Happy blog anniversary!

I've been trying to find an excuse to post something about Ryan Gosling... his abs in particular. And then I remembered that my blog has turned six last week. Of course Ryan and his six-pack and my blog's sixth anniversary go together perfectly!

Botox Princess

Guess who was just recently in town? It's no other than the Queen of Botox... CHARICE! Yes, Charice Pempengco ITSELF, the new poster child of Botulinum toxin. Sad, but true.

So fresh from Belo's clinic, Charice did not hesitate to show off her new face to her fans in Bangkok last Friday. Of course go ang bakla from Surigao, di ba?

I expected to see only at most 200 people to watch Charice in Siam Discovery. Afterall, who would want to watch Charice in BKK except Pinoys, di ba? So I thought it was going to be one intimate concert.

When I arrived there one hour before her performance, I was dumbfounded to see a crowd filling the ground floor of the small-ish mall. And then there were also quite a good number of people on the upper floors looking over the atrium.

Soon enough, a bigger crowd formed. I'm not exactly good at estimate crowds but the audience could easily reach about a thousand, but that's a wild guess. Of course there lots of Filipinos but the Thais definitely outnumber the Pinoys. There was a good number of Thai school girls and baklitas holding signs to welcome Charice to Bangkok. Many of them were even singing to her songs, which was played while we waited for the Botox Princess.

It was a long wait indeed because the starting time was moved to half an hour later. Goodness, my Louboutins were already killing my feet. Anyway, suffer for botox... ay, Charice.

With the time extension, more people came in and I could hardly move as the people pushed towards the stage. I was soooo not ready to die in a stampede for Charice, please lang. Mystica pa siguro, keri lang. Charing! Ay, Charice!

Anyway, there was a front act... some winner of Academy Fantasia (Thailand's American Idol). I love her, she's so skinny and tall!!!

When Charice was called on stage for the pre-peformance interview the crowd erupted in screams and cameras started flashing all over the place. First thing I had to check was her jaw muscles, if indeed they're smaller, or at least frozen. Hmmm... not really.

But I was more concerned she would have a locked jaw in the middle of the interview. I prayed to the Virgin, and somehow it worked coz Charice charmed the crowed, even saying a few Thai lines.

Also, Charice's English has improved quite a lot since I first saw her on Ellen and Oprah. Recall: "I can't bilibit!". There's a new sense of confidence from the girl this time. She seemed relaxed, although not exactly spontaneous either. There's definitely a big room for improvement on her language skills especially now that she's appearing on Glee. 

And so Charice sang about five songs. It was quite mind-blowing how such a small girl could pack a huge voice inside her. Well, that's a given of course; that's what got her on Oprah to begin with.

More than the voice, I guess she really has a strong appeal coz she could charm the crowd. She knows how to engage them, working them before she belts out an out of this world note. I could tell she enjoys performing when the crowd is responsive and so she stimulates them even more.

And no, thank the Virgin, no locked jaws during her performance.

Kylie's Back, Bitches...

 

It hurts
When you get too close
But baby it hurts
If love is really good
You just want more
Even if it throws you to the fire fire fire fire

My Ovaries Love Nichkhun Horvejkul

I love Thai celebrities. Who wouldn't? Some of them are the hottest creatures on earth... whew, I don't even know where to start.

I follow them (the male ones at least) through the entertainment websites (see Wise Kwai's Thai Film Journal, Entertainment DIRTH Version, Bangkok of the Mind, and Lyn's Lakorn Blog). Also, fellow BKK-based Pinoy blogger, Man of the Rose, regularly features male Thai celebrities (and more) in various states of undress (beso, beso kumare!). Most of the time, however, I look them up in fashion magazines, which I simply couldn't get enough of.

For ages now, I've been planning to write about my favorite Thai celebrities and I do have a long list of them, so might as well start already, chai mai?

