The tao of now
Since it’s Supreme’s third birthday this month, I’ve decided to switch things up and train my eyes not on the future, but on the present. From mystical Brazilian berries and search engines you’d be crazy not to use, to eco-focused lifestyle trends and Internet sensations both new and established, here are 31 personalities, products and points-of-view that are making a dent in popular culture right this moment.
(*Apologies to Lau Tzu, but this is from a Saul Williams song.)
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3-D
A formerly groundbreaking technology utilized correctly by films such as Avatar and then unnecessarily by B-movie bombs like Step Up 3D; a waste of time most of the time
A
Acaí
The palm plant that is typically grown in Brazil; pronounced ah-sah-EE; berries have been proven to contain large amounts of antioxidants, consumption of which is believed to lead to rapid and painless weight loss; a health craze that has yet to explode in the Philippines; also see: coconut water diet
Asos
The UK’s largest online-only fashion and beauty store; offers over 35,000 own-label and branded fashion goods; cause of credit card debt among 16-34-year-old men and women; offers flat-rate shipping and international express delivery to most countries, including the Philippines
B
Bekimon
24-year-old Bern Josep Persia, a technical support representative turned YouTube star; the name is a portmanteau of Pokemon and/or jejemon and becks; famous for online skits delivered using wildly up-to-date gay lingo; not Lady Gagita; also see: GMG
C
Charice
A diminutive Laguna teen turned international pop sensation; sings about pyramids; the recipient of Botox injections and tons of PR; only person in recorded history thus far to call Oprah Winfrey “Tita Oprah”; will play Sunshine Corazon in season 2 of Glee
Coconut water
A lightly cloudy liquid with a slightly sweet and nutty taste; purported to be an anti-aging tonic; may be the next big consumer product, according to American Consumer News, with PepsiCo buying Amacoco, the largest coconut water company in Brazil, and Coca Cola Inc. purchasing a minority stake in Zico, the California-based coconut water company
Chung, Alexa
A part-Chinese, part-English VJ, TV presenter and clothing designer; the main squeeze of Alex Turner, lead singer of Arctic Monkeys
Collecta
A search engine that monitors the update streams of popular realtime blogs; results can be filtered by status updates, comments, stories, or photos
D
Dengue
A mosquito-borne illness that has struck 12,000 students in Philippine public elementary schools since January 2010; this year’s swine flu
Dad jeans
A genre of stonewashed, high-waisted denims that peaked in popularity in the ’90s; an article of clothing poised for an irony-laced comeback, thanks to adventurous Lookbook members; preferred by the likes of Steve Jobs and Barack Obama
Diaspora
The anti-Facebook site founded by NYU students Max Salzberg, Dan Grippi, Raphael Sofaer and Ilya Zhitomirskiy; promises to be revolutionary; currently problematic
‘Forever alone’
A 4chan meme that emerged around June 2010; a crude four-pane image macro in which the main subject expresses disappointment at his or her solitary life; huge on Tumblr and soon, real life
G
Geronimo, Sarah
A 22-year-old singer, host and actress; star of ABS-CBN’s iDOL; one of the country’s top celebrity endorsers; emerging superstar with a decidedly aww-shucks appeal
Glamping
A combination of “glamorous” and “camping”; vacationing in deluxe yurts, tipis, safari tents and airstream caravans; roughing it but not really roughing it
GMG
Internet shorthand for “i-Google mo, gago!” or “i-Google mo, gwapo!”, depending on whether you prefer being stupid or good-looking; a three-letter retort to people who pose questions that can be answered by the all-powerful search portal
H
Hatton, Ricky
The 31-year-old British world champion boxer caught on camera snorting line after line of cocaine; sporting legend in scandal similar to Kate Moss’ in September 2005
I
iPad
Steve Jobs’ tablet computer that is slowly taking over the world
K
Kloss, Karlie
An 18-year-old American model; has appeared in advertising campaigns for Dior, Hermès and Sonia Rykiel, among others; bears an uncanny resemblance to Julia Stiles; poised for supermodeldom; possibly overexposed
‘Klazzee’
A sarcastic way of denoting that something or someone is superior or stylish; Filipino names spelled with a stray, superfluous “h”, such as “Bhoy,” “Jhake” and “Jhennee”; also see: Momsen, Taylor
L
Liberia
The West African nation torn apart by 14 years of civil war; currently being marketed as an unlikely destination for surfers, with its non-existent tourism industry receiving glowing reviews from the New York Times
Lachowski, Francisco
A 19-year-old Brazilian model; the blogosphere’s male mannequin of the moment; to 2010 what Luke Worrall, Josh Beech and Ash Stymest were to 2008-2009
Lively, Blake
Gossip Girl’s Serena Van Der Woodsen; 23-year-old wearer of too-tight designer clothing; Anna Wintour’s latest pet project; budding “fashion icon”
M
Momsen, Taylor
Gossip Girl’s Jenny Humphrey; lead singer of “punk” band The Pretty Reckless; purveyor of the racoon/panda eye make-up “trend”; wearer of Lucite stripper heels; poster girl for sartorial devolution; Courtney Love in a 17-year-old’s body; reinventing “rock ‘n’ roll”; also see: “klazzee”
Manila Beer
The best use of the word “Manila” by a beverage brand; the translation of Pinoy pride into something ice-cold and delicious
N
Nadal, Rafael
A 24-year-old Spanish professional tennis player; currently ranked number 1 in the world; the seventh man in history to complete a career grand slam after beating Novak Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final at Flushing Meadows; resembles a capybara
R
Ronson, Mark
A 35-year-old London-born, New York-based renaissance dude; DJ, record producer, Gucci sneaker designer; most successful/least annoying of all the Ronson siblings; has worked/is mates with Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald, The Like and Daniel Merriweather; follows up 2003’s “Here Comes The Fuzz” and 2007’s “Version” with this month’s “Record Collection”
Raj, Venus
A 22-year-old Bicol lass turned beauty queen; object of frightening hysteria among the Will & Grace demographic; responsible for a catchphrase that is past its sell-by date
S
Snazzy napper
A blanket that wraps around the face and body and has a small slit for you to breathe through; will make you look like you put on a burka backwards; an odd product that will prove to be handy in buses, trains and planes; the new Snuggie
Stefan, Prince
A 21-year-old GMA7 talent; first among comically named artistas (Princess Snell, Empress Schuck) to pose in his skivvies for no apparent reason
T
Turn-ups
The act of folding one’s jeans to show off the selvedge, or the signature red stripe on the inside seams; best with work boots
U
Upcycling
The process of converting useless products into ones with a higher environmental value; used by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things; examples include creating wallets from duct tape, making bags out of juice packs or tarps; an idea whose time has come
