Siege At The Manila Peninsula

If a Filipino abroad were watching CNN, they’d think that the siege was in The Manila Hotel. Oh my.

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We were holed up inside our conference room working on another pitch, with the television on, when we heard the following snippet during the press conference with Trillanes and company:

Trillanes: “Like soldiers, we’re going to face this.”
Reporter: “Sir, how are you going to face this?”
Trillanes: (after a beat) “Whatever.”

Back From The Ad Congress

First of all, apologies for not leaving word earlier that The McVie Show would go on a four-day mid-season hiatus because of the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress in Subic. The Ad Congress happens every two years, and this year I’m one of the official delegates from our agency.

The past four days I was inspired, enlightened, intrigued and fascinated. As delegates we had too much fun and not enough sleep. Plus I was assigned to drive one of the company cars to, within, and from Subic. I’m surprised I’m still alive.

What were the highlights for me? In no particular order: [1] Neil Gaiman opened the Ad Congress with a talk followed by Q&A hosted by my friend Marlon Rivera of Publicis, prompting a slew of “gay man meets Gaiman” jokes. [2] Marlon, usually a vision of poise and control, was reduced to a giggly fan doing an ala-Pilita bending-over-backwards routine. [3] In the bingo game of GMA-7, a delegate from the ABS-CBN contingent won 75,000 pesos and another Kapamilya won 10,000 pesos. [4] Marian Rivera aka Marimar announced, “Number seeksty-seeeeex!” during the said bingo game. You’d think she just made an honest mistake, until she announced, “Number seeeeeeex!” later on. [5] Neil Gaiman’s second and more intimate talk, hosted by another friend, Leigh who acquitted herself nicely even though she is also an uber-fan. [6] My current art director won two prizes in two separate raffles, damned that lucky fuck. [7] Bronzes, silvers and gold—8 awards (out of 10 finalists). [8] Driving my boss’ Mazda 3 all throughout the Congress. Damn, I looove driving! I must have been a chauffer in my previous life. [9] Dancing to 80s music at the JWT party. [10] Meat Plus beef is the bomb!

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And an extra highlight—a conversation between three gay men in one car:

Poma: “Napanood mo na yung ‘Kramer Versus Kramer’?”
McVie: “Ay! Maganda yun!”
Poma: “Eh ikaw Harvey, napanood mo na yung ‘Kramer Versus Kramer’?”
Harvey: “Hindi ba yun yung boxing movie?”
(Poma and McVie look at one another. Then it dawns on Harvey.)
Harvey: “Ay! ‘The Champ’ pala yung boxing movie!”
McVie: (laughing) “At, Harvey! Kung boxing ang ‘Kramer Versus Kramer’, anu yun, magkalaban ang mag-asawa?!”

A few minutes later, the talk turned to horror movies.

Harvey: “Eh Poma, napanood mo na ba yung ‘2010’?”
Poma: “Ay oo! Pero hindi ako masyadong natakot dun.”
McVie frowned.
McVie: “Paano naging horror yun? Eh di ba sequel yun ng ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’?!”
Harvey: “Ay! Eh ano yung movie na nandun si John Cusak sa isang hotel?”
McVie: “Aaaaah, hindi yun ‘2010’….”
Harvey: “Ay! ‘1608’ pala yun!”
Poma started laughing.
Poma: “Pero in fairness, nagkaintindihan kami ni Harvey kahit mali yung title!”

Back to regular programming tomorrow.

Tiu-rly You Must Be Kidding!

Do any of you believe that the following Connexion profile is genuine?


According to the profile, Chris’ sexual orientation is “Bi”. (Ang mga kilay, pakibaba muna.)

