Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Barcino: Fave Wine Bar, Bar None

If you're tired of the usual bar beer-bump-and-grind scene or the annoyingly snotty vodka tonic groupies (watch out, that's just cossack!), try visiting Barcino for a change.

Gay people are known to be pioneers in a lot of things. I'm sure when Columbus wagered that he can sail to the other side of India from Europe, his motivation did not only include God, gold and glory. He also imagined G-strings. Men in G-strings. That's why when you're a yummy mestizo guy (The owner of Barcino is Spanish mestizo) opening up a relatively new concept, expect the gay guys to be in line outside your door on Day One.

Barcino, a Spanish wine bar, has been there for quite a while when we first visited it. It's located on the second floor or the City Golf Arcade, Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City. As you noticed, we love this place. This is the same place where you can grab a shawarma at Uncle Moe's or New York pizza at Brooklyn's or Halo-Halo at Razon's.

The ambiance is fit for an out-of-the-way bar. It looks like an air-conditioned, glamorized cellar. No, it actually IS one. There's a smoking and a non-smoking side with around five table setups each, each setup sitting two to ten people, depending on the configuration. Jake and I had our pre-anniversary drinks here. We shared a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and boy were we smashed!

They serve Spanish dishes, from appetizers to main courses to desserts. The desserts are not to die for, so don't bother, except maybe if you're ordering dessert wine. The tapas are a bit pricey for the serving size but they taste great.

They have a good selection of Spanish wines and a sprinkling of old world and new world wines, but let's just say that Spanish wines are the main thing. Spain's not exactly well know for their wines but that doesn't mean they can't make good ones! The important thing is that you get really really smashed! After all, that's the objective of drinking and we achieved that in Barcino.

I forgot how we got home - I think we took a cab back - but I'm sure we didn't have sex that night! We didn't even have time to undress!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Exciting Things Coming in October

Hey guys!

Jake and I have a couple of things to look forward to at the end of the month:

1) We're going to Cebu: We're taking a long overdue out-of-town trip together. Since we didn't do anything special on our second anniversary (We had buffet lunch at Seven Corners, Crowne Plaza), I figured we'd need to go all out this time. Well, not all out. We're going to Cebu! We'll be there for nine days! This is our first trip together where we have to take a plane, I'm partly excited about that idea. But I still think that the trip itself should be the highlight! If you're going to Cebu or you're from Cebu, tell us! Let's grab a couple of drinks, or join us for a week sunbathing :)

2) We'll be featured in an online gay advocacy magazine: Yep, that's right! We've sent in our responses to the interview questions and the editor is pressuring me to send in our pictures. So yes, I guess you'll finally see our faces, if ever you read the magazine. To be fair to us, I'm not gonna mention the name of the magazine! But you can guess!!!

Take care guys!

Boyd

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Love Conquers All, Even Sarah Palin

Jake and I had a heated YM exchange tonight.

He read the Butterfly Effect entry and he said he felt sad about it. He was actually quite upset, I was so scared.

Jake, baby, I'm sorry if my entry upset you. I was about to update this blog when we made up but I didn't have the time. Actually, I was too happy to even bother! But I'm really sorry if I made you sad. As I've told you over and over and over again, I really, really, really love you and I'm here for keeps, forever, for as long as I make you happy :) I love you!


I think it's only fair that I explain what I meant with the last few words of my entry:

And the butterfly effect of my decision dawned on me. Did I just prolong their relationship. Or did I end it. Would it have been okay if I fought for my feelings because they would break up eventually anyway? I didn't try exhausting all the possibilities because thinking of the what-ifs is just depressing.


Jakey, it doesn't mean that I'd rather be with Andrew, I was just rambling on with the what-ifs. This is more in the league of a what-if-I-were-straight what-if than the what-if-I-didn't-eat-that-BIG-FAT-quarter-pounder kind of what-if. It's like I'm just wondering what would've happened even if I know that in my current state of mind I know that I'm not gonna like the outcome anyway. Do I make sense?

Anyway, the bottom line is, after all that we've been through lately, I still choose and want to be with you and I am humbled and honored and flattered that despite my shortcomings, you still took me back.

In hindsight, I'm happy we had that argument because we proved what our friends said right, over and again. I really am proud that we can handle things in such a mature way (even if you're such a drama princess who's too hard to convince!).

And next time you want to have an Indian dinner, you only have to ask. :p

---
New Bombay is now open at the fifth level of The Podium, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

A Double Dozen Treat And Hoo, The Halloween Owl Bear

Tuesday night was the worst.

He was still not talking to me, not texting me and not showing up on YM. I cried like a baby for hours until the dawn broke. I actually proved that you can drown in tears. When crying, sit up, or lie on your side.

I trudged through Wednesday.

Everybody felt it. I was a walking raincloud. I dampen the mood of people around me. And everybody was asking, what's wrong. I didn't want to talk to people because I don't want them to judge me, or Jake or us as a couple. I only told a few friends whom I know would understand and would not judge. I didn't even tell my roomie who was a close friend from college and a colleague from work. People can be so judgmental. It's as if they're the ones who are in the relationship. I hate it especially if it comes from people who have never been in any semblance of a relationship. What do they know? I thought I'd rather shut up.

Thursday night was not better.

I went home, excited, expecting an extra pair of shoes at the threshold. But when the shoes weren't there, I said maybe he brought it to the room and I checked the bed. It was empty. I even checked the bathroom. No one was there. My best friend was there, though. I didn't even notice. He and my roomie were pretending to be asleep when I came. Maybe there's a surprise. I checked the closet. It was empty. Then I felt really sad...

Friday.

He said it was a week. So today has got to be it. I counted seven days and today was the seventh and if he's not coming to get me, I'll come and get him. Despite coming home late this morning, I managed to wake up with enough time to prepare for this. I went to Krispy Kreme and bought two dozens of doughnuts and made sure that I got the assorted varieties that he loved. The night before, I spotted a Bearista bear at Starbucks Emerald and crossed my fingers that they had some, too at Robinson's. Heaven was smiling at me because there was still one left when I came in. The barista faked a tearful farewell to the bear and asked who the bear is for. And I said, "My Baby".

With donuts in one hand and a bear owl in another, I took a cab from the mall to his school and called his friend to make sure that he was there. I was lucky that he went off to run some errands for a while when I got there. Made the element of surprise more surprising.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived. I was inside the café, he was outside. I went out and sneaked at him and said, Hi. And he said hi back, looking half-scared and half-surprised. And hugged me really tightly and cried.

That, my dear friends, was a moment to die for. I felt all the pains, regrets and guilt just drop to the ground with his one sweeping display of emotions. In that tight embrace, I felt his love, forgiveness, reassurance and happiness. I was too cool to cry. So I wore shades. Hehe. Cheating. I know.

We spent the early afternoon together until I had to leave for work and he had to go to his next class. But at least I know, sans the trappings of spoken words, that all was forgiven. But not forgotten; because if we forget, we wouldn't learn. I wouldn't learn.

I learned it the hard way and I'm just happy that I saw it as the way it is. It was a test. And the choice was not between Jake and Dean but between commitment and falling short of it.

A friend from university days "divined" that my fate would be "full of long-term relationships but no lifetime commitments." For a long time, I was living against that and felt that I needed to prove him wrong. But my recent experience proves that fate, even destiny, can only take you so far. But when you reach that point, it's ultimately your choice and you make your own life.

I've told Jake that happiness in a relationship is not about being better off. It's about commitment and contentment. Because if everybody wants to be better off, then nobody will be happy. For others, happiness in a relationship is a state of mind. For me happiness is a choice. And I choose to be happy.

p.s. Jake attempted to call the Bearista Owl Bear, Dean, in honor of the man of the hour. I think I laughed to that. Jake took it back and said he'd call the Owl Bear Hoo instead. But I really found it hilarious, babe. :p

Monday, October 6, 2008

A Catch-22 Of Sorts

I don't know if I should write about this but here it goes...

I met Dean through Jake.

Dean was an interesting fella. Jake would describe him as cute. I would, too.

But Dean was the guy I dreaded to meet the most. Dreaded, not because he's a bad person or he has bad intentions (this point is debatable - but I tend to look at other people through rose-colored glasses). I dread his because he's the kind of guy who's going to test everything that I believed in and preached of about love, relationships and commitment.

It was also the darkest and most depressing two weeks of my life.

Let's just say that it all started when Jake and I decided that we wanted to "play". There comes a point in your relationship when you want to be experimental in the naughtier aspects of your relationship. We've been "playful" during the earlier part of our relationship, so we thought, been there, done that, what's there to lose? We didn't expect the outcome.

You'd think that Dean was a treat. He nicely packaged and you'd figure that he'll make a great playmate. So, we decided to invite him and he was willing. At the end of the night, we got intimate with him.

He's mostly a rag doll in bed. Really lousy. It really went on and on and on and I just lost my momentum. So we just finished it for the sake of finishing.

But something was bugging me after that. He was looking at me in a certain way. And he was more touchy-feely than required. And then he told me that I was cute. That's when the butterflies came. In my stomach that is.

We all had to leave after that. Jake had lessons, I had to go home and Dean had to go elsewhere. But I can't seem to leave that scene. I couldn't take my mind off it.

