Friday, August 26, 2011

What’s the story on your chest?

 

I like looking at people's chests.

And boy, I think I have seen almost everything. Some possess as big as watermelons. Those a little conservative flaunt medium-sized like melons while others like it to be plain like water as in nothing to display, invisible, nada!

Before you raise those eyebrows and call me a pervert, I just want to make it clear that I am talking about the size of the designs printed on the shirts of people I get to meet everyday. I developed the hobby of getting a glimpse on what others are wearing through the years of commuting to and from the office.  Imagine your self getting stuck inside a sardine passenger jeepney. How would you spend the next hour or two doing the upong otso pesos without getting bored?  Here are some of your options:

a. Sing along with the tunes being played by the driver.  You’re lucky if you share the same taste in music.  If not, you can step out the jeep anytime you want but remember that God knows Hudas not pay.

b. Pray the rosary.   Sometimes it’s like a miracle to finish a mystery especially when Mr. Driver starts to run his play list from a medley of remixed disco version of songs from Tiny Bubbles to the beerhouse classic Skyline Pigeon.  

c. Play games on your cellphone or portable gadgets like PSP, Gameboy, etc.--- and put your life at risk!  Forgive my paranoid-like behavior but how many times have we heard in the news about people who got killed by “gadget hunters.”

d. My recommendation: just sit quietly inside the jeepney and look for interesting subjects inside like who looks fresh and has the nicest or oddest getup, or you can always do silent reading of what are written on the shirts of fellow passengers.

You’ll be surprised that it can be a learning and entertaining activity sometime. Things I have learned through reading prints on shirts include generic names of medicines, names of local officials from towns and provinces I have never been to and handy info like the delivery service number of various restaurants.  And I am pretty sure, at least one time in your life, an amusing shirt made you smile and made your day. 

 

Let me take you down the memory lane through my more than three decades of journey and existence.  Each chapter of my life will be represented by a shirt that I owned during each period.

I was a Star Wars fan at the age of 4.  Nope. I did not see the George Lucas movie when I was that young. I was fascinated with the toy figures that I get for free in every jar of Ovaltine then.  I actually like Darth Vader among all the toys I was able to collect (still have an anything Vader collection until now).  My tatay knows that so he tried to look for a shirt with a Darth Vader print for my birthday.  Since ebay and sulit.ph were non existence during those times, he failed to find one.  His alternative was a Voltes V shirt which I also liked since I feel like I am Little John while wearing it.  They told me that I would wear it every time I hear the theme song of the cartoon series and climb on our dining table just to dance (I hate to admit it but I still headbang a little when I hear the catchy tune).

When I was in grade school, a softdrink company launched a promo where you can exchange crowns of their products for limited edition Menudo items.  They were my generation’s ‘N Sync and Super Junior.  We have a sari-sari store so collecting crowns was never a problem unless the one buying the cola also knows about the promo.  I was able to get posters, mugs and of course, a T-shirt with prints of the said boyband.  My sisters love Robby Rosa but I find Ricky Martin better. I still remember wearing a headband made from a torn shirt (which angered my mom) and would proclaim, “I want to be Ricky Martin.” If I only knew that after two decades, he would make the I-am-gay announcement, I could have chosen Charlie Maso instead since no one really likes him.

Who can forget THE shirt who has pranked thousands of unwilling victims--- the one with "Look at my Back" on the front side. The words were so powerful that anyone who reads it will look at the back of the person wearing it, only to find out an equally silly message that says, “Look at the Front.”  I had one of these shirts but customized the back portion and changed it to “Uto-uto” which I thought was clever and funnier.  My stupid plan backfired on me when people started calling me uto-uto every time I pass by wearing it.

One remarkable occurrence happened during the height of the Philippine Centennial celebration in 1998: the birth of the so called Makabayan shirt. The demand even became bigger when more I-am-proud-to-be-a-Filipino moments followed like the 20th year festivities of the first EDSA revolution, emotional farewell to ex-Pres. Cory Aquino and Francism, mixed with the creative juices of the guys from Collezione and Francis Magalona clothing line and other local companies hyped the Proud Pinoy spirit.  I have the one with the Philippine map and another with our nation’s colors (and also my wife and son Charles).  I could have been more OA if I actually used the mp3 of Lupang Hinirang that I downloaded via Bearshare as my mobile phone’s ring tone.

