adding the fifth ladle, add the Spam.

6. Continue adding stock until rice is al dente.

7. Once cooked, turn off heat and add parmesan, stir 8. Add, butter and stir until fully melted.

9. Garnish with parsley or any desired fresh herb or micro greens.

food 21

pork n beans risotto

BY CHEF JINO PEDRO 250 g Arborio rice 1 cup white wine 1 can pork and beans 1 sachet saffron powder or 1 pinch saffron 100 g white onions 1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated) 4 tbsp. butter 4 tbsp. pure olive oil 1 L chicken stock Parsley Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté white onions in olive oil until translucent.

2. Add Arborio rice. Stir until covered with olive oil.

3. Add white wine. Stir until rice has absorbed the liquid.

4. Add chicken stock a ladle at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid each time you add a ladleful, then add the saffron powder.

5. After adding the fifth ladle, add pork and beans.

6. Continue adding stock until rice is al dente.

7. Once cooked, turn off heat and add parmesan, stir 8. Add butter and stir until fully melted.

9. Garnish with parsley or any desired fresh herb or micro greens.

tuna temaki

BY CHEF MAT TANJUAKIO 1/2 sheet nori 1 cup rice 1/2 can Century tuna flakes 2 tbsp. sesame oil 1 tbsp. chili oil 1/2 tsp. dashi powder.

tamago corned beef nigiri

BY CHEF MAT TANJUAKIO For tamago mix: 6 eggs 5 tbsp. sugar 3 tbsp. mirin 1/2 cup water 1 tsp. dashi powder .

1 can corned beef

1. Fry tuna in sesame oil and chili oil with dashi powder. Feel free to use any flavor of tuna you prefer.

2. Add readily cooked rice and mix.

3. Load the rice on the nori diagonally.

4. Add raw red and green onions and wrap in a cone shape.

5. For extra flavor, add Japanese mayonnaise.

1. Fry corned beef until crispy.

Set aside.

2. In a shallow pan, cook a thin layer of the tamago mix on low to medium heat.

3. Sprinkle corned beef and fold into each layer of the tamago mix.

4. Press with a bamboo mat.

5. Once cooled, cut nigiri style then top it on a rice ball.

6. For additional flavor, use sushi rice and top with green onions.

Realizing that there’s more to food than eating it, JINO PEDRO took up culinary arts in Benilde to learn the ropes of the kitchen. When he’s not working as a personal chef for a foreign family based in Makati, he’s dreaming of opening his own restaurant that promotes sustainability.

about the chefs

MAT TANJUAKIO is the brains and the palate behind Sushi Ninja, Alabang’s answer to the country’s robust Japanese cuisine scene.

Though educated in business in the Bay Area, Chef Mat realized his love for sushi after taking a few classes at the California Sushi Academy and hasn’t looked back since.

22 essay

strike Pulling back the veil to see what really goes on inside one of our nation’s major orchestras

a

By NICO PASCUAL Photography by NATHAN BAJAR

chord

essay 23

A young violinist rehearses backstage.

Conductor Arturo Molina gets ready for the classical concert.

24 essay

THERE’S A PIVOTAL SCENE in the web series Mozart in the Jungle, where the main character, Hailey Rotledge, drops everything just to try her luck at a classical music audition. “I feel like all I spend my time doing is figuring out how to make money and be a good daughter, and none of it is about the art,” she laments beforehand. She’s been using her time efficiently by attending concerts, teaching oboe lessons to a younger musician, and practicing nonstop. She’s keeping to this rigorous schedule so she is ready when a slot in the New York Symphony opens up. She lives in a fictitious world, but her struggles are real. For some young musicians, playing in an orchestra is more than a logical step in their musical development. It can be a necessity both professionally and financially. When I found myself backstage at a classical music concert, I found out why.

It was a Saturday evening and the theater was still empty. This was going to be the first time that I would be attending a classical concert, so I made it a point to arrive early. Outside the theater, Bach Vs. Beatles concert programs were being given out. A few other guests were walking around or talking amongst themselves. Nathan, my photographer, started taking candid shots of people while the pre-concert sound checks were going off inside. I was waiting for someone from the Manila Symphony Orchestra to appear. But when no one showed up, we decided to go backstage to see if anyone was there.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra or MSO is one of our country’s longest-running and most historically significant orchestras. It was part of the resistance during World War II, when the members refused to play for the Japanese. Now their mission is honing young classical musical talent through a number of different concept performances. One of those concepts was the Bach Vs. Beatles concert we were attending tonight.

We slowly made our way to the back, and thankfully the stage door was unlocked. Inside we could hear the faint sound of an instrument playing. But what I remember the most was the laughter that immediately followed.

The laughter came from a group of young orchestra members seated near the dressing rooms. One of them was playing a classical rendition of a Dashboard Confessional song on her flute, which had been playing on the event speakers. On the far end of the stage, there was a violinist practicing by himself. Near him, there was another group of musicians talking. The atmosphere was easygoing, and the musicians did not mind us that much even though we took a lot of pictures. Shortly afterwards, the stage door opened again and Mr. Jeffrey Solares welcomed us.

Jeffrey Solares was the resident conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) before becoming the executive director of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. After welcoming us backstage, he gave us a few insights into what the MSO would be playing tonight. “Last season, we performed the Bach Vs. Beatles collaboration many times and the audiences loved it. There were even times where the audience would sing or hum along. For some tonight, it would be the first time to hear these songs performed with an orchestra. Some members of the Orchestra would be playing their first concert with us tonight, and I’m glad that we are starting the season with Bach Vs. Beatles. After all, who doesn’t love the Beatles?”

