10 Things You Should Know About Luis Manzano

Luis Manzano: Lucky in love, life & business

Just a regular guy: My mom, Vilma Santos and dad, Edu Manzano were always there for me, any school activity, even basketball games. Sometimes we want to believe that parents don’t break up and it will always be a happy home.

I remember watching Vilma Santos end her show waving, “I love you, Lucky!” I remember watching the new VJ on Myx and asking myself, “Is he trying to be as funny and cool as his dad, Edu?” It’s been years since then and in that time, he has grown and shone as his own person. Here are 10 things you should know about Luis Manzano.

1. He shares he was never bullied about “I love you, Lucky,” because he was one of the bullies back in school.

“I was one of the mean boys,” he shares about his days at Colegio de San Agustin. “I didn’t look like a bully, I was short, stout, and I had really thick glasses na may tali pa. Admittedly, I was doing a bit of the bullying. They knew since I was younger that when you make fun of me, I make fun of you.”

“I’m not a mama’s boy in the sense of asking permission for every little thing I do. I’m a mama’s boy in terms of how much I love and show affection to my mom,” says the self-confessed mama’s boy to Star for all Seasons and Governor Vilma Santos. “You know when boys hit a certain age, they are ashamed to be with their mom or hold their hand or kiss their mom. Ako hindi. My mom, my dad, we’re a very loving family. Along with my brothers and sisters Addie and Enzo (dad Edu Manzano’s children with Rina Santos) and Ryan (Vilma’s son with Ralph Recto). My mom’s a best friend. We have that kind of relationship and that is something I will always brag about.”

On handling his parent’s separation: “I’m a Vegas baby. I think I was made during their honeymoon in Las Vegas,” he says chuckling. “I think they separated when I was four. Apparently I had a good conversation with them. They explained, ‘We can’t be together but we still love you, we are still going to be here for you.’ And I guess,

 I understood. Recalling my childhood I never asked questions like, ‘Why can’t you guys be together?’ My mom and dad were always there for me, any school activity, even basketball games. Sometimes we want to believe that parents don’t break up and it will always be a happy home. No. Sh*t happens. Separating doesn’t mean you have to separate from the child, it is all about communication.”

2. On handling real-life and online bashers: “You hit me, I hit back.”

“Imagine being so young, reading your name in the papers, Grade 4 pa lang they were saying I was gay. And at that young age you think... why? Then you find out it’s part of what your mom does and what your dad does, and you’re indirectly involved.

“One of the first few retorts I remember was when someone posted on Twitter, ‘Mukhang retarded si Lucky sa ASAP.’ I checked his page, saw his photo. I replied and said, ‘Nahiya naman ako sa itsura mo, akala ko wala kang profile pic, hugis itlog lang pala talaga mukha mo.’ And all my followers started laughing, and after a while he deleted his account. It may sound brutal but I will gladly get into a fistfight with a basher. And I’m not saying I’m gonna win, but I’ll give you a chance to back whatever you’re saying. If I lose, I would still have so much respect for that basher because he can say things straight to my face.

“Here’s one thing my mom used to tell me when I got into fights back in school. ‘Nakaganti ka?’ Hindi siya yung tipong, ‘O, anong nangyari sayo? Okay ka lang ba, may tama ka ba?’ First question always out of her mouth was, nakaganti ka ba? When I’d say yes, she’d say, ‘Okay lang ’yan.’”

3. On being open to run for office: “Definitely.”

I asked if he was ready should his mom decide to run for higher office. “Do I have a choice? I have never meddled with my mom’s political aspirations,” Luis says of his mom’s almost 20 years in politics. “The reason I guess why my mom is very successful as a politician is she focuses on her position. When she ran for mayor, she wasn’t aspiring to be governor. Other people could use lower positions as a stepping stone, which could cloud your judgment sometimes.

“I had dinner with my mom and Tito Ralph recently. It was a very casual conversation about me joining politics. They never discouraged me, but at the same time they never encouraged me either. They said whatever you choose to do we will be behind you. I’m not going to fight that battle blindly. When my mom ran she had no political background. All she had was her sincerity, that worked for her, and she learned it along the way. I still have much to learn.”

4. His driver, who is everyone’s “Kuya Jun,” has been with Luis for over 20 years. “He knows everything. He could write a tell-all!”

“Ubos ang oras ng The Buzz sa dami ng alam niyang kalokohan ko dati,” he playfully reveals. Luis is godfather to Kuya Jun’s two  kids. “His wife lives in the house of my ex-girlfriend’s neighbor. So during that time, sabay pala kami nanliligaw,” he laughs.

“People I work with, our relationships last,” he says. What is it about him as a boss that makes them stay? “I just take everything lightly. I don’t think there’s any point in getting so mad. I’ve never seen an issue fixed with anger. For example, I’m doing ASAP and my assistant leaves my shoes at home. If I get furious, will the shoes walk to ABS-CBN on their own? If I need to leave and my driver can’t be found, there’s always a cab. If I get furious, will he magically wake up and get on a magic carpet and pick me up? Getting mad is useless. You waste your time, your energy, you waste so much emotions. ‘Haaay naku,’ yan lang maririnig mo sa akin.”

