Magazine

FE B R UARY 2018

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18 + CON T EN T S ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS

#fhmMyrtle

B R I N G YO U R DEAD S N EAKE RS B AC K TO LI F E

W H AT WO U LD H A P P E N I F T H E CALL C E N T E R I N D U ST RY S U D D E N LY B E CA M E O B S O LE T E ?

February 2018

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

38 S N E A K E R R E S T O R AT I O N Where sole meets body once again 44 S E X S U R V E Y 2018 Has our knowledge of doing the nasty improved? 48 CA L L C E N T E R Is it going to be AI vs. agent soon? 52 N A S H A G U A S The child star is now a man 56 J E N N Q Importing some red-hot vibes this month

COVE R STO RY

M Y R T L E SA R R OSA Level up!

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February 2018

CONTENTS 10

NO INTERNET

14

CHOCOLATES

VERGE

64

6 GERTRUDE LOU I S E We love it when our covers have hot friends

DATE NIGHT

10 N O I N T E R N E T Life off grid, a life well lived?

72

12 S E X DOSSIER High stakes poker leads to some poking

PULSE

14 C H O C O L AT E S First in our series, a guide on how to sweeten things up 16 V-DAY A guide on how to chill 17 ALTE R E D CAR B ON Ghost in the Shell for millenials

ARCHERY 101

FITS

63 CUSTOM PANTS For y’all with tricky bodies 64 DATE NIGHT And finally, a guide to being lux and extra

BOOST

70 S H A P E T H O S E GUNS Never skip bicep day!

7 2 A R C H E RY 1 0 1 How to win the Hunger Games 7 3 P O E T RY Haikus are easy But sometimes they don’t make sense Refrigerator? 74 H Y U N DA I E LANTRA The Korean brand’s underrated contender

52

NASH AGUAS

FROM THE EDITOR

I remember having a conversation sometime in early 2000 with a fellow musician

(I lead a double life as a guitarist for a willfully obscure rock band) who was excited to have stumbled upon a job that paid good money while allowing her to indulge her artistic pursuits. Her band had just released an album two years back and, as most pinoy rock artists know, you don't make a career out of that. But this recent regular gig seemed promising: it was for a company called etelecare, and all she had to do was take phone calls from clients in the United States. What got her in was her good command of English because she was, after all, half-Caucasian. If I recall correctly, she said she got paid P14,000 a month for it, which was practically twice the minimum wage back then, and money that got you a lot. Sure, she had to do night shifts at a stretch, which meant no band gigs, but the schedule rotates and on nights that she could play with her band, she did. The way she described the phone gig, it was like she sold a gold record. She said the job was amazing and that I should get in on it, too. We now know that she was one of the pioneers of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry that now employs more than a million Filipinos and pumps $22 billion annually into the economy. What was a secret then is now a national economic juggernaut. If there was ever a global industry we could own, this was it. And then all of a sudden—just 20 short years, in fact—there is a general sense that it could all be over. The culprit: Artificial Intelligence. With the advent of machine learning, where computers can talk and make decisions, it appears that we might not have to need real people to answer phone calls and solve problems for others. In other words, Hello, Bots. Which got us thinking: What Would Happen If The Call Center Industry Suddenly Became Obsolete? (p.48). There is reason to care—we have friends there, families, people we know. It employs young people. Young people who are breadwinners. Young people who will have to deal with a future that may not be able to give them work. This age of disruption in technology is truly unsettling. But there is also a sense that computers might not completely take over BPO jobs because, well, people need to talk to people. True, until someone figures out a way to give them a personality, then we’re done for. But it hasn't happened yet, and as long as they still have plugs that we can pull to shut computers up, we’re still in the game. They will still have plugs, won’t they?

ALLAN P. HERNANDEZ Acting Editor in Chief [email protected]

I S B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y. . . Acting Editor in chief Allan P. Hernandez Associate Art Director John Laurence O. Patulan Style Editor Mikey Ashlie L. Mahinay Assistant Managing Editor Chise A. Alcantara Shoot Assistant Joeie Manuel Contributing Editor Peejo Pilar A N D F U T U R E - P R O O F E D B Y. . . Web Editor in chief Anton D. Umali Associate Section Editor John Paulo Aguilera Staff Writer Khatrina Bonagua Art Director Echo Antonio Multimedia Producer Liam Dumas Team Editor Allan A. Madrilejos WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM... Words Marianne Salazar, Andrea Tubig, Elaine Lara, Tracy Carpena, Lamar Roque, Peejo Pilar, Omar Belo, Kat Zablan Illustrations Juno Abreu, Borg Sinaban, Melvin Calingo Pictures Andrea Beldua, Ejay Leung, Mark Jesalva, Kevin Brent, Jonathan Baldonado, Kurt Alvarez, Ria Regino Styling/Makeup/Hair Badj Genato, Amanda Padilla, Jocelyn So, Debra Bernales, Janina Dizon, Sancho Bernardo and R-Jay Ramos, Nicole Ceballos, Marlon Meriño, Patrick Pleno, Arra Naguid, Herman Soriano

4 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

F H M I N T E R N AT I O N A L N ETWOR k International Director Simon Greves International Digital Director Gary Broughton International General Manager Mark Beard International Digital Manager Graham Kirk International Content Executive Ryan Chambers International Digital & Content Executive Erin Viljoen International Technical Administrator John Goodchild International Editors (India) Kabeer Sharma, (Indonesia) Richard Sam Bera, (Philippines) Allan Madrilejos, (Thailand) Jakaphatchara Buranabutr SUMMIT MEDIA President Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng Publisher Edna T. Belleza VP for Operations Hansel dela Cruz Junior Associate Publisher Aeus Kevin Reyes Deputy Group Digital Publisher Amina Rillo Web Business Operations Manager Dennison Ko Web Programmer Christopher Porto Production Director Elizabeth Rellis Production Coordinator Bong Carolino Production Graphic Artist Mady Marcelino Photo Enhancer Angelo Mendoza Administrative Services Manager Whilma M. Lopez Admin Assistants Michiel Lumabi, Marlyn Miguel ADVERTISING Group Advertising Director Florence Bienvenido Adv. Director-key Accounts Group Regie Uy Adv. Manger Maiza G. Mueco key Account Specialists Joey Anciano, Junn de las Alas, George Canseco III Senior Account Manager

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(Print) Bem Caharian, Senior Account Manager (Digital) Lucas Reyes Junior Account Managers (Print) Melinda Kitane-San Diego, Junior Account Managers (Digital) Onnie Del Mundo, Dianne Suegay, Angela Lagahid Adv. Executive Assistant Rita Barbacena key Accounts Assistants Maricel Adaniel, Chinggay M. Cabit Adv. Assistants Lorena Santiago Adv. Traffic Supervisors Eliziel del Rio E V E N T S D E PA R T M E N T Associate Marketing Director Arlo Vicencio Assistant Marketing Manager Rica Lozada Senior Marketing Associate Jed Constantino Junior Marketing Associates Jennifer Dayo, Kevin Palma, Charmie Abarquez, Kay Calleja M E D I A R E L AT I O N S Senior Media Relations Associate Jensine Bolinao, Media Relations Associate Via Gonzales TRADE MARkETING Trade Marketing Associates Hannah Roque Trade Marketing Assistants Joylyn Guinto C R E AT I V E S O L U T I O N S Assistant Managing Editor Franch Bustamante Editorial Assistant Therese Sta. Maria Art Directors Rey Etable, Juan Carlo Maala, Teddy Garcia C I R C U L AT I O N Deputy National Circulation Manager Glenda Gil Circulation Manager-GMA Noreen Sescon-Peligro Asst. Manager For Print And Online Distribution Ulyssis Javier key Accounts Group Head Vivian

fhmphilofficial

What FHMers have been up to this month

Our first time attempt at using smoke bombs during the shoot. Good thing Myrtle didn’t vanish after everything cleared out.

Our all too willing art director, JL, bares it all for "art" in our fashion ed. this month. Don't worry, we only took pictures of his pants.

Manahan, Charlotte Barlis Subscription Group Head Carla Soriano key Accounts Specialists Jennifer Tolentino, Alfredo Toledo Jr., Harold William Rey, Rejie Paquibot, Marjorie Yu Newsstand Supervisor Joel Valdez Distributor Specialists Kim Sarmiento, Roberto Revilla, Elaine Einosas, Eric Ferdinand Gasatan, Bee Datinguinoo, Aeron Nolasco Junior Sales Representatives John Lakhi Celso, May Ann Ayuste, Brylle Gonzales, Melrose Tamboong, Julie Dunn Bantan Sales Coordinator Jennyfer Marcelo Online Distribution Assistant Mark Jocell Manio Subscription Coordinators Nathaniel Embiado, Ariel Rivera, Ma. Glenda Uchi, Annalyn Arambulo Subscription Telemarketer Jon Maynard Ortiz Circulation Admin Supervisor Marie Lenn Reyes Circulation Admin Assistants Elnie Marie Delos Santos, Lizel Tumali LOG I STICS Logistics Manager Norman Campo Logistics Officer Lorie Francisco Logistics Supervisors Fidel Mitra, Marx Barroga

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February 2018

REACTIONS

mISA gOT bACk

I don’t mean to sound like a perv or anything but someone had to say it… Misa is hella thicc. I mean, damn girl. She’s really been working on those glutes since her last cover. She was still hot back then but damn, now she can really fill in those bottoms. John Altera, via Facebook

bITCOIN SCARES ThE hEll OuT OF mE I don’t think anything will convince me to exchange my hard earned cash for something I can’t even physically hold. I don’t see why people can’t just work hard and save rather than looking for a shortcut to success. I’m doing pretty well with the pay and benefits I get from my nine to five. Just my two cents. gina barbacena, via Facebook

hONOR OuR TROOpS! Kudos to FHM for

publishing that article on our troops in Marawi. Most Filipinos don’t know the extent of the damage done by the war over there. It really looks like a scene straight out from a movie or a videogame. I’ve seen pictures from relatives that live there and I couldn’t imagine how scary it was to be caught in the crossfire. Jameson Reyes, via email

I CAN’T hANDlE ThIS FEElINg

I don’t know what you’re doing FHM but keep it up. Great start for 2018! I think I might just buy three copies of this particular issue. Misa is super hot! Rak ! Angelo Enrico Santos, via Facebook

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6f & 7f Robinsons cybeRgate centeR toWeR 3 pioneeR complex, pioneeR st., mandaluyong city 1550

JANUARY 2018 FH M 5

V Verge HOW TO SOU N D

R EAL SMART

High hopes W i ll G e rtr u de lou i s e’s pas s ion for f i lm tak e h e r to n eW h e i G hts?

