It is certainly impossible to be perfect all the time and every woman one day looks at the old photos and wonders what made her dress this way. Bellow are the list of  tips how to avoid fashion mistakes that are common for women, even for those who are “professional” fashionistas.  Never rely completely on TV shows and fashion magazines. You are risking becoming the fashion victim, fashion shows and reviews should help to generate ideas and inspire you, but let’s face it – you are not a model and buying the super expensive dress that looked gorgeous on Kate Moss won’t make you look the same.  Do not buy clothes that don’t fit. Never buy something that is too small for you thinking that you will definitely lose weight by the time you’ll be wearing it. The same thing is about the length of your jacket sleeves. Do not mish-mash your wardrobe. Many people think that buying odds and ends on sale is very wise – it really helps you save money, but it may as well kill your wardrobe. Having a lot of different cheap unmatchable stuff in your closet won’t make you a fashionista.

 Many women are devoted to classical style but it is necessary sometimes to give up your favorite pair of jeans and change it for the stylish silky skirt, for example. Do not get too comfortable with definite clothes, and try to take it not that seriously – it’s not the family member or your favorite pet, it’s just a piece of fabric!  Choose the right underwear. Celebrities are stuck into push-up bras, body trimmers and tops to fit into the designer outfit because the right lingerie can actually do miracles for your figure.

How many times have you looked into your closet and thought, “I have nothing to wear”? If you hear yourself uttering this statement more often than not, you have a dysfunctional closet. It is probably missing several key pieces that allow you to easily transition from one outfit to the next. It’s time to stop the insanity and get a functional closet.

The Perfect Ten,  ten classic pieces that should be in every woman’s wardrobe, is the best remedy to a dysfunctional closet. It’s truly amazing the number of outfits that can be made when these ten items rest in your wardrobe: at least 32 different combinations. Along with your signature item, the majority of your shopping dollars should be spent on classic, well made versions of these items that fit your personal style.  

The Ten Things Needed for a Functional Closet 

Black Suit - Purchase at least one basic two- to three-button black jacket with either matching black skirt or black pants. Make sure it’s made of a lightweight, seasonless material like gabardine or rayon and contains a small amount (no more than 5%) of spandex/lycra to ensure a quality fit. 

White Dress Shirt - This is an important closet staple and can be both trendy (wear underneath your favorite t-shirt) and classic (wear with a business suit). Head to stores like the Gap for high quality, basic cotton shirts. 

Plain Black Pumps - Make sure your closet has at least one pair of 1½- to 2-inch plain black pumps that takes you from the office to dinner. Use shoe jewelry from stores like Torrid to change the appearance of your shoes without breaking the bank. 

A Pair of Great Fitting Jeans - Every closet must have at least one pair of great fitting jeans. Two are even better. Discount leader Target.com offers a custom jean service. 

Black Dress - A closet staple, the “little black dress” should be made of a sturdy but lightweight fabric like a cotton/rayon blend. Avoid heavy wool fabrics that counteract the slimming effects of the color and limit wear during the warmer seasons. 

Three Spandex T-shirts - Purchase three cotton/spandex shirts in the following colors: black, white, and another, brighter color (that suits you well). These shirts help stretch your closet and are perfect for layering as well as wearing alone. The Perfect Fit stretch t-shirts are the best.  

Tote Bag – One of these bags serves double duty as a briefcase during the week and a shopping bag on the weekend.  

Sneakers - You’ll need one pair of sneakers that can be worn both for workouts and casual activities like shopping.  

Trench coat/All-Weather Coat - A classic trench coat can be worn as an all-weather coat and a dress (make sure the buttons of the coat extend to at least 3 inches above your knee). Look for coats with a removable lining to increase usage. 

Khakis/Chinos/Brown pants - A weekend staple, chino-style pants add diversity to your outfits.

Taneo: MMA’s Art of War: China 4, RP 0

Words: Paul J. Taneo

Free-for-all

How do you spell sweep, 4-0 in a best-of-seven series or 4-0 in a four-match pairing? In the case of the URCC (7) “Art of War” two Saturdays ago at the Araneta Coliseum, the latter applies.

It was URCC’s first venture into a Philippines against a foreign country type of competition. The excitement for local fight fans was double: We had four fighters of some renown who had earned fans of their own and taking on foreign fighters.

UNKNOWN. The Chinese MMA group was an unknown entity. All we knew was that all four had won in a mixed-martial-arts tournament in Beijing last month, with one winner dislocating his opponent’s arm in an armbar hold.

We assumed that the URCC band, led by bantamweight champion Mark Sangiao, would be formidable and might win maybe two of the match-ups. We were sorely wrong. The Filipinos all lost.