I called my best friend and told him about what I felt. He asked me: did he say anything to you? And I was like: Yes, he told me I was cute. And then he laughed. He said it was all too familiar. I asked what he meant and he explained that he knows, from our years of friendship, that I easily fall for people who like me and then I drop them like a hot potato. And I protested that I'm not like that said that I felt confused. He told me just to give myself time to think and feel the whole thing through.

I can't quantify the amount of guilt that I felt at that moment. I was asking, why am I feeling this? Truth be told, guilty but happy, and guilty that I'm happy. I thought that if I love Jake, I shouldn't feel this. And I love Jake. But I'm feeling this. So do I really love Jake? Because if I feel this, then I don't love him.

Jake has also been busy the whole week after that, with performance after performance and exam after exam. And I don't know if I should tell him or not. Because I believe that if there are issues in your relationship, the first person who should know about it is your partner because he's the only other person who's been in the relationship long enough to understand its dynamics. I learned that the hard when I talked to a friend about a decision that Jake and I both made as a couple and I heard comments that I think was uncalled for. After that, I made sure that I only talk to Jake about things that concern us and keep it between us two. There really isn't much, but it helps to have that thinking in place. I also refrained from giving unsolicited advice to my committed friends. If solicited, I give a disclaimer that it's ultimately their decision.

On a Thursday, I asked Jake to (please) sleepover because I really miss him and I need an assurance of my feelings for him. I was relieved when he alighted from the taxi. Butterflies. Yep, I really love him. But suddenly, I don't know how to act around him. I'm a really bad liar and I can't hide my true feelings. But Jake didn't say anything about it the whole night.

He left for school early the next morning and texted as soon as his first class finished. I just woke up. He asked how I was and I said I was okay, getting ready for the gym. I asked him how he was in reply. Disturbed, he said. because he felt that I was a bit distant the night before. And then and there I poured my heart out. Guilt eats into me in such a way that I'd spill the first chance I get. And I knew that this was going to be one of the most dreaded moments of my life.

I wanted to be honest with Jake because I don't want to hurt him. But in my being honest with Jake, I will hurt him in the process. But not being honest with him would eventually hurt him anyway. So there really is no way around not hurting him by lying or being honest. This is one of the moments when you can only wish that would exercise your best judgment. I went with my gut feel and told him everything.

Remember Dean? I felt something for him.


I still remember the exchange by heart (and kept it on my phone for a while). I don't want to publish it in detail but I can say that it was very civil, very mature. But by the end of the conversation, I was emotionally drained. It was the first time that I cried really hard in a very long time. There it was: my Catch-22. I asked for it and I got what I asked for. I was burnt by the guilt of what I said and the guilt of hurting Jake with the sole intention of not hurting him in a worse way.

I dragged myself to the office and later that day, Jake popped in online and said that he's giving me a week to go out with this guy and see if it's just a fleeting feeling and he assured me that he will only be a phone call away.

I think, more than anything, this cemented my resolve that yes, Jake is the one that I really love and he doesn't deserve this. But I also wanted to be fair to Dean and give it a proper closure. Dean also said that I should never leave Jake for him.

Dean and I did manage to go out once. That's when I found out that he's not as smart as I'd want a guy on a date to be. And add the fact the he was a rag doll in bed. By then, I knew that I was just felt something fleeting for him. My best friend doesn't even call it infatuation.

"Gratitude," he told me. "You're paying him a debt of gratitude because he called you pretty. At sobra kang tumanaw ng utang na loob."

Reality struck really sooner and now I felt sorry that I dragged someone else into my sick concept of gratitude, hurting the one I love along the way. I tried contacting Jake. I called him, he didn't answer; I texted him, he didn't reply. Finally, I caught him online and I asked him why he wouldn't talk to me.

He told me, "Babe, the one week was not only for you. It was for me, too. Besides, I don't know what to say or what to think." With that, I held my end of the bargain to be fair. It was the longest, and saddest week in my life.

Stupid, stupid, stupid Boyd.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Heart Of The Matter

Butterfly Effect

Last night, I chanced upon an old friend with whom I haven't talked to for a couple years. He was online and he didn't seem busy, it being a Sunday night. Before I sent him an instant message, I remembered that he had a blog from way back when we first got to know each other. That was four years ago. I actually think that I might have influenced him to start blogging.

It was four years ago and I was about to come back to the Philippines from my one-year study in Japan. This was the time when social networking sites started popping out from nowhere and I suddenly had a dozen of accounts with different networking sites. In one of those sites, this old friend sent me a wink. I winked back. He then sent me a message introducing himself. And I gave him my name as well. That's how it started.

We would be chatting online every night and we started sharing pictures. I even called him once and we talked for around 15 minutes, which is quite expensive given that it's an international call. I got to know him more and more and I developed a liking for him. He's an artist, he studies at the other university in the area where my university was, and he was funny. I must admit, at that point, I was starting to fall for him.

"Hey"

"Hey Boyd"

"Hey Andrew"

"What's up"

I told him how it's been a long time since we last talked. I also told him that I was digging through his old blog and found the two poems.

There were two poems that I know he wrote about me.

When I returned to the Philippines, I got in touch with him and set up a meeting. And so we did. At a cafe right across his university, we met for the first time in person. The spark was undeniable. I felt it the first time I saw him.

We talked on the phone. A lot. Those were the times when landlines were still en vogue. Now, no one barely uses landlines anymore, huh.

The next time that we met, he visited me at school and met some of my friends. We walked off to the lagoon and at dusk, under the light of the lamps, we kissed. I held his hands all night because I know that after that I would have to let go. Forever.

Andrew had a boyfriend back then when we met. And I'm not the type who would wreck relationships for my own happiness. I don't want to feed off the misery of others. And I want to believe in forever. And commitment. And contentment. And I don't want some other guy doing that thing to me in my future relationships. So I told Andrew to forget about me and I told him that I'll let him go.

It's difficult to sacrifice your own happiness for someone else's because your principles and your conscience dictate you to. It's more difficult when the person you're sacrificing it for doesn't seem to cooperate with the plan. It's simple. Forget about me and be happy with your boyfriend. Later on, I just had to cut everything and come back only when I know that I'm no longer a threat.

I was partly happy because I know I saved a relationship.

But it's funny because after all our reminisces Andrew tells me, "By the way, wala na pala kami. One year na."

And the butterfly effect of my decision dawned on me. Did I just prolong their relationship. Or did I end it. Would it have been okay if I fought for my feelings because they would break up eventually anyway? I didn't try exhausting all the possibilities because thinking of the what-ifs is just depressing.

But maybe not as depressing as what I feel right now when I find myself in the same shoes that he was in four years ago...

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Ang Lihim Ni Antonio


Truth be told, I liked the film. It might be your typical gay film but for an indie film, the cinematography - which for me is the most important thing next to the storyline - was great.

You'd think that the title is a giveaway but I like the twist at the end. You know how all those films hype their "stories with a twist", this one was a very subtle yet effective twist. And I loved the subtlety of it more than anything.

The actors were also effective. Shamaine Buencamino delivered well as expected. Josh Ivan Morales can act, surprisingly! And Kenjie Garcia, the teen who played Antonio, was believable in his portrayal. The question that goes on in my head is: How did they convince this kid, and his parents, to play this role which demands such sensitive scenes?

I'm definitely recommending this film, even if I do think that there are too many gay films out there and they keep on rehashing the same stories. But I don't believe that they've exhausted all possible stories and perspective on gay life. I'm watching for the next film that can capture that.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Long Hiatus Again

Dear readers,

Sorry for not posting at all recently.

Jake and I have both been very busy, he with school and I with work. I didn't mind that. At least I know that neither of us is being idle. Despite the tight schedule, we still got to spend time with each other, and that's the only thing I can ask for.

Anyway, i'll be pre-dating my posts so you might wanna scroll down for my new entries...

Monday, June 23, 2008

That Special Day

After spending a weekend in Shanghai without Jake around, I felt guilty that he was sulking here in Manila, with tons of school work and rehearsals to attend. So on our special day of the month (nope, we don't have periods. LOL) I decided to check-in with him at Holiday Inn. It's not the most luxurious of all hotels but at least we get to spend time with each other, just the two of us. Plus, the buffet breakfast is a good deal! (And I also get discounts from the hotel, hihihi.)

The last time we did this, he had rehearsal for most of the day and I ended up window shopping in Galleria waiting for him. This time, we really spent quality time sleeping with each other (in the literal and the naughty sense of the expression). Sometimes you really just need a nice sleep, in a tight embrace, to reconnect. It always works for me.

The next day, we had a really good breakfast, even if we woke up quite late for it (less than 30 minutes before the closed the buffet).

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Shanghai Weekend

It was a long weekend and it happened to coincide with my friend P's birthday. She lives in Shanghai and since I've never been there and it's her birthday and I have a long weekend, I decided to go.

It's really easy to jump to another city these days. You just go online and buy a ticket. Sometimes you have to apply for a visa too but getting a Chinese visa doesn't take much of an effort. You just pay for the visa fee and wait for 4 days.

I got an evening flight which was ideal so that I don't have to take a leave on the Friday that I left. I was in Shanghai the same night and P was nice enough to pick me up from the Pudong airport which was 40 minutes from downtown. That's not like an airport-Makati distance although it takes roughly the same time.

My first impression was that it was impressively clean! I had an idea that it would be a bit dirty but it wasn't. I'm not really a fan of urban sightseeing but it helped that I was with a "local" and P took me to some of the best places to hang out in the city.