According to an article in the July 2012 issue of Boston Magazine, about how to get in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, “the classical audition ranks among the world’s toughest job interviews.” I ask Jeffrey for his thoughts on that statement and he replies, “Yes, auditioning for an adult orchestra like the MSO is no easy feat.” He tells me that each member is judged on several requirements: the quality of their musical tones (steady periodic sounds), their intonations (pitch accuracy), and how well they can adapt under pressure. “Sometimes we just lay a solo piece in front of them then ask them to rehearse with us that evening.” He also says that during auditions, a screen is put in front of the musician to dissuade the judges from biased decisions. “It is a tough process because these are musicians with years of practice under their belts. It is a lot of pressure because they are asked to play for just a few short moments. But if you can get in, it will be worth it.”

But after being accepted in an orchestra like the MSO, you still have to prove that you belong. “The new musicians practice with us until they get tenure, which means that you are officially a member of the orchestra.”

Jeffrey mentions that orchestral work can be a full-time career if the musician is willing to dedicate time and hard work to perfecting their craft. But aside from the financial benefits that an orchestra brings, he also tells me that there exists a mentor-student relationship within the MSO. He says that this relationship is essential if you want to grow as a professional musician.

The 2014 film Whiplash presented the visceral idea that auditioning for a musical position would mean risking life and limb. The film followed an aspiring jazz drummer who practiced day and night just to appease his conductor. But Jeffrey assures me that those extremes aren’t true. “We might practice until the early morning just to perfect a piece or movement, but we don’t want anyone to burn out. The musicians are our first priority.”

But burning out is a very real thing, especially for those that have been playing music most of their lives. A study from the ‘90s conducted by Richard Hackman, a psychology professor at Harvard, focused on orchestra musicians. Surprisingly, they didn’t rank high in the job satisfaction index.

“The job satisfaction of orchestral members ranked just below federal guards and air traffic controllers, whose work was wildly stressful.” But it is also notable to point out that the same study concludes: “No group that we studied has more internal motivation than [orchestra musicians].”

When asked if that last statement was true, my friend Poch Gutierrez says, “I believe so, because practicing does take up most of our time. But it’s all worth it.” Poch has been playing the cello since he was 12 and held seats with the Lasallian Youth Orchestra and the Ateneo Blue Symphony Orchestra in college. He now works as a full-time high school teacher in addition to his playing career.

When asked why he thought it was worth it, he continued by telling me his craziest experience inside an orchestra. “The craziest thing would be the time the Lasallian Youth Orchestra had to travel to Zambales from Manila after a concert. It was supposed to be a retreat but we were still so high on our performance that we couldn’t sleep. We all decided when we arrived to practice instead.

We got there around two in the morning and we practiced until the sun rose. I remember those sessions were passionate and full of heart.”

I ask if he would think about joining an orchestra again if he had the time. Poch says, ”Definitely. When you are with a group who loves playing as much as you do, practicing is fun.

Listening to each other play is a big part of it. I call these moments ‘beautiful chaos’ because imagine this: everyone is playing different instruments and everyone is playing at the same time. You have 60 musicians in one room playing to create one sound. It is surreal how good it feels to experience that, to be a part of that. That’s beautiful chaos. But I guess you can say that about all music in general.”

Back at the concert hall, people are slowly being let in and asked to find their seats. Before going to mine, I ask Jeffrey what the MSO was going to perform first. He smiles and says, “Bach, of course. Everyone knows the Beatles, but after the concert, I am hoping that the audience will love Bach as well.”

Once the orchestra members had settled into their seats, I noticed that they all looked different from what I remembered hours before. They did not look fazed at what I saw while standing onstage: rows and rows of once empty seats now filled with faces they did not know.

One particular thing stood out from the beginning was the respect the conductor, Mr. Arturo Molina, gave his musicians. Before he began Bach’s first piece, The Double Violin Concerto, he would shake the hands of the musicians seated nearest to him. Then he would nod at the violin section that would start the first movement. In the short breaks between pieces, the conductor would pause and give the spotlight over to the soloist, if the piece had any. This small gesture, which I learned from Jeffrey afterwards, was commonplace. “In these concept concerts, we try to give each musician their moment to shine.”

Over the course of the concert, there were no extravagant theatrics, no Whiplash-inspired moments. There was just well executed music. Even if I did not know the technical intricacies of the orchestral pieces, they all spoke to me in some unseen way. But call me a sucker for the Beatles songs.

Because when you hear a classical rendition of Blackbird being played as gracefully as that, it is really difficult not to get emotional about it. n

“Auditioning for an adult orchestra is no easy feat. These are musicians with years of practice under their belt, and they are asked to play for a short time.

But if you can get in, it will be worth it.”

essay 25

The musicians changing into black tie backstage.

26 travel

the back-up plan How travel insurance saved DANICA PASCUA-LEBLANC from going bankrupt after an accident abroad Illustration by ADRIAN UBANDO

I HEARD THE HELICOPTER GOING FULL THROTTLE. This was a familiar sound to me as a geologist who works in remote locations. We were about to take off and I was lying on a stretcher. A paramedic told me, “You’re going to the emergency room and a lot of people are going to be working on you.” Then everything faded to black.

When I awoke, I was on a bed being wheeled away. A crowd of people hovered over me as I moved down the hallway.

“Where’s my husband?” was all I could say in my foggy state.

The nurses continued to ask me questions but my every third reply was, “Where’s my husband?” I had no idea what happened to him and I was getting worried.