One tip for a happy marriage which kinda work for me and my wife Leah is to sometimes have moments that as if you are still in the ligawan stage.  A little pa-tweetums with one another will not hurt no matter what your neighbors says.  We still do HHWW (Holding Hands While Walking) and deliver cheesy pick-up lines to one another.  The most recent I told her goes something like, “Bumabagyo diba? How come I see sunshine in your eyes?”  To top it all, we have two sets of couples shirt that we wear even in ordinary days when we feel like we just want the world to know that she is my wife and I am her husband.    

All the shirts that I mentioned above each have a special space in my heart (and in our closet) although some have already went missing after the many typhoons and floods that hit our home.  I just want to special mention a shirt which has a sentimental value for me because of many reasons.

To start, it was the first ever gift
(a blue piece with prints of irregular shapes and different colors to match my somewhat weird kind of thinking, perhaps)  I received from the parents of my wife a year before we got married.  Second, it was a shirt I have worn to many out-of-towns activities, both work-related and leisure.  And lastly, it was the one I wore for two days when an unexpected flood drowned our house in Pasig as a result of the wrath of typhoon Ondoy.  All my shirts were soaked in flood water since we were not in our house when it happened.  The water system was temporary closed by the Maynila Water company as the dirty water might contaminate pipes while the rain continues to fall, so no chance to wash clothes.  During those times, who cares if you don’t take a bath or change clothes in a day or two--- everyone's just too busy saving their homes to notice it.

Below is a photo taken while I was trying to place borders in front of our gate to avoid debris entering our sunken home.  I was on serious mode when somebody shouted, “may pagong, may pagong.”  When I turned my back I saw this cute creature approaching me.  It was our neighbor’s pet who escaped from his aquarium.  It made me paused for a moment and have a reason to smile amidst all the mess in our place and in my mind.  It just made my day and remembered the saying, "At the end of the tunnel, there is a turtle” (I’m sure somebody said that line sometime I can’t remember).


It could have been perfect If I was wearing a turtle neck shirt.  But kidding aside, the one I’m wearing that time is such a special piece that has accompanied me (protected and wrapped me from all sorts of weather)  through fun and troubled times. I am glad it was the one I was wearing that time. 

I love this shirt! Now I want someone else to love it too!  I support the Electrolux Wash-athon Clothes Donation advocacy.

88 comments:

Adventures of DonJuanQuixote said...

Astig 316

astig yun design ng mga tshirt ha.

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thank you Don Juan! Ang mga t- shirt di lang dapat pangsaplot... Dapat din nagbibigay Ito ng astigmatism na feeling sa nagsusuot nito :-)

LN said...

I so like the write-up.. ayos ang flow.. parang evolution ng shirts sa Pinas :) it also shows how old you are na. LOL. Joke lang. Seriously, this is a great read :) Good luck!

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks Ellen... First for the kind words and secondvfornthe reminder for me to hide the year of my birth on FB hehe. Send ka na din ba entry? Post mo na so we'll have a ticket na sa event :-)

jared's mum said...

you nailed it again this time! i just love reading about your heart-warming stories that always hit home!

and maybe i can try one of those couple shirts one of these days ;)

Richard Mamuyac said...

Hi vix. thank you for the nice comment. I hope somebody will give you a pair of couple shirts on ur bday :-)

rain said...

Nice post and insights :) I have a collection of shirt once (shirts that I've gotten from different events, activities and special occasions - all with their very own personalities and sentimental values). Most of them have never been worn before - I have about two sacks of them. I was planning to make a wall portrait from it someday but.. all of it got destroyed in a flood years ago :(

Chanel said...

Hello :) My favorite shirt is color pink :) BECAUSE PINK IS MY FAVORITE COLOR

MinnieRunner said...

A very noble act :)

Anyway, among the shirts that you have, yung makabayan shirt lang ang meron ako, bought it from FMCC. Gusto ko rin sana bumili ng couple shirts, pero pag may pamibli na :P

Richard Mamuyac said...

@rain... Yeah kinda pro stating when you loose things with sentimental value. Don't worry, life is so great that you'll have more stuff to collect from the many adventures you'll experience in the future. Pero sayang talaga yun mga shirts mo no? I know the feeling. Thanks for the comment

@chanel... Thanks for the cute comment. I also have pink shirts :-)

@Minnie runner... Customized couple shirts are much better kasi may touch mo. Hope you get a pair na soon for you and your love one. I'm sure he'll appreciate it :-) thanks!

Ruth said...

wow.. nice post! Very observant on the evolution of shirt design and trends! :)

im still working on my entry.. olats na naman kame sayo. :D tagos sa puso yang entry mo. :)

PMAP is amazing! said...

nice shirt tale :-)

Richard Mamuyac said...