It was also a good thing that we had a reason to celebrate so I had an excuse for splurging. Aside from the fact that it was P's birthday weekend, it was also my first time ever in China. Never been to Macau nor HK. Those should be next on my travel list.

I won't bore you with the details of my trip. Aside from an afternoon in Yu Garden, it was mostly eating, drinking and shopping. If you need tips on where to go, honestly don't ask me! Because I was just being whisked away from one place to another in a semi-permanent state of drunkenness. Or maybe I can tell you to go to Jean Georges! That place defines posh!

Gay travelers in Shanghai? Don't worry! Your choices will not be limited to the locals. Shanghai is probably one of those cities in the world where ever nationality is well-represented. I for example was moving around with the Filipino posse and the happy people who were lucky enough to be their friends! Pinoys really know how to have fun :)

I was back in Manila Tuesday morning and went straight to work. It was kinda tiring but my weekend felt longer that it actually was and I had a lot of fun! Thanks P for hosting me :)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

D.tour Blue Lounge

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, Jake and I decided to head out and have late lunch, merienda and a quick dinner. Sundays in Ortigas are a bore. There's usually nothing open. Even McDonald's is closed sometimes. The only interesting thing that we did that day aside from having sundaes at Icebergs was a trip to D.tour Blue Lounge.

I've heard about this for quite some time and Jake was kinda curious about the place. Since we didn't have anything better to do, we just decided to go and check it out.

It's right along Shaw Boulevard near JRU. The place looks more like a house than a lounge. But someone opened the gates for us. We were then escorted to the lobby where they gave us membership forms - the lounge is for members only - and then we had to pay our membership fees. Another guy then gave us a tour of the lounge. It's actually a big property and they created "themed" rooms for "certain" activities. One fine example is the "viewing room". I had a different idea when I heard the name of the room being said. But it's still not as innocent as you'd think it is.

For a lounge, having an orientation on the house rules is a bit weird and unnerving. But that's exactly what they did. They're actually a lot of common sense but maybe they just need to repeat it in case people are too stupid to know.

After that orientation, we explored the lounge on our own. There was pretty much no one indoors except for a couple or three guys. Many were in the outdoor area, smoking. The "viewing room" had an immediate effect on us and since the coast was clear, Jake and I had a go at it. Ha Ha Ha. That was fun!

The place feels homey and is quite different from the usual haunts in the Metro which are either noisy or sleazy. This place is very discreet. And it feels very exclusive. I wouldn't going back here. With Jake of course. And I don't mind having a go with him here either. He He he.

Let's just say that there's a thrill in the possibility of getting caught.

Thanks Tiggah for Dropping by :)

I couldn't believe it myself but Tiggah visited Life with Boyd and Jake. And he left a footprint in the comments section :)

TiggahTigz.blogspot.com is one of the few gay blogs that Jake and I really follow. It's sort of because we can kind of relate to Tiggah and his boyfriend Pooh a lot. Especially when it comes to food!!! We're big foodies, too. I think that one of the things that keep Jake and I together is food. We just eat a lot. We can share a large pizza between us. But it's taking its toll on me. Gotta exercise more.

Anyway, thanks again Tiggah!

Friday, May 16, 2008

California's top court legalizes gay marriage

California's top court legalizes gay marriage
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer Thu May 15, 7:45 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO - California's Supreme Court declared gay couples in the nation's biggest state can marry — a monumental but perhaps short-lived victory for the gay rights movement Thursday that was greeted with tears, hugs, kisses and at least one instant proposal of matrimony.

ADVERTISEMENT

Same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. But the window could close soon after — religious and social conservatives are pressing to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.

"Essentially, this boils down to love. We love each other. We now have equal rights under the law," declared a jubilant Robin Tyler, a plaintiff in the case along with her partner. She added: "We're going to get married. No Tupperware, please."

A crowd of people raised their fists in triumph inside City Hall, and people wrapped themselves in the rainbow-colored gay-pride flag outside the courthouse. In the Castro, the historic center of the gay community in San Francisco, Tim Oviatt wept as he watched the news on TV.

"I've been waiting for this all my life. This is a life-affirming moment," he said.

By the afternoon, gay and lesbian couples had already started lining up at San Francisco City Hall to make appointments to get marriage licenses. In West Hollywood, supporters were planning to serve "wedding cake" at an evening celebration.

James Dobson, chairman of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, called the ruling an "outrage."

"It will be up to the people of California to preserve traditional marriage by passing a constitutional amendment. ... Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny," he said in an e-mail statement.

In its 4-3 ruling, the Republican-dominated high court struck down state laws against same-sex marriage and said domestic partnerships that provide many of the rights and benefits of matrimony are not enough.

"In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ronald George wrote for the majority in ringing language that delighted gay rights activists.

Massachusetts is the only other state to legalize gay marriage, something it did in 2004. The California ruling is considered monumental by virtue of the state's size — 38 million out of a U.S. population of 302 million — and its historic role in the vanguard of the many social and cultural changes that have swept the country since World War II.

California has an estimated 92,000 same-sex couples.

"It's about human dignity. It's about human rights. It's about time in California," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, pumping his fist in the air, told a roaring crowd at City Hall. "As California goes, so goes the rest of the nation. It's inevitable. This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not."

Unlike Massachusetts, California has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license, meaning gays from around the country are likely to flock to the state to be wed, said Jennifer Pizer, a gay-rights attorney who worked on the case.

The ultimate reach of the ruling could be limited, however, since most states do not recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere. Nor does the federal government.

The conservative Alliance Defense Fund said it would ask the justices for a stay of the decision until after the fall election in hopes of adding California to the list of 26 states that have approved constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage.

"We're obviously very disappointed in the decision. The remedy is a constitutional amendment. The constitution defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman," said Glen Lavy, senior counsel for the organization.

Randy Thomasson of VoteYesMarriage.com, a campaign to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage, said the decision was in effect telling children that they have a "new role model — homosexual marriage, aspire to it.

"This is a disaster," he said.

Opponents of gay marriage could also ask the high court to reconsider. If the court rejects such a request, same-sex couples could start getting married in 30 days, the time it typically takes for the justices' opinions to become final.

The justices said they would direct state officials "to take all actions necessary to effectuate our ruling," including requiring county marriage clerks to carry out their duties "in a manner consistent with" the court's decision.

James Vaughn, director of the California Log Cabin Republicans, called the ruling a "conservative one."

"The justices have ensured that the law treats all Californians fairly and equally. This decision is a good one for all families, gay and non-gay," Vaughn said.

The case was set in motion in 2004 when the mayor of San Francisco — the unofficial capital of gay America — threw City Hall open to gay couples to get married in a calculated challenge to California law. Four-thousand gay couples wed before the Supreme Court put a halt to the practice after a month.

Two dozen gay couples then sued, along with the city and gay rights organizations.

Thursday's ruling could alter the dynamics of the presidential race and state and congressional contests in California and beyond by causing a backlash among conservatives and drawing them to the polls in large numbers.

A spokesman for Republican John McCain, who opposes gay marriage, said the Arizona senator "doesn't believe judges should be making these decisions." The campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton said they believe that the issue of marriage should be left to the states.

Ten states now offer some form of legal recognition to same-sex couples — in most cases, domestic partnerships or civil unions. In the past few years, the courts in New York, New Jersey and Washington state have refused to allow gay marriage.

Outside the San Francisco courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as news spread of the decision. Jeanie Rizzo, one of the plaintiffs, called Pali Cooper, her partner of 19 years, via cell phone and asked, "Pali, will you marry me?"

Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said same-sex marriage advocates could not have hoped for a more favorable ruling by the Republican-dominated court. "It's a total victory," Minter said.

California already offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners many of the legal rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples, including the right to divorce and to sue for child support.

Citing a 1948 California Supreme Court decision that overturned a ban on interracial marriages, the justices struck down the state's 1977 one-man, one-woman marriage law, as well as a similar, voter-approved law that passed with 61 percent in 2000.

The chief justice was joined by Justices Joyce Kennard and Kathryn Werdegar, all three of whom were appointed by Republican governors, and Justice Carlos Moreno, the only member of the court appointed by a Democrat.

In a dissent, Justice Marvin Baxter agreed with many arguments of the majority but said that the court overstepped its authority and that changes to marriage laws should be decided by the voters. Justices Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan also dissented.

California's secretary of state is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signatures to put the gay-marriage amendment on the ballot.

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed legislation that would have granted marriage to same-sex couples, said in a statement that he respected the court's decision and "will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

___

Associated Press writers Terence Chea, Jason Dearen, Juliana Barbassa and Evelyn Nieves in San Francisco and Liz Sidoti in Washington contributed to this report.

Long Distance Relationships Work (Part 2)

Previously: Frankie and Jai battle it out against all odds as they stand firm on their decision to maintain a long-distance relationship. Will they be able to keep things from deteriorating or will the culture clash, the language barrier, the different time zone and the sheer geographical distance bring this relationship to a bitter end?