Wait, what even happened to me?

Finally, one of the nurses said, “He’s at Ridgecrest and he’s fine.” I fell asleep.

They woke me up to sign some consent forms on a clipboard. They told me they were going to clean up the wounds on my left arm, which were down to the bone around my elbow.

Though I did not feel any pain from my body, my mind was sort of there, my head a bit dizzy. The anesthesiologist explained what he was going to do for this surgery. I signed the consent forms haphazardly, then I was out again.

I remember lying down, about to enter an MRI machine.

MRI scans typically take 45 minutes to complete, plus I had at least five other X-rays and CT scans that night. Yet I recall only a minute of my MRI. Continued on p. 28

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28 travel

I woke up in a hospital room a few hours later. A Middle Eastern doctor in his 60s with round, dark brown wide-framed glasses came to my bedside.

“You broke your neck, honey,” he told me.

I was still in a haze. I saw my aunt and uncle enter the room. We were supposed to see them that night. The neurosurgeon and my aunt discussed the details of my injury. I could hear parts of their conversation, as I slipped in and out of consciousness. The neurosurgeon talked about a device called a “halo brace” that he would put on me as soon as the next morning. He asked me to wiggle my fingers and toes. Never in my life did I want them to move so much. And thank God they moved.

Okay, I broke my neck. And I’m not paralyzed. I’m going to have a normal life again.

Everything’s going to be okay.

One day I was climbing Death Valley National Park’s highest mountain, having the time of my

of our honeymoon the C5, C6, and C7 in the United vertebrae in my neck States. Since we with severe damage both enjoy hiking to the surrounding Ready to go on our US road trip adventure! and camping, we ligaments. Usually had planned a 19-day road trip across the US to people become quadriplegic if there is also discover the picturesque national parks. damage to the spinal cord in this area, but luckily We’d left Death Valley National Park in for me, there was absolutely none. God was California on April 26th at 2:30 pm. We were definitely watching over us that day. to drive five hours towards Rowland Heights, a My neurosurgeon opted to use a halo brace suburb of Los Angeles, to spend the night with to prevent my head and neck from moving even my aunt’s family and then carry on with the rest a millimeter, keeping my neck in the correct of our trip. We were going to meet them at a position as it healed for three months. As I lay in restaurant, just in time for dinner. my hospital bed recovering from the anesthesia, My husband drove for about an hour. I voiced I told my husband to find a little info card in my my guilt for being such a useless passenger—he suitcase and call our travel insurance company had driven for 90 percent of our trip, nearly right away. two-thirds of the continental US! Although he didn’t mind and claimed that I was “the best co-pilot ever,” I insisted on taking the wheel as Accidents happen. You never want them we cruised through the flat, desert plains of the to, but they can. And yes, even to someone as Panamint Valley. young and healthy as you are. Worse, they could After an happen abroad where you don’t have insurance uneventful hour of coverage from PhilHealth or your private insurer. driving, I started That’s where travel insurance comes in. As feeling tired. My young travelers may have a hard time figuring it husband offered all out, the term “travel insurance” or “traveler’s to switch with me insurance” just describes protection provided immediately while to travellers when something unexpected we passed the small happens on a trip, be it a medical emergency, town of Ridgecrest. an accident, a typhoon, or a snowstorm. There But no. I wanted are generally four types of coverage included in to power through travel insurance: and stop at the very First, trip cancellation and trip interruption next town, which insurance. This reimburses non-refundable travel was a measly 10 costs if your trip is canceled or seriously delayed miles away. I left due to unpredictable events such as an illness, Ridgecrest and death of a family member, a natural disaster, turned left on Route or an organized airline strike. This is the most 195 to get on the popular type of travel insurance bought.

395. Then that Second, baggage and personal items was it. coverage. This covers your baggage including Our route across the US – 12 states, 7 national parks, 19 days Suddenly I clothing, prescribed medicines, bags, footwear awoke to the sound and other personal effects if they have of my husband been lost, delayed, or damaged during your life with my new husband. Then two days later, telling me to go back to my lane. A pickup truck travel. The amount covered depends on your I found myself with a halo brace screwed on my was coming right at me. I was in the opposite individual policy. head, a splint on my broken left arm, and several lane, apparently trying to pass a minivan behind Third, accidental death or dismemberment months of recovery ahead of me. me. Out of panic, I abruptly returned to my lane, insurance. You never want to think about it, but I spent an entire month in the hospital but had to turn the wheel back to the left to stay what if you die during your trip? What if you end in California. The bill? Roughly $316,400 or on the road. Before I knew it, we were swerving up suffering from a life-impairing incident, such P15,059,000. (Yup, I double-checked those left and right and lost all control. as losing your eyesight or a limb? Depending on zeros.) Without my travel insurance policy that Our car reached the edge of the other side the case, this coverage allows for the transport footed 99% of my exorbitant medical bills, I of the road and I screamed as we forcefully hit of your remains back home and/or the payment would have either gone deep into debt, been a dirt road. Just after our car quickly turned of a lump-sum benefit to your beneficiaries. unable to receive the treatment I needed, or sideways from the impact, I blacked out. My And lastly, emergency medical insurance. needed to ask family and friends for financial husband was still conscious.

While it is only the second most popular type support. In other words, royally screwed.

Our car rolled over at least three times of travel insurance bought, I believe it is the and ended up on its roof. The people from the most essential and practical one. This covers pickup truck and minivan stopped to help us. emergency care due to an accident or illness I asked my aunt, “Tita Lolit, is this a dream?”

