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Don’t ask us why we always end up in the company of jocks—it’s not entirely by choice (Think Fremen encountering Sardaukar) but we’re not complaining. Our friend Jay Lozada was doing make-up for the Due/Collezione fashion show at the Peninsula Manila yesterday. We needed a place to sit and write a column so we invited ourselves to Rhett Eala’s suite.

James and Phil Younghusband of the Philippine national football team the Azkals are the endorsers of Collezione C2. “They’re wonderful endorsers,” says Due/Collezione designer Rhett Eala, “very supportive of the brand.”

We noticed from his running commentary while the Chevy Chase movie Fletch was on TV that James knows a lot about movies. He is watching the TV series Walking Dead. Phil was pleased at his Meralco team’s 15-1 victory over Team Socceroo. He made 7 goals. (When Jay mentioned that the Azkals were playing the Brazilians we fell out of our seats. What he meant was that Meralco, whose lineup includes Azkals, was playing Socceroo, whose lineup includes Brazilian models. Ah.)

According to Rhett the Collezione C2 Holiday Collection is inspired by the Himalayas. They’ve been on his mind since his friends went trekking in Bhutan. And recently he saw the Michael Palin TV series Himalaya again. (No, he has not seen Lost Horizon recently. Last Song Syndrome: Living together, growing together…)

The result of the Himalayan fixation: plenty of outfits in olive and neutral colors, with bursts of orange. They look like clothes for cold weather, but they’re in light fabrics like cotton and linen.

Guest models Anton del Rosario and Nathan Burkey of the Azkals walked the ramp in dropped crotch pants. During the preparations there was some discussion over whether they were supposed to smile or look serious (Blue Steel/Le Tigre). During the show my seatmate noted that all the male models looked like it was a terrific hassle and all the female models looked like they were angry at us. Ah, fashion.

Will the average Filipino guy take to dropped crotch pants? We’d like to know. We can tell you they’re more aesthetically pleasing than huge baggy pants worn so low you see butt cracks. These pants look like a cross between skinny jeans and the harem pants of the M.C. Hammer era. (LSS: Dun dun dun dun can’t touch this.)

James looks like a schoolboy who’s wandered off during a class field trip in Tibet.

Phil’s trousers would not work on a guy with hips.

Good work, Rhett and the Due/Collezione team, and thanks for the vodka! The Holiday Collection is now available at the Due stores in Rockwell, Eastwood and Greenbelt 5, and at the many Collezione C2 outlets.

You have to see Black Narcissus, the 1947 film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger about British nuns in the Himalayas.

It was pointed out to me that all the media attention is focused on the foreign-based mestizo players in the Azkals and we seldom hear about the Philippine-based players. True–for our part we only pay attention to the goalkeeper. So I asked Roby at InterAksyon.com to set up an interview with the Azkals, specifically the indios like myself.

Roby gave me the number of a contact person and said the Azkals would playing a match at the University of Makati. I could speak to them after the game. Oh no, I thought, not in the mood to wade into shrieking crowd. I want to sit down somewhere quiet and comfortable, have a coffee and talk about their lives (Not likely to happen).

So I asked Brewhuh and Momelia to go in my place. Turns out that the game at UMak was between the Army and Air Force football clubs so only four of the locally-based Azkals were there. And there was no shrieking crowd.

But Momelia and Brewhuh got the job done. Thanks, girls! The interview is in InterAksyon.com.

Here’s Momelia with Azkals co-captain Chieffy Caligdong. Momelia also compared tattoos with Chieffy’s coach.

The Azkals rejoice at last year’s Suzuki Cup. AFP photo from fifa.com. Is Neil the Black Swan or the White Swan?

Philippines, Welcome to Earth, my column today in InterAksyon.com.

Philippines vs Bangladesh in Myanmar today, cross fingers and toes.

* * * * *

1745. Goal! Araneta scores in the 41st minute of the 1st half.

Philippines 1, Bangladesh 0

1815. Guirado with a header in the 54th minute!

Philippines 2, Bangladesh 0

1843. Guirado again in the 79th minute!

Philippines 3, Bangladesh 0

Game over! Azkals top are second in their group and through to the next stage.

Dramatic finish: So Pinoy.

My favorite Azkals fan tweet: “Sana maka-score si Neil Etheridge!”

Not impossible, but highly improbable.

Photo from Inquirer.

How to follow the Azkals without actually following the Azkals.

I’m having lunch in Serendra when I get a text from esteemed poet-single malt connoisseur-futbol fan LeK, president of Old Heterosexual Guys With Little Girl Crushes On Neil Etheridge.