5. He once ran away from home.

Growing up, he stayed with his mom Vilma during weekdays and with his dad Edu during weekends. “My mom had this rule, especially when I was in high school: do what you want. You can come home drunk, crawling up the stairs, as long as you give me good grades. And I was able to fulfill that part with flying colors. When I got really crazy in college it came to the point where they had to talk to me. That’s when I was really exploring things. I ran away from home. I stayed in a hotel for a while. I was paying for my tuition already because they didn’t want to. ‘This has got to stop,’ those were the only lines I heard from them.

“We did have a confrontation scene. One time, right before running away, my mom caught me with a few special toys. Sigawan kami, pang-pelikula. ‘Hindi, hindi ganyan,’ I said, and she said, ‘In denial ka.’ I packed my things, ang dami kong dala, I walked all the way from my house to the village gate. Halfway to the gate I realized, wala akong dalang sapatos!” He laughs, recalling it. “We all have our dramatic moments.

“When I started paying for my tuition, I realized the value of money, the value of work. Why am I wasting my life? I’ve always had that independent bone in my body. I never really asked for anything. Whatever I have right now, I’ve worked for it. I wanted to make a life for myself. Not rely on my mom’s name, her money, my dad’s name, his money, or my stepdad’s. I have always had that drive.”

6. Luis in numbers:

3,300,000-plus: number of Twitter followers of his account @luckymanzano. He has 502,000+ followers on Instagram

9: Number of years he has been doing mixed martial arts training. “Muay Thai, jujitsu, wrestling, if I’m not too busy I go four times a week.”

18: Age he started living independently.

12: Number of years ago he became a certified diver. He goes on dive trips two to three times a month.

2: Number of acting awards he won for the film In My Life. He has won around 12 awards for hosting.

7. On his one biggest lesson learned about handling relationships: “Grow up.”

“Every time you are in a new relationship, you always want to feel like a baby. We have this longing to be taken care of. It doesn’t work that way, especially for guys. You have to be in control, not necessarily dominating but if you’re the guy you have to take the lead. We have this longing that it’s all going to be okay, someone’s going to pat or rub our backs, but at our age now, we have to take over our lives in general,” the 33-year-old says.

“I’ve had my fair share of mistakes. I’ll be the first one to admit. I’m far from perfect. But hindi ako palagi may kasalanan,” he says of relationships in the past that didn’t work out.

“Realizing you are the same people rediscovering each other” he says is the sweetest thing about love the second time around with girlfriend Angel Locsin. (In the middle of the interview he excuses himself and takes a call. “Love ko?”)

8. On his advice to start-up businessmen: “Listen and learn.”

Seven  years ago, Luis, along with his good college friends Bong and Ron, started LBR Taxi. “When you have your own business, people automatically assume that you’re a business genius. No. The only reason why my business has been successful is because of my partners. It’s all about partnership, it’s not always you. Ako, I make executive decisions. Bong is a genius when it comes to numbers, I can’t even fathom how he does it. Ron, his legwork, the way he deals with people, is just unbelievable. If you have an issue, you listen. Not because you’re majority stockholder does it automatically mean you’re right.”

I asked what he thought he wanted to be when he decided to take Hotel and Restaurant Management at Benilde for college. “I just followed a girl,” he laughs. “My initial plan was I wanted to take pre-med. Because I had this knack for science.”

9. On the toughest scene he has ever had to do as an actor: “Kiss John Lloyd Cruz.”

“My first hesitation when it came to acting was that I didn’t have a trigger point. I talked to Direk Wenn (Deramas) and asked, ‘Paano ako iiyak?’” he recalls. “When we did our first crying scene for Kampanerang Kuba, I was emoting on set, Direk Wenn explained the scene, then he played live background music. Ah wala, I broke down. After a few movements of the camera, they cut, changed the setup, I was still crying. Took another shot, I was still crying. Hanggang sa standby area, sina Ate Uge (Eugene Domingo) minamasahe na yung kamay ko, di ko kayang huminto. Guess I had so much pent-up emotion and I didn’t know where it was coming from. I realized music was my trigger.”

“But yung scene namin ni Lloydy in In My Life… Lloydy is like a brother to me, and knowing I had to kiss him within minutes, talagang I had to get out of my comfort zone,” he recalls. “We did that scene on the Brooklyn Bridge. It was sunset. And then we kissed. Then we had a walk away from the camera. After that scene I really felt the emotion, that when we were walking away, our faces weren’t seen, I was crying. That kiss had no daya, not on the cheek, it was a kiss. Everything was a challenge.”

10. On remaining best of friends with his grade school and high school barkada: “They keep me grounded. They make you realize there’s so much more outside showbiz.”

“I was with them yesterday, and I have a feeling after this when I get home, they’ll still be there,” he laughs. “There’s a political side in my family, an entertainment side, but when you’re with their friends, their wives, even with Angel, it just makes you feel there is so much more to life.

“I’m crazy. If I’m crazy, they are even crazier. People say I talk a lot but I could actually just sit back and watch them talk, they would go at it for hours, non-stop. Could you imagine us on road trips? To Batangas, Baguio, or Manaoag, grabe sa kotse nagmumurahan lang,” he says laughing. “We go all the way back in grade school, some of us have been friends since Grade 2.”

* * *

To end the interview, I asked Luis what he thinks of outgrowing the shadow of being Vilma and Edu’s son. He pauses and says, “I’m holding hands with that shadow. I know that I have my own achievements, but at the same time I wouldn’t mind having that shadow right beside me. We’re walking side by side.”

