Merry Christmas!!!

Hello dear readers!!!

I would like to greet each and every one of you a Merry Christmas.

In fairness, masaya ang pasko ko ngayon. Ang hinihingi ko noon na normal Christmas ay nakuha ko na.

Akalain niyo yun?!

Dito kasi nagcelebrate ng Christmas sina mudra kaya masaya ang aking bahay.

Napadecorate nga ako bigla eh haha.

Sa lahat ng aking kaibigan dito sa Metro Manila, Baguio, Ilocos, La Union and all around the world, Merry Christmas sa inyong lahat.

Sa aking mga readers, thank you sa supporta kahit na hindi ko masyadong na-update ang aking blog this year. Daming changes sa buhay ko kasi. So many stories to tell, so little time.

Pero sa 2013 babawi ako. I will try my best, at least.

Sana masaya ang mga pasko ninyo. Dedma muna sa diet.

'Tis the season to be jolly, bitches. :D

Love,

Adam

Getting There

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Wala naman." he answered.

"Are you sure?"

"My sister asked me earlier if I were gay."

"What did you say?" I asked

"I denied it. I should have just told her the truth but it just didn't feel right yet."

"Yeah. You can't really rush it you know."

This is the one thing that Gregory has been struggling with.

How to come out to his family.

"I just wanna get it out in the open. I want them to know who I really am. I want them to know that you're my boyfriend." he said.

I could feel his agony. I was in the same situation as him before.

"It will happen when the time is right. It's not something you can rush." I told him.

"I'm thinking about coming out to them tomorrow during our family dinner. But I'm not sure yet. I don't know what to do." I was just listening. "How will I know if it's the right time na?"

"I can't tell you when the right time is," I said. "It's something you'll figure out on your own."

"When you came out, how did you know that it was time for you to come out?" he asked.

"I was miserable. I was emotionally exhausted." I said. "Why don't you try this. This is what I did before. It took me weeks to decide whether I should come out or not. Everyday I would ask myself if I were ready and everyday I told myself 'no'. This went on for weeks. One day I asked myself again, but this time instead of saying 'no', I said 'maybe'. That's when I knew that I was close to being ready." I added.

"You do know that this is one of the obstacles we'll have to face right?" he asked with an apologetic tone.

"Yeah. I know. Don't worry. When you're ready to come out, I'll be here. I'll hold your hand and assure you that everything will be okay. Whatever happens, I'll be here." I assured him.

I don't know when Gregory plans to come out but I know that he wants to. When that time comes, I'll be there and I'll make sure that he's okay.

I told him, the feeling of relief is unparalleled once you come out.

I've met his entire family and I think the most accepting would be his Mom. Next would be his dad. The one's who'll probably be in denial for some time would be his sisters. I told him that this is something he should be ready for.

He already has his mom's blessing, actually.

But that's a story for another day :)

Of Steers and Queers

Here's a story I'd like to share.

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder since January 2012.

It's only now that I've found the time to finish it.

As most of you know, I'm all for gay rights and shit.

Now here's the thing, I have this friend and we've been good friends for quite some time now.

He's a really cool guy and we get along so well.

His parents know me and all that. The thing is, apparently his parents didn't know I was gay at first.

When they found out, they asked him to start avoiding me.

Baka mahawa daw siya.

I know right? Ibaba ang mga kilay.

This is something I don't find offensive. I find it hilarious.

So as it seems, his parents aren't big fans of the gays.

They haven't spoken to me directly. He was the one who told me.

Kasi, I noticed things started to change with his behavior whenever I'm around.

So I jokingly asked him if his parents asked him to avoid me.

Bigla siyang umo-o.

Imagine my shock dear readers.

Akala ko nagjojoke lang siya. Seryoso pala. Kaloka lang.

I know that there are people who frown upon us gays but I still find it a tad unfair and because some of them discriminate against us for the most ignorant reasons.

