Month: February 2015

Single This Valentine’s Day? Don’t Feel Left Out – There’s Actually a Singles’ Day in November

February 14 is Valentine’s Day; when lovers celebrate their love, and when companies sell to these lovers all sorts of merchandise and services. What about singles? November 11 is Singles’ Day. Even companies get their turn to make money off singles.

Wait, isn’t there a Singles’ Awareness Day which is celebrated also on February 14? This serves as an alternative to people who are not in a relationship. Why is it called Singles Awareness Day? This might be the answer:

Happy Singles Awareness Day
#truth. Image from someecards.com

 

Ok, so maybe S.A.D. is not a holiday that should be taken seriously. Fortunately, the Chinese had made a Singles’ Day all on its own – without latching on Valentine’s popularity.  Continue reading Single This Valentine’s Day? Don’t Feel Left Out – There’s Actually a Singles’ Day in November

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Love All Kinds of Love: Did Bench Create a Fake Controversy With its Gay Couple Billboard Ad?

The “Love All Kinds of Love” ad campaign by Bench (a Philippines’ based clothing brand) is heating up social media with its “defaced” billboard featuring a gay couple. Was the billboard vandalized? Was the billboard censored? or Did Bench marketing staff do the defacing themselves to generate controversy? Is other words, is #PaintTheirHandsBack just an elaborate gimmick?

The Philippines is home to more than 100 million people, so there must be a lot of gay people in the country. Fashion is also one of the industries that seem to be gay tolerant. Bench, a Philippines based clothing brand that now has an international presence, unveiled its ad campaign just in time for Valentine’s. The campaign, titled “Love All Kinds of Love”, featured platonic love between a grandmother (veteran Filipina actress Gloria Romero) and her grandson, and romantic love between straight, gay and lesbian couples.

This was the gay couple ad photo. It features Vince Uy and Nino Gaddi Continue reading Love All Kinds of Love: Did Bench Create a Fake Controversy With its Gay Couple Billboard Ad?

Philippines’ Best Valentines Deals for 2015

Valentine’s Day is coming. For many businesses, this is the time to make a lot of money from lovestruck consumers. Fortunately, there are still good deals out there. Finance MD has chosen the best ones for Valentine’s.

I looked for the best Valentine’s deals out there. From champagne, to concerts, to peanut butter, and even the ‘red room of pain’ – I have it all. Here are the best sales, promos, freebies, contests, etc. in my opinion:

Continue reading Philippines’ Best Valentines Deals for 2015

The ‘I Love You’ That Cost Billions

In 2000, when people were still naive enough to open email attachments from unknown sources, the ILOVEYOU virus (also known as “I Love You” or “Love Letter” virus) quickly spread and cost billions of dollars in damages and repairs.

It’s only Wednesday but it’s throwback time! Let’s go back to the year 2000, when people communicated online primarily via email. The virus originated in the Philippines, then spread to Hong Kong, to Europe and finally to the United States. The White House, Congress, the FBI and the Pentagon were all affected. The State Department was forced to disconnect its computer systems from the internet, according to a spokesman. The damages was estimated at US$ 5.5 Billion during its first week of spread alone. The final cost (including system repairs) was estimated at US$ 15 Billion.

 

I Love You Virus
“I Love You – and I won’t think you’re stupid for actually opening this attachment.” – is probably the long form of the message.  Image from people.carleton.edu

 

The author of the virus is alleged to be a Filipino Continue reading The ‘I Love You’ That Cost Billions

Real Estate: Christian Grey’s Escala Penthouse from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

In a love story – whether it ends happily or not, the setting is also important. In this post I will feature Christian Grey’s Penthouse in Escala, the setting for most of the “action” in Fifty Shades of Grey. 

The Escala apartments is actually a real-life building, though E L James had not been there when she wrote the book. She used the promotional materials of the condo to describe the penthouse.

See related post about Fifty Shades of Grey here. The movie will be open in the Philippines on February 11.

Address: 1920 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, Washington, United States of America

Escala Condominium in Seattle.
Escala, the setting for Fifty Shades of Grey. Image from bizjournals.com

 

Penthouse – Christian Grey’s pad in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

The penthouse is on the 31st floor, measures 5,181 sq ft (483 sqm), and has a 1,000 sq ft (93 sqm) terrace. Continue reading Real Estate: Christian Grey’s Escala Penthouse from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’

Opportunity: Valentine’s Day

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, and the days leading up to it, Finance MD will be posting Valentine investment related information.

Happy Valentines
Happy Valentines. Image from eyesonnews.com

 

 

 

Men in Capes: Will the Trend Make a Comeback?

Capes as worn by men, had been around for a long time and had been in and out of fashion every now and then. Are they due for a comeback any time soon? Will you invest in one?

Women have always been able to wear capes in a normal setting. But if you’re a man; unless you’re Batman, Superman or going to any type of cosplay gathering, a cape will probably make you look silly.

In Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” video, we actually see a man in a cape. The video is set in present time. However, I doubt if anybody actually walks their dogs dressed like that.

Taylor Swift and Sean O'pry in Blank Space video
You have Taylor Swift, Sean O’Pry in a tux, three Dobermans, a palatial mansion, and yet the wind-blown cape steals the show. Image by mtv.com from the Blank Space music video

 

Nobody has identified what brand the cape is (but many have posted that Taylor is wearing an Elie Saab gown, see related post about Elie Saab here). I checked some shopping websites (ok just one – lyst.com) to see if a cape similar to the one above is available.

 

Here’s what I found: Continue reading Men in Capes: Will the Trend Make a Comeback?