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/07/06/1342802/luis-manzano-lucky-love-life-business 

10 Things You Should Know About KC Concepcion

KC Concepcion: ‘My life has been like a reality show’

KC on Sharon Cuneta: “She will always be one of the most beautiful, feisty, passionate women I know. My one and only mommy.”

Imagine this. From the moment you were born, the whole country has known your name. When your parents separated, everyone had something to say about it. The whole country also had a front-row seat when you got your heart broken, moved abroad, posed sexy for a magazine, and even when you were doing nothing. How does one handle a life like that? Here are 10 things you should know about KC Concepcion.

1. On life in the limelight: “I didn’t realize it was weird until I saw The Truman Show. For me, my life has been like a reality show since I was born.”

“I was around five years old. I remember when we would be in the car, people would be banging the windows. I would always get nervous around a lot of people kasi feeling ko I could get lost in the crowd. I remember it would be noisy, there were so many people, they were rowdy,” KC recalls. “It was normal for me. But I knew that when we’d get home, tahimik. And at home we never spoke about showbiz or shows.”

“I remember nalaman ko na ikakasal ulit yung papa (Gabby Concepcion) ko when I saw it on the news. I was in the dirty kitchen at home, and ako pa nagbalita sa mom ko (Sharon Cuneta). I was eight years old.

“I remember a story that there was a guessing game among the nurses when I was about to be born. Is she a girl or a boy? My mom came up with the name Kristina, papa ko came up with Cassandra. And then a doctor there came up with KC. I was supposed to be (nicknamed) Sandy, pero naging KC.”

2. As far back as she can remember, even in school, she was compared to her mother, the Megastar.

“In school, I remember a fan made me sign autographs, but copying my mom’s signature. I didn’t wanna do it, bakit ko gagawin ‘yun? And at a young age! I found it weird. May identity crisis din na nangyari sa akin. Parang we are one and the same, but we’re not,” KC reveals.

“In I.S., the few Filipino teachers I had, nagkataon naging teachers din niya. So they would compare, ‘How come your mom is this or that, or how come when your mom was here…? When she’d laugh, tahimik siya, but you laugh so loudly.’ I felt, I don’t know, nakakatawa eh, anong gagawin ko? It was too much. It is okay to be compared at work, but hanggang sa school ba naman. Parang, nakakapagod na,” she explains. “The hardest part of being an International School kid is not being able to see your friends often and always having to adjust to new people.

“Paris was nice. I felt like a normal girl,” she recalls of her college days in the American University of Paris. “They didn’t know anything (about me). Hindi yung parang sinasabihan ng magulang or yaya na, ‘O, be friends with her.’ They just like you, they just wanna hang out, you just share the same interests.

“When I graduated, I was advised to just hit the ground running. I thought I would get into a corporate job or advertising. I thought I could be a travel journalist. Kaya lang when I went home to Manila, there were movie offers, commercials. Nagalit pa nga sa akin lolo ko, on my Pangilinan side, he said, ‘Bakit ka pa nag-iisip ng ibang trabaho, God is giving you those offers for a reason.’ So I tried it out; why not? Then it became fulltime, because it was so time-consuming. Then I realized, this is actually a career.”

3. On nurturing her relationship with mom Sharon and dad Gabby: “So many things have happened already. It’s a whole new time in our lives, a new chapter. You can’t be stuck, you have to keep moving.”

“She was the youngest, coolest, hippest mom in every parent-teacher meeting. In jeans, button-down polo, loafers, her forever emerald cut earrings, and a ponytail,” KC recalls growing up with her then-single mom. “She was always my Valentine. Yeah, it was me and her against the world. I remember when she would be heartbroken she would cry to me. But you know, so many things changed. She got remarried and it was a 180-degree turn. So many adjustments, and the whole world was watching. Even if we’re (like barkada), she makes sure I don’t forget that she’s my mom.

“We spent time in Batangas, me and him, and nothing changed,” she shares about her newfound closeness with her dad. “As much as so many things have changed, how we are is the same. The feeling lang na nagda-date kayo ng tatay mo, that means a lot. Even if my stepdad (Kiko Pangilinan) is there for me, it’s a different relationship with my papa. What my papa and I do is we make memories. He taught me how to make memories. Not everything has to be so intense and emotional and dramatic. With him, it’s just chill.” His term of endearment for her? “Baby,” KC says, imitating her papa and giggling.

4. On the most bizarre of all the rumors spread about her: “That my sister Miel is my daughter!”

“First of all, sabi nila, kaya daw ako nag-Paris when I was 18 is because I was pregnant. And I didn’t know it was such a big rumor because it isn’t true! I didn’t mind it. It was funny eh, but when your family starts to ask about it, then it gets real. Parang, wait lang, showbiz can actually ruin relationships,” KC recalls. “In showbiz, there can be smoke when there’s no fire, unfortunately.

“So when they didn’t see any tell-tale signs, sabi nila, nagpa-abort daw kasi ako. Ano ba talaga? Nabuntis ba ako or nagpa-abort? They said anak ko daw si Miel (Pangilinan), because I wasn’t here when she was born. They said my mom paid so and so millions para daw tumahimik yung mga tao. Then when we adopted my brother Miguel, si Miguel naman daw yung tunay kong anak. Even they’re confused! Also, when I was 12, I went to the States for a year and studied in Boston. Kaya daw ako lumipat ng school is because I got kicked out because I was caught smoking in the bathroom. Huh?” KC laughs and shakes her head.

