This Boy's Life

Halloween Party



Tonight. Malate. See you.

What a Loooong Thursday!!!

Thursday turned out to be a really really loooong day.

At six thirty in the morning, I dragged myself out of bed to take a bath and get ready to leave. Richie and I were meeting in the morning to deliver magazines to various outlets. The Editor-in-Chief (Richie) and the Associate Editor (me) turned Driver and Delivery Man, respectively. Haha! Anyway, I had to go over to his house in Makati. In order to avoid the morning rush hour traffic, I had to leave my house early.

Apparently, though, the traffic becomes way, way lighter during the semestral break when almost all students stay home in bed until late noon, probably. Because of this, I reached Makati very early so I decided to grab some breakfast first and enjoy re-reading my favorite chapters of Looking for It.

By nine, thirty, I was at Richie’s house and we left by ten. Our first stop was Landmark, which was quite near his house. After delivering at Landmark, we drove to the Ortigas area where we have three venues to deliver. The good thing about Ortigas is that the malls are just neighboring each other. Our first stop was Shangri-la Mall, followed by Megamall, and then Robinson’s Galleria.

We then drove further north to Shopwise Cubao. After I dropped off the magazines at Shopwise, Richie and I parted ways. He had to go to a meeting and I had to go further north to SM North Edsa to deliver some more magazines. I finished at SM North by one and found myself at home by two. When I reached my house, I only rested a while, changed my shirt, grabbed a quick lunch and then left again. My next destination was the Pahinungod office.

The Program for the Street Children of Pahinungod will be staging a musical this coming February and I was part of the committee. I find it great that even if I’m no longer connected to Pahinungod, I am still connected to it through the different volunteer programs. I can’t help it. I’m just really a big fan of volunteering. We’ll be having a training this Saturday and then next weekend, rehearsals for the musical play begin. This is really exciting.

By six in the evening, I found myself taking two train rides to go back to where I was this morning, Ortigas. This time, I had to go to my old office, Convergys, because it was my Team Leader’s birthday. I find it so nice that she invited me to her small celebration. When I got there, I was so happy to see my team mates and vice-versa. Gawd! I really miss them. But I don’t miss the work at all. Hehehe!

At nine, my team mate David, drove me to Hunski’s house where I took a bath, and changed into fresh clothes, before Hunski and I took off to go to another birthday party - Paul's. Paul is a deceivingly quiet guy (hehe!) who is one of the new contributing writers for the magazine. Watch out for his article in the January 2005 issue. Anyway, along with four other friends, Paul threw a party at Government, one of Manila’s hot clubs for PLUs.

It was good to be out again. And despite the really long day, that I had, I still had energy to mingle with people. I bumped into several friends at the party. There was Marc, my good buddy and classmate from grade school; Jayson, my college friend; Garrett, a friend from Convergys; and lovely couple Tasha and Dottie. Francesco, the magazine’s newest contributing photographer, was also in the party. Also at the party were designer Rajo Laurel, stage actor JM Rodriguez, and Youngstar editor Celine Lopez. Gawd! I feel like a writer for a society column. Hahaha!

Anyway, Hunski and I went home at one in the morning. As soon as I got home, I still found a little energy to browse through the Time magazine's Style and Design Fall 2004 supplement before turning off my night light.

Really long day, isn't it?

Books Read Lately...



One of the perks of being the boss of your own time is that you have a lot of time to do reading. Just this week, I've finished two books already. The first one is Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella. It was a gift from Hunski and it was one of the books that was on my to-read list when semestral break kicked in. I enjoyed Sophie's Shopaholic series but reading Shopaholic and Sister wasn't fun for me anymore. I still managed to finish the whole book though and I did pick up a sensible thing or two from the book. Otherwise, I would have thrown the book away.

After Kinsella, the next book I had lined up was Bergdorf Blondes by Vogue journalist Plum Sykes. What can I say? I'm some sort of chick lit fan. Haha! But I decided to set aside Plum and her little book and chose to read Michael Thomas Ford's Looking For It.

Aside from chick lit, my other addiction when it comes to books is gay literature. Hunski bought Ford's book since he already ran out of books to read. I wasn't really sure if I'd like the book because the cover and title gave me the impression that it would be a serious and dramatic one.

