Time to see Jani again...

I don't really believe in fortune telling, regardless of the methods. (Although I found it extremely fascinating that there are over thirty methods to do fortune telling!)

In my entire life, I've only done it thrice (officially). And I do it just for fun. I know I

The first one was with this guy who my Mom and a Tita go to for meditation sessions. I had the tarot card reading back in 2006 when things weren't going really well in general. The guy said some things about my career, or lack of it. A couple of weeks (months?) and certain things happened and they were exactly what he said.

The other time I had my "fortune" told was with my friend Noreen. She "discovered" that she had the gift and I was sort of her guinea pigs. Haha!

The most recent one was with Jani, the friend of a colleague. This was a couple of months ago. Jani has a reputation for being really good at his craft, so on a Saturday night just before the GIG Run, I went with my colleagues to see him.

He said a lot of good things, but my favorite was on that particular aspect of my life which has been quite boring for the past three years already. Haha!

Here's the gist of what Jani said. Two people will make an appearance, and my connection to the two would both be somewhat romantic. Both will be around my age. The difference is who loves who more? I'm going to be into Guy A but it'll be short lived, and I'm going to have a hard time moving on. Guy B will enter the picture, and although he's nice and all, I'll be too hung up on Guy A to give Guy B what he deserves.

After he told me this, I just put the thought at the back of my mind. I was told to just be observant of how things will go with my life.

Months have passed and some recent turn of events are making me think that what the cards revealed several months ago have finally materialized. Haha!

Hold your horses though. No need to get that excited.

I'm still single. That's for sure.

While certain parts of what Jani read didn't fully take place (falling hard, for one), I think that the reading in general have already happened. I'm impressed, Jani. You're good.

Uhm, now, I'm a bit excited (curious) to find out what's next. I refuse to believe that Guy A and Guy B are already "it." Surely, there's got to be something else. Otherwise, it only means one thing. I'm screwed in that department. Haha!

So, I think it's time to see Jani again just to see whether the stars have realigned. Trip trip lang. Hehe!

Prada's "Fairy" Guy was in Manila...

So the James Jean signing happened last Saturday and it was great.

I asked my youngest brother Andre' to tag along, and he was kind enough to put up with me for an entire day. Haha! We left the house around 9AM. Initially, I wasn't too happy with the weather. It was drizzling, and I thought making the trip to faraway Bonifacio High Street was going to be a hassle.

Thankfully, the skies cleared and the sun came out by the time we reached South Super. We dropped by the office to get my books and the books Roy left to be signed. From Tower, we headed to Fully Booked. I got excited once again upon seeing the huge billboard of "Hare."

When we reached FB, there were already a number of people waiting. And it was only 11AM. Registration was at 12NN. I let Andre wander around the bookstore first and I headed to the health section and got some books on yoga.

I really like Fully Booked, primarily because of the diverse range of book titles. It just sucks that they don't have a section for LGBT titles. If I had the money, I would put up a small bookstore a la A Different Light and bring here the works of Noel Alumit, Michael Thomas Ford, Timothy James Beck, Alex Sanchez and other really good LGBT writers. Mr. Daez, you have a market here, so please, please have an LGBT section. Powerbooks used to carry several titles. So did NBS. I dunno what happened. I'm quite sure I'm not the only buyer of the titles.

Anyway, 15 minutes before 12 NN, Andre' and I met up again at the ground floor. People were starting to line up and we already got in line. The guys before us were the grandkids of the late Pres. Cory Aquino, I think. They were sporting the Ninoy kind of eyeglasses.

I looked around and I'm probably the only person there who went because of Prada. I could hear the people talking about James Jean's work for Fable, among others. No one mentioned Prada. Haha! I was afraid to mention it because I might get the look from the die-hard JJ fans. But hey, his work for Prada is legit and I'm sure it had a significant impact on his career as an artist.

I also noticed that there were a lot of CDGs. No, not Comme des Garcons. I mean cute dorky type of guys. Haha! There's something about the eyeglasses and slightly unpolished look that I found really cute. Hahaha!

