This is a screen cap of an album someone posted on Facebook.

This is appalling to me. My father, an ordinary civilian citizen, risked his life to fight against the iron fist of martial law, and less than 30 years later the same people whose freedom he fought for are saying he was wrong to do so??

Why is there so much pro-Marcos propaganda these days? Is our nation’s collective memory really that retarded that we’ve forgotten what it was like under his rule? Is it merely a political ploy to rewrite history by targeting the children of parents who didn’t care enough to make sure truth becomes history? 

Yes, he was so good he turned tanks and guns against his own citizens, faked his military medals, censored the news from telling the truth and threatened to cut off the water supply of any province that didn’t vote for him. There was no freedom of speech; all who spoke out against his regime were imprisoned or exiled, or labeled a Communist. People couldn’t even congregate on the streets in groups of more than 2, or stay out past 10pm. Our great-great-great grandchildren will still be paying off our foreign debt because of what their family stole and are still enjoying from their Swiss bank accounts. 

Yes. Awesome president. 

I normally don’t comment on things like this because I hate politics, but if anyone thinks they’d want someone like Marcos as their president, they should go to North Korea or Syria and enjoy their “freedom” there. I am shocked that so many from our generation are echoing this sentiment.

The freedom and democracy we are enjoying today is a result of the downfall of his regime. How typical of us to kneel down and kiss the asses of everyone who has exploited our country (praising the “mestiza” beauty, trying to be “like America”, and now this), and spit on the graves of those who fought to defend its liberty.

If Marcos were in power today, there is no way I would ever be able to post something like this without being tossed in jail. Our country is far from perfect, and oftentimes downright frustrating, but the fact that I can say so freely without fear of punishment is enough to tell me we are still heading in the right direction.

And I’m not even a Noynoy supporter.

PS - I wonder if 30 years from now, the youth of Libya will be saying the same things about Gaddafi (who, by the way, was very chummy with the Marcoses). SMH

Thank you so much to everyone who congratulated me on Facebook. OMG. I still can’t believe it. It was such a surprise, I’m still in shock. I know I’ve been putting up a wall of ice, saying all this time that I don’t want to get married. But deep in my heart, all these years, all I wanted was someone to love me, to help me get through this lonely life because it’s so hard to get through it on my own. 

I didn’t tell anyone about him because I know he’s not everyone’s idea of the perfect man. You know, he’s not the one I expected to fall for, he doesn’t treat me the way I always thought a man should, but he PROPOSED to me, I mean, isn’t that all that matters? That I love him and he wants to marry me? As long as we’ll be married, right? That’s what it’s all about.

Check out the rest of the pictures of this lovely surprise…

Okay it’s getting really hard to keep that up. 

HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY! :D

Sorry guys, but you all know that on April 1, everyone’s fair game! You’d think after last year’s prank (my coming out of the closet) not that many people would fall for it, especially my family. Hahaha.

If I were my imaginary fiance I’d be the most insecure man alive because I never post any pictures or anything about him on FB. Hahaha! Sorry, I can’t stop laughing!

Seriously, guys. I’m not harboring some secret fantasy of getting married. Hard as it may be for some of you to believe, I do enjoy being single and my dreams of “happily ever after” do not include a man. 

This was a prank with a purpose, which was to point out something that’s kind of weird about our culture. How many of you were happy just because you thought I was getting married, even though none of you knew who the guy was? And how many of you felt disappointed because it turns out, I’m still single? When I post something about the joys of being single I get people who question my happiness, or worse, tell me “don’t worry, you’ll find someone”, but when I post something about getting engaged (even though I haven’t said that I’m happy), I get over 50 likes and a ton of congratulations. What if I was marrying some abusive drunk or controlling psycho, would you still say that? Would you be happy just because I *finally* get to walk down the aisle?

I’m not condemning anyone, it’s just something for our society to think about. I myself question the fact that I click “like” on a friend’s engaged status when I have no idea if this guy is even treating her well, or vice versa. Should I be sending my congratulations, or would condolences be more appropriate?

Marriage does not always equal happiness. Statistics show that about half of all marriages end badly. So maybe an engagement/wedding ring shouldn’t be the end-all and be-all of a woman’s existence.

