Project 52 (26/52): On Cleo Caliente (And Why Radio's A Bit Sadder Without Her)

.:Project 52 (26/52): On Cleo Caliente (And Why Radio's A Bit Sadder Without Her):.

Aaaand that's a wrap!

Cleo Caliente recently left the Disenchanted Kingdom and radio in general last Monday, and it's a bit weird knowing she probably won't be coming back anymore.

I still remember meeting her like it was yesterday: less than a month into the Disenchanted Kingdom while they were still a morning show, I guested to promote my second major show, Bound And Gagged, and that's where I ended up being an unofficial part of the Disenchanted Kingdom for the past three years. It was awesome, obviously.

And then I just hit it off with Cleo. Things just fell into place. And I don't mean this romantically.

Three years of ups and downs and general insanity. Good times. Bad times. Times when you'd want to strangle each other. Times when no words are necessary and you simply understand. Times when you'd walk across Binondo on Good Friday, and see a guy peeing in a plastic bag in full view of you. It's gonna be weird not having her as part of the Disenchanted Kingdom now, although that certainly doesn't mean Cleo and I would cease being friends. Still, there's a pang of sadness surrounding her departure from radio.

Of course, most people who don't know me too well would probably never forget that infamous run-in Cleo had with a hotel, and how that issue blew up to a point nobody expected it to. It was one of those key points in my life where I realized that as a friend, Cleo was a keeper, and I became more than just a fan of her talent on air and outright a fan of her as a human being.

I don't really need to go into the politics or the behind-the-scenes stories because they're irrelevant to one simple fact: we lost one of the good ones this week. The most disappointing part about it is it could have been avoided, and everything about this situation could have been turned around to unprecedented heights if enough people beyond the DK itself actually gave a damn. But noooo...

Cleo's unique point of view, her ability to quickly switch gears from demure to witty to provocative to abrasive at the snap of a finger, and her sheer desire to better herself were assets that her station happened to be very lucky to have. Unfortunately, they just let her go gently into that goodnight. A whimper instead of a blaze of glory, through no fault of her own, or the entire team, for that matter.

A shame, really. I take consolation in the fact that better times lie ahead for Cleo Caliente, and she will continue to blaze a trail only she can. I definitely wish her success, and I'm sure she can kick @$$ in anything she'd truly put her mind into.

Godspeed, Cleo! You will be missed on radio, but the radio industry's loss will surely be a different industry's massive gain.

Here's to nearly three years of friendship, and to hopefully less running-into-dicks-during-Good-Friday for us!

Random Quick-Bite Updates...

.:Welcome Back, Cleo Caliente!:.

After a while, Cleo Caliente made her way back to the Disenchanted Kingdom, trading places with Lu Skywalker, who now handles the 12-3 time slot for 99.5 RT.

Was there last night, and it's pretty clear that Cleo hasn't missed a beat at all.

The Disenchanted Kingdom can now be heard Mondays to Fridays, 6-9 PM, on the station that's totally better than DM 95.5, 99.5 RT!

.:This Should've Been A Film Review, But Whaddaheck...:.

Trixie says: don't forget me come the next elections! Trixie the Fixie for vice-kagawad!

Two events courtesy of Nuffnang last week really worked out pretty well: the film screening of X-Men: First Class, followed by the Nuffnang family day.

Crazy tiring on both days, but there was certainly a lot of fun to be had. I'll update this post with links and the like from other bloggers covering both events as well as my two cents when I get around to it...

If Seeing's Believing, It's Worth The Wait...

.:Grand Beginnings:.

Happy birthday, Merei!

I may not be much of a cosplayer, but over the years, I’ve made friends with quite a few of them in the circles.

When Merei asked me to host her debut a few weeks ago, I was stunned. And honoured. Among the cosplayers, Merei was one of the closest friends I ever made who wasn’t part of cos.ph or one of Crissey’s friends. I found her to be very smart, articulate, and wise beyond her years.

Last February 20, I hosted her debut, and amid all the pomp and festivities of the night, I was simply happy for the debutante, because this was her shining moment. She had friends who loved her, parents who would do anything for her, and even foster parents who would never turn their backs on her. Everything is simply within her grasp, and all she has to do is reach out to grab it.

Well, I don’t have much else to tell you that hasn’t already been said last weekend, Merei, so welcome to the wonderful world of adulter... errr, adulthood! Your friends are here with you every step of the way, and always know that we care for you.

.:Standup Night Last Tuesday...:.