There was one guy who looked a lot like this DJ I have a crush on, but I wasn't able to talk to him because someone with purer intentions called his attention ahead of me. Haha! Add to that the fact that I was with my youngest brother.

Moving on, Andre' and I got numbers 13 and 14. We headed out of Fully Booked after reg and walked to Market Market. With almost six hours to kill, we decided to catch 2012. The movie ran for almost three hours so that took care of half of the wait time. The other three hours we spent for lunch and hanging out at Starbucks, where we prepped the books for signing.

I also asked Andre' to play with the camera so he can be familiar with it. Obviously, the other reason why I dragged him to the signing was so that he can take photos of my "Fans Kita" moment. Haha! The entire thing was also a good opportunity to hang out with my youngest brother. We rarely see each other because of my work and because of his school.

Hay, my feelings for Market Market are the same as my feelings for Trinoma. I hate it. I hate it because it's really crowded and the lighting is just terrible and I don't like the cinemas and I hate the fact that I had to go out of the cinema to go to the restroom and I can keep going on. Haha! But I don't want to write about that now.

The movie ended fifteen minutes past five. Even before the end credits rolled, I already asked Andre’ that we already go and head back to FB. There was already a small crowd gathering at the ground floor. Excitement and anticipation were in the air. I like it.

The signing was supposed to start at six, but James met his fans around 6:30. I think he was giving interviews upstairs. I kept my cool the whole time. One of my biggest pet peeves is anything late, but for the guy who did the design for Prada’s Spring/Summer ’08 collection, I tried very hard to keep my cool. I just smiled and checked out the crowd. There were more CDGs that night. Woohoo!

When James finally arrived, he went straight to his seat and the signing started. I dunno if that was really the plan, but it would have been great to hear him say a few words.

Anyway, I felt nervous as my turn to meet him neared. When it was finally my number, I went up to him and said hi. I stood by his side and watched him sign books, while Andre' took photos. Good job, lil bro. Afterwards, I said thanks and then I gave him small souvenirs from Team Manila - a keychain and a coin purse.

The whole thing was rather quick. One of my favorite moments though was when I asked him to sign the "Hare" print on Kindling with the message, "I'm so PRADA you." Jaime Daez said chuckled and said, "That's funny." In my head, I'm like, "At least, I made Jaime Daez laugh." Haha!

I stayed a bit and then watched the other James Jean fans. The crowd went wild every time the girls asked for a hug and a kiss on the cheek from James. He really is some kind of a celebrity, huh. There were also those who gave him a blank page and he just drew on it. He's fast, man. He can sketch something in less than five minutes. He is so good his doodle can even be considered art. Haha!

I wanted to stay a bit but I had to leave after getting a phone call from a former colleague. The birthday of her daughter was that night. I thought it was scheduled Sunday night, and had she not called, I would be looking stupid at Bubba Gump on a Sunday night looking for the dinner party for Phoenix.

It was still a good James Jean event. Thank you, Fully Booked, for bringing James to Manila. I may not have gotten anything from the Mrs. Prada’s Spring/Summer ‘08 collection, but getting to meet the guy behind all the fantastic whimsical artwork behind the collection is a much better experience. Woohoo!!!

Happy 1st birthday, Phoenix...

I'm really starting to be forgetful. I dunno if 30 has got anything to do with it.

For one, I'm starting to be really bad with names. I meet someone. After a couple of days, we meet again. And I don't remember the person’s name. It's really bad, especially for work. Ugh!

Anyway, yesterday while I was still on a high watching James Jean do his thing at Fully Booked BHS, I get a call from colleague Weng. She goes, "Where are you?" I tell her where I was and what I was doing. And she goes, "Why aren't you here at GB3? Phoenix's birthday is tonight."

I go, "Ampf! That's tonight! I thought it was tomorrow. Shoot, shoot, shoot!" So I hurriedly leave FB and James Jean and rushed to GB3. Thankfully, it was easy to get a cab that night. And thankfully, GB3 was near. Andre and I were at Bubba Gump in about 15 minutes.