WORDS: KatRina MaRie Zablan PHOtOGRaPHY: Kevin bRent aSSiSteD bY: JOan ileGaY StYlinG: SancHO beRnaRDO anD R-JaY RaMOS MaKeUP: nicOle ceballOS HaiR: MaRlOn MeRiñO

SEE THROUGH TOP BY DHANGZKIE CARAIG; LINGERIE BY MARIA FHE ONLINE SHOP

If you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve seen this roofclimbing, lingerie-clad model before, maybe it’s because you’ve seen her in some TV commercials. Or when she acted in a telenovela (My Super D) with this month’s cover girl, Myrtle Sarrosa. Gertrude Louise loves showbiz and immersing herself in each experience and opportunity that come her way. After helping her down, we have a chat with Louise to find out what’s next for this thrill seeker. What teleseryes have you been a part of? In 2016, I was a part of ABS-CBN’s My Super D—my character’s name was Peaches. I was sisters with Myrtle and Jef (Gaitan) in the show and we all had crushes on Dodong (Dominic Ochoa). Oh, and our family owned a gotohan called Gotohan ni Mang Dick, “Tigasin sa Sarap!” Ha ha! I’ve also recently finished taping Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin, also on ABS-CBN. I play Amanda, Isabelle’s (Coleen Garcia) colleague and confidante. How was it like working with Myrtle in My Super D? During the first day of taping because I was really nervous. Sobrang lamig ng kamay ko nun and then she held my hand and said “Relax! Kaya mo yan ! We’ll guide you.”

Was My Super D your first shot at acting? The only acting experience I had before going into teleseryes was commercials. It’s all very different because you have to be natural when you’re acting in a series; everything in commercials is always a bit exaggerated. Teleseryes seem to get a lot of flak nowadays for being too predictable. Some teleseryes right now are pretty repetitive so I wish we could come up with something fresh. We could also do better at editing fantasy series by giving the editors a higher budget! How is it like seeing how commercials and TV shows get produced from scratch? I learned everything from being on set. I go near the camera and watch how they go about every single detail. That 30-minute commercial you see on TV usually takes three days to shoot. I’ve done lots of commercials before and I only started acting in 2016. And I must say, filming styles are very different. Do you dream of directing a production one day? Yes. Right now, I’m studying cinematography with the help of some amazing people in the industry because I want to put up my own production house someday and make films.

What kind of stuff are you planning to produce? I will create a story that will be a mindfuck for everyone! I want a film that you will want to make love to after watching. A film can have great cinematography, but it can still suck when the plot is just too mainstream. The casting would also be important because you need great artists to bring your characters to life. I would also incorporate the stuff I learned from being exposed to different techniques used in commercials, teleseryes, and movies. They all have different camera work, lighting, and what have you. You can’t help but fall in love with the whole process. FH M

LINGERIE BY MARIA FHE ONLINE SHOP; STOCKINGS: LEGLOVE BY CITYLADY

Verge

A

dmit it: you spend too much time on the Internet. Chances are the first thing you did this morning was check Facebook. On the other hand, you can’t help it when the Internet has taken over your career, your social life, even your morning commute. But surprise, surprise! Too much Internet is psychologically proven to be bad for you. You may not know it yet but there’s a chance you could be suffering from Internet addiction or what most psychologists aptly refer to as Compulsive Internet Use (CIU). Dr. Regienald A. Afroilan, MD, DPBP, a psychiatrist at National Center for Mental Health, describes CIU as “a compulsive, pleasureseeking behavior wherein one experiences pleasurable moments due to constant exposure to particular websites to the point that he fails to perform his daily duties to himself, others and his environment.” For many of us, the Internet has become a source of solace. But in all honesty though is it possible to survive without the Internet? Of course. In fact, we’ll walk you through the most likely scenarios of living a life sans the Internet.

STAGE 3

Getting rekt

STAGE 2

Rage quitting

Wo r d s A N DY V. T U B I G I L L U sT r AT I o N s J U N o AB r e U

STAGE 1

The lows e X P L AI N e r

The disconnected life Th e F IVe S Tag e S oF LIVI ng San S Th e I nTe r n e T

10 FH M FEBrUArY 2018

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The lows

Out of habit, you catch yourself reaching for your phone every two minutes. You keep refreshing your newsfeed wondering why it’s so unresponsive until you remember you’re on a digital hiatus. You let out a hollow laugh and convince yourself that everything’s fine. Except that it’s not. You’re starting to feel like a shabu addict going through withdrawal. And you’re probably bracing yourself for hallucinations and delusions but good for you, there will be none. “Internet addiction is a compulsion that has something to do with your personality and behavior, and not necessarily your brain. Unlike substance abuse which is primarily caused by excessive dopamine (a neurotransmitter in the brain that when taken into massive quantities will make you experience the so-called “high”). In the case of Internet addiction, you are exposed to a kind of pleasure that can excite you but which you eventually learn to tolerate,” Dr. Afroilan says.

Rage quitting

And then just like that, you explode. You’re torn between smashing your worthless laptop and flushing your phone down the toilet. You start cursing everyone from Mark Zuckerberg down to your neighbor for having password protected Wi-Fi. How are you going to check your email? What if your crush finally answers that “Hey, how you doin’?” you sent a year ago? How are you going to stream your favorite show? How can life be this cruel? In July 2011, a British consumer research firm called Intersperience did a study on people’s attitude towards Internet use entitled “Digital Selves.” They surveyed over 1,000 Brits with some being denied online access for 24 hours. They found out that 53 percent of Brits feel upset when deprived of Internet connection whereas 40 percent feel lonely. Paul Hudson, CEO of Intersperience, told the Daily Telegraph: “Online and digital technology is increasingly pervasive, influencing our friendships, the way we communicate, the fabric of our family life, our work lives, our buying habits and our dealings with organizations.”

STAGE 4

Intense FOMO

Getting rekt STAGE 5

Disconnect to connect www.fhm.com.ph

You offer a string of promises wrapped in guilt and remorse. You promise to drop all your bad Internet habits and be a better netizen. No more streaming porn, subtweeting your ex, or sharing fake news. You surprise yourself with the sheer amount of unspeakable things you consider doing in exchange for even just an hour on Reddit.

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In 2008, tech website CIO.com made a list of the craziest things people did to get their Internet fix. The items on the list ranged from holding one’s laptop out a window to connect to next door’s Wi-Fi to sitting outside an airport for four hours just to stay online. And there are those extreme cases like how in 2014, 15-year-old Tallulah Wilson was banned from owning a mobile phone after being accused of online addiction by her mother. This triggered Wilson to post photos of her own bleeding arms on self-harm websites. The next day, she jumped in front of a speeding train.

Intense FOMO

You refuse to eat, sleep, and interact with anyone except maybe your dog. You spend countless hours daydreaming about the games you could be playing, shows you’re missing, all the Tinder matches you’ll never get to stalk, not to mention your neglected Instagram feed. The rest of the world’s having a party and you’re not invited Here’s the sad truth: “All of us probably suffer from a minor depression called “Dysthymia,” Dr. Afroilan says. “What we see when we deprive someone of their pleasure seeking behavior is just the complications of depression. When you’re depressed you have to seek something that will make you happy. There’s something lacking in us so we have to fill it with happy principles and thoughts.” But if you continue to “deprive someone of these experiences, it will trigger a morbid depression called Major Depressive Disorder until you start having suicidal thoughts,” Dr. Afroilan adds.

Disconnect to connect

Now that you’ve got no choice but to come terms with your miserable, disconnected existence you actually feel a bit relieved. People know you as the guy who deactivated his social media accounts because he was too hipster. You’re enlightened. You’re basically better than everyone else because you aren’t limited by your need to stay connected online because you’ve found a truer, deeper connection with the world... or at least that’s what your fanmade Facebook page says. “With Internet addiction, the reality we belong to is slowly being replaced by our online reality, our online avatars. That’s why most people are into games and social media. They get to create their own avatars that can play their real-life dreams. Disconnecting from the Internet can help you focus on yourself and your reality, pushing you to try other meaningful activities and develop deeper, personal connections with others,” Dr. Afroilan says. FH M

FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 11

Verge

S E X D O S S IE R

Sore Loser

Ay a,

where his hot and hungry mouth met my lips and my neck. He took off my shirt and hungrily licked and sucked my tender DD breasts. “I want your fucking cock so bad,” I moaned. Carl pulled me down towards his crotch. I opened my mouth wide and started sucking the first half of his cock while my hand gently stroked the base of his shaft. “Fuck yes baby…that feels so good!” he said holding my hair out of the way so he could watch me. I gave him a sexy look while my tongue swirled the tip of his cock. Carl moaned and placed both hands on my head before thrusting hard and deep into my mouth. Carl was still fucking my mouth when we both heard a moan. I turned and saw Erika naked on the couch her long morena legs spread wide, mouth half open as she roughly fingered her wet pussy. Suddenly the doorbell rang. I almost jumped but Erika calmly stood up to answer the door. “Oh great, Angela and Lauren are here. You don’t mind if they join us, right?” Erika said giving me a wicked grin.

27 L egaspi, Albay

I slammed my cards triumphantly on the carpeted floor. Erika and I laughed as Carl sadly showed us his single pair: two aces. Clearly not enough to save the single piece of clothing left on him. The three of us were drunk and sitting crosslegged in Erika’s apartment. We’ve been playing strip poker for more than an hour and I could feel my head spinning. Erika and I only had on our shirts and panties. I caught Carl eyeing the outline of my erect nipples which excited me. The growing bulge in his boxers made my panties wetter. “Don’t be a cheater!” I teased. “What the hell,” Carl chuckled removing his boxers to reveal his towering cock. I felt my panties moisten. He was really hard. I couldn’t help myself any longer. I pulled him down to the floor

12 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

FH M

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phoTography: keVin BrenT; assisTed By: joan ilegay; makeup ria aquino; hair: joshua galVeZ; sTyling: sancho Bernardo; model: maria isaBella enerio

These girls geT Their hands full playing some kinky card games

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BASK IN THE GLOW Put your girl in the mood by lighting the room with scented candles. Ignite your passion and let romance glow by dancing to some slow, classic tunes. PREMIERE Vixen Jemary Sebastian knows just how to keep every night lit and on fire. With her, sexy time is #AlwaysAFunTime!

