The BIG three O.

"I do not know what I may appear to the world,
but to myself I seem to have been
only a boy playing on the seashore,
and diverting myself in now and then finding
a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary,
whilst the great ocean of truth lay
all undiscovered before me."
-Sir Isaac Newton

I actually really don’t know where to begin. Was watching a talk show earlier, and its topic was “30’s is the new 20’s” I thought to myself, really?!? Well, I just turned 30 last december, and up until a few hours ago, if someone would ask me my age I would not think twice of saying I’m 27 without even as much as batting my eyelashes. Well, yeah, yeah. I’m a pathological liar when it comes to my age. But now, I have decided to come clean. Yes I’m three-O and I feel ancient. Worse I’m petrified, scared, of what’s up next…

It feels that my 20’s just flashed right before my eyes and before I know it, BAAM! Im fucking 30!

In retrospect, my 20’s wasn’t really that bad, I have had the chance to travel and see some amazing places, met some fabulous people that have influenced and inspired me and helped shape my character. I also managed to clinch another degree. Not bad to what I have done with my life in my 20’s.

I honestly don’t want to let go of my youth, the carefree easy going attitude. The devil may care outlook in life…But I guess, I have to grow up, sooner or later. And I thought it was just befitting that I celebrated my 30th birthday in the happiest place on earth, where everyone’s a kid form ages 1-100, Disneyland! It was my version of a coming of age ritual. Though, I have been to Disneyland more than a number of times before, but the feeling of being there and being 7 years old all over again, is indescribable. It was a good way to mourn the passing of my 20’s and bracing myself to face head on my 30’s.




What’s next for me? What’s around the block? More surgical enhancement? Expensive under eye cream made of caviar? Tubes and tubes of moisturizer and sunscreen? Ha-ha. But beyond the physical aspect, I have promised to take care of myself and those people around me. I have vowed to take charge of my life and make a linear progress. Of course, the youthfulness I will never let go of. The random acts of reckless abandonment, hmmn, maybe sometimes. This time around, with a bit more of self constraints and considerations of the consequences of my actions.

I plan to value more the people who have always been there in my youth, to cherish and to love them. I have come to realize that this people, my friends, the good ones atleast, are for keeps.

Though I’m scared of what’s the “jack in the box” for me, I am not afraid of moving forward. I am bent on being more fab, to even more so, enrich and cultivate myself in my 30’s and never forgetting to celebrate the glory of my being each day.

So yeah Im 30.

So?

Remembering Tokyo

Many, many years ago, I used to be based in Tokyo as well. Specifically Roppongi

Tokyo, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and also one of the most expensive. There are 4 things I vividly remember about living in Tokyo, namely:

1.)The ski trips!!!(okay, this does not happen in Tokyo but in the nearby Nigata-ken, which is about 2 hours away via the shinkansen also known as the bullet train.) Being a tropical island Boy, I ofcourse get excited with snow,The feeling of the whole place being covered in a mantle of snow, is just so dreamy...


2.)Tokyo Disney Resort, geez the fun times I had there is inenumerable.

3.)My crazy friend Kenchang, who is an aspiring baseball player, and gym trainer. He was the one who got me started in this whole fitness thing.




4.)And ofcourse, the best and certainly not the least, the craaaazy fashion! Hell, its the most that I remember about Tokyo, and the rest is just all blur.





I have realize that after two fabulous years living in Tokyo,I will always look at the tokyoites in just one dimension: "Skinny pale skinned or uber tanned Dior wearing creatures, with prada shoes, carrying their essentials and not so essentials in LV or hermes bags, has funky hair , wears gucci or dolce gabbana to shade their eyes with from the sun and has either of the following: cartier,bvlgari, omega, rolex to tell the time with..eats raw fish in a minimalist interiored restaurant and drinks green tea as water. Shops with their itsy tiny winny desinger outfit wearing dogs.. Doesn't speak a word of english except for `chagee and kureedito kadoo" and to think most of them are waged dependent people" fabulous beings arent they?

That pretty much sums up of what I remember most from the land of the rising sun!

Hai. yorushiku!!

