The problem with blogging.... By Malu Fernandez

After Malu retracted her public apology, here's her attack on bloggers.

The problem with blogging....

By Malu Fernandez

Just this morning I got a text telling me to check out some blog with juicy gossip about the so called “Gucci Gang” curiously enough I logged on and read all the gossip and juicy details. Whether or not the stories were true I didn’t really care to find out nor do I care to be involved. It makes no difference in my life who did what to whom it was just a leisure gossip read and I was just one of the many people who read the blog but halfway through I became quite disturbed as it made me reminiscent of the numerous blogs I was once the hot topic of.

Before I go any further I must stress the point that this is not about my previous issue, but simply the point of view of someone who has been a victim of vicious blogging and blogging as a new communication medium. To those of you who are mass/volume or dense (that’s the physics formula for density to those who are clueless) again, I repeat this is not a reaction toward my past actions.

So let me continue, first of all I believe in the freedom of speech. By all means say what you need to say. Unfortunately for most of the bloggers without advertising you get paid nothing. If in fact you do get paid then hooray for you. But blogging, aside from Perez Hilton and the other big time bloggers (you know who you are) is for me a slacker job or a medium and pastime for lonely people to connect. Unless you’re in bloody Siberia or in a Gulag prison, try stepping outside your comfort zone and turn off the laptop or pc, you just might find some real live people to talk to instead of typing away in cyber space.

On the flipside blogging can be a good source of information and a great way to exchange ideas. This I strongly encourage whether it is about politics, fashion, food or whatever topic you may choose. Friendly and healthy discussions are always great.

The difference between a journalist and a blogger is that journalists have to adhere to certain guidelines that govern the freedom of speech. And whatever a journalist chooses to write about—be it popular or unpopular—we do not hide behind an anonymous name and are resigned to the fact that we have to take as much as we dish out. However, I simply detest people who place vicious comments and slanderous statements in blogs yet sign their messages as ‘anonymous.’ If you have something to say, don’t hide behind a false name. It’s just plain cowardice of you to do so. I have more of a deep sense of respect for those—however unpopular or vicious their statements are—who post their views with their real names and make no bones about it. At least they stand for something; I would rather take it from them than the cowards that hide behind false names.

Perhaps it is the Filipino culture to foster backstabbing because they never mean what they say face to face. Just how many times have you dealt with co-workers who will smile in your face when you ask them to perform a task or engage in just plain conversation, when in fact they are quite uncomfortable with the situation and are forced to do what they absolutely detest with a smiling face. I guess it’s the kind of culture brought about by 300 years of Spanish colonization. To one particular blogger of Spanish descent but with an Indio face, don’t act like a peninsulares and quote Spanish words from the generation of your abuelita... jeez and they call me elitist. The Spanish rule is over, get over yourself and your Español relatives who used to have power... but I digress (oops, my bad...) Let’s move forward.

It’s just like all this hullabaloo about ousting GMA. You deposed ERAP in Edsa Dos. Now you’re unhappy with his replacement. Make up your minds. (For the record I’m not pro anybody I’m pro whatever lesser evil is out there). You can’t overthrow one president then decide you made a mistake with your second choice. I’s not like buying a green Hermes bag and suddenly deciding, oops I should have gotten the black one instead. Unfortunately that’s the kind of nation we have become, a bunch of wishy-washy whiners who whine about everything under the sun and found the blog sphere to be the new medium for whining. Yes we do what we have to do as a nation to get things done and stop corruption and evil (I’m all for that) but we never seem to be happy with what we have, hence the complaining and whining. It just never stops.

I suppose I started some kind of trend by eliciting nasty comments and reactions via blog because of my indiscretion. But it seems to be a comfortable medium for people to vent their anger on just about everything they disagree with. I have been called an irresponsible journalist so what does that make you? It is easy to hide under the guise of anonymity you can say just about anything you want because you have no repercussions to deal with. It’s easy to hide behind a false moniker isn’t it?

Just a thought to ponder on... Maybe I should start an anonymous blog and really let go... but then again I don’t want to be responsible for World War Three and I would sleep much better being brutally honest in your face than hide behind an anonymous name. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if I started a blog just to shake things up and got a ton of money in advertising? If I do decide to do that I thank you all in advance for inspiring me… I’m always a glass half full kinda girl anyway...

Malu Antoinette?

At the height of the 1st Malu Fernandez Brouhaha, this appeared in one of the Manila Standard articles. I am quoting the article in full with highlights to some points.

Malu Antoinette

The editors and management of this newspaper have been besieged and importuned to join the heated discussions by all sorts of parties and characters, for reasons ranging from noble to ignoble, who think that lifestyle columnist Malu Fernandez is the Philippine version of France’s Marie Antoinette.

