10 Things You Should Know About Derek Ramsey

 Derek Ramsay on love, sex, lust and indecent proposals

 

Derek walks into the Swatch store in Greenbelt 5 for this interview. Mallgoers walking by whisper and giggle while looking at him. Derek gives them a warm smile, and despite wearing shades, you can definitely feel his famous smiling eyes beaming behind those lenses. By the time the interview ends, a whole crowd is gathered outside the store, with girls, guys, gays, both young and old, eagerly trying to catch his attention and take his photo. As he moves closer and waves to the people, you hear what can be described as screams and sighs at the exact same time. Girls swoon. Derek has that effect. Take note, this is just one store, in one mall, in one city. Derek has this effect everywhere. Here are 10 things you might want to know about Derek Ramsay.

1. Derek has received so many indecent proposals since his blockbuster movie No Other Woman came along.

In the movie, he plays a married man torn between his wife and his mistress. When asked how many “offers” he’s gotten, he shakes his head and says, “Ang dami, and I’ve even been attacked,” Derek reveals. He recently just got home from a Frisbee tournament in Hong Kong, and his cuts and bruises on this trip weren’t from the game, but instead from a mob of Pinays who grabbed him (and some even went straight for his you-know-what!). He gets all kinds of indecent proposals in person, some jokingly, some through text. What do they say? “Pwede ka bang matikman?” Derek shyly says. “It’s been a crazy five weeks,” he adds.

2. He has never been homophobic. In fact, he grew up surrounded by gay people.

In other blockbuster movie out now, Praybeyt Benjamin, where he is the leading man with Vice Ganda, there is a much-talked-about shower scene, bed scene and other intimate scenes. When I asked Derek which of all these was the most awkward, he answers: “None! I think it was Vice who was more uncomfortable!”

He shares that his mom only trusts gays to be their househelpers. His mom’s “sidekick,” Junday, was the only one who knew the code to the family safe — not even his dad or any of the kids. They also had a six-foot-tall cook, Poday, who would run around and spank them. Today, Derek has countless gay friends and he believes they “rule the entertainment industry.” He makes it clear, though, that he may be close to gays but if ever the time comes that he feels violated, he won’t hesitate to “put you up against a wall, and say, ‘Hey, that’s not how I am.’” He has actually done this, in fact.

3. He calls himself a “late bloomer,” and was actually already 19 years old when he first kissed his girlfriend, and (believe it or not) it was his first kiss!

In fact, his parents chaperoned him and his date during his junior prom. For his senior prom he decided to go stag, and went home early that night to be able to wake up early the next day for a golf game with his dad. Back then, he would rather do that than go out for a night of partying or out on dates. Up until when he was 18, for him, girls had “cooties.”

4. His super-fit body was achieved and is maintained with pure discipline. He doesn’t diet.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve always been very active,” Derek shares. He was into swimming, running and other sports that instilled in him the discipline of keeping his body in shape. When he doesn’t get to do his favorite sports, the key to maintaining his abs, arms, chest and everything else is, simply, pushups. “Everyone thinks that pushups just develop the arms, but it’s not just that! You contract your abs so that your back is straight, and you concentrate more on form than the number of pushups that you do,” he explains. He does 100 pushups almost daily, and goes to the gym or a session of plyometrics when he needs it. A quality 30-minute nonstop workout is better than being in the gym for two hours, according to Derek.

5. On sex in a relationship: “It plays an important role but it’s not the most important.”

“I think it is important. It’s when you give yourself to one person, it shows how comfortable you are and how much you trust the person,” Derek opens up. He also makes clear that there is a big difference between lust and love. He says: “Lust will die. You can’t be with somebody just out of lust. Lust and love are two totally different things.” He ends by talking about his girlfriend Angelica Panganiban saying, “What I have with Angel is love.”

5. Derek Ramsay in numbers:

31: His waistline in inches.

180: His weight in pounds. If he is in competing in a tournament, he can go as low as 165. He stands 5’10 1/2”.

10: Pounds he can lose with one whole day of activities. “Everyone doesn’t believe me but then I prove it to them. My body transforms,” Derek shares.

10: Around the number of moles on his body, including what he calls the “mega mole” on his face.

4: Number of cars in his collection (including a 1964 Volkswagen Kombi, Volvo V60, 1967 Mini Cooper, and a Porsche).

6. At 22, Derek ran away from home, and woke up every day not knowing what he wanted to do with his life.

He found himself in the Philippines in 2002 as a favor to his dad who wanted him to join (and eventually run) the family business, Electronic Security. They disagreed on a lot of things in terms of direction for the company; they fought, and so he ran away from their family home in Alabang. In what he calls the most interesting part of his life, he then moved into a run-down, rodent-filled apartment in Quezon City with his now good friend Martin Castro, and became a kanto boy. From pronouncing Caloocan as “Ca-lu-can” to now effortlessly saying the word “nakakapagpabagabag,” Derek learned Tagalog, the ways on the street, and became more wais.

7. It was when he fell sick after eating ocho pares that his reconciliation with his family started, which also led him to find direction in his life.

After eating that particular street food, Derek fell sick and started vomiting blood. His friends rushed him to the hospital where his hand turned blue because of the incorrect way the medical staff had stuck a needle in his vein. His mom visited him in the hospital and, in Derek’s words, “The rest was history.”