Having to deal with rumors and unsolicited comments all her life, does she still get affected now? “It makes me want people to get to know me more. If you know me, how I am, how I think, kayo na mismo makakaalam if (rumors are) true or not. Instead of allowing other people to introduce me, I’ll do it myself. That is why I am so passionate about photos, sharing myself on Twitter and Instagram, and my blog before, it is my way of letting the fans in, so that they can know me.”

5. On the decision to enter show business full time: “Siguro it was my way of self-preservation.”

“When others enter showbiz, it is their choice and they know that rumors and issues come with the package. I can’t escape it anyway because even if I’m not in it, I still feel like I am. So I said, sige na nga, mag-aartista na ako. Anyway, I love acting, I might as well get into it by choice so I don’t feel so invaded,” KC shares.

On balancing fans’ expectations and the projects she wants to do: “I think by now people already know that I’m more exploratory. I also get the guidance of people in the industry para naman may meaning yung ginagawa ko, hindi yung basta para maiba lang.  Sometimes it’s also your feeling, like you wanna do something and you don’t always know why,” KC explains. “It really feels like a reality show because people think they know you. But they see how you were presented to the world or how you were packaged. So if you do something like Rogue (magazine), they go, whoa. But actually I’ve always been more of the creative type.”

6. On the biggest relationship lesson she’s learned: “That a person who is perfect on paper is not always the perfect person for you.”

When asked to share a few of the things she’s learned from love and relationships, she laughs and says, “Oh, my! A lot!

“A guy could be perfect on paper. Check lahat. Family background, looks, your family loves him. But, if you aren’t in love, he’s not right for you,” she explains. “Also, I’ve learned that kilig yung possessive, pero huwag O.A. Kilig yung kaya ka niya, pero huwag O.A. Konting temper is okay, pero huwag O.A.”

“Sometimes you think that you want this and this,” she says about love and falling in love. “And it has only happened to me once, or maybe twice. Talaga. When you fall in love, wala ka nang ma-explain. Wala siyang sense, na-inlove ka eh. Well, I’m really not the expert. I’m just a girl,” she laughs.

“He has to get along with my sisters and friends. Big deal sa akin na he can hold his own, that he doesn’t freak out if he’s surrounded by my friends. I just want someone I can be silly with. Who is attentive, who just wants to get to know me, someone I can learn new things from.”

7. KC in numbers:

2: number of theater roles she’s had. As supporting cast in Little Mermaid, and as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She also did a cameo in Katy the Musical

70-plus: estimated number of magazine covers she has done

6: number of years she has been National Ambassador for the UN World Food Program

6: number of passports she has filled. “I really started traveling when I was 16.”

512,000-plus: number of Instagram followers on her account, @xtina_ontherocks. “At that time I was into cocktails. So it’s not on the rocks as in trouble, as in a drink on the rocks. I didn’t want the name to be so commercial.”

8. KC loves traveling and describes the perfect day in three cities she’s lived in:

Los Angeles: “Definitely a sunny day with a cool breeze, driving down Sta. Monica by the beach with my girl friends and music blasting. We’d do yoga, probably see a concert, and we’d have a nice pool party with a great view at night. Just laughing and just super chill.”

New York: “Spring time with the cherry blossoms. I would just be walking the whole day. I’d probably have lunch in Shake Shack with no line. Maybe an outdoor film event with my friends. Go to Williamsburg to have the best coffee and take lots of photos.”

Paris: “Paris is just perfect in general, it is where my heart is. Paris is my alone time place. I’d love to be stuck all day in a place with high ceilings and big windows and the sun shining through, listening to jazz, making an amazing painting that day. Or do my photography, or be on my bike, or cook all day, too. So romanticized.

9. She admits to currently being obsessed with health and fitness. “It’s like going to war against my genes.”

“I’ve always been active, but to study what really works and to really do it every single day, I’ve only been at it the past month. I have a nutritionist and a private trainer na tutok,” KC shares. Her workout of choice is Plana Forma and Forma Asana.

“I’m not a morning person, so to wake up at 6 and have breakfast cause you have to have the right breakfast every day is such a big thing for me. It started with my trainer in L.A., he asked what’s my goal? Honestly? I wanna battle the genes. I’m so sick of being labelled. I just wanna have the body I want. I wanna go to the beach and be in my bikini, I wanna have to not worry about how to cheat my clothes or how to cheat my pose. I’m doing it for me. There was a time I got pissed. I’m eating well, I’m active naman, how come I’m still not happy? I don’t shy away from talking about it because it’s interesting how the body can morph so fast. If you stick to it and do it right. It’s a revelation for me, I never thought my body could change. This is without any cosmetic surgery or pills, it’s pure eating and exercise. It’s like a new adventure for me and I’m curious to know what’s gonna happen.”

10. KC admits she really chooses to leave and travel regularly. “I love Manila, but sometimes it feels like a golden cage.”

“Later on, I’d want to be based here in Manila and one more place, I feel like a gypsy,” KC shares. “I’m all about making memories but I can’t live without working. I love my job but sometimes talaga it gets high octane. It’s always good to know what is new and what people are doing in other places. It is good to get out and come back, always come back.”

“I definitely will go back to work, I wanna work and be on set,” she says when asked about her next career move. “It isn’t even a question of me having so many choices, I know what I want to do and I know what I love doing. It is more of where do I bring it now, where am I gonna take it, and what else can I do.”

