El Bosquejo

El Bosquejo has moved!

2016-11-03T04:03:00.005+08:00

After nine long and fun years, it is finally time to move on. See you on lbosquejo.com!

Upfluence interview

2016-08-12T22:15:00.001+08:00

My interview with Upfluence is now up. Thanks again for the support!

Dark places

2016-07-25T09:34:00.001+08:00

So here we are again. It’s been quite a while, no?

I would like to thank those who have messaged me privately to ask how I have been. To be honest, I’ve never felt better.

I wouldn’t say that the last two years were a bad dream – more like a strained exercise of the imagination.

As with any exercise, the exertion has been good for my heart. Good for circulation.

Now it’s time to free my mind.

After the recalibration and the changing of gears, it’s time for acceleration – both for a change in speed and direction.

Now it’s time to refocus, fully embrace the things I have to grapple with.

Back to finding patterns in the geometry of memory.

Back to venturing out, both in physical travel and in mental excursions.

I can’t wait to visit new places! (A few more days and my new passport will be delivered.)

But it is also time to go back in history, to study not just previous mistakes but to track and measure progressions.

It is a wild and wondrous adventure, to chart the cartography of both thought and what lies between actual coordinates (I am studying mapping software).

The past two years have been a training in both reason and restraint.

So much to do! So many new things to discover!

I really don’t know how I can schedule everything.

But one thing is for sure, for most of my planned itineraries, I have to go it alone.

No other way to face the unknown.

Insight is as light as a feather, inspiration as unbudging as stone.

Hoodie and socks, UniqloShirt, Uniqlo +JSweat pants, thriftedTrainers, adidas

Photographs by Jullian Mendoza

True grit

2016-06-09T20:03:00.003+08:00

Romantics will tell you to stick it out till the edge of doom.

But what if, like in my case, luck always has its way of plunging its arm in the water right before I drowned? So much for Shakespeare.

Yes, time to talk about mortality again, and age, and regret. But also about meandering roads that don’t even appear to intersect.

All I have are forks and departures – as the poet I am now reading once said: “All I can tell you is this: what we are not, what we do not want.”

Is it really as easy as picking a profession, or say, your favorite color?

No matter how hard I exert my influence on fate, my concerns and my passions always have their way of finding me. Like sticks skewered to my tongue, I cannot pick my own words.

Inspiration is given and handed down.

Even if there are no seraphic songs or jewels presented to future saviors, even if most of the time I can only see salt shining in the mud.

Cut, tapered, and edited: that’s how life should be lived.

Without this confusion of choices.

Even when right from the beginning, I already knew the answers.

I will still risk to find them.

Sweater, GapT-shirt, UniqloJeans, Levi’sSneakers, thriftedNeptares Multi-Stone Bracelet, BosquejoPersepto Multi-Stone Bracelet, Bosquejo

Dry and mighty

2016-06-01T19:55:00.000+08:00

Is it really June already? Apparently, so says the weather.

But even though the days aren’t as intensely warm as the past few months, things can still get pretty humid and sticky.
That’s why I did myself a favor and got myself a pile of Uniqlo Dry-Ex polo shirts and tees, which work as they are billed!

I still keep my rubber flood boots inside my office pedestal just in case, but most times I’m happy with dock shoes – and lately – even trainers for more comfortable walks.

There’s no hiding behind the passage of time, no matter how much I want to deny my own frustrations and disappointments.

BUT, who can sink eternal optimists?

I can’t say anything new yet is coming my way – something to change how I’ve been living and handling things – you know, just not to jinx it.

Let’s just say I’ve removed my camo and have allowed myself to be seen in the open.

Give and take a few weeks, maybe months – who knows?

Life and death, yin and yang, black and white, success and failure: aren’t all these just binary opposites?

Overlapping, incestuous cousins?

Yeah, that’s Mr Grey once again speaking (Jekyll and Hyde rolled into one).

Polo shirt, Uniqlo Dry-ExShorts from BangkokCamouflage cardigan, Level 5 FiveShoes, SebagoHava Howlite and Lava Bracelet, Bosquejo

Last Samurai

2016-05-26T05:19:00.003+08:00

As mentioned on my earlier post, I am almost finished most of my published work on my online portfolio.

