Southern Living: 2017 April

April 2017 Volume 11 | Issue 08

NEW WAVE

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CONT ENTS 23

12 COVER STORY Mark Wilson on the constant pursuit of good design

EATS

Going back to traditional Japanese cuisine

Cover photo by Joseph Pascual 06 SOUTHERNER Architect leaves the city for the island

APRIL 2017 04 BEAUTY Beauty from the inside

26 RECIPE Childhood favorite sweet corn gets a grown-up twist

10 FIXTURE Tracing life at Manila’s coastline

28 THE GET The cool new sneaker is eco-conscious

EDITOR’S NOTE Rising tide “It takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to stay tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom,” French-Cuban writer Anaïs Nin once said.

This month, we explore lives inspired by the sea. With the constant roar of the waves, the ebb and flow of the tides, the undefined depths that humanity has yet to explore, the sea is both familiar yet uncertain. In literature, it is used to symbolize the breadth of life and its daunting unpredictability. Yet man is historically drawn to water, building civilization on its banks.

On the cover, Mark Wilson shares his design philosophies inspired by the push and pulls of life, presenting art meant to break convention. We also interview island architect Monika Rivilla on how she found solitude in the surfing capital Siargao to further pursue her craft. “The island offers a different quality of life: serene, slow, and content,” she tells us. Also inside, chef Mark Tan, formerly head chef of Allium, takes another direction and pursues Japanese cuisine.

With every wave that we come across, there will always be that ominous choice of either trying to swim hard against it or letting it carry us back to shore. Whatever you choose, may your heart be still and content.

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FOODSTUFF

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GROUP PUBLISHER BEA J. LEDESMA MANAGING EDITOR DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS OLIVER EMOCLING, EDLAINE FLOR, BEA LLAGAS ONLINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR PAULINE MIRANDA CREATIVE DIRECTOR NIMU MUALLAM ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR DANICA CONDEZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PATRICK SEGOVIA INTERN ALEXANDRA MASCENON CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS MARIE ADVINCULA, PAM BROOKE CASIN, BEVERLY DALTON, SAMANTHA RAMOS-ZARAGOZA PHOTOGRAPHERS CRU CAMARA, GABBY CANTERO, HATSUMI ISHIBASHI, JOSEPH PASCUAL ILLUSTRATOR TRISTAN TAMAYO HAIR AND MAKEUP JAN EDROSOLAN COPY EDITOR SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO PROOFREADER PAM BROOKE CASIN EDITORIAL CONSULTANT RIA FRANCISCO-PRIETO BOARD CHAIRPERSON ALEXANDRA PRIETO-ROMUALDEZ FINANCE ADVISOR AND TREASURER J. FERDINAND DE LUZURIAGA LEGAL ADVISOR ATTY. RUDYARD ARBOLADO HR STRATEGY HEAD RAYMUND SOBERANO VP AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER IMELDA ALCANTARA SVP AND GROUP SALES HEAD FELIPE R. OLARTE AVP FOR SALES MA. KATRINA MAE GARCIA-DALUSONG HEAD OF OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LURISA VILLANUEVA SALES SUPERVISOR JOY SANTOS-PILAR KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST ANGELITA TAN-IBAÑEZ SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ABBY GINAGA, THEA ORDIALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANDIE ZUÑIGA, CHARM BANZUELO, LIZA JISON SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS RECHELLE ENDOZO, MANILYN ILUMIN MANAGING EDITOR ANGELA VELASCO ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR PAM BROOKE CASIN EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS SHARM DE SAN JOSE, CHRISTELLE TOLISORA, KRYZETTE PAPAGAYO SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES SHANNA MALING, SARAH CABALATUNGAN ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE INA MATEO GRAPHIC ARTISTS CHEE FLORES, KATRICE MONTES, NICO ORTIGOZA, KRISTINE PAZ, JAYCELINE SORIANO PRODUCTION MANAGER JAN CARIQUITAN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT MARICEL GAVINO FINAL ART SUPERVISOR DENNIS CRUZ FA ARTIST ARGYL LEONES MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER JELLIC TAPIA TRADE MARKETING SUPERVISOR BIANCA DALUMPINES BRAND MARKETING SUPERVISOR MA. INA RODRIGUEZ BRAND MARKETING ASSISTANT NICOLE USON EVENTS ASSISTANT MERJORIE YOUNG GRAPHIC ARTIST ROI DE CASTRO