* * *

I realize that 10 items are not nearly enough to paint a picture of KC’s life and thoughts, joys and struggles. The only thing as colorful as the judgments about her are the many facets to her personality. “It’s weird being packaged and boxed by people. It really feels like a reality show and people think they know you,” she says. “I was born into this and I just had to adjust to this world. I come from a different place compared to other artists, at pinapakilala ko lang ang sarili ko.”

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/06/15/1334775/kc-concepcion-my-life-has-been-reality-show 

10 Things You Should Know About Georgina Wilson

Georgina Wilson on being dumped: It was such a shock!

Georgina Wilson is described by friends as a finance whiz, a fiercely loyal friend, and a hard worker

Georgina Wilson is a fixture on billboards, magazine covers, publications’ most beautiful and most stylish lists, and red-carpet VIP events. So what kind of problems and issues would someone this gorgeous and influential face? Here are 10 things you should know about Georgina Wilson.

1. Georgina has lived in Yorkshire, Manila, Sydney, and London. “The more places you live in and the more people you’re exposed to, the more you get to know yourself.”

Georgina was born in Texas, grew up on a farm in a small town in Yorkshire, England, before moving to Manila when she was 11 years old.

“My dad always wanted me to study abroad. I moved to Sydney (for university) because I still wanted to feel close to Manila. I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. When you live alone you inevitably learn things you will never learn when you live with your parents. I think I also thought I was so smart, I was so used to a syst/em that I knew how to do well in. But a different one was thrown at me and there were times when I felt, ‘Can I get run over by a car because I don’t know how I’m gonna answer this next exam?’” shares the former student of Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting and Finance at the University of Sydney. “My parents never put pressure on me, not once did they check my grades, they just wanted me to be happy,” says Georgina of her parents Robert Wilson and Aurora Diaz.

“Then I did an internship in London for KPMG, which is one of the top accounting firms in the world. It was the first time I didn’t have a boyfriend, it was the first time I was living so far away, and it was one of the best times of my life. I worked in the personal tax department and I became really close to the head of the department, Bill Shaul, and he became my life mentor. I also worked in the mergers and acquisitions section. Rightfully, I was put in the fashion section and at that time I was looking at these Japanese venture capitalists. I loved it. I worked there for nine months, I never thought I was going home again! But I did go back to Sydney to finish my degree.”

“Why does my life revolve around my love life?” she says laughing. “The funny thing is, and not many people know this, I’m always dumped. I never know when to really acknowledge problems, I’ll just continue as if things were normal. I can never bring myself to say we need to break up even if there’s a problem,” George reveals. “I had a boyfriend in Sydney and when we broke up, I went home to Manila, and everything worked out. My career took a different turn.”

2. On growing up as a Diaz: “Every single day it’s crazy. People close to our family know that there’s a certain level of closeness they have to accept.”

When asked what the craziest thing about her family is, and what she loves most, George says, “That’s one and the same, the closeness. I can’t imagine a life where I don’t have 10 crazy aunts. I speak to at least five of them a day! The intensity of their inter-wovenness in each other’s lives. I’ve never seen anything like it. Once you tell one aunt something, everybody knows. If it’s a good thing, great. If it’s a bad thing, it’s a massive problem. For a man to be a part of the family, you have to put up with a lot.”

On her concept of beauty while growing up: “There was never any pressure from the family. It’s an internal thing. I was a fat kid, and once you’re a fat kid, you’ll always feel like a fat kid. Up to this day, whatever I’m wearing, whatever weight I am, my first question is, ‘Do I look fat?’ There’s not a day that passes without me feeling sh***y about my body. Which is so annoying. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

“Borgy (Manotoc) has a predetermined response all the time, ‘No, you look great, babe,’ In his eyes, I always look great, it is so sweet,” she shares about her boyfriend.

3. Georgina in numbers:

5: number of times a week she goes to the gym. “Kickboxing, boxing, and weights. It’s super intense in one hour.”

710,000+: number of Instagram followers on her account, @ilovegeorgina

15: number of minutes it takes her to get out the door in the morning. “But I am such a slow person especially if I have to fix up.”

18: age she got her first modeling gig, a TV commercial for Pond’s.

100+: number of sunglasses in her personal collection.

4. On her social media posts that have stirred controversy: “If it’s something I really believe in, I don’t have a problem tweeting it and I don’t have a problem with people reacting negatively to it.”

The kissing photo of her and cousin Isabelle Daza: “There was a big fight between Belle and I because we took that photo (exclusively) for Mark (Nicdao)’s book. But I would never post it on social media. When people interviewed me about it being our stand on gay rights, I said, ‘I didn’t post it, honestly you have to talk to my cousin about that.’ I couldn’t hide how unhappy I was.”

The post about people reelecting Erap into the presidency: “That was crazy. I was living in Australia and probably had 2,000 followers back then. Somebody dug up that tweet, took out the date, and made it look like it was recent. In retrospect, if I had known the audience I would be speaking to, I would never have used that language. But my point was, how can we kick him out as president and he was again supposedly gonna win?”

The post about PNoy meeting Paris Hilton: “I don’t see why he needed to (meet with her at 8 a.m. on a Monday). But if you feel that PNoy should have met with Paris then say why. It’s not a you-hate-me, I-hate-you thing, it’s just sharing your opinion.”

5. On the secret to having your friends as your business partners: “The number one thing is having respect for each other.”