They dialled 911 at 4:13 pm. The cause of the while traveling, including hospitalization, surgery, I really thought it was. She looked at me with accident? Whether I zoned out for a few seconds visits to registered physicians or specialists, great sadness in her eyes and replied, “I’m sorry. with my eyes wide open or fully fell asleep at the prescribed medicines, and ambulance costs Unfortunately, it is not.” I fell asleep again. wheel, I still don’t know. (note that pre-existing medical conditions When I woke up, my husband was by my The land ambulance arrived and took care are usually NOT covered). If it weren’t for my side. It was so great to see him. My aunt and of my husband, but I had to be evacuated by emergency medical insurance, I would have been uncle drove an hour and a half to Ridgecrest to helicopter to the trauma hospital in Lancaster responsible for paying for my short helicopter pick him up, and then an hour and a half back some 80 miles away as my injuries seemed ride to the hospital ($51,600 or P2,458,000) again to my hospital in Lancaster, California. I more severe. and my month-long hospital stay at $10,000 giggled as I noticed him wearing a blue nurse’s At Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, emergency or P477,000 per day! (You can do the math on scrub as a top with his jeans. This was at staff performed a full examination of my that one!)

3:30 am on April 27, 2015, 4,000 km away husband. Except for a mild concussion and from home. small pulmonary contusions, he was completely How much coverage do I need?

My husband remembered the entire fine. I, on the other hand, suffered significant I’ve only ever bought emergency medical accident. Leaving the day after our wedding from injuries. I fractured the distal ulna and fifth insurance for all the trips I have taken outside Mississauga, Canada. We were on the eighth day metacarpal on my left arm, and more seriously, of the country (accidental death insurance is

travel 29 HOW MUCH IT CAN ALL COST Travel insurance is relatively cheap, compared to what it could cost you if you didn’t have it at all. PhilHealth and your private insurer do NOT cover emergency medical expenses abroad.

Foreign hospitals can be very expensive and may require cash payment immediately—your insurance company makes it easy as they are billed automatically.

The only loophole, in my experience, was that my travel insurance company refused to pay for my two months’ worth of outpatient medical expenses in California (CT scans, physical therapy, etc.) In the end I paid $2,960 (P140,830) out of my own pocket, less than 1% of my total medical bill in California.

Medical expenses in the US from April 26 to August 12, 2015

Cost in USD

Cost in PhP

Air ambulance (helicopter)

$51,655

P2,458,283

Land ambulance

$ 3,710

P176,545

Doctors’ fees

$31,631

P1,505,309

Hospital bill from April 26 to May 25

$224,030

P10,661,573

My husband’s two-day hotel accomodation

$238

P11,318

Minerva jacket (neck brace)

$1,482

P70,520

Return flights

$890

P42,338

Medication

$38

P1,818

Paperwork

$ 161

P7,677

Physical therapy

$1,751

P83,341

Scans (CT, X-ray)

$ 844

P40,158

TOTAL

$316,429

P15,058,880

included in the same plan at no extra cost).

Because I haven’t blown my savings on a trip so grand that it would really hurt me financially if it got canceled, I’ve never felt the need to buy trip cancellation insurance. I’ve never bought coverage for my baggage and personal items either because I barely bring anything of value on my trips—just a couple of hiking pants, a lot of layers, jackets, and maybe my computer. My personal philosophy on insurance has always been, “Purchase insurance for things that could put you on the street.” A medical emergency in a foreign country definitely falls in that category.

Getting a refund for your canceled trip to Japan would be nice, but it wouldn’t ruin your life otherwise.

That being said, choose an insurance policy that works for you and your situation. Shop around the kinds of travel insurance available in the Philippines—most of the time, the four types of travel insurance are bundled up into one neat package. Insurance companies, banks, credit cards, and airlines all offer travel insurance. A quick Google search and a couple of phone calls will set you on the right path. Policies may be purchased per trip (lasting up to 180 days) or annually for frequent travelers. While the cost of a policy is usually between four to 10 percent of that of your trip, it also depends on your age, length of the trip, and the terms and maximums of the policy itself.

Also consider the activities you’ll be doing on

I spent an entire month in the hospital in California. The bill?

Roughly $316,400 or P15,059,000. your trip. Rock climbing, surfing, and paragliding all fall into “adventure sports” and injuries sustained from such activities may not be covered. You would require extra coverage, and therefore pay a bit extra.

After carefully reading through various policies to understand their terms, coverage, and limitations, purchase the best that you can afford. I would suggest obtaining the absolute maximum coverage for emergency medical expenses (it ranges from P1 to 5 million). If you really splurged on your trip, it would be advisable to get a trip cancellation policy covering at least the cost of your plane tickets.

And of course, while traveling, have your insurance’s emergency phone number and your policy details on hand. You’ll never know when you will need them.

“But I’m just going to Singapore for the weekend!”

I’d say get travel insurance all the same—you just never know. It’ll only cost you P350 to P500 anyway. If you can’t afford travel insurance, at least for emergency medical costs, then you can’t afford to travel, in my books.

According to a 2011 survey by the Conference Board of Canada, a staggering 41% of Canadian travelers aged 18 to 29 did not bother to buy travel insurance before visiting a foreign destination. The same goes for over a third of British travelers aged 16 to 24, according to a 2014 survey by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and travel association ABTA. When asked what made them say no to travel insurance, respondents answered that they either forgot, didn’t think about it, found it too inconvenient or too expensive, were only away for a few days, or simply didn’t know why needed it in the first place. As for Filipino travelers, well, they usually don’t buy travel insurance at all. It is just deemed “not essential” for traveling.