The Love Ibiza Project. Directing Mr. & Ms. SMU. Memories of SG series

One of my greatest memory while being in Singapore, was directing the pageant for one of the biggest and most upscale university in Singapore which is the Singapore Management University (SMU).
I was handed the project while I was working as a project coordinator for a talents/modelling management company there. It was nerve wracking at first, knowing that some of these kids don't have any background about pageants nor do they have any exposure to modelling at all, and It didn't help much either that I was a foreigner so we have our cultural differences, of course. It also meant that I have to start from scratch and train them in terms of deportment, walking, projection and all the works and hoopla that goes with a pageant.

My initial meeting with the candidates was surprisingly easy, since they were really receptive and cooperative to whatever I was telling them to do. The working committee behind the project were young people who are easy to work with. The vibe was positive, young and fresh.

During the next few weeks,I found myself working closely and training the candidates for the pageant almost every night. It was inspiring, challenging and stressful all at the same time.

Right after my office job, which ends at about 8pm, I would rush to the SMU campus just a walking distance away to work with the candidates. The SMU campus was very upscale, modern and chic. I found out they have their own gym which could rival any high end gym in singapore. Their classrooms, were very modern. and the entire university had this "mall" kind of feel to it. I didnt feel I was in a school at all!

As the days went by I grew fond of the kids. I had my own personal favorites,but of course, I had to keep it all to myself.

There was a pre pageant presentation at the Suntec City and the pageant night which was held at Zouk. My task was to prep them for both events and direct the show at the same time.

Pageant night, everything was organized and smooth sailing.
Committees were compartmentalized and each had its task to fulfill making the entire process efficient and stress free. The winners of the pageant would be awarded a modelling contract from my agency and will be launched hopefully, as the next big thing in Singapore!






My personal favorites clinched the titles of course.(without me manipulating the results, so don't get me started!!)

All in all, the memories I had while working with SMU are definitely for keeps. I thought it is an achievement in my part as the first Filipino to have directed their pageant. Well, till the next project then! :D :D

When I appeared in the Sunday Straits Times; memories of my jaded life in SG series

Never in my wildest dream (ok, maybe Ive thought about it.) that I would appear in the society pages of The Sunday Straits Time in Singapore. I remembered how the news was delivered to me. Pun, of course intended.

We were at the east coast that time, summoning up all my guts to try and do wake boarding. While I was busy being nervous and feeling queasy about smashing my face on something concrete while wake boarding, my friend Rowena,texted us and told me to look for a copy of the Sunday Straits Time. Of course, the nearest newsstand as to where I was that time was a kilometer or two away! So I had to hold my excitement and instead sent a message to Wei to pick up a copy for me, since I was meeting him for a movie that night.

I knew something was up, but I actually didn't know that I was in the paper. Until much later that night when I finally got hold of a copy. There I was, plastered on the society page. Geez, it felt good knowing that my photo was one of the photos blown up in the set. The other photo blown up was that of my friend, Rowena. No wonder she was incessant about me getting a copy. The article said, "Faces to Watch" haah! me,a face to watch in Singapore?! haah. I almost peed in my knickers!

The photo was taken at the Baume and Mercier party that I attended earlier that week. I remembered a girl asking if she could take my photo as I was going inside the venue. I honestly thought it was just a courtesy photo, until she started asking me what I was wearing head to toe and what I do in life. I felt fortunate that I was smart enough to have worn my Costume National shoes that night and did not opt to wear the shitty pair instead.Thanks God at least, I was able to name drop a label during the Q&A since most of my ensemble that time, were, ugh, composed of the "unlabelled". haha.

Here are some more photos from that event.

my three loves

"Unless he extends the circle of
compassion to all living creatures,
man himself will not find peace."
- Albert Schweitzer

This are my 3 great loves in my life right now. My source of joy, and sometimes stress when they act naughty. tsk. tsk.


This is my Dolce, smooth coat chihuahua. 2 yrs old.

This is Dior, my long coat chihuahua from Thailand. He has been with me for almost 4 years now.















My cat Miumiu. Given to me by a friend. She is a year and a half old.

I will be updating you more about their crazy antics as we go along.

random rant

I just came back from the City. I was suppose to go to the gym, after I have returned a memory card to a friend via a friend... Let me explain..