PREMIERE GLOW Glow-in-the-dark condoms to light up your night

P Pulse YO U R G U I D E tO EVERYtHING tRENDING Edited by CHISE ALCANTARA [email protected]

LG E INDU HER

There’s a chocolate for every feel WHETHER YOU WANT A WOMAN TO KNOW YOUR TRUE FEELINGS OR YOU WISH TO CRUSH REJECTION, INDULGING IN THESE BROWN BARS FROM HEAVEN WON’T MAKE YOU LESS OF A MAN WORdS TRACY CARPENA

Theo & Philo Green Mango and Sea Salt Contact: 09204315650, (02) 631-1362 [email protected] A sliver of this Pinoy chocolate made with cacao from Davao is an interesting blend of flavors: bittersweet dark chocolate, sour dried green mango and sea salt. It may initially confuse your taste buds (like a girl giving you mixed signals), but as you finish a piece, you find peace. The sour breaks the bitter, and the hint of the salt tides you over the mango’s tang. Take a bite as you mull the state of your pseudo-relationship.

Risa Bacon & Chili

Contact: 09189424573 [email protected] This concoction of dark choco, bacon, and chili is best munched alone for a couple of reasons. One, you don’t want people to judge you as bizarre for having cured meat in chocolates instead of in cheeseburgers. Two, it’s the bar to have when it’s time to brood over a failed relationship. The dark chocolate is intense, which was what your relationship used to be. The salty and greasy bacon bits, which, surprisingly, are generous in size, let your common sense take over as the finale kicks in. The epilogue is the gradual kick of chili, firing up the desire to move on. Babangon ka't iibig muli.

Gifts from the friendzone

Villa del Conte Praline Balls

To leT her know you really jusT wanT To sTay PlaTonIC

Contact: (02)8932575 [email protected] It’s time to level up from Choc Nut and Cloud 9, because #adulting. An assorted box of these Italian pralines speaks a manliligaw’s desire for a mature relationship. As a true gentleman is straightforward with his intentions, so too are these chocolates. Each colored wrapper corresponds to a flavor, promising different gustatory perceptions with every bite. Express your sweetness with the milk chocolate kind; dark chocolate in the bunch conveys sophistication.

1 K-Pillow Gong Yoo, Park Hyungsik, Lee Min-ho—it doesn’t matter which oppa you pick. What’s important is he’s the one she’ll be forced to think of at night. Gift: Lee Min Ho Pillow 12” x 12” Price: P399.00 on Lazada.com.ph

Patchi Gift Box Set (Assorted)

Contact: (02) 8466685 [email protected] Whether your girl eats these in the car or even as home as sweet ending to a meal, these Lebanese chocolate is quick ticket to an adventure. The assorted once have creamy white, sweet milk, and rich dark chocolate complemented with fruity flavors. and crunchy nutty textures. Eating one is like trying a new ride with her in the theme park. (Ask her if she feels tight and thrilling rollercoaster turns in her mouth; if she giggles, then score!)

2 Dating book A blatant way to suggest that she should give cyberdating a try so she can meet new guys and stop pestering you. Gift: Online Dating For Dummies book Price: P633.80 at dummies.com

Contact: (02) 9848698 [email protected] This is your celebratory box of chocolate. Letting a square of a Nama Au Lait sit on your tongue without your eyes involuntarily shutting is just nearly impossible. Savor the milk chocolate and the liquor as you inhale the flavors. The creamy texture is perfect for anyone. Reserve this for milestones like your sixth monthsary, because hurray, you’ve passed the probationary period as a couple, and introduce each other to your families and friends.

WORDS KAT ZABLAN

Royce’ Nama Au Lait

3 In-Dating App Purchases Buy her unlimited chances of finding love by paying for premium features on her dating apps! Gifts: Tinder Gold Price: P255.00 per month

4 Trip to somewhere Nothing says, “I don’t want to be with you” than sending her on a vacation “to find herself… a boylet.” Gifts: Discounted ferry trip to Puerto Prinsesa Price: P1530.00 on travel.2go.com.ph 5 “F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” Sweatshirt Nothing is as savage as friendzoning someone with a shirt to tell them there won’t be any Netflix and chill for you. Gift: F.R.I.E.N.D.S. TV Logo Sweatshirt Price: P1172.99 on etsy.com 6 Calendar with hunks Let her flip through photos of half-naked men to remind her that there are plenty of fish in the sea and lumberjacks in the woods! Gift: The Whimsical Woodsman & Friends Price: P760.00 on Amazon.com

Pulse HON EYMOON S TAG E

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TH I R

ALON E HAP (B UT PY)

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SS RDLE REGA OUR OF Y SHIP TION R E L A AT U S! ST

What to do on V-day How to gEt tHRoUgH tHE lovE montH in onE piEcE

W H E N YO U’R E A L O N E (B UT N OT L O N E LY)

As if the “celebration of love” wasn’t bad enough, this year’s V-Day just had to fall on a hump day—so expect to fall into a vortex of corniness and heavy traffic. So why not head on over to Boracay and do a pub crawl? The Haqqy Boracay PubCrawl will have you wear a yellow shirt as you take a long walk along the beach on your way to getting gloriously wasted. Sure, there’ll be honeymooners and couples, but after the third pub and x number of shots, you might not even care for them, the Hallmark holiday, or even walking.

W H E N Y O U ’R E AT TH E H O N E YM O O N S TA G E O F D AT I N G

W H E N Y O U ’R E ALR EADY A LO N GTI M E C O U P LE

Call Planet Grapes, in BGC, for their romantic dining experience. You can also surprise your lady by bringing her to a particular cat café like Cat Cafe Manila—that’s plus pogi points for you and your animal-loving heart. If you think she’s the type to appreciate music and performance, bring her to Resorts World for an entertaining night filled with OPM with Rico J Puno and Rey Valera or head to Kia Theater for Jed Madela. But if you’re brave enough to take on traffic, drive to Cavite and have a candle-lit al fresco dinner at Alta Veranda.

You’ve been together so long that you forgot to plan anything this year. No problem. The hotels, Crimson and Acacia, might just provide you and your lady love the retreat you need. Crimson offers buffet breakfast, dinner, a spa experience, and a “Valentine’s surprise”, all bundled into their packages called Grand Romance, All you need is Love, and Be Mine. Acacia, on the other hand, has packages for a spa and wellness treatment or a package for a night of serenading with a fourcourse meal and wine.

W H E N Y O U’R E O N TH E P R O W L Why not attend a “noncurated, uncensored arts, and community festival?” At Fringe Manila, expect fresh and daring art, from theater and music to cabaret and burlesque performances. Not only will the event introduce you to the unconventional, it will also give you a chance to become more cultured in the eyes of cute artsy girls. FH M

WO R D S: E LA I N E LA R A

Just because most promos and events are happening for couples doesn’t mean you should skip the fun entirely. Ditch your Netflix plans and the company of your lovey-dovey friends. How? Join strangers on a seven-day road trip to Leyte or a five-day backpacking trip to South Korea. Make sure to Eat, Pray, and Love, and drown your feed with your travel photos.

W H E N YO U ’ R E SAWI

16 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

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WheRe hAve I Seen ThIS Guy BefORe? Altered Carbon’s main character, Takeshi Kovacs, is played by Joel Kinnaman, who played Will Conway in House of Cards, Rick Flag in Suicide Squad, and RoboCop, in 2014’s RoboCop.

Mens sana In corpore sano* NEtflix’s NExt Big sci-fi sERiEs AltEREd cARBON iMAgiNEs A wORld whERE BOdiEs ARE dispOsABlE ANd sOuls ARE tRANsfERABlE * Latin. Translates to the popular phase, A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body

WO R DS: M IG U E L E SC OB AR

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Netflix is kicking 2018 off with a big-budget bet on a new original franchise with the potential to permeate pop culture at large. Altered Carbon is a ten-episode series adapted from a 2002 novel of the same title by British author Richard K. Morgan (who, fun fact, wrote the story for the video game Crysis 2, as well as a couple of Black Widow comics for Marvel). Netflix took Morgan’s sci-fi saga and spun it into an ambitious, complex, visually spectacular, and very R-rated series for the small screen. Set more than 300 years in the future, Altered Carbon imagines a dystopia where humans have discovered a way to distill consciousness into a tiny disk called a “Stack,” which is implanted in the spine. Stacks can be transferred to other bodies (or “sleeves,” as they’re called), not unlike hard disks in computers. This effectively allows people to evade physical death by transferring their consciousness from one body to another—but only if they can afford it. Altered Carbon tells the story of Takeshi Kovacs, a rebellion soldier whose Stack was imprisoned and put on ice for hundreds of

Cyberpunk’s not dead

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Other iteratiOns Of the genre’s resurgence in film

years, a la Steve Rogers. His Stack is eventually thawed and placed in a new sleeve by a wealthy man named Laurens Bancroft, who, having been recently murdered and also placed in a fresh sleeve, enlists Kovacs to find his own killer. Reincarnated and sent on this mission, Kovacs must revisit his past and confront the new world brought on by Stack technology. If it sounds convoluted and confusing, that’s because it is. There’s a lot going on in Altered Carbon: guns, explosions, gratuitous nudity, and existential reflections through a Marxist framework of futurism. Beyond imagining what would happen if people could live forever, it asks: What if only rich people could live forever? What would the world look like if human bodies became literal commodities? But apart from the philosophical depths that it tries to plumb, Altered Carbon is also technically ambitious, with an overall look that no doubt aspires to the likes of Blade Runner. The show is full-on cyberpunk: dark city streets, neon lights, flying cars, abject poverty, and the general sense that something has gone terribly wrong with the human race.

• Ghost in The Shell (2017)

• Black Panther (2018)

• Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

• Alita: Battle Angel (2018)

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Stack Overflow

In this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Netflix set up a booth by a fictional company, Psychasec, to showcase Stack technology. Guides at the booth tried to sell people new bodies to transfer their consciousness. It was such an elaborate stunt that some gullible people of the Internet actually believed it was real.