Our source, one of the incorporators of Mixed Martial Arts Entertainment Inc. who wishes to stay unnamed, was there at ringside to watch the action and even got himself a bonus by posing with the night’s round girls – the Viva Hotbabes.

Salvador Domasian of Elorde MMA Team (10-1-0 after URCC 7) was the first Filipino to taste defeat at the hands (and feet) of the Chinese. All it took for Zhang Tie Quan (19-0-0 with seven KO wins) to be declared the winner was 4:48 minutes in a Referee Stoppage as Domasian could not put up a fight anymore and was on the receiving end of strikes from Zhang.

Alliance Fight Club’s Mike Banayad’s (2-2-2) loss was just a decisive. He said uncle in 9:13 as Dai Shuang Hai (61-4-0, 5 KOs) locked on a rear-naked choke on him.

Christian Wong (2-1-0) of Deftac Jiujitsu was the Pinoy who most gallantly came down in defeat. Wong displayed stand-up skills against Ao Hai Ling (18-7-0 2 KOs) who gamely took him on a strikefest most of the fight but Wong eventually submitted via armbar. The crowd loved the fight so much it gave both fighters a standing ovation.

Mark Sangiao (12-1-0), the great complete package: good stand-up and ground, strong and smart, was the last hope of Team Philippines for a win. Obviously, he wasn’t strong and smart enough as he fell to He Peng hard, real hard, by KO.

Sangiao actually controlled the fight early as he took down He Peng three times but could neither get a submission or strike out the Chinese. He even got full mount on He Peng but the latter was well versed on the ground and his defense was impeccable, never allowing Sangiao to hurt him with blows and holds and manages to reverse or escape.

Then Sangiao’s inability to beat He Peng frustrated him and he let his guard down while being tagged by a jab straight. He started to go down and in mid fall, He Peng released a right roundhouse that tagged him on the head. Wham! Sangiao hit the floor and He Peng fell on him with a punch before the referee could declare the fight over.

Oh, before I forget. All four fights ended in Round 1.

LONG WAY. This shows Philippine MMA still has a long way to go before we could make a dent in the international scene.

Right now, the Universal Reality Combat Championship lords it over Philippine MMA and it is assumed they’ve got the best fighters. But as the 0-4 loss to China showed, our best are not good enough outside the confines of our country. And we had to realize the fact right here at home. Nothing could be more embarrassing or humbling.

We heard the Chinese were paid $1,000 each for fighting in URCC 7 and have signed up to come back. This is a great opportunity for the growth of RP MMA. Like the American imports in the PBA, RP MMA could use the technology transfer.

By the defeat, it is obvious we have more to learn from the Chinese than the other way around. Let us accept that and build on it. Maybe time will come when it will be RP 4, China 0 next time we tangle.

Link: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2005/12/18/sports/taneo.mma.s.art.of.war.china.4.rp.0.html

The four Filipino fighters who went up against the Chinese fighters during the recent URCC 7 — The Art of War at the Araneta Coliseum gave their best but this was apparently not enough against the visiting fighters. The Filipinos were clearly outclassed by their competitors, who were more experienced and had more fights under their belts.

Presented by San Miguel Strong Ice, in cooperation with Solar Sports Entertainment, the main bout saw He Peng (Team Art of War) defeating bantamweight titleholder Mark Sangiao with a flying kick in the face. Sangiao was so badly hit by the kick that it took him a couple of minutes before he could get up and regain his composure. By that time, referee Del Bacho declared that he was no longer fit to continue the fight.

Heavyweight Christian Wong (Deftac Yaw Yan) put up a good fight against Ao Hai Ling (Team Art of War). Hopes were raised for a while when Wong successfully pinned down Ao but the big Chinese fighter managed to fight his way out of the awkward position. In the end, it was Ao’s strength and agility that helped him beat Wong through submission.

The two other Chinese fighters who did well during the competition were Dai Shuang Hai (Team Art of War), who beat Mike Banayad (AFC Philippines) through submission and Zhang Tie Quan (Team Art of War), who defeated Salvador Domasian (Elorde MMA Team Philippines) through referee stoppage.

Caloy Baduria (Elorde MMA Team) was declared the new middleweight champion after he defeated Benjie Gloria (Republic Gym). Gloria failed to make his mark throughout the match and was defeated through submission.

It was agent Vince Soberano, who helped bring in the Chinese fighters, who arrived last Dec. 5 from Beijing, China and immediately started training for the bout.

For more information about URCC 7 and the previous URCC, check out www.urcc.net.