@ Ruth... looking forward reading your entry and seeing you at the event (in case we are shortlisted, of course) Thanks for the kind words!

@PMAP... every shirt has a story, indeed. Thanks :-)

arra said...

nice!...like the way u tell a story...hndi mgulo..btw,san b mgppost nf answer dun sa promo mo?...i want to join!...

Unknown said...

joining your contest. Ang paborito kong t-shirt e yun nabili ko sa isang pambatang store na may drawing na jeepney (cartoonized)at may nakasulat na Philippines. Pakiramdam ko kasi pag suot ko siya e mas nailalabas ko yun pagiging makabayan ko tsaka bagay din daw sa akin ang kulay na berde.

shyvixen said...

May peborit shirt... d one i bought at bloggershirt online.... Black shirt tapos mei note na PINOY BLOGGER... astig..... kasi proud akong maging Pinoy blogger... :D

Richard Mamuyac said...

Hi Bags and Shyvixen... nice shirts you have. parang gusto ko din nun hehe.

@Arra... you can leave your comment here, join ka na! :-)

Unknown said...

couple shirts:)

lobely ging said...

since i want always comfortable when going somewhere,,,,i dont want much girly looks and moves,,,i like polo shirt...simple but beautiful....

Mommy Leah said...

ako anything na bigay ng mahalo ko :-)

Masyete said...

Hmmm... i have lot of favorite shirts but my favorite would be the one with the logos of my favorites NBA team since I am sporty although I confess to being a trying hard athlete hehe

ASC Admin said...

I like the way you told your story. I can relate with some of your anecdotes. Amusing yet heartfelt :-)

Edna P. said...

My favorite shirt is the one given to me by my sweetheart. Anything he gives me I treasure. But this shirt is special because of the effort he did in buying and choosing my favorite color w/c is purple

Richard Mamuyac said...

@ Stuckwith3, Lobely Ging, Leah, ASC, Edna P... thanks for the comments guys!

crumpylicious blog said...

like the shirt designs

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks, Crumpylicious! pede na pala ko magdesign ng shirts hehe. I hope you also have an entry sa My Shirt Story so I can return the comment :-)

Divine RC said...

I love the T-shirt designs. At tama sila, astig nga! bagay sayo! hehehe

Louie said...

Nice story! Funny yet thought-provoking :)

Louie said...

As of now, I love wearing PLAIN and STRIPE eye catching colored t-shirt. I am collecting with collar shirt as my smart casual outfit so I can use it anytime at any type of happening. Throughout my high school days, I wore murky loose type of top. At that moment, a classmate of mine told me to have on a light color to match up my skin tone, and I took her advised (thank God!). I now look more a human being.

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks, Divine and Louie :-)

Ms. Cecil said...

very nice write up. A milestone of T-shirts? hihihi

Chacha said...

great reading and nice shirt designs :-) I like!

Mommy Leah said...

Hmmm... still thinking pa po for my fave shirt :-)

Bachuchay said...

My favorite shirt is the one I bought in team manila..Eheads with the lyrics of "alkohol"printed at the back of the shirt.. great for inuman sessions =)

Anonymous said...

i have a small collections of loose shirt from my close friends.. i used to wear it when i'm home and during bedtime(pangtulog) i feel presko kasi.. but one of my fav is the shirt from my ex-bf.bigay nya sakin last april 30, 2007 around 2pm monday un.. gosh tandang-tanda ko pa. we bought it at the souvenir shop at bantayan island wer me & some of our friends spend a summer vacation.. nong nagbreak kami 3 years ago, di ko xa ginagamit but now i can say naka-move on na ako.. hahhaha nasusuot ko na xa..congrats to me.

Agnes Dela Cruz said...

My favorite shirt design is the " No Pictures Please" sign which I bought for P99.00 and I forgot the mall where I bought it.
it made a statement when I wore it during the 1st meeting of my camera club. =)

may pagong! ayus!

rhea said...

i have a small collections of loose shirt from my close friends.. i used to wear it when i'm home and during bedtime(pangtulog) i feel presko kasi.. but one of my fav is the shirt from my ex-bf.bigay nya sakin last april 30, 2007 around 2pm monday un.. gosh tandang-tanda ko pa. we bought it at the souvenir shop at bantayan island wer me & some of our friends spend a summer vacation.. nong nagbreak kami 3 years ago, di ko xa ginagamit but now i can say naka-move on na ako.. hahhaha nasusuot ko na xa..congrats to me.


yangerts.>_<

Richard Mamuyac said...