Here is one of the editorials in WestEast magazine that ran alongside one of my articles, entitled "Remaking an Original".

It is especially significant since Tyson Ballou is one of my favorite male models of all time.

Hope you can drop my website if you can. Or better yet, drop me a line and leave comments!

See you there!

Photography: Joseph Lally, styling: John Tan, make-up: Cheyenne, hair: Michele Salvatori, model: Tyson Ballou. With special thanks to Kevin Alpana.

Going places

2016-05-25T21:59:00.001+08:00

So I’ve finally put up my own online portfolio. Hope you can drop by www.miguelpaolocelestial.com when you get the time. Most of my published magazine articles have been scanned and uploaded, plus the main page is better for tracking all my other pursuits (hint: the “store” button might lead to somewhere else soon).

This is what I wore last Saturday when I watched X-Men: Apocalypse with the boyfie. Now he’s excited to read up on the Dark Phoenix saga.

As usual, so many things are happening at the same time that I’m barely able to cope.

Colleagues moving on to greener pastures, continuous self-education in all sorts of fields. Am I going somewhere?

Only time can really answer that question.

Half-blindingly hiking through the dark: isn’t that what most of us feel?

Don’t you just love the new backpack I got from Jansport? I swear, it was by pure coincidence that it matched what I was wearing on the day I bought it.

Doesn’t this door look familiar? It’s been painted over by carpenters and masons.

But the texture and grain remain under the surface.

If only I could click my heels to wish myself to some other place.

Not “home”, because I don’t really know where that is.

As I said, I can only feel through the impermanence.

If there were places I could call my own, it would be situations where my teeth are sunk deep into the skin.

T-shirt and braided belt, UniqloJeans, BenchBoots, Dr MartensBackpack, JansportIaspis Red Jasper Bracelet, Bosquejo

Patterns on ikat

2016-05-15T18:10:00.000+08:00

So, things appear to be calming down after moving back from the apartment to the house. But inner turmoil one always has to surmount.

“I grow old… I grow old…” But I prefer the bottoms of my trousers tapered and tailored!

Going through my pile of books by Gabriel García Márquez – no other way am I going to be able to read through my shelves than by committing myself to reading projects – I am reminded how poignantly Márquez sees through people, ignoring their feints and dissolving their sleights of hand.

But in a world where everything is confessed and brandished, I hold my tongue.

This must be how it feels to live forever: to be an invisible photobomber.

To not care or bother with other’s foibles. Sometimes even one’s own.

But I am telling you, the quill is sharper than ever.

Even if you smell my feet, you will never suspect where I’ve been.

What I’m thinking and considering. Do clairvoyants converse in silence?

T-shirt, Dries Van NotenShorts from BangkokWindbreaker, MujiBelt, FactorieShoes, Jil SanderBlumo Dumortierite Bracelet, BosquejoBluflama Blue Tiger's Eye Bracelet, Bosquejo

Grout and growth

2016-05-08T14:51:00.001+08:00

Howdy, it’s been a while. Truth is, as usual, I’ve been really busy the past few weeks and – gasp! – still waiting for a broadband provider to resume internet connection at the newly renovated house.

Not that silence means stasis – you’ll be surprised how refreshing it is to disconnect from social media, and be able to focus on things that matter to you.

The past few weeks I’ve settled into a new routine, which includes walking Panda the dog at least twice a day (once in the morning and again before I hit the sack). The mind is exercised while walking, especially when I try to take different routes.

The boyfie says I look thinner and more gaunt. I guess that’s what you get for not having a model’s jaws and cheekbones. I don’t mind; better gaunt than paunch.

As the title of this post suggests, what has been keeping me busy is filling in the gaps between tiles and walls (the tiles I’m standing on in these pictures pre-grouting).

Maybe I look older because of the loss of fat. At least I am more sure of the weather and where the wind blows.

Raglan tee and braided belt, Uniqlo

Chinos, CottonOn

Loafers, Dr Martens

Superdry summer

2016-03-11T05:48:00.004+08:00

It’s no secret that the past few days have been much warmer than the rest of the year’s first quarter. A few more weeks then there’s no denying the arrival of summer. No matter how much we resist, it’s better to embrace the season (I’m sure many of you have been sweating it out, anyway, at the gym to get your bodies beach-ready.)
What better way to acknowledge our country’s forever-tropical weather than to don the appropraite florals and foliage?