Link: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/mnlastd/?page=sports03_dec17_2005

10 December 2005.  3PM- Marc picked me up from my crib and we went to Greenhills to kill time.  I checked out some stores and I actually stumbled upon the bag that I saw an American girl in RCBC was using.  Lucky me!  That time I saw her with that bag, Vench had to restrain my urge to ask where she purchased it. To make the long story short, I was really meant to own another Gold Sling Bag coz it appeared right before my eyes begging me to buy it.  Rio shop offers fabulous finds, go check it out. 

4PM- I don’t really drink coffee but since I knew it was going to be a long day and I was still sleepy from the night before, I decided to drink Starbuck’s Peppermint Mocha, which I enjoyed.  

(Flashback: 12.9.2005/9PM- Red Corner Xmas Party – actually, we ditched the party early but we went to T-bar for some late-night drinks.  Theo was all jittery about the fight so I treated her to some drinks to relax her.  She and Marc went to smoke (and drink) in the other area while I stayed at our table, oblivious to the world and STILL trying to input all my contacts in my new toy.)  

4:30PM- Marc had to work for a bit so we went to EGG at the Promenade, which is a competitor of S168, but not a threat at all (blech!) and he checked the documents that were sent to his email by the ever nice and hardworking Pilar.    

5PM- We headed out to Araneta, which turned out to be a little quest, because we didn’t know how to get there so we had to follow the Araneta signs.  When we arrived, we were hungrier than wild boars so we ate at Taco Bell and ordered our favorite grilled stuft steak burrito.  After eating, I checked out the new arrivals in Mango, Gateway. 

7PM- We went inside Araneta Colisuem and saw Jay Tengco and his beautiful fiancé.  The Coliseum was not even one-third full.  I saw Antz and talked to Darwin.  I went to Wendy’s to buy Antz and Dar food because they haven’t eaten yet, being in the URCC production and all.  When we got back inside, I finally saw Theo, Janelle with their 2 other friends.  Her face was radiant but obviously stricken with anxiety.  She was wearing the DEFTAC shirt she made for Christian and his coaching team, with a design at the back that says “Don’t mess with the WONG man…” Catchy isn’t it? I saw a huge paper bag beside her with about 15 shirts inside, heavy and all, but anything for the WONG man right (wink wink)?  

9PM- Ok, so the event finally started and so far this has been the best URCC production yet.  I liked the AV presentation of the fighters, Grace Nono’s (was that her?) interpretation of our National Anthem and the rock band.  Plus, our seats were the best ones in the house! 

Fight Card

1^st fight: ho-hum.

2^nd fight: ho-hum.

3^rd fight: ok.

4^th fight: washroom.

5^th fight: saw the last few parts, go LINO! You are one helluva boxer, what a reach! And with only 2 weeks notice. Man oh man.

6^th fight: pretty interesting. First crack at how we’ll fair with the Chinese team.

7^th fight: Ok, 2 bloody fights in a row.  This is turning out to be the best URCC! But damn, Art of War Team won again. 

(My seatmate has been fidgeting non-stop, maybe whispering a prayer, encouragements to Christian –which she hopes will be sent to him through the wind (ok ok, AC)… asking Marc if it’s Christian’s turn, walking to DEFTAC peeps to give out the shirts, clasping her hands together, looking at the sea of crowd wondering if she’ll see his face, cringing at the sight of the Chinese team.  She looks at me and gives me a hopeful smile –a smile that beckons all good wishes for Christian.) 

8^th fight: Ok, I have to abruptly cut this part coz work is nudging me to start already. I’m off to do some work. Will continue folks! 

(I’m back!) Judging from the first two fights of Team Art of War, my first observations were: 

They can’t understand the ref’s instructions! (Where is an interpreter when you need one?)

They were really strong, bulging muscles and all (even on their faces!) I don’t think anyone was able to get them pinned down for a long time.

Some said that the Pinoys should look out for Team AW’s striking.  Ok, the first two fighters were really giving solid, straight punches –ones that can really knock you out.  And I noticed that they hit on the spots where they can do the most damage.  It’s very evident with the way they left the two Pinoy fighters bleeding from nasty cuts.

Is this all they ever do? I feel like all they do is train, train, train.  I think even in their sleep, they train.  Maybe even their poop has muscles.  When I look at them: I get a visual of oxen, bulls, and water buffalos.  No matter how hard you try to break their bones, it just wouldn’t budge. 

8^th fight:  Christian, standing tall and with authority, walked along the plank that led to the ring.  It was the moment of truth.  95% of the crowd cheered.  The whole entourage gathered around his corner.   

Flashback: 12.9.2005 –            

Theo:      I’m so nervous.

Jane:       Don’t be.  You think Christian is ready?

Theo:      Ya. He’s been training non-stop almost everyday, and on top of that he still goes to work.