Admittedly, not one of my best, but magic went over very well. It's a bit unfortunate that some of my best hits are no longer available since my phone got stolen, but what can I do? I've had 10 or 11 standup sets so far this year, and my best one was the one at House Of Runes, which unfortunately was recorded by my cellular phone, which meant it no longer exists. Oh, well. So much for posterity.

I was a bit stoked to discover that my name was in the latest Comedy Cartel poster. It's really tiny, but it's there.

And March 6 is a day to be excited about, since Mike Unson will be doing a workshop on standup comedy in The Fort, in Fully Booked. Don't you dare miss it.

.:Onwards, Weekend!:.

My weekend started off great with a good show in the Disenchanted Kingdom in the morning, even if it was just me, Cleo, and Ruckus Red in the house. Logan and Marf were... indisposed.

Nonetheless, we had good conversations all around, and it went over really well, to say the least.

Then, en route to ending my day, my phone got stolen. Again. While I backed up most of the stuff there, some things I had are now simply... irretrievable. Rather unfortunate, but here’s to more emotional spring cleaning.

.:Published For Blogwatch This Time!:.

Here’s an article I wrote for Blogwatch. It’s about Mike Defensor, and whether you support him or otherwise, I hope you find it enlightening.

If this were a race of who has the best catering, though, Mike Defensor wins, hands down. There’s a lot to be said about good roast beef, since that’s so bloody hard to find nowadays.

Randomicity On A Friday...

.:The Crown Jules Of Congress!:.

My article for the POC got published today. I hope you check it out! :D

.:Disenchanted Kingdom And Political Correctness Don’t Get Along:.

Marf, Logan, Cleo, Kel, and David from France. No, I wasn’t feeling any unusual amount of “pleasure” that morning.

Wow. That was just crazy. From lampooning French accents to making gay jokes to an endless stream of fat jokes, today’s DK was just packed with political incorrectness all the way! I don’t think we could’ve gotten any more vicious than we did this morning.

Couple this with some really hilariously bad jokes, Marf spouting John C. Maxwell as if he were possessed by the Sto. Nino, and funny moments as we “Countdown To Stepdown” for our beloved president, and you know that the show was just something else.

It was pretty cool running into a Frenchman by the name of David during the show this morning, really. I always wanted to ask how to properly pronounce Blaise Pascal’s “Le coeur a ses raisons que la raisons ne’ connait pas,” and I was told I was actually spot-on with my pronunciation. I like to keep a few good quotes in various language, and Blaise Pascal’s immortal quote is one of them.

There was even mention of maybe going to Camarines Sur and then biking to this other island, and how a non-biker like Cleo could either be carried piggyback or ride on the handlebars, ala most Korean movies out there.

Not a bad show to end the week, I guess

.:This Is Why Crissey Rocks!:.

>

Thanks, Crissey! You’re the absolute best!

Project 365 (18/365), And A New DK Week!

.:18/365: Predictions:.

A Larry Becker killer effect to show off what predictions are all about.

There are so many variations for predictions, I decided to just include them all here in one discussion.

The thing with predictions is, it’s a very strong allure for most people to be able to determine the future, and to find someone capable of doing so. It boils back down to the Oracle phenomenon and how the regular question and answer segment mentalists do can often be the highlight of their one or two-hour show.

Whether it’s about mentalists who attempt to predict the lottery, or the fabled notarized headline predictions by Devin Knight, mentalism has managed to achieve a point where almost anything can be predicted, albeit one is led to wonder why none of these accurate predictions has ever resulted in a mentalist actually winning the lottery. Would the ethics involved truly be too much of a dilemma for them?

I’ve had my share of prediction routines in the past, and I must say, these routines are among the hardest-hitting of the lot. When you make a prediction, and it’s accurate, and people are racking their brains trying to figure out how it’s possible, well you manage to establish yourself in a way nobody can possibly hope to.

Prediction routines, when hyped properly and when done correctly, can get you the most mileage in terms of publicity and recognition. I’ve done simple predictions in the past where months later, a former client would approach me from out of the blue just to tell me that I did something right. It’s quite a great feeling, really.

I’d love to show you one of my prediction routines, but wouldn’t you know it, I actually haven’t really allowed myself to be filmed yet doing one of them...

I predict you’re disappointed, but just look at it this way: out of all the mentalism effects out there, this is arguably the one that needs the least amount of explanation or buildup. Everyone understands what’s at stake when you make a prediction, and manage to nail it.

.:Today’s DK...:.

... the Por-No, Por-Yes record has been broken by K-24/7! Wow!

Also, we’ve had tons of really funny jokes in our joketime segment this morning, not to mention a lot of other interesting conversations, including Jason Ivler, Kris Aquino, and so forth.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s episode, as well as the episode featuring Jonas Diego and Elbert Or on Thursday, as they talk about comics.

