Happy birthday, Jan!

I totally forgot to post up a greeting to one of my favorite friends in the world. I was with her on her birthday night, but too bad I didn't get to take pictures--- but hey, I'm sure this one will make up for it.

Happy birthday, Janeth. Thanks for being such a great friend.


P.S. Marianne Rivera just texted. She is so pissed. I totally understand her insecurities :)

Dance Like Noone's Gonna Put it on Youtube

After 7 hours...

Lighting a Candle for Myself on All Souls Day

It's All Soul's Day today and as a family practice, we all went to Queen City Gardens to visit my departed Lolo, Lola, Uncles and cousins. It's a family reunion of some sorts and I get to see my cousins like twice a year--- Christmas and this day, so today should've been special. It used to be really fun back when we were kids. But today looked different. I realized I'm the only one who's not married or taken. It just feels a bit odd that the married ones were all huddled up in one big group talking about kids and marriage, and I was seated to my nieces and nephews who talked about Cartoon Network.

I'd rather talk about Cartoon Network than to have my lovelife (or not having a lovelife) talked about. :) I just sat down and chose not to talk the whole time.

On second thought, I should've stood up and risen to the occasion. I should've told them that everything's fine, lit a candle and made a speech about life and moving on. That Keith who believed in love died years ago and it is but appropriate to celebrate his courage today.

To the old Keith---
who loved, and waited, and loved again,
and failed too many f*cking times.
May he rest in peace.

Happy All Souls Day. :)

Mga Walang Kamatayang Jumpshots

I dont know if it's just me, but everywhere I go, no matter how far I get, jumpshots are always part of my cam-whoring menu. I was looking at some pics of myself from the past 7 years and noticed a lot of jumpshots. And these are just those that I was able to get a hold of, I'm sure there're still a lot more. There has to be a jumpshot. There has to be. Oh god, Im weird. :)

Bohol

Iligan

Argao

Siquijor

Cagayan

Boracay

Ohio


Dumaguete


Kentucky, USA


Coron, Palawan


El Nido, Palawan


Bantayan Island, Cebu



Dumaguete

Smart is the New Sexy

We had our first taste of the Cebu Trivia Nights at Alejandros last night and indeed the rumors were true--- it was amazing. I never imagined trivias were that fun. It's party for the geeks and smarties--- and mind you, I saw a lot of hotties in the crowd I forgot I was there for a bloody quiz bee.


Thank you Alexis for inviting us over--- I have been itching to drop by since June but I must admit, I thought it was gonna be a big bore. I'm seriously wrong. My friends and I had so much fun and we are so going back. We are aiming for a top three spot and we're dead serious :) After last night, I got to prove 3 things: One, that Alejandro's indeed makes the best crispy pata in town. Two, that trivias are fun. And three, that smart is the new sexy and I have a lot of studying to do for next weeks Trivia Nights battle.

By the way, we finished 5th place coz we got zero out of 8 questions in the "poker terms" round. It was a bloody fight to the finish and we did so well. Not bad for a first-timer ey?


Photo courtesy of the Cebu Trivia Night Facebook Fanpage. Go Like :)

It's Not the Climb... It's the Jump After the Climb

Here I am again with my usual Friday habit. I usually skim through old pictures, and today I found these really cute pics from Deo's album. This was taken last summer in Antique, and we kindof got lost on our way home. We stopped by a river that had this huge rock that you had to climb on, and from the top we decided to take a jump. Carla cried :)

The rest of the team were all worried, coz they thought we met some accident along the way. Little did they know that the three of us had such a good time diving and all. hihihi

I need a vacation.

Oh, Santa!

I have been WAITING for this! From the time I saw the cover artwork (posted on my article Miss You Most on Christmas Time - No More) sometime more than a month ago, I have been incessantly googling up updates of this single. I just wanted to hear it ASAP, I dunno, maybe because Mariah Carey's album follow-ups make me nervous. I recall having the jitters back when Mariah came up with an Emancipation of Mimi sequel (E=MC2). I know it would always work well knowing how good a singer and composer Mariah is, but I'd always wish she'd choose to border on the safe side. And besides, her first Holiday album was perfection that the world could no sooner find a perfect successor, a follow-up is not TOO safe :)

Anyway, after hearing Oh Santa!, I thought this song will kick a lot of ass this Holiday season. This is all part of the Merry Christmas II You album set to release a week from now (Nov. 2, I think). Mariah composed 4 songs in this album which I think is great. I love her material and her usage of words is purely genius.


