I Blog, Therefore I Am.

Whew! It's been 17 days since the New Year and not a single post from me! I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately so I was not able to seat and write a decent post in weeks. BUT I hope to be back to blogging soon.

So, what I've been up to?

Well, there's Gaby Dela Merced and the Gabsters. Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 ended two weeks ago but I am still busy with Gabster affairs and the like. Can you believe that I actually went to Araneta Coliseum to watch the Big Night? Yeah, THAT crazy! Gaby's a dear acquaintance and all but I am actually more into her 'cause' than fan-worship. Plus, I've been meeting a lot of people lately through her...and that's simply amazing. I'm generally a friendly person but I never actually expanded my horizons beyond co-workers and former schoolmates. So, this is really really good for me.

Then there's work, of course. I've been quite busy lately because of new projects and targets. It's game plan time for 2008 and I've been noticing that I've been planning and writing a lot of stuff these days. Tiring but nevertheless satisfying.

Well, I hope all is well! I promise to blog and post pictures in the coming days. :) Happy New Year...again!

Pinoy Big Brother has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I even wrote a couple of post on it and its housemates in the past. When the new celebrity edition was announced, I made sure that I was free on the scheduled showing of its grand Opening Night back in October.



It was my utter surprise and disbelief when I figured out that one of the housemates due to enter the house is non other than Gaby Dela Merced! The advertisement teaser on her (dubbed as the Racing Godeess) was fool-proof! After all, who else is the most popular female racer here in the Philippines? I immediately sent an SMS to Mikko, a good friend and Gaby’s former handler, to ask if Gaby is indeed entering the big yellow house, he answered yes and said that he only learned it the previous Thursday when the PBB staff fetched Gaby. I was surprise and excited at the same time! I texted my friends, former officemates and former suppliers about Gaby’s entry to PBB. I still cannot believe that Gaby’s entering since she’s always been a private person.

I’ve known Gaby for a long time. It was Mikko who first introduced us when I was still working at Honda. She’s still starting her racing career then and Mikko was one of her first racing partners. I even remember seeing her in one of those long endurance races at Subic that last for hours and hours without a mere break.


Gaby and I at Goodyear's Dealer Conference

I was able to work more with Gaby when I transferred in Goodyear in 2005. Gaby is one of Goodyear endorsers together with the other popular racers here in the Philippines. She’s always been our popular endorser. She’s the most sought after, the most requested to attend in our events and activities, and definitely the most photographed. Even our foreign bosses are totally enamored with her. Gaby has always been very kind and accommodating. She’s unassuming and simple. She’s one of those few people I know whom you will not notice at first but will eventually leave a definite mark once you get to know her.


With Goodyear friends and endorsers

One of the most memorable events I had with her was our trip to Naga during the Penafrancia Festival two Septembers ago. Gaby shared some defensive driving tips with the car show attendees and signed hundreds of copies of Hotwire Magazine where she was featured at the back cover. We also held a press conference about the event but most of the questions were directed to her rather in our products and services. Gaby did all of these without a mere complain. That’s how great she is!


Gaby signing gazillion autographs!

I am very proud of her and the way she’s handling herself at the very crazy and emotion-filled Pinoy Big Brother house. She started simply and mostly stayed at the background during the first few weeks. She let other flamboyant housemates like Ethel, Mariel, Baron and Jen to steal the show. But Gaby being Gaby, she slowly (but surely) made her presence felt through her good natured ways and perseverance inside the house. She was active in their weekly tasks, she gave sound advices and moral support to her housemates, and she stood by her principle every step in the way. She’s astig! She rocks! A lot were truly inspired by her actions so it’s no wonder that there are gazillion Gabsters (Gaby’s fans and friends) in the world right now.

There may be other housemates who’s deserving of the prize money like Ruben but the TITLE of the BIG WINNER should undoubtedly belong to Gaby. She’s one person in the house who is very passionate on everything she cares for and who will not think twice in helping a friend in need. Just think of what she did to Yayo and all the neat selfless things she did while inside the house. Gaby has a genuine heart full of generosity and kindness but with a strong and tough exterior that will make one proud. Gaby is our Big Winner. She should be THE Big Winner.