In the “About Me” section (I just cut-and-pasted it): I hope that anybody who comes across my site respects my photos posted and would maintain the sacredness of one's property

Christopher John or Chris Tiu, Captain ball and star player of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, a Management Engineering major, an honor student, a budding entrepreneur, SK chairman and occasional model One of the Mythical 5 Ive soon to be seen in GMA 7 Network My Birthday July 25, 1985

I’m a normal lad, like leading an adventurous life in the real world, meet n greets, seeing the sites, cultures and whatever gets ya boat a floating. I’m easy to get along with, got a big heart for my friendz n’ holding auditions for more if ur interested. (I’ll be suprised if anyone pm’s me with a half decent convo put it that way!) n wierdos i dares ya to challenge me!

And in the “Who I Want To Meet”: No consistent agenda. I’m really lucky to know you if you’re lucky enough to really know me. Beyond that, anyone who inspires me to be a better man.

As for love, there is definitely has to be chemistry, but I want to share my own unique joys and trials with someone whose own are different; I want to grow through whom I know, and to enhance the life of him who shares in mine. Laugh our asses off, love with abandon, and have the kind of tantric mind-scrambling sex that only happens when souls are disrobed and completely bare.

Wanna check out the profile? Here: http://www.connexion.org/viewprofile.cfm?id=267590 (You must be a member of Connexion to access it, though.)

O ano? Raise your hands and say “Aye” or “Nay”.

I Roll My Eyes

I wanna paraphrase an Avenue Q song to a very makulit 19-yr old: “There’s a wide, wide line between love… and a waste of time”. Oh puh-lez, texting me “Beh”?! Bleah!

Deranged

We advertising folks are a deranged lot. We agree to participate in a pitch* even thought the deadline is tighter than two lizards copulating. (*What’s a pitch? That’s when agencies scramble amongst themselves to try and impress clients that they can do the impossible with their brands within the numerous constraints imposed on them.) We spend ten days holed up in a room that’s a freezer by day and sauna by night, trying to generate middling to maddening to magnificent ideas. We get intimate with the various plastic utensils, packaging disciplines and erratic delivery response times of different fastfood companies. We are fed variations of Pinoy, Chinese and junk food. (I fear our accounts people have a premise that the more MSG in our system, the more brilliant our output will be. Totally false, but we in Creatives are not about to correct them any time soon.) We bend over backwards and forwards, grappling with what the target market wants versus what client wants. We spend seven straight days going home after midnight. And all throughout we wonder if all this effort will not be wasted on a client who may just end up stealing our ideas from us.

Then we don coordinated costumes, make massive mock-ups, and rely on caffeine and adrenaline to prop us up while presenting at 9 on a Monday morning. After that, we hike off to a tres-chic resto like People’s Palace, stuff ourselves silly with spicy dishes, and congratulate ourselves for a job well done. And we oh so giddily replay the high points of the presentation blow-by-blow, anecdote by anecdote. And the whole week that was is brushed gently to one side.

The only other creatures who behave the same way are theater folks. No wonder a lot of us straddle both worlds.

Hold Up!

This happened back in 1981, between my first and second year of high school. I was with a classmate buying books in Cubao. In some small store in old Ali Mall a guy approached us and identified himself as Boy Diablo. He claimed he held a knife hidden inside his jacket pocket. He also said his colleagues were watching a few feet away, unidentified and ready to jump at us should we try to run away. I wanted to take a chance anyway and make a run for it, but my classmate froze. So I had no choice but to tag along.

Since we already bought books, we only had around 20 pesos between the two of us to give to Boy Diablo. He insisted I give him my watch; I refused, because that watch was a gift from my parents. My classmate begged me to give up the watch, and promised he’ll pay for it. “I’m holding you to that,” I muttered, pointing a finger at him. Then I took off my watch.

Boy Diablo also took our money, but left us around 5 pesos so that we can take the jeepney home.

It took my classmate several years to pay me for my watch. How? He won in the Kentucky Fried Chicken Name That Mascot Contest. He was the first who named the mascot “Chuckie”. After paying me for the watch, he used the rest of his prize money to buy a study table. How nerdy.

Apples And Oranges

Since last weekend I’ve been seeing oranges every day. So when I saw this poster in one of the underground walkways in Makati, I had to take a picture.


Funny thing is, I see that photo and I think: standing out means staying solo.