Former colleagues Cathy and Lenly were there too. Birthday girl Phoenix looked ultra cute in her dress. She was oblivious to all the celebration for her first birthday, but everyone had such a good time. Weng prepared the program and games that night. When you’re a CorpComm/HR person and you’re married to an ad agency person, you don’t need to get a party planner anymore, unless you're super toxic. Haha!

It was a beautiful celebration. I enjoyed the food. I think I enjoyed it too much that I had two Marta's cupcakes. Eeeep! Bad UP Boy! Haha!

I carried Phoenix for a good 20 to 30 minutes and I felt like I lifted weights. My forearms and what appears to be biceps were tired and sore. Haha! How’s this for a realization? Babies are a good substitute for free weights, ah. Hehehe! I think my Mom wouldn’t be too happy if I started talking babies. Hehe!

Moving on, Saturday turned out to be really good – hanging out with Andre’, Phoenix’s birthday, and James Jean!!! Woohoo! Couldn’t be more happier.

Happy birthday, my dear Phoenix.

We brought home three Asian CSR awards... Yey!

Work colleagues and I spent Friday night at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas. It was the awards night of the Asian CSR Forum and we were one of the winners.

It was truly a special evening. It was the first time that the company got an award from this award-giving body. And we brought home not one, not two but three citations. Yey!

Our Kabalikat sa Edukasyon (Your Partner in Education) program was the winner in the Education category, while the Alternative Power for Cell Sites was a runner-up in the Environmental Excellence category. The top prize went to Tetra Pak in Pakistan which had a really impressive program. Oh well, maybe next time. Haha! I'm particularly happy for this award because I wrote the entry for this category. Haha!

Uhm, I'm not that big of a fan of awards ceremonies. Personally, I'd rather stay in the background and let the people behind the project shine under the limelight. But I guess being in the department where I am requires being up there on the stage every so often. Hehe!

Awarding ceremonies can sometimes be tedious because it takes so long before you go up the stage. Now, I have an idea how attendees of the Oscars or the Emmys feel.

But what is enjoyable is that these award nights are a way of saying that one has done his job quite well. I tend to be insecure at times, and awards like the one we got give me a boost of confidence and an assurance that I'm doing something correct.

Last night was also extra special because our Pres. & CEO Polly Nazareno and our Chairman MVP attended the event. I've met MVP a couple of times, and yet, I still find myself somewhat starstruck by the man every time I see him. Haha! It's the fan in me I guess.

So when the event concluded an hour after what was written in the program, we stayed for a bit and waited for a chance to have a photo with our dear Chairman. Come on, it's not every day I get to do that. And it's not every day that I cross paths with him.

I wonder what it's like to be his personal assistant, or to be the personal assistant of other power CEOs like JAZA or my former DHO. I'm sure it's overly stressful, but I think it's one career I find interesting and might even consider someday. Hehe!

The "lesser evil" cupcake...

I was at High Street last Monday. Kaladkarin person that I am (let's give the word "drag" one more meaning, huh. Hehe!), I agreed to accompany my colleague Reena and her friend Carla.

We had a good and sinful dinner at Hap Chang. It felt like we were on a double date because Carla's boyfriend Joseph joined us, while Reena and I, uhm, well, we did some roleplaying to tease the couple we were with. Haha!

Walking back to High Street, we passed by Sonja's Cupcakes and I pulled Reena to go in. I was having second, third thoughts about whether I should give in. I managed to lessen the carb intake at Hap Chang, but that seemed to be useless since we found ourselves at a store that was sure to send us into sugar overload and coma. Hehehe!

So what I did to lessen the guilt was to get Reena to agree that we just share one cupcake. And then we also chose a "lesser evil" cupcake known as the Velvet Red Vixen. I say "lesser evil" because for every purchase of that flavor, P5 goes to Red Cross. Seriously. I kept that in mind to justify the indulgence. Hehe! And besides, I hardly go to BHS so I rarely, rarely get to treat myself to Sonja's sinful creations. Hehe!

Anyway, the cupcake was good. I particularly liked the cream cheese topping. The bottom part of the cupcake was slightly bitter though. I'm not sure if it's meant to taste that way, or if the baker forgot to turn off the oven on time. Hehe!