But after I started reading the first page last the other night, I just found myself turning the page continuously. I just couldn't put it down. And in about two days, I was already reading the last page of the book - with a big smile on my face, feeling very good and wanting to read my favorite chapters again.

This is the first time I've read Ford's book so I don't really have any basis for comparing it with his other works, but I can say that the book was a really good one. I completely LOVED it.

Looking for It tells the story of Mike Monaghan, a bartender in a small town in New York, and his customers-turned-very good friends. There is John and Russell, a couple in a seven-year relationship whose marriage is on the rocks. There is Stephen Darby, who's been hiding a secret from his parents. There is Simon, the wise counselor of the boys, who continues to hold on to his relationship with his partner of forty plus years, even when the latter has already passed away. There's Father Thomas, an Episcopalian priest, whose life changes after an accidental meeting with Mike. And there's Pete Thayer, whose life turns into a tragedy because of hatred and denial.

I'll spare you any more details and let you just read the book on your own. Then tell me how it goes for you.

Baked Goods and Cute Kiddies


Brownies, Anyone?


Saigon Princess

My former officemate from Pahinungod, Jean, invited me to go hiking at Mt. Makiling. For friends not familiar with the mountain, it is located in Laguna, the next province south of Manila. As a child, many folkloric tales about the mountain and Maria Makiling, the diwata who resided in the mountain, were told to me by my grandparents and schoolteachers.

However, instead of wearing my feet out from hiking, I found myself sweating from the heat coming out of an oven, which was baking the sweet, chewy, chocolate mixture I made topped with walnuts and candy sprinkles.

I had to pass up on the climbing invitation because the weekend coincided with the halloween party for the children at Hunski's place. The celebration included a bazaar and Hunski and I got a booth where we sold our baked goods. The bazaar was held on a Sunday so Hunski and I baked the whole of Saturday.

Hunski made white choco chip cookies with cashews, choco chip cookies and lemon squares. I, on the other hand, made cashew brownies, candy sprinkled brownies and revel bars. Since we've been making these sweet treats for quite some time now, I'm proud to say that we're getting really good at it. Of course, once in a while, we'd commit some booboos but still, our customers loved the goods. Hehehe!

The bazaar was held at the podium of the condo. A stage was set at the middle of the space and seats were set up for the audience. The bazaar booths were set up on the side so that parents can do some shopping while the kiddies and babysitters watch the program.

A little after lunch, families started arriving at the venue. Some parents came in costume just like their kids. But the kiddies!!! I must say that they were really the star of the occasion. Some came in superhero costumes. Others came in international costumes. There were some who came dressed as witches, cartoon characters and pumpkins. The babies were also so adorable. There were babies dressed as Wonder Woman, as Tigger, and a pumpkin. Hunski's nephew and niece were dressed as Nemo and as Miss Saigon, respectively. Awww! They were just the cutest!

The whole program and bazaar ended a little before six in the evening. Hunski and I sold half of what we baked. It's okay though. Good thing my Mom has a catering today and the following days so at least, we got to sell everything to her.

Yay!

That was a fun weekend. Hope yours was just as fun.

Currently Listening To...


Wicked

I am currently playing over and over again the soundtrack of hit musical Wicked. This was a gift from Hunski for my birthday. He also gave me the soundtrack of Avenue Q.

I'd like to share with you my favorite song from the album - Defying Gravity. It is a duet of Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. Both women did so well. It is no wonder Wicked bagged the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical award in the the 2004 Tony Awards. Too bad only the award can only be given to one person and that was Idina Menzel.

Anyway, below is a copy of the main part of Defying Gravity. I love love love the song. I love the message. You can get the complete lyrics here. Plus, here's a treat. You can listen to a clip of this song and other great songs on the album right here.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Defying Gravity

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

I'm through accepting limits
'Cuz someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of losing love
I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Dreams, the way we planned 'em
If we work in tandem
There's no fight we cannot win
Just you and I
Defying gravity
With you and I
Defying gravity

They'll never bring us down!

Birthday Wasn't So Bad...

Thank you to everyone who greeted me. You all made my birthday very special. It really means a lot.