Hahaha! I love your comments guys! Nag cu-cute. Thanks for sharing

THJ said...

Hero shirts I like <3

Ascaweb said...

I had fun reading this. So electrolux has a donation drive campaign here in PH?

Richard Mamuyac said...

@THJ... Thanks for the comment
@ascaweb... Yup and they actually have a blogging contest in connection to their advocacy. Thanks!

marvindegracia said...

What is my favorite shirt? and why? I must admit that I am not a well-off man. I am just a student who depends on my parents to grant me money and buy things that I need. Just to emphasize that, things that I NEED. Given that, I do not always get any fancy clothes BUT I have this plain blue polo shirt that I love to wear because it fits any circumstances. I call it "the power of 'that' collar". I can use it in school, at work and in church.

Nicely said...

My boyfriend is also addicted to shirts with astig prints. Feeling nya gwapo sya kapag binabasa ng mga tao ang nakasulat or nakadrawing sa dibdib nya. Well, I also love the designs you featured in this post. Cool.

oasisgurl said...

i love the couple shirt! they are really cute especially if you wear it with your special person...

darwin said...

hahaha! i like the story of the one, about the turtle. It made me smile.

nuts said...

oh, astig ang post, i love it. I have a few shirts as my collection, most of them are blogger shirts, but this time I want an astig shirt, I should have been informed!

"at the end of the tunnel, there is a turtle" will make a good design, too. nice one!

Gus Cabredo said...

Believe it or not, it would be my Jollibee shirt and you might be wondering why. I started out joining contests when I won something for the first time in my life *teary eyed*. I used to buy my shirts but this one is different. So, corny as it sounds -- I wear it with pride because I won it (and the print is funny too). By the way, the shirt says "Kahit saan ka maghanap, walang ibang langhap sarap". BEAT THAT :)

Jek said...

Hi Richard, nice post! My fave shirt... hmmm.. a loose shirt! Yung tipong may butas-butas na sa kalumaan. Yun tipong pinanipis na ng panahon yun tela.
Very cool and airy... and it feels comfortable to wear. ^^

Jing Javier said...

My favorite shirt is my Red Morgan shirt given to me by my sis, whom I really miss that much 'coz she's in San Diego. Every time I think of her, I think of ways, on how to somehow feel her, and one of those is by simply wearing my fave shirt. Call me sentimental, ;)
Happy Birthday Richard!!!

Juan Hapito said...

"Dibale ng Tamad, Atleast hindi pagod" is my favorite! ...makes a lot of sense to me! Very positive hahaha! Its like all is well! :D

The write up is ASTIG! informative, it makes me read every details! HANEP!

jayresa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jayresa said...

favorite shirt b? hmmm,, Beatles Shirt! at sa sobrang luma na at nangupas naging mukhang beegees ang itsura.. hahaha.. ewan ko na lng! hahaha.. :D

chingzky said...

My favorite shirt is the one that is given by mom when I was in grade school. It has a simple design but what I love is that there is a print of my favorite anime. Hahaha :)

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks for sharing your stories, guys! :-)

Lourdes Espanol said...

My favorite shirt is the one I bought from Freeway's National Artist Collectors' Series featuring Ramon Valera. Not only do I love the color (rust), style (turtle neck), and fabric (stretchable), but most of all I love the design, which is an artsy drawing of beautiful women placed in the lower part of the shirt.

joey said...

hi astig! i love your blog =)

Animetric said...

80% of my shirts are black. Good luck!

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks, Rowena!

Well, mine is 50% black, I think. Madali kasi ternohan and nagpapapayat daw hehe.

See you!

jared's mum said...

my favorite shirt is the black "heart" shirt i bought from Kcat some months ago, it is comfy + fits well at the same time :)

Harvy Smitt said...

my fave shirt is my wife's shirts mas malaki kasi siya sakin so mga shirts nya nasusuot ko din anyways uso naman ang fitted shirts hindi na halata cute pa nga daw tignan TIPID! :)

Richard Mamuyac said...

Thanks Jared... i saw those shirts.. ganda nga.

@Harvey... same here minsan nasusuot ko shirt ng wife ko kaso one time I wore yung issued ng school where she works nakalagay yung tatak at logo ng schhol na exclusive for girls hehe... pero cool lang. thanks for sharing your story

sexyislander76 said...

Favorite shirt ko yung vintage ko na super mario shirt. It has like a news paper design! I talked one of the guys here in Utah out of that shirt! He took it off and gave it to me kahit nakahubad na sya! :) hmmmm... If you want Chard, i can post the pix on fb. I have few Mario shirts! Love my home boy!