Still, it was a good treat and a nice "closure" to the wonderful dinner.

All set for James Jean next weekend...

I'm really looking forward to the James Jean signing this weekend. I dunno. I guess it's because I'm excited to see the person behind the fantastic Spring/Summer 08 collection of Prada. Haha!

Last Friday, after doing some research on the artist, I became more determined to get some of his commercially-produced works. I was sort of ashamed that I only knew about James Jean because of Prada. Haha! My friends Carlo and Wes are the ones who are quite familiar with Mr. Jean's work. I was even surprised to find out that both have books which have James' work. I shouldn't be actually. Carlo is a graphic artist/novelist after all, and Wes is a voracious reader. Hehe!

Anyway, so the hunt for the available James Jean titles happened Friday afternoon. Initially, I just thought of getting Xoxo because it was the most affordable. I told myself that since I just wanted something for James to sign, Xoxo was enough. But when I saw what Kindling had to offer, I just knew I had to get it. I can frame the pieces and hang them up in my three-bedroom unit. Hahaha! The paintings/artwork collection is starting to be a reality. The three-bedroom unit continues to be a dream.

I called Fully Booked GB5 to ask whether they had the two books. Kindling was sold out, only one copy of Xoxo left. Aha! I took it as a sign, and had the book reserved under my name. Next, I called Fully Booked High Street. They had some copies of Xoxo and several copies of Kindling. Yey! But then I was told that they weren't accepting reservations for it since many people wanted to get the book.

That sort of got me all the more excited to get the book. I wasn't too keen on going to High Street that night (I didn't want to give up Sweeney Todd), and at the same time, I was afraid that I might ran out of copies.

Hmm, what to do? What to do? I checked the list of Fully Booked stores and when I saw Sketchbooks GB3, I immediately gave them a call to ask about Kindling.

They had one more copy, but like FB BHS, no reservations. I asked to speak with the manager and in my most pa-charming and pa-awa tone, I said, "Sige na please. I promise to get it later. Please please." And that was it. Haha! I asked for the manager's name and thanked her very much.

So I'm now the proud owner of two James Jean. I haven't opened both books yet. Some may find this weird, but I need to have a "right moment" to open good stuff like this. Just like the September issue of US Vogue. I either wait for the weekend when I'm relaxed, just so I can enjoy the pages.

Hmm, I'll probably open the books this Friday, too. For now, the previews thanks to YouTube are more than enough. Haha!

Prada

James Jean is coming to Manila.

James who? The guy commissioned by Mrs. Prada to do her Fairy collection for Spring/Summer 08 collection.

Of course, his whimsical work for the revered fashion house is just one of the many feathers in his cap. He does comic book illustration and animation, as well. But it was because of his work for Prada that I learned about him .Hehe!

Anyway, click here to find out about James Jean's visit in Manila.

Prada's "Fairy" guy is coming to Manila...

James Jean is coming to Manila.

James who? The guy commissioned by Mrs. Prada to do her Fairy collection for Spring/Summer 08 collection.

Of course, his whimsical work for the revered fashion house is just one of the many feathers in his cap. He does comic book illustration and animation, as well. But it was because of his work for Prada that I learned about him .Hehe!

Anyway, click here to find out about James Jean's visit in Manila.

I want nobody but Choo...

After its successful collaboration with CdG, H&M now adds Jimmy Choo to its roster of guest designers.

The collection is set to hit select H&M stores this November 14. Since H&M is expecting Choo fans to storm H&M stores, shopping guidelines will be implemented. The first 160 shoppers will receive a bracelet band with specific time for shopping in a designated area. As expected, the bands are for the women's shoes, bags and accessories sections. (I can picture women fighting over the last pair of Choos. Hehehe!) And since the collection is limited, only one piece per item per person. That's nice. (Almost) Everyone gets a fair chance of bringing home the prized pieces. Hehe!

Shoppers of the men's collection and women's garments need not get a bracelet.

Astig! I have yet to experience a shopping frenzy like this happen here in Manila. It should be exciting. Hehe!