• Ready Player One (2018)

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PATH TO THE SKY P H OTO G R AP HY AN DR EA B E LDUA WO R D S K HATR I NA BONAG UA

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navigating life as a modern millennial woman isn’t easy,

but Myrtle Sarrosa

knows exactly where she is going

STYLI N G BADJ G I LAS- G E NATO MAK E U P AMAN DA PADI LLA HAI R JO CE LYN SO S H OT O N LO CATI O N AZ U M I BOUTIQU E HOTE L

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I

f you’re a social media slave like most everybody, you know who the millennials are. Also known as Generation Y, millennials are those born between the early 1980s to early 2000s. Comprising mainly of young professionals and students, they are considered as today’s movers and shakers—making up one-third of the country’s population. They are managers, team leaders, influencers, voters, and fresh graduates. They also are, as most of you probably have observed, netizens who spend most of their time with their noses buried in their smartphones. These millennials take pride in being digitally well-versed. They know their way around technology, something that’s native to their existence. They grew up having easy access to information. Imagine, with just the click (or a swipe) on their phones, they can access whatever they want and need—there are no library trips, no VHS tapes to rent, no CDs to burn, and, well, no tears and sweat to wipe away. All they need is a Wi-Fi connection. Life’s too easy these days, so much so that they tend to believe that every problem can be solved by browsing the Internet. Unfortunately, this tech-saviness bordering on dependence is also the source of their bad reputation: Millennials are branded as lazy and entitled, even selfish and shallow. They can’t commit to a relationship, a course, a career. They think that money, health, study, or work is dispensable—a quality the older generation feels makes them irresponsible. “Ngayon ang taas ng expectations for millennials,” Myrtle Sarrosa says. “You’re expected to achieve so much at a young age.” Sadly, she’s right. But not all millennials deserve the bad reputation. Believe it or not, many of them actually know what they want in life. They have a game plan and they know how to execute it. This month’s cover muse is just that: A modern millennial woman who knows that risks need to be challenged and that breakdowns are necessary to get the breakthroughs.

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even years ago, 17-year-old Myrtle had her eyes on the prize—to become a housemate on ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Big Brother. She remembers it like it was yesterday. “It was my last chance to audition for the teen edition of the show but the auditions fell on the same day as one of my final exams. I wasn’t supposed to go anymore but something inside pushed me to take a risk, ride a boat, from Iloilo to Bacolod where the auditions were being held, and fall in line for eighteen hours.” She didn’t imagine she’d take the plunge, but her intuition pushed her into doing it. Luckily, she got in—and ninetyone days later, she was crowned the reality show’s Big Winner. “I never expected life to bring me here—yung makapasok sa entertainment industry, manalo sa PBB, and meet so many amazing people.” Myrtle says. “Yung personality ko kasi mas ambivert (an extroverted introvert). I enjoy being around the company of people but I also love solitude. I didn’t think that I’d be on national television watched 24/7 by millions of Filipinos. But with that experience, marami akong natutunan sa bahay ni Kuya.” Since then, we’ve always been on the lookout for what the “Cosplay Cutie of Iloilo“ would do next. We saw her say goodbye to her teenage years when she started essaying adult roles on teleseryes. In November 2014, she graced FHM for the first time, wearing elaborate costumes. Some of us were even guilty of following her then-highly publicized romance with a senator’s son. Her achievement-unlocked list reads like it took a lifetime to accomplish: actress, host, VJ, singer, songwriter, politician, iskolar ng bayan, calendar girl, PBA muse, and now two-time FHM cover girl. Phew! Some may say that her evolution is a sign of confusion typical of millennials. But Myrtle will tell you it’s proof of her passion for her craft. Whenever projects, shows, or endorsements come her way, she always delivers more than what is expected of her. Fans of her cosplays know that Myrtle always pays meticulous attention to details. www.fhm.com.ph

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This fastidiousness also extends to other aspects of her life. Even if she had to set her schooling aside for a year after her PBB stint, she was eager to get back to studying. From UP Visayas (where she was then enrolled prior to PBB), she transferred to UP Diliman. Determined to finish college, she bucked showbiz schedule kinks to enroll for the required 18 to 21 units per semester, which meant that she was also a fulltime student. Myrtle went to class after taping, still with hair and makeup on, and eagerly attended class from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.—nonstop. “It was crazy! I had four to five classes in a day with no breaks in between, moving from college to college. I remember crying during my Philippine Institution exam cause I was packed up from taping at 5 a.m. then I had to take an exam without any sleep at 8:30 a.m.” She survived the grind eating crackers at her school desk, and reviewing for exams in between shooting breaks. Just hearing her talk about this impossible schedule is tiring AF, but surprisingly, she had no complaints or regrets. Instead, she recalls many college moments with pride—production classes, scriptwriting workshops, and even trips to Mang Larry’s famous isawan. “One memorable moment for me in college was nung may nagawa kaming short film for Cinemalaya, nag-line producer ako for that at pinalabas siya sa mga sinehan. Sobrang na-enjoy ko yung batuhan ng mga ideas, kwentuhan habang may meeting and being behind-thecamera this time.” In 2017, after six years, nine semesters, and three course shifts (she was in Accountancy first, then Political Science), she finally graduated with a degree in Broadcast Communication—Cum Laude. “I really wanted to give my parents the opportunity na samahan ako na umakyat ng stage,” Myrtle says. “Actually, bonus na lang yung honors, kasi yung grumaduate lang ako is already a dream come true. Every lesson I learned in class is something na kahit kailan hindi mananakaw sa‘yo and to get a diploma for it is the greatest wish any parent could ask for kaya I worked hard to make sure that I give that gift.” Her Facebook post about graduating was published on June 25, 2017, accompanied by her beaming graduation picture. It quickly went viral. Her fans celebrated with her, and as of press time, the post has 980,000 likes and 62,000 shares. She gained a new legion of followers online, many of whom were inspired by her academic achievement. FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 27

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A

fter graduating, Myrtle already had her life planned out. She dreamt of starting a business and taking up a law degree. But as she was about to sign up for UP’s Law Aptitude Exam, something unexpected happened: She had an important commitment on the date of the test. The path that she envisioned for herself became complicated. But as if on cue, a popular gin company called and asked her if she was willing to be their calendar girl for 2018. And everything became clear—a new path had opened, and being the go-getter that she is, she welcomed it whole-heartedly. “I really believe in timing, fate and destiny,” Myrtle says. “If the universe opens a door for you and you’re unsure, just go with your gut feeling. Does it make you feel excited and anxious? Pag di ako makatulog sa gabi sa kakaisip doon, ibig sabihin I subconsciously want to do it so instead of living with what if’s, I just go for it. I’d rather regret doing something than regret not doing anything. But taking up the offer to becoming a calendar girl is definitely something I won’t regret.” Of course, there were unsolicited comments from close friends and, obviously, some detractors. The most common reactions were: “What about your younger fans?” and “Are you ready to embrace your sexier side?” But Myrtle was firm. “I know a lot of people fear that I would lose my old self in the process and that baka mawala yung younger supporters ko because I’m going down the sexier route,” she shares. “I faced the same dilemma in the past when I wanted to transition from teen to adult when I covered for FHM in 2014. But like then and now, I believe there’s nothing wrong with feeling sexy and confident with one’s body. Embracing one’s feminine qualities shouldn’t be a negative thing. In fact, I admire girls who are fearless in expressing themselves. That’s why I too wanted to reinvent myself and level up to a more mature version of me.”

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Her fans from the cosplay community, who have remained loyal through her steady ascent in the industry, need not worry about this inevitable evolution. She has no plans of quitting cosplay—you’ll still see her quirky costumes from time to time. You’ll just be seeing more of the braver, fiercer, and sexier Myrtle. “The turning point of my life was really when I started cosplaying at the age of fourteen. Back then I was unsure of a lot of things. Parang hinahanap ko pa yung sarili ko. I was still finding myself and trying to find what it is that I was truly passionate about. Ngayon, mas sigurado na ako kung sino ako and I owe it all to cosplay,” Myrtle says with pride. “I won’t be here right now if I didn’t fall inlove with wearing costumes and portraying different characters almost ten years ago. I definitely won’t stop cosplaying because it’s my first love. But this time around I’m going to cosplay stronger, sexier, and more powerful female characters.” And since she officially has a Broadcast Communication degree now, does that mean that her next challenge in life will be behindthe-scenes? If given a chance, Myrtle says she wants to explore scriptwriting. She already has a ton of stories in her head, waiting to be written and shared.“I want to tell stories and make the audiences experience emotions they’ve never felt before. I want people to journey with characters they can relate with and connect with. Hopefully magawa ko siya both in front of the camera or behind the camera as an actress, producer, and writer.” Cosplay Cutie, calendar girl, and two-time FHM cover girl—in between these changes and challenges, one thing is constant about Myrtle: she’s still the same geeky girl we all fell in love with, the one who watches anime, reads manga, and plays video games— like any normal millennial (minus the nasty stereotypes, of course). “Just enjoy life. It’s okay to feel lost and to make mistakes along the way hanggang sa mahanap mo yung right path for you,” she tells her fellow millennials. “Millennials shouldn’t be so hard on themselves. Your worth is not equal to your success. You shouldn’t be pressured with the extremely high standards of success we have for ourselves. What I learned in life is that we have to stumble and fall in order to come back stronger and stand taller.” FH M

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Well, you can’t actually put the sneaker genie back in the bottle, but you can get that day one freshness all over again–just leave it to the pros

D WOR

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pair of sneakers inevitably gets dirty, breaks, or crumbles to pieces–whether you wear it a lot or not–and that’s why there are now a lot of sneaker restoration services out there. One of them is RG Conopio of @rg_skills. RG has been restoring sneakers since 2014. He learned from the Internet but he also has an attention-to-detail that can’t be taught–giving him a rep as one of the best in the business. We rounded up some guinea pigs to see what a sneaker’s second life looks like.

BURNING QUESTION #2 Can you save yellowing Boost soles?

before

Yes, by repainting or re-dyeing them white. It can be deep-cleaned (a long process) but “babalik din naman talaga,” RG says.

BURNING QUESTION #1 Mall-shoe Repair Kiosks: Yay or Nay? When it comes to leather shoes, trust their process in resoling, restitching, and more but RG advises “pag sa sneaker, auto-pass tayo sa ganyan, kasi minsan di okay yung ginagamit nila. They use superglue na hindi naman intended para sa sneakers. Then hindi rin naman na-prep nang maayos.”

The basic service is something you can do at home, but admit it, you’re a lazy bastard. It’s worth it, though because the pro kit includes more than a single brush for more finesse and precision in cleaning, as well as several different liquids to use for different situations. There’s one takehome tip we learned too: don’t be afraid to really spray your kicks wet while cleaning!

