Magpakatotoo ka!

When I was in elementary and high school, the pressure of “fitting in” seemed to be the center of my universe. I was obsessed with being up-to-date with the latest fashion trends (at that time, I wasn’t too fixated with beauty), knowing which celeb was hot or not, and making sure I knew what songs were the current hits so I could giggle and squeal with my more popular classmates about them. Deep down, though, my heart wasn’t in it—all I wanted to do was to curl up in bed all day and eat junk food while plowing through my pile of Sweet Valley books and daydreaming about that geeky boy classmate I was secretly crushing on.

Still, this I-have-to-be-in-and-hip frame of mind haunted me up to the day I joined Cosmo. I remember quaking in my Havaianas while I was being interviewed for Cosmo. Though I had already been working in Summit for four years and was thus Summit-ized, I still felt that I was never going to be pretty enough, stylish enough, nor sosyal enough to be part of the Cosmo team. Then, Myrza (who was interviewing me) asked, “What would you want to tell the readers through Cosmo?”

And that was when I knew that I wanted to encourage them to never attempt to fit a stereotype if it wasn’t right for them. If you’re the homebody type, don’t let others force you to go out if it will only make you miserable. Or, if you’re the ma-gimik gal, then go out and have fun! At the end of the day, what really matters is that you’re happy with yourself and who you’ve become.

That said, I got over my fears once I got to know the whole Cosmo team—and what a motley crew we make! Save for our common love for food, we’re all seven very different individuals, and instead of clashing or being pressured to be Cosmo clones, we embrace and appreciate one another’s quirks. To wit:

Zo, of course, is our “Mother.” Being our Chief, Zo strives hard to be excellent in every area of her life, but knows when to take a chill pill if the going gets tough (read: Videoke lang katapat niyan!). She’s probably the most adventurous among all of us, and was the one who propelled me to be more fearless (i.e., to travel more).

Red—well, what can I say? He’s in a league all in his own. A lot of people have tried to peg his way of dressing, but somehow, not one term/phrase can quite capture his Red-ness. We share the same weird sense of humor, and we’re both whitening worshippers. Say it with us: “White. Is. Right.”

Kat Dy is Cosmo’s kaladkarin queen. Want somebody to catch a flick with you tonight? Call Kat Dy. Need to videoke badly, as in now na now na? Kat Dy’s game to go. Ever the videoke junkie, she’s got songlists in her cellphone and notebook and is also my fellow bibliophile buddy who I can call whenever I want to rave about the latest book I’m reading.

Nicole is our beauty patrol. She’s the person we go to whenever we’re in a beauty fix, or need somebody to scrutinize our makeup and tell us if our blush is pantay or not. I remember one time when Zo, Kat, and I were primping, and Nic was on leave, and we were all super frustrated because Nic wasn’t around to tell us if we were doing our makeup right! Haha.

Faye is Cosmo’s self-proclaimed holed-up hamster. She’s happiest when inputting text revisions and, just like the rest of us, loves to munch on chips while writing or editing. Like Paula and I, Faye is left-handed, and unlike the rest of us, is secretly kikay. ;)

Paula, our bunso, redefines Zen. When it’s nearing deadline day and we’re all snappish and frantic, Paula still manages to keep her cool and is the only one who speaks in a modulated tone (“Ha? Ano ’yan?”)—even if she had to drop out and mix and match more than a hundred swimsuits in a week. I think the only time I witnessed her “lose it” was during the Cosmo Bachelor Bash last year—but the reasons for that shall remain a secret!

And me? My Cosmo colleagues say I’m the lola-slash-empress-slash-self-medicating-junkie of the lot. Let’s just say that I’m glad my fellow Cosmo girls and guy appreciate my brand of kajologan, and with them, there’s no pressure for me to be über-glam or put up a front or act “cool.” Thus, if I were to transport us back to high school, we may not be the richest, most “popular” kids in school, but we’d definitely be the funnest barkada to hang out with. And I write that without any shred of modesty whatsoever.

Why I Don’t Mind Being Single

I’m reposting this entry from my Multiply site because I know a lot of you will be able to relate to my sentiments.

Most people exclaim in disbelief when they find out that I’ve been single for nearly five years. I can’t blame them. There was a time when I thought three years was too long a time to not be in a relationship, but having surpassed that benchmark and without even the prospect of a guy materializing, much more a relationship happening, in the near future, I have made peace with my current status.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not for lack of wanting. I went through a phase when all I could think about was getting a boyfriend, and had seriously considered hooking up with just about any guy that would pass the bare minimum standards. “Aaaah…you must have had flings throughout those years then,” people would assume. One big HA! Sure, there have been a few that I was genuinely interested in. A couple of them, I got heavily involved in, and had honestly thought would have a serious relationship with. Frankly though, Pepe, our cat, has seen more action in the past four plus years that I’ve been single, and that’s no mean feat considering that he’s neutered and has no balls, literally.

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Hong Kong Highs

Whenever it gets cloudy, damp, and a little chillier in Manila, I’m reminded of Hong Kong. It’s one of my most favorite places in the world—something about that city’s vibe stirs my soul, inspires, and de-stresses me (which is why I make it a point to visit it every year—bank account willing).

Two months ago, I went to Hong Kong for a familiarization tour for its annual Shopping Festival. The Hong Kong Tourism Board holds it every year, but this time, it’s a really big deal, since 2007 marks Hong Kong’s 10th anniversary of being a SAR (Special Administrative Region) from a former British colony.

Some highlights of the trip:

• Our headquarters. We stayed in Lanson Place—a really posh boutique hotel located in a quiet spot in one of Hong Kong’s busiest shopping districts, Causeway Bay. It felt like I had my own apartment! My room had a kitchenette, quaint artworks on the wall, and was well-lighted. But the bathroom was the most panalo of all since it was über clean and had mirrors all around.

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Save the Date!

Videoke Queen

Love ko talaga mag-videoke. Put a Magic Mike in my hand and I turn into a tireless singing machine (albeit sometimes out of tune!). It allows me to indulge the frustrated singer in me. As a child, my favorite secret thing to do was to grab a flashlight and belt out my latest favorite song, simultaneously imagining I was starring in my own music video. Videoke brings that childhood fantasy to life, with matching audience pa! And it makes for great bonding sessions, whether with friends, officemates, even people you’ve just met. There’s something about a cheesy music video with lyrics running across a tv screen that magically bonds Pinoys together. Even those who can’t carry a tune feel the force of this magical gadget—kahit ayaw o di marunong kumanta, napapakanta!

Of course, the point of this activity is to get everyone to sing along with you. It’s not really fun if it’s just you singing. The trick is to choose songs that are irresistible. I’ve become semi-obsessed with compiling songs to sing. I listen to 96.3 (W Roooccckkk!), my ultimate resource of cheesy, pang-videoke tunes, ranging from high-pitched 80s glam rock songs, to senti ballads that everyone tags as baduy but secretly like. I even save song titles in my phone and Palm for easy reference.

So what are the songs that make it to my personal Billboard list? Here are but a few of my favorites:

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