Special thanks to my Mom, Dad, my two brothers. For preparing that wonderful dinner. It was really great. I may not have had the courage to tell you guys the truth last night but I will tell it to you some day. Thanks to the kiddies at my house - my twin nephew and niece Daniel and Denise, my nephew Alex, and my granddaughter(yes! Granddaughter!) Arianne. These kiddies always make me smile.

Special thanks to Hunski's Mom. You're the sweetest. The gift was totally unexpected. You're the kindest, Tita.

Above all, thanks to Hunski. For making my day very special. For hearing Mass with me. For taking me out on a date. You really know how to make my day and how to turn the frown on my face upside down. Thank you very much Hunski! You really are the best. Wuvy wuv oo!

Big Day Today



Hunski usually bakes me a cake for my big day. This year, he decided to make me chocolate birthday cupcakes. Just ignore the candy sprinkles, I think you already know it reads "Hapi Bday Anj!".

Take care people.

Pre-Birthday Sentiments

In a couple of hours, I'll be turning twenty-five. What is it about turning twenty-five that's making me feel the way I'm feeling right now? Has it got something to do with the fact that I'm turning twenty-five? Or is it more related to the state I am in right now?

A couple of days ago, two of the closest people in my heart have separately been asking me what I want to do or what I want for my big day tomorrow. I've been giving them both the same answer, "I just want tomorrow to pass like any other day. I don't want to celebrate my birthday. Tomorrow I'm going to cry and mourn my birthday."

Now, now.

Don't get any ideas that I don't like birthdays, especially my own. I love love love birthdays. In fact, next to our (Hunski and I) anniversary and Christmas, my birthday is the next happiest day for me. Last year, if you read my blog entry, I had quite a celebration with my friends and the children from a streetkids' institution.

It's just that at this exact moment, I feel like there's nothing to celebrate about, with me being a bum and with many of my plans for the year not turning out the way I wanted them to. I feel like here I am turning twenty-five tomorrow and really, what have I done so far?

Hunski keeps on telling me that I have already done so many things for my age. A part of me agrees with him. And then there's another part of me that tells me there are still so many things that I need to do.

Before I finished college, I had a clear vision of where I want to be. Having done my practicum at the country's largest and, I dare say, most prestigious Filipino conglomerate, I knew that was where I wanted to be. I wanted to be part of that family. I wanted to be one of the Corporate Affairs people.

But then, I graduated, and eventhough I was armed with a diploma from the country's top university, the first thing real life taught me was that you can't always have the life you planned. And that you should be ready for anything.

So I found myself working for Pahinungod, the volunteer service program of the University of the Philippines. It was very far from where I thought I would be but by the time I resigned from Pahinungod, I couldn't be more grateful for having been a part of the Pahinungod family. Working with Pahinungod has opened my eyes to the social realities in life and to another path that I once considered taking back in high school - working for people.

When Carlo asked me a few weeks ago if I was happy, I said I was. But I said I would be happier if I were doing the things that I want. And you know what, guys, I know what I really want to do. I know what would really make me happy. I always tell people I would be really happy when I am working for a foundation, when I am also teaching in the University, and when I am done with my Doctoral degree (I'm only in my Master's right now). Of course, being financially stable so I can afford a Prada and a YSL also adds more fun.

But right now, here I am. Still struggling with graduate school. Still looking for a job. Still not teaching in the University. Still not able to do the reminder on my phone set for my birthday - buy first Prada item. Perhaps these realities are reason why I'm feeling non-celebratory for the big day tomorrow. I have a vision of the things I want but it's just that things won't happen according to what I want but according to what the Big Man up there wants, I believe.

At this moment, I am having some sort of enlightenment. Forgive me but analyzing my own thoughts have become a favorite past time of mine for quite some time now. The reason why I'm probably not being too excited for my birthday is because I am only looking at the current situation. What I should be looking at the bigger picture. I feel like a musuem visitor who seemed to have been so transfixed on a disfigured section of a painting, that I have forgotten to look at the whole painting and see that despite some imperfections, it is a very beautiful painting.

The past twenty-five years of my life have been a good one. There are so many blessings to be thankful for. There are so many acomplishments to be proud of. Life may be a little difficult at the moment but surely the sun will cast its rays upon me again.