Now let's take a closer look at the cover artwork for the single Oh, Santa!. Mariah looks hot, thin, and photoshopped to perfection (as expected). Now we all know she gained weight, right? (Like who are we kidding?) After seeing her fall in some viral videos over Youtube on her concert in Singapore, I'm pretty sure Mariah dug up some really old photos of herself for this cover art. I should know, because I do it when I feel and look really really fat sometimes--- I post up some old pictures of my thin self as a main profile pic in Facebook to make it look like everything's doing ok. And hey, don't we all?

Now back to Mariah, I'm pretty sure this is going to again be a big hit. Yey :)

Photo Credit: http://loft965.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/mariahcarey_ohsanta-540x524.jpg?w=510&h=494

4% and Facebook

When was the last time I had sex?

I don't know... I couldn't remember anymore. I think I had one last month, with some random whoever who gave me some "it's not gonna work between us--- it's not you--- it's me" bullcrap. Anyway, I'm not gonna say I'm over it coz I was faking it all along to begin with :)

Now with that said, I, on average, have sex once every 2 months--- and mostly disastrous coz it's usually done on first dates. That's how big a loser I am. I'm 28, I'm single, and Cebu is a pool teeming with single and romance-hungry people.

I posted this on Facebook yesterday: Studies show that people who have sex at least 3 times a week are perceived to look 4-7 years younger. If this study were true and proven, then I should be alarmed.

Let's take it to a mathematical level. Supposing I peg "sex 3 times a week" as the ideal number (ergo, 100%), against the number of times I do it in a month (once in every 2 months, ergo, 0.5) then my achievement rate would be just 4%.

Gasp----! 4%

I need to double up on Olay then!

Anyway, I think something is a bit odd about Facebook. I checked the "People You May Know" section, and more than half of the list were topless men. It's like the new Planet Romeo.



Now why am I still single? I don't know. You tell me.

Me Goes Acoustic at the Crimson

The pool area is done and we're set again to perform at the Crimson Resort in Mactan... That's the 10th and newest 5-star resort hotel here in Cebu. It hasn't officially opened yet, but it's now up for limited occupancy. It's the prettiest hotel I've ever been to and the fact that we have been chosen as one of it's performers is a huge honor by itself. Imagine--- 250 suite rooms, 41 villas and 39 plunge pools. It's paradise.

We'll be doing an all-acoustic line-up later at Azure, the beach part of the hotel. We have dedicated a few days of practice to come up with an all-acoustic line-up, coz we never really predicted we would be invited to do a show of this nature. I'm not an acoustic singer myself so I had to do a lot of fine tuning. Tonight, we will be showcasing the music of Cristopher Cross, Maxwell, Sade, Selena, some classic Pinoy hits from the Hotdogs and a lot more.

And since I'm a huge, as in huge fan of the Beatles, the show would definitely not happen without my personal tribute to the greatest band of all time. I spent countless nights to come up with my own medley, and you know it's hard coz it's almost impossible to pick at most 3 great songs from their awesome repertoire. I could no sooner pick a favorite star from the heavens.

I got to narrow down my choices to 3 favorites--- Strawberry Fields Forever, Yesterday and Hey Jude. The medley I made is one kick-ass job and I can't wait to perform it tonight. I'm so excited.

How To Be a Frog

I got these pics from a school at a nearby island in Mactan. Take note--- school.

My Inaanak Cahleil's Worst Nightmare

This was taken last Saturday during our outreach program. Cahleil, my inaanak, is 4 years old. She was so scared of the kids in the islands. Watch this clip, it's so cute.

I Wish I Knew How to Quit You

One of my biggest challenges as we speak is my need to stop smoking. I have been smoking since college (I'm not a chain-smoker though), but I consume about 4-6 sticks a day. Now that's alarming. I am not getting any younger, and I have vowed time and again to live healthy as much as I could. I do regular exercise, I monitor my weight, my fat intake and all the works, but something just feels off when I am reminded that I still haven't conquered my love for smoking. I just wanna quit now, as in now. I have attempted many times, in fact I lost count already.

And at this stage I have already noticed a few changes in my voice. I don't want to lose the whistle register completely. I still want to keep it for as long as I'm alive. The fact that I sing for a living should make me want to quit smoking the soonest. But how?

