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Jeffrey got us a lot of earrings and a cat charm from India. The orange notebook is a Jadeco journal that Ricky bought and had engraved (imprinted? etched?) in Hong Kong.

Turns out Jadeco notebooks are sold at National, and they accept orders for engraving but have them done in Hong Kong.

Thanks to Bubbles for these earrings, which we wear mismatched.

And to our optometrist Nella Sarabia at UP Shopping Center in Diliman (Call first, 4355685) for these rings.

Our eyeglasses get a lot of notice, as neon green frames are designed to. Apart from their arresting appearance they fit perfectly, like superhero goggles, and do not sit halfway down our nose as other glasses do.

We’ve noticed that whenever people ask where we got these frames and we say Prada, there is a moment of silence, a beat, during which they process the shocking information. You can hear the furniture being moved around in their heads: Did she say Prada? As in Miuccia? But she’s…she’s not…she doesn’t…but it’s designer…She’s not my idea of a person who wears designer stuff or designer stuff is not my idea of what she would wear…

It’s always good to confound expectations. If we did wear designer stuff we would go for Prada: clothes adored by capitalists, made by a socialist.

Tom Ford is sending us a message.

Hmmm we’ll think about it.

If they were neon or purple there’d be no question.

We went to the outlet mall in the Qi Pu district. The place is so huge just looking at the buildings made us tired. There is a vast assortment of brands from agnes b. to Y3, but the “factory prices” are hardly bargains unless the particular store is having a sale. After an hour of trudging we found something we wanted, not only for the thing itself but what it portends.

Now we really have to go to Roland Garros.

We’ve realized that most people have no idea who John Carter of Mars is, and it’s hard to design a costume that works for someone you don’t know. So we’re moving the deadline to 13 March 2012, after the movie has opened.

Also it might be useful to give the star a GPS or a smartphone with Google apps so he knows where he is at all times and can correct misimpressions.

Here’s Mat wearing the prize during his early evening nap (not to be confused with his twilight siesta).

* * * * *

This is Taylor Kitsch as John Carter in the movie that opens March 9.

Fabulous-looking man, but the loincloth-and-breastplate costume is a little tired. Of course the outfit is faithful to the description supplied by Edgar Rice Burroughs in A Princess of Mars and the succeeding volumes in the John Carter Barsoom series, so the filmmakers are doing their job well. However, much as we love the Barsoom series we grew up on, we think the costume could be freshened up. Edgar Rice Burroughs: wonderful writer of timeless adventures, but what was his other famous creation Tarzan wearing? A loincloth, you know what we’re saying?

Remember those endless Tarzan reruns on Channel 13, where they would show ancient Johnny Weismuller movies like Tarzan’s New York Adventure? In that one, Tarzan travels to Manhattan and he can’t go around in the old loincloth unless it’s Saturday night in Chelsea. So Jane takes him to a tailor, where he proceeds to rip all the suits he tries on with his massive back muscles.

But back to the John Carter costume issue. A couple of years ago we had our super-popular Dress Up the Prince of Persia contest in which we put your designs on Jake Gyllenhaal’s body, and the creators of the best designs won special edition watches. This time we’re asking you to Dress Up John Carter, and the three people who send in the winning designs get special edition John Carter watches you can’t buy in stores.

Remember: the design must be appropriate to the climate, terrain and culture of Mars. Desert, basically, arid, cold at night, warring tribes not all humanoid. Method designers can read A Princess of Mars at Project Gutenberg for the design requirements. (If you’re not designing a costume read it anyway, the series is a blast.)

Make it work, but most of all, Make it fabulous. Send your drawings to saffron.safin@gmail.com. We’ll post your designs daily. Deadline for the submission of entries is on 6 March 2012 at noon.

Thanks to Jay at Disney for the prizes!

Ricky found these neon green cat’s eye sunglasses at Prada, marked down so low we could actually afford them. We took them to Nella Sarabia’s shop at UP Shopping Center in Diliman to have our prescription lenses made. 24 hours later we’re trying to convince Saffy that there is a family resemblance.

While broiling in the heat of the Melbourne summer I realized I was wearing the wrong shoes. My thick-soled tennis shoes might have been useful for chasing a down-the-line forehand by Nadal, except that there is a zero probability of me chasing a down-the-line forehand by Nadal. They were too heavy in the heat; at every step I felt like I was lifting an anvil.

On my return to Manila I proceeded to the mall to look for shoes. I am happy with my topsiders but I can’t be wearing boat shoes all the time: I feel like asking myself where my boat is parked. I needed lightweight shoes such as canvas sneakers, with efficient rubber soles because I walk a lot (Walking being the only thing I do that qualifies as physical exercise).

Read The Politics of Shopping, our column this week in InterAksyon.com.