GABY FOR THE BIG WIN!

To vote for Gaby, text BB GABY and send it to 231 for SMART, Talk N' Text subscribers and to 2331 for Globe, TM and Bayan Wireless Landline subscribers.

For international voters, you can purchase your e-pins at Digital Martian and Load.com.ph and then proceed to the PBB Voting Page.

More Gaby pictures here.

[Photo credits to Solmux of Pinoy Exchange and Richie Castro.]

Finally, after 126 days of seclusion at the Big Yellow House, Sassy Girl Beatriz Saw won as The Big Winner in the much talked-about hit reality show Pinoy Big Brother. Bea bested 14 other housemates and took home more than 4 Million worth of prizes which includes cash prize, house and lot, an SUV, a kitchen showcase, a water station franchise and trip for two to Europe. The announcement was made at the Big Dome (otherwise known as the Araneta Coliseum) which was witnessed by thousands of live and TV audiences in a very grand fashion which was aptly called as The Big Night. Other winners are 2nd Big Placer Mickey Perz, 3rd Big Placer Wendy Valdez and 4th Big Placer Gee-Ann Abrahan.

I was hooked on this show since the very beginning. It became my late evening TV habit and I must say that I am kinda sad to see it go. The Big Winner plum has been a three-way contest between Bea, Mickey and Gee-Ann. Wendy's controversial entry in the Big Four was at a certain degree conceivable and believable but everyone knew that she wouldn't be able to get the top prize (click on this entry for details).

WINNER TAKES ALL
Bea is a safe and "okay lang" winner, after all, she was one of the safest housemates this season. A lot of people are happy for her winnings which would pave the way for her family to be united once again. The house and lot from St. Monique Valais will definitely allow Bea and her family to live comfortably (with a new CR-V to boot). I'm not a fan of Bea but I believe that she deserves it. I have to admit that I don't like her too much in the beginning of the season. Her TOO caring attitude ticks me. She's too good to be true at times. She was even repeatedly nominated by her housemates (most notably by Robert Woods and Bodie Cruz) for being too safe and for not expressing herself too much. Bea was always in the background. She even prefers doing chores than socializing with the other housemates. I noticed her too late into the game during the 100 Days Battle of the Exes when she was reunited with her First Love, Ackie. Oh, she's a girl who is so much in love! I will never forget how she jumped in bed for joy after seeing him. Part of the big votes she was able to rake can also be attributed to the "underdog factor". Bea was a target on the two major drama disputes in the house. First was the confrontational catfight instigated by Maricris (who was forced evicted because of it) and the second was the one with Wendy which happened just two weeks ago. After everything that has been and said and done, Bea truly deserves it.

THE BIG WINNER
If Bea deserves the prize then Mickey is the one who deserves the title. For someone who's only half-half, Mickey is someone who embodies what a true Pinoy should be. He showed respect and leadership inside the house which made him the perennial favorite of the multitudes. His very sincere and touching reunion with his family, who flew all the way from Switzerland, added to the drama of last night's affair. I've never seen Mickey bawled that much! Well, I am sure that we will see more of Mickey in the coming months. His dancing prowess and admirable qualities truly made him a stand-out.

DISAPPOINTING PLACING
The most disappointed family at the Big Night was Gee-Ann's. This girl has always been the frontrunner in all of the nomination/eviction voting results so it was really surprising that she finished last. Even Bea has always been at Gee-Ann's tail-end this season. Some said that Gee-Ann's unexpected low vote turn-out can be attributed to her "triangle" choice of Bodie Cruz. Here' a little background: in the latter part of the show, Gee-Ann toyed the idea of having two love interests in the house thus the triangle. Eventually Kuya made her choose one and she chose Bodie over Mickey. They said that Mickey fans were so disappointed by all of these and decidedly shifted their votes thus making Gee as the 4th placer and Bodie as the 5th and the last to be evicted this season. I am personally rooting for Gee-Ann (fellow Assumptionista and all) and I am quite disappointed by the turn-out. But Gee-Ann seemed happy about it and believes that her true prize was the amazing transformation and inner strength that she was able to achieve while inside the house.

