Monday, July 07, 2008
KWENTONG TAMBAY
The next time we feel the urge to bash Manila or its people, take a minute and consider how even peculiar the post-Soviet Russians can get. Some of them, that is.
Take for example a recent event held In the Caucasus Mountains region recently. A monument to the enema, nozzle and all, has been unveiled at a spa in the southern Russian city of Zheleznovodsk.
Claimed as devoid of kitsch and obscenity, the monument -- with angels modeled on those in works by Italian Renaissance painter Alessandro Botticelli -- was supposedly designed with "irony and humor" by sculptor Svetlana Avakina (to see the article and photo, click here).
Now, I don't know about you, but this is one procedure I cared not think about; let alone erect a 5-foot-high bronze monument in its honor. In fact, my Tia Inez used to threaten me with it (purga in Tagalog), if I didn't eat my vegetables and fruits. Later on in life, I learned that a simple regimen that includes kamote or a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil will assuage or prevent constipation.
On a more somber note, the 20-year-old supermodel Ruslana Korshunova turned out to be suffering from severe depression over a failed affair with a Moscow man when she leaped to her death from a luxury Manhattan apartment building.
Sadly, even though she had attained the status of a supermodel from the young age of 15, she never was able to cope with her inner turmoils caused by loneliness. And despite all that fame and fortune, there was really no one dear to her, except for her mother. Goes to show that Manhattan can be a lonesome town.
Many photographers, especially those who delve in portraiture, certainly aspire to someday discover an ideal model. It must indeed be thrilling to find a local talent, and help him/her attain international prominence. Anna Bayle, after all, is a Filipina who became the first Asian supermodel -- well-loved by couture designers and premier fashion editors.
Be that as it may, my heart goes out to Ruslana Korshunova and her family.
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
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posted by Señor Enrique at 6:47 AM
4 Comments:
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Unknown said... lol, i saw the spa and monument featured on TV...disgustingly funny! as for the supermodel who killed herself---sad story. the world is a lonely place indeed when people don't reach out. if ruslana korshunova lived in manila, her friends, neighbors and family would've commiserated with her and found her a date, pronto! :D
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Señor Enrique said...
"Disgustingly funny" is indeed an apt description, Luna ... lol :) I like what the paper headlined it with -- Enema of the State.
As Roslana, yes, a town without pity as some might describe world we live in.
Made me think of the old adage that goes something like this: "More people would commit suicide if they weren't too concerned with what the neighbors will to say about it" ... hehehe.
I'm really saddened by what happened to this young woman. All that promise.-
said... Wow... she does the catwalk better than most ! The list of photographers who covered her is likewise impressive - cream of the crop :)
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Señor Enrique said...
She was truly captivating, BW. Wish I could discover a Filipina with the same bewitching allure. I'd fly her to New York asap ... hehehe.
