Ipinalabas ito sa telebisyon noong 2001-2015

     Isang malaking parte ng aking kabataan ang Totally Spies. Ilang oras at kuryente ang aking naaksaya para lang masubaybayan ang buhay nila Sam, Clover, at Alex sa Beverly Hills, California bilang mga undercover agents. Pinapakita ang dalawang aspekto ng buhay nina Sam, Clover, at Alex: ang buhay nila sa Beverly Hills High School bilang mga estudyante at kanilang pang-araw-araw na karanasan at ang buhay nila sa World Organization of Human Protection (WOOHP) kasama ang manager nilang si Jerry. 

     Sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na buhay, naipapakita sa palabas na ito ang sitwasyon sa isang high school sa Beverly Hills. At kahit na hindi pangkaraniwan ang tagpuan nito, maaari pa rin itong sumalamin sa mga ibang paaralan hindi lamang sa California o Estados Unidos, kundi na rin sa buong mundo. Pinapakita kung paano makipag-ugnayan ang mga kabataan sa kapwa nilang kabataan. Makikita kung paano naaapi ng isang bully ang kaniyang biktima. Sa palabas na Totally Spies, si Mandy ang bully at ang sikat sa kanilang eskuwelahan. Pinapahiya niya ang mga taong nakapaligid sa kaniya at hindi siya papayag na may mas hihigit pa sa kaniya. Kaya naman palagi niyang inaatake ang tatlong bida, lalong lalo na si Sam. 

     Sa isang eksena na makikita sa baba, makikita na pinagtatawanan ni Mandy si Sam dahil may isa siyang puting buhok. Kahit na mababaw ang dahilan ng pang-aapi ni Mandy, makikita na naapekto pa rin si Sam. Matindi ang paghusga ng mga babae sa iba at sa kanilang mga sarili. Kailangan may imahe ng pagiging perpekto ang isang babae. Sa totoong buhay, hindi lamang puting buhok ang kinakahiya ng mga babae. Kasama na rito ang mga bilbil, kaitiman, at mga buhok sa mga iba't ibang parte ng katawan. Hanggang ngayon, makikita pa rin ito sa kasalukuyang panahon. Sikat ang mga institusyon katulad ng Belo kung saan inaayos ang estetika ng tao at LayBare kung saan tinatanggal ang buhok sa katawan. May iilan na mga kalalakihan na nagbabayad para sa serbisyo ng mga institusyon na ito, pero kababaihan pa rin ang karamihan sa kanilang mga suki. 

     Ngunit, kahit sobrang estereotipikal nila Sam, Clover, at Alex sa imahen ng isang babae, pinapakita na hindi ito isang hadlang sa kanilang misyon para kalabanin ang mga masasamang tao sa lipunan. Hindi tomboy o nagpapakita ng mga katangian ng mga lalaki ang mga tauhan sa palabas. Hindi nila inaasa ang kanilang buhay o ang buhay ng ibang tao sa mga kalalakihan. Nakikipaglaban sila sa kanilang mga kaaway ng walang tulong na hinihingi sa lalaki. Ngunit tinutulungan sila ni Jerry sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng mga sandata para makatulong sa kanilang mga laban, hanggang doon lamang ang kaniyang pagtulong. Hindi si Jerry mismo ang nakikipagsapalaran. Sa aspektong ito ng palabas, makikita na mas lalo nang sinusuportahan ng lipunan ang ideya ng women empowerment. 

     Sa kasalukuyan, mas lalong laganap ang pagtanggap sa ideyang ito. Nauuso ang pagiging "Girl Boss" at pagpapakita sa lipunan na hindi kailangan ng isang babae ang lalaki para maging matagumpay sa buhay. Hindi madaling narating ng mga babae ang pagtanggap at pag-unawa ng lipunan dito. Ilang taon o dekada ang lumipas para makamit nila ito. Sa katunayan, baka ang mga palabas katulad ng Totally Spies ang naging dahilan o ang tumulong para sa mas lalong pagtanggap sa mga kababaihan. 

     Malaki ang naging epekto sa aking pag-iisip at pagkilos ang Totally Spies. Napagtanto ko na walang problema sa pagiging estereotipikal na babae. Totoo na hindi dapat isipin na ganito lahat ng babae, pero kailangan din linawin na walang mali dito. Ayos lang na may pagkaarte sa pananamit, pagkilos, at pagsalita ng tao basta wala siyang naaapakan na kahit sinuman. Hindi dapat tayo manghingi ng tawad sa kahit sinuman kung ito talaga ang ating pagkatao. 

Mga Sanggunian:

“Cartoons and Video Games.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ph/pin/204562008059629003/.