We'll never know how KK and Arthur really met because KK has a thing about not telling the story according to how it actually happened because he wants to preserve a certain self-image. He's not really trying to put up appearances but he's just conscious about the way people perceive him. In this case, he doesn't want us, his friends, to think that he's a slut. Maybe he's not or maybe he is. But the factoids that we know about the circumstances of the meet-up were far and few in-between. KK met Arthur in Bed Bar in Malate two weeks before he's told anyone that he met some guy. Who introduced himself to whom would tell us who is slutting around town. Bed is not exactly the gay destination of choice for a good majority of my gay friends... okay, an overwhelming majority of them... as the quality deteriorates - venue and people - as you move away from Makati. KK's "new friends" happen to hang out in Malate all the time. The reason why it took KK two weeks to tell us that he's in such a state with a semblance of "dating someone" is partly because 1) he has "new friends" who are more like recycled friends, and 2) he knows of our aversion for gay Malate.

Let's be clear. I am not dissing KK. He just happens to be the resident underdog in the clique and the tag has grown into him. I'm actually humbled by the fact that of all our gay friends, he feels comfortable confiding in me and seeking my advice.

So again, who was spotted slutting around gay Manila. We'll never know until KK spills all the beans. The slutting around turned out to be a good thing. At first it was high time for paranoia, confusion, miscommunication, misunderstanding and a lot of great expectations and wrong first impression. Which are all normal for a person who just came out of a comfortable/complacent three-year relationship meeting a new guy whom you like in a way you're unsure about and who seems to like you for the wrong reasons. Or so you thought.

Arthur, in a nutshell, is a chap who photographs well. Like his cousin. I've written about them earlier in this blog. According to KK's voluntary disclosures, Arthur made him crave for sex again. A state he's never been in for the last months of his previous relationship. It was a slow gradual process that eventually became a daily routine up to a point where they'd do nothing but each other for an entire day. Even work sometimes gets brushed aside because "it's getting in the way".

In the beginning of things, KK's complaint was that despite his sex appeal, Arthur is shallow and they'd talk about nothing. As in nothing. I was about to foredoom the relationship, or whatever it was back then, but KK made certain pronouncements about the setup. That it was just for the sex. That he just wanted to get back into the game. That he was still enjoying the company. And that he doesn't want to be tied down again in another relationship. The biggest thing that is holding KK back is that in less than a year's time, KK is flying to Europe for his Master's degree. He doesn't want to invest in something that he's gonna stop eventually.

The first dilemma was what the status of their relationship was. "KK," I told him over coffee, "you've barely spent a month with the guy and you wanna label the relationship?" He said that it was not him but Arthur asking. "What do you think are you?" I asked.

"Friends...?"
"Friends?"
"Yeah. Friends. Fucking Friends."

Which is the root word of Friends with Benefits.

He doesn't want to be attached to someone at the moment. That's the least he needs for now. And he's afraid that Arthur is becoming clingy. I told him to be fair and leave the guy or at least be honest about what he really thinks about the relationship and what he needs from it. But KK thinks that he can have the cake AND eat it, too. I told him that it's only a matter of time before the cake realizes that he's being eaten up alive.

KK is the biggest flipflop of all time and the next week he was saying that he now can't imagine himself without Arthur and that he was afraid that Arthur has lost interest in him and that he has changed towards him. Talk about paranoia. He also felt that Arthur was "cheating" on him.

"You're oversteppin' it, bitch," I told him on a text message. "How can he 'cheat' on you when you're not together and you don't want to be too attached to him?"

"I think I'm falling for him."

"Damn straight, and if you keep on it, you'll have enough emotional baggage for a two-year hiatus in Sorbonne."

Two weeks later, he finds out that the rumors were just that. Filthy rumors spread by one of his so-called "new friends" who apparently was also into Arthur and was jealous that KK ended up with Arthur instead of him. He then asked me if he should tell him how he really feels and if he should tell him that he's leaving within the year.

That decision was not for him to make. A few days later. Arthur pronounced his sentiments love of admitted that he knew that he was leaving for France. The absent-minded KK was unaware that he leaves his YM conversation with me open for his ex-boytoy-and-soon-to-be-boyfriend to see.

There were waterworks which was understandable but could be over-the-top to some. But they've decided to carry on with what they have and cross the bridge when they get there. Hopefully they would not be burning bridges instead.

The situation is complicated by differing religious beliefs and cultural upbringings. KK comes from a straight-as-an-arrow Catholic family but he turned out to be an atheist until he found his God among the Methodists. Arthur, believe it or not, is a Maranao Muslim royalty (which is pretty much titular and meaningless exceppt for the number of hectares you own), as in the princess of Sulu kind of royalty. He's actually married but decided to leave for Manila. Now that he's finished with his studies, the family pressures him to come back and settle down. With a girl. We all know Arthur digs dicks exclusively so there's no way this is happening.

There's also no way to run away from family duty without being disowned. After KK's Europe sojourn, Arthur plans to run away with him to the halal Big Apple: Dubai. If he can run away at all.

I've told KK that his relationship is a walking textbook case that can be used in fourteen different fields of study and I've asked him how he felt about it. "It might be interesting but I wished it were a bit more normal. But I'm happy just the same."

And I think, in the end, beyond distances and differences, that - happiness - is all that matters.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Long Distance Relationship Works (Part 1)

Repeat: Long Distance Relationship Works.

I'm still undecided on this issue. Jake believes that long distance relationships work. He actually phrased it in a mumbled question (while his lips are pressed on mine) "Why, don't you think long-distance relationships work?" You might not remember it babe but I do because I remember how I did not answer it because, as I've said I'm still undecided on the issue.

This is a long overdue post prompted by two close friends of mine that are in or about to embark on a long distance relationship. First, do I have to put a dash in between "long" and "distance"? I think so. The fact that this is overdue owes to the same reason, which is my indecision on the topic at hand.

It's also interesting because the same issue gives way to another, even more complex set-up of cross-cultural relationship. Not just interracial but cross-cultural. I digress: interracial sounds like animals cavorting with another species. I'll stick to the term cross-cultural as it sounds more academic.

Frankie, yes, Frank Ulrich Cudal von Krefeld, the scion of German ex-nobility, left Manila last month to go back to his native Germany, leaving behind another dear friend Jai. In an interesting twist of events, Jai sent me an SMS about how he was worried about Frankie. I was surprised by that statement. First because I thought I knew Frankie better as his friend. And second because I didn't expect such a reaction from Jai. You see, Jai and Frankie met through me. Jai saw Frankie's pic online through my Multiply and oh-so sweetly asked if I could intervene in their fateful meeting. What was a good friend like me to do but introduce and introduce I did.

Jai's, well, "history" with boys is more colorful than the Pantone palette to say the least. And Frankie is still, well, confused on whether he digs boys exclusively or boys and girls equally. I was not sure about what the outcome will be when the two inevitably meet in oh-so romantic Manila a few months after their online meeting.

Well they hit it off quite well. Quite is an understatement.

The time came last month when Frankie had to go back to Germany to get ready for Uni in September. He spent the last few months of his stay in Manila away from our set of friends and more with Jai, which is of course understandable. I wasn't there at the airport so I don't know what happened at the exact moment when he officially left.

Fast-forward a few days later and I receive the text from Jai. He was concerned about how Frankie was handling all this while they're apart. They're committed to staying together despite the distance and have been making future plans together. In fact, Frankie will spend the three months leading to Uni openings in the Philippines just to be with Jai. He'll be back by June.

Jai, who is a few years older, just quit his work to focus on graduate school. Frankie is just entering University. And I think, at his age, he doesn't know what he wants to be yet.

I really thought that Jai would fare worse in this setup than Frankie. With our upbringing, we Filipinos tend to be more emotional about things like this. And I was thinking that with his age, Jai would be more inclined to actually hold on to this relationship than Frankie, who, with his age, seems to be wanting to try things out. That was what was going on in my head. But the reality seemed reversed.

Three months of course, is not a long time to wait. But what about in the long-term? Can this work? Can two people, of two different upbringings with oceans between them, with different life priorities, make this work?

Up next: A walking case study. KK and Arthur bring more drama into their already-steaming stew of clashing cultures and personas. And they say that they're a couple.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Boyd Gets Promoted!

Woohoo!!! Time to bring out the champagne bottles coz Boyd just got promoted! I've already pre-celebrated the event with Jake last Sunday (with all the fireworks!) and I'm planning to take my family out for a nice dinner. :)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Weekend at the Holiday Inn

I just received my Intercontinental Group Priority Privilege card last week so I wanted to try it out. Jake and I badly needed some time together since my work has been very demanding recently and Jake's been spending a lot of time in training over the week. So we checked in Sunday night at the Holiday Inn Galleria Manila for some de luxe "us" time.

We arranged to meet at two but I was late (and was profusely sorry to be, believe me babe). I've been in this hotel before when it was still Manila Galleria Suites. It's quite improved as a Holiday Inn but it's very casual. We had a corner room with windows facing the Wack-Wack Golf & Country Club, Greenhills and a sunset view. We can even see the Bataan Peninsula from our room. My account manager originally booked for a twin bed room but I told her to get me a king-size bed for obvious reasons, but she was all oblivious to it.

Jake had to run to an audition for a musical and I was left in the room all by myself. So what's a guy to do with a hotel room all by himself? Play Sponge Bob Collapse of course! I went for a bit of grocery shopping, too. We discovered that at Mickey's Deli in Robinson's Galleria, they had gourmet sandwiches at 50% after 7pm. It was a neat deal, I bagged four sandwiches for us for less than 200 pesos.