PRO CLEANING C O s t: P 7 0 0 - 1 0 0 0

40 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

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D ry i n g W et Pa i r s DO: Air dry (with own electric fan is optional) If it smells afterwards, get deodorizing balls. Or good old, uling DON’T: Stuff with newspapers, Put behind the ref …or under the sun

“Masama yun. [Heat exposure] ang cause ng pag-weaken ng adhesive. Madalas pa dyan yung iniiwan sa trunk then paggamit nila ba’t ganun, humiwalay na kaagad? Kahit sabihin mo pang brand new, kasi sobrang init nag-weaken talaga yung glue,” RG warns.

TSHIEPET

BURNING QUESTION #3 Are ready-made shoe cleaners legit?

• special homebrew cleaner

• Mr. Clean Magic

• brushes of varying hardness

• elbow grease

“Okay sila [ready-mades]. Kapag mag-DIY ka, mahirap na, baka masira mo yung sapatos mo. [For example, you use diluted] dishwashing liquid, pero pang-rubber lang dapat yan. Di siya intended para sa leather or fabric. Gaya ng leather, it needs oil–eh sa dishwashing liquid di ba nauubos yung oil? So natutuyo rin yung leather.”

Eraser

• a footspa scrubber

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FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 41

‘HI COllECTING, mEET RESTORING’ Are you feeling iffy about handing off your treasured footwear for some work? We asked ultra high-level sneakerhead (and occasional plug), Randy Galang (@ randygalang) to see if the two get along in his book. A “for keeps” pair in your collection is starting to crumble and fall apart from age–would you keep it as is or have it restored? “As someone who uses each pair in his collection, I would definitely have it restored. However, I’d need to be sure that the person doing the restoration is reliable and has a track record of success in doing so.”

BURNING QUESTION #4 Can damaged knit material be repaired? “Wala pa, even sa US wala akong nakikitang nag-re-repair ng ganun… pero pag may himulmol ang blacks, daanan mo lang ng lighter yun! ”

after

There’s a big emphasis on buying shoes as close to deadstock as possible—so is there still a market for selling restored sneakers? “As long as the parts used to replace a midsole or any part of the shoe is authentic, and the seller fully discloses the restoration done on the pair, I believe one can still sell it. However, the price would be lower than an unrestored pair.”

RESOLING 101

C o s T: P 3 , 5 0 0 - 4 ,500 + d o n o R s H o e FoR sole s WA Ps , P 1 , 0 0 0 -3,000 F o R R e Gl u e s

How about cleaning up rare pairs? Would you have any reservations about doing so? ”Recently, I had a dilemma where I was being offered a rare pair for purchase. However, the pair was so dirty–really filthy. But my love for the brand and for collecting got the better of me and I decided to buy them and will be bringing them to a professional shoe cleaner soon. That said, I have no reservations about having my rare pairs freshened up. It would definitely make them last longer.”

In case you were wondering, spare soles or midsoles can’t actually be bought and are instead sourced from other pairs. These donors are often on-sale or thrifted pairs that must be the same shoe size of course.

A Dremel rotary tool is used to grind away the old adhesive and followed up with acetone* to leave as clean a surface as possible.

Do you believe in the power of DIY or do you also call the pros when some heavy cleaning needs to be done? ”For the most part, I clean the pairs myself. They are too valuable for me to have others clean on my behalf. However, I have had a few pairs where I could not remove certain stains so I had to bring them to professional shoe cleaners for servicing.” 42 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

Custom “Solevation” urethane adhesive is applied then activated by heat gun. No need for stitches here and the shoe can be stress-tested after only an hour or so, reaching full strength in 24 hours. *fun fact: pure acetone works way faster than nail polish remover acetone, but you need an ID to purchase it because it’s also used to make shabu.

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TSHIEPET The sun is g o o d w h e n…

Whitening yellowed pairs. Depending on the light level, leave it out for 15 minutes or so after treatment with a whitening agent to bring back the true purity. Just like how mother does it. “[Yung nanay ko ] pag naglalaba siya ng mga t-shirts namin na puti, sobrang white, sabi niya kailangan lang din talaga ng araw.”

B a d w h e n…

You’re wearing suede because sunlight will fade the material. We aren’t saying only wear them at night but be sure to store them out of the light. Even electric lights!

BURNING QUESTION #5 Are repellant shoe coatings safe?

doesn’T maTTer when… It comes to yellowing soles. That’s actually oxidation (think rust) and has nothing to do with bilad.

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“Okay din sila [with no longterm negative effects] pero nagla-last siya ng mga two to three weeks lang talaga. Pero mayroong hindi okay lagyan ng ganun like the Air Jordan “Banned” 2016 release–namuti yung leather! Gamit ko na lang mink oil sa ganoong case, natural siya na pang-recondition ng leather and waterproof din.”

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FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 43

how much did a year of being exposed to feminism, misogyny, and sexual harassment on a national scale affect our survey takers? is 2018 the year of the woke?

RESPONDENTS

4,568

SEX FH M’S 2 0 18 NATIO NAL

IQ

y e v r u

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PART 1

x e S

GE

A

Yes. That’s what menopause does, right?

B

No. She may be 45 but she still heats up like a griddle 10%

C

CT AN S

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When your partner suddenly loses her sex drive for a considerable stretch of time, do you accuse her of going through menopause?

Maybe. It could be my problem, you know, getting up to form…

Among the body’s chemicals released during sex, serotonin is responsible for

A

Heightening your craving and desire for your partner

B

Giving you a shot of energy, like adrenaline

C

Numbing you from any pain as you go into climax

D

Giving you a settling calm, that post-sex “afterglow” feeling 55%

words FHM TEAM

Apart from us, which other animal has sex for pleasure?

A

Monkeys

B

Dogs

C

Dolphins 32%

D

Bats According to researches at the University of Santa Barbara, even though dolphins have sex for pleasure, they aren’t aware that the sex could result in offspring

You and your partner are deemed “infertile” (meaning you can’t have kids) when

A

You’ve been trying for a year but can’t conceive

B

You’ve been trying for six months but can’t conceive 19%

C

You’ve been trying for a year and a half but can’t conceive

D

You’ve been trying for two years but can’t conceive

O

THE BIG

True or false: A woman’s clitoris functions only to bring pleasure for her, not for anything else—even for reproduction.

A True B False C Uhm, what is a clitoris?

The refractory period is when

B

Can men have multiple orgasms?

Is there a male G-Spot?

A Only women can B Yes. Is three rounds enough? C Maybe. It all happens way too fast

A Uhm, what’s a G spot? B Yes, there is C No, there isn’t

Guys can fake orgasms too.

A Yes B No

49%

81%

The semen does which wonder to women?

Can you actually “break” your penis?

A

59%

It’s not about the feet—penis size is determined more by the size of hands. True or False?

A

90%

A Yes B No

54%

Can women orgasm on nipple stimulation?

A Yes According B No to the Journal C Maybe of Sexual Medicine, stimulation of the female nipples triggers the same part of the brain that triggers the different parts of the female genitals

Is it possible for men to have an erection even if he is not sexually aroused?

A

74%

52%

Women come more often during oral sex than actual intercourse.

The clitoris has twice as many nerve endings as the penis.

A Yes B No

81%

88%

What is the average length of an erect penis?

B

47%

If a guy has a small flaccid penis, it won’t be much larger when erect.

A

50%

73%

B

65%

What can destroy condoms in just a few hours?

D

66%

49%

B B C

D

C

A

Your penis becomes limp and numb after you ejaculate.

34

%

9

%

C Most of you knew that cum acts as an antidepressant! It may be a while before we try it ourselves.

A

B D

B C You can actually hurt yourself if you go full beast mode.

44

%

37

%

True! But, bigger hands don’t exactly mean bigger, erm. It has more to do with your fingers.

knew that Eurotophobia is actually the fear of vaginas.

You guys might be happy to know that the average penis size is 5.16 inches.

There are a multitude of reasons why people have aversions to certain body parts. Men are predisposed to be cautious of things that are alien to them.

of you knew that autoerotic asphyxiation is when you choke yourself during masturbation or sex. The act is also fondly called as There Choking off, Strangle the are a lot more Dirty Dangle, The Bluemale deaths relating face bastoff, The Strokey to AEA than female, Chokey, The Two-Neck 50:1, according to Squeeze, and etc. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

C A B

C

We’d actually be concerned if you didn’t get this one right.

of you are probably fitness buffs because you knew that men burn approximately 100 calories during romping. of you knew that you could use oil-based liquids as lubricants for some kinky and tasty sexy time.

A C

No! Of course not. Ever heard of growers?

57

%

58

%

Fluorescent lighting can weaken the latex of the condom.

of you believe that you could impregnate a girl without actual penetration. Kindat lang sapat na. Jk. of you believe that the vaginal discharges from cunnilingus are actually good to for you.

PART 2

How long does sex last for you?

OUT K AB U R L A YO ’S T LET

e c n e i xper

Se

91

and

aren’t virgins anymore

93

%

but only

63

72% 30 minutes a majority or less of you said that you could only last for less than 20 20 minutes minutes or less

32%

10 minutes or less

Would be embarrassed to shop at an erotic store

75

Feel uncomfortable whenever they buy condoms

said that you could do a better job at it than Mocha

Sometimes

of you are open to constructive criticism Section 14 of RA 10354 (RH Bill) provides that it will be mandatory to include in curriculums “reproductive health education to adolescents”

34% 18

69

Have you ever been criticized in bed?

are comfortable to talk about their sex life

%

%

45%

Are you open to hear advice from others about sex?

87%

of you are willing to experiment

32%

are comfortable talking about sex

%

Have you ever given sex advice to someone?

46%

AMONG OUR RESPONDENTS

%

How often do you try different sex positions?

%

have actually received some

32% Rarely

DIGITAL LOVE According to a study in the Journal of Computer-mediated Communication, participating in sexting has no relation to sexual behavior

73

59

%

said they would make their own private sex video

%

shared pictures of girls with their friends without the girls’ permissions

64

%

would harass a girl for sex even if she already said no.

33

77

%

confessed they already did

%

engage in sexting

Quezon City is the first local government in the country to penalize street-level harassment of women, which includes catcalling and making unwanted advances.

75%

said it is not alright to joke about rape

Do you talk dirty during sex?

26%

act differently, depending on the partner

Do you enjoy giving oral pleasure?

Does your mind ever wander during sex?

29

How many sexual partners have you had so far?

89%

%

are very well focused!

Do you make sounds in bed?