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FIND SOUTHERN LIVING AT STARBUCKS COFFEE, THE MANILA PENINSULA, ALABANG COUNTRY CLUB, HEIMA, DUSIT THANI HOTEL, AYALA MUSEUM, AND FULLY BOOKED.

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BEAUT Y

NEW PERKS

Supplements enter the aesthetics game TEXT BEVERLY DALTON ILLUSTRATION ALEXANDRA MASCENON

The use of dietary supplements has been a longstanding practice, dating back to the Sumerians with their use of medicinal plants like opium, poppy, thyme, and licorice. Fast forward to the ’90s, and aside from dietary supplements that include essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, the category expanded with ginseng, fish oils, enzymes, and more.

To date, supplements are no longer just in pill form but are also offered in powder and have taken on unique flavors like orange creamsicle or strawberry cheesecake. Those in sports or are taking post-workout supplements would be more familiar with these tasty protein powders.

Currently, with more people going back to the rawness of nature, some companies are working with plant-derived, organic, and non-synthetic

ingredients, and incorporate these in their supplements. The benefits have also expanded, on top of their energy-boosting and muscle growth capabilities. One that has stood out and has been gaining a following especially among women is the de-bloating powder.

Some of these natural supplements that claim to relax the stomach and aid in digestion are packed with ginger, peppermint, cinnamon, and turmeric, and they can be added to milk, smoothies, or yogurt bowls— perfect for busy days when there is not enough time to eat a proper breakfast. Unlike multivitamins, an organic, anti-inflammatory, de-bloating supplement can be consumed as needed and at any time of the day, such as after an office lunch meeting or after that nighttime cycling class. These kinds of supplements may soon replace beauty creams as more young women start focusing on inner health.

Yet in the age of social media over-sharing, the power of this de-bloating powder and other magical and natural supplements addresses not just the overall health of the millennial woman but her concern for exterior aesthetic as well. After all, who wants to take a selfie when you look bloated?

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SOUT HERNER

CATCHING WAVES

In trading urban pleasures for life by the sea, Monika Rivilla finds satisfaction in surrendering TEXT OLIVER EMOCLING PHOTOGRAPHY HATSUMI ISHIBASHI

“There is comfort in being nothing,” Siargao-based architect Monika Rivilla answers when asked about surfing. “If you allow yourself to let [the tall, powerful waves] take control of you, whether you ride them or be wiped out, you realize how small you are.”

Rivilla was introduced to surfing when a friend brought her to Baler in 2014, and the walls of water easily toppled her then. “[But] when I finally took on my first wave, stoke filled my soul and I was suddenly recharged with energy,” she says. Since then, she would always head to the popular surfing spot to catch waves every weekend.

An architecture graduate from the University of Sto. Tomas, Rivilla was already searching for a house in Baler while preparing for her board examinations.

However, in 2016, her job as a project manager under Tropiks Design Studio required her to live in Siargao

and manage various projects there. “This year, though, I returned to Siargao without a job. Just a bag of clothes, basic needs, a lot of courage, and a one-way ticket. I am so inspired by how surfers seem to need so little.”

Rivilla’s house is just a few steps away from the shore, and she continues to practice as a freelance architect, this time pursuing tropical and earthy designs.

“Living simply and learning the local way of life help me understand tropical architecture particular to Siargao.” She notes its native Mindanao roots, with a touch of modern aesthetic. “I’m [learning to] create with what’s available locally. We even try to use whatever is available here, including trash,” she explains. Together with other young Siargao-based architects, Rivilla turns plastic waste into eco-bricks and uses them in building structures similar to Circle Hostel in Zambales.

