Beautiful People

Walking around the Greenbelt 3 promenade was quite an experience for me and my wife. Since neither of us works in the Makati Business District anymore, it becomes very seldom that we visit the place. We usually just go there to shop for particular items that can only be found there. Or maybe just to try out new restaurants.

I do not intend to offend those people hanging out in the Ortigas area (Shangri-La not included) but I feel that Makati people are a lot more chic and fashionably smarter. "Beautiful people" as my wife and I would say.

Like this cute pair that was walking ahead of us by the open coffeeshop area at ground level. Guy was dressed in black slacks and black coat, with hair tossed to an I-just-got-up-from-bed-and-I'm-too-lazy-to-wash-my-hair-or-even-comb-it look. His partner was a micro-mini-skirt-wearing, glittery-tube-top-hugging, hair-dressed-for-a-wild-night-of-partying-which-would-ultimately-lead-to-sex-with-some-random-guy, long-torsoed, and even longer-legged mannequin. The two were straight from the glossy pages of those magazines my wife reads in our comfort room (that I sometimes have no choice but to also read if my own reading materials run out).

The two, obviously, were part of some kind of a show or event. They were a bit too dressed up to blend in with the crowd. Yes, even for the Greenbelt 3 crowd.

Approaching the escalator, the two were just a few steps away from us. And as we boarded the escalator, my wife and I unwillingly caught a glimpse of how long the legs of that girl in front of us was. Gosh, how tall is she, I thought. Are you Japeth Aguilar's sister? I wanted to ask.

On the opposite side of the escalator, another group of mannequins boarded the downward steps. They must be from the same group, I thought, because they were also fully dressed and totally made up. And true enough, the mannequins going down greeted Mr. Pretty Boy and Ms. Long-Legs as they passed by each other on the escalator.

"Why are you up?" one of the mannequins asked almost to a shout.

My wife and I, as if choreographed, turned towards each other. Did I hear it right? Both of us wanted to ask the other.

We don't remember anymore how the pair ahead of us responded to the question. We were dumbfounded enough with what the girl asked. Why are you up? Obviously, the girl wanted to ask the two why they were on their way up. But, geez, it was not even a complex English sentence!

Why? Are? You? Up?

Being the mean SOB's that we are, as my wife and I approached the top of the escalator, she asked me loud enough for the couple ahead of us to hear, "Ikaw? Why are you up, ha?"

And we broke into a laughter.

We don't pretend to be like the beautiful people roaming around GB3. Though I can guarantee you that my wife's fashion sense can match that of any Makati fashionista's. But please, even if you are lucky enough to belong to that beautiful people group, bear in mind that it's perfectly okay to speak Tagalog. Really. You are in the Philippines anyway. Or else, feel the wrath of people like me and my wife who will ridicule you in trying to sound like someone you are not.