Nagadamgo ako

Netnet Camomot .

JO Malone is the kind of scent that the fan can layer, i.e., use a combination of scents at the same time. The more, the merrier—for Jo Malone, that is, as it rakes in humongous profits, with much thanks to your purchases. But not good for your budget—the more, the dearer.

Jo Malone happens to have limited-edition scents in equally limited-edition bottles which its sales staff may use as a sales pitch in convincing the scent collector to buy pa more.

The advice is to have that one signature scent that people will eventually notice until they learn to attach it to you and alerts them to your presence even when you’re not there. But since Jo Malone has many fragrances to choose from, and continues to come up with more that you can combine, please define signature.

Another advice is to not drown your skin with too much perfume which some Jo Malone staff don’t listen to as they spray all these scents on a potential buyer who’s not yet convinced.

Any talk about fragrances always brings me back to that day when I met then “senatoriable” Manny Pacquiao who could fill any room he’s in with a trail of his cologne. Other politicians and former politicians that tend to leave the same trail come to mind—they know who they are.

Pacquiao was wearing Polo Blue on that day I met him. I wrote about this before—that I told him, “Humot kaayo ka,” after which I asked, “Unsa imong cologne?” He replied, “Polo…” I could not hear the second word amidst the noise of people wanting to have a selfie with him, so, I asked him again, “Unsa?” He replied again, “Polo…” This exchange of my “unsa” and his “Polo” went on and on as he continued to patiently answer, with his warmest smile, my most important question until I finally had a eureka moment: “Oh! Polo Blue!”

Pacquiao could have ignored my query, he could have snubbed me and moved on to granting other requests for a selfie, but he did not. He gave the same kind of undivided attention to those who wanted to talk with him. I guess he prefers focusing on one task before moving forward to the next, which he probably learned while training as a boxer.

Each of us reaches an age when we’ve had our share of lessons learned, so that we now know the difference between respetar and respect. The English translation for respetar is respect, but its Bisaya form can mean it’s given out of duty, obligation, para walay masulti, or para dili magmahay. Respect, on the other hand, is earned, and that’s what Pacquiao has earned, which he has also learned to give to every person he meets.

But not earning the respect of people you don’t care for, won’t matter, anyway. You don’t respect them; they don’t respect you—the feeling is mutual. The emoji for vomit comes to mind.

If there’s one politician who needs a lot of cologne, it’s Manila Mayor Isko Moreno as he clears and cleans the streets of his city. The cynical and skeptical Pinoy wonders if Moreno—of Manila, not Cagayan de Oro—can continue the cleanup drive forevermore. For now, that same Pinoy says he will be convinced once Moreno can keep Manila clean even way after December 2019. Well, we can dream, can’t we?

Watching Mayor Isko’s Facebook Live videos are now my hard habit to break. How to read pa more while constantly checking out his FB page for more videos? That’s the question.

I can’t remember the last time I visited Manila. Late ’90s I think. After that, I’d usually stay in Makati whenever I was in Metro Manila. I’ve had it with Manila. Been there, done that with its floods, traffic, pollution, garbage, exhibitionists. Let’s see if its new mayor can make Manila clean and peaceful again.

Every Pinoy must be wishing now to have a mayor like Mayor Isko. Hmmm. Wishful thinking. At least, he and Mayor Oscar Moreno have the same surnames.

I’m looking forward to the day when the Cagayanon uptowner won’t knit his brows after he passes by Pryce Plaza while driving to the downtown area. That same uptowner is also looking forward to a renovated SM uptown with new cinemas, more restos and shops, to eliminate the need for him to go downtown for his favorite movies, food cravings, and shopping. Yeah, dream on.