I've seen the pieces and naturally, the shoes and bags are gorgeous. (That sounded really gay, pare! Haha!) Sex is written all over the pieces. Specifically, S&M. C'mon. Leather, studs, stilettos! S&M big time! Not that I would know. Haha! I like one of the men's bags, and if I were to get some pieces, maybe the roundneck shirt, the leather jacket and the jeans. Hehe!

Last year, a blogger based in Sweden bought items for people from the H&M + Comme des Garcons collection. I was eyeing three long-sleeved shirts, but decided not to go with the purchase after seeing how much it would cost me. Hehehe!

I want nobody body but Choo...

Amici with the PA gang...

Friday night was spent with a bunch of colleagues from the department. Three of our counterparts from the VisMin area were in town for a meeting. When our work day came to end, we all agreed to take our VisMin friends to dinner.

Initially, the plan was to go to Som's in Rockwell Gillage. That plan was changed and we all ended up at Amici. It was fantastic, because I was craving for some good, really good, pasta that night. Hehehe!

So even if I had some snacks that afternoon, I still ended up partaking in the feast. Awww, I just love the vongole of Amici. Something so simple yet so yummy! And then I also tried the roasted chicken. For just P190, one already got four pieces of super yum chicken. That's just great. And then there was risotto, and sausages and pizza. Haha!

Of course, like all previous Amici trips, several scoops of gelato ended our dinner. Hahaha! The chocolate was just really sinful. So was the sansrival. If there's one thing that binds the Public Affairs group, it's the love for good food. Hahaha!

From Amici, the group split into two. Some felt like watching a movie so they headed to Stephie's house for Paranormal Activity. While the other group headed to Chili's GB for a round of drinks. Guess which group I joined. The movie watching group, of course. Hehehe!

Just kidding. I went with the Chili's group where we enjoyed two pitchers of frozen margarita. Oh yeah, baby! I went with that group too because our VisMin colleagues decided to do Chili's. I felt it was my turn to GRO for them since they are always so hospitable whenever it is I who go to Visayas or Mindanao for field work.

We called it a night around past 1AM. We just hung out at Chili's and talked about work, love lives (or the absence of it), previous relationships, and so on.

Really good Friday night.

Good news and good laughs for Tuesday night...

The other night was filled with lots of laughter and some really good news.

Let's start with the good news. Good college friends Ella and Gino are finally on their way to becoming Mom and Pop come June 2010. Wooohooo! During Gino's birthday dinner, Ella mentioned that she might be preggy already but she had to wait for two more weeks before it is confirmed. So when she shared the super good news the other night, I was just really, really happy for the two. We've all been praying for a baby Evangelista-Martelino, and this is it! Woohoo!

On the other hand, the huge amount of laughter came from the surprise birthday party for another college friend John.

Since John was planning to go on leave on the day of his birthday, his girlfriend Ela texted us about her plan to surprise John the night before.

Along with their friends and John's UP Manila friends (me, Ella and Gino... Tey was still on leave), we headed to John's office bringing cake from Classic Confections, pancit from Buddy's, confetti from Toy Kingdom, drinks from 7-11, and a lot of cheerfulness and birthday greetings.

When John opened the door to his office, there was a burst of confetti and Ela held the cake with a lit candle, and everyone just went, "Surprise! Happy birthday!"

John seemed genuinely surprise by the gesture, so that was really great.

The other highlight of the surprise party that made (almost) everyone burst into laughter was when one of John's dude pare tsong said while we were talking about Glee, "Yeah, it's super good. I thought it was just for gay guys and women, but no..."

I was going to let it pass, but I couldn't help but react. Hehe! So in a really modulated and ultra-butch tone, I jokingly said, "Dude, pare. Preno ka naman."

And that started a series of "Dude, pare" jokes. I went "Pare, I'm not gay. Tripper lang ako." And the other one that cracked up some of the girls was when I said to the guy, "Pare, ingat naman. Halikan kita diyan."

While Ella joined in the banter by saying, "Okay, because of that Anj, pwede mo ng iuwi ang bilao ng Buddy's and the cake."