That was also when Derek hit a turning point. “I’m going to start doing things on my own, I can’t go back to my dad’s business,” Derek realized. His start in modeling was a lead role in a Close-Up commercial, then projects kept coming and he eventually became a very successful model. He also joined the cast of Eat Bulaga where, he says, “Martin (Castro) would drive me to work!” For a time he played for the Toyota Otis team of the Philippine Basketball League or PBL. He also became a VJ for MTV and a host for entertainment talk show ETK. He has always turned down inquiries for him to act, but he couldn’t refuse the offer of the teleserye Panday, which required him to shoot in Bohol (he loves to travel) and do fight scenes (he loves being active).

From playing a warrior in Panday, to playing Machete in Super Inggo, to getting his big break in a role alongside Judy Ann Santos in Ysabella, Derek never had qualms about playing a supporting role or playing characters that eventually die, and today he is a bankable leading man in both television and film.

8. According to Angelica, his being muscular seems like a front. He likes showing he’s strong but, in reality, he’s a baby you need to take care of 24/7. And though he may seem like a tough guy, he has his fair share of vanity concerns.

After a few seconds of disbelief that he was just “sold out” and a few seconds of laughter, Derek confirms this, saying, “I am a baby.” He smiles with his head down and adds, “I don’t like being alone.” He says that after his games, he says that all he asks for is lambing. Angel takes good care of Derek but he also understands how this trait of his can annoy his girlfriend, since she always warns him about his injuries and aches and pains and bugs him to have them checked, but in the end still allows him to play because it is what he loves doing.

Also according to Angel, Derek couldn’t care less about injuries and scars, but when he has a pimple, “sira araw niya.” To which Derek bursts into laughter. He is quick to retort that Angel reacts exactly the same way when she has a pimple, and even shares that she has a “pimple popping kit.” He shaves his head (razor: Uno) once a week, and makes sure he takes a shower and most importantly washes his face before he goes to bed.

10. On marriage: “If Angel wants that, I will give her that.”

He shares that he has the perfect marriage to as a role model, because his parents have been married for 30 years. “I don’t think I have to rush into it though because Angel still has a lot to do in this industry and I don’t want to hinder that,” Derek adds.

He declares that he has never cheated on Angelica, and thinks that he is constantly labeled a babaero because athletes are labeled such. “I’ve been an athlete all my life and even when I was in college they would say that if you’re in the rugby team you’ll get the girls, or if you’re in the basketball team you’ll get the girls,” Derek explains. He says that the great thing about their relationship is that they let each other grow and they don’t set rules or restrictions for one another.

He ends by saying this: “With all the intrigues that have been thrown at us, we have been blessed in so many ways.”

Things didn’t happen overnight for Derek. His enduring relationship with Angelica was worked on through time, his closer-than-ever ties with his family took years to happen, and he didn’t reach his matinee idol status overnight. And in a generation where impatience is common and everything is “instant” — instant coffee, instant messaging, instant stardom — you can’t help but feel that those who genuinely worked hard for what they have in life truly deserve it. Derek Ramsay is an example of that.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/742268/derek-ramsay-love-sex-lust-and-indecent-proposals

10 Things You Should Know About Liz Uy

She is known as the top celebrity stylist, or that “super fashyon” girl, or as the ex-girlfriend of John Lloyd Cruz or the woman who President Noynoy Aquino dated. Because of what she does and the man she went out with, Liz has become a household name, with random people on the street calling her by name or asking to have their photo taken with her. She often still says, “I can’t believe kilala nila ako.” She styles cover shoots but is now a cover girl herself. Everyone wants to know what her fashion opinion is. And people want to know about her love life. This is the story of a girl who so many people are intrigued by, and why. Here’s 10 things you should know about Liz Uy.

1. The most important fashion advice she wants to share with men is “to always look and be mabango.” The most important fashion advice she wants to share with women is “you should never be lazy.”

For men, Liz says, “Even if you don’t really dress up, you just wear jeans and a shirt. If you are so mabango, it is so attractive.” On the topic of women having “unfashionable” days, Liz says, “Why?” She insists that women should make that extra effort to wake up a little earlier every day to fix themselves up. The most fashionable men for her are Hollywood actor Ryan Gosling and local model-slash-entrepreneur Borgy Manotoc. With women, she admires European editors Emmanuelle Alt and Giovanna Battaglia, as well as young stars like Emma Watson and Elle Fanning.

2. Liz believes that there is no such thing as a “fashion no-no,” but fashion victims do exist.

She explains that for her, there are no rules in fashion. “Gold and silver? Check. Stockings and open-toe stilts? Check. Brown and black? Check. Print on print? Check. It is about the right kind of mix. I can’t explain further, but I can show you how,” Liz shares. She does have a definition of what a fashion victim is. She says it is someone who follows fashion blindly, meaning somebody who can’t define their own sense of style and just follows all the trends, all at the same time.

3. Liz Uy in numbers:

500: approximate number of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) messages she sends a day. “Never less than 500,” Liz says.

93: number of lipsticks in her collection.

4: average number of shoots she styles a week, whether it be for advertising or for Preview and Esquire, for which she is currently fashion editor-at-large.

3: number of years that she and John Lloyd were together, it being her longest relationship ever.

3: number of dates that she and P-Noy had at McDonald’s. Liz would like to clarify rumors and say that the three dates were in the Pearl Drive branch, F. Ortigas Jr. branch, and Greenbelt 1 branch. (They had these three public dates plus a couple other private dinners.)

