Blast From the Past - LSGH 4H Class Night

It's pretty much an LSGH standard that graduating classes throw their individual parties for their homeroom sections before graduation day: close to 40 students converge in a house meeting the following criteria: (1) minimal-to-no adult supervision, (2) has a gaming console, all of the latest video games and a 40-inch television screen (minimum), (3) has a basket ball court and a yard big enough for football, (4) does not allow underage drinking (I do hope you got the sarcasm on that one) and (5) has plenty of rooms for... stuff.

LSGH 4H Class of 2010

4H was pretty much a mixed bag of misfits, rascals, nerds, geeks, jocks, astists and Earl. Hi, Earl. I love these guys so much, no homo. Ha ha.

Earl

Ours was remarkable in a sense: we were the only class that had our class night out of town! One of our classmates gamely offered a near-empty 4-storied mansion in Canyon Woods, Tagaytay. I sh*t you not with the whole mansion thing, the place was huge! Sans the basketball court, it was perfect! The closest we had to adult supervision was the presence of Mr. Mario Cortez and Bro. Aikee Esmeli. FSC, by the way, who both are totally lax and chill (along with a battalion of bodyguards and drivers) so uh... yeah. Out of a class of 41, only 2 people couldn't make it because they weren't allowed (Hi, Pat and Carlos). Boo. I wonder why. 39 high school boys in one house, with all of that? Whouldathunk.

(L-R) Caleb, Baby Carl, Ralphe, Tejads & EJ

(L-R) Tejads, Caleb, Alvin, Baby Carl, Ralphe & EJ

(L-R) Migs, Chip, Luigi and EG

the house dining table

the house fridge

It was a Friday to Saturday thing and the whole endeavor was equal parts tiring, fun, costly and memorable. I do remember cooking the food on-the-fly for 40 plus people with the help of the ever-so-merciful Doldenn, somebody streaking, singing "Eye of the Tiger" at 4 AM in the morning, a friend asking for a hooker at the local 7-11, somebody falling asleep in the bathroom, a boxing match, unicorns, lots of bromancing and waking up with--hands-down--the worst hangover I've ever had.

Mari vs. Moses

Earl vs. Dan

LSGH 4H Class of 2010

(L-R) Migs and Mr. Mario Cortez

Joshie

And I would kill to do that all over again! To my 4H-Hippos (with no homo): I love you guys and I'll see you all soon! (click HERE and HERE for the complete album by Gerald Tejada) 'Til the next post!

That kid on the radio.

Those Kids on The Radio Are On The Newspaper!

A normal drive to school for the summer semester would consist of 3 things that always happen. In chronological order, (1) My mom telling me I'm incredibly late for my 9 AM class, (2) breakfast in the car and (3) "The Morning Rush."

On my way to Katipunan with my Dad, the first bit I caught as we turned on the radio was Gino, telling everyone to buy a copy of The Manila Bulletin because it featured all three of them on the Campuses & Schools section--a weekly special, published on Wednesdays. I sh*t you not, my Dad went ballistic and frantically looked for a "tak-tak boy" along C5! I finally convinced him to forego with the idea and have me buy one at the nearest convenience store instead, and as I went down, he handed me a thousand-Peso bill for a twenty-buck newspaper. LOL.

"Three Way Radio" by Jaser Marasigan
photo by: Andrew Pamorada
published in The Manila Bulletin on April 25, 2012

"Three Way Radio" by Jaser Marasigan
photos by: Andrew Pamorada
published in The Manila Bulletin on April 25, 2012 

Just a quick tidbit: If there's one thing I admire about my Dad, it's the fact that even with drivers, he insists on driving and seeing off each and every one of us (5 kids) to wherever it is we have to go to in the morning. It doesn't matter if he's sick, tired or overworked, Dad would always be the one to give our day a head start--even with the crazy Manila traffic! With or without us kids in the car, Dad's constant companion while braving the raging streets of the cosmopolitan traffic would be the car's radio. Since getting into radio in 2008, Dad's been converted to being a listener of Monster Radio RX93.1--as if he has a choice. Ha ha. Since then, it's no secret in the family that my dad is a huge fan of The Morning Rush with Chico, Delamar & Gino. I remember that one time I saw my Dad get really "kilig" because Delle greeted him with a "Hi, Sir!" Priceless.

