Define proper attire

Netnet Camomot

IT’S already October, the second month of Pinas’ long and winding Christmas season, but you still wake up hot and it has nothing to do with early-morning s…, er, intimacy.

And, no, it’s not hot flashes.

Pagasa has warned there won’t be Brrrrr this Christmas. So, if last Friday you were tired of trying on more clothes for the buy-one-take-one at Forever 21 and ended up with a nice, soft, thick shawl as your take-one, the only time you’ll be able to use that in Pinas is inside a sub-zero cinema while watching “Geostorm.”

Or you may need the shawl, too, for all that snow in the movie, “The Mountain Between Us.”

It’s sale season in Cagayan de Oro. There was one at S&R weeks ago, another one at SM CDO Downtown Premier last weekend, I think SM City CDO, Centrio and Limketkai Mall had their weekend sales, too—I can’t keep track! Sales in the city are happening as fast as resto openings. The challenge is, if you want to discover all the restos in town, there’s a possibility you won’t be able to fit into the new clothes bought at these sales.

A sales staff at downtown’s SM Store promised there would be more 50%-off clothes to be displayed on Saturday, on top of additional discounts for the first two hours, but the only thing we were craving for was to go back for more free Krispy Kreme doughnuts, one of the perks offered for SM rewards cardholders.

Another perk was the raffle ticket—that is, if you win.

The Christmas tree is now up and shining here in our living room. In case the tree is not enough to inspire a semblance of the Christmas spirit, there are two sets of the Nativity Scene—one on top of the piano, and the other on a center table/chest—to serve as constant reminders that indeed ‘tis the season.

The season to eat. The season to give gifts. The season to slow down and ponder on the song, “Do you know where you’re going to?/Do you like the things that life is showing you/Where are you going to?/Do you know?/Do you get/What you’re hoping for/When you look behind you/There’s no open door/What are you hoping for?/Do you know?”

It’s good to remember those lyrics while in the midst of spring cleaning. It’s funny how we buy things, while giving away other things. There’s this guy who stopped buying anything except for groceries and medicines, for 200 days. Try to imagine the discipline and self-control needed for that. Two days, 20 days—no big deal. But 200 days—wow. Once you’re on the 201st day, you’ll start thinking to extend it to a total of 365 days—a year of not buying non-essentials.

There’s another guy whose weight-loss secret was to stop eating out and attending parties for a year. He cooked his own food to ensure he’s following a healthy diet. And he did lose weight.

One of life’s secrets is to invest money in experiences rather than unnecessary expenses. Whatever experiences you prefer—to each his own—will be worth the investment, as long as you’re not hurting anyone a la Harvey Weinstein sexually harassing helpless showbiz newbies.

Weinstein’s tentacles seemed to have spread all over, with more of his victims now coming out to reveal their stories. His mantra seems to be this: I’ll give you a job if you’ll give me a bl*wj*b. And Donna Karan must be the only person defending him when at an awards ceremony last Sunday, she said, “How do we present ourselves as women? What are we asking? Are we asking for it? By presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality? What are we throwing out to our children today? About how to dance, how to perform and what to wear? How much should they show?”

In an interview with The New York Times, she added, “It’s not Harvey Weinstein, you look at everything all over the world today, you know, and how women are dressing and what they’re asking by just presenting themselves the way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble.”

I gotta feeling Karan’s common sense was hibernating in Siberia.

It could have been understandable if she were a man—men tend to protect their own kind. But for a woman to shift the blame to his female victims, how dare she.

Well, please define proper attire. Playboy centerfold models and Xated actors are aware they have to take their clothes off for work, and put them back on when off-work. Most people do know how to dress appropriately for an occasion. If the invite says formal wear, that’s coat and tie for men, long gown for women. The church requires decent clothes—no swimsuits allowed. Swimsuits are of course for swimming since a light-colored T-shirt can reveal more. And do some grooming down there before wearing that swimsuit, please. Athletic wear is the norm for the gym—try leg raises while wearing jeans and you’ll see why comfortable clothes are required for exercise.

Still, no matter what clothes you’re wearing or not wearing, sexual harassment is the result of a sick mind that believes he’s God’s gift to women. I think we have a term for that in Bisaya—manyakis. And he’s ewww, yuck, yikes. Kadiri.

There are men who make women’s skin crawl. Brrrrr. And not even a nice, soft, thick shawl could keep that brrrrr away. And it has nothing to do with their face or their body or their hair. It’s the aura that they project. It’s like… Ewww!

Those men should learn to pleasure themselves because they’re their own gift for themselves. Mag-sariling sikap na lang sila.