I first saw Nichkhun Horvejkul's face pasted on the side of the SkyTrain. He was on an ad for some orange juice or something. The moment our eyes met my ovaries did a thousand somersaults; I nearly fell on the tracks! Chowz!

A few days later I again saw his commercial in the cinema, and not to exaggerate, but he really took my breath away.

Da who is Nichkhun Horvejkul??? According to his Wikipedia entry, Nichkhun was born in 24 June 1988 in California where he was discovered by a producer of JYP entertainment, a South Korean talent agency. He is now a member of a seven-member Korean boy-band called 2PM since 2008.

The photo above was supposedly taken when Nichkhun reported for the lottery in which soldiers are drafted. It would be such a waste of talent if he were to join the military, chai mai?

Because Korean pop culture is very big in Thailand (I mean they're CRAZY about everything Korean), perhaps it was not difficult for Nichkhun to quickly gain popularity in Thailand. I suppose many Thai celebrities could only dream of becoming K-Pop stars themselves.

Nichkhun is set to star in a Korean movie called The Shining Diploma (source).

Recently, Nichkhun was chosen by the Tourism Authority of Thailand as the face of "Come to Thailand; Let's Take a Break!" (official website here).

Gosh, who could resist not coming to Thailand if the endorser is as cute as him, di ba?

The Sharonian

For some reason, I had an 80s day today starting with searching for Claire dela Fuente's Sayang on Youtube. That song is not even 80's, no? It should be something like 70s at least.

Anyway, Sayang led to Sayang na Sayang by Manilyn Reynes and then Tamis ng Unang Halik by Tina Paner, and then eventually Mr Dreamboy by Sherryl Cruz. (The links bring you to the videos.)

Now talk about nostalgia overload!

As a child of the 80s, I totally reveled with these finds.

Searching further, I stumbled into this vintage Sharon Cuneta video singing Here Comes the Rain Again on GMA Supershow. I had a fucking blast watching this video. I swear.

The set's just hilarious. It looks like it's made of Styrofoam or, I don't know, cardboard perhaps? And the flashing bulbs! Girl, it looks like a peryahan, di ba?

Then in comes Sharon in a billowy neon fuchsia dress that completely swallows here up. Actually she's wearing a kind of maternity dress here coz she was pregnant with KC Concepcion then. Pero chica pa rin! Gosh, those shoulder pads! I wonder why they're back in fashion. And the hair, dahling, the hair. Should've cost us the ozone layer to keep them hair stiffly up in the air.

Sharon's very pretty here though. I've always been a Sharonian and I remember I had her single in one of those black discs that you play in a bloody turntable. What do you call them again? In fact one of the pop songs I first learned was Bituing Walang Ningning coz I had her album in a small black thingie. They're called plaka!

It makes me cry every time I see Sharon these days. She looks like a freaking cathedral!

Thank God we still have videos like this to remind us of the good old days of Sharon Cuneta. She was probably the most popular star then. I love it when, courtesy of 80s TV technology, she's made to float over her fans. Classic, di ba?

Here's the video anyway. And do wait for it to end coz no other than German Moreno, the Master Showman ITSELF, will come out to greet Sharon.

The Czarina of Penang Runs to BKK

Dios mio, kapagod the weekend tawas (for the kili-kili)...

As mentioned in a previous post, THE Czarina of Penang sneaked into BangCock for three days. He arrived last Friday and left this afternoon. The Czarina is actually on a run from the Malaysian immigration bureau (read: visa run ito).

Well, needless to say, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had to send their best person to show the Czarina of Penang around the City of Angels. Yeah, that best person is me no less. *Blush.*

So on his first evening here he was given a grand welcome by top BangCock celebrities Bubbles and Liawayway. Us four girls had a drink at Lang Suan. We tried our best to maintain our finesse as we drooled over the many exquisite male species surrounding us. More drooling happened when we ended up in the Silom gayborhood.