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SECURITY BANK WINS BEST MANAGED FUND OF THE YEAR The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society Philippines, which embodies the global standard of excellence in the investment industry, named Security Bank the winner of the “Best Managed Fund of the Year� in the Peso Balanced Funds category. The Bank also ranked 2nd in the Long Term Peso Bond Fund and 3rd in the Peso Equity Fund categories.

The Best Managed Fund of the Year Awards recognize high-performing funds open to the public, based on their five-year risk-adjusted returns. The awards are a collaboration of the CFA Society Philippines, the Fund Managers Association of the Philippines and the Trust Officers Association of the Philippines. The program aims to raise investment awareness among retail investors and aid them in making sound investment decisions.

Security Bank encourages clients to find investment products that can help them beat inflation. The Bank urges them to invest regularly for the long-term and build a portfolio of diversified investments.

Security Bank is a multi-awarded financial institution in the investment industry. For more expert advice and further information on funds, go to www.securitybank.com/invest or visit the nearest Security Bank branch.

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Monika Rivilla also helms island wear brand Agua Riva.

Through the brand, Rivilla supports Waves for Water, an organization of surfers who distribute water filters in third world countries.

SOUT SOUT HERNER HERNER

“If you allow yourself to let [the tall, powerful waves] take control of you, whether you ride them or be wiped out, you realize how small you are.”

As Siargao continues to gain popularity among surfers, Rivilla finds an increasing need for proper urban planning and waste management to be implemented.

“Like many of the other islands in the Philippines, [improper planning and waste management] could well be the cause of the place’s decay and even death,” she says. “For now, Siargao is beautiful and well-maintained compared to many local beaches I have visited. But with progress, the production of waste is inevitable.” As part of the solution, she frequently joins the organization Okera in doing beach cleanups. Although there is no single solution agreed on yet, she hopes everyone will be more mindful of their consumption.

She still misses life in the bustling city, but Rivilla has found home on an island that was once strange to her. “Siargao offers a different quality of life: serene, slow, and content. My feet are almost always dirty, the menu can be monotonous, and sometimes there's simply no electricity. But the views are priceless, the air is clean, the ocean is alive, life is peaceful. Most importantly, I can keep still and my soul is at peace.”

The prevailing notion of success lies in big aspirations so it seems quite odd that she revels in “being nothing.”

However, Rivilla doesn’t really become “nothing” every time she allows waves to consume her. Rather, she surrenders to the water and lets the power of the ocean lift and carry her. In letting go of control, she seamlessly becomes one with the deep blue sea.

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FIXT URE

URBAN SHORES

Reviving Manila’s coastline through community clean-up TEXT OLIVER EMOCLING ILLUSTRATION TRISTAN TAMAYO

“Alam mo ang tingin ko sa Maynila, parang ulap, lumulutang,” William Martinez’s Alex tells a bunch of his friends as they lie down by Manila Bay in Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night. It’s unpredictable, he says.

“Sa Maynila, wow, pare! ” Cherie Gil’s Kana adds. The laid-back conversation turns into trippy revelry. They soon strip down to their undies and dive into the water.

They frolic in the bay, splashing water against each other—a health hazard scene in Manila today.

Manila Bay still seems alive. On a daily basis, you would see athletes kayaking, old men fishing with makeshift rods, children diving in their underwear, and people passing time by the bay. However, beyond this lively scene, there is a different kind of life flourishing in its waters.

There are about 36,000 colony forming units of bacteria per 100 ml of water. Exposure to that amount of bacteria can cause skin diseases and gastrointestinal infections when ingested. Due to

the detrimental consequences of Manila Bay’s water, the city of Manila passed City Ordinance 3827 to prohibit swimming in the bay.