345,811: number of Twitter followers as of Oct. 21, 2011.

4. She went from HRIM student to editorial assistant to fashion editor to top stylist, and from sporting baby tees to wearing gorgeous gowns.

Liz took up hotel, restaurant and institution management in the College of St. Benilde in the hopes of becoming a restaurateur and club owner. “That’s one thing people don’t really know about me, I’m super ‘Monica’ in Friends. I cook, I sew, I clean, I wash the dishes, I design my place,” Liz reveals. Her college boyfriend was extremely conservative and didn’t like her fixing up too much. When that relationship was coming to an end, she started wearing makeup and dressing up, and discovered that fashion is what she is really interested in.

Everything changed in 2004 when she did a photo shoot for fun. She bought clothes from an ukay ukay, got her brother Vince to be the photographer, and got her friends Kelly Misa and Anne Curtis to be the models. Vince then sent the photos to Pauline Suaco-Juan of Preview magazine, and the next day she was called in for an interview (she was wearing a green cotton shirt, high-waisted pencil-cut skirt, three brooches which was her mom’s, and peep-toe shoes.) At the very end of that interview, Pauline asked her, “How soon can you start?” From editorial assistant, in only six months, Liz was promoted to associate fashion editor, and after just two years was again promoted to fashion editor.

Liz Uy, the super fashyon girl, cover girl and shoe-perb stylist: She dreams of becoming a fashion mogul like Rachel Zoe

She not only credits talent, hard work and taste for her quick rise in the industry, she also says luck was a big factor. “It was my time when celebrities started requesting stylists,” Liz shares. Today, her regular clients include Kris Aquino, Anne Curtis, Marian Rivera, Bea Alonzo, among others.

5. It took over a year for Liz and Ruffa Gutierrez to patch things up, and all Liz was waiting for was an apology.

When news of Liz and John Lloyd’s breakup came out, at the same time, rumors of a relationship between John Lloyd and Ruffa circulated. When that ended, Liz recalls one time she and Ruffa bumped into each other at an event. Ruffa said to her, “Girl, let’s move on,” to which Liz asked, “Why are you saying sorry now?” Ruffa answered, “Who says I’m saying sorry? I’m not.” Liz then stopped the conversation, thinking: what use is there in talking if no apologies are given? A year after that incident, Liz and Ruffa bumped into each other again at an event. Ruffa then said, “Liz, I’m sorry.” At that time, Liz was very much over the whole thing and even teased Ruffa, “Hmm, parang di ka naman nagsisisi eh!” They sat down to talk more, and Liz told Ruffa, “It’s nothing now. Things really happen for a reason, ang tagal na, and everyone has moved on.”

Liz also makes a surprisingly ironic revelation that the first-ever celebrity who requested her to be a personal stylist was Ruffa.

6. Liz on why she is still single: “I don’t know, I’ve been told I strike men as intimidating. But honestly, I don’t really care if they are intimidated, it shouldn’t be my problem if they are.”

She shares that no one really comes up to her here in Manila, which is the exact opposite of when we travel because when we’re abroad, so many guys go up to her to try and get her attention. Liz reveals that one of the men who did express interest before was now-Rep. Roman Romulo (ironically, now engaged to Shalani Soledad, who was in a relationship with the President before Liz and Pnoy started dating). “He called me, called Gang (Badoy), called Erwin (Romulo), called the owners of companies I’ve worked with,” but the meet-up never pushed through because Liz doesn’t do blind dates. For her, it’s not a matter of “This is the kind of guy who deserves you” or “This guy doesn’t deserve you”; Liz believes that when it’s love, it’s love. And she is willing to give her all in the name of love. She’s done it before (read: John Lloyd) and she’ll do it again (man yet to be found).

7. The reason why things didn’t work out between her and John Lloyd is that they “were too young to be living together.”

It has been three years since they broke up and looking back now, she says she realized so many things and can think of three things to say about why it didn’t work out. First, they were really too young. Second, she would not advise couples to live together at that young age (they were around 23 then) because it is too suffocating. “At that time, I was so in love that I wanted us to be together all the time,” Liz shares. Lastly, she shares that she became too demanding.

Today, Liz and John Lloyd are good friends. When they bump into each other in public, they say “hi,” they hug, and they catch up on stories.

8. She promised good friend and first sister Kris (Aquino) that for everything to stay peaceful, she won’t talk about the President anymore.

“If I say something, people might take it in a different context, iba-iba ang interpretation, so para peaceful na for everyone, I’ll just keep my mouth shut,” Liz shares. Being Liz’s friend, I was actually witness to a lot of their moments together and what I feel I can share is that when they were going out, they enjoyed talking to each other and they made each other laugh; sometimes when P-Noy would pick her up for dinner, he would be driving the car himself (of course with backup cars and security not far behind); and that when he would come home from official trips, he would bring simple pasalubong home for Liz.

After they dated, to avoid any issues, Liz ceased to be the personal stylist of the President.

9. At the time she was seeing the President, she did try to imagine what it would be like to be First Lady, and in her mind, the airport would be on top of her list.

In her mental picture as First Lady, making the Philippines more beautiful would be her top priority, that being her line of work. “There is so much we can do. Unang una na diyan yung airport, to help the tourism industry,” Liz reveals, being an avid traveler herself. “When we travel, we get inspired by everything we see, and we should show na kaya din ng Pinoy yun.”