Catch the Disenchanted Kingdom on 99.5 RT, Mondays to Fridays, 6-9 AM. This was an awesome start to the week. =D

Project 365 (14/365), And An Awesome DK Episode!

.:15/365: Banachek:.

Steve Shaw, better known as Banachek, is one of the three pillars for beginner mentalists who wish to study videos, along with Osterlind and Maven. He’s generally regarded as one of the most brilliant performers out there, having collaborated with the likes of Criss Angel, Penn and Teller, and the Amazing Randi over his illustrious career.

As a performing mentalist, Banachek jumped into the industry hot on the heels of his pivotal role in the infamous “Project Alpha” that saw him pretend to be a psychic for scientists to test. The ruse lasted for five years and its ramifications on parapsychology are felt to this very day.

What boggles the mind is after outright claiming to be a fraud, many believers still insisted that Banachek was the real thing. Truly, a believer will refuse all evidence to the contrary, even if it’s already the supposed psychic debunking himself. It sounds crazy and all, but it shouldn’t be too surprising to find that Banachek has rabid believers, as the video above already indicates.

Banachek is also very well-known for bending silverware, and is the father of the bends that defy physical explanations. While Mr. Geller is known for straight bends, a spoon in Banachek’s hands actually twist, thereby putting him at a level that few people at the time thought impossible for psychokinesis.

Among the three pillars of contemporary mentalism, I must admit that Banachek is my least favourite. Despite that, it’s rather clear that he’s the most influential in the bigger scheme of things.

.:Oh, It’s On!:.

Harkening back to the days of 93.9 DWKC, Logan waxed poetic about the “Joke Time” segment of the classic radio station this morning on the Disenchanted Kingdom. What followed was something we didn’t expect to ever hear from 99.5 RT. Ever. Discussions about my unexpected magic show last weekend also surfaced...

Suddenly, all four people in the booth started telling the corniest, and I mean the corniest jokes you will ever hear. Whether it was the real definition of “hassle,” or what you call a knife fight between two ugly people is, we were rolling in the aisles, laughing like mad.

Oh, the jokes we used will never make it to Comedy Cartel shows, but for some odd reason, everyone was just laughing their @$$ off this morning, and that wasn’t going to be the end of it.

With some of my kids from Reedley tuning in, a good friend all the way in Scarburough, Canada tuned in, and a host of other good vibes going in, our Pinoy Na Pinoy topic for the morning was all about “Dramatic Lines”. Marf got in some good lines from JLC, Cleo really sounded like she was turning the waterworks on, Logan’s dramatic voice sends shivers up my spine.

Meanwhile, I quoted “Stupid Love”, I did a time-tested skit about a guy who brings pancit home for his mom only to find her sprawled on the floor, and two dramatic shout –outs to two of my exes. That moment just shocked everyone in the booth... heh.

The Weekend Insanity, Plus Some DK Craziness...

.:An Insane Weekend:.

This weekend has been the craziest one I’ve ever had, in my opinion.

It all started with Ditzy Diner. I did a silent comedy show, met some new people, then sung my lungs out, despite having a sore throat.

Saturday started off normally enough, as I hung out with Sacha and the rest of the JGL, and we had a lot of great times talking to each other and all. It’s always good to hang out with them and catch up, especially since Mario was the butt of our jokes, poking fun at the fact that he was still into Sacha, for the most part.

Afterwards, things started getting really crazy...

I decided to pass on going to the Ne-Yo concert in favour of meeting up with Cleo and going to Marf’s birthday celebration. This was normal, as was getting lost on our way to the place and doing some magic for Marf’s party, including doing my infamous rope routine on Cleo, much to her shock, as neither her nor Marf have ever seen me doing my act that way.

After I enjoyed Avatar a second time, Cleo and I had to go to Adfarm as I tried helping out with doing plugs for the Disenchanted Kingdom. With no sleep to my name and me feeling a bit idiotic as I let Cleo use my laptop to chat with her suitor prior to the film, I was so sleepy during the morning show that my sleepy time pictures ended up on Facebook. Not even a good topic for “Pinoy Na Pinoy”, one about call center agents, could keep the whole KDL-less crew from just succumbing to fatigue and sleepiness.

Ah, well. Crazy weekend? Crazy weekend, for sure.

.:Tuesday Morning’s Disenchanted Kingdom...:.

... considering how yesterday’s show was one that saw me completely exhausted because of a relentless weekend, I must be grateful for this morning’s show, as it was one that featured just myself and the ever-lovely Cleo Caliente. Marf and Logan were indisposed, and JJ Cool and Inka didn’t drop in on us, either.