“Totally Spies.” Accro Du Shopping - Images - Images - Totally Spies - Dessins Animés - La Télé, www.canalj.fr/La-tele/Dessins-animes/Totally-Spies/Images/Images/Accro-du-shopping.

“Totally Spies.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ph/pin/337066353341393491/.

TotallySpiesChannel. “Totally Spies | Sam's Grey Hair.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Feb. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=goe5yn7-35c.

“Tumblr Humor III.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.ph/pin/AYI4oI47kNlu7R8NN10ccQNp-0miVkY1TtdwrNP5Js_MkUAH5yitI9I/.

      The Tony Awards is meant to acknowledge those who showed excellence in Broadway theatre, but of course celebrities still showed off their amazing dresses at the red carpet last June 7, 2015. For the meantime, all I can do is fantasize over their beautiful dresses made by the most famous designers in the world. 

Jennifer Lopez in Valentino

     While staring at the midnight blue gown at Valentino's website for a really long time (because of how stunning the gown is, I couldn't resist), I realized that it looks like shooting stars or fireworks in the sky. Jennifer Lopez just never fails to slay the red carpet, I'm in love. 

Kendall Jenner in Calvin Klein

     From the Met Gala to the Cannes Film Festival to the Tony Awards, Kendall has worn dresses from Calvin Klein at red carpet events. Kendall is glowing in this salmon long-sleeved mini dress, flaunting her long legs. Some people thought that it was made of fur, but Calvin Klein revealed in their Instagram that her dress was made of sequins. She paired the frock with satin stilettos and a silver box clutch. Her makeup and hairdo were very simple, putting all the attention to the dress. 

Vanessa Hudgens in Naeem Khan

     Also in a salmon and an open back gown, Vanessa was stunning in this floral gown from the Spring 2015 collection and a crown hairdo, sticking to her boho chic style that she rocks everywhere. She also wore Kurt Geiger "Sharkie"  stilettos, a Rodo clutch, and Norman Silverman jewelry. 

Amanda Seyfried in Oscar de la Renta

     Amanda paired her Oscar de la Renta off-the-shoulder black and gold dress with Christian Louboutin heels and Tiffany & Co. jewels. Since Amanda's dress was from the Fall 2015 collection, it was very dramatic and dark, unlike Kendall and Vanessa who rocked summery looks. Nevertheless, I still loved Amanda's look at the red carpet, very elegant and sophisticated.

Wallis Curie-Wood in Vera Wang

     Not everyone can appreciate this Vera Wang dress from the Spring Ready-to-Wear 2015 collection worn by Wallis, paired with Jimmy Choo "Lance" heels. My brother even said that the front of her dress looks like a Candy Crush game. Although, I still think that this dress made her absolutely gorgeous and charming.

Elisabeth Moss in Oscar de la Renta

     I think that this Oscar de la Renta floral halter gown from the Resort 2016 collection is fun and sweet at the same time. I love how the flowers look like their dangling from the neckline. But as much as I love this gown, I am not a fan of her hair here. It's just too plain. They could have done something with her hair to make her even more fabulous at the red carpet.

Kelli O'Hara in Oscar de la Renta

     This is a pretty pretty pretty dress (yes, I said pretty three times). I also don't know if everyone will appreciate this dress but I think it's utterly beautiful. It makes Kelli look like a freaking #HotMama. 

Kristin Chenoweth in Zac Posen

     There were a lot of celebrities who wore Zac Posen that night, but only Kristen Chenoweth caught my eye. She was dazzling in this elegant and sparkling silver gown, pairing it with Badgley Mischka shoes. What I really loved about this dress is how it made her look like the star that she really is. 

Sydney Lucas in Erin Fetherston

     The reason why I added Sydney Lucas in the list because her dress is very age-appropriate yet it still caught my attention. The floral details on her Erin Fetherson dress makes it very cute and young, especially paired with those Dolce & Gabbana gold flats. 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures. 

     Baguio has been one of those places that I will never get tired of. I think it's mostly because of the cold weather since it ALWAYS feels like an oven here in Manila (except during the 1D concert). So from time to time, it's nice to feel that cold breeze.

     Our original plan was to go straight to Cagayan Valley for the Holy Week to visit my grandmother from the father's side, but we've experienced the long drive too many times that we were just so tired of having to sit for 8-12 hours in the car. So this year, we decided to visit Baguio City before going to Cagayan. 

     Our first destination: Burnham Park. Out of all the things that we can do in the park like biking and taking a stroll, we just chose to row a boat. Actually no, just my brother and sister chose to row a boat. I wasn't really into rowing but my younger siblings insisted on it so obviously we would do it anyway. 

     Since it was the start of the Holy Week, thousands of tourists visited the summer capital. News reporters were looking for tourists to interview about what they think of the place. It just so happens that we were there at the right place at the right time. We were all too shy to talk in front of the camera, but of course my brother was game for it. The short interview was shown in TV Patrol later that night.