However, there is life around Manila Bay. A few minutes away is the Coastal Area in Las Piñas, which cradles various species of aquatic creatures, birds, and mangroves. The Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) is a 175-hectare wetland ecosystem made up of Freedom Island in Parañaque and Long Island in Las Piñas. Considered as the “last bastion” in Manila, LPPCHEA is the only urban wetland out of six Philippine wetlands on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. With an abundance of 11 mangrove species in the 36-hectare mangrove forest, fishes, crabs, and shrimps could propagate well here. There are also 82 species of birds, including the endangered Philippine duck, Chinese egret, and black-winged stilt, that inhabit LPPCHEA.

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FIXT URE

To protect and maintain its thriving ecosystem, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in partnership with local government units, organizes regular cleanups in the area. Every week, high school students from public schools in Las Piñas and Parañaque participate in cleanups within the LPPCHEA area. On a monthly basis, Manilabased schools and interested private organizations could arrange a cleanup schedule through non-profit organization Villar Sipag.

Most of the garbage collected from the shores is comprised of plastic waste. These plastics are either turned into rescue boats or plastic chairs that are distributed to various public schools in the country.

Bringing back nearby waterways or esteros to better conditions also plays a huge part in restoring the coast.

Various organizations like the Streams of Hope Project use bokashi balls to clean creeks.

Bokashi, or “rice hull” in Japanese, is a technique originally invented to clean ponds in Japan. The technique is now also used in composting to eliminate odor. The bokashi balls are made through the fermentation of rice hull, garden soil or clay, and a dose

of good bacteria. When thrown into the water, the good bacteria consume the bad and are turned into fish food. Each ball can purify one square meter of water and dissolves in six months.

The cleanup projects for Manila Bay do not start and end with cleaning. At LPPCHEA, individuals can also help in conservation through planting various species of mangroves, including the Philippine endemic mangrove variety Nilad, from which the city got its name. This doesn’t just protect the sea creatures living at LPPCHEA, but it also ensures the livelihood of fisherfolks and protects surrounding cities from floods.

Manila Bay, or the entire coastline of Manila, is endearing. Its sunset view is considered breathtaking.

Beauty is fleeting, but simply being mindful of our consumption goes a long way. Will there ever be a time when people would flock to Manila’s coastline for a dip? When that day arrives, like Manila by Night’s Kana, we would be exclaiming, “Wow, kapow!

I love you, Manila!”

Villar Sipag. 551-1871. www.facebook.com/pg/VillarSIPAG.

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COV ER STORY

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COV ER STORY

ENLIGHTENED DESIGN

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COV ER STORY

Meet Mark Wilson, the interior and lighting designer who weaves various disciplines into each of his creations TEXT SAMANTHA RAMOS-ZARAGOZA PHOTOGRAGPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL

Bellas Artes Outpost’s entryway in The Alley at Karrivin could feel womb-like to an art enthusiast.

The gray hexagon-tiled walls go on through several uneven levels before opening to a 293 sq. ft. space of natural light, concrete, and white—a fitting canvas that highlights the art it regularly exhibits. Following this vastness is a cerebral space that allows one to ruminate on the exhibition they’ve just seen. Here, the cement floor meets the blue, gray, and white hexagon tiles, with an entire wall at the end turned into a bookshelf in mellow coral red. At the center of the space are Isabel tables, made of repurposed narra and bleached through a multistep process.

These are some masterpieces of interior and lighting designer Mark Wilson.

Bellas Artes Projects is the brainchild of art patron Jam Acuzar of New San Jose Builders, the company behind the famed Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

The project, founded in 2013, aims to support contemporary artists through residencies in its Las Casas campus, providing them space to experiment and collaborate using Filipino heritage-building and craft techniques. The Bellas Artes Outpost, built four years after, is the exhibition space for

this contemporary art community. “Jam and I met through friends. She realized that I get the kind of contemporary art that she wants to do in Bellas Artes, and we thought, ‘How do we use the output of the workshops [in the campus] in a way that will feel modern?’ We had to align it with the values and mission of Bellas Artes Projects, because it’s more progressive than what’s done in Las Casas,” Wilson says. This is the kind of approach that sets him apart: a cognizant understanding of his clients expressed through visual perspective.