Laagans Outreach Program in the Islands

I had a meaningful weekend with my friends. Last Saturday, we all went to a small island in Mactan to see the poor community of Po-o. It's just a few kilometers away from our piggery and we thought that it would be the perfect spot to do an outreach program. October 9 was Jazzy's birthday, and instead of celebrating it t with the usual birthday party (which we've had for years by the way), we have decided to share the blessings instead to the kids of impoverished communities.

Po-o is a small baranggay in the island of Sta. Rosa. From Lapu-Lapu City, you may take a boat in Angasil. They do not have a decent supply of potable water, and the kids seemed undernourished. I got to talk to one of the parents there who have 6 kids (so far) and she's 7 months preggers. I know, it's just awful and the lives of these people need some serious intervention.



We fed around 70-something kids and played games with them. Indeed one of the best emotions in the world is that fleeting feeling of knowing that you made somebody very happy. Just seeing a kid smile is just rewarding beyond words. I have had different kids of adventure in the past, but this one brought a different kind of high. If I have the time and money, I would, without hesitation, do this all over again.

Come March 2011 (my birthday month), I promised to come back and do another one of these outreach programs, but this time I'd like to invite the parents and teens for some sex education and family planning.

If, by any chance, you have planned to do an outreach activity but do not know how to, do not hesitate to call me. The Laagans would be more than glad to show you how.

Click! Click! It's Paduy's Birthday!

Happy birthday to one of the most awesome guy on earth... The hottest photographer ever to have grazed Cebu... Happy birthday, Oslec!

And yes, Oslec was the one responsible for these awesome portraits of myself. The guy has some kick-ass portfolios up is sleeves. Yebah!
.

I Need a Wedding Date

My friend Joy will be getting married on the 21st. It's gonna be one posh wedding coz knowing Joy, she never really went below the "let's economize" line.

This means so much to me and here's why. I have attended hundreds of weddings already, coz you know I am by profession a wedding host or sequencer. This time I will be attending a wedding as a guest. You heard it right--- GUEST. It feels really weird. No. Make it creepy, and I'm excited as hell.

I just have one problem though--- Joy wants me to bring along a special someone. Problem is, I do not have a special someone. I have been single since December 2008.

I need a wedding date. I need it quick.

Help.

And oh--- good friend Atty. Hazel is also getting married on the 23rd. I forgot--- we all--- forgot to book our flights to Siargao and we're super sorry. But then again, congratulations, and the rest of the Laagans wish you the best.

Pizza Lang Ang Katapat

Camille: Hi Keith, busy ka run? Anhi sa amo office oi, tambay-tambay lang ta...

Keith: Oh no Mel, it's Friday. Busy kaayo ko grabe.

Camille: Awh--- mag-order man gud ta kog pizza and pasta.

Keith: Ok Mel, I'm on my way.

The Tunnel

Took me nearly two years to get a hold of these crazy pics.

2008, my friends and I decided to go to Tennessee. Our car doesn't have a GPS so all we would usually do when we have out of town trips is to print maps from Google. Google is a very helpful tool for the most part, but not all of the maps are updated.

We were in Kentucky that time, and in order to get to Tennessee, you have to first pass through Ohio. Hence we printed out maps of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.

And we made it to Tennessee after like 3 hours of straight driving.

We agreed to start driving home by 6pm. But on our way back to Kentucky, we passed by a huge factory sale in one of the busy streets of Knoxville TN, so we decided to shop (well, maybe for half an hour). What we agreed as half an hour became 2 hours. After 2 hours, we were all bringing shopping bags. It was already late to travel down Kentucky, at streets we were not so familiar with, but we were happy. We have maps anyway.

But it was already too dark and we were all tired from shopping that we suddenly took a wrong trn and ended up at a very creepy village just near the Tennessee Conservation Forest. We enterred a pub, and a drunk man said we just had to go down south and take exit 21. And so we did.

And we did. And we f*cking believed the drunk man. Coz on our way, we took so many different weird turns, until we reached a highway that led us to 2 tunnels. The next thing we knew, we already saw a huge signage that said "WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA". And mind you, it was already around 11PM.

We didnt have a map for NC, and the streets were dark, and their traveller's lounge was already closed, except for the comfort rooms.

That was a terrible experience. But looking back at the pictures, I could not care but laugh at how weird we got to manage to go back to Lexington, Kentucky. Talk about a funny 911 call, and a 101 sexual favors with the truck drivers atthe waiting lounge.

Hell yeah.

That Explains :)

Overjoyed... OVERPLUCKED... Over You.