So tomorrow, when I wake up, I'm going to have a big smile on my face. I'm going to Mass, which I always do on my birthday, to thank the Big Man for all the blessings. And I'm going to celebrate it with my best college buddies, then with Hunski and then with my family. It may not be the birthday celebration that I want. I may not get the Prada messenger bag that I want. But there are just so many other important things.

One of which is, twenty-five years ago, a little boy was born to a couple named Antonio and Maria Belen. And the couple was very happy to see their firstborn and that little boy will be known to people as Angelo Maria Antonio...

I Would Star In...




You are: Trick
While you are a pretty good judge of character, you sometimes mistake lust for love at first sight. Oftentimes you feel that you were meant to be with the last guy you slept with. You are not afraid of risks, and you like to explore new things and experience life's adventures.

Take The Quiz
Which Gay Movie Would You Star In?

Take the quiz at the Icon website, guys. That quiz is a collaborative effort between me and Hunski.

Wanted Contributors...

Hi guys!

We're looking for people who can write for Icon. If you know of any friends who can contribute to the mag, please email me so we can immediately get in touch with them.

Below is the list of articles that need writers.

1. Product/Service Review
Comparing gyms/facilities in the metro that offer mind-body classes like yoga/pilates etc.

2. Article
The 3 Month Power Work-out and/or Partner Workouts: How to loose those pounds and prepare for summer and/or working out with a/your partner

3. Feature
Fabulous Transvestites/Transgenders

4. Feature
Feng-shui - room makeover

Thanks.

A Massage, A Haircut and A Lesbian Party

I don't really remember the last time I got a haircut. I've been so preoccupied with the magazine and with school that getting a haircut and sometimes, clipping my nails were just too way down on my to-do list.

I also didn't want to get a haircut until I finished all my papers for school and I'm on vacation.

So with all my papers submitted last Thursday and with nothing more to worry about (except the magazine), I called the salon yesterday morning to make an appointment for a haircut. If I had a job, I wouldn't think twice about getting my haircut here but I had to settle for a cheaper salon - Piandre.

Plus, going to Piandre gave me some money to tip the masseuse at The Spa. Yep, since I was officially on a detox mode, Hunski offered to take me to the spa to get a massage, so before getting a haircut, we headed to The Spa at Bel-Air to get a much needed massage.

I wish I could get a massage more often but just like getting a haircut, there are just other things more important on my to-do list. This is one reason why I really make sure I enjoy the one hour and a half I spend at the spa.

Hunski and I both got the Deep Tissue Massage. Its description was, "This is an invigorating massage ideal for the person seeking more detailed movements to relieve stress-related tension."

Yep, that's exactly what Hunski and I needed. Hunski needed it to relieve him of the stress caused by the magazine. I needed it as a treat for myself for ending the semester well.

After getting the massage and the haircut, I just felt relaxed and rejuvenated in some sort of way. The two things were somehow therapeutic for me.

In the evening, Hunski and I met up with lovers Tasha and Dottie to sell them magazines and to go with them to an exclusive all-female party (that's how it is called here apparently) to also sell magazine. Of course, Hunski and I had to stay outside the club beside the ticketgirl.

Anyway, this is a different entry. This is it for now.

Cheers queers.

Saturday Super

I hope you picked up a copy of Inquirer today. There was a press release on Icon magazine at the Saturday Super section.

Thanks to the section editor Tim Yap for including the press release.

Just Let Your Jaws Drop...



Not intending to be Anna Wintour-esque but, uhm, this post is really meant for those who understand and appreciate fashion.

Carrie Bradshaw once said,

"When I was broke sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of food. I felt it fed me more."

I just got my hands on the September issue of US Vogue and I just have to say, the cover only made my knees weak.

When I saw that the cover was Natalia and Gisele - the girls I'm loving at the moment, I thought it would be a great issue. But when I saw that the cover was really a three fold spread with nine goddesses, man, that was just a moment, if you know what I mean. I just dunno what these models have that they really make my jaws drop.

Add to that the fact that the issue was 832(!!!) pages thick!!! (I hope Icon would have an issue this thick one day.)

Anyway, I've posted the cover page here so you can somehow understand what I mean. Thanks to the guy behind this site for that scanning the cover page.

By the way, just so you know who they are. Let me introduce them to you - Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward and Karen Elson.

And America's Next Top Model Is...