John's dude pare tsong friend just turned and was mortified and started to apologize over and over again. Hahaha! It was no big deal for me, and I was just really teasing him with all the "hurt" remarks that I made. Hehe!

So that was it, really. Everyone got a good laugh out of the whole situation, and I tremendously enjoyed the playing-straight act. Hehehe!

I was supposed to gym that night, but after all the fun and laughter from the good news and hanging out with friends, missing spinning and Reagan's class and yoga weren't that bad anymore. Haha!

Hungry for volunteer work...

I'm looking for volunteer opportunities that's LGBT-oriented. I heard somewhere that there's a retirement home for LGBTs somewhere in Pasay, but I have no details about it.

I've written about this before and I'm going to mention it again. After college, my first job was with Pahinungod - the volunteer service organization of the University of the Philippines. For three years, I've been heavily involved in volunteer activities.

Pahinungod became my life, my home. My real home became more of a boarding house for me. Haha! There were times when I would just go home to do my laundry and to get new clothes for another trip to some unknown place. I was lucky because my parents knew and understood what Pahinungod is. And they knew that even as a kid, I would always be away involved in some community activity.

When I started my corporate work, I lost time for any volunteer activities. I no longer could attend Pahinungod activities, even though they kept me in the loop of upcoming activities.

And while my work still involved volunteerism - corporate social responsibility - I would still like to get into non-work related volunteer activities, preferably LGBT-oriented.

Back when I was still doing work for ICON, I was quite informed about the various LGBT-oriented organizations here in Manila. One of the things I loved about my ICON work actually was getting to interview/talk to the people behind these organizations. I dunno. Somehow, they sparked the "tibak" in me, and really brought out the "UP activism" that's hidden in me somewhere. Haha!

I know that in the US, there are a lot of non-political NGOs that cater to the LGBT community. I did a short profile on Noel Alumit, who was part of the group APAIT in California, for ICON. I met his colleague Jimmy who visited the country early this year, and hearing him talk about his work and what the group does for the LGBT community somehow made me want to look for local volunteer opportunities that's LGBT-related.

Locally, I really dunno what organizations there are anymore since I lost contact with the groups. Once in awhile, I would stumble upon an email from good friend Angie about forums on LGBT-related topics. I have yet to attend one.

Uhm, anyway, I usually have weekends free so I thought I could spare a couple of hours during those days for volunteer work. And I’m up for almost any kind of volunteer work. It would really be great if someone could share some leads.

Thoughts on death on All Hallow's Eve...

Yesterday, I attended the burial rites for the father of my best friend. I thought it was a beautiful ceremony. The eulogies were sweet and moving. My best friend and her family, though devastated by the sudden death of Tito, held things together pretty well. Prayers and faith in a beautiful afterlife helped. Prior to that, the last funeral I attended was for the father of a college classmate and for my grandfather (Mom's side). Other than these, I don't really remember. I guess people in my clan live long or I don't know too many people close to me who've rejoined our Creator. The only time I cried like a baby over someone's death was when a former colleague passed away. Until now, the cause of the person's death continues to be a mystery to me. That person was the first person close to me who passed away.

If you ask me about my thoughts on death, most of the time, I would say that I'm not really afraid of it. I don't know, but I learned somewhere and have really accepted that death is but a physical separation from this world and is actually the beginning of a new "life" - one that's much, much better compared to the "best" this earthly life has to offer.

For my 30th birthday, believe it or not and this is going to sound really morbid, one of the "gifts" that I wanted for myself was to a memorial plan. I was asking my friends in the 30-up age range whether they had memorial plans and would they be so kind and refer me an agent.

It sounds emo, but my reasons for thinking about a memorial plan are nothing but practical. I'm not getting any younger and even if I'm spending hours at the gym and I'm joining a run every so often, anything could happen anytime anywhere. And when the inevitable does happen, I really don't want to be an added burden to my folks (if I do go ahead of them) or my siblings by making them think about what to do with my physical remains. Uhm, I think that part of being a responsible and mature adult involves being prepared for whatever that comes with aging, right? That includes my departure from this earthly life.