Jane:       Tsk-tsk.  I told him last time that he should set his work aside first, esp. in the next two days. He shouldn’t be stressed with work anymore.

Theo:      He’s like that, super responsible. I’m sure he’s going to do well but I’m so tensed.

Jane:                (wondering why she doesn’t feel the tension) Oh. Now, I realized why I’m so apathetic.  Haha. What a funny coincidence that I get to accompany the girls. I mean, the whole Makati fam are there but it always so happens that I’m the designated companion. URCC IV- I accompanied Gina, Dar fought.  URCC V- Shar, Allan fought. URCC VI- Chai.  Now, it’s you.  I guess I’m immune already.   

Seeing Chris stand there in the ring waiting for his adversary, suddenly all of my nerves are racked up.  Theo was on her feet.  I was sitting there for a minute, numbed. I can’t believe Chris is fighting!  He’s like the nicest person at the gym ever (except the past two months when it became automatic for him to always mock and make fun of me! Blech) and he might be smashed into a pulp by a towering, pea-eyed guy who smells like Siomai.  I don’t want to see my closest guy friend at the gym (of course, nowadays Antz has replaced that role) be in any sort of danger.  But seeing that look in Chris’ face assured me that he was READY. That didn’t diminish the tension though. I joined Theo and stood up. “GO CHRIS!!!” 

The announcer introduced the opponent.  Hmm. Ok, he’s taller.  He seemed to have longer limbs. He looked like the Great Wall of China. For reasons unknown to me, my confidence in Chris started to build. The Chink reeked of Siomai. The bell rings.  Bakbakan na!

Chink got to his feet.  Christian sat on the floor, waited for the right moment to get up.  He didn’t want to give the Chink the opportunity to smack him on the face while he’s trying to get on his feet.  Chink gave a hard Muay Thai kick on Chris’ shin.  Ouch.  I heard Theo gasped from my right.  Theo and Marc almost concurrently whispered in my ears, “Christian has injury on the leg.”

And so, when I recognized the stance that Chris was in, I thought to myself, “Uh-oh.  No Chris. Try for the double-leg takedown again and get an advantage position, then punch his lights out or break his arm, choke him out or something” Chris aimed, flung his knuckles and landed.  Whoo-wee!!! Where did that come from?  It felt like he heard me and retorted, “You were saying…?” And then more, more punches – more hits.  Everyone was on their feet!!! The whole Coliseum was in pandemonium! Chink appeared dazed and shaken, but he gritted his teeth and smiled.  A taunting smile – like he was saying, “I want some more of that.”  Chris tried the takedown again.  This time I was thinking, “Chris. Abandon mission. Go and knock him out with blows on the head!”  Chris apparently wanted to see the final execution of his plan.  They struggled for a bit.  I had the impression that Chris was going for the foot lock.  He was groping at one leg trying to make the Chink stay on the ground.  The Chink wrangled and suddenly he was on top of Christian.  Oh-no.  That’s not good.  I heard Marc and Theo screaming, encouraging Christian.  People started chanting his name.  “Go CHRISTIAN!!!”  Everyone was red on the face, out of breath, but couldn’t stop cheering Christian on.  I felt the engaging affection for Christian –especially the Love coming from the two people beside me.  (Haha, yes kiddos, Marc’s gay.  He and Chris have been dating behind Theo’s back.  Theo, seated at my left –next to Chris’ family, finds a “karibal” in the person of Marc, seated at my right side.)  The scuffle went on.  I was screaming to Christian to hold the Chink’s arms down, to keep it chained to his chest, but the Chink kept on hitting Chris on the face.  More tussling.  Chris partially side-mounted Chink.  But even the whole body of Chris can’t keep the Chink’s torso pinned down.  More struggling, punches here and there.  Both seemed pretty exhausted –I didn’t think Chink would be a bit out of breath, judging from his horse-like stamina which the whole AW team has been showing, but Christian made him squeeze out his last juice.  Chris seemed pretty gassed out, but he was still enduring the fight –bearing every aching bone to achieve this win –for the team who has continuously supported him and trained him for months and the URCC followers (I can’t say specifically for Pinoys –coz he’s full-blooded Chinese, a direct transport from China, ancestral of Yao Ming –haha, just playing.), but for sure, the win he wanted was beyond himself –it was for everyone else.  Out of nowhere, the Chink suddenly went for an arm bar.  A move that really made my blood rush to my brain.  Chris tried to wrestle out of it, almost had his arm back, but the last drop of oil in Chris’ engine finally burned.  His arm escaped his grasp and the Chink carried out his lousy arm bar.

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/65/9-10_December_2005

Link: http://www.pbase.com/cmanaginged/urcc_7