Despite our private, aching desires as journalists to explain the Malu Fernandez affair, the Manila Standard Today adheres to a certain set of protocols that prevent us from publicly discussing personnel issues.

Having said that, perceptive readers would have noted that two Manila Standard Today columnists have already devoted three columns on Ms. Fernandez, publicly rebuking their fellow Manila Standard Today columnist for an offending article that had seen print in another publication.

In any case, a contrite Ms. Fernandez has already issued a public apology for what she had written both in the Manila Standard Today and in the first publication. <-- (she has publicly retracted the apology, just recently.. -ed)

The civilized response for the offended parties would have been acceptance of the proffered penance, unless the expressed remorse is taken as sarcasm by some parties determined to be insulted.

Are you a stinky linky? Or do you smell like a divine divalicious babe? By malu Fernandez

Newspapers have the habit of taking down their archives. This little known article by the condescending, grossly overweight and feeling sexy writer is being posted here in full

Are you a stinky linky? Or do you smell like a divine divalicious babe?

By Malu Fernandez
As all of you know I have just returned from a wonderful holiday in the Mediterranean. To cut on some costs for this impromptu vacation I was forced to fly economy class which I absolutely do not wish on my worst enemy. I was, however, encouraged by my travel agent to try out Emirates since it won the best economy class, so with great trepidation I flew on Emirates via Dubai, completely forgetting that Dubai is the hub for all the Filipino migrant workers. Call me whatever you like but when you are trapped in economy class that is filled to the brim with migrant workers the smell gets a little funky after nine hours of flying.

The whole incident inspired me to write about fragrance. For as long as I can remember I have had a very keen sense of smell. And sometimes I can remember people by their sense, call it weird but its true. Some studies actually state that men and women are more primarily attracted by scent than by physical attributes. I may forget a lover’s face but I never forget his scent.

Have you ever gone shopping for a new scent and felt so overwhelmed by so many choices? No matter how many coffee beans you inhale in between smelling different fragrances it is best to only do five at a time as your sense of smell cannot handle more than that.

“There’s too much confusion, too much secrecy... I think perfumery should be raised to the same level as music, and painting, and architecture. With a symphony orchestra, you can see all the music, you can see all the instruments, and in the end it’s still magical. When you’re educated, you can determine the true value of things, and you can make better choices. It’s time for that same level of education to occur with scent.” (Cristophe Laudamiel, From Making Perfect Scents, The Boston Globe, Feb. 22).

The Philippines has a great number of colognes and perfumes in the market, from Chanel, Anick Goutal, Sarah Jessica Parker’s celebrity scent, Mark Jacob’s designer fragrance to Inno Sotto’s new perfume. You can go through the whole cosmetic and fragrance department of Rustan’s and sample a whole array of fragrances, ranging from P2,000 to P5,000.

What people don’t seem to realize is that wearing a fragrance is like wearing clothes, you shouldn’t wear the same scent all the time or you will have no distinction at all. You can’t go out on the town smelling like you paid $20 for your cologne from the Perfumeria at the mall in Sherman Oaks (eeew!!!!) You also shouldn’t smell like everyone else! If all you can afford is Axe cologne use the magazine scents or don’t wear any. A good fragrance smells differently on each individual because of body chemistry. What may smell good on me may absolutely stink on someone else. To quote my good buddy and fellow fashionista Kitty Go: “I hate smelling like the rest of the world in their clouds of Duty Free scents!”

Frankly, I feel the same way but there are exceptions, like GFF by Gianfranco Ferre. Kitty on the other hand, prefers Jean Claude Ellena’s L’eau d’hiver and Angelique Sous La Pluie and for the winter, Serge Lutens’ Ambre Sultan, and year round Robert Piguet’s Fracas or Bandit.

After talking to Kitty, I decided to find out what some of my other fabulous friends are into… My BFF (best friend forever) and oldest friend Samantha Eduque got me into Jo Malone and I haven’t stopped buying his scents. Our favorite one is the Nectarine Honey Blossom. I also love the Ginger scent, which my bubbly and perky friend Rajo Laurel prefers as well. Jo Malone rocks because you can do fragrance layering which means you layer one scent with another to create your own special scent. Rajo also claims that a good scent can conjure up happy memories. I agree. Have you ever smelled something from the past that evoked a smile?

Acca Kappa seems to be a favorite pick as well because not only is it moderately priced around P2,000, it also has a light lingering scent that my bachelor buddy Christopher Lim prefers.

“I like Acca Kappa because the only time you get to really smell it is when you’re close enough to that special person,” he reveals.