Jake wasn't back until around 9pm. At least his dance company made it. He was also set for another audition for a TV ad the next day. The sandwiches didn't seem to be enough for the hungry Jake (who also ate my sandwich) so we ordered pizza. After some pizza and a hot bubble bath (which didn't have enough bubbles), you know how the night ended. And yes, in full view of Mandaluyong, Quezon City and San Juan.

We checked out the pool but it's not a welcoming sight. Could've been better. The breakfast was good though. I've tried better buffet breakfasts before (like Shangri-la in Mactan. Yum!) but this breakfast was not bad. And Jake and I are both breakfast people, but we take it at a different time. Like 12 noon. We really struggled to make it to the resto before 10 am. There were quite a handful of people for a Monday morning.

In the end it was a nice way of spending some time together. We really had a nice sleep. Next time we'll try to crash in earlier so that we'll get a longer sleep.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Surprise Babe! We have a blog!

I've just come out. To Jake, that is, that we have a blog.

And Paolo (of Shanghai), to answer your question: I didn't know how he'd react that I want a blog. So I created one. And he just told me now that he wants one, too. So I took it as a cue to tell him, hey, we have a blog!

Hahaha.

This should be fun

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Summer with Boyd and Jake

I'm back from a vacation in Banaue and Sagada with my family and Jake spent three weeks of his vacation going around Ilocos, Pangasinan and Baguio with his family. His mom is in town from the States.

The only way I can imagine Jake and I spending our summers apart is when we spend it with each other's families. My main concern about Jake before is that he lived by himself. That's great, from the naughty point of view, but from the practical side, it's dangerous.

Flashback to the time when Jake had fever which didn't go away for two nights. I suspected that it was dengue fever so we had his blood checked. It was negative. That night he still had fever and I had to take a leave from work to attend to him. And then when we had a blood test again the next day, his platelet count dropped. I needed to send him off to Baguio so that someone can look over him. I was restless thinking what if he can't stand up when he gets there. Thankfully his fever just went away as if he hadn't been sick at all after a few days.

Now it's a good thing that his cousin Kat and his brother as staying with him. At least we'll never get locked out again like the last time when Jake lost his keys! We had to get a room in a nearby motel and had his window grills sawn off. And it was 20 feet above ground! I had to miss my high school classmates' wedding ceremony at the church.

So many things are happening this summer. The best of them is Jake's having boundless energy for sex! Dear me, the last one was the best one I've had ever! I don't wanna go into details but he can be an animal when he's in bed sometimes. Hahaha.

Anyway, that's my summer so far. How's yours?

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Pinoy Gay Blogs


(Have to do this mandatory post on Pinoy Gay Blogs to be linked/reviewed. Hehe)

It's amazing what Migs the Manila Gay Guy was able to do. His own blog has inspired others to either start their own, resurrect their blogs or carry on with blogging.

The blogroll must be listing almost a hundred queer bloggers. A lot of them notable, some of them uninspired, others expired. Visit PinoyGayBlogs.com for the complete listing.

When Jake is away, Boyd feels...



Alone by Heart featuring Carrie Underwood.

It's 80's revival baby. Hay, yes. I guess that's how I feel. Huhuhu.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

More J.P. Calderon: J.P. Goes on a Date!



I don't know about you but I love J.P. Calderon. So more of him here. And don't you think Nathan Dickinson is gay?

Lazy Day At The Office/Waking Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed

Lazy day at the office

I don't hate Tuesdays.

I just had to say that because I was about to start my entry with that word vomit: "hate".

I'm just reeeeally lazy today for no apparent reason. We all have our days, good or bad, I guess.

Waking up at the wrong side of the bed

No, this is not another Waking up with... entry with J.P. Calderon (don't get me wrong, I still lurve the man). I woke up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday. I think it's because Jake woke up on the wrong side of the bed as well, as his text announced when I woke up. I don't really think that there's a cosmic link between our moods. Maybe, his aura traveled through the signalwaves and hit me. Jake can be pretty powerful when it comes to his moods. IT REALLY GETS ME DOWN. It's like the human eyes. They're sympathetic, you know. Like when dirt gets into one, you close both. And you can't look at opposite directions.

I went to the gym and my shoulder hurts when I lift weights. I was supposed to do chest and biceps but I couldn't do proper chest workouts. So I just did a low-impact chest incline machine. I get frustrated when I can't workout properly. I'm starting to get more and more conscious about how I look. I think I'm fat but Jake says I'm alright. That's coming from someone who has 3% body fat. I used to be around that... 4%-5%. I had abs and muscular legs because I ran and bike. I was bottom heavy before. At least I have some serious nigger ass. Ha Ha Ha! I got conscious when Jake admitted that he checks me out with his girl friend. My boyfriend! Checking me out with his GIRL friend. That's kinda sexy but kinda off, too.

I'm really afraid to get a tummy!!! So I'm doing everything to keep it off. Hey... This gives me an idea.

Moving along. Jake is also out of town with Mommy dearest. They haven't seen each other in a couple of years since Mom practices and medicine in the States. I love Jake's mom! Because she gave birth to such a beautiful lad!!! He's my surprise first birthday gift. Hehe. You know why? Jake's was born on the day before my first birthday. But since that's the States and we're one day ahead of them, it was already my first birthday here in Manila on the day he was born! Cool eh?

We were actually kind of creeped out - butterflies in the stomach and goosebumps all over and all - when we found out about this little factoid. I think it makes us feel more connected spiritually, as being both Pisceans, we both are kinda into that spiritual and cosmic stuff.

Where was I? Yeah, he's back in the boondocks, bonding with Mom and his siblings. And I can only be happy for him. I'm always worried about Jake because he has no one to go home, too. It's also a blessing that Cousin Kat moved in. I feel relieved because someone's helping him out at home. He has no family in the city. But he has me. :)

Also, my friend's reaction to something I told him was looming in the sidelines. And it still bugs me. But now I'm okay.

And since I'm able to vent it out, I think I'm going back to work now.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Waking up with... J.P. Calderon




Yes! Another JDMA alumni. Two in a row. J.P. Calderon is so hot, you can't just give him a miss. So here he is, gracing the pages of Life with Boyd and Jake as he deserves it.

Why you wanna wake up with J.P.:
1) He was on "Survivor Cook Islands". (Survivor where? I know! I lost count myself!)
2) He's on the "Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency".
3) He's GAY. OUT and PROUD!
4) He's a jock (if volleyball counts).
5) He's a 2(x)ist model!
6) He's just smouldering HOT!

Here's an interview that appeared on Instinct magazine with him on the cover:

J.P. Calderon | Print |
Written by Mike Wood | photo by Peter Brown
Thursday, 01 February 2007
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

This last year has been a real whirlwind for professional volleyball player and coach J.P. Calderon. Yes, he’s met tough contenders on the court and he’s weathered the rough seas off the Cook Islands on Survivor; he’s even confronted, head-on, the mighty maelstrom that is Janice Dickinson during his most recent reality-TV stint, but now J.P. Calderon is set to tackle his toughest opponent yet. Himself.

Today as we sit down for lunch, J.P.’s ready—for the first time in his life—to speak frankly about his sexuality, his painful past, his promising future and why he thinks Janice Dickinson is the coolest person on the planet.

J.P. Calderon is the youngest of two boys. His parents divorced when he was just a baby, and his upbringing is not one full of happy memories. But it’s from these imperfect childhood memories J.P. will draw most of the emotional testimony he shares over our lunch today on this balmy winter afternoon in L.A.

“I had decided when I was younger that I was never going to come out. I was planning to get married and have kids, be closeted about it and force myself to be something I knew I wasn’t,” he says very matter-of-factly. J.P. says he knew at the time that his plan wasn’t foolproof, but his decision took precedent over his plight. In his mind—as in the minds of many young gay men—being tormented and closeted was certainly better than being gay.

“I was always the jock. I always got the girls. I was always put in that real ‘masculine’ limelight,” he remembers. “But don’t get me wrong—I do have my feminine moments. You can tell I’m gay. My friends say I’m getting gayer and gayer by the minute!” he animatedly declares. After a moment, our shared laughter falls to silence and then his sullen admission: “But back then, I would see guys who would wear real tight jeans and sashay around or whatever, and I would think, Good for you. At least you are being you. That’s something I’ve never been all my life.”

J.P. turns pensive when I ask him how this remembrance and his realization of never being true to himself make him feel today. “I’ve always regretted it,” he says quietly. “I’ve hated myself. And to realize now that I’ve always hated myself my whole life isn’t easy.”

If J.P.’s presence on the cover of our magazine doesn’t already affirm his friends’ “gayer and gayer by the minute” proclamation, surely J.P.’s new gig on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency—a show I remind him may very well be the gayest on TV today—will certainly seal the deal. “I didn’t know that at all,” he laughs. “I really didn’t! But I think this is a calling. I mean, all this stuff is happening to me for a reason. I really believe that.”

Having just recently learned to accept his sexuality at the relatively late age of 31, J.P. is still plagued by self-doubt. “I don’t want to send a bad image to anyone, but sometimes I’m still conflicted. I’m hoping I won’t always be, but I don’t know.” He goes on to share an example about his volleyball teammates and fellow models that has replayed in his mind time and again. “I see them naked all the time. They’re my bros. They’re my teammates,” he explains. “I don’t look at them in that way. I never check them out like that. But I always think, God, if I came out, are they gonna start thinking, ‘Oh, J.P. is checking me out,’ or who knows what? That bothers me
because they’re my friends, my buddies.”