Oh, you should commend us for our self-restraint. Now let's say this together... CHOOOZ!

The next day, I brought the Czarina to the Golden Mount where we had a 360-degree view of the Rattanakosin Island neighborhood. The Czarina nearly broke his knees climbing the tall temple. And then he also nearly broke his frail back from too much crouching and kneeling all in the name of a good photo.

From there we hopped on one of those long-tail boats that traversed a foul-smelling, yet charming, canal in downtown Bangkok. We eventually found ourselves in major tourist trap MBK where we had lunch with Heidi and Hye Kim Park.

Crossing over to the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre, we met met Bubbles and explored the recent exhibit, which was about motherhood (I did not read enough of the captions).

Goodness, it was utong (nipples) galore!!!

Shout out to Lyka Bergen at this point. Tse!

Going back... of course Bubbles werqed the art pieces... or wait, he is an art piece himself, no?

In the evening, the Czarina and I had to step into our couture gowns for Lea Salonga's concert with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Her brother Gerard Salonga was the conductor. See Lea Salonga's Wikipedia entry here.

The Czarina and I were surprised to see the humongous Queen Sirikit Convention Centre fully packed. There were of course gazillions of Filipinos in the crowd.

It was a dream come true to watch Lea, my first time in fact.

At the start of the concert she said that she just came out from a hospital in Bangkok where she was treated for a serious case of tonsillitis and some kind of throat or respiratory infection.

Nonetheless, she managed to deliver a goosebumps-inducing performance of popular Disney songs and pieces from Broadway and West End musicals. The crowd was on its feet when she finished a haunting rendition of "I Dream a Dream" from Les Miserables.

Interestingly enough, she invited a male audience member to sing "A Whole New World" (from Aladdin) with her. Eventually four men ended up on the stage with her, two Thais and two Pinoys.

The Czarina and I laughed at the idea of doing a karaoke session with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Good gawd, now we know who to invite on our next birthday parties, no?

Apres the concert, the Czarina and I rushed to the Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree to meet Neomie Lenoir, his BF Chutima Durongdej, and a number of his friends for some "farewell drinks". Neomie has finished his internship and is going back to France tomorrow.

From Banyan Tree we moved to Silom for yet another night of dancing squeezed between the ravishing men of BangCock.

I will end this report with a note to Czarina...

Gagah kah, di pa tayo tapos sa processing eh nang-iwan kah nah. Tseh!

Khop khum maak kha for the latest additions to my modeling portfolio. Asus!

And please don't forget to fill out the Tourism Authority of Thailand feedback form because my promotion rests on that. Hope you had a wonderful time in the Land of Smiles and see you again soon, mare.

(All photos in this post are by the Czarina of Penang.)

When Billy Met Tony

One of my favorite movies EVAH is Billy Elliot (2000), a story of a young boy in a small mining town in England with a strong passion for dancing.

Set in the 1980s amidst the strike of the town's mine workers, Billy hides from his dad that he has been taking ballet lessons. At the same time, he witnesses his family disintegrate as a consequence of the strike.

Jamie Bell, playing as Billy Elliot, and Julie Walters, playing Billy's ballet teacher, give spectacular performances in this heartwarming movie that I've never gotten bored of watching for perhaps half a dozen times now.

Recently, Billy Elliot the Musical won Best Musical at the Tony Awards. Also, for the first time in Tony history, three individuals took the Best Actor in a Musical trophy, which was awarded to the stars of Billy Elliot: David Alvarex, Trent Kowalik, and Kirl Kulish.

Below is a video of Trent Kowalik performing at the 2009 Tony Awards followed by the acceptance speech of the three kids, who all looked totally dumbfounded after they were called winners of what is perhaps the most prestigious award for stage actors.

Elephants

I first heard of Rachael Yamagata a long, long time ago from Kiks. It took me several months before I searched and downloaded her songs from Limewire and since then she's on the top of my playlist. (Check her official website here.)