SHE'S INDEED A SURVIVOR
Wendy half-knew and half-expected what awaits her outside and she came prepared. When she said that "pagbinabanggit ninyo ang pangalan ko, salamat na rin at pinapansin ninyo ako." was an attempt to somehow fight back to the crowd who's been jeering at her and saying mean things about her since the controversial drama weeks ago. Wendy's the only housemate who could possibly say things such as those. I believe that she gave a very powerful speech that made her indeed a survivor. I am no Wendy fan but she proved to me and to a lot of people how strong she really is. Two of her powerful charms on this drama are her loyal supporters who relentlessly voted and defended her all throughout and the other is Bruce Quebral and his never-ending belief (bordering blindness, insanity and stupidity) towards her.

PBB Season 2 was indeed fun to watch. I will truly miss it and my co-message board addicts who interestingly analyzed every twist and turn of the housemates and the happenings inside the house. It was an entertaining season and I can't wait for the next one.

"You're such a tool, Wendy!"
~ Ex-Housemate Zeke

You must have been living under a rock if you don't know who Wendy is. I am a self-confessed Pinoy Big Brother fan since the very start. It's one of the few shows that I watch in the tube. I especially became hooked on this season's offering since I am currently in-between jobs and have nothing else to do. I even became a member of one of the PBB forums to somehow feed this "addiction".


Wendy, who?
Wendy is Wendy Valdez, one of Pinoy Big Brother Season Two housemates. She rocked the nation with her beautiful face and her charming aura when she was introduced last February as one of Kuya's 14 new Housemates. Tagged as the "Hot Commercial Babe", she often graced beauty pageants and advertisements before she became a resident of the Big Yellow House. Even from the start, it was very obvious that Wendy is a force to reckon with. She talks a lot and she's very influential among the other housemates. Her first major issue in the house that raised eyebrows was her back-to-back nominations combined with occasional backstabbing of Gee-Ann Abrahan, one of the most likable Housemates in the bunch. Her reasons of "she's well-off and doesn't need the prize money" was at first tolerable but became unbearable when it became her repeated mantra in the following weeks.

The Brendys = Bruce + Wendy
The other episode where Wendy became popular is her love-hate-love-hate relationship with Bruce Quebral. Bruce used to be a popular varsity player at the UAAP of the UP Maroons. He first impressed the public with his devotion to his family and his care for his sick mother. He was obviously being groomed as the leader of the group and was even chosen as the PBB representative on its Housemate Swap with the Slovenian Big Brother in Europe. The days before Bruce's departure from Slovenia showed how Wendy wept for Bruce while she declared her growing love and feelings for him. After Bruce came back from Slovenia, we saw how they sickeningly struggled with their relationship. The whole nation were glued to their TV sets sets from the time of Bruce's revelation of a secret girlfriend up to Wendy's surprising and very dramatic eviction.

The Return of the Balik-Bahays
Then there was the ceasefire. With the Queen out of the house and busy with guestings at ABS-CBN shows, the house became a picture of calmness and good camaraderie. Bruce became a mush with longings for Wendy and was obviously just waiting for his own very own eviction. The show became boring and the ratings eventually dropped. Can a show be really dependent to one unknown person? Is Wendy really the lifeblood of the show? Then Big Brother introduced the controversial Balik-Bahay Housemate.

Balik-Bahay paved the way for Wendy to come back inside the house despite being evicted. Together with Kian Kazemi (another evicted housemate) and the information she gathered outside, she became more controversial and sensational than ever. Die hard PBB fans and Wendy-haters flooded the cyberspace with complaints and Letters to the Editors to publications complaining ABS-CBN. But as they say, bad publicity is still publicity, so PBB management remained mum about it. I am sure that they were even happy on the clamor and the public interest that it created.

A New Wendy?
The first few weeks after she came back to the house showed a different Wendy. She's more caring and loving especially to the girl Housemates. There was even a time when a clueless Gee-Ann was surprised when Wendy suddenly apologized to her. Wendy said that Gee-Ann has everything in life and she's very happy for her. People said that these gestures were all for show since Wendy already knew that Gee-Ann is very popular with the masses who kept her in the house from evictions through massive voting.