“Of course we argue, but we had no trouble transitioning from best of friends to workmates,” Georgina shares about her first business venture, Sunnies Studios, with partners Eric Dee, Bea Soriano, and Martine Cajucom.

The idea for Sunnies came January 2013 and their first store opened October of the same year. “Bea and Eric had a store, Charlie, and I just wanted to help them with their sunnies. They invited me to create a separate company then it just took off, it was crazy. We’ve recently rebranded because we want an umbrella company where we can do other things.” Within eight months, they’ve put up one store and nine stations. “In the next three months, we are opening 15 more.”

6. Georgina’s practical financial advice to every young working Pinoy:

1. The good side of debt. “In the Filipino culture we are really afraid of debt, but it’s something we need to introduce into our lifestyle, but in a really responsible way. Learn from the mistakes of the West, but don’t be afraid of it. It can grow your business in ways you could never with your own capital.”

2. Understanding risks. “It’s really important in any investment to understand the risks, be it a financial risk or competitive risks. Do your research, do your due diligence. I did a lot of my school papers on the economic crash and basically it was just that people didn’t understand what they were getting into.”

3. Safe bonds. “I’ve always believed in making your money work for you. Research into the financial products available, I always put my money into treasury bonds that offer around eight percent a year. Basically never just let it sit in the bank. Know your risk appetite. Even with the smallest salary you can feel the benefits.”

7. On her life choices and preferences: “I think people think they know how I would live, but it is really not at all like that.”

Traveling in luxury or roughing it up? “If I’m paying I never travel business. My dream in life is to see every single city in the world. I don’t need to get there comfortably, I just need to get there. I don’t like spending too much on hotels.”

Stay up late or wake up early? “Definitely stay up late. I feel like my best ideas come at 1a.m. I feel that it is the quiet time. I don’t know how to become a morning person even if I have always wanted to be.”

With or without makeup? “I personally used to feel insecure when I wouldn’t wear makeup. But as I’ve gotten older, I don’t care as much. This is the way I look. You just get more comfortable.”

Shoes vs. bags vs. clothes? “It’s so ridiculous, I love everything. My wardrobe is always everyone’s wardrobe, sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh, I guess that piece is gone.’”

8. Her three biggest fashion investments:

“There’s something about purchasing in fashion that makes my heart beat faster. My mind is never off it, I’m always researching,” she shares.

1. Celine Phantom tote. “I can just put everything in it. I use it every single day.”

2. Chanel ballet flats. “Nude with a black tip. It’s used to death.”

3. Rick Owens black leather jacket. “I am obsessed with any beautiful material, I just love touching it. I use it all the time especially when I travel.”

9. Georgina opens up about the time she hit rock bottom: “It came as such a shock. It was something I never thought was going to happen.”

“I think that I’ve never experienced real heartbreak until then. This was a feeling I’ve never felt before, it was really unprecedented in my life,” reveals the 28-year-old model. “I am the rock in my family so I’ve always had to be strong. And in that period of my life, I didn’t know how to move forward. I didn’t know how to make sense of my life. I felt helpless. I didn’t even know,” she breaks into tears.

“I would never want to go through it again, but I also never wish it didn’t happen. Being back together was not the biggest part of it, it’s really just going through that journey. The level of rock bottom that you hit, it will change you as a person. In a way, I had to go through that because I felt that everything was in my hands, I could do everything. But it came to a point that there was nothing I could do.”

“The person that totally got me through it is Mavis, Borgy’s sister. We would talk every single day. With Borgs and I, it was hard for me to accept because it wasn’t because we didn’t love each other or not because we weren’t good for each other. It was because I guess I’d taken things for granted. I am super the type to push things away that I don’t want to deal with, and it kind of blew up in my face. I was really arrogant enough to think that he would never leave me. Is this really happening? You really can’t wait? I feel like he felt he wasn’t important in my life anymore.”

“I didn’t want to tell anyone about it back then because I didn’t understand it. There were days where I was like a zombie, I could not get up from bed. And it would be so ironic because those days, people would tweet me, ‘I wish I had your life,’ and I’m like, are you kidding? I would want to have anybody’s life right now, anybody but mine,” she recalls.

Nobody seemed to know that Georgina and Borgy broke up until they got back together, as work went on for her. “That happened so many times, that I just had to be okay and it was not optional to not be. I don’t know how I did it,” she breaks into tears again. “Thank God it’s over. I had so many mall shows and shoots, and all I had to do was smile. And God, there was nothing inside me that was smiling. I don’t know if I became mechanical…it was really hard.”

“I had to convince him that it was not going to be like it was before. I had to show him that it was really me that wanted to get back together. The whole experience, looking back, was humbling and I became a completely different person,” Georgina shares of the six months they were broken up.

10. On the biggest misconception people have about her: “I want people to know that it’s not all perfect.”

“I fall into the same trap. I look at someone’s life and say, ‘Ugh, her life is amazing.’ God really created all of us equally in the best way possible. Some people have things that you think you may admire, but they also have bigger problems. Sometimes people comment on my posts, ‘You’re so pretty, I wanna kill myself,’ or they say, ‘I’m so sad I feel so ugly.’  And I feel the same with a lot of people, I feel they’re so gorgeous, I can’t deal.”

“Being content with what you have is such a great gift. And not looking at others and what they have. Especially in this industry, you look at someone and say, ‘Oh, her life is probably perfect.’ Nobody’s life is perfect. Even if they make it look like it is, because it’s on Instagram. There would days back then where I would be funny on Instagram but in reality I was crying like hell. I post it and I would think, that is such a lie right now, I don’t feel that at all.”

