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!

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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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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All of us want things.

Sometimes, we don’t need things.

But all of us want things.

I remember a time of utter selfishness, when I felt the pain of not getting the wants, of ignoring the needs for the wants, of reaching for nothing else but the wants.

It felt like a void.

A void where the wants multiply endlessly.

The void, I remember.

A thousand needles made their way into my psyche, like a heart that beat faster than the fluttering of a hummingbird. There was hurt, yes, but then surprisingly there was also numbness – one that came from realizing just how insignificant one truly was after it kept on hitting your head with a hammer.

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Sometimes, you just want the rage take you over.

It takes a hold of you.

It builds up within.

And it makes you want to… scream.

But you check yourself.

You keep it in because it may be the right thing to do.

May.

Still, it eats at you from inside, and you realize that there has to be a different way to let it out. There has to be a way to let the frustration take form so as not to let it drown you with it. There has to be a way for you to not let the power consume you and him and every single other innocent that stands in the path towards serenity.

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You get pulled in different directions by those imprisoned emotions.

There is a sense of fear and paranoia, of impending pain or loss if things aren’t handled right. As though everything needs to be perfect, and a single  – even minor – lapse of judgment feels like the world falling apart.

Then, there’s the excitement of possibilities, many which may not come to pass soon, but it is intoxicating because of the what might be’s. The what might be’s are a drug, you see, creating a feverish illusion that you know could not be good, but you revel in it, anyway. Illusion is reality in the mind, and mind can shape reality.

You listen to the voices of others whose perception of reality may be more acute than you wanted to give them credit for. Until you realize you want to give them that.

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Recently, I asked my friend Evan whether he’s experienced the desire to just cry, to let it all out in a wave of tears, yet nothing comes out – no matter how much you try to force it all out.

He said yes.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m alone on that one.

I guess not.

The last time I truly wept was a little over six years ago. In hindsight, the reasons were cringworthy and pathetic. It was ultimately not worth the tears, and hell I never even wept that way over the ex with whom I had the most connection with.

But six years is a long time, and since then, I’ve never experienced any kind of major inner turmoil that would warrant a flood of weeping.

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