My favorite nephew, Miguel Zubiri, prefers Gio by Armani for himself but he absolutely loves Estee Lauders’ Pleasures, a scent he personally picked for his wife Audrey. My cool buddy Mart Tan likes Bulgari’s kid’s cologne because of its light fresh scent. I like a lot of Bulgari’s scents as well as all the tea scents, green, red and white tea.

There are other playful scents like Insolence by Guerlain a favorite pick of one of my fabulous and beautiful; and fellow fashionista buddy and Mega Magazine’s secret weapon, Carla Sibal. “Just look up the meaning of the name and you will figure out the scent!,” she says.

Leave it to Carla to pick the controversial scent of the moment.

Insolence is a big deal now in the perfume market because of its fierce competition with Chanel. LVMH chairman, Bernard Arnault “understands that of all the LVMH brands, only Guerlain can combat Chanel.” At the moment the perfume giants are all at war and Guerlain and Chanel are at the very top.

Party buddy, Pepper Teehankee likes unisex scents from Creed and Tim Yap loves High Energy by Dior a present he got from my favorite Sea Princess Tessa Prieto Valdes. Tim calls it “Redbull in a perfume bottle.” Tessa, on the other hand, favors Anick Goutal’s Folavaril because it reminds her of gay Paris where the quaint little shop of Anick Goutal stands, at the corner across the chic Hotel Costes, my favorite place for coffee.

So you see different people have different tastes in scents just like in clothes. What people don’t know about the fragrance business is that the actual scent isn’t that expensive to make. More often than not it is the bottle, packaging and the marketing and advertising fees that make some of these fragrances expensive. For now I’m a complete Jo Malone fanatic and I love Sarah Jesicca Parker’s “Lovely” because it’s my stay at home cologne (in other words, my pambahay scent) because it’s really calming and soothing. But just to give you an idea of how some of the fragrances are being categorized. Here is the current list of scents done in category as listed in the February 2007 issue of Town and Country. As you can see it is quite an extensive list but no matter as long as you don’t smell like you got your scent from the checkout aisle at the supermarket or the Perfumeria in the valley you will be fine!

Classic

Potent: Baghari (Robert Piguet), Bal a Versailles (Jean Desprez), Chanel No. 5, Femme (Rochas), Fracas (Robert Piguet), Mitsouko (Guerlain), Opium (Yves Saint Laurent), Shalimar (Guerlain), Youth Dew (Estee Lauder).

Medium Strength: Anais Anais (Cacharel), Arpege (Lanvin), First (Van Cleef & Arpels), Joy (Jean Patou), L’Air du Temps (Nina Ricci), Lauren (Ralph Lauren), L’Interdit (Givenchy), Oscar (de la Renta), Rive Gauche (Yves Saint Laurent).

Barely There: Caleche (Hermes), Diorissimo (Christian Dior).

Contemporary

Potent: Boucheron, L Eau d Hadrien (Annick Goutal), L’Eau d’Issay (Issay Miyake), Obsession (Calvin Klein), Prada.

Medium Strength: Amarige (Givenchy), Calyx (Prescriptives), Carolina Herrera, Cashmere Mist (Donna Karan), J’Adore (Christian Dior), Lime Basil & Mandarine (Jo Malone), Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Paris (Yves Saint Laurent), Pleasures (Estee Lauder), Romance (Ralph Laurent), Stella (McCartney), Tresor (Lancôme), Vera Wang.

Barely There: Allure (Chanel), Au The Vert (Bvlgari), For Her (Narciso Rodriguez), L Instant de Guerlain, Pure Tiffany.

Current

Potent: Black Orchid (Tom Ford), Soir de Lune (Sisley), Valentino V.

Medium Strength: Armani Code for Women, Badgley Mischka, Beyond Paradise Blue (Estee Lauder), Burberry London, Cuir Beluga (Guerlain), Delices de Cartier, Donna Karan Gold, F by Ferragamo, Hypnôse (Lancôme), Insolence (Guerlain), Into the Blue (Escada), Island (Michael Kors), Lovely (Sarah Jessica Parker), Par Amour (Clarins), Rumeur, Silver Rain (La Prairie).

Barely There: Dianthus (Etro), Rose Ikebana (Hermes).

Rare

Potent: Fleur Oriental (Miller Harris), Iris Poudre (Frederic Malle)

Medium Strength: Beach (Bobbi Brown), Colonia (Acqua di Parma), Douce Amere (Serge Lutens), Dreams of the Sea (Antonia’s Flowers), Jarling (JAR), Love in White (Creed), No. 1 For Women (Clive Christian), Perfect Kiss (Sarah Horowitz), Vanille Abricot (Comptoir Sud Pacifique).