27%

Love to give some loving back

stuck to just one

Have you ever slept with a member of the same sex?

Have you ever had sex with a person who was 20 years older or younger than you?

85%

81%

haven’t tried it

Still believe age matters

33

%

sometimes

63%

58

%

aren’t afraid to wake the neighbors

oh yeah, baby

41%

said five or less

While a younger man can maintain his erections for longer, an older man can control his ejaculation more easily according to a study by Harvard Health Publishing.

16%

38%

said 10 or less

use their imaginations frequently

16% have been around the block a few times

46%

48%

confessed they sent a nude selfie

53%

admitted taking naked selfies

Is the Philippines in trouble with HIV?

believed in finding true love there

WHO IS

MIA

KHALIFA?

26%

hooked up using a dating app

87

%

THINK SO

Philippines has the highest HIV-infection growth rate at 140% from late 2016 to early 2017 according to reports from the United Nations

93%

Knew that she was a pornstar

what would happen if the call center industry suddenly became obsolete?>> Last we checked it was our sunshine industry. now, artificiaL inteLLigence is threatening a jobs crisis

WORDS

juju z. baluyot ILLUSTRATIONS

mady marcelino

p

ioneer employees of the Business Process Outsourcing Industry (BPO) in the Philippines recall that in 1998, there were only about 10,000 of them working the phones in the first contact centers. They were paid about P8,000 to P10,000 per month doing inbound and outbound calls. Fast forward to 2018, a recent International Labour Organization study on the state of our BPOs report that the industry now employs 1.3 million Filipinos and pumps in $23 billion annually to the national coffers, or nearly 7.3 percent of the country’s GDP. Offices have mushroomed all over. Annual pay ranges from P115,000 to as high as P340,000. Perks include overtime pay, vacation and sick leaves, and health insurance. In other companies, such perks can only be had after an employee becomes a regular, but in many call centers, this benefit can already be secured on your first day at work. In 2011, the Philippines dethroned India as the country with the most call centers and voice-based BPO services in the world. It still feels like BPOs are still a “sunshine industry“ 20 years running. Except that in the field of emerging technology, there is now a sense that twilight may actually be upon the BPO industry. IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) President and CEO Rey Untal was quoted in a recent Reuters report saying that AI is expected to replace 40,000 to 50,000 process-driven BPO jobs. Mark this word: Obsolete. Because if that happens to the BPO industry, it would mean a crisis of joblessness—and that is not what we want.

machine learning

To make sense of all this, first we must take a crash course on AI. AI is an area of computer science that empowers machines to work and react like humans. These machines have man-made, computer-generated intelligence that enables them to understand and communicate with an actual person. Among the many skills that an AI-powered machine possesses include speech recognition, learning, planning, and most impressively, problemsolving. You can ask it a question,

50 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

and be answered as though you just asked a real person. Mylene Abiva, president and CEO of FELTA Multimedia Center, a local company that provides tech education materials, including robotics, to schools, acknowledges that AI is now becoming more useful in our daily lives as more and more people rely on virtual personal assistants like Siri. “They help find useful information when you ask for it using your voice. Your digital personal assistant will respond by finding information, relaying information by phone or sending commands to other apps. AI helps to organize and track information,“ Abiva says. Here is how AI will take over a call center: “In the BPO space, there are currently agents and chatbots, which are basically used in non-voice services or to execute repeated actions,” Think of it like hitting replay again and again for a series of actions you do all day,” IBPAP President Untal says, in a separate interview with FHM. AI can be the first “person“ to talk to a caller before redirecting them to the most appropriate representative. “There are some positions in BPOs who basically listen to the customer and [asks] the general questions. But for more specific work then they elevate it to the right specialist,“ says Matthew Cua, CEO of Skyeye, a local tech company invested in unmanned aerial vehicles and AI. “That [job] can now be done by AI. The more repetitive the work, the more AI can do it. The big picture, according to the Department of Trade and Industry, is that if AI begins to take over BPO work it can “potentially diminish 45 to 50 percent of the approximately 1.3 million Filipino employees of the BPO industry.” “Given that India has lost around 60,000 jobs in outsourcing according to industry reports should mean [the Philippines] should look hard at our industry and figure out and double down on our advantages,“ Cua says. Otherwise, what was once called the “sunshine industry“ might soon fade out like any passing trend. “If you are a call center agent and all you do is take a call and search a database for an answer, your time is going to run out soon,” Cua says. “People will be forced to reinvent themselves many times over their professional lifetime [in order to survive].” If all these turn out NOT to be science fiction, then are we on the verge of seeing a post-apocalyptic scenario of empty cubicle farms with machines talking?

but maybe we shouldn’t be pessimistic

An assistant head of the Human Resources Department at one of the largerst call centers based in Metro Manila, who spoke with us on condition of anonymity as she is not authorized to speak for the company, says that their company is getting ready to embrace AI, but also taking steps to look out for their employees. “Our company has already acknowledged the fact there are some jobs in this industry that won’t last long. We’ve done studies as far back as three years ago and they all point in one direction: AI will increase our efficiency. The bottom line is that the bosses want to save money and streamline our processes. “But of course as a global company, we are doing our best to keep our employees from losing their jobs. Many of them are breadwinners of their families. So what we have been doing is sending some of our employees abroad for training in computer science and engineering to keep them updated with the newest trends affecting the BPO industry, including AI. It will not only be for the benefit of the company, but for them [employees] as well, because there will be reason for us to retain them as they learn new skills and knowledge. Some retrenchment, though, will still be unavoidable. At the end of the day, we are still a business.” IBPAP President Untal agrees that learning a new skill set is the way to go. “Rather than replacing jobs, AI could augment the human capabilities we have, removing mundane tasks from the equation and bringing more meaningful work and humanity back into the workplace,” Untal says. Olive Paraiso, an economics professor at Far Eastern University and researcher who has been

“I honestly can’t imagine na mawawala ang BPO industry,“ call center employee Milour Ulanday says. facebook.com/FHM.ph •

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“I was able to improve my confidence, decision making, analytical skills, communication skills, and leadership skills [because of my job in a call center],” she says. “I did not expect that I’ll have career growth in the industry because of the stereotypes that I [was] hearing when I was still studying.”

doing studies on economic development for think tanks for 29 years, also thinks that human capital will still trump AI in the future BPO workplace. “Technical and information problems today will be entirely different tomorrow and only those who have seen the problem can provide the correct solution,“ Paraiso says. “By that time, BPO companies would have different features, different structures, and maybe different sources of labor. There will always be a place for labor in this lifetime,” she assures.

man vs machine

we can be the workers of the world

The one with the biggest stake in all this, of course, is the BPO employee. Milour Allen Ulanday, 24, has been working in the BPO industry for four years. She says customers will still want human interaction— and emotions and feelings are something that cannot be offered by AI. “Our customers would want to talk to someone who can understand their feelings and who has emotions. Empathy is a big factor. And for you to be able to empathize, you have to have feelings. Hindi pa rin mapapalitan ng AI ang human interaction,“ Ulanday says. Tech entrepreneur Cua, though, would like to offer some perspective. “She is correct that AI has no human emotions. But she is incorrect that humans always want human interaction,“ Cua says. “[These days] we don’t call customer service when we have an issue—we Google it first. We now have Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant with millions of devices dedicated to these assistants being sold. We have automated many things—we communicate more with technology than humans every day to get stuff done.“ “I honestly can’t imagine na mawawala ang BPO industry,“ Ulanday says. But what would Ulanday do if she does lose her job to a machine? “Well, I can still apply [in other jobs]. Maybe if wala na ako sa call center industry, nasa aviation siguro ako. I’ll pursue my dream job,“ she says. “Anyway, being a flight attendant is still connected to customer service. May human interaction pa rin and for sure I’ll still deal with unique situations.“ Ulanday graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, major in journalism. Instead of landing a job in a media company, she went to a call center because of the urgency to be employed. She is her family’s breadwinner. Her story is by no means unique from others who landed a job in a BPO company. “I honestly did not decide to work in a BPO. I did not even dream of working in this industry. When I graduated from college, I felt the need to look for a job immediately because I had to support my family financially. I posted my resumé online and the first company to contact me was a call center company.” Ulanday declines to tell us her monthly salary but says that it’s enough to support her family. But she is quick to clarify that it’s wrong to look at the BPO industry as just a money-making sector.

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IBPAP President Untal believes that the advent of AI can be an opportunity for people in the industry to step up their game in getting the necessary skills to tame the machine. “Career advancement in the BPO sector provides a path with training and development integrated into it, this is how we sustain the momentum of growth and, ultimately, contribute to the nation’s economy,” Untal says. Professor Paraiso says that educating technology education for our country’s young population could spell the difference in achieving an indemand labor force. “Providing [technology] skills to our labor is potentially a monolith of our economic success. The world will still be looking at us Filipinos as a source of labor because we have the manpower, and even if they do consider hiring their own, it would be expensive,” Professor Paraiso says. And where we should start is in the fields of machine learning and data science, where AI originates. Those damn machines need a human brain, maybe our brains, to behave. FH M

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FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 51

DUALITY

Nash aguas shows the depth of his character P H OTO G R AP HY R IA R EG I NO OF FAT CAT STU DIO WO R D S KAT ZAB LAN G R O O M I N G H E R NAN SOR IANO STYLI ST PATR ICK P LE NO AN D AR RAH N UG U I D

A

lot of stuff happening these days tend to remind us that we’re getting older: Friends having kids, athletes retiring, popular celebrity figures passing on, but nothing really beats seeing a childstar become an adult. Yeah, the kid from Going Bulilit is now 19, a grown man, and while that makes us feel pretty old, it also kind of puts things in perspective. The kid who used to make punny G-rated jokes is now portraying a person suffering from schizophrenia and is directing his own online show. Things are quickly progressing all around us and maybe it’s time to take notice. How does it feel finally taking on a more mature role in The Good Son? This is probably one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever had since it was recently revealed in the show that my character Calvin Buenavidez has schizophrenia. Mas mature talaga [yung role] compared sa mga dati kong nakukuha nung bata pa ako. It’s exciting for me to be able to portray a person with mental illness. It has always been my dream to take on such a complex role and nakakatuwa isiping we’re helping raise mental health awareness.