After reading the lengthy 2-page, photographed and colored interview of the hosts of the multi-awarded, longest-running and top-rated radio show--to which my Dad quipped "Anak, sa ibang station ba, ganyan ka-"good looking" and mga DJs?", I hastily folded the section to get to the other parts of the newspaper. Lo and behold, I came across THIS!

"Happy Summer Campers" by Jaser Marasigan
photos by: Andrew Pamorada
published in The Manila Bulletin on April 25, 2012 

photo by: Andrew Pamorada

photo by: Andrew Pamorada

photo by: Andrew Pamorada

Funny how it really did take me a while to realize that it was us. For one, I half-forgot about the interview we had weeks ago. The fact that it was a full page, in full color was unbelievable too! I gotta be honest, being published in a major broadsheet not for a crime is a pretty great feeling--a perfect mix of pride, "kilig" and happy that got me smiling and giddy the whole day!

After much internet and text-blasting and the initial shock passed, it finally all came to me--something I failed to notice and it sunk in. They used this photo. Oh God, why.

(L-R) Radio1 jocks EJ, Ysa Chong, Nikita, Nikki V., Angel, Trish & Genille
photo by: Andrew Pamorada

"Happy Summer Campers" by Jaser Marasigan

photos by: Andrew Pamorada

published in The Manila Bulletin on April 25, 2012

Ha ha. Read all about it HERE! Thanks to Jaser Marasigan, Andrew Pamorada and the editorial of The Manila Bulletin for this one. That's one thing off of my bucket list. 'Til the next post!

That kid on the radio.

SMART X NOKIA Lumia Private Launch Party @ Republiq!

Smack in the middle of the week, SMART--together with Styles Entertainment--introduced the NOKIA Lumia to tech-savy Filipinos at the NewPort Mall!

The SMART X NOKIA Lumia Private Launch Party

April 19 saw the Resorts World complex welcome the SMART X NOKIA crew as they showcased, demo'd and gave away NOKIA 710's to mall-goers, bloggers and celebrities alike. Hosted by "Survivor Philippines" star KC Montero and GMA7 "it-girl" Rhian Ramos, the press-conference at the Café Republiq was jam-packed, and as they told us all about the the NOKIA Lumia 710, shutterbugs snapped away at the celebrity hosting duo.

Café Republiq
photo from ysachong.tumblr.com

(L-R) Radio1 jocks Nikki V., Nikita, EJ, Ysa Chong & Genille
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

Café Republiq wasn't the only happening place that night. Top radio DJs Gino Quillamor from Monster Radio RX93.1's hit comedy show "The Morning Rush" and the stunningly beautiful Andi Manzano delighted mall-goers of the NewPort Mall to a program also made possible by SMART X NOKIA! The set-up featured LED boards, standees and demo portals for everyone to take the NOKIA Lumia 710 out for a spin!

Gino Quillamor & Andi Manzano
photo from ysachong.tumblr.com

SMART: Live More!
photo from ysachong.tumblr.com

photo from ysachong.tumblr.com

Radio1 jock Nikita with the new NOKIA Lumia
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

Radio1 jock Ysa Chong with the new NOKIA Lumia
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

with the new NOKIA Lumia
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

fashion blogger Miko Carreon with the new NOKIA Lumia
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

To cap off the night, members of the press and celebrities from SMART's long line of endorsers were treated to a private party at Republiq--the metro's premiere super club. Free flowing drinks plus east coast sounds from Miami-native Erick Morillo created an electric atmosphere, all in celebration of the launch of the all-new NOKIA Lumia--all made possible by SMART and Styles Entertainment!

photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

with Radio1 jock Ysa Chong
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

(L-R) Radio1 jocks Genille & Ysa Chong, fashion blogger Miko Carreon (from mikocarreon.tumblr.com), Toff Tiozon, Jim Ferrer, Radio1 jocks Nikita, nikki V. & EJ
photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

photo from mikocarreon.tumblr.com

As always, any night with the Radio1 student jocks is always crazy fun, so thank you to Ysa Chong, Nikita, Genille and Nikki (and surprise, surprise: RX Senior Events Coordinator Ms. Ea Medel) for joining me last Thursday night! 'Til the next post!

(L-R) Radio1 jocks Genille, Ysa Chong & Nikita, RX Senior Events Officer Ms. Ea Medel & Radio1 jock EJ
photo by: Matthew Lee Cheng

That kid on the radio.