Anyways, the show proved to be a pretty good one as the two of us tried to give advice to this guy who supposedly fell in love with his best friend, although his best friend simply doesn’t feel that way about him. It was rather amusing to think about it because we were talking about “Paano Na Kaya”, which was a film that apparently has the exact same storyline as our poor guy in need of advice.

Ultimately, this wasn’t the first time Cleo and I did a radio show on our own, and as two people with similar styles during our graveyard days (And even the same show title! Insomaniacs vs. Insomania!), we gelled extra well this morning, as she threw barbs at me while I took all of them in stride, and found a lot of people who supported me and actually implored Cleo to be nicer to me. Heh.

We also ended up talking about Angel Locsin, the suspension of “Showtime”, Piolo Pascual, and Simon Cowell’s intention to leave “American Idol” after this season. Cleo quipped that I was the Paula Abdul to her Simon Cowell, akin to the way that I was the Boy Abunda to her Kris Aquino. It didn’t take long before we started doing impressions of the latter two.

All in all, a pretty good episode, and a good one to anticipate the return of the King tomorrow.

Project 365 (12/365), And Some DK Backblogging...

.:12/365: Uri Geller:.

Failure?

Fewer people in the mentalism world has caused as much controversy as Uri Geller. Claiming extraordinary powers bestowed upon him by extraterrestrials, Uri started his career in the 1970’s by doing demonstrations of drawing duplication, spoon bending, and even blindfold driving. He’s been one of the most influential figures in mentalism, but also one of the most polarizing. You either believe that the man is what he claims to be, or a complete hack who preys on people who don’t know any better.

Uri craves the spotlight. He’s a man who has built a name by making claims that have gotten increasingly more outlandish over the years, until his eventual fall from grace thanks to his arch-nemesis, James Randi. Randi, a very renowned skeptic, was the man behind Uri’s apparent failure during the Tonight show with Johnny Carson, as he asked Carson to make sure that Uri doesn’t use his own materials when demonstrating his spoon bending.

It doesn’t really matter where you stand on the divide between Uri believers and naysayers. For those who believe him, no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t, none will ever prove sufficient. Personally, I’d rather celebrate the man’s contributions to mentalism, because without him, people wouldn’t be standing and taking notice of the things we can now accomplish. He opened the doors, so love him or hate him, I still respect him for that.

And truth be told, how many mentalists would say “no” to an opportunity to be heralded as “the next Uri Geller?” From “Phenomenon” to several other productions held all over the globe, the desire to find a successor to the controversial Uri Geller has taken on a life of its own already. Who knows, right? Perhaps the next Uri Geller would be able to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is indeed the real deal.

.:DK Insanity:.

Wow. Last week’s Tuesday episode of the Disenchanted Kingdom was on a higher octane level than usual.

It started off with us talking about how ABS-CBN managed to sensationalize the whole Efren-Angel affair, not to mention the big fuss they made about Kuya getting hospitalized due to over-fatigue. Sometimes, when it’s a really slow day, I guess they can’t help but try to stir up stuff just to keep things spicy, eh?

After that, we had a laugh trip as we talked about my ex. Cleo was berating me about how quickly the whole thing lasted, while Logan was theorizing that I pulled the whole thing just so I could get Cleo jealous. We also ended up talking about Cleo theorizing about us having kids, and how I’ve progressed from someone Cleo would never consider to someone she’d consider having test-tube babies with. All in good fun, really, as I established that my Lovey-Dovey wasn’t really a Snuffleuppagus, so to speak.

Afterwards, we had very interesting discussions, along with rapid-fire comebacks left and right. From doing voices and pretending to be hoodlums set to do a mafia drive-by, to on-the-button insult comedy we managed to hit each other with, it was all good and all fun. I guess that’s great, considering how I lost my voice shortly afterwards, and the soonest I could come back to RT would be on Monday already.

Anyways, it’s been really good, and the fact that my rapport with the hosts of the Disenchanted Kingdom has been steadily improving has definitely resulted in a lot of good times to be had on and off the air with them.

Project 365 (6/365) And Byahilo's Guesting...

.:6/365: The Osterlind Breakthrough Card System:.

Watch Jay Mata perform the BCS at around 3:50 of the video.

I rarely work with cards as I have a bias against them when I perform, but Jay Mata, the other half of the Kel and Jay tandem, is well-known for performing card magic and card mentalism. This effect is simply one of the most stunning mentalism routines ever: imagine being able to know what card a person is thinking of with but a snap of a finger.

