Ultimate Guide to Manila's Pretentions

[Agent 007]

Guys, my sister forwarded this to me - and I found it sooo interesting..maybe you could
say something about this...here it goes:

The Ultimate Guide to Manila's Pretentions for the City's Great Pretender

Who ever thought Manila's pretentious crowd of Feelings, wannabes, and social climbers could be more colorful than a POLO SPORT emblazoned on a shirt?

They're everywhere now, driving their Honda Civic VTECs, declaring to the world that Tower Records is their favorite music store, and even if they're a decade late, still aspiring to be called, of all things, YUPPIE.

They're a force to be reckoned with, a broad-reaching market. San Miguel
Beer, for example, changed their image from the people's beer of choice to the new monicker SMB. There was nothing wrong with the old concept, except maybe for one commercial where Fernando Po Jr. gazed longingly at the eyes of a deer, then ate it as pulutan with his friends. But the powers-that-be just had to create SMB for the city's great pretenders or YAP (young
affluent pretender), by reating characters, which epitomize this new lucrative breed.

For example, there's a woman who's 'Single By Choice' and a cutesy guy cum 'Net Warrior,' if there ever was a thing, whose favorite food is cold pizza and SMB. YAPs are a marketer's wet dream since they'll lap up everything, buy anything, do what it takes as long as verybody else does.

They're image-driven, caring deeply about belonging, being called something, which they strive madly for: 'IN.' Globe, one of the more visible defenders of YAPs, loved this market so much that they created GenText, an 'exlcusive' club for, of all people, texters.

If you're a YAP, then Makati would be your Mecca. You can dress up in your best designer outfits, splash on the latest cologne or perfume, and go to Starbucks 6750 where, after ordering your favorite frapuccino, you can hang out on the outdoor tables and text your friends about the Y2K bug.

Or if you're feeling more upbeat, head for the nearest Strumm's where you and your buddies can drink, dance, and scream in ecstasy when the band plays Horny. If you want other people to see you, and for you to see other
people, then go to bars like those along the frontage of Glorietta 4 (your favorite
mall); Venezia, which still plays Love is Contagious; and, Giraffe, where spelling out the letters YMCA with your arms is so IN.

But if you call yourself a 'Raver' just because you love to be seen going to raves (a late 80's phenomenon), then your best bet would be to head out to The FORT, and single out the latest bastion of high pretense, Fat Willy's.
If you're lucky, you might even catch a highly-publicized, heavily-commercialized, Lucky Strike-sponsored 'underground' event with 'international' DJ Manolet Dario. If you're really lucky, DJ Mano might just play Madonna's Ray of Light (techno version). And if you're totally blessed , you could bump into Tim Yap and come out in his 2BU column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Congratulations, you're now a full-pledged Yaparazzi!

The Point
---------

Are you happy? See, the point is you don't have to be a YAP. You don't have to be seen dining in Stars, hanging out at Robin da Rosa's Sambo's with his showbiz crowd, or going down to the penultimate depths of pretention: taking Ecstasy and Special K in ABGs (drugs are not good for you, you know).
You're much, much better than what Globe and MTV will ever describe you to be.

So when looking for a good time, forget about everything commercials tell you. It's okay to take the bus, buy second hand clothes, and hang out in places, which pride themselves in having no dress codes.

Forget about the class thing, nobody needs it. Just do whatever it is you feel like doing, wear anything you feel like wearing, evolve into whoever it is you're being.

And remember, you don't have to be called anything but your name, to belong to any clique but your own circle of close and trusted friends, or to be anybody but yourself.

[CaRaMBa]

This was posted in PEx before. :) I forwarded it to my friends. It's a very interesting article. Punta kayo dito for examples. ;)

[MsEerie]

Aliw nito. Sana ma-feature ako sa Yapparazi when I go to the Fort. Of course me and my barkadings would bring our own beer and hide them in our dressed-up car with stereos blazing. Tapos I would be wearing my tube blouse, short black skirt and high heels. Then I would text my friend who is right beside me how cool we are. Hahahah. Losers!

[Lush]

What the HELL is a Net Warrior, anyway?!

I've been mocking the stupid SMB commerical in my profile, heheheh :D

[ChiQui]

Just moving the topic up. :)

[tr|n|ty]

hehehe i read na this before..that's what manila is in a nutshell..sad but true

[byby]

nice article! :)

[Jacob]

YAP personified is Tim Yap himself!!!

[BOMBA_STARR]

Yeah Man Yeah!!!!! you said it!

Frankly I'm sick of hearing and seeing all those freaking people so concerned about all that sh@#t!

I believe that when you do something, you do it because it comes from the heart! You have a passion for it and it drives you to truly excel through thick and thin through pain and pleasure. Perhaps a few times I've tried being a 'Pretender' -- but I could never really keep at it coz it made me feel exhausted -- the whole thing was pointless!