And let's face it, death is a costly thing. The rent for the venue of the wake, the coffin, the flower arrangements, the food for the visitors, the burial fee, the paperwork, and so on. And if one is not prepared for that, one will definitely be giving his or her family something more to grieve about other than the physical death.

Being in the world of PR/CorpComm where event planning is a basic skill required because events to be covered happen almost everyday, I would even write that maybe when I reach 40, I would also start thinking about how my own funeral would be - the venue of my wake, the flower arrangements, the food to be catered, what people should wear when I'm finally laid to rest (either a.] everyone in bright/pastel-colored tops and jeans or b.] men in white shirts/polos and the women in white sundresses), what music to play, the speakers for the eulogy, the order of the speakers for the eulogy, and because my career life heavily involves mounting exhibits, do I want to mount my own exhibit (or would that be too vain? Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding).

As for the manner of dying, well, my only wish is for it to be a beautiful death. I don't want anything that involves any decapitations, amputations or any form of mutilation. Uhm, if possible, no weird accidents too like becoming the meal of a shark or a crocodile, getting trampled by an elephant, or getting run over by any speeding vehicle as well. Shucks, Jesus would probably just give me the freakiest death for being too public-perceptions-oriented even at the point of death. Haha!

Anyway, since I was busy mounting an exhibit in Iloilo for my 30th birthday, I wasn’t able to look for an agent for a memorial plan. Maybe you can recommend someone?

R.I.P, guys! - Rest in Prada (or maybe Pucci? or maybe Proenza Schouler? or Paul Smith? Hehe!)

Some nice surprises - a new dining venue, a giant orange box, and PS-prints...

I've been meaning to post these last week, but work schedule was just really crazy. Haha!

Now that things are more manageable (or so I think), uhm, here are some nice surprises I found two weeks ago.

First is Romulo Cafe. College friend Gino hosted a dinner party for his big 3-0 at the newly-opened dining venue. I don't want to call it a restaurant, because I feel like it isn't. And when you do go get to visit it, you'll see that it's not. One of the newest food destinations in the Morato area, Romulo Cafe looks like an ideal venue for private dinners, intimate parties, BIO (by invitation only) events. Hehe!

The owner is the daughter of Carlos P. Romulo and what she did (or interior designer Ivy Almario) was to transform certain rooms of the house into beautiful dining rooms. There is a unifying theme in all the rooms, but each room still has its own character and decor. You can reserve the room for a fee, but it is also consummable.

Food was good, too. Filipino cuisine given its own signature twist. What I didn't like so much was the acoustics of the room. The room that Gino got was the black room (the largest I think). The interiors was superb, but the sound that came from everyone talking just kept on bouncing around the room. John said there's a remedy for that. Acoustic ceilings or something. Still, the venue is super worth a visit.

Romulo Cafe is at 32 Scout Tuason corner Dr. Lazcano Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Call them at 332-7275 to reserve.

The other nice surprise happened when I was making my way to Greenbelt from Landmark. I was on my way to get my haircut, and while crossing the Landmark footbridge, I saw the nicest giant orange "box." It really is happening. Hermes is coming to town. I love how they boarded the shop location to look like a giant Hermes gift box. I don't recall any luxe store in Manila ever doing that. Haha! I wonder whether the shop will survive here, but a friend who works for ... told me that half of the store inventory has already been reserved. Crazy, huh?! I love it. Hahaha!

The last nice surprise was finding short-sleeved shirts at Rustan's with Paul Smith-esque prints. Black Label Homme carries the shirts. A shirt costs about P1,750. I wanted to get both as a birthday present, but I dediced to be kuripot and bought something else. Hehehe! Let's just wait for the Rustan's sale.

30-year-old guys can still want butterflies in the stomach, right?

Okay, it's time for one of those post-birthday emo entries. Hehe!