10. Liz dreams of becoming a fashion mogul like Rachel Zoe, hopefully with her own book, website, and possible business. She dreams of doing all this, while being a dutiful wife and mother.

“Housewife with a pet project,” Liz says about her dream. She doesn’t think she will ever want to give up the career that she loves, but she reveals that she wouldn’t mind staying home with the kids or living abroad, if the need may arise with her future husband.

For Liz’s closest friends, they say her best trait is her sense of humor, her compassionate nature, her “cowboy” style. These make her a joy to be with. With me, Liz often shares her insecurity about her legs, how she can’t believe that all these important people seek her advice, or how she doubts that this certain guy will notice her. I think it is because she is so unaware of her charm and beauty, and how she doesn’t think of herself as an “it girl” that she is all the more charming, beautiful, and “it.” She works hard, loves what she does, takes care of her family and friends, makes the most of the talents she has been blessed with, and in return, life loves her back. Something we all can learn from.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/739944/liz-uy-ill-just-keep-my-mouth-shut-noynoy

10 Things You Should Know About Ted Failon

Ted first applied to ABS-CBN twice and was not accepted. It was when he tried a third time that he finally got the job as a desk editor in 1990.

On radio and TV, he has a unique way of delivering the news and gives informed and witty commentaries. In person, he is simple as simple can be, very low-key and unassuming. Known to be a private person, he politely begged off having his photo taken during the interview, but agreed to behind-the-scenes shots during his live newscast. He smiles and laughs much more off camera than on camera.

We usually do not know much about the personal lives of journalists, but one of the things we do know about Ted’s personal life is the tragedy his family went through in 2009, when they were involved in a controversial case over the death of his wife Trina. Failon’s life has been filled with enough experiences for two or more lifetimes, and here are 10 things you should know about him:

1. Ted was once a room boy, waiter, construction worker, tsinelas vendor, tricycle driver, disc jockey, and was, most of the time, a working student.

His dad Jose was a jeepney driver and his mom Josefina who was a market vendor. Mario Teodoro Failon Etong was born and raised in Tacloban City, before moving to Manila where he eventually started his career. While in school, he had to work to help his parents, which was also how he developed his people skills and his gift of gab. He recalls these memories with fondness and shares a few stories. On the time he was 15 years old working as a waiter, “Nagtataka yung mga customer na kapag dumating yung order nilang fried chicken,parang may bawas. Kinakain kasi namin.” And he proudly shares that he was part of the “first batch ng room boy sa Tacloban Plaza.”

When Ted got married in 1983, he had to quit school and work full time at a local radio station. Not taking for granted the importance of education even when he was already working, 11 years after he left college, he enrolled at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and two years after, in 1996, graduated with a degree in broadcast communications.

2. When he was starting out in ABS-CBN, he practically lived in the network’s compound, sleeping in the janitor’s quarters every night.

“I was so eager to be in any network in Manila. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na kapag binigyan ako ng break, gagandahan ko at aayusin ko talaga ang trabaho ko,” he recalls. Doing his job as a desk editor from 4 p.m. to midnight, a radio show from 2 to 4 a.m., then often pinch hitting for the 4 a.m. show of the late Lito Villarosa, and sometimes even also for the 5 to 8 a.m. show of KabayanNoli de Castro, Ted found it “sayang sa pamasahe at sa oras” to go home every day. So he literally lived in the office for almost the whole week, and went home on Sundays. Ted first applied to ABS-CBN twice and was not accepted. It was when he tried a third time that he finally got the job as a desk editor in 1990.

3. Before ending his first year as a Congressman, Ted already talked to his ABS-CBN boss Gabby Lopez to ask if he could come back to the programs he had left as soon as his term would end.

With over two years left in his term, he told his boss “parang di ko yata ito kakayanin, pag umuuwi ako ng distrito ko para akong ATM machine eh.” He shares that with all due respect to other politicians, he has two reasons why he felt Congress was not for him. First, he says, “No matter how good your intentions are, or how great your advocacy is, at the end of the day pagbobotohan yan and if you don’t have support of the majority, ingay ka lang dun.” Second, he shares, “Ang dami nilang parang obligado kang buhayin mo sila, and when you refuse to heed to their demands, they will say ‘lilipat na kami sa kabila.’”

When he found out he could return to broadcasting, in 2004, he finished his term and all his projects in the district, and declared that he would not run again. No regrets though, because he was able to apply what he learned as a politician saying, “Pag nag-interview ako ngayon ng Congressman, di nila ako pwedeng bolahin.”

4. Ted Failon in numbers:

21 — His age when he married his wife, the late Trina Arteche-Etong, with whom he has two daughters (Kaye, 26, who works in TV production, and Karish, 15, a junior high school student).

2,600 — Amount of pesos a month he received as his first-ever salary at ABS-CBN.

45 — Awards received for broadcasting in radio and TV.

1 — Ballpoint pen that he uses in his signature move, placing his pen in his coat pocket after the closing spiel of “TV... (wait for it) Patrol!” He has been using the same Cross pen on the main newscast ever since he returned in 2004.

15 — Days a year he is allowed to go on leave.

14 — Number of newspapers he reads every morning.

5. On the issue of bribery in journalism, Ted says, “these PR guys know kung sino ang pwede nilang suhulan at sino ang hindi.”

He gives this direct quote and statement: “Yung industriyang ginagalawan namin ay maliit lang. Everybody knows everybody. At yung mga PR operators, maliit lang din na grupo yan. They know, among us, sino ang kanilang kaya, sino ang nasa kanilang payroll. Let them speak sa usapin na ganyan. I don’t want to pass judgment on my colleagues.”