For example, a two-week trip to South Korea for myself, a 26-year-old female, costs only P1,600 from travel insurance provider BlueCross Philippines (with emergency medical coverage of up to P2.5 million and all the other three kinds of travel insurance included). You can easily calculate an approximate plan cost with their

I was confined in a California hospital for a month.

online tool, so there’s really no excuse not to look into it.

It’s been nearly a year since my accident, and I’m hoping to be back at work by the time you read this. As my path back to good health has been physically and emotionally draining enough, I can’t even begin to imagine dealing with financial issues on top of dealing with my injury.

I know you’re all excited about your next trip, and travel insurance is probably the last thing on your mind—but it shouldn’t be. Do your homework. Go through the pesky paperwork.

Read the fine print on that insurance policy.

Travel insurance is one of the very few things you buy that you hope you will never have to use. But when you do, you’ll be glad you took the time to make sure you had it. n

30 travel

get up and go Scout friends share snippets of their favorite destinations

By CAI MAROKET

“For a great way to get a beautiful view of Hong Kong, try riding the Peak Tram!

It’s also the best way to see sights if you’re too tired to walk around.”

jelito de leon in

hong kong

Photographer Jelito’s career skyrocketed through his artful curation of his Instagram page, but unlike most smartphone photographers, he has legit skills behind an SLR as well. His social media presence opened up avenues for him to travel. His favorite destination is Hong Kong, where he’s held photography workshops.

“One thing I like doing when I’m in a foreign city is to just walk around the streets.

You’ll never know when you might find yourself in interesting little situations.”

“Walking around the Hong Kong trail is always picturesque.”

“It’s really easy to let your travel bug loose in Hong Kong. Pick a station on the MTR and start exploring.

It’s not hard to find your way back since the MTR system is easy to understand.”

travel 31 “Tip: WALK! Walk a lot. Walk through those small streets that you think have nothing interesting in them. We found this gem in a little dead-end street, so you never know!”

“I promised myself to try those little izakayas around the city. Do as the locals do! This tiny place did not disappoint; they had no English menus so I was forced to use my almost non-existent Japanese skills. Thankfully the server was very nice and we had a nice meal and beer!”

“If you’re an artist, always bring some of your works with you; you never know who you’ll meet. I got to (accidentally) meet an illustrator I really adore. Good thing I had some art with me and we exchanged prints.”

soleil ignacio in

tokyo

Like many other artists, illustrator Soleil’s love affair with Tokyo began with a fascination with Japanese animation during her formative years. While her art style has evolved and outgrown its Japanese influences, her affinity with Tokyo remains.

“I really loved the houses in Japan, they all had beautiful architecture and you get to see the culture and the locals’ way of living.”

“The only means of efficient transportation around the city are through the water taxis. They come aplenty, so hitching a ride won’t be a problem.”

“One of the mustvisit places in Venice is the Piazza San Marco. Order yourself an espresso and a gelato and enjoy watching people as they go about their day while you bask under the Italian sun.”

“Getting lost will be part of your journey.

Don’t fret, though. You wouldn’t mind getting lost in a place like Venice.

Trust me.”

“It was around 2am at this time and me and Kris decided to walk around our neighborhood (it was our first night so we were very excited). First time to try those famous Japan vendo machines.”

“That’s amore.”

“Make your way to Aman for tea time. It’s a small little hideaway.”

la aguinaldo in

venice

“I could not fully fathom the beauty of Venice,” says model LA of his recent trip to Italy, this time traveling for leisure. “It’s one of those places that gives you an experience so real it seems unreal.”

32 travel

“New York is known for being a playground for street artists. I have a fascination with street art because it can bring new meanings to the industrial or even old-world landscape where it’s situated.

It can be great color story inspirations.”

“One thing I like doing when I’m in a foreign city is to just walk around the streets.

You’ll never know when you might find yourself in interesting little situations.”

“The only time I got to see Williamsburg, the skies decided to snow over us—really hard. Snow looks great in movies and pictures but it’s not the most friendly weather condition.

Travel with friends who know the place well as they can bring you to random places that locals try to keep secret.”

“I was fortunate to attend and cover New York Fashion Week and this is from one of my faves during the season—DKNY. NYC in February is notorious for the extreme cold.

Imagine having to run from venue to venue dressed in five layers in -20 degrees.”

fold canela in

“Our friend Pauline brought us to this Jewish bakery and had us try knishes. It’s sort of a soft pastry that’s filled with potatoes, cheese, and the like. Pauline says that there are talks of shutting down the nearby businesses as the owners plan on developing an apartment complex. So if you’re in NYC anytime soon, head over here fast.”

new york

Fashion videographer Fold Canela is no newbie to the East Coast, but his recent trip to the Big Apple for New York Fashion Week magnified his connection with the city.

“The Grand Palace is one of the top tourist spots in Thailand so it’s better to get there really early if you want to avoid people in your shots.”

“For short distances, make like a local and ride the tuk-tuks. Just make sure to negotiate a good price first before getting in.”

melissa gatchalian in

bangkok

Blogger Melissa Gatchalian was recently invited by a Thai skincare and makeup brand to visit Bangkok.

Even though time was limited, Melissa couldn’t help but fall in love with Thailand’s rich culture.

“For a short weekend trip, we tried to visit the most Thailandlooking place we could find–The Grand Palace.

But they have a strict dress code. You have to rent coverup clothes from them if you're wearing something sleeveless and short. So here's a photo of me sneaking in a quick photo without the cover-up top.”