People sometimes insist on classic principles like the “KC” principle or the “G” principle. It’s neither of those. In fact, any claims to that effect are laid to rest the minute Jay asked Lyn Ching to select multiple cards rather than just one, and when he had her hold both cards in one hand each, and successfully divine which card was in which hand.

I can’t tell you enough how brilliant Osterlind was in coming up with this System. It’s one thing to be able to guess a card picked from a deck. It’s completely another to pretty much read a person’s mind as they are thinking of their card the way Jay does here.

.:Today’s DK: Featuring Byahilo!:.

Ang bongga ng lolah moh! And Cleo, too. LOL.

One of my good blogger friends, Byahilo, was a special guest on the Disenchanted Kingdom this morning. Overall, it was a very informative episode, as he pretty much demonstrated to everyone how it’s possible to actually make a living off of blogging if you simply work on it and pull out all the stops necessary to get there.

It was pretty amusing though when Logan tried to set up some “Por-No, Por-Yes” and he found out the only pornstar Byahilo knew about was Peter North, though.

Overall, it was a great show, and we managed to talk about some important times about what’s necessary to successfully monetize your blog, and how a company like Nuffnang or Google AdSense could help you out in the long run. I was losing my voice already, but that didn’t stop me as I was still very much stoked about how well things turned out for Byahilo’s first ever radio guesting.

Ultimately, this was a great day for the DK, and one can hope more similar segments featuring offbeat income sources would arise in the coming episodes.

The Top 10 People I'm Most Grateful To In 2009, Part 8 Of 10...

.:The Top Ten People I’m Most Grateful For In 2010, Part 8 Of 10:.

3. The Disenchanted Kingdom

The Disenchanted Kingdom: Mondays to Fridays, 6-9AM, only on 99.5RT!

In 2008, I was with Campus 99.5 in the hopes of becoming a DJ once again, and to an extent, I did get that wish, albeit I was never on the payroll.

In 2009, I spent the last quarter of the year with the Disenchanted Kindom with no hopes whatsoever of getting hired by the station. There’s something to be said there about being willing to make this kind of effort solely because I want to.

The show’s hosts, Marf, Cleo Caliente, and King DJ Logan, have all been welcoming of me on their show since the first time I guested on October 23 this year. Since then, I’ve been a regular fixture in the show as a sorta regular guest known as the “Magic Plant”, for better or for worse. And I’ve been having the time of my life ever since. Let’s not forget to mention Pom, who is, like myself, also a regular fixture on the show from time to time.

Marf is an excellent guy and even helped me out when I was planning a bit of a surprise for a friend’s birthday. He’s good-natured, a great sport, and extremely funny, even if most of the time, that was never his intention.

King DJ Logan needs no introduction, really. His reputation on radio is stuff of legend, but behind the outspoken and abrasive personality you meet on air is a person who has a heart of gold and believes in doing whatever he can to make this world a better place in his own inimitable way.

Cleo Caliente is, needless to say, the most significant person whom I got to know this yeart. No, it wasn’t Dancing Queen or even Lovey-Dovey. Cleo’s unique personality has amused, perplexed, frustrated, endeared, and won me over entirely in one fell swoop. The girl takes you on an emotional roller-coaster like no other, and you come out all the better because of it. It’s easy to see how much of an impact she’s made on my life in so short a time, and I can’t thank her enough for being one of my best friends, albeit being her “gay best friend only straight” does consternate me a bit from time to time.

The Disenchanted Kingdom has only been what, three months old? Already, it’s a force to be reckoned with on morning radio, and things can only get better as developments happen, controversial run-ins with EDSA Shang be damned.

The other posts in this 10-part series:

Part 1: The Itchyworms.
Part 2: The magic community.
Part 3: The blogosphere.
Part 4: My Plurk friends.
Part 5: Koji Morales.
Part 6: People who are practically my best friends.
Part 7: My Nuffnang family!
Part 9: My Beloved.
Part 10: The comedians.

Speedy Recap!

.:No Rest For The Wicked:.

Well, I just woke up after a long, restful sleep to cap off my all-nighter, as I went straight from doing standup comedy with the open mic guys at Alchemy (And even won a ticket to Ne-Yo for my efforts.) to heading straight to 99.5 RT in anticipation of the Disenchanted Kingdom with Logan, Cleo, and Marf. Yes, I was two and a half hours early to the dance.