Wendy's new target of distrust was none other than love interest Bruce. Their love-hate-love-hate relationship continued after Wendy's comeback. There were jealousy, mistrust, miscommunication and even threats. Bruce became Wendy's Boytoy who must respond to her every whim, beck and call. The former basketball hunk and expected leader of the group devoted all his time and effort for his Wendybug. These gestures resulted to the biggest weakling of a guy that the reality show has ever seen. All the praises that were given to Bruce on his Slovenia stint were all wasted when he became the henpecked "boyfriend" of the Queen. Poor Bruce, too blinded by "his love". He's truly the biggest loser in all of these. I will not be surprised if he will be the first to be evicted among the seven remaining Housemates vying for the Big Four.

Then There Is Gee-Ann
They said that Pinoy Big Brother Season 2, even from the start, is centered on two Housemates. The first one, of course, is Wendy and the other one is Gee-Ann. Gee-Ann Abrahan is a Junior Mass Communication student at the Assumption College. She's the epitome of a nice girl with good breeding and a stable family. Despite her comfortable life, she's very down-to-earth and likes to watch soaps, game shows and is always on starstruck mode. She joined PBB with her Pamela Doll (a comfort zone of sorts) for the experience of it and not for the prize and fame at stake. Gee-Ann is the exact opposite of Wendy. She's weak, calm, a girl of so many violations and excuses, and someone who prefers to be in the sidelines rather than the center of attention. Gee-Ann's relation with Wendy is obviously strained even from the start. Watchers knew about it since Wendy's very vocal about it in her nominations and backstabbing sessions with the others. Unknown to all of us, Gee-Ann was also sensing this innate dislike of Wendy towards her. Despite the compliments she continuously showers Wendy, she knew that she can never be pleasing to Wendy's eyes. There is just too much envy and hatred on Wendy's part that kept them away from being true friends.

The Drama That Ends All Dramas
The biggest drama of the season began last Sunday after the Housemates were asked by Big Brother to name three Housemates who they think should not be included in the Big Four. Unknown to many, a video of the result of their survey ("Sino ang pinaka-plastic/hindi mapagkakatiwalaan/tamad na Housemate para sa'yo) was shown to the HMs prior to the nomination. This move of Big Brother added more to the tension of the face-to-face selection of the undeserving HMs to the Big Four.

Gee-Ann was the first who answered and her list includes Wendy, Wendy's Boytoy Bruce, and Nel. Bea followed and answered Wendy, Bruce and Bodie. When it was Wendy's turn she chose Bea, Bodie and Mickey. Aside from her answers, she pointedly told Gee-Ann that she did not vote for her because she wants her to know that she's not a threat to her.

*Kaboom* This is where the Wendy Valdez Show began.

After the "nominations", Wendy raised her voice, went to the swing and started dishing all kinds of crap towards Gee-Ann and Bea (from "sana masaya sila sa ginawa nila" to "sa kanya na ang Bahay na ito"). Bea attempted to talk to her but she walked out and gave Bea the cold treatment and harsh statements of "hindi ako plastic, yada, yada". Gee-Ann on the other hand cried profusely and drowned on self-pity. An earlier conversation with Big Brother where he showed clips of Bruce and Wendy's dislike towards her further added to her fury. A divided house soon followed this incident. Bruce and Nel joined Wendy in the swing and had red wine while saying foul things about the others. While Mickey and Bodie followed Gee-Ann in probably one of TV's most memorable love triangle walk-outs ever. Bea, obviously in shock over Wendy's attitude towards her, remained on the couch in deep thought.

The Girl We Love To Hate
The following days at PBB Primetime showed Wendy as the Evil Mean Girl. She was so condescending, unrelenting and vicious to her fellow girl Housemates. She resorted to saying mean and hurtful things towards and Bea and Gee while the rest of the boys (and the world) listens. She was even shown very drunk while defending herself and her actions. She claimed in one conversation with Bodie that she's trying to reveal the true colors and inner being of the two girls by provoking them. She admitted that they should have defended themselves and stood up to her because that what life should be. (Come on, Wendy! Not all people are confrontational types like you and Maricris. Give them a break! There are still people who prefers to suffer in silence than be Davids to Goliaths like you.)

