Divi Diva

I may be picky about my shoes, but my sister Rosanne, might not necessarily be so. Our last visit to Divisoria yielded for her a whole bunch of clothes and shoes, one of which was this pair of imitation Crocs for only Php150 (about US$3.30).

The footwear of choice for all hotel & restaurant management students in chefs uniform, kitchen staff in Manila restaurants, these cheap rubber clogs have replaced the Birkenstock replicas of a few years back. Available in all solid colors, including ‘baby crocs’ for kids, they sell at Php250 at the tiangge or flea market at Eastwood City in Libis.

In fact, and I will mention this as often as I can in my posts, almost all cheap apparel and footwear sold all over bazaars in Metro Manila and all those sold in Baguio come from — ta da — Divisoria!

The real Crocs, sold in malls and boutiques in the Philippines go for more than P2,500 (US$55.50), so you can imagine how thousands more will buy the imitations at 6% of the price of the genuine article. One great thing though, is that these obviously Made in China copies do not contain any fake labels on them, unlike those Havaianas- looking Havanas slippers.

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I feel bad that the only man who won the Philippine presidency legitimately by popular vote since 1966 had to abuse his power, and abuse it so brazenly that the middle and upper classes could no longer turn a blind eye to his excesses.

This country tolerates a lot for the sake of economic prosperity: Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law, Cory Aquino’s inexperience but immense popularity, Fidel Ramos’ selling off as many government assets as he could (among others), and all the murders and disappearances of journalists and detractors during Gloria Arroyo’s term.

I believe that all the above-named (except for Cory Aquino) have amassed great fortunes at the expense of the clueless, naive, trusting Filipino people. Erap’s crime is that he got caught.

What is he really guilty of? “Plunder with Impunity!”

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Have you ever tried the chewy white rabbit candy that you pop in your mouth along with the edible inner wrapper — and then it just melts inside? It tastes exactly the same as the local version which is a hard candy. These were my childhood favorites, and whenever I chance upon someone selling them, like in a sari-sari store or candy counter, I usually buy half a dozen or so.

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There are slippers and there are SLIPPERS. And I just ’splurged’ on a pair of Havaianas High Metallic (Php1,295, Eastwood). I am not one to stinge on my footwear, though. Comfort and style have to match and this always comes at a price, even for mere slippers.

Of course I am no longer young or light enough to wear the strappy heels that I used to run around in in the 80’s and that are back in vogue now. As a business person, I choose more comfortable and classic styles, which means Naturalizer, Nine West, or Bass.

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