Such an approach isn’t something he consciously developed as a means to carve a niche in the industry. Rather, Wilson’s experiences had naturally led him to the realization. He recalls fond memories of his mom who had also dabbled in painting and interior design, and her penchant for carving out religious images from wood. His father, meanwhile, played the piano. The home he grew up in, designed by Gabriel Formoso and made to look modern and open, and his lola’s 1920s house had also influenced his artistic side. When he was gifted with a camera at 13 years old, his subjects were the homes’ interiors.

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COV ER STORY Wilson discovered art history in Harvard University, where he focused on ’20s Western Art. There, he learned that to be an art historian, he had to get his hands dirty and learn from the point of doing and making art, so he took black and white still photography as his minor. “That developed my eye, looking through the lenses of a camera. I learned to frame, light, and crop my photos from the moment I take my pictures. Architecture is also about creating frames to appreciate the environment.

I’ve been developing that since I was 18,” he says.

After having children, his focus shifted to teaching.

In order to provide his kids with the best education, Wilson trained under the Waldorf education. “I had a small kindergarten in Cebu where my children were, then three and five [years old]. I trained in Hawaii to be an elementary teacher and taught in California. It was a very transformative experience; I had to work on myself and stay fresh. It was a real challenge,” he discloses. Even then, design was an integral part of his teaching career. From the way his classroom was laid out to how the children were taught, he was governed by the discipline.

But the constant pull of his artistic roots soon directed him to another career, which was interior

design. “It took six years to retrain, from 2006 to 2013.

I was working as an interior designer while taking my masters in New York.” There, he met architect Nikki Escalona, his studio partner for WE Design and a classmate at the Parsons School of Design, where they both took their masters in lighting design. “We got along the moment we met. We did a couple of works together in New York and got commissioned for a landscape lighting project in Manila. When we went back to New York after, we talked about how we had noticed all the construction, the phenomenal activity happening in Manila. There weren’t a lot of lighting designers then and we thought of it as a niche specialization that could differentiate us. We moved back here in September of 2013.”

From art history and photography to teaching, his creative evolution dictated Wilson’s design philosophy, which he describes as “a psychological understanding of the client and [providing them] a high quality environment that reflects their needs and personality.

I don’t want to be a designer with a signature style; I want the client to say ‘I achieved this because Mark understood me.’ They have the means for the space but they need a designer to penetrate their minds and get [their ideas] the way they can never do [themselves].”

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COV ER STORY

Mark Wilson reveals that his favorite material is wood, particularly a dark purple wood called balayong. For him, wood has a warm appeal.

GROOMING JAN EDROSOLAN SHOT ON LOCATION BELLAS ARTES OUTPOST

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“I don’t want to be a designer with a signature style; I want the client to say ‘I achieved this because Mark understood me.’”

Thus, his and Acuzar’s vision for Bellas Artes Outpost came about. “The primary and subsidiary elements need hierarchy—a rhythm of excitement— or else it’ll be flat. I settled on the hexagon shape because it allows a person to think out of the box, and this is a creative space. The floor [in the salon] is the big moment. It was my idea to use [the product of ] the workshops in Bataan, because I wanted the floor to be an homage to the place’s topography and its natural forces. The floor is a topographical map, with the blue as the mountains and the white as valleys. It was hard for the artists to do but they like to rise to the occasion. Besides, that’s also Jam’s goal: make the artists push the envelope,” says Wilson.

Just as the emblematic hexagon that he had conceptualized became the trademark of Bellas Artes Outpost, Wilson demonstrates how progressive thinking is a result of embracing continuous learning, no matter one’s stage in life. His journey and philosophy are valuable contributions to a country that is becoming more conscious of its vibrant art and design movement.