Richard Mamuyac said...

@Sexyislander... go sige post mo yung pics sa FB. thanks!

Mommy Leah said...

I love all the shirts given to me by my husband :-)

FILAMAY ASTURIAS BEBOSO said...

My holiday t-shirts since it provide that spark of inspiration that allows me to express the spirit of holidays & it will put smile in our face.

Gems said...

My favorite shirt is the one given to me by my daughter last year during my birthday. I was really surprised because I was not aware that she actually saved money from her baon everyday to buy me a white shirt with the words "I am beautiful". I am just proud of her and very happy of what she have done. Angsarap maging nanny when she did that!

MEL said...

my favorite shirt is an event shirt from our church. But honestly I love statement shirts.. like yung "Di ka pala UP Engg... LOL." Kainis diba? And yabang, natatawa ako pag me nakakasalubong ako sa school!

lance said...

The Couple Shirt I Love it.. gimme gimme. and i'll give a hug and kiss yow! :))

lance said...

The Couple Shirt I Love it.. gimme gimme. and i'll give you one hug and one kiss .. yow! :))

levy said...

hahaha I agree with the ligawan stage kahit mag-asawa na!!! ang cute di ba? Very nice post... mahaba pero nakakaaliw :)))

Paula said...

i love shirts that are form fitting and really has that spunky words or animal design. =)

arra said...

Hi,joining your giveaway!

Well,my fave shirt was my shirt uniform when I worked as a OTC (stands for over the counter) assistant in an Agricultural Chemical insecticide.It was a plain white shirt with the company's logo at the front and the company's slogan at the back.It states "Mapa Lipat o Sabog Tanim man,ADVANCE Herbicide ang gamitin!"...What I love about this shirt is that its simply comfortable,crisp white and it accomodates my 6months belly...yes,im pregnant that time and im so thankful for this company because they hired me still even wen Im expecting a baby...until now after I give birth and my baby is now 6months old I still wear that shirt with pride cos I never feel idle on my child bearing days(unlike other xpecting moms) ...and did I mention that i look good when im wearing it?....and dEfinitly it was one of my treasures cos yun ang souvenir ko for being a first time mom,a first time experience to carry a wonderful creation from GOD. ...and that explain the story of my fave t-shirt.

Thank You!Hope you enjoy reading my entry.

Arra Morta
naked_cannibal@yahoo.com

irmaxx said...

depende sa panahon, okasyon at mood.. kahit anung klaseng pantaas ay uubra. :)

Unknown said...

Tawa ko ng tawa, ang kulet ng post mo! Love the shirts. Good luck, Sir! I'm sure you'll get a spot again sa event :)

albosis said...

I love all my PE shirts in high school and I have keep all four of them 'coz they bring back great memories of my school life everytime I wear them :-)

Chacha said...

just dropping by your blog :-)

crumpylicious blog said...

My favorite shirt is my bohol souvenir shirt because my bf gave it to me

blankPixels said...

Oh gosh. I was only supposed to read through your post but couldn't help but leave a comment after I read this...

"At the end of the tunnel, there is a turtle"

...and that turtle neck comment. You just made my day. Benta lang after a stressful day. ^_^

Good luck! And yeah, I love the evolution theme of your post. :)

Richard Mamuyac said...

Guys, thanks for all the comments!

@Butchie and BlankPixels... glad to hear I made you smile with this post :-)

Lawrence Andrew Fernandez said...

I remember the Menudo shirt. I had one of those before too and even a Menudo wall clock. Now, I can't help but sing: If you're not here, by my side...:D

Anonymous said...

I like vintage tees.. Kahit anong design n vintage gusto ko!!:) - jean r :)

Mara Franco said...

What's your favorite shirt and why? Plain White Shirts..Plain and Simple

rdnofera said...

I also had printed t-shirt before but I think I already donated it to charity. Hope this donate a tee advocacy becomes more popular...

bluenwhite16 said...

haha! what a funny post... can relate with you man. still thinking of my fave shirt

Aklanon said...

how to join the donation campaign?

Boy Raket said...

like! penge namang shirt dyan nyehehe

Mommy Leah said...

Wow! dami na comments! I hope you can also visit my site and post a comment:

http://kuwentongina.blogspot.com/2011/09/johnsons-my-kids-growing-up-so-fast.html

bluenwhite16 said...

I think my face shirt is our school intrams jersey. We were the basketball champs in our school. I still wear it when i jog and sometiemes just pambahay 'coz it's cool and comfortable to wear