Above left: Floral Forage T-shirt, in green and pink hibiscus, £24.99; right: Hawaii Zip Hoodie, £54.99

I have never been one to deny comfort. T-shirt weather is t-shirt weather. Why beat around the palm fronds? Just don’t forget your denim jackets for the unpredictable cold, breezy, and possibly rainy summer nights.

Above left: Palm Tiki T-shirt, £24.99; right: Razor Jacket, $170, which has inner pockets

Like my mother and her mother before her, I’ve always been a water-baby. Used to be a lot darker when I was a kid because I spent almost the entire day in the water, or by the beach, playing with the sand.
My boyfriend has booked a few trips for us at the end of the year, one of which involves the water, and – gasp – rapids!

Above left: Skandia Surf T-shirt, with turned up sleeves, $50; right: Classics T-Shirt, finished with a Vintage Superdry Store logo tab, $50

The trips were meant to be a surprise (after much effort queuing online for discount fares), even if I’d really rather be stuck in the city. Fresh air and a change of scenery, though, should always be welcomed.

Above left: Osaka 6 Photographic T-shirt, $50; right: Triple Stitch Worn Wash T-shirt, $50

If you are planning any trips, don’t forget to pack your essentials, save up for shopping and site-seeing, and don’t forget your wits!

Above, from left: Urban Watch, which has a silicone strap and stainless steel buckle fastening, $50; Number 1 Co. T-shirt in red, $50; California Tarp Backpack, which includes multi-function compartments including a padded laptop sleeve, $110

Blue and white stripes

2016-03-08T03:48:00.000+08:00

So it’s been confirmed, we’ll be moving back to the house on the ides of March – of all inauspicious dates.

I’ll miss walking back to the apartment from the office every evening after work. (The house is further away and requires a tricycle ride.)

I guess the thing I’ll be missing the most is the upper-floor views of the metropolis: the sky, the skyline, the sun and the clouds.

Though I can’t wait to get back to the books that I’ve packed in boxes.

I’ll be bringing back with me much more than I took – gasp!

Now I’m worried how I’ll be able to read and write, since my view of the sky is a lot narrower from my room.

Even if the room I’ll be moving back to is better lit.

Better bathroom as well!

Still saving up to buy my own apartment unit through my investments, which after months of being in the red are now in the black.

I don’t know if I’m ready to revisit old ghosts.

The carpenters say door knobs turn on their own, doors open by themselves.

Time for an exorcism if you asked me.

But the bigger question, it seems, is whether I’m ready for catharsis.

After more than a decade of delay, the answer is a fervent yes!

T-shirt, chinos, and socks: all UniqloBelt, FactorieSneakers, thriftedFlamaere 8mm Blue Tiger’s Eye Bracelet, BosquejoBluflamma Blue Tiger’s Eye Bracelet, Bosquejo

Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum

2016-02-25T06:06:00.005+08:00

So, I finally opened the box after letting it sit on my desk for a couple of weeks.

Consulted a perfume blog and found out that you could actually find out the version of the scent by looking at the bottom of the glass container: this one being 5V02.

The first time I used it last week, I think I made the mistake of spritzing myself twice, instead of just once – which made it all the more potent.

My first impression of Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum on myself? At first, I would say it smells deceptively common, seemingly less serious – but after its introduction, it reveals itself as intense and vigorously intoxicating.

Only after taking pictures of the bottle did I notice the imprint of the bee on the box. Suddenly the metaphor made sense – but I am getting ahead of myself.

What made it somewhat familiar, at first smell, I would guess must be due to the short-lived lavender.

But then the scent stays on for hours – only then was I able to deduce its enduring charms.
Compared to my previous scent, YSL La Nuit De L’Homme Le Parfum, Dior Homme Intense is less concentrated, in eau de parfum form.

Depending on your emotions when you first spritz it on – it can be revolting at first, as when someone who has a forceful voice disturbs the peace in a room, but it grows on you – the same way when after actually listening to what that person has got to say, you realize that he not only makes sense, but you’d also like to be in his company a little bit longer, just to hear both the sound of his voice and make sense of his ideas. Maybe even open yourself to the possibility of falling in love.