[BOMBA_STARR]

Hahahaha! sorry I love this topic!

Did you ever happen to notice so many youngsters( man they even look about 15 yrs old!),flocking to bars forcing themselves to gulp down just a single bottle of beer so that they'd look 'in'. Jeez you could see the suffering in their faces as you know that they've never really developed a taste for the drink but they've just gotta look 'in'.

And as for the Civics and VTECS -- It cracks me up when those people have to call mommy or daddy coz they don't know what to do when they get a flat! hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

[virgo14]

you forgot to mention the "i wanna have the latest, most flashy cellphone" phenomena. my friends from there are always comparing and sizing up the different models and features. talk about an absurd obsession!

[Free Agent]

Hmm... this reminds me of my former English teacher, Rafael Acuña.

[dzhon]

Gotta move this up...bump...

[AltarBoy^_^]

Honestly speaking, we can't help it. There will always be people who are social-climbers. I for one would like to admit that I have friends from higher circles and I looked like someone trying hard to fit with them. Of course they tell me what to do, wear, and act. It's a sad and pathetic tale of "fitting in" that affects the masses up to the cream of the crop. The only way we can never lose our own identity with these kind of people is to be flexible. Buti na lang cowboy pa rin ako! Let's be humble lang. http://www.pinoyexchange.com/smokin.gif

[cianoy]

This is such a relevant thread. I personally find it sad why people have to pretend. I guess that happens when you're not confident with your self image. I tend to think if you have enough character, you'd be really down to earth.

[KuHRant^21]

I really think that the most common reason for the weekly venturing to these prevalent locations is basically to satisfy the need and the inner urge to be noticed and somewhat to be "approved" it's like dancing on top of the table just because everyone's dancing on the floor and the misic is pumpin loud. Parang "papansin" in a way. To the point that going clubbing, bar hopping, wearing the hippest clothes, and sometimes even sneaking out your dad's BMW becomes the very epitome of what a Saturday night is. Tama si Altarboy, dapat cowboy lang and do what you feel you want to do and not be conformed by the ways and dictations of mainstream YAP society.
I have a friend who even surfs the net for the latest trends on clothes para kunwari siya nauuuna sa trend. Sinaabi ko nga he'll look good in a skirt kasi uso na sa Europe, laking tawa ko lang!!!

[Vv|cKeD]

oh.. i just love this topic :) it makes me feel so much better..

[virgo14]

Originally posted by Free Agent:
Hmm... this reminds me of my former English teacher, Rafael Acuña.
hmmm...is he the ME major turned En 26 teacher? wonder what happened to him...

[virgo14]

Originally posted by cianoy:
I guess that happens when you're not confident with your self image. I tend to think if you have enough character, you'd be really down to earth.
i whole-heartedly agree.

[hudyat]

pretension is unfortunately something we have to live by. I work in Manila, and the same thing is true if you talk about the other bastion of this youth generation... Malate.

I go there once in a while to entertain people and I cannot help myself when I see the pretension of the young teenagers there. Wearing there oh so trendy clothes, driving their Dad's oh so trendy cars and yaking or texting it up with the latest cellphone in the market. Its crazy to believe but its true... simplicity as a virtue is gone... replaced by non stop advertising and promotion... geez

[blue babe]

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif
that gave me a good laugh... i know sooo many people who fit that description!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif sad thing is... a lot of them are my friends, my good friends!!!

stars... sambo's.... venezia.... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

wala pang orange nun kaya siguro di namention... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif or what about c2? http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[DELISYUS]

buti na lang.....middle-class lang ako...at ang mga friends ko...our gimiks run the gamut of breakwaters/paco park/malabon zoo to suburbia/tia's....our clothes may come from tutuban and/or Marks & Spencer...our perfume may just be Johnson's baby cologne or Pleasures...we may eat from the bangketa or from Sheraton for merienda....

sigh....

ang nakakalungkot lang....u guys seen POPular??? the TV show??? u heard of how U.S. teeners die or kill just to be 'in'??? well....i think we're on our way there....

so sad...

[leira]

that's a nice article. yeah, it's sad na that's happening now. many people are trying so hard just to be 'in'. ako kasi mejo homebody, minsan lang ako lumabas. pero kasi everytime i go out, naiinis lang ako tumingin sa ganyang klaseng people, lalo na yung mga bata pa na sobrang nagpipilit! mga mukhang 15 years old pa lang pero sobrnag feeling mature na and ang lalandi!