I mean, with all due respect to his parents, I don't think me being gay should be an issue.

Baka mahawa daw siya? Ano ako? SARS?! Avian Flu?!

How many times do we have to explain na ang pagiging bakla ay hindi parang  sipon na pwede kang mahawa at pag uminom ka ng gamot eh mawawala nalang.

Hindi ito parang ilaw na may on and off switch.

You don't turn gay by sitting next to a gay man although you appear stupid if you look at homosexuality that way.

Diba?

Ako, I work for an industry dominated by straight men. Ang mga ka-department ko, halos lahat eh straight.

But, I have the respect and recognition I deserve from my colleagues and my boss because I am fucking good at doing my job.

My gayness does not hinder me or anyone else from being decent members of society.

As most of you know, I am very sensitive about this topic.

I believe, and I'm sure a lot of gay men share my sympathy, that all we want is to live and love freely out in the open.

I find it hilarious and completely shallow how others can unfairly judge us without even thinking rationally.

It just goes to show that there are still people whose minds are stuck in the middle ages. This is the 21st Century for God's sake.

We are and have always been a part of society and others need to deal with the fact that there are gay people in this world and they can bitch all they want pero hindi kami aalis.

I know that people are entitled to their own opinions so here I am voicing my own.

There will always be people who will claim that being gay is wrong but I am happy because I know that there are a lot of people out there whose minds are open enough to realize that we are just like everyone else.

Hindi ka mahahawa dahil lang sa may kaibigan kang bading.

It is not a choice. We were born this way.

As for my friend, it has caused a huge rift in our friendship and we don't really talk anymore.

He wanted us to be friends behind his parents' back.

Facepalm nalang.

I really wish that one day, society would be more accepting and open minded.

It's a pipe-dream, I know.

But who knows, 50 years ago, things were different. In a bad way.

Things are better now.

Maybe in 50 years, things will be different. In a good way.

The 2013 "___" Witty Diary/Planner

From the creators of the Relaks, Puso Lang Yan, Malayo Sa Bituka Planner, comes the 2013 "___" Witty Diary/Planner.

Ang planner na pwede mong pangalanan ayon sa kwento ng buhay mo.

Tinawagan ko si Tita Witty at nagulat ako kasi naka-save parin sa phone niya ang number ko dahil bumili na ako sa kanya noon. But that was 2 years ago. Akalain niyo yun?!

Nagpost kasi siya sa Fezbuk na pupunta siya sa Glorietta 3 para sa isang meet-up date with those from Makati who would want a copy of the planner. At dahil dalawang tambling at isang backflip lang ang Glorietta mula sa office ko, pumunta ako dun para kumuha ng planner.

At dahil mas maganda ang promotional images ni Tita Witty, sa kanya nalang ang gagamitin ko para bigyan kayo ng preview sa nilalaman ng mahiwagang planner na ito.

O diba? Bet na bet.

Para ito sa mga witty na tao. Char.

The planner is now available in selected stores nationwide (sosyal). For a list of the stores that has it, you can check the Witty Will Save The World Facebook Page.

Imagine, for only P399 may ganitong planner ka na? Mura na siya, maganda pa at proof na ikaw ay isang witty na nilalang. O diba? Pasok sa bangga, shoot sa jar!

If you wanna order/reserve a planner, you can text Tita Witty at 0906-465-21-91  and just tell them your name and how many would you want to order. Mention my blog too, I'm not getting a discount or anything but still, ipalaganap ninyo ang blog ko.

Decorating The House

For those of you who have been following me the past few years, you'd know how much I bitch about being alone on Christmas.

But not this year! Mudra promised me that they would be here for the holidays and because of that, I raided my storage room and brought out all the Christmas decorations I could find.

These were some of them. I found the red ones first. The gold ones were in another container.

Took me a while but I managed to put up the tree. I wish I had an angel to put on top of the tree. Ang liit nung star at hindi siya masyadong halata. O diba, with all the flowers and ornaments, baklang-bakla lang ang Christmas tree.