You can’t help but feel intrigued at the complexity, until you are finally captivated – hook, line, and sinker.

What made me swoon? Dior Homme Intense has a Tuscan iris top note, which smells a bit powdery. Some would call it the “lipstick note” because there is a hint of femininity. Mixed with the gourmand smell of Ecuadorian ambrette seed – which smells like cocoa and vanilla – the eau de parfum takes on a sickly sweet character.

This gives way to its base note, a woody Virginia cedar, which makes it endlessly riveting. As with all the scents that I like, it is both feminine and masculine, sensitive and strong. Here’s to more days and nights and languid afternoons in yet another monogamous olfactory relationship.

Blue boy

2016-02-20T19:12:00.005+08:00

Finally, haircut done as resolved earlier!

Though my forehead is still shiny as ever (mattifier, anyone?).

And my boat shoes as dusty as my resolutions.

Decided to wear out one of several pairs of shorts I bought at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok last month. Without a belt, of course!

And, a week right before we left the apartment condominium to return the renovated house, I actually woke up early to dive into the pool before children overrun it.

Also, you can’t see it here, but I’m also wearing Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum from a freshly popped bottle, which I’ll be blogging about soon.

Hmmm, did I miss anything? Nothing really except the usual things I’ve been writing about and boring you with.

Nothing except that I am still swooning over my new favourite scent – as usual, I'm wearing something meant for summer nights all throughout the day.

Brooding and writing about things that continue to cut to the quick.

T-shirt, UniqloShorts from BangkokShoes, SebagoScent, Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum

Loafing around

2016-02-20T14:16:00.003+08:00

Penny for your thoughts? It's been a while since I bought new shoes, and this latest update on G.H. Bass & Co. penny loafers is right on the money – loungy and casual, but never careless.

Or would you prefer to hang it all out? If so, this tasselled pair will bring you through the refreshing lull of the weekend. Till we meet again next week!

The red and the black

2016-02-14T20:31:00.001+08:00

As always, I’ve let my hair grow too long and too thick. Should have gotten a cut two weeks ago. Strange that it’s already mid-February. Before the month ends, we’ll be moving back to the house.

As expected, I’ll be packing more things than I brought: this time more books than magazines or clothes. Hence my online reticence.

My forehead’s too large, with veins bulging like worms. Is it my fault that I think too much, consider every side of a problem before I decide on a solution? My usual excuse for laziness.

How can light survive the shadow? The gravity of words, turns of phrase that spin out of axis, matter that is helpless in the grips of what is void. In another world, I imagine myself a physicist.

Polo shirt, Fred PerryJeans, UniqloBelt, FactorieBoots, Dr Martens

Hello from Ayutthaya!

2016-01-28T23:36:00.001+08:00

So this is my third time in Bangkok now, again for business. January appears to be the only time I’m able to unwind – even when I am dealing with work. Happy that I’ve been able to read and write more the past few months. See you when I see you!

Polo shirt, Uniqlo x Michael Bastian

Shorts, Topman

Belt, A.P.C.

Cap, Armani Exchange

Bosquejo end-of-season sale

2016-01-13T06:56:00.001+08:00

Here's something to welcome 2016 with a bang: an end-of-season sale!

Log on to www.zalora.com.ph/bosquejo – shop while supplies last!

Taking the backseat

2016-01-09T11:16:00.000+08:00

Sorry, I couldn’t wait till find the perfect broodingly black sweater for the concept shoot I’ve had in mind for a long time now, so a simple black tee will have to do. I live in the tropics, after all, and plain Supima tees have been my go-to comfortable and reliable items when I don’t want to be bothered with what I have to wear.

The year is spread out like the items on our apartment table: tidy and plain, but whose meaning requires further introspection. (One must pedal the mind to be rewarded!)

Why black and brooding? To appear serious and important, of course! Don’t remember where I read it, but an article author has pointed out that no existentialist is photographed smiling. A smirk, at most. And mostly, with a an unhealthy cigarette. But this is me. And it is 2016. The only feathers that need ruffling end with a wet ballpoint.