Despite that, we still had a pretty good run, especially since Marf apparently ran into Judy Ann Santos in Alabang Town Center the other day and promptly acted like a starstruck fanboy. For. Judy. Ann. Santos! I don’t know about you, but even he was surprised at his reaction. This led to a point where we played “Gaano Ka-Pinoy ang Pinoy?” The topic was funny: it’s about Pinoys who run into celebrities, and my answers were very anecdotal.

Achie Rochelle was listening to the show, and I managed to squeeze in mentioning her name when I started giving my Angelu de Leon answers. LOL. I was so starstruck when I saw her last time in the World Trade Bazaar a few weeks ago. Heh.

All in all, it’s been a good experience, especially since that night, I did a good job with my standup set, and while I’d love to post a retrospective on the year that was, all in all, I think I’d rather not. The –Ber months were definitely exciting, though, and I’m glad that I managed to do my part in helping out during our more trying times, on my birthday, no less.

After the show, I hung out with them at 7/11, and then Cleo introduced me to the unmatchable goodness we know as “Three Sisters”. I was in heaven when I tried their lechon kawali.

.:Rediscovering MTG:.

After a long hiatus from the tournament scene, I made some key purchases to make my deck a powerhouse once more, and I’m definitely excited about what 2010 holds for us Magic: The Gathering players. One can hope that the good cards Zendikar has unleashed would only be a portent of things to come in the following sets for the game.

EDSA Shang's Big Mistake

.:EDSA Shangri-la Security Personnel Harrass And Publicly Humiliate Ms. Cleo Caliente: A Breach Of Protocol, And Then Some:.

Before anything else, happy birthday, dear Cleo!

Ladies and gentlemen, today is the birthday of a good friend of mine, one of the hosts of the radio show I usually guest on, the Disenchanted Kingdom on 99.5 RT. Her name is Cleo Caliente.

Normally, birthdays are supposed to be really happy days, but the fine folks over at EDSA Shangri-la in Mandaluyong clearly had different ideas.

Around the stroke of midnight, Ms. Caliente was on her way to the hotel room of her friends who flew in all the way from the United States. She was going to celebrate her birthday with them, as is customary. What is not customary, though, was the manner she was treated by the hotel’s floor security, from the moment she stepped into the vicinity of EDSA Shangri-la.

Upon approaching the door, instead of being subjected to the standard check of bags by security, she was immediately asked a question by the man at the door, pretty much asking her what room she was supposed to go to. She promptly answered which room. While this might still be construed as routine, what followed certainly wasn’t.

After stalling for a while, she was escorted by several security personnel not to the reception area which is standard operation procedure for any clarifications regarding rooms and the like, but to the phones hidden away in the corner of the first floor of the hotel. It was as if they didn’t want people to see her, which was bizarre, to say the least. Instead of calling her friends at the reception area, she was calling from the phone booths. Does this count as protocol?

As you might’ve seen in the picture above, Ms. Caliente is quite a looker, and she was, as is customary with Chinese women, wearing a red dress on her birthday, as well as some jewellery. She was dressed to impress that midnight, and wanted nothing more than to just hang out with her friends and chill out with them, especially since it was her idea to make them move from Makati Shang-rila to EDSA Shang-rila because she lives closer to the place.

Instead, she found herself surrounded by seven security personnel, repeatedly asking her questions in the vernacular while she was answering the questions in flawless English. That they were disregarding her mode of expression with the way they were speaking to her was unmistakeable, and at the same time, immensely disrespectful. Cleo comes from Cebu, and Tagalog is not her native language, although she can speak and understand it.

Then, at some point, they asked her a question that just completely went beyond the acceptable boundaries of protocol. They asked her: are you here to see a foreigner guest, or a Filipino?

Let me ask this of you, dear security personnel of EDSA Shangri-la: exactly what the blazes are you implying in asking her that question? Are you implying that you are assuming that the person who brought you business by having her friends check into your establishment, a person who has repeatedly gone to your establishment in recent days to see said friends, just so happens to be a prostitute? Really?

The line of questioning was foul and out of line. There is a protocol by which security personnel must conduct themselves, and while I am not 100% familiar with it, I don’t think asking a visitor if she’s there “to see a foreigner or a Filipino” constitutes protocol. This was downright insulting, demeaning, and given how this scene lasted for over ten minutes, this was practically criminal.

To make matters worse, given how Ms. Caliente was dressed, the security personnel who circled her and were accosting her were eyeing her in a very uncomfortable manner. In her words, she said that she felt like “they were stripping her naked in their minds,” with the way they ogled her. This was harassment, and they were attempting to bully someone whom they assumed was merely a “poor, helpless little girl” who also happens to be a hooker.

They couldn’t have been more mistaken.

