Break out the Milk.

Image via Hypebeast

After what's been months of teased samples, Jordan Brand is finally releasing the "Oreo" Air Jordan 5, on Black Friday, no less. A quick Google of both "Black Friday" and "sneakers" will yield you a whole lot of results that point out to this "holiday" being a pretty big deal over in Americuhh. It's also where a lot of people get hurt over some shoes. So, here's to hoping that doesn't start happening over in these shores.

I'm not the biggest fan of the Air Jordan 5, but this monochromatic look is straight up dope. The contrasted inner lining and the speckled "shark's teeth" details really set off the shoe better than a loud colorway ever could. Pretty neat exercise in restraint, if you ask me.

So if you're looking to get in on the Black Friday action, try your luck at all Titan 22 shops, and their webstore if there isn't one near you.

Retail is at P8195, so better act fast before you have to deal with resellers!

Flashing Lights

If you're a serious sneaker collector, you've had to hear DJ Clark Kent's name at one point. Or at least see it in some entry in your favorite sneaker blog when you were too caught up with those Red October Yeezy 2s.

Photos from http://bit.ly/1iMZgrf

Lights off.

Well to cut things short, DJ Clark Kent is huge in the sneaker game. He's up there with guys with Ronnie Fieg and Jeff Staple in the conversation of dudes who put out heat every time they collaborate with a sneaker brand.

Constantly featuring 3M material, elephant print and neon accents, every release in Kent's "112" series is always something to look for. And continuing that tradition are 3 new Nikes done up in collaboration with California streetwear and skate apparel retailer Primitive.

Lights on.

While the P-Rod Hyperfuse Max and the P-Rod 7 aren't slouches in both the performance and design aspects of the game, my favorite has got to be the premium SB Dunk low. Not only is it the first SB Dunk in the "112" line, the mix of materials just works. Eye-catching as hell, and it'll be available on November 29th at COG Centris starting at 11am!

Price - PHP 5495
Size Range - 6-12 (including half sizes)

Gods Among Us.

For a while, I used to seriously collect vinyl toys. For one, they were pretty awesome, and opened me up to work from a whole lot of amazing artists. I don't pick up toys as much as I used to before, but every now and then comes one that's seriously hard to pass up. 

Forged by lightning and jet fire, Titan 22 is finally unleashing Premytheus on the world. And like the kicks that Titan regularly stocks, it's just straight heat. Cast in resin, hand-painted, and limited to 200 pieces, Premytheus will be available on 6PM, Thursday, November 29 at Titan Two Parkade for P2500. Not a bad price at all to keep a God on display or near your stack of shoes so no one gets any smart ideas.

***

Pre-orders will start tomorrow at all Titan shops, with a P1000 reservation fee. 

Get a head start on the holiday weight gain.

It's inevitable. The holidays are fast approaching. You go to Christmas party after Christmas party. You eat, you drink, and you have a great time. Well, at least what you can remember, anyway.

You can't pass up on days worth of home-cooked meals because it's a welcome break from your yuppie diet. Christmas comes on, NewYear's Eve rolls along, and suddenly it's a new year and you're anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds overweight.

It happens. The stuff you got for Christmas suddenly doesn't fit. So you make some bogus resolution to commit to an active, healthy lifestyle and become one of the hundreds of people who crowd the gyms in the first few months of the year.

I'm here to tell you that holiday weight gain isn't a bad thing. It's like a course of nature in the strange, whacked out sense that it's just bound to happen. All I'm trying to say is, if you're going to gain weight anyway, you might as well pack on the pounds way before the holiday season kicks in.

One good way to get started is with "El Sur", opening this Saturday at the Alabang Town Center! Brought to you by the same organizers of Mercato Centrale over in Bonifacio Global City, expect a good variety of food to stuff your face to your heart's content. I can only hope I end up trying food out from some concessionaires not seen in Mercato BGC though. 

So if you're in the south looking for some new food choices this weekend, check this place out and tell whoever's planning on getting you clothes as gifts to size up accordingly.

Street Cred.

Streetwear's been on the up and up internationally for some time now. To say that's it's blowing up is a huge understatement. Chances are, even a person without even the vaguest idea of the culture has heard of A Bathing Ape, Stussy, or Supreme.

