Summer Has Arrived

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Summer has indeed arrived and it has been pretty impossible to ignore these past few days. The sun has been scorchingly hot, the air humid, the ground steaming. I'm pretty sure that it will remain this way up until late June if this year is anything like 2007.

As much as I love, love, love summer because of all the happy summer school break memories I have, it is easy to feel sick in this heat. Just today, I had a nagging headache all afternoon and I had a strong suspicion that it is weather-related. After downing copious amounts of water, the headache went away. I can't help but wonder (writes Carrie Bradshaw), was I actually dehydrating as I lazed around in bed this afternoon without me knowing it?

I recovered early enough to hit Bonifacio High Street to have dinner and drinks with my college friends Cla, Les, and Lala. A couple of ice cold glasses of Madras kept me cool during dinner, but as we cam-whored around the strip in the warm evening breeze, I found myself wishing for a second... I take that back, I wished for a split millisecond... that I was neck-deep in fresh Chicago snow. It was *that* hot.

I feel compelled to give some summer survival tips. I think it's because I have always thought of myself as a summer expert. A 100% Tropicana Girl. Here are several things I live by that I think helps me through the Manila summer months.

1) Drink plenty of water. I'm no doctor, but I don't think the recommended 8 glasses a day is not going to be enough if you need to live in this heat. I'd say drink more than that. Also, don't wait until you are thirsty to take a drink. Thirst is already your body telling you it is running low on water - Oprah's doctor friend said so! Haha! Make a conscious effort to drink something every hour and maybe you would be able to avoid heat headaches like me

2) Wear sunblock. There are tons in the market now that isn't think and sticky and doesn't give you that whitish cast on the skin like the old school sunblock lotions used to. Find something that protects you from UVB and UVA rays and has a pretty high SPF. I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock SPF 70 for my face and body. A friend swears by Spectraban SPF 60 which is hypoallergenic. Another friend says the Maxi-Peel sunblock is pretty good, too. Bottomline is that there is a product that would suit your skin type and budget, so why continue exposing yourself to the dangerous rays of the sun? Oh and boys, putting on sunblock won't make you gay. Please be a man and protect your skin, too!

3) Wear light fabrics. This is not the time for fleece, cashmere, or argyle unless you would be in an airconditioned office all day. Opt for comfortably light tops in cheery colors which will keep you looking cool and happy even if you are sweating buckets. If you would be switching from hot to cold (a.k.a. overly a/ced indoors) locations, still wear something summery, but make sure to bring a jacket, cardigan, or a wrap with you so you won't freeze to death when you go indoors.

4) Listen to Tiesto. Pretty random, but his music just screams summer to me. I play his music in the car sometimes when I'm driving in the middle of the afternoon and imagine that I'm at the beach... which brings me to my last piece of advice.

5) Hit the beach. The summer heat feels suffocating when you are in the city, but it is 1000x easier to tolerate when you are next to the water with a ripe mango shake in your hand. Hello Boracay....

I hope there is someone out there who would find my 5 little tips useful. They are in no way expert opinion, but they are effective for me. :)

Enjoy the summer everyone. Maybe I'll bump into some of you on some beach. No to baking. Yes to SPFing.