Ayala Museum- It all started in Ebun a week earlier. I was having dinner when the waitress handed me a note. The note said, “Your facial features are pretty. I will be honored to draw a portrait/sketch of you this Saturday at Ayala Museum. Say 2:30 PM.” The note was personalized, Dante Silverio -Artist [with his number] was embossed on the paper. I was flattered but I didn’t know what to think. I replied, “That’s generous of you to say. Thank you. I’ll check my schedule.” The following day, I checked over the net who Dante Silverio is -and I found articles that said he was the former team manager/coach of Crispa… I also read that he used to be the president of the visual arts guild of the Phil and he’s a businessman turned artist turned flamenco dancer. I wasn’t thinking of going. #1- He saw me night time and I was really all dressed up [so I'm not too sure if he had a good gauge of how i looked] I might disappoint him if he saw me in daylight [haha] #2- I questioned his motives #3-Why should I go? All these doubts were answered when I talked to Tito Boy Saycon who happened to mention his name in one of our conversations [freaky coincidence wasn't it?] He said that he vouches for Mr. Silverio and that he’s really a good artist. They worked together for 10 years and he knows Dante’s kids. He also said that he’s happy that Dante hasn’t lost his good taste for beauty. What morale booster do I still need? I texted Mr. Silverio that I can make it at 3 PM. Thing is, I didn’t get any good sleep the night before Saturday and I cried so my eyes were really puffy when I woke up. I didn’t get any rest at all so I looked haggard.  But I made a commitment so I went even if I knew I’d be a disappointment [man, listen to myself... I should rebuild my confidence <--out of order last week, haha.] Three friends offered to accompany me but I summoned up the courage to go to the museum alone. He asked me to sit in one corner and he started drawing my portrait. Elixir Tvberia came and drew my portrait. It took effort to sit still since there were people around watching but it was manageable. Two hours and 30 minutes, both artists were finished. The two portraits were totally different.  I guess it depends on how the artist interprets the subject. To sum it up, I enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to more little misfits adventures… Shine like the sun! 

I have to say that this is my favorite of all episodes of Contender. The fight was already written in history to be won by a bullet. Anthony Bonsante is the better boxer by far… in terms of determination, discipline, fairness and talent. Don’t get me wrong. Jesse Brinkley [my new ephemeral crush] is a good boxer too, make no mistakes about it. But the odds weren’t with him. He had to lose weight before the fight and re-focus. 2 rounds into the match and he was still trying to find it. Jesse didn’t bring any goals stepping into the ring. The traditional tapping of gloves before the match was foretelling Anthony that Jesse conceded to being the bullet’s target board that night. Then the world stopped on its axis when Jesse landed that uppercut right smack Anthony’s noggin. From there on, the bullet lost all its gunpowder. I saw that as soon as Brinkley’s uppercut connected, Anthony’s eyes lost its light. He staggered, fell on his side, and received the count. Even if Bonsante was expectant of a strong win, he didn’t see that hit coming.

I liked Anthony’s grace… as well as his passion and respect for boxing. Though his determination [others confuse with arrogance] can sometimes be piercing as a bullet, he accepted the loss no matter how unfortunate it went.

I simply love Mark Burnett’s reality shows because he veers towards human nature –the complexities of emotions and responses. Even if it’s all set up on a studio and it is still “TV,” he captures the human drama of situations we come to experience — RAW.

I almost got teary-eyed when I saw Bonsante kids’ concern for their father’s condition when he met the mat. Father’s love –sometimes flat but such a sweet thing. Bullet is a wonderful dad [But there’s no greater dad in my eyes than the one that comes home to us. Gulp. No crying for me now…] Kiddos, love your dad or anyone who stands as the dad in your life and be grateful for the difference he made in your life. Though it is not possible, love him far more than he has provided for you. Sacrifice for your loved ones –esp. for your dads and moms.

Spend time with them. Life is too short for trivial activities that you can do later on.

Love is eternal.