T-shirt and jeans, Uniqlo

A look back at 2015

2015-12-31T13:16:00.000+08:00

2015 has been one hell of a year.

As mentioned before, it has been the busiest I think I've been.

As you can see across these favorite 12* cameos, I've shed my chubby cheeks.

Lost sleep.

But have never lost track of whatever it is that I've set before me.

Though I haven't accomplished all of the things I planned at the start of the year, I think things are going according to plan.

Yes, I haven't been able to blog as often.

Was more absent than present.

Quieter than usual.

But even silence, too, is an investment.

More than securities, clothes, books.

I have been hoarding stories.

*12 because I was born on 12/12, and not for any other reason.

Last day of the Bosquejo sale

2015-12-15T15:24:00.001+08:00

In case any of you out there might be interested, it is the last day of the Bosquejo accessories sale on Zalora. It would be a good chance to get a bracelet/necklace or two you want to give as a gift for Christmas or to reward yourself for the year’s hard work.

Items are not just for gents, but for women as well. Everything 30% off. You’re welcome.

Panting to Pantone

2015-12-13T07:41:00.000+08:00

So hello, it’s been a while. Don’t know if you’ve missed me, but I’ve been perfectly fine. This is my best interpretation of Pantone’s colors of the year for 2016 (rose quartz and serenity), though I’ve designed a pink bracelet that comes closer (made of actual rose and cherry quartz, named Aphrodonis).

From Pantone: “As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colors that pyschologically fulfil our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”

Though I’m all for being mindful and promoting a sense of balance, for me the pastel combination can get a bit cloying. While equanimity is necessary for decision-making, I prefer the cold edge of logic. The flame of passion that burns sure and consistent.

Of course, always being angry can be a bit tiring, but I’d rather see it as compromise never allowing the lowering of standards. Funny, after celebrating my birthday yesterday, I’m already ready to plan for the next year, as if the remaining days no longer matter (as much, at least).

Cool, soothing waters. Even these next two weeks, while I am on leave from my day job, I’ll be very busy with my accessories business. But I appreciate having a bit more time at the gym, one or two extra hours of sleep, extra time to write and read.

The past month has been hectic cramming all of the things I want to accomplish before 2015 ends: from financial investments and obsessive-compulsive book purchases (both cutting down my online wishlists from online bookstores to shopping for used titles from local indie websites) to expanding the networks for my business.

Saying the year was hard is an understatement, harder still because I’ve read less than I’ve wanted to. I haven’t even really scratched the surface when it comes to revising and writing new poetry. If there is one thing though that the calm Pantone colors of 2016 convince me of is the value of being grateful – that given all that has happened, I have still exceeded my own expectations. Now it’s time to move on: recalibrate plans and update calculations. Of course taking into account the havoc that variables can introduce.

Polo shirt and oversized sweater, Piazza Italia

Chinos, CottonOn

Belt, Factorie

Sneakers, thrifted

Kruos Clear Quartz Bracelet, Bosquejo

Summer in November

2015-11-06T03:44:00.005+08:00

This is the only tank top I own, I promise! After Nice Try Bro took a jab at my DIY-ed mesh mess, I never dared again. Somehow tank tops just don’t like me: shoulders not broad enough, arms not ripped enough – but what the heck! I’ll wear what I like to wear. Just not anywhere where anybody knows me, hehe.

I know, the year hasn’t even ended yet, but I’m already looking forward to a new first quarter. Another trip to Bangkok, but not before hitting the beach again this Christmas break.

I hope I can be forgiven thinking that this tank top looks good on me, because I really like its Life Savers stripes.

Maybe I just don’t look the part.

A break, a holiday, can save one’s life.

Don’t think I’ve worked harder than I have than in 2015.

But that is, of course, just a passing thought. I thrive under pressure and can’t bear not engaging myself with multiple projects. So I’m holding my breath, because there’s more work to be done in the last remaining months.