I don't think I've mentioned it in any of my past posts but I have been addicted to this show for the past couple of weeks.

It's just amazing and really entertaining. And it's also educational because viewers get a thing or two on looking good, posture and other things we think are vanity and not needed.

Anyway, America's Next Top Model is a 24 year old babysitter from Jacksonville, Florida. In the last year, she lost forty(!!!) pounds in order to join the competition.

Now at 134 pounds and at a towering 5'11, she bested eleven other ladies in probably becoming the next Gisele or Natalia.

I wasn't able to watch the show from the start so I didn't really see her transformation. But I have to say that from the episodes that I got to see, she really has that model factor, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, enough writing and start admiring.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Yoanna - America's Next Top Model!!!

Officially on Vacation

I am officially on vacation as of 11:00 this morning.

I was at the college to submit the last of my three papers for my final exams this semester. The paper I submitted is my second favorite paper. It is for my Quantitative Research course.

As embarrassing as this will sound, I will admit that I was and I am not good with numbers. That's exactly the reason why I chose a communications course.

When I entered the Communication Research program, I found out that it was the least liked course in the college because it had numbers and people have this misconception that it's all serious and boring.

I'm enjoying the course very much though.

And I'm very much happy with my quantitative research course this semester.

Here's why. In college, I almost flunked my statistics class. Thanks to an @#$%@ of a professor and his even more @#@$3$ teaching style, statistics literally gave me a headache. More headache came when I got a final grade of 4. In my school, a 4 is a conditional grade. You have to take a removal exam to what else, but remove that four. However, your only grade after taking the removal exam could be a 3 (which means you passed but it's the lowest passing mark) or worse a 5 (which I guess you know what already means).

Anyway, now that I'm taking up my statistics subject again, I have to say that I enjoyed it and even appreciated it very much primarily because the teacher was very nice and had a good teaching style.

So now, I'm just too proud to tell you that I wrote a paper on the attitude of Filipino youth towards the issues of homosexuality, prostitution, aboriton, divorce and suicide and I was able to apply the statistical concepts and methods I learned from the semester.

It just felt really good as I printed my paper - a total of 43 pages which personally, I think is already too much.

But I think I would have been happier if the statistical tests I needed to run were more complex than the Chi-square test. It would have a different impact on me if I read on my paper, "After determining that the variables are numerical, the researcher ran an Analaysis of Variance..." or maybe, "The variables required the Kruskal-Wallis method.."

Haha! It just sounds good.

Oh well. That's it for now. Just sharing.

This guy is now on vacation.

Up and Running



In case you haven't heard yet, Icon magazine is now out (pun very much intended) and ready to (hopefully) satisfy you.

If you haven't bought a copy yet, check out the magazine's website at www.iconmag.com.ph to get a glimpse of what's in the magazine.

Hunski created and designed the website so it's really good.

Make sure your drop a note for him at my comments page.

Cheers.

P.S. Watch out for the Icon commercials on ETC! Channel.

The Big Guy Up There

As you all know, I'm currently unemployed right now. Two people close to my heart have helped and I'm forever indebted. The baking of the cookies have helped but it has also put me in debt. Hehe! The money Hunski and I earn from cookies is supposed to be in a bank account we plan to open.

But despite these, I still dunno how I've been surviving and I've been managing to keep the lifestyle that I lead.

Don't get the wrong impression. I'm not at all luxurious. I spend the money that I have right now on food and transportation, and every now and then, a tall Green Tea Frappuccino or a cocktail drink.

And there have been so many times when I've had to give up this and that only because I'm on a very tight budget right now. And there have been so many times that I tend to worry about my expenses next week, or even for tomorrow.

But you know what, I still manage to put on a smile and look great. (That's very important (to look great). What's worse than having empty pockets is having empty pockets and looking like you have empty pockets.)

And amidst these hurdles in my life, what makes me smile the most and still be hopeful is the Big Guy up there, known to many of us as God.

I dunno. He just does work in mysterious ways. During the times that I am rockbottom, the Big Guy just comes to my aid in one way or another. Sometimes, He's in my friend. Sometimes, He's in my Mom. Most of the time, He's in my Hunski.

Now that the semester is over, my biggest worry is how I can finance my tuition for next semester. Yes, the tuition is very small compared to the tuition fee of other graduate schools but you know, when your on a tight budget, P7,000 means something.