After over ten minutes of being questioned relentlessly and treated like a common criminal, Cleo’s friend finally came down to pick her up and at this point, Ms. Caliente filed a complaint after she recollected herself in the hotel room. This was a travesty and a gross act of disservice to her, and they just had to do it on her birthday.

This morning, on 99.5 RT, King DJ Logan, the host of Disenchanted Kingdom, decided to call EDSA Shangri-la to perhaps get the establishment to issue a decent apology for the mistreatment Ms. Caliente has received at the hands of the security personnel. The first time he called, the person who received the call immediately put the phone down on him upon hearing the words “This is King DJ Logan of 99.5 RT.” It boggles the mind why she would do something like that, but they called the hotel again, this time with Cleo making the call.

Soon enough, they were transferred to a guy named Kevin, and he offered to clarify the matter when Cleo asked whom she could speak to for her to register her grievance. What followed has got to be one of the worst examples of customer service I have ever witnessed, as he fumbled his way through, put Cleo on hold multiple times, trying to come up with answers for her questions. It got to a point where Logan had to take over, and cow Kevin into admitting that in reality, he was not in a position to address the issue himself.

Now, take note that this was the second time the complaint was filed, and clearly, there was no log of the first complaint, as Kevin had no idea about what was going on at all despite putting Cleo on hold multiple times. He had to realize he was actually on the air before he realized that he couldn’t just sweep this complaint under the rug.

To make matters worse, after this call, the hotel attempted to bribe Cleo’s friends by offering them freebies on the hotel’s tab. Now, if I recall correctly, it was Cleo who got harassed by these security personnel, and not her friends. So why are they being bribed, when all the were asking for was accountability and a written apology for her ordeal?

Real classy, EDSA Shangri-la. Way to address the situation. Wasn’t it bad enough that you thought Ms. Caliente was a prostitute? Now, you have to try and pay her off (Actually, pay her friends off, even!) as if she really were one? Customer service at its finest! Well played, EDSA Shangri-la! Bravo!

A simple, straightforward apology and accountability for the security personnel who accosted Cleo would’ve been more than welcome, dear EDSA Shangri-la. In case you haven’t realized, at no point did she even flaunt her status as a radio broadcaster throughout her ordeal. Apparently, her desire to not act like she was entitled to any special treatment was taken as a sign by your goons, I mean security, to instead harass her as they please.

Seven guys to deal with one person, ladies and gentlemen. Does this not scream “excessive” and “abusive” to you?

Seriously, EDSA Shangri-la. Do you actually need to step on powerful people’s toes before you realize that you’re mistreating people? Has it gotten to this point already? Can you not simply do the right thing and apologize for treating people the wrong way without having to look at their status in society or in the media industry? And do you think that bribing them with gifts will just make them look the other way? You think you can buy off principles?

Well, at this point, the answer to that is moot, and let this post stand as a warning: unless EDSA Shangri-la decides to do the right thing and issue a public apology in writing to Ms. Cleo Caliente, then we are left with no recourse but to let this post stand as a testament to the discrimination and inhospitable treatment the employees of EDSA Shangri-la clearly are capable of.

I will categorically say that I have no desire to patronize such an establishment, and I certainly hope those who see this will know better than to as well.

Not cool, EDSA Shangri-la. Not cool at all.

My Thesis Affects Everything...

.:Just Because I Think It’s Cool...:.

Here’s a photo of last Monday’s mini-reunion, featuring a good chunk of the former air staff of 939KCFM...

This would’ve been interesting if everyone really showed up...

.:DK Today:.

The gang’s all here (Except for Pom, that is.) in RT right now, as Marf, Cleo, Logan, and yours truly are kicking it in the morning, and Logan, in a sweat-inducing moment, checked out on the air what the other radio stations are up to, just to prove a point.

It’s been an interesting morning so far, and considering how I’m still a bit of a zombie after hanging out with the comics in Alchemy last night and even singing a couple of songs during Mellow Manila’s second set, Logan’s early-morning antics definitely woke me right back up.

For some reason, the Chowking commercial actually turned out to be a point of discussion as well, and it was just weird when interspersed with news about a Singaporean woman who bit off more than she can chew.

This morning, we also learn that Logan happens to have a B/V problem. He had a difficult time saying “cabin fever”, which certainly wasn’t the least bit of an issue for Marf. I wonder how he’d fare talking about the Bang Bus, then?

Just now, the topic of the infamous chindogu came up, proving once again how crazy Japan really is. This was followed by Logan almost salivating as he described in loving detail how much he was craving for longganisang Lucban with garlic rice and sukang pinakurat to boot. Hades, I don’t even eat longganisa, yet I ended up just being enthralled by Logan’s enthusiastic and delectable description of the meal.