[tr|n|ty]

Originally posted by blue babe:
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif
that gave me a good laugh... i know sooo many people who fit that description!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif sad thing is... a lot of them are my friends, my good friends!!!

stars... sambo's.... venezia.... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

wala pang orange nun kaya siguro di namention... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif or what about c2? http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

agree ako kay mommy blue babe!! as much as i hate to admit it, a lot of my friends are like that...it's sad but true, right??

and don't forget il ponticello! :D

[Free Agent]

Originally posted by virgo14:
Originally posted by Free Agent:
Hmm... this reminds me of my former English teacher, Rafael Acuña.
hmmm...is he the ME major turned En 26 teacher? wonder what happened to him...



Yah, he was a former ME major turned English 12/14 teacher.

[bluestar]

I never really considered that there are people who live in disgusting opulence until I went to college. It is so sad to think that most young people today are now driven by more materialistic desires. That is not to say that I do not have such desires. I do but in a lesser degree. It is such a wonder why parents allow their children to become so shallow and superficial, with nothing in their minds but being "IN". Society doesn't do anything to change such mentalities, it even urges the people, especially the young ones, to be more extravagant, more blatant in their show of wealth, breeding(?).
To those who see these things, it is hard to do anything about it. Those people we describe may be our friends, acquaintances, or even our families. But its being difficult does NOT mean we could do nothing about it.

[BOMBA_STARR]

I'm not trying to be a preacher here, I mean all of us want to be 'in' in some way but I guess to go to great,great lengths just to be 'in' is a very different thing. When such becomes your 'essence' I think it's a little overboard.

[AltarBoy^_^]

Like I said before, its a sad tale of "fitting in." Maybe I have less character to be humble enough but I know I am true to what I say that we sometimes need to be flexible, flexible in a way that we can trip what they like and vice versa, example, you go to rave parties but still eat in a lugaw house after you leave them. Magpakatotoo lang tayo sa sarili natin.

They used to call the rich people Elitists and the masa as Bakya crowd, now its conyos and jologs. Nothing changes in this world. There will always be people that will envy other people's wealth and the middle class people are what they call opportunistas. Some will never fit in not because they want to but because they want to be part of a change in society's cancer. No wonder Rizal's brilliance in Noli Me Tangere won him the hearts of many. But to struggle against the wave is like suicide so we don't swim directly north but northwest or northeast. It's the easier and safer way to reach shore and stay there. To be cowboy is to be humble lang. Peace! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/smokin.gif

[AltarBoy^_^]

We don't have to lose our individuality to these kind of people. To be cowboy is to be humble! Flexibility doesn't exactly mean to be "fitting in" or plastic. We can adapt to certain lifestyles of our friends but we know ourselves better than to be like one of them diba?
Dati they call them Elitistas, now they're conyos, the Bakya crowd as the Jologs or Squatter! Nothing changes, and the social climbers are still social climbers. It's a cancer of society. Just be aware and know where you stand. Peace! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/smokin.gif

[Moon Goddess]

Do you really want MAnila's pretentions?

Go read the newspaper reviews that praise and commend the city government for it's job well done.

After reading, go to Sta. Cruz, Tondo, Old Manila, Blumentritt, Quiapo, etc

Then ask yourself, where are the places or events worth praising in the newspapers?

[xyzseaman]

Thank God my Mom did a good job on raising me up. I never tried to be with the "IN" crowd because it looks pathetic..I'm not saying all of them but there would always be a rotten Apple in a basket of Tomatoes(hmmm, weird Analogy). I'm just a small stone going against a giant wave...

[DAILO]

Originally posted by blue babe:
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif
that gave me a good laugh... i know sooo many people who fit that description!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif sad thing is... a lot of them are my friends, my good friends!!!

stars... sambo's.... venezia.... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

wala pang orange nun kaya siguro di namention... http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif or what about c2? http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

so sad but true....

[yzKa]

Youth culture is way too hyped-up and everyone feels the pressure to belong. I guess the best thing to do is know who you are and stay true to yourself. Having down-to-earth people around you keeps you grounded too. PEACE2ALL

[celeb]

glad to ba among people who get it :D

di kaya napapgod iyong mga PRETENDERS sa pa-cool? :rolleyes:

[blue babe]

trinity:
il ponti! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif i know some of the owners and they're actually good friends of my barkada. went there just once though. hehehehe.... its okay... a bit less pretentious than C2 or stars or venezia. :D

[blue babe]

trinity:
il ponti! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif i know some of the owners and they're actually good friends of my barkada. went there just once though. hehehehe.... its okay... a bit less pretentious than C2 or stars or venezia. :D

[*happy*phantom*]

Sad but true. This phenomenon actually worries me. Do these people think that life is a piece of cake? Let me see how they can earn their own gimmick-cellphone-etc money. Let's see if they can spend money as hastily as they are doing. Do they know what things in life are truly valuable? And do they still care?

Sad...