Another fear that hangs over his head, is what his sexuality will mean to the kids he coaches for volleyball. “I’m a role model for kids. And it’s weird, but what if they see their gay coach in a Speedo or whatever and he’s doing this gay magazine? What are they going to think, you know? Am I going to let them down? What are their parents going to think? And I know I shouldn’t care what they think, but I do. I might be the one who is making this a bigger deal than anybody else, but I’m just really self-conscious. I’ve never been more vulnerable or self-conscious in my life.”

J.P. describes his early childhood as pretty free, and looking back on it now, perhaps freeing. He had a strong bond with his mom growing up, but breast cancer took her from him when he was just 9 years old. Of course, he was devastated. His mother had always encouraged J.P. in his more artistic endeavors, and he believes if his mom had lived past his youth, his life may have been very different—that her love and understanding may have made it easier for him to accept himself for the person he truly is. “If my mom was still around, who knows, maybe I would have been that flamboyant kid,” he acknowledges with a soft chuckle, imagining something he may never have let himself even think about before.

“My dad moved in after my mom died,” J.P. says in a tone markedly less jovial. “My brother was already in high school, going into college. He was already an adult. So my dad couldn’t really
do anything to my brother. But my dad got me when I was 9. So I had to go through being an adolescent while [my father] had to come back to raising children after pretty much being a playboy after getting divorced. He was used to being a bachelor. So we just butted heads all the way through.”

The stigma J.P. carries with him to this day is due in no small part to his volatile relationship with his father. In fact, J.P. says it’s this tortured father-son blood tie that has tormented him and shaped, or misshapen, his entire life up to this point.

J.P.’s dad died a year ago this past October from brain cancer.

“My dad represented the machismo, the whole Latino man’s man culture. As a kid, everything I liked was…wrong…in his eyes. He thought modeling and TV and entertainment were…” J.P. trails off, searching for just the right word. I think I know where he’s going but that he’s perhaps hesitant to say it out loud. So I say it for him: “Gay?”

“Yeah,” J.P. admits, his eyes hitting his plate in front of him. “I come from Latino culture and a
blue-collar family where you are only respected if you work really hard, and he never saw any of that [entertainment] as real work. There were laws that I needed to follow in order to be successful in my dad’s eyes. And his laws were never on my agenda.”

“He never trusted me. He made me feel like I was this really bad kid,” he says. Then J.P. is quiet for a minute, and I watch the emotions wash over him as the stories of his wounded childhood begin to take their toll. “You know, when I went to college my dad didn’t even help me move. Like, parents usually get into it, right? They help you. They want to get involved, visit the school? He’s like, ‘Where you going?’ and I say, ‘Dad, I’ve been packing the car because I’m leaving for school.’”

There’s another long pause, and we both begin to poke at our plates of barely eaten lunch. “All these emotions have just been hitting me,” he says, finally looking up at me. “I just remember that as a little kid he was always going out and he would leave me alone. He was never a dad. My brother was my dad…now, he—he did everything for me.”

It’s another moment and another poke at his plate before J.P.’s eyes look up at mine again. “I feel so guilty for saying this, but I felt relieved when my dad died. Because I just felt like I was free. I was finally free.”

So, do you think that if your dad hadn’t died…?

J.P. already knows my question, and he is firm and to the point: “We would not be talking right now.”

He had that much of a hold on you?

“Yes. Definitely.”

So you would still be unhappy?

“Yes. I’d still be very unhappy. I would die unhappy.” He pauses for a moment, realizing, “I think my dad died unhappy.”

Do you think your dad knew you were gay?

“I think my dad knew. Sure. I think everyone [in my family] knows. No one is dumb. I think the more you don’t talk about it, the more they can dance around it and feel comfortable because they can treat me like I am no different.”

But you are no different.

“I know that. And you know that…” J.P. trails off, managing a grin that tries to mask a deep-seated
pain that ponders why others can’t grasp how simple and true it is.

J.P. is intent on making up for lost time now. And he wants to go forward with no regrets. “I’m really, truly doing what I’ve always wanted to do. I always wanted to be in entertainment. I was such a ham when I was a kid. I loved it, you know?” he reflects. “And when my mom died, I stopped. But now I can do it again. It wasn’t until this last year when my dad passed away that I did Survivor, I said yes to Janice Dickinson, to you. I’m coming out and I’m living!” he says, fi nding a smile beneath years of hurt and disappointment. “Like, what the fuck am I doing? Why have I waited so long?”

What’s next, I wonder. “I want to model. I want to act. Sing… I want to do it all,” he reveals with genuine enthusiasm. “I really want to do things I always dreamed about but never did. All that stuff I wanted to do as a kid that immediately got shut down after my mom died. Now I’m reopening that.

“I think that’s why this is all happening. It’s not every day somebody gets slapped in the face with a major magazine like Instinct, Janice Dickinson, her TV show, another show [Survivor]. You know, I think I’m just supposed to do this. Every day I ask myself, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?!’ I don’t know if this is all gonna hurt me or help me. All I do know is that I am so tired of not being able to be myself. I feel it’s a calling. It’s such a weird and rare way of coming out—an extreme way of coming out—that I just had to say, ‘Yes, I’m supposed to do this. Yes to Instinct, yes to Janice, everything!’ God’s putting this all on my plate for a reason. And I think I have to do it for me. If I put myself in the most extreme way of coming out, then it forces me to have to deal, because no matter where I go now everyone is going to know—or not know if they don’t care - but at least now nobody’s going to be questioning [my sexuality]. And I think that’s why I did it. It forces me to start living my life.”( J.P.’s coming-out story for Instinct will air on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency on Oxygen beginning Jan. 24.)

J.P. hopes his story will help others and that he can be a role model to a younger generation of gay youth who might be afraid to live their lives honestly and without regret. “Happiness is important. When you’re ready, that’s the time to come out, but just realize life is short. Yeah, it’s a stupid cliché, but I kick myself in the ass all the time now for not doing this earlier because I’ve just wasted eight to 10 years of my life that could have been…” he pauses, “…different.”

“You know, I’ve been blaming my dad my whole life for my own unhappiness. I’ve been using the excuse of ‘woe is me’ and ‘my dad made me this way’ and blah-blah-blah for so long, but you know what? Well, I can change that now. And it’s like, ‘Okay, J.P., shut up now. Get over it. Stop blaming your dad. Yeah, he did those things to you. Yeah, he made you who you are—those things you may not like—but now you should recognize you can change it.’ I need to stop blaming my dad and everything that’s happened in my life and learn to live for me.”

His eyes meet mine and I see a determination and truth there. His smile beams, “And now, finally, I am.”

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Queer Poseur Climber # 1 Part 2

For Part 1 of this story please click here. Please welcome back Frankie as he gives us the continuation to this delicious story.

Information is so easy to get these days thanks to the Internet. I easily found more information about Carlo Robina with pictures to boot! He seems to be enjoying a semi-celebrity status in Manila. Working mostly behind-the-scenes and partying in the club scene as well. After I've washed down all the alcohol in my system, I've started to see him in a new light. I've realized that he's just okay looking. He's not looking that bad. But he's not exactly my type. So I just decided to drop it and focus on shopping for my trip to Boracay!

I was about to go out of my hotel room and when I picked up my phone, I saw 5 missed calls and 3 text messages all coming from, guess who... Carlo Robina! I didn't really know what to tell him and I didn't really want to have anything more to do him so I decided against replying or returning the calls. So I went shopping instead!

In the mall, I bumped into Boyd and Alvin, Boyd's (hot) friend who's also been a friend of mine. Boyd asked me how it was going with Carlo. I just dismissed the question and grabbed Alvin by the arm (nice bicep!) and ask how he was doing. He seemed surprised to hear Carlo's name being mentioned and I asked why. Boyd explained that he hadn't told Alvin about the Carlo incident in the FAVT bar of ours. And I told Alvin that Boyd told me that he told Boyd that Carlo banged like a drill. To which Alvin blushed. Ha Ha Ha!!! "Spill," I told Alvin.

Three frappuccinos and five shopping bags later, I've learned from Alvin how he and Carlo met, where Carlo lived and how they ended up as fuck buddies for a while and how he ended it with him (because his rear end was already sore).

Boyd, on the other hand, shared that Carlo also tried hitting up with him in FAVT but retreated when he saw Jake. Well, between Carlo and Jake, Jake's notches higher.

And speaking of the devil he was calling again. But I just gave him a miss. I'm pretty sure he'll get tired anyway.

But boy, was I wrong.

Everyday, I'd get at least 5 text messages which I don't reply to and 10 calls which I accidentally or intenionally miss. This man can't take a hint! This was going on for a week until the day I left for Boracay.

Since Boyd and Jake went off for a holiday of their own, I ended up going to Boracay with Alvin and Andy. And Andy was only too happy to sit beside Alvin on our flight and take a room with him. I decided to get a room of my own for all that potential banging.

What would Boracay be like without the parties and the beautiful people?! Andy insisted that I walked two steps behind him since he accused me of hogging all the attention. Andy, if you're reading this, I didn't choose your genetic composition so please don't take it out on me, okay? Besides, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I was surprised that Boracay habitués Christine Lorenzo de Vergel and her BFF's MJ Dorado and Tom Yam are nowhere to be found. Andy - the walking Tatler subscription - told me that Christine is in Europe and MJ is hiding out somewhere in the Visayas, weathering a society scandal of epic proportions. I thought that was odd but didn't think much about it as there's a dozen parties to go to!!!