Barely There: Millesime Imperial (Creed), Mimosa Pour Moi (L’Artisan), Acqua di Colonia (Santa Maria Novella), The Scent of Peace (Bond No. 9).

FROM BORACAY TO GREECE: The article that popularized Malu Fernandez

This is where she became known. I found the article in another blog and lifted it from there. Clicking on the photo will lead you to the actual actual site that posted it.

The parts of the article that created quite a stir are as follows:

"However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them."

"While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga san ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?” Translation: “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?” I thought I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell."

"On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air."

Am I being a diva? Or do you lack common sense? By MALU FERNANDEZ

Written as a response to violent reactions to her article about OFW's. Here it is. Please link to this post when blogging about the article.

Am I being a diva? Or do you lack common sense?

By MALU FERNANDEZ
July 30,2007

Many people often find my direct attitude to be rude or obnoxious. I really don’t mean to be anything but true to myself. Patience is a virtue I sorely lack and dealing with stupidity is something I cannot tolerate but something I have to deal with in this God-forsaken country of ours. How many times do you have to deal with day-to-day activities and find yourself exasperated because of simple-minded people who take two hours to do a 30-minute task? Just go to any government office from the post office to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and you’ll see that anything that can be done in a few minutes takes up more than half of your day.

What irks me the most is bad service when you are paying full price and expected to leave a generous tip. Hair salons are most often guilty of this. I have had the privilege to experience going to high end salons from Frederick Fekkai to Bench Fix when I am being spontaneous or have time to kill at the mall. In truth, all the operators or stylists are skilled but you get what you pay for. My bare minimum requirement is cleanliness and a good massage at the shampoo bowl. But I found out that in this country, it doesn’t pay to make an appointment because the receptionist will almost always make you wait. Although there are a few salons that are strict about it most are not. When one takes the time to schedule an appointment, it is common courtesy for the salon to honor the time allotted and when they don’t they shouldn’t expect anything less but an irate customer whose time has been wasted. These are just some of the stupid things I have to deal with everyday. Life is stressful enough so going to the hair salon should be relaxing and not a pain in the ass.

Big corporations should train their customer service personnel properly. For instance, I spent over 20 minutes on the phone with a customer service person and after answering certain “security” questions, I was politely told that they could not give out the information I needed. So naturally that is 20 minutes of my life that I will never get back again, prompting me to quickly bitch that a simple answer should have been: “Before I verify your identity we would like you to know that we are not allowed to give out information regarding…” Am I supposed to learn how to be patient with people who lack common sense?

I just don’t get it. The minimum requirement for people in this country to even work as a barista in Starbucks is to have a college degree. Do we blame the individual who has no common sense or the education system? A year ago I was asked to teach a fashion class at the University of the Philippines. I said yes to honor my late father who also taught medicine in UP. I also accepted the task as a form of giving back to society. In doing this job, I was paid a measly amount for one semester. The amount did not even cover my gasoline expenses. However, the money wasn’t really the issue, but I noticed the major difference in an American education vs. a Filipino education. Forget about the outdated facilities because these are not even the major problem but the small salaries the educators who are forced to sell things out of their office to supplement their income. So it’s a case of what comes first, the chicken or the egg. If your teachers don’t get paid properly, you end up with low quality educators and the whole cycle just continues even if the young students are eager to learn.

Why is it that you have to hire a college graduate to work as a sales girl? Doesn’t that tell you that the quality of education in this country sucks? It doesn’t require a college degree to do a sales job and yet I am forced to do so because high school graduates end up as maids or house help. Once in a while, I come across a brilliant employee who is at an entry-level job and yet has the brains to be elsewhere but doesn’t have the right connections. How fair is that?

As I type this, I’d like you to know that it’s not about whining, complaining and bitching but just stating the facts. Just recently, I wrote a funny article in my magazine column and my friends thought it was hilarious. It was humorous and quite tongue-in-cheek, or at least I thought so, until the magazine got a few e-mails from people who didn’t get the meaning of my acerbic wit. The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker then a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world, otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for the a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading.

Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes. One group will never get the culture of the other. Although I could mention that it is easier to understand someone who has a lower socioeconomic background that would entail a whole other page and frankly I don’t want to be someone to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes. I leave that to the politicians in my family who believe they can actually help. Now I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it’s a little of both!

Malu Fernandez (PICTURES)

Lifting the photo directly from the source. She calls herself Divalicious (delicious) but of course, that's just her own opinion. Since she dishes out her unabashed view of others, everybody else should be entitled to say their own perception of her.