Eto naman, ginupit ko yung isang garland at binalot sa kandila na yan. Kinabitan ng kung ano-anong shit at yan ang kinalabasan.

Yung natirang garland, ginawa kong wreathe na nakasabit sa main door pero nakalimutan kong picturan.

I covered the bar with more garland and ornaments.

Pati hagdan hindi ko pinalagpas.

It took me about 5 hours to look for the decorations, sort them and decorate the house.

Kinailangan kong pigain ang utak ko para lumabas ang creative juices.

The last time I spent the holidays with my mom was back in 2009. I've celebrated the holidays alone since then. This year, since she was going to be here, I wanted to make the house look more festive.

Effect naman diba?

Aladdin: The New Stage Musical

Aladdin The New Stage Musical had its run here in country from November to mid-December. Tickets sold really quick so I was glad that Gregory managed to get tickets for the 8PM show last December 7.

Aladdin The New Stage Musical was staged here by Atlantis Productions. They did the Little Mermaid last year which I was able to watch and I wrote a review about it.

The Philippine production of Aladdin The New Stage Musical stars Tom Rodriguez as Aladdin, K-La Rivera as Princess Jasmine, Raul Montesa as Jafar, Jimmy Marquez asIago, Jun Ofrasio as the Sultan of Agrabah, Calvin Millado and Aiza Seguerra alternating for the role of the Genie. Abu and Rajah were replaced by Babkak, Omar and Kassim played by Bibo Reyes, Johann Dela Fuente and Jamie Wilson respectively.

Now I must say that Aladdin is one of my favorite movies EVER. Growing up, I had a VHS tape of that movie and I would watch it over and over again. There was something so magical about the story so when I found out that they were going to stage Aladdin here, I knew that I had to watch it.

So after work, I went to Megamall where Gregory fetched me. We went straight to Meralco Theatre in Ortigas.

I must say, I like the way they decorated this place.

Once inside the theater, the ushers were really helpful and corteous. Of course, they were on guard for anyone who would take photos or videos of the production. Super strict, seriously. Our seats were on the right part of the Lodge but they weren't so bad. We still had a pretty good view.

So without further ado, here is my review of the show.

Set design, Props and Costumes

Upon entering the theater, the first thing you'll see would be this big arc full of stuff made to look like gems and precious stones. It actually looked really nice from where we were sitting. Through most of the show, a projector was utilized for the background. That and a mix of lights. It's not a bad thing. The only time I noticed the projected image being obstructed by something was during the 'A Friend Like Me' number.

The props, I must say, were good. Although, they should have ditched the wheels on the camels. In the 'cave' scene where Aladdin was looking for the lamp, it would have been better if there were more treasure thingy's in it.

Costumes were well made and they were as close as they could get to their movie-counterparts. One thing though, I don't get the pink costume Jasmine wore through most of the first act. Jasmine is known for wearing the blue ensemble. It just seemed 'off brand' for me. And why wasn't the Genie painted blue?

Songs and Acting

When I first saw the cast list, I was a bit hesitant. But then I saw Calvin Millado (who played King Triton in the Little Mermaid) on the list. I was good to go after that. They sang every song that was in the movie. The musical also featured several new songs and an extended version of 'Arabian Nights'. I was happy that they included 'Proud Of Your Boy' which was a song from the earlier draft of the movie but was cut in the final script.

Tom Rodriguez. I've never heard him sing. I only know him from his PBB and Here comes The Bride stint. Boy was I surprised when he started singing. Man got pipes for the role. He was really good. I did not expect him to sing that well. When it came to his acting, it wasn't spectacular but it wasn't bad. He was pretty good but in some parts, it bordered on 'over-acting' for me. But it's theatre and as I was taught before in one of our workshops, it is better to be asked to take it down a notch rather than pump it up. To be fair, he was dreamy as Aladdin.

