Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?

It’s just the beginning of March but I can already feel the heat of summer! I love summer!

What does summer mean? Hot men in speedos frolicking on the beautiful waters of Boracay! Okay, not really speedos, more like board shorts. I’m sure many of you have started your diets and work-out training programs just to get ready for this hot and sizzling season. Poor little skinny me won’t be joining you in that endeavor though because I know it will be an effort in futility for me.

I will instead just take the road that many others out there take – fashion. I’m vain but my body does not really cooperate with me in this particular department. I may eat kilos and kilos of rice and work out till my last bone breaks and last muscle tears, but I will never gain weight or develop a well-defined musculature. And since I have already accepted this fact, I have resorted to using fashion to make me stand out. At the beach, I know that I cannot wear my jackets, sweaters, longsleeves, and pa-fashion items. And that leaves the choices for me quite limited. I’m left with just the board shorts, the slippers, the headgear, and the beachbag to pump me up and make me stand out.

Most of my friends know that I try, as much as I can, to avoid wearing the same board shorts and clothes to two different occasions, events, or places where I know I will be photographed (mostly by myself). I made that one big mistake of wearing the same board shorts in two different places and two different times. I did that but I have learned my lesson and I learned it well. So now, I’ve become choosy with the things that I will be wearing to the beach. I know that for non-water-sports enthusiatsts like me, it’s all about style when choosing apparel to wear to the beach.

At one point in my life, I have become a self-proclaimed surfer dude, thanks to basic lessons from the good gentlemen of Onboard Philippines. More thanks though to the availability of a surf board in the same vicinity as that of a dSLR. I enjoyed surfing in Lanuza, Surigao last year but I got more excitement from the attention that my surfer dude photo got online (about 2 men said it was hot, or was it just one and the second person myself?).

I have previously written about the joys of surfing, but let me tell you that this counterculture is booming. My friends at work recently went on a surf trip to La Union. No thanks to my schedule, I wasn’t able to join them. But since I was a notch above the first-timers (owing to the fact that surfers of great caliber taught me - Paolo Soler and Lui Tortuya - among others), I gave out a lot of unsolicited advice.

The unsolicited advice though was more on the clothes and accessories that will make them stand out. Some were looking for good quality rash guards and board shorts. I initially thought of Aloha Boardsports, which was initially pitched to us when we went surfing in Lanuza. Unfortunately, my friends’ trip was scheduled earlier than the opening of Aloha. I knew they were gonna open during the first quarter of this year, but I just didn’t know when. Little did I know that they were gonna open a mere two weeks before I dished out expert-like advice.

Aloha Boardsports opened their first retail store in the Philippines last night (at Powerplant Mall in Rockwell, Makati), and boy was I glad. Not only did I see the hot surfers (and Jericho Rosales) again, I also got to see a very impressive collection of leading surf and skate brands including Volcom, Lost, and Dakine. I actually was hooked to their bags section and one particular Dakine bag caught my attention. It was so pretty! If i didn’t rush to go to work that night, I would have been basking in the warm hug of that bag.

For some odd reason, I find surfer dude “items” very hot and attractive. Of course I’m talking about the apparel and accessories. I find them really fashionable and can would love to wear them everywhere and every single chance I get - even if I’m no surfer, rider, or skater. Aloha Boardsports President Freddy Gonzales confirms my initial suspicion about these items: “The thing that makes the boardsports style unique is that it’s a subculture - an identity.” True enough they are. Even if you’re no surf, skate or bike enthusiast, these fashionable finds are really worth it. I guess one reason why the stuff that they have on display in their store can easily attract even non-enthusiasts, is the “insider information” that backs the products up. The owners of the store are well-known in the country’s surf world not only because of their talents and skills but also because of their drive to promote surfing tourism (through On Board Philippines).

Aloha Riders: Lui Tortuya, Nikki dela Paz, Buji Libarnes, Paolo Soler, Echo Rosales

Buji, Paolo, Echo

So this summer, give yourself a nice tan, engage in water sports, swim, travel, surf! And while you’re at it, make sure you look fantabulous! Because as they say in fashion, one day you’re in, the next day, you’re out! Auf Weirdesen!

More photos from the Grand Opening of Aloha Boardsports here >>> ALOHA BOARDSPORTS
—Aloha Boardsports Inc. is the exclusive distributor for leading action sports apparel and accessories. For product information and inquiries, visit their first retail store at 3/F Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City or visit their website at www.alohaboardsports.com

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