He adds that if you are a keen follower of radio commentaries, you will know who is corrupt versus who is incorruptible.

6. Broadcaster Gabby Aurillo was the one who inspired him to try to make it big, and “Kabayan” Noli de Castro advised him, “wag kang mahiyang ilabas ang talento mo.”

Gabby Aurillo was a local broadcaster and the professor of Ted at the Divine Word University in Tacloban. Gabby became an anchor for Channel 9 news in Manila, which made Ted and other aspiring broadcasters in Tacloban look up to him. He said to himself then, “kung kaya ni Gabby, why not subukan ko din.”

Former Vice President Noli de Castro was the one who really helped Ted get his big break. When Kabayan would be absent from his radio or TV shows, he would insist that Ted be the one to sit in for him. “Pati kurbata ko kanya, at kung kasya lang sa akin Amerikana niya, siguro ipapahiram niya din yun sa akin,” Ted fondly recalls. Kabayan encouraged Ted in his work, and not once did Ted ever see unkindness from his mentor. From broadcasting to politics and back to broadcasting, things have come full circle for these two colleagues and good friends.

7. Ted’s good friend and long-time colleague Korina Sanchez on their one-in-a-million tandem: “I joke that after two decades of seeing each other every day in our morning radio program on DZMM, he is like a work-husband!”

Ted is the only boy in a brood of four children, and Korina the only girl in a brood of five. In what seems to be a partnership made in broadcasting heaven, they formed a real and deep friendship in a very competitive industry. Their list of award-winning hit programs include Hoy! Gising, Pulso: Aksyon Balita, Tambalang Failon at Sanchez, Harapan and TV Patrol. According to Korina, they share the same sense of humor, have similar advocacies, and they grew together both personally and professionally. According to Ted, “naiintindihan ko siya, yung mood niya, yung temper niya, at naiintindihan niya ako, yung mood ko, yung temper ko.”

8. He turns to books for answers.

On his office desk was the book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, which he has read cover to cover to help enlighten him on how to deal with his daughters. They may not give him answers when he asks them “May nanliligaw na ba sa iyo? May nambu-bully ba sa iyo,” but he seems to be doing fine because his eldest daughter Kaye shares that the best thing about her dad is “his capacity for acceptance and understanding.”

On the set of TV Patrol, beside Ted’s chair and retouch kit was the book Pananampalataya written by his good friend Pastor Joey Umali. On the cover it read “Buhay na pag-asa sa pag-ibig ng Diyos” and inside, the bookmark he used was a photo booth shot taken of him and his daughter. He would read a few lines during commercial breaks.

Off camera, Ted’s executive producer Irene Javier-Manotok reveals that Ted is a very spiritual person, and that he once advised her that we should kneel when we pray. “I don’t want to be preachy about it, but I discovered so many things when I became more spiritual,” Ted shares. When asked what Bible verses are his favorites, he effortlessly recites chapters, passages, and lines, citing the books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and Philippians.

9. He still finds himself asking questions about the fate of his dearly departed wife Trina.

“Meron pa rin sa aking mga low moments, meron pang panghihinayang. Bakit kinakailangang mangyari? Bakit kinakailangang humantong sa ganun? Hindi pa rin nawawala yun,” Ted opens up. After that incident, he shares that “life is too short,” which is his life philosophy. We should enjoy it, we should do what we can to help others, and we should do what we want for ourselves, because no one knows what will happen tomorrow.

10. Ever since he and his daughters lost his wife, Ted declared one most important, basic rule to his family: “Errors are accepted in this home.”

“Lahat tayo nagkakamali,” Ted declares. And he reaffirms his two daughters by telling them, “Kapag nagkamali ka sa anumang desisyon mo, sa anumang ginawa mong bagay, mali man ito sa mata ng lipunan, sa ibang sektor, sa ibang tao, nakagawa ka man ng hindi tama.. Bago mo kausapin ang kaibigan mo, barkada mo, sa takot mo na magagalit ako, hindi dapat ganun. Dapat ang una mong kakausapin, ako. Tatlo tayong mag-usap, kasi wala ka nang ibang uuwian. Pag nagkamali ka sa labas, you seek refuge sa bahay. Tanggap ka dito, dahil bahay mo ‘to. Yun ang rule number 1.”

For this family man and passionate broadcaster, life is simple. He does not have more than one credit card (he has one foreign card for when he travels, which he hardly does), he does not bring his wallet to work because “wala naman akong inaasahan na bibilhin ko,” and the one thing he wants to achieve more in life is to see his youngest daughter Karishma graduate college. They say that there really is no sure “secret” to success, but in the life of Manong Ted, simplicity, humility and hard work seems to be what brought him straight to the top.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/737454/ted-failon-waiter-tricycle-driver-newscaster

10 Things You Should Know About Norman Black

With author Bianca Gonzalez: “When the interview is not sports-related, I normally shy away.”

I’ve been watching Norman Black from the time I was a kid and he was a star player for San Miguel, to this day when he coaches the basketball team of my alma mater. It was so surreal to finally shake his hand and sit down with him for a one-on-one interview. I’m so thankful that with the help of his “alter-ego” (as coach Norman calls him) and team manager Paolo Trillo, he actually said, yes! From what I’ve heard, he hardly ever agrees to do lifestyle or entertainment interviews. And sure enough, when I thanked him for saying yes, he said, “When it’s not sports-related, I normally shy away.”