K-La Rivera. To be honest, I've never heard of her so I didn't know what to expect. When it came to singing, she was a bit too 'Pop' and 'RnB' for my taste. But the girl could sing and she was actually pretty good as Princess Jasmine.

Calvin Millado. Singing, superb. Acting, superb. 'Nuff said.

Bibo Reyes, Johann Dela Fuente and Jamie Wilson. These guys played Babkak, Omar and Kasim and they stole the fucking show. They received the biggest applause during the curtain call. From Arabian Nights to the Finale song, these guys delivered like dominoes!

Overall

The show ran for about 2 and a half hours because of its expanded story and the addition of new songs. This was too long in my opinion. If they removed some unnecessary scenes, they could have probably gotten it down to just under two hours.

This is the second production by Atlantis that I've watched and I'm as delighted as I was the last time. Despite the show running a bit long, I truly enjoyed it.

Note to self: if it is staged by Atlantis Productions, it's worth watching.

My favorite scene: When they did 'A Whole New World'. The carpet suspended in mid-air was the cherry on top of the icing.

My least favorite scene: When Aladdin touched the forbidden treasure and got stuck in the cave of wonders.

Funniest scene: When Jafar turns to a genie and is sucked into the lamp. Genie throws the lamp and it probably hit something because the lamp bounced back on stage. It was a fail. Funny as hell though.

So last year, Atlantis Productions staged the Little Mermaid and this year they did Aladdin  I'm suddenly wondering, could they possibly do The Lion King next year?

I'm hoping that they do :D

Early Christmas Gift

It was early in the morning when my mom woke me up. She knew I had work that day.

After several minutes of trying to wake me up, I finally got up to check my phone for any emails or stuff. She lay down on my bed while I was checking my phone.

"Were you able to download the movies?" she asked.

"Yeah. The video is fine but the audio isn't. It doesn't have any sound."

"So what will you do about it?"

"I'm downloading another copy. Hopefully it works", I answered.

A few weeks ago, she asked me to download some movies to put in her iPad which I did but I didn't know that the VLC app for the iPad doesn't support certain audio codecs.

"Too bad I wasn't able to test it before you arrived. I don't have an iPad eh", I said.

"Yeah" my mom answered.

"Ma..."

"What?" she asked.

"I dont want a TV for christmas anymore. Buy me a tablet nalang."

"What?! You already have your Galaxy Tab. Besides, I thought you wanted a TV?!"

"I'll just buy the TV as a christmas gift to myself. That I can afford. I can't afford a tablet. You can."

"And what makes you think I'm gonna buy you one?" she asked.

"Kasi you love me" I answered with a smile.

She laughed.

"Why, what tablet do you want?" 

"Either the Galaxy Note 10.1 or an iPad 3." 

"How much does the Note 10.1 cost?", she asked

I went to my computer and checked prices online and I showed it to her.

"I'm going to SM North later. I'll look around and see how much they cost there", she said.

My face lit up. 

"I'm not saying that I'm gonna buy you one. Basta I'm going to check how much they cost there then I'll think about it", she teasingly said.

I laughed. I took a shower and left for work.

At a quarter before 10, I was going through some emails at work when my phone started ringing.

It was my mom.

"I'm on my way to SM. Where is PowerMac?"

"Annex. I think it's on the 4th floor."

"Oh okay. I will check the Note 10.1 and I'll see if they have the iPad 3 in stock. But between the two, which do you really prefer?", she asked.

"Well I like the Note 10.1 because of the S-Pen plus I know where to get free apps for it. But I like the iPad because I'd have more use for it and Apple has a wider selection when it comes to apps. But both will serve the same purpose for me anyway. So you will buy me one na?"

"I did not say that. Basta I said I'm gonna go check how much they cost", she answered with a laugh.

So my mom arrived at SM and I went back to work.