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SPECIAL FEAT URE

COAST CALLING City living is taking flight, and a space for family and memories brings the next revival at AboitizLand’s by the sea venture TEXT KRYZETTE PAPAGAYO ILLUSTRATION KRISTINE PAZ

There’s a certain appeal the water brings. It may be because of the intrinsic qualities: clear, colorless, discreet, or that it’s an emblem of luster and clarity. The beach ruminates these assets.

The high rises and tranquil waters are two opposing poles—one an emblem of a busy workload, the other a symbol of peace. With the city lights and fast-paced lifestyle, one can only yearn for a home that opposes this environment.

Seemingly impossible with the demands of urban activity, the choice then is left to location.

Positioned along the beaches of Batangas, Seafront Residences features a thematic way of living. It constructs a life that is inherently AboitizLand, with spaces that grounds familial relationships to f lourish.

Making nature and the sea a home is not hard to imagine. With families in mind, the design

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and spaces are made to build memories and create communities. Its goal to foster and curate family communities is embedded in the facilities available. Along the convivial landscape comes a beach village adorned with the elements of water, sand, and simplicity.

Home’s Best The amenities are perfect for complementing one’s new home. The Beachfront Clubhouse has a pool area that measures more than 1000 square meters, perfect for bonding with friends and family.

There’s also a series of diamond-shaped parks made for pleasant strolls to and from the beach. An innovation of AboitizLand, this feature tops the already scenic landscape. These amenities signal the many opportunities available for building and nourishing the community.

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SPECIAL FEAT URE

SEA OF OPPORTUNITIES Bond with family at Seafront Residences

Beach Bonfires, a tradition, can be a pedestal for many family memories

AboitizLand’s Seafront Residences is a walkable community by the beach at Batangas.

Made with families in mind, Seafront Residences features homes redolent of understated elegance. Beautiful Budji+Royal homes outline the spaces with materials that are fashioned to age gracefully. Following the beach aesthetic, the design is reminiscent of vernacular Filipino architecture made to withstand the test of time.

Seafront Residences presents living spaces where one builds connections, celebrates success, and create memories. Often stationed for vacations, living by the beach is sometimes deemed a high-concept lifestyle but the many recreational activities present make for a life lived in simplicity, with the people that matter.

For more information, visit seafrontresidences.com.ph or contact (02) 863 1688.

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www.

Explore vast aquatic jewels through snorkeling

Atapa Snana — soak up some sun and relax

Team up and try sand sports like beach volleyball, soccer, and tennis

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FEAT URE

FREE FALL Freediving into the great unknown, powered by a single breath TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAGPHY MARTIN ZAPANTA

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FEAT URE

“When you’re submerged in water, the world you know changes and your body changes. You discover that you can push beyond what you thought were the limits of your body.”

There’s air but I cannot breathe. I’m staring into the blue but cannot see. Life is teeming below the surface but its sounds I cannot hear. What is it really like under the sea? Though a sense of familiarity rushes through me and the instinctive urge to submerge myself overwhelms me, the depths of the sea is still terrifying. “Take it slow,” advises freediver Martin Zapanta. “Let go.”

I stay afloat, peering through my mask and breathing through my snorkel. “Could I hold my breath that long?” I ask. “If I push myself further, could I make it back to the surface in time?”

Freediving, both a competitive sport and a leisure activity, is gaining traction in the Philippines. With over 7,000 beautiful islands and a rich marine life, it is about time to explore the great blue unknown in our most basic form. No apparatus, no heavy gear: just you and your ability to hold the urge to breathe underwater.

But I hesitate because I know myself: I panic whenever my chest contracts as the oxygen in my lungs run low. The first challenge I must overcome is my mental disposition, because just the thought of diving into the great unknown unfurls a flurry of scenarios in my mind. But I still try. Hurriedly, I dive and frantically kick to get to the bottom more quickly.

But with every harried movement, I lose more oxygen

faster, pushing me to surface less than five seconds after going under.

