I'm Back!

I'm sure my fans (all three of you) have been wondering why I haven't posted in a while. Truth is, things have been kind of hectic, and it's only now that I'm able to take some time off to write about what's been going on. I've been:

1. Editing magazines

Gusto, Shopwise's lifestyle magazine, came out with its Nature and Wellness issue early this month. It's my first time as Editor-in-Chief of anyting, so it was a big thing for me. I'm pretty proud of the result, but that's also because I got to work with a super team (I love you guys!).

If you're a Shopwise member, you can stop by the customer's service counter to pick up your copy. The latest issue has Christan Bautista on the cover. This issue also features an interview with Bossa Nova phenomenon Sitti Navarro, tips on how to get kids to voluntarily eat vegetables, articles on Capoiera and healthy snacking, and tons of recipes from the kitchen of cool couple Sarah and Che Katigbak, the mag's stylst and photographer team.

2. Being in the movies

If you watch closely, you might be able to find me in Eternity, the latest romantic drama starring Iza Calzado, Ding Dong Dantes, Mark Herras and Jennylyn Mercado.

Mitch and I were on location conduction interviews for the wesite when I got pulled in as an extra with Mark from MTV. "You look like a Korean," said Tita Rose, the movie's location manager (and my self-appointed "manager") as told Mark and me what to do. There's a chance that my cameo might get cut out of the final product, but until then, I can honestly tell everybody that I was in a movie with Mark Herras. *squeals like a schoolgirl*

And because of that set visit, I am now a big fan of Iza Calzado, who is the sweetest, most charming girl around! When we asked her for an interview, she begged for a little time off to freshen up, then promptly went looking for us when she was done. She was also very machika, treating the interview as if she was talking to old friends instead of media peeps. Katrina Halili is like that too, which is why they're two of my favorite celebs.

3. Winning Contests... sort of

My story, Stella for Star, was an honorable mention at the 1st Philippine

Graphic/ Literature Awards. I had written that story in college and didn't really know what to do with it. It's nice to see everything fall into place.

I feel as if the college me was the one who got awarded. I don't get a prize but I hear that I get to be part of the anthology. What's even cooler is that Neil Gaiman's actualy read my work!

4. Eating santol

The story behind this is Mitch and I went to visit the set of another movie, a romantic comedy that's coming out in October. We went with TV Prod peps Paolo, Pabsy and Shi, and had to wait until in between takes to snag interviews with its stars.

One of the locations had a huge santol tree that was heavy with fruit. Sometimes, one of them would drop onto the ground and we would share it. What was freaky was that there was a guy there who would "pray" to the tree for fruit -- and one always fell when he did.

I think this is the first time I learned to really eat santol, and it's nice that the fruit I learned with came fresh from the tree!

5. Being on TV

Mitch and I have a cameo in an episode of Balik-Bayan, a travel show that showcases the hometown of some of our most beloved celebs. It's hosted by Drew Arellano and airs every Wednesday on QTV Channel 11 at 10pm.

We got to spend a day with the Balik-Bayan staff. It was fun to hang out with them because they're all like one big barkada.

I think the episode we're in airs next week.

6. Attending events

Some of them were:

a. Burn launch

The Burn magazine soft launch at Embassy Cuisine where Bossa Nova singer Sitti Navarro and electronica act Drip performed. The launch was a smashing success!

Burn kicks off for the month of August with a series of mall tours that culminates in their grand launch. The first two mall tours were in SM Mega and South Mall and featured Up dharma Down and Barbie Almalbis, respectively. The one this Saturday will be held at SM North and features The Dawn, while the launch will be at the SM Mall of Asia and will feature lots and lots of bands.

b. Dark Bulb

Graphic artist and all-around nice guy Nelz Yumul had his very first solo exhibit at Pablo gallery in the Marikina Shoe Expo. I love his work, especially since a lot of them remind me of the covers of comic books that I used to read in high school.

You can still catch his exhibit, which runs until September 13. I hear he has a second one coming son after. I can't wait for that one as well!

c. Simply Sitti

Got to attend Sitti's first concert at the Music Museum. Getting tickets wasn't easy because they were sold out. You can't even get tickets to her September 9 show anymore!

Her concert was fun, as aside from Sitti's glorious voice and wonderful presence, the audience was entertained by many Filipino-Brazilian acts like Brigada, Inky de Dios' band, Jon Santos as Bossa Nova Villa, a spanish-speaking Brazilian tourist, and lotsa salsa.

Sitti also gave one of, if not *the* most sulit encores I have ever seen, as she happily did, like, five songs after everything was over. The tone of the whole concert was very personal and intimate. Siti chatted with the audience as if they were all at a party together. All in all, it was a wonderful affair. Congrats, Sitti!

7. Surfing

I've been coming across some interesting things on line. Here are but some of them:

a. Cute Overload

Thanks to Fran Ong, I have found the joys of cuteoverload.com , a site filled with pictures of baby animals. My top two favorites are: little boy snogrling puppy and built-in blush .

I must warn you, the site is extremely addictive. Don't blame me if you're suddenly unable to do anything else but surf the site for the next few days.

b. Elmo is Evil

An article that explains why widdwl wed Elmo may lead to the downfall of mankind.

c. All the Hoff you can Eat

David Hasselhoff has been ruling the net lately. Rapgap magazine compiles 50 of his most popular videos, including the Opening Credits for Knight Rider and Baywatch, for your Hoffalicious enjoyment.

Cheese Factor: Extremely High -- but we know you love it

8. Supporting the local movie/music industry

Got to watch Tulad ng Dati, the fictional movie about the all too real band The Dawn. The film won best picture at the Cinemalaya. It's a great film, folks, especially if you grew up in the 80's. Admittedly, I was too young to have caught The dawn in their heyday but that didn't stop me from waxing nostalgic and wishing I was old enough then to have seen a Storm concert (not that my parents would have let me).

9. Eating

I've started bringing vegetable sandwiches to work with me, so I get my daily gulay and I get to save money. This doesn't mean I'm beyond the occasional steak or two (or three or four).

I also got to have lunch with Anson at Snackeroo, which is located on Kamuning cor. Judge Jimenez in Q.C. Good company, cheap steak, nice weather. Quite a good experience, except for the passers by and a neighbor's dog, who kept trying to take our food.

10. Getting published

I have an article out in this month's Entrepreneur on the benefits of Feng Shui on your business. I also had an article in Sense and Style on Cecil Licad, but I think that came out last July.

That's it for now. I hope to be able to update more often.