The much-awaited showdown of Gee-Ann/Bea and Wendy did not transpire - much to the Philippines' population's dismay. In the end, Gee-Ann gathered all her courage and faced the biggest bully of her life *yawn*. They cried, they said their sorrys, and they hugged. What a sad and anti-climactic way to end a drama that is totally made for TV. For sure there are still deep and dark feelings of anger within them but they all set it aside and hoped for better things in their remaining days inside the house. Whatever. *yawn*

Wendy is the center of all of these. Gee-Ann is somehow the supporting actress but the rest are just accessories. Wendy became the most popular and talked-about person this week on TV. Who cares about the yet-to-be proclaimed Senators (Trillanes, et al)? Who cares about Pacquio and his studies? This week is Wendy Week. All the forums and bullboards I go to have a say on Wendy. Blogs of "Understanding Wendy" abounds the Internet. Die-hard fanatics of Gee-Ann and Bea are even preparing rotten tomatoes to throw at her when she goes out of the house. Her tirades and shenanigans became water cooler gossips at gazillion offices edging the Yilmaz-Ruffa debacle. Never in my life have I witnessed such fame and hate from people from all walks of life for a person in a reality show. (Well, ironically, the American people also hated Wendy Pepper on her Project Runway 1 stint years back). Even Senator-Elect Chiz Escudero has a say on the matter. Whew!

The Winners
Gee-Ann or Mickey or Beatriz might be next week's Big Winner in the hit reality show but Wendy Valdez is THE TRUE WINNER. She is Pinoy Big Brother Season Two. She is THE entertainment. She is the Queen and the Big Brother's house is her playground. PBB would have died a lonely death without her. Her very short "eviction" last May was a testament that she's the ring-leader of the show. She's the rating-puller. She is the one who is continuously providing us with entertainment - whether we like it or not. No matter how much we hate seeing her pretty face and full-of-scabs knees, we must admit that we still watch and monitor her every move and her every groove. She's the person to thank for our evening TV fix. If ever she will not make it to the Big Four, I'm sure that she will be the very last to be evicted. ABS-CBN needs her, her storylines, and her go-getter attitude to keep the show floating until the very end (providing that ABS will have their way).

The real winner in all of these is, of course, ABS-CBN and Director Laurenti Dyogi. Can you imagine the ratings caused by all of these spectacles and dramas? Can you imagine how happy the advertisers and sponsors must be? Yeah, poor little Housemates because they are ABS's newest sacrificial lambs...but it was their choice to join and be exposed, right? And who I am to complain? I am entertained every night and they generously provide my gossip and TV fix...and I guess that is more than enough for me.

So....thank you, Wendy! Thank you, ABS-CBN! Until the next season!

Now back to regular programming.

[Note: Let me be clear. This is not a post (obviously) to "understand" or "psycho-analyze" Wendy. There are other posts for that. Try Google. I assume that everyone understands that the lengthy post above is just my take and opinion on the show.]

I swear that this is the most "groupie/fan thing" that I ever did in my entire life! Since I owe my sister-in-law for cooking some fantastic eggs for breakfast the other day, I took her and my niece to the most famous house in the land - the Pinoy Big Brother House - at No. 18 E. Lopez Drive at ABS-CBN.

The short and usually quiet E. Lopez Drive is lately full of vehicles (and traffic) brought by the handful of people who's constantly checking the popular reality TV's dwelling. The house is especially a must-go for followers and fans this week since the nine (9) remaining housemates (plus the two new mommy housemates) are busy selling summer goodies and coolers for the benefit of the Binon-an Elementary School in Iloilo. The housemates' task dubbed as "Summer-yenda ni Kuya" offered banana-q, halo-halo and samalamig to the general public to help raise fund amounting to P300,000 for the school.