“Don’t panic. Relax. You need to move slower,” Zapanta reiterates. He asks me to remain upright in the water without treading. “I will sink for sure,” I thought, but I follow anyway. Wearing my mask and snorkel, I fold my arms and stand steady.

Buoyancy is the force that causes objects to float.

Since we have lungs that can be filled with air, we automatically float, not sink. So I float steadily, half of my face underwater, breathing through my snorkel. I listen to my every breath, which fills not only my chest but also my abdomen. I put one hand on my chest and the other on my stomach, feeling their movements.

Deep breathing for freediving uses the same breathing techniques yogis use. It has a more calming and relaxing effect than regular breathing, since it has a person taking fewer but more effective breaths.

Ideally, a beginner should practice static apnea in a controlled space before diving in open water. Static apnea, a freediving discipline that requires the most mental energy, is a person’s ability to hold one’s breath while face-down in the water. It practices your ability to control the urge to breathe as you get used to the levels of carbon dioxide in your body. Disclosure: I didn’t train in a pool prior to this open water freediving crash course.

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FEAT URE I go into a dead man’s float and give Zapanta a thumbs up as I feel my heart rate decrease. Still facing down, I start to swim slowly, still with my mask and snorkel on. Again, I listen to every breath, calm every nerve in my body, and zone out any thought that rushes in.

“Focus,” I tell myself over and over again. Once ready, I take off my snorkel and dove perpendicularly, placidly, in almost sloth-like motion. I kick, wading my arms to propel myself through the water downward. I do this slowly, not thinking that I should get to the bottom fast but instead focusing on my every move.

Still, I couldn’t fight the urge to gasp for air so I soon change direction and hurriedly ascend.

Contrary to popular belief, when we start to feel that we’ve run out of air, that doesn’t mean that our body’s oxygen level is close to zero; it simply means there’s an increase in carbon dioxide in our

lungs. We naturally have a mammalian diving reflex, where our body optimizes the oxygen flow in our bodies, prioritizing its supply to the heart and the brain. That’s why during a long and deep dive, your heartbeat slows down, your lungs shrink, and your limbs start to feel numb as the blood goes to your thoracic cage and brain.

Apart from being calm and focused, you also need to learn how to trust: to trust that your body can handle the pressure and stress. When you’re submerged in water, the world you know changes and your body changes. You discover that you can push beyond what you thought were the limits of your body.

There is something magical about diving into the deep blue, moving closer to the marine life you’re so used to watch from above and gliding with the current beside the fishes and other sea creatures you can name.

Nothing on land matters in those few precious minutes.

Martin Zapanta is one of the founders of SISID Philippine Freedivers Association, the only freediving organization recognized as a National AIDA for the Philippines. He is also a competitive free diver. His current record for free immersion free diving is 52 meters.

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EATS

Tuna sashimi (right); Portraits of Japanese samurai adorn the walls of Hibana’s interiors (below).

FRESH IMPORT Presenting flavors from the rising sun, with a few delicious tweaks TEXT EDLAINE FLOR PHOTOGRAGPHY DANICA CONDEZ

Hibana, whose name means “spark” in Japanese, presents chef Mark Tan’s culinary explorations but made more personal. “Japanese [cuisine] is what I really wanted to do but we didn’t have the supply chain,” he says. “Ingredient availability here is more conducive to the Western style of cooking, but even with our first restaurant, there are always hints of Japanese flavors.“ Aside from practicality issues, he wanted Hibana to be more of an everyday restaurant while maintaining a private vibe.

The menu offers the typical Japanese restaurant spectrum, from donburi to sashimi, including the specialty that started Tan’s passion for Japanese food, sushi. For starters, there are the prawn crackers served with the uni sabayon dip. The crackers take about two days to make, but the real star of this appetizer is the dip, with the infusion of yuzu adding a tangy zest to the dip and sabayon, made through whisking eggs, sugar, and white wine, the creaminess. The yakitori, which is a variety of chicken skewers that include chicken thigh, chicken skin, and chicken meatballs, is grilled on hardwood charcoal. In fact, every cooking technique, from the way the chicken is cut to how the meat is grilled, is similar to what they do in Japan.