Whether you are a die-hard basketball fan or you don’t care about basketball at all, coach Norman has some very interesting stories worth reading about. Here are 10 things I learned about him:

1. Coach Norman holds the record for being the PBA import with the highest number of points and the highest number of rebounds of all time.

Scoring a total of 11, 314 points and 5,333 rebounds in the span of 282 games played from 1981 to 1990, Norman Black is the leader in the list of all-time scoring and rebounding imports. That list includes other great PBA imports such as Bobby Parks, Sean Chambers, and Billy Ray Bates. In those 282 games, he averaged 40.1 points, 18.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.

2. His love for the game of basketball started with a rejection.

“I actually started playing basketball because I didn’t make the team in high school,” coach Norman reveals. He was a ninth grader in Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore then, and though he never really played basketball before that, he wanted to try it out since he already had the height, build, and the ability to jump really high. “Because I got cut from the team I became very determined to prove the coach wrong, and to try to prove that I could be one of the better players,” he explains. The very next year, he made the team and according to him he “became pretty good very quickly.”

3. Coach Norman in numbers:

196 — his height in centimeters (or 6’5”)

14 — his shoe size

76 — most number of points he scored in one game (this was on Oct. 13, 1985 when he played for Magnolia)

With wife Benjie during the 2010 3-peat victory party in Fiamma: “Maganda ang asawa ko.”

24 — his jersey number when he played for the Detroit Pistons in the 1980-81 NBA season

14 — number of championships he won as a coach. He won 10 in the PBA, nine of which were for San Miguel and one for Sta.Lucia. He won four straight championships for Ateneo in the UAAP

2.5 — number of years between the day he met and the day he married his wife Benjie

4. He once broke his finger in the middle of a game, taped it up, finished the game, and ended up scoring 46 points. This is what earned him the award, and the moniker, “Mr. 100%.”

This happened in 1983 when he was playing for Great Taste. “Everybody knew it was broken, that’s one of the reasons why they gave me the award,” he shares. Today, the championship shirts Ateneo have the words “Mr. 100%” printed on them, as a way of honoring what Coach Norman has done for the team.

5. On more than one occasion, some alumni members wanted him kicked out as head coach of Ateneo.

Coach Norman was first a consultant for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in 2004, then became head coach in 2005. Success didn’t come easily. It was in 2008, the 71st season of the UAAP, that he won his first championship as a coach in college basketball. “I know after my second year, a lot of alumni wanted to get rid of me,” coach Norman reveals. After his third year, still with no win, he said that a majority of the alumni wanted to get rid of him. He explains, “What they didn’t realize is that it takes time to build things, you make an investment, and you don’t get that investment back immediately.”

“I have to thank Fr. Ben (Nebres) and MVP (sports czar Manny V. Pangilinan), they were the two who did not listen to the people who wanted me kicked out,” Coach Norman adds.

When asked which of the four UAAP championship titles was the most fulfilling, Coach Norman said it would be the first. “Mainly because I coached Ateneo for three years before we actually won on my fourth year as head coach.”

I asked him, in all honesty and humility, if he felt in his heart that they would win this season. He said, “Out of all the teams I coached in Ateneo, I thought this team had the best chance of winning.”

When asked if he will still be the head coach of Ateneo next season, he answered, “There are a lot of rumors going around about that. I don’t know what the management has planned and how they’re going to handle the situation, so I’m not going to say anything for the meantime.” However, he did give a statement regarding a possible “5-peat” prediction for Ateneo: “If a championship is on the horizon, I’m certainly going to strive for that.”

6. “Norman, please don’t pull my chain” is the best advice he got from his basketball coach.

These were the words of Jimmy Lynam, his coach when he played for St. Joseph’s College in Pennsylvania. “At the time he said that to me, I didn’t really realize what he was talking about, but in essence what he was trying to say is, ‘Don’t try to fool me.’” In coach Norman’s own words, simply put, “You can’t cheat.” This piece of advice was what really disciplined him, and made him realize that if you work hard in basketball, it will pay off. If you don’t work hard, well, then don’t expect to get any better. “If you want to become a star, you have to work hard at it,” he concludes.

7. Of all the players he has coached in the PBA and the UAAP, he admires Hector Calma, Mon Fernandez, Samboy Lim and Chris Tiu the most.

On the top of his list is Hector Calma. “He was an extraordinary player, and an even better person,” coach Norman reveals. He also has high respect for Mon Fernandez because of his accomplishments and work ethic; Samboy Lim, “mainly because I think any lesser player probably would’ve quit basketball considering how many major injuries he had, and he just kept coming back.” He has a lot of respect for Chris Tiu, saying “to be good at basketball, to be good-looking, to be rich, and to be humble at the same time — that’s very difficult to accomplish.”

8. He is in great shape at the age of 53 because, to this day, he works out every day.

In their home, they have a treadmill, stationary bike, cross trainer, and weights. Because he goes to practice with the Talk ‘N Text team at 2 p.m. and the Ateneo team at 6 p.m., he prefers to work out in the morning as soon as he wakes up. “Sometimes I even work out before eating, which is probably not good,” he jokes. He loves to work out and calls himself a “physical fitness nut.” Every day, he goes on the stationary bike for one hour, does light weights, and 700 sit-ups. (Yes, 700!)