     Aside from boating, I tried the skating rink with my siblings. I was hesitant at first because I've never done roller or ice skating, but my sister told me it was easy peasy. One thing I learned that day... never trust your siblings to tell you the truth.

I was either holding the bars with my life...

... or just on the ground.

     After a few bruises and wounds here and there, I finally gave up. Skating, on ice or on hard ground, just wasn't for me. 

     My parents didn't visit the Mansion with me because my siblings were riding horses and they needed someone to watch over them. As usual, tourists weren't allowed to go inside the building and were only allowed until a certain point. 

     There's really nothing too exciting about The Mansion. There was nothing new from my last visit and tourists don't really get to do anything except take pictures of The Mansion... and the military men (lol).

     Mines View Park is also one of Baguio's famous tourist attractions. We got to see some of the gold and copper mines of Benguet from a deck and take some pictures. It's main attraction is the view, but there are a lot of shops to buy souvenirs.

     Since it's Holy Week, we made sure to visit Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, also known as Baguio Cathedral.

Top: SM GTW

Shorts: Hip Culture

Shoes: Converse sneakers and Lacoste booties

Bag: Lacoste

     It is not our first time to try Cafe by The Ruins. We wanted to try something different, but the other restaurants were either full or just not as interesting. My family loves the ambiance of the place so we just decided to eat lunch here.

     Their champorado was different from any champorado I've tasted. It actually surprised me and my mom how good it was. It had the right amount of sweetness and combining the dried fish was just perfect. But even though it was better than we've expected, I think the price of the food was too much for it's worth.

     Tam-awan Village was something really different for us. It isn't like your normal hotel that tourists would usually prefer to stay in. Since my brother requested something a little bit more adventurous, staying here for the night was just right.

     We stayed inside "Luccong", a Cordillera hut. The purpose of these huts was to let the people know how the Kalinga people used to live. 

       There's really nothing inside except for a few mattresses and pillows to sleep in, but it was totally fine for us. They had a cafe with a really good Wi-Fi connection beside our hut so dinner and internet weren't really a problem. There was also a bathroom just outside the hut so that wasn't really a problem either. The whole night just felt like we were staying in our house because there was no one else to share the whole place with. 

2nd Day Outfit:

Dress: Forever 21

Camisole: Uniqlo AIRism

Shoes: Converse

     Inside Tam-awan Village, there are a few view points where people can take pictures. There is also an art gallery for people to see and buy artworks. Basically, the purpose of Tam-awan Village is to spread the culture of the Cordillera people. People will be able to understand and appreciate the culture of these people.

     Since it's really cold in Baguio at night, the bonfire was a really nice addition to our hut. It was located just outside our hut for us to use so it was very convenient. We did have to pay for the wood though, but since it was my brother's request my dad was fine with it. 

(Special thanks to these two ladies for photobombing)

The show was opened by DJ KC. The opening act was so crazy and fun because everyone was just enjoying the music and raving. Even though it was raining so hard, it didn't stop the crowd from having a good time. 

Just like me, these girls all went to the concert alone. What even surprised me more is where they all came from. The two girls from the left came from Bulacan and the girl beside came all the way from Aklan! I mean... how crazy is that?! 

I'm thankful for these girls for not making me feel alone and getting soaked in the rain with me. It has always been so hot in Manila but this night was one of the few times wherein I was hoping for some warmth.

Finally, after waiting for hours in the rain, they went onstage!  Everyone was just screaming and crying. I couldn't even hear my own screams anymore. The crowd was just wild and crazy. I still remember the moment Clouds (the first song) played and everyone just stood up, started screaming, and turning on their phones and cameras. My first thought was "This is really it. I'm seeing them live with my own eyes."

One of the best things that happened that night:

 Niam selfie!

The crowd was beautiful during Little Things. The boys asked us to turn on the flashlight on our phones and the result was amazing. It was a breathtaking view and is actually now my wallpaper. 

The night even got better when they sang Happy Birthday and made a birthday chair for Toby. 

And as we all know, Zayn didn't attend the show. At that time, we all thought he was just taking a break and having a rest. Little did we know, Manila is the first place who's experiencing a Zayn-less One Direction. They changed the formation for What Makes You Beautiful and this is how it looks like.

Liam holding this pink umbrella during Best Song Ever.

Harry giving his goodbye speech. 

Zayn quitting One Direction was devastating for us, fangirls. It has always been my dream to see 5/5 of them. But even though we only got to see 4/5 in their concert here in Manila, they were able to make it the best night of the thousands of fans who went to the concert. This just proves that even without Zayn, they can still do it. I will continue to support them no matter what.