Anyway, God just gave me my tuition fee last early this week. He even gave me a little extra money for me to enjoy my fast approaching birthday. I won't tell you anymore where the money came from.

I just wanted to share this very nice experience to all of you. I hope it'll be of some sort of inspiration for those who are feeling low right now.

Another Degree...

The University of Blogging Presents to Angelo An Honorary Bachelor of Survey Science Majoring in Cheesey Memes Signed Dr. GoQuiz.com ®

Username:

Blogging Degree
From Go-Quiz.com

Hurry. Type your name and then check out what degree you get.

Birthday Wish List

In case you dunno yet, I'm celebrating my big 25 in thirteen days.

Hmm, my birthday wish initially included these two things:


September 2004 issue of US Vogue


Prada BT0171 Messenger Bag

But since I believe they'll be in my wish list until next year, at least the second item, I've decided that my real birthday wish list are the following:

1. that job I want at the foundation I applied at a couple of weeks ago

2. some money to get me enrolled in the second semester for graduate school

3. the magazine to sell like hotcakes

4. the courage to come out to my family

Yes. There are more important things for me than the Prada bag I've been dying to have.

Social Mobilization is...

Social Mobilization, according to Valdecanas, is the process of generating and sustaining the active and coordinated participation of all sectors at various levels to facilitate and accelerate the development of children, women and other vulnerable sectors.

You must be wondering what the heck I'm writing, huh?

It's my final exams for my Development Communication class this afternoon and it's about Social Mobilization and a million other development concepts.

Yep, it's finals week already. I didn't recognize the whole semester passing by so fast.

Just so you know, I've been busy working on three major papers for the past week and until next week. For my Education class, I have to write a critique of an article on "Cultural Continuity Patterns in the Philippines and its relevance to Education. For my Development Communication class, I had to prepare a project proposal and communication campaign for "Promoting the Use of the Ten Medicinal Plants Among High School Students". For my Quantitative Analysis class, I have yet to run the statistical tests using the SPSS software. I'm writing a paper on "Attitude of Filipino Youth Towards Morality Issues".

So you see, I've been busy.

I'm done with the paper and the other requirements for my Dev't Comm class. Yay! I'm almost done with paper for my Educ class! Yay! And for my Quantitative class, I just need to run the tests, interpret them and I'm done.

My life should be easy again by Wednesday next week.

How about you?

Welcome Aboard

Yesterday afternoon, Richie and I met up with the newest members of the Icon magazine family.

Ladies, gentlemen and undecided, as Karen Walker would say it, please welcome Paul, Jaser, Nathaniel, Francesco, Rony and the only rose among the thorns, Cathy.

These six people will be writing in the second issue of Icon. I'm not going to tell you exactly what they'll write about just so you will wait and buy the second issue.

Together with the magazine's resident straight guy and my good friend, Anton, we all met up at Starbucks 6750. Actually, I was just supposed to give Anton his copy of the mag. He's the magazine lifesaver who wrote for our Straight Eye for the Queer Guy of sorts column. But I'm glad I got to drag him into this meeting of queers with one very pretty lady. At Starbucks, Anton and Cathy were saying, "Now, we're the minority."

Everyone had a great time I think. Richie would bring up a topic. Rony would give the gay point of view and Anton would give the straight point of view. Here's your new He Said, He Said setup. Hehe!

Cathy added fun to the conversation. Hair Stylist turned Celebrity Jigs Mayuga (who'd kick me for giving him that label. Hehe!) and I just enjoyed watching them but would jump in every now and then.

Our newbies in the family were quite quiet. They were probably thinking, "What did I get myself into?" Hehehehe! Just kidding.

It was a very fun evening.

Welcome aboard, Icon, guys.

Cynthia Nixon Hops Over


Image via Gawker.com

While I was busy partying with the Pahinungod volunteers last September 24, I had no idea that the gay, and I'm sure the lesbian, communities were partying as well over the huge announcement of Sex and the City gal Cynthia Nixon.

Honestly, didn't you feel that she was a little butch when you watched her on Sex and the City?

Whatever. We loved her before. And I'm sure we now love her even more.

Read more here

Am I Clingy, Hunski?