Our first stop was our hotel room minibar for some aperitif. We had dinner at Cyma and then went to the beachfront party at Hey Jude's. And guess who of all Manila was there? Why, Carlo Robina! He spotted me and he looked very cross! So I looked back at Andy and asked, "What did you do to him for you to deserve that look?!"

"Uh... I think he's looking at you...."

"Whatever. Let's drink."

"Okay. Alvin, get whatever you want, it's on me," Andy, who had an agenda, said.

I saw Carlo pointing at me and whispering to his friends and I saw the look on the faces of Carlo's friends. I grabbed Andy by the arm and told him not to leave me, whatever happens.

At a certain point, with all the alcohols you've taken, you'd need to pee. So I went for the loo and while on my way, I jolted and was shocked that someone pulled my arm from behind. I was still in the bar area and I saw that I caught the attention of some people. When I was involuntarily turned around by the unknown force, I saw Carlo Robina's face! He was all red, from rage and alcohol and he told me, within earshot of everyone in the bar, "Ang kapal ng mukha mo!"

"What's your problem?!"

"Alam mo, kahit sikat kami, meron pa rin kaming pakiramdam!"

wtf?

"Ikaw, simpleng tao ka lang pero ang sama sama mo!"

WTF!

And then he left me there and walked away.

I was shocked. Really shocked. Floored even. Nothing could have prepared me for that! That was Famas best acting! He's what? Sikat? I don't even know him! He's not even half as popular as Mahal and Mura combined! This poseur social climber/pseudo-celebrity's illusion of grandeur never fails to make me laugh! He called himself sikat? Come on! You'd have to be desperately seeking attention to do that. Oh my God, I can't get over it. It amuses me to no end.

It's sad that my "friendship" with Carlo ended on a sour note. I would have gladly graced this year's fashion week had he been a bit more patient. But as I've already said, who needs to see struggling third world models strutting third world designers' wares when you can have Paris, Milan and London anytime anyway?! So I guess it's not that bad. I'll just make sure that I won't bump into Carlo Robina in Manila ever again. As in ever.

Queer Poseur Climber # 1 Part 1

Let me allow my friend, the Europe-born and bred half-noble, half-novoecijano, Frank Ulrich Cudal von Krefeld (whom I lovingly refer to with his initials), to take over this post as he is dying to share this succint experience he just went through with our feature for today: Queer Poseur Climber #1.

Hello friends and readers of Boyd and Jake! First allow me to thank my bon ami Boyd, for allowing me to use his bedpan of a blog to vent out my frustrations about Haute Manille's rather shady characters. But before that let me introduce myself. You can call me Frankie but my whole name is Frank Ulrich von Krefeld, okay... Cudal von Krefeld. And please do NOT spell the initials out loud, OKAY? I'm from Düsseldorf (yes, umlaut required), Deutschland (that's Germany to you) and I'm half-Filipino and half-German (nobility please!). My father is the fourth son of the last Pfalzgraf von Krefeld until the Federal German republic stopped acknowledging noble titles.... sigh. My mother, well, she's a pretty native of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija! I love her to death!!! And I love Cuyapo! Go Cuyapo! And her family, the Cudals... okay OUR family, have been there even before people had surnames! Imagine Biblical times when Moses was just Moses and Abraham can be any other guy!

Anyway, enough about me, let's start talking about why I need this page in the first place. I'm here to vent and I don't have the time to put up a blog about it since I'm too stupid to make one busy and besides I wouldn't have the time to maintain it. So I'm typing away on my laptop and I'll send this Word document to Boyd as soon as I finish it.

Okay, let's get down to business. As you know already, I officially live in Germany but I divide my time between our apartment in Düsseldorf, our ancestral estate in Krefeld and my mother's farm in Cuyapo, NE (not New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire nor Nevada). When I go to the Philippines, I usually go straight to Nueva Ecija but this year I decided to spend more time in Manila. Actually that's more because I met some delicious looking locals through Gayromeo (the German G4M) and also because I planned a vacation in Boracay Island, so I need to take my flight from Manila (in über-stylish Cebu Pac ATR turboprops). I stayed in some mid-range hotel along Makati Avenue. I figured I'd best position myself in Makati since it's in the middle of all the action (and it's right beside that Favourite bar of Manila PLU's!). I was planning to meet these delicious locals in that FAVT bar of Manila PLU's so that: 1) if they turn out to be misrepresenting themselves online, I'd have the convenient excuse of being drunk and passing out that I forgot about them completely; and, 2) if they turn out to be O-factories even before I lay my hands on them, my room's just around the corner and we can bang the headboards off the bed as soon as he says yes.

It was perfect timing since Boyd and the oh-so adorable Jake (I wish he were mine) were celebrating their birthday/anniversary in that FAVT bar of ours. And I had an invite of course! Free entrance, free booze! I was kinda hesistant to ask Boyd to include my boyz in the guestlist since I don't want him to think that I'm promiscuous or desperately-looking or both. But what the heck, it was a private party, and I need to be conveniently drunk for scenario number 1. So he gladly obliged. And we're all set.

By 12mn, I was conveniently at the point of passing out. Needless to says, there was online misinterpretation and I'm thinking of filing a case against these faggots for attempted homicide (you're so ugly i'm gonna die) perjury and lying under oath. Anyway, when they texted me that they're in the club and gave descripritions of what they were wearing, I looked around, looked back to the bartender, asked for two shots of scotch, and passed out.

Minutes... or hours later, I woke up, people were smoking beside and asked where I was. I was outside the bar turns out and Boyd, who was being annoyingly smoochy-coochy with Jake, grinned at me. I noticed something rubbing my leg. It had a voice and it asked, "Okay ka na ba?"

"Who the fuck are you and what is your hand doing on my leg?"

"I'm Carlo. You're Frank right?"

"Yeah. Excuse me, I think I need to throw up. No offense. Boyd? Andy (another friend)? Come with me? Inside?"

Inside the FAVT bar of ours, I half-pulled, half-dragged Boyd and Andy inside the toilets. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!?!"

"Don't look at me, it's Andy's idea!"

"Frank, don't you know who that was?" said a beaming Andy.

"NO!"

"That's what you get for holding up in Cuyapo. That's Carlo Robina, THE director."

"Director of what?"

"I mean, THE fashion director."

"Since when was fashion 'directed'?"

"Since the day Karl Lagerfeld was born."

"What, models need to be told to walk now?"

"That's not the point. He OBVIOUSLY likes you. Why don't you give him a shot? Or maybe even just getting him laid might get us free VIP seats at the next Fashion Week."

"YOU want to offer ME up to get free SEATS? YOU make me SICK. And since when did Manila have a fashion week?"

"Excuse me it's the PHILIPPINE Fashion Week, at a national level."

"Whatever. I don't need to see struggling models wearing stuff made by struggling designers anyway, thank you."

"Come on! And he's KINDA cute anyway."

"Plus I heard from Alvin (Boyd's friend) that he bangs like a drill," Boyd offers, as if to convince me. After three seconds, I was convinced. Hahaha.

"OKAY. I'll give him a shot," I said, to Andy's delight.

We went out and Carlo Robina was still there with his friend whose name escapes me. I had the feeling that he was specifically waiting for me from the way that he beamed at me when I walked out the door. He was being chummy and he seemed impressed when I told him that I was from Germany (Typical Filipino) and I was a student of European Literature. When he asked how old I was, I think he was kinda surprised and felt old when I told him that I just turned 22. But anyway, yeah, he was KINDA cute, with "kinda" being the operative word. He didn't feel abashed about asking for my number. Of course I gave him my number. I ruled out inviting him over for a nightcap since I smelled like vinaigrette - and that's being polite about it! I decided to just go back to my room (half of the time being propped up by Boyd and Andy). Besides I need to "research" on this Carlo Robina person. And what better place to start than my laptop up in my room. But that would be for tomorrow morning!

More J.P.: J.P. on the cover of Instinct March 2008



Well, wadya know! J.P. is on the cover of Instinct this month and then have a followup interview on him one year after he came out.

Evolution Of A Model Man - J.P. Calderon
Written by Mike Wood - Photos by Peter Brown
Saturday, 01 March 2008

J.P. CALDERON came out in a big way last year. And while his life may be different now—from his weight loss to his new boyfriend—he says he’s still the same guy…only better

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This old adage came to mind pretty quickly when I sat down with J.P. Calderon for this month’s cover story interview. When we met one year ago at this very same restaurant J.P. was, as he is today, confident and handsome, but back then he was also a tad more nervous, a little bit pensive, more than a few pounds heavier and…oh yeah, about to come out to the world with the help of this magazine and one Ms. Janice Dickinson.

Now J.P.’s out and open about who he is, where he came from and how’s he gotten to where he is today. This makes our conversation easier. He’s more relaxed, less careful about how he words things. We know each other better now, and more importantly J.P. knows himself much better, too.

“I’m changed,” he says with a smile. “My perception has changed. I didn’t give people credit—those closest to me and beyond. But I’m still the same guy. At least, I like to think I am.” On the flip side, he laughs and says, “But, yeah, I’m different, too. Last time we were here, I barely touched my food! Now, here I am scarfing down my pasta!”