Tank Top, Pedal and Stripe, from People Are PeopleCargo shorts, LeeShoes, Dr MartensRalub Red Coral Bracelet, BosquejoDelgaditta Wood and Gold Bracelet, BosquejoMovox Malachite Bracelet, Bosquejo

Photographs by Jullian Mendoza

My leather notebooks

2015-11-04T01:10:00.000+08:00

This pile represents years of writing.
The oldest notebook comes third from top, with a patched suede cover. It was given to me by a friend from high school and college. You know, one of the nerds/geeks I used to hang out with. What’s not shown here, though, are the loose binder inserts where I wrote down new Filipino words, as a way of committing them to memory, during the time I was arduously shifting poetry writing from English to my mother tongue, or lingua franca.
The top and bottom notebooks I bought locally from bookstores. Both have not been filled yet to the brim with my poetry notes. The smaller one is useful whenever I cannot use my iPhone, ie during plane lift off, etc.
The fourth notebook from top bears plants and butterflies on its cover and was bought at an art market in Beijing. The second one is actually not a notebook but a pad with a leather case, which I bought in Bangkok. I love the leather and how it has to be tied shut.
There was a time, before I bought my first iPhone and laptop (I have disposed of them by now), that I really only wanted a Palm Pilot in my pocket so that I could have a dictionary I could refer to on the go, together with whatever book I had with me, which I kept in my bag and brought out whenever I was stuck in traffic in a family car or in public transport.
Even if technology has allowed me to synch my notes from my phone to my laptop, nothing quite replaces the pleasure of using pen on paper. I still keep the smallest notebook in my bag, just in case – not just for technical emergencies, but for times I want more physical evidence of what I’m doing.
This image is a reminder of how much work there is yet to do. More notebooks to fill. More distractions to avoid. And yes, this serves as a valid excuse not to post a cameo of yet another outfit, which during times like these I really do not want to be bothered with.
PSI will also be posting this on my new Instagram account devoted to books and writing (@boraborador). I know, this is my fourth after @lbosquejo, @miguelpaolocelestial, and @bosquejobazaar. No matter how I want to resist compartmentalization, I find it necessary to keep me sane.

Red dam and blue waters

2015-10-27T05:43:00.003+08:00

Taking the office dress code to heart, well almost. Is it really that obvious I’m wearing jeans?

Truth be told, when I grabbed this braided belt from the racks, I didn’t realize it was from Uniqlo’s women’s department. Would have bought a manlier piece from Hackett, in a lovely shade of tan, if not for the logo in front.

Oh, well. At least it matches my braided loafers, which I insist on wearing sockless.

The forehead scar is not part of the office uniform, mind you. Second dumbbell mishap at the gym (in the same place, I think). I’ve learned to hide my bloodied sweat towel (almost as red as my bracelets) – also learned to settle for a lighter weight until I can safely avoid accidents.

Yes, this shade of dried-blood red.

Taking everything in stride. Stay as casual as my skinny stretch chinos. I’ve learned to wait this long anyway, just enough to keep the dam from breaking.

Oxford shirt, belt, and jeans, UniqloCashmere cardigan, Uniqlo +JShoes, BassIaspis Red Jasper Bracelet, BosquejoKaspre Red Tiger’s Eye and Jasper Bracelet, Bosquejo

Spots and stripes

2015-10-19T06:52:00.003+08:00

I know, it’s too early for New Year’s lucky polka dots. But October is way past its midpoint and before you know it the year has already come to a close.

By now the two storms that were expected to ravage the metro have gone. Thankfully, their arrival was not marked by nervous and livid skies.

Speaking of the color purple, am I the only one excited for the upcoming film adaptation of Macbeth? With Marion Cotillard, no less, who stains her hands.

These pictures were taken last month. As I write this, I can still hear aluminum sheets shivering in the distance.

How best to mark the passing of time? By scars and bruises, by coins accumulated, or by prayers left yet to be answered?

Always, something must be left out of focus, for any detail to be deciphered.

Or, as most do at the end of the year, only notice the highlights.

Should we look at the shape of a constellation or the color left by a supernova?

I prefer to look at patterns, changing alignments.

From sketch to derailment.

Polo shirt, Fred PerryJeans, Dior HommeBelt, IzzueBoots, Dr MartensFremin Fowlerite, Garnet, and Amber Bracelet, BosquejoFelox Fowlerite and Gold Bracelet, Bosquejo

Photos by Jullian Mendoza