Coach Norman Black at the Smart Araneta Coliseum minutes after clinching a rare four-peat jewel. With him are team manager Paolo Trillo and Rissa Mananquil.

9. He used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning every day to tutor his son Aaron.

“That was before geometry, calculus, and everything else they are doing now,” Coach Norman laughs. For Aaron’s whole grade school life, and a little until first year high school (Aaron is now on his second year in high school in the Ateneo, also playing for the Juniors basketball team) Coach Norman would get up extra early to tutor his son before he went off to school. The subjects that were his forte were science, English and math, and his wife Benjie would handle Filipino, history, and Christian living.

10. Coach Norman speaks Tagalog fluently and actually considers himself to be 50-percent Pinoy.

When I asked Coach Norman if he speaks Tagalog, he flashed a big smile and says, “Syempre!” I laughed because of his endearing accent and he quickly defended himself, saying, “Ang problema sa Tagalog ko, barok din.” (Imagine him pronouncing ko as “kow” and barok as “ba-rowk” and you will surely smile.) He is quick to answer that maganda is his favorite Tagalog word and even uses it in a sentence, “Maganda ang asawa ko.” The Tagalog phrases that he uses most often with his players are “Ano ka ba?” “Anong problema mo?” or “anong gusto mo?”  or anything with the word “ano,” actually, especially when they do something mali.

But more than being able to speak Tagalog, he considers himself to be Pinoy because of his attitude, his acceptance of the culture, and his understanding of the people. He does point out that he still can’t accept the driving habits of some Filipinos and that it “bugs him every day,” but ends with a smile saying, “I’m pretty happy living in the Philippines.”

While listening to coach Norman talk about his philosophy of basketball, I couldn’t help but think how much it actually relates to real life. One particular piece of advice he gives his players is this: he tells them, “You can be a very talented player as an individual, but if you’re not good enough to make your teammates better, then you’re normally not going to win very many games.” For those like me who don’t play basketball and aren’t part of any team sport, that chunk of wisdom still applies! It is true that we must strive to not only make ourselves better, but to help make the people around us better, too. If we all do our best with the different individual roles we are assigned to play, and at the same time push each other to do better, that is how we all succeed. (Of course, my words sound like the beauty queen version of his advice, but it does make the same point, right?)

Coach Norman with Chris Tiu on the court after winning the 2009 back-to-back championship

For someone who has accomplished so much for himself and for others, it is inspiring to hear coach Norman say: “Success is ongoing, it never stops.”

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/735030/norman-black-mr-100-50-pinoy

10 Things You Should Know About Kris Aquino

 

Much has been said about Kris Aquino. Too much, in fact.

So why write about her? Because whether you like her or not, we are all curious about Kris Aquino. Whether she gives her opinion or chooses to be quiet, we have something to say about her. When she got married, she was judged. When she became single, she was judged. When she was linked to different men, she was judged. That kind of a life can’t be easy! She is aware that people either love her or hate her. But in her opinion, that is what makes a star. If you love her, I hope you enjoy what you are about to read. If you’re one of those who hate her, I hope this helps you see her in a different light. I present to you the 10 things that I feel, people should know about Kris Aquino.

1. In the history of Philippine television, along with the Pacquiao fights, the finale of Taiwanese series Meteor Garden and Philippine drama Pangako Sa Yo, among others, Kris Aquino is one of the highest raters ever.

Her first-ever TV appearance was on the show See True of Inday Badiday when she was only 14 years old, and rumor has it that that particular episode rated above 70. (Today, the highest TV ratings are in the 30s.) “I think, put me, Boy (Abunda), Butch Francisco, Joey de Leon, Mel Tiangco, Korina (Sanchez), lahat. Put all of us together, equals Inday Badiday. She was that huge,” Kris declares. “And at that time, I guess there was this curiosity about who I was,” she adds.

Another Kris-related top-rater was her exclusive one-on-one tell-all with good friend and TV Patrol anchor Korina Sanchez back in 2003, where Kris opened up about her fear for her life, a sexually transmitted disease, and violent end to her relationship with Joey Marquez. This episode reportedly garnered above 40 ratings, an exceptionally high number for a newscast. To this, Kris reacts, “Maybe because talagang...” she pauses lengthily, then says, “I’m unique.”

2. Kris is one of the most generous people ever. Seriously. She once gave best friend Boy Abunda an Hermes bag that cost P800,000.

But be clear on the fact that she does not do this to flaunt. Everyone who knows her can attest to that. “What people don’t know is that Boy doesn’t make singil a single centavo from Bimby’s earnings. So the things that I know he really wants but would never buy for himself, when I can get it, I will, because it is a way to express my thanks,” Kris shares.

She once gave a common good friend of ours, top stylist Liz Uy, a whole “lifestyle showcase” for Christmas, but Liz explains, “she may give all these material things, but more than that, it always comes with the most heartfelt handwritten note, and that is what means the most.” Also, 10 percent of all her endorsement talent fees go straight to charity. As to where all this generosity comes from, Kris answers, “I grew up surrounded by generosity, and I guess that’s why I really pay it forward.”

3. Kris Aquino in numbers:

22 — years in the industry

203 — millions of pesos that her movie Sukob made in the box office, making it the second highest grossing Filipino film of all time (next to You Changed My Life, which made P215 million).