It isn't just the internationals that are making waves in this part of the world. There's tons of notable brands in the local scene that continue to push the game forward and leave their own marks on streetwear culture. If you want to get a crash course in what the local scene is all about, and maybe cop some new threads too, head to the Samsung Hall at SM Aura Premier this Saturday for Platform's Next Movement!

Platform 360 PH on Twitter

Platform Show on Facebook

Yes, fashion can save the world.

Given the scope of the damage left by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, it's pretty admirable to see so many people sharing their individual talents and skill sets to come up with ways to help out those who were directly affected. I've seen businesses, artists, and lots of people in between roll up their sleeves (both literally and figuratively) and help out with relief. A clear sign that the good old spirit of bayanihan is alive and kicking in these parts.

The latest effort I'm sharing with you today comes from the world of fashion. In the wake of such disasters to affect a certain area, a lot of clothing gets donated. The thing is, not all clothes are seen to be appropriate for everyday use, especially for people who just got through a natural disaster. Fortunately, the Philippine Red Cross found a way to put those clothes to good use, through a pretty neat fundraiser called Aid Couture.

Old clothes previously donated will be washed, styled, and sold to the public, and proceeds raised from the sales will go towards getting vital supplies for the typhoon victims.

A whole lot of clothes will be up for grabs! Think about it like going thrift-shopping for a totally noble cause. So if you're in the mood to shop this weekend, head out to Alabang Town Center on November 16 and 17!

Check out the video HERE

for more details, visit http://www.aid-couture.ph/

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I (try to) make a living as an advertising copywriter. And in the couple of years since I started out, I've heard the phrase "keep it simple" more times than I can even remember. You'd think it'd be pretty easy to do, but for someone who counts dudes like Jack Kerouac as his favorite writers, it can get pretty tough to shake off a love of really going into detail when it comes to talking about things.

All Photos from the Sole Academy Facebook Page

Air Max 1 SP - P5295

Air Trainer 1 Mid SP - P6295

Nike Air Force 1 Low SP - P5295

Take for example, me talking about these shoes dropping this Saturday at Sole Academy. I could mention that the Nike Monotones Pack keeps it simple, but hardly boring. Composed of an Air Max 1, Air Force 1 Low, and an Air Trainer 1 Mid, each shoe is done up in 1 color but executed in different styles. You'll see some speckles, and a carbon fiber-like woven pattern up in the toebox area. Despite the different styles, the use of a single color all throughout each shoe keeps them subdued and capable of being worn with a plethora of different clothes. If you were looking for a new pair of beaters you wouldn't get tired to looking at, any of these would make a great choice. Pick up a pair or three at Sole Academy (11 AM Katipunan/10 AM Alabang). 

But in the spirit of keeping things simple, I'll try to do just that. 

New Nikes. This Saturday. Sole Academy. Get 'em.  

Send Help 2 Typhoon Yolanda Victims.

Again, you don't need me to tell you how bad the effects of Typhoon Yolanda have been. Instead, if you're up to helping out, here's another way you can do so while scoring some fresh kicks in the process.

We Legendary just got in their new delivery of Nike SBs. And in a rather apt matter of coincidence, the new "Send Help" SB Dunks were included. Designed once again in collaboration with artist/illustrator Todd Bratrud, these dunks feature a simple colorway complemented by purple cement print and neon green outsoles.

Image from http://bit.ly/HQcIfS

Image from http://bit.ly/1aDwOAo

A portion of the total sales of the "Send Help 2" Dunks will be donated by We Legendary to NikeTalk.com to aid their relief efforts towards those affected by the typhoon. So if you're one of those SB heads who have been eagerly waiting for these to drop, now's your chance. And if other pairs catch your fancy as well, click the link below for a complete listing of what's dropping TODAY at We Legendary Ronac, Taft, and Kamuning.  

What's Dropping. 

Dine For A Cause at Yabu.

You don't need me to tell you just how bad Typhoon Yolanda made herself known to The Philippines. There's a lot of ways to help get things back up and running in the south, and I'm here to share with you one where all you have to do is eat.