You Are The Clingy Gay Man


What Type Of Gay Man Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Now stop laughing and take it yourself. Hehehe!

Currently Having a Crush On...


Jessadaporn Pholdee in Iron Ladies

Who else but Jessadaporn Pholdee.

The guy played, Chai, the only straight guy in a team of queers in the movie, Iron Ladies.

Here are some fast facts about this cute actor:

Real Name : Jessadaporn Pholdee
Nick Name : Tik
Occupation : Actor
Birthday : June 5, 1977
Status : Single
Birthplace : Bangkok, Thailand
Race: Thai
Nationality : Thai

Know more about this hunk from here and here.

Iron Ladies


Iron Ladies

I don't remember the last movie I watched. Yeah, it has been that long. With all the school work and the magazine, I haven't had the chance to go to the movies.

But today, I got to watch two good movies. Yup, you read that right. And I watched it at two of the most comfortable places I think on the world - Hunski's house and my room.

Yeah, yeah, it still is different from the actual moviehouse but you see, the movies I watched weren't screened here in the Philippines. Or if they did, I must have missed it.

The movies I watched, thanks to Richie, were Iron Ladies I and II.

The story revolves around a group of Thai amateur volleyball players who are constantly rejected from playing volleyball because their fabulous queens.

Mon is about to fall into despair because he keeps on getting rejected from his tryouts, despite the fact that he is better than the other players. Jung is his best friend who's the epitome of effeminate gays (and I mean that as a complement).

The luck of the two players change when the Lampang Volleyball Team gets a new coach who happened to be lesbian - Coach Bee. Mon and Jung were drafted but their inclusion in the team led to the quitting of the straight members in protest. Only one straight guy chose to stay on, Chai.

This, however, does not put down Mon and Jung and together, they seek out friends who will soon become the country's most unique and colorful players. The new team included Nong, a gay army sargeant who's called "buffalo fag" for his big stature; Pia, a transsexual cabaret star who's prettier than a lot of women; Wit, the only son of a Thai-Chinese family; and April, May, June, a set of outrageous triplets.

Together, the team played against not just other volleyball teams but against the discrimination and harassment existing within the sports industry. And with the team's spirit and creativity, it didn't take long before they reached the national championships.

Along with this came their multitude of fans who dubbed them as the Iron Ladies.

The Iron Ladies was adapted from the true story of the 1996 Thai national volleyball champions. The team consisted of gay men, drag queens, transsexuals, and one straight man.

The film was directed by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon and is said to be the second highest grossing film in Thai history.

What I liked about the film was it was light and funny. It included several faces of homosexuality, as well as the issues, gay men deal with. I could relate to it because the Thai homosexual culture was not far from Filipino homosexual culture. Add to that the fact that the actors and the setting (most of it) kind of resembled the Filipinos and the Philippines, respectively.

If it weren't for the language, I would have believed I was watching a Filipino movie.

Watch Iron Ladies and laugh and learn at the same time.

An Icon is Coming...


The Virgin Issue of Icon Magazine

Thursday night was spent with Hunski, Richie, Suki, Ivan, GA, Alvin and Kate. It was the meeting of the Creative staff - the last five people I just mentioned - of the magazine but I decided to tag along. I needed to meet Richie for concerns about some articles for the next issue plus, I wanted to copy some Powerpoint templates from his ultra sleek Powerbook.

But the real reason I joined the boys was the first fifty copies of the magazine was delivered last night.

Yup, finally I got to see the cause of late night work, of reading article after article for proofreading, of spending a little too much for those dinners, among many others.

We were all excited waiting for the printer to arrive with the magazine and while the Creatives staff met, Hunski, Richie and I just chatted and talked about school.

A little before eleven p.m., the printer arrived with two huge plastic bags containing our baby.

Everyone was just so happy and we all couldn't wait to get our hands on a copy of the magazine. When I finally got my copy, I slowly went over page to page, carefully handling each page, and enjoyed every single page.

I am happy with the magazine. There were some flaws but I am just way too happy that I can let those flaws slip for now.

We will be talking to distributors tomorrow so that hopefully, you can get the magazine at your nearest magazine store.

In any case, you can order it from me.

I'll let you know as soon as the magazine is available.

I hope you'll love it and support it since this is the first quality gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine in the country.