8 — hours of sleep she gets every day. She is asleep by 10:30 p.m. and is up by 6:30 a.m. But when she is shooting for her movie, she tries to sleep 12 to 14 hours. She doesn’t scrimp on sleep and can sleep anywhere.

5 — liters of water a day Kris drinks. Liters, not glasses.

4 — number of PSGs that escort her daily, one of whom is always a girl.

14 — total number of household staff.

She refused to give an estimate on the number of pairs of shoes she has because she jokingly said her sisters would get mad at her! But of all fashion-related items, she loves shoes the most.

4. The most valuable piece of advice that her mom, the late, great Cory Aquino, gave her about being a mom, which she holds dearest to her is that “the kids have to come first.”

Kris recalls, “My mom would always tell me na ‘lugi si Josh because you were establishing yourself and you had to say yes to everything.’ Then when Bimby was born and sunud-sunod na the endorsements, she said, ‘Learn to say no to some of the work para you’ll have time for them.’” As she grew older, and with constant reminders from her mom, Kris learned how to “slow down” and make more time for her kids. And I must say, of the times I’ve talked to or interviewed Kris, out of all of the topics, she lights up most when it’s about Josh and Baby James.

5. Both Josh and Baby James are pretty much set for college and beyond, and that’s their own money paying for it through investments made by Kris for them.

Kris explains that the first endorsement Baby James got was a major contract with Pampers, and that money was used to pay the lump sum of an educational fund that covers tuition fees all the way till college. All other endorsements of Baby James after that (and that’s quite a lot for a four-year-old!) went to further investments like real estate. Kris’s mom was very strict about saving for Josh’s future. (Josh is now 16 years old.) Kris remembers her mom telling her, “When you’re not around, he really has to be comfortable and well taken care of.” So her mom advised her, “Kung anong kinikita ni Bimby, you match it. From what you are earning, set that aside as savings for Josh.” All investments she made for her kids are income-generating.

6. Kris is known for giving life and love advice, but the one piece of advice her siblings collectively always give her is “Don’t ever get married again.”

Kris says this laughing, though! She shares that every time her eldest sister Ballsy hears that somebody new is linked to her, Ballsy would tell Kris, “You know all those texts when you were bagong hiwalay and you said ‘Ate, never again,’ I saved it to show it to you.”

7. Kris’s current state of mind on the possibility of finding love again: “If it doesn’t happen, I’m fine.”

“Ask me again two years from now, I don’t know,” Kris adds.

On the topic of Makati Mayor Jun Jun Binay, Kris says, “I promised him I would never talk about him anymore (to media), so we don’t feel uncomfortable around each other.”

8. Kris on love: “The only way it can work is if I’m no longer Kris.”

I asked her, it is actually possible that if she meets the right man and she falls madly in love with him, that she will leave her career for love? She answers, “If he comes, and I know that I have that comfortable figure financially in my head for my children, it will be a voluntary decision, yes.

“It’s the only way. I didn’t fail in this career because I’ve given it my all. So, I want to give that my all,” Kris opens up.

9. Of all the questions in this interview, Kris took the longest pause before answering if she believed in the concept of that “one great love.” After the pause, she answered that it’s James.

“Honest to God, now that I look back at everything, I realize despite everything James and I went through, I wanted it to work,” Kris says on a more serious note. With everything that happened and as she looks back, Kris says she has no regrets. She saw it through and tried, and James did as well.

That phase of her life was the only time she wished she wasn’t living under the spotlight. She shares, “I never wished to not be me, but when James and I were just so unhappy, and we were not allowed to show how unhappy we were, dun ko wi-nish na sana we were ordinary because (if we were]) we might’ve worked through the problem.”

“So if it’s a question of who was the one great love of my life, it’s him. It’s just that he was too young, I was too idealistic. And my world was just so alien to him,” Kris explains.

“Maybe I’m saying that because I’m so in love with Bimby,” Kris adds. She can’t stress enough how her greatest source of joy in life is Baby James and Josh.

10. Kris believes that the good in her life far outweighs whatever the haters have to say.

Kris recognizes that in every industry, people will say nasty things about other people if they want to. It just so happens that in the entertainment industry, the circle is much bigger. Her good friend comedian Vice Ganda even jokes with her, “Kaya tayo magkasundo kasi pareho tayo, may mga taong bwisit na bwisit sa pagmumukha natin.” At the end of the day, for Kris, as long as the people closest to her, those who work with her, those who see her every day, hold her in the highest esteem, then she knows she is doing a good job.

* * *

I asked Kris to rate the President, her brother Noynoy Aquino, on a scale of 1 to 10. She jokingly said that if she didn’t say 10, she’d be the worst sister in the world, but if she did say 10, people would say she’s biased. Lose-lose situation as they say. Much as I tried to get an answer, I understood that that was her answer.

We can all say a lot about Kris Aquino, but one thing that can’t be questioned is her loyalty. “Fiercely loyal” is a term many people use to describe her. Loyal to family, partners, friends, to her faith, to our country, and even to her endorsements. As a friend, co-worker, and fan of Ate Kris, I have learned from her that even the best of us make mistakes. But it is how you learn from it and how you pick yourself up after that matters in the end. Ate Kris is probably one of the most judged, most scrutinized, most controversial people in the country, but despite all that, she’s still on top. It is human nature to pass judgment on others, but hopefully through this humble beginner’s column of mine, together, we all get to know more people a little more, and learn what it is we can learn from their lives.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/732576/10-things-you-should-know-about-kris-aquino