25 Random Things About Me

I cut this from my facebook notes.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

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1. As a kid, I loved illustration. Writing was nowhere near the radar. I only took up writing seriously after school. My illustration skills eventually atrophied because I shifted to music.

2. In my lifetime, I've met quite a few celebrities. My most memorable encounters with any of them are with Jennifer Lopez (what a babe!), James Gandolfini (what a jerk!), Marky Ramone (Rock 'n Roll God), and Dwyane Wade (nice guy!).

3. New York City is my absolute favorite place in the world. I so love the city. The next are Hong Kong, Paris, Santorini, and the Bahamas.

4. I once helped "manage" my office mate Jorge in the underground fight club scene in New York. Jorge was this tough Mexican guy who I feared. But we were friends. Jorge was having an affair with an officemate and that turned out messy and it affected his fight club career. Jorge now lives in Orlando.

5. My dream writing jobs are: Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and Marvel Comics. Oh, God, I'd be in Heaven if I get the chance at any one of these.

6. I once worked as a waiter at Burger Heaven first at East 49th & 5th Ave and in East 86th & Lex in the Upper East Side. After that I worked three times a week at Virgin Records in Times Square as a DJ. On other days, I worked as a coat checker for a restaurant at the Trump Tower. I kept up this routine until I moved to a marketing job. But I kept my waiting on tables on weekends because it kept me down to earth.

7. I'm finishing a book on my life in the United States and it's titled, Turn On the Bright Lights. There's a different version that's meant for a movie treatment and it's called, The Empire of the Senses.

8. My favorite chocolates are Hugs, Nestle Crunch, and Maltesers.

9. I have a massive CD collection (5,000 and counting) and a growing DVD one as well. Oh, yes... they are all original and I prefer Region 1 discs.

10. If I could go back in time and view 5 things in history, they would be: the JFK Assassination, the Allied invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Tirad Pass, the Crucifixion of Jesus, and the Death of Joan of Arc.

11. I can swim but prefer not to -- in beaches or in the ocean. This is so because I once saw a shark one time in the water beside the boat my cousins and I rented out off Calatagan, Batangas.

12. One of the most memorable live sports events I watched was Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. After Aaron Boone slammed that walk-off home run to win the game for NY, me and my pals nearly walked all the way from the Bronx back to Manhattan.Thankfully, we came to our senses. Do you realize how far that is? We'd be like the Warriors!

13. I once ran a "See New York on $25 tour" with a few friends. On a good day, we made like $400 a day. On bad days, we made like $50 each.

14. Two of my all-time favorite films that were never huge blockbusters are The Rocketeer and Oscar. In fact, my old seat in my ad agency stint had a noted taped behind it, "Reserved for Jennifer Connelly." She is my eternal babe.

15. If you want to be on my eternal good graces then you must help me collect French Football jerseys.

16. My yelling, clapping, and hollering appears on one live album -- Dave Matthews Band's The Central Park Concert which got made into an album and DVD. I worked under time that day thinking I'd get a good spot at the Great Lawn. Wrong. I was way out there! Thank God for vid screens. But I was one thousands and thousands of people in the park that day (more than 100K present).

17. Back in high school, I played with two bands -- both new wave. When I got to college and discovered REM and The Smiths, I refused to play new wave after that.

18. I wore long hair twice. Hahahaha. Don't laugh. The first was in college and the second time was for a brief period of time in New York when I was thinking of putting up a band. I even tried to wear my hair in dreadlocks. Hahahaha.

19. If I could play for any sports teams, they would be the Ateneo men's basketball team, Liverpool, and the New York Yankees. Any one of them is fine.

20. My favorite cuisine is Mediterranean and Japanese.

21. My parents trained us all to be domesticated. I can hand wash clothes, iron, and clean better than house helpers (so now you know I can work as a DH if my writing career doesn't pan out). As for cooking? Only the basic stuff. My best dish... stuffed chicken and home-made burgers.

22. My favorite kicks are Nike's Huarache, K-Swiss Classic, and the Adidas Mali. Not in any particular order.

23. I hope to watch the FIFA World Cup one day. But if it's in South Africa, I'll pass. As long as it's in Europe I'm fine.

24. My favorite coffee is Pokka Cappuccino. Nothing comes close. Not even Starbucks.

25. I like nature treks and love sunsets. The outdoors. And in case you haven't noticed, I love traveling. Aww, shucks. Does that give away my being a hopeless romantic?

Baguio Sojourn

I'm in Baguio on a three-day assignment to interview IBO/IBF World Boxing Champion Nonito Donaire.

The champ is training here for his March 22 fight against undefeated Raul Martinez at the Araneta Coliseum.

I'm also using this as a means to see the City of Pines for the first time in a decade. So I'm excited for the trip.

I love the weather! The sun is out during the day time yet it's cool. I can walk around without any jacket but still you should have one with you in case the weather changes pretty quick. So far the last three days, the rains came down and the fog was kind of thick.

Rachel Donaire, Nonito's lovely wife, says it reminds her too of the Bay Area where both of them hail from.

It's nice to see all the infrastructure improvements and that makes me wonder how on earth can this city handle the tourist influx during peak seasons? Lots of folk about and the Korean community has mushroomed. Hahahaha. A cabbie joked that Filipinos are becoming a minority here.

You might want to check my sports blog at http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/ for more on my diary. I wanted to go around and take more shots but the bad weather held me back. But I'll be back for that soon.