After about 30 minutes, I saw this posted on my mom's FB wall:

"Someone's going to come home very happy"

And I was tagged in it.

I immediately grabbed my phone and called her up.

"Yes?" she said.

"I saw your FB post." 

"And?" she asked.

"What did you do?!"

"Secret", she answered.

"What did you do nga?" I insisted even though I knew the answer.

"I got married", she said with a laugh.

"No you didn't!"

"Fine. I got you your tablet na."

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes I did", she said sheepishly.

"Note 10.1 or iPad?" 

"Secret. Basta I got you one na."

I started nagging her until she caved in and told me she got an iPad.

"Yey!!! Thank you Ma!" I exclaimed.

"O wala ka nang masasabi ah. You wont't find another mother like me. I give you everything you want. I swear, with you it's like I have a dozen kids with what I spend."

"Eh I bring you joy naman ah"

She laughed at what I said.

A few minutes later, she posted this on my wall with the caption, "happy?":

Yes I was. Very very happy.

Thank you for the wonderful gift Ma. I love it, I really do.

You spoil me even though I'm all grown up.

Love you :D

Papa John's

As most of you know, Gregory and I have our date night every week. It can be anytime during the week, usually its on a weekend, and it's either we go out or we stay in.

Date night is important to us because it's when we get to spend time together despite our busy schedules. No  company phones allowed so we leave our Blackberries in his car and we try to ignore our personal phones as well. 

Taray diba? May ground rules talaga.

Anyway, on our last date night, we didn't really know where to go. We ended up in Tomas Morato so I suggested that we go to Papa John's because I love their pizza.

I was a bit worried because Gregory is a health-nut so I wasn't sure if there was anything on the menu he'd like. He watches what he eats. Buti pa siya, he has that kind of control. I could only dream of having the strength to control what I eat.

Sabi naman niya he was fine with it and he could have pasta nalang. 

While waiting for our food to arrive, Gregory had Cream of Chicken and Corn. I tasted it, it was yummy.

I had Cream of Mushroom. This is my favorite soup and the one they serve at Papa John's was actually pretty good.

Gregory, obviously, ordered Caesar Salad. I didn't like the dressing too much. It's too tangy for my taste.

We also ordered onion rings. It wasn't good. I should have ordered breadsticks.

We got pasta. Diablo Burst. I must say, this was delicious. I love the fact that it was spicy.

And of course, we got pizza. Fishermans catch. It had shrimps, calamari, green peppers and onions. It was pretty good. Gregory didn't like it so much. 

Gregory and I enjoyed dinner. It's funny how when we're together, we don't really care about the world around us. Masaya kami na kaming dalawa lang ang magkasama.

Since the day I met him, I noticed something. Pag magkasama kaming dalawa, we always lose track of time. We just have so much fun together, time flies by so fast. Ang saya lang.

So good food plus the perfect guy equals one helluva night :)

Happy Meal

This is the kind of conversation that Gregory and I have from time to time.

Wala lang.

Gusto ko lang magshare.

Ramblings

Ilang linggo narin kaming nandito sa Makati. Aaminin ko, nung una nahirapan akong mag-adjust.

For more than two years, nasanay ako na nasa Quezon Ave. lang ang office. Yung tipong dalawang tambling lang mula sa bahay ko.

Bagong building.

Bagong officemates.

Bagong table.

Pati mga plato, baso at utensils sa pantry bago din.

I've settled in.

I've adjusted to it already.

But there are times when I'd find myself staring into blank space.

Wala lang. Nagspa-space out lang ako like I normally do.

Minsan naman maglalakad lakad ako sa building pag nasa mood ako magmuni-muni tapos mapapahinto nalang ako.

"Shit! I'm working in Makati again." ang bigla kong ibubulong sa aking sarili.

Siguro naweweriduhan ang mga tao sa paligid ko pag nangyayari yun.

Dedma.

Yun lang.

