What’s the story on your chest?

 

I like looking at people's chests.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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