That Kid on The Radio for Get SOLE!

Check it out! As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts (HERE), I'm lucky enough to have been chosen as one of the new brand ambassadors for one of my personal favorites, Get SOLE Shoes!

Available in brown, gray and black, Get SOLE is available in all American Blvd. outlets. Retailing at PHP 599, Get SOLE is a definite find--comfort and value all rolled into one! I suggest buying the entire collection because they go with pretty much anything in your closet!

Special thanks to Erika and Ren from Get SOLE for a fun photoshoot! More photos coming soon! More DJ brand ambassadors too!

Get SOLE on Facebook

'Til the next post!

That kid on the radio.

Blast from the Past - Radio1 Circa 2008

I got a lot of feedback that people enjoyed my previous "Blast from the Past" post featuring RX 93.1 back in '08 so I figured to make a separate post dedicated to Radio1!

Radio1 batch 2008

So how and when exactly did I get into the whole business? I phoned the receptionist asking her if RX had any openings for a summer job as a student DJ and she was nice enough to tell me about Radio1--a student jock training program for college students aged 18 and above. I was 14 and in my sophomore year in high school. Crap. A couple of months after my 15th birthday, I called again and asked how the audition process was. Simple enough, all you had to do was call them in advance that you were coming in, schedule an audition with a senior RX jock and wait for the results! And the whole 18 and college criteria, which I kinda left out when I told the secretary to take down a date. Technically, I didn't lie. So I showed up, met Dr. Love, Tom Alvarez, told him straight-up that I was 15 and in my 2nd year and asked if I could still audition. And I quote: "Well, you're here. Show us you got it and we might reconsider." 2 months after that recording session, I got a phone call from then-head Radio1 student jock and now senior air-staffer Hazel telling me that I got in Radio1! And again, I quote: "Really?! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" There you have it. I attended the meeting on June 22, and my first training date was on August 18, 2008.

Radio1 Photoshoot 2008
Photo by: Enzo Marcos

Radio1 Photoshoot 2008
Photo by: Enzo Marcos

My first day was uneventful, at least, because I was only tasked to observe for the whole of the 3-hour show. A week after, I read my first time check on-air for SUN Cellular ("time brought to you by SUN. Sa SUN, SUN tawag lang 'yan!") which, to my behest was in Filipino. Yes, I remember these things!

We were a pretty big bunch at 28 or 29 if I remember correctly. There was... Andre, Enzo, Merryl, Bea, Caramel, Jimmy Ayson, Trish, AM, Maan, LA, Helen, Mike, JJ, Jaime, Joey, Andy, Will-J, William, Alpha, Klara, Mona, Suzie, Cam, JC, Bianca, Lee, Angel, Jana, Paula, Thea, Albert & Carlo. Phew. I'm pretty sure I left out a LOT more. Turn-over was pretty fast and a lot of people were falling in and out of Radio1 and scheduling was really difficult. Props to Hazel and AM who pretty much took care of that big bunch for around 3 years! Pretty big number compared to the 16 jocks that we have now. Ha ha.

(L-R) EJ, Hazel, Will-J, Raffy Reyes, Alpha, Joey, Paula, AM, Carlo, Caramel, Bea, Andre, Suzie, Mona and Klara

The up-side was that there was always a full house for events: parties, premieres and stick-ons were always filled with Radio1 jocks and those were always fun.

at the RX Car Stick-On 2008
photo by: JP Manahan

at "College Break!" the RX SemBreak Party 2008
with former Radio1 jock Carlo and RX weekend jock AM

at "Black & White" the RX Halloween Party 2008
(L-R) former Radio1 jocks Wil-J, Diana, Cam, EJ and RX weekend jock AM
photo by: JP Manahan

Training-wise, nothing much has changed. I started out with Igi and Francesca. Igi left, and I was carried over to Gino who trained me for about a year and a half. After college started, I made a switch to Christi for a bout a month or two for the summer but that was cut short. I stuck to the same time slot and was put under the Rico Robles and I haven't had a calm moment on radio since! Ha ha. Still a lot to learn though, so yes, keep tuning-in!

Looking for more? Check www.rxradio1.multiply.com for more on retro Radio1!

'Til the next post!

That kid on the radio.