I listen to her whenever I WANT to feel somber. Her sultry voice never fails to carry me to a melancholic place. The introspective mood of her lyrics are poetic and intimate, and are mostly filled with longing and pain.

Take for example this song called Elephants from her 2008 album Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart.

Elephants
by Rachael Yamagata

If the elephants have past lives, Yet all destined to always remember
It’s no wonder how they scream, Like you and I, they must have some temper

And I am dreaming of them on the planes
Dirtying up their beds,
Watching for some sign of rain to cool their hot heads

And how dare that you send me that card, When I am doing all that I can do
You are forcing me to remember, When all I want is just forget you

If the tiger shall protect her young, Then tell me how did you sleep by?
Oh, my instincts have failed me for once, I must have slept the whole night

And I am dreaming of them with their kill, Tearing it all apart
Blood dripping from their lips, And teeth sinking into heart

And how dare that you say you’ll call, When you know I need some peace of mind
If you have to take sides with the animals, Won’t you do it with one who is kind?

If the hawks in the trees need the dead, If you are living you don’t stand a chance
You can lie there and say you are fed, But there are only two ends to this dance

You can flee with your wounds just in time
Or lie there as he feeds,
Watching yourself ripped to shreds and laughing as you bleed

So for those have you fallen in love, Keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right
Throw yourself in the mist of danger, But keep an eye open at night

Eat That, Beyonce!

This fucking made my day!!!

First, watch this original video of Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonce. Well it's a known fact that the girl can move.

And check out this amazing sistah werking the video in his own bedroom (I found this clip via uber gay blog Gayz of Our Lives). Gawdness!!! If only I can get my hands off Lay's and Coke, which I'm guiltily gorging on AS I SPEAK, I would probably be as skinny as this guy. Such a thinspiration!

Now this is how you werk, Beyonce!

Let the Games Begin

Damn, I was supposed to post a book review today, but while browsing through my favorite blogs, I found some amazing fashion shoots that were infected by the current Olympic fever.

Yes, finally the 2008 Olympics is opening tomorrow evening. The opening ceremonies are always, always grand. The most memorable for me was in 1992 when Barcelona hosted the games. Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens did not leave so much of an impression on me.

I wonder what Beijing has up its sleeves. Honestly, I have very high expectations. God, this has been one controversial hosting by China, but this post is not about that.

As I said, I want to post sample pictures of how the Olympics is inspiring fashion spreads. The first is a collection from Vogue Korea for August 2008. And the next is from Harper's Bazaar for August 2008 with Lucy Liu on the cover. Now who says fashion and sports do not mix?

Ulirang Asawang Bakla

Remember Jay Branan? He appeared on the (in)famous movie, Shortbus (2006). Since watching him singing the Star Spangled Banner in such an, ehem, uncompromising position, I fell in love with him (see my previous post here). As mentioned in his blog, he is soon to release an album (or has he?). I can't wait.

Below is a track from that album. The song is called Housewife and I love how whimsical and cute it is. Go check out the lyrics coz it is totally GAY. But no, for the love of God, I don't fancy being a housewife at all. Washing the dishes? Doing the laundry? Hell no; that's totally unromantic. What would happen to my nails? Ugh.

Housewife

by Jay Brannan

Two bodies pressed together
Two boys are falling hard
The smell of sweat and leather
A kinky greeting card

Crazy about each other
We both have fucked up pasts
But when we are together
We have a fucking blast

I wanna be a housewife
What's so wrong with that?
I wanna be a housewife, yeah
And that's just where I'm at

I'm making guacamole
He's working on the car
When he grills turkey burgers
He knows I like them charred

I like to wash the dishes
I like to scrub the floors
Don't mind doing his laundry
What are boyfriends for?

