The Wheel and Axle

Mahalima and Me

Some time back, my friend messaged me asking if I wanted to interview SB19 for Esquire Philippines.

I was preparing to go to the gym then, and I probably almost fell over when I read the message.

Because I am an A’Tin – a huge SB19 fan – and it’s like I was just handed a pot of gold!

Long story short,  I got to spend a day with the Kings of P-Pop. While the interview itself was just less than half an hour, I got to hang out at the photoshoot and observe them from behind the scenes. Not to sound too starstruck, but everything I’ve heard about how down-to-earth and approachable and nice they are is true.

I have interviewed celebrities before, but arguably this group is the biggest one I’ve done so far, and yet they’ve also probably been the kindest and friendliest.

My interview has now been published by Esquire.

I like all of SB19, but Josh is my bias.

In it, you will get glimpse of the creative process of this phenomenal group. You’ll also learn more about how and why they engage the way they do with their fans. You’ll also get to understand their over-all vision – what dreams and goals they have not just for themselves but also for the industry.

Esquire PH also has some great video content from the photoshoot and interview across their various social media platforms.

Have a good one and enjoy, fellow A’Tins! This one’s not just for me – it’s for us all.

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Update: Esquire has released the video of the interview (edited of course).

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And here are some behind-the-scenes treats – videos and photos that I took.

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SB19 are: Josh Cullen Santos, Pablo Nase, Stell Ajero, Ken Suson, and Justin De Dios

Special thanks to PJ Caña and Esquire PH for this opportunity to meet my favorite P-Pop band!

* Not Spoiler-Free *

Last week, Netflix released its anime adaptation of the critically-acclaimed Filipino comics Trese (Budjette Tan / Kajo Baldisimo). It received much attention as the first Netflix adaptation of a Filipino property, and the road leading to the release was one of anticipation supported by a very creative, well-received PR campaign.

As a long-time Trese fan who has been following the comics for over a decade, I too was super stoked to finally see it come to the screen after 16 years since it was first published. Although a live action version would have been preferable, an anime version was also very much welcome. So upon release, I binged the 6-episode series – first with the Filipino dub, then with the English dub. It’s an easy binge, really – totaling about 3 hours (like I said, one LOTR Extended Edition film was longer).

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It’s such great timing! The customized Funko Pops that I had made for In and Sun, two of my favorite Thai BL characters, were delivered just a few days before the 24th birthday of Pluem Purim.

Pluem, of course, played the character of In in My Dear Loser: Edge of 17, while Chimon Wachirawit played Sun opposite him. The characters did small cameos in My Dear Loser: Happy Ever After before fully reprising the roles (and tying loose ends) in the second episode of the Our Skyy anthology, Our Skyy: #InSun.

There have been so much merchandise for other GMMTV properties, so it’s always been a frustration of mine that these two underrated characters have not been given much attention. Now, I had learned about a Funko customizer last year whom I commissioned to create customized Funko Pops of me and my friends. So this year, I decided to again commission from Oda Exclusive Custom Pops: In and Sun funkos!

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Today, Pluem Purim / ปุริม รัตนเรืองวัฒนา (my fave Thai actor, if that weren’t obvious by now to people who know me) celebrates his 24th birthday!

I’ve mentioned in the past how much I admire this young man not just for his acting talent but also for his generosity. He regularly sponsors charity work, and he is hands-on as he himself goes out there. This year, Project #PluemPurim24thBD aims to again provide help to those affected by COVID-19.

I’ve read that folks in GMMTV consider Pluem as the nicest guy in their talent pool, and from what I’ve seen following his career, I believe them. As Pluem grows a year older, I know he’ll continue to shine.

สุขสันต์วันเกิด, Nong ปลื้ม!