KUSÊ: Traditional Filipino Cuisine

During my last week at our QC office, Derek and I went out for lunch like we always do. We were walking around Centris looking for a place to eat when we saw that a new restaurant opened where Clawdaddy's used to be.

KUSÊ: Traditional Filipino Cuisine.

Derek likes Filipino food and we've eaten at every restaurant in Centris so we tried this place because it was new.

Since smoking is essential to my every meal, we sat at one of the tables outside. In fairness, the chairs we're comfy.

While going through the menu, we had to ask the most important question.

How many people can one order feed?

The waiter said the food was good for two people. That worried us a bit because, Derek with his thin frame and all, can actually eat more than me.

We ordered Adobo Rice. It tasted good. I finished most of it.

When the food arrived, we saw how big the servings were. It''ll probably feed two people but not me and Derek.

Derek ordered ribs which he said tasted good. I didn't try them but I trust his taste in food.

He looks grumpy in this photo. I don't know why. He must have been hungry.

I ordered Bagnet which honestly tasted like Lechon Kawali. It tasted okay, as Lechon Kawali. I'm from Ilocos so I know what Bagnet should taste like. Nevertheless, it was okay.

I think the entire meal, including our drinks, came up to around 600 pesos. Not bad I guess.

It was a good meal. It wasn't the best but I wouldn't mind going back there. I just wish they'd make the servings a bit bigger because there are other resto's in Centris that would serve more for the same amount. Just saying.

Verdict: 3.5 stars.

Pasalubong!

"Buy me a pasalubong!" I told my friend, Derek.

He smiled and pretended not to hear me.

"C'mon! It's not that hard to find what I want anyway." I said.

"Alright. Fine. What do you want?" he asked

"A starfish!" I answered with a chuckle.

A few weeks ago, Derek together with his parents and his girlfriend went to Palawan. Now, whenever he goes on trips, he buys me something. And he always gets me something good after I made fun of him 2 years ago.

* * * *

Back in 2010, he went on a trip to Thailand and brought back keychains.

"You know that keychains are the lamest gifts right?" I asked.

"You're welcome!"

Ever since then, he'd bring me something nice. Something I wont make fun off.

* * * *

He seemed bewildered by my request for a starfish.

"Oh, and I want it alive." I added.

"Am I even allowed to bring that through airport security?"

"Don't know. I want a starfish!"

He laughed.

I looked at his girlfriend.

"Kulitin mo siya na bilhan ako ng starfish ha"

"Sige" she replied with a laugh.

"I'll see what I can find but I am not getting you a live starfish." said Derek.

"Fine" I replied.

When he got back from his trip, he called me over to his desk.

He opened his bag and hands me a blue starfish plushie.

I burst out laughing.

"Dont make fun of it. That's more expensive that any other pasalubong I bought."

"No. No. I like it. It's really cute." I said.

It is cute.

I never really thank him enough for the things he has done for me. That's not how he and I do things. What we have is a friendship built on inappropriate jokes and bitching about the stuff around us.

But I got his back and he has mine.

I have very few, emphasis on very, straight guy friends and I'm glad that Derek is one of them because he can actually put up with my goddamn guff.

Date Night: CYMA

During our last monthsary, which he lovingly refers to as anniversary for some reason, Gregory and I had dinner at Cyma.

I like the food at Cyma and it's also a special place because it's where we had our first date.

We had salad. It's called Roka (something). I could not, for the life of me, remember the damn things name.

I have no idea what this is called but it's delicious. It's a dip made out of spinach and cheese.

I also don't know what this is called but it was good. It's like Paella.

Despite our busy schedules, we make it a point that during our monthsary we have to see each other. Or at least see each other that week.

We either go out or stay in and cook something.

We have our own stuff to deal with everyday but I love it when we go out on dates. Not for anything but because it's when we get to spend time together away from the outside world.

A quick escape finding solitude and serenity in each others company. 

That makes the date more romantic... more special...