I wanna be a housewife
What's so wrong with that?
I wanna be a housewife, yeah
And that's just where I'm at

I wanna have his baby
I want to wear his ring
He drives me fuckin' crazy
I am his everything

I wanna be a housewife
What's so wrong with that?
I wanna be a housewife, yeah
And that's just where I'm at

I wanna be a housewife
What's so wrong with that?
Can't wait 'til he's in my life, yeah
Cause we haven't met
We haven't met yet
We haven't met yet
We haven't met yet
Met yet

This Got Me Stoked

Oh. Em. Geee. Oh. Em. Geee. Oh. Em. Geee.

I was in the cinema last weekend and this trailer was on. Orgasm right on my seat.

I swear I grew up watching Sex and the City *wink, wink*. I've seen every freaking episode of this MAYJAH show. It's like my Bible in life or something.

I can't wait, bitches. (When is this opening in BKK? Does anyone know?)

God, may this film meet my very high expectations. Ok, at least I will not expect too much from the story. But please, God, I want to see ferosh outfits. Amen.

"Life doesn't always turn out to be your fantasy, that's why you need friendships that are real to get you through it all."

*** Quick Update ***

Ana Wintour I love you!

SJP + Vogue = FIERCE!

Arrrrgggghhhh... I can't wait for June.

Pasyon... este, Fashion Night

Ugh, this is not a Holy Week post. It's obvious that I'm not into God. I'm more superficial than that, but then let me tell you about last night. I had one of the most exciting moments of my life EVAR.

I was walking around Siam Paragon when I noticed the huge tent for the Bangkok International Fashion Week (BIFW), which opened a couple of nights ago.

You know me and fashion, we're like best friends.

But damn, I'm just a mere mortal and there is no chance for me to go inside the tent. I would've been willing to give a hand job AND a blow job to any person who can give me free tickets but even when I stayed outside the tent for fifteen minutes looking like a starved puppy, hoping that any influential person would need a hand job and a blow job, I was out of luck.

Feeling defeated, I walked towards Central World where Elle Fashion Week was opening that night. I know, the fashion industry in BKK is sorta weird to hold both shows on the same weekend. I don't get it my self.

Anyhoot, I milled outside the tent hoping again that I could use my world-renowned dexterity. I was dying to watch a show that for a second I thought hell I could even offer any orifice of my body just to go inside the bloody tent.

Dahling, the stars aligned in my favor, sans the use of my whoring skills. I casually walked to the registration counter, flashed them my bestest smile and asked how I can purchase tickets (purchase daw oh, parang ang yaman!). The girl that heaven sent for me said that they don't sell tickets but she would be willing to give me a complimentary pass.

And I thought, oh dear, am I supposed to do a cunnilingus to her (ewwwwww!!!)? The next thing I know, she unzipped her pants, opened her legs, and shoved her vajayjay on my face she pulled a ticket and handed it to me with a sweet smile. And I told her, "Are you sure you don't want any cunnilingus?". Not.

So off I whisked my skinny ass inside the cavernous tent that was by then filled with the most fashionable people around. I felt so out of place! All those chica people surrounding me just brought my self-esteem to a new low. And oh, don't get me started on the yummy guys.

Nonetheless, I turned into chica mode and strutted towards the bleachers (tama ba ang term?). There was no available seat anywhere, some were sitting on the aisles, I had to stand on the side with the air conditioner blasting behind me.

I was however compelled to crouch on my spot when the daughter of Thailand's crown prince, Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana (who is a designer herself, having held a show in Paris last year), came in (some Thai custom in the presence of royalty). God, that was my first ever Thai royal sighting and I couldn't be more excited on what was already a surreal evening.

The show I watched was from the house of Kai. Since it was Spring/Summer 2008, most of the dresses were, you know, perfect for the beach and so on. No photography allowed. It's a very wearable collection but it switched to a more artsy direction for the evening pieces. (God, I'm not a fashion critic, ok?)