Order their salmon aburi maki, which is sushi filled with pickled gobo, a Japanese burdock root, and cucumbers then topped with salmon, and enjoy the crispness of the vegetables and how their freshness complements the salmon. Hibana uses locally sourced yellowfin tuna for their tuna sashimi, served with a side of pickled Asian pears instead of the usual radish and their own ponzu sauce fermented in house. Not to miss is Tan’s favorite dish: the U.S. prime angus rib eye teppanyaki, tender beef cubes with mushrooms paired with an umami sauce that can compel anyone to finish the entire dish.

Hibana also offers cocktails that complement the dishes, from their own concoction of Damigella, which is a milder version of Negroni, and the Black Sesame Sour, made with sugar, lemon, and egg whites.

Despite the continued hype about green tea, Hibana goes on a different route, away from matcha-flavored desserts. “We wanted better desserts, so we formulated our own by taking some Japanese classics and adding local flavors to them,” says Tan. Order their mango passion fruit mousse cake, a simple dessert that uses local mangoes and their black sesame mochi.

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EATS Clockwise: Salmon aburi maki; Damigella and Black Sesame Sour; and U.S. prime angus rib eye teppanyaki.

Hibana. Grand Midori, Bolanes Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. 519-1088. www.facebook.com/hibanaph.

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RECIPE

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RECIPE

VIVA MEXICO

Add some heat to elote, that classic combination of corn and cheese TEXT AND STYLING MARIE ADVINCULA PHOTOGRAPHY GABBY CANTERO

BRAISED SWEET CORN WITH CHILI, CILANTRO, FETA, AND LIME

INGREDIENTS

6 corn on the cobs Salt 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 to 2 siling labuyo, chopped finely 1 shallot, minced 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

PREPARATION

1. Using a knife, shave off corn kernels from the cob into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Cut the shaved cobs into 2- to 3-inch long pieces.

3. In a pot over high heat, put in the cobs and add enough water to cover them. Season with salt. Once boiling, turn down the heat, and let simmer until water becomes cloudy, about 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Strain and discard cob pieces. Set corn stock aside.

5. In a pan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add the siling labuyo and shallots. Cook shallots for 3 minutes or until tender.

6. Add corn kernels and season with salt. Add 1/2 cup of the corn stock and half of the feta cheese. Cook until liquid has reduced slightly and corn kernels are tender.

7. Season with additional salt and stir in lime juice.

Remove the heat and stir in cilantro.

8. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with remaining feta. Serve warm.

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T HE GET

BEST KICKS

This ethical sneaker brand from France successfully marries fashion and fair trade TEXT PAM BROOKE CASIN PHOTOGRAPHY CRU CAMARA

We all saw the sneaker trend crop up on everyone, from designers to celebrities, in 2016—all thanks to the relaunch of the Adidas Stan Smith. This year is no different. With brands producing various iterations of the season’s most beloved shoe silhouette like clockwork, we can only expect that this athletic-inspired footwear will continue to flex its muscles on and off court.

One brand that sneakerheads can feel really good about is Veja. Founded in 2004 by childhood friends Sébastien Kopp and François Morillion, the French line uses ecofriendly and socially conscious methods in producing their footwear. This pair, for example, is made of fairly traded recycled cotton from the waste of Brazilian textile industries, wild rubber from the Amazon, and leather tanned with low amount of chemicals.

The result is a minimalist shoe design with a conscience, one that’s capturing the environmental conscious market without trading its ecological credentials. How apropos, because the word “veja” is the Portuguese-Brazilian word for “look”: to look beyond the sneakers and look at how they’re made and how they’re creating a positive impact in the world.

Available at Common Thread. 2F Greenbelt 5, Makati City.

729-9322. www.facebook.com/commonthreadPH.

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