Don’t worry guys, if and when I do get engaged, I will let you know personally. You know, to warn you. To bring an umbrella outside. Because that, my friends, will be the day when pigs fly. *bows*

A round of applause, please, for my supporting cast: Kristine Nazaret-Komlosy (whose engagement ring this is and whose wedding I attended last November), my sister, Ria Redulla, and the few friends and family members who knew me well enough to know it was a joke. Haha!

I love you guys! Who needs a ring when you’ve already got the best circle you could ever hope to have? :)

I think I should try this.

Ok. Let’s get one thing straight. I am single and happy.

When I get pissed off at being asked the question “Why aren’t you married?”, it’s not because I’m bitter for being all alone. I’m ok with people who ask “Are you married?” because it’s an honest question.

But I get irritated when people ask why I’m not married, because that question implies that if you aren’t married in your late twenties, there’s something wrong with you. Also, it is a very personal question that should only be asked by very close friends, not distant relatives and complete strangers. And, worst of all, this dreaded question is part of the reason why so many women settle for sub-standard men; it’s simply so they don’t have to suffer the pressure of being single anymore.

However, despite our polite and diplomatic ways of saying “Bugger off and mind your own business”, some people (especially the ones from the older generation) still insist on pestering us single people at every opportunity.

It used to annoy me to no end, but lately it’s become a challenge of sorts. Not to finally settle down and find a husband (because I have no intention of looking for one) but to find the strangest, most shocking, and most creative ways to get these people to stop asking. 

Here are the top 10 that I’ve come up with.

I’m not married because…

10. I’m saving myself for when Melanie Griffith dies and Antonio Banderas is finally free.

9. I see your life and I think: ‘Maybe marriage isn’t the answer.’ (reserve this zinger for a particularly smug and annoying person who’s in a lousy marriage)

8. I have a terrible phobia of white fabric and flowers. Seriously. Silk corsages render me catatonic.

7. …wait, were you a virgin when you got married? (or some other personal query.) When they get offended, put on a truly distressed face and continue with: Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought it was Inappropriate Question Day.

6. I’m just setting the trend; pretty soon a lot of these married people will be joining the singles club again anyway. (I’m just kidding, guys, please try not to become a divorce statistic)

5. I think the bloody chains in my living room scare off most of my dates.

4. I haven’t yet found a guy who’s cool with the whole hermaphrodite thing. 

3. According to the prophecy, any offspring of mine will eventually rise to become the Supreme Tyrant Overlord of the world. Tempting as that would be, removing the possibility of procreation is my gift to humanity. You’re welcome. (anything that starts with “according to the prophecy” will work)

2. I dream of the day when I’m 60, single, wrinkled, successful…and rich enough to hire myself a hunky 18-year-old call boy to walk around my mansion in a banana hammock. (I actually used a variation of this on an annoying lady recently and she gave me a WTF look and turned away. LOL!)

1. I’m still not sure whether I’m attracted to men or women. When I finally decide which, I’ll be sure to let you know. And THEN I’ll get married.

Feel free to use any of these and let me know how it goes. Good luck! :)

These girls are still the best group of friends I’ve ever had.

^^ This was taken in August 2002. We spent the night at Shangri-la Mactan — funny enough, where our last reunion was — for my 18th birthday. For me that was the turning point, when we really became close friends and when Tin officially became a part of the group (she had been in a different group the year before).

^^ Graduation day (March 2005)!

^^ Our last reunion in December 2007 when Tin came home from Dubai and I came home from Manila.

^^ Reunited at Tin’s wedding

I love you guys! And I miss you already!

6 months!

What a whirlwind of activity it’s been this past week! Kristine had her beautiful, perfect wedding at Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort & Spa, for which I was her personal assistant, accountant, doorman and shrink in addition to being her bridesmaid. I also had the privilege of meeting Brian’s super-nice family and friends from South Africa (we went on a trip to Moalboal 2 days prior to the wedding) and I am so happy that Tin is now a part of their family. 

I first wrote about their engagement around 3 months ago (story found here) and it was so exciting to finally watch the big day unfold.