1350. LeK: Is Myanmar game on, live on TV? What na?

1351. Me: Ngek ngayon ba yon? Channel 23 I think.

1353. LeK: Di nga sur if Myanmar alowd live telecast. Dont even know what tym.

1355. Me: Baket striker ba si Aung San Suu Kyi?

1357. LeK: Tingnan mo nga. Am out e.

1357. Me: Out din, will ask the baklas.

1358. LeK: K pls.

(I call Chus.)
(more…)

(L-R) James and Phil Younghusband. All photos by JZ.

Noong isang linggo’y nakatanggap kami ng paanyaya mula sa Collezione para sa isang pananghalian at talakayan upang ipakilala ang kanilang mga bagong “brand ambassador”, sina Santiago at Felipe Batangasawa. Ang magkapatid na Batangasawa ay mestizong Pilipino at Ingles na manlalaro ng futbol. Sila ay bahagi ng pambansang koponang tinaguriang “Azkals”.

While we’re snapping pictures of designer Rhett Eala and Collezione C2’s new endorsers, Rhett is snapping pictures of us for his blog.

Ang Collezione naman ay kompanyang Pilipino na nagtataguyod ng ‘fashionalism’—ang pagtaguyod ng nasyonalismo sa pamamagitan ng pananamit. Kilala nating lahat ang mga kasuotang nilikha ni Rhett Eala para sa Collezione C2, lalo na ang mga barong may disenyo na mapa ng Pilipinas.

Bagama’t masyadong maaga para sa amin (10.30am) ang okasyon, minabuti naming dumalo upang makapag-usyoso. Tutal ay sikat na sikat ang Azkals ngayon, at biglang nagkaroon ng malawakang interes sa futbol ang madlang Pilipino na dati’y walang kinikilalang laro kundi basketball at boksing. Kaya di nakapagtatakang walang bakanteng upuan sa Conservatory kaninang umaga.

Nakipagtalakayan ang mga Batangasawa sa emcee, pagkatapos ay nagkaroon ng open forum kung saan nagtanong ng. . .tanong ang mga alagad ng media. Sinabi ng mga Batangasawa na malaking karangalan para sa kanila ang makalaro sa koponang pang-reserba ng tanyag na Chelsea football club kung saan ang coach ay si Jose Mourinho. Noong 2010, nagtayo ang mga Batangasawa ng Younghusbands Football Academy para sa mga bata dito sa Pilipinas. Ngayong 2011, maglalakbay sila sa mga lalawigan upang tulungan ang mga paaralan sa pagtuturo ng futbol. Balak nilang palaganapin ang paglalaro ng futbol sa ating bansa.

Nice pants.

May ilang tanong tungkol sa buhay romantiko ng magkakapatid na talaga namang maraming tagahangang babae. Sinabi ni Felipe na hindi siya ang tipo ng lalaki na lalapit sa mga hindi niya kakilala at makikipagkaibigan. Karaniwan ang kanyang mga kaibigan ay nakilala sa trabaho o sa pamamagitan ng kanyang pamilya. Dinagdag naman ni Santiago na hindi niya mamasamain na ang babae ang makipagkilala sa kanya at anyayahan siyang lumabas dahil medyo mabagal siya sa mga ganitong bagay.

Nagtanong ang aming kaibigang si Myrza kay Felipe tungkol sa pakikipagkaibigan nito sa artistang si Angel Locsin. Kinailangan naming i-google ang impormasyong ito at hindi namin nasusundan ang mga balita tungkol sa artista, bagama’t palagi kaming nanonood at nanlalait ng pelikula. Kaya’t hindi namin gaanong naunawaan ang sagot ni Felipe, nguni’t sa wari nami’y mabuti naman sila.

May pumuna sa disenyo ng mga pantalong Collezione C2 na suot ng magkapatid—maliliit na pating at balyena. Sinabi ni Santiago na natutuwa sila sa disenyo dahil noong bata pa sila’y nakapanood sila ng Free Willy.

Nabanggit din nina Santiago at Felipe na sa kasalukuyan sila ay natututong magsalita ng Pilipino. Naalala namin na matagal na kaming hindi nagsusulat sa Pilipino kaya’t naisip naming gawin ito.

This photo courtesy of Collezione C2. Colors!

Ang mga bagong disenyo ng Collezione C2 ay matatagpuan ngayon sa lahat ng tindahan ng Collezione.

Photo: Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer after Spassky won the first game of the 1972 World Chess Championship, held in Reykjavík, Iceland. Fischer went on to win the championship.

Read The Bobby Fischer Defence by Garry Kasparov in NYRB.

When I was a kid the world chess championships were front-page news—they were another front in the Cold War. One thing about the Cold War: intelligence was the weapon everyone feared the most.

Yes, Bobby Fischer lived here. Had a girlfriend. The DNA test came in: the child isn’t his.