I recently met someone, and he appeared to be somewhat partner material. Cute, funny, neat, seems to be sane, and I knew he liked me. Receiving several thoughtful text messages throughout the day was good proof for that, right? Even if he composed his text messages that drove the CorpComm guy in me really crazy - "Musta u? Kain na u. Mz u na." - , I appreciated the gesture and it felt good to know someone thought of me. It's been awhile since I've had that.

If I were to be logical about this whole thing, I would have already asked him that we date exclusively. He already met the basic requirement for partners. So really, what more could I ask for, right? Here's a nice guy who liked me and who wanted to be with me. Plus, there's the fact that I'm not getting any younger, right? If all I wanted was to have someone whom I can call a partner, there he was.

Instead, I choose to tell him that he's free to date others, that he shouldn't reject those who show interest in him. He insisted that it's just me who he wanted to see. Usually, I would be instantly happy when I hear that, given the fact that the possibility of a relationship doesn't come my way that often.

But there was something missing. I dunno. Not just enough oomph. It was like downing a couple of bottles of Strong Ice and not having that weird smile on my face which meant I'm buzzed. A thirty-year old guy can still look for butterflies in the stomach, right? Either the "kilig" factor wasn't there or being single for the past three years has made me forgotten certain emotions.

Or maybe I thought and felt the whole thing was going too fast. He wanted me to be a part of his life in an instant, while I wanted to take things one day at a time. I didn't see the need for the rush. I'm not leaving the country anytime soon and neither one of us is terminally ill (I hope).

To cut the story short, I think he just got tired of texting. And I got tired of texting him to slow down. He accused me that I didn't want to see him because I rarely text. I disproved him by saying that just because I didn't text as often automatically meant that I didn't want to see him.

Uhm, there was also a part of me that wasn't sure whether he really wanted a relationship. For one, whenever we were together, he'd go, "My ex this. My ex that." I didn't complain about it because he just came out of a bad relationship, and I was always ready to offer an ear to anyone who needed listening. Then, there's the fact that he rarely asked about "me" so he'd get to know me more. I had to inject a little about "me" when we'd talk.

But what really assured me that I did the right decision of not going for this were two text messages received when the SMS exchange became less frequent. One, he told me that he was planning to leave the country again. I asked him for details on this, but all I got was, "I still don't know."

Days after, another text came, saying "I'm getting married." When I got that message, I knew I did the right thing and I didn't even bother asking for details (e.g. Was he marrying a guy or a girl?) I just wished him the best of luck and I meant it. But seriously, what the f, man? You want to get into a relationship but obviously, you're not sure of what you want.

I dunno if turning 30 has something to do with this, but indecisiveness annoys me big time. Some things only need a yes or a no. Stop considering the "buts" and just have the balls to give me a straight answer.

When it comes to dating, I almost always let the other person have his way. Being the eldest son taught me to give up things for others. So usually, I’m pretty flexible and more than ready to adjust to the whims of others. But when I see that we’re wasting so much time and effort over certain things that apparently are so simple, that’s when I really step in and take on the role of feeling mas adult role. And you better be ready to argue your side. Hehe! (Yaiks, that makes me sound like a such grouch. Uhm, what I'm trying to say is I usually know when to argue my case and I know when to argue and let you win.)

Moving on, so I’m still single. And I really don’t know where to find a date. Haha! I rarely go to B, and my circle of "happy" friends is quite small. Some girl friends set me up with their friends but nothing’s come out of it yet. Uhm, I think some of them have this notion that all it takes to have a relationship is to make two homos meet each other. Hehe! Ah, I fell big time for someone early this year, but I knew I had to back off and this is another story. I’m interested in some people, but I’m still too torpe most of the time. Haha!

But would you agree that being single is still better than being in a relationship for the sake of being in one? I think it is, as long as one has single friends, too. Haha! And as long as one is mature enough to be an independent person ready to stand his ground and make decisions on his own.

When the temptation to try to look for a relationship comes just so I can change that blasted Facebook status, I just play track 12 of the tick tick Boom soundtrack. So by the time I hear the lines below, I’m brought back to believing in relationships need to happen for the right reason.

"Why do we stay with lovers who we know down deep just aren't right? Why would we rather put ourselves through hell than sleep alone at night?"