What was more exciting for me though was watching the models. Sonia Couling, a popular MTV VJ and a superstar in Thailand, opened the show. Damn, she's fierce. I wish I have her long neck, she looked liked a graceful swan.

I also caught glimpse of many of the familiar Thai female models who I only see on TV and magazine covers.

The parade of the models at the end of the show was by far the most exciting part for me. All those lithe bodies floating like birds on the runway made me cream my pants (to borrow Bryanboy's term). I adore those bitches and I'm willing to do anything just to be their best friend.

By this time I was already in heaven even if my legs were numb from squatting. In 20 minutes the show was over but I had this dazed look for the entire evening.

From Centralworld, on my way to a friend's house, I passed by Gaysorn, probably the most exclusive mall in BKK. Their window displays of Louis Vuitton and Prada were magical. You know, like I only drool over these clothes on TV and the magazines but seeing them as actual pieces was stupefying.

Missing Pinoy TV

I was at the Filipino store in Silom last night, a routine I do on weekends to munch on a pack of Chippy or Boy Bawang together with a bottle of C2. The Sari-Sari Store, which I featured here before, has a TV that shows a Filipino channel. This is really a big draw for my friends and I especially when we want to check out the showbiz news on Sundays via, sabay-sabay nating sabihing... The Buzz!

Last night, a couple of ABS-CBN soap operas were on (I think one is called Lobo and I forgot the title of the other). Having came across a number of equally revolting Thai soap operas, Filipino soaps are not any better. You know, cheesy plots, predictable story lines, convenient coincidences, rough special effects, etc.

But then, I realized that the acting on Pinoy soaps are way better than in Thai ones. I swear that statement comes from an objective perspective. I was especially excited to see the wonderfully preserved Pilar Pilapil still delivering a fierce performance. Ditto for some of the young actors such as Angel Locsin, the delectable Jake Cuenca, and of course the impeccable Piolo Pascual (pictured). And oh dear, our male actors are more gorgeous and manly than the Thai actors who look like plastic dolls slathered with foundation, smeared with thick eyeliner, and who went on a glutathione overdose.

Meanwhile, my friends and I went berserk when we saw this hilarious commercial of Nestle Cream. But before that, this spot evokes a very authentic feel of Manila's streets, which I seem to be missing already. The cinematography and music are also superb. So I did not see the punchline coming, which sent us rolling on the floor while surrounded by racks of Datu Puti, Argentina Corned Beef, and Maggi Savor.

Major genius! Watch.

The text at the end of the commercial translates: You should've used Nestle Cream.

Model Behavior: Gretchen

I'm beginning to wonder... How do I get my hair to become cardboard stiff?

I was at the National Bookstore in Glorietta last night and totally went berserk when I saw this cover of the December issue of Preview Magazine.


So this is the famed shoot ha. I can smell Photoshop all over it! Let's forget about Ruffa. Those lips are way too large, they're freaking me out already. Besides she looks like a bloody alien! I love Angel Aquino. Well, she's a model so she has to be perfect. Dawn, well, those arms are way too skinny girl. Photoshopping has gone overboard with you.

And what do you think of their hair? Don't they look like cardboards placed on their heads?

Ay did I mention Greta? Oh, I love that bitch. Of course she's most smashing on the cover. God, I can't believe all the fuss they are making about her attitude in the shoot. Of course she's going to throw her weight around! She's a bloody diva, just the way we all want her to be. Those bitches are just jealous because they can't bring a bloody wardrobe and a chef, and boss around the stylists in the shoot. Hay, mga inggetera!

Basta, I'm all for Greta... she's fierce, she works it like she owns it.

If there's anybody who I really look up to the most it has to be her. Look, she was a pornstar, a virtual whore, and eventually rising to become the biggest kabit that ever stepped on Manila's soil. Which is totally the same path that I want to take! La Greta, I love you! We should have some coffee one of these days girl.

***
Photo Credit: (1) Kikay Exchange (2) The Joyride!

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