สุขสันต์วันเกิด, Nong Pluem! Happy 23rd birthday, Purim Rattanaruangwattana!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I watch a lot of Thai series, especially BL, and that Pluem Purim is my favorite Thai actor. Starting with Slam Dance, I followed him to My Dear Loser / Our Skyy, the critically-acclaimed Happy Birthday: The Series, and the recent One Night Steal. I’ve also seen many of his past works, including Grean Fictions, Greanhouse, Siam Square, and others.

I first met Pluem in person at Chiang Mai Airport during my birthday vacation in 2018.

Since then, I’ve met him again twice.

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As is obvious from the last prior post I published, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated my blog. I’ve been busy at work, but the current quarantine situation has basically told me: no more excuses.

I’ve been meaning to post reviews about the massive number of Thai BL series I’ve been following as well as travel blogs about BL-related places I’ve been to from SOTUS, My Dear Loser: Edge of 17, TayNew Meal Date, and others in the last couple of years. Another overdue post would be about the Our Skyy: Fan Meeting in Taipei which I went to in July 2019. Watch out for those!

In the meantime, while I gear up to get into all of that, I wrote another article for Esquire PH, this time to talk about Thai BL: what its literary roots are, what its cultural context is, and how it has evolved.

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I can never get enough of Rak of Aegis. Recently, Season 7 opened, and of course I had to see it again (third time, the most recent being last year).

What I love about Rak is that – like many original Filipino musicals like Zsazsa Zaturnnah, Ako Si Josephine, and Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady – every run adds new spins. Updated jokes that reference current events and pop culture memes are inserted, making each run feel fresh again while retaining everything that made the show successful.

Rak of Aegis Season 7 is such an experience. On top of small reinventions, new cast members are placed into the mix, giving returning audiences the opportunity to see different interpretations of classics.

And so it goes that we once again experience the travails of Bgy. Venizia, which gets flooded for months after a the construction of a gated community nearby prevented proper drainage. Against this backdrop and the backdrop of a social media age where virality is the way to fame, the community’s diverse array of residents struggle to cope with poverty, love, friendship, and ambition. (continue reading…)

Happy 22nd birthday, P’Pluem!

I remain a huge fan of this guy. After his birthday last year, I was fortunate enough to have met him in person in Chiang Mai during my own birthday trip. Hoping for that again later this year, fingers crossed.

And ever since both Happy Birthday the Series and Our Skyy ended, I’ve been looking forward to One Night Steal. That’ll be a hoot since it’s also got Krist, even if it’s basically Just My Luck in Thai.

Maybe in 2020, we can finally see a new #InSun-dedicated series. Our Skyy left us wanting so much more; perhaps a series that intertwines the “what happened in between” and the “where are they now.”

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Nowadays, approximately 95% of the time, I avoid the comments section (and consequently, the engagement info) of politically-charged articles because I value my health. The amount of toxic idiocy on Facebook public “areas,” in particular, is astounding. More so when it comes to political articles I write, I try not to look at the comments lest I engage and then get the urge to bludgeon the nearest available moron.

A recent article I wrote for Esquire apparently got about 16.5K shares as of this writing (one of my folks at work sent me a message about it). Not bad. It did kind of pull me in a bit to check what sort of engagement it was getting. Surprisingly, most were positive and agreed with my piece, although as expected there were a few morons here and there.

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Mamu; And A Mother, Too may seem, on the surface, just another film about the lives of transwomen, one that could either be too inappropriately comedic or else much too maudlin and schmaltzy.

And yet, it carefully avoids these while still retaining humor and heart.

The titular Mamu is a veteran transwoman sex worker living with her long-time partner, Vincent. Due to her estranged sister’s death, Mamu ends up taking her teenaged niece – Bona, who is also trans – into their home. Amidst poverty and growing walls between her and Vincent, Mamu struggles to adjust to having an adopted daughter who is as strong-willed as she is but who is perhaps not yet as street smart. It is the comparison and contrast between Mamu and Bona that drives much of the film, and the question of the repeating cycles of life and the possibility (or impossibility) of breaking those cycles becomes increasingly critical.

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