halfwhiteboy

I know I'm old and I don't deny it. And why should I? It's inevitable. From fine wrinkles to sagging skin and thinning hair, the signs of aging are aplenty. But one such sign I never expected to face is being asked to be a ninong ( or principal sponsor) at a wedding. I was, like, are you for real? But my former colleague had already anticipated that reaction, so she prepared an impassioned and lengthy message why. I was touched.

Against the facade of Basilika Birnau in Germany The sky was overcast and the day was occasionally marked by either mist or a drizzle; not an ideal time for a day tour zipping in and out of four countries. But since we would be spending most of the day in a car anyway, it didn't matter that much.

Surreal view from right next to the Wengen train station. Okay, so I asked ChatGPT what to wear on a daytrip from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen in November and what you see in these photos was practically what he told me to wear. Of course thermal inner clothing and layers were a given but since Novembers there are normally cold with a high chance of rain, a waterproof or water-repellant jacket was necessary; the same goes for pants. Footwear should likewise be waterproof to keep your feet dry from puddles and sloshy trails, preferably mid-height for better ankle support, with good enough traction, and as also suggested by a friend, insulated, because it can get really cold there. 

Creed Oud Zarian has been on my radar since it was announced a couple of months ago, and it’s frustrating to still not see it on our third-world shelves (although I don’t know if it’s still not available locally as of writing). So when I had the chance, I sought it out at the Dubai airport (but only after feasting my nose on Amouage fragrances and taking home Opus XVI Timber ). Yes, it's priced a lot higher than Creed's other offerings but the moment I smelled the mist coming out of that dark, reddish purple bottle, I was hooked.

Had a taste of cold autumn weather from a recent short vacay. Already, I'm badly missing the way the chilly November breeze brushes my face and of course, the layered outfits that I can never wear here at home.

It’s that time of year again when mercury levels start dropping and when people tend to wear clothing in layers—just not here in the Philippines. Nevertheless, some folks are fortunate enough to experience autumn elsewhere. This is me recalling that feeling from two years ago in Tokyo.

What’s there to do with a nine-hour layover in Dubai? Check out fragrances at the duty free shop of course! And since I’m deprived of the chance of trying out Amouage ’s newer releases back home (Art of Scent hasn’t updated their Amouage catalog in years), my wife and I headed straight to where they kept bottles from this Omani house. After sniffing to our hearts’ content, I took with me Opus XVI Timber , the latest addition to The Library Collection .

Got this top because it looks fun. Just unzip it and the sad shark now looks happy. And that’s it; simply injecting some fun amid this gloomy day. Paired it with blue pants and brown leather double monk straps.

Since its release, Bianco Latte EDP by Giardini Di Toscana proved to be quite the hit among fragrance lovers, and it’s not difficult to understand why. It’s a sweet, lactonic gourmand that’s easy to like, perhaps because it’s a universally familiar scent, one that especially appeals to our sweet tooth, which certainly is a happy association. It radiates simplicity and as such, is more approachable instead of alienating. This “friendliness” is only projected further through its presentation by employing a predominantly clean, white motif with minimal accents of sky blue and gold.

It’s been a little over a year since I got this, a little over a year since Guerlain released Habit Rouge Parfum . Naturally, I was curious because I adore the original Guerlain Habit Rouge EDT . It was love at first sniff and I regret not getting into fragrances sooner so I would have enjoyed that masterpiece longer. That said, I also missed the boat on its many flankers, which is why when I got wind of this 2024 parfum version, I got excited.

Teal is such a nice color, don’t you think? It goes well with a lot of colors: orange, yellow, gray, black, and more. Here I’m going with blue, which works just fine. Both sweatshirt and jeans have a relaxed fit, which my chunky pair of Nike Offline 3.0 complements well.

Our bottles of Commodity fragrances have unjustly suffered from neglect for so long. The brand has since folded up and has subsequently been revived yet we’ve still barely used ours, if at all. So today I’m bringing out Tonka EDP .

Throughout my so-called fragrance journey, vetiver has become a note I've learned to recognize and love. Because of how multifaceted it is, I've been enamored by it. Aside from being primarily earthy, I also love how, depending on the type of vetiver or its extraction perhaps, it can also be grassy, rooty, dusty, lemony, or woody. In the case of D.S. & Durga Cowboy Grass , it's a handsome combination of different traits.

The first and last time I wrote about a fragrance from this house was more than four years ago. That frag was Ormonde Jayne Sampaquita . We have quite a few bottles from this British house, so I guess I should wear them more and as such, post more about them. Let me start then with Montabaco Parfum , which is part of their The Four Corners of the Earth Collection . I understand there’s an EDP version of this and then Montabaco Intensivo  and a few other flankers but I haven’t tried any of those.

My thing for coords doesn’t seem to end. Here I am again, this time in a dark olive, zipped pullover and pants set from MN+LA (Manila Meets LA)  that I’ve had for a while now. The fabric’s really soft and comfy, you just feel instantly relaxed. Finished the look with white sneakers to break the monochrome.

The typhoons in succession may have since all left but it seems that cloudy and rainy days are here to stay. Why not complement the dreary weather with the same dreary shades of black and gray ? But let's not keep it stiff. Here I go loosening it with a loose black pullover, loose gray pinstripe pants, and a pair of chunky leather footwear.

I discovered Shiro fragrances while visiting heaven (a.k.a. the fragrance section) of a department store in the Shibuya district of Tokyo almost two years ago. I consciously sought out brands I haven’t heard of or simply hadn’t had the chance of trying. Japanese brand Shiro caught our interest; and being the fragheads that my wife and I are, we took our time. In the end, we brought home a bottle of Shiro Marvellous Star .

It’s always a joy getting my hands on vintage gems, let alone fragrances that I wasn’t even hunting down to begin with, just like this partial bottle of Versace L’Homme . If my interpretation of the  Raiders of the Lost Scent ’s article is correct, this is a second era, 1993 bottle. Even though newer batches still carry the old design, the atomizer's style is reflective of what was in vogue at the time. As for the bottle itself, it has its own character, aided by the frosted glass leaf accent on each side.

Back-to-back typhoons mean persistent rainy days. Living in the tropics, this is probably the closest we can get to cold weather days. However, the office air conditioning knows no bounds, hence this comfy outfit of baggy pants, a pullover, and a fleece hoodie. And it doesn't hurt that the colors are coordinated, right?

Every time I wear this shirt, people at the office mistake it for a Barong —save for the very first time I wore it, tucked in black pants. I guess it’s because the buttons don’t go all the way down, stopping just below the chest. But here, since it’s tucked in, no one would question if it’s a shirt.