13 for 2013
MANILA, Philippines - The year is coming to an end, and so comes the time for purging. Cutting that hair, changing that look, deciding whether or not this year’s love — as David Gray so famously sang — is indeed meant to last. But with the goodbyes also comes a time for reflection as to what is really worth keeping. So as we cross into a new year, Supreme brings you 13 things worth reviving in 2013:
1. The Statesman
There was a time when Philippine government officials were known by their family names — not because their father/mother/grandparent/aunt/uncle/husband/wife once held a position in office or were closely related to a celebrity. They were known because they were men and women of vision; who understood that being a senator or a mayor allowed them to shape the national landscape. What made them especially great was that none of them would be caught dead on a billboard endorsing anything on God’s green earth, let alone an MMFF feature in its 20th incarnation.
2. The Official Product Endorser
A product endorser used to be effective in the sense that when you’d see them you’d think, Kyowa Rice Dispenser or Encarnacion Bechaves. Nowadays we have 10 different companies signing the same face for their campaigns, effectively turning our highways into an enlarged portfolio for a select number of celebrities. A little variety wouldn’t kill anyone, folks.
3. The Matinee Idol
Few are as unbeatable as Aga Muhlach — the ultimate Crush Ng Bayan who began taking hearts and running with them in the ‘80s, way before he could probably grow any real facial hair. Well past his teens, Muhlach still manages to make unsuspecting passersby weak in the knees, still top-billing local motion pictures as a desirable leading man. While boys of late have the requisite killer bodies and chiseled faces, the power of imparting decades of unbeatable kilig still remains to be seen.
4. Old School Hookups
Marnie from the HBO phenomenon Girls talks about the hierarchy of romantic interaction, which in ascending order would be: Facebook, Gchat, text, e-mail, and then phone. She says, “Face-to-face is of course ideal, but it’s not of this time.” But why can’t it be? If we (or at least hipsters) are still listening to vinyl on old school record players, certainly the charm of hand-written notes and extensive late-night telebabad is not lost. These things are reminiscent of a time when not everything was so easily sent and deleted, of a time when someone who adored you was willing to make the extra effort to let you know they were thinking of you. Sometimes romance is still best in analog.
5. Connect, Disconnect
Speaking of face time, we need some more of it these days (and not the kind you get on an Apple product). Everyone has been to that dinner where, at some point in the evening, all the people at the table are checking Twitter/Instagram/Facebook and laughing at each other’s updates. Julie Delpy in 2 Days In Paris says, “Taking too many pictures turns you into an observer; it automatically takes you out of the moment.” Not everything needs to be documented. Some things are meant to simply be enjoyed with the WiFi connection ignored and the phone safely tucked away.
6. Art-itechtural Landmarks
We’re aware that our culture is laid thick with artistic prowess, which former First Lady Imelda Marcos supported fiercely during her time at Malacañang. Her time saw the construction of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, among others, which still serves as a beacon for art in every possible media. 2013 deserves to see more of our local artists’ work on an equally large scale, and in plain sight. We already started with buildings like the Ronac Center, and our cityscape deserves the extra artistic mile ambitious architects are willing to go.
7. The Glory of NAIA
As long as we’re talking about architecture, let’s not forget the travesty that is the gateway into our beautiful country. Seeing NAIA now, it’s hard to believe that it used to be one of the most impressive airports in the world. We could talk about this at length, but so many opinions have already been shared, along with professional recommendations from architects and engineers. It’s about time we did something about this important landmark. Dearest NAIA bathrooms, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that 2013 is finally your year for a well-deserved Belo sesh.
8. The Indie Underdog
Independent media used to pursue a more honest truth or a more freely artistic expression as opposed to what the mainstream was putting out, precisely because it was unfettered by rules of giant corporations and the desire to please all markets. But today’s indie scene has become replete with its own massive amounts of pretense to sift through. Everyone hates being a hipster but can only be characterized as such. Time to let go of the image you’re projecting and get down to the honesty that once made indie such a powerful (albeit tiny) force.
9. Ballsy Mainstream Choices
Movies used to have other plots aside from reincarnations of love stories, remakes of old flicks, modified plots of more popular international box-office breakers, and tales of infidelity. They used to talk about young provincial boys being corrupted by life in the big city, neophytes trying to earn their place in the renowned university fraternity, families coping with a post-war Philippines, the complications of a leper having a child out of wedlock, children being forced to participate in cruel illegal fishing, women made to marry hardhearted men and suffer in silence as they take part in acts of horror. I refuse to believe that the digital age has ushered in an era where all of these intricate issues, both national and personal, are of little consequence. There are still stories to tell and those that deserve more screen time than what’s on there.
10. Putting the O in OPM
I remember turning on the radio as a child and hearing the Eraserheads for the first time. It was different, it was cultural but relevant, it was honest, and it was extremely Filipino. This is not to say that we have to fall into some hole of sound, as there are many acts pushing for a newer, fresher OPM. But they can’t do it on their own, so it’s also up to us to demand something more than bossa covers and sad copies of international hits. Let’s make room for real talent lurking behind the airwaves, waiting to tell our own history as we already know it.
11. The Self-Made Man
My parents grew up in a time when men understood what they wanted to be and made a promise to do whatever it took to get there, regardless of a lack of wealth or private school access. So many of today’s kids have it much easier, and seem to be allergic to the hard work it takes to get somewhere. Let’s leave self-indulgence and self-entitled behavior behind with 2012, strap on the work gloves, and get cracking.
12. The Multi-Facet
The show Portlandia had a skit called Dream of the ‘90s, saying that the ideals of that era still lived on in Portland. One of them was about how no one had any occupation, and how a few of them just spent a few hours a week working at a coffeehouse. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but it would be nice to bring back the time when people weren’t strictly defined by what their profession was. If we allow for the time of the multi-hyphenates, or people conquering several areas of industry, we should allow people to be multi-faceted as well. A captain of media and marketing can also be an expert on fountain pens or Star Wars printed leggings. Whatever floats your boat, man.
13. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
This mentality isn’t to be confused with YOLO. It’s not that you only live once, it’s that everyone’s so concerned about what’s going to get you good and dead. Red meat, bacon, eggs, cotton balls, Vick’s Vapor Rub, nail polish, makeup, parabens — the list is long and wide. But how much of it is really going to kill you straight off? We who were fed MaLing as children are still breathing, so take a step back, settle down, and have some nitrates.