54 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

How did you prepare for the role? I researched on a lot of mental illnesses, not just schizophrenia, kundi pati na rin split personality to differentiate them from each other. I watched videos of people with schizophrenia to see how they are like. Iba pa rin kasi kapag nanood ka lang ng mga actors playing schizophrenics from actually watching people who have it. I wanted my portrayal to be as close to the truth as possible. Sayang hindi ako nagkaroon ng time na makahalubilo talaga ang mga taong may schizophrenia. How do you get yourself into the mindset needed to portray the character? People with schizophrenia find it difficult to separate reality from their imagination. Nagkakaroon sila nung mga bumubulong... yun yung term nila eh. Di ba tayo minsan may mga times na nag-iisip tayo tapos parang kinakausap natin ang sarili natin? Sila kasi, siguro dahil sa depression—usually kasi yung mga schizo may depression parang nagpapatung-patong yung mga nararamdaman nila— kaya nabubuo yung mga delusions. As an actor, you have to develop a vivid imagination, enough to be able to convince yourself that what you’re thinking is really happening to you in that moment. Dapat kaya mong tanggalin yung camera at lahat ng mga nanonood sayo para mabuhos mo talaga lahat. So you really imagine the voices? Yeah, oo, nag-i-imagine ako na meron talagang bumubulong sakin kasi nakakatakot talaga siya isipin so from there nagiging natural na yung reaksyon. How does it feel to be able to contribute to the increased awareness of mental health issues in mainstream media? It really makes me proud to be a part of this positive movement because not only am I providing entertainment to people watching, I’m actually able to help educate people on how to be more sensitive and understanding sa mga taong may ganitong issues kasi totoo talaga siyang nangyayari at kahit ano’ng sabihin ng ibang tao, hindi lang siya “arte.” Some artists have found it difficult to separate themselves from the characters they portray, have you ever experienced this? Kailangan mong matutong kumalas— once the scene is done, it’s done. You

should be able to get back to your real self. Concern yourself with your own real-life problems. Nabayaran mo na ba yung bills mo? Ganun. Apart from The Good Son, we heard you were directing a show yourself. How is that experience different from acting? I’m directing an online show that’s available on ABS-CBN mobile, Coffee Break. Story siya ng mga magkakabarkada na parang may pagkaFriends or How I Met Your Mother. If your role in The Good Son helps raise mental health awarness, what do you hope to achieve in directing Coffee Break? I think what’s interesting about the show is the dynamics between the characters and how their feelings are determined by what coffee they’re drinking sa time na yun. I really don’t want to spoil anything pero ang gusto ko sanang ipakita sa show are the strange and complicated yet probable circumstances that happen in relationships that aren’t really shown in most mainstream media. I want to prove that even though the things we show are different from what people normally see, people can still find them enjoyable and relatable. So after getting your dream role and finally directing your very own show, what’s next for Nash Aguas? I want to say… ano eh, baka pwedeng munang magpahinga at kumuha ng light role? Biglang pagkatapos ng lahat ng sinabi biglang ganun eh, ha ha! Siguro kasi nakakapagod talaga siya kung laging mabibigat yung eksena. Siguro hindi comedy pero light drama parang Pursuit of Happyness sana. Would you have anything you’d like to say to people who are having a tough time right now? Alam ko mahirap talaga but please don’t be afraid to open up to others. When you’re too closed off from the rest of the world and you feel like no one’s listening, that’s when things feel too much to handle. At kung wala talaga kayong makausap, message niyo ako sa Instagram, seryoso. You need to let it out, if not, baka mag-implode ka. A while ago, a person messaged and thanked me because napapakita ko raw, through playing Calvin, na hindi naman kailangan katakutan yung mga taong may ganitong klaseng karamdaman kasi tao rin sila at sinusubukan talaga nilang lumaban. FH M

“Kailangan mong matutong Kumalas— once the scene is done, it’s done. You should be able to get bacK to Your real self”

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lacey dreams P H OTO G R AP HY JOH N AGCAOI LI

The athleisure-fication of everything has seemingly crept into women’s lingerie lately–all tech fabrics, sharp cuts, and big bold lettering. That’s totally cool with us, but import model Jenn Q’s red-hot set right here just reminded us of how warm and inviting delicates can be. Let’s bring some lace back into the rotation for the love month, shall we? Oh, and the fact that it can get delightfully see-thru has nothing to do with it, of course. – ASH MAHINAY

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FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 59

Mak e u p K i m D oan S p eC IaL THaN kS TO CHaD RoSaR io

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Now you can take the babes everywhere you go!

Get

on your smartphone or tablet. Download the app now!

http://bit.ly/fhm-ios

*Powered by

. You can access

http://bit.ly/fhm-android

using the account you create for the FHM Philippines App.

MASTE R YO U R L O O K Edited by ASH MAHINAY mikeyashlie.mahinay@ summitmedia.com.ph

I T E M

These are my pants E ntE r th E wor ld of customs with Ab ovE th E An klE P h oTo G raP h Y: mar k J e Sa lva • Wor D S: aS h mah I n aY

Do you fit in one of the awkward spaces in between (or beyond) ready-to-wear sizing? That life sucks hard, yes, but good thing there are clothing gods out there who hear you and aren’t afraid of the challenge of making custom fits. The boys from Above the Ankle will let you spec your very own Ztrack joggers, shown here. Aside from stitching to your perfect size, Above the Ankle makes their products to a high-spec with non-struggle fabrics, zippers, and trim–these feel sturdy Af and will last you many, many fit pics. (While you’re at it, get a pair of the delightfully named Zhorts, too.)

face b o ok . c om / ab ov e T h e a n k le or I G @abov e T h e an k le

ZT rac k P2000, ( P24 00 for c u STom S)

Filson Small Duffle Bag, P22,340 Signet

Generally, men do not pack a bag to dinner. But some dates are set in the heat of the moment–so bring a daily tote with pleasant surprises in mind.

F

I

T

S

E A D T T N I GH put together some highlights for a night to remember

STYLING

ILLUSTRATIONS

DEBRA BERNALES

BORG SINABAN

PHOTOGRAPHY

JONATHAN BALDONADO

WORDS

ASH MAHINAY

Kiltie Tassel Single Monkstrap in French Calfskin P21,500 Sapatero

Obviously, shoes with no laces demand a better fit than most– and what fits better than made-to-order? If she's in heels, get on her level in these.

Ramos Lace Up Work Boot in Desert Suede, P5,499 Marquina Shoemaker

On the other end of the spectrum, good boots are perhaps the most acceptable piece of "workwear" during a date. Unlacing (and lacing) them also makes anyone look like a stud.

DIRECTORY Signet Retail Retail Unit GF3 Shangri-La at Fort 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, BGC Sapatero Available at Felipe and Sons Mezzanine A, LPL Manions San Agustin St., Salcedo Village, Makati Marquina Shop online at marquinashoemaker.com

F

I

T

S

Ring Jacket Navy Havana Blazer, P45,000 Signet

Remember when guys used to drape their jackets over their dates before we all swapped them for streetwear fits? It's not a bad move to bring back, in our opinion.

Anderson's Cordovar Belt, P18,000 Signet

You might think, "man, suspenders must be fancy date wear, right?" Please, don't fall for the hype and stick to the classics. FH M

F

I

T

S

Take her by the arm …wh i c h m ean s stu f f th e b i c e p s b e fo r e yo u h it th e b e d r o o m

LIFE ON THE U PSWI NG Edited by PEEJO PILAR [email protected]

You’re going to need all of your strength this month. When she propels pheromones your way, you’ve got to be on your A-game. Begin with your biceps because, trust us, she’ll take notice. But before you hit the gym and do a ton of curls, heed this crucial advice: “Choose movements that will incorporate multiple arm muscles groups like dips, push-ups, and chin-ups and superset them with isolation ones,” explains Strongman and CrossFit coach Francis Madore. Follow his lead by alternating these workouts and scrapping those scrawny arms, pronto.

wo r d s L AMAR R O Q U E p h oto G ra p hy K U R T ALVAR E Z s h ot o n Lo cati o n: m n L c r o s s f i t, G r o u n d f Lo o r, o n e o r c ha r d r oad c o n d o m i n i u m, eastwo o d c i ty, b r Gy. baG u m baya n, Q u e z o n c ity

Supinated-grip Bentover Row (4 sets, 6 to 8 reps) • Stand with your feet apart with a loaded barbell in front of you. Go for intermediate weight. • Assume a bent position, pick up the bar in a supinated grip and row the barbell towards your torso. Remember: Don’t round your back. • Engage your core throughout the movement. That’s one rep.

DAY 1

Fa rme r’s Carry Bu rn e r

After the four exercises above, do this fat-burning drill by walking while carrying a heavy pair of dumbbells for 10 minutes.

Close Grip Bench Press (4 sets, 8 to 10 reps) • Lie flat on a bench with your grip to the bar at around shoulder width distance. Go for intermediate weight. • Bring your chest out and up and do your reps with your core engaged.

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Ring chin-ups (As Many As possible or 8-10) • Hang from a bar using an underhand grip and keep your arms straight. • Pull your chest towards the rings and engage your core as you bring yourself up. • You can also execute this exercise using a pullup bar via a supinated grip, applying the same movement.

21’s (3 sets, with no rest in between 7’s and go heavy as long as you can do the curl) • From your dumbbells hanging on your side to your upper torso, do seven curls. • Then, from your upper torso to shoulder level, do seven curls. • Finally, do full-range bicep curls.

DAY 2

Before-the-date Body Burner:

Hammer curls (4 sets, 8 to 10 reps) • Stand with your feet apart and one dumbbell on each hand. Go for intermediate weight. • Carry the both dumbbells in a hammer position then curl. • Keep your midsection tight and your back straight.

T-Raise Superset (4 sets, 8 to 10 reps) • With two dumbbells from on your sides raise both arms until they come up to shoulder level and parallel to one another. Then, take a quick pause. • After, bring the dumbbell out until your body resembles the letter “T” then another pause. • Slowly return to the front position, pause, then back to your starting position.

Standing Dumbbell Tricep Extension (4 sets, 8 to 10 reps) • Hold one end of the dumbbell with both hands and bring it over your head. Your palms should be facing up. • Bring your left leg back which will be used as support and then lower your forearms behind your head and back. Keep your core tight and shoulders stable.

Dip ladder (4 sets and go as many reps in a set as you can) • You can do this with help of the bench or a couple of chairs. • Do an increasing pattern per set. So, do one rep, that’s one set. Then, do two reps, that’s the second set. Do three reps, that’s the third set and so on. • Don’t proceed to the next set if you feel you wouldn’t complete your reps on whatever number it is you’re at. FH M

100 Incline Push-ups (every time you stop, perform 10 sit-ups then pick up where you left off) 100 Tricep-dips on chair (every time you stop, perform 10 air squats then pick up where you left off). If you wouldn’t have time to shower, forget the penalties and just finish your reps.