And because we’re crazy like that, we ended up discussing how a magician would make a unique wedding proposal, and I suggested making a ring materialize from a computer screen into reality as a way of transitioning into the proposal. Admittedly, it was crazy cheesy, but whaddaheck, right? If it works, then it works, no matter how sappy it could be.

.:Meetings Galore:.

Work has been heavy for me this past week. I’m loaded up to my ears in meetings and stuff, not to mention the fact that I need to cough up 25 more pages for my thesis word count to look presentable when I submit it...

Radio Musings...

.:The Disenchanted Kingdom, In Brief:.

I dropped in on the Disenchanted Kingdom with Logan, Marf, and Cleo yesterday, which proved to be quite hilarious, to say the least. I know it was so politically incorrect, but talking about the road rage guy and making a reference to him shooting it up because he gave his “potty mouth and middle finger” a rest was quite amusing, albeit definitely insensitive.

In any case, overall, the show was one of the quieter ones, but we still managed to have our moments. It seems to be quite a trend to tease me and Cleo on the air lately, but hey, what can we do, right? I guess that’s turned into a bit of an attraction, because one of the listeners who called in this morning actually mentioned that the whole “loveteam” (Not that there’s any.) made for giddy moments. Looks like that has made for quite an interesting turn of events.

At the same time, since Cleo and I were ditched by Logan and Marf last night, we ended up catching Ninja Assassin together. It was, as the review indicated, a pretty fun movie, although definitely nothing to write home about. I even called in on the show this morning, and they ended up asking me about the movie “date” last night, and actually mentioned it to Pidro during his Roadwatch segment immediately before I called in.

Nonetheless, it’s all in good fun. Cleo emphasized my being a virgin as a point of unattraction, but I was glad to have Cat on my side, as she extolled my sparse virtues and told Cleo that maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a try. I was certainly amused. That, and Logan even chimed in that it must be a big deal for me to wake up early and listen to RT, since I’ve always been listening to Chico and Delamar prior to all of this, which is actually true. This is the first time my radio was tuned into anything else but the Morning Rush since Chico and Delle hosted the Rush Hour on 939 KCFM.

So yeah, in a nutshell, that accounts for all the craziness on the air lately. Just a lot of high-school era teasing that’s amusing, but ultimately enhances the show’s demographic, for some reason. I guess that’s because deep down, the world could stand just a little more mush in their lives.

.:The Ship May Have Already Sailed...:.

As pretty much anyone knows, I merely guest on DK, and I’m not officially an employee of 99.5 RT.

Now, see, I have no problem with that, since I’m too busy to commit myself to a radio station full-time. I am loving my work here in Nuffnang, and I’d be a fool to leave all of this for a job that will not only pay much less, but one that I still feel I have underachieved at.

The only time I really felt I was doing well as part of an on-air team was when I was a part of Campus 99.5. Unfortunately, that didn’t last too long, and worse, a lot of back talk has taken its toll on me, and I’m really just too tired to have to go over all of that right now.

The thing is, I love radio with a passion, but I am aware of my weaknesses as an on-air personality. I wish I could change all of that, but it’s just not easy. I can’t just overhaul how I sound on-air in a flash and become a sensation. I always deferred to those who came before me, and except for one time in Campus, I was never given the kind of latitude needed to really break out. But see, again, I have nobody to blame but myself. I had my shot, but I just decided to phone it in all the way. The one time I strove to excel was when I was aboard a sinking ship.

Well, nowadays, I’m hanging out at the Disenchanted Kingdom, and I’m having the time of my life. I’m still far from perfect, but hey, I’m not on the payroll, and it’s not like I’m not trying to improve myself at all.

I ask myself if I want to find myself officially back in radio, and I honestly can’t say “yes” without any hesitations. I’ve found myself way too jaded with certain things, and this healthy distance from the official world of radio has afforded me a chance to continue loving it instead of being immersed and resentful at the same time.

Two years ago, when I left WAVE, I never thought I’d see myself in radio again. Campus rekindled that flame, but now, I know better than to just keep on pursuing what seems to be a pipe dream at this point. And with all due respect, maybe if I ever consider radio again, I have to look beyond the five stations I constantly look at when I think about it.

I do it because I love it. I have no desire but to give back to an industry that has given me so much throughout my life, from being a listener to being part of AGM to being in Radio 1, being a jock, being an Airchecker, and to being a host. It’s all because of radio. It’s all because of those who came before me that I always have and always will defer to.

Perhaps in the end, I love radio too much to truly belong there.