“You can’t say you’ve really experienced Thailand without stuffing yourself silly with their street food! Pairing it with Thai iced tea is a perfect solution for the hot weather.”

Untitled-3 1

3/21/16 6:07 PM

34 on the cover

little With a whole young lifetime of living and moving between a passport full of places, including Los Angeles, Manila, Europe, and Hong Kong, Martine Cajucom has mastered the art a great many young people would kill to learn—how to uproot, travel, survive waves of uncertainty, and succeed

miss

wayfarer Photography by RALPH MENDOZA Styling by RYUJI SHIOMITZU Interview by ROMEO MORAN

THIS PAGE: MISS SELFRIDGE blouse and overalls. OPPOSITE PAGE: H&M knit shirt, RIVER ISLAND jeans.

on the cover 35

There may be no other generation in modern histor y as wistfully flighty as the millennials.

It’s been said many times, among many other choice words, by many a disapproving elder—and even by condescending older millennials who attempt to dissociate themselves from the poisonous branding.

Countless articles on the Internet capitalize on this collective wanderlust and stoke the fire. They know exactly what we feel.

They tell us we need to follow our hearts, and we need to love what we do and do what we love. Writers and blogs and everyone with a camera phone (so basically, everyone) constantly drill into our heads the need to spend our younger, more spirited years traveling and getting those experiences, financial security be damned.

For the most part, the relevant industries have made this easier: there’s a seat sale happening more than once in a while. Airbnb’s made it cheaper to find a place to lay your head.

Some of you, the more cautious, conservative types I can imagine, might be wondering where the prudence is in all of this.

Whose smart idea is it to tell kids to blow their hard-earned money (if it is their hard-earned money) flying around instead of doing something a normal adult would do, like, I don’t know, building up a nest egg? Or to give up a gig that’s cushy for the objectively harder path of following your dreams? It’s actually impossible to trace it back to one single entity, so we don’t really know who to thank.

What we do know, though, is that it can be done. Constant travel need not automatically mean instability—at least, not the long-term kind.

Presenting the best evidence for a life of travel (and the sense of uncertainty that’s built into it): Martine Cajucom.

Most of you know her as the cousin of “It Girls” Isabelle Daza and Georgina Wilson. Some of you also know her as the current creative director of local sunglass brand Sunnies. There might be a number of you who are aware that, after a lifetime of moving around from one country or another, she ditched a pretty comfortable creative job in the States to come over to Manila and help launch Sunnies.

This here is the story of how she ended up back in her home country, after a lifetime of bouncing around and traveling in packs and surviving on her own and giving up comfort for personal growth. And doing it all over again if it ever comes to that.

I don’t know you that well. You’re someone who’s not too prominent, I think? I think that’s okay with you.

Yeah! It’s a good thing. It was never really my intention, I guess, to be prominent.

You didn’t grow up here.

I didn’t technically grow up here. But I was born here, I spent a lot of time here—actually, I did grow up here. I spent every summer here, every vacation, my whole family lives here. Even though I grew up technically mostly in the US, [I’m] very very Filipino.

What’s the story of you coming to Manila?

Well, Manila’s always been home to me as much as Los Angeles has been, because, like I said, my

family lives here, I used to come here so often. It actually started because Georgina would come visit me in LA all the time, and she just said, “Manila needs someone like you! I really wanna work with you, I really wanna do something with you!” After maybe four years of her trying to poach me, she kinda finally convinced me to give it a shot. I’ll give it a try.

Was it hard to uproot yourself?

Actually, no. I would say that it was such an easy transition for me. The people here are so warm, so friendly, and obviously I have a network of my family and friends already here. It was quite a smooth transition, remarkably. Right when I landed, I felt like it was a good decision to make.

It was never a hard time for you?

Oh, of course. I left a job I had for five years, a job I loved, a job I was comfortable in, and I was good at. To leave all of that—obviously, a Western salary—to leave that to go to the Philippines, it was actually a big decision for me. It was, actually—you’re right. It was a really

36 on the cover

tough decision, but ultimately, I think it was the right one for me. Like two and a half years later, I definitely don’t regret it.

What was it that made you come to terms with, “Okay, I gotta do it?” Was there anything that finally pushed you?

Yeah, definitely. I’d been working for a company that I really respected. I used to work in an American firm there, their head creative office, and I really respected the vision of my CEO. But I really wanted to do something for myself, and that’s why, essentially, I came to the Philippines.

I wanted to build a brand of my own. I wanted to make something authentic and call it my own.

Is this something you’d suggest to millennials?

I think at some point, in most of our lives, you have to make a decision about staying or going. Would you even suggest uprooting oneself to do something different?

Would I suggest that, realistically? It’s hard to say, because I did it and I was a success story, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the cards that were dealt my way, and what’s happened to get me where I am today. But it isn’t a route for everyone. I would make people assess what are their true assets and skills, and see if it’s a good decision to make. But generally, I am very pro push yourself out of your comfort zone and do things you’re passionate about.

But also, if you come to a [certain] age, you also have to be realistic about your goals and what you can actually achieve. That’s true, that’s very real advice. Not everyone can do something extraordinary. (It’s true, though! Sorry, millennials.) I would say that I’m pro doing things outside of your comfort zone and making the most. Honestly, I tell my nieces and nephews in college, I give them real advice.

You won’t be the first person to say those things.

It’s so true, though, gosh. I think... what would I say to millennials about how to be successful? I think true success comes with self-awareness.