I arrived at the hotel around 5 PM the day before the wedding to help her with some last-minute things, fixing the seating arrangement, picking up the videographer team from the airport (and I was a little giddy over meeting THE Jason Magbanua), answering the phone, etc. 

She was a little stressed out about the weather, the dress, and just all the little things that could go wrong. I told her that even if it did rain, or if any of those other minor nuisances happened, it wouldn’t matter as long as she would spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams. That seemed to calm her down enough for us to finally get some sleep a little past midnight. 

Around 5 AM, we woke up to the sound of thunder and Tin’s sister, Cindy, ringing the bell at our door to be fitted into the dress I’d made for her since she had just arrived from Singapore. When we drew the curtains open, we were dismayed to see a completely cloud-covered sky and pouring rain. I told Tin I was confident that it wouldn’t rain during the ceremony and promised that if it started to clear up in the morning, the sun would shine in the afternoon. At 6, we went down and had a quick breakfast, then went back to the room so I could quickly hem Cindy’s dress while Tin relaxed in the tub. 

Soon, the various teams began to arrive: WenWen Zaspa’s hair and makeup entourage, Shirley Ong’s events team, Jason Magbanua’s team, Lito Inso’s photography team, Philip Tampus (who made Kristine’s wedding dress), and all the rest. 

Everyone was on time so we got ready with lots of time to spare and Tin didn’t have to rush through the photo shoots. The best part of the day was when my prediction came true. The sky turned blue and the sun did come out! It didn’t rain at all during the wedding.

Shang, my other best friend whom I’ve known since high school, also flew in from Singapore and joined us in the chaos (the rest of our group, Cindy and Julie, joined us later at the ceremony so it was our first complete reunion in almost 4 years). 

Finally, after the never-ending photo shoots, we got in the van that took us to the ocean pavilion. I know I’m always saying in my cynical and rational way that I think extravagant weddings are a waste of money, but looking at that chapel adorned with flowers, in the middle of a beautiful garden and overlooking a calm, blue sea, I can see why so many brides spend so much time and effort in planning their weddings. It was like stepping into a fantasy. 

It was a small, intimate ceremony, with lots of people —myself included— shedding a few tears when Kristine, the beautiful bride, walked down the aisle toward a dashing, smiling groom. Brian using the traditional Filipino “mano po” gesture (bringing Tin’s mother’s hand to his forehead) was such a classy touch. They exchanged traditional vows and were afterward greeted by a shower of flower petals outside the chapel, thrown by all the guests.

The rest of the night was fun, with absolutely delicious food and short, sweet speeches. I also sang for the couple, at Kristine’s request even though I get terrible stage fright. I will only do that for my family and closest friends, of whom Kristine is the best. :) Tin and Brian didn’t even get to finish their meal until the program was over and guests started to leave. I got a kick out of watching them just sitting there, smiling and talking, finally catching a break after a hectic day. Before bugging them for pictures, Shang, Julie, Cindy and I took some time to catch up on each others’ lives, just lounging in the garden. 

Finally, it was time to say goodbye and it was bittersweet, leaving on such a high note but knowing that I won’t be seeing my friend again for a long time (they are leaving for their honeymoon and then flying back to Dubai).

At the end of the night as I was driving home, I asked myself why this wedding in particular was really emotional for me, considering the many weddings I’ve attended in the past few years. And I suppose it’s because I’ve known Kristine so long and so well, and I see how truly happy she finally is. But aside from that, it also made me — a self-confessed cynic and hardened pessimist when it comes to romantic relationships — see that in this messed up world of broken hearts, low standards and failed marriages, true love does indeed exist. Even if it does make me gag a little to say something as cheesy as that. 

Brian and Kristine, I pray that you two will have a long, happy, blissful marriage. And you’d better, otherwise I will feel like a total jackass for writing that last paragraph.

I love you guys!

Brian & Kristine Wedding Video from Kristine Nazaret on Vimeo.

Same-day edit video by Jason Magbanua

Impromptu road trip with my best friend, combining 3 of my favorite things: spontaneity, food and the beach. 

Happy Halloween! (I was Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty)

5 months of natural dreads! I did twist-and-rip on a few of the really stubborn neglected sections and it kick-started them pretty well. Now they’re actually starting to look like dreads instead of just messy hair.