“Yes, I’ve been broken up with over and over and over. What’s the lesson from that? I guess its not just to be content, but that life is not perfect for anybody. Nobody has it 100-percent easy.”

* * *

Beyond all the selfies and the #ootds, Georgina is described by friends to be a finance whiz, a fiercely loyal friend, and a focused hard worker. With age came her courage to admit her weaknesses and acknowledge her vulnerability, so yes, she is human just like the rest of us. She adds: “We all go through the same things. Usually when you’re given more, you’re also given more to deal with.”

  
http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/06/01/1329544/georgina-wilson-being-dumped-it-was-such-shock

10 Things You Should Know About Cary Santiago

Cary Santiago, fave designer of powerful women: ‘Taste is everything.’

On originality: “I travel for inspiration, I don’t buy fashion magazines unless my work is featured in it.”

 One of the country’s top couturiers commands not only respect from the industry and six-digit figures, but the admiration and affection of every life he’s ever touched. What did it take for a shy Cebuano boy to become a fashion powerhouse? Here are 10 things you should know about Cary Santiago.

1. Cary was already drawing dress patterns before even going to school and was already designing for an RTW company by age 15.

“I grew up in a military reservation in Cebu because my father is a military man. My mom is the costurrera (alterer) of the community, and as far as I can remember yun na yung world ko. My mom also designed clothes if there was a wedding, or a debut, or beauty pageants. I am the bunso of six, so when they would all be in school, I would be seated under my mom’s cutting machine, I was asked to give pins, draw this line, fold this. I felt I was just playing, yun pala I was helping my mom already,” Cary recalls.

“At 15, I was second year high school, I was already hired to sketch for an RTW company in Cebu,” he adds. “When I was 18, I would study in the morning, and in the afternoon, go to my passion which is sketching. I love to sketch. I was earning P1,500 a week, that was big at that time. Ang taxi noon P150 back and forth, hindi na ako nagje-jeepney. Wala akong pakialam kung wala nang maiwan sa sweldo ko, I just wanted the comfort,” Cary laughs. “I worked for the most popular fashion designer in Cebu at that time, Leonardo Igloria, and at an early age I was already entertaining big clients in Cebu. Parang naaasahan na ako, my boss could see that I could do it.”

2. At 23, he started his own business from the tiny room he was renting to sleep in.

“I felt the military reservation was not my world. My mom and I would design, and sometimes we’d clash. I wanted the freedom. I grew up with my family so protective of me because I am bunso and I’m gay, iniisip nila hindi ko kaya. So I decided to stay on my own in a boarding house when I was 18. But every weekend umuuwi ako or they would visit me,” Cary shares.

“Then I started my own business with Romero Vergara, a makeup artist who worked in Japan and came back home to Cebu. We shared one room and that room was my shop. He was very instrumental in my career because he was there to support me kahit hindi pa ako makabayad noon,” he recalls. “So when I wake up, nagliligpit ako, the room we slept in would transform into my office. My clients didn’t care, and sometimes I would even still be in my pajamas, they would still come over, they just wanted my designs. I was already designing for important people in Cebu. It was easy for me. I saw myself progressing.”

3. On what opened the doors for Cary to design in Dubai: his talent and his chika.

“I had a friend who was working for The Black Shop in Manila, and this Iraqi couple from Dubai spotted him. He looked good, he was stylish. It was their first time in the Philippines and they were looking for tailors and master cutters. My friend referred me, and when they called me, I said, ‘Yes, Madam, I can entertain you, please come,’” Cary recalls. “So the couple went to me in that small shop, yung room ko. After talking, I said that if they wanted my cutter they could bring him (to Dubai). But the more we talked, the more the couple was fascinated with me. Ako na ang ini-interview. While they were there, I had a client who was fitting. Parang sardinas lang kami sa room. They said, ‘Cary, you made that? I like that, can you show us your sketches?’ So I sketched for them. But more than anything else they were already very much into me because of the chika, my personality. And in the end they said, ‘Cary, we don’t need tailors now, we want you.’ They fixed my passport and papers, and after two months, I left for Dubai.

“At that time, my mom told me, ‘We’re not rich. You have to go kasi wala naman akong iiwan sa ‘yo. I remember when I was a young girl I wanted to do so many things but my parents always stopped me because they thought I wasn’t capable. You will always feel like a big fish in a small pond, unless you go to a bigger body of water. So go.’ That gave me strength,” Cary reveals.

“So I was 25, in Dubai, earning US$2,500 as a starting offer. But you know how we Filipinos work, it’s our attitude na nagugugstuhan anywhere in the world. I quickly became the head designer of the couture house. I was then hired by a former colleague who opened shop in Beirut, and stayed there for three years before coming back home,” he says of his stay in the Middle East.

4. Cary’s design inspiration is history, art and culture. “I don’t collect fashion magazines. I only buy fashion magazines if my work is featured there.”

“My father who was very intelligent had a library of Reader’s Digest. So it was black coffee and a Reader’s Digest every morning. That’s when I became so interested.”

Top three cities in the world that Cary takes design inspiration from:

1. Paris, France: “It is really the fashion capital. I’m an old soul and I’m not into new things. I love the Ancient Quarters, the Ile de la Cite, Point Zero, the area of the Notre Dame and the River Sein.”