I always say that. It’s knowing what you’re good at and making the most out of that for yourself, individually. Not everybody is going to be an entrepreneur. Not everyone is an outlier. But it is important to know what you’re good at and make the most out of what you’re given.

Let’s talk about Sunnies real quick. You’re a creative director for Sunnies—what exactly does that entail, for those who are curious?

Being creative director here means guiding the direction and vision of the brand in every aspect, in terms of development, styles, marketing, just the overall giving life to the brand. Making it human, I guess.

Was it something you envisioned yourself doing back when you were a kid?

I’m not going through the list of things I wanted to be when I was a kid. First job I ever wanted, I wanted to be a veterinarian, I wanted to be a makeup artist, graphic designer, photographer, I dabbled in everything. I got into journalism, I got into writing, and then I got into marketing.

I guess being a creative director is kind of this cornucopia of everything I’ve ever liked doing.

And it’s guiding a team and honestly working with a team that is more talented than I am in so many ways. And it’s being a leader, and I guess it’s what led me here. My dream job!

It’s really your dream job, being a leader?

Well, yeah! I suppose!

Did the things you wanted to do in life change with every place you’ve been in?

Hmm... not really. I mean, everywhere I’ve been, I’m always inspired in some way. But I think, from even an early age, I’ve always been myself.

I always know exactly what I like. I think it’s what led me here.

“I’m ver y realistic.

I’ve always set ver y realistic goals for myself...

Ever yone defines happiness differently.

Ever yone defines success differently.”

You’ve never worried about not knowing what you were gonna do?

Oh, of course. I think we’ve all gone through a quarter-life crisis. Especially when you’re in college. College breeds quarter-life crises. “What am I gonna do with my life?” And I’ve been there.

I definitely went through a massive quarter-life crisis at 20, 21. And I think when I was in college, I was very passionate about photojournalism, and I read a list that said that the number one job that people were out of work in and make no income was photojournalism. I was like, “Shit, what am I gonna do with myself?” And now I just kinda wanna tell kids in college, just relax. Things are gonna be okay. Just work hard and go out of your way to meet as many kinds of people as possible. And you’ll find yourself. You’ll find a job.

You’ll find fulfillment in your life.

Did it take long for you to swallow your pride and admit, okay, I can’t be this?

Yeah. I’m very realistic. I’ve always set very realistic goals for myself, all right? Even if I become the best photojournalist in the world, still not gonna cut it for the life that I want? It’s okay, everyone defines happiness differently. Everyone defines success differently. That’s when I started getting more into retail and marketing. I don’t know, I guess I just had a natural knack for it, and here I am!

Would you recommend, should the opportunity come up, that people leave—maybe not leave for somewhere better, but just leave?

If you’re unhappy where you are, if you’re unsatisfied, if you’re unfulfilled, then by all means, leave.

Were you unfulfilled when you decided to leave LA? Not necessarily. I was fulfilled, but I also felt like I hit a plateau, where I wasn’t gonna grow more.

And I had all the fulfillment I had in those five years, and I was so grateful for it. And obviously the learning curve was so steep; not as steep as Sunnies, but learning could be definitely really really steep. So I think, once you stop growing, once you stop learning, it’s time to move on. I guess that’s the advice I would give to a millennial. Always push yourself to learn, always push yourself to grow.

That’s fair. I’m sure you’ve seen so many articles giving advice to young people saying travel while you still can. Do you recommend that, given the cost of travel?

You can always travel on a budget. In George’s Besties book, they made me write an article on how to travel on a budget. I’m definitely the promoter of traveling on a budget. I hate quotes, but one of those stupid Pinterest-y things that says, “Nothing in this world you can buy can make you richer than traveling.” Something like that, but it’s so true. Nothing you can spend on will make you richer than travel. That’s something I really believe in. People who have traveled and lived abroad, their minds are so much more open, so much more receptive to new ideas.

Traveling on a budget is easy nowadays. They make it so easy. Airbnbs and budget airlines, a million things that you can do. There’s so many ways you can travel on a budget.

I did a six-month stint in Europe. I studied abroad and traveled around with a backpack. Literally, my luggage was full of sardines. All I ate every day just to save money was sardines and hardboiled eggs. I was 20 and it was so fulfilling, it was wonderful. Something I’d recommend to everyone, maybe not hard-boiled eggs and sardines.

You’re a trooper. Would you be offended if I said I didn’t think you would actually pull that off?

No, of course not! Actually, it’s so funny! Nobody understands how down I am for stuff like that.

Traveling on a budget, doing things like that. I did that so much.

People are surprised when they find out.

People are really surprised. I grew up in the US, I know how to rough it out. I guess people here are also shocked that I know how to do my own hair, I know how to do my nails, I know how to do my own makeup, because everyone’s so accustomed to having a glam squad. But I’m actually very comfortable doing a lot of things on my own.

I think people’s assumption about people in the US is that no matter where they’re from in the US, they have it easy. I’m guessing that’s not completely true for you if you know how to rough it up? Was it always easy?

I’m generally quite low-maintenance, anyway.

Whatever the perception is for me, I’m truly low-

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maintenance. The US, I think the US teaches a lot of independence. I love the Philippines, but people are very handicapped here also. The US teaches independence more than anything. It’s a little more cutthroat, it’s very capitalist, and nothing’s really handed to you on a plate. [In] the US, everything you do, you have to do yourself.

You have to work hard. Study hard. The jobs that I got weren’t through any connections. They were just from my own merit. I guess that’s the sort of difference, which is why I was able to rough it up and feel comfortable doing that.