For one day, all Yabu branches are donating 100% of their profits towards those affected by Typhoon Yolanda. Forget about those abs for a minute and bring a hearty appetite for katsu to your favorite Yabu branch on Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

Yabu Branches:

SM Megamall

SM Mall of Asia

SM Aura Premier

SM North Edsa

SM Southmall

Robinson's Magnolia

Alabang Town Center

Exercises in Deconstruction.

Back when I was in college, it was a requirement to take up 12 units of Philosophy. Now I don't remember much, but one of the things I do was deconstruction - finding contradictions in things by delving below what we take at face value. What does this all mean? I don't know. I was just lucky to have graduated, and I thought it'd be a pretty oddball segue into talking about these new Vans drops at Sole Academy.

All photos from the Sole Academy Facebook Page. 

You don't need to be a philosopher to appreciate just how badass these Vans Authentic Decon CA's are. When you keep things simple, it's pretty hard to mess up the design on an Authentic. That's when they become timeless and enables them to seamlessly work themselves into pretty much anybody's personal style. These decons do just that. No-frills design, just premium pig suede uppers in toned down colors mixed in with clean white midsoles, eyelets, and laces. Leather interior lining and the trademark Vans Waffle Soles done up in contrasting colors round out the details.

Bright colors found literally below subdued exteriors? That's a contradiction! So maybe I did know a little more about deconstruction than I thought I did.

Pick up a pair at Sole Academy Katipunan for P3698.

Neighborhood Watch.

Looking to cop some new threads or maybe a fresh pair of kicks? In the mood to try out some new food? Well, if you've got nothing to do on a Friday, the folks at Manila Pop Up are coming back in a big way! Tomorrow, they'll be taking you to The Neighborhood, a melting pot of fashion, food, art, and music all housed under one roof!

Even the name of the event is pretty on-point. It isn't just one of those run-of-the-mill Christmas bazaars where you see pretty much the same shit. Diversity is the name of the game here, where people of different interests, styles, and ways of life come together. Just like a neighborhood block party. Check out the full list below to find out just who's going to be part of tomorrow's event!

Pretty stacked! I've got a number of old favorites that are always worth checking out alongside a good list of new brands, food joints, and establishments that I've been curious about for a while now. Overall, it's looking to be mighty promising and well worth the P250 ticket price. Hopefully the weather cooperates and gives everyone a safe and dry tour of the neighborhood tomorrow at the Rockwell Tent!

But since we're expecting rain anyway, I just had to end with this video. It's been out for a while, but it never gets old.

Manila Pop Up on Facebook and Twitter.

The Educational Value of Playing Assassin's Creed.

Did you guys ever play any of the Assassin's Creed games? You know, those ones set in different periods in history featuring characters equally skilled in parkour and killing dudes? No? Well, in one arc of the series, Leonardo Da Vinci was a character. He'd upgrade your weapons and invent things like flying machines to aid Ezio Auditore (The main guy in the Italy arc. Yup, I'm a geek.) in his quest for retribution.

I bring this stuff up because Ezio Auditore was a wicked video game character, and the closest I'll ever come to being like him (murder is still a crime, after all.) was when my girlfriend Dylan took me to the "Da Vinci -The Genius" traveling exhibit currently on display at The Mind Museum.

To spare you from a massive geekout over anything and everything I saw, I'll say that after going around and checking out the whole thing, there's irrefutable proof that people back during the times of Da Vinci had it better. In the couple of hours you'll spend checking out Da Vinci's contributions to art, architecture, science, and menswear (check out the scuba suit), you'd have to think that Da Vinci had some serious free time to think up all the stuff he did! Then again, maybe I'm just ranting because there's work again tomorrow and whatever time I could use to think up some radical, groundbreaking invention will most likely go to creating taglines and name studies for brands.

Overall, "Da Vinci - The Genius" is definitely worth the P250 price of admission if you like history (or at least Assassin's Creed) or just want to find a new way to kill a couple of hours. Check out the pictures below to get a look at the some of the things you're bound to see when you get inside. There's interactive displays, a show to check out, and some cool souvenirs too! Do hurry though, because the exhibit's only running up until the end of the month!

Pyrex Vision

574s on. 

Da Vinci's Ideal City. 

Replicas of Old Notebooks.

TAAAAANK!!

Dylan in the room of mirrors.

Ezio's flying machine! 

For more info on The Mind Museum's ticket rates, click HERE!