Saw one of the pics posted up from last nights performances and I was laughing like hell.

I had a not-so-busy weekend so I decided to just stay home and bond with myself in front of the mirror. And what better way to spend time with oneself than to pluck his/her eyebrow. Yeah, guys have to groom up their eyebrows, too. It's just nonsense if you don't. Keeping them in shape is like trimming your nails--- or shaving your pubics--- and I don't have to explain further really.

Unfortunately, I unconsciously took the act of plucking of my eyebrows up to one notch higher. I overplucked for some reasons I wasnt even conscious of. I went to Waterfront with a heavy heart, and as expected, my manager immediately exclaimed--- "woah Keith, your eyebrows are soooo--- i dunno--- it's just looks weird with your mohawk and all".

The next day, I tried to search for close up pics of myself and I was laughing like crazy. It was the mother of all eyebrow-plucking disasters. I looked like I just had botox or something. Im going to have to wait for another 2 weeks to have it all grow back.

If only life is like a DVD movie, like I can just fast forward to the next 2 weeks. *Sighs*

Buwad!!

I just had the yummiest lunch in ages. I miss the taste of home-cooked meals, particularly those that my mom used to whip up for me back when I was still living with my folks. I have been away from home since 2008 and I have kindof forgotten the taste of real food. I think that's one of the downsides of living away from home--- all you can afford to eat are just junkfood, canned goods and fastfood. I do have a kitchen, a stove and all the works, but I would either not have the time to cook for myself, or I would just brush aside the thought of cooking something special because I'm all alone in my place and it's just totally pointless to cook something special for one. I have done it many times before, and most of the time I would whip up something that's good enough for 5 or 6 people and it's just a whole lot of waste. I can't cook pasta good enough for me, can I? That's just really weird.

Anyway, I went to visit my niece at the Ecotech Center in Lahug to see her competing at the Regional Math Olympiad Competition (she won by the way--- first place, imagine that), and on my way home I passed by a small Talipapa just across JY Square Mall. Now I'm not exactly sure how I got there, but one street full of talipapa goodies just led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was shopping--- as in SHOPPING. There's just so much joy shopping at a talipapa coz it's way too different from the usual grocery store. I bought fruits and fish and spices--- all at half the price, maybe even less.

I decided to cook me a kick-ass lunch the next day--- buwad pinikas, na pinalutaw sa mantika with lots of onions, garlic, and tomatoes. And to give it a little beautiful bullshit touch, I added one of my favorite ingredients--- cayenne pepper. I can't cook anything without cayenne pepper. It works like a magic wand, really. I havent had this dish in a million years like, seriously. There's just so much joy in small things.

And all of a sudden, I miss home.

Slumber September at The Tiki Bar, Bigfoot Mactan featuring my band--- and then some. See y'all :)

Hello bebehs! Here's an invitation---

Put your hottest lingeries and pyjamas on and get ready to dance the night away at the hottest slumber party in town. It's the SLUMBER SEPTEMBER PARTY at the TIKI BAR, Bigfoot Mactan, September 24, 2010, featuring DJ Bong Durano, the Wet Dancers and oh well--- My band :) Tickets now available :) Seeyah all.

See you all at the Tiki Bar!

Angels Brought Me Here

How Can I Fall?

Updates

Things have had a total detour a month ago when I decided to quit becoming a corporate slave and decided to go on business. There was a point in my career when I felt too tired of working for a company and rendering a lot of work hours with a fixed income every month. I thought it was soooo wrong. I have 7 years of corporate experience up my sleeves and I think that's just about enough for me to know how to play my cards. It's time I do things on my own now.

I am currently running an online business (and it's doing well), and my friends and I are starting a hog-raising business as we speak. I give it about 3 or 4 hours a day, and the rest of the day is already mine to enjoy.

Now that I have more time, I have decided to give singing another try. Fortunately, I got me a great band to back me up and we started rehearsing our pieces more than a month ago. Barely two weeks ago, I was offered a regular spot at the Waterfront Mactan. It's been surreal coz I miss singing, and it's something that I could do so well, and I get to earn money out of it :)

Last week, I was offered another spot at the Crimson Resort and Spa. This was more than I asked for. At first I thought I would just end up performing at small bars--- but here I am, singing at 2 of the most awarded 5-star hotels in Cebu. Blessings just kept on pouring in. I was right all along--- everything you want is outside of your comfort zone.



Thank you God for the blessings :)