"I borrowed a memory card from a friend, whose digicam we used on a recent trip to plantation bay resort. I wanted to upload the pics to my PC and return it after. Since she lives in the north pole, and I on the south pole, two days have passed and I still havent had the chance to return the damn thing. It doesnt help either that she is to fly back to Singapore early tommorow morning. Fortunately I have the chance to coordinate with a friend who lives within the city (who is relatively nearer to me) and asked a favor from him to return the memory card on my behalf since he is going to her house later today anyway. Proximity is so an issue for me recently. And I was informed at around 4:30pm that this friend who is going to her house, whom I asked a favor from would leave his place at 5pm."

Yikes! so I drove fast and got there just on the nick of time. I managed to get there in 15 mins from my place to his place, which on normal days takes about 30-45 mins drive...whew! Well it didnt help much that the car Im driving is acting up nowadays... It was just my luck that by the time I was done with the task of returning the memory card, my car was showing some signs that it would act up very soon.

So instead of going to the gym, I just decided to go straight home, lest I would have to go thru the ordeal of dealing with a broke down vehicle. haaaay...

Driving home, I saw the beautiful sunset and couldnt help but feel rather blessed despite the minor glitch.

Well, I guess I will just have to make do of what I have for now.

Choices

I was so inspired by a friend's blog, that I decided to create my own. I thought it was lame to post my rantings here, but hey, why not. Just a free flow of thoughts of random things that is happening in my life.

Recently I am faced with choices that could otherwise set the stage for my future. I was thinking if I would fly back to Singapore and continue where I left, or stay for the mean time in Cebu and start reviewing for the board exams. Singapore or Cebu? Haay..

Let me weigh in my choices...

I love Singapore, the cleanliness of the 1st world, the cosmopolitan feel of the city, California fitness in Somerset, Fabulous Tan, Saturday nights and almost every night with Wei. sundays at Km8(which i heard is closing forever soon) hmmn... and ofcourse a career in fashion and advertising. There are so much more to miss and love about my life in Singapore... Oh well.

On the other end of the spectrum, last year after I graduated from my 2nd course, I left the Country without as much as taking the board exam. Now I have this gnawing feeling, to review and take the board and just get this done and over with.

tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock...

I think, I know now what Im going to do. I will just shelve in my Singapore plans and put it off for the 3rd quarter of this year after im done with taking the exams! Right? Brilliant.

And besides, though Singapore is upscale and cosmopolitan, I have learned to love my humble 3rd world Cebu. Despite the corrupt politicians, the despair, the pollution, dirt and heavy traffic.. There is always the beautiful beaches around the island, and for me thats more than enough reason to love Cebu!

On another note. Its a Saturday, and in awhile I'll be heading off to the gym. I have been neglecting my gym for almost a week now. I got sidetracked and lost focused because for some strange reasons. I feel Im a bit under the weather now a days. I blame it on the car Im driving for acting up on the most inconvenient of times.

Well I need to be in focus again. My friend and trainer, Glen, fortunately keeps me grounded all the time about my training program and staying consistent. I also have been watching my food intake and Im always careful not to over indulge.

Afterall, Bora season is just a few weeks away.

BORA....haayst, the drama, the beauty and glamour, the endless fashion walk and the issues!!....god, the issues!!! Like: "who did whom, who wore what, who ditched whom, who hooked up with a celeb, which celeb friend almost OD-ied." Haah! These issues would reverbitate and be talked about within my social strata even long after the Bora season has gone by. It makes the trip well worth it and certainly hard to skip and miss.

And who wouldnt want to have a body-worthy-of-a-fashion-spread for Bora! I guess everyone wants to be beautiful under the Bora sun, while watching other gorgeous creatures frolic in the beach while sipping mojitos and wearing nothing except speedos!Sublime.

Infact, my pinoy gay friends from Singapore are already at their wits end, trying to gear up for a beach body worthy of bora. I keep on telling them that a year's worth of bad food choices, substance and lifestlye abuse cant be helped by just a month of extensive dieting and gym, pre-bora. Its not instantaneous. I believe it takes consistency. Well they can try. Goodluck.

As for me, Im undecided if I will go to bora this year. Ever since 2004 I have been going to bora almost yearly during Holyweek and have been having some not so holy times there. I have almost forgotten how it is to spend Holyweek in a very solemn traditional kind of way. So there, I said it, Im undecided about bora this year, but I will just see how things go.

Just a daily dose of my thoughts and rantings.

Well I guess thats all for now, Im off to go shower and head off.

later.