Actually, remarkably, my family is very lowmaintenance, also. Ish. All my cousins, when we’ve traveled, especially when we were younger, they knew how to travel on a budget too. We’ve all had our fair share of cramming 10 people in one hotel room. I remember this one trip we took, it was with Belle and George, and my other cousins, we went to Las Vegas and we fit like 15 people in one hotel room. And my mom was cooking in the bathroom. We all, like, laugh about it today; we were, like, 18, 19, we know what it’s like.

But by no means were you guys not well-off.

No, we weren’t struggling, but we knew how to stretch a dollar.

Glad you mentioned the difference between US and Manila. You mentioned earlier that George said Manila needs someone like you. What did that mean?

Not that presumptuous, but she just said, “Manila is so up-and-coming, and there’s so many opportunities for people like you.” That’s more what she meant. There’s opportunities for people like you if you want to come do something really stylish and cool. The country’s going through so many changes and people are so receptive to so many new kinds of [ideas].

It’s more progressive. That’s more of what she meant.

What was your idea of Manila when you were just visiting?

Good times. Manila, to me, I always associate with having a good time. Back in the day, going to Embassy and things like the beach and leisure and food and community. That’s what I’ve always associated Manila with. But growing up, I remember that there weren’t really many contemporary things here. Like Western luxuries that I like.

Has that perception changed since you started living here?

Definitely! I think all the new restaurants, all the new independent labels popping up, it’s actually a more bustling art scene, a more contemporary, progressive art scene here. It’s really refreshing and it’s nice.

But do you look at the city and the country in a whole new way?

Not really. I’m just happy to be part of it.

I was gonna ask you this, but I don’t know if you noticed or how true it is, but people see you as sort of an It Girl. I assume you don’t subscribe to that stuff.

No, of course not. I think we all collectively cringe at the word. But it’s a compliment, so I guess it’s flattering. Cringey but flattering.

But I guess people here look at certain people a certain way, with that perception I guess. Does it ever get too much?

For me? Not for me. I’m definitely not at that level, that it would be bothersome for me. For me, it’s still more novel. Like, ooh! When people say, “I’m your biggest fan,” I’m so unbelievably flattered, I’m more excited than they are. So yes, it’s still on a level of novelty for me. So it’s more fun.

“I know how to rough it out. People here are shocked that I know how to do my own hair and makeup, because ever yone’s so accustomed to having a glam squad.”

It sounds like you’re really happy to be here, but was there ever a time you regretted moving here?

No, definitely not. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Although I love the US, too. Not to knock the US. I love Los Angeles, I love growing up in California. And actually, even before that, I used to live in Hong Kong, New Delhi, so I’ve never regretted a new experience, especially if it’s something you learn from. That’s definitely what Manila’s been for me.

What’s your favorite part of Manila right now, since you moved?

I always loved how Manila is always communitybased. It does have its downsides, but I’m with my family all the time. It’s so much fun. Every time we see each other, it’s a party because we’re all women. I think their ratio is like eight to two, women to men. So every day, we laugh; every day, with my whole family, my aunts, my cousins, my mom. So I guess that’s my favorite part of being in Manila, like having that family base and being with them.

Do you have plans of uprooting again?

Yeah, of course. I definitely have plans of uprooting again. I’d love to live everywhere. If I could live in every country for a year, I would.

Manila isn’t forever for me, but it’s always home.

So is it safe to say that you have a bit of a nomadic soul?

I do! I definitely have a nomadic soul. Yeah! I do, I

think it comes from my childhood also. We moved around every year or two.

Has that ever gotten in the way of life?

Of living?

No. I think people define living differently. It wasn’t that difficult; moving to a new country every two years was just exciting, and no, it doesn’t get in the way of living.

It’s never a problem to tie you down?

No, it’s not, actually.

Where would you go if resources weren’t an issue?

Hmm... space? Why not? Like anywhere?

Yeah.

Then definitely space. The moon is one option.

Other planets would be nice to visit, habitable planets. If we’re talking about literally, resources aren’t an option, a habitable planet, traveling faster than the speed of light. Teleporting to another habitable planet.

That’s something I’d actually like to see happen.

Yeah! I think everyone would. It’s really cool.

What are your biggest career accomplishments so far?

This one’s pretty cool! (holds up award) They kinda broke it, but it was being nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year. It was funny, the awards ceremony was significantly younger than everyone else. They thought I was the girl giving the trophy. (laughs) So that was massive. A lot of things. This year alone, we’re gonna open up two more concepts. And we’ve been working really, really hard. We’re doing the Sunnies Cafe, which is hopefully gonna be amazing. We’re gonna open up an optical eyewear line called Sunnies Specs, so that’s all prescription eyewear: frames, eye exams, and lenses for one bulk price. Obviously very competitively priced, as with Sunnies. So that will be massive, too.

Is there anything else other than the awards and the expansion?

For me, personal success? Do I need to do more?

I don’t know, maybe I’ll think of something.

Maybe it was getting abs briefly.

Is there anything else you’d like to get into?

Lots of things. I’d like to play the harp. I’ve always wanted to play the harp. I’d love to learn how to play the harp. That’s top of mind for something I’d love to get into. A lot of travel. I’m still dreaming of seeing the northern lights. Like this year is gonna be the last year; if I don’t see it this year, it’s gonna be another decade. So that’s pressure there.

I have a lot of secret projects happening.

Secret projects and things I’ve been working on for a year. I can’t say, but they are exciting. More products, basically, I guess. I don’t know how you can hint it. I’d [also] love to get back into clothing one day. n

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