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FEBRUARY 2018 FH M 71

Boost MAi ntA i n co r r e c t e l b ow r otAt i o n “It’s one of the most important skills for archers,” Martin says. Keep your bow arm stretched out but don’t lock your elbow. d o t h e “o P e n stA n c e” For right-handed archers, face the target paper, then turn to the right as your feet point right, but keep your head fixed on your mark. With your feet shoulder-width apart, bring your right foot forward about two inches. “This position provides stability, control, and balance when preparing and executing the shot,” Martin says. f i n d yo u r A n c h o r P o i nt Martin says it’s the spot on your face, which is usually the corner of the mouth or below the chin for most archers, where you pull the bowstring each time you draw.

MAst e r t h e s M o ot h r e l e As e “Another rookie mistake is using or opening the fingers to release the arrow,” Martin says,. Also, don’t jerk the string back. For a smooth release, just relax your fingers as you draw more.

skill

On point

e l b ow u P “Draw the bow and anchor below your chin, with your elbow at the back of your ears, facing a bit upward, then continue pulling the string to release the bowstring from the fingers,” Martin says.

H it yo u r ma r k li k e C u p i d s H o ots H earts w itH a b ow an d ar r ow

Ai M it st rAi g ht Beginners should start with using just the dominant eye to aim first and keeping the other closed to be more consistent with the shots. More advanced archers can aim with both eyes open.

Cupid is traditionally represented as a kid—a baby, actually—shooting at hearts with a bow and arrow. Which begs the question, why would we let a tot shoot a weapon? Okay, so it’s just a metaphor for idealizing that feeling of falling in love. Still, archery is a skill—and in this sense, either Cupid is doing really well or failing miserably, love being hit or miss. To confirm that the winged cherub is doing his job, FHM dug up the science behind accuracy with a bow and arrow, thanks to some expert tips from Roy Vincent Martin, coach and equipment specialist at Arrowland by Gandiva. As for the non-believers and scorned lovers, these pointers could really prove useful, not to shoot down your exes, but for taking up archery as a worthy hobby to bury the heartbreak.

f o l l ow t h r o u g h Don’t jerk the bow arm after you release. Instead, “the fingers of the drawing hand should be relaxed and continue to compress your back muscles. The drawing hand should move straight back along the side of your face and stop below and behind your ear,” Martin says. Keep the bow arm straight as well until the arrow hits the target. fh M

Wor d s: oMAr B E Lo ; I LLU sTrATI oN : M E LV I N CALI N Go

h o o k t h e b owst r i n g r i g ht A rule of thumb, or fingers to be exact: one finger above the nocking point, which is the index finger, and two fingers (middle, ring) below the arrow. Tuck the thumb and ring finger inside your hand.

P i c k t h e r i g ht b ow f o r yo u Things to consider: your height, weight, draw length, and most important, purpose. For casual, traditional hobbyists, a wooden bow is best. For serious competitors, go for a compound or recurve bow. Avo i d t h e “ d e At h g r i P” Martin says gripping the bow tightly is a common mistake for first-time archers. The best grip is a gentle one. “The fingers should be relaxed, same as the hand. But be in full control of the bow. Your index finger and thumb are the only two fingers that should catch the bow after you make the shot,” Martin says. arrowland by Gandiva branches are located at 5F mega Fashion Hall, sm megamall and 2F the annex building, sm north edsa. open during mall hours, they cater to clients on a first-come, first-served basis. the flagship store is at sparta Compound, pioneer street, mandaluyong City. Call them at 373-2571 (sm north), 636-7754 (sm megamall), 09178784190 (pioneer). For corporate team-buildings and events, e-mail [email protected]

72 fh M February 2018

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S K I L L

The power of poetry

light. The American poet Ezra Pound's maxim was ‘Make it new!’” This should give you a chance to renew your appreciation of her presence in your life by describing your girl in new and fresh ways.

lear n TH e F I n e arT OF WO O I nG YOU r WOMan W ITH pas s IOnaTe WOr Ds

WoRdS:PEEJo PILAR; ILLUSTRATIonS: BoRG SInABAn

Are you dimwitted and have no idea on how else you should get your girl to love you even more? There’s just so much that simple selfies together with pursed lips and that fingerhearts symbol can do until she starts to think on how shallow you really are. Do you want her to see the real you, lingering within the folds of your own existence? Like a shadow passing through curtains, never really noticed, but only felt like a touch of a hand or a breeze on the back of your neck? Did you see what we just did there? We just slapped you with a dose of poetry. Well kinda, but if you want to tickle her with your prose and make her see a deeper side of you, then stretch your brain and wake up your soul. Here are some basic steps from an author of eight books of poetry and teacher of creative writing and literature, Allan Popa, in getting your feet wet in some sticky, slicky poetry. Read some samples “Poetry Foundation’s archive of more than 40,000 poems is a good place to start,” Popa says. “There’s a section devoted to love poems which are categorized further into forms, modes, and stages of attraction. When reading poems with the intent to learn how to write poems, allow yourself to be puzzled by the language of poetry first, to wonder, to doubt, to inhabit uncertainty and take pleasure in not knowing enough. Love poems, through the inventive use of language, enact the experience of being in love, the struggle between

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mind and body, the blurring of the boundary between reason and emotion. The poem you intend to write should recreate this experience in your beloved’s mind.” Get in touch with your feelings “To write poems addressed to the beloved is an opportunity to make sense of this difficult thing called love,” Popa shares. “Take time to discover aspects of your emotions towards her that you may not have realized before. Try to see her in a different

Pick a moment or experience “It’s not enough to narrate a memorable experience with your girl; a poem is not an IG post,” Popa reminds us. “What you must try to capture in words is the ‘unphotographable’ aspect of it, what made it truly memorable. Your poem should account not just for the happiness you felt but for the mixture of emotions you ascribe to the experience: anticipation, excitement, joy and even fear or doubt. At the heart of all good poetry is contradiction. Frank Bidart’s contemporary reworking of the Roman poet Catullus’ two-line poem exemplifies this:

Add the finer details “The best poets do not use metaphors and similes to elude understanding, which is a common misconception about poetry,” says Popa. “Indirect or figurative language is meant to clarify emotions and ideas that are hard to capture in words. James L. White: ‘I love you like weathered wood/in a room of empty pianos.’ The more unexpected the metaphor you come up with, the more it teases the imagination and engages the senses. This implies that the love of your life inspires you enough to see likeness in difference.”

The finishing touches “Feel the love and allow it to alter your language,” says Popa. The best thing about giving personal poetry as gifts is that it is free. Yet it is something that your girl will always treasure especially if it’s true. Pag iniibig ka ng makata paulit-ulit kang namamatay sa kanyang mga tula Dahil ang pagtula ay pagsasanay sa iyong pagkawala (Allan Popa, INMORTAL)

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I hate and love Ignorant fish, who even // wants the fly while writhing.

Love hurts. But you want more of it, do you not? “The wisdom of a poem must feel earned and borne out of a genuine experience to convince,” says Popa. “Love comforteth like sunshine after rain” (Shakespeare).

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Silk road The currenT hyundai elanTra’s one qualiTy ThaT may win you over: impecabble smooThness words ALLAN P. HERNANDEZ phoToGraphy MARK JESALVA

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: if you’re in the market for a new sedan, we would not be surprised if you passed on the current Hyundai Elantra. What is going against it is its price vis a vis the total package that you get for it —at P918,000 for the base manual to P1,158,000 for the top-of-the-line 2.0L, many say that you don’t get features that you’d find in other cars in the price range (cruise control, touchscreen infotainment, those things), especially at the mid- and top-range. To be fair, Hyundai Elantras in other countries are packed with features, and it’s just too sad that we don’t get the same here (if we did, the price would have surely topped out unreasonably). 74 FH M FEBRUARY 2018

M OTOR ediTed by

AllAN P. HERNANDEZ allan.hernandez @summitmedia.com.ph

HYU N DAI E LANTRA R I D E S l I kE

a magic carpet

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F E E l S l I kE

a smoothie

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a cat being stroked

B U Y AT

p918,000 to p1,158,000

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Sure, the Elantra is no slouch when it comes to looks, but then so do the other cars, so the decision for the buyer is obviously difficult. But just glossing over the Elantra at the showroom is not doing due diligence. Test driving it—and we mean really run it through its paces—will have you realize that the Korean automaker (the third biggest in the world, by the way) may be on to something with the car despite the things that are missing. And what that is, is this: The Elantra has impressively smooth drive quality. We could go on and tell you token platitudes about how the Elentra takes control of the road and hugs pavement and all that, but we would rather talk to you about a particular feeling www.fhm.com.ph

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we had driving it. We don’t know if you notice these things in cars, but we did, and it put a smile on our face. There is a particularly satisfying purr and gurgle in the engine every time you step on the accelerator. As it begins to speed up, you also begin to feel good because the purring travels to the pedal up to your foot and legs, and it almost tickles. We’re not kidding. We felt it. The engine inside the Elantra is silky smooth that driving is almost a calming experience. And we know that feeling never happens now. Sorry if we’re beginning to sound like a woman talking about cats she watched on You YouTube… FH M

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When becoming like Mike isn’t an option

My fascination with sneakers started from a very young age and, as is probably the case with most people who love shoes, is deeply rooted in my love for basketball. I remember being young and seeing Michael Jordan fly. I can still see how Allen Iverson cut through defenders like it was nothing and how Kevin Garnett and Charles Barkley played with unrivaled ferocity. I remember the shoes they wore as they accomplished the amazing. Because of them, I never thought of shoes as a utilitarian item whose sole purpose was to protect my feet. They were the closest I could get to becoming like Mike (and AI, and KG, and Sir Charles...). Of course, I soon realized that wearing Jordans and Air Force Max CB’s didn’t mean acquiring their on-court skills and I started buying shoes simply because I liked them. That meant getting flashy colorways that included pinks, neon greens, and powder blues. It meant buying shoes that most people, probably including Jordan himself, would think as over the top. Why did I like these shoes? I don’t know. My best guess is that what started out as an attempt to emulate those I looked up to became part of how I wanted to stand out as an individual.

a guy’s evolving taste in sneakers WorDs AEUS REYES PHotograPHy MARK JESALVA

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