Since the members of our family are PBB fans (we never miss an episode and is "this" close to subscribing to the 24/7 live stream), my sis-in-law Chay, my niece Gabbie and I went there the other day to buy some of the wares that the housemates are selling. The halo-halo is a rip-off at Php 50.00, the samalamig is too sweet, and Chay had to stand in line for an hour and a half for our 6 orders of banana-q, 1 halo-halo and 2 samalamig. But since it's for charity...then it's okay.

Ex-housemates Wendy, Maricris and Zeke were there selling the foodies but we missed them by a couple of minutes.

Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition had its 5th and last nomination night this evening. It was such a bomb! Apparently, the 40 or so more days that the six remaining housemates spent with each other were not enough to build long-lasting friendships with each other. Big Brother instructed the six housemates to nominate their peers live in each other's presence rather than the usual confession room route. Bianca was obviously apalled when Rustom nominated her for reasons of him not having a clear vision of what her purpose of joining. Bianca (and friend Zanjoe) retaliated by nominating Rustom - prompting him to join the two and Budoy as the last batch of nominees. It was very clear that the house is divided - Rustom, Keanna and John on one side - and everyone else on the other side. The triumvirate has bonded so well in the last weeks that made them indestructible from the rest of the housemates. Having live nominations tonight also guaranteed secured places for them (almost - since Rustom still have to face two eviction nights this week) in the Big Four. It was very evident that there's connivance between the three and Zanjoe and Bianca were the biggest targets. I believe that this is actually not deliberate but a choice of "not having any other choice". Zanjoe and Bianca are actually the kindest members of the "other group" which originally rivaled the triumvirate. The other members of the group were Christian and cry-baby Roxie. Amidst all of these, Budoy was caught in the middle but was nonetheless nominated by John and Bianca for the lame reason of being spared from the first batch of nominations until tonight.

The same approach was used before to Nene, Jason, Cass, Uma and Say on the last nomination. Each of them were asked to vote live in each other's presence and it was quite effective. Comical, even. But there were major differences from then and now: 1) there was a prior nomination between the PBB Season 1 housemates at the confession room before the live one - they obviously cannot change their answers and they cannot vote the others out of retaliation - unlike what happened earlier; 2) housemates then were on their 100th ++ days when that happened - longer bonding days already transpired and factions were already broken.

So what will it be? It can be anyone's ballgame! ZANJOE has a definite following as evident on the result of the last votation where he topped the ranking to everyone's surprise - we all thought that John Prats would be the highest-rater. Zanjoe's kind deeds, good looks, low-profile personality, and impending romance with Bianca might save him from eviction. I am actually surprise to him still in the house. Bianca would still be his key to the Big Four. If Bianca gets evicted before he does, there will be a huge chance that he will eventually follow. BIANCA has never been tested yet but she can really get overwhelming votes due to her nice personality, winning looks, and popularity. She can really stand on her own even without the backing of her team-up with Zanjoe. There's a really good chance that she'll good chance she'll make it - especially if sucker for love texters decides that they want romance at the house and votes for her and Zanjoe. BUDOY is the all-around neutral housemate who will try his luck the first time on the hotseat. He's a shoo-in especially after appealing to all his Visayan and Mindanao friends and relatives. The South vote really does have a lot of say, just look at Cassandra Ponti who survived evictions four times! As for RUSTOM, he definitely had his 15-minutes of fame (and multi-million bucks which he was rumored of receiving in exchange for his coming out) which we kept on talking about until this very date. He really did grab some headlines from GMA's State of Emergency when he revealed his true identity in National TV. He survived eviction from that but can he still pull it off especially if he's going against nice-girl Bianca (which he's obviously not crazy about) and revolutionary funny man Budoy? I am sure that bestfriends Keanna and John will double their efforts in making sure that their buddy Rustom will join them in the Big Four.

As for the Big Winner...if things go well (and Budoy will not pull a miracle) I am almost sure that Keanna will win this hands-down. She got the highest percentage of votes (ever) on her last nomination with Aleck and Roxie. I think it was around 63% - a feat which she shares with Franzen. Aside from statistics, this girl was a revelation. Her strength, compassion and sweet demeanor definitely changed the hearts of many. She can be silly yet motherly and caring. Winning PBB will definitely compensate for very vivid and colorful past which was full of misery and hardship. Go, girl!