The subject of one’s sexuality is never an easy one to broach, but it was particularly difficult for J.P. when we met one year ago because he wasn’t confiding in a brother, a parent or a close friend. He was laying it all on the line for everyone to hear.

“I did it for myself to begin with, but once I [came out], I started getting all these letters and e-mails and MySpace messages and…it’s just been so wonderful and humbling for me,” J.P. explains.

I ask him if he feels like a spokesperson for the gay community now.

“Yes, I do,” he says. “And the reason I do, is because I did it the way I did it. I feel like I’m on a mission now.”

With the outpouring from the community and the letters I’ve read myself here in the Instinct office, it’s clear J.P.’s story struck a chord with many across all boundaries: gay, straight, male, female, moms and dads from around the country who wrote to tell us how proud they were of J.P. for telling his story and how J.P.’s openeness had helped their relationships. That’s called impact. Knowing this, I throw out the words “role model” for J.P. to chew on in between his bites of pasta.

“I’m a role model, I guess. But I don’t want to be a perfect role model,” J.P. says. “I love to go out and have a good time. I do drink. Sometimes I do get drunk, and sometimes I do crazy or wild things. And sometimes I do the wrong things and make bad decisions. But we all do, and I think we have to be okay with that.”

We’re interrupted now by a once-shy female fan I’ve noticed has been conspicuously watching us (or rather J.P.) from across the room. She’s tentative at first, afraid to interrupt our dinner, but J.P. encourages her to say “hello” with a friendly, come-hither wave of his hand. Soon this straight, female fan is joined by an entourage of men. “Thank you,” they sing over each other. “Love your story. Love you!” The accolades spill from their mouths as I oblige to take a couple of group photos for these out-of-town visitors.

As much as J.P. seems like the same regular, nice guy I met a year ago, things have clearly changed. I’m dealing with a celebrity on some level today.


WAITING FOR THE OTHER SHOE TO DROP

There was a earnest two-month waiting period between the filming for The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, our initial interview and Instinct cover shoot, and the episodes’ airdates and the street date of the magazine. Everything had to be kept strictly confidential and under wraps for two “long, painful months” as J.P. recalls them.

“It was two months of my life where I can’t remember sleeping. One night I’d be so happy and proud of myself, and think, I’m finally going to be so free. This is a good thing,” J.P. remembers. “And then the next night I’d be up pacing or crying and sweating and thinking, Why didn’t I just keep my fucking mouth shut?” And then he had to tell Grandma.

“My grandma is my saint. She is my angel,” J.P. says proudly. “So, of course, I waited until the last minute, because I was so nervous! But they dangled the carrot of my sexuality earlier than I thought they would [on the show].”

He points at me several times, saying, “You came on and they show you for like two weeks before our actual episode was going to air. Yeah, thanks, a lot, Mike,” he laughs, “You made me have to tell my grandma before I was ready!”

So J.P. called her...

J.P. Coming Out...

Sorry guys I just can't get enough of J.P. Calderon so I'm posting this video clip of him coming out on the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. And Janice seemed unusually human in this video. LOL.

Waking up with... Dominic Figlio




Who can resist that? If Dominic Figlio was served to you all wet on a silver platter, would you say no? I didn't think so.

One of the models of the Janice Dickinson Experiment... oh, sorry, Modeling Agency, Dominic appeared in the show bearing the same name on Season 2 and 3. Well there's enough information out there on the Internet (with more pictures!) so don't wait for me to serve it to you! Google! Now!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Be Careful Whom You Share Your Thoughts With

It was more of my fault. I was over-sharing. There are things about my relationships with Jake that I should have kept myself. Also, there are opinions that you should have kept to yourself as well. So that makes the two of us equally guilty. And then, there's also a rule that you shouldn't kick a man when he's already down. Or don't rub more salt into a wound you helped to create. So that tips the balance towards my advantage.

You don't know half of my relationship with Jake and you're telling me that it's almost the end for us based on the choices that the two of us made. Either you're really the self-proclaimed pessimist that you are, or you're just beyond this generation, or your idea of a relationship is pegged on a certain stereotype that can no longer be changed to your disadvantage.

Jake and I worked hard on this relationship to get to where we are now. I'm not really affected by what you said or your opinion of it, nor by your snide remarks. I'm just annoyed by the fact that you can just judge a relationship without even knowing a fourth of how it happened and talk as if you're the authority on relationships when you were too proud to even try to make your last relationship work.

I'm just thinking that maybe, you're projecting your mentality to me. This is what you think would happen - or maybe this was what actually happened - to your relationships.

When people are brave enough to make tough choices to make each other happy, you shouldn't strike it down just because it doesn't conform to your beliefs. OK, granted that I shouldn't just had said anything. But you might as well had shut up.

I need no apologies and I doubt if you even would offer some. At least I learned a lesson: be careful whom you share your thoughts with. Especially on your relationships. They might not understand. It's not their fault. The best person to talk to first about your relationship is your partner. Because he's the only one who knows everything about it other than you and he give his thoughts on it as it is. Not based on an imagined existence or parallel personalities. The problem with most failed relationships is that they talk to others first about their problems before they talk to their partners. And you get this whole notion of a problem being there when it's not really much of anything. People love to play problem solvers so they create or aggravate problems. Making mountains out of molehills. The more pessimistic ones want to be ones to tell you that they told you so. And sadly, some of us want to create problems or feel the need to create problems just to be the center of attention. Talk to your partners first! It might not be a problem at all.

After that incident, I talked to Jake about it. And we talked about our supposed "issues" which, after some discussion (and much flirting over the phone) turn out to be non-issues. Our biggest issue as it turns out is knowing what other people think about our relationships. It kinda sucks but they're not the ones who are in this relationship. It's me and Jake. So they might be entitled to their own opinions but in the end, the only opinion that matters and counts is mine and Jake's.

Life's been wonderful with Jake. As he said himself, he's willing to milk this for all it's worth, the good and the bad. So let's enjoy this, Jake.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Gucci Gang Exposé

Don't tell me you haven't read or visited this blog even once! Every Netizen is hooked on this! I'm a regular visitor and commenter on this blog (as me of course, and not anonymous!) so if you're always there, spot me on the comments section! Hihihi.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Boyd and Jake go on a road trip

Yey! It was a long overdue vacation for the both of us. We haven't gone out on holidays together for quite some time. The last was when I visited Jake in Baguio last year.

This time we went northwest to Zambales! It was one of the best trips I've made. Not only because I was with Jake but also because it was so worth the trip. Although the traffic was bad when we left Manila, it was smooth sailing on the SCTEx and beyond. I never knew Zambales was that beautiful. We went to San Antonio town, in a beach called Pundaquit/Pundakit. All the resorts were fully booked but it was a good thing that we found a cozy little cottage just for the two of us.

We went to Camara and Capones Island, which are just across the beach, maybe 20 minutes away. And we camped out in Anawangin Beach. It's this cove which you access by boat and there are pine trees everywhere! It was soooo beautiful. The best part about it is that Jake was with me and there couldn't be any man in the world happier than I was :)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Birthday Boyd and Jake

I think that the best way to celebrate my birthday is to share my blessings with the people I love. I have been particularly blessed this last year and I'm very thankful for it this is my chance to thank the people who have made my life so blessed.

My college friends called for a reunion at my friend's house and they said that I was in charge of food, along with another friend who was celebrating her birthday on the same week. Of course I said yes, so I had six boxes of pizza delivered and the party got started. There were games even! So much fun! We were like college kids again. Hahaha. Jake and I rested for a while testing out my new digital SLR camera - my gift to myself, hehe - and then people called us out in the garden. And they has cake for us and everybody was singing Happy Birthday! Jake and I blew the candles so many times, I dunno why my friend kept on lighting it everytime we blew it. And we had an icing smudgefest! Hehehe. That was fun.

The next day, I was texting with Jake's college faghag and organized an early morning birthday surprise for Jake in school. I brought cake and they made sure Jake came to school - which almost failed - and then I waited inside their classroom for a while. Jake almost blew his own surprise by being too stubborn and deciding not to go to class in the morning. But I guess they forced him to really come and he did and he was really surprised that I was there! At least it worked! I've always wanted to do that (surprise my boyfriend) and guys, I'm telling you, it feels soooo good! You should do it, too!

I woke up early enough for lunch on the day of my birthday and Jake and I decided to have a late lunch date. Jake didn't have class so I was guessing he was taking his time to get to where we were supposed to meet. He was actually 30 minutes late but I decided not to dwell on it since it was my birthday and I didn't want our moods ruined. So we had more pizza and hopped to the next restaurant for dessert. I took a table outside and waited for him while he ordered. When the orders came, I was surprised that balloons came with it. And then it hit me that I was being surprised too! So I was really surprised. Hehe. I wasn't really expecting it!!! Well, duh, if I did, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore.

At the office, I had food prepared for late lunch and everybody agreed that my mom is a good cook! I'm so proud of my mom and it's so nice of her to have lovingly prepared this feast for me.

The next day after a meeting, my teammates surprised me again with another cake and a feast of Japanese food.

And then the next day, Jake and I had a joint bash for our friends in Makati. Everyone was so drunk, they went home crawling, if not being dragged! Hahahaha!

And finally on the ninth day of the birthday week, I had a quiet dinner party at home with my family and relatives and there was so much food, I wish I invited the neighbors too!

That was really the best birthday of my life... so far :)