2. Beirut, Lebanon: “Actually the whole of Lebanon! It is the ancient Phoenicia. Bibloz, Tyros, Sedon, these are very historical places. They built some of the greatest temples and palaces, it was the playground of the rich and famous. It was meant for me to go to Dubai because there, I was led to Beirut.”

3. New Delhi, India: “I love the people. They wear the colors we do not even dare to wear. It is so fascinating because these are the clothes they wore during the time of Alexander, they don’t care if the foreigners dress differently, they are so proud of their culture. The Adjanta caves were my inspiration for my first Philippine Fashion Week Collection, ‘In Praise of the Divine.’”

5. His most important advice for women: “Stay fit.”

“When you are fit, you can wear anything. You will be the most confident woman. You can go anywhere you want, and do anything you want. So stay fit.”

6. Cary weighs in on some of his most famous clients:

• Charo Santos-Concio: “She is for me the epitome of elegance. Every time we do fittings, even without the makeup or the shoes, yung movement niya, it fascinates me. She would say, ‘Cary, do I look good?’ You see a powerful woman but fragile and tender as a person. With me, napaka soft niya talaga,” Cary gushes.

• Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo: “She is really so beautiful. She is always proper, she will not say or do anything that you won’t like. And it is not put on, it is really innate. She is very sincere as a person.”

• Kris Aquino: “People think she’s difficult, but she is never difficult. She is just a fabulous client. I think Kris has more than 50 Carys! Not one na binalik and not one na di niya nagustuhan. She is always fascinating. Ang hindi alam ng lahat, si Kris, pag nago-order, color lang ibibigay. I will make it and she will wear it.”

7. He does say no to clients. “People think I am very strict as a couturier. Yes, I am. I am very strict because I know what I want.”

“I am like a doctor, if you come to me I will tell you the truth. No bull***ing here. Ayoko nung ‘okay, pwede na yan’ because in the end she will be disappointed. If I feel that the client is difficult, I will say, ‘I’m sorry, I hope you do not feel bad pero hindi tayo magwo-work,’ or ‘Madam, I find you difficult, I think this is not possible.’ Are you sure you want me? Have you seen my work? Once there is trust, you won’t want to break that. I stop the client right away when I feel they don’t trust me. You have to be with a designer you are comfortable with.” Cary explains.

“But when the client trusts me, gagawin ko ang lahat. You give everything to them because you don’t want to disappoint them. You don’t want to break that trust.”

8. On the loss of his dog Farez: “I never shed a tear for anyone else. For Farez, I am still mourning. He was instrumental. He gave me life, joy, everything.”

“Farez came into my life in a time that I was a different Cary. My transformation (was) in Dubai and coming back to Cebu. When I broke up with my boyfriend, when I was building a name for myself, when I would need to de-stress, he was the one in front of me, inspiring me,” Cary says of his Shi Tzu who passed away over a year ago.

“Farez means knight. He was a gift from Majid, who then told me that Farez would accompany me while he was not by my side. I was with my boyfriend for 15 years,” he recalls. “When I started feeling something, yung may kutob, even if Majid promised me the moon and the starts, even if he promised me that we’ll be together for eternity, I felt it. I didn’t care anymore, I was with Farez and that is what mattered. That is why Farez is very special, and that is the pain I have, I thought we would be together longer.”

 9. Cary Santiago in numbers:

15: Number of days he spends in Cebu and Manila alternately. He is opening his first Manila shop soon, and he is preparing for his big 25th anniversary show before the year ends.

4 and 7: It usually takes four people and seven days to make a Cary Santiago gown. “My clothes take time, pursuant of perfection. If I don’t like it, I will not give it, I keep it or destroy it. If I give it, it is still a Cary and makikita ang imperfection. Patience is everything and I always have the patience to redo it.”

6: Number that Cary dislikes. “I make sure if there are important events in my life, I make sure it’s not the sixth. Even with the prices of my gowns, I don’t like including the number six. And I don’t like repeated numbers. I’m into numerology.”

100-plus: Number of plain black button-down tops in his closet. “From the time I arrived in Mania, this has been my uniform.”

 10. On designing and originality: “Taste is everything. When you know what to do, and when you know what is beautiful.”

“A lot of the young designers who look up to me, they think studying fashion design is everything. You don’t need to learn everything to become a fashion designer. I didn’t even study. I was lucky to grow up in the environment. More than anything else, it is really taste,” Cary says.

“You have to work with someone you can trust, and I am very creative when I am with John (Herrera). He can tell me the truth. Even if people say magaling ka, you are still human, there are imperfections,” he adds. “I am an evening wear designer. I am not trendy, my dresses are made classic. I don’t need to be inspired from what the current look or uso is, they just have to be distinctive Cary. I collect books, I make sure I travel. I made Katy Perry a dress for Nicolas Jebran. May nakita lang akong manok, may chicken effect lang dito, that’s the inspiration!”

“Don’t be inspired by just the work of others. Be inspired by anything and everything beautiful that surrounds you.”

* * *

“I always put myself in competition with myself. That’s why I am affected when people say my previous collection is the best, kasi pano ko gagawin yung next? It is always a challenge. I look at myself not just as a designer of clothes, I make sure I show myself as an artist.” Clearly what sets Cary apart from the rest is his extraordinary vision and mindset. And the sincerely wonderful way he has with people, and as he calls it, his chika.

http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/05/18/1324270/cary-santiago-fave-designer-powerful-women-taste-everything.